Red Sox fans need to calm down

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Relax.

That's the message I have for any Major League Baseball fan that has hit the panic button already.

This goes out, especially, to all these Red Sox fans -- and I use the phrase "fans" loosely -- who are also saying that this ballclub stinks.

Yes, they haven't played well during their 0-3 start against Texas this year, but as we all know, this is a very long season.

It's a marathon of 162 games, not a sprint. Teams will hit ups and down all season long. The Sox are on a mini-skid right now, but there's no need to panic.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset that your beloved Red Sox have started the season losing three straight, but just take a chill pill for a second and realize that this isn't the end of the world.

This team has talent throughout the lineup. Talent typically prevails in any sport.

If you want to start pointing fingers at certain players who haven't done well yet, then here goes -- Bard, Buchholz, Lester, Lackey and Crawford.

Besides Lackey, any team in the majors would be glad to trade for anyone on that list above. So if you want to run them out of town, that's fine, too, considering they all stink anyway.

Being a fan is a wonderful thing. But being a "fan" that has absolutely no clue about the sport just ticks me off to no end.

And sorry to say, if you think this Red Sox team "stinks" then you don't know jack about baseball.

Season over, thanks for playing

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's all over.

No need to play out the rest of the season, right Red Sox fans?

I know, Kevin Youkilis is apparently out for the season with a torn thumb muscle, so now it's OK to give up. Seriously?

Yes, the sky has fallen.

Time to pack up the bus, and look forward to next season.

I just can't believe that so many Red Sox fans have completely given up on the season already. This team has battled and battled all year with so many injuries, and with a pitching staff like they have, who's to say they can't make a run at the wild card?

But to sit there and say that the season is a complete wash now, since Youk isn't going to be around, I just can't buy into that at all.

Injuries happen all the time, it's part of the game. Yes, it would be nice to think about how this team would be if these guys didn't keep going on the DL, but you play with what you've got. These subs get paid, too, now it's time for everyone to step up.

The season isn't over. Smarten up.

Here's What I Have To Say

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Here's a list of topics in the world of sports that I feel I need to spout off about. You can either agree or disagree with me, but please have an opinion, either way.

• Man, I hope 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh and Zo are right on the money -- like a Tom Brady pass -- when they say that pint-sized WR Wes Welker will be good to go in the Patriots' first day of training camp despite recovering from major knee surgery. If Welker can come back -- all signs point to him being way ahead of schedule in his recovery -- and avoid missing substantial time during the regular season (like the first 7 or so games), then this is outstanding news for Patriot Nation. But be cautious: Welker isn't 100 percent yet, and that knee could give out at any time. But thinking positively, the shaky WR corp just become a major strength again if Welker can be 75 percent of what he was last season. Imagine if he returns and is close to 100 percent?
• The Patriots better ink their franchise quarterback to a gigantic deal ...and fast. If any of these reports are correct, then Brady is getting frustrated that the Pats haven't given him a contact extension. What are the Pats waiting for? Are they seriously trying to play hardball with one of the best QBs in the league? Not to mention, Brady has given the franchise multiple Vince Lombardi trophies, and he deserves a new and deal. Don't mess around Robert Kraft or coach Bill Belichick. If Brady ends up walking next year and wears a different uniform, you two better expect to leave town in a hurry because this fan base will not let that careless behavior slide.
• What should the Boston Red Sox do with David Ortiz? Should the Sox let Big Papi walk after the season or give him a new contact? We're all interested in what Boston's brass will do. I know Ortiz is having a very good power numbers season (18 HRs, 60 RBIs), but how much longer can the 34-year-old keep proving people wrong? Just when you think Ortiz is done (like most of us did earlier in the season), he gets hot with the bat and we all forget about his previous struggles. I can see giving him a two-year deal but not in the range of $20 million (more like $15 million). But he's currently make $13 million and perhaps he thinks he's worth that much or even more? If Ortiz leaves, I wonder who the Sox are already targeting?
• One more homer and A-Rod will have 600 for his career. It's an incredible milestone, but should he be celebrated, ignored or booed? Yankee fans will cheer, but fans outside of the Big Apple probably won't because he admitted to cheating by using steroids. Clean or not, 600 homers is pretty darn impressive. I'll cheer but still remember how he cheated the game and lied about it.
• Former Celtics guard Tony Allen took a little jab at his former team on his way to Memphis, saying that he was "overshadowed" by guys like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Overshadowed? I'm choking on my water as I blog. We all know Tony Allen couldn't hold either Pierce or Ray Allen's jock on their worst day, but Tony Allen still needed to hype himself up because, honestly, no one in American really knows who he is. Does Tony Allen really think he's a premier player in the NBA? I'm still laughing. Celtics fans know Tony Allen is a lockdown defender, but he's got no offensive game -- well, shooting the ball anyway. When he touches the ball, you hope he passes it because he'll either throw up a brick, or drive the lane way out of control and chuck up a shot that nearly shatters the backboard. Tony Allen, good luck with the Grizzlies because you're going to need it. I bet you still can't even get a Tony Allen jersey in Memphis, and I bet people are still wondering who he is.

Sox have pitcher to thank for win, but it aint Buchholz

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

With two outs and his team up by three, it was Jose Contreras that sparked the Red Sox offense with a botched play on a slow roller that should have ended the inning and a bases-full threat.

These are the kind of breaks the Red Sox haven't gotten much lately and when they have gotten them, they haven't taken advantage.

But Monday night, the Red Sox offense looked like the offense they expected to have when they acquired Victor Martinez. Instead of squandering a bases-loaded situation, the Sox blasted Contreras right out of the game with six runs in the third. Then they added two more in the fourth to take a 7-4 lead.

That should have been enough. For most pitchers, it would have been.

Enter Clay Buchholz, the unpredictable.

After three solid - though not stelar - outings prior, Buchholz failed to get out of the fifth inning for the third time in eight starts this season, giving up a big fly to maybe the most underrated first baseman in the league, Paul Konerko to tie the game back up.

But in fine fashion, the Red Sox' offense was relentless, something it hasn't been very often this season, despite the talent level. At best, they have been inconsistent. Is it finally coming together? Boston had 13 hits - seven for extra bases. Yes, it did take an error to prevent yet another squander, but the big thing is the Red Sox were able to capitalize on the blunder for more than just a run or two.

With the pitching staff in such a state of flux, the offense will have to take every opportunity it can get in order to stay in games. Maybe Monday night was a sign of things to come.

Does Boston have the arms to make the playoffs?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's really sad to see.

The team that was said of have one of the best pitching staffs in the game heading into the season is now relying on Clay Buchholz and Junichi Tazawa to get into the playoffs.

Remember when nothing made you more confident than to look at the Red Sox' rotation heading into a pivotal series? It seems a million years ago. Brad Penny didn't look so bad when he was your fifth starter. Now he's your third and lo and behold, the Red Sox are being left in the dust in the AL East and now trail in the Wild Card race.

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have been all that you would expect them to be. Beckett has to be one of the favorites for the Cy Young award, especially with his current tear. He's 7-1 in his last 10 starts with a 1.93 ERA. Clearly he has done everything you could ask of your ace. Lester, likewise, has looked more than solid. He hasn't earned a decision in his last four starts, but has only allowed nine runs in 24.6 innings (3.29 ERA) in that span.

But Penny has been simply atrocious basically since the All-Star break. He's won just one of his six starts and dropped four with an ERA north of 6.50 after making Theo Epstein look like a genius over the first half of the season, especially when June rolled along. Perhaps the whiplash is getting to him, as he's allowed seven post-All-Star homers after giving up just 10 taters in 17 starts to begin the year.

Buchholz has done nothing to give Sox fans a warm and fuzzy feeling. He's learning the hard way once again that there's a major difference between AAA hitters and major league ones. Yes, he's been left out to dry in his last two starts by zero run support, but he's very lucky he hasn't gotten blown up with that 20/19 K/BB ratio. In fact, he's failed to strike out more batters than he's walked in each of his last three outings.

Tazawa has been placed in one tough position after another. Ok, go hold off the Yankees in extra innings in your first big-league appearance. Ok, go beat the Tigers on the road. Ok, help us hold the lead in the Wild Card against Texas. The kid has 20 professional appearances before being called up and while people have raved about his talent (though he has been overshadowed by Buchholz and Michael Bowden), he's still a green 23-year-old. Expect a lot more where today's outing came from against quality opponents (5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3BB, 0K).

Is this team and its postseason hopes fading away as its pitching staff falls apart? John Smoltz was an epic failure. You can't blame the organization for taking a gamble on a future Hall-of-Famer, but you can question their decision not to hold him out for longer, even when he complained. Anyone counting on Daisuke Matsuzaka needs to step away from the pipe and head to their nearest N.A. meeting. It seems ridiculous to say, but at this point, the Red Sox desperately need Tim Wakefield and unfortunately, he's still limping around.

Two pitchers does not a rotation make and at this point, that is what the Red Sox have to work with.

Youkilis gets punked by a rookie

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Don't go picking on a rookie, Kevin Youkilis.

Did you see last night Boston Red Sox third/first baseman Youkilis charging the mound against Detroit rookie right-hander Rick Porcello? If not, take a look at it.

How funny was it to see Youkilis -- a player even Red Sox fans don't really like because he comes off like a cry baby most of the time -- charge the mound?

Well, if you're going to charge the mound and know you're going to get ejected and suspended for that action, you might as well get your money's worth by landing a flush haymaker or drop-kick, or something to inflict damage to your opponent. Right?

Not Youkilis. He charges the mound like a bad out of hell, and Porcello retreats backward like a timid field mouse.

But wait, Porcello stands up like a man at the last second, dodges a helmet thrown by Youk, and chucks him to the ground like a rag doll and lands on him while a sea of Red Sox and Tigers converge on the bench-clearing brawl.

Advantage, rookie for the textbook takedown.

I don't care if the pitch was intentional or not, if you charge the mound you better mean it. Youkilis lost the fight, no doubt, but either way it was worth the price of admission.

The Sox have recovered from that four-game sweep to the Yankees and obviously aren't going down in the AL East without a fight.

I don't think the UFC will be calling Youk any time soon, however.

So much for a rejuvinated offense

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sport Staff

Yes, Sox fans. It was as ugly as it seemed.

In the six-game embarasment that was the Red Sox' last road trip, they found pretty much every concievable way to lose a ballgame.

But in pretty much all of them, there was one common theme - an extreme lack off offense. And as bad as it looked, when you mull over the numbers, it's enough to make a grown man cry.

Let's start with the basics. The Red Sox managed to score a whopping 16 runs on 39 hits over the six-game stretch. Now remember that two of those games went into extras, so in reality, Boston scored 16 runs in 64 innings. Average that out and the Red Sox scored once every four innings. You can't win ballgames that way. Not against good teams.

Who can you blame? How about everybody? As a team, the Red Sox batted a dismal .176, accumulating just 39 hits in 222 at bats. At the top of the order, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia were unproductive. The leadoff hittter batted .233, while the former MVP was just a shade better at .240. But wait, it gets worse. Here's a list of the Red Sox' key players who laid eggs in the pivotal series.

Victor Martinez: 6-for-26 (.231)
Kevin Youkilis: 5-for-23 (.217)
J.D. Drew: 4-for-19 (.210)
Mike Lowell: 2-for-13 (.154)
David Ortiz: 1-for-18 (.056)
Jason Varitek: 1-for-19 (.053)

Jason Bay was absent for most of the week because of a re-aggravated hamstring injury, but he went 2-for-8, extending his horrible post-All-Star slump. He's now batting .204 since the Midsummer Classic. (In the process, he's become a statistical enigma of sorts. He is slugging just .296, but stil has an on-base percentage of .377 in that time.)

The road trip was one of the worst stretches of offense in Red Sox history, including a scoreless streak of 31 straight innings. At least they avoided getting shut out in back-to-back-to-back games for the first time since 1981.

Say what you will about John Smoltz. The rest of the starting pitching in either series was good enough that they could have won. Jon Lester was superb in both of his starts. Josh Beckett was dominant through seven innings in his start against the Yankees. Clay Buchholz was less than spectacular, but still wriggled his way through six inning to put the Red Sox into a decent position in game three of the Yankees series. Brad Penny did not pitch well, but five runs is not exactly disastrous.

Some could point to the bullpen being the problem, having been tagged with the loss in three of the six games and some of the blame could be placed on it, but consider how much they have had to pitch over those last six games and it's not hard to see that they miss having a long man like Justin Masterson (though I doubt anyone would be willing to hand Victor Martinez back). And had the Red Sox been able to muster anything more than nine hits in the combined 28 innings of the two extra-inning games they played, maybe, just maybe those games could have been a lot shorter.

You have to also tip your cap to the opposing pitchers, especially the Yankees, but some of the blame has to fall on what was supposed to be one of the better, most balanced lineups in baseball. Now the Red Sox sit at a .262 batting average as a team, planting them behind the Seattle Mariners in that department. That's just not going to do it for a team that wants to hold onto its postseason dreams.

Stick a fork in the Red Sox?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

So have you given up hope?

If you're a Red Sox fan, today is an official day of mourning. 

But you've got to get back up, brush yourself off and immediately get back to work.

Do you think the season is over?

While it never looks good to be back 6 1/2 games in the American League East -- to the archrival New York Yankees no less -- don't for one second think the season is over.

Boston can get hot at any time, especially with a lineup that features Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Bay (he needs to start hitting again), and everyone knows it.

Big deal. The Yankees just swept the four-game series in the Bronx. It's only August and there's more than a month of baseball left. The Sox have the pitching to get right back in the race, but the offense needs to start hitting, and some clutch hits are going to be necessary.

Keep the faith, Nation. 

There's a lot of baseball left to be played -- 52 more and six against the Yanks. Plus, you don't actually think that the Red Sox will be ice cold for the rest of the year and Yankees will stay hot for that long do you?

So Red Sox Nation, do you think your hometown team is cooked or do they have a chance to win the East or at least get that Wild Card berth?

Bats...and Buchholz...go boom in Baltimore

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It was both an encouraging and disturbing day for the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards yesterday. Where to begin? Well, let's start with the positive.

The Red Sox scored 18 runs. Yep. The offense that was simply dreadful coming out of the All-Star break appears to have awakened. 23 hits, seven walks and only three strikeouts. What's more, they did it with the starting corner outfielders sitting on the bench. Jason Bay had the day off and J.D. Drew appeared to aggravate his groin injury legging out a triple in the first inning. The Red Sox are now 7-3 since snapping their five-game losing streak, averaging seven runs per game over that span.

Victor Martinez looks like he's settled right in with the Red Sox lineup. The Sox' big trade deadline splash went 5-for-6 yesterday with a double four RBI. Since coming to Boston two days ago, he's had as many RBI as Jason Bay had the entire month of July. In the first two games, Terry Francona has batted him third, where he primarily hit in Cleveland with a .304/.380/.490 line.

Josh Reddick continues to fill in admirably. Since coming up from AAA Pawtuckett, where he had a .277/.352/.520 line, Reddick has been asked to start twice, once in the place of J.D. Drew and once in the place of Jason Bay. In those two days, the 22-year-old has accomplished a plethora of firsts. Saturday, he recorded his first major-league hit and first major league double. The double was one of two he had, making it also his first multi-hit game. Sunday, he belted his first major-league homer, netted his first major-league RBI and scored his first major-league run. It's a very small sample size, but in three games (two starts, one pinch-hit), Reddick has a .364/.417/818 line with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. This probably won't keep, as scouts on every level have said he needs to polish his approach at the plate, but it's nice to see.

And now the negative. There's only really one big one.

Clay Buchholz showed his appreciation to the Red Sox brass for holding onto him by allowing seven runs in four innings to the AL East's worst team. And it was even worse than it sounds. Buchholz gave up nine hits and four walks. It seems odd, given that he threw 46 of his 76 pitches (61 percent) for strikes, but that just means he had no command. When he missed, he missed bad and when he hit the zone, he put it right in the O's hitters' wheelhouse. The Orioles' problems have never revolved around the offense, which is fourth in the majors in batting average, but that more illustrates the point than acts as an excuse. When you're against a team that can hit, you need to be more conscious of where you're putting the ball. Buchholz didn't do that and as a result, saw his ERA rise from 3.52 to 6.05. He hasn't made it out of the sixth inning in any of his five starts, giving up 28 hits - including 9 in each of his last two starts - in 19.1 innings and has a putrid 14/11 K/BB ratio.

Stay classy, Nomar. Stay classy.

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Ok, I will preface this blog with this. I despise Nomar Garciaparra. There are no two ways about it. Even when he was here, I knew what he was - a tremendously talented baseball player with a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder for all the wrong reasons. He wore the red, white and blue of the Red Sox like it was a burden instead of a privilege. And while he has always insisted he loved the fans in Boston and he loved the team, he never did anything to actually show it, leaving his words resoundingly empty.

For all intents and purposes, the yesterday's ceremony to retire Jim Rice's number was amazing, a moment that will stay etched in my mind forever. I really feel truly blessed to have been there to witness it.

But there was a brief moment where I felt nothing but disgust and sure enough, Nomar Garciaparra was in the middle of it.

For those of you who missed it, let me break it down for you.

After a brief introduction, Rice was introduced to the Fenway Faithful and made his entrance from the overhead door in left field, appropriately, and to a rousing ovation walked down the third-base line towards home plate, passing the Oakland dugout on the way. There were several players stretching and prepping for the game and as Rice passed them, Nomar jumped out in front of him with arms extended as if to say, "Come on, big guy, gimme a hug!"

Rice hugged him, but Nomar didn't let go and actually started rocking back and forth in an awkward exchange that looked like a pair of pre-teen middle schoolers dancing together for the first time at the school social.

Does it seem like much? Maybe not. But it's still a case of Nomar trying to insert himself in someone else's spotlight.

I have no problem with Nomar appreciating Rice and wanting to congratulate him. But how many current and former Red Sox players appreciate Rice and have congratulated him? Probably more than a few. How many of them did it in public, uninvited? One. Nomar wanted everyone to see him congratulate Rice. It would have been one thing if Rice made a point to go over to Nomar and give him a hug. It's the fact that Nomar went out of his way.

Maybe he couldn't stand to see the spotlight on someone else. Maybe it was one more way for Nomar to say, "See? I really do like Boston!" in his somewhat successful attempt to show the lemmings he cares and get their love back. Or maybe he and Rice are friends. I don't know their relationship.

But if they are friends, Nomar should have accepted that this was Rice's moment, stood to the side and let him have it. It's not like there wouldn't be other opportunities both inside the ballpark or outside to give Rice a hug, congratulate him, buy him a beer, whatever. And if he couldn't get a hold of him, Nomar could have called up his good buddy Lou Merloni and gotten hooked up.

It was Rice's moment. And it was an unbelievable one - one that I feel extremely lucky to have been there to see. But a part of me will always remember that moment where the man who couldn't stand to be here, couldn't stand the organization and didn't care about the fans made himself a part of history that honored someone who did all the things Nomar never did.

Stay classy, Nomar. Stay classy.

Talking B's: Bay, Bard and Buchholz

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Having a hard time remembering the last time Jason Bay had an RBI? Let me help you out. It was July 9. That's right folks, the man hs a big, giant goose egg in the RBI department since the All-Star break.

We all knew he wasn't going to keep up the ungodly pace he put up earlier this season, but this is an epic struggle like few we've ever seen.

His batting average was an impressive .324 in April and while he only hit .266 in May, he pounded 10 homers and 30 RBI. Even when he batted .230 in June, it didn't seem to be quite as big of a deal because he still knocked in 20. He was still productive.

But now it's reached the point where it's downright ugly. He's gone 12 straight without an RBI and over the last 30 days, he's posted an OPS of .616, putting him behind the likes of LA's Blake DeWitt and Casey Blake and San Francisco's Rich Aurilia.

Hopefully seing Oakland come to twon will help. In a very small sample size (11 games), Bay has done very well against A's pitching, posting a .385 batting average and 1.203 OPS (his highest OPS against any team).

Meet your new closer

Like what you've seen from Daniel Bard so far?

Let's hope so, because if he doesn't get traded, he very well could be the Red Sox' closerin the near future. Papelbon is under the Red Sox' control with arbitration eligible years in 2010 and 2011. He avoided arbitration this season with one-year contract, but rest assured he's going to be looking for more security.

With Jonathan Papelbon in the last year of his contract in 2012 and the Red Sox smartly not willing to issue a long-term, big-money contract to a closer, Bard appears to be the heir to the bullpen throne.

The Red Sox have made it pretty clear whom they wish to keep around, locking up the young talent they wanted to long-term deals last year. Papelbon was offerered no such deal, so the writing is pretty much on the wall. He wants top dollar on the marker and he'll most definitely get it, but not from the Red Sox. With the exception of a few (Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman), the shelf life for a closer is not very long.

With what they've seen so far, they obviously appear confident to move on with Bard as Papelbon's replacement. The number have been pretty good. In 23 games (27.1 innings), he's posted a 2.26 ERA as well as bullpen bests in the form of a 1.01 WHIP and .184 opponent's batting average.

How he'll respond to ninth inning work remains to be seen, but with a fastball touching 100 and a nasty slider, he certainly has the raw talent.

Buchholz for the right price

Clay Buchholz, as it turns out, is available for trade.

While the answer was a resounding "No" when the Indians came calling offering Victor Martinez for Buchholz, according to some reports, the Red Sox may be willing to offer Buchholz as part of a package for Roy Halladay.

That package would ultimately shoot down my Bard-in-the-closer's-role theory, as it's said to also include Bard and a top-ranked prospect.

While it's all talk at this point, it does raise the question as to whether or not Buchholz, Bard and say a Michael Bowden or Lars Anderson would be too much for Halladay. In this case, the answer has to be no way. Halladay is one of the three best pitchers in baseball and instantly makes any team that acquires him better.

The real question now becomes would the Red Sox really have to give up that much? The main competition for Halladay has come from the Phillies, who are reportedly unwilling to part with both J.A. Happ and minor-league starter Kyle Drabek, who Charlie Manuel compared to Tom Seaver, even though he had Tommy John surgery last year.

Given the fact they would be trading within the division, the Red Sox probably will have to pay more than they usually would. But given the caliber of player they get in return, it just might be worth it and make them the front-runners in the American League.

The Doc is most definitely in

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

You can't think about Roy Halladay and not be amazed. After all, this is the guy who went from the major leagues all the way back down to A-ball to try and re-discover how to pitch. Since then, he's only spent the last eight-plus seasons dominating major league pitchers.

There are few you'll find that pound the strike zone the way that he does. In that respect, he's the perfect pitcher to face a team like the Red Sox. Consider the number of "on-base percentage guys" Boston has. How many of their hitters rely on getting deep into counts , not swinging at bad pitches and forcing opposing pitchers to put one in their wheelhouse.

You can't do that with Halladay. Everything's around the plate and every pitch has a purpose. He doesn't waste pitches. He goes right after you. If you're hoping he's going to nibble around you a la Daisuke Matsuzaka, it's obvious you've never even looked at a stat sheet, nevermind actually watched him pitch.

Halladay just doesn't walk anybody. It just doesn't happen. The man has thrown nearly 2,000 major-league innings and has walked just 437 batters. Just let that sink in for a second.

Done?

Ok, now consider the fact that 163 of those came in his first three seasons (I'm not counting 1998 when he made two starts). So since 2002, he has allowed just 274 free passes, or 1.5 per nine innings.

Let's not forget he's tied for first with 11 wins, second in complete games with four, and fourth with a 2.73 ERA.

It's looking less and less likely that Halladay is going to be dealt, meaning that he'll spend another year on a losing club without a shot at a ring. It's disappointing to see one of the Top-3 pitchers in baseball toil in the mediocrity.

Beckett: Don't worry, bullpen. I got this one

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It was all too fitting.

A day after the Boston bullpen blew up once again, Josh Beckett did what you'd expect an ace to do. He picked up the Red Sox on his back and int he process, picked up his 100th career win.

The Red Sox bullpen has been one of the best for most of the first half, but they've also been one of the most overworked. Justin Masterson is on pace to throw over 120 innings after throwing just 153.1 over his first two seasons (that included 15 starts). Hideiki Okajima is on pace to excede his career high in innings, as is Ramon Ramirez. Jonathan Papelbon is on pace to surpass them both.

It's not because the Red Sox have decided to add more innings to their games. Daisuke Matsuzaka averaged just 4.1 innings per start before going on the DL with "shoulder weakness," otherwise known as leaving batting practice fastballs over the plate. Brad Penny, as good as he's been lately (3.44 ERA since the beginning of June), has averaged just about 5.2 innings per start. John Smoltz hasn't gone more than five innings since coming off the DL. Jon Lester has come around, but going seven innings was a struggle for him over the first two months of the season.

The All-Star break seems to be coming at just the right time for the Sox' pen, which is showing signed of weakeness over the past month or so. They still have the best ERA among American League bullpens, but over the last month, they have been strictly mediocre.

After watching them give up a combined six runs over the final three innings of last night's game, Beckett decided to give the pen a night off.

Beckett dominated over nine shutout innings, allowing just three hits. He struck out seven, including four of the first five batters he faced and threw 66 of his 94 pitches for strikes. That's right, folks. He needed just 94 pitches to go nine innings.

The shutout was the second of the season and his second in his last five games. Over that span, he's gone nine innings twice and seven innings twice and 6.2 innings once. He's not only eating innings, but he's being the guy he needs to be - a sure-fire winner. The righty is 4-0 and Red Sox are 5-0 over those five starts.

What's more, Beckett has a with a 1.63 ERA in those games. It's just scary.

When this guy's on, he's untouchable. The Red Sox need to hope he can keep being that guy.

Morrow's better off starting, but not like this

Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's been a long, long time since Brandon Morrow had himself a decision. It's been even longer since that decision has been a victory

Morrow's season has been very much a strange one and while the Mariners are doing the right thing in making him a starter, they're doing it in all the wrong ways. They should have committed to Morrow as a starter at the end of last year and had him conditioning for the position during the offseason. Instead, even though he has constantly said he wants to be a starter, the Marriners made him their closer again this year. Then Morrow played the good teammate and said he was happy relieving. It was only after he struggled, went on the disabled list, came back, struggled again and ultimately lost his job to David Aardsma did the M's consider him for a starting spot when he went begging to them to allow him to start.

What should have happened is a prolonged trip to AAA Tacoma to build up arm strength. Instead, he spent a whole four days in AAA, then was brought up to the majors. He's been a mess since.

Going into today's game against the Red Sox, Morrow had had four starts, going 16.2 innings (an average of just over four per start), allowing nine runs. He's walked 11, while striking out 18. Not an incredible ratio.

Today's start was his most encouraging as he went six innings, allowing three runs in six innings. Most importantly, he walked only one. Still, is this the way you want to break a promising young pitcher into starting in the big leagues? Have him struggle through five or six innings per start for a team that can't promise to win a game for him? Seems more like a way to destroy a pitcher's confidence than anything to me.

Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of moving Morrow to the rotation. I am one who believes Jonathan Papelbon would be a sure-fire ace if the Red Sox had inserted him in the rotation as they had originally planned going into the 2007 season. There was a time when Papelbon was considered a superior starting pitching option than any the Red Sox had in their farm system, including Jon Lester. Sure, he's topped the Red Sox' saves list, but I am a firm believer that saves are a vastly overrated stat (Holds and range factor top the list of overrated stats).

Having one of your best pitchers pitching one inning in a game you hold a three-run lead in is just a waste if you ask me. There are a lot of guys who can protect a three-run lead for an inning.

It's too late for Papelbon. He's too firmly entrenched as the closer for the Red Sox. For Morrow, it's not too late, but the Mariners just aren't going about it the right way.

So anyways, about that bullpen...

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

No sooner was I about to write the words "Justin Masterson's slider was dirty" did the flamethrowing righty reliever proceed to implode.

Masterson struck out four batters over the fifth and sixth innings -- including one on, yes, a hella nasty slider -- and then proceeded to give up four runs with no outs in the top of the seventh. From there, things unraveled quicker than a poorly-written movie plot. Manny Delcarman, Hideki Okajima and Takashi Saito combined for five more runs, and then Jonathan Papelbon proceeded to blow the save in the eighth. Nick Markakis doubled off him two score two runs, for the final 11-10 score.

John Smoltz didn't qualify for the win, since the game went to rain delay in the middle of the fourth, but his strong statement for a rotation spot was wasted anyways. This was vintage Smoltz, his slider whizzing across the plate like it did a decade ago, in a game where the rest of the lineup was anything but over the last four innings.

Tell me something, was it an omen when all four infielders and Masterson began to walk off the field with two outs? Because the rest of the game, they played pretty stupid.

OK, OK, I could go on and on with turns of the phrase about what a FedEx job the Sox did last night. But let's put this into perspective before the worrywarts on WEEI and the Boston.com messageboards go palookas over trade ideas.

I'm not going to say this was bound to happen, because I'm not that naive. But it's just as naive to now think that this is an illumination of a growing problem, too. This is not "a nightmare", as Dennis Eckersley repeated verbatim over the last two innings, but just a sober reminder that, hey, we're not even at the All-Star break yet. So enough chirping about that "luxury" in the bullpen.

Could a little shakeup be in the works? With Dice-K and Mike Lowell on the Disabled List, I'm thinking Smoltz will fill that rotation spot for now. But after a game like this, I'd love to see what Clay Buchholz can do.

Don't look at this game as a barometer of the team's bullpen struggles. How they respond today -- with Lester on the mound, no less -- will tell you all you need to know about how tough this team truly is.

Ortiz still has a lot more to prove

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Another home run for David Ortiz.

That makes six on the year and five in June with eight games left in the month.

So as the weather gets hotter, will Ortiz's bat follow suit? His recent production would suggest yes, but this is one fan that remains skeptical.

The Red Sox need Ortiz to produce in the DH spot for one reason more than any - they don't have anyone to replace him with. No one on the bench or in Pawtucket could provide the kind of offense you desire at the designated hitter position, otherwise, you have to think they at least you have been given a look at this point.

So many fans have come to the conclusion that the Red Sox don't need Ortiz because the team has managed to be successful thus far without him. Jason Bay has been an RBI machine. Kevin Youkilis has thrived in the three spot. Most importantly, the Red Sox are in first place and still winning.

But what happens if things go wrong? Mike Lowell, who has played a major part in helping people forget Ortiz's struggles, now has sat out two games with discomfort in his surgically repaired hip. Losing a valuable guy has to make you start thinking, "What if?"

What if Bay hits a prolonged slump? What if Youkilis goes down or Lowell needs to miss significant time? Or there are other less dramatic questions. For instance, what if Nick Green remembers he's the guy who didn't have a job this time last year? What if the Red Sox will need offensive production from other means.

Ortiz has to be that guy. The DH cannot be a hole in the batting order.

His recent success has to give you hope, but at the same time, can we count on Ortiz to be David Ortiz when it really counts? He's connecting when he was missing and he's hit some mistakes out of the ballpark. But when it comes down to it, can Ortiz still hack it against the best of the best as he'd be called upon to do if/when the Red Sox make the postseason?

He's still late on a good fastball and still looks confused at times. You have to hope if you're a Sox fan that this will continue to improve as he gets more comfortable. But at the same time, you have to realize that all season this has not looked like the David Ortiz fans have come to know and love. Something is off and sometimes big, aging ballplayers just lose something, especially ones coming off of injury. He just might not make it back to become "our" David Ortiz ever again.

Is Ortiz finally getting it?

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports

After not hitting a home run in the first five weeks of the season, David Ortiz now has four in the last nine games, including his solo shot into the Marlins' bullpen tonight. Big Papi's shot started a six-run fourth inning, and then his two-run single finished it. He's now batting .210, after stumbling below the Mendoza line earlier this season.

Is this finally the moment we've been waiting for since last August? Is Papi finally out of his mecha-slump?

I tend to believe so. Earlier this season, reports surfaced that claimed Ortiz was actually 35, which with more substance might be a solid answer to why he's gone through such a slump. I tend to think the problem with his slump was two-fold.

First, when you're a power hitter carrying that much weight, staying in shape is imperative once you're over 30 years old. Just ask Cecil Fielder or Mo Vaughn. I'm not saying the man sits on his butt when the season's over, but at the same time I'm not convinced Papi endures an off-season regimen as brutal as Kevin Youkilis or Dustin Pedroia.

Second, sluggers like Papi are inevitably going to lose their power as they grow older, and in turn need to adjust their approach at the plate to stay competitive. Just ask Frank Thomas.

Those two elements, in my opinion, led to such a long slump for No. 34.

Will he stay out, now that he's on a tear?

A Penny saved is...a bargaining chip earned?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The Red Sox and Theo Epstein have a problem most general managers would kill to have - more pitchers than rotation spots. Let's face it, in an ideal world, that's what Theo was hoping to be faced with at this point in the season. And while everyone talks about six-man rotations and moving Dice-K to the bullpen, let's talk for real for a second here and realize what the Red Sox have right in front of them - a major trading tool in Brad Penny.

Is the Bronson Arroyo situation all over again? Nope. The Red Sox are not going to settle for Wily Mo this time around. If they make a move, they're going to get real value.

A couple of things make Brad Penny expendable. The first, obviously, is the fact that John Smoltz is ready to return to Major League baseball as his 30-day rehab stint ends on Friday. He's expected to pitch that day and if it's with the big Sox, it will be against the Braves of all teams. The second is his contract. Penny is a one-year gamble by Theo that seems to have worked out for the best so far. It will be smart for the Red Sox to wait and see what happens with Smoltz, that is, does he still have it and it's doubtful the team will jump into a deal involving Penny. But on top of Smoltz, the Red Sox have a rejuvenated Clay Buchholz mowing down AAA'ers as he waits for a chance to redeem himself after his 2008 choke job. Not to mention Michael Bowden has a 2.48 ERA and has held opponents to a .207 ERA down at Pawtucket.

What makes Penny valuable also lies in two things. The first is his performance. He had a rocky start to his Red Sox career, as short as it may turn out to be. Penny had a horrendous April, but has improved every month so far this season, dropping his ERA almost 3.5 runs since the beginning of May. In his last five starts, he's gone 2-1 with a 3.65 ERA, and that's even after a sub-par outing two starts ago against Texas. The most important thing he did for his stock was dominate the Yankees for six inning to out-duel C.C. Sabathia on June 11. With the way he's pitching right now, Penny could be considered a No. 2 or No. 3 starter for a lot of teams, and I'm talking contenders.

The second key lies in the rest of the league. Penny became a much bigger commodity because the amount of healthy pitching on the trading block has dwindled just within the past week with the two biggest names on the list going down. Roy Halladay left his start in the third inning with a groin injury. Jake Peavy, who utilized his no-trade clause to block a move to the Chicago White Sox is out 8-12 weeks with a torn ankle tendon. On top of that, there are several teams battling injuries that would love to have an arm like Penny's. Are you going to try to tell me the Phillies wouldn't take Penny to fill Brett Myers' spot?

To this point the Red Sox seem to be far from making a move, which shows they realize the size of the chip they possess. In Penny they have a decent chip that could help them get some talent to help for the stretch run without the team having to give up some of the young talent they covet so much.

Afraid of the Yankees? No way!

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's one thing to beat up on the weak links of Major League Baseball, but it's another to elevate your game against the cream of the crop.

You'd be stupid to not take notice of what the Red Sox are and have been doing to the archrival Yankees -- 7 straight wins against the Bronx Bombers. 

Now that's impressive. 

While the Yankees have beaten up on the lesser teams (Orioles, Indians), they can't get it done versus playoff-caliber teams.

The Red Sox are just owning their rivals. Didn't it used to be the other way around? Not any more, obviously. During this head-shaking 7-0 record vs. the Yanks this season, Boston has scored 51 runs to only 28 for the Yanks, while outhitting them, .295 to .269.

The numbers don't lie. Granted, A-Rod or A-Fraud or A-Roid or A-Hole --whatever you want to call him -- was out of the lineup with his injury for the first five so the Yanks' lineup wasn't as powerful, but that's no excuse because the Sox are proving they can beat New York with A-Hole (0 for 7 in first 2 games in this series vs. Sox) hitting in the cleanup spot.

It almost seems like the Red Sox hitters know what pitch is coming next, well, it's not hard when facing Chien-Ming Wang, who can't get Little League hitters out right now. Let's see, putting youngster Phil Hughes in the bullpen for Wang? Yes, another great move by manager Joe Girardi. I still say Don Mattingly should be the manager of this team.

But anyway, credit the Red Sox scouting staff for knowing how to hit, position defensively and attack the New York Yankees hitters with their hurlers. Many factors go into owning your opponent, but scouting has to be a big part of this. 

But maybe the biggest thing right now is confidence. The Red Sox BELIEVE they can win every time they play the Yanks -- home or away -- and it doesn't seem like the Yankees are confident at all. I guess when you get lackluster pitching performances like A.J. Burnett and Wang in this series, then you don't have much a shot, do you?

The Yankees are down to their final hope of beating the Red Sox -- CC Sabathia. If he can't beat the Red Sox and starting pitcher Brad Penny tonight, then this Red Sox streak could get a lot uglier before it gets better for New York.

Can the Yankees finally take a stand, or will the Red Sox continue to pound on their rivals?

It's no contest right now!

Can you say nasty?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

You can say filthy, nasty or sick. 

Any way you want to describe it, it all means the same thing: Boston left-hander Jon Lester is just dealing right now.

For all those in Red Sox Nation and everywhere else that wanted to write Lester off when he was struggling, shame on you. While Lester had issues with his consistency early this year, he had shown that he still had power stuff but was just allowing too many base runners and giving up hits with men on base. Apparently, now he has regained the form that let him win 16 game last year.

Tonight's game against Texas was vintage Lester, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Michael Young stroked a clean double into the left-center field gap.

Lester was just outstanding. He fired a complete-game two-hitter, allowing one earned run, two walks and 11 strikeouts.

His stuff was virtually unhittable. It's like the guy in Wiffle Ball that throws the nasty deuce that no one can hit. That's how good Lester's stuff was.

Did you see the bite on that Uncle Charlie (AKA curveball)? His cut fastball kept fooling hitters and add in that changeup and Lester's stuff just wasn't fair.

This is a Texas lineup that flat out rakes, too, and Lester made them look foolish.

I know everybody is back to being a Lester fan, but if you jumped off that bandwagon early this year, you're looking pretty foolish now. Again, shame on you!

Lester might only be 5-5 with a 5.09 ERA, which obviously isn't impressive enough for a pitcher with his talent, but he's beginning to sizzle on the mound. That high ERA should just tell you how bad he was early on.

Make that two sparkling starts for Lester, who beat Toronto on May 31. In that game, he went six innings, allowing one run on three hits with three walks and 12 Ks. 

Yes, that's 23 punchouts in two games -- and opposing teams are taking notice. 

Besides giving up five runs in six innings against Minnesota on May 26, Lester has only yielded three runs combined (one run in each start) in three of his last four outings.

He's back, no question.

Go ahead and call Lester an ace once again, he's earned that label back.