Every week, The Lineup will take a comprehensive, numerical and often uproarious look back at the previous week of Red Sox action both on and off the diamond. We’ll go one through nine, from top to bottom in the order, covering all you need to know about your favorite team.
Without further ado, let’s get this party started:
Jason Bay: We Can Be Better
The Red Sox begin the second half of their season Friday in Toronto. And with a 54-34 record and a three-game lead at the break, you’d think All-Star Jason Bay would be happy with his team’s performance. OK, it’s not that he’s unhappy, but Bay still sees room for improvement in the second half.
“I still don’t think we’ve played our best yet,” he told MLB.com.
An All-Star still hungry after an AL-best first half of the season? I think we have a lot to look forward to in the final 74 games and beyond.
A Return to the Bigs
Highly touted prospect Clay Buchholz is back with the Red Sox and will make his first major league start of 2009 on Friday against the Jays. After a 7-2 record and a 2.36 ERA in Triple-A, Terry Francona says Buchholz is up just to keep the established starters on their normal rest heading into the second half and that he’ll be sent back to Pawtucket shortly thereafter.
Others are postulating that there may be more to it. Could Tito and Theo Epstein be trying to showcase their top hope for the future for other teams looking to deal at the deadline? Maybe. Maybe not.
But however big this start may seem, one game won’t make or break the future for this exciting 24-year-old righty.
Steadiness at Short
With the imminent return of Tito’s preferred shortstop Jed Lowrie — Lowrie went 0-for-4 on Thursday in Pawtucket, where he’s compiled a .176 average in 34 at-bats — where does that leave first-half overperformer extraordinaire Nick Green? And where does it leave underperformer ordinaire Julio Lugo?
The Sox are said to be shopping Lugo … basically to anyone willing to take him and any of his ginormous contract.
Green, on the other hand, will likely share time with Lowrie until it’s clear whether he’s fully recovered and — more importantly — ready to perform every day for a pennant-contending team.
Lowell and Behold
Another significant name reportedly close to returning to the lineup is that of third baseman Mike Lowell, who is recovering from hip issues (not a lack of hipness, thank goodness … an actual injury to his hip). If the Red Sox are active at the trade deadline, it likely will be because they’re not confident in Lowell’s ability to return quickly enough to 100 percent.
If Lowell takes longer than expected, there have seemingly been deals discussed that could ship a reliever like Takashi Saito somewhere in exchange for a solid corner infielder, like a Garrett Atkins, Scott Rolen or Hank Blalock. Let the speculation fly!
Josh Beckett: Mr. 100
It seems like eons ago, but in shutting out the Royals 6-0 on three hits in the first-half finale last Sunday, Josh Beckett earned career win No. 100. At 11-3, the 29-year-old right-hander is having one of his best seasons in Beantown, has outperformed All-Star mate and trade bait Roy Halladay of late — what a fate! — and at this date has to be one of the top candidates for the AL Cy Young Award.
But the week wasn’t all rhyming and Happy Fun Ball for Beckett.
All-Star Benchwarmers
Despite being picked for the AL All-Star team, neither Beckett nor first-time selection Tim Wakefield made it to the mound on Tuesday. But it wasn’t that they were snubbed, writes MLB.com’s Ian Browne. As it turns out, both Beckett and Wake were being saved for extra innings, just in case, after last summer’s 15-inning monstrosity. Leave it to Bud Selig’s “This Time it Counts” scheme to ruin the first (and potentially only) All-Star appearance for Wakefield, a 42-year-old, 17-year MLB veteran.
“Both Beckett and Wakefield fully understood the situation, and they weren’t mad about it in the least,” wrote Browne. “Sure, Wakefield would have loved to pitch. But he was thrilled just to be part of the festivities.”
Can you imagine the conversation Wake has with his grandkid 20 years from now? (Of course, he’ll still be pitching for the Sox then.)
“So, Pop Pop, I heard you were an All-Star back in the day. What was it like?”
“Well, sweetheart, I didn’t play because I was being saved for extra innings. But I did get a free flight to St. Louis.”
Mmmm, memories.
Keeping it Interesting
Well, now the rest of the country understands what we’ve been talking about all season. In the seventh inning of Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic in St. Louis, Jonathan Papelbon got the job done (and was even credited with the victory), but not without making your heart nearly pop out of your chest. Brad Hawpe cracked a deep fly to left, but Carl Crawford saved the day with a leaping catch up against the wall. Next up, Miguel Tejada, who ripped a deep fly to right, but Adam Jones was there to make the grab at the warning track. The King of the Irish Jig then struck out Jayson Werth to finish off the inning, thereby averting millions of AL fans’ near-coronaries.
World Baseball Catastrophe
At least that’s what it has turned out to be for Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has seemed off all season for the Red Sox since pitching 14-plus innings in three games and and being named WBC MVP for the second time. Local media and even some of the higher ups down on Yawkey Way have wondered aloud if pitching so many innings for his home country in a preseason tournament (a meaningless one at that, at least in the eyes of the Red Sox) has messed up Dice-K’s je ne sais quoi.
But Ichiro to the rescue!
In St. Louis for the All-Star Game, countryman Ichiro Suzuki was quick to offer support for both Dice-K and the reputation of the World Baseball Classic.
“If people are blaming the WBC, that’s not very smart,” Ichiro told the Herald through his interpreter. “People who are saying that are using it for a reason just to have a reason. They’re not really thinking it through. I believe he thinks it’s not due to the WBC, too. People who say that are just grasping for a reason.”
Ichiro was then asked how much of an effort Matsuzaka gave for his team’s win and in the honor of his eventually being named tournament MVP.
“Everything,” he said. “He gave everything he had. We all did, everyone on that Japan team. That’s why we could win.”
OK, but then isn’t that maybe why he’s 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA for the Red Sox so far in 2009?
America’s Most Beloved Ballpark
Did anyone else notice the multiple shout-outs that Fenway Park’s newest nickname got during Wednesday’s Winter Classic news conference? Believe me, I’m not saying Fenway isn’t America’s Most Beloved Ballpark. But when “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” is all over America’s Most Beloved Ballpark’s logos and “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” is not-so-casually tossed into Larry Lucchino‘s speeches, the continued use of “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” seems a bit over the top.
Still, how awesome will it be to see outdoor Bruins hockey at “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” on New Year’s Day? I’ve got my toque all ready to go.
