Jed Lowrie went on the DL today with a bum left shoulder. Already, one of the local hacks wrote an article about trading for Jose Reyes. Let's be clear: It ain't happening. We have Scutaro, and Iglesias is the short stop of the future...period. Having home-grown players in your line-up is important to the long-term stability of any team. Constantly trading prospects for expensive stars is....expensive. Also, I think whichever team invests in Jose Reyes in the future will be disappointed...my gut tells me he isn't one of those guys whose going to be healthy and productive for a long time.
I'm intrigued by the impending call-up of Andrew Miller. He has been lights out since changing his pre-game routine and was once the most highly touted prospect in baseball. He'll take the spot of Buchholz while his back gets right and shit always seems to happen making it necessary to have starting pitching depth. Making his first start against a weak-hitting NL west team should be a confidence boost too.
Speaking of Clay...don't get too worried. He'll be fine. I think he'll hit the DL before Monday, take 2 weeks off and come back strong. The Sox have done this with pitchers a few times (given them a precautionary mid-season DL stint), and it seems to pay off when the pitcher is healthy in September.
Youkilis was limping after making a play on a ground ball last night. I wonder if he's banged up or just putting on a show for the Academy..he tends to be a hypochondriac when it comes to injuries, so it's tough to tell. If he IS injured, that would explain why his production has tailed this year.
Beckett's unseen performance in Tampa on Wednesday was his best performance in a Sox uniform...just an infield dribbler from a no-no. Good to see him bounce back this year...we really need him to be a horse, especially with Lackey struggling, Clay aching, and the 5th spot kind of in limbo (though currently being filled nicely by Wake, but for how long?)
Adrian Gonzalez is ridiculous. He is one of the top 3 players in the game and a joy to watch. even though Rizzo looks like he may be a stud, and Casey Kelly might be great too, I'd make that trade 100 out of 100 times.
A good closer is hard to come by. Year in and year out, there are always guys that have had incredible years, then fade away...it's a crapshoot. Aside from Mo Riviera....who else has shown that he can be a dominant closer for more than a year or two. Pap, Joe Nathan (who's done), Brian Wilson ...??? K-Rod, Lidge, Fuentes, Soriano, Jenks, Soria, Capps, Cordero...all guys who were great for a year, maybe two, then got hurt or disappeared. I think, even though he was inconsistent the last 2 season, Papelbon has shown that he is a top closer and the Sox should probably just lock him up. Yes, Bard is the closer in waiting, but he doesn't seem to have the fire in his belly that a closer needs. Bard will be a great set-up guy here, or a great closer in KC, SD, or Pitt..but in a pressure cooker like Boston or NY, only Pap and Mo have proved that they can do it.
I love that David Ortiz is having a great year. I love all that he has done here...but this contract extension talk is ridiculous. He has an option for next year, Theo WILL exercise it, and Ortiz WILL play here next year. IF he performs again, the he WILL get offered another year after next season...and maybe some other team will offer multiple years, but it won't be the Sox. He's aging and had two awful seasons before his resurgence this year, and Theo isn't one to offer multiple years to a player based on his past. Stop the talk, there wont be a new contract....Ortiz hasn't earned it yet with 2 good months in the last two and a half years.
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