We're Halfway There...

Baseball has reached the midway point of the grueling 162-game season, and with that, I figure this is my blog, I'm going to make a few predictions. Kind of like a "if the season were to end today..." sorta' thing. Off we go.

Postseason baseball is one of the most amazing things on this planet, other than postseason hockey and Reese's Klondike bars. From the American League, I would give the division titles to the Red Sox, Tigers and Rangers, with the Yankees falling just short of the AL East and snagging the Wild Card spot. I think when the Red Sox return to full health again, they will roll just as good as they have under those circumstances. The Tigers, led by Verlander and Cabrera will keep it close, but squeak by in the Central, and the AL West winner is like the idiot kid brother that is there because Mom made the other three bring him along, even though the Rangers did make it to the Fall Classic last year, no big deal.

For the National League: The Phillies will run away with the East, the Brewers' bats will stay hot enough in the Central, and the Posey-less Giants will take the West, with the Braves securing another playoff berth, their first without Bobby Cox at the helm.

For the awards, I think the MVP honors should belong to Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox, and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers. Gonzalez is leading the majors in home runs and RBI while sitting in the driver's seat of Boston's offense, and shows no signs of slowing down. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun may have a better case given the team he plays for, but over the past few years Matt Kemp has been stomping doors down making himself a household name on a subpar ball club. Kemp is in the NL's top 6 in batting average, runs, RBI, stolen bases and leads the league in home runs with 22, all despite playing in a 10-games under .500 bankrupt organization.

As far as the Cy Young awards go, there's no need to even argue. Justin Verlander of the Tigers and Roy Halladay with the Phillies. Both have 10 wins, 120+ strikeouts, ERAs under 2.40, and WHIPs under 1.05. Game, set, match.

Disagree if you want, but stick around til October and let's see what happens.

Breaking News: Buster Posey Most Likely Done For 2011 Season

Last night in a 12-inning thriller at AT&T Park in San Francisco, the Marlins trumped the Giants, 7-6. But there was no shaving cream pie laid out for the Fish after the game.

In the top of the 12th, Scott Cousins of the Marlins was rounding third base heading into home as the go-ahead run. The throw beat him, but his collision with Giants catcher Buster Posey jostled the ball loose--and also a bone in Posey's left leg.

Almost down to his knees, once the collision came in, Posey was held from flipping backwards because his foot was caught of the ground as all of his weight fell back, snapping a bone around his shin/ankle area. He suffered a broken bone, and will most likely miss the remainder of the season.

The Twins are sans starting catcher Joe Mauer, and their record this season sits at a dismal 16-32. What will happen to the Giants without their former Rookie of the Year, World Series winning catcher for the remainder of 2011?

The other part to this story is Posey's agent, Jeff Berry has the ball rolling on opening up communication with MLB On-Field Operations leader Joe Torre on home-plate collisions.

From a fan standpoint, if you get rid of home plate collisions, that takes away so much from the game. Baseball is the least physical game of the major sports, and stripping it entirely of any contact would be disastrous. I can understand the argument, because according to the Sports Science clip they showed on the 5:00 Sportscenter, a runner charing home plate can impact with roughly 3,000 pounds of force.

Either way, for the Giants to stay afloat, it is going to take a lot. Losing an offensive leader, nevermind a catcher, is going to be tough. The Giants are up 2.5 games in their division, and if they want to hold onto that lead, they will have to play smarter baseball, and look for those players who are ready to step up and lead the charge.

How Strong Are You?! TOO STRONG!

Fresh off their 14-2 smackdown (with Bobby Flay) of the Cleveland Indians, the Boston Red Sox got up early and never looked back against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

In Wednesday's game at Cleveland, the Sox thumped 4 home runs with the bats of Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Crawford finished the day a triple away from the cycle and ended up 4-4, whereas every other player on the team had at least 2 hits besides Jed Lowrie who finished 0-5, and received a day off on Thursday.

(LIVE)Their second afternoon game in a row, and their first of a three game series in Detroit, the Red Sox jumped out with 5 runs in the 2nd inning, with a lot of credit due to Jacoby Ellsbury's 3-run jack.

The Sox should just play day games more often, apparently, as they have now scored 14 runs thus far, with the game in the top of the eighth.

Vartiek flies out to retire the side. I think I'm going to close the book on this one. I know our bullpen is bad, so I won't say that the Tigers just have one run. Crawford, over the past two games is 8-9, with 4 singles, a double, 2 triples and a home run. He is hitting .330 in the month of April, an unbelievable turnaround for him, and just what Sox fans have been looking for. No need for a fourth walk-off hit when your team wins by double-digits.

And as I say that, into a rain delay we go. Well no matter what happens, the team with the most wins in professional sports in the month of May has won their third game in a row over the Detroit Tigers.

Tomorrow, Tim Wakefield will take on a surging Rick Porcello at 7:05pm.

Sox Finally Trump Tribe, 4-2

Jason Varitek threw out two runners and hit his first home run of the year, Adrian Gonzalez continued his tear, and Beckett pitched 6 innings striking out as many batters. For the first time in 2011, the Red Sox have beaten the Cleveland Indians, 4-2.

Splitting their second series of the year, the teams completed their two game series Tuesday night from Progressive Field in Cleveland.

For Varitek, this was his first home run in 117 at-bats, dating back almost a full year to May 30, 2010. Gonzalez's average dropped to .340, so he's doing absolutely miserable in his first season with Boston.

The Sox travel to Detroit tomorrow for an awkward Wednesday afternoon game at 12:05. The Sox have gone 8-2 over their last 10, and now sit in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 26-22, after starting their season 2-10.

Is This What The World Is Coming To?

1,400 Bernie Brewer lawn ornaments were hidden across Wisconsin as a promotion for the Milwaukee Brewers' organization. The statues contained tickets, coupons and autographs. A great idea by the ball club, with a miserable result.

The ornaments were put out early this morning, but those who placed them were apparently stalked by some greedy bastards who wanted first dibs. The rules of the Bernie Brewer scavenger hunt, that came directly from the Brewers' organization stated that there was to be one per household. Instead of getting two or three, people are apparently snatching them up in groups of more than 10 in some cases.

There are even some statues on eBay, going for roughly $200, even though they are sold in the Brewers' team store for $48.

Could this be any more ridiculous? Absolutely not. A great promotional call by the Brewers, and it was absolutely ruined by a few selfish assholes. Think of how many kids were pumped to run around their local parks looking for these statues only to hear that some 30-year-old jerk already swept the area at about 6am, hot on the trail of the employee laying them out. That's absolutely pathetic, if you ask me. People are so dumb sometimes, it is truly baffling to me.

Sox Fall to the Tribe - Again

(AP Photo: Mark Duncan)

Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson matched up beautifully Monday night both going at least 7 innings, but neither of them factored in the decision. Daniel Bard came on in relief in the bottom of the 8th at Progressive Field in Cleveland, only to give up a double to Michael Brantley for the game-tying run, followed by another double off the bat of the white-hot Asdrubal Cabrera to slam the door, 3-2.

The Red Sox have won 7 of their last 9, and were leading for most of this game thanks to a solo home run hit by Carl Crawford in the fifth, his second of the year.

Buchholz took the mound tonight, giving up 4 hits and two earned runs over 7 and 1/3 innings and receiving his second straight no decision. Masterson's line was eerily similar, going 7 and 2/3 innings.

First pitch was at 8:10pm, an hour later than scheduled due to some passing showers over the ballpark, but once it was underway, the game took less than 3 hours.

Adrian Gonzalez continued his tear with a single tonight in a 1-3 performance including a walk, putting his batting average to .342. Kevin Youkilis' hit streak was snapped at 10 games tonight, going 0-3.

Scary moment in the top of the 8th when Dustin Pedroia, attempting to round 2nd base turned his left ankle, and had to exit the game. He was reluctant to put pressure down on the ankle, which he has had problems with in the past, including last season when he missed most of the final three months of the season. No word yet on the severity of the injury.

With the loss, Bard falls to 1-4 on the season and gets his second blown save. Since 2009, Bard only has 4 other losses, and is looking to figure out how to get back on the right track as quickly as possible. Bobby Jenks, similarly terrible this year, threw a 26-pitch bullpen session, and is looking to get his first action in a rehab start in the coming week.

Sox take on the Indians tomorrow night at 7:10pm from Progressive Field. With the win tonight, Cleveland moves to 30-15 on the year, and 8-2 against the AL East thus far.

It's God-Given

For all you kids out there who want to be big major league stars, just listen to Domingo. He teaches the basic fundamentals of hitting for average in a few very easy steps. Inside pitches, outside pitches and bunting. Classic.

"It's hitting for average, you can't put it in my wheelhouse, I hit a bomb!"

I think the best part about this video, and the numerous other videos he's made, is that he's clearly a nasty ballplayer. When he explains hitting a home run, it gets even better. Fundamentals, all day, hahaha.

Crawford Gets 3rd Walk-off Hit, Sox win 4-3

Photo Courtesy: AP/Charles Krupa


For the third week in a row, Carl Crawford has lifted the Boston Red Sox past their opponents in the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk-off hit.

After struggling mightily out of the gate, Crawford is slowly turning things around in May. Crawford is only hitting .212 on the season, with an OBP of just .249. But consider if you were in the second month of a 7-year, $142 million contract - you don't think that price tag on your forehead might make things a little bit tougher?

With his clutch performances, a certain weight has been lifted off of his shoulders, but the fans in Boston need more. Crawford will not make it the entire season off of the benefit of the doubt he is getting right now.

As for Thursday's game between the Detroit Tigers and the Red Sox, there may not be a better pitching match-up than that of Justin Verlander and Josh Beckett. Both teams scraped across a run in the second inning with the Sox taking a 2-1 lead after 4, but other than that, Verlander and Beckett roared through this game that was on pace to be completed in just two and a half hours.

That all came unraveled in the top of the 8th inning. Daniel Bard came in looking for the hold, but instead gave up back-to-back shots to Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera. Thanks to Big Papi David Ortiz's solo blast a half inning earlier, the game was knotted up at 3 apiece.

To the bottom of the 9th we go. Kevin Youkilis drew a leadoff walk, and Jose Iglesias came in to pinch-run. Big Papi hit a single to right-center, allowing Iglesias to move to third. With runners on the corners, JD Drew earned himself an intentional walk after his bomb in the 4th inning. Bases full of Sox, Jed Lowire had an impressive at-bat that ended in a bloop single and a force-out at home as Iglesias was forced to hold in case the ball was caught.

Once Ortiz was at third, Darnell McDonald was called upon to pinch run. Austin Jackson, playing shallow to avoid the cheap base hit, would not have had a chance on Crawford's frozen rope to deep center even if he were playing at normal depth. McDonald came across, and the Sox are now proud owners of a 6-game winning streak.

"You always want to get a hit in those situations," Crawford said. "You want to win the game - you don't want to go to extra innings. You just try to tell yourself to focus a little harder and hope for the best."

Crawford strategy has paid off for him once a week since the end of April. May 1st, May 9th and May 19th have all been walk-off victories thanks to Crawford.

Tonight's game is between the Sox and the visiting National League Central Division Chicago Cubs. This will be the Cubs first visit to Fenway Park since Game 6 of the 1918 World Series 93 years ago.

Doug Davis (0-1, 1.80 ERA) vs Jon Lester (5-1, 3.28 ERA)

Go Sox

Victor Out, Leaves Sox Fans Salty

First of all, I know you love that headline.

Now to the story. Victor Martinez, after a monster run in Boston, is out. After a season and a half, and less than 200 games with the Sox, Martinez became a free agent and as of right now has a four-year deal lined up with the Detroit Tigers. Martinez, a rookie in 2002, didn't just dazzled fans as a backstop, razzled them as a first basemen, and razzle-dazzled them at the dish. He was a solid #2, #3, clean-up, or #5 hitter, and was a constant long ball threat in any situation.

I was shaky on the Sox to begin last season, and even though they didn't make the postseason, recovering from their extended spring training performance well into June helped diehards keep the faith. Beltre, Varitek and Hall have all filed for free agency. Mike Lowell retired. Youkilis and Cameron have been activated from the DL...and so has Ellsbury, but we'll see if the Cherokee princess is ready for action by March. Theo resigned Big Papi, and traded Richardson for some guy named Andrew Miller on the Marlins. But as far as a backstop goes, the only guy we have right now is Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The guy can hit, no denying that, but I'm still unsure of him after his stint on the DL last year for not being able to throw the ball back to the pitcher.

The Weekend will be standing by waiting to see what new transactions the Sox make, as well waiting on the AL MVP to be named. Vote Hamilton.

Sox On Life Support

After losing a 3 game series, 2-1 to Tampa, the sox are now 6 and a half games out of first place, going into the final month of the season. You never know when a team is going to catch fire, or when a team is going to go completely cold, but its looking like it's going to get chilly early in September.

The bats have been doing there job most of the time, but its the pitching that's getting to us. Buchholz is as solid as a brick wall, but Lester has been shaky lately, as has Beckett. Wakefield, covering for Matsuzaka who's out with a back problem, is 4-10, and Lackey will give plenty of innings, but make it tough on the offense to keep pace.

Its going to be a rough final month, with the Sox facing the Yankees 6 times, and the Rays 3 more times. Is it doable? Hell yes. I do think it's going to be nearly impossible to pull off, but like I said, you never know what a team is capable of, for better or worse, over a couple series in a row. A lot of baseball's top-notch analysts were down on the Rays early, and I don't know if they'll be able to hold it together. Ride or die, Sox Nation.

Lester vs Price

Huge match-up tonight at The Trop. The tied-for-first-place Tampa Bay Rays will host the Sox for 3 game that could be huge for Boston. We trail by 5 and a half games in the AL East, and are in desperate need of a hot streak. Hell, if we don't start that streak here, we'll be in serious trouble.

Tonight's pitching match-up has the league's top 2 lefties in Jon Lester (13-8) and David Price (15-5) doing battle head-to-head. This could potentially be one of the most important games of the year.

In other news, Dustin Pedroia is walking around with a boot on that injured foot of his, and will know if he needs surgery in a week.

7:10 on NESN, Sox vs Rays.

Go Sox.

Dan Bellino Is A Chump

When Adrian Beltre was struck out by Felix Hernandez, the two friends proceeded to trash talk each other, Beltre telling Hernandez that he got one, but the next time he would take Hernandez deep over the Monster. Home plate umpire Dan Bellino, just called up from Triple-A to umpire in the MLB, had no idea what was going on, and thought the talk was directed at him, so he threw Beltre out of the game.

Beltre, competely stunned, freaked out on Bellino, demanding and explanation, that the moron couldn't give him, because he didn't think it through.

Terry Francona then stormed out of the dugout demanding an explanation, but fellow umpire, Angel Hernandez shielded Pellino from Tito.

"He's protecting the young umpire. I guess they have their sort of code or whatever, like we do," said Francona. "I guess I figure if a guy's old enough to throw you out, he's old enough to get yelled at. I just wanted an explanation."

Apparently age has nothing to do with maturity. The call was made without thinking, and Pellino had no answer for why he came to such a quick decision. He was clearly just nervous and that's all he could do to get himself out. Either way, get this clown out of here, its bad enough with the umpires the MLB already has.

Birthday Shout-Out(s)

Happy Thursday, and happy birthday to these fine people. Feel free to celebrate any way you see fit. Cheers.

Lil Chris
Cassie
Elvis Andrus
Jamal Lewis
Morgan Ensburg
Stan van Gundy
Will Shortz
Mother Teresa
Princess Alexandra of Bavaria

Just Another Day In Japan

What are they feeding those guys over there? It wasn't even a month ago when we saw a catch similar to this go rifling through the Internet. I just don't understand why there are ledges on all of the walls for dudes to just climb on, but hey, its Japan. Kudos to this yahoo, and like the last guy to make a catch like this, enjoy it, because that's a once in a lifetime snag.

And what make this play even more amazing? That's right, the full marching band blaring in the background during the it.

Sox Put A Claim Damon

Now if you're like me, then you're probably wondering what the hell is going on, and why would the Red Sox do this? Hold your horses, because he's not on the team yet. Johnny Damon will have til Wednesday to decide if he wants to come to Boston.

The Detroit Tigers placed Johnny Damon on waivers, and the Red Sox immediately placed a claim on him. The Red Sox' intentions are unclear as to whether they want to keep Damon, or just prevent him from going to another contender like the Rays. The Sox are in need of an outfielder with experience, but a source close to Damon doubts that he'll make a return to Boston.

Sox Walk-Off, 5-4 (11)

Jed Lowrie, who was supposed to be the Opening Day starting shortstop, is doing just fine as a backup middle-infielder. Plagued with mononucleosis for most of this season, the road back to the big leagues was tough. But of late, he's been on a pretty good tear.

Matsuzaka and Romero both gave up 4 runs in their respective starts tonight at Fenway, and the relievers kept the offenses at bay until the 11th, when Lowrie went deep into the Sox bullpen.

Rubber match tomorrow from Boston, Clay Buccholz (14-5) against Shaun Marcum (11-6). Go Sox

Manny-Go-Round

Manny Ramirez, just activated from the DL with a calf strain, might be headed back East. The Dodgers could potentially decide to put the 38-year-old left fielder on waivers, with Tampa Bay being a frontrunner to place a waiver claim on him. It would be quite the risk for the Rays, as they would have to pay some of his remaining $4 million, and give up some prospects for the slugger.

Given Manny's track record, its a tough call. Ramirez would have to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to go through as well. All of this should play out in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Pedey's Back On The DL

8 days after coming back from the DL with a broken foot, Dustin Pedroia is back down, this time only with soreness. Either way you slice it, he'll be missing at least another 15 games, which puts the Sox without their former-MVP second basemen into the 2nd week of September.

Facing the Blue Jays tonight, Jon Lester will try to chalk up another W as the top two home run hitting teams in baseball square off. The Red Sox are 6 and a half games out of the AL East.

It Might Get Loud

Yesterday's game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals at Nationals Park got a little bit messy. This was the first time Arizona had visited Washington since SB 1070, a bill that would grant the authorities full rights to search anyone at any time who they suspect is an illegal immigrant, came to light.

Before the game, protesters carried signs, and hung a banner from a nearby parking garage demanding Bud Selig move the 2011 All-Star game from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona because of the proposed bill.

During the game, two people ran onto the field from the right field stands and were taken away by police. Next thing you know, another guy is running on the field holding a protest sign, but he was taken out pretty quick. Then, while security was distracted, a giant bed sheet banner, reading "Bud Selig Move All-Star Game No SB 1070 was hung in the batter's eye in centerfield.

Numerous players and coaches around baseball have already expressed their opinions about the matter, with many of them, most notably White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, stating that they will stay clear of all festivities in 2011. Bud Selig sucks at everything, but will cling to interleague play and calling the 2001 All-Star game a tie as to why he's the best commissioner in planet earth's history. Let the games begin.

Another One Bites the Dust

Kevin Cash is the newest member of the Walking Wounded. On the 15-day DL with a strained hamstring, newest acquisition Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Saltalamacchia was sent down earlier in the year for, well, going squirrely. He struggled throwing the ball back to the pitcher, while batting close to .350... Not sure what happened, there. In Pawtucket, he threw out 2 of 3 baserunners, so hopefully he's good to go.