Penny for your thoughts

Last night was a pretty awful start for Brad Penny. On the cold, rainy and foggy night, he was having trouble locating his fastball, and his curveball was out of control. In four starts, we’ve seen two quality starts out of Penny, mixed in with two horrible ones. That 8.66 ERA is unsightly, Justin Masterson is looking very good in two starts, Clay Buchholz needs to log some innings here, and Michael Bowden looked good in his two inning came0 against the Yankees. At this rate, Penny could be the one to get the boot when Daisuke Matsuzaka is ready to rejoin this rotation. What do you think, Red Sox Nation? Are we ready to give up on Penny?

Sox sweep Yankees for 10th straight win

Ellsbury steals home

Man, and I thought game 1 was unbelievable. The Red Sox came back from a huge deficit in Game 2, and then broke a 1-1 deadlock in Game 3 to take their 10th straight victory last night, highlighted by Jacoby Ellsbury’s steal of home plate in the 6th (video at MLB.com).

Sox 5, Yanks 4 in 11 innings

Wow. That game was just – wow. Jason Bay comes up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth against Mariano Rivera, against whom he was 0-4 lifetime with 2 strikeouts. The score? Yankees 4, Red Sox 3. But then he drives a cutter high and deep, but towards the deepest part of Fenway – oh no, it’s going to be caught. It sails back, back, and, somehow, clears the fence by a matter of inches. Everyday Jason Bay sends it to extra innings, and in the 11th, Kevin Youkilis hits a walk-off homer. If there was ever a symbol (since *ahem* 2004) for the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, this game was it. The Yankees came into town with all their shiny new free agent acquisitions and self-confidence, and, somehow, some way, Boston wins it against the Sandman. I know it’s early, but that kind of game is why I watch baseball.

Welcome back, Kason

A year and a half ago, when the Red Sox traded away Kason Gabbard in the Eric Gagne trade, there was quite the uproar amongst the Red Sox faithful. Gabbard, who had made some successful spot starts in 2007 was seen as a potential rotation booster. Things didn’t go too well in Texas, and with their young superstars ready to rise up this year and next to the Majors, the Rangers saw him as expendable – and Epstein pounced on the opportunity, reacquiring Gabbard yesterday for cash considerations. Gabbard is a bit of a soft-tosser and injury-prone, but he has shown a penchant for winning, and has a great attitude. He has been assigned to Pawtucket and will provide more pitching depth (of the left-handed variety). I wonder if more cash-strapped teams will do deals like this as the year progresses and ticket sales continue to suffer?

Sox round into form quickly, sweep Orioles and Twins

What a difference a week makes. After a disappointing 2-6 start, the Red Sox have become the hottest team in baseball, winning seven straight games. During this stretch, the offense has really exploded, and Sox have outscored their opponents by a whopping margin of 55-20. They’ve summarily dominated their competition.

Sox drop two more to Halos

Disappointing weekend for Sox fans, with the Boston lineup going down quietly in two of three in this series. We’re familiar with this from last year; enough baserunners, but not many runs. The shadow of the Nick Adenhart tragedy kind of defined this series, and I have to give my condolences to the Adenhart family and the whole organization. I thought Jered Weaver pitched his heart out in the first game for his lost friend, and I give him a lot of credit for that.

Should Jacoby Ellsbury still lead off?

Ellsbury makes contact

Last year, we showed that when Jacoby Ellsbury was hitting well, this lineup really produced. So far, the offense has been anemic, and a lot of that has been fueled by a .200/.259/.200 performance by Boston’s leadoff hitter of the future. Is it too early to pull the plug on the #1 hitter?

Rays take two of three at Fenway

With B.J. Upton sitting, I expected the Sox to win at least two of these games. After a very promising start to the opening series of 2009, the Red Sox quickly fell into some trouble against Tampa’s starting pitching. Take out James Shield’s start, and Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza had a combined ERA of 1.38 over 13 IP against Boston.

Poll: Biggest surprise of 2009

Links: Anticipating Opening Day

The Sox roster looks to be set, with Nick Green filling the role of utility infielder in the absence of Julio Lugo and Chris Carter being the left-handed 1B/LF off the bench until Mark Kotsay returns. I hope Carter hits a ton and wins the job outright, but that’s me.