You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'MLB' category.
Brad Mills has been tapped as the new manager of the Houston Astros, and Terry Francona is happy for his good friend. Word is that the Sox may promote from within, and the rumors are swirling around current Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson.
The Red Sox met with Aroldis Chapman this week, but it’s not clear how serious the talks were; he’s met with at least nine other teams, which to me spells bidding war. Meanwhile, Yusei Kikuchi will play for the Seibu Lions in the Nippon League next year.
Now that we’ve clinched our playoff berth as the AL wild card, it’s time to scout our competition. First up, the LAAoA. If that ain’t a mouthful. The Red Sox have owned them in the postseason, but they are not as weak as they were last year. Here’s a quick look at how we stack up side by side.
Here’s the line for the starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday – 5 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 9 Ks, including a streak of 7 men in a row. That line belonged to John Smoltz, formerly of the Red Sox organization. I should acknowledge that this happened against the Padres, who feature kind of a Quad-A lineup right now, but still…
In order to make room for the newly acquired Adam LaRoche, the Red Sox placed 1B/OF Mark Kotsay on waivers today. If he clears, the move allows the Sox to option Kotsay to Pawtucket. It would also qualify him to be traded after the July 31 deadline. This leaves Rocco Baldelli as the only backup outfielder on the 25-man roster; that can’t remain the case for long; the only other emergency outfielder on this roster is Kevin Youkilis.
For those of you predicting a Theo Epstein masterstroke by the trade deadline, one of our targets has been traded already. LF Matt Holliday has been reportedly shipped to the Cardinals for top 3B prospect Brett Wallace and two other prospects.
The Red Sox are popular indeed, not just with fans, but players too. 2B Dustin Pedroia and LF Jason Bay have been named as starters for this year’s All-Star Game, to be held in St. Louis. Other Boston players who made the team include Tim Wakefield (his first selection in his illustrious career), Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis. Congratulations to all these deserving guys.
Congratulations to these Red Sox, who achieved notable milestones this past week:
- David Ortiz, who collected his 1,000th RBI
- Terry Francona, who won his 800th game as a manager
- Tim Wakefield collected win number 10 already! Is this guy ever gonna stop pitching?
In case you missed it, here is the video of Nick Green’s narrow escape from a flying broken bat last week. My heart almost stopped during this play, thinking, “oh no, this means we have to play Julio Lugo!”
Effective yesterday, Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a banned substance. Maybe it was the way it all happened that was surprising, but I must say that it doesn’t truly surprise me. I told you the Dodgers would regret signing Ramirez. “Mannywood” indeed!
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Curt Schilling announced his retirement from baseball this week, after toying around with the idea of making a half-season comeback attempt in 2009. Thanks for everything, and best of luck to you. Read the rest of this entry »
