Lowrie’s forearm a problem

As if watching that drubbing in NY wasn’t bad enough, shortstop Jed Lowrie was pulled from last night’s game with forearm numbness; yes, THAT forearm in which he had the wrist issue. Is there a shortstop in the house? Didn’t think so.

Lugo flies the coop; Chris Duncan the return

It looks like someone else besides Julio Lugo still believes he can play shortstop in the Major Leagues. In case you haven’t heard yet, Lugo was traded to St. Louis for 1B/OF Chris Duncan, son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, and a PTBNL. Cards fans have a right to be dismayed, but he can’t be too happy with this deal either. Here’s my evaluation:

The leadoff problem?

Some writers are making a big fuss over the poor performance of Red Sox leadoff hitters. J.D. Drew is not exactly distinguishing himself in the leadoff role, going 0-12 with just one walk since the All-Star Break. The six hitters that have been employed in that role this year have produced a composite line of .256/.306/.353, with that OBP ranking 13th in the AL. The top two AL teams in leadoff OBP this season have been Seattle (.399, mainly Ichiro Suzuki) and New York (.395, Derek Jeter). In contrast, the best OBP on the Red Sox belongs to Julio Lugo (.500 OBP in just three games), who we just DFA’d, and after him, only Jacoby Ellsbury at .320 even tops .300. How much of a problem is this, really?

7/11/09 Injury update: Lowell, Lowrie, Dice-K

Mike Lowell says he’s ready to go, and that’s good news for the Sox. We should get an idea pretty quickly about how his hip will hold up after the Synvisc treatment. Apparently the rest not only helped him be more agile, but allowed him to tag the ball a bit harder than he has recently. Again, good news.

Lowell mending, Dice-K taking it slow, Lowrie’s knee a problem

Mike Lowell says he feels better after being placed on the DL last week, and he will be hitting off of a tee starting today. Jeff Bailey was recalled in Lowell’s absence, but he may now go on the DL as well, probably opening the door for Chris Carter to see some time. Carter has been struggling since being sent back to Pawtucket back in April.

06-29-2009 Injury report

Jason Varitek has been playing through some neck stiffness, perhaps revealing why the Sox saw the need to call up Dusty Brown, even for just a day. Keep pluggin, captain. Josh Beckett has been battling some stuff, but didn’t show it in his last start against the Braves. He should be just fine.

Mike Lowell has ridden his hip too hard this year, and he is feeling it now; he will receive an injection of Synvisc to lubricate the joint, but don’t be surprised if he has to go on the 15-day DL.

Linkage: Milestones all around, minor leaguers recognized

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!”

Links: Some more Papi reading and trade rumors analysis

The David Ortiz conundrum is reaching national status. His eyes checked out, so there’s not many reasons left for his decline. Either he’s way older than we thought, or there’s something wrong with his head. Last night’s long homer and the seven game hitting streak notwithstanding, we still have to have some doubt as to when and how much Papi will rebound. Here’s one exit strategy, given by Craig Calcaterra at THT.

How do you replace David Ortiz?

David Ortiz continues to struggle, even though it seems as if he is hitting some balls harder recently. I don’t think he is done done, but he is certainly hurting the team. Now that we are two months in, it is time to seriously start considering trade options and what they might cost. Unless Papi goes on the DL for 60 days, I think we should look at a right-handed platoon mate for Ortiz, or else a left-handed outfielder who can slot into left and allow the defensively challenged Jason Bay to DH. Here’s a quick rundown of candidates that have been mentioned and what they might cost:

Trade Preview Extravaganza 2009

Almost two months of the season have passed and people’s minds and thoughts inevitably turn towards what can be done to improve the team. I’ve heard some whoppers out there, like trading away our top 4 prospects to get Hanley Ramirez back. Uh, no. But here’s a more realistic look at what is brewing: