Since DP Isn't Around...

There's just a few things I'd like to say with impunity:

Hockey is better than basketball. The game is better. The players are more athletic.

Daisuke sucks. His 18 win season was luck. He's never been a true member of the Red Sox, he only cares about what's good for him and not what's good for the team. He's been allowed to do his own thing, and his career has been plagued by injuries because of that. There's no such thing as a gyroball.

The Perkins trade was a mistake.

Hideo Nomo is not the Japanese Jackie Robinson.

Ben Roethlisberger is a rapist. He got away with rape because of a misogynist cop who had befriended Ben earlier in the night, and because he surrounded himself with off-duty cops from PA. He wasn't an idiot to go to that bar, because he was smart enough to protect himself.

Oh, and Tom Brady is much better than Roethlisberger.

College football players shouldn't get paid. USC and Ohio State are SCHOOLS. Athletes get plenty of benefits when they attend these schools. Paying people to attend one's college is wrong.

Barry Bonds is a cheat, a liar, a clubhouse cancer, and a scumbag. He hates Boston, he hates baseball fans. Any Boston fan that likes him is misguided.

Rex Ryan is an overrated, walking (waddling) reality TV show who likes sniffing feet and putting videos of his wife on the internet for everyone to see. And any Boston fan who likes a team from New Jersey, even if they hate the local football team, is a traitor.

You know what, not liking hockey and hating the Patriots, are we really sure DP is from here? I met him in high school, and I've seen pictures and heard stories from his childhood here, but I don't know for certain. Where is DP actually from?

-The Commodore

Ok Dice-K Is Gone, What Now?

As DP reported yesterday Rice-K is gone, so the question is what happens now. Well, the Sox are going to have to hope that Lackey can comeback and be solid. He doesn't have to be great, but solid (ERA under 5 and win 50%), because otherwise the Sox will be filling two spots instead of one.

As for taking Dice-K's spot, for now if will be Wake/Aceves. They can hold on to it for awhile, but I don't see either as a long term solutions for the rest of the season. The guy that is interesting is Felix Doubront. He is finally healthy again and he has a 1.59 ERA and .172 batting average against in five starts for the PawSox.

The only problem I see for Doubront is if Hill is out for the season and the Sox don't find a guy to get lefties out. Dourbount did that pretty well last year against lefties (.189 BA), so they might need him to fill that role. I would rather they find someone else, and see what this kid can do starting, but we will have to wait and see, because the other option other then the 3 I have mentioned it Milwood and none of us feel like dealing with his 82 MPH fastball.

Red Sox Sweep Angels

The Sox are only one game below .500 and they owe it all to the Angels. Remember last year? The Sox owned Anaheim, going 9-1 against them. So while I'm happy the Sox are now only 3.5 behind the Yankees, and have a record that's not too shameful, beating the Angels is old news.

Lackey beating the Angels doesn't impress me. But Daisuke beating them does. Then again, Daisuke's problem has been consistency, and two great starts don't demonstrate that a consistency problem has been solved. I'm not aboard the Daisuke bandwagon yet. And won't be for some time.

One thing the Sox have thoroughly demonstrated with this 8-1 run, is that pitching wins. Even if half the lineup is slumping, even if the bullpen is shaky, good starting pitching makes winning easy. Crawford is still hitting below his weight, Lowrie's the only guy hitting over .300, and it seems like a new middle-reliever struggles in every game. But the wins keep coming so long as the starts are good.

To continue this roll, Buchholz needs to step up. He's lost his confidence, he's been obsessing with baserunners, and allowing homeruns. The offensively challenged (3rd fewest runs scored in baseball) Orioles present Buchholz with an opportunity to re-establish his place in this rotation. He's the only starter yet to register a Quality Start.

He faces 3-1 Zach Britton Tuesday night in Baltimore. And yes, Britton is a lefty.

-The Commodore

Rays 16, Red Sox 5

It took Tampa Bay 5 games before they scored 7 runs. Daisuke allowed that many in 2 innings. Everything he threw was a meatball, with no action, no bite, it was essentially batting practice for the Rays.

The people that think Daisuke is a good pitcher really baffle me. They allude to his 18 win season. But if any normal player came up through the minors, had a decent rookie year, then had an 18 win sophomore campaign, then struggled for two years, we'd dismiss them as washed up. As Brian Rose redux. Why is Daisuke any different?

He's just not a good pitcher. He doesn't throw strikes. He needs 20+ pitches to get out of an inning. He taxes the bullpen. And who knows if he's healthy or hurt?

That's pretty much all there is to say about this game.

Jon Lester faces David Price tonight.

-The Commodore

Indians 8, Red Sox 4

I really thought Daisuke was going to turn the Sox' fortunes around last night. He's always done well against Cleveland. And they tend to be free swingers. I was wrong.

He wasn't awful. But in typical Daisuke fashion, even when he does well, he fails to do well for long enough. And while it was the bullpen that ultimately lost this game, Daisuke gave the bullpen a chance to lose it, by only going 5 innings.

And during those 5 innings, he nibbled. And he nibbled. He threw a joke of a 90 MPH fastball right down the middle to Choo, and it was crushed. He nibbled some more. He walked batters. He hit a batter. He allowed 10 baserunners in 5 innings.

But he didn't lose this game by himself. Not by a longshot. Ellsbury struck out 3 times and went 0 for 5. We're still waiting for him to hit. Youkilis went 0 for 4, continuing his struggles. And Varitek messed up a defensive play, turning what should have been an out into a Cleveland run. His mistake of not tagging Buck at the plate was inexcusable for a veteran and a "Captain."

Then the bullpen. That's worrying me more than anything else right now. The starting pitching is what it is. The offense will inevitably improve. Guys like Ellsbury and Youkilis are not sub-.200 hitters. They'll come around. The bullpen, however, has been nothing but a disaster so far. Dan Wheeler was supposed to be the 2nd set-up man alongside Bard. He's allowed 2 homeruns already. And Reyes was supposed to add depth. He's only added mass, and a heavy ERA.

A few bright notes from last night: Gonzalez hit his first homerun with the team. And Crawford got on base, then ran, stealing his first 2 bases of the season.

The rotoation starts all over again, and maybe that's what this club needs. Lester faces Fausto Carmona, who allowed 10 runs in 3 innings against Chicago. First pitch at 12:05 this afternoon.

-The Commodore

MLB Preview: Boston Red Sox (Pitching)

100 wins. All I keep hearing about is 100 wins. It's something the Red Sox haven't done since 1946. But is that really the achievement to long for? The Sox lost the 1946 World Series. And there are some parallels to that 1946 team, which led the Majors in offense, scoring half a run per game more than anyone else, but were 9th of 16 teams in runs allowed. They lost the World Series to St. Louis, the team that allowed the fewest runs in baseball.

Then, as now, pitching wins. And that's where I'll start this preview. Because even though a great offense can win 100 regular season games, it's pitching that wins 11 postseason games.

The Sox rotation looks the same as last year. And it has just as many question marks. We can pretty much bank on Jon Lester to have an ERA below 3.50, and 16 to 20 wins. He's been the rock of the rotation, and one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball the last 3 seasons.

Then there's Buchholz. Call me negative, but him repeating his 2010 feats is not guaranteed. We've all sort of assumed he will once again register an ERA around 2.50 and win close to 20 games. Maybe he will. Even 17 wins and a 3.00 ERA would be excellent. But he's 26. He has one great season under his belt. He's still a question mark. Even though he's overshadowed by much larger question marks in the rotation.

15-10 record. 3.96 ERA. 23 homeruns. That's what Josh Beckett averages every 162 games in his career. Even I was a little stunned to see that. It's so below average. With the Red Sox, he's been 71-40 with a 4.29 ERA. And since 2008, he's been atrocious. It's gotten to the point that Beckett isn't much of a question mark anymore. He's a bad pitcher until proven otherwise.

Among qualifying pitchers, John Lackey had the 73rd lowest ERA in baseball last year. He did eat innings, but that's pretty much it. You can live with him as a #4 starter, but if Beckett doesn't have a good year, he's your #3. And if Buchholz falters, he's your #2. And that's an alarming thought.

Then there's Daisuke. If any other pitcher won 18 games their sophomore season, then was repeatedly injured, struggled when healthy, and averaged 96 walks per full season, we'd be talking about sending him to Pawtucket. So what makes Daisuke so special? I just don't have a good feeling about Daisuke in 2011. Even when healthy, even when at his best, he doesn't go deep into games. His 18 win season was coupled with 167.2 innings pitched. 90 pitchers managed to surpass that mark in 2010.

Sorry folks, but the rotation is too vulnerable, and too dependent on all the stars aligning. Actually, it's dependant on time travel. If Buchholz is the same as he was in 2010, if Beckett is the same as he was in 2007, if Daisuke is the same as 2008, if Lackey is the same as he was in 2007 and in another city....

But it's 2011.

Thankfully, the bullpen looks quite a bit better than last year. The Sox blew the 4th most saves in baseball last year. And with shaky starting pitching, the bullpen will be worked hard in 2011.

Papelbon is still the closer. And even though he's not as elite as he used to be, he's still good enough. It'd be tough to find an improvement over him, but it won't be hard to find a replacement.

Daniel Bard has impressed as a set-up man, with a 1.11 WHIP in 124 career relief innings. Bard and Papelbon represent a quality 8th and 9th inning tandem. But they can't be overworked. They need help.

Bobby Jenks is a possible option. That's what the Sox did to this bullpen: added options. They signed a number of guys, hoping that one or two would work out as reliable set-up men. In the dice game that is relief pitching, this is a viable strategy to build a quality bullpen.

But Jenks is coming off a bad year. And he's gotten progressively worse since 2007. You never know with relievers, but it's hard to imagine that trend changing.

I'm much more optimistic about Dan Wheeler, who's pitched with success in the AL East. He's 33, but has 530 appearances under his belt. He'll wind up as the secondary set-up guy alongside Bard.

Wakefield will be a mop up man and spot starter. Doubront will be used against lefties.

The rest of the bullpen will be a revolving door of arms. Maybe one will be reliable enough to be a 6th inning man, or the type of guy that's brought in when the Sox are down 2 runs in the 7th.

Overrall, the bullpen isn't great, but it's no longer a liability. The rotation, however, is very suspect. So much needs to happen for it to work. And so much can go wrong for it to fail. I don't see Beckett winning more than 15 games. I don't see Daisuke throwing more than 180 innings. I see Buchholz having a good-not-great year. I don't see Lackey doing much better than he did in 2010.

But the offense should be able to make up for these shortcomings. At least in the regular season.

-The Commodore

Vicious Rumors About Dice K Are False

Last week there were stupid rumors surrounding Dice K and whether he was on the trading block. Since the Red Sox officials have said that it was absolutely false ad then went ahead and apologized to the Ace of the staff and talked extension.

Dice K has struggled this pre season and that's obviously due to the earthquakes and tidal wave that struck Japan. He had more on his mind than baseball which is completely understandable.

He had a nagging injury last year and is due to have a healthy and great year. Going back to when he won 18 games and was the player that brought and won the World Series for the Sox.

The Red Sox' Pitchers

The Sox' owners heard the outcry from the masses, and acquired some serious, marquee talent last week. The finally went out and got guys you've heard of, guys that will appear on fantasy teams, true stars. They added a slugging first baseman, and a fleet-footed outfielder. These are likely the biggest off-season acquisitions since the Sox traded for Josh Beckett in November of '05.

Speaking of Beckett, I want to talk about pitching. The Red Sox offense has improved tremendously, and should be more consistent, more exciting, and will contend to lead the Majors in runs scored. And while I love the acquisitions, I can't quite jump on the bandwagon that's been fully loaded the last week.

What about pitching?

Well at the top, the Sox have Buchholz and Lester. Our most reliable pitchers are 25 and 26, respectively. Our rocks are 25 and 26. The hopes of the rotation rest on guys who are 25 and 26.

Buchholz was 2nd in the AL in ERA. He won 17 games, and emerged as an All-Star talent. But he also goes into 2011 with only one good year on his track record. I'm not predicting doom and gloom for Buchholz, but I don't think we can just assume he'll have a similarly outstanding year. We've all sort of taken for granted that he will.

Lester also esteemed himself, with 19 wins and a 3.25 ERA. His numbers don't pop as much as Buchholz's, but he's got a fuller history of success. In each of the last 3 seasons, his ERA has been below 3.50, he's won at least 15 games, and pitched at least 200 innings. He's as solid a #2 starter as you'll find.



Then there's John Lackey, whose numbers are more than respectable for a #5 guy. He led the Sox in innings. I'm fine with him in the #5 spot. So long as he's the ONLY #5 pitcher on this team. And that's the problem. We really have no idea what to expect from Beckett and Daisuke. They too might perform like #5 pitchers.

Apart from 2007, when he vied for the Cy Young, Beckett has been disastrous for the Sox. He outright sucked in 2006 and 2008. He was off-and-on in 2009, spinning gems one day, then dropping turds 4 days later. And in 2010, one could argue that he was the worst regular starting pitcher in baseball.

"He can't possibly be that bad again." That's the argument I keep hearing about Beckett. And that may be true. But his track record suggests that he won't be very good, either. And frankly, he CAN be that bad again.

Then there's Matsuzaka. Who is this guy? Is there anything about him that's predictable or regular? Will he be healthy? Does the team know if he'll be healthy? Does he even keep in touch with the team about his off-season training?



Since 2008, when he was brilliant, he's been a mess. When he is healthy, he walks the world, and needs 120 pitches to survive 6 innings of work. Perhaps he'll redeem himself in 2011. But I'm afraid the best I see him being is a middle of the road #3 guy. Even when he is on his game, his short outings tax the bullpen far too much.

Speaking of the bullpen, the Sox have one of the leakiest in the game. They blew 22 Saves last year, the 4th most in baseball. Think about that. 22 times, the Sox had a lead late in a game, and then lost it. And that starts with Papelbon, who set a career high in Blown Saves last year, with 8. He also set a career high in ERA (3.90) and WHIP (1.27). He's not a bad closer, but he's not Mariano Jr. And there are a number of closers that are on his level.



At least he and Bard are good. After that, there's nothing but torture.

Building a bullpen is hard to do. It can also be very easy. Most of it seems to be dumb luck. There are very few "premium" middle-relievers in this world. Those that excel become closers. Most have 2 or 3 very good years, then get figured out. In other words, Mike Timlin is not walking through that door.



The best thing to do is what the Sox used to try with their rotation: sign 3 to 5 has-beens/never-was-its, and hope that 1 or 2 don't suck.

In a rare bit of optimism, I think the offense will help the bullpen by putting it in fewer crucial situations. So there will be less opportunities for it to cost the Sox games.

I also don't want to come off as too negative. With the lineup the Sox have, and the few good pitchers they have, there's no reason for them to not make the playoffs. They should win 93 to 98 games, which is very good. And certainly an improvement over last year. They should whip teams like Baltimore, which they failed to do in 2010.

Unfortunately, pitching wins in the playoffs. The Giants and Rangers showed that. The Sox showed it in '07 and '04. And I don't think the Sox have the arms to get the job done in October and November. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Beckett and Daisuke will return to '07 and '08 form, respectively. Maybe someone unexpected will emerge as a hero in the postseason, much like Derek Lowe did in 2004. But I've never been one to be hopeful for hope's sake. I'm Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.



-The Commodore

Beltran To Red Sox Rumors Are Back (UPDATED)

"Newsday's David Lennon says a deal between the Red Sox and Mets has gained some traction. While a trade is still a long shot, Mets GM Sandy Alderson is not averse to eating salary to move him. Lennon also speculates on a Daisuke Matsuzaka-Beltran swap, as the two are owed nearly the same amount of money ($20MM vs. $18.5MM, respectively). Matsuzaka would need to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate such a deal (MLBTradeRumors)."

There are only 2 ways I can see this happening. The first is that the Mets eat at least half of his salary. The other way is the Sox sending Dice-K to the Mets for Beltran, and then the Sox turn around and sign Cliff Lee. I can't see the Sox trading Dice-K without getting another starting pitcher (and a good one at that) with the problems they had with their starting rotation last year. Both these scenarios seem a little far fetched, but something to keep an eye on especially since there is a mystery team that is rumored to have offered Cliff Lee a 7 year deal (and it wasn't the Yankees).


***UPDATE***

There were rumors that the Red Sox could be interested in Beltran, but Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com cites a Mets source who says: "It's all the same. There's nothing (espn)."

Dice-K To Cubs?

There has been rumors going around that the Cubs and Red Sox have discussed trade Dice-K for OF Kosuke Fukudome. This deal makes zero sense to me. Fukudome has an extremely expensive contract, has never hit more then 13 HRs in his pro career, and is a platoon player at best, something the Red Sox have more then enough of. Plus his contract is an outrageous $13.5 million for next year.

Even for the Cubs it doesn't make a lot of sense, since reports have indicated they are trying to cut salaries, so they can make a run at Adam Dunn. So, we can put this rumors under the "bullshit" category.

Dice-K “Very Much” A Part Of 2011 Plans

Theo Epstein has been talking a lot lately about what the Red Sox are going to do moving forward. Yesterday he addressed Dice-K....

"To look where we were with him in March, and where we are now, I think we feel a lot better about it now,” GM Theo Epstein said.” Along the way there’s been consistent velocity that we hadn’t seen the last couple years, and some improvement in the secondary stuff, even as recently as his last couple starts, so again more positive signs to take into the winter."

Peter Gammons suggested on WEEI last week that the Red Sox could flip Matsuzaka to the Mets for Carlos Beltran, but the Red Sox appear to have little interest in Beltran, and thank god, because that guy hasn't done shit in years. Anyways, I am not the biggest Dice-K fan, but I do believe that he can be a solid back of the rotation type of guy, as long as Beckett and/or Lackey stepup next year the rotation could be decent. I can guarantee you that 2011 will be Dice-K's last year in a Sox uniform (same goes with JD Drew).

Let's just say the next two years are going to put Theo "under pressure"

4 Orioles, 2 Red Sox

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
BAL	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	4	8	0
BOS	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	5	1

W: D. Hernandez (8-8)

L: D. Matsuzaka (9-6)

S: K. Uehara (10)

Ty Wigginton had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly and Luke Scott followed with an RBI single in the seventh inning to, lift the Orioles to a rare Fenway Park win, 4-2 over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.

The Orioles, rejuvenated since Showalter took over as manager Aug. 3, won for the 11th time 15 games. Baltimore won for just the fourth time in their last 21 games in Fenway. Which is extremely impressive. If he is able to turn this team around to not playing like the typical Orioles next year, it will be amazing.

Rice K let up his 4 runs again, which sucks, because I'm in the championship of my fantasy league and I really need him to pretend to be Felix Hernandez his next outing.

The sad thing about Baltimore is that they tied the season series at 8 a piece, and they could have been a team we should have easily beat. I mean we were 28-6 against them since 2008 prior to this season.

Scoring Summary

			BAL	BOS
	1st	L Scott hit sacrifice fly to center, B Roberts scored.	1	0
	1st	V Martinez singled to right, M Scutaro scored, D McDonald to second.	1	1
	4th	C Izturis grounded into fielder's choice to left, F Pie out at second, M Wieters to third, M Wieters scored, F Pie to second on throwing error by first baseman V Martinez.	2	1
	6th	B Hall singled to right, M Lowell scored, J Lowrie to third.	2	2
	7th	T Wigginton hit sacrifice fly to center, B Roberts scored, N Markakis to third.	3	2
	7th	L Scott singled to right, N Markakis scored.	4	2