Now It Sounds Like Feliz Will Start

A week or two ago Neftali Feliz came out and said that he is more comfortable being a closer, but now he has done a complete 180 and sounds like a guy who will be in the rotation. After the Rangers lost Cliff Lee I guess it makes sense. I do always get worried when people start flip flopping guys between the rotation and the bullpen. Plus, I have Derek Holland as a minors keeper in my AL only league, so this pisses me off.

Feliz no doubt has the talent to pull this off. He has been nothing short of amazing this spring. Obviously you will get a lot more innings out of a guy in the rotation then you will out of the bullpen. My worry, if I was a Rangers fan, would be whether or not he can make it through the whole season. Usually with young guys you want to limit their innings. For a team that was in the World Series last year, I wonder if he will have certain level of innings he will be allowed to pitch this year. Feliz is their best arm, so they need to be careful, but if this does workout it could be huge for this team.

The only question now is who will close?

Beckett Leaves Practice After Getting Hit During BP (2 UPDATES)

"Red Sox SP Josh Beckett was hit in the head during team batting practice on Monday morning as he was standing in the outfield, according to the Boston Globe. Beckett walked off the field with trainers, rubbing his head where he was hit. It is not currently known how serious the injury is or if he will miss his next scheduled exhibition start on Thursday against the Phillies (CBS Sports)."

There is no word yet on how serious this injury will be, but he was all the way in the outfeild, so I doubt it is anything serious. If he does have to miss any time that could be a bad sign for the Red Sox. Beckett has struggled anytime he has had to miss time during Spring Training. After the terrible season that was last year, the Red Sox really need Beckett to be healthy and in-shape.

Beckett made his first start yesterday going 2 innings againsty the Twins allowing 1 run on two hits. We will keep you posted if this injury ends up being anything serious.


***UPDATE***

"Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was OK after getting hit on the left side of the head with a ball before Monday's spring training game. Beckett is expected to make his next spring training start Thursday (ESPN)."

***UPDATE 2***

"The Red Sox have released a statement saying Josh Beckett suffered a mild concussion after being hit in the left side of the head with a baseball during the team's batting practice prior to its game against the Twins at City of Palms Park Monday. He was sent home from the park and will be reevaluated Tuesday (WEEI)."

Happy Truck Day!!

Holy shit I can't wait for baseball to be back!

As for the players Papelbon and Jon Lester are already down there. Papelbon talked to the media, and basically said that he is cool with the changes that they made in the bullpen and that Francona and Epstien were very good about calling him right when it happened and let him know everyone's roles. That's good to hear, because I kind of thought that he was going to be a problem in Spring Training. Not that there is much he can do about it.

Latest On The Red Sox

A lot going on with the Red Sox over the past couple days, so here is what you need to know...

- It's official Junichi Tazawa will have Tommy John surgey on Tuesday.

- Don't believe all this Lowell going to Texas stuff from what I am reading today it doesn't sound like he is going anywhere, which might not be the worst thing if Ortiz struggles.

- Scott Atchison made the team, but Alan Embree did not make it. He's taking today to decide whether he wants to go to Pawtucket.

- The last bullpen spot is still open. It is between Scott Schoeneweis and Joe Nelson.

- Theo Epstein and Beckett's agent Michael Moye have agreed to continue talks beyond the start of the regular season, if necessary. The deal on the table now is 4 years $65MM-$70MM.

- Boof Bonser, Dice-K and Jed Lowrie will be placed on the DL to start the year.

Here is what the opening day lineup is rumored to look like...

Ellsbury LF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez C
Youkilis 1B
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Beltre 3B
Cameron CF
Scutaro SS

Can't Wait!

Pedroia Injury Update (UPDATED)

Red Sox 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia left yesterday's game against the Twins after only the 1st inning, suffering a mild left wrist sprain after landing awkwardly on it while diving. Here is what Francona had to say...

“It was the back of his wrist,’’ manager Terry Francona said. “He had limited swelling. We’re going to get him X-rayed in the morning, just because we should. Their doctor came over. I don’t think there’s a problem. He might be a little sore tomorrow. Hopefully that’s all it is.’’

Hopefully this is nothing serious. The would be in a tough spot in Pedroia was out for the start of the season, but this doesn't sound like a big deal and I expect Pedroia to be back in time for Opening Day.


***UPDATE***

X-rays taken today on Dustin Pedroia's left wrist came back clean. He will take batting practice tomorrow and likely play on Friday.

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Update

Here is everything you need to know from the Red Sox camp.

- Red Sox today acquired right-handed pitcher Miguel Celestino from Seattle, completing the January 7 trade that sent first baseman Casey Kotchman to the Mariners in exchange for infielder Bill Hall and cash.

Mets 4 Red Sox 2

- Lackey threw another scoreless 4 innings.In nine combined innings this spring, Lackey has not allowed a run (earned or unearned), or issued a walk. Not a bad way to start the season.

- Ortiz went 1-3. After a terrible start to spring Ortiz have been able to lift his batting average to .231. I know that doesn't sounds great, but compared to what it was it is kind of impressive.

- All the Sox pitchers played well until Ramon Ramirez came into the game and let up 4 runs in the 8th. He had been good this spring, but he was flat out terrible.


As for the start of the season. It is getting time to think about what the roster will look like. Boston.com did a nice little write up on it, and I tend to agree with it...

Catchers
Victor Martinez
Jason Varitek

Outfielders
Mike Cameron
J.D. Drew
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jeremy Hermida

Infielders
Kevin Youkilis
Dustin Pedroia
Adrian Beltre
Marco Scutaro
David Ortiz
Bill Hall
Tug Hulett

Starting pitchers
Jon Lester
Josh Beckett
John Lackey
Clay Buchholz
Tim Wakefield

Relief pitchers
Jonathan Papelbon
Daniel Bard
Hideki Okajima
Ramon Ramirez
Manny Delcarmen
Boof Bonser
Scott Atchison

Dice-K will start the season on the DL, so that is why Wakefield is on there. Lowrie is still out, and I honestly hope he doesn't come back.

Red Sox Spring Training

Here are the updates for today...

- Dice-K threw 54 pitches in the bullpen today. The tentative plan moving forward:

Friday: Bullpen session.

Sunday: Two-innings in a minor-league game.

Sometime next week: An actual major-league game.

- Well we found out what is wrong with Lowrie. He has mono, can we just cut him now? He is worse then Rocco with this random shit.

- Beckett is feeling much better and looks to be good to go for pitching Friday against the Pirates.

- Jon Lester allowed one run on three hits over four innings against the Astros.

Sox play the Mets today.

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Updates

Lots of news going around the Sox camp. Here is the latest.

- Westmoreland is undergoing brain surgery today. That's really all we know, but we wish him the best.

Orioles 4 Red Sox 8


- Mike Lowell got his first start a 1st base yesterday. Overall it went well. He can move side to side fast enough to field the position, but a lot of scouts did note that he looked very slow on the base path. Lowell showed no effects from surgery to his thumb. He singled to right in his 1st at-bat, flew out in his second, and left after 3 innings. He also made two putouts at first. Teams will be interested in Lowell if he can stay healthy, so it'll be interesting to see what the Sox do.

- Ortiz finally showed some power hitting his 1st HR of the spring. It has been a terrible spring for the big guy batting .143, so hopefully this will get the ball rolling.

- Wakefield did not have a strong game he let up 5 runs on 9 hits in just 3 2/3 innings, but with Dice-K likely out the first week or two he should be in the starting rotation to start the season.

- Papelbon looked good again throwing another scoreless inning (he has yet to give up a run) Okajima and Ramirez didn't go as well. Okie let up 1 run in his inning of work, and Ramirez let up 2. The good news is Bard pitched 1 scoreless inning striking out all 3 batters he faced.


The Sox actually play two games today. The first game is at 1:05pm against Houston, and the 2nd game is at 7:05pm against the Rays. Here is the lineup for the Houston game (the Rays one hasn't come out yet.

Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Varitek C
Youkilis 1B
Hermida LF
Reddick RF
Hulett DH
Sanchez SS
Valazquez 3B

Lester LHP

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Update

Some injury news for the Sox.

- If you haven't heard yet Westmoreland, one of the Sox best prospects is having brain surgery. We wish him the best. As of right now there is no word as to whether (or when) he might be able to return.

- Dice-K was supposed to throw batting practice, but it has been pushed back to Weds, because of a sore neck. He did pitch in the bullpen a little bit. I am be shocked if he plays in the first couple weeks of the season, because he hasn't put any work in and the Sox have extra pitchers, so they can afford to take their time.

- Beckett was scratched from his last start due to illness. Doesn't sound like a big deal.

- Mike Lowell might be playing his game as 1st base today, but he refuses to talk to the media about it. Hopefully the Sox can deal him soon before this becomes a big problem.

- Jed Lowrie has not been with the team since Thursday because of an illness that has left him fatigued. Can we just cut him? I am really sick of all the excuses why he isn't playing.

Sox play the Orioles today at 1:05pm. The game isn't televised, but I will have an update tomorrow on the happening of the game. Here is a look at the lineup and pitching schedule...

Mike Cameron CF
Mike Lowell 1B
Victor Martinez C
David Ortiz DH
J.D. Drew RF
Adrian Beltre 3B
Bill Hall SS
Jeremy Hermida LF
Tug Hulett 2B

Pitching: RHP Tim Wakefield followed by LHP Brian Shouse, RHP Jonathan Papelbon and LHP Hideki Okajima.

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Update

Busy day around Red Sox spring training. Nomar retires, and the Sox whoop the Marlins.

Red Sox 9 Marlins 0

- Overall you have to be impressed by Red Sox pitching this spring seems like they are shutting teams down most games.

- Wakefield had another strong start going three innings, giving up two hits and striking out one. He threw 30 pitches, 22 for strikes.

- Jeremy Hermida played well against his former team going 2-4 with a double and his first RBI with Boston.

- Lars Anderson sucks. There I said it. He has yet to record a hit this spring training. What happened to this guy? So much for him being the next Ortiz.

- Reddick is having himself a hell of a spring training. He went 3-4 in this game, and is now batting .471.


So, Nomar retired today, but since the best thing he ever did for Boston was leave (much like Bledsoe) I am not going to do a lot on this. He was a great player, but he was an asshole and a steroid user. Plus, he never won anything (yes I know he got a ring). So...fuck Nomar.

Here is the video of his speech...


The Sox take on the Rays today at 1:05. You can listen to it on WEEI. Here is a look at their lineup and pitching schedule.

Ellsbury LF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez DH
Youkilis 1B
Beltre 3B
Scutaro SS
Cameron CF
Hall RF
Brown C

Pitching: Jon Lester followed by Brian Shouse, Manny Delcarmen, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard and Ramon Ramirez.

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Update

Red Sox 7 Cardinals 6

- Josh Beckett was amazing in his 3 innings of work. He threw 34 pitches, 24 strikes and struck out 3, no hits, no runs. I don't like to go overboard with spring training results, but Beckett is going to have a huge year...GET PAID.

- Papelbon, Okajima, and Ramon Ramirez combined to throw 3 scoreless innings. The Sox did not let up a hit in the first 6 innings.

- Jose Iglesias lined a home run that snuck over the fence in left to give the Sox the lead in the top of the 9th.

Other then that there wasn't a lot of action from notable players. Ortiz had a couple of hits, and so did Drew.

Red Sox play the Marlins today at 1:05pm. Here is a look at their lineup...

Ellsbury DH
Hall 3B
Hermida LF
Anderson 1B
Reddick RF
Kalish CF
Lowrie 2B
Brown C
Iglesias SS

Pitching: Tim Wakefield followed by LHP Kris Johnson, RHP Joe Nelson, RHP Fernando Cabrera, RHP Kyle Weiland.

Red Sox Spring Training Update

The season is getting closer. Here are the top stories going around Red Sox camp.

- Casey Kelly got the win with two scoreless innings. If there wasn't a lot of hype around this kid before there will be now, he has been flat out unhittable.

- Lester got roughed up in his first start. I wouldn't read too much into this though, as he is an established pitcher, and a lot of times these guys are just trying out new pitches, and not trying to show too much before the season starts.

- There are rumors the Sox are making some headway in resigning Beckett. So what's the sticking point? Shockingly it doesn't sound like it is money. Rumor has it the Sox want to make the same deal they made with Lackey, which is a provision where Beckett would have to pitch a sixth year at the major league minimum salary if at anytime during the contract he underwent Tommy John surgery. It'll be interesting to see if he would do that. Drew has a similar thing in his contract, but it is also one of the reason Bay left.

- Dice-K threw 65 pitches in a bullpen session. He is about 10 days away from pitching in an actual game, but everything seems to be progressing fine. His control wasn't great, but his velocity was there, which at this point is what you want to be concerned about. Dice-K will throw another bullpen either two or three days from now, based on how he feels after playing catch tomorrow.

Sox play the Cardinals at 1:05pm today. Here is a look at the lineup...

Scutaro SS
Pedroia 2B
Martinez C
Youkilis 1B
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Cameron CF
Hall LF
Sanchez 3B

Pitching: RHP Josh Beckett followed by RHP Jonathan Papelbon, LHP Hideki Okajima, LHP Dustin Richardson, RHP Ramon Ramirez, RHP Manny Delcarmen.

Red Sox Spring Training Update

After 2 games against colleges (BC/Northeastern) the Sox will finally play MLB teams. Yesterday they took on the Twins. There isn't a lot of interesting news from the game, but here is what you need to know...

Red Sox 2 Twins 1

- Marco Scutaro made a few nice plays in the field, including a diving grab in the fourth inning against Alexi Casilia. It is nice not to have to worry about who the SS is going to be (provided Scutaro stays healthy).

- Beckett had a weak first inning. Denard Span singled, went to second on a groundout and scored on a single by Jason Kubel. Luckily he was able to bounce back getting Michael Cuddyer to an inning-ending double play. Beckett had a very strong 2nd inning (which was his last) as the ball never made it to the air, as he got 1 Twin to strikeout and the other two out on grounders to 2nd base. Overall not a bad first start for Beckett.

- Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 third inning. The key here is that he is back to using his split-finger fastballs. The Sox have said they thought Papelbon was too "fastball happy" last season, so we will be keeping an eye on how much he uses his secondary pitches this spring.

- The last spot in the bullpen is up for grabs, and all 3 players fight for it pitched scoreless innings (Brian Shouse, Scott Atchison and Joe Nelson).


The Sox take on the Twins again today at 1:05pm. I don't think it is on TV, but here is the lineup they will use...

Mike Cameron CF
Bill Hall RF
Victor Martinez C
J.D. Drew DH
Jed Lowrie 2B
Lars Anderson 1B
Ryan Kalish LF
Yamaico Navarro 3B
Jose Iglesias SS

Pitching: LHP Jon Lester followed by Tim Wakefield, Fernando Cabrera, Dustin Richardson, Ramon A. Ramirez, Robert Manuel and Randor Bierd.

Red Sox Spring Training Update

The baseball season has begun. The Red Sox played 2 games yesterday 1 against BC, and the other against Northeastern. I am not going to go into detail about both games, because to be honest a lot of these is nonsense, and no one cares, but I will point out what does matter.

Red Sox 15 Northeastern 0

As we noted last year Casey Kelly has decided to become a full time pitcher, and yesterday we got to see him in a Sox uniform. Kelly pitched 1 scoreless inning retiring the side on 10 pitches (7 strikes, 2 Ks). He finished the rest of his day in the bullpen, but most scouts were impressed by his accuracy, and action on his fastball.

Ortiz looked strong in this game as he hit a deep HR to right field. Hopefully this is a sign that he can start the year a lot stronger then he did last year. Lars Anderson also got himself on the stat sheet with an RBI single. This is a make or break year for him after a terrible 2009 season.

Red Sox 6 BC 1

I was much more interested in the players playing against Northeastern, but this was debut of Jeremy Hermida, Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro, and Boof Bonser. Boof and Bowden, and Tazawa all pitched pitched scoreless innings (Tazawa had 2 Ks).

Kalish had a good game goin 1 for 2 with a walk, 2 runs scored and a sacrifice fly. Jose Iglesias ripped a three-run double to left in his first at-bat as a Red Sox to give them a 5-0 lead on the Eagles.

Overall the Sox looked good yesterday. There isn't too much you can learn from these games, but you have to be impressed by Kalish, Kelly, Iglesias, and Tazawa. The Sox have done a good job bring up prospects through their system.

The Sox play tonight, hosting Minnesota.

Dice-K Injury Update

Dice-K had a good day, and Terry Francona seemed very happy about it...

"Dice had a great day," Terry Francona said. "That was as good a day as you could possibly have. I don't think you can throw a ball like that and not be totally healthy."

With that being said there is basically no chance that Dice-K will be ready for Opening Day. I know that sounds like a big deal, but it really isn't. There are a lot of days off early in the season, so the Sox will be able to get by with a 4 man rotation if they want to, and even if Dice-K is out the first week or two you have 6 people who can be quality starters (Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Wake).

This shouldn't be a big deal, but we will have to watch Dice-K closely as he is coming off an injury plagued season.

In other Sox news...

- Mike Cameron (left groin) did not run today but took batting practice in the cages and on the field and felt fine. They are taking it slow with him, but he seems like he is going to be fine.

- Mike Lowell took some batting practice today, but Francona is still not sure when he will play his first game.

The Sox also announced their lineups against Northeastern and BC...

Northeastern game
Jacoby Ellsbury LF
Bill Hall 3B
Victor Martinez C
David Ortiz DH
Jed Lowrie SS
Lars Anderson 1B
Darnell McDonald RF
Che-Hsuan Lin CF
Gil Velazquez 2B
Pitching: RHP Casey Kelly

BC game
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jason Varitek C
Jeremy Hermida LF
Tud Hulett DH
Josh Reddick RF
Ryan Kalish CF
Pitching: RHP Boof Bonser

Sox New Spring Training Complex

Here are the first looks of what the Red Sox new spring training complex is going to look like...


Seems kinda big for a spring training field, but whatever looks cool.

Dice-K Already Hurt

The season hasn't even started yet, and Dice-K is already on the injury report. Don't freak out too much it is only a mild back strain, and Theo seems to think he will have a "normal" spring training.

Dice-K really needs a story of redemption. Last year, he pitched like shit (other then a couple starts at the end of the year), hid an injury, fought with the Red Sox about how to train, ect. So, it is really important this year for Dice-K to come out and look strong early.

Of the 5 projected starting pitchers on the Sox (Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Dice-K) Dice-K by far worries me the most. Still, this injury is nothing serious and every other report I have read has stated that he is in terrific shape. I really like the setup of this pitching staff, because 3 of the guys should be pitching deep into games every time out (Lester, Beckett, Lackey). This is great news for the Sox, since it will keep their bullpen fresh for guys like Dice-K who will probably only pitch 5-6 innings each time out.

Mike Lowell Injury Update

Hey, remember this guy. He was kind of a big deal, won a World Series MVP. Just to keep you in the loop he still plays for the Boston Red Sox. Anyways, Mikey Lowell is playing catch, but isn't yet swinging a bat as he recovers from a thumb injury, which means he will be on the Sox for at least a little longer.

Reports suggest that no team will make an offer to Lowell until he gets some spring training games in to prove he is healthy. At this point the rest of the league knows Boston is going to have to trade Lowell (after signing Beltre), so the return is going to be very low, but what choice do they have. If they keep him it is going to be a very uncomfortable situation for everyone.

It is really too bad that this happened to Lowell. He deserved better then this, but at the end of the day it is a business and I don't think he can play a full season at 3rd base.

In other Red Sox notes Beckett is said to be in top shape, and I would expect a big year out of him since it is his contract year, and it will probably be the last big contract of his career.

Happy Truck Day!!!

That's right today is the day that the truck that will haul the Red Sox equipment to the team's spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Fla heads out. Some of the young guys are already down there, and will football season over I can't tell you how excited I am for baseball season.

Especially this year...

Because I really have no idea what to think of the Red Sox this year. They have a sick rotation, and defense, but is that enough. Do they have enough offense? Is Ortiz all done? What are they going to do about Mike Lowell? How will Dice-K be? What about Papelbon? What are they going to do with Wakefield? There are just so many questions, but whatever I just can't wait for baseball to be back!!!

Daily Red Sox Spring Training Update

Twins 7 Red Sox 3

- Penny didn't blow people away, but it looks like he did well enough to get that start on April 12th. Penny went 5 innings giving up three runs and five hits with 3 Ks.

- Jason Bay hit a 2 run HR in the 4th. He batting .263, but has shown very good power, and I think we will be in the running for AL MVP this year.

- Lowrie, and Lowell both had two hits. Lowrie has looked great this spring batting .349, who knows maybe he is another Pedroia in the making. Lowell is also having a nice healthy spring batting .297.

Other Notes:
- Sox have new improvements to Fenway they include 574 new seats and 100 standing room spaces with drink rails to the right field roof box. All field box seats were replaced by seats with cushioned bottoms and cup holders. New food items will be on sale for fans throughout the concessions at the park. They include lobster rolls, pulled-pork sandwiches, burritos, boneless chicken wings, shrimp rolls, and steak tips.

Here is a pic of the new right field roof box:


Sox play their 2nd to last spring training game today against the Mets at 6:10pm.