Ellsbury For MVP?

DP's hatred for one Jacoby Ellsbury must be fading at this point, as this guy proves game after game that he is the best center fielder in all of baseball. Beyond that he might even end up with the MVP by the end of the season.

Sure, his steals are a little down from where they usually are (on pace for 46), but he is making up for it in every other way. He is having a career year batting (.320), on base percentage (.376), homeruns (16, on pace for 26), RBIs (58 on pace for 95). Not to mention he is pretty damn good in the field.

I don't think he will win it because Adrian Gonzalez is on the team and I think in the end he will end up winning it, but Jacoby is cementing himself as the best leadoff hitter in the AL, and the best center fielder in the game. Good thing we held on to this guy.

Red Sox 14 Tigers 1

Boy was I wrong. I thought that Scherzer would be able to slow down the Red Sox offense, instead they lit him up for 7 runs in 2 innings. This game (much the game before) was over before it started.

Ellsbury hit a 3 run HR, and Crawford went 4-5 with 3 RBIs. Speaking of Crawford he is now batting .244, which is just .003 behind Pedroia in batting average. I wonder if a change in the lineup with will happen? I say not yet, but certainly something they will start looking at in a month or so, because right now they are so hot I wouldn't change anything.

Alfredo Aceves was very good once again, which has me thinking if we actually even want Lackey back. Anyways, he was great letting up just 1 runs over 6 innings strikingout out 6 batters.

Boston has won 11 of 13, and are tied for 1st place with the Yankees in the AL East. It's been an incredible turnaround, and if they can figure out their bullpen issues they could be unstoppable.

MLB Preview: Boston Red Sox (Hitting)

The Red Sox scored the 2nd most runs in baseball last year. They were 2nd in homeruns, 3rd in OBP, 2nd in slugging, 1st in OPS. In other words, they were pretty good at the plate. And they should be even better in 2011.

Adding Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez were the big stories of the off-season. Not to mention the returns of Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia, who only played in 102 and 75 games last year, respectively. These newcomers and returning producers should more than offset the loss of Beltre and Victor Martinez.

The middle of the lineup will be fierce. Gonzalez, liberated from San Diego's pitcher friendly park, should hit over .300, with an OBP close to .400, slug near .600, and approach 40 homers. Youkilis should hit nearly 30 homers, with an OBP well over .400, and slug around .570.

Putting Crawford and Pedroia ahead of them will result in abundant runs. Gonzalez could knock in 120, and Youkilis should easily surpass 100 RBI.

JD Drew's contract is up, so I think he'll actually play more than 140 games and produce. Then there's Ortiz, whose 32 homers and 102 RBIs were impressive in 2010. But he really struggled against lefties. Drew also can't hit southpaws. So against righties, the Sox will have an excellent 5-6 to keep the pressure on. Against lefties, you'll see plenty of innings ended by Drew and Ortiz.

The bottom of the lineup will be solid enough. I like Ellsbury as a 7th or 9th hitter, either keeping the middle of the orders' rallies going, or helping Crawford and Pedroia start a new one. He should hit .300, with a .350 OBP that keeps him from being a good leadoff option. Minimal power, but plenty of speed.

Scutaro had a decent year last season. But we've all sort of forgotten. So did Lowrie. Having both of them as options is a nice luxury. Both play good defense, and neither are easy outs. That's all you really want or need from the 8th spot in your lineup.

Speaking of easy outs, we come to Varitek/Saltalamacchia. They'll ground into so many double plays. That is, if they even make contact with the ball.

Anyway you stack it, this lineup is pretty sick. Mike Cameron can fill in for Drew against lefties. And the speed of Crawford and Ellsbury can help keep the whole batting order from slumping. And even if a tough lefty is on the mound, guys like Youkilis (.404 against LHP last year), can still give them problems.

The Sox scored 818 runs last year, or 5.05 per game. If they stay healthy, they'll score over 900.

You have an amazing offense, and suspect pitching. I'm reminded of the Cleveland Indians from 1995 to 1999. They'll be fun to watch. They'll win 100 regular season games. And they'll lose the World Series to a team with superior pitching. I'm thinking the Phillies. 1946 all over again.

-The Commodore

Jacoby Ellsbury Has Broken Rib

According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, tests administered in Los Angeles on Tuesday show that Jacoby Ellsbury has another fractured rib. A source close to Ellsbury tells Edes that the outfielder "probably" will miss the rest of the season ESPN

I hate Ellsbury. I know I can't fault a guy for having broken ribs, but he's a pussy. I think he's going to be a major problem this offseason and offseasons to come. He's a Boras client so you know once he is a free agent he's gone. The Red Sox have really been fine without Ellsbury. This offseason I want the Sox to trade Papelbon and Ellsbury. I like this Ryan Kalish kid and I would like to see him get more burn.

I don't know where I'm going with this other than I hate Ellsbury.

Red Sox 2, Yankees 1

The ship may be sinking, but it hasn't completely sunk yet. The Red Sox needed a win yesterday afternoon. They needed guys like Lester and Ellsbury to emerge from their respective funks. And they got what they needed.

Lester took the mound having not logged a Quality Start since July 18. But he gave the Sox 6.1 innings of scoreless work. He slowed down as the game progressed, which still has me somewhat concerned that this season is getting too long for him, but he got deep enough to give the ball to Bard. I felt like Francona pulled him at precisely the right moment, just as the top of the Yankees' order was coming up again.

Ellsbury got his first hit since May 23rd. He also walked, got hit by a pitch, and stole 4 bases. That tripled his season total in one afternoon, and equaled a Red Sox record for SBs in one game.

Before we get too giddy, we do have to remember that the Sox are 4-4 in their last 8. Their infield defense has looked atrocious. The offense was 1/8 with runners in scoring position yesterday. This team has a two man bullpen. But things aren't as doom and gloom as they seemed yesterday morning.

The Sox have a difficult and vital stretch of games ahead of them. They go up to Toronto for 3, then go down to Texas for 3. The Blue Jays have been hot, winning 7 of their last 10, and they're only 4 games behind the Sox. And the Rangers have a stranglehold on the AL West.

Matsuzaka opposes 9-7 Ricky Romero, who has a 3.37 ERA. As happy as this latest win over New York has made me, I have a bad feeling about this road trip.

-The Commodore

Yankees 7, Red Sox 2

The Red Sox are very close to being officially out of the race for the East. Last night the Yankees tapped Josh Beckett for 11 hits, while the Sox offense made Dustin Mosely look like someone who wasn't 28 with under 200 career innings of MLB experience. And the Sox weren't exactly in full run prevention mode on defense, as two errors made Beckett's job even harder.

Josh Beckett is not an Ace. He's too inconsistent. He wasn't smashed around last night, but the Yankees regularly got solid contact off him. There were errors, but 11 hits is 11 hits is 11 hits.

Jacoby Ellsbury still has yet to get a hit since coming off the DL. I'd like for Francona to drop him to 9th until he gets some sort of rhythm.

If the Sox lose this afternoon, then it'd be an 8 game deficit. That's not impossible to close with nearly 50 games left, but it's very unlikely, especially with no Youkilis or Pedroia.

What really hurts is that the Sox are missing a chance to gain ground on the Rays. Tampa Bay's lost 5 in a row, but the Sox haven't been able to gain much ground on them for the Wild Card.

We need to see something special from Jon Lester this afternoon. He faces 13-4 Phil Hughes at 2.

-The Commodore

Indians @ Red Sox Preview

The get Ellsbury back tonight, and this should be another win with Jon Lester going against Justin Masterson.

I have no idea what is going on between the Red Sox and Jacoby, but it doesn't matter right now. He is leading off tonight, and starting in CF. I doubt Cameron ever makes his way back, so Jacoby should have the jiob the rest of the season.

The hitting hero of last night (Lowell) will not be in the lineup tonight, V-Mart will be playing first and Cash will be catching. Right off the bat I don't like that, but whatever they should still win.

Masterson has been god awful this year. He has a 3-10 record with a 5.55 ERA. I always said he should've never been anything else other then a reliever, and it looks like I was right. He allowed career highs of eight earned runs and 13 hits in 5 1/3 innings of an 8-1 loss at Toronto on Friday.

Lester has also struggled lately, posting a 4.57 ERA while losing all three of his starts since the All-Star break, already the longest skid of his career. Yet, I'm not worried. This kid is a stud, and I think he is going to do something special tonight.

Sox win 10-0
Player of the Game: Jon Lester

Game starts at 7:10 on NESN.

Bunch Of Red Sox Injury Updates

Ton of injury news coming out today from the Red Sox camp.

- Pedroia has been told by doctors to slow down his comeback a bit. He tired running yesterday and his foot is still sore. The Sox (and doctors) don't want him doing anything that causes him pain. If he was to reinjure his foot it would most likely knock him out for the year, and could cause long term problems. Still, Pedroia still thinks he can come back soon, just probably not by Aug 6th like originally planned.

- Mike Lowell hit three homers and drove in five in a rehab game for Triple-A Pawtucket. This was Lowell's 4th game in the minors. Lowell played third base yesterday and could be activated by the Red Sox as soon as this weekend, when the Sox return home. The 3 HRs will hopefully help his trade value, and the fact he was playing the field can't hurt.

- JD Drew will have an MRI on his hamstring at some point today. The Sox hope they can have him back by Friday, but I'm not holding my breathe. Drew says his hamstring has been bothering him for the past 3-4 weeks. The only good news is that if he does go on the DL we might be able to see Sox prospect Ryan Kalish (who is having a hell of a year) brought up to the majors.

- Holy shit, there has been an Ellsbury sighting... Ellsbury went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in his second rehab game. The plan is to have him make 2-3 more rehab starts at the lower levels before bringing him up to AAA.

Ellsbury Injury Update

We are starting to finally get a picture of when Ellsbury will rejoin the Sox...

"Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury hit on the field on Wednesday as part of a progression in which he has "amped up his hitting quite a bit," manager Terry Francona told reporters in Seattle, and he could be nearing the start of another minor league rehab assignment. Francona said that it is possible that Ellsbury, who is rehabbing at the Sox' spring training complex in Fort Myers, could begin a rehab assignment in the next four or five days, likely with the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League Red Sox (WEEI)."

I have said before what Ellsbury, when playing like he did last season, means to the Red Sox. Boston's offense has finally hit the wall with all these injuries. It was awesome that all these "role players" stepped up for this long, but it is becoming obvious that Boston has 0% chance of making the playoffs unless Pedroia, Ellbury, and V-Mart come back and are awesome.

The Red Sox still have 16 games against the Yankees and Rays, so they will have a chance to get back in this race. With Beckett coming back tonight, and Pedroia, Ellsbury, and V-Mart getting close to returning the Sox still have a legit shot to make a playoff push.

Finally Some Good News On Ellsbury

Theo Epstein sounded optimistic when talking about Jacoby Ellsbury's rehab...

“I don’t want to put a timetable on it but a normal hitting progression is two weeks but I think it’s good news that he’s already ahead of that schedule, [two weeks] from picking up a bat to being able to take game at-bats,” Epstein said.

It is about time that we get some kind of timetable on him. Whether it was the Red Sox fault for misdiagnosis, Ellsbury being a wimp, or his agent holding him out, it doesn't matter. The Sox need him back in the lineup, because I don't believe we are going to get anything from Cameron. The Sox lineup can be a lot more electric when Ellsbury is on the field, so hopefully he will be back in 3-4 weeks. My only concern is whether or not the Sox will still be in the running for the playoffs when he does come back.

Other injury news:

- Clay Buchholz is expected to make just one rehab start before returning to the Red Sox rotation.

- Adrian Beltre, who had his hamstring tighten the day before the All-Star break on Sunday is not expected to head to the disabled list. Beltre will have an MRI on Thursday to make sure the hamstring issue was only a cramp and that he is ready for the start of the second half of the season.

- Jeremy Hermida will start a three-game rehab assignment Thursday for Double-A Portland in New Britain.

Buchholz Injury Update

I feel like I am writing an injury update every day for the Sox, but at least this one is pretty good news. Buchholz is reported to most likely pitch again Monday or Tuesday. The Red Sox got lucky, because they have 2 days off this week, so they can skip Buchholz without having to fill his rotation spot. The Sox really couldn't take another hit, since Beckett is already out and the offense looks more like a AAA team then the 2nd highest payroll in the MLB.

Hopefully Buchholz will be fine, because he is having an All-Star type season, and I would hate to see anything fuck that up (I don't care if he actually plays in the All-Star game).

In other news, Epstein came out and said that Ellsbury is progressing, but there is still no timetable for his return. Since he isn't even cleared for "baseball activities" it could be a really long time before we see him in a Sox uniform.

Ellsbury Injury Update

Ellsbury is still out with broken ribs, and there is still no word on when he could be back. The latest news is that Ellsbury is Boras are flying around to get a 2nd opinion on his ribs. The Sox have misdiagnosed this injury twice, but there are also rumors that Boras wants Ellsbury to sit out till he is 100%.

Manager Terry Francona said via the Boston Globe he has talked to Boras and the agent will try to get Ellsbury another opinion at the Kerlan-Jobe clinic in Los Angeles. Any talk of a 2nd opinion means that he isn't any closer to returning. I really wish I could even give a guess, but my hope is that he is back by July 4th (but that may be hopeful).

Ellsbury Doesn't Want To Play?

Interesting article today in the Globe by Tony Massarotti. The article is about Ellsbury and his "reputation" of not wanting to play baseball.

"Before we go any further, we all need to understand something here. This is not solely about this season and about whether Ellsbury has bruised ribs or hairline fractures. This goes well beyond that. During his rookie season of 2008, Ellsbury missed small chunks of time with various assorted ailments. He came to the Red Sox having earned a reputation in the minor leagues of being someone who required a great deal of, well, maintenance. Last year, during a rock-solid season in which Ellsbury batted .301, stole 70 bases, and played in 153 games, manager Terry Francona spoke of how Ellsbury was beginning to understand the "responsibility" of playing in the major leagues, which was a nice way of saying that Ellsbury had an obligation to his manager and teammates to play through minor issues and be in the lineup.

Then came last offseason, the departure of Jason Bay, and the acquisition of Mike Cameron. Ellsbury was bumped from center field to left, a change that clearly did not sit well with him. In Kansas City April 11, Ellsbury collided with third baseman Adrian Beltre and suffered his existing rib injury, and you could hear all the pink hats in Camp Jacoby groan simultaneously (Boston Globe)."

I had no idea he had this "reputation" in the minors. I really hope it isn't true, and that Ellsbury is hurt, but I respect a lot of what Tony Mazz writes, and this scares me a bit. He also goes on to say that Boras is now his agent, and he doesn't like his players playing at less then 100%.

In the end, the Sox can't afford to have another JD Drew. Ellsbury changes this lineup so much when he is in it, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

More Trouble For Ellsbury

Ellsbury just can't catch a break lately. He was on the DL for fractured ribs, and now he has inflammation in roughly the same area.

"It was kind of where I had my previous injury," Ellsbury said. "I don’t know if it was kind of lingering there and I didn’t really know about it, but I’ll know more once we get back to Boston and I’ll talk to the doctors up there. Hopefully it’s something minor."

I have a feeling he is heading back to the DL, which is really too bad, because Boston could use his speed in the lineup. The good news is that the Sox are rolling right now, and maybe they can get by without him for the time being. The outfield should be more solid with Cameron out there, at least defensively.

What sucks is that it looks like the Red Sox misdiagnosed the injury...

"[The pain] is along the same ribs that cracked," Ellsbury told ESPN.com after the game. "All the ribs are moving, so it can affect the back ribs as well, where it hits the front of the spine. So you not only feel the impact at the direct place where you were hit, but the back side, too, along the band. I felt that originally, but I hadn't felt it again until now."

Added Ellsbury about the Sox' treatment: "I think they downplay it because they misdiagnosed it. They said you treat it all the same way. Remember that comment? How do you treat a bruise the same as a break?"

That doesn't sound good. We will keep you posted when we hear more...

Ellsbury Returns Tomorrow

Jacoby Ellsbury received clearance to resume playing for the Red Sox tomorrow night in Philadelphia. So far this season he has missed 37 of the club’s first 43 games. I may take him a little while to get back in the swing of things, but Ellsbury could be a nice spark for this lineup. Since the Sox lack power they really need a guy like Ellsbury to cause havoc on the base paths. This will also give us a much better defensive outfield then what we have been playing with since Cameron and Ellsbury went out.

Cameron is being reevaluated today, but it is thought that he will be back by the start of next week. Cameron could come along a little slower even when he does get back, and will probably be getting a lot of days off.

Jacoby Ellsbury Injury Update

Jacoby Ellsbury will begin his rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday night against Syracuse. Ellsbury will start in the outfield and will continue rehabbing at Double-A Portland after the PawSox go on the road.

Francona came out and stated that Ellsbury shouldn't need too much time in the minors, so I expect him back by next weekend. The Red Sox really need him back, he brings such a spark to the Boston lineup, and is so much better then guys like Van Every, Hall, ect. As long as he doesn't run into a wall in the minors he should be all set in a week or so.

Ellsbury Closer To Return

We got good news early in the week, as Cameron has already started his rehab assignment, and now we are getting news that Ellsbury (recovering from a hairline fracture on four of his left ribs) might be able to start his in the next couple of days...

"Like we talked about [Tuesday], the last three or four days have been pretty good for him," manager Terry Francona said. "I think we hope the next three or four days are really good for him, because then the next step is playing in a game. I think we're getting closer. I don't know if we're there. We're getting close."

Ellsbury will need sometime in the minors, so I think by a week from Sunday he could be back in the lineup. Cameron I think will be back by Monday to play against the Yankees, so at least it seems the Sox will finally have some names back in that outfield instead of the AAA guys they have now (Hall, Van Every, McDonald).

Cameron Finally Back On The Field

He might not be back at Fenway, but Cameron is on his way, as the Red Sox have cleared him for a rehab assignment in Pawtucket starting today. Cameron will test his lower abdominal strain by serving as the designated hitter tonight and playing center field tomorrow for the PawSox.

I am not a big Cameron fan, but I really can't wait from him and Ellsbury to make their way back. I can't take watching Bill Hall play defense in the outfield anymore. It is painful, and there is something very depressing when you have the 2nd highest payroll in the MLB and your OF is Hall, Drew, Hermida, McDonald, and Van Every.

The bad news is that there is still no timetable for the return of Ellsbury, who is way more important to get back then Cameron.

Cameron To DL (UPDATED)

No good news coming from the Red Sox clubhouse today, as Mike Cameron will be placed on the 15 day DL with an "abdominal tear near the attachment site of the abdominal muscle and the pelvis". This is really bad news as most reports think he will be out a lot longer then 15 days.

To make matter worse Ellsbury is still out. The latest report on him says he is still having chest pains from his collision with Beltre. He is going to do an "aggressive workout" today, and that should tell them a lot more about when he might be able to return.

With Cameron going to the DL Josh Reddick will be called up. I actually really don't mind this. The kid can hit, and right now that's what the Red Sox need, and it wasn't like Cameron was doing anything anyways. The good news is that once Reddick arrives in Boston we won't have to watch Bill Hall in CF anymore.

If Ellsbury has to go on the DL the Sox will most likely call up Darnell McDonald.

***UPDATE***

If Cameron's injury requires surgery that would sideline the 37-year-old outfielder for at least a month to 6 weeks.

Ellsbury Injury Update

Jacoby Ellsbury will likely not play until Friday when the Red Sox return to Boston to face Rays. The thinking was that Ellsbury would jsut need a day off or two, but he is still sore, and the Sox have the depth to let him race.

Scutaro is eventually going to push Ellsbury for the leadoff spot, yea sure it's a little bold, but I really think it will happen. Anyways, this is a little bit of a chance to see how Scutaro will fit in on the top of the lineup. For the sake of my fantasy team I hope he lights it up.