There Was a Time When This Would Have Made Me Anxious

OK, I know that I get anxious about odd things that really have no bearing on my life at all but a Josh Beckett start against the Yankees is a sure bet to get my blood pressure ramped up and my stomach churning. So the one bright spot to the fact that the Red Sox are basically out of contention is that I won't have to worry about that tonight. I don't want Josh to get shelled out there but this isn't going to be edge of my seat, hands over my eyes, game watching tonight. Nope, this is going to be kicking back, enjoying a drink, making fun of Nick Swisher game watching. Feel free to join me this evening.

The Clouds Are Closing In

Maybe it is the weather today or perhaps it was that god awful game last night but I'm feeling a tad bit pessimistic about the Red Sox this morning. When Jon Lester takes the mound against the Indians I'm counting on a blowout win and by that I don't mean a blowout win for the Indians.

Jon Lester cannot be blamed solely for this loss, it was a team effort loss thanks to crappy errors by Scoots and VMart as well as some not so good pitching by Atchison. At least Manny del Carmen pitched well, which is really all the good that can be said about last night's game. After the triumphant return of Mike Lowell on Tuesday and the return of the crazy, angry Josh Beckett (as opposed to the cynical, stoic Josh Beckett) I was expecting more than that.

I will say this - last night's loss combined with Monday night's loss is making me much more worried about the upcoming Yankees series than I usually am. This could be make it or break it time. So step it up guys, forget about all those new babies that have arrived with their resulting life altering ways and play your little hearts out.

Either the Rays Aren't as Good as We All Thought or the Red Sox Aren't as Bad as We All Thought

Well then. Who could have predicted after that horrible loss to the Yankees last Monday that we'd be sitting here riding high on 4 straight wins against the Phillies and the Devil Rays? Finally everything that Theo promised is started to come together. The starting pitching has been phenomenal, the defense has been tight and effective, and disparaged offense has even put in a strong appearance.

After the loss to the Yankees last Monday and then the subsequent come from behind win I read an article somewhere (and it kills me that I can't remember where because you know I like to be good about citing sources) in which the author was saying that clearly the Red Sox were not playing bad baseball because a bad baseball team does not come back from a loss like they had on Monday and gain a win on Tuesday in a tough game. Nothing could be more true. Finally we are getting to see the Red Sox play good baseball.

The wins against the Phillies were surprising and satisfying but really, it's the wins against the Devil Rays that make me even happier since they are in our division and basically running away with it. Yes, Devil Rays you may have 32 wins this season but the train stops here.

The Sox Start a Grueling Road Trip Today

When I'm trying to go to sleep at night I often come up with wonderful blog posts in my head and sometimes I think I should get up and write them right then, but then I think no, I'll just write it in the morning. Inevitably, I have forgotten my brilliant post by the morning and today is no exception. I had a great, witty, post in my head last night. I think it had something to do with Jon Lester and I know the Tigers were involved but for the life of me I can't even remember what the crux of it was going to be. So instead of that post you're getting this.

The Red Sox are in Detroit today to start a a 3 game series against the Tigers who have been quite dominant lately. Then off to New York to visit the Yankees, who the less said about the better. Then home again for an odd 2 game series against the Twins before heading off to Philly for some inter-league play. Thank goodness the Devil Rays aren't involved is really the only upside I can see. In actuality, the Red Sox have been playing much better as of late. But is it good enough to beat these teams? And on the road no less?

As an aside, for those of you who missed it, J.D. Drew was the postgame guest on WEEI the other day and it is worth a listen if not only to hear his lovely Georgia accent but because he made a joke, an honest to God joke that sounded natural.

The Red Sox Continue Their Schizophrenia

I was feeling confident going into the series against the Yankees after sweeping the Angels. After all, we were going up against them with Beckett, Buchholz, and Lester. Sure, we all know the Yankees are good this year and they'd be hard to beat but I thought the chances were good we'd take at least 2 games.

Friday night's game was heart sickening to watch. Beckett started out better than I have seen him since, well, since last August when he stopped pitching like Josh Beckett. Who knows what happened to him out there in the 6th inning but it was painful in the extreme to watch. It was like watching a car accident. You can't look away no matter how much you want to. Hitting 2 Yankees players and hitting Jason Varitek? What was going on with Josh Beckett that night? I am certain beyond a doubt that he didn't hit anyone on purpose but the whole thing was bizarre and painful.

I only caught a couple of innings of Saturday's rain delayed marathon of a game but it was enough to show me that the Red Sox hadn't shown up to play that game either. Clay was average at best and in the end it was an embarrassing rout.

So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch Sunday's game. The only thing that kept me from being completely pessimistic was the thought that Jon Lester was pitching and perhaps we would be spared a complete blowout. Well, not only did Jon Lester deliver (because he is a pitching god) but the offense decided to wake up and show the Yankees that they weren't dead after all. It seemed like everyone was in on the act last night (except for Victor Martinez). Jeremy Hermida and his great beard delivered just when we needed it. Scuturo seemed to get on base frequently. Beltre, sporting new glasses, got in some hits. Drew seemed to get a hit every time he was up and even Big Papi got in on it. And of course, the ever reliable Youk and Pedroia (sporting high socks no less) got in some hits as well. The sure sign for me that everything was going well was when the Yanks took Jeter and ARod out of the game because they knew it was already lost.

Now the Blue Jays are coming to town. The Sox swept them in Toronto last time they faced each other so I'm feeling smug. I'll be there on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can find me near the bullpen on Wednesday giving Josh encouragement that those Jays have nothing on him.

Spring Training Hyperbole or Fact? Can the Rays and Orioles compete for real this year?

By all accounts the Tampa Bay Rays are in for a monster year. Well, maybe not a monster year, but certainly one that might give the Red Sox and Yankees a run for their money. And why not? They did it in 2008. Their starting rotation of Garza, Shields, Niemann, and Price are strong and they've got Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, and Even Longoria in their lineup.

The Orioles on the other hand don't look like they are in for a monster year per se. Or maybe we can call it a monster year in Orioles terms. They've got Matt Wieters, their superstar in the making catcher and a couple of good pitching prospects thrown in for good measure. I don't see the Orioles posing a legitimate threat this year but they may not be the easy win Sox fans have become used to.

However, all this could be based on the feel good baseball reporting of Spring Training where everyone looks like they could have a great year and boasts a killer lineup. Everyone that is except for the poor Blue Jays who will be hard pressed to make up for the loss of Roy Halladay. In the end it seems more likely that the AL East will once again come down to the Red Sox and Yankees.