Time to shuffle the batting order with the exception of keeping Holt at leadoff.

Herrera:

Ball
Ball
Strike looking
Ball
Strike looking
Herrera struck out swinging

But we got andres torres!!

LOL. Even when they get a hit, they get thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.

Ken Robothal:


msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/notes-the-history-behind-why-tanaka-abreu-count-as-rookies-063014

As frustrating as Bradley's been at the plate, he does rank 4th among Sox position players in WAR, behind only Pedroia, Napoli and Holt. The main reason for that is Bradley's defense, which ranks among the best outfielders in the game. Only 4 outfielders have a better UZR/150 (Cain, Heyward, Gordon, and Hamilton). He's projected for ~2 WAR, about league average.

Sizemore was just worthless. Couldn't hit or field. The comeback story was fun and all, but he's toast.

Jon Lester shouldn't be part of Red Sox' sell off

BOSTON -- The first domino -- in the person of A.J. Pierzynski -- fell Wednesday, with the Red Sox designating the veteran catcher for assignment and moving forward with Christian Vazquez behind the plate.

Starter Jake Peavy will probably be next, shipped to some National League playoff contender (or pretender) for a marginal prospect or two.

In time, there could be a dismantling of the bullpen and a giant "No Reasonable Offer Turned Down'' sign posted, with the likes of Burke Badenhop auctioned off and maybe, just maybe, Koji Uehara, too.

Fine. Sell off those who aren't under contract past this season and maximize their value in a seller's market. That only makes sense.

But the Red Sox should completely dismiss, out of hand, any idea of trading Jon Lester. That would be one trade too many.

Lester, of course, is unsigned past this season and understandably rejected the Red Sox' lowball offer of four years, $70 million this spring. Despite rumblings of renewed back-channel talks two weeks ago in New York, there's been little or no progress toward a new deal, even as reports of the Red Sox crafting a new offer surface.

At this point of the season, Lester probably isn't terribly interested in hearing the Red Sox' new and improved offer. He's less than four months from free agency and probably wants to see what he could be offered from any number of interested teams.

So why, then, shouldn't the Red Sox trade him now and get what they can for him?

Because he's too valuable. And because they can afford to re-sign him, even after Lester hears offers from elsewhere.

It's going to cost them more -- a lot more -- this fall than it would have last spring. But they have only themselves to blame for that.

There would be only two reasons for the Sox to trade Lester by the July 31 deadline: If he didn't want to stay, or they couldn't afford to keep him. We know that neither of these points is true.

Lester is on record as saying he hopes to finish his career in Boston and that he considers it his home. Moreover, Lester said publicly -- much to the dismay of his agents -- that he would be willing to take less to remain with the Red Sox.

As for the Red Sox' ability to pay him, that too, seems a given. As it stands, the Sox are committed to less than $75 million to players next year: Mike Napoli and David Ortiz are due $16 million each. Shane Victorino will make $13 million, with Dustin Pedroia paid $12.6 million and Clay Buchholz $12.25 million. Edward Mujica is on the books for $4.75 million.

That's $74.6 million in committments. The rest of the roster will include five arbitration-eligibles -- Junichi Tazawa, Daniel Nava, Felix Doubront, Mike Carp and Jonathan Herrera -- none of whom will take huge leaps forward on the salary scale.

Another half-dozen players -- Jackie Bradley Jr, Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez, and, in a contractual quirk, John Lackey -- will make the minimum salary or slightly more.

So, yes, the Red Sox can afford to re-sign Jon Lester. Easily.

Paying Jon Lester what he's worth on the open market won't represent an overpay, either. Dependable, healthy, successful pitchers are generally worth the investment.

The same couldn't be said of, say, Jacoby Ellsbury last fall, which is why only a handful of fans decried the Sox letting him go to the Yankees. Ellsbury has been injury-prone and, given his skill set, almost certain to depreciate in value as he ages. Matching New York's $153 million deal would have been feasible from a financial standpoint, but a foolish allocation of resources.

Lester is different. He's among the ten best starters in the game and he's left-handed and he's a proven postseason performer.

He's made 30 or more starts in each of the last six seasons. Barring injury, he'll increase that streak to seven this year.

That doesn't guarantee that, at some point in the next five or six seasons, Lester won't break down. There are no guarantees and every baseball contract involves some risk.

But given their resources, the Red Sox can't afford not to re-sign Lester. Lackey will be 36 next year and in the final year of his deal. Beyond that, Buchholz, hardly the measure of consistency or durability, would be the team's only other experienced starter.

It's nice to have the stockpile of talented young arms the Sox have assembled. But for now, Brandon Workman, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Henry Owens, Anthony Ranaudo and Matt Barnes are largely unproven.

Contending teams need established pitchers and in Lester, the Sox have a gem they shouldn't relinquish.

Sure, they could deal him later this month and then try to re-sign him. But how would Lester react to being traded in the middle of the season, forced to re-locate his family and adjust to a new team and new surroundings? How eager would he be to return?

The Red Sox have already made re-signing Lester more difficult than it should be. But they can pay their way out of their own mess.

Trading Lester would only compound their miscalculation and lengthen their climb back to pennant contender status.
www.csnne.com/boston-red-sox/jon-lester-shouldnt-be-part-red-sox-selloff

I don't get why the Red Sox didn't bash this guy during the year but waited till right after the cut him. Can't they just admit they F'D up with the signing!

Well Drew is somewhat turning things around for himself. He is trying to prove me wrong!

Opting for back surgery would end Victorino's season
August 2, 2014, 3:15 pm


BOSTON - Shane Victorino is hoping against hope that surgery won't be necessary to correct the slipped disk in his lower back, but recognizes he probably won't be that lucky.

Victorino is due to see noted back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins Tuesday in Los Angeles, with the near certainty that he needs season-ending surgery. He underwent an MRI the other day which revealed the severity of the disk injury and will see Watkins for confirmation.

"I want to know what's going on and what's happening,'' said Victorino. "Anytime you get news that you don't want to hear, you obviously see what's going to happen. I'm going to go out there and see what he says. For me, it's never good. But it's all part of it. I tried to play through it, do the best that I could. The training staff did the best they could to try to get me back out there, but things are showing that there might be some things we didn't want to see. We'll go from there.''

After multiple disabled list stints, Victorino returned last month and played nine games before feeling something grab in his back Wednesday night. He knew then that it wasn't good.

"[The MRI results] wasn't the news that we wanted,'' he said. "Some of the things that were shown were [worse] than we had hoped for. But being out there and not being able to go, having those things hamper me. I knew something was wrong. I don't mind playing through pain, I don't mind playing through an injury, but the continuation was worrisome to me.

"The other night, when I felt it, it was kind of something that woke me up. It was kind of sharp and sudden when it happened and we obviously found out why by what the MRI revealed. So to get go another opinion from Dr. Watkins is important to me to get that next view of things. We kind of have an idea what's going to happen, but as I said, I hope it's not going as serious as I'm [expecting].''

Surgery would knock Victorino out for the rest of this season, in which he's appeared in just 30 of the first 109 games. It's unknown how long recovery time would be if he needed surgery.
www.csnne.com/boston-red-sox/opting-back-surgery-would-end-victorinos-season

Three things we learned about the Red Sox on Tuesday
August 6, 2014, 12:45 pm

ST. LOUIS -- Three things we learned last night, when the Red Sox lost to the Cardinals, 3-2:

1) World Series ring aside, John Lackey never enjoyed Boston

That much was evident in his conversation with the Boston media Tuesday afternoon.

Lackey was defensive and even mildly combative when asked about his 4 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox, claiming the media was trying to "stir things up'' with their line of questioning.

Lackey made it clear that he had assured the Cardinals he would honor his 2015 contract, which, due to a clause he agreed upon, calls for him to be paid the major-league minimum after missing all of 2012 with Tommy John surgery.

But when asked if he had been ready to make that same commitment to the Red Sox had he stayed, Lackey wavered. And when asked about that contradition -- a willingless to play for the minimum in St. Louis, but not Boston -- Lackey turned churlish.

St. Louis is indeed a better environment for Lackey. It's less intense, with far less media coverage. That suits him fine.

But it's worth remembering that, after more than six seasons in the big leagues, Lackey presumably knew what he was getting into in Boston when he signed his five-year, $82.5 million deal in late 2009.

If he wanted a more laid-back, low-pressure environment, he surely knew that wasn't to be found in Boston. But he signed anyway, then seemed surprised at what he found.

That's on him and no one else.

2) Xander Bogaerts is comfortable again at shortstop

For whatever reason, Bogaerts never seemed sure of himself in the six or so weeks that he manned third base upon the return of Stephen Drew. He sometimes tried to range too far toward short to cut off balls. Or he wouldn't set himself properly for throws to first.

But in the five games he's played since returning to short, Bogaerts looks more natural, more relaxed.

His actions are smooth and fluid. There's been no hestitation with his throws and he's turned some nice double plays, as though he's been playing the position the position without interruption.

Of course, to date, it hasn't helped him at the plate. Bogaerts saw his offensive game dip significantly when he went from short to third, and when he was moved back last week, the hope was that the hitting would benefit, too. So far, that hasn't been the case.

There's little doubt about Bogaerts' offensive abilities. What the Sox need to find out over the final seven weeks of the season is whether he can handle a critical defensive position for them.

If that gets established in August and September and the Sox know that shortstop is secure heading into next year, that will be one less thing for them to worry about this winter.

3) The Red Sox could have damaged goods on their hands with Allen Craig

Craig was hampered much of the second half of last year with a left foot/ankle injury. Four months into this season, he still isn't the same.

After one game, he's on the DL, having re-injured the foot when he rolled it a bit on the first base bag last Friday night at Fenway.

This has been something that's lingered more than a year now with Craig and could well explain his sub-par numbers at the plate this season.

A number of people in the game thought it odd that the Cardinals would willingly part with Craig, who was under control to St. Louis for three more seasons after this one. Did the Cardinals know that Craig's foot could limit him in the long term, that the drop-off at the plate was a sign of things to come?

The Red Sox, of course, has access to Craig's medicals before signing off on the deal, so they didn't enter into this blindly. But it's not a good sign when, after one game, Craig is sidelined and there's no clarity on how long he's going to be out or how serious this latest setback is.
www.csnne.com/boston-red-sox/three-things-we-learned-about-red-sox-tuesday-1

Joe Kelly wishes he was back in Saint Louis