BAS - not for nothing but those standings were they wrapped around a fish or two because they are out of date.
From MLB.com about two minutes ago:
New York 47 28 .627
Boston 46 31 .597 2.0
Tampa Bay 44 31 .587 3.0
For the second time in five days, the Red Sox beat up on one of the best pitchers in the the Senior Circuit, as they dismantled back to back Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum with four runs scored on five hits and three walks in just 3 innings en route to a 5-1 victory at AT&T Park in The City by The Bay.
On Wednesday they jumped all over Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. KOing the phenom out of the game in the sixth inning but not befoe he was touched up for six runs on 10 hits, and easily his worst outing of the year as was Lincecum's effort tonight.
Interleague play is over and NL pitchers must be calling their mothers and telling them the worst is over. The Sox went 13-5, hit .292, and averaged just over six runs a game against the NL this season. Their victims included Jimenez, Lincecum, Roy Halladay of the Phillies, and Dan Haren of the Diamondbacks or in other words half of the NL All Star Game Pitching Staff. The Sox have won 10 of their last 11 series against National League teams to boot.
Overall, the Sox are 42-22 since April 20, the best record in baseball during that stretch. Tomorrow night (Tuesday) they play the staggering, feuding Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. The Sox are 26-15 on Yawkey Way.
Unfortunately the casualty list reads like this: Jacoby Ellsbury has played nine games this year. Both Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida were sent to the infirmary after painfully crackingd ribs in collisions with the human boulder named Adrian Beltre. Daisuke Matsuzaka started the season on the disabled list. just came off and is threatening to find his 2008 form one of these days (Theo Epstein has his family praying in Japanese for that event to take place).
Then there is the curious case of Josh Beckett who YTD has one win and has been on the disabled list since May 19, but he did play long catch last week, whatever that is. Then comes aging but still hopefully capable Mike Cameron, who tore an abdominal muscle back on April 20th and has one homer and eight RBIs YTD. Lets just say he is due for a change. Now add Pedroia, Buckholtz and Martinez, all headed for Mass General in a few hours and you got a list of the major players on sick call.
On a brighter note, David Ortiz’s 275th Round Tripper, which was the 72nd ball in the last 11 seasons to take a dip in McCovey Cove, (and as mentioned, the first in 2010) did as a member of the Red Sox move him into 4th place on the all time HR list in Boston. Ortiz had been tied with Manny Ramirez for fifth place in team history.
Basically there is little doubt the Red Sox have to keep on winning despite the injuries, as they are part of the game. Plus lest we forget we all know "There is no crying in Baseball". So keep plugging BoSox, there are a lot of interested real baseball fans who can't wait to see what the Bronx Bombers can do with that Boston starting rotation in a seven game series for The AL Pennant, including yours truly.
That said they don't have to overtake the Yanks during the regular season. Their real targets are Tampa Bay in their own AL East and the loser of The AL Central either Minnesota or Detroit or The loser in the AL West which right now are The Angels for The AL Wild Card. The Card would do nicely, especially if the team can manage to get all hands on deck for the playoffs...
Make no mistake about it, a healthy Boston Red Sox Team come October is going to be one particularly dangerous opponet IF they can grab a playoff spot while they get healthy in the meantime.
Ask Joe Girardi who he would rather face for a return trip to the World Series - Texas or Boston...
Lets not get ahead of ourselves though as the 4th of July is next Sunday marking the actual real halfway point in the season when it comes to games played by each team..There is a lot of baseball to play along with even more MRIs and CT Scans that go with the game in the year 2010.
These mysterious images of ligaments and hamstrings are entrusted into the hands of countless 3 handicap orthopedic surgeons who will break the news, good or bad, yo countless faithful regarding the availability of our heroes to perform their duties as they should or limp around our biggest cities on crutches trying to avoid pain in the ass reporters from rags of all shapes and sizes...
Alas the sad and in some cases devastating truth is that some Divisional Races are in the hands of teams of high priced sawbones who decide who plays and who sulks for months at a time. The public in general if you ask me does not comprehend the toll a 162 game schedule can take in even the best conditioned of ballplayer.
Say what you want about Cal Ripken's skill as a ball player, he deserved a spot in the Baseball HOF just for showing up to play for 2632 consecutive games.
Oh yeah the Yankees comback last night. That was some comeback against their old pal Joe Torre and our old Pal Manny Ramirez, as the Dodger's up to now nearly untouchable closer Jonathon Broxton had a meltdown in the top of the 9th with a 6-2 Dodger lead. The heretofore untouchable Broxton managed to let the Yankess tie the game at 6 while watching his ERA more than double from 0.83 to 1.87 in one inning, for the entire season. like around 34 appearances to date and he saves the worst one for last night....I was watching on illegal internet TV and I swear I could have hit a slow roller off him the way he was throwing.
The Yanks best player Robinson Canó did his damage in the top of the 10th off someone named Ramon Trocosco. Canó now hitting .359 with 15 jacks and 53 RBI had a double, a homer, two runs scored and 3 RBI in five at bats during the game. Canó currently looks like the best player in baseball east of Albert Pulhols and that could be debated.
All that after the Dodgers took the trouble to rough up Yankee veteran lefty Andy Pettitte for 5 runs (4 earned) in five innings on six basehits, including a pair of doubles by CF Reed Johnson and a HR by of all people Ron Belliard, his 2nd of the year. Manny contributed an 0 for 3 with a BoB and a GIDP to his teams effort..
A word about Manny's last year in La La land. For the $20M Dodger principle owner Frank McCourt is paying him this year Manny is hitting .307 with 8 jacks and 38 RBI. tying him in homers with J.D, Drew for around 100th in the majors so far.
However J.D. who has one less RBI but 8 more hits including 5 more doubles and two more triples. Sure J.D. makes great money but nothing close to $20M..I know - Manny fills the Dodger Stadium seats with Latino fans, but sadly that is dropping off as Manny drops off. I can't wait to see where he ends up in 2011. My guess is Seattle will offer him about $8M to DH for them and he will be insulted. We won't mention Manny being Manny in the Dodger outfield.
Here is a clue for everyone who reads this, if anyone does, Manny hit .360 as a DH in Interleague Play this year. AL here I come says ManRam...
Coming from the ouch category, Manny is 7 for 33 with RISP and 2 outs this year, but that includes a double, a homer and 5 singles.
OK - I am done, just practicing my writing in case I turn pro and move to Bristol, Connecticut.
wil....^<<^
