Rivalries

I’m going to go out on a limb here and officially shoot myself in the foot regarding my readers. This entry is inspired by a recent post over on River Ave Blues which asked the question of how we (as Yankee fans) wanted the Red Sox to lose.

I never quite got into the “hate” part of a good rivalry. If you are a Yankee fan, it is commonly expected that you hate the Red Sox. A few crazed fans take this hatred to an extreme and once or twice a year you’ll read a story in the news about a fight or assault happening where the motive was trash talking by fans of either the Yankees or the Sox. Earlier this year a person was actually run over by a car in a Yankees/Sox related incident.

When the Yankees play the Red Sox, I root for the Yankees. I get on the phone and call up a good friend who is a die-hard Red Sox fan and frequently taunt him. During the regular season, if the Yanks and Sox are vying for first place or a wild card, I’ll cheer for any team that beats the Sox, improving New York’s standings.

If the Yankees get eliminated, or if the Sox play some one other than NY in the playoffs, I’ll usually root for our long-time rivals, the Red Sox. I’ll even join my friend (who makes a wicked home-brew) to watch the game. That’s right. On occasion I’ll root for the Red Sox (but only if it does not adversely affect the Yankees in any way).

Here are two reasons: First, I lived in Boston (and very close to Fenway) for about two years and have some connection with the area.

Secondly, and most importantly, If two teams have a rivalry and one team completely stinks, it’s not much of a rivalry. If the Red Sox never make the playoffs or always exit early, the rivalry starts to lose some of it’s luster. When both teams are competitive in the regular season and in the post-season, then the rivalry really starts to take on meaning and have some history. Some of the greatest NY-Boston games have happened in the playoffs. If Boston never makes it there, after a while the rivalry becomes an afterthought.

Also, if teams in your division do well, it makes you look better. The Yankees 2008 season isn’t quite as bad in retrospect when you consider that Tampa and Boston were two of the best teams in the league.

This theory doesn’t apply just to my favorite baseball team. In college hoops, I’m always 100% behind my alma mater Syracuse University. In the NCAA tournament, I’ll frequently root for other Big East teams, even Georgetown, when they are not playing SU. As far as hoops rivalries go, SU-Georgetown is about as big as Yankees-Red Sox.

There’s nothing better than seeing my team beat our rivals, but when a game doesn’t involve my team, I give the rivals a little love. College football is a classic sport where you definitely should root for your competition to do well. Many of the polls and rankings consider strength of schedule directly or indirectly and having the teams you play win a lot of their games can have a big impact on your team’s ranking.

I’ve been called out by a few people who claim that “I’m not a true fan” and have heard other, cruder replies as well. I can somewhat understand those who root against a team’s biggest rival, but I don’t necessarily agree with it. Oftentimes, having a rival do well makes my team look better and as a true fan, it’s always about having my team on top. If you want to disagree with me that’s fine, but if you think I’m not a “true fan”, then you’ve got a lot to learn.

Win Streak Ends

Sidney Ponson's luck ran out. He's been a little shakey on the mound but usually received plenty of run support of managed to get out of an inning despite allowing several hits. Last night there was no such magic. In four innings of work, Sir Sidney gave up 7 runs on 10 hits. Dan Giese came in and pitched the remaining four innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits.

This is the first time this season I've seen Girardi actually use a long reliever in long relief. Your starter comes out of the game early and you go to the long reliever. The offense wasn't able to close the gap and so you leave Giese in, saving guys like Rivera for another day when they're needed more.

The offense had hits, but couldn't do much with runners in scoring position, especially with the bases loaded. That's one area that has plagued the team all year and will kill them when crunch time comes at the end of the season.

Damon was back in the lineup and doesn't seem hampered by yesterday's injury. Xavier Nady went 0 for 4. Richie Sexson went 1 for 4. For the Sox, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez continue to be Yankee killers.

The Yanks stay 3 games out of first place and drop to 2 games behind Boston. It would have been a great sweep, but taking 2 out of 3 from the Red Sox is still a very successful trip.

Silver Lining for Ortiz Jersey Curse?

The David Ortiz jersey dug out of the new Yankee Stadium fetched $175,000 in a charity auction for the Jimmy Fund. It's nice to see something good come out of the whole overblown mess. Unfortunately it likely cost the Yankees a lot more than that to dig up the jersey in the first place, but kudos to them for turning the situation around in order to benefit a good cause.

Since the Jersey was dug up, Big Papi has started hitting again and appears to be coming out of his slump.

Abreu Grand Slam Propels Yanks to Win

Chien-Ming Wang was getting hit frequently Tuesday night in Chicago, but Bobby Abreu came through with a 2 out grand slam home run.

Wang gave up 10 hits in 6 innings and allowed 3 runs. Many of Wang's pitches that were put into play went deep and were caught on the warning track. In a different ballpark the results could have been much uglier for the Yankees. Chien-Ming's win was the 50th of his career, reached in only 85 games. Dwight Gooden and Ron Guidry reached the 50 mark after 82 games.

The Bullpen was less than stellar today. Billy Traber was only allowed to face one batter, which he walked. Brian Bruney came on and proceeded to load the bases while only getting one out. Finally the Yanks called in Joba Chamberlain to get out of the bases loaded, one out jam. Struck out one batter, walked in a run, and then got the final out on a pop fly fielded by Posada.

To keep things interesting, New York manager Joe Girardi gave every fan watching a scare by brining in Kyle Farnsworth to close out the game. With the Yankees up 5 in the the bottom of the ninth, Farney walked one, gave up a hit, and allowed a run to score before getting the third out of the inning and ending the game.

Bobby Abreu had the biggest clutch hit of the night and put the Yankees on top in the seventh inning. Johnny Damon went 3 for 5 with a home run of his own. Jason Giambi was removed from the game with a swollen thumb after a horrible defensive play at first that should have been scored an error. While Giambi did hit a solo home run, his offensive production is still poor and he remains a huge defensive liability.

Surprisingly there were no stolen bases with Posada behind the plate, and no runners were caught stealing. Yankee pitchers did a good job of keeping runners close to first, but the one or two times runners went early, balls were put into play. I'm surprised that there weren't more attempts to steal, given the vulnerable arm that Jorge has.

The team LOB tonight was 6, a respectable number. If the Yankee bats can get on base and drive runners home like they did tonight, they'll be able to overcome their problems with pitching. Up until now it's mostly been starting pitching, but tonight the bullpen looked particularly vulnerable.

Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez and his wife on the birth of their second daughter.

Competition Notes: The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6, and are showing no signs of letting up. This is troubling to Yankee fans because the Sox ace Josh Beckett was scratched from the game. Instead, David Pauley was called up from the minors for the start. Pauley was shelled, giving up 7 hits and 5 runs in 4.1 innings of work. The Boston bullpen held strong, and even Mike Timlin got a batter out as they waited for the offense to come alive in later innings and secure the win. Even with their best starter out, this team finds a way to win. The Yanks will have to wait another day to try and close the gap.

Yanks Win 15-9

There would be no thoughts of a no-hitter for Chien Ming Wang on this night. Instead the Yankees ace gave up 8 runs on 9 hits in 4.0 innings. Boston starter Clay Buchholz didn't fare much better, lasting 3.2 innings and giving up 7 runs on 8 hits.

Boston's bullpen took a beating with Juan Tavarez and Mike Timlin giving up several runs each, although David Aardsma looked good in 2 scoreless innings.

There were some big innings which produced some back and forth excitement, but in the end the Yankees put more runs on the board.

Every Yankee hitter in the lineup got a hit, led by Chad "I can play in the show" Moeller. The backup catcher went 3 for 4 and drew a walk. The most impressive play by Chad was running the bases where he showed some savvy in sliding a bit wide on the outfield side of second base, still getting forced out but disrupting the double play and allowing a run to score. Nice work Chad!

Alex Rodriguez hit another home run, number 522, putting him ahead of Ted Williams and Willie McCovey in sole possession of number 15 on the all time list.

Ohledorf had a little trouble, giving up 1 run in one inning and was responsible for a few of Wang's runs from inherited baserunners. Latroy Hawkins looked sharp on his return home. There were no boos or chants of Paul O'Neil and Hawkins responded to his warmer reception by pitching 2 scoreless innings and getting the win. Billy Traber came in to face a batter and then Brian Bruney got the final 5 outs of the game and picked up the save.

Chad Moeller has exceeded expectations so far filling in at catcher. Latroy Hawkins looks like he may be over his early season gaffes and the offense is starting to produce. The Yankees only had 6 men left on base as a team this time, an important improvement.

The Yanks are now tied for first with the Red Sox. Beckett will face Mussina in tonight's game. Albaladejo, Farnsworth and Rivera should be fresh in the bullpen.

Hughes Struggles Mightily, Yanks Lose

Phil Hughes struggled early, throwing a lot of pitches and in the end was unable to get out of the third inning. It was a very disappointing outing for Hughes who was hoping to rebound from his last early exit. Hughes' numbers were bad and they paint an ugly picture of how he looked on the mound.

Hughes: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR, 65-35 Pit-Str

Hughes and Kennedy have not shown they can pitch in the majors this year. They looked good in spring training and were sharp in their 2007 major league outings, but this year they haven't been anywhere near good enough in their regular season starts. The Yankees need these two guys to settle down and give some quality outings or else there is no way this team makes the post season.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was wild in his start, but gave up fewer runs than the Yankee starter, which was good enough for a win. Dice-K threw 116 pitches in 5 innings of work. He came close to giving up more in the fourth but got out of a jam and came back and pitched a decent fifth inning.

Dice-K: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 2 K, 0 HR, 116-62

David Aardsma pitched two shutout innings in relief of Matsuzaka.

Aardsma 2.0, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 HR, 36-19

The good news for Yankee pitching is that Ross Ohlendorf looked good pitching three innings of relief. If he continues to deliver similar performances he could be the long reliever the Yanks desperately need.

Ohlendorf: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K,  0 HR,   49-27

Even though Boston was winning, many of the fans didn't seem to be enjoying the game. Fox panned the audience several times only to see grumpy, frowning fans curled up to ward off the cold. Apparently 46 degrees is not enjoyable baseball weather.

Latroy Hawkins came in in the 6th and pitched 2 nice innings. This is the fourth good outing for Hawkins. I came down hard on him after his first few appearances but he really has pitched well since then. Could I have been wrong? Possibly. His last three appearances have been on the road. It makes me wonder if Hawkins can't handle the Yankee faithful and their booing regarding his #21 jersey. No matter how well he pitches on the road, if he can't get it done at home he won't last long in New York.

Hawkins: 2.0, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR, 17-12

The Yankees had their best chance when Boston brought in Timlin in the top of the eighth inning. Timlin has had absolutely no stuff in two appearances since coming back from the DL. Giambi hit a solo home run and then Molina and Cabrera hit singles before Timlin was pulled.

Timlin 0.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 11-8

Javier Lopez came on in relief and looked good, much improved over earlier outings, getting the BoSox out of the jam. While the Yankees were hitting fairly well and managed to put a total of 5 runs on the board, they fell short when they had too in situations like this. With Lopez coming on and the go-ahead run at the plate, the Bombers could do nothing. At the end of the game, the Yankees had left 9 on base.

Lopez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR, 16-11

Manny Delcarmen came in to get the final two outs of the game and did his job, retiring both batters.

Delcarmen: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR, 14-9

Boston's bullpen looked sharp with the exception of Timlin, who remains a huge liability at this point. After having designated Snyder and Corey, they're looking better overall as the rest seemed to have found their groove.

Kyle Farnsworth pitched the eighth inning for the Yankees and only gave up one run which, for Farnsworth, is pretty good.

Farnsworth: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR, 12-9

Joe Girardi was making a lot of moves late in the game as the Yankees were trying to rally in the eighth inning. Unfortunately most of the subtleties were missed because ESPN's Joe Morgan was going off on a soapbox tangent and refused to let anyone actually cover the game. Joe was switching things up, trying to get his best bats to the plate in the critical situations but unfortunately it didn't work out.

Disaster struck as Jose Molina inured his hamstring and Jorge Posada came in to catch the eighth inning. Everyone knew Jorge doesn't have the best arm and his shoulder has been sore and the Red Sox took full advantage, stealing two bases.

In the end, the Yankees ended up losing the game and most of the burden for the loss gets shouldered by Phil Hughes, who couldn't get out of the third inning. Hughes is still a young, raw pitcher and will require time and patience before he settles down into a reliable starter. Until that happens it's going to be a rough season. The Yankee bats were swinging better but couldn't get the critical hits to drive home runs late in the game when they needed them. On a positive note, Ohlendorf is really looking promising for a long reliever and Hawkins has been pitching much better.

Lets just hope that Kennedy and Hughes settle down, Mussina can go more than 5 innings, and Pettite stays healthy. Thank goodness we've got Wang.

Shirt Dug Up - Big Papi Cursed?

Apparently there may have been some truth to the rumor of the shirt being buried in the cement at Yankee stadium. Current reports are saying that the two men who brought the story to light were able to identify exactly where the shirt was buried. After several hours of work with a jackhammer, crews were able to uncover the shirt which turned out to be a David Ortiz jersey.

So I'm wondering if having his jersey buried in Yankee stadium was the reason for Big Papi's slump. Ortiz is not playing in tonight's game and so we'll have to wait a while to find out.

(And no, I don't take whole ordeal seriously at all.)

Rain Delay in Boston -Resumed

Top of the 8th inning, Yankees trail 3-4, runners on 1st and 2nd, 2 out. With the Yankees threatening to score and the Sox about to bring in Papelbon early the umpire decides to cover the field when a little rain falls. There had been thunder and lightning in the distance but by the time the tarp was finished getting unrolled, before they had a chance to unfold it, the rain was letting up. Hopefully for the Yanks they won't have this one stolen away from them by mother nature and an anxious officiated crew. Oh, did I mention Alex Rodriguez was at the plate?

Beckett started strong and was in command of the early part of the game. Terry Francona let him start the 7th but he began to have some difficulty, giving up a run before Manny Delcarmen came in to relieve him with 2 outs. Delcarmen got out of the inning with a strike out. Okajima came in to pitch the 8th inning and left with 2 on and 2 outs, setting up Papelbon.

Beckett's numbers were 6.2 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 strike outs, and 88 pitches for 55 strikes.

For the Yankees, Mussina kept the game close and exciting. He put a few runners on and got out with some double plays. While not looking as sharp as Beckett, Moose kept the Yankees in striking range throwing 5.2 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, 1 K and no walks. He threw 71 pitches for 51 strikes.

Brian Bruney came in in the bottom of the 6th and have up an RBI hit and also gave up a run in the 7th. There's been no sign of Chamberlain warming up yet.

David Ortiz continues to struggle at the plate. Using the word struggle seems like an understatement. Ortiz can't do anything. He was up twice in clutch situations and grounded into a double play and later struck out. Manny Ramirez was the offensive star for Boston, hitting a solo home run and an RBI double.

The Yankees have only left 2 on base tonight but for the most part haven't done much offensively. Giambi has gone 0 for 3. Cano has 2 hits. Alberto Gonzalez is 1 for 3 with a run scored and is showing some speed on the bases.

If the game is resumed, the first at bat will be crucial as A-Rod tries to drive in some runs with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. Papelbon is set up to grab a save if he pitches well. If the Yankees do get some runs Chamberlain and Rivera will both be available to pitch in the 8th and 9th if needed. If the Yanks fail to score, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone else in to pitch, saving those two for Sunday.

Yanks fans, keep hoping the rain clears and that A-Rod can come through in the clutch!

Update: After a little over 2 hours, the game resumed. Papelbon delivered and A-Rod came up short in the biggest at bat of the game, striking out in the clutch. Latroy Hawkins shut down the Red Sox in the bottom of the 8th and then Papelbon came back out to pitch the ninth. The kid was sharp, striking out the first two batters and then getting a ground out to end the game.

Mussina and Beckett each had decent starts and the score was close, but Beckett was able to go an extra inning and was a little sharper. Both bullpens had some minor troubles but Boston was able to get Papelbon to the mound with a lead and he gave them 4 quick outs in a big game.

The Yankees still have Chamberlain and Rivera available for tomorrow. If Hughes can keep it close and Dice-K doesn't prove to be too much for the Bomber bats, the Yanks have a good chance to win another game and take the series.

Wang Dominant in Game 1

Chien-Ming Wang was in complete control the whole game, shutting down the Boston hitters allowing only 2 hits over 9 innings. Wang struck out 3 batters and didn't issue a single walk. He threw an economical 93 pitches, 61 of which were strikes.

One of those hits he did allow was a home run that just barely squeaked over the right field wall into the Boston bullpen and should have been caught by Bobby Abreu, who mistimed his jump. The other hit was a bunt in the 9th inning by Coco Crisp that Wang didn't quite field in time.

Clay Buchholz looked strong in his starting role, ultimately allowing 1 run on 4 hits over 6 innings. Clay walked 3 and struck out 3. His performance wasn't quite as economical as Wang. At the end of 6 Buchholz had thrown 98 pitches (58 strikes).

Boston's problems arose when Timlin came in in the 7th inning. Making his first major league appearance after being on the DL, Timlin gave up a home run, stand up double and a sacrifice bunt to the only three batters he faced.

David Cone, working the broadcast booth for YES, quipped one of his baseball maxims "When in doubt, hit it to the pitcher." This adequately summed up Timlin's handling of the sacrifice bunt. There was plenty of time to turn and throw out the runner advancing to 3rd, but Timlin instead threw to 1st for the easy out. When Okajima came a sacrifice fly easily scored the runner on third, a very preventable run.

Okajima finished off the 7th and Lopez got two outs in the 8th. David Aardsma finished off the last 1.1 innings of the game and gave up an additional run on 2 hits.

Bobby Abreu tried to make up for dropping the home run ball by hustling out a ground ball single and driving in a run. Too many players jog down the first base line and it's nice to see a good hustle pay off.

Jason Giambi hit a 3-2 pitch deep for his first home run of the season.  Molina, Matsui and Giambi all hit doubles and seven different Yankees got hits in the game. There were 9 runners left on base and the Yanks need to work on driving in more runners.

This game was all about Chien -Ming Wang. He pitched superbly, going the distance and giving the bullpen a night off. The Yanks will now have all of their relievers fresh for tomorrows game. While Buchholz pitched well, he went deep in too many counts and had to come out after 6 innings. Boston made a crucial mistake in going to the rusty Timlin too soon in a close game. Lopez and Aardsma were respectable but the damage was done.

Josh Beckett is starting for Boston in the next game, and the Sox need him to go at least 6 or 7 innings. If Beckett gets tired early, like he did in his first start Boston will have to rely on a tired bullpen. Who knows which Mussina will show up to pitch but having a rested bullpen gives the Bombers the advantage in game 2.

Yankees - Red Sox Preview

For the first time in the 2008 regular season, the Yankees and the Red Sox are set to play. The game will take place at 7:05 ET at Fenway park where it is currently overcast. Both teams are 5-5 and have had their ups and downs early on.

Here's the Yankees lineup for tonight:

Melky Cabrera, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Bobby Abreu, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, LF
Jorge Posada, DH
Jason Giambi, 1B
Jose Molina, C
Alberto Gonzalez, SS

Joe Girardi is mixing things up once again. Melky Cabrera is moving up to the leadoff position. Abreu is back in right and Matsui is back in left. Jeter will likely be out for the whole series and Alberto Gonzalez will continue to fill in. I like Posada in the DH slot. Giambi is back in at first and Ensberg is back on the bench.

The Red Sox lineup looks like this:

Coco Crisp, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Sean Casey, 1B
Julio Lugo, SS

Third baseman Mike Lowell is on the 15 day DL. Sean Casey moves in at first and Youkilis shifts to third.

Chien Ming Wang gets the start vs. Clay Buchholz. Buchholz threw a no-hitter last year but had some problems in his first start this year. Wang has showed he is the Yankees ace in his first two starts. The Yankees have the advantage in starting pitching tonight and if Wang can get 7 innings the Bronx Bombers will be in good shape.

Chamberlain and Rivera worked last night's game and so that leaves Bruney, Traber, Ohlendorf, Hawkins and Farnsworth. Hawkins and Farnsworth are huge liabilities. It will be interesting to see what happens and who Girardi goes to if the game is close.

The Red Sox used Delcarmen, Okajima, Tavarez and Papelbon last night, leaving Aardsma and Corey with fresh arms.

The pitching advantage right now goes to NY with Wang at the top of his game and the Yankees having more options in the bullpen  (unless Hawkins or Farnsworth comes in). Boston has been hitting well but the Yankees started coming to life offensively last night. I give the Yanks the nod for game 1.

Tomorrow's game should have Mussina pitching against Beckett. Mussina looked better in his last outing than Beckett, but Josh is Boston's ace. If he's got his stuff back Beckett should get the win, but Moose can still throw some dominating games. The final game of the series features Phil "the Franchise" Hughes against Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka. Dice-K has been pitching better than Hughes but both of these guys are unpredictable. This one will come down to bullpen pitching and I give the Yanks the edge here.

It should be a great series!

Sox Fan Jinxes Yankee Stadium Construction

The New York Post ran an article earlier today telling a dubious tale. Apparently a diehard Red Sox fan was working on the Yankee stadium construction crew and took it upon himself to add some bad mojo to the new structure. A Red Sox t-shirt was poured in the concrete slab that will be under the future visitor's clubhouse. The Post withheld any names of people involved in the incident claiming their informants did not have permission to speak with the media.

I don't know if there is any truth to the story. The only other mentions I have seen on the web have been referrals to the NY Post story, without additional confirmation. My gut tells me that this is a complete hoax, a tall tale dreamed up to create more animosity between these two teams and to add more mystery to the rivalry.

There are quite a few reasons not to believe the story. First of all is the idea that the workers who came forward were "not authorized to speak with the media". Really? I'm not in the construction business but did they really sign non-disclosure agreements? More likely they don't exist. Secondly is the supposed placement of the shirt, namely underneath the visiting teams clubhouse. Wouldn't it be better to curse the Yankees by putting something under the home team's facilities? Lastly is the timing of the story, the day of the first Yankees-Red Sox game in the 2008 regular season. More than likely the story was just fabricated to drum up some excitement for the upcoming games.

Regardless of whether we are dealing with fact or fiction, the Yankees organization will pay no attention to the rumor. Die hard Sox and Yankee fans will recall the tale from time to time whenever the Yanks get a bad break against the Sox in their new park, and the sappy sports media will try to milk the story for all it's worth. Heck, I'm even blogging about it.

AL East Roundup - Baltimore On Top

Yes, that's right the Baltimore Orioles, pre-season favorites to finish last in the division, are sitting alone at the top of the standings. The Boston Red Sox, who many thought would finish first, are in last place. It's still early and things will settle down as the season wears on, but still, it's quite amusing.

The Yankees offense will definitely start scoring a lot more runs before long. The big question is will it be enough to keep their pitching staff afloat. I think what you've seen is what you'll get from the Yankees rotation the rest of the year. Pettitte will have better days, but he'll also have bad days and will miss starts due to injury. Wang will once again pitch consistently well. Kennedy will certainly have better days but will bomb frequently in his first full season as a starter. Phil the franchise will throw masterpieces from time to time, but expect him to get roughed up as well. Mussina will give up 4-5 runs or every outing and will need help from the offense. Joba will work his way into the rotation eventually. Farnsworth and Hawkins will continue to give up runs.

The Red Sox have hit well, but haven't been able to put together sequences to give them runs. They'll start tacking more points up on the board and will right the ship. It seemed to me they were the victim of some uncharacteristic errors and poor fielding this week. Toronto has been playing very well and definitely served the Sox a harsh wake up call. Beckett will get back into form and start lasting longer, giving Sox fans the quality starts they've been expencting. Lester will have his ups and downs. Dice-K continues to show he's the real deal Buchholz is going to have some growing pains. MDC might just be Boston's version of Kyle Farnsworth. The good news for the Sox is that they are playing winless Detroit next. Maybe Kenny Rogers will help the BoSox bats get hot.

Toronto has been on their game. Starting pitching has looked solid and their bats have delivered in the clutch. I'm thinking that they're going to give someone quite a battle for second place in the East.

Tampa had some strong outings against the Yankees, taking advantage of sloppy pitching and throwing some great games themselves. Despite their impressive start, I'm not buying into the hype or the few predictions that they're going to win 90+ games this year.

I don't have any explanation for Baltimore's success so far, other than to say somehow they score more runs than the other guy. It won't take long for them to find their place back at the bottom of the standings.

AL East: Boston Bullpen Gets Hammered Again

Clay Buchholz gave up 4 runs in 5 innings but struck out 7. Kyle Snyder and Bryan Corey came in in the 5th inning and gave up 2 and 4 runs, respectively. Snyder has been suspect in two games this season. Corey has looked alright in his prior three games but was hit hard today. After the game Kyle Snyder told a Boston Globe reporter that he has been designated for assignment. Snyder is out of options.

The Boston bats were swinging, but only 2 runs were scored on 8 hits.

I think we can expect to see Buchholz pitch a little better than he did today but the bullpen is a huge liability at this point. Two errors (Lugo and Casey) don't help matters either.