Kuzul

This is the newest feature I am going to be doing as we head towards fantasy drafts.  In an effort to target which closers could be in jeopardy of losing their jobs, who to target for vulture saves, etc., we will be breaking down each team’s bullpen.  Let’s kick things off with a look at the Red Sox:

The Closer: Jonathan Papelbon

Since assuming the Red Sox closer’s role in 2006, Papelbon has been one of the elite closing options in the league, totaling 188 saves (at least 35 a season).  However, after blowing eight saves in 2010 to go along with a career worst ERA (3.90) and WHIP (1.27), his leash will be extremely short in 2011.

Over the past two years, his control has been an issue (walk rates of 3.18 and 3.76), which helps to explain his increased WHIP (from 2006-2008 he had posted WHIPs of 0.78, 0.77 and 0.95).  Last season he also suffered from a below average strand rate of 68.7 percent, which helps to explain his higher ERA.  Prior to 2010 his worst ERA was 2.34.

His strikeout rate has been consistently above 10.0 per nine innings, which does help to offset things.  He also consistently works a lot of innings (67.0 innings or more in four of the past five seasons).

There certainly are enough positives to continue ranking him among the top 10 options, but you have to do so with an asterisk.  The Red Sox are built to win now, so the first time he has an extended slump could mark the end of his run as the team’s closer.

Next in Line: Daniel Bard, Bobby Jenks

Bard was electric over 74.2 innings in 2010 while posting a 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP (Papelbon-esque numbers).  His K/9 was at 9.16, though with a fastball that averages close to 98 mph, seeing that number improve is extremely realistic.

His control was alright, with a walk rate of 3.62, and he certainly benefited from a .225 BABIP.  Still, with his strikeout rate, even if the latter regresses there he should be more than capable of posting a solid WHIP.

At 25 years old, he is the team’s future at the position.  The question is if the future is now.

Bobby Jenks, the former White Sox closer, could easily have something to say about that.  He was brought in to help set up for Papelbon, but with the Red Sox built to win, they could opt for his experience should Papelbon struggle.

Yes, he had a 4.44 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 2010, but he also suffered from some terrible luck (.368 BABIP, 65.4 percent strand rate).  He has a good strikeout rate (8.80 K/9 for his career) and solid control (2.90 BB/9 for his career).  There certainly is a good chance he rebounds and could post an extremely solid 2011 campaign.

The Rest: Dan Wheeler, Tim Wakefield, Michael Bowden, Scott Atchison, etc.

Given the three options at the top of the bullpen, no one here holds fantasy appeal.  Wheeler would be the sleeper, but it just seems unlikely he makes any type of major impact at the end of ballgames.

The Conclusion

While Jonathan Papelbon will open 2011 as the team’s closer, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see a change made at some point.  Jenks’ experience may win out as the next in line, but Bard’s ability is too much to overlook.  Bard is the long-term solution and if Papelbon does falter, I would expect the Red Sox to go with the hot hand.  Keep that in mind, but for now Jenks would appear to be the better handcuff.

What are your thoughts of Boston’s bullpen?  Will Papelbon hold the job for the entire 2011 season?  If not, who do you see getting the first chance to replace him?

**** Make sure to pre-order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here. ****

Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• Top 30 Outfielders
• Top 20 Starting Pitchers
• Top 15 Closers
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

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Jonathan Papelbon is gearing up for his sixth season as closer for the Boston Red Sox. The upcoming year will be the third straight that Papelbon has pitched on a one-year contract. Next fall, Papelbon will become a free agent for the first time in his career, and will presumably seek a long-term deal with a per annum rate of at least $10 million.

Given the team’s fiscal wariness, given Papelbon’s personal desires, given that Daniel Bard is waiting in the wings and given that the Red Sox are trying to add some late-inning depth to their bullpen, the following question becomes honestly legitimate: Will the Red Sox trade Jonathan Papelbon?

Before I answer that question, let’s size up Mr. Papelbon. “Paps” has long been a fan favorite in Boston, and he has never recorded fewer than 35 saves over the course of his career. He is a four-time all-star and a World Series champion. For all of his success though, the Red Sox, as I hinted at in the previous paragraph, are at a crossroads with their 30-year-old star reliever.

It all comes back to the man’s fastball. Papelbon’s success, thus far, has been tied to the pitch: A mid-to high-90’s four-seamer with decent late movement, both horizontally and vertically. Over the past two seasons, Papelbon has lost a little of the zip on his fastball, and, in what is perhaps a related development, he has thrown more splitters and sliders in the hopes of having hitters create swinging strikes with balls out of the zone. (Check out his charts on FanGraphs).

The results have been mixed. 2009 and 2010 were departures from the sterling efficiency that characterized Papelbon’s first three years as Boston’s closer. Papelbon issued 24 walks in 2009 and 28 last season. As a comparison, his season totals from 2005-2008 were 17, 13, 15, and eight. In 2009, Papelbon seemed to get away with his mistakes: He shaved half a run of his season ERA from 2008 even though his WHIP rose from 0.95 to 1.15.

In 2010, however, Papelbon’s control issues and inability to get through the ninth inning efficiently began to statistically show. His eight blown saves last year were a career high, as were his 3.90 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. As a comparison, Paplebon’s career numbers in those same categories are 2.22 and 1.03, respectively.

Papelbon has, however, been wise to reinvent himself as a pitcher, if that is indeed what he has been attempting, with his increased use of his splitter and slider and his decreased use of a definitively slower fastball. If he is able to develop even just one of those pitches in a true “plus pitch,” to use the parlance of scouting, Papelbon will continue to find success at the Major League level. Cutting down on those walks wouldn’t hurt, either.

But returning to the question central to this article: Will Boston trade Jonathan Papelbon? The answer, I am inclined to think, is no.

Boston will certainly not trade Papelbon over the winter, at any rate. With his off year in 2010, Papelbon’s trade value is low right now. A much more likely trade scenario would be for Paps to be dealt at the July trade deadline, when the demands for relief pitching is high and teams on the fringe of contention are looking to plug their gaps and make a push for October. (Milwaukee trading for CC Sabathia in July 2008 is a prime example of such a trend, albeit for starting pitching.)

However, Papelbon’s trade-ability also rests on his 2011 performance. If he is able to pitch closer to his career averages next season, not only would it make little sense for Boston to trade away a productive closer, it would up the level of offer which Boston would be willing to listen to. A strong 2011 would all but insure that Papelbon will be classified as a Type A free agent next winter. If the Red Sox, as expected, do offer Papelbon arbitration next year (before he of course refuses it to become a free agent and get paid like a king) then the team will receive two draft picks from the team that does sign Papelbon. A trade during the 2011 season for a Papelbon who is pitching well would have to either trump those two draft picks or dramatically resolve a possible weakness of the 2011 team. An offer involving a good young catcher, however, would probably pique the interest of Boston GM Theo Epstein, who does not appear ready to toss all of his eggs into one basket with Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

For all intents and purposes however, Papelbon is likely done in Boston after 2011, regardless of how he fares next season. I doubt the Sox will hear a trade offer they like, but I can’t imagine Papelbon accepting arbitration next winter with the avenue of free agency becoming available to him for the first time.

The Red Sox won’t extend Papelbon a serious long-term offer because they are confident in the abilities of Daniel Bard, the 25-year-old fireballer who has all but been officially named heir-apparent to Papelbon. Bard has pitched excellently as a set-up man ever since being called up the majors in May 2009. Bard sports a high-90’s four-seamer that he mixes in with a half-decent low-80’s slider and high-70’s slurve. He still has his control issues, but Bard seems to have all of the right tools, the right mindset and the durability to be a closer worthy of filling the shoes that Papelbon seems poised to leave.

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The 2010 baseball season has come and gone.  To those who won your fantasy leagues, congratulations.  And to those who did not win, well, there’s always next year, right?

If you are part of that latter group, you may want to pay close attention here.  The following slides should give you a leg up on the rest of the competition.  

Sleeper picks are always handy to have in your back pocket because you can pull them out at just about any time in your draft, leaving the rest of the league thinking “Aw man, I forgot about him!”  Sleeper picks can be comprised of players who were injured for the majority of the previous season, or just had an off year and will likely fall down the ranks of many fantasy leagues while looking for a bounce-back season.

So here are my 2011 Fantasy Baseball sleeper picks.

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According Ken Rosenthal, one of my faithful sources for Jays Rumors of Fox Sports, has reported the Jays also have strong interest in outfielder Justin Upton. Rosenthal confirmed that the Blue Jays were the one “mystery” team that

The D’Backs are believed to have a very high price tag for this 23-year-old all-star asking for as many as five major league ready talents off of a roster. Depending on the talent level of the players involved, that number should go down.

An example I’ll give you is the Bartolo Colon deal in 2002 with the Cleveland Indians in which they dealt Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens in exchange for Colon and Tim Drew. The Indians dealt their staff ace just entering his prime at 29 and received the Indians top two prospects and their starting first baseman—although Lee Stevens ended up being the third wheel in the deal.

The Blue Jays, lucky enough, have the depth in the minors to trade some pretty great prospects and not really affect their long term future. However, The Jays with outfield prospects such as Anthony Gose, Jacob Marisnick, Eric Thames and you could even say Travis Snider, as a result, they are fairly loaded when it comes to outfield talent for the future. Some of them are ready now for everyday major league play such as Snider and possibly at some point this year Thames.

Upton right now—if traded for—would assume the role of right fielder and it would shift Jose Bautista to third base.

A relatively easy to see deal with the Diamondbacks would have to include Travis Snider, at least two good to great pitching prospects and possibly at least one more good prospect.

A deal that makes sense for both sides could be Travis Snider, Marc Rzepcynski, Zack Stewart and Eric Thames for Justin Upton. The Jays give up their outfielder of the future, one of their starting pitchers from last year and two top 15 prospects from their roster for Upton.

Rzepcynski, who is currently pitching the of all places, the Arizona Fall League, is pitching very close to the Diamondbacks who I’m sure are keeping close tabs on him. “Led Rzepplin” is currently 4-0 with 1.16 ERA in six games with the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League.

A steep price to pay, but one that could put the Jays over the top if they do indeed sign Manny Ramirez to be the teams DH.

The Jays however will not be the only team in hot pursuit of Upton, and not the only team in the AL East, as the Red Sox are believed to be willing to offer some pretty great players for Upton, as I’ve heard Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard and even Jonathon Papelbon’s names bandied about. I’ll add the Yankees are said to be interested, but what fun is that when the $200 million dollar payroll big wigs want in on a trade such as this.

Now, I’m trying to be realistic here, and when the likes of Upton, and even Colby Rasmus become available, at their age and skill level, the price is going to be high.

From an outsider point of view, and looking at the Diamondbacks roster, I would hazard to believe that they would ask for an elite level prospect, a pitching prospect with closing upside (since they really have no closers), another top 15 prospect and a decent starting pitcher, all of which are covered in my proposed deal to the Diamondbacks.

But if the D’Backs opt for the more flashy Red Sox deal where it may include Ellsbury and one of Papelbon or Bard, then the Jays can easily move on and say they at least tried. The Red Sox are believed to be making a very aggressive push to add Upton to their relatively aging outfield that last season included the likes of oft-injured Mike Cameron and JD Drew.

Upton last season in 495 at bats hit .273 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI and adding 17 stolen bases with Arizona last season.

Thoughts on the Jays possibly pursuing Upton and whether the Jays can put together a more attractive trade package over the likes of the Red Sox?

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Throughout the 2010 season, the Boston Red Sox have been on the cusp of making  the playoffs. With Dustin Pedroia hitting the disabled list for the second time this season, it appears that it’s finally time to throw in the towel. This team could still make the playoffs and Dustin Pedroia could be back by the end of September, but realistically, this is likely the end of the road.

It’s just been a horrible year full of growing pains for the Red Sox. They lack an identity and they’re not the team that we thought they were.

Besides Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and to an extent Daisuke Matsuzaka, the starting pitchers have been a disappointment.

Josh Beckett has been the poster boy for disappointment. Granted, he has spent a significant amount of time on the DL but really? 19 earned runs in his past three starts.

Has John Lackey really been even remotely close to good? Terry Francona will tell you he has but that’s just because he has to.

The offense exceeded expectations but they flamed out when everybody realized the season doesn’t end in July. Oh, and missing Kevin Youkilis has been a big reason for the flame out as well. Guys like Adrian Beltre and David Ortiz have quite frankly been the only impact bats on the team who haven’t been injured.

Injuries have definitely been a problem but they shouldn’t excuse the poor structure of the team. The only players on the team who have hit well have been Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre and David Ortiz. Where is the big bat in the outfield though? Combined, Sox outfielders (Drew, Ellsbury, Hermida, Hall, Cameron, Nava, Kalish, Reddick, Van Every, Patterson, McDonald) have hit 55 home runs.

To put that into perspective, Red Sox outfielders rank dead last in the AL East in long balls. That’s right, they’re worse than the Baltimore Orioles at something.

The bullpen struggles go without mentioning.

It’s time for Theo Epstein and company to get on the phone and make some changes!

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The Boston Red Sox will have quite a few issues to address this off season.  While their offense has been a nice surprise this year, they still need to improve if they want to compete with the Yankees and Rays in the East. 

The strength of this team was supposed to be their pitching staff however, it has been very inconsistent.  This rotation was expected to be the best in baseball, but in reality, it has been average.  Not to mention the bullpen has been a complete disaster.

I will suggest a few moves that the Sox should and could make this off season.  Feel free to comment and give your suggestions.

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The Boston Red Sox are at a crossroads right now. In the thick of a pennant race, their star closer is melting down before their very eyes.

Jonathan Papelbon is putting up the worst numbers of his career and is no longer one of the most intimidating closers in baseball.

Sure, his credentials make him one of the all-time great Red Sox. Enough is enough though. It’s time for Daniel Bard to get the call from the bullpen in each and every save situation for the rest of the season.

Maybe this would have been a reactionary move in July, when half the team was on the DL. The injuries are no longer the story line though, as the only player the team is awaiting is second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Granted, Pedroia is a key part of the team, but in the end he’s just one player.

Now that the injury excuse is a thing of the past, the microscope is finally where it should be: the bullpen.

Despite all the injuries, this team has competed and stayed within striking distance of the Rays and Yankees. The offense has at the very least exceeded expectations. The starting rotation has been very good most of the time. The failures of the bullpen are the elephant in the room.

Now, Jonathan Papelbon certainly isn’t the only one to blame. Hideki Okajima, among others, has vastly underperformed. Papelbon is the closer though. He’s supposed to be the anchor of the bullpen.

Baseball is and has always been a game of numbers. The numbers don’t lie. Jonathan Papelbon has only saved 78 percent of his saves. In baseball, normally succeeding 78 percent of the time would be considered a wonderful thing. Not for closers though.

When you’re a closer, you’re probably not going to pitch more than 70 times in a year. When a closer fails, everybody knows so because it usually is the difference between winning and losing. Don’t even look at ERA when analyzing a closer’s stats. It’s a faulty stat because it doesn’t account for inherited runners.

Papelbon’s 83 percent save percentage is the worst in the American League among closers with at least 20 saves.

Andrew Bailey (87 percent): 20 saves
Jon Rauch (84 percent): 21 saves
David Aardsma (85 percent): 22 saves
Jose Valverde (96 percent): 22 saves
Bobby Jenks (88 percent): 23 saves
Brian Fuentes (85 percent): 23 saves
Mariano Rivera (92 percent): 24 saves
Kevin Gregg (86 percent): 25 saves
Pedro Feliz (91 percent): 29 saves
Jonathan Papelbon (83 percent): 29 saves
Joakim Soria (93 percent): 31 saves
Rafael Soriano (94 percent): 32 saves

Daniel Bard isn’t a proven Major League closer, but when you watch the two pitchers, who do you want on the mound with the game on the line? The guy with a 100 MPH fastball, an 85 MPH changeup, a low 90s slider, and a mid 80s curveball who has more strikeouts than innings pitched—that’s who you want.

Bard has been masterful this season. With a WHIP of 0.860, a WAR* of 2.5, and a RAR** of 17 (compared to Papelbon’s 1.148, 1.0, and 6 respectively), Bard has without question outperformed Jonathan Papelbon.

It’s a myth that Jonathan Papelbon is a player that only throws fastballs. He’s been throwing off-speed pitches more than he ever has in his career. It was an adjustment he had to make after he semi-struggled last season.

The problem this year isn’t a lack of a repertoire, but an inability to hit spots. When he throws a 96 MPH fastball down the middle when it was intended to be low and inside, what would any capable Major League hitter do? Crush the ball. Papelbon isn’t getting absolutely hammered this year, but he’s having bad days at all the wrong times.

If you were Terry Francona, would you make the change now or continue to roll the dice with Jonathan Papelbon?

* – Wins above replacement = the number of wins a player adds compared to his potential replacement player. 0-2 qualifies as a reserve. 2+ qualifies as a starter.

** – Runs above replacement = the number of runs a player is better than a replacement player.

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Today’s 2-1 win over the Yankees may have saved the Red Sox’ season.  Traveling to New York to play a four game set with the Bronx Bombers, it looked very bleak for the Sox.  The Yankees were ready to send a knockout blow and send the Red Sox ten games back with a sweep.  But the Sox wouldn’t have it.

Game one was a 6-3 victory for the Red Sox, where Francisco Cervelli dropped a routine pop-up and allowed the Sox to rally for three runs in the second, leading up to Ryan Kalish’s first ever home run, a two run bomb to secure the lead for the Sox.

Game two wasn’t as kind to the Red Sox, as John Lackey could not protect a one run lead, and CC Sabathia hurled eight innings, giving up only two runs and striking out four.

Game three had both teams looking to take control of the series.  Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN began with the Yankees grabbing a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second.  In the fifth, Bill Hall cut the lead in half with a solo shot off of Dustin Moseley.  Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Josh Beckett gave up five earned runs to make it 7-1 Yanks.  The Sox scored once more, but that wasn’t nearly enough as the Yankees won 7-2.

Game four.  The Red Sox could fall behind eight games in the East with a loss or get back to six games with a win.  This was possibly the Red Sox’ biggest game all year, especially with the Rays losing five straight.  They scored two in the top of the second, and that was all they needed.  Jon Lester had a great outing, throwing 6.1 innings with no runs allowed.  In the seventh, Daniel Bard escaped a bases loaded jam with no outs, giving up nothing.  Mark Texiera would hit out a solo shot in the eighth to cut the lead, but the Yanks would get no more, as Papelbon put on a clutch performance and got the save.

The Red Sox escaped the series very much still in the AL East and Wild Card races.  They will only continue to get better as players return from injury, and Jacoby Ellsbury’s four stolen bases in the game means he’s getting back on track and should be at 100 percent soon.  

The Red Sox play the Yankees and Rays six times each, one series home and away against both teams.  The Red Sox aren’t out of this race just yet.  Mark your calenders for when the Yankees travel to Fenway from October 1-3 to close out each clubs’ regular season. There could be playoff spots on the line.

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Jonathan Papelbon should be looking over his shoulder. At first considered the rock of the Red Sox bullpen, Papelbon is quickly eroding his own reputation and opening the door for the more consistent, if still more raw, Daniel Bard.

Still, despite certain trade rumors to the contrary, this writer is confident that Papelbon won’t be dealt this season.

That’s not to preclude a move as early as this offseason, particularly if Papelbon continues to struggle shutting the door. Indeed, rather than shortening games, Papelbon’s 2010 performances have begun shortening his career in Boston.

Yet, as nail-biting have been his appearances this year, Papelbon remains one of the elite closers in the game, and he and Bard have emerged as the only solid pieces in a fatigued and aging pen.

Hideki Okajima renders a shadow of his Championship self when he toes the rubber. Since his magical Rookie year as Daisuke Matsuzaka’s tag along, when Okajima posted a 2.22 ERA, Red Sox fans have watched with growing unease as that unexpectedly effective number has risen to an appalling 5.47 in 2010.

Manny Delcarmen, long more dominant early in the season than later, has already started to show his post-May colors. While his 2010 season ERA rests at a tidy 3.03, in June Delcarmen has been knocked around to a 7.36 mark. Over his career, Delcarmen has indeed become increasingly less effective as his innings mount, and if he follows that track, he could post a post-All-Star-break ERA in the neighborhood of 8.00.

After achieving a shocking level of excellence with his 2.84 ERA during the 2009 Red Sox campaign, former Rule 5 Draft pick Ramon Ramirez has regressed to his earlier, more disastrous days with the Rockies and now sadly owns a 4.88 ERA in 2010. Like Delcarmen, innings and late summer months are no friends of Ramirez, and he should only prove less effective as the many, many games roll by.

Thus, regardless of Jonathan Papelbon’s future as a major trade chip and Daniel Bard’s potential as the Sox’ next closer, the 2010 Red Sox are in serious need of relief if they are to contend down the stretch in the suddenly thickly contested American League East.

Now, according to MLBTradeRumors.com, Red Sox Assistant General Manager Ben Cherington commented on Sirius XM Radio that Boston will in fact be looking to upgrade its bullpen before the trade deadline.

Through a combination of team record, individual performance, franchise finances, and individual contract, these 20 relievers are the most attractive candidates to fill Boston’s currently Zombie-filled pen.

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Caption: Clay Buchholz was outstanding once again, shutting down Kansas City over seven innings tonight in the Red Sox 1-0 win at Fenway Park.

One year ago, in the wake of Clay Buchholz’s play-me-or-trade-me remark on NESN, many of the callers to local sports-radio talk shows were calling for the Sox to ship the young right-hander out of town.

When I interviewed Buccholz in Pawtucket a few days later, he said his remarks were misunderstood. He said he was ready to play (and contribute) at the major league level, and that he just was trying to tell the Red Sox that he was ready to become a factor in the American League East.

But the Sox front office didn’t think he was ready. While he no longer had the deer-in-the-headlights look with runners on base, he was still somewhat timid on the mound at the big league level. He was still prone to nibbling and falling behind in the count. As it was back in 2007 when I first interviewed Buchholz, the Red Sox wanted him to get innings under his belt, repeat his delivery, refine his control and garner confidence.

Even during spring training earlier this year, there were LOTS of talk-show callers declaring that the Red Sox NEEDED to ship him to San Diego in exchange for 1B Adrian Gonzalez.

Well, I wonder what those folks are thinking right about now.

As the 2010 season approaches the one-third pole, Buchholz has EASILY been the club’s best pitcher. He’s been everything that his most ardent supporters—myself included—believed he would become…and he is well on his way to being a first-time all-star this summer.

It was interesting to hear Peter Gammons talk about the Nederland, TX, native during the NESN postgame report. He remarked that Buchholz is completely different in the Red Sox clubhouse prior to his starts. Whereas in the past he was a bundle of nerves, tonight he sat in front of his locker playing a guitar—trying to learn a few new chords.

He did his thing once again this evening. He won his seventh game, allowing four hits (three singles and a double that ticked off the glove of 3B Adrian Beltre) over seven shutout innings, leading his ballclub to a 1-0 win over Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals.

If you are looking for something to complain about, here it is: he walked four batters (he also struck out four).

Maybe Clay was playing The Beatles, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, which would have been an appropriate selection in consideration of the fact that his teammates mustered only five hits and one run to support his efforts in tonight’s game. THAT certainly can be defined as A LITTLE HELP.

But THAT was all he ended up needing…

Well, THAT and a couple of scoreless innings of relief from Daniel Bard (who hit 100 mph on the radar gun) and Jonathan Papelbon (who threw a couple of outstanding split-fingered pitches in his outing). Bard surrendered a leadoff double to Jason Kendall in the eighth inning, but after a sacrifice bunt he escaped unharmed with a strikeout and ground out (a hard-hit ball which, thankfully, was hit within the reach of 2B Dustin Pedroia).

The lone run of the game came in the second inning as Adrian Beltre led off with a single and J D Drew drove a double off the Green Monster in left-center field…Mike Lowell then knocked Beltre home with a ground ball to second base.

That was all of the scoring in the ballgame…and that suited Buchholz and his teammates just fine.

The Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning on a double by David Ortiz, an intentional walk to Victor Martinez and walk to Beltre…but, incredibly, Drew bounced THE FIRST PITCH to first base to end the inning (hey, JD, when the reigning Cy Young Award winner is struggling to find the plate, maybe you should make him throw a strike, huh?).

*

The win snapped the Red Sox two-game losing streak.

*

Buchholz is 3-0, with a 1.32 ERA, in his last three outings.

*

Terry Francona rested Kevin Youkilis and gave Mike Lowell a start at first base, in part due to Lowell’s career numbers against Greinke (4-for-7).

*

After watching RHP Josh Beckett throw a side-session yesterday, Francona said the team has decided to “slow down” the right-hander’s rehab. According to Tito, Beckett (who is on the 15-day disabled list after hurting his back on a slippery mound in Yankee Stadium on May 18) is unable to “complete his delivery consistently enough” to maintain the rehab schedule they had originally charted.

Tito said: “We don’t want it to lead to anything else.”

*

Kevin Millar was the guest of Don and Jerry in the NESN broadcast booth during the game. I honestly and truly enjoy listening to him talk…he is a hoot.

Hey, Kevin, drop me an e-mail…let’s do some shots some night before a game!

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