Kuzul

The Red Sox have one of the most solid rotations in baseball, both in terms of on-field quality and stability.  They have six major league-ready starters and, barring injury, not many of their prospects will see a start. 

Jon Lester is one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.  I’ve loved him since 2008, when I stupidly refused to trade Shawn Marcum for him, and made sure I drafted him in 2009 and 2010.  

I mean, what’s not to like? 

He’s improved every year, he strikes out a ton of hitters (more than a strikeout per inning in both 2009 and 2010), he wins (16, 15 and 19 wins over the past three years, he doesn’t get hurt (33, 32 and 32 starts the past three years) and he keeps his ERA and WHIP manageable and his BAA even better.  

He’s one of the first pitchers I’m taking this year—right in the same class as Halladay, Lee, Sabathia, etc.

John Lackey used to be one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.  I owned him for what felt like 10 straight years, including last year.  

But I can’t help but wonder if his best days are behind him.  

Yes, he pitching for the Red Sox probably means five extra wins per year, but considering he only won 14 last year, those wins are not enough to offset the fact that his ERA, WHIP, BAA and K/IP have all worsened since 2008.  

For a guy with a history of arm troubles and an age on the wrong side of 30 by a couple years, I say buyer beware.

Josh Beckett…

Click here to continue reading.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s hard not to be giddy with anticipation right now if you’re a Boston Red Sox fan. 

Coming off a frustrating season in which the team finished 7 games back in the AL East and had to watch the playoffs on their flat-screen TVs just like the rest of us, the Red Sox went out and acquired Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, two of the most coveted players in the game, both in the early part of their prime. 

Red Sox Nation has not seen such a major retooling of the lineup since the early 2000’s, when the team added Manny Ramirez (’01) and David Ortiz (’03), and in the process established themselves as a perennial 90-plus win team and championship contender.  And this time it happened in just a matter of days instead of several years.

Sure, the Red Sox still face some minor offensive questions heading into spring training.  Will Crawford bat leadoff or third?  Where will Jacoby Ellsbury hit in the lineup?  Will Boston have some struggles against left-handed pitching, given that Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are their only dangerous right-handed bats?

But these concerns truly are minor.  The Red Sox are going to score runs, and they’re going to score runs consistently.  They were second in all of baseball in runs scored last season, and the combination of Gonzalez, Crawford, a healthy Ellsbury, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia should at least rival the production the team received from departed free agents Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre, along with the array of outfielders that frequently found their way into the lineup last year (Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish, Jeremy Hermida, Mike Cameron, and Daniel Nava). 

The real reason the Gonzalez and Crawford additions should be celebrated is because they set the Red Sox lineup up well for the long run. 

Both players are under 30 years old, while Martinez and Beltre are on the wrong side of 30.  Crawford brings across the board production and skills, while Martinez becomes more and more one-dimensional as he gets older and is able to catch fewer and fewer games.  Gonzalez’s production in San Diego was held back by the worst ballpark for hitters in the majors, whereas Beltre, much like in 2004, is coming off a career year as he went in search of a new contract. (Beltre surpassed 100 RBIs and a .320 batting average in both his 2004 and 2010 contract years, but has not driven in 100 runs or hit above .276 in any other season since 2001.) 

But while GM Theo Epstein did very well to acquire two major assets who should serve the team well for years, the Red Sox 2011 season will all come down to the performance of the pitching staff, and the starting rotation in particular. 

The Red Sox finished 22nd in baseball in ERA in 2010. Few saw it coming, the Sporting News’ 2010 Red Sox preview, for one. The Sporting News wondered if the Red Sox “have enough offense” and their main concern with the pitching staff was “Who will be left out of the rotation,” since Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, and Clay Buchholz all seemed like strong options.  The Sporting News preview gave the Red Sox pitching staff an A grade–an evaluation which was the norm among baseball experts at the time.

Lester certainly held up his end of the bargain, and Buchholz developed into a dominating ace-caliber starter faster than even the most optimistic fan could have predicted.  Wakefield and Matsuzaka’s struggles should not come as too great a surprise.

The real problem was that Lackey struggled mightily in his move from the AL West to AL East, and no one anticipated that the bottom would fall out completely for Beckett.

The Red Sox also ranked near the bottom of the league (23rd) in bullpen ERA, which came as a major surprise after they finished in the top 10 in 2009.   While Daniel Bard established himself as the team’s closer of the future, Jonathan Papelbon had a sub par year, and no other reliever registered an ERA under 4.  Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez, who each played key roles in the bullpen in 2009, fell off considerably. 

Papelbon should rebound heading into a contract year.  And the Sox beefed up the bullpen with their offseason acquisitions of Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks.  Wheeler makes for a very solid addition.  He knows what it takes to succeed in the AL East, and has done quite well in each of the last three seasons in Tampa Bay.  While Jenks’ name recognition probably rates higher than his actual value at this point, it would not be surprising for him to register a strong year pitching in middle relief rather than the pressure cooker of the ninth inning. 

In the end, despite all of Epstein’s impressive moves this winter, the Red Sox 2011 season will be largely determined by two players that were already on the team last year: Lackey and Beckett.  There are real questions about whether each is breaking down physically and can return to their former level of performance. 

If Lackey and Beckett each continue to falter, Sox fans will have to hope for many 11-9 victories this summer. But if at least one of them can turn things around, the Red Sox have to be considered a World Series favorite. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno could probably be accused of a lot of things, but one of them will never be loyalty to his fan base. In the seven plus years that Arte Moreno has owned the Angels, he has steadfastly committed himself that the baseball experience at Angels Stadium remains affordable for fans, and that, with the exception of the 5-year, $90 million contract given to center fielder Torii Hunter, the team remains committed to exercising fiduciary responsibility.

However, Angels fans have increasingly voiced their obvious frustration at the Los Angeles Angels lackluster performance at the free agency negotiating tables in recent years. Mark Teixeira, John Lackey, Chone Figgins, C.C. Sabathia, Carl Crawford. All have slipped through the Angels fingertips in the past three years. And Angels fans are not happy to say the least.

Yesterday, Dec. 17, the Angels made what was termed a “significant offer” to free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, who enjoyed an outstanding season with the Boston Red Sox last year, hitting .321 with 28 HR and 102 RBI, while continuing to play his usual stellar defense at the corner bag.

However, Arte Moreno told the LA Times that this offer was final and would not be increased. Take it or leave it.

Reports have come out that indicate Adrian Beltre is looking for a six year offer, somewhere in the neighborhood of $90 million. While Adrian Beltre would love to play closer to home, at this point in his career coming off an excellent season, it would be foolhardy to think he would take a hometown discount.

While it may be admirable that Halos owner Arte Moreno remains committed to financial responsibility in support of his team fan base, he also needs to understand and listen to his fans concerning the product on the field. Sure, signing Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Downs were nice moves to shore up a sagging bullpen, but now comes the time to address the power-lacking lineup, and signing Beltre would go a long way toward appeasing the disgruntled fan base and addressing power concerns.

I’m all for the stance that Arte Moreno appears to be taken. He told the LA Times that he’s not the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees.

However on the other, he is the steward of a team that has only missed the playoffs twice in the last seven seasons, and fans have come to expect excellence from their team on the field.

Moreno is going to have to pony up, whether he likes it or not.

For updates on breaking sports news, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.

You can also read articles Doug has written about celebrity athletes, charity news and breaking celebrity stories at Green Celebrity Network.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s official: free agent catcher Victor Martinez has signed a 4 year, $50 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, leaving a noticeable void behind the plate for the Boston Red Sox.

Let it be known that Martinez did not want to leave. He wanted to know where he would likely play out the remainder of his career, and where he would likely retire. He wanted to know where his son, Victor Jose, would be going to school. He wanted to know where he and his family would be calling home for the foreseeable future. The Red Sox provided no certain answers to any of these questions, so V-Mart had to leave.

Some people have blamed the Red Sox for letting one of the most important pieces leave. Others have applauded it, saying that most catchers decline rapidly once they hit their 30s, so Martinez won’t be worth the money.

I don’t think letting Victor leave was a good idea, and here’s why; without further ado, I present “10 Reasons Red Sox Will Regret Losing Him.”

Begin Slideshow

As part three of a six part series, the biggest underachievers in Major League Baseball this year are being called out. The AL East is no stranger to the disappointment that a handful of players have brought to their team.

The AL East has had its own battles. There’s a close division race, a team struggling with plentiful injuries, and a home run happy club. Each has seen their fair share of those who have not been producing like they have in the past.

Here are eight beasts from the East who seem to have been tamed for most of the 2010 season.

AL West: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/439609-mlb-underachievers-biggest-disappointments-of-2010-in-the-al-west

AL Central: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/440895-major-underachievers-biggest-disappointments-of-2010-in-the-al-central

Begin Slideshow

Many baseball experts discuss the pitcher who has been unlucky, who just cannot seem to win no matter how well he pitches. Roy Oswalt is the main example being used this season, and his 8-13, 3.36 ERA season is indicative of a player whose win-loss record should be flipped.

Conversely, many players get really lucky breaks, whether it’s due to a great offense or getting a lot of run support, and as a result they have a winning record despite a decent at best ERA. As such, I am listing the top 10 luckiest pitchers. Some are borderline cases, and I try to limit them to players with not so good ERAs, though some who end up on this list will have fairly good ERAs as well.

Begin Slideshow

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.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With #600 now in the past, the New York Yankees are ready to take on their rivals, the Boston Red Sox.

Boston has been hit hard with the unfortunate injury bug. Making the six and a half games the Red Sox need to catch the first place Yankees, who are tied with Tampa Bay Rays, not completely out of reach.

This puts a lot of pressure on Boston, as the importance of winning in the Bronx is pretty much a make or break situation.

The Yankees can’t afford to lose the series either because the Rays are playing great baseball right now.

It is no secret that the Yankees have lost two series in a row and to say that Alex Rodriguez’s 600 mark turned the team around has yet to be proven.

The Red Sox most recent DL member is first baseman Kevin Youkilis who is one of the best hitters in baseball and a Yankees killer. Youkilis is a significant loss and his absence will be noticed by both ball-clubs.

The Red Sox have their pitchers all back now and all healthy, so the Yankees have to counter at the plate.

Since pitching always dictates, let’s look at the four match-ups, over two posts:

NYY: JAVIER VAZQUEZ vs. BOS: CLAY BUCHHOLZ

Vazquez has gone from abominable to reliable in the Yankees rotation. Vazquez hasn’t lost since June 30^th, and in his last 10 starts he has a 3.50 ERA, with 46 strikeouts. Vazquez’s career against Boston posts a 4.21 ERA, with 10.0 K/9 ratio, a total of 56 strikeouts and over 66 innings pitched. JD Drew and David Ortiz could cause Vazquez the most problems.

Buchholz has been strong since spending about a month on the DL, after injuring his right hamstring running the base-pads during inter-league play. Buchholz is 11-5, with a 2.59 ERA and in his last outing he pitched eight solid innings. Over his last 10 starts the youngster has gone 6-2, with a 2.05 ERA, struck-out 43 batters and just over 61 innings pitched. Yankees hitters have .298 batting average vs. Buchholz, who has a 6.53 ERA against New York. In 57 at-bats, Buchholz has only stuck-out eight Yankees.

PREDICTION:

Both pitchers need to have solid outings, but the Yankee hitters look to score more runs. It will be a no-decision; Yankees win 6-2.

NYY: CC SABATHIA vs. BOS: JOHN LACKEY

Yankee’s ace CC Sabathia has been shaky lately, but he is too competitive to lose another game. Sabathia will truly be tested facing the Red Sox line-up. The absence of Youkilis and his .409 batting average vs. Sabathia should provide some relief, but Sabathia needs to bring his A-game regardless. In 2010, he has made three starts against the Red Sox, pitching 17 innings total, posting a 4.76 ERA, with 13 strikeouts. Sabathia has lost his last two starts, the latest against the Rays and it was not his fault considering the odd line-up Skipper Joe Girardi had on the field.

Lackey is a very familiar face in Yankees Universe, but his last time in the Bronx was the 2009 ALCS when he was still an Los Angeles Angel. Lackey’s time as a Red Sox this season has fared mediocre, as he posts a 10-6 record, with 4.48 ERA, allowing 70 earned runs, and a messily 88 strikeouts. In his last putting he only pitched 5 innings, giving up nine hits and six runs scored. In 2010, 87.5% of opponents have made contact against Lackey and he has digressed since his days on the Angels.

PREDICTION:

Unless Lackey has some flashback that inspires his arm, this is Sabathia’s game to lose. Yankees win 9-2.

READ MORE AT………LADY LOVES PINSTRIPES .

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

John Lackey has been nothing less than a tremendous disappointment this season. 

After signing for more than $82 million in the offseason, certainly a lot more was expected of him than he has provided.

In 18 starts, Lackey has given the Red Sox 118 innings, which is the good news. 

However, Lackey has a 4.78 ERA and opponents are batting an astounding .298 against him. 

Of equal concern, Lackey has given up far too many walks (46) and hasn’t had nearly enough strike outs (68).

Lackey has surrendered 135 hits to along with those 46 walks, resulting in a whopping 181 base runners in his 118 innings. That amounts to a stunning 1.60 WHIP. 

Folks, that ranks 107 out of 109 MLB pitchers—simply abysmal. 

If batters don’t reach base, they can’t score. But in Lackey’s case, they do both far too often.

The fact that Lackey has a 9-5 record is misleading. The Red Sox are 9-9 in the games he has started this season. 

Luckily, he plays for a team that has scored the most runs in baseball. Lackey, in particular, benefits from extraordinary run support each time he pitches. In fact, no other Red Sox pitcher has been so fortunate. 

If Lackey were pitching like the guy the Red Sox thought they were getting, he might be undefeated with all that run support.

However, Lackey is 1-2, with a 5.61 ERA in his last three starts. 

And Lackey’s last outing, against the Blue Jays one week ago, was an unmitigated disaster: 4.2 innings, eight hits, seven runs (all earned), six walks, and two strike outs. 

In those 4.2 innings, Lackey threw a highly inefficient 105 pitches—just 58 for strikes.

Lackey was advertised as a big time pitcher who would step up when it was his turn to take the mound. But so far, he looks like a No. 5 starter—not the purported ace we were all expecting.

With losses in seven of their last nine games, including two straight, today’s game qualifies as a “must win” for Lackey and the Red Sox. In that sense, it really is time for Lackey to step up.

The Red Sox are 3.5 games out of the Wild Card, it is July 17, and the clock is ticking on their season. By the time all their regulars return, there is a danger that it won’t even matter any more.

If there is such a thing as a “must win” game in July, this is it.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This Article was initially featured on New England Sports Online.

Most seasons, grading the Red Sox would involve the starting nine, a couple of bench players, six starting pitchers, and maybe 4-5 bullpen guys. With all the injuries the Sox have been forced to endure, however, grading the team has become a little more complicated.

Nonetheless, I’ve tried to give the players who have seen significant action on the field grades..

Starting with the pitchers:

Scott Atchison: B-. He spent time in the minors early on, but has been a useful player out of the bullpen, eating up innings in big wins or losses.

He has not been very consistent, however, and as a result holds a hefty 4.26 ERA. He’s only given up three bombs this year, and his 1.23 WHIP is slightly misleading, as he tends to give up runs, and base runners, in bunches.

In all, he’s done what the team has asked him to do, and that’s the most you can ask from a journeyman like Atchison.

Daniel Bard: A-. He has been the best bullpen pitcher for this Red Sox team. He has a great 1.99 ERA while logging 41 innings with 44 strikeouts. On the downside, he has given up four home runs, a result of the velocity he throws, so he must fine-tune his location.

Clay Buchholz: A. Despite a recent hamstring injury, Clay Buchholz has been involved in Cy Young talks and was deserving of his All-Star selection. He is 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA. His 1.25 WHIP is not at all shabby, nor are his 64 strikeouts and .231 opposing average. How is that not impressive, and aren’t you glad we still have this kid? Yes, you are.

Manny Delcarmen: B/B+. It does not seem like Manny deserves this grade based on his stats. His ERA is lofty at 4.59, he has walked 20 batters while only earning 20 strikeouts in 33 appearances, and his WHIP is 1.41.

However, a lot of these stats were skewed by his last two outings, during which he pitched through a forearm strain (allegedly) and was absolutely hammered. If he actually injured himself, and he’s able to return healthy, expect him to be a 7th/8th inning go-to guy, along with Daniel Bard.

Until the end of June, he was a stud of a pitcher in the pen.

John Lackey: B-/C+. Lackey has pitched some great games, but has really had troubles during day outings. Unfortunately, it seems that he’s always pitching in day games for the Sox. He has a decent 9-5 record with a 4.78 ERA.

Despite giving up 5-6 runs in some outings, he’ll still eat up 6-7 innings, pitching like the horse he truly is. However, he has had control issues (rare for Lackey), issuing 46 walks in 113 innings compared to 33 in 108 last year. He has pitched okay, but okay is not what we paid John Lackey $80 million to be.

Jon Lester: A. A Cy Young front runner, hoisting an 11-3 record and a sub 2.80 ERA. His WHIP sits at an astounding 1.09, and batters have only managed a .203 average off this lefty. Ace of the staff.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: C+. Daisuke has gotten progressively worse since his second year, when he had a 2.90 ERA. Currently, he has a 4.71 ERA, and considering all the stamina he was supposed to have coming from Japan, has only thrown one complete game in four years here.

On the bright side, he’s only given up three home runs this whole year, so I think he ends the year with a respectable 14-6 record with a 4.10 ERA.

Hideki Okajima: D-. After a great first two seasons with the Sox, it seems the mystery that was Okajima has been solved. He has a 6.00 ERA, has blown three saves and struggles to get outs in any scenario.

He has been relegated to a role in the back of the bullpen. I have noticed that he is throwing his splitter too often, not allowing it to be a counter to his deceptive fastball.

As a result, he has allowed five home runs. I expect him to improve after the break, but don’t expect his ERA to be much better than 4.50. Telling of Okajima’s season is the fact that he has appeared in 34 games, but only recorded 27 innings.

Jonathan Papelbon: B. Most other pitchers with Pap’s current statistics earns themselves a B+. However, Jonathan Papelbon is not living up to the high expectations he has set for himself. His ERA is currently at 3.50, but he has allowed six home runs this season, twice as many as Daisuke.

However, he is holding opposing batters to a .211 average and has a 1.11 WHIP. His strikeout:innings pitched ratio is the lowest in his career, at just 0.89. Don’t worry about him though, he gets the job done (20/23 in saves) and his ERA is currently lowering with every outing.

I expect his final WHIP to be below 1.10, with an ERA at 2.65 and a K/innings pitched ratio around .95-1.05 (still low for Pap).

Ramon Ramirez: C-. He has really turned things around. At the beginning of last season, he was a stud in our pen, but after June, he couldn’t record outs. This season started similar to the way last season ended for him, horrifically.

However, he has pulled himself back together, bringing his ERA down to 4.66. Expect this to further decrease, as he is not giving up nearly as many home runs. In his last 18 appearances, he’s only allowed 2 home runs, compared to 2 in his first 10.

Tim Wakefield: C. He has had games that he’s lost despite pitching well, but he has also lost because hitters treat his knuckle ball like the ones from the home run derby. His ERA of 5.65 is not pretty, nor is his 3-9 record. However, over his past 6-7 starts (not including the Rangers one), he has gone 41.2 innings with an ERA of 4.58. He’ll end with an ERA in the 4′s, but don’t expect another All-Star (half-year) from Wake.

The Rest: B+. These pitchers, Felix Doubront, Dustin Richardson and Robert Manuel, have done exactly what the team needed from them. Hold the fort until the team puts itself back together. Doubront won his first major league game, striking out the first batter he ever faced.

He remained calm and collected despite pitching against Manny and the Dodgers. Dustin Richardson and Rob Manuel both have ERAs in the three′s in their limited appearances with the team.

Outlook: When Josh Beckett returns, healthy, the starting rotation should continue dominating, and even without a trade, the bullpen seems to be straightening itself out (at least a little).

Many of the current Red Sox pitchers seem to be improving their games over the past three weeks (until the recent, 4 game stretch where they’ve had problems). Overall, I foresee a strong push from the Sox’ pitching.

For a more in-depth pitching outlook,visit New England Sports Online.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com