Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump...Where Mike Cameron probably could have swung at that

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

With two outs, Adrian Beltre then doubled and J.D. Drew was walked intentionally. But on his 60th pitch of the game, 12 more than his previous career high, Valverde retired Mike Cameron on a called third strike with a splitter.

"That's a pretty gutsy pitch," Francona said. "I would have been looking for a fastball, too."

The pitcher pounded his right fist on the mound and catcher Gerald Laird punched the air as the ball broke over the plate.

"I just didn't get it done," said Cameron, who struck out in his last three at-bats, twice against Valverde. "One of those rough nights. Threw a good pitch."

ESPNBoston | Ortiz's grand slam not enough for Red Sox

After watching Mike Cameron (shown at right) let Jose Valverde's hanging splitter, which was about in a normal right-handers wheelhouse, go by for a called strike three, I may have overreacted in tweeting "Mike Cameron is the worst kind of human being."

This is a tough loss, coupled with the Yankees adding power in Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns, and the Rays getting the Chad Qualls Reclamation Project for nothing.

The Rays beating the Yanks might actually be a bad thing, as well. We're better off letting one of them run away with the division, and given the Yanks' existing lead, it should be them. We're now 6.5 back in the wild card standings.

On page 2, Lowell mashes and still isn't activated.

Random Afternoon Notes

Let's start with Peter Gammons, who joined the Big Show today and offered up these tidbits.

Via WEEI:

"I don't think they're going to get the outfield bat that they'd like to get.

On the topic of relievers, Gammons said there wasn't one on the block that a team could have the utmost confidence in.

"[Chad Qualls] currently has the worst earned run average of any relief pitcher in baseball, but he still throws 95. He could go someplace -- Tampa, Boston, someplace -- and put together two good months pitching the sixth and seventh innings and you could be very happy with him."

"The Tampa Bay people are absolutely convinced that one way or another there's going to be a huge deal with the Yankees and they're going to end up with Adam Dunn. I don't know if it will or not, but I would say if Adam Dunn's going anywhere, it would probably be to the Yankees."

Sooooo, the Sox may entertain the worst reliever in baseball while the Yankees try to snag Adam Dunn.  Sounds about right.

And now an update on Ellsbury, also from WEEI:

Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, following a three-game spell in the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League, was scheduled to be examined in Boston on Friday by the team's medical staff. Barring an unexpected setback, he will be transferred to Triple-A Pawtucket to continue his rehab on Saturday.

And some more injury updates from the Globe:

Francona said the CT scans on the feet of Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek were positive. Pedroia, who had to be scaled back because he was doing too much on the West Coast, was given the OK to continue activities like taking ground balls and running. Francona emphasized that Pedroia was showing signs of healing but not yet healed. Jason Varitek is off crutches and starting to do more as well.

And finally, the obligatory Mike Lowell update...

Also from the Globe:

Terry Francona confirmed that Mike Lowell will not be activated. Lowell or his agents, the Levinson Brothers, have talked to Theo Epstein about Lowell working out with the team for a couple of days as the trade deadline passes according to Francona.

The team is trying to deal Lowell, but could easily do so during the waiver period after July 31st as Lowell would easily pass through waivers. But the Red Sox may feel they can get something for him either an American League team needing a hitter or an NL team needing a righthanded pinch-hitter. The Sox could release Lowell, but their willingness to keep him around means they feel they might have something brewing.

With the Rangers just trading for Jorge Cantu, I think we may be able to finally rule them out of the Mike Lowell sweepstakes.  Although I'm sure word will trickle out, again, that the Rangers are still an option for Lowell.

But it sounds like, one way or another, we're just about to close the book on this drama.

So there you go folks.  All your afternoon news all in one place.  Enjoy your weekend.

Tigers/Red Sox series preview

Tigers (51-50, 3rd in AL Central) @ Red Sox (58-44, 3rd in AL East)

Probable Pitchers:

Friday (7:10) - Armando Galarraga, RHP (3-3, 4.43) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (11-5, 2.92)

Saturday (4:10) -  Max Scherzer, RHP (7-8, 4.45) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP (7-3, 4.09)

Sunday (1:35) - Justin Verlander, RHP (12-6, 3.74) vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (11-5, 2.71)

Who will go off: Youk.  He is going to abuse the monster this series and maybe the cars parked across the street.  Youk has killed Galarraga and Verlander in the past with averages of .500 and .400 respectively. He has hit 2 homers and drove in 3 against each pitcher in his career.  Max Scherzer should be afraid of Papi in game 2 due to the fact that both times Papi has been to the plate against Maxwell, he has hit the ball out of the park.  We should be hearing a lot of "Yoooooouuuukkkk" this series.

Who needs to be stopped:  Is this even a question?  The guy that's gunnin' for the triple crown, by the name of Miguel Cabrera, makes pitchers vomit before he comes to the plate.  Cabrera is 2nd in batting average (.347), 3rd in homers (25), and 1st in RBI (89).  I don't know what to say and I am not sure if there is even a plan, other that intentional walks, to stop him.

The Sox will lose if...again, the pen shows their weakness.  I am not sure how much more we can elaborate on this, but Boston has 3 pretty damn good starters going this series and the chances of them needing a couple of holds will be pretty good.  If the pen can be sorta lights out, the Red Sox could be in good shape.

Miscellany:  We all know Lester has not been at the top of his game over his last few starts but he does have some decent numbers.  In his last 3 starts, Lester has pitched 21.2 innings, with 25 K's and a 3.74 ERA.  The most impressive and surprising pitcher has been Dice-K.  Over his last 3 starts, Matsuzaka is 2-0, has pitched 18.2 innings, with 15K's and a 1.93 ERA.  He might be the anchor in this series. 

Prediction: The Sox continue their roll, and sweep the Tigers

Chad Finn thinks we should trade our best prospects for a middle reliever

I'm kind of having trouble introducing this concept without A) throwing things at my computer and hoping they stretch to wherever Chad Finn is or B) just unleashing profanity. So let's get to it: Chad thinks the key to the season is trading for Joakim Soria, at whatever the cost.

Still, it's worth exploring, even with the steep price. The Red Sox don't have one prospect with the appeal of Montero, so would you part with Kelly or Iglesias? I would, without a second glance at Baseball America. And it would take more than that, whether that means Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, or another prospect or two of genuine promise. To put it another way: Soria is worth what the Blue Jays have demanded for Downs.

I'm going to go ahead and say no thanks to your idea Chad. 

Yes, our bullpen needs tons of help. This is well known. And the price for relievers is really high. Should we pay the price on Scott Downs? No, and we shouldn't for any of the other guys.

But that doesn't mean we should do so for Joakim Soria either. Sure, it'd be awesome to have him pitching the 8th. It would give us more leverage in potentially dealing Papelbon for something useful in the offseason, which is easily the best argument for the trade.

But fundamentally, I'm just not open to trading a potential gold-glove SS or a potential front-of-the-rotation guy for a guy who's going to pitch 40 IP the rest of the year, and 70-80 every year hence. You trade those caliber prospects for proven players in important positions -- power hitters (as I've suggested in a potential Prince Fielder deal), front-line starters (as we did with Hanley Ramirez for Josh Beckett), or even just really good players like Victor Martinez. 

You don't do it for a reliever, period.

Should we ever forgive Johnny Damon?

Cyn at Toeing the Rubber reposted their blog post from this spring regarding Johnny Damon. With time having passed, many Sox fans and writers have made the argument that we should cheer for Johnny for all he brought us. Cyn is not ready to bury the hatchet just yet (or ever).

Listen, I get the money thing. I do. I don’t always like it but it’s ridiculous to think every player in ball will take hometown discounts when the owners aren’t willing to make similar concessions. What I don’t get. What I will NEVER get and what will always bother me about Damon is he pretended that he was loyal to the Boston fans. This doesn’t mean never leaving the team but what it does mean is keeping your yap shut. He talked a fair amount of trash about the team while he was with the Yanks (and by the team I mean the ownership and in regard to how things were run, not specific players) and, ultimately, his big no-no, which everyone knows and some can even name the date he said it, was promising the fans that, regardless of what happened, he wouldn’t go to the Yankees.

He includes the quotes from Johnny, which are pretty damning. 

I can't say I hold the same anger -- it's been a while. Bill Simmons mentions in his Sox column today that he wanted Boston to re-sign Johnny in the offseason, an opinion many of us agreed with (at least compared to Cameron). If Simmons can look past Johnny's transgressions, it would seem to me that most Sox fans would be in the same boat.

So I won't be booing (but then again, I'm not going to any of the games, and booing in your house is just kind of weird), but I enjoyed TTR's argument for it.

Your Morning Dump... Where We Check-In On Departed Prospects

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

I decided to get my hands dirty to figure out exactly what prospects the Red Sox have dealt in recent years, which could be telling as to whom the team might be willing to trade now and in the future. So I dug through five years of transactions and extrapolated a list of 45 prospects that Boston has traded since July 30, 2005.

The conclusion? Don’t expect Epstein to deal any of the system’s top prospects unless an All-Star like Josh Beckett or Victor Martinez is coming to Boston in the deal. Simply put, the Sox front office is loathe to part with blue-chippers unless it is getting top-flight major league talent in return.

Here’s the list of “prospects” that Boston has traded over the last five years... Ultimately, the only player on the list that has gone on to stardom is Ramirez, but there are also a few major league regulars...

ESPN Boston - SoxProspects.com: Reviewing past deals

Ever find yourself wondering what happened to the likes of Adam Stern or Willy Mota?  This is your one-stop location to catch up with the departed Sox prospects.

Very, very interesting read, and a gigantic pat on the back to Mike Andrews for digging all of this up.

Obviously there's no exact science to the baseball prospect, but reading through this list it's pretty apparent that Theo knows which players are expendable, and which to hold on to. 

On Page 2, we look back at the resiliency of this Sox squad.

Cafardo: Sox, Padres natural trade partners

It's not a genius observation to suggest that the Padres and Sox could get together on a deal before Saturday's deadline, but Nick Cafardo points out that there are reasons beyond Theo's relationship with Jed Hoyer.

The Padres needs match the Sox's surplus (OF, middle IF), while the Padres have a strong bullpen. While San Diego is certainly a contender (currently up 2.5 in the NL West), they might be willing to relinquish some of that strength to improve other areas.

You can see their team stats here, scroll down to the Team Pitching to consider some relievers. Mujica, Gregorson, Adams, and Webb all look better than most of our bullpen at first glance; Adams in particular intrigues me based purely on the numbers.

Pure speculation: Might we be able to send them an excess OF (Hermida or MacDonald) along with one of our relievers (Ramirez) for one of their better relievers? They get bench help, cash in extra strength in the pen and use Ramon (or whoever) in mop-up time, we get somebody not named Ramon Ramirez.

Breaking News: Texas Interested In Lowell

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention? I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you to stop what you're doing and listen.

Cannonball via WEEI:

According to a major league source, the Rangers haven't ruled out attempting to acquire Red Sox infielder Mike Lowell, although Texas' interest will most likely depend on how the market unfolds in the days leading into Saturday's non-waiver trade deadline.

The Rangers pursuit of Mike Lowell has become the least interesting sub-plot of the entire season.  I feel like I'm dating a girl who can never decide which restaurant she wants to eat at, or which movie she wants to see.

In five games in AAA, Lowell's batting .500 with four doubles, four homers and 10 RBI. What more do you need to see?  He can clearly still swing the bat.

Just trade for the freaking guy already, and put all of us out of our misery.  Please!

Your Morning Dump...Where Marco Scutaro may have saved the season

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Somebody in the Sox lineup, everyone figured, was going to strike a big blow at some time. Everybody figured right, but odds are the guy least expected was shortstop Marco Scutaro.

It took a while for it to happen, but Scutaro blasted a tie-breaking, game-winning grand slam off of Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning. Scutaro, as low-key as they get on this roster, simply was thrilled that he could connect on the pitch he was looking for from Rodney.

“Well after two strikes I was just reacting, looking for a pitch to hit. I got a changeup,” said Scutaro.

The ball soared over both bullpens in left field, breaking the 3-3 deadlock and sending the Red Sox to a 7-3 victory to complete a three-game sweep of the Angels and post a 6-4 record on this road trip.

Herald-Scutaro's slam a welcome blast

Marco Scutaro might have saved the season. Yes I know it's in the title but it needed to be said again. That grand slam can be the turn around point to a offense that went a little stagnant. Before the slam, the Sox were a god awful 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position yet with one swing of the bat it went from one of the most frustrating losses to one of the most gratifying wins of the season. Now the Sox return to home sweet home feeling a little rejuvenated with 2 months left in the season. We're still in striking distance, now let's enjoy the race.

On Page 2, the Sox are trying to dump Ramon Ramirez

How have the Sox fielders not killed Lackey in his sleep yet?

So I'm sitting there a few days ago watching the Red Sox in Seattle.  John Lackey threw a pitch up and in that should have been caught by Kevin Cash.  It wasn't.  A run scored.

Bad play.  I'm sure Cash felt like shit about it. 

And then I saw the replay.  When Lackey got the ball back, he looked squarely at Cash and let out a nice big F-Bomb. 

"Hmmm... seem a bit dickish," I thought... and then I moved on.

Fast forward to last night.  Hideki Matsui lofts a fly ball to left.  Jeremy Hermida is tracking it down... he goes into the slide... and....

He mis-judged it.  It fell in.  2-base error.

Once again, cut to the replay.  Lackey looks squarely at Hermida and yells 'GODAMMIT!!"

Ok, easy there, buddy.  Cut the shit.

I don't want to go into a some big thing about "everybody makes mistakes" that sounds like its spewed from the "everyone gets a trophy" crowd.  But errors are part of the game.  And the same guys that put you in a position to have to pitch out of a jam will also make a great play to bail your ass out at some point.

That's the beauty of baseball.  Everything tends to even out.  For every cheap home run that nestles into the front row of the Monster, there is a rocket that hits the top of that wall and it becomes a single.  For every error made behind a pitcher, there's a great play that takes away a hit or saves a run.

So when I see someone showing up a teammate on the field, I've got a problem.  And when that certain someone just so happens to have an ERA over 4, I've really got a problem.

It'd be one thing if John Lackey was a stud pitcher that went out there day-in and day-out and there was never any doubt that you were going to get a great performance out of him.  Even then, it'd be a bit on the dickish side... but at least he'd be good enough to require higher standards out of his fielders.

But Lackey isn't that.  He's been OK. He's had some good games, and some bad ones.  And I didn't see anyone yelling at him when he hung a meatball to Alex Gonzalez, gave up 7 earned runs and couldn't get out of the 5th inning against Toronto.

I don't know if Lackey just pulls this shit with guys like Hermida and Cash because he's "above" them.  I haven't seen him pull it with Youk, or Beltre, or another big name guy.  I know Youk doesn't make many errors out there anyway, but I almost want him to make one in Lackey's next start just to see if Johnny Boy pops off.  Because I can tell you this:  if he shows Youk up on the field like he showed up his other teammates, there will be words.

Regardless, I think we've seen who John Lackey is.  He is quick to shift blame to someone else and he rarely accepts any blame for a bad performance.  But when someone else makes a mistake, he'll be the first to show the guy up. 

John Lackey is a dick.  He might be the least likable Red Sox since Carl Everett.  I'm sick of his antics and I'm sick of his up and down performances. 

Shut up, Lackey, and throw the ball like a guy making $19 million should.  After you do, do us all a favor and disappear until your next start.