Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

A primer on the 2012 Red Sox, or what you missed while watching the Celtics

Hey, I know how it is.

It's March, and you get wrapped up in the NCAA tournament. And then the Celtics start magically returning to form. And the Bruins, despite every lazy second you watch them play, are still a favorite with the playoffs on the horizon.

The Sox start slow -- really slow -- and your temptation is to spend your sports energy elsewhere.

The Bruins provided less of a distraction thanks to a first-round flameout, but the Celtics gutted their way to an Eastern Conference Finals game 7, finally surrendering to LeBron and Co. last night. 

Which leaves us with today, June 10th, the day when you have no reason but to start putting your energy back into the Red Sox. 

I know, it looks bleak. They're currently in last place in the AL East, and are a game below .500 at 29-30. How did they get to this point? What happened while you were gone?

Here are ten things to know about the last couple of months' happenings on the diamond, and what to expect going further:

Rangers/Red Sox series preview

Rangers (50-38, 1st in AL West) @  Red Sox (51-37, 3rd in AL East)

Probable pitchers:

Thursday (7:10) - Tommy Hunter, RHP (5-0, 2.34) vs. Tim Wakefield, RHP (3-7, 5.22)

Friday (7:10) - Colby Lewis, RHP (8-5, 3.33) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (1-1, 4.22)

Saturday (7:10) - Cliff Lee, LHP (8-4, 2.64) vs. John Lackey, RHP (9-5, 4.78)

Sunday (1:35) - C.J. Wilson, LHP (7-5, 3.35) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (11-3, 2.78)

Who will go off: Adrian Beltre.  As long as his hamstring is only a cramp, I have a feeling this will be his series.  Beltre has killed each starter in the past with the exception of Cliff Lee, but I'm not worried about Cliff Lee and neither should Beltre.  His withdrawal from the All-Star game was a good decision and the rest was much needed (sarcasm).

Who needs to be stopped: Josh Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero.  These two have some impressive numbers and are a huge threat to Red Sox pitching.  Hamilton has a .346 average, 22 homers, 64 RBI, .625 SLG %, .390 OBP, 1.014 OPS...DAMN!  Guerrero is pretty damn scary as well with a .319 average, 20 homers, 75 RBI, .554 SLG %, .364 OBP, and an OPS of .919...DAMN AGAIN!  I thought Guerrero was done before this season began and here he is, an All-start starter, and scary behind the plate.  I was initially worried about Hamilton but put them together and the Sox could have a tough time containing them. 

The Sox will lose if...Starting pitching gets off to a slow start. Boston has Wake, Doubront, Lackey, and Lester.  I love Wake and always have, but I get as worried as anyone else when he takes the mound.  I am only comfortable with Lester and I hope we can get some innings out of Lackey. Going back a year, I never thought I would be saying,  "I can't wait for Buchholz to come back, the Sox really need him in the rotation." This could be a very fun series to watch, but if starting pitching can't find a rhythm, I might end up watching summer league basketball.

Prediction:  Series split 2-2

Ted's Army 1st Half Season Awards

So before the All Star Break fully ends and get back into the chaotic battle for the AL East crown, we here at Ted's Army thought we would look back and see who shined and faltered in the 1st half of the season. We have six awards to dole out let's get right into it.

     

The Ted Williams Award for Best Hitter

Scott Priest: Kevin Youkilis. Sure, it's the obvious choice, but let's not get cute here. His OPS is up near 1.000, he gets on base practically half of his plate appearances; Youk is one of the toughest outs in the league. Toss in the power and the contact (unlike your Adam Dunns and Nick Swishers of the world, Youk can hit singles and doubles too) and you have the most complete hitter on the team.

John Karalis: Youk.  I'll still never understand how he gets that kind of production out of that stance.  I don't want to sound repetitive, though... but Youk might be underrated in this league as a hitter. Patient and able to put up good numbers in all offensive categories.  Maybe it's because he doesn't do any one thing exceptionally well... but he does do a little of everything at the plate.

Aaron Gettings: Youk -- The man just flat out hits.  Scott summed it up best; Youkilis is one of the toughest outs in baseball, one of the most reliable hitters, and he does it all with none of the fanfare of an Albert Pujols or Mark Teixeira.

Ben Fountain: And it's unanimous. Youk is the heart of the offense and if he ever went down for a significant amount of time, you can kiss any chance of the playoffs goodbye. I never would have imagined when he came up as that he could evolve into a .320/30/100 kind of guy. If he keeps up the pace in the 2nd half and the Sox survive atop the AL East, he's the AL MVP.

                                                                                   

The Pedro Martinez Award for Best Pitcher

Scott: Jon Lester. He will earn this honor for roughly the next ten years on this team.

John:  Jon Lester (in any month besides April).  Dude is nasty. 

Aaron: I'm going to mix it up and go with Daniel Bard.  Not only does he seem to pitch every night, but on a bullpen where we're paper-thin and our closer isn't quite pitching as well as we'd hope, he's been our rock.

Ben: Jon Lester. He is the ace of the staff and has stepped it up big time. The sudden emergence of a change-up in his repitore has now made it even more difficult to figure the lefty out. I don't remember the Red Sox having a left handed pitcher of his caliber in the rotation. How long is he under contract for?

The David Ortiz Award for Most Surprising Hitter

Scott: Adrian Beltre. No question about this. Lots of people suggested he'd have a good year in his contract year, playing in Fenway. But this is outrageous. .330, 13 homers, several of which have come from one knee. Adrian's been spectacular (but I still miss Mike).

John: How about David Ortiz?  Remember when he was left for dead at the beginning of the year?  All he's done since is almost bat .300 with 17 dingers and 50+ RBI.  I knew he'd snap out of his slump... but that's vintage Papi stuff right there. 

Aaron: Big Papi.  I never stopped supporting him, but even as he was working his way out of his slump early in May, his season seemed to be on track for about  20 home runs and 75-80 RBI's at best.  To already be approaching those numbers at the All-Star break is a testament to the hitter he still is, and a slap in the face to everyone that was calling for his release.

Ben: While it's great to see Papi surge back in a "F*** the haters" way, I have to give it to Adrian Beltre. When he was signed all we heard was how great he was defensively and how many runs he'll save in the field. Add that with the fact that he drew 16 walks in 468 PA's last year and his batting average over the past two seasons was .266 AND he has to deal with Mike Lowell over his shoulder waiting for him to mess up. So he surpasses everybody and goes .330 with 55 RBI. That's craziness.

On Page 2, see who shocked us with their pitching and see who is absolutely slacked off in the 2nd half.

Your Morning Dump... Where Papi Is No Rickey Henderson

(Getty Images)

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.

For the man who both lifted the American League’s spirits and dashed them in the ninth inning, with a single and then an out at second base, David Ortiz was left only with these words: “Wrong place, wrong time, and the wrong guy, too.’’

“I saw him where he was playing, but everybody knows that Marlon Byrd is a guy that has great speed in the outfield,’’ Ortiz said, after the AL had succumbed by a 3-1 score. “I saw him coming in, I thought he was going to catch it. I just don’t want to get caught into a double play . . . I just got caught in between, and he made a good throw to second base.’’

Or, as Beltre said, “Ortiz is not that fast a runner, we know. That’s baseball.’’

Globe - National’s nightmare over

Let me just say this: watching David Ortiz run the bases is one of the most enjoyable events in all of sports.

He actually didn't do that terribly on that play last night, it was incredibly tough to judge whether the ball would drop or not.  He just didn't have the speed to get to second once it did drop; and that throw by Byrd was dead-on.

For some reason, there's been some second-guessing as to why Girardi left A-Rod on the bench, and didn't pinch-run for Ortiz or even pinch-hit for Beltre.  Yes, when it's all said and done, having home field advantage in the World Series is a huge advantage (especially for an AL team that heavily relies on the DH), but it's still the All-Star game.  It's supposed to be fun, so just let the guys play.

If Girardi threw A-Rod in there for Ortiz, we'd all be talking about Byrd's throw instead of Papi's base-running prowess.  And who the hell wants to talk about Marlon Byrd?

On Page 2, Lester doesn't much like Hanley

Your Morning Dump...Where everyone loves Papi

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.

[Hanley] Ramirez said that when he was a Red Sox minor leaguer, Ortiz took him under his wing.

“My stepdad in baseball,” the Marlins shortstop said before losing to Ortiz in the final of last night’s Home Run Derby.

“(I would tell him) you’ve got to just fight because nothing is there forever, nothing lives forever. I told him, ‘You’re going to get out of it,’ and he got out of it.”

Ramirez said Ortiz never lost all hope. “He was down, but at the same time, he was like, ‘I know who I am - I am Big Papi,’ ” he said.

Herald | Love for Ortiz goes deep

In hindsight, it's remarkable to think everyone had turned on Ortiz in April after yet another slow start. With the Home Run Derby under his belt and another All-Star nod garnered, Ortiz has completely reverted to Big Papi, as he apparently knew he would.

It is cool, though, to see athletes so openly talk about revering the Large Father. Sure, athletes are friends now more than ever thanks to AAU teams, sponsorships, free agency, junior championships, and so on. But it obviously runs deeper for the impact Ortiz makes on players.

I think this will be a big part of his legacy. Ortiz is one of the few players who tested positive for steroids, essentially lied to us all about it (saying he would "get to the bottom of it", and doing nothing), and maintaining a good standing with the public. Ortiz's good nature -- not to mention his late-inning heroics from the best Sox run of all time -- will go a long way in people's minds.

On page 2, it's grading season.

Ted's Army minor league update

TED'S ARMY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

NATE SPEARS, 2B - PORTLAND SEA DOGS    

SPOTLIGHT:

Portland second baseman and player of the week, Nate Spears was on fire last week.  Spears batted .379 (11/29) with 3 homers, 11 RBI, 2 doubles, 7 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases.  Spears has been on hot streaks like this earlier this season and is making a name for himself in AA. For the season, Spears is batting .272, with 10 homers, 42 RBI, and is 9/10 in stolen bases. 

Pawtucket outfielder Ryan Kalish has stepped his game up in Pawtucket.  Kalish finished last week with a .409 average, with 1 double, 1 RBI, and 3 stolen bases...not bad for a lead off hitter.  The only problem is, 2-3-4 hitters are not bringing him in as he only scored 2 runs last week. Kalish is batting .333, with 1 homer and 8 RBI in 22 games with Pawtucket.  Kalish is also 9/9 in stolen bases (3/3 yesterday) and the lefty batter has a .407 average against southpaw pitchers. 

Greenville first baseman Christopher McGuiness swung  hot bat last week as well. McGuiness posted a .480 average (12/25), with 2 homers, 5 RBI, 2 doubles, and 6 runs scored.  For the season, McGuiness is batting .308, with 11 homers and 37 RBI.

Jed Lowrie has played 4 games at short stop for the Lowell Spinners and has a .600 batting average (6/10) with 4 RBI.  

Check out where each team stands on page 2

Joe Girardi Is An A-Hole And An Idiot

(NBCsports.com)

That Kevin Youkilis guy just can't catch a break.

Justin Morneau has pulled out of the All-Star game due to a concussion.  Logic dictates that the gates are now wide open for Youk to FINALLY get in this game.

Unfortunately, Joe Girardi is giving a gigantic middle finger to Boston, and is replacing Morneau with Paul Konerko; not Kevin Youkilis.  I repeat: The AL All-Star squad has a vacancy at first, and Youk got passed over by Paul Konerko.

From a Red Sox fan's perspective, this is fine with me.  Let Youk rest.  But Youk deserves this spot, and with all the nonsense around the "Final Vote" it's pretty clear that Youk actually wanted to get added to this team.  It's a shame he won't be there.

SI.com's Joe Posnanski does a pretty fantastic job of tearing Girardi apart for this idiotic choice:

Now, this seems silly to me because Youkilis is both a better player than Paul Konerko, and he’s also having a better year than Paul Konerko.

It was Girardi’s explanation, more than anything, that baffled:

“It’s a hard choice to make. I could have taken [Konerko] or Youkilis. Konerko’s hitting slightly higher, has a couple more home runs and couple more RBIs. I went with Konerko... I took the guy whose numbers are a little bit better.”

...you’re telling me he really looks at the numbers of Paul Konerko and Kevin Youkilis’ numbers and thinks Konerko’s are “a little bit better?” This is beyond ludicrous.

Look, here’s the depth of Joe Girardi’s analysis:

– Konerko is hitting .299 with 20 homers and 63 RBIs.

– Youkilis is hitting .293 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs.

That’s it? That’s how far Joe Girardi is willing to go to pick his All-Star choice? Because, I’m looking only a little bit deeper here… Youkilis has three more doubles, five more triples and 12 more walks. Youkilis has scored 17 more runs (he leads the league). He even has three more stolen bases. His on-base percentage is 26 points higher, his slugging percentage is 19 points higher. I have absolutely no doubt that even looking only at the basic stats, Youkilis’ first half offensive numbers are slightly but distinctly better than Konerko’ …

But, of course, there’s another thing: Youkilis is a much better defensive player than Konerko. There are numbers that show this, though even people inside baseball who don’t believe in defensive numbers would concede the point. Youkilis is a versatile defender who has won a first base Gold Glove, and can play third base. Konerko is widely regarded as average-to-below average defensively at first base.

So, enjoy rooting for Paul Konerko during the All-Star Game, Paul Konerko's mom.

Price named AL All-Star starter

David Price beat out Jon Lester as the AL starting pitcher for Tuesday's All-Star Game. Can't complain too much -- Price is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 100 Ks. Lester is 11-3 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 124 Ks. 

The high Ks and low WHIP might suggest Lester will be better going forward, but Price has certain been equal or better to this point.

Your Morning Dump.. Where McDonald plays through the shadows

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.

McDonald would not have started but Mike Cameron had a sore right wrist after being hit by a pitch Saturday. As he has done the entire season, McDonald embraced the opportunity.

“That’s probably the worst game I’ve ever played in as far as dealing with the shadows,’’ McDonald said. “It’s tough for both teams. But we got the hits when we needed them.’’

McDonald had grounded to the pitcher and popped up in his first two at-bats. When he got up again, he told himself to take a more powerful swing.

“I felt like the first two times I was too worried about trying to see the ball,’’ McDonald said. “When I got up again, I figured I might as well let it fly. I’ve never seen anything like that. Everybody had trouble seeing the ball.’’

With Scutaro on second, McDonald swung at a 3-1 offspeed pitch and lifted it over the wall. Francona called it a “gorgeous swing.’’ But the result shocked McDonald.

“Never expected it,’’ he said. “Maybe I had a little extra time because it was a breaking pitch.’’

Globe-Light in the end of the tunnel for Sox

It was a lovely swing alright. He has been a pleasant surprise and it's been needed with almost every starter has been hit with injuries. If he keeps getting these timely hits maybe you keep him in the lineup when Jacoby returns and keep it going. Why not? At the very least he has earned his keep to be on the 25 man roster. An interesting storyline to follow once the 2nd half starts.

But now the Sox have finally arrived to the All Star break, 5 games back of the Yankees. After all the chaos that's happened this season, you look at who the Sox are playing and you go "not bad." The Sox will take the break to lick their wounds and watch David Ortiz in the Home Run Derby and pray that he doesn't hurt his forearm or something freaky.

On Page 2, Beltre hurt too????

Red Sox/Blue Jays series preview

Red Sox (49-36, 3rd in AL East) @ Blue Jays (43-43, 4th in AL East)

Probable Pitchers:

Friday (7:07) - Jon Lester, LHP (10-3, 2.76) vs. Ricky Romero, LHP (6-5, 3.39)

Saturday (1:07) - John Lackey, RHP (9-4, 4.40) vs. Brandon Morrow, RHP (5-6, 4.69)

Sunday (1:07) - Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP (5-3, 4.71) vs. Jesse Litsch, RHP (0-3, 7.30)

Who will go off: David Ortiz. Ortiz has a career .500 average (6/12) off of Romero with 1 homer and 5 RBI.  He has also hit Morrow well, with a .400 career average (2/5), 1 home run, and 2 RBI.  Papi hasn't had such luck with Litsch, but I am not worried about that.  Ortiz has homered 22 times in Toronto which is his second highest total as a visiting player next to the Trop (25). 

Who needs to be stopped: Toronto's "Bash Brothers", MLB home run leader Jose Bautista, and Vernon Wells.  Bautista has 23 home runs and 55 RBI this season, Wells has 19 homers and 49 RBI.  Together, they have 10 less home runs than the entire Oakland A's team...DAMN!  These two need to be shut down or the Sox will have a tough series.

The Sox will lose if...They fall victim to the long ball.  The Blue Jays are the Major League leaders in home runs with 130.  The Sox are second with 112 and can be an equal threat (when healthy).  The Sox still have a lot of home run power in their line up and could be a thorn in Toronto's side but Boston pitching has to be smart.  Missed locations will most likely equal home runs or extra-base hits.

Miscellany:  Of the three starters, Daisuke has had the most success against the Jays. Dice-K has a 5-1 record, and 3.51 ERA against the Jays in his career.  Everyone is counting on Lester to stop the bleeding and maybe Dice-K can have a strong start given the history.  As usual, we are not sure what we will get from Lackey. All I know is, the All-Star break is almost near and Boston needs the rest.  

Prediction: Sox take series 2-1