Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

David Carpenter claimed by Braves

Earlier this week the Red Sox made some roster adjustments by bringing back three previously cut players on minor-league deals. One of those players, however, didn't last long, as he was claimed on waivers today by Atlanta. That player is David Carpenter, the pitcher who accompanied John Farrell to Boston, according to Mark Bowman (via MLBTR). 

I have to say, I'm a little confused by this one. Did the Sox really bring him back to the team on a minor-league deal and then waive him? Or was Ian Browne wrong, and no such deal was struck?

Either way, Carpenter's time with the Sox appears to be done (for now).

Some observers expect more moves to come today. Marc Normandin at Over the Monster made a convincing argument that one player from the group of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Alfredo Aceves, Rich Hill, and Ryan Sweeney could be moved in advance of tonight's non-tender deadline to make room for Jonny Gomes (still not officially signed). Jon Morosi tweeted earlier that the Diamondbacks were looking for a lefty reliever -- perhaps that's something to keep an eye on as a target for Rich Hill.

Recap: Sox bats come to life in 8-4 victory

F'n Middlebrooks  (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

The Red Sox put some honest-to-goodness runs on the board and beat the Braves 8-4.

Maybe Jair Jurrjens isn't so great after all.  Perhaps the Sox bats took last night off intentionally, storing up their energy and power to unleash it tonight.  Whatever the cause, it's just good to see some actual offense from Boston.

Middlebrooks and Pedroia lead the way, with 3 hits and 2 RBIs apeice.  Middlebrooks also had a solo home run, sending a clear message to the Red Sox front office that they need not hold up that Youk trade any longer.  Daniel Nava had 2 RBIs of his own, coming on a 2-run single in the bottom of the 7th.  Overall, the Sox had 14 hits with everybody but Papi and Kalish contributing.  Also, each Red Sox scored one run except Ortiz. 

On the mound, Franklin Morales but together another excellent start.  He lasted 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) and struck out 8 Braves.  We're all overly impressed with the way Morales has stepped up for Boston.  I would trade 45 John Lackeys for this guy if I could.  Atchison, unfortunately, didn't fare so well tonight.  He allowed 2 hits and 1 run over 1/3 of an inning pitch, as his ERA rose to an ungodly 1.40.  Bum.  Miller, Padilla and Aceves tag-teamed the final 2-plus innings.

In the bad news department, Buchholz will miss tomorrow's start due to illness.  The good news?  Aaron Cook gets to attempt to redeem himself.  Should be interesting...

BOX SCORE

Recap: Jurrjens dominates Sox

 

Not particularly, no.  But I do appreciate your concern.

Sox bats no-show as the Braves gives Boston a solid 4-1 beating.

Braves starter Jair Jurrjens was the story tonight.  If you haven't been following him, he's been bad.  So bad, in fact, that the Braves threw Jair and his 9+ ERA down to the minors at the end of April to try to figure it out. Except, instead of doing that, he was nearly as bad in AAA, rocking a 5.27 ERA through 9 starts.  For whatever reason, the Braves decided to give him another run in the majors.  And, well, apparently the remedy for his bad pitching is the Sox even-worse offense.

Sox batters got 3 hits against Jurrjens - 1 in the first (Gonzalez single), none through innings 2-7, then 2 in the 8th.  The second and third hits were doubles by Middlebrooks and Nava (with Nava's driving Middlebrooks home).  That was the only offense for the Sox all night as Durbin and Kimbrel made easy work of the final 4 outs.  OK, Pedroia gave Durbin a bit of a battle to end the 8th before grounding out to short, but Kimbrel breezed through the 9th.

Lester had himself another 2012 Lester performance.  He lasted 7 innings but surrendered 10 hits along the way, miraculously holding the Braves to just 3 earned runs. This game, like far too many lately, ranked pretty low on the fun scale.

To quote Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

BOX SCORE

How we see it goin' down: Braves - Red Sox series

First Pitch: Friday 7:10, Saturday 7:15, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Friday: Jair Jurrjens, RHP (0-2, 9.37 ERA) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (4-4, 4.53 ERA)

Saturday: Randall Delgado, RHP (4-7, 4.12 ERA) vs. Franklin Morales, LHP (0-1, 3.14 ERA)

Sunday: Mike Minor, LHP (3-5, 6.04 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (8-2, 5.53 ERA)

                                   Yard: Fenway Park   Watch it: NESN/FOX-Saturday  Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 37-32 (3rd NL East)	Record: 36-33 (4th AL East)
On road: 22-15	At home: 17-19
Streak: Won 2	Streak: Won 5
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Simmons (.322)	Average: Nava (.340)
Homers: Uggla (11)	Homers: Ortiz (18)
RBI: Uggla (42)	RBI: Ortiz (49)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Hanson (8)	Wins: Buchholz/Doubront (8)
ERA: Beachy (2.00) | Kimbrel (1.38)	ERA: Beckett (4.14) | Atchison (1.17)
K's: Hanson (74)	K's: Doubront (85)

Last time

The Red Sox and Braves last met on June 26-28, and the Sox came out on top with 2 wins and a series victory. Ortiz hit a home run in the series...that's about it.

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz & Will Middlebrooks

David Ortiz is a mainstay in this category and will be for a while. Middlebrooks is heating up again and Bobby should have him in the lineup for all 3 games.

Pitch Around: Michael Bourn

I just threw a dart at a board with Braves players and I hit Michael Bourn. This is not an over-powering offense, but guys like Bourn will beat you with small-ball. He doesn't hit for much power (6 HR, .446 SLG%), but his .310 average and 18 stolen bases can be a problem for the Sox. If he does get on base, the Sox better give him plenty of attention to prevent steals.

Don't Fall Behind: Randall Delgado & Mike Minor

Cody Ross is the only guy in the lineup that has seen these guys in the past and his numbers are pretty good. For the other Sox batters, new pitchers always seem to be a challenge. They might need an at-bat or two to feel these guys out and that could put the Sox in a tough spot if they fall behind.

How we see it goin' down

Atlanta is a much better team than the Cubs and Marlins and will not make things easy for the Sox and they just won 2 against the Yankees. The Red Sox do have the pitching advantage in the series which will persuade me to make the prediction of a 2-win series for the Sox. Part of me wants to say the Sox will drop 2, but I have a lot of confidence in the starters in this series.