Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump...Where the Seattle gets another walk-off win

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. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

 

The Seattle Mariners are a team begging to get beat. They came into Saturday's game at Safeco Field hitting .197 at home and averaging 2.8 runs a game.

True to form, they managed only nine hits over 11 innings and three runs. But that was enough to beat the Red Sox.

"We have to find a way to win that game," Dustin Pedroia said after a 3-2 loss. "We had a lot of chances."

The Sox had 11 hits and drew two walks off seven Seattle pitchers. But they were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. The Sox had two hits in the ninth and didn't score, and two more in the 10th.

"You never want to go extra innings on the road," Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "Then it takes just one swing of the bat."

Alfredo Aceves (0-5) got one out in the 11th before Dustin Ackley singled. Miguel Olivo also singled and Ackley went to third base. With the infield in, Chone Figgins hit a liner to right. Cody Ross made an accurate throw but it short-hopped Saltalamcchia and Ackley scored.

It was the second walk-off win in the series for Seattle. The Sox are 0-5 in extra innings this season. Now they need a win on Sunday just to split the series.

Aceves was working his third inning but had thrown only 14 pitches. Bobby Valentine went for it with his closer. "There was no way he was coming out of that game," he said.

Globe: For Red Sox, a bad loss in extra innings

Last night's loss pisses me off. I can deal with the game one loss because King Felix was on the mound and not many teams have overwhelming success against him. But, after game 1, the Red Sox should be crushing teams like Seattle. As said at the top of the Globe article, the Mariners are just begging to be beat.

The only thing the Marniners have going for them is pitching, which is not that great. The Red Sox missed some great opportunities last night to put the Mariners away, especially Mike Aviles. You don't see the number 9 hitter get many opportunities to put runs on the board, and Mike Aviles squandered every chance he got. Mike went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and the team went 1-for-12, and left 10 on base. Awful. It pisses me off even more that it was against Seattle. I think I can safely say that this team is not going to make the playoffs this season. I am giving up on them.

On page 2, we bid farewell to Darnell McDonald

Daniel Bard demoted

We have our answer: The Red Sox have sent Daniel Bard down to Pawtucket to work on his pitching. No more decreased velocity and wild nonsense up here.

In his place, the Sox have activated Darnell McDonald, who, last I checked, is not a full-time pitcher. Due to yesterday's off day, it's conceivable they could take a turn through the rotation without a fifth guy, but that will catch up with them soon. They have off days on the 14th and 18th, however, so they could decide to just bite the bullet and try to make it a few weeks.

Of course, the other option is that tonight's starter in Pawtucket, Daisuke Matsuzaka, may return to the big club. That seems most likely, unless the team really feels he isn't ready to return at this stage from his injury. Keep an eye on updates from Pawtucket tonight to see if Daisuke starts and, if he does, how long he goes. If he only goes an inning or two, he'll be up by the weekend. If he goes a full start, maybe they have other plans in mind.

Recap: Bard handles the other Sox

Youk and Papi congratulate Cody Ross on another successful train robbery (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Daniel Bard really doesn't want to become a relief pitcher again.  In his first start since the Bullpen Implosion Heard Round the World, Bard took care of the White Sox in a lopsided 10-3 victory for the Red Sox.

Bard was good tonight.  He got through 7 innings on 97 pitches, with 6 strike outs allowing 3 runs (only 2 earned) and a single walk.  The only real blemish on his night was a 5th inning Paul Konerko home run that put Chicago up by one.  Beyond that, he was on cruise control for most of the night.  Matt Albers threw the final two innings of the evening and didn't give up a single hit.  His ERA on the year is now at a very respectable 2.25. 

The Sox offense was cruising, too, despite the temperature hanging around in the 30's.  David Ortiz, who isn't getting nearly enough attention for the obscene year he's having, blasted a 2 run shot in the 2nd (and finished the night 2-4 to raise his average to .425 on the year).  But the 6th inning is when the bat party broke out.  Gonzo and Youk walked.  Papi singled to load the bases.  Ross singled, driving Gonzo home.  McDonald then cleared the bases with a double.  Then, for a little extra kick to the groin, Marlon Byrd drove McDonald home. 

And, because no lead is safe with this Sox bullpen, Ross and Shoppach each drove a run home in the 7th and McDonald hit a solo shot in the 9th.  Darnell McDonald ended the night 2-4 with 4 RBIs.  Yes, THAT Darnell McDonald.  I'm as shocked as you are.

We even got to see Lars Anderson make a cameo appearance in the 9th as a defensive replacement for Adrian Gonzalez.  Good night of baseball.  The Sox dominated and I got to watch it from the comfort and warmth of my couch. And wasn't on television wearing one of those ridiculous head warmers that make me look like I was dressed as Jesse James for Halloween.

BOX SCORE

Your Morning Dump... Where we won't see Ellsbury for a while

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.

It was a grimace reminiscent of when Ellsbury broke five ribs in an April 11, 2010, collision with then-teammate Adrian Beltre. Ellsbury missed all but 18 games that season, and without their leadoff-hitting Gold Glove center fielder, the Red Sox missed the playoffs.

So, when Ellsbury walked off the field, his right arm pinned to his chest, in the fourth inning of yesterday’s 12-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox held their breath. And when he left Fenway to go for tests at Massachusetts General Hospital, they only could hope his right shoulder injury looked much worse than it actually was.

“That looked painful,” said David Ortiz [stats], who winced and shouted an expletive after seeing the replay on a clubhouse television. “Hopefully things don’t go the way it looked like in the video. He’s our leadoff hitter. You’re not going to get any better by losing him for a while.”

Initial indications last night were that Ellsbury suffered either a full or partial dislocation of his shoulder, according to a baseball source. A timetable hasn’t been set for his return, but he likely will miss a minimum of several weeks.

Herald -Center of concern

Worst-case scenario: Achieved!

Our outfield depth chart now consists of Cody Ross (currently batting .182), Darnell McDonald (currently batting .167) and Ryan Sweeney.  Unlike the other two, Sweeney is batting .429 and has been one of the pleasant surprises of the early season.  But with a simple slide into second, the outfield has descended into a nightmare.  Crawford is still out for a little while longer.  And we don't have a Ted Williams hanging out in Pawtucket, waiting for his call-up.  Kalish, our best option in the minors, is currently hanging out on the 60 Day DL, so he's of no use right now.  It's a pretty dire situation.  But the Sox will have to bring someone up, and people are reporting that it will be Che-Hsuan Lin, who's batting .150 through 20 at-bats with the PawSox.  So he'll fit right in with McDonald and Ross.

And poor Ellsbury.  He had that freak collision with Beltre in 2010 and all the drama and nonsense that followed him through the rest of the season.  He was branded as weak, injury-prone, having no heart, etc etc etc.  Putting all that behind him, he came back in 2011 and had an MVP-caliber year.  And now, at the very beginning of 2012, as he was finally starting to swing a good bat, another freak injury. 

And I'm sure the "injury prone" tag is going to be dusted off and applied to his jersey.  Fans will call for the Sox to trade Ellsbury now, before he hits free agency.  People will scream for the Sox to not re-sign him to whatever absurdly high contract he's going to receive.  It's not an insane stance: Ellsbury is now the guy that has hit the DL in two of three seasons. 

All we can do now is hope that his stop on the DL doesn't exceed 60 days, and Ellsbury comes back and plays good ball.  For his sake, and for the Red Sox.

Rest of the links:

Herald - Jacoby Ellsbury injury a reminder of ’10 nightmare | Globe - Gain and pain | Lin on his way to Boston | Safe at home | WEEI - Worst-case scenario for Jacoby Ellsbury? Very, very bad | Ellsbury shoulder likely dislocated | ESPN - SB makes Shoppach's great day historic | Best guess for Ells? 6 weeks minimum | CSNNE - Shoppach gets first steal; keeps base | Beckett flips script, dominates Rays

2012 season preview: The outfield

The Ted's Army crew has created a series of collectors items to write home about. To preview the 2012 Red Sox season, we have created player cards that you can collect and trade with your friends over a nice tall glass of iced tea. Sit back and enjoy the final part of our season preview, the outfield.

Jacoby Elssbury stunned us all when he casually accumulated 32 homers last season and a slugging percentage of .552, both good for team highs. We expect him to come back to earth a little but still have a great season. Scott took a fastball to the head while playing some pick-up baseball before making his prediction of Ellsbury, so his numbers are a little skewed.

Your Morning Dump...where the Sox spend some of the Scutaro money

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...

Boston had maintained an interest in Ross throughout the signing season, but pounced after his asking price dropped significantly -- initially, he was seeking a three-year deal -- and after left fielder Carl Crawford underwent surgery last week to address an arthritic condition in his left wrist. 

They also acted after trading infielder Marco Scutaroand his $6 million salary to the Colorado Rockies, which freed up the money they privately said they needed to have before making additional upgrades. 

Ross’s signing does not mean the Sox have abandoned their pursuit of adding another starting pitcher. They remain in discussions with free agent Roy Oswalt, though a team source cautioned they are exploring other options as well. Barring a trade for someone like White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd, there does not appear to be another option as attractive as Oswalt, who could prove a bonanza if he stays healthy. 

ESPNBoston | Sox add OF with White House experience

First, the pluses.

Cherington got Ross at an apparent bargain of one year, $3 million. With the thriftiness being shown on Yawkey Way, this has to be considered.

Second, Ross appears to be someone who can be flexible, as he will be expected to platoon with Ryan Sweeney in right, and then play possibly even less when Ryan Kalish is ready.

But there are some minuses to this deal as well. For one, if we freed up $6 million of Marco Scutaro to improve other places, is it really smart to spend half of that on essentially a 4th outfielder? Ross comes with the reputation of a lefty masher -- he has a lifetime .912 OPS against southpaws -- but last year he was under .700 against them. Is this an aberration, or are his skills starting to deteriorate?

Alex Speier pointed out yesterday that the Red Sox actually gained $8 million in breathing room for luxury tax purposes (I won't bore you with the math; go read his article about it). In that case, we theoretically have another $5 million to spend. I have trouble believing Roy Oswalt would sign for that, and I don't know that there's anyone out there who's all that valuable beyond Roy.

So now the $170 million team has two platoons at very important defensive positions (at Fenway), an injured left fielder, about 15 question marks in the starting rotation, and a very much unsettled bullpen. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Rays are set for repeat seasons, and the Blue Jays are quietly terrifying. I'm not trying to take this all out on Ross -- he'll probably be a perfectly adequate addition -- but the Sox don't appear to be solving their biggest problems. I would have rather seen them take their chances with a Sweeney/Darnell McDonald platoon for a few months and have more money to flash at Oswalt than potentially eliminate themselves from his bidding just to get the slight upgrade that Ross represents over Darnell.

ESPNBoston | Cody Ross, Red Sox agree | Herald | Cody Ross agrees to sign with Red Sox | Globe | Cody Ross says hello, Red Sox fans | CSNNE | With money to spend, Red Sox sign Ross, target pitching

 

Taking Stock: Sox - Royals Series

After each series, we'll be taking stock in each player's...and maybe manager's...performance. If we like what we see, we're buyin'. If we don't, we're sellin'. Or maybe we'll just hold onto our stock until we see more next series.

Jon Lester: No, he didn't dominate; but he didn't need to.  His Sunday start was his second consecutive 3 hit 1 run outing, and also his 13th win on the year.  Sure, he struggled with his control, walking 4 and only striking out 3.  But I'll gladly take Lester at 80% effectiveness over the bottom of the rotation at 100%.

Varitek's Old Man Legs: Did you see him leg out that triple?  That was truly impressive.  Old man can still move.  'Tek was behind the plate for two games against KC and the Sox won both.  He only went 2-7 in the series, but had an RBI each game.  That triple was his first since 2007, and quite possibly the last of his career.  I'll buy Varitek hitting triples all day long.

Daniel Bard: Someone throw a cape on this guy.  When Lester got himself into trouble yesterday, Bard came in and cleaned up the mess.  Men on first and second, no outs, speedy Escobar comes to the plate showing bunt.  What does Bard throw?  98 MPH fast ball up and in.  Nearly took Escobar's head off.  Shook him enough that he couldn't square to bunt the rest of the at-bat, fouling a couple off before striking out.  Two appearances, 3 IP, 1 hit and 4 K's. 

  Josh Reddick: His crash down to earth was inevitable, but we were all hoping it wouldn't be so hard.  He only went 2-11 in the series and his average (which was .450 heading into July) has dipped below .300.  But his struggles are just part of the overall shoddy offense.

Matt Albers: He saw action in one game.  Could only get a single batter out, while giving up 3 hits, 2 walks and 5 earned runs.  Oh, and he also blew Wakefield's 200th win.  Inexcusable. In his 7 appearances this month, he's given up runs in 5 (11 total), while his ERA has jumped from 2.25 to 3.71. 

  Ryan Lavarnway: I'm quite impressed with the youngster.  Filling in at DH for Papi, Lavarnway went 5-15 in the series with a double, 2 RBI's and 2 walks.  With Ortiz hopefully coming back soon, we may not see much of Lavarnway the rest of the way, but we've seen enough to know that he's a competent hitter.  Even if he pops out way too much.

Darnell McDonald: I can't buy a guy who's batting .194 on the year.  But he did get a hit in each of his three starts against the Royals; including his 3-5 game on Sunday.  It would be nice if he truly was getting it together, but this month he's only gotten a hit in one other game outside of the KC series (2-14 in those games).  But against the Royals, with Ellsbury out, he stepped in and played well. 

Carl Crawford: Like McDonald, he got a hit in every game of the series (but only went 5-16 in those 4 games).  He also had a double and a home run, with 2 stolen bases in the series.  And, get this, he also drew a walk!  An honest-to-goodness walk!  His fourth this month!  If he keeps this up, his OBP might just jump above .300.  So we'll hold on to him, hoping this is the start of a torrid run to end the season.

Your Morning Dump... where McDonald is getting it together.

 
Darnell showing off his smooth moves. (Photo: AP)

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 collected a season-high three hits, smacked an important home run that helped chase Kansas City’s lefty out after the sixth inning, and was in the middle of an eighth-inning rally that pushed the game out of reach in a 6-1 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

McDonald actually credited a bunt single in Saturday night’s loss as the “little thing” that helped spark the athletic outfielder, and get him into an offensive flow that’s seemingly eluded him all season.

Hey, whatever works.

“It’s funny how this game works. The littlest things will get you going,” said McDonald. “The bunt yesterday and just getting on base were little things that just got me going.

“I was able to put some good swings on the ball. This team has been throwing a lot of fastballs with two strikes, so I was looking for it and was able to put a good swing on it. It’s no secret that the more at bats you get, the easier it is to get your timing down. The main focus for me is to just try and swing at good pitches. Just put quality swings on the baseball . . . I’m feeling good at the plate right now.”

CSNNE:McDonald finds his groove

Everyone was surprised that Darnell was batting second as Francona put together another patchwork lineup behind Lester. This time, Darnell made Francona look like a genius, going 3-for-5 and was a spark off the bench that this team hasn't had since Josh Reddick's bat was on fire. 

It's not easy being a bench player. In order to be effective, you need to have a consistent amount of at bats coming your way and obviously there isn't any coming his way (23 plate appearances in August). It has to be frustrating and he easily could've pulled a Jay Payton and complained his way out of town. However, Darnell realizes his role on this team and relishes it. If he can build on this and continue to hit lefties, he'll have a spot on the playoff roster.

Rest of the links: Globe: Unconventional win for Sox|Varitek gets up to speed|Beckett or Lester? A real horse race for #1|Herald:Shorthanded Sox get road boost from Lester, Bard|Salty emerges as reliable #1 catcher|McDonald delivers vs lefties|Crawford under the microscope|CSNNE:McDonald stepping up|McDonald finds his groove|Bard once again rock solid|WEEI: Why Bedard might be a better fit in Boston|Bard showed once again he loves these moments|

Grading the outfield

Since we're at the halfway point of the season, the brain trust at Ted's Army decided we'd give out grades for the Red Sox players. Crazy idea, huh? When I first brought up, I said, "I want to be revolutionary, I hope everyone will be able to handle it."

I think we were off to a good start, and our readers seemed to handle it well. Here is what we think about the outfield:

1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury

He is having the best season of his career thus far. His first All-Star selection, 2nd on the team in batting average (min.100 AB) with .316, and tops in the AL in steals with 28. The most home runs Jacoby has hit in a season before 2011 is 9, he has 11 this season. On the defensive side, Ellsbury has no errors and is tied for 10th in the AL among outfielders with 5 assists.

I'm sure glad his ribs healed well, so I in appreciation, I sent him a plate of some.

Grade: A+

Your Morning Dump...Where McDonald's homer could be his turning point

AP

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.

"It felt real good,'' said McDonald after the Red Sox bashed Houston 10-4. "I know things are going to turn around for me. I've been working hard and I've been feeling good at the plate. I just haven't been getting results. It feels good to get rewarded with the home run.
    
"But the main thing is getting something positive going and keeping the same approach -- trying to go up there and give my team a quality at-bat. It's a long season and it's a humbling game. Hopefully, this will get me going.''
    
Before the game, Terry Francona said he thought about going with the much hotter Josh Reddick, but ultimately decided on McDonald because he hits righthanded -- the Astros started lefty J.A. Happ -- and because "I want to get Darnell hot. He spent all that time behind (Mike Cameron) and didn't get at-bats. Then he goes and gets his rehab at Triple A and swung the bat great. Then he came back here and looked like he was going to swing the bat great and kind of went the other way. I want to get him going a little bit... I really do want Mac to face some of these lefties because of what he can do and it gives us some balance on our bench."

CSNNE: Notes: MCDonald hopes homer can get him going

I am glad things turned out the way they did, because I was pissed when I saw that Reddick was not in the lineup. I didn't care if there was a lefty on the mound or not, Josh has been killing both of them. Everything ended up fine, and Darnell McDonald did what he needed to do, hit a home run (1st since April 12th) to prove he is worthy of being in Boston.

Last season MCDonald took Boston by storm, this season, he has sucked so damn bad that I was about to start a petition to send him to the Lowell Spinners. We all know, baseball is a game of streaks and this very well could be the beginning of a good streak for McDonald, that is if he does get some playing time in the future.

Related: ESPN Boston: Struggling McDonald gets important homer | Herald: McDonald leads Red Sox past Astros 10-4 | Globe: McDonald times it right | Projo: Home run provides highlight of frustrating season for McDonald

On page 2: Miller's hard work pays off, and Navarro gets first career homer in pinch-hit fashion