Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump... Where the Red Sox sucked.

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 appeared the Red Sox had everything going their way prior to Wednesday night’s tilt with the lowly Cleveland Indians.

Ace lefty Jon Lester was taking the mound. Jacoby Ellsbury was back in the saddle hitting leadoff and playing center field.

Unfortunately none of that worked out for Boston, Lester was out of the game in the sixth inning after repeated visits to the mound by the Sox training staff and Boston fell by a lopsided 9-1 score in an error-filled loss to the Tribe at Fenway.

The defeat drops the Sox to 12-15 in their last 27 games, and Boston continues to sink deeper behind in the A.L. East standings.

If the Red Sox don't make the postseason they’ll be able to look at their performances against some of the weak sisters as one of the main reasons behind it.

CSNNE-Sox botch one

That was thought process entering the game sitting in the right field bleachers. Three hours later that was shot down and felt that I had just witnessed the end of the Sox season. They just sucked all around last night. Defensively, the errors by Lester and Scutaro killed us and Beltre had about 3 or 4 hits get past him in the hot corner.Victor's error was awful too (GLOVE DOWN VICTOR, GLOVE DOWN!). Pitching wise, Lester was off and visibly bothered by something even though John Farrell stated otherwise. But with Lester struggling, he left down 4-1. Then Scott Atchison came in and in a span of 15 minutes, he gave up 5 runs blowing this game wide open. 

The Indians didn't even need any of those as 2 were good for the win. Masterson pitched well against us and got out of trouble numerous times. The Sox were able to get the lead men on but did jack shit with them going (by my count) 0-9 with runners on and stranding 9 as well. Jacoby came to a decent ovation and welcomed that with an 0-5. It was just awful to see the Red Sox fail to make any sort of comeback. Ortiz's homer was the only bright spot in a shitty performance. The Sox lost to a former teammate and a Triple A Squad. And Jacoby's talking playoffs. Playoffs? Cue the Jim Mora footage.

On Page 2, the Boston Red Sox have been put on waivers.

RJ Anderson is really excited about the now-available Jeremy Hermida

The storyline of Jeremy Hermida is obviously one weighed down in disappointment at this moment -- the once-heralded prospect who hasn't found consistent success in the majors.

Baseball analysts who skew toward prospects are still salivating, including RJ Anderson of FanGraphs.

So, here he is, freely available with the only opportunity cost being a roster spot and the remainder of his salary. For his career, he’s been a perfectly average hitter (102 wRC+) who happens to stand in a corner outfield spot and bat left-handed. Frankly, Hermida is a prolonged power surge from being Rick Ankiel. He could help a team, and while potential is not static, he’s about to enter the period in which you would suspect will hold his statistical prime.

OK, maybe "salivating" is strong. RJ's saying if Hermida strings together a few homers he could become Rick Ankiel, which isn't exactly worth getting too excited about. But the way RJ talks so non-chalantly about how easy the choice should be to add Hermida to a roster ignores one simple fact: His fielding is atrocious.

I'm shocked that RJ misses this fact, to be honest. Usually the stat-geek types love analyzing defense, but not a word is to be found about Jeremy's significant limitations in the post. And they were significant. Hermida is the worst fielder I've seen in the Sox outfield, even edging Wily Mo Pena (who was at least fast, if not coordinated). He has no range, a terrible arm, and takes odd routes to balls. I'm not even going to look up his stats, whether conventional or advanced. He's bad -- really bad -- at defense. That's a major issue.

I was excited about signing him this spring, but he's too much of an albatross due to his fielding problems. So what you're looking at now is a roster spot at a small salary...for a DH who can't hit consistently. I'm sure he'll catch on somewhere -- Oakland just seems right, doesn't it? -- but I think even saying he'll be Rick Ankiel is a stretch at this point.

It's check-up time

Getty Images

Well the first half is completed and the Sox have enough players on the DL (11) to make up a second team.  This week, most of them will be asked to turn their heads and cough, or something of that nature, so the Red Sox can be updated and figure out what the hell they are going to do.  Over the next few days, there will be a lot of doctor visits and lollipops handed out as the organization tries to put the pieces back together.

And on top of tests for Adrian Beltre, Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez and Mike Lowell, the team will be getting progress reports on the rehab efforts of Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, Manny Delcarmen, Jeremy Hermida and Jed Lowrie.

While several regulars are on the disabled list, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein sounded optimistic about two players key to the team’s hopes in the second half.

Buchholz is expected to make just one rehab start before returning to the Red Sox rotation while Beltre, who had his hamstring tighten the day before the All-Star break on Sunday is not expected to head to the disabled list.

“He’s going to go three or four innings on a rehab start Friday in Syracuse, just make sure he’s comfortable,” Epstein said of Buchholz. “He’s healthy but we want him to test it. He hasn’t thrown in a game in three weeks so we want to make sure he tests it, gets around, bounces around okay on the hamstring. If that goes well, he’ll probably make just one and back to the big league rotation.”

Beckett will make his second rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday, also in Syracuse.

Beltre, who opted out of the All-Star Game and was replaced by Michael Young, will have an MRI on Thursday to make sure the hamstring issue was only a cramp and that he is ready for the start of the second half of the season.

“We were in really good contact with the trainer out there [at All-Star Game] and had it been a regular season game, one of his players, the doctor and trainer said he would’ve been approved to play,” Epstein said.

Asked if the DL were possible for Beltre, Epstein said, “I wouldn’t think so, no.”

Varitek and Pedroia will have CT scans on Friday while Martinez will have his fractured left thumb re-examined on Thursday to make sure it is healing properly.

Infielder Jed Lowrie will begin a stint with Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday while reliever Delcarmen start for Double-A Portland at New Britain on Thursday while outfielder Hermida [ribs] also plays Thursday for Portland.

Your Morning Dump... Where The Injuries Are Taking Their Toll

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’ve been playing this game for so long. I have never seen anything like this,’’ David Ortiz said after the Sox lost their third straight. “We go through injuries every year but what I’m seeing right now is just like a curse.’’

“Man, it doesn’t even sound right. You have nine guys on the DL, guys that are pretty much everyday players. When is the last time you heard about something like that?’’ Ortiz said.

With two outs, Ortiz was walked. Red Sox manager Terry Francona then used Mike Cameron to run for Ortiz and let Romero hit.

Asked why he did not use Cameron as a pinch hitter, Francona said he was out of players and did not want to give up his DH by putting Ortiz at first base.

“No, I didn’t think of doing [using Cameron as a pinch hitter]. Is that a good enough answer?’’ Francona said. “I thought what we did put us in the best position. In my opinion that gave us the best chance to win.’’

Globe - No gain, just pain for Sox

Looks like all that luck has finally finally run out.  The injuries are taking their toll, the frustration is mounting, and the team is starting to lose. 

Even Peter King is piling on right now.  Not good times.

Okajima served up Tampa Bay's 3rd run, giving up a home run to Carl Crawford, negating an admirable performance by Doubront (who was tagged with the loss).

The good news: Youk's injury appears to have been nothing, and he says he'll be back out there tonight.

On Page 2, a whole mess of injury updates

Your Morning Dump... Where The Sox Actually Hold On

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 second straight night, the Sox roared back to take the lead in the late innings. But last night, unlike Monday night, they were able to hold onto that lead — barely — pushing themselves up to .500 with a a split of the two-game series in the Bronx.

They escaped, as Jonathan Papelbon stranded the tying run on third and the winning run on second, striking out Randy Winn to end the game. It was four hours and nine minutes after it had started, and the Sox took a breath and kept themselves from falling to 10 back in the loss column in the division.

The Yankees’ Marcus Thames went from Monday night’s hero to last night’s goat, allowing a ball off the bat of Marco Scutaro to slip through his arms on an ill-advised attempted basket catch in right field in the ninth. That put men on first and second, and they moved up on a groundout. Up came Jeremy Hermida, in for J.D. Drew, who had felt an issue with his right hamstring. And it was Hermida, yet again with two outs, doubling over the head of Winn to score the tie-breaking runs off Mariano Rivera, making it 7-5.

Globe - Perfect comeback by Sox

I didn't pay much attention to this game once the Celtics and Magic started up, minus flipping back during commercial breaks.  Luckily they decided to play past midnight so I could catch the exciting conclusion.

It was a win (a resilient win), with the usual suspects stepping up - Youk, Drew, Papi, and the new Mr. Clutch - Hermida.

But I didn't like Papelbon going out there to shut it down.  I know the competitor he is, and know he wanted to get back out there and prove the previous night was a fluke, but after pitching 2+ innings against Detroit, then the blow save, I think the man could use a little physical, and mental, rest.  He wasn't terrible last night, but he didn't look stellar either.  But we got the win, off of Rivera (which only makes it sweeter) and made Joba Chamberlain look like Chan-Ho Park.  So, all in all, a great night.

On Page 2, The Yankees Are Telling Mom!

Red Sox/Tigers series preview

Boston Red Sox (18-17, 4th in AL East) @ Detroit Tigers (20-15, 2nd in AL Central)

The Tigers are coming off a high of winning 3 out of 4 against the Yankees.   The Sox missed sweeping the Jays but are coming off of a 7-3 home stand and are looking to add more numbers in the win column on this road trip.

Probable Pitchers:

Friday (7:05, NESN) - Clay Buchholz, RHP (3-3, 3.82) vs. Max Scherzer, RHP (1-3, 6.81)

Saturday (7:05, NESN) - Jon Lester, LHP (3-2, 3.71) vs. Dontrelle Willis, LHP (1-1, 3.99)

Sunday (1:05, NESN) - John Lackey, RHP (4-1, 4.60) vs. TBA

Who will go off: Only two of Sox players (non-DL) have had at-bats against Scherzer, Hall (2/3, 1 double) and Hermida (1/3).  If we see Hermida in game one, he might be the one to bother Scherzer.  Dontrelle Willis has had a world of trouble in the past against Adrian Beltre, Victor Martinez.  Beltre has torched Willis with a  .778 average (7/9), with a home runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 RBI.  Martinez is .667 (4/6) with 2 doubles and a homer.  Lowell and Youk both have the next highest average on the team against Willis with .333 (both 1/3).  We will see Lowell on Saturday with the lefty so expect all 4 to go off against Dontrelle.  We will leave Sunday open with the TBA in the pitchers column for Detroit.  Lets say Lackey will go off and have a great outing on Sunday.

Who needs to be stopped: Miguel Cabrera is on his way to another huge season and has the second best batting average in the Majors with .376.  Rookie Brennan Boesch is starting his career on a tear with a .368 average, 3 home runs and 16 RBI.  Another Rookie Austin Jackson is right behind Boesch with a .345 average. If Boston is able to shut those 3 guys down, they will win this series.  

The Sox will lose if...the guys who need to be stopped are not.  Detroit is a very good hitting team and if Boston pitching does not have their way with them, Detroit will dominate this series.  They need to beat down on Willis and produce runs, don't let Dontrelle go deep in the game.

Miscellany: The Detroit Tigers have the second best batting average (.274) in the majors.  The Red Sox are tied for second in the majors in home runs (44).  This is going to be a very offensive series and if starting pitchers slip up on either side, a lot of runs will be scored.  

Prediction:  Sox win series 2-1

Your Morning Dump...Where salvaging the series is key

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 real important,’’ Pedroia said. “We don’t want to bury ourselves. We played good. We pitched good. We scored early. We got to A.J. [Burnett] early, and that helped Jon [Lester] kind of settle in and throw strikes.“It was a big win for us.’’

The Sox returned, once again, to .500 with the Blue Jays coming into town before the Tigers show up on the schedule, followed by the Yankees again. This would be a good time for the Sox to snap out of their sluggish period and make up ground. But there seems to be little chance of predicting what the Sox will do this season, at least so far.

They could sweep Toronto. They could be swept.

Asked if it was confounding that they can’t put it together every night in the way they did last night, Pedroia said, “If we could do it every night, we’d go 162-0. That’s not really how it is. But we’re going to try our best to do that.’’

 Globe- Sox Salvage the Finale

A much needed victory, to say the least. Jon Lester pitched well going seven strong innings and has shown that the bad start is in the past. Lester is showing that he is the best pitcher in the rotation. His rival on the mound, AJ Burnett, can't seem to find his mojo on the Fenway mound as a Yankee. That's his 4th start giving up at least six runs. It's a lovely sight to see.

On the offensive side of things it was a collective effort led by Jeremy Hermida with his 4th homer of the year. Adrian Beltre was rocking the Oakley shades and got a couple doubles. Ortiz also got into the hit parade with a double of his own which is always a good sign that he can still produce. Hopefully a visit from the Blue Jays will keep the good times rolling. The Sox have Lackey, Dice-K, and Beckett going on the mound in the series and only Lackey has given us a glimpse of how good they are pitching. Dice and Beckett got to start pitching better.

On Page 2, Jeremy Hermida: Best outfielder for the Sox this season.

Your Morning Dump... Where All We Need Is A Little Hermida

(photo courtesy of NESN)

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 a while there, Hermida was just about the only offense the Red Sox could come by. The same could almost be said on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, when the Boston left fielder hit a go-ahead three-run double in the eighth inning (again) to snap a 1-1 tie and lift the Sox past the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

While the former Florida Marlins phenom has had some shaky moments in the outfield this season, he has appeared to be one of the most comfortable on the club in clutch situations.

"Those situations are fun," Hermida said. "You live for moments like that to go out there and drive in the winning runs for your team and get a W. It’s enjoyable for me, it’s fun and it’s what you play the game for."

"All the things we talked about with Jeremy in spring training, we didn’t know where the at bats would be, but more often than not, they sort of emerge," Francona said of Hermida, who hit .450 (18-for-40) this spring. "And he’s swinging the bat very well."

Well enough to be tied for third on the team in RBIs, despite starting just 16 of the team’s 27 games.

NESN - Jeremy Hermida Continues to Provide Much-Needed Punch in Crunch Time

Well, la-dee-Frickin'-da! We got ourselves a hitter here! Hey Tito, I can't see real good.  Is that Jimmy Rice over there?

Early on in the season, (I say that like it's August 5th, not May 5th) it was fairly apparent that Hermida was going to be, at the very least, a solid bat for the Sox.  But on a team desperately in need of heroes, and players for fans to rally around, Hermida has been a pleasant surprise.

He's not the second-coming of Babe Ruth, or Big Papi, but in 12 less AB's, he's already nearly doubled Papi's 6 RBI's, and matched Beltre's 13 (in nearly half the at bat's). 

The only player who's stat line jumps out a little more is Varitek and his 5 HRs in 34 at bats. 

And hey, one more and we've got ourselves a winning streak!

On Page 2, Lackey is still California Dreamin'

April is over, so Jon Lester doesn't suck anymore

What happens when Jon Lester rips April off his "Hang In There Kitty" calendar?  He gets back to his old, dominating self.

Lester spread 5 hits over 8 innings and only walked 2 in an impressive performance while the Sox bats woke up just in time to give him the win he earned.

Jeremy Hermida's bases clearing double in the 8th (thanks in no small part to Juan Rivera taking the worst possible track on the ball) helped the Sox break a 1-1 tie.

And I hate to bring it up... but it was too big not to.  With the bases loaded and no outs... with Kevin Jepsen giving the game away for the Angels, Papi grounded into a 4-2-3 double play that nearly killed the rally.  Ortiz finished the night 0-4 with 2 double plays.  Meanwhile, Mike Lowell stepped in with a pinch hit double later in the inning to make it 5-1.

But let's focus on the positive:  Lester looked good and the Sox have won a couple straight after an embarrassing sweep in Baltimore.

Box Score

AP Photo/Winslow Townson

When will it end?

So much for Patriots day being the lucky day for the Sox as they fall to the Rays 8-2 and push the losing streak to 5.  Tampa came in and pounded the Sox, sweeping the 4 game set and compiled 10 stolen bases in the series.

Lackey threw batting practice giving up 8 runs (all earned), 9 hits, and gave up a 3 run homer to Upton in the 3rd. Jeff Niemann (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's) shut the Sox down until he gave up the home run to Hermida in the 7th.  

I am trying my hardest to get some positive from this game...

Bill Hall got his first hit after starting the season 0-10

Jeremy Hermida broke the shutout with a 2-run shot in the 7th.  His catching error was canceled out by is outfield assist when he threw Burrell out at 2nd. 

This is just awful! Lets hope we can muster up some offense against Texas and Baltimore. 

Box Score