Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Enemy Chatter: Overbay's RBI single was more satisfying than anything else

I often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Red Sox after playing the Red Sox. Here's a dose of 'enemy chatter' from New York.

The 36-year-old journeyman first baseman drove in two runs on a soft single to left-center field off Boston starter Ryan Dempster, which not only gave the Yankees their first lead of the season, but also led to last night’s 4-2 win at the Stadium.

“That’s more satisfying for me than anything else,” he said of beating the Red Sox. “You’re over there getting prepared for the season. Their coaches are preparing you and then all of a sudden you’re on a different team and flip-flopped for the opening series.”

NY Post

Really, Lyle? That was more satisfying than anything else? I guess when you have been a part of some awful teams in your career, getting a 2-out RBI, on an extremely soft bloop single, in the third game of the season, against a team that cut you a week before, takes the cake for highlight of your career.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees trade him at some point after Mark Teixeira comes back. Actually, I don't care.

Yanks avoid sweep behind Andy Pettitte

Former steroid user and now 40-year old pitcher who is somehow magically still good Andy Pettitte led the Yankees to their first win of the year, a 4-2 defeat of the Sox at Yankee Stadium. 

Pettitte went eight strong, scattering eight hits and giving up just one earned run before handing things over to Mariano Rivera, who had a rocky first appearance since his knee injury last year, but still secured the save. 

Ryan Dempster pitched decently, giving up three runs over five innings. Brett Gardner provided the lone highlight with a home run; Francisco Cervelli of all people added his own homer off Clayton Mortensen after Dempster was removed.

Bright spots for the Sox: Jose Iglesias had yet another multi-hit game, joined by Will Middlebrooks, who managed two hits of his own. Iglesias also had three great tags at second, two off David Ross throwing out would-be base stealers -- yes, you read that right, a Red Sox catcher can now throw out base stealers -- making an all-around sound performance. Pawtucket is in for a treat when Stephen Drew ousts him from short.

Some downsides popped up though: The Sox were considerably less patient at the plate than they had been over the first two games. Iglesias saw just six pitches over three at bats; Ellsbury saw 11 and Jackie Bradley 12 in four appearances each. (Bradley did have an RBI double, so don't panic, he's still superhuman.) A lot of that has to do with Pettitte's strong night, but nonetheless the Sox are at their best when they are bleeding counts and getting to bullpens.

All the credit goes to Pettitte, though. It says something that a 40-year old guy, in his first appearance of the year, coming off a short season, can follow up an injury-shortened start and save the bullpen like that. The Yanks needed him, and he came through.

The Sox head to Toronto to kick off their second series of the year, and hopefully John Farrell won't be murdered by angry Canadians.

Box score

Recap: Sox continue winning ways, beat Yanks 7-4

What was considered to be a much anticipated match-up, turned out to be not much of a contest at all. In the second game of the 2013 season, Clay Buchholz took the mound for the Red Sox, while established veteran Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees.

In the first inning, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined a timely two-out single to right field, putting the Red Sox on top quickly. In the 2nd inning, the wheels started to come off for Kuroda, hitting both Jackie Bradley Jr. and Daniel Nava with pitches (Nava HBP scored Bradley). Kuroda was then lifted from the game due to a finger injury, which was a result of earlier attempting to field a Shane Victorino line drive with his bare hand.

From that point on, it was all Red Sox. This turned into a Don and Jerry giggle fest pretty quickly, which is always a great sign for the Red Sox...unless it's September of a 69-win season. Even lucious sideline reporter Jenny Dell chimed in on the tee-hees, joking about jogging in place due to the freezing cold. Meanwhile, every man's imagination ran wild at that thought.

The most notable item of the night was Bradley Jr. recording his first major league hit with an RBI grounder into center field scoring Victorino from second. At the time it provide major insurance for the Sox, pushing the score 4-0.

Additionally, Clay Buchholz's outing was encouring. Except for a few pitches, most notably a pitch he left up and in to Chris Stewart that went to the warning track, Buchholz had decent command. His final line: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K on 94 pitches. Not exactly an Ace line, but hey...first outing of the season for Buch.

Quick note: Will Middlebrooks looks like the real deal. He made a phenomenal play in the 1st-inning on a tough bunt bid by Yankees' lead-off hitter Brett Gardner, barley gunning him out. But my word...what a play! Also he showed some nice opposite-field power, even though it went for an out.

Alfredo Aceves made things interesting in the bottom of the 8th-inning, allowing a three-run HR to Vernon Wells, making it 7-4. But Sox new closer Joel Hanrahan closed things up in the 9th, earning his first save of the season.

The Sox had this game in the bag early, but regardless showed some encouraging, key two-out hits. The Red Sox will try to complete the sweep of the Yankees tomorrow at 7:05pm, as Ryan Dempster makes his debut versus the always tricky Andy Pettitte.

Box Score

Your Morning Dump... where Buchholz is getting his confidence back.

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.

There has been no team meeting to declare that winning from the start is a goal — duh — “but you can almost tell that it’s on everybody’s mind,” Buchholz said. “You feel so much better when you win your first three or four games, win your first couple series, rather than losing them and having to press. Everybody, I don’t think there’s one person on the team who wants to sit up here and lose. That’s definitely a common ground for everybody.”

If he had to choose who’s responsible for the winning outlook, Buchholz picked “the new guys coming in,” he said. “I think everybody they brought in knows what winning feels like, and they wouldn’t have brought them in if they didn’t think they could help us. It’s just a lot more loose.”

Buchholz has to be included in the group of players who are “a lot more loose” in body and spirit. A year ago, he was hesitant about how much he could push his back injury from 2011. His first-half win-loss record — 8-2 — was deceptive, hiding a 5.53 ERA and 1.541 WHIP. He went just 3-6 in the second half, but his ERA dived to 3.76 and his WHIP dipped to 1.146. He pitched more aggressively and showed more and more glimpses of the dazzling stuff he showed in 2010 (17-7, 2.33) before injuries befell him.

Herald: Buchholz wants to let good times roll

Clay should be feeling pretty confident, he was filthy suring Spring Training: 0.79 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and a 0.79 WHIP. No one in had a better Spring except Jon Lester, who carried that momentum into five solid innings on Monday. 

Buchholz will need that confidence tonight though as he has some demons to excise tonight,. The Yankees usually have a field day against Clay, he's 2-5 with a 7.19 ERA in nine career starts against the Bronx Bombers. Yes this isn't the same Yankee team that he normally faces. His biggest threat is Robinson Cano who is batting .480 lifetime against Buchholz. Everyone else in the lineup? Clay should coast right through them. 

But it's still the Yankees. And it's also a team that is more than a little embarrassed by their showing on Monday, which left Yankees fans leaving in droves and left us with this gem. LOOK AT THAT. Looks like Marlins Park, not Yankee Stadium.

Expect the Yankees to come out strong and hope that Clay responds to the challenge. Let this be the start that gets him rolling into a great start to the season.

 

Globe: Yanks don't faze Buchholz | Sox offense was hopping | Herald: Bradley's coach marvels at debut | First outing gives Bailey boost | New look Sox do little things right | CSNNE: Off and running | Buchholz takes a healthy outlook into his first start | Sox bullpen looks like real deal | WEEI: Stephen Drew returns to games | Bradley's unexpected path

Recap: Sox grind out an 8-2 win over the Yankees

We shouldn't get too caught up over one game right? NAHHHHH. CUE THE DUCKBOATS.

 

162-0 baby! The Red Sox attacked an unusally shaky CC Sabathia and Jon Lester managed to work through a rough inning and let the bullpen come in and do shut down the Yankees and come out with an 8-2 win. 

This wasn't a classic Sox victory with the lineup cranking out three or four homers, it was all small ball today with 13 hits and only two of them were for extra bases. 

The scoring started in the second inning and the spark was none other than Jackie Bradley Jr. He showed his patience in his first major league at-bat, working an 0-2 count to a walk.  But JBJ wasn't done as he showed off his wheels on the basepath, beating out a potential force out to bring home Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the 1-0 lead. After a fielder's choice ground out by Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino & Dustin Pedroia get back to back base hits to drive in three more runs and give the Sox a 4-0 lead. 

It was all that Jon Lester really needed as he pitched well for the most part. He unraveled a bit in the fourth, allowing the first two batters on base and then loading the bases with one out. He was a strike away from getting out of the inning unscathed, but Fransicso Cervelli lined a single into left to drive in two to cut the Sox lead in half. 

Lester came out in the fifth and finished strong, allowing just one more hit and striking out a couple before being lifted for Koji Uehara in the sixth. Lester stat line: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's. A very good start for Lester but what was better was how the bullpen reacted. 

The Yankees only had one real shot against this bullpen and it was in the seventh as Andrew Miller allowed back-to-back walks. He made up for his wild pitching with back to back strikeouts, including blowing a 97 MPH fastball past Robinson Cano. Andrew Bailey came in to face old pal Kevin Youkilis and Youk went down swinging to end any hope for a rally.

 The Sox had some more fun in the ninth at the expense of Joba Chamberlain, showing off their patience as both Jarrod Saltalamacchia & Jackie Bradley Jr. collect their third walk of the day. After Jose Iglesias struck out, Jacoby Ellsbury & Shane Victorino get back-to-back singles and make it an 8-2 game. 

It was a real team effort as the bullpen finished with allowing just one hit and a couple walks, while the Sox managed to score eight runs despite Mike Napoli & Will MIddlebrooks combining to go 0-for-9. Jackie Bradley had a strong debut without getting a hit as his patience had everybody even more excited for the rookie.  

The Sox have a day off tomorrow so enjoy this rediscovered positivity around this team and enjoy it! 

Box Score

How we see it goin' down: Sox - Yanks series

First Pitch: Monday 1:05, Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:35

Arms: Monday: Jon Lester, LHP  (0-0, -.-- ERA)  vs. CC Sabathia, LHP (0-0, -.-- ERA)

Wednesday: Clay Buchholz, RHP (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (0-0, -.-- ERA)

Thursday: Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte. LHP (0-0, -.--ERA)

                                  Yard: Yankee Stadium   Watch it: NESN/ESPN   Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 0-0 (2012: 69-93)	Record: 0-0 (2012: 95-67)
On road: 2012: 35-46	At home: 2012: 51-30
Streak: -	Streak: -
Leaders at the plate (2012 - current members)	Leaders at the plate (2012 - current members)
Average: Ortiz (.318)	Average: Jeter (.316)
Homers: Saltalamacchia (25)	Homers: Granderson (43)
RBI: Pedroia (65)	RBI: Granderson (106)
Leaders on the mound (2012 - current members)	Leaders on the mound (2012 - current members)
Wins: Buchholz/Doubront  (11)	Wins: Hughes/Kuroda (16)
ERA: Buchholz (4.56) | Tazawa (1.43)	ERA: Pettitte (2.87) |Soriano (2.26)
K's: Doubront (167)	K's: Sabathia (197)

Last time

The Red Sox were swept in New York to close out the season. New York out-scored the Sox 28-7 in the final series for the final kick in the nuts. 

This time

Laser Show: Jackie Bradley Jr.

One of the hottest bats in the spring and everyone is pretty high on him. I doubt he will continue the tear that he was on in Ft. Myers, but I feel he is going to kick off the regular season on a hot streak.

Pitch Around: Kevin Youkilis

It is pretty weird putting Youk's name in this category, especially in a Yankees series. He is the only dominant, or sort of dominant, bat in the lineup. The Yankees are stretched thin and Youk is their biggest threat, for now.

Don't Fall Behind: CC Sabathia

For obvious reasons. 

How we see it goin' down

Everyone, or almost everyone, is pretty low on the Sox to start the season.Who can blame them? The Yankees are in a terrible situation, plagued with injuries and age, giving the Sox the upper-hand to kick off the 2013 season. I may be too optimistic, though I feel a 2-1 series win for the Sox. All they need to do is get at least one win in the first series to regain some respect.

Buster Olney makes boldest JBJ claim yet

Sox fans and to some degree the wider universe of baseball fans have become quite smitten with Jackie Bradley, Jr. His banner year in the minors last year, leading up to him stealing spring training with his five-tool skills, finds Bradley at the center of the debate as to what the Sox should do with him right now, with everyone weighing in. I'll leave that alone, because you've already read a thousand arguments about that, including a few on our site.

The latest is Buster Olney, who was a guest on WEEI's midday show Mut and Merloni. Buster was asked what to do with JBJ (he'd leave him in the minors), and then was asked what big-leaguer Bradley most closely resembled. His answer: Future Hall of Famer and Patron Saint of Baseball Derek Jeter.

“He is a blessing for the Red Sox, in terms that they have this type of player with this type of personality at the beginning of the year,” Olney said. “He’s so mature. He looks like he’s going to be their version of Derek Jeter, he really does. I don’t mean as a player — I mean in terms of being able to handle things when he gets up.”

Even with the "don't mean as a player" caveat, it's quite a compliment. When anyone is pressed to describe the ultimate pro, the answer is almost always Derek Jeter. And that's great for us -- if Bradley is really that mature, that much of a leader, possessor of that many intangibles, he's going to be an important figure for the team. It's also a pretty lofty goal to reach. I'll take mature kid, solid player. We don't have to start expecting him to be consummate winner, future Hall of Famer.

But still, it's great to hear that we're replacing some of the trash we got rid of last year with some decent human beings. And if he's that great of a human being, all the more reason to make sure we hold on to as many arbitration years as possible (sorry, couldn't resist).

A-Rod headlines list of clients at Miami PED broker

If you weren't sick of PED talk enough after the sham of Hall of Fame voting we just witnessed, get ready for more. A Miami New Times (which sounds like a fictional newspaper from Back to the Future) report says that a number of pro athletes were on the client list at Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic in Miami that is under fire for providing human growth hormones to customers. 

Among the athletes named are Alex Rodriguez, Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera, and Yasmani Grandal, all of whom have been caught or suspended for steroid use in the past. Other notables include Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez, and a number of coaches.

First of all: Innocent until proven guilty, etc.

But beyond that, would it really surprise anyone that A-Rod continued to juice beyond 2003 (when he said he stopped)? His body hasn't changed...except that he developed a degenerative hip condition, which is a red flag (/looks at Mike Napoli, and, sadly, Mike Lowell). He maintained his performance into his mid-30s, with 30 homers at age 34. Only the aforementioned hip situation has slowed him down.

I know as Red Sox fans we should be smug and laughing about this, but it's actually probably a bad thing for us. As Buster Olney pointed out in his blog this morning (Insider), this situation might allow the Yankees to pursue voiding Rodriguez's contract, which is a Crawfordian albatross. We already know A-Rod will miss much (or perhaps all) of this season...and he's still got four years and $100+ million after that. After a year off, plus a potential suspension coming, plus (presumably) taking himself off PEDs, we could be seeing a pretty serious decline in which the Yankees get next to nothing for that money. If they get out of it, that's a huge benefit for our rivals.

Besides, it's not like we should be very confident that the Red Sox are all clean. David Ortiz was semi-busted, said he'd get to the bottom of it, and then never spoke about it again. Manny (who is also linked to this story) was caught something like 600 times. It's easy to speculate about Lowell and Napoli due to their hips, or Varitek or Nomar due to their bulking up -- or really anyone. 

But then again, it is A-Rod, who is among the more detestable professional athletes in my lifetime. So I won't criticize you if you want to have a chuckle at his expense.

Update, 1:00 pm: Rodriguez, through a spokesman, has issued a complete denial of all accusations.

Youk verbally agrees to deal with Yankees

It is almost official, Kevin Youkilis has verbally agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract. Yeah, $12 million for one year.

Former Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis has verbally agreed to become a New York Yankee, according to sources.

The deal is expected to be for one-year and $12 million, according to officials with knowledge of the talks.

Youkilis, who will turn 34 in March, will play third base for the Yankees in place of the injured Alex Rodriguez. In 2012, Youkilis hit .235 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in 111 games. After feuding with then-Boston manager Bobby Valentine, Youkilis spent most of the season with the Chicago White Sox.

Classic desperation move by the Yankees. A-Rod goes down and they pay well above market for a replacement.

I have always been a fan of Youk, but he is on such a steep decline and they still threw $12 million at him.

I'm sure there will be plenty of boos when Youkilis takes the plate at Fenway for the first time as a New York Yankee. None of them will be from me, that is, if I am in attendance. There or not, I have no problem with him going to the Yankees. New York showed interest in Youk over a week ago and there were talks of an offer to him. He didn't respond right away, making it obvious he was waiting for other offers. No one else showed interest and he got overpaid by the only team that offered him anything. Plus, he was shipped out of Boston, so he didn't leave the Red Sox to join the Yankees. I bet he would have come back to Boston over New York If the Red Sox were interested.

No matter how any of us feel, he is a Yankee, and we are going to hate him. Some will more than others.

Your Morning Dump...where Ellsbury is still the most important decision

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.

Depending on how you value Ellsbury, there are two ways to view this option. One, the Red Sox should trade him now before his stock drops further as his MVP-caliber season goes farther into the rear-view mirror. Two, they should keep him and let him rebuild value in the first half rather than sell low following the disappointing year he just had. It’s worth noting that if Ellsbury is traded at the deadline, his new team wouldn’t be able to recoup draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. That will factor into trade talks.

Determining a proper return given the last few years is very tough. Is this a situation like Matt Holliday, who was a legit star when he was traded from the Rockies to the Athletics? Is he the inconsistent Melky Cabrera going from the Royals to the Giants? Is he worth more in a deal than Shin-Soo Choo? The Red Sox have a number of holes on the big league roster and could fill one or two (or three?) by moving Ellsbury this winter. There’s no shortage of teams in need of a center fielder, especially one who has demonstrated the ability to be an impact player.

Fangraphs | Jacoby Ellsbury's three outcomes

Mike Axisa covers the Red Sox' options with Jacoby Ellsbury (much like I did here a few weeks back) and essentially concludes that the team should either sign him long term or trade him. He doesn't come out and say it, but if you read the piece it sounds like he most advocates trading Jacoby.

It all comes down to -- like with virtually any roster move -- what people are willing to pay. If you can find anyone to compensate you for a near-MVP-level performance, I think you have to do it. If the wider market sees him as inferior to Shin-Soo Choo, then we have issues.

Probably the Sox' best move is to lay low and deny they want to trade him (check), and monitor the BJ Upton market carefully. Let's say the Nationals (as widely suspected) court Upton pretty significantly, but at the last second the Yankees swoop in and give him $90 million. Next day, Ben should call up the Nationals and see what they'd part with to get Ellsbury, and maybe their willingness to fill that role will result in a better package coming Boston's way.

Herald | AL East breakdown: Tampa Bay Rays at start line | Globe | No wonder the Red Sox love Mike Napoli | CSNNE | Wakeup call: Crawford may be ready for Opening Day | ESPNBoston | Source: Red Sox taking hard look at Napoli