Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump... Where Lester changes the momentum

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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.

The one-hitter, the complete game, the shutout, the perfect game through 52⁄3 innings, the six-pitch first inning, the pinpoint command of his fastball, the ground balls and weak swings he got on his two-seam fastball and changeup, his exploitation of an all-jacked-up-on-Mountain-Dew Blue Jays lineup: There was a great deal to admire about Jon Lester’s performance at Fenway Park last night.

Above all else, however, was that Lester put a stop to a Red Sox three-game slide and 3-6 start to May that was beginning to feel like a premature June swoon.

Last night, Lester bent down, picked the team up, and for at least one shining moment, reminded us all in a 5-0 win that this team can look like (and just may be) a very good team — especially when it gets starting pitching like that.

In a season in which Lester has been very good but Clay Buchholz has been a bit better, Lester put out his best effort when the team needed it the most.

That’s what stoppers do.

Herald - John Lester’s gem just what staggering Red Sox needed

As I stated in my recap last night, the best part of Lester's performance is that it whitewashes all the other nonsense surrounding the team at this moment.  I know it's only temporary.  The Sox have another game to play today.  Guys are still hurt.  Shaughnessy isn't going to just let himself fade from the spotlight; he'll try to keep dragging this Ortiz-PED thing around for a while longer, despite the fact that NO ONE wants to have that conversation right now.   

Now it's up to everyone else to keep that momentum going.  The Sox have to feel pretty good heading into today's game.  Buchholz is taking the mound, having thrown 7 innings of 2 hit ball against the Jays just 10 days ago.  You can't expect those types of numbers every time you face a team, but his confidence has to be pretty high.

It's really up to the offense to start picking up their play.  Hits haven't been a problem for them, it's getting those men home.  A large chunk of that has to fall on Papi's shoulders.  After coming out of the gates blazing, he hasn't had a multi-hit game all month (or any hits over his past 13 at-bats).  Napoli, who was an RBI machine the first month of the season is struggling to drive in runs too.  He has 5 RBIs in May, but 4 of those came on May 1st.  Those two guys are the key to making this work.

Rest of the links:

Herald - David Nava stepping up to star role | Jon Lester 1-hitter puts punctuation on win | Globe - Jon Lester nearly perfect in Red Sox’ 5-0 win over Blue Jays | Hanrahan weighing decision on surgery | WEEI - Jon Lester’s nearly perfect game highlights pitching growth since 2008 | Source: Will Middlebrooks playing with separated rib | CSNNE - Stars nearly align for Lester in one-hitter | Game Day Notes: Salty will have changeup nightmares

Recap: Sox win 5-0; Lester throws near-perfect gem

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Jon Lester must watch Mad Men.  He took the mound tonight for a team that had lost 6 of 7.  Doubront is crumbling.  The closers are on the DL.  Fans are already losing faith. Clay Buchholz is being scrutinized for having a shiny arm.  CBH is single-handedly shining the PED spotlight on David Ortiz.  A clubhouse that a few days ago was surrounded in nothing but positivity is not battered with negative stories, angles, and doubt.

But as Don Draper once said (and Peggy Olson recently repeated), "If you don't like what's being said, change the conversation.”

9 IP 1 H 0 BB 5 K's That's all anybody will be talking about tomorrow.  Consider the conversation changed. The bullpen needed another day of rest.  The starters needed something to feel positive about.  The clubhouse needed a win.  It took Lester 118 pitches to accomplish all that. 

On the flip side of the field, the Sox offense continues to get on base (10 hits and 5 walks), but are struggling to bring men home.  Sure, they scored 5 runs, but they left men stranded in 7 innings, highlighted (lowlighted?) by Papi leaving 5 men on in his 3 hitless at-bats (he did draw a walk).  His average is nosediving towards .300.

Victorino, Pedroia, Salty and Middlebrooks all had 2 hits and all drove in a run except Victorino.  Nava had a 2 RBI double of his own.   

Buchholz takes the mound against Mark Buehrle tomorrow.  Clay 2 hit the Jays over 7 innings late time (and was so sharp they accused him of cheating), so let's hope he can keep build off of Lester's amazing night.

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Your Morning Dump...where the Sox are slumping

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.

The Red Sox have now lost six of their last seven games on the heels of last night's defensive blunders versus the Twins.

The Red Sox have proven they can win as frontrunners. But now that we know they won’t be going wire-to-wire atop the American League East, it’s time to see if they’re mentally tough.

They’re currently experiencing their first bout with adversity, though it’s by no means paralyzing.

They’ve placed two closers on the disabled list, endured scrutiny of Clay Buchholz’ skincare choices, and defended David Ortiz against a columnist’s suggestion that he’s using steroids.

They’ve also concurrently lost 6-of-7, including a 5-3 setback to the Twins last night that swung on John Lackey’s throwing error.

The Red Sox are being tested, but if they think this is real adversity, they may as well just forfeit the rest of the season, because this barely registers as a blip on the EKG, particularly when compared to the trials of their division rivals.

The Yankees opened with over half a billion dollars worth of talent on the disabled list. They then watched a number of their replacements succumb to injury. But even without Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson — not to mention Kevin Youkilis, Francisco Cervelli and Joba Chamberlain — the New Yorkers have found a way to claim a percentage-point lead in the division.

Typical of their early efforts: they won a one-run game this week at Colorado with their pitcher batting eighth and Gold Glove outfielder Vernon Wells playing third base for the first time in his life and recording a key out in the ninth inning.

That’s adversity and a half, and the Yankees haven’t wilted. Can the Red Sox do the same?

Herald: Can Sox take the heat?

We all know of the hot start the Red Sox got off to this season. Fans were beyond impressed and many eyes were opened as to the miraculous turnaround of this team.

However, most of us knew that the winning ways couldn't continue at the pace they were playing in April. Many thought a slump may be coming and had Texas circled on the schedule as a possibility, which came to fruition. But the Twins? At home? Come on guys!

The fact that fifteen runs were allowed the other night to this offense is atrocious. The errors and boneheaded plays (cough, cough Lackey) was the icing on the cake to this slump.

But that's what every team in baseball does. They slump; it's only normal. It will be interesting to see if this club can overcome such adversity. Let's hope they do so before June comes around, where they have their hardest stretch of the year. Otherwise, they could be in trouble.

Rest of the links - Globe: Defense springs a leak | Globe: Hanrahan place on 60-day disabled list; season in doubt | Herald: John Lackey error opens floodgates; Sox end up all wet | Herald: Will Middlebrooks, David Ross back off close encounter | Herald: Papi’s bat still painful to Twins | Herald: Sox tagged with bad momentum | CSNNE.com: Red Sox undone by Lackey's error | Projo: Finding a good closer can be a mental exercise

Recap: Lackey error undermines a solid start in Sox loss to Minnesota

The Sox lost their third in a row and sixth out of seven, dropping Thursday night's contest 5-3 to the Twins in a soggy Fenway.

Starter John Lackey turned in yet another impressive start, although his final line doesn't look special: He gave up five runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out eight and walking one. The key number I left out of that list: just one of the five runs was earned.

However, it is ultimately Lackey's fault: In the 6th inning up 2-1 with one out and two on, Lackey induced a comebacker that should have been an easy double play. Lackey didn't set his feet properly and in turning to fire the ball to Dustin Pedroia at 2nd, let the ball fly into the outfield, scoring a run. If anyone would like to send Lackey a Tom Emanski video on fundamentals, he could probably use it.

A sacrifice fly by Ryan Doumit followed, and you could see Lackey unravel as his next pitch was right in Oswaldo Arcia's wheelhouse (did you know Oswaldo Arcia had a wheelhouse?). Arcia crushed it into the pen, and four runs were in on the inning.

With the Twins up 5-2, the Sox got a run back off a Daniel Nava single, but that's all they could pull together. The bats weren't altogether quiet -- they did generate nine hits on the game -- but the lineup couldn't put together sustained success for an inning. They looked poised to come back in the 9th with Jacoby Ellsbury on 1st and nobody out, but Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia struck out looking on very similar pitches (both of which they objected to), and David Ortiz grounded out to 1st.

With all the handwringing about the bullpen, it's worth pointing out that Lackey spared the team much use of the 'pen, was strong throughout the game, and that Koji Uehara and Craig Breslow were both sharp in their innings. But it's hard to feel too positive giving the tailspin the team is currently in.

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Clay Buchholz is not using sunscreen and rosin

I'm ready for this story to be over, along with everyone else except a couple of dumb ass Toronto radio personalities.

Clay Buchholz is saying he wasn't using sunscreen, though he has used it in the past, for sunny day games. You know, to be safe.

Herald:

“I’ve used it in the past, but that wasn’t on my arm at any time this season,’’ Buchholz said. “Day games, you put sunscreen on. That’s what you do. You put sunscreen on.”

He said the issue boils down to slick baseballs.

“If nobody has ever touched a Major League Baseball, most of the time it’s really slick for the simple fact they rub it with that mud, and when it sits in a bag all it feels is like a ball of dust,’’ Buchholz said. “If it’s going to your mouth and wiping it off to get a grip on the ball, or going to your arm because you have rosin on your arm, or put the rosin on your arm, that’s what it’s meant for.’’

Clay is ready to put this in the past, and it may be playing a bit of a game in his head. He is letting it get to him instead of just shaking it off.

David Ross weighed in too:

“I don’t really know what to say to that,’’ the catcher said. “I know in ‘Major League’ guys were accused of putting jalapeno on their nose and rubbing snot on the ball. I don’t know where they’re getting the sunscreen from, but if (Yahoo) has any tips for our guys, we’d love to hear what works better, like BullFrog or what SPF might work better.

“We’re just trying to win ballgames here, not worry about how bright the sun is or what SPF we need.”

Hey, David, maybe you should be a little more concerned about what SPF you need. That July sun is brutal.

Your Morning Dump...Where Hanrahan is looking for a second opinion

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.

Now three days after walking off the mound with a strained right forearm, closer Joel Hanrahan continues to feel so much soreness that he’s having trouble gripping a baseball.

And so the Red Sox are seeking the opinions of two noted orthopedic surgeons.

The images from Hanrahan’s MRI exam have been sent to Dr. James Andrews and Dr. David Altchek. Based on the findings of the Sox’ medical staff, the MRI didn’t indicate structural damage to the elbow but confirmed a strain of the flexor mass, where the tendon meets the joint.

According to Hanrahan, there’s some question over whether the damaged tendon has been protecting the ligament as it’s supposed to. If the ligament has been affected, surgery may be a possibility, although the Sox hope that is an extreme scenario.

“That’s one of the things they’re looking at, to see how that ligament looks,” Hanrahan said. “I think you could probably go through this clubhouse and look at everybody’s ligament and it’s not going to be like a 12-year-old’s ligament. So that’s one thing they’ll look at, to see if that ligament has been compromised.”

The Red Sox expect to hear from Andrews and Altchek today. In the meantime, Hanrahan has been icing his arm and riding the exercise bike.

Herald: Notebook: Joel Hanrahan seeks second opinions

We all knew there would be a point in the season when Andrew Bailey would miss some time due to injury. Possibly extended time. And, that has happened.

Joel Hanrahan sucked a bit, missed some time, Andrew Bailey impressed, Hanrahan returned to eventually get his job back, now Junichi Tazawa is the man in the 9th inning. No one expected this situation.

Now Dr. James Andrews is in the picture, even though he is the best in the biz, we shouldn't expect a good outcome in terms of a timely return. This injury is worse than initially thought and the Sox are down both of their closers.

I guess losing 2 closers doesn't matter much because we haven't seen many save situations lately. This team is looking awful.

Related: Globe: Hanrahan seeking a second opinion | WEEI: Dr. James Andrews looking at Joel Hanrahan's arm images |

On Page 2, Did Adrian Gonzalez make David Ortiz a better hitter?

Webster struggles, Twins blowout Sox 15-8

What started out as a promising, classic battle of offenses, turned into an absolute pitching debacle. Unfortunately, the Red Sox were on the wrong end tonight.

Allen Webster was promoted from the minors again, hoping to follow up his previous encouraging start. This was also considered to be a possible test to see if he may be a suitable replacement for Felix Doubront. Everything started out great, as he struck out Twins' lead-off hitter Jamey Carroll on three pitches. However, that was pretty much the highlight of Webster's night. The wheels came off and all of a sudden, Webster allowed eight earned runs in one and two-thirds innings. Not a promising start for Webster, who will surely be headed to Pawtucket to further work out the kinks.

The man who was originally scheduled to start, Doubront, came on in mop-up duty; yet he didn't quite do himself any favors. His final line: twelve hits, six earned runs, two walks, and four strikeouts in five and a third-innings. I realize that the game was pretty much out of hand at this point, but Doubront could have been on a mission to earn his keep in the rotation. Rather, he laid an egg and looked like he could care less about it. Very discouraging to see from a youngster.

The offense was encouraging in the first inning, as they battled back from a 4-0 deficit. Shane Victorinio's bunt single, followed by Dustin Pedroia's single and Mike Napoli's walk, loaded the bases for Jonny Gomes. Gomes has struggled thus far and has lost playing time as a result. However, he may have earned some further opportunites as he cleared the bases with a grand slam to tie it up. Stephen Drew drove in another run and gave the Sox the 5-4 lead.

But again, it came down to the pitching and this game got away quick. This was certainly a game the Red Sox hope to move on from and hope that Allen Webster can regain his confidence.

The Sox wrap up this series with the Twins tomorrow. John Lackey takes the mound for the home team and opposes Kevin Correia. First pitch is at 7:10pm.

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Buchholz is preventing skin cancer while getting a better grip

 

It looks like we have found an answer to what is on Clay's arm. Sunscreen and rosin. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has done some research, and has found out that nearly every pitcher in the league does it.

Two veteran pitchers and one source close to the Red Sox told Yahoo! Sports that about 90 percent of major league pitchers use some form of spray-on sunscreen – almost always BullFrog brand – that when combined with powdered rosin gives them a far superior grip on the ball.

"Sunscreen and rosin could be used as foundation for houses," one American League pitcher said. "Produces a tack, glue-like substance that engineers would be jealous of."

[...]

 

MLB says the balls, dirtied up with Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud, are the same as ever.

"There have been no changes to our procedures for the preparation of baseballs," MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said, adding that "we would look into any foreign substance that's being used to doctor a ball."

Seeing as sunscreen is neither foreign nor changing the properties of a ball, BullFrog users look to be safe for now. And good thing.

Now that makes sense. Getting a better grip on the ball makes sense for Clay's pitching repertoire than greasing the ball up.

I doubt this will lead to the banning of sunscreen. I mean, you need to take all of the necessary steps to prevent skin cancer during extended exposure to the sun. Don't know why he needs it in Toronto when the roof is closed. Oh, that's right, we know exactly why he needs it.

As far as I am concerned, Clay Buchholz is doing a great thing. Preventing skin cancer and getting a better grip on the ball with the use of the sunscreen that is not banned. Might as well do as everyone else is and has been doing...as long as it is legal...

Your Morning Dump...where another day, another injury for the Red Sox

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.

According to Red Sox manager John Farrell, both David Ross and Will Middlebrooks were classified as day-to-day after leaving the Sox’ 6-1 loss to the Twins early Tuesday night. Middlebrooks (right side/ribs) did receive X-rays after exiting the game in the seventh inning.

Both players were injured in the fifth inning while chasing a pop-up in foul ground near the wall just before the visitors dugout. Middlebrooks came up with the catch after the two banged into each other, and the barrier, in their sliding pursuit of the Chris Parmalee foul ball.

WEEI: Middlebrooks, Ross 'day-to-day' after injuries

First the bullpen gets depleted after Bailey & Hanrahan go on the disabled list with arm injuries and now this. John Farrell and the rest of the Red Sox are hopeful that both Ross & Middlebrooks are just day-to-day after that collision. They're calling Ross's injury a bruised quadriceps and are waiting for the results of Middlebrooks' x-rays & CT scan to clear him.

But this injury big isn't anything new to the Sox this season. They already have had eight players on the disabled list nine times in 33 games. (Hanrahan is the one who has been on it twice)  This also doesn't count Shane Victorino and his bad back. He managed to avoid the disabled list, but was out for commission for seven games. 

To make matters worse Sox have one off day for the rest of the month. Of course every team is dealing with injuries but that doesn't make it any better for the Sox. This is an important stretch to help maintain their lead in the AL East and prove that their hot start wasn't a fluke. Hopefully they can just avoid another injury because this is starting to feel like 2010 again. 

Rest of the Links: Globe: Twins get to Red Sox | Dempster wiggles out of tight spots | Herald: Sox sore losers | Hanrahan back on DL | Webster's chance now | CSNNE: It's on the starters | Sox hope Middlebrooks, Ross aren't seriously hurt | Poor defense, lack of offense doom Sox | Doubront will skip one start | WEEI: Insult to injuries  |  Sox call up Webster, Doubront to 'pen for now | 

Recap: Diamond shuts down Sox in 6-1 loss

In a pretty boring 6-1 game in which the Sox got just four its and made three errors, you might expect me to be negative in the post, but I'm going to focus on the positive.

With just-decent starts out of staff leaders Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, uncertainty out of the rest of the rotation, and injuries depleting an otherwise good bullpen, the Red Sox really needed a good start out of Ryan Dempster, and they got it. Dempster struck out eight over seven innings. He did give up four runs, but two were unearned -- you can charge those to Pedro Ciriaco, who made back-to-back errors filling in for Will Middlebrooks at 3rd -- and walked one while scattering five hits.

Dempster did have some disagreements with the home plate umpire here and there (including on a weird balk call in the 5th), but for the most part he pitched efficiently and effectively and allowed John Farrell to not have to dip too deeply into the bullpen. Craig Breslow (who struggled) and Alex Wilson split time in the 8th, and Wilson stayed out for the 9th. What reservations I had about Dempster upon his signing with Boston -- namely his age, career spent in the NL Central, and struggles in Texas last year -- have been erased by performances like these. The guy is a pro, and he stepped up when the team needed him, even if the end result wasn't what we wanted.

The offense was non-existent, as Scott Diamond (insert your own Rihanna joke here, or if you want to dip into last decade you can start humming "Diamonds Are Forever" to yourself) went seven innings, needing just 96 pitches to dispatch Boston hitters. The Sox didn't even perk up until the 9th inning, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a homer over the Monster. Jacoby Ellsbury walked, but Shane Victorino grounded into a double play (well, officially he did; he should have been called safe if you ask me) and killed the momentum. 

Other important notes: Will Middlebrooks and David Ross collided going for a foul ball, and both players were removed from the game (Ross more or less right away, Will later on). Several of the Sox beat guys mentioned that third base is the weakest spot on the Sox' 40-man roster, as there are no other truly dedicated 3Bs on there. Should he miss time, we're going to see a lot of Ciriaco. Middlebrooks has been so bad this year that I'd be cool with him getting some time on the DL even if the injury is marginal, just to give him a breather and maybe work on mechanics, but with so few other options, we'll have to hope his injury isn't too serious.

And manager John Farrell tried really hard to get thrown out, twice complaining to the home plate umpire about a Twins runner being inside the line running down to first base on a play that resulted in an error and two Twins scoring. He had a legitimate complaint (although it wasn't an outrage; he just had an argument) but the umpire refused to consult the first-base umpire, and also refused to run Farrell, despite what appeared to be his best attempts at getting tossed. He's an even-tempered guy.

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