Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Taking Stock: Rays - Sox series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Yeah, I'm grouping everyone together again. They all sucked. No one had more than 2 hits combined in the 2-game series. They combined for 25 strikeouts...25! Not that it matters, but it is nice to have some positive in such a disappointing time. Well, Pedey did reach base 4 times, 2 more than anyone else. Actually, that is not really a positive, that is just sad.

Starting Pitching

Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester have been worse, but they could have been much better. As a whole, the Rays do not have a great offense. Their offense didn't demolish Buchholz and Lester, but they did enough to back the Rays' better asset, their pitching.

Bullpen

Other than Clayton Mortensen's tough outing last night, no one else was touched for runs. Hill, Melancon, and Breslow combined for 9 strikeouts last night. Hey, look at that, some positives.

Managing

Poor Bobby.

 

Overall

Just another series sweep. At least this one was a quick 2 games. Can we just throw up the white flag and just forfeit the final 6 games? I doubt they are going to be much of a spoiler.

Taking Stock: Orioles - Red Sox series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Pedro Ciriaco: Pedro did well at the plate in 2 out of 3 games, which is an improvement of his 1 out of 4 against the Rays.

Scott Podsednik: Now that's the Scott Podsednik we are used to seeing. He hit well from the top and bottom of the lineup.

Dustin Pedroia: Anything is an upgrade to the Tampa series. A pair of doubles, 3 singles, and an RBI was a great way to bounce back from 0-for-16.

Cody Ross: The late-inning heroics in game 3 couldn't make up for the 0-for-10 in the first two games. One good thing to point out regarding the 0-for-10, was Cody only struck out once in that span.

Ryan Lavarnway: He is just not getting it at the plate. it looked as if he was getting it as of late, but he just sunk back into the slump against the Orioles.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: His one hit in the series brought his average up to .228. Slow down there Salty, give other people a shot at the batting crown.

Danny Valencia: His 2-run homer in game 2 was plenty to boost his value. Going 1-for-10 in a series normally warrants the arrow to go the other way, but that 1 hit was farm more than he was contributing during his first stint with the Sox.

James Loney: Just more of the same, mediocre play. His production has dipped since joining the Red Sox.

Daniel Nava: Nava brought some great production to the bottom of the lineup. Too bad it didn't make much of a difference to the outcome.

Jose Iglesias: Jose had the series of his career against the Rays and his value skyrocketed. Anything less than homers and multi-hit games is going to be a hit to the value.

Mauro Gomez: Limited time and limited production. We haven't seen much of Mauro as of late and his numbers have reflected the lack of playing time.

Starting Pitching

Taking Stock: Sox - Rays series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

 

Lineup

Pedro Ciriaco: Pedro's best showing came in game 3. Aside from that, He had a tough time at the plate in the series. I would go into any detail about his play in the outfield.

Jacoby Ellsbury: Jacoby looked great from the 2-spot in the series. After coming in to relieve Ciriaco in center last night, his bat didn't look as good as the previous 3 games.

Dustin Pedroia: Pedey had his struggles with Rays pitching in the series. He did manage to drive in a run by way of a fielder's choice to help his cause while going 0-for-16.

Cody Ross: As usual, he struck out at least once every game this series, but there was more production in between those strikeouts.  

James Loney: Not too bad of a showing against the Rays. Nothing really impressive to point out from the series.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Salty spent most of the series as the DH and he didn't do much of the H'in. Just more of the usual stuff.

Ryan Lavarnway: Still about the same as last series. A couple of productive games with a couple of unproductive games.

Scott Podsednik: Time has caught up with Podsednik as his numbers are continuing to drop. It is tough to keep up a high 300's average as long as he did.

Jose Iglesias: Nothing, followed by nothing, followed by nothing, followed by a...holy s***, a home run! Where the hell did that come from? Not only that, he added a pair of singles. I wouldn't get too excited yet, that type of performance does normally happen overnight. It could be a fluke.

The Bench: There are going to be a lot of new names and we saw a few. Nothing stood out aside from Gomez going 1-for-1 with 2 RBI as a pinch hitter. Mike Aviles wasn't too bad as the third baseman last night.

Starting Pitching

Taking Stock: Sox - Jays series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Jacoby Ellsbury: The same as last series. One good game followed by a couple of just ok games.  I would like to see more than just 1 steal in the series.

Pedro Ciriaco: Not so much for his overall at-bats in the series, but for what he did on the bases. Ciriaco stole 3rd base twice in the series and was not driven in to score a run. He also committed an error, but it didn't change the outcome of game 2.

Dustin Pedroia: Pedey didn't look so good in the first game since the birth of his child. He picked it up in the final game of the series.

Cody Ross: More hits and less strikeouts. It is hard to believe that 4 strikeouts in a series is an improvement.

Ryan Lavarnway: Lavarnway had a big 3-run homer and 4 RBI in game 1 which made up for the 1-for-8 to close out the series.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Salty had another good series, but did not build on the improvement that we saw from him in the Yankees series.

Jose Iglesias: Even though he can't hit, he did make the most of the one time he got on base via a walk. Jose stole second in the game 1 win.

James Loney: He really makes you miss Gonzo at the plate. I like his glove, but the offensive production is far from what we have seen prior to the trade.

Mike Aviles: Still the same old story from Aviles, a hit here and there. His bat is still far better than Iglesias'.

Daniel Nava: It is hard to fault him for not coming through on his failure to produce when he pinch-hit with a 2-2 count. Nava had a great contribution in game 1, but went 0-for-4 with 3 K's in game 2. The contribution in the first game stood out more.

Mauro Gomez: Mauro only played in 1 game and he was impressive. A triple, 2 RBI, and 3 runs scored should have been a ticket to more time in the series.

Starting Pitching

Taking Stock: Yankees - Red Sox series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Jacoby Ellsbury: After a huge game 1 (4-for-5, 2 RBI), Ellsbury went 2-for-9 the rest of the series. It was still better than his performances in the recent past.

Scott Podsednik: I don't know what happened to him. He was a sure thing for every series and then it was a sudden drop in production.

Dustin Pedroia: The most productive batter in the lineup and the only one keeping it consistent. Plus, his wife had a baby. I guess that's a plus.

James Loney: Not that good, not that bad. It could be worse. At least he has a great glove and he has bailed out his share of bad throws.

Cody Ross: The strikeouts are a killer for him. Sure, one of those was very questionable, but the other 5 in the series were not.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: One very good game and one of his usual. That 3-for-3 night on Wednesday with the 9th inning homer was the best he have seen Salty in a long time.

Pedro Ciriaco: For someone who is supposed to be a Yankee killer, he didn't do much killing. 2-for-3 in game 1 was great, then it went downhill. Don't forget about the error on the grounder.

Mike Aviles: Mike got a hit in each game and did very little to impress at the plate. He did get some negative attention, contributing an error in the field.

Daniel Nava: Nava had a pair of hits in his 2 starts in the series, a single and a double that lead to a run. Nothing spectacular.

Jose Iglesias: The usual crap at the plate and an unusual error in game 2. Jose is not making a good case for himself as short stop of the future.

The Bench: We saw very little from Lavarnway and he contributed nothing. Other than Kalish's 1 hit, we didn't see anything from the bench and recent September call-ups.

Starting Pitching

Taking Stock: Jays - Sox series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

 

Lineup

Dustin Pedroia: Pedey wasn't spectacular in the series and did have a hit-less game 2, but 2 homers in the series and the show of determination is a rare sight among this team.

Mauro Gomez: Mauro has not had much playing time as of late. He came in as a pinch hitter for Kalish and went 2-for-2, with a 2-run homer, and RBI single. That is a nice way to make a case for more PT.

Everyone else: I hate to keep doing this, but there is no one (other than Pedey...mostly) that is consistent and making a difference in the lineup. The team was 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the series, a great way to follow up a 3-for-22 series with RISP. Well, it IS an improvement, but it is not good enough.

Starting Pitching

Clay Buchholz was the only Sox' pitcher that gave them a shot to win. Doubront couldn't make it past 4, and Dice-K blew it out of the gate. It is painful to watch the starters.

Bullpen

There were more good performances than bad, but the bad ones stood out. Mortensen, Carpenter, and Hill pitched a great 4 innings in game 1 before Bard gave up a 2-run homer and walked 1. Very similar situation in game 2 when Aceves, Miller, and Melancon pitched a solid 5 2/3. That lead to a 3-hit, 1 run inning for Padilla, then Bailey's 9th where he surrendered a 2 hits, one 3-run homer, and walked one. Tazawa ended the series with a solid 1/3 of an inning. Still, not enough to feel good about the 'pen.

Managing

I have run out of things to say about Bobby, other than I can't wait for his departure from Boston.

 

Overall

They were swept by the Blue Jays, again, and now have sole possession of last place. I'm sure you're feeling great about your Red Sox.

Taking Stock: Red Sox - Mariners series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

I am grouping everyone together, again. As a group, these guys sucked. Pedey went 4-for-7 in the first two games, then finished the series 0-for-3. They had plenty of chances and blew them hard. As a team, they went 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position. All I can do is shake my head.

Starting Pitching

Compared to their performance in Oakland, this looked like a pretty good staff. The starters only gave up 9 runs in the series, and we knew the offense blew their chances. Seattle's lineup is awful and one can make the argument that Red Sox starters could have done better, but I'll take what they did again.

Bullpen

5 innings of scoreless ball. Too bad they can't keep it consistent. Hill had some issues with control in game 1, but they got out of the jam.

Managing

Walk away, Bobby. Just walk away.

 

Overall

They did win a game, so the value should go up, but it hasn't. Starting pitching looked better than they did in the last couple of series, and the offense responded with absolute crap. The value of this team will likely continue to drop for the remainder of the season, barring anything miraculous.

 

Taking Stock: Sox - A's series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Dustin Pedroia: The only player worth watching in the series. Pedey didn't play as if the team has hit rock bottom. How sad is this, Pedroia had more hits than Red Sox runs in the series (6-5).

Everyone else: Big red arrows from this point forward. There is no need to break down everyone else's performances, because they just sucked. The Red Sox were outscored 33-5 in the series. Normally we can fault the pitching, but the Sox' offense was embarrasing.

Starting Pitching

Just when you thought it couldn't get an worse, Red Sox starters gave you that. Dice-K had the longest outing of any starter with his 3.2 innings of work. Are you F'in kidding me? Combined, all 3 starters gave up 17 earned runs to a team who's top batter in terms of average was batting .299 going into the series. Nauseating.

Bullpen

Someone else had to give up the other 16 runs that the A's scored in the series. Although I was pleasantly surprised in the final game when 4 pitchers combined for 4.1 innings, 1 hit, and 6 K's. Still not enough to redeem themselves from the first 2 games.

Managing

(Sigh)

 

Overall

Taking Stock Sox - Angels series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Scott Podsednik: Scott had a tough time in the lead-off spot against the Angels and collected his only two hits of the series from the 9-spot.

Dustin Pedroia: Nothing really impressive other than the hit streak. 3-for-10 is nothing to be upset about, but from the 2 or 3 spot, it would be nice to see more.

Jacoby Ellsbury: Ells came out firing in game 1, going 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, then went 0-for-8 to close out the series.

James Loney: I like what I am seeing from Loney so far. A decent defensive first baseman, and went 5-for-8 in the series including golfing his first homer in a Red Sox uniform.

Ryan Lavarnway: He just doesn't look comfortable at the plate. Lavarnway was expected to be an offensive powerhouse, it looks like we will have to wait a little longer to see it.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Another one of those one good, one bad series. A nice game 1 with the homer and he promptly followed with an 0-for-3 game 3 with 2 K's.

Cody Ross: One single is not going to cut it. He did throw in a pair of strikeouts to contribute to one of the losses.

Jose Iglesias: What a big surprise, Jose Iglesias did not get on base in 8 plate appearances in the series.         

Pedro Ciriaco: His 2-for-13 series is not what we are used to with Pedro. I'm sure he'll pick it up in Oakland.

Mike Aviles: A pretty nice showing from Mike Aviles in games 2 and 3 after having the day off on Tuesday. Hey, Jose, take notes.

Mauro Gomez: Mauro responded well to the news of being named the International League MVP by going 3-for-4 in game 2.

Ryan Kalish: He is just not getting it at the plate.

 

Starting Pitching

Taking Stock: Royals - Sox series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Lineup

Pedro Ciriaco: No matter where he hits in the lineup, he produces...with the exception of game 4. He made up for his game 3 error with the big bat in the series.

Jacoby Ellsbury: This was the best series from Ellsbury since his return from the DL. Ellsbury batted .444 with a homer, pair of doubles and RBI.

Dustin Pedroia: Pedey didn't have a huge series, but did record at least 1 hit in all 4 games. He threw a homer in there for good measure.

Cody Ross: Ross had a tough game 1, but made up for it in the final 3 games of the series. 7-for-13 with 5 RBI in the three games is a nice was to make up for the 0-for-4.

Mauro Gomez: Gomez hasn't played much, so a 4-for-6 with a homer sandwiched by a few hit-less games is enough for a green arrow. It shouldn't be, but I am in a good mood.

Ryan Lavarnway: Nothing impressive, but he did get some hits. Lavarnway has not had the season we expected and maybe a decent series will lead to the return of his power.

Mike Aviles: Mike stuck it to his old club and got his bat going for a few games. In game 4, he sucked.         

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: One good, one bad. It's the Jarrod Saltalamacchia way. Well, it is normally no good, two bad. He has had no luck with consistency with positive offensive numbers.

James Loney: We don't know what we will get from him, or if he will be on this team long-term. It will take another series or two to figure him out.

Scott Podsednik: He's always hittin'. I love this guy.                                                                                       

  The Bench: Lin and Iglesias had such a small sample size, each going 0-for-1, with a total of 6 pitches combined. We'll throw Ortiz in here since he only played in one game, then giving us the bad news of a return to the DL.

Starting Pitching