Unbeaten Buchholz

Since the White Sox have revealed themselves as Jon Lester's kryptonite, and the Red Sox nearly got no-hit last night (even as often-struggling Felix Doubront had a surprisingly solid night), we turn to Clay Buchholz to avoid getting swept. The Red Sox have been swept only once this season, against the first place Rangers in Texas, and nobody wants to repeat that experience - especially at the hands of the fourth place, under .500 White Sox.

After Lester's less-than-impressive performance on Monday, Buchholz is the last unbeaten pitcher in the Red Sox rotation, with a current record of 6-0. It's been rocky at times for Buchholz, not really because of anything he's done wrong, but because some of the people watching can't believe he's so good.

But thankfully, all of the ridiculous cheating accusations have faded away, and anyone whose opinion matters in baseball will tell you that Buchholz isn't doctoring the ball, he's just mowing down batters with sheer talent. Hopefully he'll keep that going tonight, because it's one thing to get swept by the Rangers, and quite another to suffer the same fate at the hands of the White Sox.

Lester stumbles in Chicago

For a few wonderful moments in the top of the seventh inning, it looked like the Red Sox bats were going to bail out Jon Lester. With the Red Sox trailing 6-2 to the White Sox, Will Middlebrooks came to the plate with nobody out and two men on base, and doubled to left field scoring David Ortiz and Mike Napoli.

Sadly, four runs were all the Red Sox could muster, and it wasn't enough on a night when Jon Lester didn't have it. It's something of a pattern for Lester against Chicago's AL team, as the lefty is just 4-5 in his career with a 5.43 ERA in ten starts - much below his career stats against all teams, 91-49 with a 3.73 ERA.

It's actually reassuring that Lester has a pattern of mediocrity against the White Sox - I'd much rather have him predictably struggle against this one team than have last night's performance be a harbinger of things to come. A one-time poor start that can be explained is preferable to a mysterious downward spiral any day of the week, and though Lester's chokefest seriously damaged my fantasy stats, I'm confident that he'll make it up to me in his next outing.

Red Sox sweep Twins

After a four-game sweep of the Twins, the Red Sox head to Chicago to face the White Sox. We were going through a bit of a rough patch for a while, but in the last week the Red Sox have won five of six games, boosting their season record to 27-17, just a half game behind the Yankees in the AL East.

Yesterday's game was particularly strange, as it spanned about six hours in order to accomodate a three hour rain delay after the top of the seventh inning. John Lackey got the win, going six innings and allowing just one hit - the run he gave up was unearned.

Three hours after Lackey tossed his final pitch, Andrew Miller took the mound for the seventh inning, before handing the ball off to Koji Uehara for the eighth, and then Junichi Tazawa for the ninth. The three gave up a combined four hits, one walk, and earned six strikeouts in the final three innings.

On the offensive side of things, Dustin Pedroia hit his second home run of the season, and Will Middlebrooks hit his eighth, leading the Sox to a 5-1 win. It's certainly nice to be back on track, and the  White Sox shouldn't provide too much of a stumbling block as the Red Sox try to keep their momentum going.

Boo Youk?

Kevin Youkilis and the New York Yankees have agreed on a one-year, $12 million deal.  Youk passed up two years/$18 million to head to Cleveland (and back to former Red Sox manager Terry Francona) to sign with the Bronx Bombers for one year - but a better chance at postseason play.

Kevin Youkilis hasn't played for Boston since June, but before he was traded to the White Sox he had played 953 games for the Red Sox over nine seasons, starting in the legendary 2004 season.  Youk gained fame with the publication of the book Moneyball which reported he was coveted by the obsessive A's GM Billy Beane, who had dubbed the then-minor leaguer "The Greek God of Walks."

Youkilis is Jewish, not Greek, but his on-base percentage was as advertised, and his power numbers consistently improved over his first few seasons in Boston until he was less of an on-base machine and more of a homerun-threat who could work the count.

In 2008, Dustin Pedroia won the American League MVP Award, but there were many who felt that Youk had outshone Pedey on the field - Youkilis finished third in voting for the award.

When Youk was dealt to Chicago this summer, I was pretty bummed. I wore my Kevin Youkilis shirt the day after the trade, because Youk has been among my favorite players for a long time, and I swore to always root for him.

And now, after that brief stint with the White Sox, Youkilis will head back east to the Evil Empire.  I've often said that Kevin Youkilis is the kind of player that you love having on your team, but find unbearable when he plays for your opponent. The way he takes every pitch personally is endearing when he's on your side, but exasperating otherwise - even teammate and enigma Manny Ramirez thought Youk often went too far, leading to a dugout altercation in 2008.  Personally, I'll be rooting for him to do well in New York - even as I hope the Yankees lose as often as possible.

Will Red Sox fans boo Kevin Youkilis when he returns to Fenway Park in pinstripes on Friday, July 19th? Even if they do decide to boo, will he even be able to tell the difference between such noises of derision and the admiring "YOUUUUKKKKK" he always heard when heading to the plate?

Peavy's Sox staying White

I've seen some Red Sox fans howling on Twitter today about Jake Peavy's two-year, $29 million dollar deal with the White Sox.  It seems that some of you were hoping he'd be wearing Sox of a different hue come spring training - but Peavy is a much better fit for Chicago than Boston, and it's actually a blessing that he's staying put.

Peavy's psychological background does not peg him as a man who would or could embrace the unique pressures and stresses that come with playing in Boston, and for obvious reasons, the Red Sox brass is (thus far) steering clear of any big name free agents.  Hopefully they keep this strategy with the other big name free agent out there, Josh Hamilton, another guy who has a questionable makeup as far as Boston is concerned.

Far better for the Red Sox to focus on retaining players who have proven that they can perform in Boston, such as David Ortiz (who reprotedly has a deal in the works) or the pleasantly surprising Cody Ross (no word on a deal with him).

I think we can all be pretty confident that the Red Sox won't be handing out many blockbuster contracts in the near future; the Dodgers won't always be foolish enough to take every failed contract off our hands.  What do you all think will happen this offseason? Who do you think might end up in Fort Meyers come February?

Kevin Youkilis: Dream Crusher

When I said I wished nothing but the best for Kevin Youkilis in his post- Red Sox career, I was hoping to see things play out more like Monday night than last night.  Monday saw Youk step to the plate to an emotional and well-deserved standing ovation from the Fenway Faithful, then promptly go 3-for-4 while scoring Chicago's only run in the Red Sox victory.

Last night, Jon Lester and the Red Sox were powerless to stop the bleeding, as Lester couldn't even make it five innings.  Youkilis had another successful night, hitting a three-run blast off of his former teammate - this time able to enjoy a win.

I will always love Kevin Youkilis: he was coming into his own as a Red Sox just as I was reaching maturity as a person and a Sox fan, and he plays the game the right way.  But is it really to much to ask that he go 0-for-5 after we cheer for him?  I'm perfectly happy to see him hit .500 against the rest of the AL (particularly the East), so long as he can temper that a bit when in Boston.

I know he's not the kind of player to let up for even a second, so I guess I'll have to have some confidence in the Red Sox pitching staff (something in short supply lately) to shut Youk and his new crew down tonight.

Missing You(k) Already

I've watched Kevin Youkilis' entire career in the Red Sox organization. I saw the kid with the funny batting stance playing third for the Portland Seadogs:

I read Moneyball where he gained national attention as Billy Beane's wet dream: the Greek God of Walks.  I watched him transform from an on-base machine to a power hitter and legitimate MVP contender (as much as I love Pedey, Youk might have deserved it more in 2008).  He earned a Gold Glove in 2007, and set a defensive record in 2008 (though it has since been broken) with 2,002 error-less fielding attempts.

And through it all, Youkilis was a Dirt Dog. He played the game with grit and hustle, and with some foresight of the new NESN marketing quip: every pitch, every play, every hit, every game matters.

It mattered so much to Youkilis that his teammates sometimes got annoyed at his overflowing passions and outbursts of anger when something went wrong.  We all remember the June 2008 game where Manny Ramirez, reportedly tired of Youk's helmet tossing and bat-slamming after every unsuccessful at-bat, actually took a swing at the then-first baseman, and the two had to be restrained by other teammates.

But the fans loved Youkilis for that very reason: he cared about every game the way we care about every game - viscerally, passionately, and whole-heartedly.  On the opposite end of fan scapegoats like JD Drew, who get in trouble for the lack of emotion, Youkilis was a hardnosed player who the fans could relate to.

As much popularity as players like Jacoby Ellsbury enjoy, they seem somewhat out of reach, like they're not quite real.  In addition to being a hugely talented multimillionaire, Ells is also an attractive Goldenboy, while Youkilis just seems so much more relatable. Though he's even wealthier than Ells, Youk wouldn't look out of place on a construction site, or at a family reunion - he seems down to earth despite enjoying successes most people never dream of.

I wore a Kevin Youkilis jersey to work today, in memory of the good times, and multiple people asked me about it. We were all on the same page: it was time for the Greek God of Walks-turned-All Star to bow out and make room for the next rookie sensation, but there was a sense of nostalgia in each short exchange.  The beginning of Youk's career in Boston coincided with the Reversal of the Curse, ushering in some of the best years in recent Red Sox memory, and he will always be inexorably tied to those memories.  I wish him nothing but the best over in Chicago - he deserves it.

Even though this will never look quite right.

World Baseball Classic 2009

So, contrary to what I said in the last post, there are actually fifteen Sox players on tentative WBC rosters.

Dominican Republic: David Ortiz and Ramon Ramirez

United States: Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia

Japan: Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima

Canada: Jason Bay and George Kottaras*

Puerto Rico: Mike Lowell and Javier Lopez

The Netherlands: Dennis Neuman*

South Africa: Justin Erasmus*

Chinese Taipei: Chih-Hsien Chiang*

Panama: Angel Chavez*

Australia: Mitchell Dening*

* denotes minor league player

Fifteen players from ten countries is pretty impressive.  Also participating from the Red Sox is Jon Deeble, a scout, who will manage for Australia.  However, it is important to note that the more players participate in the Classic, the more disrupted Spring Training could be.  Assuming for a moment that both Mike Lowell and David Ortiz are healthy enough to compete so early [doubtful, especially in Lowell's case], the Sox Spring Training could be short nine contributors from the presumptive Major League roster.  If you believe that such a shortage might adversely affect the team's performance over the season, it might be instrumental to take a look at WBC participation among rival American League teams.

Yankees:  The newly retooled team to the south currently has thirteen players on provisional rosters, representing six countries, but most are minor leaguers.  The participants off of their Major League roster include Derek Jeter [US], Alex Rodriquez, Melky Cabrera, and Robinson Cano [Dominican Republic].  On one hand, this bodes well for the Sox: they have more established star power that will be competing early.  However, it cannot be overlooked that the Yankees will have a more normal Spring Training.

Rays:  The reigning American League champs have eight players in the WBC, all part of the Major League club, and all important contributers.  The Rays represent six countries: Australia [Grant Balfour], Mexico [Matt Garza], Japan [Akinori Iwamura], Venezuela [Dioner Navarro], DR [Carlos Pena], and USA [JP Howell, Scott Kazmir, and Evan Longoria].  This is especially worrisome for the rays, since their offseason has been shorter than both the Red Sox and the Yankees.

Angels:  The AL West Champion Angels have fifteen players representing nine countries.  Major contributers to the Major League Club include Joe Saunders, Scot Shields, and Brian Fuentes [USA].

White Sox:  President Obama's favorite team will send seven players, most notably Carlos Quentin, AJ Pierzynski, Matt Thornton, and John Danks all playing for the United States.

At first glance, the clubs most impacted by the Classic will be Boston and Tampa Bay, coincidentally the two teams that went furthest into the Postseason [Boston losing to Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the ALCS; Tampa Bay bowing out to Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series].  We already knew that the AL East would be the toughest in baseball next year, and the WBC will only make the stories that much more interesting.