Game 89 - Red Sox

Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 7
Record: 52-37 (Did Whitney intentionally leave off the Mets' record in his recent post, or was it a Freudian slip related to his misery?)

Hey, the pitching staff did their part in holding the opponent to less than 8 runs, and the offense did its job. Just like it was drawn up in the playbook.

I can't explain how, but I knew the Sox would win this game from the moment the Jays took a 7-3 lead in the 6th inning. I just knew it. I wasn't angry, I didn't shout at the TV, I didn't throw stuff around my living room. I flat-out knew that the Sox were going to come back. And then they did, helped immensely by a pair of Blue Jay fielding miscues and a timely double by David Ortiz.

The Bunger came up huge in the bottom of the 9th, striking out Vernon Wells, Carlos Delgado, and Eric Hinske after allowing a leadoff double to Frank Catalanotto and hitting Howie Clark with two outs. Cast iron cojones on the Korean. Bigtime win for the Sox, and a painful blow to the Jays.

With Kim in the pen, and newly acquired Todd Jones pitching well, it's almost time to say that the bullpen is in pretty good shape for the rest of the season. Add Casey Fossum to the mix - he's pitching rehab assignments right now - and the pen looks pretty tasty. Which means that the arm the Sox need to add is a starter. So, no more Armando Benitez dreams for me. Bring me the head of Kris Benson (and make sure his right arm is attached).

Games 87 - 89 - Mets

Braves 7, Mets 3
Braves 5, Mets 3
Braves 6, Mets 3

I sense some kind of theme here, but I can't quite come up with it. And so the Mets impress with a sweep of Cincy and depress with a sweep to the Braves. Except, it's just not that depressing this time around. There is no rivalry when one of the rivals is catatonic. It seems like a decade ago when the Mets, led by Robin Ventura's grand slam single, were battling it out in the postseason with Atlanta. And even longer ago when the Braves, led by John "Where Am I Now?" Rocker, were whining about New York, failing to sell out playoff games, and rolling over and dying against supposedly inferior opponents every postseason. People, that was only 3 or 4 years ago. And oh, how the landscape has changed since then . . . well, they're not whining about New York, mainly because there's nothing to whine about when you're winning all the time.

No, this time the whining is coming from Tom Glavine. It seems you can take the crybaby pitcher out of Atlanta, but you can't get him to pitch like he's still in Atlanta, just cry like it. The bottom line is that Glavine, more than anyone except maybe Greg Maddux, has been the benefactor of "neighborhood" strikes throughout his illustrious career. Those sliders tailing off the plate are great pitches, just not all strikes. And now that he's not getting the calls, he bitches. And so I reiterate, he should see the good in checks and balances for umpires and praise the concept if he must criticize the current product. This revisit to an ongoing MLB dilemma, coupled with Mr. Russell's worthy detailing of the Mostly-Star Game disaster-in-waiting, makes one wonder how such a huge, high profile operation with millions of dollars being thrown around within it can be run so poorly. Ladies and gentlemen, Major League Baseball is truly our national pastime, if only for the fact that its day-to-day mismanagement models itself after the United States Federal Government. Enjoy.

By the by, more apologies for my repeated absences. This time it's a new house and the accompanying move, one which has left me without the use of television for three days now. (Catch your breath, Rob. Easy now.) Tomorrow the DirecTV guy is supposed to hook us up, and I should be knee-deep in Extra Innings by nightfall. If I had to miss three Mets games, though, I think these three were the ones, don't you?

Game 88 - Red Sox

Red Sox 2, Blue Jays 1 (12)
Record: 51-37

Saw very little about this game, except that Wakefield pitched really well and the Sox ran into another hot starting pitcher in Roy Halladay. This time, though, they toughed it out and picked up the win, as Wake and the bullpen kept the Blue Jays' sliding. 4 runs in 3 games for the league's best offense, so today might be a good time to lay one on the Jaybirds. Even moreso because I'll be watching this one on ESPN2.

Today's New York and Boston papers bring more carping from the Yankees about how upset they are that Pedro drilled Soriano and Jeter on Monday. I'm at once red-assed infuriated and gleeful about the situation. I'm pissed because the Yankees aren't even acknowledging that Clemens threw at Kevin Millar's head on Saturday, and I'm giddy like a little schoolgirl because of Millar and Pedro's public statements in the wake of the series - and the Yankees oddly prissy reaction.

Today's Boston Herald column by Tony Massaroti calls out the Yankees for their childish reaction, from Steinbrenner to Jeter and everyone in between. The piece also quotes Millar,

"The thing I didn't like was Clemens' remarks that players just don't get out of the way of pitches like they used to,'' said Millar, recalling comments that Clemens made following Saturday's Red Sox victory. ``Being a veteran guy, that's a tired remark because he just threw a 95 mph fastball at my face. That's unprofessional. A classy thing to do would have been to call the other (clubhouse) and see how I was doing. That's what I would have expected from a guy like that.

``If Pedro was trying to drill somebody, we'd put somebody in the hospital,'' Millar said. ``I don't understand why it's such a big deal. They're the ones who started ruffling the feathers with a comment like Clemens'. . . . If you want to start that (expletive), well, you know what, I don't want to face Pedro when he's angry.

``Put it this way: In a Clemens-Pedro matchup, see how many times Clemens throws at somebody,'' Millar said. ``I guarantee nine guys in the Yankees lineup would say (to Clemens), `Please don't throw at someone today.' Put together a Clemens-Pedro matchup and we'll see how many times he throws at people.''

The Boston Globe had this from Millar:

''When's the last time he hit?'' Millar said of Clemens. ''Ask him why he didn't take the ball [at Shea Stadium] after the last time he hit [Mike] Piazza in the head.''

Millar suggested the Sox exacted their just revenge. ''You want to hit guys, then hit guys,'' he said. ''But the next guy goes deep, and it's 2-0 Sox. The next thing you know, it's 8-0 Sox.''

What's more, Millar had this message for Clemens: ''Try to beat us for once, instead of [going] five innings and [giving up] eight runs. It's not our fault. Make some pitches.''

Pedro chimed in with the following:

``(Steinbrenner) said he was going to go to the league and I don't have any problem with that,'' Martinez said before the Sox' 2-1, 12-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays last night. ``He might be able to buy the whole league, but he's not going to put any fear in my heart.''

I love this stuff. I love that Millar has become a true force in the Sox clubhouse, a gritty leader who inspires the team's ace to get his back. I love that Pedro continues to show no fear of any man in baseball. I love that the Sox are talking smack to the Yankees, and not backing down from a confrontation that seems certain to play out for the rest of the season. I love that the Yankee organization is whining about being hit instead of taking it like men (and, for the record, both Soriano and Jeter were swinging on the pitches that hit them). I love that Kevin Millar stayed in the game against Clemens and hasn't come out of a game since, while Soriano and Jeter left the game after being hit by Pedro and haven't played since. The Sox may not win the AL East - hell, they may not even make the playoffs - but they've stared down the Yankees and won in terms of toughness.

Spinal Tap III - These Go to 32

Whitney and I have both spent some time, both in this blog and elsewhere, lamenting the mismanagement of major league baseball. It's a testament to the strength of the game's hold on our society that anyone is still a fan of a league that's as poorly run as this one. The latest sledgehammer to the collective fandom is the farce of the 2003 All-Star game.

How is this All-Star game a disaster, even before its played? Let me count the ways:

1. "This time, it counts." That's Fox Sports' catchy slogan to capture the fact that the winning league in the game will be rewarded with home field advantage in the World Series. The implication is that, because something is at stake, the players will try harder, and the managers will manage like it's a real game, and the fans won't risk sitting through 4 hours of baseball without a resolution (see the 2002 All-Star debacle). The last 7 times a series went to a Game 7, the home team won, so home field does mean something, which makes this even worse.

This idea is asinine on so many levels, but let's start with this one: As a fan of the allegedly championship contending Boston Red Sox, I must rely on Lance Carter, Dmitri Young, C.C. Sabathia, and Mike MacDougal to care enough about the result to try to win. If I were a Cardinals fan, I'd be hoping that Aaron Boone, Rondell White, and Mike Williams did the same. These are all fine players, but their teams are toast, so why in hell do they care who gets home field advantage in the series?

2. If it counts, then why are Pedro Martinez, Curt Shilling, Dontrelle Willis, Mariano Rivera, Jim Thome, Mike Mussina, Magglio Ordonez, and Brian Giles not on the field? If it counts, why does MLB see fit to arbitrarily require a representative from each team? You're telling me that Mike Williams and his 6.29 ERA deserves to be on the NL roster more than Willis and his 8-1, 2.08 marks?

3. More importantly, if it counts, then why are the fans the ones selecting the starting lineups? Fans are idiots, at least in the collective, but MLB trusts them to make the right decision on who should start this 'extremely important' game? When I was a kid, I would get 50 ballots at Fenway, and punch the Red Sox player at every position. Now, through the magic of the internet, millions of Japanese fans can do the same thing from 3000 miles away from any major league ballpark. This is how we get Hideki Matsui as the starting centerfielder for the AL. Maybe the fans can vote on which pitches to throw, and when to hit-and-run, too. Don't laugh - I bet Bud and the Gang have thought about it.

4. If it counts, then why did over 100 players not cast ballots, including half of the New York Yankees? Shouldn't MLB have forced players to participate, or make public the names of those who chose not to? Worse, the ones who did particpate didn't understand how the voting worked, which is how Ramon Hernandez was tabbed as the AL backup catcher over Jason Varitek, despite markedly inferior numbers.

The All-Star game is, has always been, and always should be an exhibition. Something as important as the World Series should not be arbitrarily pinned to it. Baseball has been so tone deaf over the past decade, that I'm more resigned than infuriated that they've created this situation, but when the Red Sox face Game 7 in Pac Bell Park in October after Lance Carter gives up a 9th inning homerun to Mike Lowell next week, I'm gonna be pissed.

Games 86 & 87 - Red Sox

Yankees 7, Red Sox 1
Yankees 2, Red Sox 1
Record: 50-37

Generally speaking, I think that most things can be expressed elegantly and clearly without the use of profanity. This is not one of those things. Fuck.

I said a few days ago that I'd be pleased with a split in this series, and I thought at the time that I was telling the truth. And I probably was, at the time. Now, though, the manner in which they achieved the split is gnawing at me. After they dominated the Yankees in the first two games, 3 of 4 seemed nearly certain, especially with Pedro going today. Even after Andy Pettitte beat John Burkett yesterday, I wasn't upset, because a) Pettitte owns the Sox, and (b) the Yankees own Burkett. But today's loss is a kick in the man-parts. Pedro goes 7, strikes out 11, beaned Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter into submission, and still can't get a win, even though Robin Ventura played second and Enrique Wilson manned shortstop for New York. That makes 5 games he should have won if not for lack of support or miserable bullpen work.

So, in short, fuck. We're right back where we started. Off to Toronto to try to pay back the Jays from last month's sweep. And the Sox still need another arm, and everything I said about that situation remains true.

I'll deal with the All-Star situation later, but suffice it to say that it's a bit of a crock when the best offense in the last 25 years only gets two players in the game. Not that I'm all that upset, because most of the Sox will get to rest for a few days.

This Just In – Your 2003 Mets All-Star

If you weren't following along every step of the way, and in all likelihood, you weren't, you'd think that I cheated. You'd have to assume that I went back after the fact and edited my old postings to accurately reflect later events. Well, I didn't. I'm just that good.

On June 25th, I wrote:
"What should Dusty Baker really do? Say F-you to everyone in New York and select their douchebag reliever who finishes games . . . sometimes, depending upon how putrid his pitching is that day."

And who will be the lone (no surprise there) representative for the Metropolitans at the All-Star Game? Your friend and mine, Armando Benitez. [It should be noted that I have lifted the ban on typing his name; I found out that (a) he will never be traded because the new GM enjoys the agony his presence provides me, (b) he found out about the boycott and is expanding the ups and downs of this rollercoaster on purpose, and (c) coming up with new ways to refer to the man besides calling him by name is more work than typing his long-assed name. But I think my point was made.]

To be exact, I think it may have been the players and not Baker responsible for Benitez's inclusion on the All-Star roster, but man, oh, man, did I call that one. And as the talk show callers rant about how idiotic this selection is (it's only slightly less idiotic because the Mets have no clear-cut alternative), I feel no shock and awe, no stunned ire, no perturbed bewilderment. You see, clearly I have a gift, and I caused this mayhem. And my negative forecasts that have all come true were not premonitory; rather, they were supernatural forces at work, altering the future. And so I sit here wondering just how I would like the rest of the season to play out. I think I'll take it one game at a time and see how it goes. Tomorrow the Mets host the Braves; I'm thinking a resounding W-I-N, possibly off formerly unbeatable John Smoltz in the ninth. [I figure I might as well test this sucker out right away.]

Stay tuned.

Games 84 through 86 - Mets

Mets 7, Reds 2
Mets 6, Reds 2
Mets 7, Reds 5
Record: 39-47

What the . . . huh? A three-game sweep on the road? Tom Glavine pitching like the Braves' Tom Glavine? Timo Perez with a leadoff homer? Jaime Cerda with a win? Late-inning rallies? Shutting the door in the 9th? Tony Clark with more key hits and home runs? (Well, we should have expected that last one.) I don't really understand it, but I know what I like. Burnitz and Floyd carried this team offensively, but everyone contributed. Even Roger Cedeno . . .by being on the bench. Meanwhile, the Met Most Likely to Cause Me Internal Damage saved two of the three wins. How about that?

Jose Reyes continues to nurse his pulled hamstring, probably in a much different way than my wife is nursing our new daughter. But I don't know that much about sports medicine, so I could be wrong. This not only keeps us from seeing the exciting youngster, it means we are forced to watch Super Joe ".215" McEwing and Stupor Rey ".213" Sanchez. Jose, hurry back. All of the mile-high pop-ups are confusing the air traffic yo-yos over at LaGuardia.

Mets 83-Game Review- Cue "Taps"

Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the fields, from the hills, from the sky,
All is well,
God is nigh,
So good night.

Well, I don’t know about that “all is well” part, but the Mets’ day is surely done. Just over halfway into the season, their postseason ambitions have been shelved. And so the real fun begins here at Misery Loves Company; for while my counterpart will continue down the path of stress, worry, hope, fear, and the alcoholic binges all of these induce, I have been relegated to the role of court jester. There will be no late-season dramatics in this 50% of the postings. Not the triumvirate of Roger Angell, David Halberstam, and Jim Rome . . . gotcha, I was trying to type John Feinstein to complete this sportswriting trio but my newborn baby spit up on the keys, causing the obvious typo. Anyway, not even the most worthy of baseball journalists could evoke any true drama from what’s left of the eroded Mets’ season, so I won’t try. Of course, Fox TV would jazz it up with all of the quick-cut graphics, pseudo-emotional synthesizer, and melodramatic wordplay they usually reserve for brilliant reality television show promos. I can see it now . . .

Up next . . . the showdown you’ve been waiting for . . . these two teams simply do not like each other . . . it started a few years ago with the league change . . . you likely recall that epic 7-2 game in 2001 . . . but when Jeromy Burnitz was traded for Glendon Rusch, you just knew it would come to this . . . Mets versus Brewers . . . this time it’s personal . . . [air clip of Bernie Brewer fighting Mr. Met atop the dugout]

So, there won’t be a climactic run in the works – well, let’s just say that if there is, I am selling this chronicle of the greatest comeback ever to the highest bidder. There will, however, be mini-dramas, ones which answer pressing questions such as:

1. Where will that relief pitcher who wears #49 (you know, the Crying-a-Lot 49?) end up?
2. How many more times will Tony Clark do something to warrant inclusion on this site?
3. How many more doubleheaders can the Mets lose?
4. Will my brother-in-law get me the green Mets cap on Irish Night?
5. If a tree falls on this column but there’s nobody there to read it, am I actually writing it?

With such exciting topics so readily at hand, look for thrill-a-minute commentary by yours truly. My team has made things rather difficult for me. While the Red Sox portion of the program will likely produce true fodder for discussion, this half will read like a USA Today article. Not that you need important topics to warrant online discussion – just check out the Sports Guy these days and his running commentary on hot topics like the NBA, pro wrestling, and Rocky IV. I will do my part to keep this Mets log rolling along as if they truly were in the thick of it. This may mean blatantly altering their scores and recaps to do so, but I am not above New York Times-style reporting if it means entertaining you. And by “you” I mean me.

By the numbers:

Record: 36-47
Standing: Fifth place, NL East – 16 games behind friggin’ Atlanta/Tenth place, Wild Card, 11.5 games behind Philadelphia
Offensive Stats: They are all offensive, and I don’t feel like spending time digging up stats to prove the Mets suck; this is a given.

Stink

Al Leiter has been disappointing; Rey Sanchez is a placeholder, and not a very good one; Pedro Astacio was lousy until he helped the Mets by getting hurt; the middle relief has been shaky at times.

Stank

The slew of rookie starters has been fairly miserable; Roger Cedeno, despite improving as the season wore on, has looked absolutely lost most of the time; Tsuyoshi Shinjo left his bat in San Francisco; Art Howe has been inconsistent enough to be questioned consistently.

Stunk

Mo Vaughn was putrid until being put out of his misery; Robby Alomar was horrid until being traded; the defense has been near worst in the NL; the closer has made me break things and must pay for his actions.

Rather Aromatic . . . Relatively Speaking

Ty Wigginton has been the only guy not to live up to the preseason naysaying; Jose Reyes is a sparkplug; Jeromy Burnitz has been fairly impressive; Cliff Floyd has battled like a champ and deserves better; Jae Weong Seo has looked great at times; Steve Trachsel has, too, but fewer times; Jason Phillips and Vance Wilson seem like solid players for the future; when Mike Piazza was healthy, he was good ol’ Mike Piazza.

You know, upon reflection, there were just as many guys working their butts off and playing up to the best of their ability as there were mammoth (Mo is short for Mammoth) disappointments. But it didn’t add up right, and the hole the bad guys dug was greater than the sum of all the good guys. Or something like that.

Looking Ahead

Thank goodness for 162 opportunities (79 left) to find some happiness in this season. A few wins here and there, a few nice plays, a few long homers, a few big saves (once that current guy leaves) . . . there is potential for joy in Metville. You just have to know where to look and be content with less. But hell, I went to college in Williamsburg – this I can do.

Games 84 & 85 - Red Sox

Red Sox 10, Yankees 3
Red Sox 10, Yankees 2
Record: 50-35

Well. Um. Wow! I certainly didn't expect this, and I was thisclose to starting another blog boycott, but I just couldn't bear to face the mockery. The Sox have absolutely owned the Yankees in the first two games of this series, slugging 10 homers and battering David Wells and Roger Clemens, while keeping the Yankee offense off-balance throughout. Both games were televised on broadcast networks, so I caught every lovely inning. True sign of Sox fan dementia: I was yelling at the television this afternoon when Chad Fox walked Jason Giambi with a 6-run lead in the 8th inning. The years of disappointment have built up a plaque on my psyche that won't let me believe in a lead until the final out is recorded.

Also of note, it is clear that I'm getting really good at this reverse jinx thing. Mendoza pitched 5 scoreless innings, and should have been able to go one more, if not for some shaky fielding by his teammates that led to an extra 15 pitches in the bottom of the 5th. He was really effective, pitching out of several jams, and only giving up a handful of really well-hit balls. If he can build some strength and give the Sox 6-7 effective innings every 5th day, things are looking up.

David Ortiz hasn't gotten much airtime in this space this season, but he has been a beast in the first two games of this series. He's hit 4 homeruns, including two of the most mammoth blasts I've ever seen. Well, two of the three most mammoth, in the mix with the bomb Manny touched off in the third inning of the first game. That was the first ball I've ever seen reach the upper deck in left field in Yankee Stadium, or at least the first I can remember.

The Yankees have looked really crappy in these games, too. Both Wells and Clemens labored, as the combination of 90+ degree temperatures and the scorching Sox offense made them both look like the 40 year-old pitchers they are. The Yankee defense was mediocre, at best, and they left 10 men on base in today's game. The New York bullpen is, arguably, worse than the Sox'. They are still a dangerous team, but they have their weaknesses. That won't make me sleep any easier, as they still scare me senseless.

By far the least pleasant part of the last two days was listening to Tim McCarver this afternoon. While he was highly complimentary of the Sox offense, his hysterical diabtribe against Bill James and Theo Epstein in the late innings was alternately misinformed and just plain asinine. McCarver kept repeating, "How could anyone have convinced Epstein that a team doesn't need a stopper?", as his voice screeched and raised. He railed against Bill James, Stat Guy while conveniently forgetting that Jamesian principles built the best offense baseball has seen in the last 25 years. More to the point, though, the Sox never said that a team doesn't need a stopper, but simply that the best usage of such stopper might not be automatically in the 9th inning. McCarver, in his haste to condemn that which is anathema to old-school baseball men, failed to get the facts right before he began spewing.

Still, even Tim McCarver can't ruin the first two games of this series for me. Burkett against Pettitte tomorrow and then Pedro against Mussina Monday. Probably best I can hope for is a split, but that wouldn't be altogether bad.

Games 81 through 83 - Mets

Mets 3, Expos 1
Mets 7, Expos 6
Expos 11, Mets 4
Record: 36-47

Fresh off that chapter we'll just call "The Hindenburg Rides Again," it was nice to get a series win, even if (a) it was against the overachieving Expos; (b) that Dominican chap who appears near the finale of contests in an attempt to end the game via throwing baseballs by batters ruined Aaron Heilman's bid for his first career win, only to steal the victory for himself; and (c) they appeared headed for a sweep until Jae Seo lost it fairly early and Art Howe, whose hook is slower than Muhammad Ali's these days (and the NY Post would also say his head is equally shaky . . . sorry, awful joke), turned a few bad pitches into a few bad innings, sealing the loss. But again, a pleasant rebound.

Speaking of the Expo(nentially more inspiring than the Mets)s, Juan Gonzalez and Carl Everett vetoed trades to "Montreal" as this series was going on, prompting Bobby Valentine to turn to the camera in a Dennis Miller-style rant and tell Bud Selig and the brain trust that is MLB to get its collective head out of its collective backside and determine the fate of the Franchise Someday To Be Formerly Known as Les Expos sooner rather than later. His point was valid, but just another in a long line of good reasons this club needs to move now; nobody wants to go to a team who has road trips to home games, who can't do much for their salaries, and who has a huge question mark in terms of overall future. Would you take a job with a company as unstable as the Montreal Expos? It's further evidence that the glorified vaudeville act of the Puerto Rico / Montreal Corridor is hamstringing this ballclub's future potential. I guess the thesis in Mr. Russell's book review hits the mark; with every move the think tank that is baseball's executive office makes, they make John Rocker look like Andrew Carnegie.

And just to put a local slant on this obvious-to-everyone-except-everyone-that-matters argument, why aren't they already having a groundbreaking ceremony in DC or Arlington? Please, people, somebody put a gun to Bud's head and make him send the Expos to the nation's capital . . . so I don't have to read any more Thomas Boswell articles in The Washington Post about it. Forget the joy that having baseball in my neigborhood would bring me. I just can't read the same article re-written for the 5,000th time.

Clearing the Blogjam

I have returned from my own mid-season hiatus, though mine was a bit more substantial in cause than "Jinxy" Russell's. I needed a break in the day-to-day dosages of depression I find here to bring Miss Darling Dykstra "Mookie" Lester into the world. Is it wrong that, what with the state of affairs in Shea these days, I'm crying more than my newborn baby is?

I will do my best to catch up in a timely manner. Kudos to my colleague for keeping the world abreast of all of the pertinent Mets news (a contradiction in terms) in my stead.

Game 83 - Red Sox

Devil Rays 6, Red Sox 5 (10)
Record: 48-35

It looks like the Sox just lost 2 of 3 to the Devil Rays, but that's not possible, so there must be a typo in my paper this morning. And why, pray tell, am I not breaking things over it? Have you noticed that I can't get a fix on this team? Is it obvious that I'm ridiculously conflicted? Despite this bed-crapping, the Sox are still in the lead for the Wild Card, and try as they might, they can't shake me.

I'm tempted to say that the upcoming 4-game set against the Yankees is make or break, but I don't really believe it, especially because the pitching matchups make anything better than split unlikely. It's possible that this series and the 3 games in Toronto that follow will determine Grady Little's fate, but even if the Sox go, say 2-5, in the next 7, it's unlikely that they'll be more than 2.5 games behind the A's - still right in the thick of it. Psychologically, the next 7 may be big, but in terms of the big picture, I don't see it that way. Do I hope they run off a 7-game winning streak? Sure. Will I be planning a bridge jump if they don't? Unlikely, unless Pedro gets hurt.

They lost this game, once again, because of the bullpen. The chorus screaming for another arm is reaching a crescendo (and recent pickup Todd Jones is not the answer). Theo, can you heeeaaaar me?

Game 82 - Red Sox

Red Sox 5, Devil Rays 4
Record: 48-34

Lessee here, first game of the first half of the season, Pedro pitches well, Nomar can't make a play in the 9th inning, Sox blow a lead and lose to the D-Rays. First game of the second half of the season, Pedro pitches fairly well, Nomar makes a sensational play in the 9th inning, B.H. Kim gets a 1-2-3 save, Sox hold on to beat the D-Rays. I think I like that trend.

One more against the Rays tonight followed by 4 in the Bronx over the weekend. 4th of July live on ESPN at 4:00. I'm looking for the Sox to get Boston Tea Party on the Yankees. Or, actually, I'm praying for a split.

Red Sox 81-Game Review: Meeting Expectations, So Why Does it Feel Like They're Not?

Halfway home, the Sox are a riddle. They appear to have elite talent, especially on offense. They've been relatively healthy, and they are seem to have pretty good chemistry, if that means anything. I told Whitney before the season that I thought they'd win 95 games. They're on pace to win 94. Seems like I was pretty close, at least through 81 games. Why, then, am I vaguely disappointed?

Maybe it's because they seem to have dropped a disproportionate number of games that they should have won. I say seem, because the losses always stay with me longer than the wins. I recognize that they've won some games that they probably shouldn't have, but losses like last night's, or the season-opener, or the one they blew to Toronto with a 6-run lead, or the loss to the Phillies where they blew three leads after the 8th innings, or...you get the point.

Maybe it's because the offense is so good, and the pitching has been so mediocre. I'm like a broken record on this topic, but even average bullpen results would have meant 3 or 4 more wins, and even average starting pitching in the season's first 6 weeks probably means 2 or 3 more on top of that. Pretty soon, I'll start to really get mad about games they should have won, as the season reaches critical mass.

Maybe it's because I'm more and more convinced that the Yankees are pretty vulnerable, and the Sox have failed to capitalize. Maybe I'm growing less and less convinced that Grady Little's soft-shoe style is right for this professional, but fairly low-key team. Maybe I'm just expecting too much. Anyway, here's what I think:

By the numbers:

Record: 47-34
Standing: Second place, AL East - 4 games behind New York/First place, Wild Card, .5 game ahead of Oakland
Offensive Stats: .299/.365./.496 (.861 OPS) - All 1st in the majors
Pitching Stats: 4.85 ERA (9th in AL), 6.97 K/9 innings, 3.31 BB/9, 2.09 K/BB, 1.46 WHIP

Exceeding Expectations

1. Clearly, I expected the offense to be pretty good, but I had no idea it was going to be this good. It's been sick, flat out sick. The Sox are averaging 6.36 runs per game, best in the league, and 29.7% better than the league average of 4.90. Not only that, but it's an offense geared to scoring in bunches, with no weak spots 1-9, and a roster of batters who take pitches, reach base, hit a ton of doubles, and score, score, score. They put pressure on the opposing pitching staffs from the first inning, which has resulted in an inordinate amount of late-inning explosions as the lineup tees off on mediocre relief pitching.

2. Individual players who have been better than I expected include Nomar Garciaparra (.341, 12 HR, 56 RBI, .959 OPS), Bill Mueller (.323, 5, 34, .910, league-leading 30 doubles), Kevin Millar (.318, 12, 57, .934), Trot Nixon (.311, 10, 47, .926 from the 7 and 8 spots, mostly), Jason Varitek (.291, 13, 45, .914), and Todd Walker (.311, 8, 48, 819). Looking at those numbers makes me even more impressed by the offense, and even more depressed that I can't list a single pitcher in this category.

Meeting Expectations, Mostly

1. Manny Ramirez has been Manny Ramirez. He's got the best offensive stats on the team (.322, 17, 61, .969), and he just chugs along and produces offense. No muss, no fuss. A little voice in the back of my head keeps wondering when he's going to get really, really hot and carry the team for three weeks. He's capable of a .380, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 1.100 OPS month, and I'm waiting for it. (7/3 edit: slap my ass and call me Sally, he went .351, 9, 27, 1.139 in June, really, really quietly. If he ever has a loud month, the numbers could approach .400, 15, 50, 1.500)

2. Pedro has been Pedro, when he's been healthy. He's only 5-2, owing largely to a bullpen that's deserted him on at least 3 occasions. His 2.74 ERA is a little skewed by the 10 runs he gave up to Baltimore early in the season. Without that game, he's at 1.70. He gave up 40% of his earned runs for the season in that game. He's struck out 86 and walked 23 in 82 innings. He's a stud, as usual.

3. Derek Lowe is finally pitching like Derek Lowe. True, his ERA is still at 4.51, but ever since the Yankee start when he scuffled through the first part of the game and then stiffened his back and plowed through the Yankee lineup, he's been great. He's 6-0, 3.28 in his last 9 starts, allowing only 47 hits in 63.2 innings. The fact that he's in this category is a huuuuge improvement.

4. Management has been mostly proactive and creative. Aside from not handling the ongoing bullpen issues very well, Theo's done a pretty good job. The lineup is highly robust, and the Kim for Hillenbrand trade will pay dividends this year and in the future. Now, be a good boy and go get us an arm.

Not so Much Meeting Expectations

1. Do I really need to get into the pitching here? Again? I didn't think so.
2. Although, it's worth pointing out that Ramiro Mendoza has been brutally brutal. And he gets rewarded by starting against the Yankees on Saturday. Yay!
3. Johnny Damon has been an anchor at the top of the order. Frankly, it's another sign of how good the offense is that they haven't let Damon's .256/.324/.402 bog them down. Hey, at least he's a good glove man.
4. The succession of replacement arms - Woodward, Rupe, White, Shiell, Chen, Person, et al - have been, in a word (cue Bill Walton) horrrrrrrible.
5. Jason Giambi is batting .173. Not so good for a guy who can't run or field. He's not bringing much to the table, except for strong knowledge of the grains in the Fenway bench.

Looking Ahead

I said this last week, and I still believe it. One more stud arm and relatively good health for the rest of the season = AL Championship. No improvement of the pitching staff = no playoffs. Let's see how I do.

Game 81 - Red Sox

Devil Rays 4, Red Sox 3 (11)
Record: 47-34

The Sox ended the season's first half in the same manner they started the season, blowing a game to the mediocre Devil Rays in exasperating fashion. After scoring 2 in the top of the 9th to tie the game, the Sox allowed the winning run to score in the 11th on a botched pickoff. Brandon Lyon whirled around and had Rocco Baldelli dead to rights at second base. As Baldelli broke towards third, Lyon slung the ball slightly behind the onrushing Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar reached back to his right, but the ball brushed his glove and skittered into left-center, allowing Baldelli to score the game-winner.

Assessing blame on the game-losing play is really pointless. Yes, Lyon should have made a better throw, but he also should never have let Jason Tyner walk on a 3-2 curveball - which would have ended the inning before the pickoff play. Yes, Nomar almost certainly should have caught Lyon's throw, but he also went 3-for-6 in the game, so I can't really be mad at him. Blah blah blah. Bottom line, though, is that it never should have come to that. Extra inning games are a crapshoot, and Sox should have run the D-Rays out of the ballpark well before it got to the late frames.

Two more against Tampa, then 4 with the Yankees and 3 with the Blue Jays. 5-4 in those 9 would make me really, really happy, but the pitching matchups (Burkett and Mendoza in the Bronx - oofah) aren't pretty. I'll be crossing a lot of fingers and toes over the next 10 days. But, hey, the Sox still lead the Wild Card race, so the sky isn't falling yet.