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ESPN is reporting that both J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell are capable of hitting, but not necessarily ready to play the field.

So my proposal:  Petition the commissioner, for many of you, you already consider him a Red Sox apologist, and ask for 3 DH spots.  Lowell, Drew and Ortiz in the DH whilst players like Alex Cora and Coco Crisp play the field without hitting.

Done and done.

It is good news that Drew and Lowell feel OK to hit, but they really need to feel good about everything at this point.  While in the post-season most players have an injury or two, these 2 must have more than the basic injury.  I've had my issues with Drew, but having watched Lowell, he is not good to go.

So if Drew is can play the field, great.  That leaves Lowell as the first pinch-hitter off the bench and Crisp the primary base stealing threat (ala Dave Roberts) and outfield defensive replacement.

The Red Sox need to get out of the blocks quickly in this series.  Reader Blmeanie suggested that David Ortiz could be the deciding factor offensively.  If he has healed sufficiently and can make a early statement, the Red Sox have a much better chance.

I still take the Red Sox in 5 as the they have many good players and have a bunch of players that have been to the post-season and won important games.  The Angels are a very good team but seem to fade in post-season play.  Perhaps this year will be different as they still have a bunch of returning veterans and a few new all-stars (Hunter and Teixeira).

First pitch:  10:00pm Wednesday night (that's what they say.  My guess is more like 10:15pm).

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Great news, the biggest question off the offseason has now been answered, our GM is back.  Now we can focus on the business of baseball.  My plan is to spend the next couple of days going though 40-man roster and giving a thumbs up or down on who should return.  The Yankees have a number of free agents and some prospects in the minors who will need to be protected.

What do you think, are you happy Cash is back? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Everything for the Yankees starts with the GM and we are all waiting on Brian Cashman.  The Steinbrenner Boys have asked Cashman to let them know this week if he wants to return as GM and then they will strike a deal with him.  Cashman's answer is expected very soon.

I for one would like to see the Yankees retain Cashman.  He has done a solid job as GM and if you start at the end of 2005 (when he supposedly gained autonomy from George) his moves have been mostly good.  We can fault him for not getting Santana this year, a move which probably cost the Yankees the playoffs, but I want to wait on judging that until a few more seasons have passed. 

What is clear to anyone who has watched the Yankees this season is their need to get younger.  Even with $80 million coming off the payroll, that won't be accomplished easily.  The position players are all older except for Cano, Cabrera and Gardner.  The top levels of the minors don't offer much help, except for Jackson.  So, trades will have to be made.  Cashman's departure would be very destabilizing for the organization and make the process of getting ready for 2009 much harder.  Hopefully, he chooses to return and for now we wait. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Game 1 in Anaheim Wed Oct 1, 10:00pm - Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21) vs. John Lackey (12-5, 3.75)

Game 2 in Anaheim Fri Oct 3, 9:30pm - Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90) vs. Ervin Santana 1(6-7, 3.49)

Game 3 in Boston Sun Oct 5, time TBD - Joe Saunders, (17-7 3.41) vs. Josh Beckett (12-10, 4.03)

Game 4 in Boston - TBD

Game 5 in Anaheim - TBD

The Red Sox and Angels meet yet again in the ALDS.  Last year, the Red Sox took care of business in quick fashion as they did in 2004 against Anaheim.  But in both 2004 and 2007, they had Manny Ramirez.  In the 6 games covering the 2004 and 2007 ALDS against Anaheim, Manny hit 3 HRs and had 11 RBI.

Additionally, the Red Sox, unlike 2007, don't have home field advantage.  Oh and did I mention they went 1-8 against the Angels this year?

Now to address the 1,000 pound gorilla in the room, the Red Sox might be without their playoff ace Josh Beckett.  As you know, Beckett strained his oblique a few days ago and it has Red Sox officials worried enough to pencil him for game 3, he'd normally be in for game 1, and to proclaim that while they expect him to be ready, the are monitoring his health.

I've never had an oblique injury, but Mike Lowell has and he missed a month.  An oblique injury can linger and for the Red Sox to think he'll be fine in about a week is dubious but they know more about his health that I would.

Strike one against Boston.

The good news for the Red Sox is they still have a good rotation.  Jon Lester has been very good this year and no matter how frustrating and difficult it is to watch Matsuzaka, he has been effective, albeit in a playing-with-fire style.

Should Beckett not be able to go, I would expect Paul Byrd to start.  I have a great deal of respect for Tim Wakefield, but he has been a terrible post-season pitcher (17-10, 6.26 ERA ).  Byrd, while not great, is 7-5 in post-season play with a 4.80 ERA.  I will admit Wakefield's win/loss is astounding given his ERA, but nevertheless, he can't expect his offense to overcome that ERA.

As far as overall pitching staffs go, the Red Sox have a 4.01 ERA and the Angels 4.00.  Pretty even, but the bullpen for Anaheim has K-Rod and no matter how you slice it, 60 saves is impressive.  I like how Hideki Okajima has been pitching of late and Javier Lopez has been good all year.  Papelbon has been a bit shaky lately.  Overall though, I think the pitching match-ups are fairly similar. 

Offense:

Red Sox - .280/.358/.447 - 845 runs scored

Anaheim - .268/.330/.413 - 765 runs scored

I know I'm missing something, but it would seem the Red Sox offense is better, no?  Tell me where they aren't?  They have more 2b, 3b and HRs and BB.  You see the stats above, but how about steals?  Ok, the Red Sox stole 120, the Angels 129.  I'll give them that although the Red Sox have a better steal %, 77 to 73.

While the Red Sox offense certainly looks better on paper, what say you about Manny Ramirez?  Manny has been crazy good this year, but his Boston OPS, .926, vs his LAD OPS, 1.232.  That's telling.  Manny didn't want to play in Boston anymore.  He was a liability and had to be dealt.

I'm not saying he would tank in the playoffs like he might have continued to do in the regular season, but I think his teammates prefer his replacement Jason Bay when it comes to an effort standpoint.  As for Bay, he hasn't been bad.  .293/.370/.527 in 49 games with 39 runs, 9 HR, 37 RBI.  About on par with Manny while he was here.  Bay finished the 2008 regular season with 111 runs, 31 HRs and 101 RBI and 10 steals with 0 caught.  Decent replacement numbers.

I believe the Red Sox success hinges on J.D. Drew's health and to a lesser extent Mike Lowell's health.  Drew works pitchers and is a tougher out than is Mark Kotsay or Coco Crisp.  Drew forces opposing pitchers to grind much harder.

Lowell?  Well he hasn't had a great year and even if he'd stayed healthy, his projected performance wouldn't be much better than good (i.e above average).

The good news is that both Drew and Lowell took BP today and are both good possibilities to start but I think after watching Lowell recently, he might start, but not finish.  He looks very unhealthy for a post-season run.

Anyway, that isn't an in-depth analysis, but a few quick hits.

My prediction:  Red Sox in 5.  The Red Sox offense is better and their pitching is just as good as Anaheim's if Beckett is healthy.  Beckett didn't bring his A-game this year and the Red Sox still managed to win a few games, so even without Beckett at all, I say the Red Sox take this series.

What say you?  Am I crazy?  Is Beckett's potential loss a far bigger loss than I am admitting?  Is Lowell's bad health a bigger deal than I think?  The the obvious answer to these questions is "NO" but I'll leave it to you to tell me otherwise.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Leave it to Jeter to sum up the 2008 Yankees perfectly.  He is of course referring to the fact that the Yankees are missing the playoffs for the first time in his career, but it goes deeper than that.  New York entered 2008 looking to rebulid on the fly.  Young pitchers were put in the rotation with the hope that they would grow into their roles while the team competed for the division title.  It was a spectacular failure and it didn't end with the pitchers.  If you look at all the young players on the roster, almost everyone of the them took a step back instead of forward.

Think about it, Cano came into the season as a budding superstar.  Cabrera was a decent outfield prospect.  Hughes and Kennedy were going to be rotation mainstays for the forseeable future.  Every one of them failed and badly.  Joba looked like a great starter, but now there are injury questions hanging over him.  And that is the bottom line with this season. If they missed the playoffs, but had injected a wave of youth into the team you could live with it.  But, the Yankees didn't do that and now they have a very tricky offseason coming up.  

Step 1 is figuring out who the GM is.  Cashman says he is going to decide next week if he wants to return.  We have to hope he does because I shudder to think who will run the club if he doesn't.  Now we wait and enjoy one last start from Sidney Ponson today.  <sigh>

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

In a way it seems fitting, considering how the year has gone, but the news that Mariano Rivera has returned to New York for a MRI on his shoulder is troubling to say the least.  Short term, it is obvious that the Yankees will shut him down for the remaining three games.  But, the problem is what if this is a long term injury?  I suppose it is pointless to speculate at this moment, we just have to hope.

Can anyone else figure out the reason FOX moved Satuday's game onto national tv?  I guess the Red Sox might still be in contention for the division title, but short of that the game will mean absolutely nothing.  They just made the decision this week, so they had to know the game was almost certainly going to be meaningless.  I just don't get it.

Tonight is the final night of Carl Pavano's Yankees' career. I guess that is something we can all celebrate.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well now that the Yankees are officially planning for 2009 we can talk about their supposed #1 target in the offseason CC Sabathia.  Sabathia is only 27, lefthanded and one of the best pitchers in baseball.  Unlike Santana last year, the Yankees can have him this offseason if they open their wallets wide enough.  (I am not paying much attention to the stories that he wants to play in California right now because I think that is just round 1 of the negotiations.)

The problem with Sabathia is he was traded to the Brewers this season and Millwaukee has used him the same way most folks use a rental car.  Translation, they are beating the heck out of him.  Today they will trot him out on three-days rest and they will presumeably do so again Sunday if the game matters.  Since coming to the Brewers he has made 15 starts and thrown less than 100 pitches three times (96, 97 and 99).

You can't blame the Brewers, they traded for him with no intention of signing him to a long term deal so they are maximizing their use of him.  And, you have to give some props to Sabathia who seems to care about nothing more than pitching his current team into the playoffs- an admirable position in a "me first" world.  But, for teams thinking of signing him to a deal this offseason the warning lights should be flashing.  Sabathia may turn out to be fine, but that is a big risk to take when you are investing over $100 million into a player.  Sabathia could be a savior, but there is also a chance he could come into town with a tired arm and the Yankees need to move cautiously here.     

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Yes, I know, I dusted off an old chestnut.

The Red Sox clinched a playoff birth and are still defending the 2007 title.

I'm thrilled the Red Sox secured a post-season spot now as it will allow them to give the wounded time off.  Mike Lowell, Coco Crisp, Josh Beckett and others will get a chance to take a week off.

As the playoffs approach, I'll provide some analysis, but for now, time to partay.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I am sure you have read some of Hank's latest quotes today, I am not going to bother linking to them.  My question is, why does anyone pay attention to him anymore?  Like Curt Schilling, Hank likes to talk and talk and talk.  If he doesn't get attention, he figures out a way to get it, but have you noticed something?  He doesn't seem to be in charge. 

When the All-Star Game was conducted at Yankee Stadium, Hank wasn't there.  When the Steinbrenner's gave Derek Jeter an award on the field Sunday, Hank wasn't there.  Hank has been to a couple of games in New York this year and that's it.  But, you know who has been around?  Hal and Hal's sister Jennifer.  

Now, we know that Hal doesn't like the limelight and we also know that he controls the Yankees' checkbook.  So, isn't it reasonable to assume that Hal is in fact in charge right now and just doesn't feel the need to broadcast it?  (BTW- I think the illusion that George is ok was smashed forever Sunday.  If he was remotely healthy, you know he would have been there.)  I don't know the answer, but with the evidence continuing to pile up that Hank isn't in charge, why do people listen to him?  (And yes, I know it's the same reason Schilling still draws notice- papers need to be sold) 

Anyway, on the field Jeter is out of tonight's lineup.  One question for Joe Girardi, why are you batting Gardner leadoff?  Damon is in the game, and Gardner's OBP is barely above the Mendoza Line.  He shouldn't hit first at all.  

We also know how the final starts will be doled out.  Mussina tonight, Hughes, Pavano, Aceves, Pettitte, Mussina.  I don't know what the point of Pavano's start on Thursday is other than trying to wring out some more value from signing him.  Ah well, 5+ games to go.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees said good-bye to the Stadium in an almost perfect fashion.  From the ceremony last night which was great except for a few things* to the whole atmosphere throughout the weekend, it was a memorable and fitting celebration. 

I went to Saturday's game and it was almost surreal.  As I sat in my seat and looked around me I thought back to all the games I had seen there.  I thought of all the players and all the history and I kept wondering why they had to take this step.  Yes, a new ballpark will be great, but we won't be able to look at the field and imagine all the players who played there.  In many ways the Yankees have thrown out one of the greatest homefield advantages in sports.  Curt Schilling may dismiss them, but mystique and aura dripped form the Stadium.  That won't happen at the new place, at lease not right away.

Now that the homestand is done, the Yankees need to focus fully on 2009.  That means Gardner in center, Miranda at first and as many starts from young pitchers as you can manage.  We know Mussina will get two starts, but the Yankees should give the other ones to the young guys.  Call up Kennedy and Chase Wright and let them take a shot.  Pettitte's elbow seems tired, Pavano and Ponson are not coming back next year, so use the kids.  Six games left in the season, soak them in because winter is coming.

(*My complaints with the ceremony before the game are as follows.  First, the actors who played Babe Ruth, etc., were cheesy additions and should have been left out of the event.  Next, how can you honor all the great Yankees and not mention Joe Torre?  That's absolutely ridiculous.  Next, in the video tributes the Yankees showed pictures of a number of players who never set foot in Yankee Stadium.  [Hal Chase barely made it to the Polo Grounds.]  Finally, having Joe Girardi stand at home plate as one of the greatest catchers in Yankee history is a joke.  Was Butch Wynegar unavailable? Anyway, it was a great ceremony nonetheless)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Of course the Red Sox are fed up with J.D. Drew.  But it is what the Red Sox are doing about it that is interesting.

Even the casual Red Sox fan has noticed the Red Sox stepped-up rhetoric with regards to playing with injuries.  In light of J.D. Drew being essentially unavailable for 3 weeks now, the Red Sox and Drew's teammates have made a point of telling that world that playing through pain is what playoff caliber teams do.

Examples:

1.)  David Ortiz being very specific about his wrist injury and how it is still "clicking" and causing him concern.

2.)  Mike Lowell telling the press that he has a torn labrum in his right hip.  Normally Lowell or Ortiz would have kept quiet and just played baseball.

3.)  Tuesday night's pre-game on NESN, Assistant GM (not sure what his title is anymore after the Theo fiasco a few years back) Jed Hoyer went on and on praising Lowell saying things like (paraphrase time) "that is the kind of player we want in Boston, one who plays through pain" and "Mike is a gamer, the kind of tough player Boston fans deserve."  Hoyer went on and on to the point where I was thinking, alright, we get the point.

Normally the Red Sox take a path on the discussion of injuries somewhere in the middle of the Patriots ("I know nothing!") and a reality show.  Right down the middle.  But in this case, they opened up in an effort to shame Drew into playing.

So far?  Nothing.  J.D. is just...unavailable.  Too bad too because when you look at the line-up the Red Sox threw out there Wednesday night, it just lacked pop.  Missing were Jason Bay (baby on the way), Drew (pulled heart) and Mike Lowell (hip).  Or 66 home runs.

Obviously I'd like the Red Sox to win the division, but they just don't have the horses to win a slug-fest every night.  On Wednesday Tim Wakefield was horrendous and Javier Lopez's error really turned the game upside down turning a 4 run lead to a 6 run lead.  Painful.  Lopez has been good things year, just an unfortunately event.  They just don't have the bats now to do what they did in game 1 time and again.

A day off today and then to Toronto.  I hope Terry Francona figures out what his goal is immediately.  In other words, accept the Wild Card or press on for the division title.  If they accept Wild Card (no lock, but looking good), then he can let off the gas a bit and rest Lowell and company.  But if Terry waivers, he could unnecessarily risk further injury to guys that need rest.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

He could have done a lot better with the glasses and he certainly could have done better in the first inning, but it was good to see Phil Hughes on the mound at Yankee Stadium again tonight.  I was thinking before the game about everything that had happened this year and I was wondering how you would have answered this question in March....

How many wins will Hughes, Kennedy and Wang combine for this season?

I probably would have said 35 and figured I was guessing on the low end.

Amazingly, they probably won't make it to 10, think about that when you look back at 2008.

The bigger question on Hughes is where we go from here.  He would be scheduled to pitch Monday, but the Yankees are off and that is where it gets interesting.  The Yankees want to get Mike Mussina 20 wins and the only way that happens is if he wins his last three starts.  Those would be tomorrow, next Tuesday and Sunday.  But, if he loses tomorrow, he won't get 20.  So, the Yankees could then bump him to Wednesday and let Hughes start two more times.

Thinking about 2009, that is the best thing that can happen to this team.  We can debate about bringing Moose back later, I think the Yankees need to figure out what they have in Hughes much more than anything else on their list.  3 starts in September won't do that (remember Ian Kennedy in 2007?) but it will help. Plus, Hughes is currently sitting at 75 innings total for 2008, He is going to the AFL where he might get 25 innings in the best case, so two more starts would bring him somehwere around 110 for the season.  That would probably put him on an innings cap of 150 tops next season, something to think about when planning for 2009- which the Yankees should be doing a lot of already.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Does it matter that Scranton won the International League by beating the Red Sox and Tampa AAA teams in the playoffs?  Probably not, but Phil Hughes had a great game.  Let's see, Hughes pitched tonight which means he could go Wednesday in the Bronx, when the Yankees will need a starter thanks to the rain out.  Makes sense, right?

UPDATE: Hughes is on his way to the Yankees. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sorry for not posting, but it wasn't really my fault.  I don't want to blame the Yankees, but last Wednesday my retina decided to detach which required an operation to repair and some recovery time.  Maybe my right eye gave out because it couldn't stand watching the Yankees anymore?  Thankfully, I am doing a lot better and I can start to do things like sit upright again.

So, here we are, 16 games to go and everyone excpet for the manager seems to realize it is over.  While I don't expect Girardi to announce that his team is dead until they are mathematically, he could and should start making decisions with an eye to 2009.  First and foremost, instead of running the same lineup out there night after night, how about trying Gardner in center for a stretch?  Or, since you can say with 99.99% certainty that Ponson and Pavano won't be back in '09, how about starting someone else?  At least we got to see a start from Aceves, but every game that the Yankees stay in '08 mode now hurts their preparation for 2009.  Now, if you want to give the team the benefit of the doubt, you could suggest that they will promote Hughes and Kennedy as soon as Scranton finishes their playoffs (this weekend) I certainly hope so and it will be intersting to watch. 

As for these final sixteen games this will be a strange couple of weeks for some of the younger set.  My nephew, Nic, was born in 1995 and doesn't know what October without Yankees' baseball is like.  Since it has been 14 years (15 if you count the strike) I have to admit I have forgotten that feeling a bit too.  But, as I sat here this past week and took myself back to the 1980's, I just remember that awful feeling of looking at the schedule and seeing that there were no more games on it.  I don't relish the thought of doing that again.

And, as an added bonus, we get to say goodbye to the Stadium over the next ten days as well.  I have to say I am still very conflicted over this.  Part of me doesn't want to see it go.  But, the other part of me that has gone to places like Camden Yards feels that I won't miss it so much next year when I am sitting in a much more comfortable seat and don't have to wait 30 minutes to use a bathroom.  Either way, I have my ticket for the final day game, next Saturday and I imagine it will be a weird experience.

We will have a lot to discuss about 2009 soon.  For now, I hope the Yankees give up the ghost and start planning for 2009.  Put the guys in who we know will be here next year and let the others sit.  The biggest problem with 2008 isn't that the team missed the playoffs, it is that they missed the playoffs while failing to develop any young players outside of Joba.  In fact, most of their prospects took a step back.  2008 will go down as a failure, but the key will be making sure that it represents a pause and not the start of a steep declne and that will require some careful work this offseason.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Unload time.

 - Daisuke Matsuzaka is unbearable to watch.  He is slow, doesn't throw strikes and un-enjoyable to watch.  He takes what seems to be a nap between pitches (I had the game on Tivo and let it run a good 90 seconds between his 1st and 2nd pitch of an at bat with nothing worth noting slowing events down, so very slow).

 - What was Terry Francona thinking asking Varitek to bunt in the 9th?  Seriously.  Ellsbury is on the bench, sure he is dealing with a quad injury, but he was healthy enough to eventually pinch run for Mark Kotsay.  Varitek should not be bunting.  With the expanded roster, leave the bunting to someone who does it on occasion.

 - Jonathan Papelbon's unwillingness to throw the splitter is the reason he has been more hittable this year.  Why not throw it?  Unless there is some injury concern, Papelbon has made a bad tactical decision in shelving the splitter in favor of his slider, a much more hittable pitch.

Breath, out with the bad, in with the good.  And repeat.

The Red Sox have a 6 game lead on the Wild Card and don't need to win the A.L. East, but this win for the Rays gives them renewed energy.  If the two meet in the playoffs, I hope the Rays don't remember this one.  But seriously, I need to relax.

Josh Beckett goes Wednesday in an effort to get the Red Sox back to within a half game of the Rays.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Tyler Kepner confirmed what I speculated on the other day, Joba is most likely opening '09 in the bullpen. 

Now, I agree that Joba will need an innings limit in 2009, but I wonder if the bullpen to rotation move in season is the best way to handle things.  I saw an interview a couple of weeks back with I believe Rick Peterson, former Mets' pitching coach, and he basically said the Yankees took a huge risk handling Joba the way they did.  I don't know if his tendenitis came from the transition, but it is worth questioning.  

I didn't post on it, but the Yankees are sending Hughes to the AFL to try and stretch him out. Now Joba is in the pen to start next year. CC Sabathia will be able to write his own check come November, but I get ahead of myself.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, Sidney Ponson is back to being Sidney Ponson and he got shelled again today.  But, Joe Girardi says he will make his next start.

I am confused here.  If the Yankees think they are in the wild card race, do they really think Ponson gives them the best chance to win out of all of their pitchers?  If they think they are out of it, what is the point of using Ponson when he clearly won't be back in 2009?

This really doesn't make any sense, but the Yankees have some time to think about this.  Hughes, Kennedy, heck at this point even Igawa would be a better choice than another round of Ponson.  Here's a radical idea, let's see what Aceves can do.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)