The forecast looks grand (slam).

-Sweep in Philly makes it 7 straight. This team is rolling right now. 2.5 games up on Baltimore now. Red hot, this offense is a machine. Leading the league in runs scored, on base percentage, and batting avg. 421 runs scored in 74 games, NY is second with 404 in 75 games. Damon extended his hitting streak to 13, ortiz to 10.

-Manny hit his 19th career 4 run homer, and has 8 jacks in the last 12 games. He's havin a blast out there again, pumpin the fist and smilin when he rounded first. Manny is also leading the league in outfield assists. He doesnt have a power arm but the fenway wall, a quick release, and accuracy all add up to him throwing out his fair share.

-On top of how this team is playing, Schill is on his way back. Rehab start on Wednesday, then we'll see if he can get a game in before the all star break. Obviously this management wont push his return to quick, but being overcautious is not a bad thing right now. This starting rotation is solid 1 through 5 which should help us get into the playoffs, but you need a dominant top of the rotation when you get there. You are in series where the ace can go on 3 days rest if need be, and depth becomes less of a factor. The Cardinals last year won 105 games, yea thats 48 games above .500. They had a solid rotation 1-5 and a dominant offense (sound familiar?), but they got embarassed when they got to the World Series. The offenses were a scratch, though Pedro, Schill, and Lowe were no match for Woody Williams, Morris, and Suppan. On a sidenote, a healthy Chris Carpenter and the addition of Mulder to the Cardinals makes them the fav to get to the series out of the NL. Back to the point though. As good as Clement has been, and hes had a legitimate all star first half, I still do not feel comfortable with him starting game 1 in a playoff series. Having Schill back will give us that legit ace with big game experience, that can match up against anyone. Take your time Curt, We'll need ya for Halloween.

-Another rumor thrown out there by Gammons last week was the sox being interested in Jason Schmidt. If healthy he very elite. You can never have enough pitching, and as long as we didnt kill the farm system I would like Schmidt a lot in Boston. Schilling, Schmidt, Clement would be very intimidating with a Boston offense behind them in the playoffs. No big deal if it doesnt happen for us, but I would hate if the Orioles pulled the trigger and landed him. That would give them that no. 1 that they really dont have, Ponsons ERA is still over 5.

-Bullpen is still a concern, hopefully we can make a deal before the deadline. Maybe even call up Papelbon, or Delcarmen from AA to log some innings. Cla Meredith continues to shut down AAA hitting in Pawtucket.

-On the Pawtucket note, Dustin Pedroia continues move up with no difficulty. He went 1 for 2 last night with 3 walks and a triple. Great Plate Discipline, and solid in the field. Overall, hes the most polished prospect in the organization, he has not struggled since he was drafted last year. Remember he was the defensive player of the year at ASU as a SS, hes still learning 2b. If Bellhorn continues to struggle or we need a backup utility middle infielder, you could see him this year. But in my opinion Dustin Pedroia is your 2006 starting 2b for the Boston Redsox.

-Renteria's wrist is really bothering him, and Vazquez is not healthy (or good) so its tough to rest Edgar. If we had a competent backup then I really think you would see Renteria hit the DL for 15 days. This is the only reason why a Pedroia callup soon is possible.

someones only a half game back...

After we went 2-4 in St Louis and Wrigley we turned it up. Came back to Fenway and took 2 of 3 from Pitt, and swept the Reds. Hit the road again this week and swept a smoking hot Indians team who had won 9 in a row and 12 of their last 13, impressive. On top of our success, The Yanks and O's are slowing down. Off night for us, but a loss by both of them puts us at a half game back, and NY 5 games behind. 41-31 and the furthest we have been above 500 so far. Current win pace = 94 games.

Welcome back Manny Ramirez. This month Manny is hitting .314 with 5 homers so far, and finally looks comfortable at the plate. In the opener of the Cleveland series, Manny was getting boo'ed in his at bat vs Sabathia, next pitch was a changeup he put over the left field fence and then flipped his bat. It looks like Manny has resolved his bizarre lefty pitching struggles, which is a very good thing. Throughout his career he has killed both L and R pitchers, but even with his current resurgence against southpaws, hes still at a .183 clip for the season. The HR I'm looking for though is Manny turning on an inside fastball against someone who throws hard. He kills changeups and breaking balls, but he still looks a little uncomfortable with the inside heat this year.

Costello: On the farm

Down on the Farm

Great draft by the Red Sox, some real steals as Wolf has already mentioned, however I will recap a couple of the picks. Craig Hansen, a power reliever from St. John's University fell into our laps at the number 26 pick. He is rated by Baseball America as being the most Major League ready of all the draft picks, but some teams were scared away by agent Scott Boras demanding a big bonus. He features a 95-97mph fastball, as well as power slider (think Brad Lidge/K-Rod). He should be helping the pen by next spring. Another intriguing pick was the number 42 pick overall, Clay Bucholz. This kid is an athlete and a half. Not only did he play stellar outfield for Angelina College in Texas (where he hit .400 his junior year), he was drafted as a pitcher by the Sox. Clay features a mid 90s fastball with a slider, curve, circle change, and a 2-seam fastball. He is a little unheralded right now, and his secondary pitches do need work, however he is a kid that could sneak up through the system, however do not expect anything from him until around 2007 at the earliest. On a local note, Massasoit Community College was represented in the Red Sox 2005 Draft Class. Kyle Fernandes, a lefty, was drafted by the Red Sox with their 12th round selection. His repertoire includes a mid to upper 80s fastball, a major league ready 12 to 6 curve, and a plus change. Kyle absolutely dominated the competition this year in Division 3, averaging about 1.8 strikeouts per innings (he led the country in that category), and sported an impressive .724 era (also tops in the nation). Kyle has a legitimate chance to make to the big leagues, and if he does, he would be the first player out of Massasoit to do so.

As far as the players already in the system go, some players have been making huge strides from the month of May on. As we all know, the problems that the big league club has been having in the bullpen are well documented (worst opponents OPS, BAA, as well as the lowest K:BB ration and K/9 rate), and the solution may not be far. Along with draft pick Craig Hansen, the Portland Sea Dogs are in the middle of sending along yet another stud relief pitcher. Manny Delcarmen, a 23 year old out of West Roxbury has a real chance to make some noise before this season is over. The 23 year old possesses a consistent 95-98 mph fastball, with late explosion on it, as well as a power curve, termed by soxprospects.com to be his out pitch, to go along with an improving change up. A starter his entire career, Manny switched out to the Portland bullpen this year, and struggled early on. He posted a high 4 era with a 3/6 K:BB ratio through his first 7 innings. However, since April 27th, Delcarmen has settled in nicely to his role. He has posted eye popping numbers, including a 1.50 ERA with a .95 WHIP, allowing 18 hits and 4 walks in 24 innings. He has struck out 35 in this time, about 1 and a half per inning pitched. He has a major league ready arm and two plus pitches, could be time to send him to Pawtucket to see how he responds.

Remember Cla Meredith? The talk of the stat-heads when he was called up under a full year after he was drafted in 2004, Cla had a rough 2.2 innings with the big club. Cla was not himself, he had lost about 2-3mph off his sinker, did not throw his slider, and could not keep the ball down. Since returning to Pawtucket, the 21 year old has posted a 1.68 ERA with 2 saves and 12 strikeouts to only 4 walks in 9 innings. He is probably not in line for another shot this season, but do not give up on the side-winding right hander.

Random Notes:

-Anibal Sanchez continues to light it up in the Single-A Carolina League…he was named starting pitcher in the All-Star game and should make his AA debut shortly after (June 28th)

-Jon Papelbon was named the Red Sox minor league pitcher of the month..he is sporting a 3-2 record, with a nifty 2.28 ERA and 65 strikeouts to only 18 walks…could also be in line for a promotion to free up space for Anibal…

-Hanley Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain…nothing to worry about really, could have been the cause of his recent slump…

-Brandon Moss has absolutely been on a tear…since May he is hitting in the high 300s sporting a .950 OPS…his line on the season 280/352/475 are nothing to laugh at for a 21 year old in AA…

-This Portland Team could very well all be in the big leagues as early as 2006 with Pedrioa, Delcarmen, Hanley and Papelbon…with Youks at Third base, we could be looking at a sub 1million dollar infield…hello AJ Burnett?

Struggles on the road... and in the pen.

Lost two of three in st louis, and got run by the cubs today by a 14-6 football score. Arroyo continues to struggle as of late, as he let up 7 earned and was completely outpitched by Maddux. Maddux is amazing to watch, he dominates games without throwing over 86 all game. You never see him throw right down the pipe, always nibbling at corners and changing speeds with incredible command. Then to top it off, Halama comes in for long relief and Maddux goes deep off him for his first HR in the last five years. Instead of stopping the bleeding, the pen ripped the wound wide open with Halama and Embree allowing another 7. No real bright spots today besides Tiz going deep twice. Miller vs Zambrano will be tough, very confident in Wade lately but Zambrano is having a monster year. Wake vs the Koronka is the wild card. Lets hurry up and finish up this national league ballpark BS up and get back to Fenway and beat up on the Reds and Pirates.

A lot of people are concerned about the right side of the infield offensively. Listen, The Red Sox are second in the league in runs scored despite powerless corner infielders, and a 22 million dollar slugger who's hitting .250 and has hit 4 home runs in the last month and a half. Our offense is not firing on all cylinders and you have the second most productive run total? That is not a problem. Pitching is though. Missing our ace coupled with the worst bullpen in the league is of serious concern. Besides Timlin, and Myers as of late, our pen is atrocious. Embree cant even get lefties out, Halama is trash, Mantei can be aiming down and in and let one rip over the backstop at any minute, And Foulke encounters an easy inning about as often as Millar hits to right field. Heres something from Buster Olneys blog on espn.com addressing this topic.

"The Boston bullpen has an ERA of 5.27. That's last in the AL, and well-earned – the Red Sox bullpen has allowed the highest slugging percentage by far, at .453 (K.C. is next to last, at .405), and it has the lowest ratio of strikeouts per nine innings (5.68) in the league and the second lowest ratio of strikeouts to walks (1.71).

The good thing is that general manager Theo Epstein has the time to address the problem with a trade or, perhaps, the likely shift of Bronson Arroyo or Tim Wakefield to the bullpen. But there is this quandary: how much should they trust closer Keith Foulke, who has held opponents scoreless in 16 of his 25 outings but has looked very shaky."

You get Schill back, and make some moves to improve the pen then you have another championship caliber team on your hands.

-I liked what Ross told me Gammons said concerning the yanks, on weei yesterday. Something to the extent of "its tough to win when you have 4 or 5 should be DH's on the field playing defense" Giambi, Tino, Bernie, Sierra, etc. Just saw sportscenter clips of Giambi making about 4 errors tonight.

-Vlad made his return tonight and got three hits.

-Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens are still the two best pitchers in the league as of right now, what year is this? Pedro flirted with a no hitter tues night, and his .67 WHIP (walks and hits per inning) is off the charts.

6/8

-Wake and Clement got shelled last two nights. Gettin rolled in St. Louis so far.

-Pedro pitched a complete game gem tonight CG 1ER 2H 1BB 12k, had a no hitter into the 7th. Miss the hell out of that guy right now.

-Yanks lost last 9 of 10, Randy Johnson = big dissapointment so far.

-Draft was today and the sox loaded up with 6 picks in the first 56. Numbers 23 and 26 in the first round we took Jacoby Ellsbury, and Craig Hansen. Ellsbury is a CF from oregon state who compares to Damon, great speed and defense and has an ability to get on base at a huge clip. Hansen is the more exciting pick though. A tall flamethrowing right handed reliever/closer from St Johns, Hansen has stuff comparable to Brad Lidge. He throws a mid to high 90's fastball, and a hard slider that is just as filthy. Hansen was slated to maybe even go 1st overall, and is called by baseball america as the player closest to being major league ready in the entire draft.

6/4 comeback/cabreras return

Nice comeback win last night. Escobar was dominating, but we got to their stingy bullpen. Donnely-Shields-Rodriguez is probably the best bullpen trio in the league, and we got 6 runs off the first two. Damon had the go ahead double in the 8th.

Also, It was Cabreras return to fenway and he got an enormous ovation, guy loved it here. He raised his helmet in recognition. Guy was with us for six months and he's a legend for what they did last year.


-The yanks have dropped six in a row, including getting swept by a team with a payroll with 1/8th of theirs in the Royals. Steinbrenner = heated. Yanks are 5 back.

6/3 walkoff, Ortiz

Foulke came in with the score tied 3-3 and let up a run in the top of the 9th. Down 1 in the bottom of the 9th against BJ Ryan. Damon and Nixon flew out, then Bellhorn reached on an infield hit. Renteria came up and bunted the first pitch down the 3rd baseline to a deep Mora who wasnt ready for it. Ballsy move by Edgar but also a brilliant one, put a runner in scoring position and the bat in the hands of your power hitters. Ortiz came to the plate with two outs and worked it to a full count. With the crowd standing chanting "PAPI PAPI PAPI" He unloaded on a fastball and sent it into the bleachers in dead center for the win.


David Ortiz is a dominant force late in games. He is the premier designated hitter in the game. He unquestionably thrives in pressure situations, a modern day Reggie Jackson, Senor Octubre. His salary is theft at 6 million. We have him under contract for this year and next, then a club option for 7.5 in 2007 (which if healthy is an easy check for the sox to sign).

Quicks: Yanks just got swept by the Royals... seriously. Tino Martinez leads the all star voting for 1st basemen, but Mark Teixeira deserves it. Schills in Arizona doing double sessions to get in shape at athletes performance institute. AJ Burnett threw a pitch the other night that the Marlins scoreboard radar gun read as "104" though it was more likely 98 or 99.

Seadogs game

Saw the AA Seadogs play in Manchester Wed night. We missed Papelbon throw a 1 hit gem the night before, and saw Gabard get shelled, but atleast Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez were in the lineup. Both went hitless but Pedroia turned a nice double play, and you could tell Hanley was the best athlete on the field. Retta pointed out there was one infield grounder that H-Ram almost beat out, and from a full sprint he stopped on a dime as soon as he hit the bag to argue the call. Gonna be interesting to see what this organization has planned for him. He's probably not gonna see time at SS for Boston because of Renteria, but Hanley does have the tools to play CF if need be. The only way Hanley gets traded is for a huge return, possibly an ace if thats what it would take to repeat.

Article that evaluates the best GM's in the league by effectiveness after the trade deadline, efficiency, and ability to build a team that wins at home. Theo ranks #1 on it.