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.