This weekend there are several series that could impact races for pennants.   Some have a more outside impact, while others could directly enhance or derail a team’s chances of getting to the post season.

Yankees/Blue Jays – Not that the Jays have any shot at the post season, but some losses by the Yankees could put them back in a tie with the Rays or worse a couple of games down after this weekend.  The Rays have the Orioles this weekend and as we all know games against Baltimore are not a gimme anymore.  I think the Yankees/Jays series could prove to be the more telling of the two.

Braves/Marlins – This series could directly affect the Braves post season chances.  They struggled with the Marlins at home just a few days ago and now they have to face them in Florida.  A few losses here and the Phillies who are now only two games back could catch up with ease.  The Phillies get the Brewers this weekend and their bats seem to be heating up as evidenced by the 12 runs they put up on the Rockies on Thursday night.  The Braves series is a must win if they want to hold on to their division lead.

White Sox/Red Sox – The battle of the Sox could affect both teams playoff chances.  The White Sox more so as the Red Sox have a lot of ground to make up and little time.  The White Sox, however are in the thick of things in the AL Central.  A series win over the Red Sox would put them in great position to make a run at the Twins for the division title.  And the Twins have to face the red hot Rangers this weekend.  Things could do an almost total flip flop if the Sox win and the Twins lose.

Rockies/Padres – The Rockies are still fighting to get into the post season.  They are now only 6.5 back in the WC standings.  The Padres have been on a losing streak a mile wide of late and the Rockies may have just hit them at the right time.  The Giants get to face division rivals the Dodgers this weekend.  I think these series could come out with the Rockies taking 2 and the Giants losing 2.  It could certainly shift things around slightly in the NL West.

Reds/Cardinals – And the BIG series of the weekend is of course the Reds and Cardinals.  The Reds are still on a smoking hot run in the NL Central.  They are now 8 games ahead of the Cards and have won 4 in a row.  The Cards on the other hand have lost 5 in a row to subpar teams.  The Cards are 2-8 for their last 10 while the Reds are 7-3.  If the Reds take the weekend series, the Cards will be all but finished in the NL Central.  The series win would put the Cards out of contention in my book and the only way back in would be a Reds collapse and I don’t see that happening this season.

It’s a big weekend for baseball.  Many things could change and time is running short.  It’s definitely what’s important now.

© photo credit: Jeffrey Beall

Deborah Horton Writing

The Boston Red Sox and their fans have unrealistic dreams of making it to the post season.   The team and the fans don’t want to let go, but to anyone with an objective eye this team is  done.

The Red Sox have had the kind of season that no one wants to see.  Injury upon injury upon injury.  Slow starting hitters.  Hit or miss pitchers.  Falling further and further behind in the division as the Rays and Yankees battle it out at the top like to race car drivers racing to the finish line.  The Red Sox are 6.5 games back in both the division and the wild card race.  They lost their last 2 games to the Rays.  It’s time to face the truth, it’s just not the Rays year.

The Red Sox have struggled in every possible facet of the game.  Hitting, pitching, fielding and their DL list at some points in the season has looked like their roster.  With the Rays and Yankees playing like their hair is on fire, the Red Sox just don’t have a chance of getting to the post season.  Both the Rays and the Yankees would have to have meltdowns of epic proportions for the Red Sox to even get to the wild card at this point.  And the Sox would have to have everyone healthy, everyone hitting, everyone pitching their best as well.

I’m sorry to say Red Sox Nation, this is not the Sox year.  It’s time to let go of these unrealistic dreams.

© photo credit: B Rosen

The Red Sox whole season was captured in a microcosm over the last weekend.

All year long, the story of the Boston Red Sox has been of a team that has battled hard and stayed competitive despite umpteen injuries, only to end up in the close-but-not-quite category as a playoff contender.

photo credit: Napalm filled tires

Looks like it’s time for the September swan song for the Boston Red Sox.

This was never more apparent than through the last three games down in Tampa. The Sox came in to the series down 5 ½ games in the rankings, and they came through with a stirring victory behind Jon Lester on Friday night. All of a sudden, visions of a three-game sweep and a manageable 2 ½ game deficit in the wild card race danced through the heads of Red Sox Nation.

Instead, the Sox lost a heartbreaker on Saturday night and another squeaker on Sunday. On Saturday, Clay Buchholz pitched great, but manager Terry Francona may have stuck with him a little long. On NESN, Jerry Remy wondered aloud why Daniel Bard didn’t start the eighth inning with a 2-1 lead in hand. Instead, Buchholz went out to the mound and surrendered a tying homer to B. J. Upton. Insult was added to injury when quadruple-A 1B Dan Johnson hit a walk-off homer off quadruple-A pitcher Scott Atchison in the tenth.

The Sox had a 2-1 lead on Sunday but lost again. Starter John Lackey actually looked good, but Tampa bounced on the handful of mistakes that he made. The outcome was a 5-3 Rays win that leaves the Sox 6 ½ games out with just over a month to go.

So it has gone for the Red Sox: They have hung in there and continually rekindle the hopes of their fans, but a step forward is too often followed with a step back. Unfortunately, with Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jacoby Ellsbury all done for the year, I think you should expect more of the same during this year’s September swan song.

It feels like I’ve written far too many blogs this season about the Red Sox facing a make-or-break series. All year, they’ve been fighting off injuries, trailing in the standings, and needing to make inroads in the standings against the Rays and the Yankees.

That remains true this weekend. The Sox trail both teams by 5 ½ games, a number that has not changed much through August thus far. Of course, every week in which they fail to reduce that number becomes an increasing problem as we move toward the end of the season. The status quo is a step backward, given the waning number of games remaining.

photo credit: Eric Kilby

The Jon Lester-David Price matchup on Friday night should be very entertaining… just don’t expect this weekend to change the status quo in the AL East.

So here we go again this weekend. The Sox travel to Tampa for a big three-game series. Unquestionably, this will be fun to watch, as the pitching matchups are great all three days. We have a fabulous Friday duel between Jon Lester and David Price, two of the top starters in the league. On Saturday, it’s another good one with Clay Buchholz versus Matt Garza. The series finishes on Sunday with John Lackey and James Shields. Neither pitcher is doing as well as the guys on the first two nights, but it’s still too tough to call.

As you can see, there will be plenty of entertaining baseball this season. But how much will it matter? A sweep either way would have a major impact, but it’s pretty hard for a good baseball team to get swept in a three-game series. I just don’t see that happening.

Most likely, someone will win two of three games. If it’s the Sox, then they pull to 4 ½ games—closer, but not much. If it’s the Rays, then a 6 ½ game lead puts the Sox in a bad spot—but only a bit worse than they are now.

So get ready to enjoy some terrific baseball this weekend, but don’t expect things to be all that different in the AL East race come Monday.

Since I live on the west coast, I have no idea what could possibly running through the minds of Red Sox fans at this moment (I’m looking for your reaction, Weighart). But since ESPN always loves to make so much of the heated “rivalry” between the Sox and the New York Yankees, I for one could not believe Johnny Damon’s 2005 decision to cut the locks, shave the beard and abandon the Nation to go put on the pin stripes. And now I’ve just gotten word that the Red Sox have actually claimed Damon off of waivers from the the Detroit Tigers.

“It’s probably as tough of a decision for me to make right now as it was for me to leave Boston for New York,” Damon told reporters.

As it stands now, Damon has until Wednesday to decide whether he would waive his no-trade clause to return to Fenway Park. If it were any other team, there probably wouldn’t be too much to mull over: “I could stay here in Detroit with this underachieving club and miss the playoffs, or I could go play for a team that has a shot at a pennate.” But then again, this is Boston, and I don’t see how the Nation could possibly accept his return with open arms. At least Damon understands this dilemma.

“I have to think long and hard if I’m going to once again be probably one of the nicest guys in baseball, but be once again the most hated guy in baseball. That’s what it boils down.”

If Damon does return, he won’t be bringing the sort of production that Boston fans will remember. Damon is hitting .270 this season with just seven homers and 40 RBIs.

But whatever happens, winning covers a multitude of sins. If Damon can somehow help propel the Sox into the post-season, all will be forgotten.

photo credit: Peter McCarthy

Johnny Damon was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox.  The Tigers and Sox have until Wednesday to work out a deal, but Damon has the final say.  Due to his no trade clause, he can accept or reject a deal with the Red Sox.  Given how the Sox treated him the last time he left, I wouldn’t blame him if he said no, would you?

Damon was a hero inside Fenway for years.  Fans loved him.  He played hard and gave it his all.  Then, the Sox decided he wasn’t a necessity to their program and that’s when things got bad.  Damon went to the Yankees.  Hurt feelings were had all around.  It left a bad taste in Damon’s mouth.  It is a big part of the reason he is having to think about this decision so hard.

The Tigers have no chance at the post season this year and it’s looking more and more like the Red Sox do not have one either.  Granted, the Sox have a better chance, but given their continued injury woes, and the Yankees and Rays still playing great baseball, they seem to have little chance.  So, it wouldn’t be as if he were going from a no chance team to a sure thing team.  And, who is to say once the Sox are healthy they don’t toss Damon to the curb once again?

Damon said something very telling in an interview when asked about his decision.  He said, “I love the Tigers organization, and I love the fact that they’re up-front and honest.”  That says a lot about what he think of the Red Sox.  I can’t say I would blame him if he stayed with the Tigers.  He loves the team and the organization.  The fans love him there.  Why go back to a place where you were vilified and in a few months find yourself unemployed again?  If he chooses the Tigers who would blame him?  Not me.

© photo credit: Dave Hogg

Deborah Horton Writing

Given that the previous post has already discussed the latest in a long line of injury woes for the Boston Red Sox this season, I wanted to write a counterpoint of sorts.

Contrary to popular opinion, a few Red Sox players have NOT spent time on the disabled list this season, as impossible as that may seem. So let us now praise healthy men.

photo credit: Eric Kilby

It’s fitting that Covidien has an advertisement on the Green Monster, as most–but not all–of the Red Sox have needed their share of quality health care products this season.

The irony is that those few and proud Boston players who have avoided a DL stint are not exactly the ones you might have predicted back in Spring Training. David Ortiz is getting older, and he’s not exactly a great athlete along the lines of a David Winfield or Kenny Lofton. Ortiz reminds me more of Mo Vaughn as a body type, and we remember how his career plummeted due to injuries. Yet Ortiz is in fine fettle and producing well.

At times during his career, J.D. Drew has been referred to as “Nancy Drew” or “D.L. Drew” due to the perception that he is not tough and/or always hurt. However, he gets a gold star on the forehead this season for perfect attendance.

Last year, Adrian Beltre spent some time on the disabled list for a reason that will make you squirm. Let’s just say he plays third base—the hot corner—without a protective cup, and let’s leave it at that. Throw in the fact that he has not changed his ways, and you’d have to think he would be a candidate for injury. Instead, he’s ripping the ball.

Some of the other guys who have stayed healthy are less surprising. New arrival Marco Scutaro has never been injury prone. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is getting older but seldom gets hurt. Bill Hall has been a nice surprise offensively, and he hasn’t gotten hurt. Jon Papelbon has not been hurt by anything except opposing batters, and young fireballer Daniel Bard keeps throwing heat without incident.

Perhaps the best news of all is that Jon Lester has remained healthy in EVERY way after recovering from cancer.
Altogether, that makes nine Red Sox who have been on the roster all season without going on the disabled list.
Of course, we still have over a month to go. With the Sox playoff hopes fading, perhaps we should watch these nine players closely in baseball’s version of Survivor.

I rarely, if ever, extend sympathies toward cities whose professional baseball team’s undergo massive amounts of injuries and other great misfortunes through the course of a season (especially when it means expressing them on a public form, such as a blog). But even as an ardent Angel fan, who has had his own season of woes (Kendry Morales…need I say more?), I can’t help but to once again point out the sort of Shakespearian tragedy that is the Boston Red Sox season and feel a sense of pity.

The victim this time around: Dustin Pedroia, a repeat offender. After playing just two games since being activated from the DL, Pedroia is going headed back to his least favorite hang-out: the dugout. This injury, what team physicians are simply referring to as soreness in his fractured left foot, is coming as a result of the foul ball that Pedroia hit off the same foot in late June, which also forced Pedroia to be sidelined for 44 games.

Although he believes that it won’t be a season-ender, Pedroia is still upset that he won’t be able to help the team in the midst of their far-fetched hopes at a playoff spot.

“I’m upset. I let everybody down,” Pedroia said. “I can’t really do much. I tried. Hopefully it heals up and I’ll get back in there.”

And in case you are keeping score at home, that now gives the Sox 767 man games lost.

Pedroia is day-to-day, but more than anything this seems like just another morale-killer to the heart of the Red Sox.

photo credit: Erik Charlton

There is approximately 1 month and 2 weeks until the end of the regular season of baseball.  There are 12 teams left in contention.  Only 12.  One dozen trying to make it to the post season.

AL East – Yankees are on top of the Rays by 1 game.  The Rays had a chance to tie with the Yankees as they lost to the Mariners Friday night, but couldn’t do it.  The Red Sox are still hanging around at 6.5 games out, but suffered yet another injury blow as the just returned Pedroia was placed back on the DL with a sore foot.  Unless the Red Sox can put together some series wins, this is a fight between the Yankees and Rays.

AL Central – The Twins have taken control of the top spot at 4.5 games over the White Sox.  The Twins are 8-2 for their last 10 and the White Sox are 3-7.  The Twins definitely have the momentum currently, but this will be a fight to the finish.

AL West – The Rangers have this division all but sewn up even with the time left in the season.  They are 7 games over the A’s.  They continue to win, hit well, and pitch very well.  It will be hard for any team in the West to make a dent in the Rangers run to the playoffs.

NL East – The Braves and Phillies continue to battle it out for the top spot.  The Braves are currently 2.5 games up but the Phillies are getting healthier by the day and their pitching is getting hotter.  The Braves picked up Derrek Lee in hopes of bolstering their bats for the run to the post season.  The Braves are 8-2 for their last 10 and the Phillies are 7-3.  This race couldn’t be any tighter.

NL Central – The Reds are ridiculous good.  They are now 4.5 games ahead of the Cards.  The Reds have won 7 games in a row.  The Cards have lost 5 in a row.  The Reds are 7-3 for their last 10 while the cards are 4-6.  The Cards are the real deal this year.  They have all the tools to make it deep into the post season.

NL West – The Padres are still on top by 5 games over the Giants.  The Pads are 8-2 for their last 10 and the Giants are 5-5.  The Padres are just quietly going about their business and taking care of business.  The Giants have a chance to move closer, but time is running out.

Here are some predictions – AL Division winners – Rays, Twins, Rangers.  AL Wildcard – Yankees.  NL Division Winners – Braves, Reds, Padres.  Wildcard- Phillies.  In a month and approximately 2 weeks, we will find out if I’m right.

Playwright Samuel Beckett was known for several classic works of theatre, including a play entitled Catastrophe.

Pitcher Josh Beckett might think that’s a good descriptor of his season. After a long-awaited return from the disabled list, the Red Sox ace has basically picked up where he left off in the spring. And that’s not a good thing. Last night he gave up six runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Angels, as the Sox lost yet another game they couldn’t really afford to lose.

photo credit: Kripptic

Playwright Samuel Beckett created some works that might be used to characterize the performance of Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett this season.

This has been a disturbing trend of late, who has now given up 28 hits and 19 runs over his last three starts, including a particularly disappointing showing against the archrival Yankees. Given that the Sox are desperately trying to get back in the mix for the AL Wild Card at least, Beckett’s pitching at this time of year has certainly been catastrophic.

Of course, Samuel Beckett’s most famous play is Waiting For Godot. That play is considered to be an example of the “Theatre of the Absurd,” as the story revolves around two characters biding their time in various ways while they wait for another character, Godot, to arrive. That never happens.

I’m starting to conclude that the Red Sox are enduring their own Theatre of the Absurd this season, waiting for guys to show up and then not having it happen. Sometimes this has been literally, as our hopes of players like Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron getting healthy have been dashed for this season. In other cases, it’s been more figuratively. Beckett is the latter, as he has returned to the field but not really shown up. His ERA for the season is now a woeful 6.66.

Before long I may be tempted to pick up another Samuel Beckett play that will describe the Red Sox season: Endgame.