The All-Star Break is over, and not a moment too soon for baseball fans who probably resorted to watching the Home Shopping Network yesterday.
With action resuming, I’m especially intrigued by the four-game Rangers-Red Sox matchup at Fenway this weekend. The Rangers are leading the AL West by 4 ½ games, but they also have lost four in a row. The arrival of Cliff Lee gave the team an emotional boost, but will he put up good numbers in Texas… or in Fenway on Saturday? We’ll see.
photo credit: Ken Curtis
The 2004 champs could prove to be chumps while hosting Texas this weekend.
Likewise, the Sox are 4-6 in their last ten and reeling from injuries. Still, things are looking up. Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Manny Delcarmen are all on the verge of minor league rehab assignments, and Adrian Beltre’s MRI looks okay. Jeremy Hermida is already on rehab, and Dustin Pedroia may be cleared for working out before long. So if the Sox can split this series or win it, you have to think it will bolster their confidence as we head toward August.
So let’s look at this weekend’s matchups. Tonight we have Tommy Hunter (5-0, 2.34) against Tim Wakefield (3-7, 5.22 ERA). Where did Tommy Hunter come from this year? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s 7-2 Texas in the seventh as of this writing.
Tomorrow we have Colby Lewis (8-5, 3.33) against rookie Felix Doubront (1-1, 4.22). On Saturday, it’s Cliff Lee (8-4, 2.64) against John Lackey (9-5, 4.78), and on Sunday we have C.J Wilson (7-5, 3.35) against Jon Lester (11-3, 2.78).
Hmmm…. As I reflect on all this—and the current status of tonight’s game—a Sox split looks to be about as good as a Sox fan could hope. Got to think that Lewis is likely to outdo Dobrount, and I never did like the idea of John Lackey pitching in Fenway—let alone against Cliff Lee. I’ll take Lester over Wilson, but Sox fans had better hope that they’re not down 3-0 in the series by then.
Suddenly a split looks good while the Sox await better times.
