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| Even if the Red Sox advance to the World Series, they will likely be without third baseman Mike Lowell, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Lowell will need surgery in the offseason to fix his injured hip. He tried to make it through the ALDS, but was in far too much pain to continue. |
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| Jason Bay scored the game winning run on a single by Jed Lowrie on a close play at the plate as the Sox defeated the Rays to move on to the ALCS against the Rays. Bay had two hits in the contest and batted .412 in the four game series. |
Our View: Bay isn't Manny Ramirez, but every time someone brings that up he inserts himself right into the middle of the action with some solid work. On his headfirst slide into the plate his hand was stepped on by Mike Napoli, so keep an eye out to see if there are any lingering effects when he swings the bat. |
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| Dustin Pedroia broke a 19 AB playoff hitless streak with a double in four trips to the plate in Game 4. |
Our View: Given that Pedroia had just one hit in four games and the Red Sox still moved on one would have to think Sox fans are feeling pretty good about their chances in what figures to be a heated playoff series with the Rays. |
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| Jon Lester dominated the Angels for seven scoreless innings though his reward was a no-decision. However, the Red Sox came back to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, 3-2, to move on the the ALCS against the Rays. |
Our View: The matchup everyone wanted to see will occur. The Rays can't be looking forward to facing Lester who simply pounded the strike zone tonight in a dominating effort as he outpitched John Lackey for the second time in the series. |
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| Curt Schilling (shoulder) might be willing to return for just half of the 2009 season, according to Slam Sports. "I won't come back for a full season, that much I know. If I do decide to come back I would work to the point I was ready and somewhere around May 1 let the teams know I wanted to pitch the second half," he said. |
Our View: Schilling said the rough plan would include him pitching in the minors in June and then hopefully returning to the hill right around the All-Star break. Even if he does somehow make it back to the mound next season Schilling is far from even a fair bet to be productive. |
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| Josh Beckett claims that despite an average effort in Game 3 that he is physically healthy despite his recent oblique strain, according to The Providence Journal. |
Our View: Beckett needed 106 pitches to make it through five innings as he was inefficient, and he worked exceedingly slowly during the game which certainly didn't help his defense to stay on their toes. If the Sox advance it will be interesting to see what Beckett does in his next appearance. |
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| Jonathan Papelbon will be available to pitch in Game 4 despite throwing 31 pitches in Game 3, according to the Red Sox Official Website. |
Our View: Papelbon is clearly the best arm in the Sox pen, and with the season on the line who else should be on the mound at the end of the game? |
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| Justin Masterson is firmly in the Red Sox plans for 2009, though the club isn't quite certain as to which role he will be asked to fill, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Masterson went 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA in nine starts this season while his work out of the bullpen was even sharper (2-2, 2.36 ERA in 27 appearances). With his stuff, he is primed for success in either role. |
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| Mike Lowell has been removed from the ALDS roster due to complications with his injured hip, according to The Providence Journal. He has been replaced on the roster by infielder Gil Velazquez. |
Our View: Lowell won't be eligible to return until the World Series, if the Sox can make it that far. Given his struggles of late, even if the team makes it to the Fall Classic, we wouldn't be counting on much from one of the teams most important RBI bats. |
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| Updating an earlier report, Mike Lowell will not be in the Red Sox lineup in Game 4 on Monday because of his injured hip, according to the Associated Press. "We’ll get him looked at," manager Terry Francona said. "We have some decisions to make. Maybe one decision is to do nothing. Some of it is going to depend on what the doctors say what we needed to do with him." |
Our View: The Red Sox may have no choice but to shut Lowell down if they move on in the playoffs as it's tough to waste a roster spot on a guy if he is limited to just pinch hitting. Kevin Youkilis will continue to play at third with Mark Kotsay filling in at first. |
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| Mike Lowell could barely walk as he came into the clubhouse after Game 3, according to the Boston Globe. He had difficulty putting on his pants and when asked if he would play in Game 4, he answered, "I don't know. We'll see Monday."
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Our View: Lowell has looked sluggish while roaming third base, and has also looked overmatched at the plate. |
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| Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-5 on Sunday night and is now, amazingly, 0-for-13 through three games. |
Our View: Pedroia hit the ball hard on this night, but the ball just kept finding Angels gloves. The second leading hitter in the American League during the regular season (.326) will eventually turn this slump around, you can bet on it. |
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| Jacoby Ellsbury had a big night at the plate going 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI for the Sox. He also had second base stolen before sliding over the bag and being tagged out by Erik Aybar. |
Our View: Ellsbury has looked good at the plate hitting .429, and continues to be a positive influence at the top of the Sox order despite making the occasional mistake (such as sliding past second on that steal attempt). |
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| Josh Beckett needed 106 pitches to make it through five uneven innings against the Angels in Game 3. Beckett ended his night after allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out six in a no-decision. |
Our View: An old bugaboo came up again tonight as Beckett was taken deep twice by Mike Napoli. Beckett was testy with the umpire and clearly upset with himself as he failed to live up to his huge playoff reputation on this night. |
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| Mike Lowell (hip) will be in the starting lineup for the Red Sox for Game 3 of their ALDS matchup with the Angels, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. |
Our View: Lowell has been bothered, especially in the field, by his ailing hip. Reports are that he feels good so he will return to the lineup to see if his body is strong enough to allow him to contribute. |
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| J.D. Drew will not play in Game 3 against the Angels on Sunday night because of his sore back, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. "J.D. is physically doing pretty well," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "I know normally you get to this time of year and you send eight or nine guys out there and just stay with it. I don't know that, the way we're built right now, that's the best way to do it." |
Our View: Drew hit the big game winning home run off of Francisco Rodriguez in Game 2, but he played in only two of the Red Sox last 38 regular season games because of his ailing back. Hopefully he will be back in the lineup for the Red Sox next playoff game. |
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| According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox will try to move Julio Lugo this off-season. |
Our View: This is not surprising considering the emergence of Jed Lowrie. The Red Sox would probably have to pick up some salary to move the high-priced shortstop, but there will probably be several teams interested. |
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| Mike Lowell was held out of Game 2 due to his ailing hip, but manager Terry Francona indicated that he will return to the lineup in Game 3, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Boston holds a 2-0 lead over the Angels, and Lowell will be in action when they try to close out the best-of-five series Sunday at Fenway Park. |
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| Jonathan Papelbon got six outs for the win in Friday's 7-5 win over the Angels in Game 2 of the ALDS. He struck out one and allowed no hits. |
Our View: Papelbon did allow a Mark Teixeira sac fly that scored his inherited runner, Chone Figgins, from third. Regardless, he was mostly dominant in his two inning appearance. |
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| Jason Bay hit his second postseason home run in his second career postseason game in Friday's 7-5 win over the Angels. He went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run. |
Our View: Despite all the havoc Manny Ramirez is wrecking, Jason Bay has done everything he can to keep pace with the dreadlocked superstar. Bay is 5-for-9 after two playoff games. He has five RBI through two games. |
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| J.D. Drew's ninth inning, two-run blast off of Francisco Rodriguez gave the Red Sox a 7-5 victory which held up for the final score in Friday's Game 2 of the ALDS in Anaheim. He finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. |
Our View: Drew is clearly not feeling any ill effects of the back injury that sidelined him up until the playoffs (he had just four at-bats in the final six weeks of the season). He was the difference tonight at the plate and he also contributed with some nice catches in the field. |
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| The Providence Journal reports that Josh Beckett has been confirmed by Terry Francona to start on Sunday in Game 3 of the ALDS. He had been dealing with a strained oblique that he suffered during a throwing session last week. |
Our View: Beckett threw about 65 pitches in a bullpen session on Thursday, and it went well. Beckett was the most dominating pitcher in last season's playoffs and should perform well again. |
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| The Boston Globe reports that Alex Cora replaces Jed Lowrie at shortstop in Game 2 of the ALDS in Anaheim. |
Our View: Lowrie has been the everyday shortstop in the second half and was 1-for-3 in Game 1 with a run scored. Cora is 2-for-3 in his career against Ervin Santana (Friday's starter) and hit .270 this season to Lowrie's .258. |
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| The Boston Globe has confirmed what many saw coming - Mike Lowell will not be in Friday's starting lineup for Game 2 of the ALDS due to his injured hip. Mark Kotsay will replace him at first base. |
Our View: Lowell is one of the more dependable hitters on the Red Sox and he may be called upon to pinch-hit in the game. His hip does bother him when he runs, but not as much when swinging the bat. |
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| Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin was left off the team's postseason roster after a difficult year, and now it appears he may have thrown his final pitch in the major leagues, as he is seriously contemplating retirement, according to the Boston Herald. "There’s a real possibility I could shut it down," Timlin said. |
Our View: If he does shut it down, it will end a very good career. Timlin has appeared in more games a right-handed reliever than anyone in baseball history, but had the highest ERA of his career this season. His 5.66 ERA is the highest it has been since 1994, when he sported a mark of 5.18. |
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| Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek doesn't plan to hang 'em up any time soon, according to the Orange County Register. "I haven't even started to think about (managing). I want to play 10 more years," he said. |
Our View: At age 36 and hitting .220 this season, there is a better chance of Ralph Nader winning the 2008 Presidential election than there is of Varitek playing another decade. |
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| Boston third baseman Mike Lowell might not be able to play Game 2, as he was clearly in pain during Game 1, according to the Boston Globe. "It's not just like a nagging hamstring he's dealing with, so again, I'll continue to think. I really don't know quite what we're going to do," said manager Terry Francona. |
Our View: Lowell is dealing with an injured hip, and is still in a lot of pain. Francona will not make his decision until later in the day. |
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| Josh Beckett threw about 65 pitches in a bullpen session on Thursday, and it went well, which means the likelihood of him starting Game 3 is high, according to the Boston Globe. "I will tell you from the look in his bullpen today, he looks ready to go for Sunday," according to Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. |
Our View: Beckett was dealing with a strained oblique, but with no complications in his side session, the issue seems cleared up. |
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| Red Sox starter Josh Beckett will throw a bullpen session on Thursday, which will have a great deal of influence on whether or not he will be able to pitch Game 3 of the team's ALDS against the Angels, according to the Boston Herald. |
Our View: If everything goes as planned, and Beckett feels no ill effects from his strained oblique, then he will be able to pitch Game 3, which will be played Sunday. |
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| Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin was not put on the team's postseason roster, according to the Boston Globe. "I think our obligations are to put the best out there we can," Boston manager Terry Francona said. |
Our View: Timlin did not have a good season, throwing 49.1 innings and sporting an ERA of 5.66 and WHIP of 1.62. |
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| David Ortiz stretched his hitting streak in AL division series games to 12 with his ninth-inning RBI single. |
Our View: Ortiz lives for clutch moments and the playoffs are full of them. Expect another big postseason from Big Papi. |
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| Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI and also reached base on a three-base error by Gary Matthews. Ellsbury did it on the other side of the ball as well by making a diving catch that robbed Mark Teixeira of a hit. |
Our View: Ellsbury shined in last year's postseason and he's off to another spectacular start this time around. Ellsbury embodies the new look Red Sox who seem to promote speed and defense. |
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| Jason Bay stepped up big in his first career postseason game. He was 2-for-4 with two RBI, both coming on his sixth inning home run off of Angels' starter John Lackey. The hit gave the Red Sox the lead for good in their 4-1 NLDS victory. |
Our View: Bay has played extremely well since coming over to the Red Sox in the Manny Ramirez trade. In 49 games with the Sox, Bay hit .293 with nine home runs, 37 RBI and scored 30 runs. He kept it going on Wednesday. |
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| Jon Lester was exceptional in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Angels. He allowed one unearned run over seven innings while striking out seven. The Red Sox have now defeated the Angels 10 straight times in the postseason. |
Our View: Lester seemed to get even better as the game went on and made analyst Dennis Eckersley look like a genius. Eck had said throughout pregame coverage that Lester, not Beckett, was the best pitcher on the Red Sox. |
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| The Star-Tribune reports that Josh Beckett played long toss Wednesday before the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels began their AL division series, and remains on track to start Game 3 on Sunday in Boston. |
Our View: Beckett, originally scheduled to start Game 1, injured a muscle in his side last Friday during a bullpen session. He was probably the best pitcher in last year's playoffs and if he's healthy, should be set to dominate again. |
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| Mike Lowell is projected to start at third base in Game 1 against the Angels, according to the Boston Globe. While the Globe projects him to start, manager Terry Francona remains uncertain and said, "We just don't know yet. I thought Mikey Lowell looked pretty good. I thought it was very encouraging the way he moved around. The movement he did do didn't grab at him. That was very encouraging."
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Our View: Lowell was a driving force during Boston's World Series run last season, but the 34-year-old failed to stay healthy this season, and it remains to be seen if he can make an impact in their bid to win a third title in five years. |
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| J.D. Drew, who has been recovering from a herniated disk in his back, is being projected to start Game 1 against the Angels in right field, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Drew only played in 109 games in the regular season due to his ailment, but was productive with 19 homers and 79 runs scored. |
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