Aug 18, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves (91) gestures during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Boston won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Aceves is one of those guys who when going good is called eccentric and when he’s going like he’s been going since, oh, mid-season 2012 he’s a malcontent who destroys team unity. He has been tolerated in Boston for two reasons: 1. For a time he was a guy a manager could depend on to slip into the starting rotation, spot start or perform middle relief, setup and closing duties. That’s a lot of utility, especially during a season like his 2011 campaign when he went 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA; 2. Boston’s pitching has been hurting for two years.

Fast forward to 2012 when Aceves reversed his numbers, going 2-10 with a 5.25 ERA, all the while brooding and getting into spats both public and private with then Sox manager Bobby Valentine (OK, I’ll cut him some slack for fighting with Valentine).

Aceves has become the embodiment of what John Farrell detests; unprofessional.  After the As blew out Aceves 13-0 a couple of days ago and he then accused the team of not backing him up with run support that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Farrell said that Aceves got sent down strictly based on performance, which if that was the only yardstick by which he was measured, then he certainly deserved to go down. Aceves is 1-1 with an 8.66 ERA. The root issue is his completely unprofessional behavior and that’s got to be a bone stuck in Farrell’s throat at this point.

If Boston is smart they’ll do what they can to rehabilitate Aceves in the minors, bring him up to show and deal him. He’s a cancer. Farrell will be cool about it but I believe Alfredo Aceves’ days in a Red Sox uniform are numbered. What do you think?

August 31, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves (91) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Naturally, the Sox failed to reward the strong pitching performances by once again surrendering the lead late. JD Durbin gave up back-to-back singles to start off the eighth. After two quick outs, third baseman Drew Sutton, who has had his share if mistakes in the field this spring, misplayed what should have been the final out of the inning, and allowed the go-ahead and eventual winning run to score.

Offensively, it was a quiet day for the Sox bats, with only two hits for the afternoon. Unsurprisingly, Jackie Bradley Jr. provided one of the few sparks, when he hit a double in the first inning off Jays’ starter JA Happ. Other than that, the bats never really woke up, striking out eight times and failing to push off a run.

It should be noted that Bradley Jr. spent his first time this spring in left field, a possible foreshadowing of things to come. Bradley Jr., a natural center fielder, has a shot to make the Opening Day roster in left with Jonny Gomes likely filling David Ortiz‘s DH role.

Saturday afternoon offers up some baseball to combat the current basketball frenzy, with Clay Buchholz scheduled to start against the Pirates at 1:35 p.m. EST.

Mar. 9, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Mexico outfielder Karim Garcia (right) collides with Canada catcher Chris Robinson in the fourth inning during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Garcia was out on the play. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In a game that included a number of hard slides and a collision at the plate, both teams appeared to have had enough of one another by the end of the game. And so the stage was set.

One of baseball’s unwritten rules is that you don’t disrespect your opponent by bunting to get aboard with a big lead. That’s exactly what happened when Canada’s Chris Robinson led off the ninth inning with a bunt with Canada ahead 9-3. Mexico pitcher Arnold Leon responded by throwing at but missing Canada’s Rene Tosoni. After both teams were warned by the umpire Leon drilled Tosoni in the back and the brawl was on.

Aceves, who was involved in a WWF-style wrestling match with Tyson Gillies, was reportedly either punched in the face or hit in the head.

I’d be worried about Aceves’ condition if I thought the blow actually could make his psycho-physiological condition any worse.

Aceves was ejected from the game and most likely will face further discipline. This fan video gives you a taste of the non-baseball related action. This multi-shot video vignette depicts a more complete picture of the fracas.

Mar. 9, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Mexico players fight with Canada players in the ninth inning of the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, if you follow me, you know that this report breaks my long-standing boycott of World Baseball Classic reporting. I’m reporting it for two reasons. 1. It further underscores how this event endangers Major League Baseball players in an essentially meaningless competition, one of my primary caveats that would trigger a report. This qualifies in a big way. By they way, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are currently embroiled in a chippy game on the MLB Network; 2. It highlights what a head case Aceves is and how badly the Red Sox need to get rid of him.

Bud Selig, I hope you’re happy.

You gotta fight for your right to party
- You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party, Beastie Boys 

February 28, 2013; Bradenton, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Juan Carlos Linares (75) hits a RBI single during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Sox got half of their offense with one out in the second inning. That was when J.C. Linares went yard off Twins’ prospect Kyle Gibson. Linares added on to what’s been a very strong spring so far for the 27 year old outfielder, as he has batted .429/.467/.643 in 15 plate appearances so far. Shortly after Buchholz got that little offensive boost, he was relieved by Alfredo Aceves, who went on to post a very strong outing.

It was vintage Aceves in Ft. Myers today as the swingman went 3.2 innings out of the bullpen in his last appearance before leaving to pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. In those 3.2 innings, he allowed five hits and struck out three, with his only real mistake being a fourth inning home run surrendered to Justin Morneau.

Aceves would wind up being the winner after receiving some run support on a fifth inning rally. Twins reliever Esmerling Vazquez’s control escaped him when he walked back-to-back men. Those walks came back to haunt him when Ryan Sweeney blooped a single over second baseman Jamey Carroll‘s head to score Jonathan Diaz from second base.

There was excellent pitching even after the departure of Aceves due in part to an impeccable appearance by prospect Allen Webster. Webster went three full innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two and allowing no runs, leaving Webster with a 1.80 ERA and 6 strikeouts in 5 innings this spring. Jose de la Torre came in to pitch a perfect ninth inning in his last game before leaving to pitch for Puerto Rico in the WBC. This win pushes the Red Sox over the .500 mark for the first time this spring at 5-4.

Aug 29, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox reliever Alfredo Aceves (91) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. The Angels defeated the Red Sox 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

But 2012 was a disaster and different story for “Ace,” Alfredo Aceves.  It all started downhill when Andrew Bailey was injured in spring training.

The Red Sox needed a closer but had no backup plan.  The guy who should have been tabbed to step in for Bailey, Daniel Bard, was in the middle of a failed experiment to make him a starter and management was scrambling for a solution.

Bobby Valentine wound up making Aceves the closer and in the season opener, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers took him deep in the ninth and the disaster of 2012 was underway.

Aceves never got comfortable in the role all season and because he was now the closer, the Red Sox also had a gaping hole for most of the early season with no effective swing man in Aceves’ old spot.

Now, in 2013, the Red Sox bullpen seems to have the necessary depth to return Aceves to the swing role he excelled in both here and in New York with the Yankees.

The first thing manager John Farrell and pitching coach Juan Nieves should do (if they haven’t already) is sit Aceves down and clearly define that he will return to his old role as swing man and that he will be an important part of the pitching picture this year.

Because in watching Aceves, it looks like it’s all about confidence with him.  When he is comfortable and confident in his role he simply pitches better.  That was clearly not the case last year.

Aug 2, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves (91) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. The Minnesota Twins defeated the Red Sox 5-0. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Aceves really had no idea how he was going to be used going into camp last spring.  He wanted to start, the Sox wanted to keep him as a swing man or set up man but then they abruptly shifted him to the closer job.

I’m not making excuses for his performance or behavior, but if Farrell wants to get the best out of this guy clearly define his role and don’t deviate from it.

The Red Sox starting pitching has a lot of questions going into camp.  Aceves should get a lot of middle to late inning opportunities and will need to be a weapon again.

If the Sox want those inning to look more like 2011 than 2012, then it behooves them to set up Aceves for success.  Some would call that babying.

But coming off a 69 win mess last season it’s more of a smart business move.  If you are going to keep Aceves, keep him happy and confident.

Part of Farrell’s pedigree is that he is supposed to be a commanding leader.  A great way to start proving it is by taking control of a volatile situation and defusing it immediately for the benefit of both the team and the player.

Wednesday night Aceves again appeared in relief and again it was well before the final inning that he was so accustomed to for most of the year.  This time it was the seventh inning in which Aceves appeared and with the game still well within reach for the Red Sox, he again crumbled on the mound, surrendering two runs on three hits, which included a Curtis Granderson, two-run shot, his second bomb of the game.  Ineffective to say the least, further cementing his future as an uncertain reliever that the Sox should look at cutting ties with.

His performance with the baseball isn’t the whole story with Aceves and again that’s where the concern comes in.  After manager Bobby Valentine came to the mound to make the pitching change, Aceves hung around for a few seconds before circling the opposite direction of Valentine and then bolted for the right side of the dugout.

It’s no secret that Aceves doesn’t care for Valentine, we saw that in Oakland when he tried to shoo Bobby away after what appeared to be a heated discussion between Aceves and Dustin Pedroia.  But to stand on the mound and all but show up your manager is a clear sign of disrespect and it’s that type of attitude that should be banished from this club moving forward.

He’s already been suspended for three games after an altercation with Valentine in what was deemed behavior that was detrimental to the club.  How many more chances will the Sox give this nutcase?  He’s already costing them runs in tight games and while the Sox aren’t playing for anything other than respect, they still have the opportunity to play spoiler on the Yankees and that is something worth playing for.

The future of this ball club won’t be written this September, but we are seeing multiple players playing for their jobs next season.  In this case, Alfredo Aceves is playing for his pink slip, something that should be given before the season ends.

Alfredo Aceves is now front and center as the latest player who is not only unhappy, but may be writing his own ticket out of Boston. This guy was once a promising arm in the Sox organization and now he appears to be free falling to the depths of despair, earning a trip to the waiver wire.  It’s clear what direction this club needs to go and shedding the fat from the clubhouse is the first step.  The trade with the Dodgers was a good start and now anyone who is going to act like selfish brats, then he needs to go too.  It’s unfortunate when you think about the rise and fall of Aceves as he had such promise.

Aceves was arguably one of the Red Sox best pitchers last season and it left many wondering why the New York Yankees would let him go.  Here was a guy who would spot start, deliver brilliant relief outings and even appeared like he could become an effective closer.  He worked in 114.0 innings, going 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.105 WHIP, while making 4 starts.  But that was then and this is now.  It is becoming perfectly clear as to why the Yankees let him go and a similar trend is now developing in Boston, making it obvious that the Red Sox need to follow suit.

We first heard of Aceves’ unhappiness back in Spring Training when Bobby Valentine made the decision to move Aceves to the pen and promote Daniel Bard to the starting rotation.  Aceves was also being worked out to potentially start, but when Andrew Bailey fell to the injured reserved list, Aceves was needed to fill in the back end.  He voiced his displeasure then, but appeared to have settled down and accept the role.

Then there was the dust up with Bobby V over the manager’s decision to use Bailey in a save situation against Kansas City a week or so ago.  Aceves, who had been used a lot in recent games leading up to what turned out to be a Sox win, showed his true colors that led to a three-game suspension for what was deemed “behavior that is detrimental to the club.”  The actions are said to include Aceves ripping off his jersey, slamming the door before storming out of the clubhouse, all after a heated discussion with Valentine.  Does that sound like the kind of player this team needs going forward?

Finally the latest controversy with Acves came Saturday night it was front and center when NESN captured it all on camera.  Aceves called off Jarrod Saltalamacchia and first baseman James Loney for a foul pop up that he would drop.  A bizarre play that little leaguers know how to perform.  The pitcher always, always, always gives way to the catcher in that situation.  It’s baseball fundamentals 101.

Then Acves was upset with the home plate umpire, which is not surprising. He continued his argument from the mound and surprisingly wasn’t tossed from the game.  All over having to take a new ball after a foul tip.

Then Aceves repeatedly tried to pick off the A’s runner at second base, catching Dustin Pedroia by surprise a time or two.  Clearly this was Aceves running his own show and the method was a little unsettling.

Pedey was caught on camera discussing the events in the dugout with Aceves and it didn’t appear the two were talking about where they were going to eat after the game.  Rather it was Pedroia trying to explain his side and Aceves was getting heated in the discussions.  Bobby Valentine tried to intervene and it looked as though Aceves lightly brushed him off as if to say “get out of here, you don’t belong here.”  Pitching coach Randy Niemann was also hanging around and it was evident that Aceves needed to be removed from the conversation.

The players are frustrated with the losing season and in the midst of a five-game losing skid, it’s only compounding the raw emotions.  But that doesn’t make it acceptable for any player to perform such actions that Aceves has shown in the past couple of weeks.  We learnt that the Yankees let Aceves go for more of his behavior than his on-field performances.  We are staring to see why.

The Red Sox need to cut ties with Aceves and could stand to do it before the end of the year.  It’s a lost season, providing plenty of opportunity for the prospects to play in the final month so filling Aceves’ roster spot won’t be difficult.  The Sox need to rid themselves of any players who pose to be a disruption in the clubhouse and given Aceves has blown eight saves (tied for the most in the majors) it’s not as though they’d be parting ways with Mariano Rivera.

Aceves is expendable especially given his behavior of late.  It’s a new regime in Boston (hopefully) and the management has another opportunity to reinforce that with the players by parting ways with Alfredo Aceves.  Negativity breeds negativity and it’s just a matter of time before Aceves brings other players down with him.

The confrontation is said to be over Valentine’s decision to use Andrew Bailey in what turned out to be a 4-3 Red Sox win on Friday, a save that Aceves felt should have been his.  Considering that Aceves threw 37 pitches on Thursday night’s loss to the Angels, one in which he was roughed up in, going to Bailey makes perfect sense.

Aceves was handed the closer role when Bailey was sidelined thanks to surgery on his thumb right out of Spring Training and he’s done fairly well at the job.  But lately he’s struggled, giving up 11 runs on 13 hits over his last 9.2 innings which included the blown save on Thursday, his seventh of the season.

But there is more to this story than just the decision to go to Bailey.  It’s how the Red Sox handled the childish behavior of one of their players.  They disciplined him and rightfully so, showing him and the rest of the club that behavior like this won’t be tolerated.

For most of the season we’ve watched as the patients ran the asylum and it reflected by their poor play.  Some fans blame Bobby Valentine for the current mess the Red Sox are in, most blame the players stating they need to be held accountable.  Finally, management is standing up to the players and enforcing that playing this game at this level is a privilege and an honor, not a right.

Abraham goes on to say that Aceves was released from the Yankees after the 2010 season more for issues related to his behavior rather than his performance on the field.  It’s starting to become clear as to why.

Aceves was unwilling to accept the loss on Thursday when the Angels and Red Sox had a shootout at Fenway in what ended in a 14-13 game, showing up his teammates.

“I missed a couple of pitches, yeah,” Aceves said. “It’s not about that [why] we lost the game. There were like 25 runs.”

Sounds like a real team guy.  There was also the John Lackey type stare at outfielder Cody Ross when he misplayed a ball in the ninth that led to the tying run.  Suddenly Aceves’ true character may be coming out and I’m not so sure it has a place on this team.  After all, the club just shipped out the biggest clubhouse cancer in Josh Beckett after months of his shenanigans and antics that distracted the team and many players in a direct manner.

Maybe the Red Sox brass have finally had enough of the player’s little entourage and them trying to run the show.  Maybe this is a new regime and the management is taking the reins back from the players by showing them first hand that they are going to be held accountable for their actions, both on and off the field.  If they don’t like it, they can find somewhere else to play.  All I can say is, it’s about time.

August 16, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) pitches in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Thursday night in Baltimore Clay Buchholz continued to be a bright spot in an otherwise blotchy Red Sox starting rotation in Boston’s series finale against the Orioles. He got down early, bent, did not break and actually got better and stronger as the game progressed.

Early on, it looked like a typical Sox starter scenario. Buccholz gave up two runs in the first on an Adam Jones double that scored Nick Markakis and J.J. Hardy and got down 3-1 in the second on a Mark Reynolds homer (Boston got a run in the top of the second on a Scott Podsednik single to score Nick Punto).

Boston’s bats awakened in the middle innings when they scored two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth. Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman wild pitched Carl Crawford home in the fifth with Adrian Gonzalez at the plate and Gonzo then hit a sac fly to score Dustin Pedroia. In the sixth inning, Pedey, Gonzo and Cody Ross strung together three singles with Podsednik and Carl Crawford aboard to put Boston up for good 6-3.

After the second inning, Buchholz shut down the Birds the rest of the way until he was replaced in the ninth inning by Alfredo Aceves. Buchholz retired the Orioles in order in the third, fourth and sixth innings. Even in the eighth when it looked like Buchholz was tiring after a one out double by Nate McLouth he reared back firing some serious stuff, getting Jones to pop out and striking out Matt Wieters to squelch the threat. Buchholz scattered eight hits, struck out seven, lowered his ERA to 4.19 and moved his record to 10-3.

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle
Don’t grumble, give a whistle
And this’ll help things turn out for the best…
And…always look on the bright side of life… 
Always look on the light side of life.
- Always Look On The Bright Side of Life, Eric Idle (Monty Python) 

Who kidnapped our Red Sox?  The Owner? CEO? GM? Manager? Players?

Hand me my Red Sox souvenir Giant Foam Finger: ALL of the above! And it’s time for the Citizens of Red Sox Nation to take their team back!

(more…)

It’s been such a long time since Red Sox fans have been excited about Andrew Bailey. He was acquired along with Ryan Sweeney this winter in return for Josh Reddick, Miles Head, and Raul Alcantara. That trade looked pretty good at the time, but right now– with Bailey having been injured all year and Reddick raking to the tune of .253/.325/.500 with 25 home runs and 60 RBIs, not so much. However, Bailey will be activated from the 60-day DL before today’s game in Baltimore and should be at Camden Yards sitting in the bullpen tonight.

A few weeks ago, Bailey started his minor league rehab assignment and over the course of that time he did a pretty good job. In 6 games and 6.1 minor league innings between the Gulf Coast League, Double-A, and Triple-A, Bailey allowed 1 run (a 1.42 ERA), 6 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 10. Despite those impressive numbers, though, he has yet to establish himself in the Red Sox bullpen and the two-time All-Star closer will certainly not just jump into the closer role.

Since Bailey’s injury in a Spring Training game on March 22nd, Alfredo Aceves has been serving in the closer role for the Red Sox. Aceves has been decent so far, however, after years of Jonathan Papelbon locking things down in the ninth, he’s left a bit to be desired. So far, he’s gone 2-7 with a 4.14 ERA and has saved 23 games in 29 opportunities– good for 79%. I’m not sure if Aceves should be a closer in the long run, but he should occupy that role at least until Bailey establishes himself as the pitcher he was in Oakland.

[Ed. Note:  We have attempted to make the case that the current owner, CEO, GM, manager, and players are ruining the Boston Red Sox.  Now, in the last of the 6-part series, we propose a solution.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We the people of Red Sox Nation, in order to form a more perfect team, believe it is our duty to the Boston Red Sox franchise and the game of baseball to buy the team and own it forever.

(more…)

We ask for a FIFTH time: Who kidnapped our Red Sox?

Hand me my Red Sox souvenir Giant Foam Finger, YET, ONCE AGAIN!

A: ALL of the above! And it’s time for the Citizens of Red Sox Nation to take their team back!

(more…)

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

Other than a couple of scary moments at the end, this was a very good game for the Red Sox. They were ahead most of the time, the offense was good, the pitching was good for the most part. It was the kind of game that they really needed after losing four straight– including three straight to the 47-61 Minnesota Twins, who were going for the sweep. Luckily, with Franklin Morales getting a much needed spot start, the Red Sox were able to handle the Twins today.

After a couple of scoreless innings to start the game, the Red Sox finally put a few runs on the board in the third. A Mike Aviles single and Jacoby Ellsbury double leading off the inning had put two in scoring position and no outs. Carl Crawford got one run in on a soft grounder to the shortstop, leaving Ellsbury at second with one out. He would score on a bloop single to center field by Adrian Gonzalez and give the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead, which they held for a few innings.

The Twins finally put their first run on the board in the fifth after a leadoff walk by Alexi Casilla. Casilla stole second, reached third on a grounder, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Revere as the Twins manufactured a run. However, the Red Sox would answer in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. With the speedy Carl Crawford on first base and two outs, Adrian Gonzalez crushed one high in the air to left-center. As it turned out, the Red Sox didn’t need Crawford’s speed as the ball carried well over the monster to give the Sox a 4-1 lead.

The Red Sox added onto that lead on an seventh inning RBI single by Cody Ross and an eighth inning sacrifice fly by Jacoby Ellsbury to push it to 6-1 entering the ninth inning. Vicente Padilla came into the ballgame and had a rough go of things to say the least– allowing a leadoff homer over the monster to Josh Willingham. Two batters later, two more runs came in as Ryan Doumit jacked a home run to deep right to cut it to a 6-4 lead. Padilla was pulled and Alfredo Aceves came into the game and got the save with a 1-2-3 inning.

. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

Along with blowing the 9-0 lead to the Yankees on April 21, this has got to be at least contending for the most heartbreaking game. The Red Sox held a 4-3 lead in the ninth with two Twins runners on base, two outs, and a 2-2 count. Closer Alfredo Aceves painted the corner with a fastball that looked like strike three, but wait, it was called a ball. On the very next pitch, Joe Mauer sent one into the seats for a three-run homer riding on a bad call by home plate umpire David Rackley.

Making this even more heartbreaking was that the Red Sox had held the lead pretty much this entire game. After Ryan Kalish walked to lead off the home half of the first inning, Carl Crawford immediately drove him in with a double that gave the Red Sox a very early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, the Red Sox made it a two-run lead when Mike Aviles drove a ball over the green monster in left field for his 11th of the year.

It stayed 2-0 for a little while as Twins’ starter Cole DeVries settled down and Clay Buchholz continued to roll right along. However, the Twins put something together in the fifth inning when Jamey Carroll singled with one out, then advanced to second on a bad pickoff throw by Clay Buchholz. He would score on another error when Kelly Shoppach made a bad throw on a dribbler in front of home plate to cut it to 2-1– on an unearned run for Buchholz. It took them a while, but the Twins would eventually tie up the game in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by Justin Morneau.

Now this was when the game got pretty high-scoring, as the Red Sox answered back in the bottom of the eighth. Leading off the inning, Pedro Ciriaco came in to pinch-hit and promptly hit his first career home run over the green monster. That wasn’t it for the inning, though, as Dustin Pedroia was hit by a pitch and stole second to put himself in a good position for Cody Ross– who drove him with a single to make it 4-2. Then in the next inning, the unthinkable happened as the Red Sox blew the game, and probably the season, in one felled swoop.

 Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Last night was absolutely a must-win game for the Red Sox. If they did not win last night, they absolutely would be selling– they still may be selling, but wrapping up that win against the Yankees was a key game. It looked like it would be a close one with Felix Doubront and Hiroki Kuroda as the starting pitchers and it was; they did it in exciting fashion too, as the game went into extra innings in a very similar way as the game before it– the Red Sox took an early lead, blew it, and regained it on a hit by Pedro Ciriaco.

The Red Sox took the early lead against Kuroda and the Yankees after putting runners at first and second with two outs for Ryan Sweeney. Sweeney was in a massive cold spell, and at the time was just 1-16 since the All-Star Break. However, it was Sweeney that did the damage here– taking one into the left-center gap for a two-run double. After Sweeney’s double, both pitchers settled down tremendously and this game really transformed into a pitcher’s duel.

The Red Sox still held a 2-0 lead as the game entered the bottom of the seventh. That was when Russell Martin led off the inning with a line drive home run over the short porch in right field, and was followed up by an Ichiro Suzuki single. After striking out Jayson Nix, Felix Doubront was taken out of the game after allowing just a run and striking out 8 over 6.1 strong innings. The bullpen corps stranded the Yankees in the seventh, but the Yanks would tie up the game in the eighth on an RBI single up the middle by none other than Russell Martin.

Both teams were held scoreless in the ninth and so the game entered extra innings with a 2-2 score. At this point, David Robertson replaced Rafael Soriano to pitch for the Yankees. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the next batter– Will Middlebrooks– squared around to bunt. However, the ball hit his hand, but the umpires ruled that he was around and it was called a strike. Middlebrooks shook it off and singled to right to put runners at first and second. Ryan Sweeney grounded into a forceout to put runners at the corners for Pedro Ciriaco. Ciriaco blooped one over the head of Robinson Cano to score Saltalamacchia and give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. Alfredo Aceves held the Yankees in the bottom half and the Red Sox won by that score.

Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

As the title suggests, the Red Sox cut this game way too close. They scored quite a few runs early on, then just watched as the Yankees came back all the way– however, they still managed to pull off the win and that’s ultimately what counts. They did start off very hot though, putting runners at first and second with an out way back in the first inning. They would score three runs on doubles by Adrian Gonzalez (one RBI) and Will Middlebrooks (two RBIs) and leave the first with a 3-0 lead.

The Yankees would finally get on the board in the third inning on a Chris Stewart home run to make it 3-1. However, after a couple more scoreless innings, the Red Sox came out on fire in the fifth inning. After two quick outs to start the frame, a single by Pedro Ciriaco and a walk by Dustin Pedroia set up a three-run home run for Adrian Gonzalez– his 10th of the season to make it 6-1. However, the Yankees came back from that storming and put together a rally of their own in the bottom of the fifth.

A leadoff walk by Andruw Jones turned into a two-run homer for Jayson Nix to cut it to 6-3. Two more singles and then a sacrifice bunt would put two runners in scoring position with one out for Derek Jeter. Jeter would get the job done in a relatively unsatisfactory way as he grounded out to drive in a run but basically conclude the Yankees’ chances of further scoring– however, they did cut it to 6-4. And they would cut it further in the eighth, as a leadoff single by Raul Ibanez plus two strikeouts put Ibanez at first with two outs for Mark Teixeira. Teixeira did what he does best, absolutely crushing the ball to right field, to knot things up at 6-6.

However, the Red Sox weren’t done after a one-out walk for the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury. Pedro Ciriaco came up and hit what looked to be a routine fly out to center field. But center fielder Curtis Granderson committed the outfielders’ cardinal sin of taking the first step in, thus misplaying the ball and allowing it to fall behind him for an RBI triple. Ciriaco himself would score on a sacrifice fly by Dustin Pedroia. This gave the Red Sox an 8-6 lead, which quickly became a win with a shutdown ninth by Alfredo Aceves.

For those that were lucky enough to not have seen the devastating events, I’ll try and set the stage for you.

Seventh inning in Texas, game tied 3-3.  Elvis Andrus on third, Adrian Beltre on first. Valentine heads to the mound to surely yank Beckett and turn the game over to the fifth best bullpen in all of baseball.  But he doesn’t! He leaves Beckett in the game to pitch to Michael Young and subsequently throws a wild pitch that scores the eventual winning run.  You can’t make this stuff up.  Not even Hollywood could write this script.

After the game Beckett decides he doesn’t want to talk to the media, but rather spend it visiting with family and friends outside the clubhouse.  What else is new.

But then Bobby V goes on record and says one of the weirdest, confusing statements I’ve ever heard:

“I wanted to make sure he had enough,” Valentine said. “Last night, [Clay Buchholz] was really sweating, and Josh was hardly winded.”

Pardon me? That’s how you determine whether to leave your pitcher in the game or turn it over to the bullpen?  By how much he’s sweating and comparing it to the starter the night before?

Does Bobby understand human genetics and that one person may sweat a little more than the next?  Take Alfredo Aceves for example.  On a cool April night in Boston and he’s in the game, he’s sweating like he’s riding a bike in a sauna.  And take Vicente Padilla who would be sweating if he was outside during a January day in Minnesota.

Maybe the Texas heat was too much for Bobby.  Maybe it made him a little light headed and he wasn’t thinking straight.  Or maybe he just doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing managing this ball club.

Through the first month of the season I was sympathetic towards Bobby and even thought he did a nice job with the bullpen from May until June.  He had his moments when he left the starters in too long, namely Clay Buchholz but he appeared to be getting better at making the move to the pen. He had the run in with Youkilis and he was crucified for it.  It’s not his fault, this is a team where the patients run the asylum, not the doctors.

But what he can do is decide to pull Beckett from the game and maybe, just maybe salvage yet another win that could potentially save his job.  Rather he makes a trip to the mound to visit Josh, leaves him in, blows the game, then yanks him.  Then he tells the media that Beckett was hardly winded where as Clay was really sweating. Knock me over and call me stupid.  Unbelievable Bobby, unbelievable.

What are your thoughts, should Bobby be the manager of the Red Sox next year? Or do you feel this isn’t his fault? Take part of our poll and let your voice be heard.

Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

The Red Sox have been involved in plenty of rumors this season as both buyers and sellers. One of the more recent and intriguing of these rumors is that the Red Sox are interested in Rockies’ reliever Rafael Betancourt, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The Red Sox haven’t had a problem with their bullpen since the first few weeks of the season, as they lead baseball with a 2.10 bullpen ERA since April 23. However, adding a bona fide reliever and a potential closer certainly wouldn’t hurt as they enter the stretch run.

The Rockies have struggled mightily this season– limping into the second half with a 34-53 record and tied for last in the NL West. However, Betancourt has been a bright spot all year in the back of their bullpen. After spending the last two and a half seasons with several good seasons in the Rockies’ bullpen, the trade of Huston Street to San Diego opened up the closer role for Betancourt. Since then, he’s done nothing to say he shouldn’t be their closer as he’s gone 1-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 15 saves.

However, it’s difficult to say where he would fit into the Red Sox’ bullpen. Current closer Alfredo Aceves‘ stats don’t look so good at 0-6 with a 4.23 ERA but he’s been fairly solid in saving 20/24 chances. Betancourt could fit in as a setup man in that case, but Scott Atchison (2-1/1.76 ERA), Andrew Miller (2-1/3.05 ERA), Matt Albers (2-0/2.27 ERA), and Mark Melancon (0-0/0.66 ERA since his recall) have all done well there this season. Plus, Andrew Bailey should be returning to the Red Sox in somewhere around a month.

Betancourt is a good pitcher, no doubt. However, that also means that it would probably take a pretty good deal to get him– perhaps something along the lines of Jose Iglesias and Stolmy Pimentel. With the Red Sox’ bullpen performing like they’ve been lately, I don’t think there’s a good reason to spend good prospects to upgrade their bullpen. I’d obviously be happy if the Red Sox could acquire Betancourt at the right price– however, I’d be happier if they didn’t get him and spent those prospects on starting pitching instead.