May 7, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks (16) catches a foul ball against the wall with the help of catcher David Ross (3) during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

A short blooping foul ball down the third baseline turned into a potential double dose of bad news for the Red Sox on Tuesday night against the Twins, as if a 6-0 Twins lead in the eighth wasn’t bad enough.

David Ross and Will Middlebrooks were running flat out after a foul ball in the fifth inning Tuesday night and collided into one another and the wall as they both dove for the ball. Middlebrooks made a great diving stab to snare the ball.

That was the good news. The bad news happened seconds later when Ross stood up, obviously gimpy from the collision. He left immediately after the crash and was later diagnosed with a left quad contusion.

Middlebrooks, who initially looked to get the worst of collision – grimacing after he came up with the grab – remained in the game but came out in the seventh with what the Red Sox called ”right side pain.”

Dempster worked six innings and allowed four hits and two runs with a season high 10 strikeouts.  Dempster is now averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings this season as he continues to pitch at a surprisingly high level even though his 1-2 record may not reflect it.

April 26, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ryan Dempster (46) pitches during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Dempster’s contributions in the third starter’s slot have been huge as the team awaits the return of John Lackey to the rotation.  He has really stepped up as that solid, veteran presence in the middle of the rotation.  It is something the Red Sox needed this year if they hoped to get off to a good start.

April 26, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox catcher David Ross (3) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Ross led the way in the Sox 17-hit attack by going 4-4 and hitting a solo homer onto the parking garage behind the Green Monster in the second inning and later teaming up with Will Middlebrooks for back to back shots in the fourth.

If Ross continues to show this kind of pop it is likely he will further cut in to Jarrod Saltalamacchia‘s playing time.  Right now he is doing everything GM Ben Cherington hoped for when he signed Ross over the winter.  Pitchers already love Ross’ ability to call a game, handle a staff and throw out runners. If he hits, he will force his way into more playing time.

David Ortiz also went deep in this one and Jonny Gomes finally picked up his first RBI of the season with a ninth inning single as the Red Sox battered starter Erik Bedard and a trio of relievers and did what good teams must do-  beat the bad teams.  The Astros are certainly that.  One more win this weekend and the Sox will have done their job by winning yet another series and continuing to prove that they are in this for the long haul.

The series continues tonight at 7:10 as Felix Doubront matches up against Brad Peacock.

April 26, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox catcher David Ross (3) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

David Ross has not hit a whole lot to start the year, as evidenced by his .241/.267/.552 slash line, but he has hit some home runs in key times. That includes a solo home run against David Price in a 2-1 win against the Rays and two home runs in last night’s 7-3 victory over Houston. In the batter’s box, however, the Red Sox don’t need him to be great. Ross just needs to be better at hitting lefties than Jarrod Saltalamacchia‘s career .201/.257/.333 line against them, and so far he has been.

Ross’s true worth comes from behind the plate though. He has thrown out 3 of 10 potential base-stealers this year, and expect that mark to grow even more as the season wears on (his career caught-stealing percentage is 39%). He also has gelled well with the team and pitchers seem to enjoy throwing to him based on post-game interviews and the likes.

So far, Ross has lived up to the modest hype of his being the best backup catcher in baseball. Simply due to the fact that he is 37 years old, he isn’t able to catch everyday now. That means that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be out there, with his strikeouts and home runs, about two thirds of the time. When Ross’s name is penciled into the lineup, however, be sure to expect a good pitching game and maybe a timely home run.

First and foremost, this game was a good, old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. With two of the best southpaws in baseball squaring off, runs were in a premium throughout the game. Jon Lester was phenomenal all throughout the game, allowing only one run in the contest on a hard-hit RBI double by Sean Rodriguez, as he went seven strong innings while allowing just the one run to go with five hits and a walk, pushing his ERA down to 1.42 through his first three starts. Aside from some early-game control issues, David Price was just as good, allowing four hits and a run while striking out eight in six innings.

April 13, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox catcher David Ross (3) hits a home run during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

After the third inning run by the Rays, the Red Sox got their offense from the same man that was leading their defense. David Ross came up to the plate with two outs in the fifth inning and showed David Price his first adversity of the day. Ross worked a long at-bat, including fouling two pitches into catcher Jose Molina, before unloading on a 3-2 changeup for his first home run of the year, a moonshot over the Green Monster.

From that point forward, it was a battle of the bullpens as Andrew Bailey, Koji Uehara, and Junichi Tazawa each threw a scoreless inning for the Red Sox while Jake McGee, Joel Peralta, and Kyle Farnsworth all performed admirably for the Rays. Brandon Gomes would be the unlucky member of Tampa’s bullpen, however.

After working his way out of a partially self-inflicted jam in the ninth inning, he retired the first batter of the tenth. With one out, however, Jacoby Ellsbury laced a single to center field to put Gomes in the stretch. Everybody in the stadium knew what was about to transpire, but that didn’t stop Ellsbury from running on a 2-2 pitch, nor did it stop catcher Jose Lobaton from tossing the ball into center field and allowing Ellsbury to reach third. The Rays obviously put the infield in for Shane Victorino, but on a hard groundball to the side of Yunel Escobar, they still couldn’t nab Ellsbury at the plate to give the Red Sox a 2-1 win in a thrilling ballgame.

Feb 17, 2013; Fort Myers FL, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher David Ross (3) poses during photo day at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

But I do not come to lionize Mr. Varitek’s accomplishments any further, except to say, 2004 and 2007 would not have been possible without him.  Smashing A-Rod’s face didn’t hurt either,  I come to humbly suggest a successor to Jason Varitek in the personam of one David Ross.  He might not have Varitek’s pedigree of Little League, College and THE World Series appearances, but I do see an intensity, a true intellectual student of pitchers, pitches, pitch counts, ball placement and the myriad of things that make a great catcher. The fact that he can do a little hitting as well doesn’t do him harm; but make no mistake about it, he is a Mensan among catchers and as he nears the end of his active playing years his wealth of knowledge will be likened to a national treasure.

Sounds like a well-needed clone on the way up,  but wait – he also has a vibrant contagious sense of humor and personality.  Unlike Varitek, who gave the outward aura of a brooding genius, Ross acts like he is actually having fun. This is not to lessen the importance of Jarrod  Saltalamalacchia; to the contrary. Salty is our main man, but Ross is the new boy in town (albeit 35 isn’t exactly new in Major League Baseball).  Manager John Farrell is still unsure of where Ross fits in, but Farrell knows Ross is an asset and will fit in.

“The one thing we knew going into this year is that David is more capable than just a traditional backup catcher where it’s just 35 or 40 games,” Farrell said. “He’s an encouraging catcher — encouraging from the standpoint of encouraging the pitcher. Just talking to guys who have thrown to him, there’s been such positive feedback on the interactions they’ve had after throwing a bullpen [session] or while throwing a bullpen [session] just on David’s comments in between pitches.”  From one of the best pitching coaches in the business, that’s heady stuff.

His personality and baseball IQ will go far in the organization if the triumvirate in the front office doesn’t sell him to get more headsets. Varitek is one of a kind and we, the Red Sox, were blessed and are being blessed by his presence; and maybe, with Pedro Martinez‘s antics, he may do stand up before it’s all said and done; and while Ross is not nor does he want to be another Kevin Millar, he has that mixture that only the alchemy of baseball can create. He knows what he can do and let’s let him do it.

September 3, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher David Ross (8) hits a two-RBI double in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Ross is no slouch as a backup, however, as he’s been a pretty consistently good catcher who could certainly start on more than a few teams. In 62 games and 196 at bats with the Braves in 2012, Ross hit to a respectable .256/.321/.449 slash line with 7 home runs and 23 RBIs. Those stats are on line and even slightly better than the 35 year old’s career line of .238/.324/.444 through his 11 year career between six teams (including the Red Sox for 8 games in 2008).

Rosenthal states that Ross will be “more than a backup, but less than a starter,” indicating a potential platoon with Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Ross’s .241 batting average against lefties is far superior to Salty’s .170 mark. However, so is his average against right-handers (.268 to .230). Saltalamacchia displays better power, though, so it would probably be a platoon of Saltalamacchia versus righties and Ross versus lefties.

This acquisition gives Ryan Lavarnway more time to mature in the minor leagues. He was clearly overmatched when he was promoted in August 2012, posting just a .157/.211/.248 slash line as a 25 year old. Lavarnway still has plenty of potential, but it’s best not to hurt his confidence too much and allow him for time to embarrass himself at the big league level for now.

I think this is an excellent acquisition for the Red Sox as they haven’t increased their payroll by much, but have acquired a solid, dependable catcher for the next two years. Ross calls a good game and is otherwise strong defensively, something the Red Sox have lacked since the departure of Jason Varitek. Hopefully, this paves the way to great things this offseason, including, but not limited to signing somebody else with the last name Ross.

What a night it was for the Boston Red Sox and Josh Beckett as they beat the Atlanta Braves, once again 4-1!  The victory in the opening game of this series was Boston’s third win in four tries verse the Braves in the last week.  It’s also Beckett’s second straight victory over the Braves, as he also tossed a shutout victory over the Braves last Saturday, 3-0 at Fenway Park in Boston.  The headlines in the local Boston papers will read something like this in the morning:

Beckett Baffles Braves!

BoSox Beat Braves!

Boston Stump’s Atlanta Again!

Atlanta WHO! 

The game saw Beckett and Jair Jurrjens matched in a pitchers duel for the first five innings of the contest.  As Jurrjens held Boston to only one hit in the first four innings.  Before David “Big Papi” Ortiz who was leading off the fifth, took an offering from Jurrjens and deposited it deep in the right field seats.  Ortiz’s blast his 8th home-run of the season gave the Sox the early 1-0 lead.  And just for a little added cushion the Sox tacked on a few extra insurance runs later in the game.

The Sox would score again in the sixth, thanks to Dustin Pedroia who scored on an RBI ground-out by J.D. Drew.  Pedroia who doubled to open the sixth inning, advanced to third on a balk by Jurrjens, before later scoring.  Pedroia, a.k.a. “The Little Horse” would come through once again in the eighth as his single to center-field allowed Nick Green (walk) to score from second, giving Boston the 3-0 advantage. 

The Sox scored their final run on one of two very interesting plays, the first involving Kevin Youkilis who walked, which would have loaded the bases for the Sox, but a passed ball by the Braves catcher David Ross allowed Pedroia to score from third.  The other interesting play came in the top of the ninth inning when the Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez who was facing Jacoby Ellsbury, fired a pitch about three feet behind Ellsbury.  (more…)