July 24, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Vicente Padilla (44) throws to the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Red Sox won beating the Ranges 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The Kangaroo court in the Red Sox clubhouse is going to have to confer the heaviest perspiring player on the roster award to a new teammate. According to MLB.com Red Sox reliever Vicente Padilla has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japan Pacific League. Padilla signed a one one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Hawks.

A native of Nicaragua, Padilla has spent 14 years in the majors, compiling a 108-91 record with a 4.32 ERA in 386 career games (237 starts). Padilla has also has also been a member of Arizona, Philadelphia, Texas and the Los Angeles Dodgers in his Major League career.

In 2012 with the Sox, Padilla had a 4.50 ERA and a chubby 1.48 WHIP in 50 innings pitched. Even so, Padilla posted a 4-1 a record and pitched well enough to bring home at least one more payday. With the number of arms currently in the bullpen his presence will likely not be missed. That is until August 15 rolls around, the hopes of many an acquisition and young pitching hopeful have fallen to lack of talent, injury or mental toughness and the Red Sox look for a grizzled gun slinger riding in off the high plains. In this case, they’ll have one less, who has packed it up and gone east.

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto Mata o hima de, 
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto Himitsu wo shiri tai
- Mr. Roboto, Styx 

We have added quite a few amenities since the organization has been forced to invest so heavily in the Disabled List. Who would have thought that the number of players on the DL would rival the number of actual players on the roster, eh?

Anyway, this area is where everyone hangs out. This room is informally referred to as ‘Carl’s Lair’. He’s not here right now but we expect him back any minute. It’s actually kinda lonely without him. We got so used to seeing him around it just doesn’t feel right without him here. Like you, he had a wrist injury too before the elbow thing cropped up. Oh, and the hamstring thing once he ‘came back’. In any event, the placard on the room can easily be converted to ‘Dice-K’s lounge’ if Carl continues to stay healthy. Ha ha, ho ho…hoo whee, that was a good one wasn’t it Mr. Middlebrooks?

And over here, this where all the action happens when the guys aren’t in treatment or putting together welcome baskets. We’ve got it all here. Video games and unlimited beer and chicken here at “Josh’s Man Cave”.

Beckett  isn’t here for extended periods of time but visits often enough and is so ugly when supplies are low that we decided to simply place a weekly order to keep things on the up and up. Come to think of it, Mr. Beckett is in an ugly mood no matter the circumstance. Oh well.

Feel free to take a seat anywhere except for the reserved seats for Scott Atchison, Andrew Bailey, Rich Hill, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Daniel Nava, David Ortiz, Vicente Padilla or Ryan Sweeney. If I were you, I’d not get a chair next to Sweeney. He’s seemingly so low key and then BAM, he just off and hits something. Mr. Ortiz is also chomping at the bit and has been in a foul mood. Not to worry. He’s a short timer. Also off limits are chairs left open in perpetuity for Mr. Crawford and Mr. Ellsbury.

Settle in Mr. Middlebrooks. Wrist injuries are tricky. It’s going to be a long haul.

Oh, chicken, chicken, you can’t roost too high for me.
Oh, chicken, chicken, come on out of that tree.
Oh, chicken, chicken, chicken, you can’t roost too high for me. 
C is the way it begins.
H, the next letter then, 
I am the third.
C, what a seasonly bird. 
K is to fill him in.
E, I’m near the end.
C-H-I-C-K-E-N,
That’s the way you spell chicken.
- The Chicken, Mississippi John Hurt

Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

The Red Sox made several moves concerning their pitching yesterday: moving Vicente Padilla to the DL, recalling Clayton Mortensen to MLB, and moving Franklin Morales to the rotation with an unknown pitcher leaving. First Padilla, who has been one of the team’s better relievers all season. His standard stats of a 4-1 record and a 4.62 ERA– however, that ERA has been ruined by just a few bad outings. His FIP of 3.54, xFIP of 3.42, and K/BB ratio of 3.91 are all very impressive.

This makes it a major disappointment for the bullpen, but being called up will be Clayton Mortensen. Mortensen hasn’t really fit into the team’s plans in 2012, which is unfortunate, considering how well he’s done. In 11 games and 26 innings out of the bullpen, he’s recorded a 1.73 ERA. His BABIP of .188 is out of this world, but it’s at least partially aided by how many ground balls he gets– with his 48.6% mark coming not too far short of Aaron Cook‘s 61.4%. Mortensen could definitely be part of the 2013 bullpen, and we’ll see how he fares in another short stint in the majors.

Finally, we have Franklin Morales being moved back to the rotation and prompting the question: why was he ever taken out? Overall on the season, Morales is 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 34 games (6 starts). However, even with that small sample size, he’s been the best starting pitcher on the team this year as in his 6 starts, he went 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA. The curious thing about this move is that we don’t know who is coming out of the rotation. The obvious suspect would be Aaron Cook, but we don’t know for sure. However, Morales certainly should be in the rotation and it’s great that he now is.

The injection will force Ortiz to refrain from doing any activities but the Red Sox are hoping that he can return to the lineup on Thursday when the club travels to Cleveland to take on the Indians.  Ortiz made it public that he doesn’t want to rush back to the lineup and jeopardize his career with the injury

In other Red Sox injury news, Vicente Padilla will need a day or two of rest after suffering a slight groin pull along with bicep and tricep issues.  Maybe that explains the meatballs he’s been throwing over the plate over the past week (speaking more on the Texeira home run).

Remember Andrew Bailey?  He was the bonified closer that the Red Sox acquired and gave up the mashing outfielder, Josh Reddick in return.  Reddick is likely to hit 30 home runs in Oakland of all places and Bailey has yet to throw a pitch for Boston this season.  But the report on Bailey is positive as he’s scheduled to work in back-to-back outings this week and is said to be progressing nicely.

Daniel Bard, another forgotten name in the Red Sox organization is still in triple-A Pawtucket and still trying to avoid hitting batters.  The latest report on Bard is he’s progressing nicely despite a shaky second inning after a dominant first inning.  Valentine thinks that Bard is close to returning to Boston and if he can be effective, adding a dominating Bard to the bullpen is better than any acquisition the team could make.

Scott Atchison‘s season is in the balance.  The reliever is awaiting word on his latest examination as to whether he’ll need Tommy John Surgery or a simple rehab assignment will be enough to salvage the veteran’s season.  Atchison is dealing with a forearm and elbow injury and has been out of action since early July.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is likely in his last couple of months as a member of the Red Sox, made his second rehab start for Pawtucket.  Dice-K, who is recovering from a trapezius strain, surrendered four runs (one earned) on on five hits, while giving up one walk and three strikeouts in three innings pitched.  There is no word as to when Dice-K will be ready to rejoin the big club, not that he would have a spot given the success of Felix Doubront, Clay Buchholz and Franklin Morales.

All injury updates were courtesy of ESPNBoston.com.

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.

Josh Beckett walks of the field after being relieved. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Oh, my God, we’re having a fire! Sale.

As Tobias Funke famously suggested, maybe it’s time for a fire sale. Now before you jump all over me I’ll let you know that I believe the Sox are going to be buyers, not sellers. I’m just hopping on Mr Rogers’ train to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The Red Sox have been opposed to make right decisions for a few years now, so I don’t expect them to make the right move in this instance. You may be opposed to the Sox selling, but aren’t you sick of not watching the Red Sox in the playoffs. This will be the third straight year of golf in October; maybe it’s time to mix things up. First thing we’ll do is target players that the Red Sox can trade, players that they won’t be building around. Secondly, I will throw out potential trades for such players.
There are three lists. Pitchers I would try to trade, hitters I would try to trade, and players that I don’t need to trade, but would for the right price.

PITCHERS
Josh Beckett
Matt Albers
Aaron Cook
John Lackey
Mark Melancon
Vicente Padilla

HITTERS
Kelly Shoppach
Mike Aviles
Nick Punto
Carl Crawford
Daniel Nava
Scott Podsednik
Cody Ross
Ryan Sweeney

FOR THE RIGHT PRICE
Daniel Bard
Jose Iglesias
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jon Lester

Trade #1. Josh Beckett and Matt Albers to the Dodgers for Zack Lee, Chris Withrow, and Scott Van Slyke. (I would include Kelly Shoppach if the Dodgers would add a better second prospect)

Why the Red Sox should do this deal: Beckett is a problem in the clubhouse. I don’t really believe in addition by subtraction so that’s why the Red Sox are getting a high upside pitching prospect, who is still a ways away. Beckett is still owed 15.75 over each of the next two seasons plus the rest of his salary this season. Albers makes 1.075 million this year and is arbitration eligible next season. The Red Sox will save over $33 million. That’s what they’re giving up. They would get Zack Lee. Lee is the Dodgers top pitching prospect and it was rumored that they would have given him up (plus a package) for Garza. Beckett has slightly worse numbers, although in a tougher division, plus is signed to longer years. Beckett’s contract isn’t one that would scare teams away. Lee is only 20 years old but hasn’t put up good numbers in the minors. In Single-A this year he only walked 1.6 batters per 9, while striking out 8.5. However, Double-A has seen those walks go up to 5 per 9. I expect that will lower once he gets going. Chris Withrow is a 23 year-old pitcher who has recently been moved to the pen. That move could very well be permanent. Withrow has good stuff but his control is still in question. He averages 5 walks per 9 in his minor league career and 9.3 strikeouts. Those are similar to Daniel Bard’s numbers as a starter in the minors. Scott Van Slyke is already 26, not much of a prospect anymore, but he’s torn up Triple-A. He hasn’t had success in the majors, but he’s a throw in player that the Sox can take a chance on.

Why the Dodgers should do this deal: First of all, if they would give up Lee for Garza, they should for Beckett. Beckett would be their second best starter and his numbers should be even better in the National League, in Dodger Stadium. His ERA with the Marlins was .36 better than with the Red Sox. Albers and his 2.35 ERA would be a nice addition to the bullpen. If the Dodgers are serious about making a run at the playoffs, this would be one of the best moves left that they could make. The new Dodgers ownership is showing their willingness to spend.

The next trade I would do would involve Ross or Sweeney.
It’s been reported that the Reds and Pirates have scouted the Red Sox outfield extensively.

Trade #2: Cody Ross and Mike Aviles to the Pirates for Tony Sanchez, Nick Kingham, Alex Dickerson.

Why the Red Sox should do this deal: Both Ross and Aviles (abr. elig) are free agents after this year, so why not get something for them? Tony Sanchez went to school at BC and was once a highly thought of prospect. Here is what piratesprospects.com says about the catcher who they list in their 4th tier of prospects.

“Tony Sanchez was hitting for a .277/.370/.390 line in 141 at-bats in his second run through Double-A. At the age of 24, and in his second run through Double-A, he should have been putting up better numbers. He got hot in his final two weeks at the level, which was enough to send him up to Triple-A. His path is similar to the one Jordy Mercer took. Struggle in year one in Altoona, start slow in year two, then take off around the middle of May. The biggest concern with Sanchez is that he’s not hitting for power. In his two seasons at Double-A he combined for an .087 ISO. He improved this year, with a .113 ISO, but once again it was his second year at the level. Until he shows improvements, I’d put his upside as an average starter, with his value fueled by his defense.”

Kingham is a 20 year old who is throwing 95. Besides the fastball piratesprospects says he has two other above average pitches. Alex Dickerson is 22 and still at A-ball which is worrisome but he was drafted with no true position so maybe he’s destined for the AL. He’s expected to hit for power.

With these prospects, the Red Sox can consider Sanchez as a potential starting catcher a couple years down the line and eventually Kingham is expected to be a middle of the rotation guy. I don’t have high hopes for Dickerson but maybe he can become a DH.

Why the Pirates should do this deal: The Pirates would only be taking on what is left of Ross’ and Aviles combined 3.2 million dollar salary. Ross would be their starting right fielder and hitting in the middle of the lineup. Garrett Jones would go to first and Mike Aviles would be a huge upgrade at shortstop over Clint Barmes. Ross would hit 4th or 5th and Aviles would hit 6th or 7th. These additions would be huge upgrades to the Pirates lineup, who look ready to break their under .500 streak and make a playoff run.

Trade #3: Ryan Sweeney and Vicente Padilla for Neftali Soto (and a very low prospect).

Why the Red Sox should do this deal: The Red Sox could go to arbitration with Sweeney this off-season but their OF is already pretty full. Soto could be the replacement for David Ortiz in a year or two. Soto has bad numbers this year, he’s hitting .227 in triple-A, however his career average is .271 and he had 30 home runs in Double-A last season with a .272 batting average.

Why the Reds should do this deal: This is the first deal where I’m not sure if they should. However, Soto isn’t coming up anytime soon with Votto at first and his OBP and AVG are an of concern. Sweeney could be a platoon OF that can backup all 3 positions. Sweeney could even be the starter at CF if the Reds get tired of Drew Stubbs and his below .300 OBP. Padilla would be a solid reliever in the middle of their pen.

Trade #4: Kelly Shoppach. Shoppach HAS to get traded. LAD, LAA, SF, STL, and OAK are all contenders that could use Shoppach. The Sox won’t get much but if they can get a decent prospect for him I’d be happy. I consider his value equal to a relief pitcher prospect who’s expected to be a 7th or 8th inning guy, and not too far away from the bigs, nothing more than that.

Trade #5 Jacoby Ellsbury and Jose Iglesias for Justin Upton. I wrote all about this trade here a week ago.  It seems like Upton is less available than he was last week.

Players I haven’t mentioned in trades yet but listed above.

Jon Lester – I wouldn’t trade him. However, if the Red Sox got a great offer for him, I wouldn’t turn it down; either that or if Lester was the centerpiece of a Felix Hernandez trade.

Aaron Cook – If anyone offers something for Cook that won’t cost the Red Sox money, I’d take it. Get something for him, he could be an asset for someone.

John Lackey – No one will offer anything. I just put him on the list because I WOULD trade him if I could.

Mark Melancon – I hated this trade at the time and his value has dropped since. It’s possible that a team needs a reliever desperately. He had good numbers in the NL, if someone offers a good role player or a C prospect, I’d take that.

Carl Crawford – I like Crawford. He’s a good player; the worse thing about him is the contract. He’s playing injured. If someone would take his whole contract, I’d take nothing for him. Just get the money off the books. If they offer a good player (like the prior Hanley rumors) or a prospect, I’d pay some. However, he’s not someone that I’d trade and eat his salary (like Renteria).

Nick Punto – He doesn’t have a lot of value, if someone needs a util and is willing to take his $3 mil next year, I’d take almost anything.

Daniel Nava – I love watching Nava, but he’s not as good as we think he is. He’s slightly better than a 4-A player. You don’t have to deal him, but he’s not going to add much here besides being a 5th outfielder.

Scott Podsednik – He’s injured, and has low value. Dave Roberts-esque. The Red Sox traded Henri Stanley for Roberts. Expect someone of that value… exactly.

Daniel Bard – I’m still hoping they can fix him and have him setup but I’d listen to offers if someone sees him as a future closer.

Let’s take a look at future money off the books if the 5 trades I proposed happen.

$31.50M from Beckett ($15.75M per year, plus the rest of this season)
$1M from Albers. (He makes 875,000 this year and will get a bonus in arbitration this off-season. $1M is a very low guess)
$2M from Aviles. He makes $1.2M this year and is arbitration eligible. I’m going low on his offer too.

$2M from Sweeney. He makes $1.75M and is also arbitration eligible.
$10M from Jacoby Ellsbury. He makes $8.05M this year and has one year left in arbitration.
$2M from Jose Iglesias.
-$9.75 for Justin Upton

The Red Sox are also losing Dice-K’s contract, which is $10M.

So let’s add up next year’s money off the books, including Dice-K but only including 1 year off Beckett. The other year will be future savings. For the sake of the argument let’s pretend that Ortiz comes back at the same salary, which I doubt.
15.57 + 1 +2 +2 +10 + 2 + 10 = 42.75 – 9.75 = $33M

Guessing on arbitration, if the 5 deals I listed happened, the Red Sox would save about 33 million next year.

Assuming that they resign all of the bullpen, this would be their Depth chart.

C – Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ryan Lavarnway, Tony Sanchez (top catching prospect)
1B- Adrian Gonzalez, Neftali Soto, Scott Van Slyke
2B – Dustin Pedroia, Nick Punto
SS- Pedro Ciriaco, Punto
3B – Will Middlebrooks, Punto
LF – Carl Crawford, Daniel Nava
CF – Ryan Kalish, Jackie Bradley, Jr. (probably not ready)
RF – Justin Upton, Nava
DH – David Ortiz
SP – Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey
CP – Daniel Bard?
RP – Franklin Morales, Andrew Miller, Alfredo Aceves, Junichi Tazawa

With 33 mil to spare the Red Sox will need a SS, a CF (maybe), and a SP or two.

SS- Stephen Drew (you all cringe at that last name) has a $10m option that I couldn’t see getting picked up. The Red Sox can probably offer him 7. Jhonny Peralta also has a $6 Mil option. Jason Bartlet would be a defensive gem real cheap who can’t hit ($2.5m?). For the point of this exercise, let’s say they sign Drew for $7mil for a year.

26 Mil left.

CF – Michael Bourne will cost at least 15m, Josh Hamilton will be close to $20m, Shane Victorino at least $14m, BJ Upton, 13ishh. However, Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan, Ross, and Grady Sizemore would all be significantly cheaper. What about Torii Hunter? Would he come to Boston given the bad history here?
Let’s pretend that he came to play with his friend Crawford. 2 years, $8 mil per.

18 mil left.

That leaves a pitcher or two needed. Zack Grienke is someone that would scare me in Boston. But what about Shaun Marcum? He makes $7.73M this year and has excelled in the AL East. What if the Red Sox offer him 3 years and $12M.

That leaves $6 mil for arbitration boosts, adding a bullpen arm, and a couple cheap veteran starters (like Aaron Cook was this year). Those numbers will be a little over $6M but the team salary would be pretty much what it is this year but your farm system is so much better.

This would be the lineup.

LF – Crawford
2B – Pedroia
1B – Gonzalez
DH – Ortiz
RF – Upton
3B – Middlebrooks
CF – Hunter
C – Saltalamacchia
SS- Drew

That lineup is arguably better than this year’s lineup. Plus, you added hitters Van Slyke, Tony Sanchez, Alex Dickerson, and Neftali Soto to the system.

The rotation would be.
Lester
Marcum
Buchholz
Doubront
Lackey

And you added Zack Lee, Chris Withrow, Nick Kingham as pitching prospects.

The bullpen would be Daniel Bard, Franklin Morales, Andrew Miller, Alfredo Aceves, Junichi Tazawa. That’s if you don’t add anyone else.

Honestly, I’m tired of just missing the playoffs. The worst place to be in sports is a fringe playoff team. Most likely you won’t win the World Series, and you’re not bad enough to rebuild. I’m sick of it. Things aren’t working the way they are. It’s time to rebuild. The thing about the Red Sox is, if they do these moves, they will be at least as good as they are now and their system will be more talented. With all this said, 2,500 words later, I don’t expect the Red Sox to be sellers and that’s too bad. And it’s not even that they’d be sellers. They’d be builders. This year is not going to happen, so take a loss for the rest of the year to build something big going forward. The Red Sox need another wave of talent in their system and this would provide that.

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.

Photoshopped from original Image Source Page: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Photos-Spring-tra

At the All-Star break, with the Sox tied with the Oakland Athletics at .500 [43-43] and tied for last place in the AL East, it won’t be long before Boston beat writers, bloggers, and citizens of Red Sox Nation start trying to find a scapegoat to blame; so, let’s get started: I blame the “Beer Pitchers”—Beckett and Lester.

(more…)

“I think he’d be better off playing a women’s sport.”

(more…)

Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

This is a series that the Red Sox really need to win– playing the worst team in baseball– and they are now just a step away after a 4-3 win last night. Last night’s game was a good one for Red Sox fans and baseball fans alike as it was filled with suspense and excitement. The Red Sox got some early rallies going in the game. With two outs and David Ortiz standing at first, Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled to the wall in right-center. Ortiz rounded third but was thrown out at the plate on one he should’ve certainly scored on. Ortiz would redeem himself in the fourth inning, though, when he led off the inning with a double. He would successfully score this time as Jarrod Saltalamacchia crushed a hanging splitter into the bleacher seats in right.

The Red Sox’ offense just kept moving along and they scored on RBI singles by Will Middlebrooks and Scott Podsednik in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. The Red Sox held a 4-0 lead at this time and Jon Lester had just been cruising along before hitting the seventh inning. He ran into a bit of trouble there as he allowed runners onto the corners with one away in the seventh. Luis Valbuena, of all people, was the man of the hour for the Cubs as he took a high fastball to the opposite field for a three-run homer to cut it to a 4-3 lead for the Red Sox.

Jon Lester would finish off his outing by striking out David DeJesus and would leave after allowing 3 runs in 6.2 innings of work, striking out eight. He would earn the win later– his fourth of the year. He left the one-run game in the hands of the bullpen and Scott Atchison successfully escaped the seventh inning for him. Vicente Padilla nailed down his 15th hold of the year with a shutdown eighth and Alfredo Aceves earned his 16th save with a good ninth. All in all, a tightly contested but solid win for the Red Sox.

The first and probably most encouraging was one helluva performance from Clay Buchholz on Sunday.  The struggling right-hander went 7.0 innings strong, scattering 8 hits while surrendering just runs.  More impressive was his control as he walked just 1 batter and struck out a season high 6 batters proving he still has his dominating stuff.

For Buchholz, despite not picking up the win even though he pitched well enough, this outing has to restore some confidence. It was only the second time this season he went a full 7 innings and he had control of his change up and fastball all game long. Definitely something to build on for Buchhy and the Red Sox.

Kevin Youkilis went 3-for-10 over the three games and while it’s not a huge performance, the fiery third baseman has his timing back after being on the DL.  Well, his first game back he had his timing, but he is continuing to get on base and is answering the questions thus far if he can stay healthy that might warrant a trade.  If the Sox decide to keep him he is another huge presence in the lineup, something that will bode well for this club come the dog days of summer.

Adrian Gonzalez went yard on Sunday, belting a three-run shot to left off Jeremy Hellickson who was in a zone.  It was only Gonzo’s fourth home run of the year and his first at Fenway Park since April 17th.  This is certainly a positive given the amount of criticism Gonzalez has undergone in recent weeks for his lack of power at the plate.

Even Gonzalez is feeling good about the shot, telling NESN that he’s starting to feel more comfortable with his power swing.

“I’ve been having a consistent feel for two days.” – Adrian Gonzalez

For the record Gonzalez now has two home runs in the past seven days.  If Gonzo is in fact heating up, look out as his torrid pace could carry the Sox to many wins.

A fourth positive was Josh Beckett‘s starting performance on Saturday where he went pitch for pitch against the Rays stud, David Price.  Despite not getting the win, Beckett went 7.0 innings strong while not issuing one free pass, the first time he’s done that all year.  It was also the third straight game in which Beckett allowed two runs or less, proving that when push comes to shove, he is the leader of this staff.  Suddenly ‘Golf Gate’ is a distant memory.

The blown loss by Alfredo Aceves was difficult to swallow when you consider that he had recovered nicely from his rough start to the year.  But rarely do you see a closer go perfect on the year so we’ll cut him some slack for now.  The positive is not Aceves but rather his bullpen mates.

Between Andrew Miller, Rich Hill, Franklin Morales, Vicente Padilla, Scott Atchison and Matt Albers, the six relievers only gave up a combined 2 hits over 8.0 innings of work, further enforcing the fact that the Red Sox are developing one of the most reliable bullpens in the majors.  Granted the bullpen has been on a torrid pace for some time, it is comforting to again see a reinforced point that in a tight ballgame these guys will shut the door.

One slip from Aceves cost the Sox the series but the positives far out weigh the negatives and this ball team appears to have turned the corner.

One month into the regular season and the Red Sox find themselves in unfamiliar territory through the month of April; last place in the AL East.  But the good news is that they remain well within striking distance of the four other clubs and first place.

With the first of six months now in the books let’s grade the Red Sox with our monthly report card.

A+

David Ortiz – proving he is worth the salary the Red Sox gave him, returning to dominance.

Ryan Sweeney – more than 10 doubles in the first month from a guy who wasn’t supposed to hit his weight.

Junichi Tazawa – hasn’t allowed a run in relief, enough said.

A

Scott Atchison – a reliable arm out of the pen despite a couple shaky outings.

Cody Ross – he’s been pimping at the plate with 5 home runs.

Mike Aviles – had the unenviable task of trying to replace Jacoby Ellsbury as the leadoff man and he’s passed the test.

Marlon Byrd – small sample pool but making Ben Cherington look like an early genius.

B+

Felix Doubront – proven to be a great fourth arm for a rotation that has many questions.

Dustin Pedroia – scrappy, edgy leader who wills this team to victories on some nights

Daniel Bard – has silenced the critics and appears to have won the starting rotation battle

B

Jon Lester – two strong outings with little to no offense.

Matt Albers – decent relief outings muddled by one poor one.

Josh Beckett – one or two bad outings saddled with little offense, otherwise a nice start to the year.

Vicente Padilla – quickly becoming a trusted 8th inning guy.

C+

Jarrod Saltalamacchia – came on strong in the last week of the month

Alfredo Aceves – five saves in seven attempts redeems a higher grade.

Franklin Morales – average out of the bullpen.

C

Nick Punto – steady defense, inconsistent batting

Adrian Gonzalez – struggling to get to the level we’re used to seeing from Gonzo. Striking out a lot more.

D

Kelly Shoppach – meh, not much of anything aside from his four hit game against the Rays.

D-

Clay Buchholz – the only thing that’s keeping him from a F is his one good start against Tampa Bay.

Darnell McDonald – after a hot spring training he’s back to the old McDonald.

F

Kevin Youkilis – despite coming on late in the month, he’s again battling a broken down body and struggled overall for the month.

Rich Hill – small sample but struggled with command.

Carl Crawford – for the obvious reasons.

Mark Melancon – optioned to AAA and he might never return to the big leagues.

Incomplete:

Jacoby Ellsbury – IR

Jason Repko – IR

Overall Pitching: C

Decent starts from some but not all starters and the bullpen members range from shaky to good.

Overall Position Players: A

The offense has found it’s groove but sometimes no lead is safe.

Manager Bobby Valentine: C

Has made many questionable calls, plus he opens his mouth too much.

Overall Team: C+

After a rough start followed up by a catastrophic shellacking by Texas and New York, this team appears to have figured things out.  Still have to prove they can run with the big dogs and help appears to be on the way for the bullpen.

What are your thoughts on the grades?

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The Red Sox bullpen is need of some depth and it appears help is on the way.  Rich Hill who underwent Tommy John Surgery eleven months ago has rejoined the team in time to help save the bullpen.  To make room for Hill, Justin Thomas was optioned to AAA Pawtucket, a move that makes sense given the lefties struggles.

The Hill return is a miraculous story about an athlete not only beating the odds of Tommy John Surgery but returning much sooner than expected.  Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald covered the story of how Hill strictly followed a program designed for his rehab by Red Sox head physical therapist Mike Reinold.

Hill appeared in eight rehab stints in the minor leagues and proved he was ready for the big club, after posting an ERA of 2.00, struck out 18, allowed five hits and issued just two walks.

Given the inconsistencies of the some of the late inning relievers, namely Vicente Padilla and Scott Atchison, Hill could become the ultimate setup man for closer Alfredo Aceves.  If Hill can convert to that reliable eighth inning guy, Daniel Bard‘s desire to stay in the rotation looks to be more of a reality.

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The series finale between the Red Sox and Twins became a scene all to familiar to the Red Sox this season.  Like a young child who continues to wet the bed and all he can say is “oh oh, I did it again” the Red Sox bullpen was once again doing there best to blow the game….again.

After the offense had pulled the Sox out in front to a 7-1 lead, Clay Buchholz was finally lifted for some relief but not before he loaded the bases in the sixth inning.  Buchholz, who threw 107 pitches and appeared to be the latest victim of manager Bobby Valentine’s lack of knowledge of when to pull his starters, scattered 10 hits over 5.1 innings of work.  He was tagged for 5 earned runs, walked 3 and struck out 2 while picking up his second win on the season.

Back to the bullpen.  First it was Scott Atchison who inherited Buchholz’s, or should I say Valentine’s mess and in an unlike Atchison fashion he gave up a single off his foot to Joe Mauer that scored two runners.  Atchison would be replaced by Justin Thomas and things would get a whole lot more interesting.

Thomas surrendered a double to Justin Morneau cutting the lead to 7-5.  Thomas would then hit Chris Parmalee with a pitch before giving the ball over to Matt Albers.  It was at this point that I honestly thought to myself, here we frickin’ go again.

Albers who has been as hot and cold as a guy who got what he wanted on a first date only to never call the girl again, was cold on this night.  Trevor Plouffe of the Twins singled in a run off Albers making the game very interesting for the final three innings with a 7-6 Red Sox lead.

Vicente Padilla pitched the seventh and gave a clean inning, as did Franklin Morales in the eighth.  It should be noted that Morales went through the heart of the Twins order without a hit or a walk while fanning one.  An impressive outing to say the least.

Finally, it came to the ninth and it was Alfredo Aceves who was beckoned to save the game.  Yes, the same Aceves who said last week that he’s not comfortable being the closer and may never be comfortable in that role.

He showed that again tonight giving up a hit, a walk and a hit batsman to load the bases before striking out Denard Span to end the ballgame.  Ok, so I didn’t exactly build up the ninth with a whole lot of drama, but I feel as though we’ve been through enough drama already this season that there’s not point adding anymore in here.  Red Sox win, Aceves gets the save (barely) and the Sox have won three in a row.  Shhh, don’t tell Bobby V that his club is on a 3-game winning streak or he might open his mouth again.

From an offensive standpoint, it was Dustin Pedroia who led the charge on this night, going 3-for-4 and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.  Oddly enough Pedey never collected a RBI on the night.  Mike Aviles continues to produce at the lead-off position, cranking his fourth homer of the year in what was a three-run shot.  In all, the bats were good for 10 hits, mainly all singles.

Up next for the Olde Town Team is a battle of the Sox when the Red Sox head to the windy city to battle the White Sox.  We’ll have a series preview for you right here on BoSox Injection.

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Injuries to designated closers are piling up around the majors with Brian Wilson of the San Francisco Giants being the latest victim.  Wilson, who often depicts as though he’s a few bricks short of a load, may need Tommy John Surgery on his throwing elbow which would force him to miss the rest of the 2012 season.  Wilson would join Andrew Bailey of the Red Sox, Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays and Ryan Madson of the Reds on the list of closers who will miss significant playing time this season due to injury and could force the Giants to add another bullpen piece for their stretch run.

You could probably even throw in the Yankees as potential buyers for bullpen help, so if the Sox are even remotely considering looking for help in the pen, the time is now rather than the July deadline when the price on good, quality relievers is surely to skyrocket.

Mike Gonzalez is the first name that comes to mind.  He is the most noticeable and in all honesty the most reliable arm still available on the free-agent market.  His durability does bring concern along with his high contract demands, making him a gamble for any club.  But with so many teams looking for help, surely someone will take a chance on him.

After the first three games in Detroit, Red Sox fans were screaming for Daniel Bard to be summoned to the bullpen to help stop the bleeding, myself included.  It’s amazing what a couple of wins will do to a greaving fanbase.  Alfredo Aceves appears to have settled in nicely and refound his control that makes him so effective on the mound.  While Mark Melancon is still an instant headache as soon as he takes to the rubber, other internal candidates could be the solution instead of going out and making a deal with another club.  Guys like Vicente Padilla and Scott Atchison have shown promise in his young season as has Franklin Morales.  With Andrew Miller and Rich Hill inching closer to returning, additional help is on the horizon from the bowels of the organization.

Keep in mind that both Daisuke Matsuzaka and Andrew Bailey are penciled in to return after the all-star break, giving the Red Sox a plethora of pitching arms.  By that time the cream will be separated from the wheat, proving which arms will be reliable for the stretch run and which will become expendable via the trade market.

Maybe the time isn’t now for the Red Sox to make any sudden moves with their bullpen.  Maybe sitting tight and seeing how things play out over the next few months is the proper course of action.  Of course that will suffice providing the club can tread water and keep pace in the AL East over that time.  If things should go south again, then a deal to bolster the bullpen will be required to help this club straighten out and fly right.

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April 8, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop

If I had told you at 12:30 this afternoon the Red Sox would breakout for 12 runs and still lose the game, you would have had trouble believing it right? Well folks, it happened and it wasn’t pretty.

It’s no secret that Bobby Valentine and the Red Sox have some flaws down in their bullpen but who would have thought the “top two” arms would blow not one–but two leads on their way to another heartbreaking loss?

From the outset things were ugly for the boys from Beantown. Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz pitched miserably, giving up four runs in the Tigers’ first trip to the plate and another three in the outing before Vicente Padilla replaced him to start the fifth. The Sox’ righty-coming back from a stress fracture in his back-threw 39 pitches in that first inning and only 78 total before the early hook.

Tigers starter Max Scherzer was even worse. Scherzer gave up 8H, 2BB and 7 ER in just 2 2/3 innings pitched. The Sox and Tigers bullpens threw a combined 15 innings in the game.

The Sox’ bullpen ERA so far in ’11? How about 7.94 in 11 1/3 IP.

Miguel Cabrera continued to beat up on Sox pitching in the game with an RBI single in the first, a sac fly in the second and a monster 3 run homer off Red Sox “closer” Alfredo Aceves in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 10. The duo of Cabrera and Prince Fielder already looks like the new version of Big Papi and Manny Ramirez. It’s scary to say the least.

After the Red Sox were able to strike for a pair in the top half of the 11th, Bobby Valentine called on Mark Melancon to put this one in the books. Unfortunately Melancon’s starting to look like the 2012 version of Bobby Jenks–a setup reliever who came to the AL East and got shelled.

After a pair of one out singles and a wild pitch put runners on the corners, Delmon Young was able to lift a fly ball deep enough to score Miguel Cabrera from third and bring Alex Avila to the plate with two outs. The Tigers catcher welcomed Melancon to the AL by crushing his curveball and bouncing it off the railings in right field at Comerica Park for a walk off two run homer.

There were two bright spots for the Red Sox in this game, the offense awoke and Vicente Padilla was excellent in a four inning relief appearance.

Padilla was the lone bright spot in what was otherwise a disaster from a pitching standpoint. The former Dodgers opening day starter looked calm and collected on the mound while producing a stellar line-4 IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 4K

Mike Aviles and Nick Punto each had 3 RBI in the game and Adrian Gonzalez had 2 but it wasn’t enough to provide a sufficient lead for this shaky bullpen-something that could be a frequent problem for the Sox if they can’t find a way to lock down the late innings.

If you’re reading this with your hand on the panic button, I beg you to slowly remove it and place it back on your computer desk. It’s too early to panic. It’s too early to fire Bobby V. It’s too early to trade Josh Beckett and it’s way too early to give up on these guys based on a series sweep at the hands of perhaps the AL’s best team.

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It was only game one but we have already seen shades of a shaky Red Sox bullpen that couldn’t contain the opponents offense, leading to a walk-off win for the Tigers.  Not only did it cost Bobby V a chance at his first win as the Red Sox manager, it also spoiled one hell of an outing from Jon Lester.  A potential trend that is best left unfulfilled.

So what can be done about the lack of depth and effectiveness out of the pen?  Well, Aceves closing is a good place to start.  Last year he was brilliant as a setup/middle relief arm.  He doesn’t do his best work when he inherits runners, a scene that closers encounter far too often.  The solution?  Move Daniel Bard back to the closing role and Aceves to the rotation, plain and simple (Aaron Cook could be an option to start as well).

I understand the organization wants to see Bard succeed as a starter, but is it worth losing precious games so Bard can transition into a starter?  NO! At least for this year Bard should be closing and reassess the situation after this season where he can then have another spring to move into the rotation.

Mark Melancon was, too say the least, shaky in the opener.  He lacked control and failed to hit his targets, resulting in crowding the base paths awfully quick.  Last year in Houston he was effective as a closer but this spring he struggled and if yesterday was any indication he will  need some confidence before he’s ready to take the ball in the ninth.  The solution?  Leave him as the setup man.

After the aforementioned names, there aren’t many names in the pen that can compete with the other AL East bullpens.  Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe does a nice job comparing the Sox situation to the Rays and Yankees.

I’ve said it before; the names Franklin Morales, Matt Albers, Michael Bowden, Scott Atchison, Justin Thomas and Vicente Padilla are not going to get the job done.  Padilla is a rehabbing project that has potential but not late in the game with the score tied.  Morales can have the lefties despite his high walk ratio and if Andrew Miller can suddenly rebound and be productive, he too can be a lefty specialist.

After that, it’s Albers who has an ERA similar to John Lackey‘s, walks over 4 batters per 9 innings and has yet to prove he can be a consistent arm when needed.

Scott Atchison is a nice, heart felt story about a 36-year old who has bounced the minors for so long and still has the desire to crack the majors.  That’s terrific….if Disney is looking for a new baseball movie.  Oh wait, that was done with Dennis Quaid.

Michael Bowden has potential, but he better start showing it as he’s out of options and could either be released or traded.  And don’t get me started on Justin Thomas.  He needs to be in AAA but with so many injuries the Sox didn’t have much choice other than to keep him around.

So what can be done to shore up the Sox bullpen.  Mazz reminds us all of what happened in 2003 with the bullpen and how it is eerily similar to this young season.  We all know what happened that year.

Trades are an option for Ben Cherington as is Mike Gonzalez who still remains a free-agent. With the trade table being set, Cherington better be prepared to part ways with multiple high-end prospects for any decent reliever and that doesn’t make much sense.

As the games roll on throughout the first month it will be interesting to see how the bullpen fairs.  Should yesterday’s performance have set a precedent then fans will become quite impatient by early May, calling for a solution to the bullpen that may be easier said then done.  There is always the hope that a young arm from the minors emerges as a budding star, similar to Papelbon in 2005.  Isn’t it funny how we continue to revert back to Papelbon, even after he’s long gone.

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Feb 21, 2012; Fort Myers FL, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aaron Cook (35) during spring training at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Despite Bobby Valentines decision to keep him out of the starting rotation, Aaron Cook came out today and showed another strong performance in the Red Sox’ 4-2 win over the Nationals.

There’s no doubt that if Cook continues to pitch the way he has, Bobby V will be forced to find a spot for him on the big club.

In the outing today against the Nationals, Cook allowed just two hits and a run in five innings of work.

Cook’s Line: 5IP, 2H, 1 ER, 1BB, 2K

The lone run allowed by the veteran sinkerballer came in the fourth when Danny Espinosa led off the inning with a solo homer.

The other Nationals run came in the eighth when Ian Desmond singled off of Matt Albers, driving in Steve Lombardozzi.

For the Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez had two hits in the game and finished the game with a .357 batting average with just one game left this spring. It’s amazing how Gonzo flies under the radar so well, isn’t it? Rarely in the spotlight..

Kevin Youkilis had a hit in the game, bringing his spring average to .211 but he also drove in the Red Sox’ first run in the bottom of the fourth on a groundout that allowed Adrian Gonzalez to score. (Shocking, I know.)

Darnell McDonald drove in the second run for the Sox on a single later in the fourth and then eventually scored the third run on Mike Aviles‘ sac fly.

Nate Spears led off the bottom of the sixth with a double into right field. Nick Natoli came on to run for Spears and after Jose Colorado grounded out, Jason Repko ripped a double to left that allowed him to score the final run of the game for the Sox.

Behind strong performances from Aaron Cook, Vicente Padilla and Mark Melancon, the Red Sox were able to walk away with a victory. The two teams will meet again tomorrow for the final exhibition game before we get to the real stuff…

Opening Day 2012- A new chapter in Red Sox history- Be a part of it at BoSox Injection!

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The regular season is five days away and still there are question marks surrounding the Boston Red Sox.  While we were given answers to the catching situation and finally told who would make up the five man starting rotation, we are still left wondering who will make up the bullpen and how they will fair.

With news that Andrew Bailey could miss the start of the season, the focus turns to Mark Melancon and Alfredo Aceves.  Check out my previous piece on how those two stack up as potential closers.  That is not where the problem lies as I feel confident in either pitcher, or both for that matter as the eighth and ninth inning guys.

Rather it’s getting the game to those two with the lead still in tact that has me tossing and turning at night.  Last year we witnessed one of the best one-two punch in the game and throw in Aceves as the seventh inning specialist and it was almost always lights out.

But this year looks different already.  Gone is Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard is in the rotation, at least for now.  Meaning Aceves will either close or setup providing Bailey starts the year on the DL.

That leaves the bullpen a little thin from my calculation.

According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe the bullpen options include Vicente Padilla, Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, Aaron Cook, Ross Ohlendorf, Justin Thomas, Michael Bowden and Franklin Morales left to battle it out for a spot.  If you have a concerned look on your face after reading that list you are not alone.

Franklin Morales will be used as a lefty specialist so he’s almost a lock given that Andrew Miller is likely to start the year on the DL.

Does Matt Albers bring a bout of confidence?  Ummm, nope.  How about Scott Atchison?  Yeah right.    Bobby V pegged Aaron Cook and Ross Ohlendorf as starters with Pawtucket so they’re out.  Justin Thomas, well, he will be the perfect pitcher on those nights when nothing is going right, the game’s out of reach and some innings need to be eaten.  In other words, he doesn’t restore much, if any faith.

Michael Bowden is an option as is Vicente Padilla but considering both would require room to be made on the 40-man roster, it brings up another question.  Who goes off that roster?

Abraham predicts Padilla, Atchison, Bowden and Thomas will stick with Albers and Morales already having a spot.  The bullpen would look like this: Aceves, Melancon, Albers, Padilla, Morales, Atchison, Bowden and Thomas.  As I said in the beginning, there is plenty of uncertainty with that bullpen lineup.  A healthy and productive Andrew Bailey could make a world of difference as Aceves could resume his former role of jack of all trades when it comes to the bullpen.

For now Daniel Bard’s presence in the bullpen becomes a much more intriguing option.  Needless to say as does Roy Oswalt’s for the staring rotation.

It’s hard to believe that one year ago the bullpen was one of the most consistent parts of the Red Sox.  Now it has the most question marks.

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Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Cody Ross, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Mike Aviles, SS

Vicente Padilla, P

Vicente Padilla started the game for the Red Sox today but is likely to see a long relief role on the team after Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard were given the final two bullpen spots today.

Padilla pitched a strong 1 1/3 allowing 2 hits, no runs and striking out a pair on just 21 pitches.

Scott Atchison came on in relief and pitched 2 2/3 innings, he allowed just a hit, no walks and struck out 3.

The only run the Twins mustered out of Red Sox pitching came when Chris Parmelee hit a solo homer off Garrett Mock.

Pedro Ciriaco came on to pinch run for Kevin Youkilis in the sixth inning after Youk was hit by a pitch. The speedy infielder stole second and third before Cody Ross smacked a double to drive him in and give the Red Sox their first run of the game.

Ryan Sweeney went on to drive in Cody Ross with a single, Mike Aviles doubled to left to drive in Sweeney and push Twins starter Carl Pavano out of the game after 5 2/3.

The replacement, Alex Burnett was greeted by a triple off the bat of Jacoby Ellsbury that pushed across the Sox’ fourth run of the inning. The inning may have been extended further but Ellsbury tried to score when the ball kicked off of him into left field and was thrown out at the plate.

Adrian Gonzalez and Pedro Ciriaco hit consecutive doubles in the bottom of the seventh to give the Sox their fifth and final run of the game.

Pedro Ciriaco may have seen his chances of making the team dwindle away with the news of Andrew Bailey’s injury but if an opportunity opens up down the road, we could see Ciriaco with the big club in 2012.

That’s the wrap for today’s game. The Red Sox head up to face the Washington Nationals in the final two games before Opening Day baseball April 5th.

Final Score: Red Sox 5 Twins 1