It might only be mid May but the Boston Red Sox are making their final West coast trip of the season. With help from the scheduling gods and from MLB, the Sox can enjoy their last long road trip of the year. Which is hard to believe since the Sox on just about a yearly basis always seem to be playing out West in the August and September months. The furthest they travel after the All-Star break will be to Kansas City and Texas.
The Sox left for six games with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners after their victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday night. They should be rested after they enjoyed an off day on Monday prior to their series with the Angels. Which for a few key players who are hampered by injuries, the extra day’s rest might help return them to the line-up sooner. Because the last thing anyone from Red Sox Nation (RSN) wants to see is someone coming back sooner than expected only to re-injure themselves and be lost for a longer period of time.
That means that Dustin Pedroia (groin) and Kevin Youkilis (sore left side) can hopefully relax and fully recover before they make their return to the Boston line-up. Let’s hope that manager Terry Francona has the same thinking that we the fans of RSN have and allows them their time to heal. Opening up on the mound will be the young feisty fireballer Justin Masterson (2-2) who’s looking for some redemption after his last disappointing outing vs the Rays. In which he allowed six earned runs on six hits and walked three over his six innings. Jered Weaver (3-1) who’s already beaten the Sox earlier this season will open up for the Angels vs the Sox on Tuesday night.