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By Zach, 9/6/2007 8:24 am

Blue Jays 6
Red Sox 4

Kerwin Danley was not in position to make a call when Greg Zaun scored with two out in the top of the fifth.  He was behind Varitek, and the tag occurred on the opposite side of Varitek’s body, on Zaun’s hand.  Was the correct call made?  It’s hard to tell, even from the multitude of replays and angles, but Kerwin coudn’t see it at all.  He saw the throw bounce high, and assumed no tag was made as Zaun went low.  His refusal to ask for help and utter dismissal when it was suggested by Francona are the latest example the sickening bravado of MLB umpires.  Get that chip off your shoulder, blue.

While Jacoby Ellsbury continues to look super-human, Hideki Okajima finally let one go.  Tito’s bullpen usage was apt, there was no reason to trot Schilling back out at 90 pitches, but I’d consider sticking with Brian Corey for the 8th, then MDC for the ninth.  Two of our infallible relievers failed last night, an anomaly that can’t become a trend.

It depends where Buchholz is in relation to his innings max, but only two of three of the Tavarez/Lopez/Buchholz group will make the postseason roster, assuming Ellsbury is in.  He should be a lock, and given some consideration over JD for starts in right, depending how the final few weeks play out.  At some point its about winning games, and that point is rapidly approaching.

Tonight, Wakefield returns to begin a four game set in Baltimore.  Reportedly Manny will not make the trip, so we won’t see him until next week at the earliest.  Garrett Olson (7.22 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season for the O’s.

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By Zach, 9/5/2007 8:47 am

Blue Jays 3
Red Sox 5

The duel of gunslingers was an able appetizer for the last summer blockbuster; one that will surely trump Bay, Bourne, and Bart. I’ve got Unforgiven and The Proposition arriving via Netflix in the next few days to psyche myself up; I suggest going out to rent The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly if you’ve got three hours to kill before the western is officially Back. No Country for Old Men (Coen Bros) and There Will Be Blood (P.T. Anderson and ahem…Daniel Day-Lewis) also seek to define “bad-ass.”

The comfort of a healthy division lead offers many benefits. Physical and mental rest for the 25 we’ve leaned on for the last five months remains paramount, but we’re witnessing the spoils of a fruitful farm system. Last night, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis homered, Jon Papelbon sealed the win, and the return on Hanley Ramirez has proven his immense value. While three of those four are mainstays, the ability to audition Ellsbury and get Manny the rest he needs deserves will be invaluable. The Sox announced that the innings max on Clay Buchholz will be monitored via “structured” bullpen innings. Might we see the Buchholz Boundaries? I hope not. My guess: structured innings means he won’t be called on mid-inning, and will have similar, but less public, guidelines to Joba Chamberlain. Nothing is clinched so winning is important, the W’s with the JV are all the more sweet.

During the game, my father quipped over the phone that he wouldn’t mind seeing the Sox lose these two to the Jays, as long as the Yankees lost as well — a series of events that would have proven very interesting in the wild card race, putting the Jays a mere 3.5 back with ~20 to play. The opposite circumstance occured, effectively ending the Jays season. My fantasy team thanks you for nothing, V-Dub.

Tonight, Curt Schilling faces Shawn Marcum. Schil left the ballpark with a family emergency before the game Tuesday, but as of this morning is still on for tonight. Ramirez has two homers in six at bats against Marcum, but the Herald reports he won’t see action for at least a few more days. Marcum has given up 12 ER in his last 14 IP, but was quite good (3.31 ERA, 7.13 K/9, .681 OPSA) up to that point.

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By Jimmy, 9/4/2007 7:48 am

Toronto 10
Boston 13

This game was such an enjoyable slaughter, satisfying in every aspect (hitting, baserunning, pitching, defense) right up until the sixth inning. After a couple of cheap dribblers and bloops of the bats of the Blue Jays, the wheels promptly fell off of the Matsuzaka Express as Troy Glaus launched a 3-run homer into the bullpen.

The 8-run sixth inning was the worst inning against the Sox this year, and began to raise concerns about Daisuke’s seasonal endurance after coming from a 6-man rotation in Japan.

For example, here is a breakdown of his performance against hitters in three stages, on the season (stats courtesy of CBS Sportsline):

Dice-K vs the first 9 batters in the game: 60.2 innings, .217 BAA, 2.52 ERA
Dice-K vs the next 9 batters in the game: 59.1 innings, .237 BAA, 3.34 ERA
Dice-K vs the rest of the batters in the game: 61.2 innings, .281 BAA, 6.42 ERA

You can see the obvious trend there; his ERA nearly doubles after facing the 18th hitter of the game. Is this due to fatigue, or is it due to MLB hitters “figuring him out” after 2 times though the order?

After another incredible Mike Lowell performance last night, he is now sitting at his career high in OPS+ (132), matching his performance from 2003 that originally launched him into the upper echelon of MLB third basemen.

Tonight: we’ll be treated to an epic pitching matchup, as Roy Halladay takes on Josh Beckett.

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By Jimmy, 9/3/2007 11:35 am

1) Red Sox: Being swept by New York is always a pleasant experience, as we saw how different the Sox lineup looks without Manny Ramirez involved. However, the doldrums were short-lived, as some stellar performances by the organization’s top two prospects over the weekend brought some life to the team. The division appears to be on ice, but you won’t hear me saying that out loud. Oh wait, I just did…

2) Yankees: New York faces their biggest series of the season this week against a floundering Seattle team, as they have the chance to add some cushion to their wildcard lead before the Kansas City Royals are served to them on a platter. The team suffers a minor setback in the loss of Andy Phillips, as the Wison Betemit deal now looks rather huge.

3) Indians: After going 8-2 in their last 10 games (yesterday’s abortion against Chicago notwithstanding), the Tribe has all but claimed the AL Central title, after a season long see-saw battle with Detroit. Pitcher Cliff Lee has returned from his rehab, and if healthy, could bolster an area which has been an Achilles’ Heel for this team: the bullpen.

4) Angels: Anaheim has effectively clinched a playoff spot with, thanks to Seattle’s 9 game (and counting) losing streak, and the Angels should be able to switch to cruise control soon. Scot Sheilds hates southpaws: left-handers have tuned him up for a 6.75 ERA, as opposed to a 1.54 ERA against right-handed hitters.

5) Mets: If there’s an argument against David Wright for NL MVP, I don’t see it. He’s second in the league in VORP to Hanley Ramirez, and every aspect of his game has been excellent. Perhaps the most surprising is this: 30 stolen bases, and only being caught 3 times.

6) Padres: If there ever is a Moneyball II written, don’t expect to see the inclusion of Billy Beane’s release of outfielder Milton Bradley (after trading Andre Ethier for him in 2005) . The “troubled” outfielder has raked to the tune of .336/.434/.639 since San Diego wisely accepted his gift-wrapped natural talent, and he’s a big reason why the Padres are tied for the division lead now.

7) Cubs: A guy you don’t hear mentioned very often, maybe due to his lack of run support, is Rich Hill. Although he only has 8 wins on the year, the guy has the peripherals of an All-Star: 3rd in the league in K/9, 4th in Ks, 10th in WHIP, and 10th in K/BB. A win or two in the playoffs would make him more of a household name.

8) Phillies: Don’t look now, but Philadelphia is only 3 games back in the wild card race, and they once again have the services of the best second baseman in the game, Chase Utley. If only they had some more guys who could pitch, this team would be a monster.

9) Diamondbacks: In spite of all the condemnation J.D. Drew receives, he’s been “the good son” in 2007. His little brother Stephen has been bad, very bad. After hitting .316/.357/.517 in a half-year debut in 2006, the SS has been one of the most anemic regulars in the game in 2007, hitting .234/.309/.365.

10) Tigers: Once considered the best team in baseball by yours truly, Detroit now finds themselves on the outside looking in. That being said, if anyone is to catch NY in the wild card race, I think it will be them, and not the Cindarellas of the Pacific Northwest.

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By Jimmy, 9/2/2007 10:26 am

Before last night, Red Sox fans have always had unreasonably high expectations of their top prospects – call it “The Fred Lynn Effect”. Well, things are not going to change anytime soon.

Just in case you fell asleep early and are just waking up: Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter last night.

Clay featured three pitches:

1. A fastball around 94 MPH, which he located very well last night (fastball command has been his biggest “weakness” throughout his young career).
2. A changeup, which seemed to be fat at times, but featured deceiving arm-speed and was baffling when used in tandem with the pitch described above.
3. And last but not least: a curveball. My writing talents are insufficient here; I cannot adequately describe this pitch to you with text. It’s something you really have to see. The pitch to end the game, fittingly, was one of the best specimens of the night.

Now, a decision will need to be made regarding the role Buchholz will play for the remainder of the season. A no-hitter is a rather arbitrary event, and shouldn’t really have any more bearing on this decision than a 7 inning quality start. However, it would be very difficult to argue that Clay is not a more effective pitcher than several guys on the current major league pitching staff. Stay tuned.