It was the typical Paul Byrd performance, and exactly what the Red Sox were expecting when they decided to acquire the journeyman right-hander.

7 innings. Only 1 walk, but 7 hits (including 3 home runs) allowed. 4 earned runs. A win.

It’s not pretty, and it sure as hell isn’t much fun to watch, but for a team that averages 6.32 runs on offense since the July 31 acquisition of Jason Bay, it does the trick more often than not. With the status of Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield up in the air, Byrd’s importance to the team is much greater than we originally anticipated.

Let’s shift gears, and talk about our second baseman for a moment. Dustin Pedroia had another big night, with 2 hits, 2 RBI, a walk, and a run scored. He’s now hitting .327/.374/.488 on the year, good enough for a 122 OPS+. He’s been among the top second basemen in the league defensively (currently third in RZR). He’s also quietly become one of the best base stealers on the team, with 17 swipes in 18 attempts.

He now leads the league in batting average, hits, runs scored, and is a bona fide MVP candidate as of this morning. Would I vote for him? Probably not. But, I’m not a member of the BBWAA (at least not yet! Am I right? Sigh…). Now, Dustin Pedroia has been the local media’s golden child since his MLB debut, for a variety of reasons. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, check out any of FJM‘s articles on David Eckstein, and you’ll get the general idea. Let’s just say that Pedroia fits a certain profile.

Given his physical characteristics, his typically low-offense yielding position, and his nifty glove work and base running, capturing an American League batting title could very well earn Dustin the league’s highest honor.

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