Bartolo Colon, the former Cy Young Award winner currently rehabbing for the Pawtucket Red Sox, had his second start of the season today in Buffalo.

How did he pitch?  Almost perfectly.

6 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 4 Ks.  Colon threw 64 pitches, and 45 were strikes (70%).  Colon has thrown a total of 14 innings in AAA and yielded only 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 11.

With the inconsistency and/or injury of Clay Buchholz and the general uselessness of Mike Timlin, it appears that some veteran help could be on the way to Boston within the next few weeks.

Amateur economists like to quote a famous economist that once said “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Phillips’ filibuster on home run totals looks like some guy trying to create misleading statistical evidence. Why limit it to home runs? They aren’t the only measure of power and therefore, steroid use. Why use the entire season? Power is usually down in April and May as players adjust and power is sapped by cold weather and dense air. Why use a raw total? Generally there are more off days and rain outs in the cold northeast during April and May. If he was really trying to prove that power has declined he’d compare a rate stat over a similar time period.

As it turns out, he’s covered up the truth. Slugging was down in April, and by a large margin.

MLB SLG, April 2006: .430
MLB SLG, April 2008: .401

Thanks for dumbing it down Steve, maybe soon we’ll reach your level.

Clay Buchholz has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a broken fingernail.

In need of an outfielder, the Sox have called up 28-year-old career minor leaguer Jonathan Van Every from Pawtucket.   The left-handed hitter was playing well in CF for the Pawsox, hitting .287/.365/.484 with 4 steals in 4 attempts.

Van Every has never before appeared in a MLB game.  Welcome to the encyclopedia, “kid”.

J.D. Drew, a guy whose injury log reads like that of Robbie Knieval, rolled his wrist while lunging for a ball last night.  The current word is that Drew is day to day, but we all know how wrist injuries can be problematic for hitters.  If I had to wager, I’d put money down on Drew missing some games.

On a seemingly less-serious level, Coco Crisp left the game with nausea.  Unless the Great Infulenza is making an encore performance, he should be okay.  However, today’s game is early (3 PM), so anything is possible.

There’s a chance we could be seeing the return of Brandon Moss (.268/.337/.427 in Pawtucket) today.  Stay tuned.

In other notes: Boston starting pitchers have been quite abysmal in these three losses.  Here are the starters’ numbers for the past 3 games:

12.2 innings (about 4 innings per start)
26 hits
19 runs (18 earned)
12.79 ERA

Jon Lester takes the mound today, and will try to squelch this momentary lapse of pitching ability.

The Rays won their fifth straight to close the gap in the AL East to a mere half game. Matt Garza looked strong, and Andy Pettitte looked old. The Bronx Bums are killing the Red Sox, even in their mediocrity. At what point do we start rooting for the Yankees? Soon.

Hey, road struggles are common among Boston teams in the spring. The Red Sox are still in first, however barely, and the Celtics have home court advantage. This is why all those regular season wins were so important. It was a bad weekend, but things could be much, much worse.

Edit: I called them the “Devil” Rays.  Save your breath, Secular Rays.

Herald Link

The general assumption was that Craig Hansen would be the casualty of Casey’s return, but it looks like the Sox actually have some confidence in Hansen’s refined mechanics.

I’m not sure what will happen from here, but I have to assume that Tavarez will not accept a demotion, and will end up on another Major League team, possibly Colorado.  If this is indeed the last time we see him wearing the laundry, his Red Sox career ends at 246 innings pitched, a 4.94 ERA, 29 starts, 12 wins, 1 CG, and 1 ring.

This is a somewhat sad moment, reminiscent of the final scenes of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.  His antics, like those of Randall MacMurphy, will be missed.

The neutral air environment of domed stadiums should help the knuckleball “flutter” with more consistency and accuracy in comparison to open air stadiums. This is a credo I’ve heard from several baseball analysts, most recently Joe Morgan on ESPN last night (note: I’m not bashing Morgan here; many other guys have said the same thing).

If you take a quick and dirty look at Tim Wakefield’s career splits, it looks like there might be something to this:

Career Open Air ERA: 4.39 (2,394 innings)
Career Dome ERA: 3.82 (276 innings)

However, once we drill a little bit deeper and look at the 3 domes that Tim has pitched in semi-regularly, a different picture is painted.

In the SkyDome/Rogers Centre in Toronto, Wakefield’s career ERA is 4.33, exactly the same as his career ERA.

In the Metrodome, the venue for Tim’s putrid performance last night, Wakefield’s career ERA is 4.54. He actually pitches worse in this dome than he does in Fenway Park (4.39).

So, where are these “good” numbers coming from? Tampa Bay, where Wakefield has held the Rays to a 2.52 ERA over 107 innings. As you know, the Rays (up until recently, perhaps) have had a long run as one of the lesser teams in Major League Baseball, a fact which probably contributes to Tim’s low dome ERA, much more so than the physics of the knuckleball.

To further dispel the myth, Tim’s K/BB ratio in domes is nearly identical to his open-air ratio: 1.76 versus 1.75.

In conclusion: sure, the knuckleball works well in domed environments…as long as you are facing a team which has finished in last place in nearly every season of their entire existence.

With a three run lead and Josh Beckett mowing down hapless Tigers, confidence was running high early.  During a day off for Manny, Kevin Youkilis filled in admirably.  He launched his fourth homer of the series, fifth in five games, to seal the deal.  In the words of the immortal genius, king of kings, Hawk Harrelson: “You can put it in the board! YYYouk!”  A less likely hero, the Captain had a solid night, 1-2 with a pair of RBIs and walks.  That’s all we ask of you, Sir Varitek.  Just don’t be a giant gaping hole where runs go to die.  Deal? Thanks.

The Largest Bullpen in Baseball did a fine job.  Mr. Electric showed his typical nasty slider and poor control.  Fortunately, the Tigers were anxious, going down in order on a dozen pitches.  In a “get your confidence up” appearance, Manny Delcarmen didn’t ruin the hard work of his teammates.  His next appearance should be of similar low leverage, and if he’s successful, its time to work him back into a meaningful role.  His return to form will allow some of the dead weight to be cut.  Always a bullpen psychologist, Francona picked a fine spot to use two kids who need some good innings under their belt.

8PM, Lester at Bonser

The Red Sox look to continue their tear through the Central, next victim: Minnesota.  The first place Twins have been a surprise, but their 17-16 record would only be good for third in any other division.  Its less a case of the Twinkies dominating than their divisional foes wetting the bed.  Pythagorus, via Bill James, says they should be 16-17, and I tend to agree.  Bonser (2-4, 4.29, 1.24) gave up six runs in the first inning of his last start May 4, but gutted out six innings and the Twins came back to take it, 7-6.  He’s shown remarkable control, 9 walks in 42 innings, but struck out only 27.  If he maintains his low ground ball rate, 39%, and doesn’t start striking guys out, the luck will run dry and those fly balls will start finding the seats.

It’s a dreary Friday in New York, I hope your weekend weather is better.  Is spring time, isn’t it?  Scientific community, where’s my weather machine?  You’ve really dropped the ball here.

There’s always one guy on the Red Sox who gets stamped with a bullseye in April, and wears it throughout the entire season. This player becomes the focal point of critique from nearly all outlets, from the writers of the Boston Globe down to the most inebriated potatohead caller on WEEI, regardless of the other things that might be contributing to a loss.

Two years ago, it was Edgar Renteria. Last year, it was J.D. Drew. This year, the lightning rod is back at SS: Julio Cesar Lugo.

Yes, he’s the weakest hitter in the lineup. He’s a #9 hitter. Every team has at least one weakness in their lineup. As much as I would love to see the Sox field a team of 9 guys who have a .900 OPS, it simply isn’t going to happen.

Yes, he leads the AL in errors in May. Typically, a SS will lead his league in errors. Last year, slick-fielding Jason Bartlett led the league with 26.

Let’s ignore the fact that he has decent range (reportedly quite a bit more than Jed Lowrie), and is actually hitting right around his career averages. Let’s ignore the fact that Boston pitching allowed 10 runs on 18 hits last night. Let’s ignore the fact that Edgar Renteria may have beaten the throw even if Lugo had fielded the ball cleanly.

I wish my mind worked in such simple algorithms, like the people I’ve been listening to and reading today. It must be such a stress-free lifestyle. Focus on one problem and block out everything else. Lugo make error. Sox lose. Lugo cause loss. It’s that simple.

Boston Globe headline: “Fumble Leads to Sox Loss. Shortstop Lugo Hands One to Tigers.” This is an actual headline from people who are paid salaries to write headlines.

Ignorance is bliss, and these are happy days.

Alas, the showcase turned into a horror flick, as Tavarez coughed up 3 quick runs in one inning of work. There are those who believe that a sinkerball pitcher shouldn’t be kept on the shelf for too long between outings, and last night wouldn’t exactly disprove that hypothesis.

Starter Clay Buchholz also struggled, though he did show flashes of brilliance when he wasn’t being possessed by the ghost of John Wasdin. Clay stuck out six and only walked one, but was extremely hittable and only lasted 4 innings before giving way to The Missing Link. In what became a battle of bullpens and clutch at-bats, Detroit edged the first-place Red Sox 10-9.

Papelbon did blow his first save of the season, but he did so without giving up one hard-hit ball. The game-winning single by Placido Polanco was just a nice piece of hitting; and perhaps a microcosm for Detroit’s performance last night. They were backed into a corner in their house, and scraped their way back on more than one occasion.

It’s just a case where you just tip your cap, walk off the field, and prepare for Justin Verlander tomorrow.

Notes:

• Loosen that noose: David Ortiz has found his stroke. The DH is hitting .423/.483/.769 in the month of May, and is finally “above average” on the season (OPS+ of 106) after suffering through the worst slump of his career.
• May has been kind to corner infielders in general, as Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell are .375/.484/1.042 and .323/.344/.677 for the month, respectively.
• Julio Lugo had a major error in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the eventual winning run to reach base. He’s quickly becoming a lightning rod, but before you grab the torch and pitchfork, consider this: a) Lugo is (from all accounts) a much better defensive option than Jed Lowrie at SS, and b) he’s actually getting on base, with a .354 OBP.