Arrieta Starts The 8th (FenwayNation Photo) |
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sox Nearly No-No'd By Cubs' Arrieta; Lose, 2-0
Can Mookie Betts Be Another Roberto Alomar?
The much-anticipated arrival of Mookie Betts to the big leagues has sparked a flood of speculation as to what type of player he will ultimately become. Among the more reasoned assessments comes from the great FanGraphs website. In an article on Betts' potential, Dave Cameron sifts through a mountain of data on past and present similar players and comes to the conclusion that Betts could end to be either a Roberto Alomar/Dustin Pedroia type or (perhaps more likely) a player like Brett Gardner. Cameron cites the already well-honed plate discipline skills of Betts—developed at the tender age of 21. He then postulates that this skill might put Betts on the higher end of the spectrum—unlike Coco Crisp, another similar player whose plate discipline developed later in his career. All in all, if Betts can deliver a career along the lines of Alomar, Pedroia, Crisp or Gardner, we'd be very pleased.
Secure A Good Parking Spot On The Homestand
As The Olde Towne Team returns home from a big series win in Baghdad-By-The-Hudson, make sure you have a secure and affordable parking spot for the homestand. Tonight, The Carmine Hose take on Theo Epstein's Cubbies—so spots will be in short supply. Click HERE to get a great spot from our partners at ParkWhiz—and avoid the Parking Red Guards in The People's Republic Of Brookline.
Jon Lester: Conversations Continue On Contract
(Getty Images) |
Dalton Jones Industrial Average June Reading
Once again this month, all of our readers can "weigh in" on the State Of The Carmine Hose through our exclusive Dalton Jones Industrial Average Index. The DJIA (honoring the Red Sox all-time pinch-hit leader) gathers four
key metrics each month using a simple "0" to "10" confidence scale on: starting pitching, relief pitching, overall offense and overall defense. Each month, FN readers—through a simple one-page survey tool—can assess the fortunes of the team. FenwayNation will publish the DJIA Index Score
each month during the season. We invite all of our readers to complete
the quick survey, then simply hit "done", which automatically (and
anonymously) sends the form to FenwayNation. Here is the survey link for June: DJIA SURVEY LINK (Please complete and send by the end of the day, Monday, June 30th).
Peavy's Spot In Rotation Could Be On The Line
(AP Photo) |
Mass. Native Ahmed Makes MLB Debut for AZ
(Cheryl Evans/azcentral sports) |
Heart Of Lineup Comes Through; Sox Win, 8-5
(Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images) |
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Napoli On Tanaka Pitch Selection: What An Idiot
Mike Napoli took a two-strike, two-out fastball from Masahiro Tanaka into the right-field seats at The Concrete Bunker On 161st Street. It ended up winning the game. Tanaka had struck out Napoli twice earlier on spilt-fingers in the dirt. Even if he walked Napoli, the 'immortal' Stephen Drew was waiting on deck. So, how did Napoli assess Tanaka's pitching intelligence? "What an idiot", the big first-baseman was overheard calling the Yankee rookie as he entered the Sox dugout. Napoli later qualified the comment, but can you really argue with his view?
The Mookie Era Begins Tonight In The Bronx
Where else, right? Mookie Betts—the newest Red Sox phenom—will make his MLB debut tonight against The Evil Ones on national television. No pressure, kid—just strap it on and have fun. Betts will likely play right field, but it's unclear where exactly he'll hit in the order. Manager John Farrell seems to be putting it all in perspective for the 21-year old, "He isn't looked upon as the savior for the Red Sox. He's looked upon as a talented and exciting young player, and we're looking forward to him taking the field for us and confident that he'll be able to contribute." As for Mookie, he's clearly confident, "I think I'm as ready as I'm going to get. Only time will tell, getting out there and playing and learning more will tell if I was ready or not. But the front office felt I was ready; I have to feel like I'm ready as well." It begins tonight.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Napoli, Lester & Ross Combine To Bury Empire
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) |
Mookie To The Rescue! Red Sox Promote Betts
(USA TODAY Sports Images) |
Punchless Sox Fall To No-Name Empire Starter
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) |
Friday, June 27, 2014
Sox Will Face Jeter Tonight For The 273rd Time
Tonight will be Derek Jeter's 273rd game against the Boston Red Sox. As usual, we will see several instances of the shortstop leaning over and taking a borderline outside pitch—for a ball, of course (it's the law). Then, at some point, in a key spot, Jeter with shoot a cheap flare single to right. It's his signature hit. But it doesn't make it any less annoying. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer is clearly a great player—and he plays the game the right way. But that doesn't mean we have to like him. Anyway, here is the Red Sox line-up for tonight's opener at The Concrete Bunker On 161st Street: Brock Holt RF; Dustin Pedroia 2B; David Ortiz DH; Mike Napoli 1B; Jonny Gomes LF; A.J. Pierzynski C; Xander Bogaerts 3B; Stephen Drew SS; Jackie Bradley Jr. CF. Boston will send Brandon Workman to the hill to face the third-place Bronx Embalmers.
Happy Birthday To Sox Legend Rico Petrocelli
Red Sox great Rico Petrocelli turns 71 years old today. For those of us who recall the miracle year of 1967, the iconic image of Rico with his arms stretched over his head in victory is burned forever in our memory. Rico spent all 13 years of his great career in Carmine Hose—with probably his best year coming in 1969. In that campaign, Rico hit .297 with 40 HRs and 97 RBIs. His on-base percentage (under appreciated in those days) was .403. And his OPS was a stellar .992. Rico was also a two-time All-Star (1967, 1969), and famously hit two HRs in Game 6 of the 1967 World
Series. Even late in his career he was a clutch performer—hitting .308 in the 1975 World Series. You can follow Rico's current activities through his website (petrocellisports.com). He also appears on Sirius/XM's MLB Network Radio every Saturday morning (8-10 AM). Happy birthday, Rico!
Gary Striewski Named Jenny Dell Replacement
Striewski, Dell, Erdahl |
A. J. Pierzynski's All-Time Classic Umpire Insult
Thursday, June 26, 2014
David Ortiz Goes All 'Babe Ruth' For Kids
(Ortiz And Ne-Yo) |
Mookie Fever: Catch It!
(Louriann Mardo-Zayat photo) |
Sox Can Still Contend If They Regain 2013 Pace
Rosy Scenario |
Buchholz And Ortiz Help Avoid Another Sweep
Last night, Clay Buchholz returned from over a month on the DL with a more than credible performance in Boston's 5-4 win over Seattle. The tall righty went 7 1/3 innings giving up four earned runs—on a paltry 76 pitches. That efficiency was fueled by throwing all four pitches in his repertoire and working fast. The offense was provided primarily by David Ortiz (3 RBIs, including his 449th career HR). Daniel Nava also went 3-4 with an RBI. A healthy and effective Buchholz could go a long way toward making upcoming trade decisions a little easier. If Ben Cherington and John Farrell can count on Jon Lester, Buchholz, John Lackey, Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa, there are obvious expendable starters. After a day off, the Red Sox head to The Concrete Bunker On 161st Street for the final three games of this dismal road trip.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Manny Being Mentor: Promoted To AAA Iowa
The Cubs announced today that former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez has been promoted to AAA Iowa. Ramirez was signed by Chicago in May to serve as a part-time player and coach for minor leaguers in their system. Just Manny being mentor.
Curt Schilling Says His Cancer Is In Remission
(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) |
Phillies Sign Grady Sizemore To Minors Deal
Headed To City Of Brotherly Love—And Crazy Fans |
Mighty Mariners Pummel Sinking Sox Ship, 8-2
The Babe (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) |
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
REPORT: Doubront Could Be On Trade Block
(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) |
Offerman Not Replacing In-Court Capabilities
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) |
Red Sox Are Road 'Weary-Ers' So Far In 2014
Amazingly, your 2014 Carmine Hose are not yet out of it. Despite a horrifically inept offense, they sit "just" 7.5 games off the lead in the moribund AL East. However, a big part of Boston's problem is their record on the road. While their 20-19 mark at Fenway is nothing to write home about (pun definitely intended), it's the 15-23 road tally that really kills them. The old adage is to kick butt at home and play .500 on the road. If the Red Sox had just broken even on the road, they'd be at 39-38 overall—right on the heels of The Bronx Embalmers (39-36). To give you a sense of how wacky the division is this year, Boston has the second highest number of wins at home (20) to Toronto's 21. Three of the five teams in the division have losing records at home. Starting off this road trip at 1-4 clearly doesn't help Boston's non-Fenway equation. But taking the remaining five (in Seattle and Baghdad-on-the Hudson) would be a big boost to their chances going forward.
M's Lay A 'Grande Stink-A-Chino' On Sox, 12-3
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) |
Monday, June 23, 2014
Nelson Cruz Widens Lead On Papi In ASG Vote
Baltimore DH Nelson Cruz now has a commanding 800,000+ vote lead over second-place David Ortiz in All-Star Game balloting. Cruz now has 2,457,349 votes to Big Papi's 1,652,470. Only two other Red Sox players are in contention for the Mid-Summer Classic. Dustin Pedroia is in third place among second baseman—trailing leader Robinson Cano by 812,000 votes. A.J. Pierzynski is in fifth place among catchers—trailing injured leader Matt Wieters by over a million votes. The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 PM Eastern on FOX from Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
WEEI: No Pending Red Sox Deal For Matt Kemp
(Harry How/Getty Images) |
Alex Torres First Pitcher To Don Protective Hat
(Getty Images) |
One Former Red Sox Exec Fires Another In SD
Josh And Theo: Together Again? |
Red Sox Video Manager And Girlfriend Killed
Tragedy befell the Red Sox organization on Saturday night, as the team's video control room manager and his girlfriend were killed while walking along Beacon Street. Jack Lanzillotti and Jessica Campbell, both in their late 20s, were killed when they were hit by a car that collided with another, rolled over and hit the couple. Lanzillotti had worked for the Red Sox since 2007—starting as an intern from Boston University and working his way to his current position. Campbell, a graduate of Northeastern University, worked for Kantar Retail. Red Sox Executive Vice President Dr. Charles Steinberg said, "He worked his way up, earning the respect of everybody, to becoming the manager of the control room. So when you came to Fenway, those were many of his video vignettes that you enjoyed. He was artistic, conscientious, and dedicated as could be. He just loved the Red Sox organization and we all are really suffering today."
Papi Blast Saves Series; Red Sox Win In 10, 7-6
(AP Photo/George Nikitin) |
Friday, June 20, 2014
Theo: Manny Already Having A Positive Impact
Manny Being Mentor |
Brad Mills (No, Not That One) Starts Against Sox
When we heard that Brad Mills was taking the hill to face the Red Sox tonight, our first thought was: 'Geez, Brad, don't take it that personally'. Then we realized it wasn't the former Red Sox—and current Indians—coach, but a 29-year cast-off from the Brewers organization. In fact, the inimitable Billy Beane purchased Mills' AAA contract for $1—that's right one lousy semolian. Mills has a career 7.76 ERA in The Show, but he was much better in AAA this year. Hey, what else can you get for a buck?
Phillies Have 'Reached Out' To Grady Sizemore
The Interesting Life Of Ex-Sox 3B Billy Werber
Werber (left) With Joe Cronin |
Rangers Release Former Red Sox Reliever Bard
(Texas Rangers Photo) |
Felix Doubront Returns To The Rotation Tonight
(Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports) |
Kazmir Sends Up Sox Like A Led Zeppelin, 4-2
(Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) |
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Place Your 'Betts', Mookie To See Fenway Soon
Mookie Betts—the number five ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization—didn't do anything yesterday to hurt his chances of seeing The Show in 2014. In the AAA PawSox double-header sweep, Betts went 4-10 with a double and four RBIs. He also scored a run and had two stolen bases. Since being moved up from AA Portland, the 21-year old has reached base in all 15 games for the PawSox—hitting .310 with two HRs and four stolen bases over that span. Significantly, Betts played center field in both games on Wednesday. Coming to Fenway soon? You decide.
Will 'Titanic Ten' Roadtrip Decide Sox Season?
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
'Back-To-Back Homers' Power Sox To 2-1 Win
It looked pretty dim this afternoon in the bottom of the 10th inning at Fenway Park. After John Lackey (nine scoreless) and Kyle Gibson (seven scoreless) had dueled in the sun, the Twinkies broke through on Koji Uehara with a semi-cheap HR to right. Advantage Twins—1-0. Then, in a miraculous bottom of the 10th, David Ortiz launched his 16th HR of the year down the right field line inside The Pesky Pole for a 1-1 tie. One batter later, Mike Napoli sent the game-winning, walk-off HR to straightaway center field for the 2-1 victory. These were the second and third hits by The Carmine Hose all day. So, Boston scored a grand total of five runs in three games—and swept Minnesota in the process. That's some kind of efficient scoring! Now, on the road again.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
As Expected, Sizemore Era Comes To An End
(Gabe Souza/Portland Press-Herald) |
Holt Scores Two; Red Sox Beat Twinkies, 2-1
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola) |
Papi Trailing Cruz By Nearly Half-Million Votes
In the latest update from Major League Baseball, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz trails Baltimore's Nelson Cruz by nearly a half-million votes in All-Star Game balloting for DH. Cruz has collected 1,792,432 votes to 1,316,921 for Big Papi. Former Red Sox player Victor Martinez is a close third at 1,101,028. Cruz leads the American League in both HRs (21) and RBIs (56). He also leads the Junior Circuit in total bases (154). Oritz is hitting just .249, but boasts an OPS of .828 and has 15 HRs and 42 RBIs.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Rubby Monday! De La Rosa Tosses Gem #Two
(Getty Images) |
Red Sox Sign Indiana U. First Baseman Travis
The Red Sox signed Sam Travis—the 67th overall pick in the MLB Draft—to a contract worth $846,000. The right-hand-hitting first baseman hit .347 with 12 HRs for Indiana University this year. He reportedly has both power and plate discipline—a combo the Red Sox are currently in very short supply of at the major and minor league levels. Said Director Of Amateur Scouting Amiel Sawdaye said. "He's another guy that's really going to use the Monster well and then also put some balls onto Lansdowne Street." We can't wait!
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