Lugo’s Days Numbered

Posted by Adam Hart December 11, 2008 at 7:51 am

Maybe.  That title is more interesting without the question mark at the end.  It makes it seem like I know what I’m talking about. Read more

Oh, the Possibilities…

Posted by Adam Hart November 18, 2008 at 6:49 pm

Last week I mocked the Yankees and their ‘throw money at the wall of free agents and see what sticks’ approach. I also said that the Red Sox should limit the moves they make, since they were a couple injuries away from the World Series. But I don’t want to leave Theo hangin’. Read more

Lowrie Lovefest

Posted by Mike Giardi August 20, 2008 at 7:14 pm

In light of a possible setback in Julio Lugo’s return from that quad injury, I decided to go on my “Save The Shortstop” drive. Unfortunately for Lugo, I’m not referring to him. I’m talking about Jed Lowrie, who established himself as a legitimate Giardi binky candidate last year when I spoke to him in Portland (no, I was not stalking…), and has hammered home his credentials with a strong Major League debut in 2008.

Do you realize no shortstop has more RBI since the All-Star break than Lowrie? That he has more ribbies than the aforementioned gimpy 36-million dollar man in 36 less games (30 RBI to 22)? Did you also realize that Lowrie has yet to make an error in 136 total chances? Yes, I understand the former Stanford star doesn’t actually have Ozzie Smith’s range (true confessions, I once said Jed had the range of a legless spider at short), but he’s settled down a position that has been in flux since April 6, when Lugo committed three miscues (16 total this season).

But you know what’s the tipping point for me? What’s sold me on Lowrie? That he has the same unshakeable confidence that I saw in Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. They never considered failing an option. Lowrie strikes me exactly the same way. Okay, maybe not quite as cocky as Dusty - who is? - but you get the point. You need to have that attitude to be successful in the bigs. Lowrie has it, and the Sox are reaping the rewards.

Beckett Banged Up

Posted by Mike Giardi August 19, 2008 at 6:30 pm

You want to know why Terry Francona sometimes looks pale, almost gray? It’s days like these my friends. Ace Josh Beckett has been pushed back from his next scheduled start from Saturday to Tuesday in Yankee Stadium, and even that’s tentative.

“It’s still seven days away, so we’ll see,” Beckett said from Baltimore.

Apparently, Beckett’s been dealing with numbness in his right ring finger and pinky on and off for the entire season.

“I have some numbness in fingers I’m not used to having,” he said. “It’s just that we’ve got to figure out what the hell it was … It’s something we’ve dealt with but I’ve never had to deal with it on that level.”

Beckett’s last outing was an epic disaster. He didn’t escape of the third inning, getting tagged for 8 hits and 8 runs. It was his worst start since 2006, when he got bombed in the Bronx. This has been very uneven campaign for Beckett, who has flirted with the form he flashed a season ago, but has not consistently delivered on that excellence. Perhaps now we know why.

The Sox have survived injuries to Daisuke, Mike Lowell (twice), Ortiz and Julio Lugo, but I find it hard to believe they could handle any prolonged absence from Beckett. That starting rotation has been stretched thin, and there don’t appear to be any options available that could make people forget baseball’s only 20-game winner from 2007.

 

Pregame notes: Lugo on the mend

Posted by Projo Sox Blog August 2, 2008 at 6:46 pm By Joe McDonald Journal Sports Writer BOSTON _ Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo ran for the first time today since he suffered a quadriceps injury on July 12. He was in the clubhouse earlier today with an ice pack around...

Lugo in Low-places

Posted by Mike Giardi July 12, 2008 at 6:50 pm

Julio Lugo finds himself on the 15-day disabled list tonight, less than 24 hours after hearing a pop in his left quad. The Red Sox are calling it a strain. I’m calling it a good break for the club, but a lose-lose for Lugo.

On the latter point, Lugo no longer has the pop he came to Boston with, for whatever reason. But he’s always been built on his legs, and any injury to those wheels could significantly impact his performance going forward. And to this point, that performance has been downright awful. He’s hitting the softest .268 this side of Gregor Blanco. Did you know that guy had gotten that many AB’s in Atlanta? Goodness, how bad must the N.L. East be that the Braves are still in the race with Gregor playing everyday? But I digress.

So with Lugo sidelined, the Sox will turn to a possible platoon of Jed Lowrie and Alex Cora. I say possible, because I believe Lowrie gets a chance to play almost every day if he does what he did during his first stint in Boston earlier this season. He hit .310, had 7 ribbies in just 42 ABs and didn’t cost the club defensively, like Lugo has (17 errors).

Now would the Sox keep running Lowrie out there every day, should Lugo’s injury linger (they’re saying 4 to 6 weeks), or Lowrie’s performance warrant it? Depends on the trade market and what the cost would be of acquiring not just a stop-gap shortstop, but one who could play in October.

Theo Epstein is on record as saying he’d like to fix whatever ails the Sox from within, but that was before the Lugo injury. Organizationally, they have a lot of confidence in Lowrie, feeling his cut from the Dustin Pedroia mold, but I’m not sure how close they think Lowrie is to being a starter, especially at that position. You can be sure that they won’t let anything that happens over these next month or so decide Lowrie’s long-term future. They’ve already got a good handle on that.

Cora in the lineup

Posted by Extra Bases May 11, 2008 at 5:11 pm

MINNEAPOLIS - Alex Cora has been activated and Jed Lowrie has been sent back to Pawtucket. Sean Casey is with the team, but has not yet been activated.

Cora is also starting at shortstop with Julio Lugo still healing from a mild concussion, but we don't yet have a full lineup.

Super 7

Posted by Mike Giardi May 10, 2008 at 8:03 pm

Time for another edition as I wait on this 8:18 Celts/Cavs start.

1) Is there any way LeBron doesn’t go crazy tonight? I kept waiting for it in Game 1. Then again in Game 2. And I’ll be sitting here in sports row tonight wondering when…I repeat…”when” it will happen. I have that much confidence in that guy, even if he’s done less than nothing in this series.

2) How do Red Sox fans feel about Julio Lugo? Check out Sonsofsamhorn.com. When word filtered out that he would miss tonight’s game with a mild concussion, the jokes started flying. I laughed out loud…repeatedly. Check it out, on game threads.

3) Orlando just gakked away a shot at evening their series with Detroit. Up 15 points in the third quarter, the Magic fell apart. No way should Dwight Howard be that quiet. He should be unguardable. That’s not always the case. Maybe its just being a kid. Or maybe he’s got David Robinson disease ( I know. I know. He’s a Hall of Famer, but he wouldn’t have won jack squat without Tim Duncan). But it shouldn’t be happening.  Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is ready to strangle him. Please, no P.J. Carlesimo/Latrell Sprewell jokes.

4) Kevin Youkilis is absolutely on fire. He is now tied for the A.L. lead in home runs (as of early this evening). Who’s running alongside Youk? Hint: a prison, a Husky and an Italian town (answer below).

5) Who’s more frustrating to watch? Dice-K or Lester? I can’t decide, although I’d probably lean to Matsuzaka. He has the stuff - at times - to be great. But most hitters will tell you its not there from AB to AB, let alone game to game.

6) Paps may have blown two straight saves, but the Sox are so settled at that spot. Look at the disasters across baseball this season. Eric Gagne (we knew that was coming), Jason Isringhausen, Huston Street, Trevor Hoffman, Manny Corpas. On and on the list goes. Having that money performer in the pen is the difference between playoffs and no playoffs. Simple as that.

7) Did anyone catch the Sports Illustrated article on Matt Ryan a couple of weeks ago? Peter King penned the piece, and there are some suspect quotes from Ryan’s new teammates in Atlanta. Makes me wonder if its gonna work there. If I’m part of that new brass for the Falcons, I’m purging my team of every Mike Vick supporter. Heck, the guy ruined your season, and screwed up your franchise. Standing by him now only makes you look stupid, not disloyal.

Answer to the A.L. HR Leaders: Carlos Quentin, Carlos Pena and Mike Napoli. What a trio that is!