Ortiz Is Swinging Like a Twin Again

Not much to say about a terrible night for Boston sports, besides to continue to throw David Ortiz under the bus. We all know the numbers, but take a step back, remove any Boston bias you may have, and you have to agree that it's time to move Papi out of the number three spot. Think about how many more quality chances and RBI J-Bay would have if Ortiz wasn't swinging like he was in a Twins uniform again? Sure he was an amazing component to Boston winning two world series championships, and single-handily won countless games.....but at this point, he's losing plenty of games for the Sox.

Ortiz nearly left more men on base today than he has RBI for the entire season....I don't know if 12 is a record, but it's gotta be damn close. Being on the West coast this week I've had a few random baseball conversations out here at the bars. Inevitably, David Ortiz comes up pretty quickly, and most people (whether or not you want believe they have qualified opinions or not....which I generally don't) are wondering what the heck the Sox are doing. "He's killing you guys, some players have more home runs than he has RBI" - not entirely correct, but damn close, and that's according to some guy who could hardly speak comprehensible English at an Irish Pub (if you guessed there is no way he was Irish, you're right).

Throughout his terrible first 144 at bats this season, most have held out hope, refusing to believe moving him down in the lineup was needed, and believing in Tito's strategy of sticking by his players. Well I'm done with that....this 0 for 7, 3 strike out game put me over the top. Perhaps a change is what Ortiz needs, regardless, it is what this lineup needs to "keep the train moving."

I've somehow convinced myself the Red Sox, David Ortiz, and the Celtics need my presence back in Boston to turn the sports scene around....as a result, I'll be getting on a plane tomorrow (....or it could just be because my staffed project will be done at that point). Regardless, I'm hoping things turn around upon my return...and quickly....because I just can't write about Papi's struggles anymore.

Sox Big Bats (save for Ortiz) Bail Out Penny

It wasn't exactly the Mother's day Miracle, but last night's Sox/O's game at Fenway was far from normal. The Sox bats broke out again last night, the second consecutive game putting up 8 or more runs, pulling off a come from behind victory after trailing 7-0 in the early going.

From a fan perspective, the emotional roller coaster that was last night's game ran wild, from texting my brother that I wasn't going to watch anymore in the 2nd inning, to screaming at my TV when JD legged out a triple without pulling anything, it was a wild game.

So the Sox got the win, but let's be honest, they had no business winning that game. Here is a summary of the good and the bad from last night, feel free to chime in with additions/thoughts/opinions:

The Good:

The Offense: Back to back games of crooked numbers on the scoreboard is a welcome sign for a lineup struggling to find its stroke. This lineup can go from mediocre to amazingly deep if they can find some consistency. Right now, it's Jay Bay and JD as the glue holding it together, that can last for some time, but not forever (see Ortiz comment below).

Dusty: I don't think anyone is sincerely concerned about the little man, we all know he'll hit, it's just a matter of when. Well last night may have been his break out game. It's no coincidence that he gets on base and the lineup produces behind him.

The Pen: We all knew this was going to one of the team's strongest assets, but thus far, did anyone think it would be this good? After spotting mopping up Dice-k's mess to throw 10 scoreless innings on Tuesday, they did a fantastic job of keeping the Sox in the game last night with six more scoreless frames.....and it's not just one or two guys shouldering the load, it's everyone...from Delcarmen to Ramirez to Lopez to Pap....more than solid.

The Real Bad:

Ortiz: In ITM's world, David Ortiz has officially lost the nickname "Big Sexy" (don't ask). Regardless, he has been neither big, nor sexy thus far. Safe to say we're all extra worried after he left 5 men on base last night and could not catch up with a plus fast ball. With each passing game the thought that Ortiz could have really "lost it" grows stronger. Also, the thought that he could really be 38 years old and not 33 continues to pop in my head..not good.

The Bad, but not too concerning:

Brad Penny: WTF was that?? After a productive outing in his first start as a Red Sox, he turns into a drunk Derek Lowe on the mound? The good news is, everything about this start seemed like an abnormality. An inability to throw strikes (even his fastball) and continuing to leave balls up in the zone are the direct opposite of trademark Penny. Let's hope that it was an one-off outing which Boston was lucky enough to win.

Starting Pitching: With last night’s performance, the Sox rotation now boasts a whopping 6.79 ERA, good enough for second worst in the American League. On average, the team has gotten 5.1 innings from its starters, and just two outings of more than six innings. These arms are better than this, and you got to believe numbers will begin to even out in time.

Next up on the mound, a pissed off Josh Beckett. Let's roll.