Youk's Injury: The Nail in the Coffin? Or is it?

The Red Sox are coming apart at the seems. I should have known it yesterday when I blogged about last night's must win game and as a huge thunderstorm hit Boston. It was indeed a bad sign, minutes later the news of Youk's required surgery hit twitter, and I began to freak out.

I rattled off text messages to family, and GChatted to like 6 people at once, all with intense anger while waving the white flag. The news forced me to leave the office early before making a scene.

But, in typical Red Sox fan fashion (and after last night's win), I'm not as pessimistic this morning. Sure, Youk is/was our most consistent hitter, and a team leader.....but no one expected Adrian Beltre to become an absolute force in the middle of the lineup, no one exepected Dice-K to become the best number five starter in the game, and honestly, no one expected the Sox to even be in the position to contend at this point in the season.

Boston's chances of making the postseason have likely gone from possible to slim, especially when you consider schedules, but I'm not ready to give up yet. Any kind of significant run, especially over the next ten game road trip, will require continued pitching dominance (I'm talking, super studly stuff), Pedey will need to come back with avengence by late next week, and Mike Lowell may need to get injections into his hip on a nightly basis.

In my humble opinion, the Sox shouldn't make any stupid moves for the likes of Adam Dunn or Carlos Delgado, let this team leave it all on the field and see where the cards fall.

ITM Note: Talk to me after this weekend if we lose three out of four to the Yanks and I may try to punch you in the face. It's make or break time.

Lowrie Is In Today's Lineup, Everything Is Right Again

In a move that is sure to get more coverage than Clay Buchholz returning to the bump, Jed Lowrie is in the lineup this afternoon. Batting cleanup and at the Catcher position.

Kidding about cleanup and catcher, he's batting second and giving Scutaro a well-deserved off day.

Lowrie has been on the DL since 1997 with an assortment of injuries, most recently suffering from a case of mono....although there are some in management who believe he may just been really bored during the off season.

Either way, Lowrie is back and everything is right again. Nothing can stop us now.

......

In all seriousness, today's start by Buchholz is huge, I'm excited, regardless of his expected low pitch count.

Here is Boston's fierce lineup...quite comparable to the 27' Yankees:

McDonald LF,

Lowrie SS,

Ortiz DH,

Youkilis 1B,

Beltre 3B,

Drew RF,

Cameron CF,

Hall B,

Brown C,

Go Sox.

ITM - Going Around The Horn

(I'm not quite hitting it yet, but I'm damn close)


I was talking to my brother earlier today and we both agreed that the plethora of injuries, non-identifiable names on the current Red Sox team, and recent All Star break has caused many of us in the Nation to lose focus.....we need to snap out of it, and so do the Sox.

While the Sox may be getting Beckett, Buchholz and Hermy back this week, the upcoming West coast trip could very well shape the rest of the season for Boston. That said, seeing how it's a Sunday night and I'm still on European time, let's quickly go around the horn:

-VMart played catch today, which is a good sign, but his timetable is not yet defined....I'm not sure how much longer I can stand watching the combination of Brown (who?), one of the seven Molina brothers, and Rube Baker behind the plate for the Sox.

-Boston has won only 3 of their last 11 games, meanwhile the Yanks continue to chug along, extending their lead over the Sox to 6.5 games ( and 3 over the Rays). If the Sox pull a 3-7 road trip, they'll likely be in big trouble upon returning home right before the trade deadline (ITM note: while the Sox are away, the Yanks and Rays have pretty cake schedules, not a good combination)

-With the return of Beckett and Buchholz this week, it means Just for Men Wakefield will probably be headed back to the pen. Let's hope he has one last solid outing in him on Tuesday.

-Mike Cameron is starting to put up the numbers we had hoped for. We'll need a lot more if it while on the West Coast.

-Good for Michael Bowden. After throwing up all over himself against Toronto last year, he's seemingly worked hard to fix his delivery issues and now looks stronger than ever. His slider was absolutely nasty in his perfect 9th inning today. Good sign for the Sox since that's by far their weakest area (once healthy).

-Mike Lowell is getting an injection and starting a rehab start with Pawtucket soon. To be honest, I had completely forgotten he existed or a while. That said, he's had to deal with so much this season, you gotta be pulling for the man.

-Beltre may be over-achieving at the plate this year, but his 15 errors is about 14 more than I expected at this point given all the ball washing we heard about his glove (ITM included).

-Fenway celebrated its 600th straight sellout today. There have been some questionable sell outs along the way, but regardless, it's a testament to a great (and affluent) fan base.


10 days, 10 games on the West Coast, once it's over we'll know a whole lot more about the Sox, their overall health, and their chances of playing baseball in October when they return.

ITM: Going Around The Horn

There is nothing better than coming back from Paris, finishing my Master's program, and finally finding the time to focus on the Red Sox. With that said, let's go quickly around the horn and play catch up:

-I can't believe I didn't witness the Pedroia madness firsthand. Reading his hilarious quotes a day later in Europe on my blackberry just isn't the same.

-The injury bug is biting hard right now, we've got our fingers crossed that Buchholz, Pedey, and VMart bounce back quickly....otherwise, we're dead in the water in the AL East.

-I just typed that...then I read this on VMart....not good my friends.

-I would have liked to see BJ Upton and Longo let loose and go at it today, odds makers favor Longoria in a fight, but I think Upton is something completely nuts in the head. Crazed anger is a tough thing to counter.

-98 percent of Americans can't find Ghana on a map, yet, the US soccer team has been bounced by them twice in the World Cup.....I'm sad for both the team and 98 percent of America.

-Lester's performance today was amazing, and the Sox are going to need a lot more of it given the injuries. Cameron and Ellsbury is one thing, but the recent injuries would sink this ship.

-Eric Patterson isn't exactly the answer at second base, I'd rather run Billy Hall out there everyday.

-I know he's been hurt, and can't play back to back games, but I was still surprised to hear that Mike Cameron hit his first tater of the year for the Sox. So much for ITM's expected 25 jacks huh?

-Thank god for a few off days this week, between Boston's injuries and the Vicino's moving, we all need a collective second to breathe.

-What are the chances JD Drew hurts himself while eating an ice cream on his off day and lands on the 15 day DL? I'd say pretty good.

Damn it's good to be home.

Go Sox.

Shifting Concerns

It was only a few days ago that we were all stressing over the concept of having too much pitching, floating trade ideas for Brad Penny, and wondering if Smoltz's arm would fall off pitching on a major league mound. Well with Dice-K going to the DL, Smoltz still being alive, and Brad Penny producing quality start after quality start, the stress has somewhat subsided.

Enter Mike Lowell's surgically-repaired hip. Since waking up with stiffness on June 18, Lowell is just 1 for 14 and has started just four games for the Sox. Right now, the Red Sox are in Baltimore, ready to kick off a three game series against the O's, but Lowell sits up here in the rainy paradise that is Boston. He is scheduled to have a shot of a lubricating gel today, which may help to coat the joint and relieve some of his stiffness. The key word there is MAY. The gel has been known to work for some, while doing absolutely nothing for others (including Tito himself).

Tito has not ruled out a stint on the DL for Lowell, and the longer this stiffness goes on, the more likely it seems to occur. Lowell's bat is certainly a significant one in a lineup that prides itself on its depth.

Sure Mark Kotsay has been playing pretty well in as a filer, but he's a role player for a reason, and constant starts may expose his weaknesses. With Kotsay at first, the outfield depth suddenly becomes an issue, especially with the seemingly constant band aids of JD Drew and Rocco roaming around out there (ITM note, Drew has been relatively healthy this year, but his production numbers are concerning).

The last related concern with Mike Lowell's hip to consider is Kevin Youkilis and his recent struggles to hit while manning the hot corner. He is hitting just .250 in 11 games while playing third base, managing to whiff 14 times in 36 at bats.....not very Youkilis-like. It could just be a individual slump regardless of position, but it's something to keep an eye on for sure.

This might be ITM making a mountain out of a mole hill, hopefully Lowell needs a week or two to get himself right, but if this becomes an extended issue, the Sox may have different needs come the trade deadline.

Around the Injury Horn

It's been a while since we collected together all the Sox injury woes. Unfortunately, there's plenty to talk about on this front.

---Jacoby Ellsbury, who left last night's game with a tight right hamstring, is listed as day-to-day. The Sox don't seem particularly concerned, but thought it best to sit the kid tonight and give the hammie a day to rest. So far, no one seems to be treating this as anything more than a tweak. (Knock on wood.)

---Youk and his "lower left side" are in roughly the same position. Day to day, with a possibility that he could be back in the lineup before the weekend series with Tampa Bay.

---Rocco Baldelli is anyone's guess. The Sox seem extremely hesitant to say anything definitive on his condition. So, could be a while, could be this weekend.

---Mark Kotsay has come up from Pawtucket to Boston in order to have his calf inspected by the Sox medical staff. No word yet on his progress.

---Daisuke Matsuzaka had a very encouraging start with Pawtucket yesterday, going 2 and 2/3 innings, giving up 0 runs, 2 hits, and 2 walks on 47 pitches. Sounds pretty much the old Daisuke, right?

---John Smoltz, after having his throwing regime shut down last week due to dead arm, is expected to resume throwing tomorrow. Despite the setback, he is still expected to join the club in June.

---Jerry Remy is on an indefinite leave of absence, NESN announced today, as he focuses on fully recovering from last year's lung-cancer related surgery. Since the operation, Remy has struggled with infection and pneumonia. Here's wishing him a full and speedy recovery.

Lowrie's Doctors, Lugo's Progress

A quick update on the shortstop situation:

Lowrie will head to Arizona tomorrow to visit Dr. Donald Sheridan. This is Lowrie's fourth opinion on the matter, and will likely be the final say. The options are the same: injections and short rehab; minor surgery, short rehab; complete surgery, season ending. At the moment, Lowrie is going with the injections, but seems resigned to the idea that surgery may very well be necessary. We should know in the coming days.

On a more optimistic note, Julio Lugo is up to playing three innings in extended spring training games. Lugo took five at bats yesterday, slapping a double and scoring subsequent, all without any apparent strain to the knee. No word on the official timetable for his return, but the club seems encouraged.

In the meantime, Mean Nick Green has proven himself able. We'll just hope that by the time scouts find his "Ellsbury pitch," Lugo or Lowrie will be ready to go.