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.

Concern for the Sox in Brooklyn, and in Italy....

The All Star Break has ended (thank god), David Ortiz is back to commanding 2004-like media attention, and I'm still over in the old country (Italy).

The mish-mash combination of Joe and Tim Murph (not related....or are they??) have made somewhat of an attempt to keep ITM from being sued and relatively up to date.

But now, the games count. For real. We enter the second half with an amazing amount of question marks.....more than I can ever remember (save for when all of us couldn't figure out how Scott Cooper made the all star team back in the day).

I don't care how die-hard of a Sox fan you are, but if you say that you know everyone on the current roster YOU ARE LYING. I think we may have picked up Brian Rose off waivers (ITM note, isn't B Rose coaching womens slow pitch softball somewhere nowadays? That's a shame).

Word on the street is Joe Murph is giving tonight's game his all in his Brooklyn home. Sitting in special chairs, cooking special dinners, using vodoo dolls and stuff... While I'm here in Italy he's scared stiff about the second half.

To confirm, here's a GChat convo from earlier today:

Joseph: oh man are we banged up, who the hell is playing anywhere tonight?
me: no f'n idea
Joseph: beltre's out, pedey's out
me: completely lost
Joseph: i think youk's still out, martinez is out
me: i just assume it's Pawtucket out there at this point
Joseph: that's 4 out of 5 infielders jacoby's out is jd out?
me: Gotta just assume he's out with a bad cough....is mike lowell dead?
Joseph: probably, mike lowell's still prob dl....though uncertain honestly, we'll be lucky to have 3 position players regulars, and two of our 3 best pitchers are out....

This convo goes on for a while....we're both nervous about the upcoming series against Texas and the West Coast, but Joe Murph (Joseph huh??) is convinced we'll be at least 8 games back upon returning.

Here's hoping he's way off like samsonite.

The Anger Builds....

We're 19 games into the season, six games behind a studly Rays team in the AL East (4.5 behind the Yanks), and we're rolling out a Triple A type lineup tonight:

1-Scutaro SS,
2-Pedroia 2B,
3-Youkilis 1B,
4-Lowell 3B,
5-Drew RF,
6-Varitek C,
7-Beltre 3B,
8-Hall LF,
9-McDonald CF


I know a lot of it is out of Tito's control, but still, I never thought a 170 million dollar payroll could look similar to the Pirates lineup.

Some additional numbers to consider as you watch the Bruins instead of the Sox tonight:


-Adrian Beltre leads the team with a .286 average (with 0 taters)

-Pedey leads the team with 5 taters (Tek is alone in second with 4)

-Pedey also leads the team with 13 RBI

-Buchholz has the best era at 2.70

-The Sox are on pace to give up 1892 stolen bases (ok, that's not true, but they're going to shatter the record either way).

-The defensive upgrades of Scutaro and Beltre already have three errors a piece

-The Sox are 5-8 at friendly Fenway

-I'll end it with some optimism....Lars Anderson is currently batting .328 with 5 taters and 18 rbi for Portland

Go Bruins, I mean, Go Sox...

Morning Lineup

It's a good thing I can't sleep well as a result of the Sox.....and the stress of my graduate program's workload....because it's 9am, the lineups are out and the players are taking swings in the cages. What boggles my mind more than that, is that it's 6am in LA, lineups are out, and most of the Angels fans are probably still dreaming about their terrible screenplays being picked up.

The only real change is flipping J-Bay and Ortiz, with Scott Kazmir on the mound. Our old friend from Tampa is 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 13 career starts at Fenway, all with the Rays. He's thrown the ball well for Anaheim in what's turned out to be a fantastic deadline move.

Anyways, here is the Sox lineup for today's win or go home game, be sure to check back with ITM as we're considering trying out a live game day blog....better late than never:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Victor Martinez, C
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. David Ortiz, DH
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. J.D. Drew, RF
9. Alex Gonzalez, SS

-- Clay Buchholz, SP

Jennifer, You Had Me At Jacoby...

We'll give you a pass on mixing up Alex Gonzalez and Victor Martinez a little....especially since you got all of the positions correct.....and because of that dress. Good work Ben.

Pregame Around the Horn

It's a battle of aces tonight. A rubber game match up on national TV with the Sox in need of a win to not only take the series, but to keep pace with the Rangers who beat the Rays earlier today. The first two games have been lopsided affairs, but tonight's match up should be a good one....should be (and now that I've typed that, both aces will be out of the game by the fourth inning). It doesn't get much better than this. So with that, let's quickly go around the horn:

-Both Ortiz and JD are out of the lineup tonight. I understand the difficult lefty match ups, but Ortiz is hitting absolutely everything right now, and actually has good numbers against fat boy CC. I guess it's just Tito being Tito....at least I can scream ROCCO! tonight.

-Tito said that Lowrie will begin his rehab with Triple A Pawtucket on Monday. I'm still not sure what the heck is wrong with this guy's wrist, but I don't think it really matters anymore. If Tito tries to start him over Gonzo I'll walk down to Fenway and make a scene.

-Tito also mentioned that Dice-K will start Monday for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox...which I'm pretty sure is a made up team. Dice-K is probably somewhere in Japan throwing 180 pitches to loosen up. Either way, per Tito... "He is significantly stronger in his shoulder," and "He is significantly leaner in his body. He is significantly stronger in his body." There was no word if he used the word significantly in the next sentence, which would have gotten him bonus points.

- John Smoltz started for the Cardinals today...and of course went 5 fantastic innings, striking out 9, surrendering only 3 hits, and not giving up a single run....now that he's away from Boston I'm sure he'll blow up like Eric Hinske or Tony Clark when they went to the Yankees.

- Brad Penny is headed to the bullpen (thank god), but apparently his days in the rotation may not be over....according to Tito "We don't just want to turn him into a reliever. That's not in anyone's best interest." Sure sounds like it would be in the best interest of my health Tito...not quite picking up what you're putting down.

I'm not truly upset with Tito, he's had an extremely trying season full of injuries, steroids, and drama (what else is new)....but a little healthy criticism can't hurt.

So here we go, it's time for the ESPN announcers to drive us crazy, I just hope the Sox can help me keep it together with a win.

Go Sox.

Lineups...Let's Run With This One

We don't often do lineup posts here at ITM but I'm especially excited about tonight's order. Jacoby is back in the leadoff spot, JD settles in at the 6th spot, and when healthy, we might have the best number 7 hitter in the game in Mikey Lowell. As a result of Ortiz's resurgence, the dumping of Lugo and overall general health improvements, tonight's lineup puts the majority of the hitters back into their natural spots.

The Sox have been struggling to maintain a respectable team average, especially with RISP...the lineup below likely gives us the best chance to win night in and night out....let's run with it on a constant basis and see what happens.

Are there still issues with this lineup? Sure, Jacoby still needs to get on base more, and consistent production are certainly desires we all have....but let's hope the change sparks Boston's bats and they show the Rangers what a real contender looks like.

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
4. David Ortiz, DH
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Jed Lowrie, SS

-- John Smoltz RHP

Go Sox.

Ellsbury and Pedroia

What else does Jacoby Ellsbury need to do to win his job back? And what else does Dustin Pedroia need to do to help him out? A month into the experiment, and the results are a little troubling, even if a little ambivalent.

Hitting in the bottom third of the lineup over the span of June, Ellsbury is hitting .328 (21 for 64), with a .413 OBP and a .500 SLG.

Hitting leadoff, Pedroia has fallen into a well-publicized slump, hitting .207 (18 for 87), with only a .266 OBP. Those are a drastic fall from the April and May numbers.

Add onto that their respective numbers with runners in scoring position. This is, in fact, one of the few areas that Pedey has not seen a big-time drop-off. His season RISP number is still an impressive .357, whereas Ellsbury has been unable, despite his success over the last month, to crank his RISP up over .273. Respectable, but not overwhelming. Even where they flip the good for the bad, the numbers suggest that they're in their placement in the lineup is off.

Even the theory that Ellsbury's speed might be better utilized low in the lineup, where he can feel free to run without destroying situations for the 2-5 big dogs, has failed to pan out. Ellsbury's steal numbers, despite the increased on-base percentage, are exactly even with his numbers out of the lead-off spo, if not a little lower.

In fact, there's really only one stat that seems to offer empirical proof in favor of the move. 17-6. That's the Sox record over the month of June. Talk about playing a trump card.

But as Pedey continues to struggle (though come on, don't you love him even more when you see him making something out of nothing, desperate to get out of this slump, turning an infield hopper into a double, drawing balks, scoring on passed balls?), and Ellsbury continues to climb, it's going to be harder and harder for Francona to brush it off and say why mess with a good thing. It's a long season, and it's all about making the right adjustments at the right time.

Update (4:35 pm):  According to the Fox broadcasting team, Terry Francona told them that he plans on keeping Pedroia and Ellsbury in their current lineup spots for the remainder of the season.  Big surprise.  Not sure if this information was accurately relayed, as the the guys definitely didn't seem to think it much of a story.  Wonder if there'll be any follow up on that in the post-game.

New Lineup Could Become a Mainstay

The Sox have put up 13 runs in their last two games with Tito's revamped lineup (no real thanks to Ortiz however). Prior to that, the Sox had mustered 3 runs or less in their last 5 games, something that seemingly hasn't happened since Nam'.

While most, including Tito himself, consider it a brief change in an attempt to jump start a struggling lineup, I'm not so sure. Francona was on WEEI's Dale and Holley show today and indicated tonight's lineup will be exactly the same as last night. Tito has publicly mentioned numerous times that he believes a lineup with Jacoby leading off and Ortiz batting third gives the Red Sox the best opportunity to win....but I"m not buying into that, not right now at least.

With Lugo contining to suck/sulk on the bench, Nick Green will continue to occupy the nine hole in the lineup, allowing Jacoby to have free will on the base paths. If you have Ells on your fantasy team, expect a lot more stolen bases as he wont' have the same restrictions that he had when Pedey and other followed him in the lineup. Speaking of Pedey, his plus .400 OBP fits well into a leadoff role, and something in my gut tells me the same for JD in the 2 hole (perhaps it was last night's classic run in the first inning that sold me). Here's hoping JD sparks up offensively in the 2 hole this June like he did in the 3 spot last year.

With Lugo continuing to suck/sulk on the bench, Nick Green will continue to occupy the nine hole in the lineup....allowing Jacoby to have free will on the base paths. If you have Ells on your fantasy team, expect a lot more stolen bases as he won't have the same restrictions that he had when Pedey and others followed him in the lineup. Speaking of Pedey, his plus .400 OBP fits well into a leadoff role, and something in my gut tells me the same for JD in the 2 hole (perhaps it was just last night's classic run in the first inning). Here's hoping JD sparks up offensively in the 2 hole this June like he did in the 3 spot last June.

A 3-4 combination of Youk and Bay may not put the same level of fear in opposing pitching as Ortiz and Manny did a few years back, but they're currently comparable to nearly any 3-4 combo in the league (save perhaps for Tex and Arod). Ortiz himself led off with a single last night, but clearly still suffers from slow bat syndrom...and/or lying about his real age when coming to the US. Tito will likely stick it out with Ortiz in the six hole, but continued poor performance may force his hand. Papi was pumped with belt high fast balls in the mid 90's by Detroit's relief last night, and ending up looking like Henry Rowengartner from Rookie of the Year when he was forced to hit in a game:

Surely we may all have a vastly different opinion about this lineup if it doesn't produce this week, but thus far, I think Tito's moves make both short and long term sense to me.

The David Ortiz Dilemma

Let me first say that I am glad I am not Terry Francona or Theo Epstein. Telling David Ortiz he's batting 7th in the lineup, or worse, riding the pine, won't be easy; especially after all he's done during his time with the Sox. That said, loyalty for the sake loyalty is insanity and the Sox have to do something with their DH spot.

I'm not certain Ortiz is finished, but there's very little to suggest that he's going to figure it out anytime soon. He has 1 home run, and it was a grooved fastball over the plate, 18 RBI, his OBP is .301 and his slugging is an anemic .299.

The Ortiz who would turn on inside fastballs or feast on the low and inside pitch is long gone, he probably couldn't catch up to Josh Beckett's change up right now, which clocks in around 88 mph. It's sad to say in Ortiz's case but I subscribe to the "what have you done for me lately" doctrine, and lately David Ortiz hasn't done anything.

Yesterday the Sox batted Pedroia, Youk, Bay and Lowell 2-5 in the lineup and they went a collective 11-20 at the dish with 11 runs scored and 5 RBI. That is what the Sox need out of the heart of their order, not every game because that's unrealistic, but the threat has to be there.

I understand the argument that Francona wants his line up to have balance between left and right handed hitters to make other managers use their bullpens differently. However, at some point you are sacrificing the first 6 innings of a game and possibly losing ball games because Ortiz is as close to an automatic out as it gets.

As far as a deal down the line to get another bat goes we'll have to see. For everyone clamoring for Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers I'd point out two truths; the Tigers are in first place and Theo has always been hesitant to deal his young pitchers (certainly he'll have to give 1 or 2 of them up at the very least).

The other side of the coin is the rumored Nick Johnson deal. He's off to a great start in Washington batting .338 with an OBP of .471 in 158 at bats this season, but one wonders if he can keep it up. Johnson can DH or play first and if he can bat .280 with a .380 OBP out of the 7 or 8 hole that is a significant upgrade from Ortiz right now.

Another option is to put Lowell at DH, move Youk back to third and let Bailey play every day at first base. I'm not sold on that as the answer but I'd be interested to give it a test run.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ortiz goes on the 60 day DL or something similar here with a "knee injury" that has been nagging at him all year. Whatever the Sox want to come up with, Ortiz can't be batting third in his current state.

The perfect ending here is Ortiz gets his stride back and rebounds for a strong second half defying his critics, sadly that looks like it's not going to happen.

Lastly I'll say that there is a reason Epstein let Pedro Martinez walk away when he wanted a 4th year on his contract; players don't get better when they get older. To watch Pedro pitch mediocre in Boston as opposed to New York following the 2004 season would have been tough for Sox fans. As tough as it is on the fans, I can't begin to imagine how David Ortiz feels. If I had to guess, he feels like he's going to the plate with an oak tree and not his usual baseball bat.

Ortiz to Bat 3rd Again Tonight

(I don't think Delta will be calling back)

What else does David Ortiz have to do to get himself out of the number three spot in Boston's batting order? Does he have to kick Tito's dog?

The official lineup has yet to come out, but Tito was on WEEI's Dale and Holley show about an hour ago saying Big Papi would again be in the three hole. To quote Tito directly "If it gets to a point where I think I need to make a change I certainly will do that". My response....when the hell do we get to that point? Do we have to call his mother and get her blessing first? Joe Murph brought up some good points within the post below in regards to the ripple effects Ortiz' production-suck has on the lineup. I just don't see how batting third helps Papi at all at this point....it continues to keep the pressure directly on his shoulders (even more so now that the B's and Celtics are out of the media's ink target), and it's certainly killing the flow of the lineup. The protection arguement just doesn't fly anymore given the way he is being pitched and the horrible swings he's taking. Maybe it's time for Ortiz to man up and tell Tito to move him down? Is that the only way it happens?

Tito also noted that Rocco Baldelli will play right field, substituting in for J.D. Drew with Toronto left-hander Brett Cecil on the mound.....so we now have two guaranteed outs in the lineup tonight, with a 100% chance of a throwing error if Lugo gets penciled in as well.

That said, go Sox??

Lineup....Sans Lugo

The Sox will be fielding makeshift lineup for today's 4pm game against the Mariners. Youk and Ortiz are still absent, no surprise there, but also out of the lineup is Julio Lugo. Lugo came out of last night's game in the 7th with what they're calling a "hip flexor/groin issue". Whatever it is, it doesn't sound pretty, but with the off day tomorrow, it's probably a wise move. Nicky Green has been able to fill in nicely for all of Lugo's issues, and doesn't make us Sox fans scream "Oh &$*#" every time a ball comes near him.....



Lugo, who in 48 at bats this season has a .333 average and continues to run like Cologino in "A Bronx Tale", said the pain was a 6 out of 10 and didn't expect it to keep him out of the lineup for long. "I need to continue to prove ITM wrong since they always make fun of me and call me a Sally on their blog." -That might not be a direct quote, but I'm sure that's what he's thinking.



Tito has slotted Mikey Lowell into the cleanup spot and moved Bay up to 3rd...I personally like the Drew, Bay, Lowell, 3-4-5, given the hands that are tied with this lineup, but I'm sure Tito's going with this to keep the right, left, right through the middle of the order.




1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B

3. Jason Bay, LF

4. Mike Lowell, 3B

5. J.D. Drew, RF

6. Rocco Baldelli, DH

7. Jeff Bailey, 1B

8. Jason Varitek, C

9. Nick Green, SS



-- Justin Masterson, SP

Not exactly the lineup J-Masty would like to see defending him this afternoon, but let's hope it gets the job done. It's likely Masty's last start for a while, as Dice-K looks to be ready to make his next start.......either way, I want to be in a good mood to watch the Celts win another game 7, let's go Sox.

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.

Pregame: Rocco In, Drew Out. Penny's Turn

Tito has replaced J.D. Drew with Rocco Baldelli for this evening's game against the Halos. Apparently, Tito decided to keep Jacoby in the lineup because he "likes the way he's been swinging the bat lately."

According to Tito: "You gotta pick one or the other,".... "It certainly won't be a platoon situation." Looking ahead, the Sox will see three straight lefties against the Oakland A's, so Tito will surely be mixing and matching Jacoby, Rocco, and JD. The attempt to keep everyone happy and healthy is just beginning....

Here is today's lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis,1B
5. Rocco Baldelli, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. Jed Lowrie, SS
9. Jason Varitek, C

SP- Brad Penny

As you all know by now, this is Brad Penny's first start of the season for Boston, a start we're all looking forward to. The season has started with inconsistent pitching for Boston, so a solid start from Penny would go a long way to cooling the current fears of Red Sox Nation.

According to multiple reports, Penny will be kept on a pitch count of about 85-90 pitches. Let's hope he gets through 5+ innings.

Let's go Sox.

Change: Yes We Can......lineups

The lineups are out and Tito has made some changes in an effort to spark the Sox to a game 4 victory. JD "don't call me Sally" Drew is batting leadoff and Coco is playing center as Jacoby, and his 0 for forever stats are on the bench tonight. Sure JD has been an OBP guy in his career, but it is the Sox hope that he'll see some fast balls as a lead off hitting and get on base for the only guy that has been hitting all series (and season), Dusty P. Naturally, with Wakefield pitching Kevin Cash will be catching, and in a somewhat surprising move, Jed Lowrie will be batting behind him in 9th. My initial thoughts are that Tito is looking for Jed to continue innings for the top of the order to knock him around the bases. We'll see how it shakes out, but here is the lineup:

1. J.D. Drew, RF

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B

3. David Ortiz, DH

4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B

5. Jason Bay, LF

6. Mark Kotsay, 1B

7. Coco Crisp, CF

8. Kevin Cash, C

9. Jed Lowrie, SS

-- Tim Wakefield -SP

ITM Pregame notes:

-My how fast the national (and local) media has gone from loving the Sox in this series to hating them.

-For the first time in my life I saw Rays fans in the city today, still odd.

-Apparently Tek is pissed about being lifted for pinch hitters....dude...generate some bat speed for once and Tito might leave you in there.

-Tim Wakefield is under a lot of pressure to keep the Sox in the game, but it'll be up to the offense to put some crooked numbers on the board to win tonight, Wakefield hasn't pitched in 16 days.

-Screw Pacman Jones, throw his ass in jail for good (this is completely random I know, but I have strong feelings on that topic)

Game Two Lineup: No Mike Lowell

Dice-K takes the mound for what is, in all intents and purposes, a must win game for the Angels tonight. Two members of the ITM crew will be taking in the game together at a Boston bar while consuming way too many alcoholic beverages...should lead to a few good posts and stories tomorrow....i'd say we'll keep a running diary a la Bill Simmons...but it would be just incoherent blabber by the 4th inning....

Lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mark Kotsay, 1B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Alex Cora, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP


Go Sox

What to do about this lineup...

That guy from Washington Heights is gone and the sky is not falling, the Sox are scoring plenty of runs and are 5-1 since his departure. It is my belief that the national media underestimated how well the rest of our line up could effectively pick up the slack. Jason Bay has been fantastic, no real need to go into that any further, but Youkilis, Pedrioa, Lowire and Drew have collectively replaced any drop off we may have felt from losing Ramierez (ITM note: I have not included Lowell since he is clearly not 100%, yet another point of how good/deep this lineup can become).

Combine the aforementioned with Ellsbury’s recent resurgence and we have multiple lineup possibilities that could work well. The key here is finding the right order and mix to produce the most effective and deepest product. While I am not for rushing Ellsbury back into the leadoff spot after two or three games of seeing the ball well at the bottom of the line up, but JD Drew is not the long term answer in the number one slot. Because of this, I’ve come up with a proposed short and long term lineup (long term assuming Mike Lowell and Ortiz are healthy, and Ellsbury is indeed out of his slump).

Short term

1. Pedrioa
2. Lowrie
3. Drew
4. Ortiz
5. Youkils
6. Lowell
7. Bay
8. Tek
9. Ellsbury

I know Ortiz does not love to bat 4th, but the combination of Drew’s success in the 3 spot in June and Lowell’s inability to drive runners in due to injury creates a scenario where Ortiz can benefit from having more people on base and seeing better pitches. Given the way he is hitting the ball to all fields, I love Lowrie in the 2 hole….not long term, but as a short term boast with his high OBP.

Long Term:

1. Ellsbury
2. Pedrioa
3. Youkilis
4. Ortiz
5. Lowell
6. Drew
7. Bay
8. Lowrie
9. Tek

This is a lineup we can go into the playoffs with. It is considerably deeper and more balanced than most in the majors. You could argue that the 5-6-7 hitters in this lineup is the best in baseball, if they choose to pitch around Ortiz, we have some great chances behind him to knock him in. Bay in the 7th spot is an issue, but it sustains a R, L, R, L, R matchup through the middle of the order, making it difficult for opposing bullpens. Granted this lineup is a product of a lot of assumptions, and I’m not Tito Francona, but it is deep and formidable no matter who is pitching. Having Drew in the 7 hole means you can extend rallies and innings via his high OBP. This lineup will make any starting pitcher work and throw a lot of pitches. You can argue that Tek is a “hole” all you want, but with 8 other tough outs on the team, we can manage.

Thoughts? Concerns? Personal lineup cards you would like to see??