Leiter sucks again, Yanks 2 back

Wow, looks like the Leiter experiment may be coming to an end. Now they have Nomo!!! Good luck with that stiff. Leiter was able to escape with only 1ER, but threw 115 pitches to get thru 5. He gave up 7H & 5BB. Lucky that Minn shot themselves in the foot so many times otherwise it would have been more of a blowout.

Lets see if Yanks can put themselves back to 2 1/2 this afternoon. Don't expect another big outing from Small...

Wake spins gem, Sox hold off Rays 4-1

Wakefield pitched one of his best games of the year going 7 1/3 allowing only one run. Hopefully this is the start of him going on a tear. Lineup without Varitek, Manny, & Trot get it done with 4 runs, including Cora hitting his first homer in Sox uniform. We thought Francona was a little off when we saw the lineup.

Manny seems to be in one of his "Manny being Manny" funks... He hasn't really hustled on the field lately. Very laid back on a fly ball double last night & jogged to first on DP ball but was able to reach due to a bad throw. He could have played today especially with Trot on DL. Isn't Thur a day off? He needs to step it up a notch, this is getting frustrating... What's up with the privacy issue? If he is traded, it will be to a big market that can absorb his salary. Why would he be less visible? Manny, sell your condo that is in DOWNTOWN BOSTON and buy something in the woods (see Schilling's house)

Let's see if one-time wonder Leiter will choke once again tonight...

Scary, weird night at the Trop

The Sox were able to grit out a tough come from behind win last night. Amazing after everything that could have gone wrong - did. So many weird plays and bad breaks. Rays had 6 infield hits. If they got a little pitching, they'd be a good team. Can't believe their record is as bad as it is.

A very scary 3rd inning when Clement went down after a line drive to the side of his head. He was apparently coherent & talking which is the most important thing. No telling how it will affect him short or long term. We hope he is OK.

Trot Nixon also went out with a pulled oblique. This is generally a season ending injury for most players. Judging by his reaction, it is an extreme case...

What does Theo do now? I think we will need a right fielder and maybe even a starter... So much for keeping the farm system intact.

Good outing by Big Unit against inept Minn offense to stay within a game...

Rays fight hard, Timlin gives it up in 8th

These type of losses drive us absolutely insane. No way they should have lost. Easy to gain ground on NY but they blew it. Hopefully it's a wakeup... Well actually hope it's a slap in the face... Plenty of people to blame the loss on...

Loss is just crap...

Rays get great start from Waechter - just off the DL too. Sox able to scrap back & take late lead, but offense inept for most of the night. Just couldn't get a big hit when they needed it. Had 1st & 3rd with one out and then bases loaded with two outs in 9th and couldn't get it done with top of the order. Poor baserunning - especially Trot, although if he avoids the ball, shortstop was in position to make the play anyway.

No more free pass for Timlin. His low ERA does not reflect him letting 13 of 20 inherited runners scoring. MLB should change the rule on inherited runners. The pitcher responsible for the runners and the pitcher letting them score should both be charged 1/2 run per. That would be a more accurate stat than it is now.

Wells pitched well enough to get the win, and Schilling pitched OK. Trot probably should have had the double (or at least contained it better), but it still was crushed. Scary, but he's still pitching better than Foulke was. This outing might just sway Theo into overpaying for a closer (Guardado?). Not sure if any of the call-ups are ready for the pressure...

Sox will bounce back tonight vs Hendrickson...

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Deadline stress? In Theo we trust

Worried about what will happen by Sun? Rest easy because Dan Duquette is running baseball camps, not the front office. Theo has a great track record so far - both in the offseason & past 2 deadlines. The Suppan / Saurbeck / Williamson deal looked like a coup at the time. Even the BK signing paid dividends - (removing "stone headed" Hillenbrand) and opening up 3rd for Mueller & DH/1B for Ortiz. The blockbuster Nomar deal ultimately brought them to the promised land.

Don't expect a blockbuster deal this year. There are so few sellers in the market right now. There are 10 AL & 8 NL teams within 5 games of the wildcard. There are no major impact players in the final year of their contract. The asking price for what is out there, is astronomical. The 2 most prominent rumors out there - Burnett & Schmidt - are not a big upgrade over what we have now. Maybe over Wade Miller, but not Arroyo who is rumored to be packaged. Note bad blood with Florida - remember Kevin Millar to Japan?

Is starting pitching the most glaring need? Not if an effective Schilling gets put back into it. That could be a few weeks away. Do they grab a "mid level" closer and use him until Foulke gets back in say early Sept? Do they trade for more bullpen help (Romero) or early call up from: Papelbon, Lester, Alvarez, or Delcarmen? We think that they will all be up in Sept anyway. Is there a better option out there - which is essentially a stop-gap until Sept callups? At what price? We don't need a bat - except maybe at first? Wouldn't be shocked to see Millar go. (Sweeney would be a nice pickup but Dmitri Young is not an upgrade)

The Sox finally have a teriffic farm system. Best that we can ever remember. Some say as many as 7 of the top prospects are untradeable unless they are blown away. The Yankees had their run of titles in late 90's by promoting the core of those teams thru the farm system. Can you imagine how much flexibility (payroll & young talent) the front office will have if those 7 make it to the majors? We expect the following on the roster next year: Pedroia, Hansen, Papelbon, Lester, and Delcarmen. Don't count out Hanley Ramirez, Abe Alvarez, Anibel Sanchez, and Cla Meredith. Note that some of these guys will be up in Sept anyway.

We think the list of "expendable" prospects to be shipped out are: Shoppach, Moss, Hyzdu, Murphy, Petagine, & Dinardo. Maybe get something back for Stern (rule 5) from Atlanta...

We'll be surprised if there is no activity, but expect a couple of random arms in the pen. More than likely guys we've never heard of. Sweeney is probably a long shot. Either way, I don't think we could be in better hands.

A "Johnson" & a "Wang" on the DL at the same time?

Can't make this stuff up. It's just too easy.

Big Unit upset yesterday when reporters questioned status of his back. "I haven't been 100% since high school." "It doesn't mean I'm completely healthy..." "Why don't you go talk to the guys who aren't pitching" (insert Kevin Brown here). Yanks security removed reporters shortly after.

He's scheduled to start Tue vs Minn. If I'm the Twins, I bunt & make him run off the mound early on. Could be the start of the decline on the back 9...

Note Kevin Brown "stopping off" at his doctor's office in Colorado yesterday. Is that what they're calling traction these days? Put a fork in him...

Yanks lose 3 of 4, Sox manage series split

Good weekend overall, finding out the "best" team in baseball should not be based on records (Angels are better). Outside of 1-2 in rotation, not overly impressive. Good outing by normally shaky Contreras allowed White Sox to earn a series split yesterday. Late inning rally falls short. Sox look to take advantage of Yanks night off & extend lead vs lowly Rays.

Yanks struggled once again vs LA A of A (can we change this back to Anaheim Angels please?). Able to salvage last game & avoid sweep - via big outing from Mussina. With the extra day off, Yanks to stay with 4 man rotation into next series with Minn. Not a great idea with Big Unit not at 100% & Brown at his doctors office...

Leiter lit up, wheels come off Wake

Well at least we we right about the lit up part. Just thought it would be more drastic & earlier. Good to see Leiter back into form though. One more start like that & the experiment is over. Also nice to see Jeter in the midst of a 4 for 35 slump, & Bernie in a 1 for 19 slump. Keep it up gang... You'll need to with Brown on the mound tonight.

Wake was cruising along last night until the wheels came off suddenly. We've seen him lose movement on his knuckler and struggle, but never like that. Just bizarre. Had 2 outs in the 6th but allowed 6 in a row to score on 2 three run homers. Francona had no time to get anyone up & shouldn't have the way he WAS pitching.

Tonight Sox need to get on El Duque early. Has a knack of sticking around & pitching well against them in general. He is struggling despite his record and is coming off another DL stint. Get em early boys...

Vlad SLAMS Yanks, Unit leaves with "tweaked" back

Thanks Vlad!!! Nothing like pushing the Yanks further back in the standings. Big Unit only able to go 6+ last night. Unit said "I felt my back tweak a little bit". Could be trouble - stay tuned...

Giambi has really come out of his "funk". Another 2hr game last night? That makes 10 for the month of July so far. Or should we say Juice-ly? We all hope that his "recovery" is natural - not enhanced. He would be the dumbest man on the planet if he started on the juice again.

One time wonder Leiter pitches tonight. Lets see how long he lasts. Over / under is 4.2 IP...

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Manny saves Schill, Sox extend lead

Was there too much hype in Chicago before the game? Seemed to effect Buehrle & normally solid defense. If this is the way they react to a playoff type atmosphere, I'm going to Vegas & bet the house against them come playoff time. (I think Carl read yesterday's blog - he crushed an angry home run early on)

A little concerned with Clement - gave up 7 home runs in last 3 games. He seems to be leaving the ball up in the zone too often. We need him to duplicate his first half down the stretch.

Schilling looked human in the 8th, but stepped it up in the 9th. He was hitting the high 80's on the gun, but the pitch hit for a run scoring double hit 94. He did seem to have more of a zip on the ball in the 9th too... Looks like it's the first positive step in getting him stretched out.

Kudos to Francona for having the stones to put Schilling out there for 2 innings. Almost didn't work out, but it did thanks to Manny (and to Joe Crede's drop/error).

Lot of folks questioning Francona as of late - but he's done a pretty solid job. With all the possible decisions he has to make, he's going to miss a few here or there. Also, can you imagine managing this group behind closed doors, and the Boston media all in the same day? Who wouldn't go postal?

Renteria finally looked like the all star they signed for $10M a year. He was on fire last night. Get the feeling he's going on a hot streak? We think so...

Thanks to Vlad for the slam against the Yanks. Nice to have an extra cushion during this series. Will send him a christmas card for sure...

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Sox travel to land of crazy Carl

Sox try to maintain winning ways vs other Sox. Always interesting meeting up with our old friend Carl. Don't stand too close to the plate - or umpire for that matter. And yes Carl, we did land on the moon, dinosaurs were real, and the entire world is out to get you. Boo!

Sox need to step up vs toughest pitching in AL. Tonight's starter is Buehrle - 11-3, 2.58 ERA. Next up is Garland - 11-4, 3.21 ERA. Then the always difficult El Duque - always pitches well against them. Last up, Mr. "Deer in Headlights" himself, Jose Contreras. Just love when he pitches against the Sox.

At least there is one "gimme" game against Contreras. Will be happy to get out of there with a split. No worries though. Yanks Brian Cashman was quoted as saying the following; "With our schedule the way it is, especially in these next couple of weeks, I'm looking to hold serve, tread water." Sounds like he'll be hiding out at the country club...

Look for Sox to start to hit their stride after this series. Have a much easier schedule than division foes down the stretch.

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Sox trying to land Burnett

Appears Baltimore has hit a snag trying to close a deal with Florida & the Sox have become more aggressive in their pursuit.

Deal would include 3 team trade including Minn. Sox to give up prospects, Mueller, & Arroyo

Get: JC Romero - lefty reliever with solid #'s: 2.21 ERA, 29H in 39IP, but 24BB

Burnett: 28yrs, 124IP, 111H, 47BB, 120K, .241BAA, 3.68ERA


Compare to Arroyo:

Arroyo: 28yrs, 122IP, 121H, 27BB, 68K, .255BAA, 4.05ERA


Numbers are very similar. Could argue that Arroy's #'s are better due to tougher AL lineups. Burnett's stuff is supposed to be electric and high praise given by Schilling. Tough call. We normally defer to Theo based on track record, but this doesn't seem like a big upgrade especially on paper. Will Varitek make him better? Maybe. Not sure this puts them over the top anyway. We'll need Schilling to start in Playoffs to get anywhere. Schill - Clement - Wells, is not bad...

Could they make a deal for Romero only? That may be the way to go. They probably don't resign Mueller next year anyway & Youkie is the future at 3rd. Would suck to see Billy go - he's one of our favorites.

Yanks get big outing from Small

Is this the luckiest bandaid staff ever or what? Guy that hasn't started a game in 9 years goes out & has a solid outing? Just ridiculous. But don't worry Sox fans, this type of luck will run out over the long haul. Don't expect too much from the return of Pavano. Don't think he can handle the pressure in NY or the grind of tough AL lineups. As we all have learned, pitching wins championships. Sorry Yankee fans - you simply don't have enough, and don't have anything to give up to get it.

By the way, nice play at first last night Tino. I think we heard Billy Buck even go "Doh!" after that one...

Yanks in 1st for, yawn, a whole day

What a death grip the Yanks had on 1st. We were so worried... Thanks to Baltimore for giving the game away in the 9th too. We had quite a few emails yesterday after the Yanks took over 1st. The tables really have turned... Now their fans are just excited to be in first by a half game. Welcome to the way we used to be Yankee fans. Welcome to second. Pressure is all on you now. Year 2000! Year 2000!
(This is just getting better every day - isn't it?)

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Kasmir

Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream...
I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been...
To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen...
They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealed…

Oh, uh sorry, that's Kashmir.

Kasmir on the other hand has been a Sox nightmare. Has only given up more than one run in 1 of 3 outings vs Sox this year. Unbelieveable... Slide ends tonight vs old friend Fossum.

Yanks fall into first

Sox continue to struggle and hand over first. Get off the edge of the Tobin - things will be fine... Good news is Kevin Brown still sucks - 4.1 IP, 10H, 6ER last night. Glad to have you back Kevin... If Texas had any kind of pitching, they'd still be looking up at first. Hey Ruben, hows that hammy? Back to the DL for you. Man that team is OLD. No worries with that 2 man rotation they have though. Not to mention the Sox schedule vs Yanks schedule down the stretch - Yanks have 50 games with .500+ teams & Sox only half of that. Will be lucky to finish second, especially if Baltimore lands AJ Burnett. Enjoy it while it lasts Yankee fans... Remember you're only 9 games over .500 at this point.

Leiter is one-time wonder

Al Leiter is lucky. Nothing more than an adrenaline start. There is a reason his ERA was hovering around 7. A change of scenery doesn't mean consistency either. Remember he is over 40. Sad part is that he's an upgrade over what they've got. Just a band-aid on a 2 man rotation. Long term this rotation is screwed. Oh, but Kevin Brown is coming off the DL today!!!

Welcome to NYchoke Blogger!

Hi gang -

Welcome to the new NYchoke Blogger. Glad to have you. Our blogger will be updated daily. Please share your thoughts / opinions. We enjoy a good debate or any ideas you may have. Please check in frequently & pass the word! Thanks!!

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