Sox start left coast trip on a roll...

Sox 5th starter du jour Snyder pitched fairly well in his 3rd start for the Sox. After cruising thru the first 4 innings he was affected by an apparent cramp, yielded 2 runs, and was not able to return to the 6th. Lets just hope its only a cramp. This rotation cannot afford another setback.

Sox rook Kason Gabbard gets his first major league start today. He had a great start at AA Portland, but struggled in AAA Pawtucket before making adjustments. His last 2 starts have been solid. Apparently he didn't make the trip with the team because Theo had a deal in the works for another starter. Who? Take a look at todays starters around the league. The potential deal may also have been nixed due to Wells apparent recovery. He had another good side session and could return as early as Aug 3rd or 8th.

Few notes...

Great job by the front office inking Beckett for another 3 years, at an average of under $9M per year. Even at 26, Beckett is still better than any of the latest free agent signings, and at less $. Pavano, Clement, AJ Burnett, etc have all been disappointing. Can you imagine how much Beckett would cost on the open market? Probably $12m+ at a minimum.

Jon Lester returns to his hometown and starts tomorrow. With 50 of his friends and family present, it will be interesting to see how he responds. He seems to have embraced the deluge of local media with open arms. Good sign for a rook...

The Yanks have dropped their last 3 with A-Ro (no "D", get it) committing 5 errors in his last 5 games. He's getting booed at home all the time. Rumors have him headed out of NY where he supposedly can't handle the pressure any more (16 errors already). Don't see anyone taking on that salary however. Also, it looks like the Octavio Dotel experiment has ended in NY.

Trade Deadline:

The Mike Lowell for Jake Peavy trade shouldn't have been published. What a goof.

Why would the Sox have any interest in SS Julio Lugo, when Gonzo is better???

Don't look for the Sox to take on $30M remaining for a Bobby Abreu type player either...

The rumors with any substance:

Kyle Lohse: 2-5, 7.14 Era (Sox said no thanks)
Odalis Perez: 4-4, 6.94 (again, no thanks)
Livan Hernandez: 6-8, 5.85 (already have similar, NL pitcher, asking price too high)

Look for a swap of relievers to happen: Julian Tavarez / Rudy Seanez, for a Ray King (Colorado) or similar exchange

With Wells return looking good and only a handful of teams out of it, this team on the field should be the same in Oct...