8/02/08 1,2,3,4,5 about time for this line-up to thrive.

(Feist jokes in my title already, insomnia IS getting the better of me)

Note: This update will be made during the game due to my need for sleep.

The Red Sox took a familiar shot in the bottom of the first when Emil Brown (Really?!) hit a home run off of Jon Lester with a man on Lester was able to gather himself quickly and stop the bleeding. Knowing the anemic offense of the Red Sox over the past half a month that could’ve been enough to put the Sox in the loss column. However tonight seemed to be different.

Dana Eveland doesn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of many of his counterparts at the dish, but he’s a major league pitcher who’s put up some Ws. So the guy obviously knows how to get a guy out. That wouldn’t be the case tonight.

Pedroia – Single

Youkilis – Homer

Papi – Single

Lowell – Single

Bay – Homer

I think a manager will take that kind of production… well over an entire game, when you get it all in the first 5 BATTERS OF A GAME, well then, there seems to be a perfect mix of a pitcher who doesn’t have it and a lineup thats been hungry for a pitcher who doesn’t have it.

My hope for this game is obviously to win (Currently 5 – 2 w/ 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st, not over at all) but I’m also hoping that this lineup can develop some confidence and let that carry over to when they have some less favorable pitching matches down the stretch run.

::Append::

Not much more to add to this the morning after. I see the Sox offense went on cruise control as I had hoped (I fell asleep after the 5th when it was 9 to 2). The biggest thing here is that Jon Lester has been throwing strikes, and when he does that he can be ace-like. As long as the guy gives you 7 innings or more, we usually get the win.

Side note: Manny hit his first career home-run as a Dodger. Good to see Manny isn’t going to be turned on by the fans in LA (You know, the ones that show up in the 3rd and leave in the 7th) I’m glad to see Manny go for the sake of chemistry but the guy is still one of my favorite hitters to watch.

8/1/08 – A Splash in the Back “Bay”

Although Bay’s debut will be remembered for his clutch triple (5 foot more to the left and thats a homer), Bay’s first plate appearance, a walk, was more telling of what Bay brings to this line-up. Discipline.

With one of the largest standing O’s I’ve seen Fenway give anyone, Bay awkwardly waved to fans and kind-of tipped his helmet. Bay then stepped in against Justin Duchscher, and watched 3 straight balls, a letter high strike, and a 4th ball for a walk. Out of context, this is not that telling of how any player will pan out. However with the circumstances considered this guy just walked in from a AAAA ball club – into Fenway park – in his first at bat – with a standing ovation – and didn’t give in to the temptation to try and put one over the monster. That alone should speak volumes about what we’ve gotten, and will be getting, from Jason Bay, and that’s a disciplined pro at the dish.

Bay did strike out twice, once by Duchscher, the other from Ziegler (Who hasn’t been K’d by Ziegler, jeez). But Bay ended up getting the last laugh and finished off with a near perfect story book ending to this game with his triple to put him in scoring position, and then Jed “clutch” Lowrie (Well, One can hope) squeezed a bloop over the pitcher to score him. There was something about Don Orsillo’s excitement, the team’s all congratulating Bay, and the fans being extra into this game that made me think this game could be the catalyst for a good stretch run to take the sting out of a terrible July, and begin an, at the least, above .500 August.

Two side-notes to the end of the day:

1.) Mike Lowell left late in this game due to a hip strain, I would actually like to see Lowell DL’ed for a bit to help him get some rest, and get Sean Casey into this line-up. He can be a hitting machine and this may finally give Tito an excuse to use him.

2.) Manny looked good for the first half of his debut but failed to deliver in the clutch and grounded into a DP to end the game. Perhaps a sign of things to come? Probably not, That guy can hit like crazy. Also, 99? Really? I’ll call So Taguchi later and let him know he’s now the 2nd best player wearing 99 in the majors.

Till tomorrow, actually, later tonight (Damn my insomnia). Adios.

The new era may feel oddly similar.

With the passing of the non-waiver trade deadline comes the passing of the guard. Manny Ramirez is now a Los Angeles Dodger, and there is no question that on paper, our line-up should suffer from it.

Manny brought a lot of things to this Red Sox line-up for 8 years, some consider Ramirez the best Right Handed hitter in all of Baseball, and that is exactly what he brought to this line-up. The feeling in the pit of a pitchers stomach that they had to face a living legend who’s made pitchers better than them look like scrubs. That is what this line-up will miss most from Ramirez. The fear.

But it isn’t like we gave Manny, Hansen, and Moss up for nothing (Hansen and Moss weren’t really going anywhere on this team anyways). We got a peaking, power hitting, dirt dog, left fielder in Jason Bay.

Now, Some of Red Sox nation just knows Bay as the best hitter in the Pirates line-up (And that doesn’t really count for much these days) but what you need to understand is that Bay will never be Manny Ramirez. But let us look to another Fenway icon of the past to give fans an idea of what they are getting from Bay. Trot Nixon.

Trot gave the Red Sox some great moments as a clutch hitter, dirt dog fielder, and all around good guy. Jason Bay still hasn’t proved that he can be clutch on a big stage, through no fault of his own, and has put up some great numbers this season that compare pretty well to Nixon in his prime (Big difference being Bay can actually hit a lefty). Let’s take a look at the two at the age of 29 (Bay’s current season, Nixon’s 03 season)

         G   AB    R   H   2B   HR   RBI BB  SO  BA   OBP  

Nixon   134 441   81  135 24   28   87  65  96  .306 .396 

Bay     106 393   72  111 23   22   64  59  86  .282 .375 

With 2 solid months of baseball left to play, it’s safe to say that Bay will strikeout more than Nixon, but in the process will put up some monster offensive totals in his new home. With a big wall out where the middle of left field would’ve been in PNC Park, one would assume bay will see his doubles and home runs will take a heavy step in the right direction. His RBI totals will also see a rise since he will be in a much better line-up with much better hitters surrounding him.

My hope is that in his first game Bay goes 2-4 with a nice catch that Manny wouldn’t have made in the outfield, if all that can happen in one of these games against the A’s Bay won’t feel the pressure as much and would be free to become the monster he’s been due to become.