Respect for Pedroia, but Pray for Beckett
It’s September already. The Sox are coming off their best month of the year, but having dug themselves a hole in the middle of the season, they’re trailing the Rays by a pretty wide margin, and find themselves in a battle for the AL wild card. They’ll have to play well from here on, and even then, everything depends on Josh Beckett’s elbow. Because a wild card berth won’t mean much without a healthy Beckett, especially if they have to play on the road against LA or Tampa.
With a banged up lineup, different guys have stepped up all year long. In June, it was Drew, who put on a pretty good show imitating Papi, who was then on the DL with an injured wrist. Then for a while it was Youk, who may have been the most consistent performer all year -- this year’s version of Mike Lowell, knocking in more runs than ever before, playing almost flawless at first, and then filling in at third, when Lowell did his turn on the DL. Lowrie at times was hot; Bay had a great month after the big trade.
Of late though, it’s been Dustin Pedroia, who amazingly is the subject of MVP gossip in the sports pages these days. As we entered tonight’s game, Pedroia led the American League in batting average, hits and runs. He’s tied for third in doubles. He’s struck out only 47 times this year, on average once for every twelve at bats. And as the season wears on, he’s only getting better. In July he batted .350; then in August, he upped that to .374, with twenty RBIs; plus, he scored thirty-three runs. Tito has him batting cleanup again tonight. Can you imagine? A guy standing five foot five, batting cleanup in place of Manny! Of course, he hit that grand slam against the Yankees, in New York, and twice against the White Sox over the Labor day weekend, he had four hits in a game. Tonight, in Fenway against the Orioles, he’s already knocked in four runs. Talk about stepping up.
Lester went only five innings tonight, because he walked a bunch of guys. He and Dice-K are anchoring the rotation, but we don’t usually get seven or eight innings from them. So it still comes down to Beckett. Even with Lowell returning to the lineup; even with Jason Bay filling in admirably in left. Even with Pedroia leading the league in hitting; everything still depends on Beckett. So if you’re religious, pray for a healthy return to the line-up. If you’re not, how about calling Dr. Morgan, and seeing what he can do? Either way, it may be time for a miracle.
(A post-script: I was about to post, until I noticed that we had the bases loaded, with Ross on second, and VanEvery on third. Who are these guys? And what are they doing on second and third? Answer: nothing much, because Coco just grounded into a double play. Big surprise there.)
With a banged up lineup, different guys have stepped up all year long. In June, it was Drew, who put on a pretty good show imitating Papi, who was then on the DL with an injured wrist. Then for a while it was Youk, who may have been the most consistent performer all year -- this year’s version of Mike Lowell, knocking in more runs than ever before, playing almost flawless at first, and then filling in at third, when Lowell did his turn on the DL. Lowrie at times was hot; Bay had a great month after the big trade.
Of late though, it’s been Dustin Pedroia, who amazingly is the subject of MVP gossip in the sports pages these days. As we entered tonight’s game, Pedroia led the American League in batting average, hits and runs. He’s tied for third in doubles. He’s struck out only 47 times this year, on average once for every twelve at bats. And as the season wears on, he’s only getting better. In July he batted .350; then in August, he upped that to .374, with twenty RBIs; plus, he scored thirty-three runs. Tito has him batting cleanup again tonight. Can you imagine? A guy standing five foot five, batting cleanup in place of Manny! Of course, he hit that grand slam against the Yankees, in New York, and twice against the White Sox over the Labor day weekend, he had four hits in a game. Tonight, in Fenway against the Orioles, he’s already knocked in four runs. Talk about stepping up.
Lester went only five innings tonight, because he walked a bunch of guys. He and Dice-K are anchoring the rotation, but we don’t usually get seven or eight innings from them. So it still comes down to Beckett. Even with Lowell returning to the lineup; even with Jason Bay filling in admirably in left. Even with Pedroia leading the league in hitting; everything still depends on Beckett. So if you’re religious, pray for a healthy return to the line-up. If you’re not, how about calling Dr. Morgan, and seeing what he can do? Either way, it may be time for a miracle.
(A post-script: I was about to post, until I noticed that we had the bases loaded, with Ross on second, and VanEvery on third. Who are these guys? And what are they doing on second and third? Answer: nothing much, because Coco just grounded into a double play. Big surprise there.)
posted by pops | 9:36 PM
1 Comments:
The mood in western Massachusetts is guardedly optimistic that we will playing baseball in October. And yes, in the words of my beloved late mother-in-law, who would agree with you: "When you have your health, you have everything!"
Chip
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