The scoreboard tells the tale as Y-D Red Sox defeat Orleans
Firebirds in Cape League playoff action. Note: the '1' in the first
inning is actually an '11' - but the space is only one digit wide!
(Photo: Andrea LaFrance)
- Daisuke Matsuzaka’s 4.09 ERA, fluffed a bit after last night’s outing against Toronto, is third-best among Red Sox starters. What does that say about the rest of the guys? That they’re just not performing at a championship level. John Lackey is at 4.60, Tim Wakefield (a starter most of the year) is at 5.40, and Josh Beckett is at 6.21. Compare this to staff stalwarts Clay Buchholz (2.66) and Jon Lester (2.94) and tell me it’s not going to be hard to make the Wild Card – hard to do when you have a great shot at winning only two of every five games.
- Let’s hear it for the kids! Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, and Felix Doubront already have made notable contributions to the cause, and more may be to come in the person of Michael Bowden. Add to the mix one Jed Lowrie, and one may begin to think GM Theo Epstein had something back there in the spring when he spoke of building a bridge to these up-and-comers.
- Speaking of foresight, didn’t it turn out to be a good thing that Epstein held Mike Lowell back all season so he’d be fresh for the stretch run! And no, losing Kevin Youkilis for the year is not what I had in mind when I called for the team to make more productive use of its 25th roster spot.
- And speaking of kids, take note of what’s been happening in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s playoffs this week. The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox outscored the Orleans Firebirds 36-14 in their just-completed two-game semifinal series sweep, outhitting them 41-25 in the process. Such an offensive explosion is unusual on the Cape, and the championship round that begins today (YD vs. Cotuit) may just as easily consist of a set of 2-1 pitchers’ duels as double-digit routs. YD’s Jordan Ribera has three HRs, 13 RBIs, and a cool .500 batting average in his four playoff games so far; not to be outdone, teammate Caleb Ramsey is hitting .529 and has stolen four bases. Amazing.
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