May 5, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) follows through on his home run swing against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees

- Despite the team’s continued ability to win despite the injuries, all is not good in Yankeeville. According to ESPN New York, there was a small spat between future Hall-of-Famer Mariano Rivera and fellow reliever Joba Chamberlain on Saturday. Chamberlain apparently took offense when Rivera asked Chamberlain and his family to keep their voices down when Rivera was being intereviewed. I’m sorry Joba but when the Sandman tells you to shush, you shush.

- The Yankee injury train may finally be returning to the station, as the first of the injured stars are set to return according to PinStriped Bible. Outfielder Curtis Granderson, who has been out since getting plunked on the arm in the team’s first spring training game (by J.A. Happ no less), is expected to rejoin the team on Tuesday. So much for taking advantage of the Yankees while they were down and out huh?

Baltimore Orioles

- Young third baseman Manny Machado has been one of the better stories in baseball this season, so much so that some people are trying to point out out that Machado belongs in a more elite class of players. Cole Stevenson at Opposing Views makes a good point that Machado, 20, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as other elite youngsters Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. A .323 batting average, 28 runs, 24 RBI, and a .876 OPS from a 20-year-old that never played an inning at Triple-A should be enough evidence to get that discussion started.

- With top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy on the shelf and the Orioles pitching staff struggling, it may be another rookie that makes the jump. MASN points out that righty Kevin Gausman (MLB.com 36th ranked prospect) is making his case at Double-A Bowie. Despite a 1-4 record, Gausman is posting a strong 3.35 ERA and a 8.9 K/9 ratio. What is even more impressive is that Gausman has walked just 4 batters in 40.1 innings this season.

Tampa Bay Rays

- The Tampa Bay Rays are pushing themselves back into the division picture after a solid week, and as usual, they are doing it with surprisingly solid performances from bargain-basement pitching. As MLB Trade Rumors points out, that may bode well for Roberto Hernandez, the man formerly known as Fausto Carmona. After signing a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Rays to boost his value, Hernandez has enjoyed some mixed results thus far, posting a 1-4 record with a 4.66 ERA. However, his 9.1 K/9 ratio and his 2.7 BB/9 ratio show that his peripherals are strong., and an xFIP of 3.25 shows that better things may be coming.

- And you can’t talk about the Rays without discussing their available trade bait, as this piece from Bleacher Report does. With a seemingly unending train of pitching prospects to pull from, this piece points to the availability of both David Price and Jeremy Hellickson, and how they could be used to facilitate the team’s need for high-upside hitting prospects.

Boston Red Sox

- At one point, the Boston Red Sox had the problem of having too many closers, with both Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey on the roster. With Bailey already on the DL with a biceps strain, the Red Sox announced on Saturday that Hanrahan will now miss the remainder of the season after electing to undergo surgery to repair his damage flexor tendon in his pitching elbow. That leaves Junichi Tazawa handling the closer duties until Bailey returns.

- Speaking of returns, the return to high production levels has at least one Boston area reporter questioning whether David Ortiz is on the juice. On Tuesday, the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnssey published a column where he justified accusing Ortiz of steroid usage because the player is a) Dominican, B) Coming back from injuries consistent with steroid usage, and C) getting better with age. That lead to an outpouring of racial stereotyping claims against Shaughnessy, by Ortiz (via CBSSports) and Shaughnessy’s cohorts in the media.

Weekly AL East Standings (Overall Standings)
New York 4-2 (22-13)
Baltimore 4-2 (22-15)
Boston 2-5 (22-15)
Tampa Bay 5-2 (18-18)
Toronto 4-3 (14-24)

May 10, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ramon Ortiz (34) pitches against Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (left) during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

After watching last nights futility of… well… pretty much everything that’s important to winning a baseball game, I decided to take my seat at the bar and get myself ready for what could possibly be another very long afternoon of watch Toronto Blue Jays baseball.  In case you missed last nights debauchery for Boston Red Sox fans everywhere, to sum it all up: the Blue Jays fell flat on their face.

So how do you win ballgames?  GOOD PITCHING, FIELDING, AND HITTING!

Start with the pitching.  39 year old Ramon Ortiz filled in for a suddenly depleted Jays rotation.  How do you pitch well?  YOU DON’T WALK THE OPPOSING TEAM’S HITTERS!  Ortiz walked 5 Sox hitters over 5 innings.  Combine that with the 4 hits he also gave up, you have to wonder how Ortiz only gave up 1 run.  You have to wonder how Toronto General Hospital wasn’t filled with Jays fans suffering through massive amounts of anxiety and stress.  This was just the beginning.

2.) If the pitching performance didn’t trigger your acid reflux, then the fielding was sure to make you vomit.  How wild was Ortiz last night?  Well, you can tack 1 wild pitch and 1 throwing error onto the 5 walks.  I also hate running on a bus on Macier Izturis, since he was technically last night’s “hero,” but in his very limited playing time, he now has 4 errors on the season.  That ties him with fellow part time player Emilio Bonifacio for the team lead.  So why would Izturis be the “hero” for the game?

3.) Izturis was the ONLY BLUE JAYS PLAYER TO GET A HIT against Jon Lester last night!  Are you ****ing kidding me?  Lester was perfect going into the 5th when he gave up his lone hit of the night.  This is the same Lester that he been hit hard in his last 3 previous starts.  His worst start in that stretch came against TORONTO!  Lester has been walking batters (11 in his last 17.2 IP), yet our boys in blue couldn’t muster 1… single… free pass… to first base.  If you think this is the low point, you would be mistaken.

This afternoon, the Dirk Hayhurst anointed “cheater” Clay Buchholz, toes the mound.  I would imagine he’s a bit angry.  He’s still pitching lights out.  He’s the current Red Sox staff “Ace.”  The Blue Jays are sending out tough minded lefty, Mark Buehrle.  Buehrle’s got to be tough minded right?  Especially the way he’s been getting destroyed by AL East teams.  If you don’t think it’s been bad, let me show you his 2013 stat line against AL East opponents:

25 IP 30 H 20 R 19 ER 6 BB 16 K 9 HRA 6.84 ERA .291 BAA 

The Jays went 1-3 in those Buehrle starts.  Tonight’s match-up is essentially the equivalent of Prince Edward Island… trying to take over control of all of Canada.  It’s not going to be pretty.  Have your strong alcoholic beverage of choice ready.  I know I will!

News and Notes

Optioned RHP Michael Schwimer to Buffalo

.@bluejays Line-up vs #RedSox Cabrera LF, Bautista RF, Encarnacion DH, Arencibia C, Lind 1B, Lawrie 3B, Rasmus CF, Bonifacio 2B, Kawasaki SS

— Blue Jays-Official(@BlueJays) May 11, 2013

 

5/11 vs. TOR: Ellsbury CF, Victorino RF,Pedroia 2B, Ortiz DH, Napoli 1B, Gomes LF, Middlebrooks 3B, Drew SS, Ross C, Buchholz SP

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) May 11, 2013

May 7, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) jumps over second baseman Maicer Izturis (3) after he catch a fly ball during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As long as we keep hitting perhaps we can ride out this wave. Josh Johnson should be back soon and Mark Buehrle surly cannot have fallen off a cliff already (7.02 ERA, 60 ERA+). His 11 home runs allowed leads the American League so far. He has always been a guy giving up hits (10 out if 14 years he allowed more hits than innings pitched) but he has always been able to get the outs when needed. Still waiting on that…

Probable Starters:

Game 1: Ramon Ortiz (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs Jon Lester (4-0, 3.30 ERA)
Game 2: Mark Buehrle (1-2, .308 opp BAA) vs Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.60 ERA)
Game 3: Brandon Morrow (1-2, 4.69 ERA) vs Ryan Dempster (2-3, 2.93 ERA)

Lester gave us fits in his first start against is giving up no runs. His next start was on the other end of the spectrum, having given up 5 earned. Which Lester should we expect to see? Well since April 13th when his ERA was 1.42 after his third start, that same ERA has risen ever game since to it’s current 3.30. That is almost two full runs a game over four starts. Sounds like he may be trending in the wrong direction.

Ramon Ortiz? Typical 4A pitcher just being used as filler until Josh Johnson and J.A. Happ are healthy. After this start we won’t need a 5th starter until May 21 so we should be able to suck it up.

Game 2 should be interesting. After the spitball allegations from Jack Morris and Dirk Hayhurst you know the Boston fans are going to be fired up. I am sure Buchholz will also be primed and ready for this game. More than a strikeout an inning, a .193 opp BAA and a WHIP of 1.03 suggest that it isn’t just a spitball. Buchholz always had the pedigree and perhaps he is finally putting it all together at age 29.

Hard luck starter Mark Buehrle is just an enigma at this point. A 12 year career of workmanlike slightly above average pitching was all we asked of him. Perhaps having his Pit Bull back home with his family has really taken an emotional toll on him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him request a trade and get traded at the deadline.

After a terrible showing in Texas after the trade deadline, Game 3 starter Ryan Dempster signing with the Red Sox seemed odd. Wasn’t Dempster more valuable in the National League? With a 11.51 K/9 inn ratio and an ERA under 3, he has been much more than expected. The Canadian held out of the World Baseball Classic to further his adjustment back to the American League and his work has paid off.

Brandon Morrow also appeared to turn a corner with his 8 strong innings last time out. The five walks were a bit worrisome but I am sure it is a mechanical issue that he and Pete Walker can work out. His 2:1 K/BB ratio is slightly worse than his career average of 2.26:1. He has always been a bit wild but at 29 I was hoping he would do the same thing Buchholz is doing for the Red Sox: taking the next step forward to being a consistently elite pitcher.

Line-Ups:

The following are the probable line-ups for both squads:

Toronto:

1. LF: Rajai Davis
2. DH: Melky Cabrera
3. RF: Jose Bautista
4. 1B: Edwin Encarnacion
5. C: J.P. Arencibia
6. 3B: Brett Lawrie
7. CF: Colby Rasmus
8. SS: Maicer Izturis
9. 2B; Emilio Bonifacio

Boston

1. CF: Jacoby Ellsbury
2, RF: Shane Victorino
3. 2B: Dustin Pedroia
4. DH: David Ortiz
5. 1B: Mike Napoli
6. LF: Daniel Nava
7. C: Jarrod Saltalamacchia
8. 3B: Will Middlebrooks
9. SS: Stephen Drew

Again, as in years past, the Red Sox have strong cogs up and down the line up as their 3rd place Team BAA of .268 proves. Dustin Pedroia is still the heart and soul of this team and he leads by example (.316 BAA and .411 OBP). Although the team is ranked only 7th in Team ERA (3.87), it has been the pitching that has kept the Red Sox on top (well until the Twins mopped the field with them). Their bullpen has been spotty and they have lost Joel Hanrahan for perhaps the season with forearm issues. And so it’s Andrew Bailey closing and that seems to be just fine in the interim (1.46 ERA, .140 opp BAA and a WHIP of 0.81). Pretty good second option.

The Final Word:

Well we showed some spark on offence in Tampa Bay that we hadn’t seen for a while. We may have split the series but for the first time in a while we seemed to play very well for the entire series….offensively that is. If our starters can buck up and go 7 or 8 innings strong we should pull out a series win. If the Red Sox old men continue to perform without health issues and if David Ortiz keeps raking like a mad man (.353 BAA, .384 OBP, .662 SLG% and 1.045 OPS) then we will be in trouble.

A sweep of the Sox while they are reeling is critical to keeping our playoff aspirations somewhat conceivable. Losing 3 of 4 handily to the already afterthought Twins seems to reveal cracks in the armour. With the way the offence is coming around we may be able to rip a few holes in their armour and begin the slow climb upwards in the standings.

The shine on Clay Buchholz‘s arm during his May, 1, 2013 start is drawing a lot of discussion.
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

During Boston station, WEEI’s Mutt and Merloni broadcast, the topic of former Toronto Blue Jays minor league pitcher, Dirk Hayhurst‘s, comments came up.  In case you missed it, here’s the tweet.

Forget the hair, I just saw video of Buchholz loading the ball with some Eddie Harris worthy slick’em painted up his left forearm. Wow.

— Dirk Hayhurst (@TheGarfoose) May 2, 2013

Part of the fun of living south of Boston, is you get to listen to these broadcasts and you get to call in without having your phone riddled with international fees.  Caller after caller continued to discuss about how rosin, the substance proclaimed to be on Buchholz’s arm, was there to give him grip.  So, of course, I had to call in.  I couldn’t stand by and continue to hear about how this is just the “Blue Jays having sour grapes,” as radio show host Mike Mutnansky put it.  We discussed how there were pictures on LarryBrownSports.com of the substance on Buchholz’s arm.  This article by WEEI’s Alex Spier has both, Boston Red Sox coach John Farrell AND Buchholz discussing what the substance on the arm of Buchholz happened to be.  Hayhurst tweeted the same photograph I saw on LarryBrownSports.com of his arm here.  Have a gander.

Could be rosin, could be something else. Looked awfully fishy, is all. twitter.com/TheGarfoose/st…

— Dirk Hayhurst (@TheGarfoose) May 2, 2013

It’s obvious, if you know what rosin looks like, that the substance on Buchholz’s arm may not be rosin.  In my time when I lived in Lowell, Massachusetts, I was fortunate to hang out with Buchholz when he was a player for the Lowell Spinners.  He’s a good guy.  He had a bit of a checkered past at McNeese State, but he’s a good guy.  So it’s tough for me to imagine that this guy would cheat nor would I want to see him cheat.  I wish him nothing but success.  That being said though, this whole situation of what Hayhurst said should not be written off.

The primary person that wrote Hayhurst’s credibility off was Hall of Famer and Red Sox NESN Colour Commentator, Dennis Eckersley.  Even when SHOULD BE Hall of Famer and 3 time World Series Champion pitcher Jack Morris confirmed Hayhurst’s thoughts, Eckersley continued to write them both off.  You see, “Eck” has never been one to mince words, and if you’ve never had the “pleasure” of listening to him speak, well… here you go

Morris and Eckersley have history as well.  In the 1992 ALCS, Eckersley got a key strikeout and reacted in a manner that drew the ire of Morris.  They had a somewhat public spat about it.  So this whole Buchholz controversy isn’t the first time these two have faced off.  But to write off the possibility of Buchholz cheating because Hayhurst and Morris are not Hall of Famers like Eck is, is petty.

While I cannot defend Hayhurst much, I will say this.  He’s 32 years old.  As mentioned before, he’s a pitcher.  He played baseball for a long time.  Career minor leaguer or not, the man is more-than-likely just as aware of how to doctor a baseball as much as a Hall of Fame pitcher.  So Eck’s argument is ridiculous.

If you are looking for credibility based off major league results, then Jack Morris is your man.  I think it’s not even debatable that if Eckersley was a starting pitcher his entire career, he would not be in the Hall of Fame.  Eck made his claim to fame by winning the Cy Young award and AL MVP (which in my opinion is a joke) in 1992, as well as for being a lights out closing pitcher during the back-end of his career for the Oakland Athletics and St.Louis Cardinals (no joke, he converted 85% of save opportunities.  He was that good.)  Morris, however, was a career starting pitcher.  A damn good one at that despite a couple of rough years on a lousy Detroit Tigers teams in the late 80s.  In 1992, it was debatable that Morris should have won Eckersley’s Cy Young trophy, since Morris led the league in wins (21) and won 78% of the games in which he started.  Want a more comprehensive look at Morris and Eckersley as starters?  Here

Dennis Eckersley

Jack Morris

Looks to me Morris did it longer as a starter and as a starter, had a better win percentage as well.  So maybe Eck should pipe down a little (I’m sure if he read this, Eck would say “Who the hell are you?” and write me off as well.)  Morris is no slouch to the game of baseball.

Fact of the matter is the MLB rule book (3.02 if you’re interested) says a player should not be using rosin and then touching the ball immediately after.  Regardless of what MLB rule 8.02 says about how to properly use the rosin bag, what difference does it make if rosin is on your arm or on your uniform?  Rosin is a foreign substance that is not to be applied to the ball.  That might technically be considered cheating.  However, since it’s widely accepted by the game itself, it is not.

So was Hayhurst wrong in mentioning how “suntan lotion” shiny Buchholz was on a 61 degree, closed dome day?  Probably not anymore wrong than when New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi mentioned the Blue Jays might be stealing signs back in 2011 (Here’s the ESPN article.) Even Red Sox commentator Jerry Remy mentioned during a 2011 game against the Jays, about how the Blue Jays were possibly stealing signs.  This prompted Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to constantly switch them up (Ironically, this was during a Buchholz start.)  An unnamed player on an opposing team once lashed out at a fan he suspected of being the culprit while in the visiting team bullpen in Toronto.  Was there proof?  ”Unfounded.”

Is this an act of showmanship by the Blue Jays?  Tough to imagine it is since, current Red Sox coach, Farrell was the Jays’ coach in 2011 when the “sign theft scandal” occurred.  What it comes down to is Hayhurst saw something.  Morris concurred with him.  All of Red Sox nation said “BS!  Don’t blame us because you guys suck and we don’t.”  There WAS something on Buchholz’s arm.  It’s not “unfounded.”   Whatever it was, it certainly made the battle between these 2 AL East rivals much more interesting.

Apr 25, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays injured shortstop Jose Reyes smiles in the dugout against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Ultimately, the decision by the Red Sox to not include top prospect Xander Bogaerts likely scuttled the deal deal, according to Bradford. In the end, Reyes, Johnson, Bonifacio, Mark Buehrle, and John Buck were shipped north to the Blue Jays with Toronto parting with Justin Nicolino, Jake Marisnick, Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, and Anthony Descalfani.

Just imagine for a minute, the different landscape that the American League East could have today had Boston decided to include the game’s number 20 prospect in order to land Reyes and Johnson.

The deal has not quite worked out in Toronto’s favor thus far, as Reyes is currently shelved until July with a severe ankle injury, while the pair of Johnson (0-1, 6.86 ERA) and Bonifacio (.179 avg, 4 errors) have been largely ineffective to start the 2013 season.

Of course, the ability for Anthopoulos to land that trade also lead him to go all in and send Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud to the New York Mets for ace R.A. Dickey, who himself was inconsistent in April.

If that initial trade does not go through for Toronto, adding two of the three arms Toronto needed for their 2013 rotation, Anthopoulos would have had to spend more time chasing free agents or pursuing other options on the trade market. That means that players like Shawn Marcum, Kyle Lohse, or other stop gap arms would have been in the cards. Maybe even an arm like Ryan Dempster, as Boston would not have likely signed him had they acquired Johnson.

Chances are also good that the plundering of the farm system would have been a bit more minimalistic, as the desire to win now may have stayed Anthopoulos’s hand a bit on trading away the key pieces of the system.

What all this would have meant in regards to the results on the field is tough to quantify, especially as we cannot fathom how Anthopoulos would have gone about his winter business under this scenario. We also don’t know if Johnson would have struggled in Boston and Reyes would have gotten hurt, the variables are just too difficult to truly fathom.

We do know this though; the excitement generated within the Blue Jays fan base would not have the same. But then again, neither would the level of disappointment after a rough start to the season. It likely would have been ho-hum as usual.

And if given the opportunity, would we really want to return to a ho-hum effort?

Apr 7, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks (16) runs past Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Dave Bush (54) and third baseman Mark DeRosa (16) after hitting his third homerun of the game in the seventh inning at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Dickey followed his rough Opening Day start with an even tougher one on Sunday. The 2012 Cy Young winner allowed 10 hits and 8 runs (7 earned) over just 4.2 innings against Boston.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, before Dickey even recorded an out. Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a double and was followed by singles by Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia. Mike Napoli then added an RBI double before being followed by a 2-run home run by Will Middlebrooks.

Dickey would settle down in the second inning, but Middlebrooks would strike again in the third inning, doubling and scoring a run in the inning. The Boston third baseman was not done there either, adding another solo shot off of Dickey in the fifth inning, and a third home run off of Dave Bush in the seventh.

Dave Bush, making his first appearance in the big leagues since 2011, did not fair much better. In addition to the solo home run surrendered to Middlebrooks, the 33-year-old right-hander got lambasted by the Red Sox, surrendering five earned runs in his three innings of relief before giving away to Brett Cecil. Those five earned runs were punctuated by four Boston home runs; the one by Middlebrooks, and then one each by Daniel Nava, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Mike Napoli.

After not having hit a home run coming into the series, the Red Sox torched Toronto pitching staff for eight dingers in the series.

As for Toronto, there was not much good to take away from the game, as the Blue Jays garnered just seven hits in the game and moved only two runners into scoring position, stranding both.

Toronto batters did add 10 strike-outs in the contest, raising their season total to 54.

The Blue Jays will have Monday off as the team travels to Detroit to start a six-game road trip, their first of 2013. Brandon Morrow will get the start against Anibal Sanchez on Tuesday, and he will be followed by Mark Buehrle on Wednesday and Josh Johnson on Thursday.

Also, as reported by Evan Peaslee of MLB.com, Jose Bautista is expected to return to the line-up for Tuesday game. Bautista has sat out the last two contests after tweaking his ankle Thursday night against Cleveland.

Joining me in a Q&A to help kick off the three-game set is Derek Stykalo, editor of FanSided’s great Red Sox site BoSox Injection, and head on over there to if you’d like to see my answers to his questions as well.

Jared Macdonald: After some expected regression from 2010 in an injury-plagued 2011 campaign, what exactly has happened to Clay Buchholz now in 2012?

Derek Stykalo: The exact reason on why Buchholz is struggling hasn’t been confirmed by the club, at least they haven’t released it.  But it’s safe to say it comes down to his back that he injured last year.  While he has been better in three of his last four starts there is still concern over the inconsistency and inability to avoid multiple walks and allowing the big inning.  Early on he wasn’t getting his fastball down in the zone and was being punished for it, a result of his mechanics in which he wasn’t getting low enough on his delivery.  Speculation was that he was either still feeling the effects of that nagging back injury or he was timid to fully let out in fear of re-injuring his back.  The rough outings compounded and now it appears his confidence has been shaken, although he is showing signs of rounding into the form that we all expect to see from Buchholz as evidenced by his 6 K’s and 1 walk over 7.0 innings last Sunday against Tampa Bay.

JM: Will Middlebrooks has been a feel-good story for the Sox so far this season, hitting .316 with a .922 OPS in the first 24 games of his career. What would you like to see happen with him when other players finally return from their injuries?

DS: This kid plays the game the right way; a hardnosed, gritty and full out hustle on every play and he’s fun to watch on top of that.  He is quickly becoming a fan favorite thanks to his 6 home runs, something he’s done on a regular basis since he first came up to the big club and two more than both Youkilis and Adrian Gonzalez.  Keeping Middlebrooks has been the center of debate recently given the return of Kevin Youkilis to third base and everyone knows Middlebrooks is the future third baseman, making Youkilis expendable.  I would like to see Youkilis dealt to allow Middlebrooks to show he can handle the job on a full time basis, but moving Youkilis will prove to be more difficult than one thinks.  In the mean time, a platoon at third base between the two players along with shifting Gonzalez to right field is an option, albeit not an ideal one.  The problem with dealing Youk is proving he can stay healthy to play the infield and in order to do that he needs playing time.  The other challenge is trying to extract a decent return for Youk given the other GM’s in the game know the Red Sox are trying to move him and won’t necessarily panic to send a top tier player back in return.

JM: Middlebrooks’ fine play, along with the return of Kevin Youkilis, led to three-time Gold Glove first baseman Adrian Gonzalez logging starts in right field. Where did this come from, and do you think this will continue providing the injuries continue?

DS: Gonzalez will continue to log starts in right as long as both Youkilis and Middlebrooks are on the roster.  The club won’t send Middlebrooks down to triple-A and as I said above, dealing Youkilis will be a challenge that will take some time to sort through.  As long as both Youk and Middlebrooks platoon at third base and sporadically move Gonzo to right so Youk can play first, we will see the $154 million dollar first baseman in the outfield.  Personally it terrifies me to run the risk of injury on Gonzo, but given the offense the kid has given, it’s hard not to pencil him into the lineup.  The real challenge will be when the regular outfielders start getting healthy, ie: Jacoby Ellsbury, Darnell McDonald and Carl Crawford.  Not only will there be a plethora of regulars who only play the outfield, trying to juggle Gonzo in right will only complicate matters, making a Youkilis trade almost a necessity.

JM: After hitting a career-low .255 with a .694 OPS last season, Carl Crawford is still weeks away from making his 2012 debut. Are fans getting frustrated with Crawford’s $142 million tenure so far with the Red Sox?

DS: Fans are beyond frustrated with Crawford and are ready to write him off for the year in 2012.  Most fans were willing to give him another year to prove 2011 was an adjustment period that took way to long, but after multiple injuries and now the elbow in which Tommy John Surgery hasn’t been completely ruled out, the natives are getting restless.  I’ve ready in multiple mainstream media coverage that perhaps the Dodgers would take on Crawford given their new ownership and the boatload of money they have.  I think it would be easier to get Brett Lawrie to not show emotion during a game than it will be to move Crawford.  In short, we’re stuck with him and a July return is questionable.  He’s just now hitting off the tee and has yet to begin throwing, something that could start in a week to ten days.  His hour glass is quickly running out of sand with Red Sox Nation before he becomes the latest town villan and quite possibly the worst contract in baseball history.

JM: Daniel Bard‘s transition to being a starter hasn’t exactly gone as planned. Could he be the odd man out instead of Felix Doubront and return to the bullpen when Dice-K comes back?

DS: If it comes down to Bard or Doubront, it’s hands down going to be Bard who would go the bullpen.  Felix Doubront has been everything the Red Sox have needed out of a number four starter and although he has yet to go deep in any of his 10 starts, the numbers are impressive; 5-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 2.42 K/BB ratio through 56.0 innings.  He’s been the one consistent starter since Opening Day, something Bard is struggling with greatly.

Bard has lost an alarming amount of velocity on his fastball, dropping from an average last year of 98.4mph to 93.7mph this year.  A decrease was expected with the move to the rotation, but he can’t reach back and find that high 90’s heat when he needs to put guys away and this is concerning to the club.  His control has been a struggle all year reinforced by his 0.97 SO/BB ratio.  His last 28.2 innings he has walked 19 batters and struck out just 12.  Something is up with him and a move to the bullpen with Dice-K returns may be the best remedy for him.  Bard wants to start but he may need to put his ego aside and do what’s best for the team which is give up his roster spot and try and rediscover his blazing fastball from the bullpen.

- JM

An Interview with Darold Knowles, September 2011 | Batter’s Box
Gerry over at Da Box talked to Darold Knowles, Dunedin’s pitching coach, about a variety of things, like Drew Hutchison being better than Marcum and Nestor Molina having tremendous command.

Shaun Marcum at home with dominant Brewers | The Good Point
Over at The Good Point, I recently caught up with Marcum and he talked about his trade from the Jays after they talked about a long-term deal, plus being dealt straight-up for a prospect.

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Joining me for the series preview is Derek Stykalo, Staff Writer on FanSided’s great Red Sox site BoSox Injection and he’ll be adding everything on the Red Sox after the jump. Here’s everything you need to know:

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Also, as stated before in my position players post from last week, Jays Journal is collaborating with the writers from BoSox Injection (Red Sox), Yanks Go Yard (Yankees), Birds Watcher (Orioles), and Rays Colored Glasses (Rays) to select an AL East All-Star team, which will face off against the AL Central and AL West All-Star teams in a fan vote hosted by our MLB site Call to the Pen. The AL winner will then advance to face off against the NL division selected by the same method and another fan vote will be held. (more…)