While it wasn’t a quiet day around Fenway Park yesterday, it was a day of light news for the Boston Red Sox. They are still enjoy the days off after the All-Star break.
For the fans of the game, this is the worst time of year. It’s when we are forced to find something else on television to watch. For the players, it’s a couple of days (if not playing in the game) to get some rest and nurse any injuries or nicks and bruises back to health.
The Red Sox will finally spring back into action tomorrow night in Toronto when Clay Buchholz makes his 2009 Red Sox debut. Clay has been hanging out in Triple-A all season since there hasn’t been room in the Red Sox rotation for him. He’s had a year down there with the PawSox as he is 7-2 with a 2.16 ERA. He’s up for the start and then heading back to Pawtucket.
With the All-Star break upon us and almost over, it now starts a new period in baseball known as the trade deadline. With that coming up on July 31st, we will start to hear rumors (Buchholz and others to the Jays for Halladay, etc….). While we don’t want to see some of the younger guys go anywhere, it is quite conceivable they might be moved.
We should also see the return of Mike Lowell and Jed Lowrie to the Red Sox lineup this weekend. Lowell could return on Saturday as it’s likely that Aaron Bates will be sent back down on Friday to make room for Buchholz. When Buchholz is sent down, Lowell will most likely be activated.
The Red Sox still have to figure out what to do when Lowrie is activated. The likely scenario that could play out would be the release of Julio Lugo. They probably won’t be able to trade him even if they paid his contract so releasing him probably becomes option No. 1. And I can tell you that Lugo won’t be missed by most in Red Sox Nation.
Five Questions: What Moves Should the Sox Make? [38 Pitches]
Names to throw into discussion [Boston Globe]
Red Sox All-Star Break Analysis [Hartford Courant]
A guy who hates the knuckleball tips his cap to Tim Wakefield [Providence Journal]
Jacoby Ellsbury puts pedal to metal against foes [Boston Herald]
Sox fans at a loss during All-Star break [Boston Globe]
Red Sox journal: Ichiro scoffs at notion that Matsuzaka’s struggles stem from WBC [Providence Journal]
Star magic returning [Boston Herald]
Excitement building, 10 stories high [Boston Globe]
With Lowell and Lowrie ready to turn, is this the end of the line for Lugo? [Providence Journal]
Josh Beckett tries to mold Clay [Boston Herald]
Sox go deep – in arms [Boston Globe]
Red Sox see bright future for Junichi Tazawa [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Mid-Season Report Card [Boston Herald]
Distractions aside, Lowrie just wants to play [Full Count]
Looking forward to cold one [Boston Globe]
How Albert Pujols Almost Almost Joined The Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
Editor’s note: My apologies for this being late. Apparently I didn’t hit publish upon leaving the house this morning.
