The Boston Red Sox kicked off their 6-game road trip last night at the Rogers Centre in Toronto with a 4-1 win behind some solid pitching from Clay Buchholz and timely hitting from David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis.
Buchholz made his 2009 Red Sox debut last night and while he’s going back to Pawtucket, pitched like he has in Triple-A all season. He had great command of his fastball and used it to get ahead of hitters with first pitch strikes.
While the Red Sox are rumored to be in the mix for the Jays’ Roy Halladay, I see no reason for trading for him. Look at what the Red Sox were rumored to give up for Johan Santana a few years back (Jacoby Ellsbury, Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, Daniel Bard) and see what they’ve done. They have all played integral roles to help the Red Sox win over the past 2 1/2 seasons.
Sure it would be nice to see a rotation of Beckett, Lester and Halladay in the postseason but do really need him.
The big news of yesterday was Theo Epstein designating Julio Lugo for assignment. Epstein took full responsibility for the signing and said he made a mistake. Kudos to Theo for being honest with us although we already knew Lugo sucked and you (Theo) had made a HUGE mistake.
Buchholz stars in cameo role [Boston Globe]
Buchholz opens eyes in a spot start [Providence Journal]
Blue Jays can’t break Clay in triumphant return [Boston Herald]
Seeing error of ways, Sox designate Lugo [Boston Globe]
Red Sox Journal: Lowell returns, Lowrie is next on Saturday [Providence Journal]
Jason Bay, Red Sox put hold on new deal [Boston Herald]
Talks with Bay put on hold [Boston Globe]
Lugo designated for assignment; Epstein says he was never ‘even close’ to what the Red Sox expected [Providence Journal]
Major boost for righty’s confidence [Boston Herald]
Don’t expect shakeup [Boston Globe]
Bay and Red Sox agree to amicably break off contract talks for now [Providence Journal]
Red Sox cut losses, Julio Lugo [Boston Herald]
Five Things We Learned: Buchholz Has Made His Presence Felt [Full Count]
Big Friday [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if the enemy papers are more your flavor, you can head over to the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun websites.
