The Baltimore Orioles came into yesterday’s game having lost 11 straight games to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. By the end of the afternoon, Nick Markakis had lifted his Orioles to a 6-2 win to snap the skid.
The Red Sox had to face another rookie pitcher in David Hernandez and were unable to solve him. That seems to be the problem of the Red Sox when they face a rookie pitcher. There’s not much they can do about other than rely on the advance scouting reports and watch video on them. If teams were smart, they’d just trot out rookies every time they face the Red Sox.
While the Red Sox have no plans to pull John Smoltz from the rotation, it’s obvious if he continues to struggle they won’t be able to count on him. He seems to struggle most when there are two outs in the inning. He seems to try and get too careful with his fastball and misses his spots, leaving the pitches out over the plate for the opposing hitters to take advantage of.
This problem can be fixed though in bullpen sessions. Hopefully Smoltz can figure it out, otherwise we may see the Red Sox deal for a pitcher before the trade deadline on Friday. The Red Sox are hoping he does come around because they need him and Brad Penny to pitch well down the stretch run as the annual pennant race between the local nine and Yankees along with the Rays starts to heat up.
Congratulations to Jim Rice on his induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. It was a long time coming but he’s finally in and now can call himself a Hall of Famer. The Red Sox will be retiring Rice’s No. 14 in a pre-game ceremony on Tuesday night at the Fens.
Also I’m sure we’ll start to hear trade rumors involving certain members of the Red Sox this week. Take them with a grain of salt for now. While we hope that our favorite players and minor leaguers don’t get traded, it’s a part of the business of baseball and something we just need to live with.
Interview with TC on NESN [Ask 14]
Smoltz pitches, doesn’t deliver [Boston Globe]
Air of futility to the offense [Boston Globe]
This straight from the top [Boston Globe]
Two-out runs have become second nature [Boston Globe]
Hall decked out [Boston Globe]
Hall chapter closed, Rice opens up [Boston Globe]
Teammates show pride with Hall visit [RedSox.com]
Red Sox confident bats will break out [RedSox.com]
Sugar, spice and everything Rice [RedSox.com]
Red Sox Lose As Smoltz Struggles [Hartford Courant]
Another Young Pitcher Stops Sox [Hartford Courant]
Rice, Henderson Inducted Into Hall [Hartford Courant]
John Smoltz not the answer [Boston Herald]
For Jim Rice, wait lifted [Boston Herald]
MLB-best bullpen lone Red Sox bright spot [Boston Herald]
No heat in Red Sox bats as Orioles win [Boston Herald]
David Ortiz takes lead [Boston Herald]
No plans to skip Smoltz in rotation [Full Count]
He’s still John Smoltz [Full Count]
Theo [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]
Francona insists he’s standing by scuffling Smoltz [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Hernandez the latest rookie to silence Boston bats [Providence Journal]
Which Red Sox players will join Jim Rice in the Hall of Fame? [Providence Journal]
Ramon Ramirez asks Farrell about his diminished role [Providence Journal]
Rice, Henderson each needed to be sold on baseball [Providence Journal]
Rice’s Hall of Fame call interrupted his favorite soap opera [Providence Journal]
Stand by Smoltz, swing a deal for a hitter [Tony Massarotti]
Five Things We Learned: Why John Smoltz Is Getting Battered [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you want to check out the enemy papers, head over to the Baltimore Sun and Annapolis Capital websites.
