Reliving the Curse

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Trade Pedroia before Danny Cabrera delivers god's justice to him at 99 miles per hour.

Yeah, Cabrera's got the control to almost hit him in the head. Too bad he can't keep it over the plate though .

I'm not sure you need yet another ace in that rotation. Lowe and Pedro are going strong and adding Peavy into the mix would help but at the cost it seems like it's just over kill at the SP spots.

But it is up to you.

I wasn't gonna make a move for a couple more weeks anyways, but I'm partially looking ahead to letting Pedro go after '04 as well. Plus I just plainly need an upgrade in the rotation on some level.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Millar Out of Action

--May 16, 2003

Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar will be sidelined for approximately 3 weeks with a stress fracture in his ankle. The injury apparently occurred when Millar ran to cover first base when A's second baseman Mark Ellis grounded to second in the top of the eighth inning last night.

In light of the injury, Shea Hillenbrand will move across the diamond and play first while reserve Bill Mueller will assume the starting third base role.

Millar was playing well in his first season with the Red Sox, hitting a solid .273/.342/.475 with four homers and 19 RBI's in 139 at bat's. He was also hitting a robust .395/.469/.674 with two homers and six RBI's in 43 AB's against lefties.

[Moot]

Pickup a SP in FA, or trade for a lower SP. I wouldn't give up those players. Don't go after the big names because they won't always turn out like real life.

[RedsoxRockies]

You could get Jose Lima, he was an incredible pitcher

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Magical May gives Sox 10 game cushion

The Red Sox matched their win total from April with their play in the month of May, with another 19 win month. Their 19 wins in May give them an early, healthy 10 game cushion over the Yankees in the AL East. The Red Sox had to overcome some adversity for the first time this season in May, as they dealt with injuries to starters Bronson Arroyo (3-3, 3.74), Frank Castillo (3-4, 4.92), Tim Wakefield (1-1, 6.75), and to hitter Kevin Millar (.817 OPS, 4 HR, 19 RBI). It clearly didn't impede them too much though. Next month is the draft and they will play six possibly crucial games against the Yankees.

Month Record (Overall Record and Standing): 19-9 (38-16, 1st place 10 GA)
Team Batting: .284
Team ERA: 3.59
RS: 316
RA: 212
Pythagorean W-L: 37-17

The Good:

1. After a rough April in which he allowed 21 runs, Pedro recovered in May to allow three earned runs all month. He improved his overall stats to 9-1, 3.17 ERA, 17 walks, 82 strikeouts, and an opposing batting average of .257.
2. Ortiz is still raking, now hitting .330/.407/.575 with 11 homers and 49 RBI's in 221 at bats.
3. Nomar is tearing the cover off the ball as well. He's currently hitting .311/.347/.557 with 10 taters and 42 RBI's.
4. Varitek is having a career season thus far, batting .316/.393/.575 with 12 homers and 44 RBI's, as well as leading one of the league's best pitching staffs.
5. Derek Lowe is leading the staff with an ERA of 2.85 and is second on the team in wins with eight in 75 2/3 innings.
6. John Burkett has been fantastic filling in for injured starters and has earned himself a spot in the rotation. In 10 games (eight starts) he's pitched to the tune of a 3.29 ERA while walking ony 18 and striking out 50 in 65 2/3 innings.
7. Papelbon remains a dominant force at the end of the bullpen. The 22 year old has held opposing hitters to a .195 batting average and has allowed only three earned runs in 21 1/3 innings, for an ERA of 1.27, while saving 15 games in 17 opportunities.

The Bad:

1. Manny is still batting only .245 despite hitting 13 homers.
2. Freddy Sanchez's offensive contributions remain minimal. He's batting only .264/.327/.361, for an OPS of .688, with no homers and only 14 RBI's.
3. Trot Nixon's struggles at the plate have continued. His OPS remains a meager .774, unacceptable from a corner outfielder, and he's hit just five homers and driven in only 19 runs.

Red Sox MVP so far: DH David Ortiz - He's killing the ball with a line of .330/.407/.575 and 11 homers and 49 RBI's in 54 games.
Red Sox Cy Young so far: SP Pedro Martinez - He's baffled opposing hitters after a rough April, he's currently 9-1 with a 3.17 ERA, 17 walks, 82 K's, and a .257 BAA in 76 2/3 innings.
Minor League to keep an eye on: SS Hanley Ramirez - The 19 year old shortstop has been tearing up AAA, to a line of .311/.370/.529 with nine homers, 40 ribbies, 20 steals (only five caught stealing) and 44 runs in 242 at bats. He's looking like a future MVP more and more every day.

Batting Stats:

Player Name	P	H	AB	Avg	SLG	OBP	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	SB	SB%
Damon, Johnny	CF	67	232	.289	.427	.360	15	1	5	21	50	16	80.0
Ortiz, David	1B	73	221	.330	.575	.407	19	1	11	49	33	0	0.0
Garciaparra, Nomar	SS	68	219	.311	.557	.347	16	4	10	42	39	2	66.7
Ramirez, Manny	LF	50	204	.245	.485	.367	10	0	13	42	40	0	0.0
Hillenbrand, Shea	3B	58	194	.299	.521	.343	10	3	9	31	36	1	100.0
Varitek, Jason	C	61	193	.316	.575	.393	14	0	12	44	33	1	100.0
Nixon, Trot	RF	46	181	.254	.420	.354	11	2	5	19	27	5	100.0
Sanchez, Freddy	2B	38	144	.264	.361	.327	8	3	0	14	18	0	0.0
Walker, Todd	2B	17	76	.224	.342	.298	5	2	0	9	9	0	0.0
Giambi, Jeremy	LF	7	36	.194	.306	.256	1	0	1	5	4	0	0.0
Jackson, Damian	2B	9	27	.333	.444	.357	1	1	0	3	6	0	0.0
Mueller, Bill	3B	8	23	.348	.652	.429	1	0	2	5	4	0	0.0
Brown, Adrian	CF	1	4	.250	1.000	.250	0	0	1	2	1	0	0.0

Pitching Stats:

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Martinez, Pedro	BOS	11	9	1	3.17	76.2	82	0	1	.257
Lowe, Derek	BOS	11	8	2	2.85	75.2	62	0	0	.235
Burkett, John	BOS	8	3	2	3.29	65.2	50	1	1	.267
Castillo, Frank	BOS	10	3	4	4.92	64.0	36	0	0	.256
Howry, Bobby	BOS	0	4	0	1.69	26.2	19	1	0	.215
Timlin, Mike	BOS	0	1	1	4.09	22.0	17	0	0	.322
Meredith, Cla	BOS	0	1	0	1.66	21.2	14	0	0	.175
Papelbon, Jonathan	BOS	0	2	1	1.27	21.1	29	15	0	.195
Wakefield, Tim	BOS	3	1	1	6.75	18.2	9	0	0	.338
Embree, Alan	BOS	0	1	0	4.02	15.2	15	0	0	.270
Jones, Bobby	BOS	0	0	0	0.00	0.0	0	0	0	.000

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

League Summary

Division Leaders:

AL East: Boston Red Sox, 38-16 (New York Yankees, 29-27, 10.0 GB)
AL Central: Minnesota Twins, 30-26 (Cleveland Indians + Chicago White Sox, 29-26, 0.5 GB)
AL West: Texas Rangers, 34-20, + Oakland A's, 35-21 (Seattle Mariners, 26-28, + Anaheim Angels, 27-29, 8 GB)
AL Wild Card: Oakland A's, 35-21 (Chicago White Sox + Cleveland Indians, 29-26, 5.5 GB)

NL East: Atlanta Braves, 36-20 (Philadelphia Phillies, 33-22, 2.5 GB)
NL Central: Houston Astros, 33-19 (Chicago Cubs, 33-20, 0.5 GB)
NL West: San Francisco Giants, 36-18 (Arizona Diamondbacks, 27-26, 8.5 GB)
NL Wild Card: Chicago Cubs, 33-20 (Philadelphia Phillies, 33-22, 1 GB)

League Leaders:

	AL					NL
BA: Michael Young (TEX) - .372		Lance Berkman (HOU) - .369
HR: Carlos Delgado (TOR) - 18		Andruw Jones (ATL) - 20
RBI: Garret Anderson (ANA) - 55		Tino Martinez (STL) - 60
SB: Carl Crawford (TBD) - 24		Juan Pierre (FLA) - 31

W: Johan Santana (MIN) + Pedro Martinez (BOS) - 9		Roy Oswalt (HOU) - 9
ERA: John Thomson (TEX) - 1.74		Jeremy Bonderman (CIN) - 1.80
K: Johan Santana (MIN) - 92		Roy Oswalt (HOU) - 86
SV: Rafael Betancourt (CLE) - 16		Dave Veres (CHC) - 16

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

2003 Draft Review

Your newest wave of future Sox Stars are now in the system, with the 2003 June draft being completed.

1st Round Pick
SP Andrew Miller (53/89), L/L, 6'6", 210 lbs.
77 END, 59 CON, 63 POW, 53 MOV
67 DEF, 69 HIT, 79 HEA
62 FASTBALL, 56 SLIDER, 50 CHANGE
Senior Year Stats: 10 G, 5-0, 2.61 ERA, 72.1 IP, 60 H, 4 HR, 19 BB, 72 K, .212 BAA

First round pick Andrew Miller, pictured above, is a big, strong lefty with the perfect pitcher's build at 6'6" and 210 pounds. He features a fastball regularly clocked in the mid nineties, between 93 and 95 usually, a hard, biting slider, and a developing change. He is primarily a strikeout pitcher, striking out a batter per inning his senior year, but also has excellent control, walking only 19 in 72 innings his senior year. He held batters to a .212 clip, but is still considered somewhat hittable by scouts. He could become an ace, but it's more likely that he develops into a solid #2 or #3 type pitcher.

2nd Round Pick
Todd Knepper (54/82), L/L, 6'4", 225 lbs.

Knepper is a lefty power-hitting first baseman. He hit .367/.478/.773 in his senior year, with 15 homers and 39 RBI's in 128 at bats. He can't field worth a lick, but if his bat keeps progressing he should develop into a very good power-hitting DH.

3rd Round Pick
Kellyn Carter (52/81), R/R, 6'0", 189 lbs.

Carter is your prototypical contact, eye, OBP second baseman. He isn't a very good fielder though, and his only good year of high school was his senior year, in which he hit .337/.434/.625 in 104 at bats, so I'd be relatively surprised if he comes close to panning out.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

               2003 AMATEUR DRAFT

================== First ROUND ===================
   0. Tigers          Carlos Gomez              (LF)
   1. Devil Rays      Delmon Young              (RF)
   2. Brewers         Aaron Lavin               (C)
   3. Royals          Felix Pie                 (CF)
   4. Padres          Asdrubal Cabrera          (2B)
   5. Orioles         Fabio Castro              (P)
   6. Cubs            Brian Schroeder           (P)
   7. Pirates         Ivan Orrego               (SS)
   8. Rangers         Gunyoung Laquerra         (CF)
   9. Rockies         John Danks                (P)
  10. Indians         Yancy James               (C)
  11. Mets            Ryan Sweeney              (LF)
  12. Reds            Daric Barton              (1B)
  13. Blue Jays       Sean Knott                (CF)
  14. Marlins         Joba Chamberlain          (P)
  15. Phillies        Larry Hubble              (C)
  16. White Sox       Nick Stivers              (RF)
  17. Expos           Tim Berndt                (1B)
  18. Astros          Troy Patton               (P)
  19. Dodgers         Jesse Litsch              (P)
  20. Red Sox         Andrew Miller             (P)
  21. Mariners        Dan Porter                (P)
  22. Twins           Brad Quigley              (CF)
  23. Cardinals       Marcus Pocovi             (CF)
  24. Diamondbacks    Leon Tupper               (SS)
  25. Braves          Marcel Futch              (1B)
  26. Yankees         Manny Malfavon            (CF)
  27. Athletics       Victor Asaeda             (SS)
  28. Giants          Raul Castro               (LF)
  29. Angels          Chris Sundell             (C)

================== Second ROUND ==================
  30. Tigers          Shawn Shelton             (C)
  31. Devil Rays      Aaron Mackerlich          (P)
  32. Brewers         Aaron Laffey              (P)
  33. Royals          Edwin McCutchen           (RF)
  34. Padres          Marshall Mayer            (P)
  35. Orioles         Jose Garcia               (P)
  36. Cubs            Juan Fregaso              (RF)
  37. Pirates         Kyle Colligan             (P)
  38. Rangers         Roy Randel                (P)
  39. Rockies         Tyler Clippard            (P)
  40. Indians         Theo Haney                (P)
  41. Mets            Brett Brine               (P)
  42. Reds            Tak Uboshita              (P)
  43. Blue Jays       Henry Thompson            (P)
  44. Marlins         Jason Baldwin             (P)
  45. Phillies        Ben Spoor                 (SS)
  46. White Sox       Ryan Feierabend           (P)
  47. Expos           Sean Gallagher            (P)
  48. Astros          Eric O'Flaherty           (P)
  49. Dodgers         Darwin Allington          (P)
  50. Red Sox         Todd Knepper              (1B)
  51. Mariners        Enrico Maiguez            (P)
  52. Twins           Dan Leake                 (LF)
  53. Cardinals       Walter Cole               (3B)
  54. Diamondbacks    Derrick Mathew            (LF)
  55. Braves          Adam Jones                (CF)
  56. Yankees         Rico Anglada              (LF)
  57. Athletics       Kurtis Reese              (LF)
  58. Giants          Carlos Fernandez          (P)
  59. Angels          Kyle Townley              (P)

================== Third ROUND ===================
  60. Tigers          Colby Sissom              (P)
  61. Devil Rays      Tim Harper                (SS)
  62. Brewers         Corey Franks              (P)
  63. Royals          Oscar Sortani             (LF)
  64. Padres          Vic Berzunza              (P)
  65. Orioles         Jesse Compte              (C)
  66. Cubs            Brandon Wood              (3B)
  67. Pirates         Simon Trahey              (P)
  68. Rangers         Jarrod Saltalamacchia     (C)
  69. Rockies         Dana Woodcock             (P)
  70. Indians         Chris Parisi              (P)
  71. Mets            Rick VandenHurk           (P)
  72. Reds            Jerry Backus              (P)
  73. Blue Jays       Jim Engelbrecht           (RF)
  74. Marlins         Daryl Grande              (LF)
  75. Phillies        Ramon Frujillo            (RF)
  76. White Sox       Ethan Washington          (CF)
  77. Expos           Luis Babarro              (CF)
  78. Astros          Lastings Milledge         (RF)
  79. Dodgers         Brian Gratwick            (2B)
  80. Red Sox         Kellyn Carter             (2B)
  81. Mariners        Phil Webber               (P)
  82. Twins           Arthur Koontz             (P)
  83. Cardinals       Arturo Crisanty           (P)
  84. Diamondbacks    Walt Catcott              (P)
  85. Braves          Stefano Platas            (P)
  86. Yankees         Ethan Williamson          (P)
  87. Athletics       Brian Mabrey              (P)
  88. Giants          Ben Pinkerton             (CF)
  89. Angels          Jason Poteat              (LF)

================== Fourth ROUND ==================
  90. Tigers          Baron Reed                (P)
  91. Devil Rays      Will Hildersley           (C)
  92. Brewers         Keith Smith               (P)
  93. Royals          James Coffman             (P)
  94. Padres          Nelson Diaz               (P)
  95. Orioles         Jose Ascanio              (P)
  96. Cubs            Alf Shoebotham            (C)
  97. Pirates         Gabriel Thomas            (3B)
  98. Rangers         Trent Woodard             (P)
  99. Rockies         Bob Roe                   (LF)
 100. Indians         Chris Mackerras           (P)
 101. Mets            Manuel Aguelar            (P)
 102. Reds            Shawn Dinnes              (P)
 103. Blue Jays       Craig Bialo               (P)
 104. Marlins         Ryan Fermin               (P)
 105. Phillies        Imbert Tepanecatl         (P)
 106. White Sox       Gary Bacon                (P)
 107. Expos           Tom Holder                (3B)
 108. Astros          Quintin McReynolds        (C)
 109. Dodgers         Josh Vives                (RF)
 110. Red Sox         Ian Stewart               (3B)
 111. Mariners        Ricky Cross               (RF)
 112. Twins           Derrick Raines            (SS)
 113. Cardinals       Harv Whewell              (SS)
 114. Diamondbacks    Craig Finnemore           (CF)
 115. Braves          Matt Feldman              (P)
 116. Yankees         Jason Swain               (P)
 117. Athletics       Ricky Bautista            (P)
 118. Giants          Craig Backer              (P)
 119. Angels          Mark Thompson             (P)

================== Fifth ROUND ===================
 120. Tigers          Danny Andrews             (P)
 121. Devil Rays      Jeff Gonzales             (P)
 122. Brewers         Jeffrey Small             (LF)
 123. Royals          Dave Collin               (1B)
 124. Padres          Reggie Thomas             (RF)
 125. Orioles         Nat Cremin                (LF)
 126. Cubs            Bobby Pohlmann            (CF)
 127. Pirates         Larry Todd                (1B)
 128. Rangers         Greg Scarborough          (3B)
 129. Rockies         Vern Campion              (1B)
 130. Indians         Travis Dietzer            (1B)
 131. Mets            Wayne Edwards             (1B)
 132. Reds            Doug Law                  (LF)
 133. Blue Jays       Eric Growcott             (P)
 134. Marlins         Emilio Bonifacio          (2B)
 135. Phillies        Leon Cruz                 (P)
 136. White Sox       Damien Thompson           (P)
 137. Expos           Jaime Veguez              (RF)
 138. Astros          Phil Byrum                (1B)
 139. Dodgers         Tony Richard              (P)
 140. Red Sox         Toby Vreeland             (P)
 141. Mariners        Greg Lambrecht            (1B)
 142. Twins           Luis Ramires              (P)
 143. Cardinals       Steve Weakley             (1B)
 144. Diamondbacks    Eric Downey               (P)
 145. Braves          Jerry Fifett              (SS)
 146. Yankees         Jim Henderson             (SS)
 147. Athletics       Warren Peters             (P)
 148. Giants          Chris Everitt             (P)
 149. Angels          Alfredo Monoya            (P)

================== Sixth ROUND ===================
 150. Tigers          Roberto Gomez             (2B)
 151. Devil Rays      Martin Donogan            (P)
 152. Brewers         Brian Pompey              (CF)
 153. Royals          Kevin Alden               (P)
 154. Padres          Kirk Mars                 (C)
 155. Orioles         Jamie Davis               (RF)
 156. Cubs            Andy Whetzel              (P)
 157. Pirates         Nick Martin               (P)
 158. Rangers         Katsumi Tadeshi           (P)
 159. Rockies         Harris Hall               (2B)
 160. Indians         Jon Perkins               (SS)
 161. Mets            Sebastien Kindall         (RF)
 162. Reds            Ross Bromley              (3B)
 163. Blue Jays       Pat Leathers              (LF)
 164. Marlins         Tony Fryman               (1B)
 165. Phillies        Jason Gibbons             (P)
 166. White Sox       Ben Schofield             (2B)
 167. Expos           Ichiro Iguchi             (P)
 168. Astros          Will Schaffner            (3B)
 169. Dodgers         Mike Vildibill            (1B)
 170. Red Sox         Sylvester Ayres           (CF)
 171. Mariners        Jamie Wallop              (LF)
 172. Twins           Ken Casson                (1B)
 173. Cardinals       Ronnie Ledoux             (P)
 174. Diamondbacks    Ryan Lundquist            (P)
 175. Braves          Russell McLairish         (P)
 176. Yankees         Juan Moncebais            (P)
 177. Athletics       Hareem Jones              (CF)
 178. Giants          Al Romig                  (RF)
 179. Angels          Todd Hellman              (SS)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Just as an FYI, this is probably how I'll do the draft every year. Review my top 3 picks and then post the output for the entire draft.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Manny and Red Sox put on a clinic in Arlington

--June 14, 2003

Manny and the Red Sox put on one hell of a show in Texas last night, scoring 11 runs on 25 hits in a 19-9 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Manny was the star of the show, collecting three hits in six at bats, including two homers, driving in five runs and scoring twice, but the offense was well distributed. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit, everyone except for Shea Hillenbrand scored at least one run, and everyone except Hillenbrand and Millar drive in a run. Some other notable hitting performances of the night included Nixon's 5-7, three runs, and four RBI's, Damon's 5-6, one walk, four runs, two RBI's, and Varitek's 3-5, one walk, three runs, and one RBI.

Perhaps the most remarkable performance of the night was Derek Lowe. He went 6 1/3 innings, gave up nine hits and three walks, allowed seven runs and struck out four, but on the strength of the Red Sox hitting still managed to score a win.

Although no one who pitched for the Rangers last night was particularly good, the ones with the worst whiplash this morning are probably Chan Ho Park, who allowed seven runs in two thirds of an innings, and Joaquin Benoit, who allowed six runs in an inning.

BOXSCORE:

Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers
June 13, 2003

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Red Sox (BOS) 7 0 3 6 1 0 2 0 0   19 25  0
       Rangers (TEX) 0 0 0 1 4 0 3 1 0    9 12  1

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Damon (CF)         6  5  1  4  0  2  0  0    .304
T. Nixon (RF)         7  5  0  3  0  4  0  0    .278
D. Ortiz (DH)         5  2  2  2  1  3  1  0    .325
M. Ramirez (LF)       6  3  1  3  2  5  1  0    .275
N. Garciaparra (SS)   7  3  0  1  0  1  1  0    .325
S. Hillenbrand (3B)   6  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .275
K. Millar (1B)        6  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .263
J. Varitek (C)        5  3  1  3  0  1  1  0    .291
F. Sanchez (2B)       5  2  0  2  0  1  2  0    .276
TOTALS               53 25  5 19  3 17  9  0

   2B:  J. Varitek (15), N. Garciaparra 2 (21), J. Damon (17), F. Sanchez 2 (15)
   3B:  J. Damon (4), T. Nixon (3)
   HR:  D. Ortiz (12), M. Ramirez 2 (18)
   HBP:  F. Sanchez

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         D. Lowe  6.1  9  3  1  7  7  4 100   3.44
        B. Howry  1.2  3  0  0  2  2  2  35   2.20
     J. Papelbon  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  2  17   0.91
          TOTALS  9.0 12  3  1  9  9  8 152

TEXAS                ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
D. Glanville (DH)     3  2  1  3  0  0  0  0    .265
M. Young (2B)         5  3  0  1  0  1  0  0    .356
J. Gonzalez (RF)      4  2  1  2  0  1  2  0    .331
A. Rodriguez (SS)     4  2  1  1  0  3  0  0    .300
R. Palmeiro (1B)      5  1  0  0  0  2  1  0    .263
R. Ludwick (CF)       5  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .303
R. Sierra (LF)        4  2  0  1  1  1  1  0    .249
H. Perry (3B)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .247
E. Diaz (C)           3  0  0  1  0  0  1  0    .167
TOTALS               37 12  3  9  1  8  8  0

   2B:  R. Palmeiro (16), M. Young (13), A. Rodriguez (13), J. Gonzalez (13)
   HR:  R. Sierra (9)
   HBP:  E. Diaz, D. Glanville
   GIDP:  R. Palmeiro, M. Young

           TEXAS   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         C. Park  0.2  5  2  1  7  7  2  47   5.73
        C. Young  2.1  6  1  1  3  3  2  58   5.90
       J. Benoit  1.0  5  1  1  6  6  0  34   6.57
       J. Powell  0.2  3  0  0  1  1  0  20   3.12
        A. Fultz  1.1  1  0  0  0  0  2  28   6.35
      F. Cordero  1.0  3  0  0  2  2  1  28   3.38
       U. Urbina  2.0  2  1  0  0  0  2  42   1.21
          TOTALS  9.0 25  5  3 19 19  9 257

     WP: D. Lowe (10-2)
     LP: C. Park (6-5)

     Temperature: 82F
     Wind: 9 MPH (right to left)
     Attendance: 42,280
     Time: 4:00

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Red Sox deal Embree and Jackson

--June 16, 2003

Late last night the Red Sox and Dodgers agreed to a deal that sent RP Alan Embree (79) and utility infield Damian Jackson (77) to Los Angeles for 18 year old right fielder Matt Kemp (73/84). Embree had been less than spectacular in 20 1/3 innings out of the Red Sox 'pen, posting a 4.87 ERA. Jackson had appeared in only 11 games for the Red Sox, garnering 42 at bats and a .262 batting average. Kemp is a talented young man who could develop into a solid major league outfielder some time in the future. He's currently batting .336/.390/.498 with eight homers and 61 RBI's in 241 at bats at A-ball.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Red Sox open up 13 game lead

June was no April or May, but it was still a damn good month in Red Sox land. The month of June saw the Red Sox tack 17 more wins, and 11 losses, to their season total, bringing their season record to 55-27. That's good for a 13.5 game lead over the second place New York Yankees. The Red Sox did face a rash of significant injuries in June, though. Pedro missed two starts with a minor stress fracture in his hip, Nixon missed the last 11 days of the month with a sprained back, and John Burkett suffered an ankle stress fracture that will sideline for most of July. There was also a litany of other minor injuries to the likes of Freddy Sanchez, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jonathan Papelbon. Next month will be the All-Star game, and with a good month the Red Sox should be able to put the division out of reach to the Yankees or any other team in the division.

Month Record (Overall Record and Standing): 17-11 (55-27, 1st place 13.5 GA)
Team Batting: .285
Team ERA: 3.81
RS: 469
RA: 340
Pythagorean W-L: 54-28

The Good:

• Manny's bat came alive in June. He improve to .279/.384/.524 with 20 homers and 68 ribbies, half way through the season.
• Jason is having arguably the best offensive season by a catcher this year, and certainly the best of his career. He's currently sporting an .875 OPS, on the strength of his line of .288/.365/.510, along with 15 homers and 56 RBI's.
• David Ortiz is still whacking the crap out of the ball, hitting an impressive .317/.383/.566 with 18 homers and 73 RBI's.
• The Red Sox are sporting the lowest bullpen ERA in the league, by far, with a mark of 2.35. The next closes is the Expos, in the National League, with a mark of 2.98.

The Bad:

• Injuries have started to become an issue with this team. As mentioned before, Pedro, Nomar and Nixon all have missed or are missing time with injuries, and that's just the tip of the iceberg as other contributors like Sanchez and Papelbon have missed time as well.
• Derek Lowe had an extremely rough June. His ERA skyrocketed from the mid 2's to low 3's last month, all the way up to the low 4's at the end of this month. He got tagged for 7 runs on the 13th against the Rangers, 6 against the Orioles on the 19th, and 6 again against the Angels on the 28th.
• Nixon's replacement, Jeremy Giambi, is hitting only .203 with eight RBI's since Nixon's injury.

Red Sox MVP so far: DH David Ortiz - Manny Ramirez comes in a close second, but Ortiz is in the top 3 in most major offensive categories for the team. His line currently rests at .317/.383/.566 with 18 homers and 73 RBI's in 341 at bats.
Red Sox Cy Young so far: Tie between SP Pedro Martinez and RP Jon Papelbon - This one is way too close to call so I'm giving it to both of them. Papelbon has been money in the ninth inning, saving 26 games in 29 chances, and sports a 1.01 ERA, nine walks, and 45 K's in 35 2/3 innings. Pedro is leading the starting staff with an 11-2 record, 3.48 ERA, 113 K's to only 24 walks, and .256 BAA in 103 1/3 innings.
Minor League to keep an eye on: SS Hanley Ramirez - For the third month in a row Hanley receives this honor. He's already making a case to be called up to play somewhere full-time at only 19 years old, with his robust .916 OPS 14 homers, 60 RBI's, and 26 steals.

Batting Stats:

Player Name	P	H	AB	Avg	SLG	OBP	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	SB	SB%
Damon, Johnny	CF	102	353	.289	.465	.354	21	4	11	35	72	19	79.2
Ortiz, David	1B	108	341	.317	.566	.383	27	2	18	73	51	0	0.0
Garciaparra, Nomar	SS	104	332	.313	.539	.351	22	7	13	53	55	5	83.3
Ramirez, Manny	LF	88	315	.279	.524	.384	17	0	20	68	55	1	50.0
Hillenbrand, Shea	3B	87	305	.285	.511	.325	15	6	14	46	52	1	50.0
Varitek, Jason	C	84	292	.288	.510	.365	18	1	15	56	51	2	66.7
Nixon, Trot	RF	67	247	.271	.449	.373	14	3	8	34	45	5	83.3
Sanchez, Freddy	2B	66	244	.270	.373	.325	17	4	0	20	30	0	0.0
Millar, Kevin	LF	57	207	.275	.473	.356	18	1	7	31	25	1	50.0
Walker, Todd	2B	25	98	.255	.357	.321	6	2	0	12	13	1	100.0
Giambi, Jeremy	LF	13	64	.203	.297	.261	3	0	1	8	7	0	0.0
Mueller, Bill	3B	9	27	.333	.704	.406	1	0	3	7	5	0	0.0
Youkilis, Kevin	1B	4	9	.444	.667	.545	2	0	0	2	0	0	0.0
Brown, Adrian	CF	1	6	.167	.667	.167	0	0	1	2	1	0	0.0
Mirabelli, Doug	C	1	4	.250	.250	.250	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.0

Pitching Stats:

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Martinez, Pedro	BOS	15	11	2	3.48	103.1	113	0	1	.256
Lowe, Derek	BOS	16	12	3	4.04	107.0	89	0	0	.254
Castillo, Frank	BOS	14	3	7	5.18	90.1	54	0	0	.270
Arroyo, Bronson	BOS	10	6	4	4.18	71.0	51	0	0	.261
Wakefield, Tim	BOS	8	3	2	3.30	57.1	31	0	0	.239
Papelbon, Jonathan	BOS	0	2	1	1.01	35.2	45	26	0	.147
Meredith, Cla	BOS	0	4	0	1.86	29.0	18	0	0	.204
Timlin, Mike	BOS	0	1	1	3.99	29.1	20	0	0	.320
Howry, Bobby	BOS	0	4	0	2.72	39.2	29	1	0	.245
Holtz, Mike	BOS	0	0	1	2.00	9.0	11	0	0	.212
Okajima, Hideki	BOS	0	0	0	3.00	3.0	2	0	0	.385

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

League Summary

Division Leaders:

AL East: Boston Red Sox, 55-27 (New York Yankees, 43-42, 13.5 GB)
AL Central: Chicago White Sox, 43-39 + Minnesota Twins, 44-40 (Cleveland Indians, 41-41, 2 GB)
AL West: Texas Rangers, 50-31 (Oakland A's, 47-36, 4 GB)
AL Wild Card: Oakland A's, 47-36 (Minnesota Twins, 44-40, 3.5 GB)

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies, 50-32 (Atlanta Braves, 48-35, 2.5 GB)
NL Central: Houston Astros, 53-27 (St. Louis Cardinals, 48-33, 5.5 GB)
NL West: San Francisco Giants, 53-29 (Colorado Rockies, 36-45, 16.5 GB)
NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals, 48-33 (Atlanta Braves, 48-35, 1 GB)

League Leaders:

	AL					NL
BA: Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) - .367		Jack Wilson (PIT) - .363
HR: Juan Gonzalez (TEX) - 25		Albert Pujols (STL) - 28
RBI: Juan Gonzalez (TEX) - 76		Albert Pujols (STL) - 83
SB: Carl Crawford (TBD) + Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) - 32		Juan Pierre (FLA) - 45

W: Johan Santana (MIN) + Derek Lowe (BOS) + Kevin Appier (ANA) - 12		Roy Oswalt (HOU) - 13
ERA: Tim Hudson (OAK) - 2.33		Greg Maddux (ATL) - 2.66
K: Johan Santana (MIN) - 130		Roy Oswalt (HOU) - 118
SV: Jon Papelbon (BOS) - 26		Felix Rodriguez (SFG) - 22

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Just so you guys know, starting Tuesday, updates will probably be somewhat infrequent, if not nonexistent, for about 2 weeks while my parents are on vacation in California visiting my sister and the kids.

I'm not going because I don't want to make up the tests and homework, plus its my senior year and there's not a chance in hell I'm going away for two weeks in my senior year .

Anyways, while they're gone I'm staying at my brother's because we're getting work done to our bathroom, and my brother doesn't have internet. Someone on his street might have internet that I can, ahem, borrow (), but I'm not counting on it.

I should still have internet a couple times a week when I bring my laptop in for Computer Science, so I should be able to get a couple posts in during that time.

[DarthJaker]

Wow Papelbon 45 saves threw June!