« Not Many Happy Returns: Angels 4, Red Sox 2 (game story)
Main
Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Still the team to beat? (updated with excerpts) »

Baseball Today: Tuesday, August 7

UNLUCKY SEVEN: ''For six innings,'' writes Sean McAdam, ''Curt Schilling’s first start in seven weeks was a qualified success.'' But then, he adds, ''[reality ] bit, even if Schilling's split-fingered fastball didn't.'' The result was two Angels runs, the end of Schilling's night, and a 4-2 Red Sox loss in the opener of a three-game series at Anaheim. (projo.com) Schilling (AP Photo, left) has, at this writing, yet to offer a self-critique though one will undoubtedly be delivered sometime soon. (38pitches.com)

Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe reviewed Schilling's performance and and was upbeat. (''By any measurement, Schilling's return to the rotation is a bonus for the Red Sox.'') And he's right. We're still at a stage of the season where the big picture is more important than any one game, no matter how the standings look.

THEY DO LOOK DIFFERENT, DON'T THEY? McAdam examines the A.L. playoff picture and notes that, thanks to the Tigers' collapse and the Yankees' surge, it's an entirely different scenario than it was at the All-Star break. What's also looking different are SI.com's Power Rankings, which now have the Red Sox, Angels and Yankees in the 1-2-3 spots.

AND IT SHOULD LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT: Seth Mnookin points out that, according to the Pythagorean winning percentage, the Yankees and Red Sox should be virtually tied for the A.L. East lead. The Yankees, however, are underperforming their projection by about 7 games, which is probably a combination of luck and their bad bullpen.

NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT: Murray Chass says the Red Sox have become the Yankees, and they shouldn't be ashamed of it. (New York Times)

THIS WILL LOOK DIFFERENT, TOO: The Red Sox finally landed Bobby Kielty yesterday and McAdam reports this will probably mean the end of Wily Mo Pena's days in Boston. Kielty hasn't even put on a Red Sox uniform yet and already he's a fan favorite: Gordon Edes says the Fitchburg native turned down the Yankees to sign with the Red Sox. (Boston Globe) Why the Yankees wanted another outfielder is a question for bigger minds, unless they were simply trying to keep him out of Boston.

YOUUUKKK! We have a Kevin Youkilis blog sighting! He discusses the road trip, the acquisition of Eric Gagne, and the Celtics' trade for Kevin Garnett.

ON THE WAY UP: Clay Buchholz (right, Journal photo by Glenn Osmundson) has yet to win a game at Pawtucket, but that doesn't mean he's not still marching towards Boston. He took his biggest steps yet last night in a seven-inning, four-hit, one-run, no-walk, nine-strikeout performance against Rochester. Joe McDonald quotes PawSox pitching coach Mike Griffin as saying Buchholz' ceiling is ''off the wall. The upside is so high. He has an abundance of talent, with four major-league pitches, and those pitches will have him playing at the major-league level.'' But he got a no-decision last night because Edgar Martinez allowed five runs in the eighth inning and the Red Wings wound up with a 6-1 win. (Both stories projo.com)

THEM, TOO: The Yankees continued their scorching ways with a 5-4 win yesterday afternoon at Toronto (New York Daily News), though they still don't lead the wild card just yet because the Tigers rallied for a win last night at Tampa Bay. (Detroit News) Meanwhile, the Yanks are turning to their own pitching prospects as Joba Chamberlain joins the New York bullpen tonight. (New York Daily News)

CONGRATULATIONS, NICE WORK, SEE YOU AROUND: Ozzie Guillen has nothing put praise for Barry Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's home-run record. In the next breath says there's no way Bonds will play for the White Sox next year because team rules ''are for 25 guys, not 24.'' (Chicago Tribune)

SLEEPERS: No one's really paying them much heed, but FoxSports.com's Randy Hill says the Diamondbacks, led by former Sox assistant GM Josh Byrnes, are in great position to win the N.L. West.

STORM BREWING? Major league umpires say they understand the need to do extensive background checks, especially in light of the NBA scandal. SI.com's Tom Verducci, however, reports the issue is getting entangled in what are becoming increasingly contentious negotiations between MLB and the umps.

HEAVY ARTILLERY: Though most of the talk surrounding the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera this year has concerned his weight, the Palm Beach Post notes he's in position to become the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to win the Triple Crown.

QUICKLY: Buster Olney reports the White Sox claimed Miguel Tejada off waivers from the Orioles, but Baltimore pulled him back and the teams failed to work out a deal. Mike Piazza, however, has cleared waivers and could be traded by the A's; the Twins and Angels were interested before the deadline . . . Carlos Zambrano reiterates his desire to stay with the Cubs (Newsday) . . . Lighting-quick, no-hit Joey Gathright is back with the Royals . . . The Tigers are talking to the Pirates about shortstop Jack Wilson (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Adam Dunn's name has constantly come up in trade speculation, and he'd like to know exactly what his future is in Cincinnati (Cincinnati Enquirer).

OLD FRIENDS: According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, the Marlins have discussed the possibility of moving Hanley Ramirez from shortstop to center field. . . The Herald also reports the Marlins players are reacting stoically to the front office's white-flag dispatch of Byung-Hyun Kim to Arizona.

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:18 AM | Permalink