Marlins Trade For Johnson; Braves Get LaRoche

While the Phillies were quiet today, their NL East rivals Marlins and Braves made moves. The Marlins acquired first basemen Nick Johnson from the Nationals pitching prospect Aaron Thompson. The Braves traded first basemen Casey Kotchman to the Red Sox for first basemen Adam LaRoche.

Nick Johnson is batting .295 with 6 homers and 44 RBIs and should help out the Marlins lineup. The Braves and Red Sox just swapped first basemen. I don't know the reason for that deal.

Red Sox Acquire Catcher Martinez

The Red Sox have made a deal with the Indians for catcher Victor Martinez. Martinez is the bat the Red Sox were looking for. They were also looking at Padres first basemen Adrian Gonzalez. The Indians received pitcher Justin Masterson, a promising young pitcher. The Indians also got minor league pitchers Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price.

Martinez is batting .284 with 15 homers and 67 RBIs. Martinez will probably catch most of the time for the Red Sox because their current catcher, Jason Varitek, is hitting only .239.

The Indians will have a good team in a few years. They traded away Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez for prospects who will begin to blossom soon enough. Just because the Indians traded away two very good players, doesn't mean these aren't good moves for them too.

Big Papi, Ramirez on 2003 List

        Two Red Sox who helped break the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004 have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs.  According to the New York Times, Red Sox DH David Ortiz and Dodgers (former Red Sox) outfielder Manny Ramirez are on the lists of players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003.

        I can't say I am surprised by Ortiz being linked to 'roids.  He was cut by the Minnesota Twins in 2002 and was signed by the Red Sox.  After that, Ortiz exploded, hitting 31 homers in a season he started as a backup.  He was no longer a backup after that and established himself as one of the best hitters in the game.

        Manny tested positive this year and is already back from his 50-game suspension.  Apparently Manny has been juicing for quite a while.  That's what this report tells me.

        When the Mitchell Report came out, everyone thought that the Yankees juiced themselves to championships because of their many players in the report.  Their bitter rival, the Red Sox, weren't exactly clean either.

        Ortiz was open about the report when interviewed after the Red Sox game today.  Ortiz said he will reveal details to the public about his PED use after he gets more information.  

        Big Papi's close friend Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said this about Ortiz being linked to PEDs: "This really, really hurts.  "I don't know what to think about this. I guess you just never know what people do in the dark."

        "I still love him but at the same time it's tough to hear that. I know it's going to be tough on him and tough on his family once this gets out. It's Big Papi, man, it's the Big Dog of Boston and he helped win two World Series with those guys, with the clutch hits. And now all those things are going to be tainted."

        Well said Torii, well said.

It Will be the Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays wrapped up the American League Championship Series last night, with a 3-1 win in Game 7. They will be taking on our-beloved Phils in the World Series. The Red Sox, after being down 3-1 in the series, won two consecutive games to force this decisive seventh game.

I didn't know who to root for last night. I thought both teams had good pitching and good hittting. I knew both would be a tough test for the Phils. I wanted to root for the Rays, because I didn't want the Red Sox to win three straight games coming into the World Series. But the Rays have really been hitting the ball (mostly out of the park), so I'm a little nervous.

It will be a tough series for sure for the Phillies. Cole Hamels needs to come out strong in Game 1 on Wednesday. I will do a comprehensive preview on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

CRAZY Game

The Tampa Bay Rays won Game 2 of the ALCS early this morning. I stayed up and watched all 11 innings of madness from Tropicana Field. It was a big win by the Rays to even the series at one. The teams will be off tonight and will pick up the action at Fenway on Monday.

This game had everything. Home runs, wild pitches, extra innings. Very exciting game, and finish. There was seven dingers in the game (four for the Red Sox and three for the Rays). Dustin Pedroia came up big for the Red Sox knocking two over the fence.

Third basemen Evan Longoria had a huge game, going three for five with a homer and three RBIs. The Rays knew they had to win this game and B.J. Upton finally did in the bottom of the 11th. Upton hit a shallow fly ball to right field, and that was enough to sacrifice the man home.

It seemed as if every time one team took the lead during the game, the other team would equalize on their next at-bat. Just a see-saw game that came down to a sacrifice fly in the 11th.

Go Phils!

Baseball's Final Four

The League Championship Series will start tomorrow, with the Dodgers taking the on the Phillies. In the American League, the Boston Red Sox will be taking on division rival Tampa Bay. Here is a preview of both series:

Red Sox vs. Rays

Boston Red Sox

This is a very intriguing series between two very good teams from the AL East. Boston pitching depth is probably unmatched in the majors, but Tampa's is a close second. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester are two of the most dominating pitchers in the game. Josh Beckett isn't 100% but he will start at least one game in this series.

Boston's lineup has a great mix of veteran players and blossoming stars. Everyone knows Big Papi (above) is their power hitter, but he is suffering from a wrist injury. He hasn't been hitting all that well. Jason Bay has been a great run producer since coming from Pittsburgh. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia batted .326 with 17 homers and 83 RBIs. That .326 average was good for second in the American League. He should be the AL MVP. The rest of the lineup is stacked.

One major loss for the Red Sox is veteran third basemen Mike Lowell. Lowell was last year's World Series MVP, and a real leader. Lowell is certain that he will not play in any remaining playoff games.

Tampa Bay Rays

I have to confess that I thought the Rays would crumble in the second half. They sure showed me. The Rays young pitchers have really pitched well in big games this season (and in the playoffs). James Shields pitched well during the season, and had a nice outing against the White Sox last week. Scott Kazmir didn't have his best season this year, but he still a feared lefty.

The Rays seem to have great teamwork in a sport that significantly lacks real teamwork. Their young (and loaded-with-talent) players score runs with ease. Evan Longoria is a all-around player at third base. He homered in his first two postseason at-bats. Not bad for a rookie. Carlos Pena is the only player on the Rays with 100+ RBIs. He also knocked 31 balls over the fence during the season.

My Prediction: Rays in 7

Phillies vs. Dodgers

Philadelphia Phillies

Everyone knows about the Phillies prolific offense. I don't think I need to give you the stats of guys like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell. But a lot of the Phils' role players have been stepping up in the postseason. Shane Victorino has been terrific in October, knocking in five runs in four games. Jayson Werth has been a player that has created opportunities. His speed and timely hitting helped carry the Phils to the playoffs.

The starting pitching for the Phillies has been rather inconsistent. Cole Hamels is the team's ace. And he pitched a gem in the Game 1 of the NLCS, throwing eight shutout innings. Brett Myers looked very good in Game 2, but he has a tendency to blow up. Jamie Moyer pitched poorly in Game 3, but he usually is money. The Phillies bullpen is shaky if the starters don't go at least six innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Manny Ramirez is absolutely dominant in the playoffs. The Phils cannot pitch to him. He hit two homers in the Cub debacle. He has 26 dingers in the playoffs in his career. The Dodgers power ends with Manny. Andre Eithier is second on the team in homers with a parsley 20 (Note: Eithier would be fifth on the Phillies). Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Russell Martin are the fuel that drives the Dodger offense.

The Dodger pitching isn't all that great either. Manager Joe Torre will start Dereck Lowe, who was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA during the regular season. Chad Billingsley is the team's best starter, going 16-10 with a 3.12 earned run average.

My Prediction: Phillies in 6

Comment on your predictions

Manny to Dodgers

So the blockbuster happened in the waning minutes before the 4pm trade deadline. The three way deal included the Red Sox, Pirates and Dodgers. The Dodgers got Manny Ramirez, and the Red Sox got outfielder Jason Bay. The Pirates received four minor leaguers. It was thought that the deal was going to include the Marlins instead of the Dodgers. But the Dodgers came out of nowhere to nab Manny.

Manny has voiced his displeasure with the Red Sox over the last week. "I love the Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here." That was what Manny thought of the Red Sox.

Ramirez was threatening to not play for the Red Sox. He was tired of the Red Sox and the Red Sox were tired of him. Ramirez is batting .299 with 20 homers along with 68 RBIs.

Let's talk about what the Red Sox got in return. They traded a guy who didn't want to play for them, and they got a elite left fielder who is probably thrilled to play for them. Why is Jason Bay thrilled to play for the Red Sox? He moves from a last place team (the Pirates) who have gave away everything except PNC Park, to a team that is a playoff contender. No, Bay is not as good as Ramirez, but he is batting .282 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs.

The Dodgers have no pop in their bat. They will certainly get pop now that they have Ramirez. They are one game back in the horrendous NL West. Arizona is leading the division currently. By comparison, if the Dodgers (or the Diamondbacks, for that matter) were in the NL West, they would be in fourth place and out of the playoffs. The Dodgers will win the weak NL West now that they have Manny.

The Pirates are in complete rebuilding mode. Now that they've traded away Nady (for next to nothing) and Bay, they have no hope of having a playoff contender in the next two years (at least). I don't know why they would trade away their best players in their prime. But that's how the cookie crumbled.

Red Sox Rock Rockies

The Red Sox certainly showed why they are the best baseball team in the world by sweeping the Rockies in the World Series last week. The Red Sox are just too good a mix of hitting and pitching. The Sox made it look easy as they outscored the Colorado Rockies 29-10. Everyone for the BoSox contributed from Manny Ramirez to John Lester.
I guess an eight-day rest for the Rockies cooled them off. Before this series the Rockies won every playoff game they played in this year.
Boston sports fans are joyful for two reasons: one, they won the World Series and two, their football team is undefeated.
The Red Sox are a great team, so don't count them out for next year. Their won't be any post-world championship drought for this team, believe me. They deserve to win.

Baseball Update- American League East

A.L. East
W-L GB

1. Boston Redsox - 72-48 -
2. New York Yankees- 67-53 5
3. Toronto Bluejays- 61-58 10.5
4. Baltimore Orioles- 56-63 15.5
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays- 46-74 26


Recap: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays held off the BoSox and won 6-5 last night. Andy Sonnanstine pitched 6 scoreless innings for the Devil Rays but then gave up 3 runs in the 7th inning. Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up 6 runs in 6 innings and picked up the loss. The Devil Rays broke it open in the 4th when they scored 4 runs. Devil Rays shortstop Brendan Harris got his 2 triple of the year. The first 3 batters for the Red Sox, Dustin Predroia, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz, all went hitless. Jason Varitek hit a homer for the Sox in the 7th inning. The Red Sox got three of their 5 runs un the 7th inning. They scored all of their runs in the 7th inning or later. Baltimore beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium 6-3 last night. Erik Bedard pitched 7 innings and gave up 4 hits and no runs for the Orioles. Phil Hughes pitched 5 innings and gave up 3 runs for the Yanks. Aubrey Huff had 2 RBIs for the Orioles. Alex Rodriguez was 4 for 4 yesterday. Shelly Duncan hit a homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Yanks scored 3 runs to tie it up. So it went into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Aubrey Huff hit a 2-run homer as the Orioles scored 3 runs off Mariano Rivera. The Blue Jays won a close won at home over the L.A. Angles, 2-1, last night. Shaun Marcum picked up his 10th win for the Jays, giving up 1 run and 4 hits in 7 innings. Dustin Moseley pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 runs for the Angles. Alex Rios had 3 hits for the Jays. There was not much action in this low-scoring affair.

Prediction: This is a very bold prediction, I think the Yankees will win the division. I think they can somehow pull together and their pitching will get better and the hitting will continue. This is obviously a 2 team race. I think the Red Sox will fall apart. Their pitching will still be good but the hitting will slow down dramaticly. It will be a fun race.