Manny's 1st playoff game as a Dodger = went yard Bay's 1st playoff game as a BoSox = went yard This is a rare case in which both teams really did get better by making the deal imo. I know someone will come here and say that Manny is almost hitting .400 with LA. But he wouldn't have done that with the Sox in the frame of mind he was in before the deal.
I'm sure you could have guessed who that someone was going to be too. :grin: Manny always pulled this stunt before the deadline. And he always hits around .350 down the stretch (usually starting right after the All Star break). It's like death and taxes. I'm liking Jason Bay, he's been a good pick-up, but he ain't Manny, and probably never will be.
did he ever take an hour and a half to get from home to 1st on a GIDP? he is just a different dude now, playing EVERY day for the Dodgers and beating out infield hits (like he did again today). Your team looks pretty good when you got Lester throwing bullets, too, naturally. I predicted this on my blog yest, but if the Sox win tonight, it's a sweep. Boston has an overwhelming advantage in the Game 2 and 3 pitching matchups and I just don't like when teams play meaningless baseball for a full month like Anaheim did.
Manny has his issues, and it was probably best for the Sox to unload him. I just really think they shorted themselves on the return. Manny is the best hitter I have ever seen without any question in my mind. Jason Bay, while a solid ballplayer, could have been bought for a fraction of the price Boston paid. Lester scared me coming into tonight. He's tough, and holds up to pressure quite well, but he's inconsistant, and can be wild at times. With the way Anaheim waits on their pitches and runs once on base, a wild pitcher can be an absolute disaster. Dice-K needs to get his sh!t together as well. Hope he can make it past the 5th before throwing his 127th pitch. Haven't heard anything yet on how Beckett's oblique (sp?) is healing. If he pitches like Josh Beckett, chalk that game up as a win. Getting to Lackey tonight was big.
they said Beckett threw without pain today and will be 100% for Sunday, which I might add is a huge help for the Sox that this series has a day off between almost every game. It neutralizes the Angels pitching depth.
Dodgers vs Red Sox would be crazy Throw in Torre being manager against the Red Sox again, and you got some good storylines.
I stand by my opinion that I would prefer having Manny over Jason Bay, but also readily admit that there was no way Manny would have scored on Lowerie's hit last night.
Not offensively, no. But numbers don't lie...especially in baseball. The Red Sox have averaged almost a full run MORE per game this year with Bay than they did with Manny. The most impressive thing about that is that after getting Bay, the Sox were without Lowell and JD Drew for extended stretches due to their injuries. Manny wasn't as bad a fielder as many would like to make him out to be. He could hussle when he wanted to. Problem was that he started wanting to hussle less and less. Bay goes all out, all the time. And what he doesn't offer you in offense like Manny did, he makes up for it with saving you a run here and there with his defense. The rumor mill churnning around Boston is that Ellsbury will be given another full chance at being an everyday starter in CF next season. But if he doesn't do better with his OBP and BB:K ratio, the Sox might look to trade him while his stock is still high enough in the eyes of many other teams--specifically Colorado--to acquire Matt Holiday. Rationale behind such a thought is that Ellsbury, while extremely gifted in the speed and defense department, might turn out to be nothing more than another Juan Pierre. JD Drew, when healthy is solid. But he's REALLY starting to show that in order for him to contribute for an entire season, he needs to not be playing everyday. He's still got enough value that some team might be willing to take a flier on him if the Sox are willing to pay a portion of his salary (which they haven't had a problem doing in the past) if Drew, for personal reasons, WANTS to be guaranteed being an everyday starter. But with his back acting up every 4 weeks, it might not take much to convience him to rest more often. He's still capable of playing CF too. Imagine an OF with Holiday RF, a CF platoon of Drew and Coco (for defensive purposes) and Bay in LF???? Holy hell! Perhaps even throw in Kotsay as a 5th OF/backup 1B????
