Jon Lester came up big once again last night, as the lefty went seven innings, giving up just one run to improve to 12-4 on the season. Jason Bay hit a pair of home runs to lead the offense, and Jonathan Papelbon went four outs to pick up his 33rd save in the 6-3 Red Sox win over Baltimore.
Jeff Horrigan has Lester enhancing his status as a stopper, as his numbers following a Red Sox loss are eye-popping this season. Amalie Benjamin has an unexpected punch of offense from Jason Varitek providing a boost as well. Joe McDonald has three homers and Lester on the mound proving to be the recipe for a win last night. Jeff Goldberg has Jason Bay looking like Manny Ramirez at the plate last night. Bill Ballou has more on Bay looking like the Manny of old last night.
Tony Massarotti says that these Red Sox are still pretty much a mystery, as we still can’t tell if they have anything in common with their immediate ancestors. Nick Cafardo has Lester and David Ortiz stepping up their games for a playoff run. Lenny Megliola says that Kevin Youkilis has been the Red Sox MVP this season.
Massarotti has John Farrell and Terry Francona talking about the struggles of Josh Beckett, who they still insist is the ace of their staff. Garry Brown says that Joe Madden of Tampa Bay is a manager with guts. Rob Bradford talks to Kevin Millar about Manny Ramirez, and the former Red Sox says that the club had to be proactive in confronting Manny in the past.
Tuned in to WEEI last night for a few minutes in the car, and was relieved to know that Mike Adams is still talking about Manny. It’s good to know you can always count on certain things, like death and taxes. I’m glad he’s not like, obsessed, or anything.
Horrigan’s notebook has Jason Bay adjusting back to his normal swing after trying too hard to take aim at the Green Monster at Fenway. Benjamin’s notebook has Youkilis and Sean Casey talking about the difficulty of starting a double play from first base. McDonald’s notebook has more on Lester as the stopper. Goldberg’s notebook has the Red Sox placing a call to the Shelton team that is representing New England in the Little League World Series. Ballou’s notebook has Daisuke Matsuzaka looking to add to his Cy Young credentials with tonight’s start.
Patriots
Mark Farinella remembers James Busch Orthwein, who in many ways, saved the Patriots franchise and allowed it to become what it is today under Robert Kraft.
Christopher L. Gasper says there is no reason to panic regarding the Patriots play in the preseason, as there are many reasons why they’re looking the way they are at the moment. Douglas Flynn agrees that there is no real cause for panic here. In looking back at the game, John Tomase says that there was certainly more bad than good that came out of Sunday night’s game. Robert Lee says that after these two preseason games, the Patriots are still far from a Super team. Glen Farley says that while the losses are bad, the offense is even worse at this point.
Ian Clark says that Tom Brady is proving how valuable he is to the team by not playing. Rich Garven has Brady just trying to get healthy before the season begins. Glen Farley says that a backup plan is desperately needed. Jim Donaldson says that the Patriots will only go as far as Brady’s health can take them.
Gasper’s notebook has Brady unsure if he’ll be ready to play on Friday night, and says that Brandon Meriweather should be 100% by the season opener. Tomase’s notebook has Brady characterizing the injury as “entirely different” from the one that hobbled him in the Super Bowl.
Misc
Kevin Paul Dupont has the agent for Bruins prospect Carl Soderberg and the club far apart in contract talks with camp set to begin in a month.
Mark Blaudschun has a look at BC defensive tackle B.J. Raji, who sat out last year getting his studies in order. The year off has actually boosted his standing among NFL scouts. Steve Conroy has Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski not too concerned about his struggling offense as the season opener approaches.
John Powers says that China will likely end the Olympics with the most Gold medals, and will look to sustain that dominance. Bob Ryan has a look at Tom McCarthy, a Boston area native who has been on the ground floor of every major development in basketball, baseball, and tennis in China.
