Odds and ends

The Red Sox lost in Detroit last night, 8-3, in the first post-Schilling, post-Wells game started by someone who wasn't already in the starting rotation. Jeremi Gonzalez was called up from Pawtucket and pitched fairly well. 3 runs in 5 innings isn't a great performance, but it certainly isn't a disaster, and a team will win a lot of games with that performance from a starter. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the offense completely failed to do anything productive. They had a 1-run lead with a runner at 3rd and nobody out in the 3rd, and couldn't get the run in. They had the bases loaded with no one out in the 4th and couldn't get the run in. All told, after they scored their 3rd run in the 3rd inning, they had 12 more at-bats with a runner in scoring position, and didn't score. They had 8 at-bats with a runner at 3rd, and were 0-7 with a walk.

Embree got lit up again last night. Didn't have much impact on the outcome, as they were already behind and didn't score again, but it certainly didn't help. Given how badly it seems that Embree has pitched, it was a little bit startling today to look at the pitching staff and realize that he's retired a higher percentage of his batters faced than anyone other than Wakefield and Arroyo. The big problem, and it's the same one that Foulke has, is that he's tied, with Wells and Foulke, for the team lead in HR allowed with 4. You can't have two of your key bullpen guys combining to allow 8 HR in only 25 innings and be successful.

Blaine Neal. Yes, he'd have to go through waivers to make it to Pawtucket. There are 3 questions to ask.

Is anyone else really going to claim him?

Would it really be a problem if someone did?

Does that problem outweight the cost to the team of having him here and allowing almost 42% of the batters he faces to reach base?

All I can say is that I hope that they've got a good reason for keeping him. He certainly hasn't shown it so far, and he's hurt the team by a) pitching (badly) and b) taking up a roster spot that could have been used more productively by Kevin Youkilis, particularly when Mueller was sick.

With left-handers going for the Tigers the next 2 nights, and a 2-game suspension hanging over his head, this would be the right time for Trot Nixon to drop his appeal. Even if he thinks he's right. Or serve the suspension anyway, while maintaining the appeal. He's not going to play tonight or tomorrow - if he doesn't serve the suspension now, and ends up being forced to when they're facing right-handed pitchers, he's potentially hurting the team in a way that's not necessary.

After game 1, I commented that I was concerned that the Celtics might have had it a little too easy, and there could conceivably be over-confidence issues. I think that game 2 proved my fears well-founded. Then the Pacers went through the exact same process between games 3 and 4. So now it's a 3 game series, the Celtics have the home-court advantage again and are still younger and more talented than the Pacers. I think it probably goes 7, with the home team winning the remaining games, but if someone's going to win in 6, it is more likely to be Boston than Indiana.