So I somehow made it to the end of last night’s extra innings affair with Seattle. Let me amend that, I happened to turn the game on in the 10th and saw it was tied 6-6 and stuck with it, only to find out all of the twists and turns that had happened along the way.
Good to see Lackey had a great start. Bad to see the bullpen fall apart. Great to see Patterson, another “where did he come from?” guy come through.
Tonight, thankfully, begins the return of all the injured Red Sox to the lineup. Well, I guess actually that was Wednesday when Bucholz returned, but I was never really all that worried about him. Josh Beckett on the other hand is a whole other story. He’s been spectacularly mediocre this year and if they’re going to make a run at the wild card — don’t even think about the division — he’s going to have to be good.
Mike Lowell is rehabbing down in Pawtucket, but that hardly matters. He’s a pinch-hitter, spare part at this point. I love the guy, but he’s not going to make a real difference.
Three guys will: Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Pedroia and Martinez hopefully will be back with the team within a week or so. When they return the Sox’ lineup becomes legitimate again.
Ellsbury, who knows? It’s frustrating because it’s impossible to know if his injury has been really legit, or just his way of sticking it to the team for rushing him back the first time around. It’s hard to judge another man’s pain, really it’s impossible.
The thing is, he’s just been a really bad teammate with this whole ordeal. Being a good teammate isn’t rocket science, but some guys don’t get it. Pedro Martinez was a bit of a diva when he was playing, but he was a great teammate. He cut up in the dugout, he never said a bad word about anyone in the same uniform and he stuck up for his players when pitching. He got that aspect of the game.
Ellsbury isn’t a pitcher, so he can’t do the sticking up part, but he can be there for the other Red Sox, as in be in the dugout more often. Talk shop, make jokes, have fun, watch baseball. It might sound like a little thing, but baseball teams are a family, and the members need to know that you’re not the prodigal son before he comes back with his tail between his legs.
Ellsbury has been on a world tour during the last few months, one that has rarely included a stop in Beantown. He’s been in Arizona, he’s been in Florida and I’m sure at some point he’s returned home to the Pacific northwest to see mom and dad.
The Red Sox, though, need to see him in left field, soon.
The views and opinions in the Enterprise blogs are those of the author and are not neccessarily shared by Falmouth Publishing.
