The only question remaining now is who, between Eric Bedard and John Lackey, will emerge as that reliable third starter down the stretch run of the season. Tim Wakefield, who is still aiming for his 200th career win, won't be in consideration, and Andrew Miller, even though he's a spot starter (including for tonight's fourth and final game of the series against the Rangers) will likely land in the bullpen come October.
Even though he has yet to get a win in a Boston uniform, my money's on Bedard, who the Sox got via a trade from the Seattle Mariners reportedly eight seconds before the July 31 4:00 p.m. deadline passed! He is effectively replacing would-be third starter Clay Buchholz, who is trying to come back this season from a "stress fracture" in his lower back, but likely won't.
The Stretch Run Is Around The Corner
September is a week away now, so it's best to just sit back and watch how the Red Sox approach its last month of games. One thing is for certain is that the team (except for maybe Beckett) doesn't care to reach the 100-win mark, but for fans such as myself, that kind of feat would be sweet to watch the team accomplish given the historically bad start it had (a 2-10 record).
Besides that and Wake's impending 200th win, the only other aspect of BoSox baseball worth watching between now and the end of the season is to see who GM Theo Epstein gets (if anyone) in a waiver wire trade at the end of August. Whether guys like Josh Willingham from Oakland or someone from the Minnesota Twins (say Michael Cuddyer or Jim Thome) become attainable is anybody's guess. But any veteran outfield help would be valuable at this stage, as an injured and under-performing J.D. Drew won't cut it, and younger guys like J.J. Reddick and McDonald may not be the answer either.
Stay tuned!
Article comments
1 - Timothy Makalinao
Red Sox are tough competition for the Yankees.