Deep in the Heart of Texas

How quickly do you think the Red Sox plane bolted out of Pennsylvania? Thank goodness the trip to the keystone state is not a common occurrence. Losing four of six does not a great visit make. But, even on that type of trip, are there good signs? Absolutely.

The experiment with Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield was a non-issue. It didn’t help the offense at all, since they still only scored one run in the loss. Thankfully it wasn’t a defensive lapse on the part of Gonzalez that blew it for them. Hopefully that will put an end to all that foolishness. I’m just thrilled John Lackey wasn’t in right field yesterday.

Speaking of Lackey, he put in another fantastic start. He’s definitely a bit of a hot or cold type pitcher. He’s not usually mediocre. Unfortunately, that tends to make fans focus on the times he blows up, and not the times he’s pitched well. But, this makes every start not in a monsoon that he has pitched well since he came off the DL. That’s pretty encouraging in my book. As the fourth best pitcher in the normal rotation, I’m not asking for much more than that.

Without John Lackey in the line-up yesterday, things were looking a little bleak for the Sox. Once Youkilis was pulled because of his foot, it left about three guys in there who could hit. Thankfully, that was all they needed. I love how Varitek seems to produce every time he’s in there. I’m not foolish enough to say he should be the everyday catcher. I’m sure he’s probably producing because of all the rest he gets, and not in spite of it. But, when he gets the chance, he grabs it with both hands.

Please tell me that at some point after yesterday’s game Adrian Gonzalez said he had a rough day because of his lack of protection!

Does the move with Mike Cameron seem odd? Is anyone else waiting for the other shoe to drop? What did they need a roster sport for? Or, more precisely, who did they need a roster spot for? I feel the same way I felt after the Sox let V-Mart walk. It seemed odd without a plan B. And, they certainly had a great plan B in that case.

Speaking of plan B, can Crawford’s hammy please hear quickly? My fear is that it will linger into the four-day All-Star break. The Sox could figure one more week of games gets them two more weeks of rest. I hope he’s back before that, though. The offense needs him.

Only three more crazy NL games.