The Rays got off to a quick start this season  by sweeping the Yankees in their first three games. They quickly cooled off after dropping two in Detroit. I know it’s early, but the Rays starting pitching isn’t living up to its reputation. While the starting pitching is getting pounded (they’ll turn it around) the bullpen has been a disaster if your name is not Fernando Rodney. During the first seven games of a ten game road trip the bullpen has been getting torched. So far this year in the eighth inning the Rays have been outscored 18-0 and all of those 18 runs have been scored on this current road trip.  If Tampa Bay wants to make any noise in the American League and contend for a playoff spot the bullpen must improve.

Today, James Shields was one out away from a complete game shutout and the Rays needed this one bad before they headed off to Canada to play the Blue Jays for a three game series that will wrap up this ten game road trip. Shields showed everyone today he is the ace of this staff with his performance today in Boston. For the moment, Shields stopped the bleeding.  In the three previous games, Boston’s bats erupted for 33 runs on 39 hits including seven Home Runs against Rays pitching. It was vital for Shields to step it up today and put an end to the Rays five game losing streak which he did.  Going into this game today, Shields had horrible career numbers at Fenway Park, 1-9 with a 6.75 era, but all of that was a distant memory. When you’re an ace you need to bring your best stuff when your team is desperate for a win and the Rays were the definition of a desperate team today.

Tampa Bay scored the only run of the game on a bases loaded walk with Evan Longoria ( 1 for 16 in the series, 2 RBI) at the plate and scored Sean Rodriguez. Red Sox starter Daniel Bard making his second big league start issued seven free passes and was charged with the loss. Today against Bard, the Rays were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Tampa Bay squandered too many scoring chances and let Bard and Boston hang around. With this win today by the Rays, Joe Maddon notched his 500th career win as a manager and all of those wins have been with Tampa Bay. His first win was back in early April of 2006 when they were the Devil Rays. Maddon joins Ron Gardenhire, Mike Scioscia, Jim Leyland, and Charlie Manuel to have at least 500 wins with their current team.

Looking Ahead: Jeff Niemann will face Toronto ace Ricky Romero tomorrow night in Toronto. The second game of this three game series will match David Price who went only three innings in his last start and he will face Brandon Morrow who was one out away from tossing a no hitter against Tampa Bay back in the summer of 2010. The series will conclude on Thursday with Jeremy Hellickson on the hill against flame thrower Henderson Alvarez. If you have not seen Alvarez yet make sure you do. He’s only twenty one but he throws gas. Of course, the Rays will feel at home when they go to Toronto because of all the empty blue seats.

The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2002 after sweeping the New York Yankees over the weekend. The Yankees start the season 0-3 for the first time since 1998, and we all know how that season ended. The 1998 Yankees were one of the best teams ever assembled. It’s a little early to start celebrating, but if you’re Tampa Bay you have to be pleased with this sweep.

Last year Tampa Bay started the year 0-6 and looked lifeless in doing so. Remember, last year during that dreadful start, the Rays never had a lead through their first six games. This season, to start the year, the Rays’ pitching staff during this three game sweep, held the Yankees 5 for 25 with runners in scoring position. That is where the Yankees usually excel but not this past weekend. In those clutch situations the Yankee hitters were stymied by the Tampa Bay pitching staff.

Carlos Pena returned to the Rays with a bang. Pena’s first at bat of the year, was a grand slam off of Yankees’ ace C.C. Sabathia, and that set the tempo for the Rays all weekend. In the three games, Pena went 6 for 12 with two homers and 7 RBI, including the game winning RBI off of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on Opening Day. That was the first time in seven years Rivera coughed up a save against Tampa Bay. Fernando Rodney (signed as a free agent during the winter) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win. Rodney played a big role this past weekend with his new team. He had two saves to go along with that victory. In three appearances, Rodney has not allowed a runner to reach base, retiring all five hitters he has faced. Going into this season, Rodney has 87 career saves, including a career high of thirty seven with the Tigers in 2009. He gives the Rays some much needed depth in the bullpen, especially with verteran righty Kyle Farnsworth (25 saves last year) out for at least another month with a bad elbow.

Rays manager Joe Maddon will not commit to Rodney as his closer, saying “it’s based on who is available and who presents the best matchup.” So far that guy in the ninth inning has been Rodney and he has not disappointed.

Saturday night the Rays had a rude greeting for Hiroki Kuroda to the American League East.  Kuroda signed a 1 year deal worth 10 million to play for the Yankees this year, and be their number two starter. Kuroda in his 4 years with the Dodgers has a career record of five games under .500 going into this year. He had issues with command, walking four and lasted only into the sixth inning. Overall, it was a poor outing for the veteran who allowed twelve base runners, and fell behind just about every hitter he faced. That is a recipe for disaster for a pitcher.

In all three games the Rays jumped on the Yankees, outscoring them 7-0 in the first inning. On Sunday it was all about the reigning Rookie of the Year in the American League Jeremy Hellickson, who looks about eighteen, but has the composure of a seasoned veteran. Hellickson turned twenty five on Easter Sunday and completed the sweep of the Yankees with a gem. He scattered three hits (all of them were doubles) and kept the Yankees off balance all afternoon. As he got stronger, he retired the Yankees in order in the seventh and eighth innings, and got the first two batters in the ninth (Texeira and Rodriguez) before walking Nick Swisher and his afternoon was complete. Great way to celebrate his birthday, but also a great weekend for the Rays and what a way to start a season.

The headline says it all when talking about the 2012 edition of the Tampa Bay Rays. In my humble opinion the Rays have the best starting pitching in the AL.  Tampa Bay will rarely win a slug fest because they don’t have the firepower like the other  top tier teams in the league have.  They’ll lean heavily on their starting pitching and their defense to carry them throughout the season. Last season, Rays starters pitched 1,058 innings the most in the AL since 2005 and that computes into nearly seven innings in each start. Very few teams in baseball can say they have six legitimate starters, but Tampa Bay can say that. Wade Davis an eleven game winner from last year will start the year in the bullpen because the surplus of starting pitching. With closer Kyle Farnsworth out (elbow strain and will miss the first six weeks and maybe more) we might see Davis close a game or two for the Rays this season.

James Shields takes the mound today against the Yankees and C.C. Sabathia in the opener today under the roof in St. Pete. It will be the second time for Shields to take the ball in an opener, the last time was back in 2010 against the Orioles and he got a no decision in that game.  Shields had his best season a year ago when was known as Complete Game James because he set a franchise record of eleven complete games and in today’s game that is unheard of. Lets put it in perspective, both the Yankees and Red Sox combined to have seven complete games last year.

When Shields takes the mound today against the dreaded Yankees he’ll be the first starter for Tampa Bay to be thirty in nearly five years. Jae Seo was the last starter that was thirty (ironically on the day he turned 30)  against the Mariners back in May of 2007, and the last time a Rays starter was over thirty was former NBA hoop legend (played in the assocation with the Sixers, Kings, Nets, and Cavs) Mark Hendrickson and he was thirty two and that happened in the summer of 2006.

The Rays continue to develop starting pitching, all five starters are homegrown including last years Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson who went 13-10 in 29 starts with an era that was under 3.00.   Take a quick look around the division and you’ll notice nobody does it better than Tampa Bay when it comes to starting pitching and developing those arms in their system.  It is rare to see a starting pitcher from the Red Sox and Yankees go through their system and have results in the big leagues. Of course, their have been exceptions over the years but those teams usually go big game hunting in free agency or via trade.  Look no further than today’s starter for New York. C.C. Sabathia  has won 59 games with the Yankees in three years, and helped them win a World Series in his first with the Yankees back in 2009. He was a classic case of a big market team hitting the free agent waters with their blank checkbook and it has literally paid off for New York.

Both teams are coming off a first round exit in the playoffs, TB losing to the Rangers and the Tigers eliminated the Yankees. It was a surprising winter for the Yankees, I guess you could say it was unYankee like.  Usually they go on a  spending spree, but they were smart this past winter and stayed away from those long term big money contracts and spent their money wisely.

Tampa Bay on the other hand wanted to add more pop to their lineup and brought back Carlos Pena (4 years with TB he hit 172 longballs) who played with the Cubs last season. With Pena returning, the Rays said good-bye to local product Casey Kotchman who had an excellent year at the plate but provided no pop at first base.  Kotchman hit for a high average a year ago but added little power. Pena is the opposite, he should provide plenty of power but he’ll hit for a low average. The Rays also added the controversial Luke Scott  and got rid of fan favorite Johnny Damon. Tampa Bay is looking to add more power to those positions, Pena returning at first base and Scott as the full-time DH. Scott will not play in the field until mid May at the earliest. Add that with Evan Longoria and you have a decent lineup. Also in the mix will be speedster Desmond Jennings who will be playing in his first full season in the big leagues. Don’t forget about Matt Joyce the Rays only All Star from a year ago and the versatile Ben Zobrist who can play multiple positions. Rays fan favorite (dripping with sarcasm) B.J. Upton will start the year on the DL because of a collision he had with Jennings in spring training, so Jennings will start the year in center.  There are still a couple of holes in their lineup with Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez, and the slowest human Jose Molina. Rays fans thought Kelly Shoppach was slow.  Molina makes anyone and everyone look fast including parked cars, but he was brought in to help with the Rays pitching staff and anything he gives you offensively is an added bonus.

Overall, the Rays will be a contending team in 2012 and should be battling for a playoff spot and maybe they will win the AL East for the second time in three years. Anytime you have starting pitching like Tampa Bay does, you will  be in a lot of games. Oh those pesky Tampa Bay Rays.

When your payroll is $163 million, the above question should never be asked. With ten games remaining and Boston clinging to a  two game lead over the never-say-die Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox are a ship with major holes in it. Is it time to abandon ship?

Boston has a doubleheader starting tomorrow (part of a four game series) at home, against the lowly Orioles. Rookie Kyle Weiland and his 7.58 ERA gets the nod to start the first game of the day-night separate admission, doubleheader.  Weiland has only 19 innings under his belt and has given up 16 runs while walking ten. Last time Weiland was on the rubber was Thursday night against Tampa Bay, and he lasted only three innings and gave up four runs. The opposition is hitting .308 against him in those 19 innings. Weiland has that “deer in headlights” look when he is on the mound. He’s not exactly the guy you want starting such an important game this late in the season.

If you think the game one starter is bad, look who’s starting the night game of that doubleheader. None other than John Lackey,  who has a 6.19 ERA in 26 starts and has given up 187 hits in 149.2 innings pitched. Saying that Lackey pitches to contact is being extremely kind. Lackey is in his second year of a five year deal that will pay him $82.5 million. Since joining the Red Sox, Lackey has been a disaster and I don’t see it getting any better. Another bad contract under the guidance of Red Sox General Manager, Theo Epstein. I guess Epstein never took economics at Yale University.

Brace yourselves, Tuesday night’s starter is Erik Bedard. He will be facing his old team (pitched with the Orioles for four seasons prior to his time in Seattle) and the lefty will take the hill for the first time since Labor Day weekend.  Bedard beat the Texas Rangers on September 3rd at Fenway Park and that was  his only win as a member of the Red Sox in six previous starts. Since that win by Bedard, Boston has lost 11 of their last 14 games, and have seen their lead in the wild card drop dramatically.  It didn’t make a lot of sense to trade for a guy that is hurt as often as Bedard has been in recent years. The last time Bedard made over thirty starts in a season was back in 2006 (the only season he has done that) and has never pitched over 200 innings in a single season. Durability issues have always plagued the lefty throughout his career.  When Bedard was picked up on the final day in July from Seattle, some people questioned whether he was a good fit in Boston. We all know about the fishbowl atmosphere that exists when playing for the Red Sox. Some people have thrived in that atmosphere, while others have gotten swallowed up when playing in that city.

If Boston does make the playoffs, they will need starters that do not Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester, to step up. So far, September has been a month every Red Sox fan would love to forget about. If you see Red Sox’ fans lined up along the Tobin Bridge, you’ll know how the Red Sox season ended. That’s a long drop from the Tobin Bridge, almost as long as the Red Sox in the standings.

University of South Florida (U.S.F.) forced five turnovers,  including a 96 yard fumble return for a touchdown, by junior cornerback  Kayvon Webster, for the Bulls first touchdown. Webster’s return is the longest defensive touchdown in the history of South Florida football. It came after Notre Dame had taken the opening kickoff to the U.S.F. 1 yard line. South Florida stunned the #16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 23-20, who will drop out of the top 25 and the Bulls with this win, will join the top 25.

Not only did the Bulls beat Notre Dame, they also survived two weather delays. The first weather delay lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, which occured at halftime, with the Bulls leading 16-0.  The second weather delay lasted nearly 45 minutes and South Florida was leading 23-13 with 4:21 left in regulation. It was the first weather delay in Notre Dame’s 123 year history. Twice Notre Dame had third down and goal and each time it resulted into a turnover.

Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, Dayne Crist, who got benched at halftime (7/15 95 yards and 1 interception) got picked off in the endzone by Sophomore linebacker, DeDe Lattimore. The victory gave second year head coach Skip Holtz an emotional victory in his return to Notre Dame, where he went to school, and his father won a national title back in 1988.  While coaching at Notre Dame with his legendary father, Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish went 40-8-1.  Holtz also became the first  alumnus to beat Notre Dame at home, when Iowa head coach, Eddie Anderson, accomplished that feat back in 1940.  Anderson’s Hawkeyes shutout Notre Dame in November of that year.

With Crist being benched at halftime for poor play, Notre Dame’s head coach Brian Kelly, also in his second year, turned to sophomore Tommy Rees who started four games for the Irish last season. Rees was clearly the right choice. He went 24 for 34, 296 yards with 2 TD’s, but was also picked off twice. Rees did hook up twice with Michael Floyd (12 receptions for 154 yards). The first was Notre Dame’s first touchdown of the season, and the other touchdown came with under a half minute left in the game. South Florida’s quarterback B.J. Daniels went 18 for 30 128 yards,  1 TD but no interceptions. Daniels’ only TD pass put the Bulls up 23-7 when he hit Evan Landi early in the 4th quarter, and that was the dagger.

This day and night belonged to the Bulls and Skip Holtz. It took over six hours to finish, but the wait was well worth it for Holtz and the Bulls.

Next up for the Bulls: The first of three consecutive home games. The Ball State Cardinals fly into Tampa next Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The Bulls don’t hit the road until they travel to Pittsburgh in late September and that will be their Big East opener.

South Florida Bulls visit Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday. Notre Dame has almost as many national championships (11) as the Bulls have had seasons(14).  The Fighting Irish also have had 96 Consesus All -Americans and your South Florida Bulls none. Notre Dame also has had seven Heisman Trophy winners and we all know how many South Florida has. Nada, Zip, Zero. The last time a Notre Dame player won the Heisman Trophy was Tim Brown back in 1987, current Bulls Head Coach Skip Holtz (son of Lou and former teammate of Brown) graduated from Notre Dame a year before. In other words, its been a while.  Notre Dame has all sorts of history, but in recent years they have had nothing to really write home about. In fact, they have lost at home in recent years to Tulsa, Syracuse, and Navy (the Midshipmen have beaten them a total of 3 times in recent years) Since 1997 (South Florida’s first season) the Bulls have won 103 games and the almighty Notre Dame Fighting Irish—99 games. Recent history, tells you there isn’t much of a difference  between South Florida and Notre Dame.  Going into South Bend and coming out with a victory might have been unthinkable in the past, but that is not the case anymore.

South Florida’s first season under Skip Holtz was a successful one. The Bulls finished the season on a strong note by beating Clemson on the final day of 2010 in The Meineke Car Care Bowl.  It was the first time the Bulls beat a team from a BCS Conference in a bowl game. In 2011, the Bulls have their sights set on winning the Big East Conference. U.S.F. is led by Junior quarterback B.J. Daniels who struggled for most of the season last year.  Daniels last year threw more interceptions than touchdowns and looked lost and totally out of psynch in Holtz’s offense a year ago. Not only did Daniels struggle in the passing game, he also was limited in using his legs. Daniels was learning his third offense in as many years. Last year the Bulls ranked 105th nationally in total offense, I do not envision  that happening in 2011. Two years ago, Daniels ran for 772 yards and 9 touchdowns. Last year, Daniels ran for 259 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 2010, the Bulls leaned on the “D” and in 2011, they will lean on Daniels and the offense to carry them.  Things are looking up for the Bulls this year, do I dare predict Big East Champions this year for U.S.F.?

Vegas Line: Notre Dame favored by 10

Fast Fact: Skip Holtz (Notre Dame alum) is looking to be the first Notre Dame grad to go into South Bend and win since Eddie Anderson (remember him?) did back in 1940 when his Iowa Hawkeyes took South Bend by storm.I doubt that game was broadcast by NBC.

Key to the game: The Bulls need to put pressure on Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist. The Bulls have an inexperienced but yet talented Defensive Line. South Florida lost three starters from last seasons squad on the DL.  If the Bulls can not get to Crist and knock him around, it could be a long day for the Bulls.

Prediction: South Florida 23 Notre Dame 20 (smelling upset)

Forecast: Last weather report I heard calls for rain on Saturday.

The 2-10 start is officially in the rear view mirror. Boston just finished a 5-1 homestand. Now they hit the road and start up a three game series along the shores of Lake Erie starting tonight and will end on Wednesday afternoon.  Remember the last time Boston played in Cleveland? They got swept in a three game series ( were outscored 12-5) and left the city along the lake at 0-6. The lasting image of that series back in early April was pinch runner Darnell McDonald slipping past second base. That is how the game ended and the series ended. The Red Sox were finding various ways to lose at that stage of the season.  The pitching was inconsistent and nobody was hitting.  The lineup was constantly changing because Terry Francona was trying to find the right mix.  Francona still has to figure out where to hit Carl Crawford in this lineup. Personally, I think he’ll end up hitting sixth. When Crawford signed with Boston, they had envisioned him hitting third in this lineup. I’ve always felt your best hitter should hit third and that is clearly Adrian Gonzalez.

The Red Sox are currently in third place but are only percentage points out of first place. Everyone knows all about Boston’s slow start but Tampa Bay (0-6 start as well) and the Yankees in the month of May are  currently 10-11. Sloppy play by both teams have kept the Red Sox alive in the division.  Something New York and Tampa Bay could regret later in the season.

Boston has a tough road ahead, starting tonight in Cleveland.  The Tribe have the best record in the game. How many of you thought the Tribe would be contending in 2011? Cleveland is 18-4 at home and coming off a sweep of the Reds. It reminds me of the days when the Indians called Jacobs Field home, they would smother everyone at home.  The Indians also have the largest run differential in the game at +55. Who say’s you need a high payroll to win in baseball. Obviously, they haven’t looked at the Tribe’s payroll. It is anyone’s guess if the Tribe will continue to play at such a high level, but so far they are proving a lot of people wrong, including me.

Boston has this series set-up just the way the way they want it. Clay Buchholz going against his former teammate Justin Masterson (I wish they never traded him) and then Josh Beckett and his sub 2.00 ERA on Tuesday night. Jon Lester and his team leading six wins on the mound on Wednesday afternoon to wrap up this series. I’m expecting Boston to take two out of three from Cleveland.  The Red Sox team that showed up in April, is totally different from the team that will arrive for this three game series.

With a three game sweep of the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have finally made it to the .500 mark.  Raise your hand if you thought the Red Sox wouldn’t reach the .500 mark until May 15th? I don’t see any hands raised. The last time it took a Red Sox team this long to reach the .500 mark, was back in 1996 when it took 128 games to reach that feat. Oh by the way, that was Roger Clemens last season in Boston.  The 0-6 start seems like a lifetime ago.

Right now in the American League, is their a better starting pitcher than Josh Beckett? He currently has a consecutive scoreless innings streak of 18 1/3 innings that stretches to April 27th. In 14 innings against the Yankees this year,  he has struck out 19 and has allowed just six hits without giving up a run. Beckett has only three wins this year, but two of them against the pinstripes.  Beckett’s best year so far in Boston was back in 2007, when he won 20 games and guided the Red Sox to a World Series title.  He looks as good this year as he did four years ago.   Both times Beckett was matched against the Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia and has out pitched the hefty lefty in each game.  Once at Fenway and most recently in New York on Saturday night.

Its been a struggle for the Red Sox so far this year, inconsistent play all the way around. When they have received some solid starts, the bats went dead. When the bats were alive, the pitching took a beating. The bullpen also gave away some games,  a lot of ups and downs this year for this team.  Game after game, series after series. They did show some flashes of breaking out of it ( sweeping the Angels in Anaheim) but the next series in Baltimore, almost got swept themselves. Jon Lester bailed them out by pitching a gem to avoid the sweep by the Orioles.  The next series, Boston had to win the final game of  a weekend series against the Mariners to avoid being swept at Fenway. We have been accustomed over the years watching the Red Sox pummel teams at Fenway. So far that hasn’t been the case in 2011, Boston is only 11-9 at home. Boston opens up a seven game homestand starting tonight with the lowly Orioles in town for two games. Then the Tigers hit Fenway for two games, before the Cubs arrive this weekend for the first time since the 1918 World Series.

We’ll see if sweeping the Yankees gets this Red Sox team back on track. Perhaps for the first time all season, Boston is playing the way we were all expecting them to play. Carl Crawford has two game winning hits this month. Jacoby Ellsbury is creating havoc on the basepaths. Ellsbury has hit safely in 22 of the last 23 games. During that span, Ellsbury has raised his average .177 points. When Ellsbury gets on base, good things happen.  What more can anyone say about Adrian Gonzalez? He has been on a tear  this month, he might be the toughest out in baseball. Kevin Youkilis is coming off a weekend that saw him hit two big HR’s. A two run blast on Friday night was the difference maker, and last night he hit a three run bomb to tie the game. Even 39 year old Jason Varitek has stepped it up at the plate. The Red Sox captain is 6 for his last 22 with two RBI’s, three walks and two doubles in his last seven games.  The offense is showing signs of snapping out of it. That’s good news for the Red Sox, but bad news for baseball.

Remember the 2009 Yankees? They got off to a slow start after spending lots of $$$ during the winter. I’ll refresh your memory about  that team.  New York went  23-17 after forty games and was 29-21 at the end of May. The 2009 Yankees finished that season with103 wins and we all know how that season ended.  What we don’t know, is how this Red Sox season will end. If Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Lester pitch to their capabilities, baseball will be fun again in Boston.

After starting the season 0-6, the Red Sox took two out of three against the Yankees this past weekend. The highlight of the weekend was last night’s game. Josh Beckett making his second start of the season dominated the Yankees with eight shutout innings, allowing only two hits ( both hits were singles) and striking out 10 batters in a game for the first time since late July of 2009. Beckett retired the final 14 Yankees he faced. In 2010, Beckett pitched 26 innings against the Yankees. He allowed 29 runs ( including 9 gopher balls) . Last night was a totally different story.  It was vintage Beckett last night at Fenway Park.  If Boston is going to go anywhere and make noise this season,  Beckett must make his presence felt and show everyone he is an “ace”.  When Beckett is on, he is one of the elite pitchers in the game. I know it’s only one start, but last night Beckett might have turned the corner and maybe the Red Sox did as well.

Up Next: The Red Sox host the lowly Tampa Bay Rays for a three game series that begins tonight. Tampa Bay comes into Boston in last place  in the AL East. Boston must take advantage of Tampa Bay during this series. Is sweeping TB asking too much? Will last night’s win by the Red Sox carry any momentum into this series against Tampa Bay?  The Rays have been playing like the Devil Rays to start the season. The defending AL East champs  have had lots of issues scoring runs this year.  I know it’s early, but the Rays rank near the bottom or at the bottom in all offensive categories. Personally, I believe they will have trouble scoring runs all season.  It’s a lineup of outs, especially without their best player Evan Longoria who will be out for a month because of a sore oblique muscle. Longoria has had only 5 at bats this year. They miss his bat sorely. Five times this year  the Rays have scored 1 run on four hits. This Tampa Bay offense has been non-existent.

Different city, but the same result for the Red Sox. Against the Rangers, the Red Sox pitching staff got lit up. The three game series against the Tribe, the bats went dead and the pitching  staff other than today’s starter Jon Lester ( 7 scoreless innings but nothing to show for it)  wasn’t very good.  You really can’t point your finger at one thing with this team.  It has been a disaster all the way around. They are playing lifeless and uninspiring baseball. They are going through the motions and it’s showing on the diamond. A lot of mental mistakes so far in the first six games.  A mental mistake is how the game ended today: pinch runner Darnell McDonald fell down taking a turn past second and was tagged out for the final out of the game.  So far this season, the Red Sox have been outscored 38-16. Boston as a team is hitting a pathetic .181– and are 7 for 44(.159) and 0 for their last 11 with runners in scoring position.   They are finding a new way to lose every game. The Red Sox are off to their worst start since 1945. They started that season 0-8. Can it get it any worse for this team this season?

When Boston got crushed in Texas, I felt the Red Sox will not be the only team to get grilled down there. The Rangers can flat out hit and they will pummel a lot of teams this year when they are playing at home.   Getting swept against the Tribe, I never saw that coming. The Indians are one of the worst teams in baseball. Chances are they’ll lose more than 90 games in 2011.  Cleveland swept Boston for the first time since the summer of 2001. Last night, Asdrubal Cabrera was in the middle of it. His three run HR off of Boston reliever Dan Wheeler was the biggest blow in the game. Today, Cabrera laid down a perfectly placed suicide squeeze that won it for the Indians and sent the Red Sox packing.  Cabrera’s suicide squeeze caught everyone off guard, including  losing pitcher Daniel Bard (0-2 16.87 ERA in three appearances)  who never saw it coming. Much to my surprise, Bard has been awful in two of his three appearances. A season ago, Bard in his first full season in the big leagues was the only reliable and consistent reliever the Red Sox had.  To start the eighth today,  Bard walked light hitting Adam Everett. Going into this season, Everett was a lifetime .243 hitter. He’s in the big leagues because of his glove. The scouting report on Everett, throw strikes. He’ll get himself out.  I doubt Everett could hit over .300 in AAA. When you’re losing, you’ll find ways to lose and that is exactly what happened today along the shores of Lake Erie with the Red Sox.  Kevin Youkilis might have said it best after today’s game ” It can’t get worse than this and there’s only one  way to go and that’s up”.

Next up: The Red Sox open a 10 game homestand, starting with the home opener against the Yankees tomorrow afternoon. With 156 games left and Boston being one of two winless teams remaining in baseball ( Tampa Bay is the other) I don’t want to say “must wins” for the Red Sox coming up, but it is very important for this team to win six of these next 10 games at Fenway. After this 10 game homestand, they hit the road for nine game, six of them on the left coast. Since 1900, only two teams– 1974 Pirates and the 1995 Reds have made the playoffs when starting the year at 0-6.  No AL team that started 0-6 have made the playoffs. Will this Red Sox team make history in 2011 and play October baseball? I guess that’s the $161 million dollar question. UGLY is a word to describe this team so far!