I did not see all of last night’s game, but I will do my best with this wrap…
– Yeah, I didn’t see it all, but I did see the last three innings! What a finish, and man, how good is this Youkilis trade looking? With the way he’s played offensively and defensively these past two games, I’d say he looks pretty comfortable at The Cell. As I said before, this could be one of KW’s best moves ever.
– Axelrod struggled mightily early, leaving pitches out and over the plate to a very good Texas lineup. However, the thing I really like about this kid is that he battles! Even though his stuff isn’t great and he has some bad innings, things don’t usually snowball for the guy. He manages to have a lot of starts where he looks like he’s got bad stuff and not pitching particularly great, but is still keeping the team in the ballgame. Out of a fifth guy, that’s what you are asking for.
– Good baseball play by AJ running over Napoli. Napoli was clearly in the baseline, and when that happens, you have the right to railroad.
– Now I love Alejandro De Aza, and I know that foul ball off the knee probably hurt a ton, but doesn’t it seem like he dramatizes whenever he gets nicked up? Whenever he fouls a pitch off himself, he usually makes a big scene about it. I don’t really have a problem with it, I’m just wondering if anyone else has noticed the same thing.
Robin is giving AJ, De Aza and Dunn the day off today against a good lefty in Matt Harrison. It’s not a bad idea, since all three of those guys are left-handed and it’s 102 degrees out! Some guys definitely need a break, and I’m surprised Hudson isn’t playing either (Escobar is at 3b with Youk moving to 1b, PK is the DH, Danks is in CF, Flowers is C and Beckham is leading off). The Sox have been even hotter than the weather though, so let’s see if that continues to hold true!
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Posted by Luke Stanczyk, GSB! Editor
