OK people, let's not get carried away. Things look pretty darn good in Red Sox Nation, but concerns still abound in the Fens. Theo Epstein, the wunderkind General Manager of the Sox, amazed the league this week by snagging one of the most dominant closers in Eric Gagne. Theo and crew executed the deal with the sort of savvy and eye to future that has helped to make the Sox a top flight team. Securing the services of a hired gun for what will most likely be one season was made that much safer by securing certain guarantees that if Gagne doesn't return to the Sox - the Nation will be compensated with draft picks and salary considerations. Saying goodbye to young Kason Gabbard who went 4-0 when ace Curt Schilling went down what seems an eternity ago was hard, but in all honesty the Sox are not hurting for starting pitching (Schill is set to return as soon as this weekend) and Gabbard is not proven over the long haul. The Sox also shed some dead weight by trading Joel Pinero. The once heralded young arm has not come around and was dealt to the Cards for some minor league prospects. Consider this a little house cleaning and knowing when to say when and cut your losses. Best of luck in the pitcher friendly NL Joel.
But the chess-like moves made this week by the front office does not guarantee victory on the field. The Sox lost the opening game of a three game series last night to the mediocre Orioles. True, the Sox faced Eric Bedard, who just might be one of the best pitchers in the ALright now, but with Josh Beckett going for the Sox, one would think the Sox should have won this game. The Sox lost and Beckett lost back-to-back starts for the first time this season. Series openers are always critical as they often set the tone for the series and can easily put a team on its heels and a strong initial showing can have a devastating impact on the opponents pitching schedule. On this day only one Sox player had a strong showing - David Ortiz, whose two bombs constituted the entire Sox offense. Normally I would be cheering two Papi pops, but then I remembered something that scared me...last night Ortiz hit his first homer off a lefty all year. Ortiz owns lefty pitching and that he hasn't hit a dinger off of a lefty tells me that Ortiz is dropping off in his ability (laughable), not getting pitches (perhaps), or is hiding a nagging injury (likely). Ortiz's crime dog, Manny Ramirez, is your MLB player of the week, but you are not seeing the same sort of production that makes Manny, Manny. Hovering just above .300 is not something I am accustomed to from Manny in August. Add to the mix the fact that Mike Lowell, known primarily for his defense and leadership leads the team in RBI and the still underachieving Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo continue to scrap and grind - pitching only gets more important if the Sox are to make another title run.
Which brings me back to the beginning and Gagne. This importance of this deal cannot be overstated. Pitching is always at a premium in the AL and adding Gagne makes an already great bullpen simply dominant. The fact that Gagne took what amounts to a pay cut and will most likely play second fiddle to ace lockdown artist Johnny Papelbon, tells me EG wants to win. With Hideki Okajima, who is perhaps the best set-up man in baseball, approaching career highs in innings pitched, Gagne is sure to get in quality innings. Tito will not be putting Gagne in for just one out.
So tip your cap to Theo and Co., but let's get back to work. With a 7 game lead in the division the Sox (anyone remember when the lead was 14) have some quality opponents coming up in Seattle
and Anaheim. Conversely, the Yankees are threatening to not become the most disappointing team in baseball and as we know 7 games is not a tremendous lead. Keep your eye on the prize and the Sox will capture their first division title since 1995
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