It Takes Two To Make It Outta Sight

Does it get any better than the last couple weeks of Beckett and Lester? I mean the Sox have had some dangerous pitching duos in the past most notably Pedro/Schilling, but never have I seen two guys dominate and go out there and perform the way they should every start no matter the opponent. These guys actually bring it harder the tougher the lineup.

Sure it was a shaky start to April for both, but as the mercury has risen so have the strike outs and shutout innings. It seems like the last few starts for each guy you can count on a possible no-no or 20 K performance. I mean is it possible to have two Aces? As Sox fans we need to count our lucky stars that the days of loading up on over-the-hill sluggers is over and the front office has caught on to the "pitching wins championships" theory. I mean I used to be jealous that the Yankees had the Clemens, Pettite, Cone, Wells, etc. during their big runs. Why couldn't the Sox do that. It was obvious then and has now become the reality that the Sox have become the premier franchise in baseball. With the likes of Beckett and Lester and the emergence of Masterson, Bard, and Bowden the future looks bright. I'm just basking in the dominant sunshine that is the Sox rotation right now.

Bottom Line the Sox have too much pitching and you can't beat the Balls on the duo of Beckett and Lester. Sorry C.C. Sabathia and Burnett ain't cutting it Cashman try and explain it to your headwarmer.

The Balls Are Back In Towwwwwwwwwn!

If there were any questions about Josh "BALLS" Beckett coming back with a monster year they were certainly answered yesterday. Cy Young here he comes. I just hope the Rays don't think they can just cake-walk back to the World Series again. How about Pedroia coming back with a bang as well. Hey it may be game 1 of a 162 game season, but in a division with two legit contenders the Sox & Rays and the reloaded Yanks, every game counts. By the way I'm not buying C.C. sucking it up all season, but good luck to him getting his fat ass out of the grave the N.Y. Media are going to begin to dig for him.

Sox Pitching = > Scary

Just thinking about the Sox depth at pitching especially the middle relief (Manny, Okajima, Masterson, Saito, Lopez, Ramirez, and Paps! Lights OUT!) is SCARY. Add to that the starting rotation is looking deeper than any other team in the league with a solid Beckett, Lester, Dice K, Smoltz/ Penny, Wakefield, and throw in the possible return of Bucholz. It just gets even more sickening. What is it that they say again "good Pitching always beats good Hitting" = wins in the playoffs to me.

Hearing about the injury bugs that plagued the Sox rotation is also scary. Remember game 6 of the ALCS last year. The game where Beckett a.k.a. "BALLS" gutted out 5 innings, 4 hits, and 2 runs know all of THIS is scary. Guy was pitching with a dinged up wing and still found a way to get it done. Add to that he's still thinking about how poorly he pitched down the stretch last year. Add in that John Lester took over the "ACE" roll from September on looming just over Balls shoulder. You think Beckett might be motivated in '09?

How dominant will he be this year with an actual training regiment besides his 2008 spring training 12 oz. curl, KFC, and ring ding routine. A motivated Josh Beckett is a dangerous Josh Beckett. Remember this is the guy Tim McCarver once said had "The Guts of a Burglar!" Well the AL East and the rest of the league better watch out because 2007 Beckett is what you'll see this year. After reading Bradford's piece it sounds like Balls has found himself and finally taken on an ACE mentality. The same mentality Pedro, Schilling, and any other Hall Of Fame pitcher has needed. It is that edge that we hoped to see in Balls last year coming off a dominant '07 performance. He never fully established it, but hopefully 2009 is the year he adds the wisdom of a seasoned veteran to his already Ballsy swagger.

While the hope is he won't just take his talent for granted any longer. I think he finally gets it. From what it sounds like he has figured out that he can't assume his talent will out weigh his effort. He has come in to camp dedicated and in shape and that's all you can ask for. Expectations of the Nation however will be another story. Can Beckett return to form? In my opinion Yes!

Time to put on your Big Boy pants.

Soxtober is upon us and the Sox roster is shaping up. Though the Sox don't have to report their roster until tomorrow by midnight. The injury to Beckett on Friday concerns me, but Lester has been the guy all year and Beckett never fully got back to "I'm going to pound the strike zone and there's nothing you can do about it." level by seasons end.

Ideally, I would have liked Beckett in game one due to his post-season record and sheer dominance then having Dice go game two on the road and Lester pitch in the comfortable confines of Fenway where he has dominated. (Lester is 11-1 in 17 Fenway starts with a 2.49 ERA. Matsuzaka is 9-0 in 13 road starts with a 2.37 ERA.) bostonherald.com I know Lester did pitch well in last year's postseason run, winning game four to take the series from the Rocks, but there will be a ton of pressure flying over to Anaheim and pitching against that lineup. Hopefully he can step up and accept the challenge of being the ace. I think he just may. Glad the Johan trade didnt' go through now Right???

As for Dice he needs to be more aggressive with the fastball and get ahead in counts. This walking 6 and getting outs win men on isn't gonna fly in the post-season. If he can get first pitch strikes he's a better bet to win game two. He has done this although not consistently through out his career. Ultimately it will be up to the pitching staff this year to win another title. If they beat the Halos I know I will feel a lot better. I see the series going to 5 hopefully the Sox don't waste all their bullets getting to the winner of the Rays vs. Pale Hoes/ Twins (we'll see today). I like their chances and I'm ready to devote myself to a month of Soxtober.

So put the women and children to bed it is time for the Big Boys to shine. Shine up your brass boys because it won't be as easy as last year on the left coast. Sox in a tough 5! Cue the Music...This one's for Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeedy Balllllllllllllllgame!