2004 - Trent hardly knew ye

I made a difficult decision today. My officially licensed 2004 World Championship T-shirt, like many others from my past, is too large to wear anymore.

I wore it today, but decided it should now go in the Goodwill donation pile.

I told Trent about my decision and used the opportunity to tell him the story of the 2004 Red Sox and how you can never give up hope.

Actually, he knows the story. Someone had given me a copy of Dan Shaughnessy's The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino years ago and it's a mainstay of Trent's library. I enjoy it too, even if I don't like the way Shaughnessy has marketed the curse.

Anyway, Trent will be well-versed in Red Sox history. Tomorrow, he'll meet the guy who kept my spirits up when the Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the 2004 ALCS, which is when I promised myself I would never give up hope.

You can never give up hope (1): After years of trying, the Red Sox finally acquired catcher Jarrod Saltamalacchia. He's had trouble throwing the ball back to the pitcher, but you can't give up on him fixing this problem.

You can never give up hope (2): The Red Sox trailed the Tigers 4-2 in the 9th, but after the Tigers intentionally walked Kevin Youkilis to load the bases, David Ortiz hit a double to win the game 5-4, as if it were 2004 all over again.

You can never give up hope (3): The Phillies kept chipping away and finally took the lead in the 9th against the Nationals. But then Brad Lidge came in. Nats 7, Phils 5.

There are some times, such as any time Lidge steps on the mound, when you should at least temper your hope.

Ed Wade fleeced the Phillies

The Roy Oswalt era didn't get off to a thrilling start - five runs (four earned) in six innings in an 8-1 loss to the Nationals.

By the way, how come I haven't seen this factoid hammered home a million times: Through age 31, the pitcher most similar to Oswalt is Roy Halladay. Too bad this Roy didn't pitch like the good Roy tonight.

J.A. Happ, meanwhile, pitched six shutout innings against the Brewers in his Astros debut.

What does all of this mean? The Phillies should have kept Cliff Lee.

{And J.A. Happ.}

The Red Sox trail the Tigers 6-1 in the 9th. Jon Lester pitched like Roy Oswalt.

Phillies (yawn) land big-name pitcher before trade deadline

For the second consecutive year, the Phillies landed a big fish for their rotation. Of course, the celebration is muted for Roy Oswalt because only a few months ago the team had jettisoned a better, slightly younger ace who was very popular in the clubhouse and among fans.

That was my first thought, but then I considered this: What if, last year, the Phillies landed Roy Halladay midseason and Cliff Lee never came to town? Can you imagine the euphoria there would be today if the Phillies then acquired a matching Roy for the top of the rotation?

Under that scenario, Ruben Amaro Jr. would be viewed as a god in this town. But that's not the scenario we have, so he'll probably be remembered as the dolt who dumped Cliff Lee (even if the Phillies win more World Series).

We'll see what the new Roy has to offer when he debuts tomorrow.

The Phillies continued to roll tonight, beating the Diamondbacks 3-2 in 11 innings on 1980s night.

The Red Sox were off, but they were still rolling, too. It was Josh Beckett's charitable bowling event.

Brown delivers

After much speculation about trading Jayson Werth for a starting pitcher, the Phillies have a new right fielder. J-Dub's still a Phillie; he's just moved to center field because Shane Victorino is injured.

So the new right fielder is Domonic Brown. D-Brown had a memorable debut, going 2-3 with two runs and two RBIs as Roy Halladay pitched a complete game 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks. The run was Brown's fault as he dove and allowed the ball to bounce past him instead of taking it on one hop and preventing the run.

The postgame noted that this was the first two-hit game for a Phillie making his major league debut since Lou Marson in 2008. Christine and I were at that game. I wrote:

The 22-year-old went 2-4 with a two-run homer in the 8th. It took me a moment to figure out why fans were booing. (They're not booing, they're saying Boo-urns.) One day we'll tell the kids how we were at the big-league debut of the great Lou Marson.

Maybe it was a little overblown, but Christine told the Marson story to Trent tonight. It made me a little emotional, but pretty much everything makes me a little emotional these days.

The Red Sox finished off a four-game sweep of the Angels. That also made me a little emotional.

SoxandPhils involved in blockbuster trade

Well, not quite.

But what a coincidence that Dan Haren made his Angels debut Monday against the Red Sox and Joe Saunders, the other established major leaguer in the blockbuster deal, will debut for the Diamondbacks on Thursday against the Phillies.

In other pitching quirks, John Lackey starts against the Angels tonight while the Phillies faced their former mate Rodrigo Lopez.

The first game went well, despite struggles from Cole Hamels. Phillies 9, D-Backs 5.

The Red Sox and Halos are scoreless in the 2nd.

Divergence

Despite another rocky outing by Brad Lidge, the Phillies held on for the 5-4 win today, completing the sweep of the Rockies. Other than Lidge, things appear to be settling for the two-time NL Champs.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, are headed in the opposite direction. They're 4-7 since the All-Star break and have to face the Angels' new acquisition, Dan Haren, tonight. Things are going so poorly that people aren't even watching anymore:

The Boston Red Sox's six-year reign atop MLB's local television ratings is about to end, as the team's local numbers have plummeted from first to fifth this season.

Entering the All-Star break, ratings for Red Sox games on NESN have dropped nearly 36 percent from last year, for a 6.25 average rating.

The last time the Red Sox finished out of the top spot was in 2003, when the Mariners posted an 11.53 rating on FSN Northwest. The Sox averaged a 7.86 rating that year on NESN. This year, Red Sox ratings trail the Cardinals (9.70 on FS Midwest), Twins (7.85 on FS North), Phillies (7.20 on CSN Philadelphia) and Reds (6.52 on FS Ohio).

Christine has theorized that a bad Red Sox season wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing because it might weed out some of the front-runners and pink hats. I haven't given up hope, but if things don't improve, I'll accept that silver lining.

More quick thoughts on a hot and busy weekend

Trent met his other grandparents today, so baseball was once again an aside.

Another nice win for the Phillies, though, 4-3 over the Rockies, which sets up the possibility of a four-game sweep if Joe Blanton can come through tomorrow afternoon.

The game was delayed by severe thunderstorms. It's the type of game Christine and I are familiar with at the ballpark. It was much better to be inside with family.

It was also Christmas in July. Christine and I have never been in the park for Christmas in July, which might be the only promotion we've never seen in person.

While the Phillies won by scoring a couple runs late, the Red Sox lost to the Mariners 4-2 by giving up three late-game runs.

Quick thoughts during a hot and busy weekend

We're occupied this weekend, overloading Trent with grandparents. He took his first trip outside the house to his Grandmom's today, so we only half watched the Phillies nice 10-2 win over the Rockies. It was good to see an offensive explosion and Kyle Kendrick pitch well in his return to the rotation.

We couldn't imagine sitting in the stands during this 100 degree heat.

Trent got his first pack of baseball cards. The gum is bigger, wrapped in plastic and tasted worse than I remembered. Yes, I guess you could say I stole candy from a baby, but he's way too young for bubble gum.

And there were only seven cards in the pack. What a crock. I think you got 15 in my day. His only Red Sox or Phillie was one-third of a Ryan Howard. The Big Piece was on a card with Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder as the NL's top home run hitters.

In the 5th, the Red Sox lead the Mariners 1-0.

Not a good week for SoxandPhils old goats

First, there were the reports that Pedro Martinez will not pitch this year. He hasn't retired, but I doubt he will be able to come back again.

Then, Jamie Moyer left Tuesday's start with an injury. There's a good chance he'll need Tommy John surgery. If any 47-year-old can return from Tommy John surgery, it's J-Moy. And, he's hopeful that he can pitch again this year. But you can't help but think that this is the end of a remarkable career.

Then, Moyer's former teammate, Tim Wakefield, who is a Sox, but never been a Phil, was sent to the bullpen as Josh Beckett came back.

Finally, as I was typing this, we watched former SoxandPhil and now Brave Billy Wagner blow a save against the Marlins. So it's not all bad tonight, especially because the Phillies beat the Rockies 6-0. The Red Sox and the Mariners are tied at 1-1 in the 4th.

Fool one night, genius the next

Last night I couldn't believe Charlie Manuel left Joe Blanton in to hit with the bases loaded in the 7th inning of a 1-1 game. It was no shocker that the move backfired and cost the Phillies the game. I knew Blanton should have been lifted without knowing he had such dramatic splits this year: an OPS of about .700 for his first 75 pitches, but nearly 1.200 after that.

Somewhere, Grady Little would be proud. In a completely unrelated note, Pedro Martinez will not pitch in 2010 but has not retired.

Given the Blanton experience, I was a little surprised to see Cole Hamels lifted after throwing 97 pitches in eight shutout innings today. (I was at work and not watching the game, so I didn't know it was very hot in St. Louis.) But no worries this time: The Phillies bullpen finished the one-hitter and the bats finally scored two runs in the 11th inning to beat the Cardinals 2-0, averting the sweep.

In the 2nd, the Red Sox and Mariners are scoreless.

Breaking news: Milt Thompson has been fired as hitting coach.

Fenway funland

Venerable Fenway Park is turning into Citizens Bank Park: They're adding a barbecue smokehouse and a Wally's World amusement area for kiddies:

Wally's World at Fenway Park: Is a new area for kids that will operate from the middle of the 2nd inning though the end of the 7th. It's on Yawkey Way and the activities includes games for kids (skee ball, ring toss, speed pitch, etc.) along with kid-friendly concessions.

There will be video game consoles, screens with the game on and you can get coupons for 20 percent off kids merchandise at the team store. Wally himself will be there during the third and fourth innings.

Normally, this would appall me. But I'm a new dad, so I reserve judgment.

Eight years ago today, Christine made my life complete. Usually, we head out of town on our anniversary week, but because our life is a little more complete this year, we're just staying home. Last year's pecan pancakes in Savannah sounds nice, but I'm perfectly happy eating at the Italian place around the corner and hanging with my lovely bride and our adorable baby boy.

Today's games: The Red Sox lost to the A's 6-4. The Phillies and Cardinals are tied at 1 in the 6th.

Pitching questions

So the Phillies suddenly sent Kyle Kendrick to the minors and recalled Andrew Carpenter. But Kendrick might not be down there for long because Jamie Moyer left today's game with an elbow sprain. Further complicating matters is that David Murphy suggests J.A. Happ is on his way back and Matt Gelb suggests that Ruben Amaro may have an ace, or some kind of pitcher, up his sleeve:

Ruben Amaro Jr. wore one of those patented smug looks on his face. The Phillies general manager had just demoted his fifth starter without listing a replacement in the rotation for him.

"I think we know exactly what we're going to do," Amaro said. "I just choose not to tell you."
[...]
That means a trade could be imminent. Amaro did nothing to dissuade that notion, saying Saturday's starter could come from outside the organization.

"We have other balls in the air," Amaro said.

{Happ was pulled early from tonight's minor league game. So, does that mean he's starting Saturday, or could he be part of an upcoming trade?}

They could have used the help tonight. In the 9th, Cardinals 7, Phillies 1. The Red Sox lead the A's 2-0 in the 2nd.

Nice gesture by Dice-K

On Sunday, the Red Sox players threw out some baseballs to fans to commemorate their 600th straight sellout. Daisuke Matsuzaka made sure that the fans in the cheap, well, less expensive seats felt some love:

Every Sox player was given a small bucket of commemorative balls to toss to fans before the game. Daisuke Matsuzaka seemed to take particular glee in trying to reach the seats farthest away.

Dice-K has taken much criticism, a lot of it deserved, but it's nice to see a player remember the folks who sit in the types of seats Christine and I sit in. {Any bets on when he goes on the DL from straining his arm by making those throws?}

Tonight's games: The Phillies trail the Cardinals 8-4 in the 8th. The Red Sox play later in Oakland. Dice-K starts. I hope he doesn't give the A's fans any souvenirs.

Dizzying

I can't keep track of the Red Sox anymore. I'm not talking day-to-day standings or anything like that. I literally can't keep track of the roster because it changes so much with injuries.

In the past four days, the Red Sox have added Michael Bowden, Dusty Brown, Manny Delcarmen, and detracted Gustavor Molina, Felix Doubront and Robert Manuel. Fernando Cabrera has come and gone. Several of these guys I have never heard of.

I'm just glad I'm not this guy, Carl Goodreau, clubhouse manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox:

In Goodreau’s 22 years of working in pro baseball, he calls this season the craziest of his career. Numerous injuries have left holes in the Boston roster, leaving Pawtucket to fill in the gaps.

When a player leaves Pawtucket another comes in from another farm team or for rehab. This season, the PawSox have used 49 players. The club record is 70 in 2006.

If this year breaks the record, I hope some of the next call-ups will be able to play the game. The Red Sox dropped three of four to the Rangers this weekend. Today, Jon Lester lost 4-2.

The Phillies are playing the Cubs tonight on ESPN. I wasn't planning on making it to the end, but it's in the 7th (6-3 Cubs) and it sounds like Trent is getting cranky.

Trent dirties diapers, Sox and Phils rally

Christine went to the store this afternoon, so it was just the little guy and me watching the Phillies game on TV. {I listened on the radio and was entertained by Larry Andersen's rants.} Well, he slept more than watched, until the Phillies had one out in the 9th, trailing the Cubs 1-0.

That's when Trent woke up needing his diaper changed. I forgot to put on a TV upstairs so I could listen to the ending while taking care of business. Because of a little spraying, it took a little longer than I expected. When I was done, I turned on the game expecting it to be over. Nope - the Phillies had the bases loaded and were winning 2-1. They added two more to win 4-1. Trent's pixie dust, which last night I proclaimed was gone, has returned.

The littlest SoxandPhil may really be getting the hang of things. Cliff Lee dominated the Red Sox and took a 2-1 lead into the 9th inning with about 90 pitches. But after changing another diaper, I was able to sit down and watch Kevin Youkilis rip a single to tie the game.

The game went into the 11th without any more diaper emergencies, but Trent decided to keep losing his pacifier to see how many times Christine and I would run upstairs to retrieve it for him. I think that was just his way of willing Youkilis to hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to beat the Rangers 3-2.

No more pixie dust

I finished typing last night's post as the Phillies trailed the Cubs 12-2 in the 9th. We were getting nervous that Trent did have some magic charm over the Phillies as they started scoring runs. But he did not have a mystical 10-run inning in him - just four runs.

It seems as if his powers expired at the All-Star break because the Phillies lost another one today, 4-3.

The Red Sox are losing again too, 7-3 in the 6th to the Rangers.

Tomorrow, little Trent gets his first SoxandPhils double header as the Phillies play in the afternoon and the Sox are on a national broadcast at night, facing Cliff Lee.

Second half starts stinkily

My buddy asked me whether I was excited for the second half of the season to begin.

I'm not.

I thought it was because of everything going on in my life, but maybe it was an unconscious premonition that the Red Sox would start the second half with a lineup that featured Eric Patterson at 2B, Daniel Nava in LF, Bill Hall at 3B and Kevin Cash at C. Not exactly the Red Sox lineup we were expecting during spring training. It didn't work - the Red Sox lost to the Rangers 7-2.

Maybe it was also an unconscious premonition that Tom McCarthy would have a night off and we'd have to endure extended play of Chris Wheeler as the Cubs drubbed the Phillies 12-6. I hate Wheels. I think he made Trent cry. Now I really hate Wheels.

Quick thoughts on departed Yankees

Here's my take on the two iconic Yankees who died this week.

Bob Sheppard: I'll bestow upon him the highest honor I'll give a Yankee. Like Mariano Rivera, I would love him if he were on any other team. His voice was golden, but the Yankees went a little overboard with the "Voice of God" stuff and the pre-recorded intro for Derek Jeter. Like Rivera, my animosity for him is solely because he's a Yankee.

Ricky Bottalico did a good impression of Sheppard this morning on WIP. He also did a pretty good Harry Kalas.

George Steinbrenner: The epitome of Yankee arrogance and bombast. He's everything that baseball shouldn't be. And the Yankee fans who came to love him when the Yankees started winning in the 1990s are hypocrites because they all hated him just a couple years before.

The Yankees are honoring their departed legends by wearing not one but two separate and gaudy patches. In my day, when a Yankee died, they put just a black band on their sleeves. Steinbrenner was classy with things like this; I'd think he'd prefer the simple black band.

A different All-Star game

Obviously, my priorities have changed since last week. I'm just not into the All-Star Game as much as I have been in previous years. I don't have the interest or energy to go blow-by-blow tonight.

But I did enjoy watching the introductions with Trent. We cheered all the Red Sox and Phillies. When Derek Jeter popped on the screen, Trent, who is probably a little young to know how to boo, reacted in the best way he could: He screamed from unhappiness. I'm so proud.

In the 6th, AL 1, NL 0.

Home Run Derby

David Ortiz won the Home Run Derby. Good for him. I hope it's not the last trophy he gets this year. And I also hope it's not a sign that he has reverted to the bad things he has been accused of in the past.

Nice way to end the first half

Toward the end of the Phillies 1-0 win over the Reds today, Christine noted that I prefer pitching duels. I didn't understand that she was referring to the fact that it would have been a great game to go to and that we would have been there today if something better hadn't come along.

I enjoyed watching my first Sunday afternoon game with my wife and our son, which we followed with a barbecue. (I wasn't allowed to give Trent a burger.) I know we're still in the early innings and that there will be difficult and unpleasant times ahead, but I'm going to like this parenting thing.

And everyone likes that the Phillies are now 4-0 since the little guy came home. Although he broke his streak of walk-off extra-inning wins, he did will them to consecutive 1-0 wins for the first time since 1913.

The Red Sox have improved to 2-1 since Trent came home, after beating the Blue Jays 3-2 in a game affected by shadows because of a malfunctioning retractable roof.

At the All-Star break, the Red Sox trail the Yankees by 4.5 games and the Rays by 3. The Phillies trail the Braves by 4.5 games and the Rockies by 2. (The Mets and Dodgers are also ahead of them.) Despite all their troubles in the first half, I think our teams are well positioned for a magical ending in which I'll have to wake Trent up on a fall night and he won't know how to react to the ending of the SoxandPhils World Series because one of his teams will have won, the other will have lost.

Interesting trivia: Yesterday's gem between Roy Halladay and Travis Wood was the first time two starters matched nine shutout innings since 2003. Doc was one of those starters too. ... Nick Cafardo notes that "Adrian Beltre had hit the most home runs among active players who hadn’t made an All-Star Game, until he was finally selected. Beltre hit 262 homers before being named. Matt Stairs has hit 261, and will likely never go."

Premature retirement: I retired my David Ortiz T-shirt today. I wanted to wear it one more time, but it's just too big.

Trent likes Chooch too

It was the best game of Trent's life.

I know, we're talking about only little more than a month's sample size, but it was a pretty darn good game.

Reds rookie Travis Wood took a perfect game into the 9th before Trent worked his magic, willing a double for his mother's favorite Phillie, Carlos Ruiz, who was just activated from the DL.

The Phillies didn't score in the inning, but it didn't matter because Roy Halladay also pitched nine shutout innings.

Trent toyed with the Reds for two more innings before willing another double for Chooch, who later scored the winning run on a hit by Jimmy Rollins.

So in our three nights with Trent, there have been three walkoff extra-inning wins for the Phillies. I swear I didn't mean to turn this into a baby blog.

The Red Sox lost ugly to the Blue Jays 9-5.

Possible good luck charm

Trent was a little fussy tonight as we tried to watch the end of the Phillies game. We finally caved and brought him downstairs for a bottle a little earlier than we planned.

"If this is just a ploy to watch the Phillies, there's nothing to see," I said as the Phillies trailed the Reds 7-1 in the 9th.

Of course, the Phightins' scored six runs in the 9th as Trent gulped down his formula. A short while later, we were upstairs changing his diaper when we heard some cheering. We missed Ryan Howard's two-run home run in the 10th.

Trent's been with us for two nights, and the Phillies have two extra-inning wins. The Red Sox are also undefeated since our family grew to three. Red Sox 14, Blue Jays 3.

I know three games is an extremely small sample size, but if this is the year of the SoxandPhils World Series, we won't credit Roy Halladay or Jon Lester or Kevin Youkilis or Ryan Howard, but a little guy who likes to eat, poop and sleep, though not much of the latter so far tonight.

A little hand for the newest SoxandPhil

A month ago, we wished SoxandPhil Heathcliff Slocumb a happy birthday. Little did we know then that our son was born that day.

Trent was born on June 7. He came home today and is already showing signs of being a SoxandPhil.

I read him his first book - a baby Red Sox primer. He knows that the Phanatic is a better mascot than Wally, his favorite lullaby is Take Me Out to the Ballgame and, of course, he knows the Yankees are bad.

We figure he'll be starting for the Red Sox or Phillies in 2033. He has soft hands and is little (so far), so he'll probably be a second baseman. But he won't be pressured.

I know the posts have sucked the past two weeks as we prepared for Trent to enter our family. I don't think raising a newborn will allow us to devote more time to the blog, but we should have some interesting stories to tell.

And, we're already being responsible. We gave away tickets we had for Sunday's Phillies game against the Reds. We're undecided whether Trent will be ready for his first game next month. Probably not.

Today's game: Trent inspired the Phillies to a 4-3 win over the Reds in the 12th on a Brian Schneider home run. The Sox and Phils are undefeated since Trent came home.

Shortest post ever

The Red Sox lost to the Rays (again); the Phillies lost to the Braves (again).

Christine and I are a little busy tonight.

We'll 'splain tomorrow.

Ben Davis is back in Camden

Ben Davis, our favorite player who we saw in Las Vegas and Camden during the same year, is back in Camden as he tries to return to the the major leagues as a pitcher instead of a catcher:

Davis, 33, played with three major-league teams from 1998 to 2004, batting .237 in 486 games, and has been with eight minor-league clubs since. Not ready to give up baseball, he reinvented himself after the Baltimore Orioles cut him in 2008.

"I was with Baltimore in triple A, and I was just not hitting at all," Davis said. "I had a very good opportunity there to play, and just really didn't take advantage of it.

"I came home and I was like, you know, I don't think any club is going to pick me up to be a catcher. So I figured why don't I start pitching. I know I still had a pretty good arm, and I could probably throw strikes."

Of course, we hope he makes it. We have a soft spot for a guy we followed one year from New Jersey's worst city to the glitz of Sin City. And, Christine always likes players who convert from a hitter to a pitcher and vice versa.

Good lede: Paul Hagan went a little SoxandPhils to kick off a column about how the Phillies can't blame all their problems on injuries:

Their All-Star second baseman, a perennial MVP candidate, is in a cast. Their starting catcher is on the disabled list and the backup catcher is unavailable as well. They're also without their No. 1 starter, best outfielder and an important setup reliever.

And the Red Sox went into play last night tied for the second-best record in the majors despite being without Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury and Manny Delcarmen.

So, yes, the Phillies have been decimated by injuries.

But, no, that doesn't fully explain why the team that's won the division three straight years is spinning its wheels at the mathematical midpoint of the season.

Good to see that Hagen's reading the blog and knows how badly the SoxandPhils have been injured. And now, it looks like we can add Kevin Youkilis to that list.

Tonight's games: Bad. Sox lost to the Rays. Phillies lost to the Braves.

Monkey see, monkey do

So Dustin Pedroia is back at it, not only taking grounders from his knees, but having a catch while sitting on a stool. Again, I love the spirit and the fact that he's at least following doctor's orders to stay off his feet, but I'm not going to be happy when he injuries himself again because of his unconventional rehab.

Chase Utley, meanwhile, is not going to be outdone by his SoxandPhils keystone counterpart. He announced today that he won't miss the full eight weeks originally estimated. He sounds like he's pushing the envelope, but hasn't been seen doing anything weird like Pedroia:

"Yeah, I might be back before eight weeks," he said. "Obviously, knowing that I've come back from an injury before and I've been successful, yeah, that's good to know. I'm going to do everything that I'm allowed to do, up until the point that I play, in being ready. Once this (cast) comes off, I'll be able to take ground balls. Obviously, keep this (hand) out of the way. The only thing I won't be able to do is throw or hit. I'm going to try to stay in shape as best I can."

Huh? Geoff Jenkins, who had a huge leadoff double in the second half of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, signed with the Brewers to retire. I would have no problem with this, except that he hasn't done anything in baseball over the past year. I think a one-year statute of limitations for a sign-and-retire is appropriate.

Tonight's games: Christine and I are almost caught up after a very long week, so we actually saw a few pitches as Roy Halladay pitched a complete game 3-1 win over the Braves. It was Gary Matthews and Tom McCarthy's birthday. Happy birthday Sarge! The Red Sox and Rays are tied at 5 in the 6th.

Fun-filled 4th

Here are the happenings, in brief.

The AL All-Star team will have six Red Sox, including Clay Buchholz, who is heading to the DL. He'll be joined by injured Victor Martinez and Dustin Pedroia and healthy David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and Jon Lester. Kevin Youkilis was snubbed, but he's headed to the ballot for the final roster spot.

Charlie Manuel selected only one Phillie for the NL team: Ryan Howard. He'll be joined by fan-selected but injured Chase Utley and player-selected Roy Halladay.

The Sox and Phils each lost today to crappy teams, the Orioles and Pirates.

Joey Chestnut won another hot dog eating competition, but they had to arrest Takeru Kobayashi to keep him from reclaiming his spot as the world's top eater.

Christine and I had a nice dinner.

I get a holiday

I had to work today, and after I got home, we had to run to the store as the Phillies game was starting. The store didn't have what we wanted, and we couldn't decide whether to try another or go home because Christine has had Phillies withdrawal. She decided to stay out because the Phillies were winning 2-1. "It's working," she said.

Good call. The Phillies finally beat the Pirates 12-4, thanks to Kyle Kendrick's first major league complete game. I wonder if our shopping karma helped the Red Sox, as Jon Lester shut down the Orioles 9-3. I saw a stat this morning that the Orioles are 9-35 in their last 44 games in Fenway. Make that 9-36 ... poor Orioles.

I've been so busy at work lately that I'm not really that excited about tomorrow's Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot-Dog-Eating Contest. It's going to be hard to watch without Takeru Kobayashi, who can't participate because of a contractual issue. I guess Joey Chestnut will have a cakewalk again.

But, at least I get a day off tomorrow. It was looking like I'd have to work July 4th for the first time since 2006. Because the day off was last-minute, Christine and I are breaking from our tradition of staying at home for a barbecue and going out to eat to celebrate having the day off.

Even more hurtin' SoxandPhils

Last night, I didn't think to mention that the Red Sox acquired Kevin Cash. Wasn't I surprised to learn that they got him because Jason Varitek joined the casualty list and is out six weeks with a broken foot. And from the radio description tonight, it sounded like Jimmy Rollins was ready for another tour of duty when he was beaned and his helmet was knocked off of his head, but he stayed in the game.

The Phillies lost to the Pirates 2-0. That's two consecutive games in which the Phillies lost to a Pirates starter who hadn't yet won in 2010. They're halfway to the sweep Christine was worried about.

The Red Sox beat the Orioles 3-2.

More hurtin' SoxandPhils

The SoxandPhils injury bug is reaching epidemic proportions. Off the top of my head: Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley, Ryan Madson, J.A. Happ, Clay Buchholz, Victor Martinez, Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz are all injured.

Now, Manny Delcarmen has hit the DL. And, Utley's injury is worse than expected: He's gone for eight weeks. And, Ruiz is still showing concussion symptoms. And now, Brian Schneider left tonight's game with a hand injury. At least Dustin Pedroia is not taking his injury sitting down, or standing up.

Not content to sit on his duff, he took grounders on his knees:

"I'm just keeping my [expletive] ready," Pedroia said. "That's all I've got for you. I've just got to keep my arm in shape."

Pedroia — amused that he was at the center of media attention yesterday — clearly cannot stand to be on the disabled list. So, while being driven around in carts, the second baseman is doing all he can to remain sharp, even though he is unlikely to be back for six weeks.

"I'm pretty bored," Pedroia said. "There's not really a lot to do for me right now. I really don't do much. I just sit down, lift weights sitting down. That's about it."

I love the spirit, but won't be happy when we learn about how someone can cause serious injury by taking grounders on their knees.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox are off. The Phillies lost to the Pirates 3-2. Christine is fearing a four-game sweep.