A pair of injured All-Star first basemen

No teams have been depleted by injury this year like the SoxandPhils. They've even seemed to be matching each other position by position.

So, should we be surprised that the day after Ryan Howard left a game with injury, that Kevin Youkilis followed suit tonight? They're optimistic that Howard won't be DL'd; it's too soon for Youk's prognosis.

Mike Cameron is also headed back to the DL.

Today, the Phillies are off. The Red Sox trail the Indians 6-2 in the 7th. And Tim Wakefield turned 44.

Dropping like flies

The media has been burying the 2010 Red Sox for several days.

I agree, this hasn't been a pretty start to the season. As Theo Epstein said today:

"It's not the time for excuses or sugar-coating it. We've played bad baseball. It's a bad stretch of play and when you do that at the start of the season, it looks even worse. We haven't played well, there are no excuses for how we've played. We haven't played smart baseball; we haven't really played aggressive baseball."

But the GM is confident things will turn around:

"We'll get back to our level. As an organization we have a track record. We have a standard we need to live to up to. One way or another we're going to get there collectively."

I'm trying my best to keep a positive attitude. I was OK with the news that Mike Cameron could be gone for a while; I think Josh Reddick will play well. I'm a little concerned that our other center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, joined his elder teammate on the DL. OK, I'm very concerned because I've never heard of his replacement - journeyman Darnell McDonald.

Tonight, they're still playing bad baseball after six innings. Tim Wakefield has given up six runs and Victor Martinez has allowed nine - NINE! - stolen bases. Yikes. Rangers 6, Red Sox 4.

Phillies: Kyle Kendrick, possibly pitching for his career, outpitched Tommy Hanson. In the 7th, Phillies 3, Braves 0.

Is today over yet?

It's the busy season for me at work, and I had a rough a day. Compounding matters is that the Red Sox lost to the Rays 8-2 in the Patriots' Day matinee that ended pretty much before my day started. The Red Sox were swept in a four-game series in Fenway. No disrespect to the competition, but we should not be dropping four games at home to anyone.

I'm getting cranky. But at least I was not hospitalized like Mike Cameron or getting skipped in the rotation because of injury like J.A. Happ.

Tomorrow will be better.

Friday fun with flags

Earlier this week, I mentioned the huge flag that was on the field during the Opening Day pregame ceremonies. Tonight, we present our little photo essay of how the flag was 1) unfurled; 2) displayed in all its glory; and 3) refurled.

While the flag was stretched over the outfield, we wondered how they would fold it up without letting it touch the ground. We decided that they knew what they were doing.

They did - they ran as quick as possible. It did touch the ground, but surprisingly few times for a flag that size.

With this, I conclude our leftover pictures from Opening Day.

Well, there's one more, but it's not enough for a post, and I'm not sure whether it will see the light of day.

Phillies: Christine and I were driving in separate cars when Roy Halladay had his first at-bat in Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies had the bases loaded and a three-run lead. I was certain he was going to further his ever-growing legend with a big hit. He didn't. Christine booed, in joking appreciation that he is not perfect.

It didn't matter because his teammates had his back - including a three-RBI game for Juan Castro and home runs by Placido Polanco and Chase Utley, who has gone deep in four consecutive games.

I wasn't happy when they let Halladay hit in the bottom of the 7th in the pouring rain with a seven-run lead. He pitched another inning and gave up a second run before David Herndon nearly blew it, giving up four runs in the 9th and setting up a save for Ryan Madson, who did finish off the 8-6 win over the Marlins.

Red Sox: While watching the Phillies, I had a feeling that I should switch to MLB Network. My ESP was rewarded by a live look in at the Red Sox and Rays game, which was then tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 6th. David Ortiz was up with a man on, and I cringed at the thought of him making another out. He didn't. He laced a solid hit to right, but the third base coach waved home Kevin Youkilis, who was out by a mile. Arrgh.

The two teams that will likely battle for the division all summer long remain tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th before a rain delay kicked in. Nice start by Josh Beckett, one unearned run in seven innings. Jason Varitek hit a solo home run - his third homer in his second start.

Because the Captain is back, maybe we could trade Victor Martinez for an outfielder. We could use one with Jacoby Ellsbury injured and Mike Cameron recovering from kidney stones. Ouch.

Changed my mind: Here's that last picture I was saving from Opening Day. We were planning to break it out when Herndon had a bad game, so here's a shot of Herndon and his pink bag:

D-Fence and the new-look Red Sox

It's quite clear by now that Theo Epstein thought the best way to improve the Red Sox was via leather and pitching. Run prevention is the new catch phrase in Boston.

So Jason Bay was banished to New York, and Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek were sent to the bench, and Jacoby Ellsbury was sent to left field.

What?

Interestingly, I was looking at defensive stats this morning in The Bill James Handbook and was surprised to see that, defying conventional wisdom, both Ellsbury and Shane Victorino rank among the worst center fielders in the game. So although I was surprised when news broke this afternoon that the Red Sox will play Mike Cameron in center, I wasn't completely shocked.

I'm really psyched for the new-look defensive Red Sox, even though I'm sure some, like this moron particpating in a Rob Neyer chat, will question Theo's logic:

Steve (NYC)
Rob, do you think the Sox are putting too many eggs in the UZR basket? They've improved their defense, but from a distance it also looks like they've added mediocre bats to 1/3 of their lineup. Are we really so confident in the relative value of defense to offense that these "WAR" numbers are gospel? I guess we'll find out, but I personally find the Sox a lot less scary than in previous seasons.

Rob Neyer (12:10 PM)
Cameron has been an above-average hitter in each of the last 11 seasons; Beltre has been above average in four of the last six seasons. So, no.

Thanks, Rob.

A little longer defense of the Red Sox D-Fence comes from Dave Cameron:

Beltre isn't just a good defender. He is in the conversation of the best defensive third baseman of all time.
[...]
It isn't just the numbers, either. When you watch Beltre play third base, you are amazed at the things he can do. He has perfected the charge on a bunt – no one in baseball comes in on the ball as well as he does. His lateral range is hilarious at times, as he regularly fields balls that are hit directly at the shortstop, just because he can. He has a great arm, often throwing lasers across the field without transferring his weight, showing pure arm strength.

Nuggets gleaned today from Bill James: Chase Utley was the best base-running second baseman in 2009 and was second only to Michael Bourn among all players. Mike Lowell was the worst base runner at third base - another reason the Adrian Beltre signing makes sense. Although he's not an excellent base runner, at least Beltre is on the positive side of the ledger, unlike the guy he is replacing.

Brad Lidge had the worst OPS (.912) among relievers with at least 50 games. He was also tied with the second worst save percentage (74 percent).

Ryan Madson tied for second with 29 appearances in which he pitched on the previous day. But with all the talk about not using the injured Lidge on consecutive days, the closer did have 21 such appearances.

[Photo credit: HuggingHaroldReynolds.com]

First impressions

Well the dealing is done. (Maybe.) And our general managers publicly unveiled their new trophies today.

Combined, Roy Halladay, John Lackey and Mike Cameron have played for 35 seasons. Halladay has never been to the playoffs. Cameron has been four times, but has only won two series he has been in. After winning the World Series as a rookie, Lackey hasn't had much success, as the Angels have won just two of six playoff series since 2002.

So do you think they're excited about joining two of baseball's elite teams?

Halladay:

This is a dream come true. The longer you play in your carer the more important (winning) becomes. I've been able to establish myself, achieve things. The more I play, the more I realize how important that is for me. To see a team do it in back-to-back years and have that success says a lot about the players in the clubhouse and people that are putting the team together. It's not an accident. I want to be a part of that. I've heard great things about the people and great things about the organization. That is big for me.

The biggest thing is having a chance to win and hopefully do it a couple of times. For me, that was the biggest factor.

Lackey:

"Obviously, I've been here for some big names," said Lackey, who has made four postseason starts against the Red Sox and pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings in Game 1 of the American League Division Series in October, setting the tone for an Angels sweep. "I'm here to win. The bottom line is that I've always had a lot of respect for this organization from the other side. Winning is the biggest thing for me and I know the organization has a great chance to do that. Hopefully, I can help."

And Cameron:

From my past visits here, I kind of understand the passion people have here toward the game. I feel the same way. As much as a player, I've been a big fan of the game. When you go to different place you see the excitement and passion people have. I had a chance to go somewhere special and play in the World Series.

Hopefully, we'll see all three in the 2010 World Series.

Cliff Lee odds and ends: Christine reminded me that, this summer, I said people were stupid to buy Cliff Lee jerseys and T-shirts because even if he stuck around, he could have switched numbers from 34 to 31. Now, all those Lee fans must be wondering whether it's OK to just slap Halladay over their No. 34s. No, it's not. ... Not only did Doc take his uniform number, the Phillies didn't wait to replace the Cliff Lee bobblehead giveaway with a Roy Halladay bobblehead giveaway. This might set a record for the quickest bobblehead announcement.

Finally, I'm sure the debate whether the Phillies should have kept Lee will continue through the season. Here are two more views: one on why he doesn't fetch more in trades, the other on why the last two years of dealing make sense for the Phillies.

[Photo credits: Associated Press]

The Phillies are not the Yankees

This offseason may be remembered not as the one in which the Phillies traded away their recently acquired Cy Young award winner for a potential Hall of Famer, but more as the time in which the Phillies officially left the National League to join the Red Sox and Yankees in some ridiculously higher level of baseball maneuvering.

The big trade is still not completed, but a little clearer. Yes, Kyle Drabek will be dealt, but the Phillies will keep the three prospects from the Mariners they will get for Cliff Lee. I've warmed to the idea of trading Drabek for Halladay, especially because the Phillies are keeping top outfield prospect Domonic Brown and getting salary relief this year from the Blue Jays.

What I don't understand is jettisoning Lee for lesser prospects than those going to Toronto:

The Cliff Lee to Seattle portion of this trade just seems very light in return for the Phillies. They're getting two power arms with a lot of questions marks and a speedy center fielder without a lot of power. None of these guys are top tier prospects. This is the best Philadelphia could have gotten for Lee? Really? A pu-pu platter of interesting, high-risk guys not really close to the majors for a Cy Young-quality pitcher who is already well on his way to Type A free agency?

And, even if that's true, why clear $8 million from the books by trading Lee? Surely, you could have moved Joe Blanton without eating any of his salary, even if you didn't love the deals being offered. Or, how about this – don't sign J.C. Romero, Brian Schneider, and Ross Gload, whose 2010 salaries are about equal to Lee's. Replace those three reserves with league minimum guys and you've saved enough money to keep Lee around.

I think that's where I'm at with this one. Why not have the uber rotation of Halladay, Lee and Hamels, even if you know it's just for one year. If he walks after 2010, then the Phillies would get two high draft picks to restock the farm.

Of course, if they had done that, they would have gone from being the Yankees' peer to being the Yankees. It's fun to think about, but during the year, would we feel guilty, or even hypocritical, for encouraging one of our teams to embody what we hate about the Empire?

It'll just give me greater satisfaction after John Lackey wins the clincher in the ALCS and then is matched up against Doc in Game 7 of the World Series.

Amen: Sometimes I'm a stathead stuck in a traditionalist's body. I've had an innate dislike of Mike Cameron as a player. Rob Neyer, in a post nicely titled, "Red Sox spend less, win more," points out why we should love the decision to use him as Jason Bay's replacement:

He certainly isn't as expensive. As for productive ... Well, that depends on how you define "productive."

Over the last two seasons, Cameron produced 8.4 wins above replacement.

Over those same two seasons, Bay produced 6.4 wins above replacement.

The Red Sox are going to pay Cameron roughly half of what someone's going to pay Jason Bay. We try to make these things so complicated. But they're not, really. The Red Sox have figured out how to simplify everything. And I just can't wait to read all the columns in the Boston newspapers questioning Theo Epstein's intelligence and ownership's commitment to winning ...

So, J-Bay, thanks for the memories, and I hope you enjoy the millions the Empire is about to heap on you.

Aces high on wild day

Wow.

The slow offseason certainly picked up today for the SoxandPhils.

In a couple of huge surprises, the Phillies are on the verge of swapping Cy Young aces Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay in a stunning three-team deal among the Phils, Mariners and Blue Jays, while the Red Sox have cloned Josh Beckett by signing John Lackey.

On the undercard, meanwhile, the Red Sox are close to signing Mike Cameron to replace Jason Bay and have offered $15.5 million to Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, the 21-year-old lefty with a 102 MPH fastball.

This morning, I thought my blog post would be ripping David Murphy for not updating his blog since last week.

A lot has changed in the last several hours.

Here's my gut reaction on the day's news:

Philies: I don't think Halladay gives them much more than Cliff Lee this year. I don't know if it is better for the team in the long run, but I understand the logic on the theory that they were pretty sure they would lose Lee after this season while they will lock up Doc for several years under this deal.

I heard an analyst say recently that Halladay is Ruben Amaro's white whale. Well, he finally harpooned the bugger, and remarkably it looks like it won't cost top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek or outfield prospect Domonic Brown.

But some reports are saying that it might cost them Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and Domonic Brown in what we think could be a straight-up deal between the Phillies and Blue Jays. Would that mean the Phillies get to keep Lee? {Halladay, Lee and Hamels? Whoa. But I'd be disappointed to see homegrown Happ leave.}

Update: Now Jayson Stark says the deal will likely include Drabek. I give up trying to figure out this one tonight. I'll just say I'll be less enthused if the Phillies wind up paying $60 million and giving up Drabek just to upgrade from Lee to Halladay.

The best part is they kept Halladay out of New York. It was enjoyable listening to all the distraught Mets fans call WFAN.

Doc, welcome to Philly. Clifton Phifer, thanks for the short but sweet memories.

Red Sox: I'm not a big John Lackey fan, but I've warmed to him in the last several hours. Especially after learning that his career is most similar to Josh Beckett. Heck, each of them won a World Series clincher when they were 23 years old.

Check out these numbers:

John Lackey - 8 seasons, 3.81 ERA, 234 G, 1501 IP, 1519 H, 636 ER, 151 HR, 441 BB, 1201 K

Josh Beckett - 9 seasons, 3.79 ERA, 228 G, 1401 IP, 1280 H, 590 ER, 151 HR, 426 BB, 1330 K

I'm comfortable with those two behind ace Jon Lester. It's clear Theo Epstein isn't going to overpay for offense and is concentrating on run prevention. Or maybe the Lackey signing leads to a trade of Clay Buchholz for Adrian Gonzalez or another premier bat.

Whether or not that deal occurs, I'm comfortable with how our team is positioned. I've never been thrilled with Mike Cameron, but I have a good feeling that in the end we'll be a better team.

Let the Mets overpay for Bay.

Quality control

The MLB Network has remained on the basic FIOS package for the past two weeks. I still like the fledgling channel despite its glitches, most notably with its programming guide.

Last week, the network had a special weekend dedicated to big strikeout games. I tried to DVR Roger Clemens' 1986 20K game against the Mariners. Despite the buffoon the roider has become, I would still like to sit down and watch the game responsible for me becoming a Red Sox fan.

The first time I tried, it wound up recording one of Randy Johnson's old Mariners games halfway through. The next time, I got the beginning of a game - David Cone's 19 strikeouts against the Phillies on the last day of the 1991 season.

I was bored so I watched the first inning - pure cheese. In the broadcast booth for the Mets that day was Ralph Kiner and Frank Cashen, who was still the team's GM but would be fired in the offseason. Perhaps the ownership didn't like to hear their top personnel guy chuckle when their leadoff hitter loafed into second on the first play of the game.

I don't know if this was just a sign of the pre-Internet times or lack of preparedness by the Mets broadcast team, but when they were talking about Phillies catcher Doug Lindsey (never heard of him), Cashen could only guess that it was his first game because his batting average was .000. For the record, it was his only game of 1991. Lindsey would appear in two more games for the Phillies in 1993 and then two more that year after being traded to the Cubs. Christine wonders whether he is proud or sad if he ever happens upon this rebroadcast.

He was the top scrub in two lineups filled with them. For the Phillies: CF Braulio Castillo, PH Jim Lindeman and SS Kim Batiste led off. For the Mets, the double play combo says it all: Kevin Miller and Jeff Gardner. Needless to say, I won't sit through this whole game. {I disagree with calling Doug Lindsey the "top scrub" of the lineup. Most Phillies fans will forever remember the names in the lineup that day, whether they were scrubs or not. Hollins, Morandini, Jordan, Chamberlain - those names mean something to us.}

Other gaffes: Recently, I had the channel on when they were showing Mike Cameron's four home run game. Coming back from a commercial break, MLB's Hazel Mae noted how well the Mariners had rebounded from losing superstars, notably Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez. She called the trio surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famers. I hope that was taped before Slappy's steroid revelation.

And then, Barry Larkin made a huge error the other night. I've been annoyed by Larkin since the network debuted. He seems too attached to players with Reds' connection, especially Ken Griffey Jr. Larkin can't accept The Kid isn't 24 years old anymore.

But in a discussion of which player in history had the greatest rookie season, Larkin picked four, including Edinson Volquez' 2008. I was ready to blow my top, but Christine calmed me as she saw the other analysts about to correct him. Nope, they just chided him for picking four players when he was asked to pick one. Don't they have interns at MLB Network to make sure its talent doesn't perpetuate embarrassing mistakes?

No quality: Alex Rodriguez spoke today about his drug abuse. He's so delusional I can't even get my head around all the lies he is spinning. I hope he gets some help.