BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
The All Star Game Break

July 15, 2013 ... No game scheduled ... The Sox are that. At 58-39, they have the best record in the American League. The Sox have been in first place (or tied for first) for 87 days since the season started on April 1st. That includes every day since May 27th.  Only the Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves have been over .500 all season. For the Red Sox, it is a season that has exceeded all expectations to date.

The Sox were 4-2 on a road trip to New York and Toronto to start the season. Through April 20, they were 12-4. The only major downturn came from May 3-14, when the Sox dropped nine of 11 games and fell into third place, three games out of first. A five-game win streak made that a memory and the Sox have been relatively consistent since. They were 17-11 in June and are 8-5 so far in July. The Red Sox have had 42 players on the active roster this season and all but a few have contributed in some significant way over the first 97 games. The Sox lead the majors in runs (498), on-base percentage (.350), OPS (.793), doubles (215), walks (357), and extra-base hits (338). They're tied for third in stolen bases (73) and second in triples (25).

All-Stars David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia have been the focal point of the offense from the middle of the order. But players throughout the lineup have played a role.  Jacoby Ellsbury has hit .371 with a .943 OPS since May 21. He has 36 steals in 39 attempts.  Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has had a solid offensive season, hitting .266 with 32 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs. Daniel Nava, who had no guarantee of making the team out of spring training, has started games at six positions and is hitting .288 with 52 RBIs.  Mike Carp, obtained in a low-profile trade with Seattle, has added 22 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs in 52 games as a bench player. Jose Iglesias, inept offensively in previous seasons, has hit a shocking .367 over 52 games.
 

July 16, 2013 ... The All Star Game ... When Mariano Rivera came out of the bullpen to pitch the eighth inning of the 84th All-Star Game his American League teammates stayed next to the dugout, applauding.  They waited, leaving the great Yankees pitcher on the field alone to soak up the applause from the crowd of 45,186. Rivera is universally respected for his accomplishments on the field and elegant comportment off it.   Rivera tipped his cap to all sides of Citi Field, then started his warmup tosses. Only then did the rest of the players take the field.

July 17, 2013 ... No game scheduled ... When Clay Buchholz does return from the neck strain that has kept him out since June 8, it will be akin to the Red Sox acquiring a top-echelon pitcher, one who started the season 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA.  What's frustrating is the injury does not appear to be major. The X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans all have shown just inflammation in the neck region where the combination of two different injuries (bursa sac and neck strain) seem to be one and the same.  So when Buchholz throws in a bullpen session at Fenway, it could lead to a simulated game if he feels OK.  Buchholz said he's been feeling the soreness and stiffness in his neck when he follows through or decelerates on his delivery. 

Buchholz and his wife, Lindsay, hosted the inaugural Buchholz Bowl at Lucky Strike Lanes tonight. The celeb bowling party, which raised money for health, education, and sports opportunities for kids, had a guest list that included Patriot Rob Gronkowski, Bruin Shawn Thornton, and a bunch of Sox personalities including David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Jon Lester, and Jason Varitek.

July 18, 2013 ... No game scheduled ... Andrew Bailey is done for the season, the team revealing that he suffered a significant shoulder injury in Oakland last week.  Bailey was injured last Friday on a pitch when he struck out Jed Lowrie. He stayed in the game and struck out Yoenis Cespedes on five pitches.  Bailey has a labrum tear, a tear in his capsule, and a strained subscapularis tendon. One of the Red Sox' physicians, Peter Asnis, made the diagnosis. Mets team doctor David Altchek confirmed it, as did Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad.  Over two seasons with the Red Sox, Bailey has pitched in 49 games. He had a 3.77 ERA in 30 appearances this season.  The Red Sox called up righthander Jose De La Torre from Triple A Pawtucket to replace Bailey on the roster.