EagleTribune.com : Blogs : Burt Talks Sports

Here they are in no particular order:
1. What in the hell was Scott Boras doing behind the backstop?
I realize he has several Red Sox clients, including Dice-K, Jason Varitek, J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury, to name a few. Why right behind homeplate where the cameras are always focused, for obvious reasons? Is Jon Lester, last night’s “ace” among his targets? I had to get that off my chest.
2. Jon Lester is the Red Sox ace in 2008.
I don’t know why Josh Beckett has looked only “good” for much of this season, but I do know Lester is the best pitcher on the staff right now. Though bad or good fortune (Beckett’s injury) he was jettisoned into the No. 1 spot in the rotation. Well, he ain’t moving. His performance last night was extra special. While he got in a few mini-jams, you always felt he was going to get out of it. He was at his best in the latter stages of his outing, which included 117 pitches.
3. Jacoby Ellsbury is the straw that stirs this offense.
Where has this guy been all year? Ellsbury of the last few weeks is the same guy we saw for the last six weeks and then playoffs of 2007. His confidence is back. And he is a better centerfielder than Coco Crisp. He has a better arm and his glove is better. Ellsbury just causes havoc. If he stays hot, the Red Sox may actually win it all.
4. The Angels of doom and gloom.
John Lackey’s reaction after being pulled in the seventh inning should not go unnoticed. He was ticked beyond belief. Manager Mike Scioscia pulled him after walking Dustin Pedroia with David Ortiz coming to bat with men on first and third and two outs. I don’t blame him. If he’s the “ace” you have to let him get Ortiz. Lackey lacks in confidence at times and right now could turn into one of those times. The next time he would pitch would probably be Game 4 in Boston. His blowup after being removed shows there is a lot of emotion built up this time of year. Very interesting.
5. Angels lineup not as strong as advertised?
For all of the hoop-la given to the Angels offense, I wonder if we may have gone a little overboard.
Batting sixth is Howie Hendrick. While he averaged .302 this season, he only hit three HRs in 92 games.
Batting seventh is catcher Mike Napoli. He averaged .277, but has some pop with 20 HRs in only 78 games.
Batting eighth is Gary Matthews Jr. He averaged only .242 with eight homers and 46 RBI in 127 games.
And batting ninth is Erick Aybar. He appears to be the Red Sox version of Coco Crisp. He averaged .277. He has speed. He led the team with nine infield hits.
Does that group scare you? Other than Napoli … no.
Jon Lester mowed this group down with ease last night, getting each guy out three times.
6. Angels top of the lineup is as advertised.
If Red Sox pitchers can keep this group from pounding doubles and homers, success will probably follow. That won’t be easy. They caused problems for Lester last night, but again, no extra base hits. Garret Anderson, Mark Teixeira, Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter are studs. They are every bit as good if not better than Boston’s 2-3-4-5 in Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew. If the Angels win the series, these guys will have had big power numbers.
7. Justin Masterson’s role is really big.
It’s official. Masterson is the “set-up” reliever for the Red Sox. He will be the eighth inning pitcher for better or for worse. He appears to be the right guy, mentally. Not a lot seems to bother the 23-year-old. His ball moves and batters have to play a guessing game sometimes with the sinker pitch. This probably means the Hideki Okajima will be the seventh inning guy, which means he will probably see action tomorrow night as Dice-K is a six inning pitcher these days.
8. Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia quietly have good games.
There were no game-winning RBI or incredible game-saving defensive stops, but the two Red Sox co-MVPs quietly went about playing good games last night. Youkilis not only had a key defensive play after botching what was a tough over-the-shoulder flare to right field, getting right up and throwing out Guerrero, who tried to go from first to third, in the eighth inning. He also walked in the sixth inning before Jason Bay’s game-winning two-run blast. As for Pedroia, he had two walks, both times behind in the count. These two will be counted on heavily every game to do the little things as they did last night.
9. We will get a David Ortiz moment before the Red Sox are through.
It’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of when. He looks good. He really does. And I’m not just referring to his RBI single to give the Sox that important fourth run. He is taking good swings. It’s been a while since he did something incredible in the waning moments of a game. I think it’s going to happen soon.
10. Game 2 might be the series.
I realize everything is great in Red Sox Nation after Lester’s performance, but I believe Game 2 is the key game. The Angels are a team that work best from ahead. While last night was a traumatic one for the AL West champs, which won 100 games for the first time in franchise history, they have enough veterans to survive it. If the Angels win Game 2, this series is up in the air. If the Sox win, I say it’s over (wow, I’m really going out on the limb, aren’t I?).
10a. Don’t expect Mike Lowell every game.
He didn’t look right. Even his liner to left field, caught by Anderson, was a half-swing. He can’t run to first. He is in obvious pain. But he can still play the field, which is why he is in the lineup. The best Red Sox team is Lowell at third and Youkilis at first. If Lowell can play seven innings, it will allow Francona to move Jed Lowrie to third base and bring in Alex Cora or move Youkilis to third and bring in Sean Casey. Either way, the Sox have options.