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The Jermaine Dye deal died on the vine, the two Sox teams seemingly too far apart on the players involved to even ask the South Side outfielder if he would approve a deal. Perhaps Ken Williams realized he let Tadahito Iguchi go for a song and expected the Red Sox to make up the talent differential. Visions of Jerry Owens playing center proved too horrible for Williams, who probably held out for Jacoby Ellsbury. Thankfully Theo Epstein held his ground and the major deal accomplished was acquiring Eric Gagne from the Rangers for three minor league players. With Mike Timlin ailing, the power arm will prove valuable in the stretch run. Kason Gabbard can be a middle to low end of the rotation starter for most clubs. Moving to Texas might actually help him, given that he performed so well at Fenway, which is actually more of a hitter’s park than Rangers Ballpark this season. David Murphy was blocked by veterans on the big league club and eclipsed by Ellsbury. The move can only be good for the first rounder. Engel Beltre was an international player signed last July at the age of 16. He’s so far away from contributing...
Terry Francona confirmed in his post-game press conference that Joel Piñeiro will be designated for assignment to make room for Jon Lester. Lester has been somewhat shaky in his 14 Triple-A starts this season (3.89 ERA, 1.37 WHIP), but with the expiration date on Julian Tavarez’s career as a starer long past, this could be the time to see if the lefty is ready to contribute this season. No one can deny his mettle, but to face the dynamic contenders from Cleveland on their home field will truly be a test. Godspeed, Jon Lester....
Game 49: May 27, 2007 Red Sox 6 W: Joel Piñeiro (1-0)S: Hideki Okajima (3) 34-15, 3 game winning streak13-3-2 series record Rangers 5 H: Joaquin Benoit (5)BS, L: Akinori Otsuka (2, 1-1) 18-32, 5 game losing streak4-11-2 series record Highlights: Did you see Coco’s catch? (I had forgotten that NESN commercial, too, but now it’s running through my head like a much-detested but catchy pop song du jour.) His run-stealing dive in the seventh came with two out and two on to preserve the one-run deficit. Even more gratifying: it came off the bat of Frank Catalanotto. This game neatly summed the 2007 team’s strengths as well as its disposition. Tenacious. Adamant. Hungry. Even though they already had the series in the bag, they did not relent. Even though they have the best record in the majors and lead all the other teams in their division by double digits, they didn’t allow this game to fall by the wayside. Even though comeback king David Ortiz sat out because of his hamstrings and Josh Beckett and Mike Timlin were on the mend, other players came through to sweep the Rangers for the first time since 1973, on August 20,...
Joel Pineiro is on the verge of signing a one-year deal of approximately $4M. The deal is dependent upon the right-hander passing a physical, hopefully one more stringent than the one given to Matt Clement. Pineiro will likely audition for the role of closer and could make the occasional spot start should injuries arise. Pineiro made nine starts against the Red Sox as a Mariner. I actually got to attend one of his starts this past season; Seattle left Tim Wakefield with a complete game loss that game. This outing wasn’t representative of his season, however. He notched a 6.36 ERA in 2007, the worst of his career. It explains the low price tag, a rarity in this off-season....
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Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library’s Sports Temples of Boston.