April showers, bring May raindates?
I'll take the 3-3 start to the season. Heck, the Sox were on the road. And pitching wasn't been a problem.
Yes, Schilling struggled in his first outing but Sunday he had returned to form, allowing only one run.
However how long can the Sox put Julian Tavarez out there? Unlike Schilling, he does not have what it takes to take the mound every fifth day. Whenever a pressure situation arises Tavarez seems to freeze.
So for the next two weeks, you might as well mark a 'L' for his starts. Where's Kyle Snyder when you need him? Actually I would not be surprised to see Snyder make a sport start if Tavarez throws another dud.
There is good news though, Jon Lester is on his way back. I would imagine that the Sox will have the lefty up to the bigs by mid-May barring any unforeseen injury. Lester is rebounding nicely. He will make three starts at single-A and then I would guess two starts in AAA, then we'll see him in the No. 5 slot. One blogger gives us a much needed update.
How about Papelbon? 15 pitches in 1 2/3 innings. He is the next Mariano Rivera, I'm telling ya. He just simply went after Sosa, forcing the powerful right-hander to hit a measly pop-up to the infield.
I have tickets to Thursday's game vs. the Seattle Mariners. Got them by chance on Friday. Since acquiring them I've been not-so-secretly wishing for a rainout on Wednesday to give me an opportunity to witness Daisuke Matsuzaka live.
Well, apparently I should have kept my dreams to myself. The forecast is calling for nasty weather not on Wednesday, but on Thursday. Great!
Now, not only do I miss an opportunity to see Matsuzaka face Ichiro, I most likely will miss seeing the Sox entirely.
Why is it that I'm even placed in this situation? MLB should schedule away games for all teams located in the northeast until April 15.
This is not the first time that I've been scheduled to see a game in early April only to have the threat of rain ruin any plans. Truth be told, on one occasion I assumed a game would be cancelled only to sit watching the television in amazement, while the Rangers absolutely crushed the Sox in a five inning downpour.
The Sox schedule started out great (Royals, Rangers) but why not play Anaheim and Tampa Bay. That will at least get us another week to fight off any remaining snow storms.
You could have the Yankees, Phillies, Mets, Cleveland and the Chicago teams do the same. Besides it works out for the host teams as well. Who wants to sit in Arlington in the middle of August to watch the Sox/Rangers in say 101 degrees?
So now, I'll head down to Boston on Thursday. Fight the traffic for an hour and a half (if I'm lucky). Find that all elusive parking spot. Only to get to my seat in time for them to call the game.
The game will undoubtedly be postponed, but when would the Mariners have an open date? (Seems the most likely date would be May 3 - just a guess).
I can only hope it doesn't get cancelled.
E-mail this entry to a friend