Nick Green Can Pitch

So I wasn't paying too much attention to the game last night because I had a quiz this morning I had to study for, and we were losing so bad it didn't seem to matter. Two things piqued my interest:

1) Ellsbury was replaced without me noticing. So when I looked at Gameday it said he'd been out at home...of course my immediate thought was F!--injury? Then I read this:

"Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury suffered a mild left high-ankle sprain in Thursday's 9-5 loss to the White Sox, and his availability for Friday's series opener against the Blue Jays is uncertain." Francona said this: "We're certainly going to check with him. I don't think it will be anything more than a nagging thing, and I'm glad we took him out. Got some ice on it, got it treated, and I'm hopeful that it'll be fine.''

Jacoby Ellsbury cannot sit out. Final decision!

2) It was weird looking over at the game to check the score and seeing Nick Green pitching. So I had to stop studying and watch his 2 innings--he was not too shabby! Walked a couple guys but got out of his innings unscathed. Some comedy was even gleaned from the situation:

“After I got behind hitters the first inning I kind of got a little nervous because I just didn’t want to walk everybody,” he said. “I mean, I know how it is as an infielder to sit back there and watch ball, ball, ball, so I didn’t really want to do that and I did. The only reason I was successful is because my ball moved a little bit, but I didn’t know it was going to move. I was trying to throw it straight.”

And Youkilis, of course (backstory: Green had a ball come right back to him and nailed that sucker to Kotchman at first, which I immediately noticed and commented on. Apparently I was not the only one): “He’s gonna have to work on his PFE’s (pitcher fielding exercises) in spring training. That was ridiculous. I’m glad I wasn’t at first base. I probably would have thrown it back to him as hard as I could.”

He did it again: “I felt like I waited for him about 15 minutes to get over to first base, so when I catch the ball at shortstop to throw it over there he’s there. I’m like catching it and I’m like ‘Get over there!’”

The point of this long post: Ellsbury better be fine and Green can pitch in an emergency.

And I had Really good pictures to go with this post but Blogger sucks and I can't upload them. Time to change, I think!

Back in a Big Way

Big Papi is, that is. He is definitely looking like he is getting his groove back, and man, is it a welcome sight.

Who is doing just the opposite? As in, not grooving. That would be Matsuzaka, who has been pretty much a disappointment this season. After being moved to the 15-day DL yesterday, Francona had this to say: "This is not going to be a two-week DL. We have to figure this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get him back to being Daisuke."

Sounds bad. Shoulder weakness, they are saying. So that opens the door for John Smoltz to come waltzing in, right? And conveniently, "Topping out the radar gun around 91 mph, slightly slower than he's known for, Smoltz threw six innings of one-hit, one-run ball as the Pawtucket Red Sox edged the visiting Durham Bulls, 2-1, at McCoy Stadium." He threw 74 pitches, 51 for strikes. It's like it was all planned. As long as he does good, right.

What else is going on? Nick Green hit a walk off HR last night, and it was awesome. One pitch in the bottom of the 9th was all he needed, and after a pretty interesting game, with Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones getting thrown out after J.D. Drew RBI'd after taking what was clearly strike 3 and the ump called it a ball; and Ortiz getting on (and then scoring later) after a little pop up landed between the miscommunicating Jones and shortstop. You kinda felt bad for the Braves, really...never enough to want them to win, but you know. Sucks to play like that.

That's about it for now. I haven't been updating (why is summer never as relaxing as it should be?) but I have been watching the Sox, never fear :) And now Wimbledon is starting, and Nadal isn't playing...and life should be good for the next couple weeks.