The Red Sox know how important team chemistry is to the success of a team. Just ask the 2004 Idiots or the frustrated clubhouse before Manny Ramirez’s eventful departure.

Ortiz is clearly concerned about his contract situation and has mentioned feeling hurt that he has not received attention from the organization that he would like, but is he becoming a clubhouse cancer, starting with the press conference incident?

Absolutely not. Ortiz’s on-field production has clearly not faltered (hit a huge double in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Yankees on Sunday, leading to a Red Sox victory) and his happy-go-lucky nature still seems to dominate his persona.

Whether it be him entertaining young fans while in the batters box or supporting teammates, Ortiz cannot even be considered a minor problem, let alone a spreading cancer.

Coming into the season, the Red Sox seemingly had unprecedented depth in their pitching rotation, with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka as the starting 5.

Still, the team had Tim Wakefield and Alfredo Aceves available for spot-starting duties, as well as Felix Doubront waiting in the wings we call Triple-A.

Despite their multitude of pitching options, the squad’s starting rotation fell into a state of disrepair from the start of the season, as Daisuke Matsuzaka suffered a season-ending injury (requiring Tommy John surgery), while John Lackey struggled mightily.

As the season progressed, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester found themselves on the DL, as Buchholz’s injury has now seemingly compounded into one that is potentially season-ending.

The Sox found themselves in a situation where they required more pitching depth, as they called on Kyle Weiland and Andrew Miller to make starts.

The situation has very clearly proven Red Sox GM Theo Epstein’s core belief that “you can never have enough pitching.”

Now, onto the grades –

Josh Beckett:

Key Stats: 2.20 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9-4 W-L

One of Beckett’s best seasons has come during this 2011 campaign. If the season were to end today, Beckett would have easily set new career bests in terms of ERA and WHIP. A front-running Cy Young candidate, Beckett has dominated hitters over the course of the entire season.

Most importantly, Beckett has pitched his best games during Boston’s biggest games, as he boasts a 3-0 record with a 0.86 ERA against the Yankees, and a mind-boggling 0.00 ERA against the Rays.

Grade: Beckett has carried this Red Sox rotation, and has been a model of consistency, dominance, and success. A

Jon Lester:

Key Stats: 3.23 ERA, .232 OPP BA, 11-4 W-L

After a career year last season, Jon Lester set the bar of expectations extremely high, as the Red Sox turned to him as the “ace” of the rotation. He has not disappointed. Although not the ace (that title has been given to Beckett) of the staff, the lefty has had great success with his impressive 3.17 ERA.

Lester has faced his share of adversity this season, including a stint on the DL as well as a May with a 5.50 ERA, but is quickly regaining his 2010 swagger.

In his first two starts after coming off the DL, Lester went 13.1 innings while allowing just 3 runs (2.02 ERA), striking out 14 and giving up just 11 hits. If he continues on his current path, the Red Sox will have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league.

Grade: Lester’s time on the DL and occasional dud performance is all that is preventing Lester from being considered elite. B+

Clay Buchholz:

Key Stats: 3.48 ERA, 6-3 W-L

Buchholz put up phenomenal numbers last season, in what was easily his best year. The Red Sox were probably not expecting a replica of last season, but they were certainly expecting more from the oft-injured right hander. Buchholz’s season may be in jeopardy due to a nagging back injury, and it doesn’t help that the injury is putting an otherwise successful year at risk.

With a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.48 ERA, Buchholz was on his way up when he got hurt after a fairly rough start to the season. In his final 9 starts, the Red Sox were 8-1, with the lone loss coming in a 3-2 pitching duel against the Cleveland Indians during which Buch gave up 2 runs in 7 1/3 innings.

His stuff is clearly nasty, and when he’s on, he’s tough to beat, but his key will be getting back on the mound to assist the Sox in the postseason.

Grade: Injuries have derailed an otherwise promising season, but part of being a good pitcher is staying healthy. B-

John Lackey: 

Key Stats: 6.11 ERA, 10-8 W-L, .300 OPP BA

For the better part of the first half of the season, fans and media were quick to jump on the “dump Lackey” bandwagon, and they had reason to do so. The righty started off the season in abysmal fashion as he struggled in nearly every game he stepped on the mound.

After missing part of May, Lackey seemed poise to make a healthy return and regain control of his pitches, but he failed to do so and continued getting bashed.

With his reputation at stake, however, Lackey managed to string together several solid starts, and at this point in the season looks to be ready to pitch at the level at which he was expected to perform.

In his last four starts in July, Lackey was 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA with 21 strikeouts. That being said, Lackey took a step back in his first August start as he gave up 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched, but if Lackey can go out and pitch even decently during the majority of his starts, the Sox will be thankful.

Grade: Although he has improved of late, Lackey has had a very, very difficult season. C

Daisuke Matsuzaka:

Key Stats: 5.30 ERA, 3-3 W-L, 1.47 WHIP

Daisuke was clearly affected by his elbow injury which required him to receive Tommy John surgery. With the exception of two phenomenal starts against Toronto and Tampa Bay (15 IP, 0 ER, 12 K’s, 2 H), Matsuzaka struggled, getting out of the sixth inning only once.

Oft-injured, consistently inconsistent, a model of mediocrity for much of his career, Daisuke may have thrown his last pitch in a Red Sox uniform.

Grade: Inconsistent with a few dazzling performances, lost a season because of injury and thus cannot contribute. D+

Tim Wakefield:

Key Stats: 4.99 ERA, 6-4 W-L

Wakefield’s mediocre season has been fairly magical because of his pursuit of 200 career wins. He has consistently kept the Red Sox offense in games, and has done everything Terry Francona has asked of him.

Grade: His professional nature and chance at 200 wins has been great to watch, and he has certainly earned his success. B-

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Image Credits: redsoxjersey.net

Both teams made early, generally inexcusable errors, while both C.J. Wilson and Jon Lester did not have complete command of their pitches, often missing their spots.

For the Red Sox there was certainly a lot of bad (considering they lost the game), but a lot of positives came from Game 1 as well.

I’ll start with the negatives, so we can end on a positive note!

Negatives

1. Jon Lester pitched poorly. He recorded zero strikeouts for the first time in an outing since 2008, and gave up three home runs for the first time in his career.

The silver lining? He was able to tough out 5 1/3 innings, and he seemed to gain command towards the end of the game, retiring six straight batters at one point.

2. Daniel Bard pitched an atrocious game. Part of it can be attributed to his lack of velocity on his fastball (most of his pitches were around 95 MPH, instead of 99 MPH), but even with the decreased velocity Bard was missing his spots.

The velocity will come as Bard continues to ramp up from the offseason, and he is the type of pitcher who will throw a streak of scoreless innings, but then have a horrible game. He got the bad game out of the way early…

3. Carl Crawford aand the bottom third of the lineup combined for zero hits. Crawford’s zero is not concerning, given that he has never hit C.J. Wilson well, batting .133 against the pitcher for his career.

Positives

What is concerning is that the bottom three hitters (Mike Cameron, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Marco Scutaro) had no hits. Keep in mind, Cameron is a career .260 hitter, and Saltalamacchia only hit .167 last year.

Scutaro is not worrying, since he has been a consistent on-base guy and is a patient hitter, but when J.D. Drew is not playing against lefties, the Sox have a major hole with Cameron and a fairly unproven Salty.

If Salty can put up decent numbers and get on base consistently, say higher than a .335 OBP, then the problem will be less significant, but he is certainly a question mark.

Now, on to the positives:

1. David Ortiz hit a home run. Enough said given his struggles in the early-goings of the past two seasons.

2. Jacoby Ellsbury is back. He was a monster during the Spring, and his torrid hitting is carrying into the season. He looks comfortable again.

3. The Sox lineup is unquestionably one of the most dangerous in the league, and if the bottom hitters can get on-base then the offense should have no problems.

To sum it up there was a lot of bad, but a lot of the negatives can be attributed to early-season rust evident on every team, and the Red Sox certainly have a bright season ahead of them.

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Image Credits: Junko Kimura/Getty Images, SI

However, I disagreed with him in two areas.

1. Speed

Lewis understood from Billy Beane (Oakland A’s GM) that steals are an unnecessary risk to take, presenting high risk and relatively low reward. Transitionally, Lewis argued that since steals are not important, neither is speed.

That is where I disagree.

Although steals may be an

overrated statistic, speed itself is not. Pitchers often unravel with quicker base runners on base, knowing that if their delivery is not perfect, they can let a runner move 90 feet closer to home.

Further, it changes the pitches the pitcher will throw. Take the Red Sox, for instance.

When Jacoby Ellsbury gets on base, pitchers are more likely to throw fastballs to the next hitter (Dustin Pedroia), to give Ells as little time as possible to complete a steal.

Pedroia, however, is a fastball hitting machine, and regularly deposits fastballs into right field.

Ellsbury’s speed not only makes the pitcher change his delivery and pitching style, but it also makes the pitcher change his mentality.

2. Clutch

I believe that “clutch”, or hitting in timely situations, is something which a player either has, or doesn’t. Sure, a guy like Mark Bellhorn can hit a home run in a big situation during the World Series, but that doesn’t make him clutch if he strikes out nine out of the other 10 at bats he has!

The bottom line is, clutch is something that can be measured, and I am working on building up a statistic which relies on hitters’ stats with two outs and runners on base.

That situation is when a hitter feels pressure similar to that of a 9th inning at-bat with the game on the line since a scoring opportunity is possible, as is letting down a full dugout of teammates.

This statistic can determine how "clutch" a player is.

Singles, doubles and triples all help a players clutch factor equally.

A single is equivalent to a triple since speed is already taken into account with steals, and sometimes balls hit with little power can find their way into the  corner for extra bases, dependent upon ballparks and factors external to the hitter.

Home runs are the most valuable hit, since they automatically produce runs, and stealing in clutch situations can be game changing, while getting caught hurts a teams chances of winning.

On-Base percentage is another large factor in determining a player’s clutch factor, since the single most important thing a player can do is to get on base to prolong an inning.

Alternatively, striking out is the worst thing a player could do, not even giving himself a chance to put runs on the board.

Coming soon: ClutchFactor Calculator to NESO’S TAKE.

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Image credits: Boston.com

Carl Crawford is truly an intriguing player. He is arguably the game’s most feared five-tool player, in that he can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, field well and throw well.

Crawford has stolen 50 bases five times in his career, including one 60 steal season. His lowest steal total for a season (other than his rookie year) came in 2008 with 25, when he only played in 109 games.

At this point, here’s what the Red Sox lineup would presumably look like:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B

3. Carl Crawford, LF

4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

5. Kevin Youkilis, 3B

6. David Ortiz, DH

7. J.D. Drew, RF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Marco Scutaro, SS

(Red means downgrade from last year, Green means upgrade)

I have heard people criticizing the decisions Sox’ GM Theo Epstein has made this off-season, saying that re-signing Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre would make the Sox’ lineup as dangerous as it currently looks.

However, Adrian Beltre has had two great seasons in his entire career, both of which were contract years. In Beltre’s twelve-year career, he’s only hit above .300 twice, and has only topped 25 home runs three times.

Victor Martinez will certainly be missed, especially since it is unclear whether or not his replacement, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, can produce in the major leagues.

Martinez is one of the best hitting catchers in the MLB, if not the best, and considering the wear-and-tear his body takes he is durable, hits for average and belts home runs. His fielding was good, but he was unable to throw runners out.

Also, with four years on the contract he earned from Detroit, he’ll be 36 at the expiration of the deal. Generally, catcher’s careers are shorter than most players, since their body does take a beating. The Sox did not need another Mike Lowell situation down the road.

To see whether or not this Red Sox team is better than the one they would have had by reusing last year’s squad, let’s compare each team position by position.

Right Field: J.D. Drew vs. J.D. Drew;

Wash.

Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Mike Cameron;

Ellsbury. Jacoby Ellsbury is a better player. He has had a better average over his career (albeit a short one thus far) and is brutally dangerous on the base paths.

Left Field: Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Carl Crawford;

Crawford. First of all, we must realize that the team’s left field last season was made up of a platoon of Darnell MacDonald, Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish and Jeremy Hermida. Crawford is an upgrade over every one of those players.

Against Ellsbury: Crawford has a slight speed disadvantage, but has put up All-Star numbers throughout his career, showing consistency and veteran poise and leadership.

Second Base: Dustin Pedroia vs. Dustin Pedroia;

Wash.

Short Stop: Marco Scutaro vs. Marco Scutaro;

Wash.

First Base: Kevin Youkilis vs. Adrian Gonzalez;

Gonzalez. Both are phenomenal defenders. Youkilis has shown himself to be one of the all-time great defensive first basemen after not only earning a gold glove but also setting the record for most error-less games in-a-row. Gonzalez, although he holds no records, has won two gold gloves.

Offensively, Youkilis has a better career OBP and batting average. However, Gonzalez’s numbers are hurt by his first two years in Texas, where he played sparingly. Once in San Diego, he began to put up massive numbers. His OBP is just 20 points lower than Kevin Youkilis’ ridiculous .394.

His batting average, .288, is just 6 points less than Youk’s .294, and both strike out with the same regularity (both averaging about 120 K’s/season).

However, it is A-Gon’s home run total that sets him apart. He average 32 bombs per season to Youk’s 23, and he also averages more RBI.

Nonetheless, it is not as if the Sox lost Kevin Youkilis, so his abilities are still a part of this lineup.

Third Base: Kevin Youkilis vs. Adrian Beltre;

Youkilis. I think it safe to say that Beltre will not be a part of this team next season, simply because there’s no space for him at either corner of the infield. Youkilis is a more consistent fielder than Beltre, although Adrian does have a knack for flashy, bare-handed plays.

Still, Youkilis isn’t afraid to get down and dirty on any play, and makes his share of highlight plays as well. Offensively, as I mentioned earlier, Beltre has had two good seasons, both in contract years. With a long-term deal likely on its way, Beltre won’t be in a contract year for quite some time.

Youk has better career numbers in terms of average and OBP, and has consistently put up his high numbers. Beltre, if his two fluke seasons are not considered, is a career .265 hitter who barely averages 20 HR/season.

Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia vs. Victor Martinez;

Martinez. There’s no way around this one. Martinez is just a better player compared to Salty. He’s a proven veteran who can put up big numbers in key situations.

Overall:

As a whole, the Sox have a more balanced offensive attack with more weapons, including speed and power. The only flaw I see with the current lineup is how lefty-heavy it is. Only Pedroia, Youk, Scutaro and Salty are right-handed hitters.

Against the Yankees, who will feature C.C. Sabathia, potentially Andy Pettite, and possibly Cliff Lee (all pitchers who are very tough on lefty hitters), the Sox may have trouble.

Luckily, they have players coming off the bench who showed that they had starting capabilities last year, including Daniel Nava and Darnell MacDonald.

It is clear the Sox are a better team with Crawford, but they also cut the Rays’ squad apart by removing their most potent weapon.

Both the Sox and Yankees had a better record than the Rays last year. The Rays have gotten worse, and the Sox have improved.

The AL East is once again a two-horse race between the Red Sox and Yankees.

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That might not seem impressive, but it truly is considering the injury struggles Boston endured. People can argue that Papelbon was, at times, a major reason for the Red Sox struggles, and they would not be wrong. However, can you really argue that the Red Sox are a better team without Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Victor Martinez?

Replacement players like Jed Lowrie, Ryan Kalish, Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava certainly stepped up to the challenge and played at high levels, but both offensively and defensively, the Red Sox stalwarts were missed.

Marco Scutaro had a very successful campaign, although his season went very much unnoticed. He bat leadoff for most of the season, replacing Ellsbury, and hit .275 with 11 home runs and a .333 OBP. Considering that most people (myself included) thought of Scutaro as a number 8 or 9 hitter, his season was great.

Lastly, the starting pitching could have been better. Buchholz and Jon Lester both had Cy Young caliber seasons, and Daisuke had some great starts. However, I expect Josh Beckett to pitch much better next season. I predict a 15-16 win season with an ERA just under 4.

This gives the Sox a very formidable top four, with Jon Lackey (who I hope can pull it together, like he did at times last season), closing it out.

Let me get to my point: The Red Sox do not need to clean house to have success next year. They have great young talent, an elite pitching staff, and frankly only a couple of true question marks.

The question marks include:

1. Left Field:

The team can split time between Kalish, McDonald and Nava, but if the team can land a Jayson Werth or even a Carl Crawford, the Sox would have a top ranked outfield.

Wouldn’t the team be much more threatening with Werth than any of the above three? They could fill in if injuries occur once again, or as fourth/fifth outfielders.

In this scenario, I think the Sox could benefit more from Werth, even though Crawford has experience playing the Green Monster, just because the Sox need a powerful right-handed bat in the lineup.
2.Bullpen: How many games did this unit blow last season? 23. The unit had 23 blown saves last season. If that number is even halved, the team will make the playoffs.

I’d like to see the team make a move on a big-name reliever, like Rafael Betancourt, or Rafael Soriano, along with a player to add more depth and competition to the bullpen, such as Danny Baez.
3. Adrian Beltre or Victor Martinez:

If the Red Sox don’t sign Beltre, they’ll have to make a very strong push to pick up Adrian Gonzalez. That way, Youk would play third and Gonzalez would handle first base.

If the team doesn’t sign Martinez, they’ll have to rely on Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a young and still developing catcher. I think the Sox pick up Martinez, let Beltre walk, make a push for Jayson Werth and potentially put Lowrie at third or bring in Adrian Gonzalez.

Still, if the Red Sox went into the season with the exact, identical team with which they went into the 2010 campaign, they’ll be a playoff team, plain and simple.

Nevertheless, I’d like the Sox to make a splash in free agency, just to change the dynamic of the team and bring some life back into the organization.

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Since that game, Beckett has thrown 9 2/3 innings while allowing four home runs, 13 earned runs, and 21 hits. Ugly, ugly numbers.

Moving forward, should we expect to see the Josh Beckett who dominated the Cleveland Indians and pitched admirably against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7 IP, 3 ER)? Or should we get used to him giving up bombs, blowing big leads and leaving fastballs over the middle of the plate?

We’ll look at the teams he has recently faced.

The Angels and Indians have both been weak offensive teams this season. In terms of batting average, the Indians rank 27th in the MLB with a .247 team average, while the Angels stand at 19th, with a .256 team average. Both are in the bottom half of the league in hitting.

On the other hand, the New York Yankees (6th) and Texas Rangers (2nd) are both offensive powerhouses as apparent from their .269 and .271 batting averages. Stepping away from stats, simply look at the players.

Of the 18 starters on the Rangers and Yankees, is there anybody you would LIKE to pitch to?

What I’m saying is that Beckett had great success against weaker hitting teams, but against talented offenses he has struggled. Still, Beckett of old had no problem shutting down any team he faced, and watching him on the mound struck fear into the eyes of opponents.

It’s clear that Beckett is no longer the ace of this staff, and if he needs a reminder he can just look at his 6.51 ERA. But, will he ever be considered a co-ace once again?

I think yes. In Beckett’s career, his struggles occur due to a lack of control or movement with his curveball. When this occurs, he becomes very hittable.

Generally, he has to rely on his fastball velocity, movement and location. He has historically used his fastball as his “out” pitch.

Against both New York and Texas, Beckett seemed on the money with his curveball. Although one of his curves was taken deep, it still had lots of movement and was not left hanging over the middle of the plate.

His fastball has been giving him issues. His velocity is down from 95 MPH on average to 93 MPH.

There are two major possibilities as to why Beckett is not throwing as hard as he used to.

First, he is still suffering from back pain, and aggravated his injury in a previous start. Beckett has continuously rejected this notion asked about it, so I do not believe an injury is the source of his woes.

Second, he may be trying to “aim” his pitches, as opposed to just “throwing” them. Pitchers are coached to think of pitching as playing catch with the catcher. When a pitcher starts to “aim” pitches, or focus solely on a release point, accuracy and velocity both suffer.

Pitchers fall into this trap when struggling, and Beckett is clearly having trouble right now.

Luckily, this problem is very fixable. All it takes is one or two solid innings of pitching for a pitcher to regain some swagger and be unafraid to challenge hitters.

Hopefully, Beckett is able to make it to that second inning.

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Nonetheless, I’ve tried to give the players who have seen significant action on the field grades..

Starting with the pitchers:

Scott Atchison: B-. He spent time in the minors early on, but has been a useful player out of the bullpen, eating up innings in big wins or losses.

He has not been very consistent, however, and as a result holds a hefty 4.26 ERA. He’s only given up three bombs this year, and his 1.23 WHIP is slightly misleading, as he tends to give up runs, and base runners, in bunches.

In all, he’s done what the team has asked him to do, and that’s the most you can ask from a journeyman like Atchison.

Daniel Bard: A-. He has been the best bullpen pitcher for this Red Sox team. He has a great 1.99 ERA while logging 41 innings with 44 strikeouts. On the downside, he has given up four home runs, a result of the velocity he throws, so he must fine-tune his location.

Clay Buchholz: A. Despite a recent hamstring injury, Clay Buchholz has been involved in Cy Young talks and was deserving of his All-Star selection. He is 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA. His 1.25 WHIP is not at all shabby, nor are his 64 strikeouts and .231 opposing average. How is that not impressive, and aren’t you glad we still have this kid? Yes, you are.

Manny Delcarmen: B/B+. It does not seem like Manny deserves this grade based on his stats. His ERA is lofty at 4.59, he has walked 20 batters while only earning 20 strikeouts in 33 appearances, and his WHIP is 1.41.

However, a lot of these stats were skewed by his last two outings, during which he pitched through a forearm strain (allegedly) and was absolutely hammered. If he actually injured himself, and he’s able to return healthy, expect him to be a 7th/8th inning go-to guy, along with Daniel Bard.

Until the end of June, he was a stud of a pitcher in the pen.

John Lackey: B-/C+. Lackey has pitched some great games, but has really had troubles during day outings. Unfortunately, it seems that he’s always pitching in day games for the Sox. He has a decent 9-5 record with a 4.78 ERA.

Despite giving up 5-6 runs in some outings, he’ll still eat up 6-7 innings, pitching like the horse he truly is. However, he has had control issues (rare for Lackey), issuing 46 walks in 113 innings compared to 33 in 108 last year. He has pitched okay, but okay is not what we paid John Lackey $80 million to be.

Jon Lester: A. A Cy Young front runner, hoisting an 11-3 record and a sub 2.80 ERA. His WHIP sits at an astounding 1.09, and batters have only managed a .203 average off this lefty. Ace of the staff.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: C+. Daisuke has gotten progressively worse since his second year, when he had a 2.90 ERA. Currently, he has a 4.71 ERA, and considering all the stamina he was supposed to have coming from Japan, has only thrown one complete game in four years here.

On the bright side, he’s only given up three home runs this whole year, so I think he ends the year with a respectable 14-6 record with a 4.10 ERA.

Hideki Okajima: D-. After a great first two seasons with the Sox, it seems the mystery that was Okajima has been solved. He has a 6.00 ERA, has blown three saves and struggles to get outs in any scenario.

He has been relegated to a role in the back of the bullpen. I have noticed that he is throwing his splitter too often, not allowing it to be a counter to his deceptive fastball.

As a result, he has allowed five home runs. I expect him to improve after the break, but don’t expect his ERA to be much better than 4.50. Telling of Okajima’s season is the fact that he has appeared in 34 games, but only recorded 27 innings.

Jonathan Papelbon: B. Most other pitchers with Pap’s current statistics earns themselves a B+. However, Jonathan Papelbon is not living up to the high expectations he has set for himself. His ERA is currently at 3.50, but he has allowed six home runs this season, twice as many as Daisuke.

However, he is holding opposing batters to a .211 average and has a 1.11 WHIP. His strikeout:innings pitched ratio is the lowest in his career, at just 0.89. Don’t worry about him though, he gets the job done (20/23 in saves) and his ERA is currently lowering with every outing.

I expect his final WHIP to be below 1.10, with an ERA at 2.65 and a K/innings pitched ratio around .95-1.05 (still low for Pap).

Ramon Ramirez: C-. He has really turned things around. At the beginning of last season, he was a stud in our pen, but after June, he couldn’t record outs. This season started similar to the way last season ended for him, horrifically.

However, he has pulled himself back together, bringing his ERA down to 4.66. Expect this to further decrease, as he is not giving up nearly as many home runs. In his last 18 appearances, he’s only allowed 2 home runs, compared to 2 in his first 10.

Tim Wakefield: C. He has had games that he’s lost despite pitching well, but he has also lost because hitters treat his knuckle ball like the ones from the home run derby. His ERA of 5.65 is not pretty, nor is his 3-9 record. However, over his past 6-7 starts (not including the Rangers one), he has gone 41.2 innings with an ERA of 4.58. He’ll end with an ERA in the 4′s, but don’t expect another All-Star (half-year) from Wake.

The Rest: B+. These pitchers, Felix Doubront, Dustin Richardson and Robert Manuel, have done exactly what the team needed from them. Hold the fort until the team puts itself back together. Doubront won his first major league game, striking out the first batter he ever faced.

He remained calm and collected despite pitching against Manny and the Dodgers. Dustin Richardson and Rob Manuel both have ERAs in the three′s in their limited appearances with the team.

Outlook: When Josh Beckett returns, healthy, the starting rotation should continue dominating, and even without a trade, the bullpen seems to be straightening itself out (at least a little).

Many of the current Red Sox pitchers seem to be improving their games over the past three weeks (until the recent, 4 game stretch where they’ve had problems). Overall, I foresee a strong push from the Sox’ pitching.

Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester are clearly dominating this season, and with a healthy Josh Beckett, the Red Sox have three possible ace pitchers (if Josh Beckett is, in fact, healthy, we all know how he can pitch). Plus, with improvements in John Lackey’s game (he’s pitching fewer day games), and an upswing in Wake’s performances, the starting five and Daisuke should be very successful.

This rotation and guys like Bard, Delcarmen and Pap have kept the Sox in the hunt while over 14 guys have visited the disabled list. As an overall grade, this pitching deserves an A-, simply for the amazing job they’ve done keeping the Sox in the hunt.

To keep the Sox’ title hopes alive, however, they must continue pushing and carry this team to the promise land.

What do you think?

Personally, as a baseball fan, that would be a dream come true. Can you imagine 38 games a season between your team and either the Sox, Yankees or Phillies? Intense, playoff-atmosphere games which are nerve-wracking and just fun to watch.

As a Sox fan, that’s unfair. If those three teams are in the same division, then realistically one of them will win the division, and the second place team will win the wild card. However, the third place team, which still may have better records than other division winners, will not have a spot in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Selig has a decision to make: Sacrifice a little fairness for more exciting baseball?

This move is very dangerous for two reasons.

Firstly, it upsets Tim Wakefield, who was just 17 wins away from the club record in career wins. An upset Wakefield means lower overall team chemistry and a disgruntled player is never one that a team wants to have in a locker room.

I think Wake will handle Terry Francona’s decision with grace, and his frustration will certainly not show, being the savvy veteran that he is, but he is definitely not happy.

More importantly, however, Wakefield is not the type of pitcher you want in the bullpen.

Wake’s primary pitch is a knuckleball, and if a hitter can make decent contact with a pitch, fly balls become very common. The more solid the contact, the deeper the ball will travel.

Therefore, Wake gives up a lot of home runs, simply because of the type of pitch he throws.

As a starter, home runs are less significant, because your team will have more opportunities to neutralize the run allowed, but as a bullpen pitcher, these bombs cause momentum swings and can really lower team morale.

Would you want a guy who tends to give up home runs pitching in the 7th or 8th inning?

As a bullpen pitcher, this characteristic of pitching is literally the last thing that a team would want. Picture the Sox going into the sixth inning after a Daisuke five inning performance in which the Sox lead just 5-4 and need Tim to log some innings.

It will not be unbelievable if he gives up a game tying or even game winning blast. A prototypical bullpen pitcher is one who, even if hittable, is difficult to take deep, and strikes out a lot of batters. Wakefield is neither.

Clay Buchholz would have been a better choice to move to the bullpen. Last season, the Yankees faced a similar decision and sent their young pitcher with lots of potential, Phil Hughes, to a relief role. He thrived, and was a major part of their World Series title.

Buchholz has better overall strikeout numbers than Wakefield, with 7.6 strikeouts every 9 innings pitched versus 6.1 strikeouts every 9 innings. Striking batters out is imperative, especially for a long reliever, who will most often be used to get starting pitchers out of their jams or take control in a late bullpen game.

Also, Clay has better home run numbers this season, as he is averaging 0.5 homers/9 innings, three times better Wakefield’s 1.6 homers/9.

Buchholz will not be set back in development, as he will still hold an important role and will pitch under pressure, and if anything will be even more required to hit his spots so as to prevent leads from being blown.

Essentially, Wake may have been the odd man out of the rotation, but in terms of team building and overall potential as a bullpen pitcher, Clay Buchholz may have been the better option.