Mike Lowell Trade Rumor

Buster Olney of ESPN.com is reporting in his daily blog that the Red Sox have had discussions with the San Diego Padres about thirdbaseman Mike Lowell. Olney does not have any names that the Sox would receive in return for Lowell but considering how well he has played this year (.297 BA, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 33 doubles, .853 OPS, Gold Glove-caliber defense), the Padres won't get him for cheap. With the obvious need of the Red Sox being starting pitching, four names stand out in San Diego. 1. Jake Peavy (4-9, 4.78): The Padres ace is having a difficult year but I think it will take more than Lowell to pry him out of Southern California. 2. Woody Williams (4-1, 3.38): The Padres tried to pawn Williams off on the BoSox for David Wells in the offseason. I doubt they'd be hesitant to move him now. 3. Chan Ho Park (6-6, 4.64): In Fenway, it could get ugly. 4. Chris Young (8-4, 3.59): A young building block for San Diego, I don't know if they would be too excited to move the 6-10, former Princeton hoop star. Would be a great back-of-rotation starter for the Sox. Some other points to consider: 1. This is just a rumor. The Padres may have called on Lowell only to be told "Peavy, Young, or nothing." 2. If this deal is consumated, the Sox will supposedly move Kevin Youkilis back to thirdbase. So then, "Who's on First?" in Boston? I doubt that the struggling (in Triple-A Pawtucket) Hee-Seop Choi is the answer. Is there another deal in the works to bring in a firstbaseman? 3. The only positive from the Sox standpoint in moving Lowell before the July 31 trade deadline, short of landing either Peavy or Young, is ridding themselves of the rest of Lowell's contract. Maybe Theo & Co. figure that Lowell peaked early this season and is coming back to reality now so they want to maximize his value. 4. National League pitching is flat-out horrible and the move from NL to AL is usually worth an entire run (if not more) on a hurler's ERA. For now, this goes down as just a rumor. But you never know.

Red Sox-Mariners

Thanks to great pitching from Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, and the bullpen, the Sox swept the Royals and beat the Rangers today in a makeup game from June 10. Lester combined with Jonathan Papelbon on a one-hitter in beating the Royals 1-0 on Tuesday. Beckett came back on Wednesday and combined with Paps on a 1-0 victory. Schilling wasn't great today in beating the Rangers but he was gutsy enough to get the W. More great news for the Sox: Beckett and the Sox announced after his win that they had come to terms on a deal that will keep the 26-year-old in Boston through 2009 with an option for 2010. Even more great news: David Wells rehab continues to go well and he could return in the first week of August ... just in time to give the Sox the starting pitching boost they have been craving. Now for some bad news: Tim Wakefield, who lasted only 4-innings against Kansas City on Tuesday, went on the DL with a stress fracture in his ribs that will cost him at least a month. On Friday the Sox open a three game set in Seattle. Kyle Snyder (1-1, 10.03) goes for the Sox against grizzled veteran Jamie Moyer (5-8, 3.75). The M's get the advantage in this one. On Saturday afternoon, the Sox will face Seattle's phenom, Felix Hernandez (8-8, 4.89). Don't be fooled by the stats, "King Felix" is the real deal. The Sox have yet to name a starter, although the team seems to be looking to Pawtucket starter Kason Gabbard to fill in for Wake, unless Theo makes a deal beforehand. On Sunday, Jon Lester (5-0, 2.38), coming off his 8-inning, one-hit performance on Tuesday, faces Jarrod Washburn (4-10, 4.41). This looks like the one game, on paper, that Boston has the advantage. Bad matchups or not, the Sox need to find a way to scratch out two wins in Seattle as the Yankees don't seem to be going away any time soon.

Red Sox-A's

The All-Star Game is over, Michael Young was the hero, and now (hopefully) Big Papi won't have to break out his firstbaseman's glove until Game 3 of the World Series. The AL East leading Red Sox open the second half with a four game series at Fenway against the AL West leading Athletics. The Red Sox lead the Yankees by three games while the A's are tied for first with the Texas Rangers. In Thursday night's opener, Jon Lester (4-0, 3.06) will face Esteban Loaiza (3-5, 6.43). Lester has been a key component in Boston's rise to the top of the division; he has solidified the end of the rotation and has consistently given the team 5 to 6 quality innings in each start. Loaiza, on the other hand, has been a complete disappointment in Oakland. Billy Beane, the Moneyball GM of Oakland, gave Loaiza a 3-year, $21-million contract and he has certainly not lived up to the dollars so far. On Friday night, Josh Beckett (11-4, 4.75) will try to open his second half with the mission of trying to keep the baseball in the ballpark. Beckett can't continue to give up home runs in bunches if the BoSox want to have serious aspirations for October. His opponent will be Dan Haren (6-7, 3.52). Curt Schilling (10-3, 3.60) gets the start on Saturday. Schill has been the ace through the first half and must continue to be so as the Sox enter late July and August. This pitching staff is filled with promising young arms and a grizzled veteran like Schilling needs to lead them through this tough part of the schedule. Schilling will be opposed by Oakland's ace, Barry Zito (8-6, 3.29). On Sunday, Tim Wakefield (7-8, 4.05), bad back and all, will go up against Joe Blanton (8-8, 4.95). As always, the Red Sox have benefited from Wake's consistency on the mound -- he may be erratic at times with the knuckler but you can always count on him to pitch his ass off and battle. Division Watch: The Yankees open up the second half with three games against the White Sox in New York beginning on Friday. The Blue Jays, just five games behind the Sox in the East, will host the Mariners for three games starting on Friday.

Home Run Derby Ramblings

Thank you Ryan Howard -- by winning the annual Home Run Derby, you made TheBostonInsider look like a genius. I'm pretty sure that is the first prediction in the two-plus years I've been running this site that a prediction has been correct... One of the rumors floating through Pittsburgh is that the Red Sox have interest in a deal that would bring Bobby Abreu to Boston and send Trot Nixon to Philadelphia. I have some issues with Nixon -- injuries, lack of home runs -- but he is worth way too much to the Sox than Abreu would be. Abreu has the reputation for being lazy and difficult to motivate, two problems that would not go over well in Boston... The Sox desperately need a fifth starter to slot in behind Schilling, Beckett, Lester, and Wakefield. Matt Clement is most likely not the man. The trade market has a few gems -- possibly Barry Zito and Dontrelle Willis -- but the price tag would be too steep for a team actively looking to get younger with the back end of this decade in mind. So who's the man? Don't forget David Wells. Wells, who has pitched in only two games and is now on the DL for the third time this year, is the most logical choice when he gets fully healthy. If he was too hurt to make a comeback in '06 he would have turned it in and retired by now. Wells has something left to offer and when if he returns by late August, the Sox will be in position to make a run at the World Series...

All-Star Break Ramblings

Pittsburgh, are you ready... The Dave Matthews/Sheryl Crow shows at Fenway Park were awesome. I had not seen DMB in seven years but he still puts on a great concert. I'm only a little pissed he didn't play "Satellite." However, his rendition of "Sweet Caroline" did make up for that... Has anyone seen the ESPN piece with the NFL analyst panel picking the playoffs and Super Bowl winner? If you have then you must have heard when Sean Salisbury, in picking the mythical Patriots-Steelers AFC Title Game, said that Ben Roethlisberger reminded him of Derek Jeter because he makes it to championship games and always wins. Hmmm. Big Ben has played two years, won just one of two AFC Title Games and has won a Super Bowl. If that makes him Jeter, then Tom Brady must be Joe DiMaggio (five years, three AFC Titles, three Super Bowls). By the way, ESPN and Salisbury have the P-A-T-S winning in Pittsburgh before losing to Carolina in the Bowl. My July 10 prediction for the Super Bowl is this: Pats - 31, Falcons - 10... While I'm making predictions, Ryan Howard takes the Home Run Derby... Click, Adam Sandler's new movie, sucks! And this comes from a guy who took Madison for his confirmation name... Okay, so it's only been two summer league games, but Sebastian Telfair is growing on me... Rich Hill, the 1999 Milton High grad, will start the 2006 Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo on Wednesday. In thirteen starts for the Iowa Cubs, Hill is 6-1 with an ERA of only 1.81 and has K'd 107 in just 84.2-innings. Are you telling me some pitching starved team couldn't desperately use a 6'6 lefty like that... Nice work by France's captain, Zinedine Zidane, who was ejected by way of a red card in Double-OT of his team's eventual penalty kick loss to Italy in the final of the World Cup. The French hero headbutted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute on Sunday. Without him, France couldn't figure out Italy's defense and lacked his shooting skills during the fateful penalty kicks. Imagine Michael Jordan headbutting an opponent in the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal Game, multiply that by 1,000, and you see the effect of the Zidane foul on the pitiful nation of France... American League - 6, National League - 5. Papelbon comes on for the save and the MVP on Tuesday...

Red Sox-White Sox

Wow, first I miss the entire Marlins series and then I write that the Devil Rays series was only a three game set. Well, after losing the first three, Wake, the bullpen, and the offense came alive last night to notch a 12-5 win in Tampa Bay in the fourth game. The Red Sox do open a three game series tonight, in Chicago, against the reigning world champion White Sox. This is the first meeting between the clubs since the ChiSox swept the BoSox in last year's ALDS. In Game One, Jon Lester (3-0, 3.08) makes his first "prime time" start as he faces one of baseball's toughest lineups in a game that the nation will see on ESPN. His opponent will be Mark Buehrle (9-5, 3.86). On Saturday on FOX, Josh Beckett (10-4, 4.59) gets the call for Boston. He will face Freddy Garcia (10-5, 4.72). In the finale, and the last game before Tuesday's All-Star Game, Curt Schilling (10-3.63) will matchup against Jose Contreras (9-0, 3.31). This is as tough a series as the Red Sox have had all season. The White Sox are a dangerous team at the plate (Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye) and they have a powerful pitching staff (Buehrle, Garcia, Contreras, Bobby Jenks). I will be happy with taking one game before the break and anything more will be gravy. A definite potential playoff preview.

Red Sox-Devil Rays; Four Sox Named To All-Star Team

Missed the Marlins series ... please forgive. The Red Sox open a three game series in Tampa Bay beginning on Monday, with Josh Beckett (10-3, 4.64) going for the Sox against Scott Kazmir (9-5, 3.59). On Tuesday, Curt Schilling (10-2, 3.54) -- who was snubbed for the All-Star Game -- faces old friend Casey Fossum (3-3, 5.03). Remember, Fossum was traded to Arizona for Schill over the Thanksgiving weekend of '03. The series ends on Wednesday as the Sox will start Jason Johnson (3-9, 6.22) versus Tim Corcoran (2-0, 1.17). Johnson wasn't inspiring in his first start on Friday against the Marlins but Johnny Damon will at least be happy to know that ol' No. 18 isn't attracting moths. Finally, congratulations are in order for a quartet of Sox stars as Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Mark Loretta, and Jonathan Papelbon will all be going to Pittsburgh for the 77th MLB All-Star Game on July 11 in PNC Park. Ramirez is going to his 10th Mid-Summer Classic while Ortiz is a three-time All-Star, Loretta is making his second appearance, and Papelbon, the awesome rookie closer, is going for the first time. Along with Schilling, other Sox players in consideration but not going to Pittsburgh were Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, and Josh Beckett.