Bobby Valentine second-guessed himself early on with the Red Sox. (AP)

No one would blame Bobby Valentine for what happened to the Red Sox in the first two weeks of the season when he lost his projected closer Andrew Bailey to UCL surgery after injuring his thumb.

No one would come down hard on the Red Sox skipper for losing his starting center fielder and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury when Reid Brignac fell on his right shoulder on April 13, partially dislocating it.

But Valentine came down hard on himself Monday for not being prepared to deal with the Ellsbury and Bailey injuries and the struggles of set-up man Mark Melancon.

“I’m reading reports every day,” Valentine said when asked a simple question about the bullpen roles coming together. “I have the to ‘D’ ABCD plans, the what-ifs. You try to have what-ifs. To tell you the truth, I didn’t have what-ifs at the beginning of the season and I’m kicking myself for it.

“The outfield and the bullpen. I didn’t have a major plan for not having Ellsbury. My fault. I should’ve. And two-deep in the bullpen, the two guys we traded during in the wintertime, I figured one of them would be pitching in the ninth inning come April 13th.”

The bullpen is coming off a seven-game stretch in Minnesota and Chicago where the ERA was 1.06, allowing just two earned runs in 17 innings, striking out 13 in the process.

After the disaster of April 21, the 15-9 debacle against the Yankees, Valentine said he’s finally adjusted to adjusting on the fly.

“Absolutely, that’s what we’re doing, that’s what I’m doing,” Valentine said. “And you have to have plans. I’m kicking myself a little. I didn’t have a great plan. But it’s coming into fruition now. On the fly, the plan seems to be working.”

Ryan Sweeney. (AP)

Bobby Valentine had all of spring training to concoct the Red Sox lineup. But never did he conjure anything along the lines of the batting order that he printed out on Friday for the contest against the Yankees.

Valentine inserted Ryan Sweeney in the second spot in the lineup, between leadoff man Mike Aviles and second baseman Dustin Pedroia. That approach reflects the fact that Sweeney is off to a spectacular start (he’s hitting .424, second in the American League) and the fact that he represents a good counterpart for Aviles.

Aviles (hitting .268 with a .318 OBP and .463 slugging mark this year) is typically an aggressive hitter, averaging 3.48 pitches per plate appearance in his career (below the major league average of 3.81 during that span) and 3.67 this year. The Sox want him to continue to approach his craft thusly while batting.

Sweeney (.424/.476/.624), meanwhile, embraces the virtues of patience by nature. He is averaging 4.11 pitches per plate appearance this year, a slight tick up from his above-average 3.95 for his career. Given the likelihood that Sweeney will work deep into the count (he has put a first pitch in play just 104 times in his career; he has never put a 3-0 pitch in play; and he rarely swings at 1-0 or 2-0 pitches), Valentine liked putting him next to Aviles in the lineup.

Doing so, the manager believes, will also benefit Pedroia. Pedroia (.271/.340/.521) is averaging 4.09 pitches per plate appearance, but while unquestionably become a more selective hitter, he still benefits from having the freedom to attack a first pitch in his wheelhouse. And so, in a way, the insertion of Sweeney into the second spot could allow both Aviles and Pedroia to feel comfortable with their natural approaches.

“Obviously Ryan’s been hitting the ball and being on base as much as anyone,” said Valentine. “The pitches it seems have been working for him, he might be in a more favorable position to get them. Mike’s an aggressive hitter. At times, he’s had very good at-bats where he’s extended the at-bat. I don’t want to take the aggressiveness away from him. Sweeney is a very patient guy so there’s not a problem with Mike having a quick at-bat with Sweeney coming up and taking a pitch and not having Dustin sitting there thinking he might be the guy to do that so that kind of grouping works a little, I hope.”

While the arrangement makes sense to Valentine, he admitted that it reflects the need to adapt on the fly to the realities now confronting the Red Sox, chiefly the fact that Jacoby Ellsbury is out.

“It wasn’t one of the ones I was planning in spring training, believe me,” said Valentine. “I had 33 games in spring training and this wasn’t one of the groupings I had thought about.”

The Red Sox are still trying to determine with greater precision the severity of the subluxation suffered by Jacoby Ellsbury on Friday. Manager Bobby Valentine said that the injury would be treated with ice to reduce the swelling for 48 hours; once the swelling subsides, the outfielder will be re-evaluated to get a more precise determination of the possible course of recovery.

Even so, the team is planning on spending a not insignificant chunk of time without the runner-up in last year’s AL MVP balloting, and so it should come as little surprise that one major league source said that the Red Sox are “actively” exploring the market for available outfielders to determine whether the team will be able to shore up an area where there is limited organizational depth.

However, because it is so early in the season, the idea of identifying a legitimate starting center fielder remains far fetched. Teams aren’t exactly rushing to make All-Star-caliber outfielders available at this time of year.

Two American League talent evaluators wondered whether there eventually could be a potential match between the Red Sox and A’s regarding Coco Crisp, given that Crisp — who was re-signed by the A’s to a two-year, $14 million deal this offseason — was pushed from center field, where his value is greatest, to left field by Oakland’s signing of Yoenis Cespedes and based on the fact that the A’s like several prospects in Boston’s system (a notion reinforced not only by the trade of Andrew Bailey to the Red Sox, but also by the fact that the two teams came close on a deal that would have brought left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez to Boston).

Crisp has been one of the better defensive center fielder’s in the game since his emergence as an elite glove in center with the Sox in 2007. Though off to a slow start offensively this year (.176/.222/.176/.399 in 36 plate appearances), his offense is more than adequate for a center fielder. He’s a career .274/.329/.404/.732 hitter, and last year, playing in a home park and division that tends to kill offensive numbers, he hit .264/.314/.379/.693 along with an AL-leading 49 steals.

However, it’s probably premature for there to be traction between the Sox and A’s (or, for that matter, the Sox and virtually any other club) on a trade as both teams must figure out more about where they stand for the season. In particular, if the Sox are going to be without Ellsbury for six to eight weeks, they may prefer to explore internal options (or identify role players in a trade) rather than giving up a significant prospect (perhaps one of the impressive lower level outfielders who now comprise a strength of the system — with Bryce Brentz, Brandon Jacobs and Jackie Bradley Jr. all representing players who have impressed other clubs) for an outfielder who would be little more than a place-holder until Ellsbury’s return. Read the rest of this entry »

Every member of the Red Sox saw the play that injured Jacoby Ellsbury. But until they got to their clubhouse, they did not realize quite how serious and how alarming it really was. Player after player was made uncomfortable just at the sight of Rays shortstop Reid Brignac‘s knee driving into the back of Ellsbury’s shoulder as the Red Sox leadoff hitter — who was running on the full-count pitch, and thus in position to take out Brignac’s legs — slid hard into second base in a futile attempt to break up a double play.

Aside from diagnosing the obvious — a right shoulder injury — the Red Sox had no further word (at least officially) about the precise nature of the injury. But one player’s description of the word inside the Sox clubhouse was revealing.

“The only thing we’ve even heard is probably the same thing that everyone has been hearing, which is that it felt like something moved a little bit,” Kevin Youkilis relayed.

Obviously, movement inside of a shoulder is potentially very, very bad news for the Red Sox. One orthopedist, who had no direct knowledge of Ellsbury’s case, nonetheless saw the replay and heard Youkilis’ description and suggested it was difficult to consider the forecast for the runner-up in last year’s AL MVP balloting anything but severe.

Dr. Christopher Geary, the head of sports medicine at Tufts Medical School, said that the injury looked like “either a shoulder subluxation or a torn rotation cuff. I would think six to eight weeks best case.”

UPDATE: An industry source with knowledge of the situation confirmed Geary’s analysis, and said that Ellsbury likely had suffered a subluxation or dislocation of his shoulder.

That best-case scenario would involve a course of rest and rehab. It is worth noting that Derek Jeter suffered a similar injury on Opening Day in 2003, when Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby landed on his shoulder on a play at third base. Jeter rehabbed and was back in six weeks, and performed at an exceptional level (.324 average, .393 OBP, .844 OPS) in 119 games that year.

However, Geary also noted that sometimes rehab isn’t enough with shoulder injuries, and surgery becomes necessary. In such a scenario, he said, Ellsbury could be out for the year.

Until more specifics about Ellsbury’s injury become available, there remains a chance that his injury is less severe than it appeared. That, at least, is the hope of his teammates.

“You’re not going to get any better by losing him for a while,” said David Ortiz. “Hopefully things don’t go the way it looked like in the video.”

That said, every proclamation by a player that the Sox hoped for the best was tinged with another reality — namely, that there was an undeniable reality involving potential worst-case scenarios that would leave the Sox without one of their best players for weeks, months, perhaps even the year.

In that respect, it was difficult to avoid the echoes of the 2010 season, when Ellsbury collided with Adrian Beltre in the sixth game of the year and for all intents and purposes was lost for the rest of the year. This time, an injury incurred in the Sox’ seventh game may or may not prove as damaging, but for the Sox, until the precise diagnosis and prognosis are established, the team will have little choice but to hold its collective breath about an injury that has the potential to alter the course of the season.

Clay Buchholz

It has been a long offseason for every member of the Red Sox, but Clay Buchholz has had an especially long wait. The 27-year-old right-hander will take the mound Sunday afternoon for the first time since June 16, 2011, when he made his final start of the 2011 season before missing the rest of the year with a back injury.

In the final game of the season’s opening series, Buchholz and the Red Sox will contend with Max Scherzer and the Tigers in a 1 p.m. matinee at Comerica Park.

Buchholz is looking to get off to a better start this season than he did last season, when the Red Sox lost four of his first five starts while Buchholz struggled with a 5.33 ERA and walked more batters (16) than he struck out (15). In Buchholz’s first outing last season, a 5-1 loss to the Rangers, he lasted 6 1/3 innings and gave up four solo home runs.

Buchholz faced the Tigers twice last season. Both of those outings came in May, and although Buchholz pitched well in both games (allowing 10 hits and three earned runs over 13 innings), he did not earn a decision in either game.

Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta has the most success of any of his teammates in his career against Buchholz. Peralta is 4-for-12 with a double and four RBIs against the righthander.

In contrast to Buchholz, Scherzer has struggled in his career against the Red Sox. The 27-year-old righthander is 0-2 in three career starts against Boston, running up a 9.45 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of work. His only outing against the Red Sox last season was a disaster, as Boston touched him up for seven earned runs over two innings in an eventual 14-1 Red Sox win on May 26 at Comerica Park.

The Red Sox game aside, Scherzer will look to get off to a similar start this season as he did last season, when he won his first six games and had a 10-4 record at the All-Star break. Scherzer struggled to sustain his early season form in the second half, as he maintained a 5-5 record with a 4.09 ERA in his final 14 starts.

Scherzer’s experience with the Red Sox lineup is limited, as just four members of the Boston lineup have more than five career plate appearances against him. David Ortiz has just seven plate appearances against Scherzer, but he has been dominant in those at-bats, knocking out two home runs and four RBIs. Scherzer has never retired Jacoby Ellsbury, who has a walk and a home run in two career plate appearances against the right-hander.

Read the rest of this entry »

Josh Beckett

It has been an eventful offseason for Josh Beckett. The 31-year-old righthander was accused of drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the Red Sox clubhouse during games last season. He saw manager Terry Francona step away from the team, then watched as the Red Sox replaced Francona with Bobby Valentine, who, as an ESPN personality, had been publicly critical of Beckett. The drama continued for Beckett late into spring training, as he went to see a specialist about a thumb injury that has bothered him for 18 months and prompted much concern about his health and ability to pitch early in the season.

Beckett will look to put all the offseason hoopla behind him Saturday afternoon when he takes the mound in Detroit for his first start of the 2012 regular season. The Tigers will counter Beckett with Doug Fister, who will be the No. 2 starter for the Tigers in his first full season with Detroit.

Fister was traded from the Mariners to Detroit at the trade deadline last season, and he went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA in his 10 starts for the Tigers. The 28-year-old enjoyed a solid spring with Detroit, going 4-0 in five starts with a 1.86 ERA. He allowed 14 hits and four earned runs over 19 1/3 innings of work while walking five and striking out 15.

Fister does not have much experience against the Red Sox lineup. Of the Red Sox batters with five or more plate appearances against Fister, Kevin Youkilis is the only batter with a batting average over .300, as he is 2-for-5 with a double, RBI and walk. Jacoby Ellsbury is the only Red Sox player Fister has never retired, as Ellsbury is 1-for-1 with a double and two walks in three career plate appearances.

Fister has started four games against the Red Sox, tallying a 1-2 record with a 3.33 ERA. His only win against Boston came last season when he was still with the Mariners. Seattle topped the Red Sox, 2-0, on April 30 as Fister allowed five hits and five walks while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings of work. He has never faced the Red Sox as a member of the Tigers.

Beckett has more experience with the Detroit lineup, but very few of the Tigers have enjoyed consistent success against him. Delmon Young has the best career showing against the right-hander, hitting .357 with three doubles and an RBI in 15 plate appearances. Alex Avila is the only other batter who has an above-.300 batting average against Beckett in more than five plate appearances. He is 2-for-6 with two singles, a walk and two strikeouts.

Although Beckett generated much talk off the field during the offseason and spring training, he performed well on the mound. Beckett spread 19 innings of work over five starts, running off a 2-0 record with a 0.95 ERA. He struck out 10 batters in the spring while walking eight.

Beckett has pitched well at Comerica Park, going 2-1 with a 1.31 ERA in three starts there. His only loss in Detroit came last season, when the Red Sox dropped a 3-0 game on May 29. Beckett pitched well in the outing, as he allowed five hits and two earned runs over six innings of work. Read the rest of this entry »

Jacoby Ellsbury will once again be the Red Sox' leading man (AP)

DETROIT — After plenty of speculation, the inaugural Red Sox lineup of the 2012 season looked…and awful lot like the one that ended last year, at least at the top of the order. Manager Bobby Valentine‘s first official Red Sox lineup looked like this:

Ellsbury
Pedroia
Gonzalez
Ortiz
Youkilis
Sweeney
Ross
Saltalamacchia
Aviles

Ellsbury, Pedroia and Gonzalez return to the spots where they spent almost all of last year. Ortiz is back in the place where he finished the 2011 season, and Youkilis remains in the middle of the lineup, though moved down a spot from where he spent most of last season.

Never one to dismiss the value of good theater, Valentine acknowledged the excitement of beginning the season with Ellsbury facing Justin Verlander, the pitcher who beat out Ellsbury for the MVP Award.

“It seems like in this grouping [Ellsbury] looks really good being there and I also thought it would be apropos for you guys to write about the number one and number two in the MVP voting facing each other on a first pitch here in Detroit this year,” said Valentine. “And he liked it, too. Talking to him, he kind of relished the idea.”

Thus will begin Ellsbury’s effort to follow up his incredible 2011 season in which he hit .321 with a .376 OBP, .552 slugging mark, .928 OPS, 32 homers, 105 RBI and 39 steals. How can Ellsbury follow up such a campaign? Read the rest of this entry »