Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Sox plagued by injuries
Posted by Alex PediciniThe hits just keep on coming for Boston. The Sox now have have five regulars on the disabled list, including three all-stars. Also on the DL are Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, Jeremy Hermida, and Manny Delcarmen.
Particularly devastating are the injuries to Victor Martinez and Varitek. Boston traded for Kevin Cash and also called up Gustavo Molina to provide immediate help. Cash is in his second stint in Boston and does have some major league experience but is not considered much more than a bench player.
Boston has also added Eric Patterson to fill in at second base for Dustin Pedroia and occasionally in the outfield for Jacoby Ellsbury and Hermida. Patterson provides some defensive versatility and speed but has just a .309 career wOBA. Utility man Bill Hall will also be counted on to plug in holes all over the field.
In the rotation, Boston will count on left-handed prospect Felix Doubront. I've had the chance to see Doubront pitch on several occasions this year in Triple-A and have come away impressed. He does not have the highest ceiling but is a solid pitcher with a pretty good mix. Clay Buchholz has been having a breakout year and his injury is particularly devastating to the pitching staff.
With Mike Cameron also battling injuries, Boston has given rookie spark plug Daniel Nava plenty of at-bats. Nava has filled in nicely thus far but is probably not a viable long term solution at this point.
It doesn't look like Boston will have many guys coming off the DL until at least the end of July. Boston may have to make do in the meantime and try to keep pace with New York and Tampa. I would be surprised to see the Red Sox make any big moves to replace their injured starters, unless they are still not healthy by the trading deadline. If that's the case, all bets are off.
Alex is a student in Boston. He welcomes all questions and comments here