SB Nation Boston - Red Sox 7, Cubs 4: Franklin Morales' Strong Spot Start Gives Sox Series Win In Chicago

Owning Up: Does Boston Red Sox Ownership Deserve Blame For Mediocrity?

2012-06-19T12:00:55Z

Baseball games are won and lost on the field. You can spend all the money in the world to put together a super team, but that doesn't guarantee success. At the end of the day, you have to play the game. No way around it.

Of course, there are more elements to success that just playing the game. First and foremost, you need to have the talent. Ideally, every player is going to give his all (Josh Beckett, excluded), but everyone has a ceiling. If a team doesn't have capable players, the odds of winning are minute. Moneyball is nice on paper, but ... yeah, the Oakland Athletics still haven't won. Simply put, you can only mask a lack of ability for so long.

That brings us to our ~~beloved~~ ~~enjoyable~~ tolerated Boston Red Sox. They have the third highest payroll in the sport this season at $173,186,617 and are paying players an average salary of $5,093,724 (per USA Today). Not too shabby. Alas, they are 33-33 nearing the midway point.

Case and point, you can pay them oodles of money, but that doesn't lock down the wins.

Still, somebody deserves blame for this. Who should we blame? Certainly, the players should get a lot of the blame pie (not to mention Beckett again, but ... leader of the "toxic" clubhouse culture). They're not getting the job done. Plain and simple. Then, there's the coaching staff. Bobby Valentine has made some, well, interesting decisions during the course of his Sox tenure. The front office gets the finger pointed at it, too, since it assembles the ball club on the field.

There's only one group left, the owners. Do they deserve some blame for the Sox' struggles?

It's a complicated question. The answer? Yes, and no. Let me explain. Better yet, let Tom Werner.

"We don't dictate who Theo or Ben [Cherington] should sign," said Werner, the chairman of the Red Sox, on WEEI Tuesday. "What we do is we try to give them the resources to be successful. There's a sense that non-baseball people are telling baseball people what to do, but what we do is we try to create the revenue streams for our baseball operations people to be successful."

Werner is right on the money here (pun intended). The ideal business model for a baseball team is to have owners on top that find ways to increase revenue, thereby maximizing the payroll, and to have a set of baseball operations personnel that can properly spread the money around to field a competitive team. No problem with that logic. Then again, that is not the complete picture.

Werner and principal owner John Henry are ultimately in charge of putting the "baseball people" in place. Translation, the owners do deserve a portion of the blame, but the majority of fan ire shouldn't be directed toward the top. Excluding this season's (and last September's) struggles, this ownership group his done a pretty darn good job. The two World Series championships say it all.

It's easy to get mad at this ownership group, what with their partnership with LeBron James and their divided attention between the Red Sox and their new toy, Liverpool FC. Don't let that cloud your vision, though. Sure, you can blame the owners a bit, but keep the facts in mind.

Henry and Werner have done their part. They have invested a lot of money year in and year out in this baseball team. They can't be blamed because the "baseball people" made poor signings. Well, they can, just not as much as the others. Still, the status quo doesn't work. Werner agrees.

"Is there pressure to win in Boston? Of course there's pressure to win in Boston and we don't apologize for that," Werner said. "... We have to ask our organization and we expect from them that we're going to be competitive every year. I don't think we have the right in this market, in good conscience, to say to our fans that we're going to have a bridge year. We don't believe that."

That's the mindset everyone wants to hear. Now, it's time for the players to start stepping up.

For additional Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Poll

How Much Blame Does Boston Red Sox Ownership Deserve For Their Struggles?

All of it. It's all their fault!

5 votes

Some blame, but not all of it.

13 votes

None at all. This isn't their fault.

1 votes

19 votes | Poll has closed

What To Do With The Red Sox: Stay The Course Or Blow It Up?

2012-06-18T12:00:47Z

We've heard the phrase "blow it up" quite often in Boston. It mostly pertained to the Big Three of the Celtics, but it has also been tossed at the Boston Red Sox after their chaotic (that's putting it nicely) finish last September and their disappointing beginning to this season.

One week they're hot, another they're not. After a 4-10 start, the Sox rattled off six straight W's and seven of eight. Then, more losses (five straight, eight of nine). Then, more wins (nine out of 11). Back and forth. So inconsistent, so unpredictable.

Sunday's win over the Cubs capped off another stretch of wins (four of the last five). Guess what preceded that? Seven losses in eight games. Right now, the Sox are back at .500 -- 33 wins, 33 losses -- and sitting 7.5 games out in the AL East and four games out in the AL Wild Card hunt.

The clock is ticking, too. Time is on their side -- it's mid June -- but only 43 days remain before MLB's non-waiver trade deadline (4 p.m. ET on July 31, 2012). Will the Sox be buyers or sellers?

First thing's first, these altering streaks of wins and losses aren't helping anyone. The next month-plus of play will go a long way in deciding what Ben Cherington and the Boston brass do at the deadline. Win a bunch of games and cut the division or wild card deficit to two or three games, and a playoff spot is certainly within reach. Drop 10 or more games out, and it's basically over.

Even if they can get back into the mix, nothing is guaranteed. New York has finally hit its stride, and the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are still charging forward. Heck, even the Toronto Blue Jays aren't that far away from the playoff picture at the moment. Anything can happen down the stretch in August and September. Unfortunately, we learned that lesson already.

What if they do make the playoffs, though? Not impossible, as we've established. Do they really have the guns to make a run to the World Series? Pitching wins games in the postseason, and the Sox aren't exactly golden in that department. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have been all over the map. The bullpen has been solid, but if you don't have the horses to get you to the final turn, it's a moot point. Offensively, they can carry their weight. But will that be enough?

Maybe blowing it up is the answer. Not completely, of course. Cleaning house isn't wise to do just for the heck of it. Unloading players who won't help you achieve your future goals (in this case, Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, and even Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz) and getting young talent in return, all while letting your own young guys have a chance to blossom, may be exactly what the doctor ordered. No, they shouldn't ship out Adrian Gonzalez, Lester and Dustin Pedroia -- all of them can still help you win games (and possibly championships) for many years to come.

As for the rest? If the price is right, they should absolutely consider sending them on their way.

Cherington and company will have a lot of tough choices to make in the coming weeks, ones that will define the direction of the franchise. Easy, right? Or not. One thing is for sure: the status quo just isn't working out. It's time to start earning that paycheck, Ben. What will your move be?

For additional Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Poll

What Course Should The Boston Red Sox Take At The Trade Deadline?

Stay the course! This team can win.

9 votes

Blow it up. Start building for the future.

18 votes

27 votes | Poll has closed

ANIMATED: Bobby Valentine Displeased With 6th Inning Error

2012-06-18T04:16:25Z

The Boston Red Sox ultimately beat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night to take the three-game series at Wrigley Field. Things were still dicey in the sixth inning, however. Darwin Barney advanced to first base to lead off the inning thanks to a Kevin Youkilis throwing error. Matt Albers then gave up an infield single to put two men on base for the Cubs.

Two batters later, Dustin Pedroia got in Mike Aviles' way trying to field a ball at second base, causing Bobby Valentine to blow a gasket. Check out the play, and Valentine after the jump.

NSFW if you're a lip reader.

This play:

Caused this reaction:

Barney scored on the play to tie the game at 3-3. Thankfully, the Red Sox responded with a three-run seventh inning to take the lead for good.

For more on the Red Sox, head over to the SB Nation blog Over The Monster and stay tuned to SBN Boston.

Red Sox Vs. Cubs Final Score: Boston Takes Series With 7-4 Win Sunday

2012-06-18T03:40:59Z

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs, 7-4, on Sunday night in Game 3 of the three-game series at Wrigley Field. Franklin Morales was solid in his first start since 2009, striking out nine in five innings. He gave up two earned runs off four hits and no walks.

Cubs starter Paul Maholm gave up three earned runs off six hits and a walk over six innings. David Ortiz went 2-for-4 at the plate, hitting an RBI single to score Dustin Pedroia in the first inning and a solo home run in the fourth. The blast to center field was a his 16th of the season.

The Red Sox added another three runs in the seventh inning once Maholm left the mound. Darnell McDonald hit a double off reliever Shawn Camp to lead off the inning, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia advanced to second on a single thanks to a throwing error. Ryan Kalish singled to score McDonald with no outs in the inning. He ran in a run two batter later off a Daniel Nava sacrifice to the pitcher.

Camp (2-4) ultimately earned the loss for the Cubs. Matt Albers (2-0) got the win for the Red Sox after giving up one run, unearned, off a Jeff Baker grounder into a fielder's choice during the sixth inning.

The Red Sox head back home for a three-game series against the Miami Marlins beginning Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Clay Buchholz (7-2, 5.38 ERA) will take on the Marlins' Mark Buehrle (5-7,3.41) at the mound.

Final - 6.17.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R
Boston Red Sox	2	0	0	1	0	0	3	1	0	7
Chicago Cubs	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	4

Complete Coverage >

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit the SB Nation blog Over the Monster.

Red Sox Vs. Cubs: Franklin Morales To Start For Boston As Lineups Announced For Sunday's Series Finale

2012-06-17T22:37:57Z

The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs have announced their lineups for Sunday's series finale at Wrigley Field.

The series is tied 1-1. Game three will begin at 8 p.m. Franklin Morales for Boston will be getting the start as Josh Beckett is on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. Sunday's game will be Morales' first start since 2009 with Colorado and his first start against Chicago since 2008. Morales' longest appearance this season was for 4 1/3 innings.

Here's the Red Sox lineup:

Scott Podsednik LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
David Ortiz 1B
Mike Aviles SS
Darnell McDonald RF
Kelly Shoppach C
Ryan Kalish CF
Pitching: LHP Franklin Morales (0-1, 3.04)

Here's the lineup for the Cubs:

Reed Johnson RF
Darwin Barney 2B
Starlin Castro SS
Alfonso Soriano LF
Jeff Baker 1B
Joe Mather CF
Welington Castillo C
Luis Valbuena 3B
Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (4-5, 4.91)

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over the Monster.

Ryan Sweeney Injury: Red Sox OF Added To Disabled List, Ryan Kalish Called Up

2012-06-17T15:29:56Z

The Boston Red Sox added outfielder Ryan Sweeney to the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. To replace him, the Red Sox will bring outfielder Ryan Kalish up from Triple-A Pawtucket, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Sweeney is dealing with a toe injury, the specifics of which were not revealed by the team. In his last seven games, the 27-year-old left hander is hitting just .158. Through 52 games this season, Sweeney is hitting .292/.330/.404 with 19 runs, 13 RBI and no home runs.

Kalish has been on fire in the minor leagues this season. In nine games with Triple-A Pawtucket, he has four home runs, 10 RBI and a .378 batting average. Kalish was activated off the major league disabled list on June 9 and optioned to Pawtucket immediately thereafter. He saw action in 53 major league games last season, hitting .252 with a .710 OPS.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over the Monster.

Red Sox Vs. Cubs: Boston Looking For Series Win In Prime Time

2012-06-17T14:02:05Z

Having split their series with the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox will go for the best out of three on Sunday night. A win would put the Red Sox back at .500, notched at 33-33, for the first time since falling below that mark a week ago.

Josh Beckett was supposed to make Sunday's start, but he ended up on the disabled list with a shoulder problem. Starting instead is Franklin Morales (0-1, 3.04 ERA), making his first appearance of the season.

Opposing Morales will be Paul Maholm (4-5, 4.91 ERA). The left-hander has experienced more downs than ups in his first season with the Cubs. He has not picked up a win since May 9, thanks in part to anemic support from his team. Maholm has given up 10 earned runs in his last three starts.

The game starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, and will be seen nationally on ESPN.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over the Monster.

Next Game

Boston Red Sox
@ Chicago Cubs

Sunday, Jun 17, 2012, 8:00 PM EDT
Wrigley Field

Franklin Morales vs Paul Maholm

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >

Red Sox Vs. Cubs Final Score: Boston Wins Close Game, 4-3

2012-06-17T02:35:29Z

The Boston Red Sox survived a nail biter on Saturday night, defeating the Chicago Cubs by a final score of 4-3.

Starting pitcher Jon Lester got off to a strong start for the Red Sox, allowing just five hits through six innings while blanking the opposing Cubs. But in the bottom of the seventh inning, Lester gave up a double to first baseman Jeff Baker and walked catcher Welington Castillo, setting up a homer by third baseman Luis Valbuena. The three-run bomb narrowed Boston’s lead to 4-3 entering the eighth inning.

Neither team gave up a hit in the eighth, and Boston closer Alfredo Aceves picked up his 16th save of the season after Welington Castillo hit into a double play.

Boston’s offense came courtesy of catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who gave the Red Sox a 2-0 advantage in the fourth inning with a homer that scored designated hitter David Ortiz. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks knocked in a run in the sixth inning, and left fielder Scott Podsednik added to the Red Sox lead an inning later with an RBI single that sent shortstop Mike Aviles home.

The win boosted the Red Sox to a 32-33 record, while the Cubs stand at 22-43. The third and final game of the interleague series will take place Sunday at 8:00 p.m.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit the SB Nation blog Over the Monster.