SB Nation Boston - Red Sox 9, Braves 4: Cody Ross' Homers Power Sox Past Braves On Emotional Dayhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2012-06-24T17:41:29-04:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/28745072012-06-24T17:41:29-04:002012-06-24T17:41:29-04:00Kevin Youkilis Trade: Boston Red Sox Trade 3B To Chicago White Sox For Zach Stewart, Brent Lillibridge
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<p><span>Kevin Youkilis</span> has been traded by the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Red Sox</a> to the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago White Sox</a>, according to multiple reports.</p>
<p>Youkilis was sent to Chicago for right-handed pitcher <span>Zach Stewart</span>, <span>Brent Lillibridge</span> and cash (<a target="_blank" href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-06-24/kevin-youkilis-trade-chicago-white-sox-boston-red-sox">via Sporting News</a>). Stewart is 3-8 with a 5.92 ERA during his MLB career. In his minor league career, Stewart is 18-14 with a 3.07 ERA. He was 1-2 in 2012 for the White Sox with an ERA of 6.00. Lillibridge is a utility player who is only hitting .175 this season with no home runs and two RBI. For his career, he is a .215 hitter with 16 homers and 58 RBI.</p>
<p>Youkilis was struggling this season for Boston, hitting .233 with four homers, 14 walks and 14 RBI. Youkilis is a .286 hitter who is just six walks short of 500 for his career. With Youkilis being traded, only <span>David Ortiz</span> is left from the 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series team.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Boston Red Sox, be sure to head over to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.overthemonster.com/">Over the Monster and join the discussion</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114941/kevin-youkilis-trade-boston-red-sox-chicago-white-sox-zach-stewart-brent-lillibridgePat Johnston2012-06-24T17:00:48-04:002012-06-24T17:00:48-04:00Red Sox Vs. Braves Final Score: Cody Ross' Homers Power Sox Past Braves On Emotional Day, 9-4
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<p>The Red Sox defeated the Braves 9-4 Sunday afternoon to secure their fourth straight series win.</p>
<p>The difference between the two teams Sunday all came down to one player: Cody Ross. At first, though, it was the pitchers who took center stage. Despite having Aaron Cook and Mike Minor on the mound, neither with impressive numbers and Cook only making his second start (and first in the majors) since his knee injury on May 5, both men were solid through the first three innings. With Cook adding a 1-2-3 fourth, the Sox and Braves headed into the bottom half of the inning in a scoreless tie.</p>
<p>That's when things turned around for the Boston lineup. Walks to Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks put two men on with nobody out, and when Cody Ross got a flat breaking ball over the plate, he didn't miss it. A high fly ball fell onto the ledge over the Monster for a home run, giving the Sox a 3-0 lead. Two pitches later, and it was Adrian Gonzalez making his mark, knocking his first homer since June 8 down the left field foul line and into the Monster seats to make it 4-0.</p>
<p>The Braves got to Aaron Cook for three runs in the top half of the fifth thanks to a couple unlucky ground balls and a loud triple from Erik Hinske into the triangle, but the Sox responded instantly. With Kelly Shoppach reaching second on an error and Daniel Nava blooping him to third, the Sox were able to add a run on a Will Middlebrooks sacrifice fly, but it was Cody Ross who once again provided the big hit. With Minor offering up a curveball almost identical to the first, Ross hit a homer quite a bit louder than the first, clearing the AAA sign on the Monster and leaving Fenway entirely with a moon shot that put Boston up 7-3.</p>
<p>The Sox would again exchange runs in the sixth, with a homer off Matt Albers being made up for by a Daniel Nava RBI double off the wall. The eighth was not terribly eventful either, with only one run scoring, but the situation made it all the more impactful. Coming to bat for possibly the last time as a Red Sox with Adrian Gonzalez at first, Kevin Youkilis launched a high fly ball to right field that dropped between Jason Heyward and Michael Bourn, perhaps due to a lack of communication. With Gonzalez scoring all the way from first, Youkilis slid into third with the first Red Sox triple in 43 games, and came off to a tremendous ovation as Bobby Valentine gave him a chance for what might be a final individual send off by lifting him for a pinch runner.</p>
<p>With Scott Atchison and Mark Melancon finishing off the game with a pair of scoreless innings, the Sox head home four games above .500 for the first time this season.</p>
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<th class="td-left"> <span>Final - 6.24.2012 </span> </th> <th> 1 </th> <th> 2 </th> <th> 3 </th> <th> 4 </th> <th> 5 </th> <th> 6 </th> <th> 7 </th> <th> 8 </th> <th> 9 </th> <th>R</th> <th>H</th> <th>E</th>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="loss"> <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> </span></td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td class="highlight">4</td>
<td class="highlight">11</td>
<td class="highlight">1</td>
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<td class="td-name"><span class="win"> <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> </span></td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>X</td>
<td class="highlight">9</td>
<td class="highlight">11</td>
<td class="highlight">1</td>
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<td colspan="13">WP: Aaron Cook (1 - 1) <br> LP: Mike Minor (3 - 6)</td>
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<p class="foot clearfix"><span class="link-more"><span>Complete Coverage ></span></span></p>
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<p><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: none 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">For more news, notes and analysis on the Boston Red Sox, check out the SB Nation blog <a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: none 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #193270; font-weight: bold;" href="http://overthemonster.com/">Over the Monster</a>. Then head over to <a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: none 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #193270; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank" href="http://www.talkingchop.com/">Talking Chop</a></i><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: none 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> for the <a style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #193270; font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Braves</a>' fan perspective.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114897/red-sox-vs-braves-final-score-cody-ross-homers-power-sox-past-bravesBenjamin Buchanan2012-06-24T16:52:07-04:002012-06-24T16:52:07-04:00Report: Kevin Youkilis Traded To White Sox
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<p>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/bradfo/status/216995267357061120">Rob Bradford</a>, a clubhouse source has indicated that Kevin Youkilis has been traded to the Chicago White Sox.</p>
<p>There's no word yet on the details of the deal, but the writing has been on the wall for a while now with Youkilis, and with Bobby Valentine giving him a sentimental send-off in today's game based on word from Ben Cherington that a deal was in the works, it seems like the time has finally come.</p>
<p>Who the Red Sox will get in return remains to be seen, but earlier in the week the name Matt Thornton was being tossed around plenty. The Red Sox are not in need of a reliever, but the White Sox have a barren farm system and, if Thornton is coming over, that likely opens the Sox up to making trades with their overstocked relief corps, and relievers are always gold at the deadline.</p>
<p>We'll keep you up-to-date as we learn more.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114882/kevin-youkilis-trade-white-sox-red-soxBenjamin Buchanan2012-06-24T16:50:39-04:002012-06-24T16:50:39-04:00Kevin Youkilis Trade: Red Sox Close To Trade, Possibly To White Sox, According To Report
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> infielder <span>Kevin Youkilis</span> probably made his last at-bat for the team in Sunday's game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>. Youkilis received a standing ovation from the crowd at Fenway Park following what was likely his last hit, an RBI triple in the seventh inning. Youkilis was lifted for pinch runner <span>Nick Punto</span> as a precaution.</p>
<p>No trade partner has yet been confirmed, but it is looking more and more like the team might be the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">Chicago White Sox</a> and not the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>, according to a report (<a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeymanCBS/status/216993923137146880" target="_blank">via Jon Heyman's Twitter</a>).</p>
<p>Youkilis is hitting .233 on the season with four home runs, 14 walks and 14 RBI. The triple on Sunday was the first of the season for Youkilis and the 16th of his career. For his career, Youkilis hits .286 with 133 home runs, 563 RBI and 494 walks.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Boston Red Sox, be sure to head over to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.overthemonster.com/">Over the Monster and join the discussion</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114863/kevin-youkilis-trade-rumors-boston-red-sox-chicago-white-soxPat Johnston2012-06-24T14:01:53-04:002012-06-24T14:01:53-04:00Red Sox Vs. Braves Live Blog: Inning By Inning Updates For Game 3
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<p>The Red Sox are in search of their fourth straight series win Sunday afternoon as they send Aaron Cook to the mound against Mike Minor and the Atlanta Braves.</p>
<p>We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Fenway Park.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 9, Braves 4, End 8th -- </b>Nothing doing in the eighth, as Darnell McDonald's single is erased by Daniel Nava's double play, but with a five-run lead the Sox won't sweat it headed to the ninth.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 9, Braves 4, Mid 8th -- </b>Scott Atchison makes very quick work of the braves in the eighth, sitting down Jason Heyward with a slider over the outside part of the plate to end the 1-2-3 inning.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 9, Braves 4, End 7th -- </b>Kevin Youkilis may have just had his farewell moment at Fenway Park. After a two-out bloop single from Adrian Gonzalez, Youkilis hit a long fly ball to right-center, and with neither outfielder fully committing, the ball fell in, allowing Gonzalez to score and Youkilis to reach third. With Bobby Valentine calling for a pinch runner in Nick Punto, Youkilis left the field to a long standing ovation, tipping his cap and, after what looked like a farewell in the dugout, came back for a final curtain call before heading to the clubhouse. No word on a trade yet, but if that's his last moment, it was just about perfect.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 8, Braves 4, Mid 7th -- </b>In the first scoreless half-inning since the top of the fourth, Andrew Miller works around a pair of singles by getting Michael Bourn to swing over a slider down-and-away and then inducing a pop fly off the bat of Brian McCann to end the frame.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 8, Braves 4, End 6th -- </b>And once again, the Sox match the Braves perfectly in the bottom half of the inning to pull back to a four-run lead. This time it's the work of Kelly Shoppach, who singles solidly up the middle, and Daniel Nava, who plants a double high off the Monster, just missing a homer but doing enough to get Shoppach home with two outs.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 7, Braves 4, Mid 6th -- </b>One bad pitch troubles Matt Albers in the sixth, as he gives up a homer to Jason Heyward nearly identical to Ross' first, dropping just barely into the Monster seats in left field to bring the Braves slightly closer.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 7, Braves 3, End 5th -- </b>And just as quickly the Sox undo all the damage from the top half of the fifth. This time, the greater part of the damage is not his fault, as Kelly Shoppach reaches first when Andrelton Simmons air mails a throw well over Freddi Freeman's head and into the Boston dugout. Daniel Nava follows him onto the basepaths with a bloop single, and while Dustin Pedroia can't get Shoppach in from third, Will Middlebrooks hits one deep enough for the sacrifice fly behind him.</p>
<p>That proves to not matter much, however, as Cody Ross proves he's having one of his days. A flat curveball is dangerous to anyone, but to a dead pull hitter like Ross, coming from a lefty, it's a gimme. Ross hits the ball well over the Triple-A sign on the Monster and all the way out of Fenway for a two-run shot that makes it a 4-run lead once again.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 4, Braves 3, Mid 5th -- </b>The Sox' lead is almost instantly cut to one in the fifth, as a combination of bad luck, bad pitching, and bad defense--all on the part of Aaron Cook--costs them three.</p>
<p>The bad luck comes with the first two at bats, which see a pair of ground balls go for hits. The first comes on a broken bat and doesn't even make it to the infield dirt, but it takes long enough for Dustin Pedroia to get to it that Jason Heyward is able to reach first. The second is a basic seeing-eye single placed perfectly to get through the right side of the infield.</p>
<p>With two on and no out, Cook gives up his bad pitch, and is treated to a long fly ball from Erik Hinske that nearly gets out into the stands near the triangle. Instead it ricochets off the wall, and allows Hinske to reach third with both runs scoring. Frankly, though, it would have been just as well if the ball had gotten out, as after he snags a come-backer, Cook proceeds to throw the ball away trying to catch a wandering Hinske,letting the third run come in. Thankfully, Cook manages to keep the lead from there, with three more ground balls finding gloves and ending the frame.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 4, Brave 0, End 4th -- </b>And the Red Sox finally make Mike Minor look like Mike Minor. Both Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks are content to watch Minor throw them balls to lead off the inning with a pair of walks. Up comes Cody Ross, whose solid return has been overshadowed a bit by the likes of Middlebrooks and Nava, and reminds fans why he was missed, jacking a high fly ball to left field that drops just barely into and out of the Monster seats for a three-run shot.</p>
<p>Two pitches later, and the excitement from grabbing the lead is ratcheted up a notch as the long wait for Adrian Gonzalez to break out of his power slump comes to an end--at least for now. Getting an outside fastball, Gonzalez turned to the swing that's served him so well in recent years and even picked up a couple of hits yesterday, lifting a high fly ball of his own down the left field line and into the Monster seats to give the Sox back-to-back shots and a 4-0 lead.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, Mid 4th -- </b>Ross enjoys his first completely clean inning in the fourth, with a fly ball to shallow right the hardest hit ball allowed. This is much closer to what the Sox were hoping for when they got him than his first start. Just goes to show you what a healthy knee can do.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, End 3rd -- </b>This game is starting to look a lot like Friday's. Up against a pitcher with terrible numbers in Mike Minor, the Sox have done absolutely nothing to him. A long fly ball from Kelly Shoppach is all they can lay claim to in this inning, but it dies on the track for Michael Bourn to make the easy grab, and Daniel Nava strikes out swinging weakly at a bad pitch to end the frame.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, Mid 3rd -- </b>Leadoff trouble for Aaron Cook does not end in any runs for the Braves, thanks at least in part to a controversial call on a low line drive to Kevin Youkilis. After a leadoff double and a ground out, Youkilis had to drop his glove flat to the ground to make the grab on Michael Bourn's hard hit ball. Youkilis had the ball knock off the heel of his glove, but at least in his mind not out of the fingers, leaving Bourn out even without a throw to first. Initially the third base umpire--who had his view largely blocked by Youkilis--disagreed. But after some consultation, Bourn was called out, and one ground ball later Cook was out of the inning.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, End 2nd -- </b>With the fans giving him a long standing ovation, Kevin Youkilis just <i>had</i> to get a hit in his first at bat in three days. While it wasn't the most solid of knocks--a ground ball back to the mound which Mike Minor deflected towards second base and couldn't chase down in time--he was at first all the same. Unfortunately, Mike Aviles quickly struck out behind him, leaving the Sox without anything to show for it.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, Mid 2nd -- </b>There is some cause for concern despite two scoreless innings from Aaron Cook. Between a loud fly ball to left field and a two-out double from Jason Heyward, there's been some mediocre Sinkers thrown so far today. Two more ground balls, however, are still enough to get the Sox out of the inning without damage.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, End 1st -- </b>Mike Minor has a very similar inning to Aaron Cook in the first. While the fly ball he induces leads off the inning, and comes a lot closer to being damaging as Daniel Nava drove it towards the track in dead center, Michael Bourn gets underneath it and makes the grab in the sun none-the-less. Dustin Pedroia matches Michael Bourn's single by slapping a base hit into left field, but then just like Cook, Minor gets the ground ball for a double play off the bat of Will Middlebrooks.</p>
<p><b>Red Sox 0, Braves 0, Mid 1st -- </b>Aaron Cook is off to a very Aaron Cook start in Fenway Park. Michael Burn again proves a distraction to the Red Sox early in the first, as he hits a ground ball single and then draws Aaron Cook's attention over to first base for much of the ensuing at bat against Martin Prado. Bourn doesn't take off until the pitch Prado puts in play, however, and has to head back to first on a lazy fly ball. That keeps him in position for Cook to do what he does best: get a double play. Throwing five straight sinkers to Brian McCann, Cook got the ground ball he wanted and picked up the easy twin killing.</p>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114596/red-sox-vs-braves-live-blog-inning-by-inning-updates-for-game-3Benjamin Buchanan2012-06-24T12:40:13-04:002012-06-24T12:40:13-04:00Clay Buchholz Injury Update: Buchholz Suffering From Internal Bleeding, Will Miss 10-14 Days, According To Report
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<p><span>Clay Buchholz</span> was pulled from his scheduled start earlier in the week, and it was announced earlier today that he had entered the hospital. We have now learned that that the internal bleeding is likely caused by anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and Buchholz will likely need 10-14 days to recover (<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/jamorosinoon7">via Joe Amorosino of WHDH</a>).</p>
<p>The condition can be serious, even life threatening, if not treated properly. This kind of thing can leave a player at less than full strength for an extended period of time. Red Sox fans hope that Buchholz caught things early enough that quick treatment will see him make a full and speedy recovery.</p>
<p><span>Aaron Cook</span> was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket and will start for Buchholz in Sunday's game vs. the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>.</p>
<p><i>For updates on Clay Buchholz and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a>, stick with <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/22/3110466/red-sox-vs-braves-2012-mlb-news-fenway-park">this storystream</a>. For full time Red Sox news and analysis,<a href="http://www.overthemonster.com"> Over the Monster</a> has you covered. And don't miss SB Nation on YouTube: </i></p>
<p><a title="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=sbnation"><img onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'SBN YouTube Integration', 'HTML Article Insert - Grey']);" style="margin-left: -15px" alt="Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube" src="http://assets.sbnation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/youtube/youtube-article-insert.png"></a></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114466/clay-buchholz-injury-update-buchholz-internal-bleeding-time-out-expected-returnPete Holby2012-06-24T11:29:56-04:002012-06-24T11:29:56-04:00Red Sox Vs. Braves: Clay Buchholz Placed On Disabled List, Aaron Cook To Start Vs. Braves
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<p>After <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/23/3113424/red-sox-vs-braves-clay-buchholz-scratched/in/2874507">previously announcing he would miss his scheduled start</a>, the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Red Sox</a> have placed <span>Clay Buchholz</span> on the disabled list with an injury unrelated to throwing, according to a report from the <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1061141074&srvc=rss">Boston Herald</a>. The starter has checked into the hospital with an undisclosed illness. Buchholz has been a bright spot for the Sox this year, going 8-2 and posting a 5.53 ERA.</p>
<p>In his absence the Red Sox will turn to <span>Aaron Cook</span>, who was previously on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Pawtucket. Cook suffered a left knee laceration in early May that left him on the DL. He pitched four innings in his last Pawtucket start, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one. Cook has made one appearance this year for the Red Sox, where he gave up 7 runs in 2.2 innings.</p>
<p><i>For news updates, scores and more from the Red Sox series vs. the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Braves</a>, stick with <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/22/3110466/red-sox-vs-braves-2012-mlb-news-fenway-park">this storystream</a>. For full time Red Sox news and analysis, check out <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com">Over The Monster</a>.</i></p>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114366/red-sox-vs-braves-clay-buchholz-disabled-list-aaron-cook-new-starterPete Holby2012-06-24T11:17:30-04:002012-06-24T11:17:30-04:00Red Sox Extras: Will Middlebrooks Pushes The Issue
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<p>As Will Middlebrooks trotted from second to third after his third-inning home run, the FOX color commentator could only say "I'm telling you right now, this kid...he ain't coming out of that lineup." </p>
<p>No, no he's not.</p>
<p>Though Kevin Youkilis trade rumors are flying fast and furious these days, the Sox' long time corner infielder remains with the team, but that's not about to affect Will Middlebrooks' playing time--at least not seriously. When put in the same category as Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis, it was hard to imagine Will Middlebrooks even being able to keep pace in his rookie season. Now, as much because of his own excellence as their mediocrity, he now stands atop the pile.</p>
<p>In just 142 at bats this year, Middlebrooks has put himself on the map. A line of .331/.368/.592 is a perfect representation of the controlled aggression at the plate that is Will Middlebrooks. No, he's not the classic super-patient Red Sox hitter who will work a 10 pitch walk, but he is a guy who knows what pitches he wants to hit, and what pitches he doesn't. Aside from a recent period where curveballs in the dirt seemed to have him fooled, Middlebrooks has shown that he's not going to bail pitchers out by going outside the zone; he's just also not willing to let their mistakes pass him by. The result: nine homers and plenty of wallball doubles.</p>
<p>Mike Trout may be pulling away in the Rookie of the Year conversation thanks to his ridiculous mix of talents, but in any other year Will Middlebrooks might be the runaway candidate. And when you've got a potential future fixture off to a start like this, you don't derail him with a benching or a demotion. </p>
<p>Will Middlebrooks is here to stay.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/6/24/3114324/red-sox-extras-will-middlebrooks-pushing-the-issueBenjamin Buchanan