In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down each of the playoff teams from a scouting perspective.
There are enough intangibles that this Red Sox team has, aside from the obvious talent their roster possesses, to give any opponent fits, which is why it's going to be all the more important to exploit any holes they may have. With the style and fire they take the field with, it is more crucial to jump on them early than any other club in the postseason.
Power pitchers like Josh Beckett and Jon Lester need to be touched up early, in most cases, if you are going to get to them at all. And, in a playoff atmosphere, an over-amped power pitcher can be prone to command issues in the early going.
Terry Francona announced the Red Sox rotation for the series on Sunday as well. Jon Lester will take the ball in Game 1 to face Lackey, while Josh Beckett will start Game 2 followed by the young Clay Bucholz in Game 3. The question is, who will Boston's fourth starter be?
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
There was reason for concern with Cliff Lee. After storming out of the proverbial gates upon his entrance to the so-called Senior Circuit, he stumbled. Lee's first five outings yielded a 5-0 record with a 0.68 ERA and a 39:6 K:BB in 40 innings. His next three? Ugly. He got a win (going 1-2), but his ERA in 15 innings was 9.60, after allowing 29 hits, 16 earned runs and 4 home runs.
Tuesday night, Lee re-announced his presence with authority.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
As Major League Baseball launches into the second half of their season Thursday night, there is one playoff race that should intrigue and excite fans no matter where their allegiances may lie. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays may just be the best three teams in the American League (for my money, they are). Yet, all three reside in the AL East, which means only two can make the playoffs.
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.
The most remarkable thing about this season as we hit the not-halfway halfway point of the All-Star break isn't Albert Pujols' RBI total. Or Zack Greinke's ERA. Or the PED suspension of one of the game's biggest stars.
It's the standings. And they not only reflect the season so far, they give us a clue as to the weeks head leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.
The Phillies and Dodgers are the only first-place team with a lead of more than 2 1/2 games. And 21 of the 30 teams are within 7 1/2 games of a playoff spot: nine of 14 in the AL and 12 of 16 in the NL.
MLB Power Rankings:Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
Well, I'll tell you one thing: baseball ain't boring, folks. At least if you're in the middle class anyway; the upper crust is (somewhat) starting to establish itself across MLB's ranks and the bottom portion of the league is certainly holding steady. But in the middle, well, goodness. We have a lot of would-be title contenders. How's your semi-crappy team faring in the all-important MLB FanHouse Power Rankings this week? Find out after the jump.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
This coming weekend, Major League Baseball will reveal its 2009 All-Star teams. So what better opportunity than this to run through a list of this season's "Anti-All-Stars." Anti-All-Stars is far too bland a name, though, so we decided to name the team in honor of Andruw Jones. After all, he was the poster child for guys not earning the lucrative contracts bestowed on them last season. We'll sort through each position and find the player who is least helping his team in comparison to expectations -- whether monetary or from management.
Turns out it's a good thing the Red Sox cultivated and collected pitchers like a squirrel hording acorns this past winter. Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-5, 8.23 ERA), who has never really seemed right all season, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with what the team is calling "weakness in his shoulder."
The move takes a potentially awkward decision out of Boston's hands, clearing the way for John Smoltz to enter the rotation next week in Washington without the club having to either demote a healthy pitcher to the bullpen or convert to a potentially unwieldy six-man rotation.
It doesn't fully answer the question of what the club will do with Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden -- both of whom are dominating in the minors right now and have little left to prove there -- but it does clear up the immediate future and officially pull Brad Penny off the trading block.
Starkly in contrast to that is Matsuzaka whose future is suddenly very murky two-plus years after Boston shelled out more than $51 million to the Seibu Lions for the right to negotiate with him and another $52 million to ink him to a major league contract.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Angels and Cubs -- two overwhelming favorites to win their division entering 2009 -- finally seem to have their mojo back.
A day after Chicago rallied from four down in the eighth inning to beat the White Sox, they climbed out of a 7-0 fourth-inning hole to beat the Indians, thanks in part to another dramatic home run from Derrek Lee -- a drive that came off of longtime Cub Kerry Wood no less.
Not to be outdone, the Angels' Juan Rivera snapped a 4-all tie in the eighth inning of the Freeway Series opener with a decisive solo home run. The Halos have now reeled off seven straight wins, and, despite all the hard luck (and tragedy) they've had to deal with so far this season, are a 1/2 game behind the division-leading Rangers in the AL West.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
For the most of past two seasons, Aaron Rowand has been a thorn in the collective sides of his fantasy owners. In the middle of May, his batting average even dipped down to .214 (he also only had 2 homers at the time). Starting May 10, though, Rowand has been mashing. In that 21-game span, he's hitting .378 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI. He's also accrued 10 doubles and scored 18 runs in that time.
In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down each of the playoff teams from a scouting perspective.
While we're not going to know who the 
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Turns out it's a good thing the Red Sox cultivated and collected pitchers like a squirrel hording acorns this past winter. 
Starting Five
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
