Don’t look now folks, but the Red Sox have won 7 out of their last 9 games after sweeping the Jays in Toronto. Josh Beckett got lit up once again on Monday night, but the Sox were able to outslug the Jays, winning 13-12. On Tuesday, Clay Buchholz showed why the Sox have been keen on keeping him around and believe him to have top-of-the-rotation stuff. Buchholz pitched 8 innings, allowing 1 earned run and struck out 4. Buchholz has been the true ace of the staff in the early going posting a 2-2 record with an ERA of 2.19 in 4 starts. Wednesday, Jon Lester pitched like the ace he is, shutting out the Jays through 7, while striking out 11. Daniel Bard struck out the side in the 8, and Jonathan Papelbon retired the side in order in the 9th to pick up his 7th save of the season. The three pitchers combined for 15 Ks, while only giving up 2 hits. Sox are back to .500 and are now in 3rd place and 5.5 games back of Tampa Bay. John Lackey gets the ball Friday against Baltimore and Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his return to the Sox’ rotation on Saturday.

The Celtics, defeating the Heat 96-86 in Game 5, will face a familiar foe in the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James has been nursing a sore right elbow, so we’ll see how that factors into the series. One thing is certain, this series should be epic and don’t be surprised if it goes to 7 games.

Marc Savard returns from a Grade-2 concussion as the Bruins take on the Flyers in Eastern Conference Semifinals

With the 8th-seeded Montreal Canadiens upsetting top-seeded Washington in 7 games, the Bruins will have home-ice in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals as they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers. On paper, the Bruins should be favored in this series, especially with Tuukka Rask in net and the return of Marc Savard to the lineup. Granted, the Flyers did knock out the #2 seed New Jersey Devils and should not be taken lightly, especially because of their physical style of play. Bruins are going to have hold their own in the toughness department, continue to play strong defensively, and get those timely goals they were able to achieve against Buffalo. If all goes according to plan, expect a Bruins/Penguins matchup to decide who earns the right to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup out of the Eastern Conference. Out West, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 6-1 in Game 7. In the Semi-Finals, the 5th seeded Red Wings will match-up with top-seeded San Jose, while #2 Chicago matches up with #3 Vancouver. As a hockey fan, I’m hoping for an Original Six match-up in the Stanley Cup Finals pitting the Bruins against either Detroit or Chicago.

Early in the season, the Red Sox have answered their critics in terms of offensive production. Top 10 in runs (82) and Top 5 in HRs (24). No, it’s been their pitching and defense, their supposed strengths that have let them down early on this season. They have a team ERA of 4.70 and have already made 14 errors. All of their starters, excluding Clay Buchholz (2.70) have ERAs in the 5s or higher. Beckett posts a 5.26, Lester posts a 6.23, Lackey a 5.09, and Wakefield a 5.40. Wakefield now moves to the ‘pen with the impending return of Daisuke Matsuzaka to the rotation on Saturday.

The bullpen has also been extremely inconsistent. Lights out one night, blowing up another. Atchison needs to go, plain and simple. Schoeneweis just can’t get it done anymore either. Drop those two and put Michael Bowden and Dustin Richardson or Alan Embree into the ‘pen.

Catchers have struggled throwing out baserunners, no more evident than when Texas stole 9 bases off the Sox. Victor Martinez’s struggles are going to hurt his chances of the Sox re-signing him and him getting a quality deal on the open-market. Look for the Sox to let Ortiz go and make V-Mart the full-time DH.

One bright spot this season has been the resurgence of Jason Varitek offensively. He’s already hit 4 HRs and driven in 8. Perhaps him not playing everyday will keep him fresher and make him able to produce on a more consistent basis. One thing’s for sure though, the Sox need a catcher who can defend, manage the running game, call a quality game, and hit. Luis Exposito may be their best bet, but he’s a few years away from being MLB-ready.

Sox need to get their pitching sorted out, be more consistent defensively, and get key people off the DL, and hopefully they’ll start making a run back towards the top of the standing as the summer progresses. For all the promise with the changes this off-season, 4th place and 5.5 games out of first place is not where I envisioned this team as we head into May.

The Celtics hold a 3-1 series lead over the Heat and they look to close them out on Tuesday. Pierce hit a clutch buzzer-beat to win Game 3. Celtics couldn’t match that effort in Game 4 as Dwayne “Flash” Wade just took over and dominated the Celtics all game long.

Tuukka Rask and Miro Satan helped the Bruins defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4 games to 2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Bruins, who struggled all season long at home, won all 3 games at home in the series against the Buffalo Sabres, as the 6th-seeded Bruins knocked the #3 Sabres out of the playoffs in 6 games. David Krejci, Mark Recchi, and Miro Satan led the way offensively for the B’s. The story of the series was goaltending however. Don’t be misled by some of the scores, the goaltending on both sides was absolutely phenomenal especially in Game 4 where the Bruins won 3-2 in Double OT. Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller kept their teams in the games time and again and for the most part, the goals they let in, they really had no chance of saving. Nice to see a young goaltender like Rask face the pressure of the NHL playoffs and excel. He took over the #1 job from Tim Thomas and the team has played much more solid in front of him. He’s calm in net and his team plays that way in front of him. With the solid play of Rask, and impending return of Marc Savard, the Bruins could be a serious threat to make the Stanley Cup Finals out of the East. The Bruins wait for the Canadiens/Capitals series to conclude to find out their Semi-Final opponent. If the Habs win the series, the B’s play the Flyers. If the Caps win, B’s play the defending Stanley Cup Champs, the Penguins. Either series would be a tough challenge, but the B’s showed they can get it done, beating the best goalie in the world in 6 games.

If the Sox can turn it around, and the Bruins and Celts continue to play strong and hot in the playoffs, this could conceivably be a year that Boston wins all 4 major sports titles and truly live up to our name of Title Town USA.

Following the signings of John Lackey and Mike Cameron, and the nullification of the Mike Lowell trade, the Red Sox are limited options available to them to improve the team. Here’s how the roster looks right now:

Projected Lineup:
Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
Victor Martinez, C
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Lowell, 3b
J.D. Drew, RF
Mike Cameron, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS

Bench

Casey Kotchman, 1b
Jason Varitek, C
Jeremy Hermida, OF
Jed Lowrie, 2b/SS/3b

Starting Pitchers
Jon Lester
Josh Beckett
John Lackey
Clay Buchholz
Daisuke Matsuzaka

Bullpen
Tim Wakefield, RHP long reliever/spot starter
Manny Delcarmen, RHP
Dustin Richardson, LHP
Ramon Ramirez, RHP
Hideki Okajima, LHP
Daniel Bard, RHP (setup)
Jonathan Papelbon, RHP (closer)

So now what?

Adrian Gonzalez

The obvious need for this team is another big bat. They don’t have much room to add a player, that was a major aspect to the Mike Lowell trade. Let’s put that aside and assume they can deal with where to play somebody when they sign him. Also, according to Tony Massarotti, the Red Sox payroll is projected to be in excess of $170 million, which means signing another top free agent is likely out of the question. Keep in mind that the luxury tax threshold is $170 million. This makes San Diego Padres 1b Adrian Gonzalez the target. Gonzo is signed for the next two seasons for a total of $9 million ($4.5mm in 2010, $5.5mm option for 2011).

Getting a player of this caliber, a player who has the ability to hit over 40 HRs and drive in well over 100 runs, would be a major addition to the Red Sox lineup. As the lineup stands, they should score enough runs to win the wild card (coupled with their ability to prevent runs through pitching and defense), but let’s face it, Kevin Youkilis shouldn’t be the best hitter on the team (or second best if you think VMart is the best). As of right now, the price tag for Gonzo is extremely high. Jed Hoyer, newly hired GM of the Padres (and former Assistant GM in Boston), is reportedly asking for a package that includes both Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz. They would also like either Ryan Westmoreland or Casey Kelly to be included in the trade, as well as other pieces.

We all know what Buchholz and Ellsbury are right now and might become in the future. In San Diego, I fully expect Clay Buchholz to be able to post a sub-3.00 ERA by next season (probably something closer to 4.00 in the AL). He’s probably a #2 or #3 starter at best, but still, that’s a good pitcher there. Ellsbury on the other hand, is. to me, a very special player. Right now, he’s a .300 hitter who get’s on base at around a .350 clip, an excellent baserunner who stole 70 bases in 2009, and also voted the Defensive Player of the Year.  His OBP isn’t great, but in September and October, he was getting on-base at a .388 clip, much higher than his overall numbers indicate.  He’s completed two full seasons in the majors and has improved each year.  Ellsbury is a player who will roam CF (or LF if Mike Cameron is in town) for the next 10 years for someone.  He’s the player the Red Sox want playing with Adrian Gonzalez, to me, trading him would be a mistake (in package of other players), and the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo agrees.

Westmoreland and Kelly are in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but Epstein was reluctant to trade either of these players in trades for Felix Hernandez or Roy Halladay last summer. Westmoreland, an outfielder, is currently the #2 prospect in the Red Sox farm system, as rated by SoxProspects.com.  The scouting report on him is that he’s a patient hitter with above-average power, and has elite speed.  Perhaps he’s the next Ellsbury, but he’s only 19 years old and likely won’t be ready until Ellsbury hits free agency in four years, though it is possible he comes to the majors earlier than that.  Based on the scouting reports, Westmoreland projects to be a player like Johnny Damon, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.   Kelly, on the other hand, played shortstop and was a starting pitcher in his first full season in the minor leagues.  Theo Epstein has said that Kelly will focus on pitching now, and experts like Gammons believe Kelly will be in the majors in 2011, with a potential call-up in 2010.  Here’s what SoxProspects.com has to say about Kelly, the Red Sox #1 prospect on their ranking system:

As a pitcher, Kelly’s skills are quite advanced for his age, mixing in a low 90s fastball, a hard 12-6 curveball, and a nice change, all with above average command and control. Sound, smooth mechanics. Fastball has excellent downward movement, and generally sits between 89 and 92 mph. Many scouts project that he’ll sit in the 92-94 mph range after he fills out. Curveball is plus with the potential of being a plus-plus wipeout pitch. It sits around 76-78 mph, but he tends to show it a little too much at times. Changeup sits around 84 mph with a lot of sink. For the most part, he keeps the ball low in the zone, but he’s hittable when he leaves it up. Very good mound presence

Obviously it’s hard to say what Kelly will become since he is only 20 years old, but we have to keep in mind the success rate of the Red Sox prospects. They’ve given us Lester, Papelbon, Bard, Buchholz, Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Youkilis, among others. Those are all legitimate MLB players, so it’s hard to go and trade away talent.

In my opinion, the Red Sox should not consider a trade for Gonzalez that asks them to part with both Ellsbury and Buchholz. However, a package of Buchholz, Westmoreland, OF Josh Reddick, and SP Michael Bowden should be enough to get the deal done. In that package, the Padres would receive a front-of-the-rotation in Buchholz, a major league ready OF in Reddick, the potential of Westmoreland, and a back-of the-rotation starter in Bowden. Perhaps the Sox could add 1b Lars Anderson to the package in place of Bowden, but that is not in their best interest. A trade is a possibility, but it is not close, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.

But the question is, do the Red Sox need to add a bat? Former Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi does not believe that is the case.

“I really like the Red Sox the way they’re constituted right now,’’ said Ricciardi. “They’re going to pitch well and catch well. I know we had teams in Toronto where we had the best starting and reliever ERA and we still didn’t make the playoffs. If our lineup had played up to its potential we would have made the playoffs.

“But I think Boston’s lineup is very good. You’ve got tremendous bats with Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Cameron . . . and Marco Scutaro is really going to add a lot of offense. Big Papi had an off year and he drove in almost a hundred runs and hit almost 30 homers. [Jacoby] Ellsbury has that speed that is so effective. Some guys can run, but they have no impact. Ellsbury has tremendous impact in that he can disrupt. He can score on a wild pitch, score on a shallow sac fly. He can manufacture a run, not to mention what his speed does on defense and he’s young.

“Personally, if I had a rotation this deep, I wouldn’t move anyone. They also have the resources to go out and probably do a couple of other things. We all know you need seven or eight starters during the year. Last year they went with Brad Penny and John Smoltz and so what they have now is an improvement over that.’’

In my opinion, I think the Red Sox are two bats away from being the favorites for the World Series, however, as constituted, I do think they will make the playoffs and would have the ability to beat anybody in a short series with their pitching staff. Look, if they’re willing to expand the payroll near $190 million, then I’d say they should go ahead and trade Ellsbury and Buchholz for Gonzalez, while signing another starter, and either bringing back Jason Bay or signing Matt Holliday to play left field. A lineup with Scutaro, Pedroia, Martinez, Gonzalez, Youkilis, Holliday/Bay, Ortiz, Drew, and Cameron would be an elite lineup, but they’d rely on power, which may not be in their best interest, and is also highly unlikely given the payroll constraints.

But hey, we can just go get Gonzalez in two years, right?

Other things the Red Sox might look for are a left-handed reliever, and perhaps, they might look for another right-handed bat off the bench, but they would need to clear some roster space to make moves of this nature.  Depth in the bullpen is probably more important.  The best available lefty is probably Darren Olliver, who posted a 2.71 ERA for the Angels last season, but Will Ohman and Ron Villone are among other possibilities.  The Red Sox could also opt to go with Richardson (who I have projected to be in the ‘pen this year), or perhaps they expect players like Fabio Castro and Scott Atchinson to contribute, and aren’t paying much attention to lefty/righty combinations.

Other Stuff:

• The Mike Lowell deal is dead, John Tomase writes
• Jason Varitek understands his new role, according to Amalie Benjamin
• Brian Raab breaks down the benefits of having two aces
• Chad Finn believes Theo Epstein fooled us all
• Christopher Gasper compares the Red Sox to the Yankees
• The Red Sox are not done shopping, writes Sean McAdam

Marco Scutaro

Two weeks ago, the Sox signed their Shorstop–Marco Scutaro to a 2-year, $12.5mm deal with an option for a 3rd year. The Sox hope Scutaro will keep up the numbers he put up last season and hold down the position until prospect Jose Iglesias is ready for the big-time.

Early last week, the Sox made a deal with the Texas Rangers that would send veteran Mike Lowell to Texas in exchange for C/1B/DH Max Ramirez. This deal is still being worked out as both teams are extensively reviewing the medical records of both players involved. Concerns over Lowell’s thumb and Ramirez’s wrists cause this deal to be not yet completed.

The Red Sox also made a couple of key signings on Monday. They inked pitcher John Lackey to a 5-year deal worth upwards of $85mm and outfielder Mike Cameron to a 2-year, $15.5mm deal.

John Lackey

Signing Lackey gives the Sox depth to their rotation for next season and for the future. The Sox now have a Top-3 of Beckett, Lester and Lackey and then Matsuzaka, Buchholz, and Wakefield to fill out the rest of the rotation. A rotation that no one in baseball can claim to match if everyone is at their best and remains healthy. The signing also gives the Sox some flexibility. They now have insurance in the event they cannot workout an extension with Josh Beckett, who is set to become a free agent after the 2010 season. It also allows the Sox to entertain trades involving Clay Buchholz, a chip many teams covet. Perhaps the Sox now go out and build a package around Buchholz to acquire an Adrian Gonzalez or a Miguel Cabrera.

The signing of Cameron, as well as the earlier trade for Jeremy Hermida all but ensures that Jason Bay will not be a Red Sox next season. After Bay rejected the Sox latest offer, it became clear that the two sides had very differing opinions on Bay’s value. The Sox were just not going to overpay for a player who can only hit fastballs, has poor defense, and whom the Sox have concerns about remaining healthy over a long-term deal. Cameron will become the everyday left-fielder, or possibly center-fielder (if the Sox elect to move Jacoby Ellsbury to left-field or trade him). Cameron also gives Manager Terry Francona some flexibility with his line-ups. If Ellsbury needs a day off, Cameron can move to CF, the same is true with J.D. Drew in RF.

Mike Cameron

The Sox are definitely addressing their pitching and defense to make up for whatever lack of offense their may be. I fully expect them to sign another reliever to fill out the bullpen and probably another versatile player to fill out the bench (I’m thinking Adam Kennedy is a good bet).

Are the signings of Lackey and Cameron a precursor to a bigger deal, possibly a trade for Adrian Gonzalez? We will have to stay tuned and see what the rest of this off-season has in store.

In other baseball news, the Yankees acquired Curtis Granderson from the Tigers last week. The real blockbuster of the off-season occurred on Monday, with the Roy Halladay saga finally coming to an end. Halladay has been dealt by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies in a 3-team deal also involving the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners will receive Cliff Lee from the Phillies and the Jays will receive prospects from the Mariners.