http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/392 Recent articles about Julio Lugo en-us Well, looks like we'll be without Julio for a month and a half. I bet everyone in Red Sox Nation is really bummed to see him out. They're really bummed to miss his errant throws in clutch situations, his late game mishaps booting balls all around Yankee Stadium, and his oh-so-famous crotch grabs in the batter's box and on base (when he got on base). So the real question now is: Do we just stick with Jed for the remainder of the season? Here's the thing about Julio. He came here as a potential leadoff guy, failed at that. He came with the thought of providing a little pop, failed at that. He came as a stolen base threat; he's proven he's a decent base stealer. But where he really can hurt the team is in the field. Of the 30 starting Shortstops, Mr. Lugo has the worst fielding percentage by far (.945). With a team that could really excel defensively, with a fast outfield, Youk and Lowell at the corners, and Tek behind the dish, Lugo has been a huge hole in the defense. Lugo's .270+ average does not make up for his lack of focus in the field… Paging Mr. Lowrie! The 2007 Baseball America AA All-Star, Jed comes up hitting .268 in Pawtucket this year, but has come up with a string of impressive games with the big club when he's had the shot. Last year, he provided some decent pop as well in Portland. Waiting to break out, Jed has also proved himself in the field, even though he's bounced from SS to third and second. In this writer's opinion, the team needs stability at Short. Speed is not a necessity with Ellsbury at the top. We need a guy that can sacrifice someone over, play hit and run, and have good chemistry with Dusty at 2nd turning two. My vote is to keep Jed in the lineup, even when Julio comes back. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:06:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290326 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290326 Jed Lowrie was recalled from Pawtucket today to take the place of Julio Lugo. Lugo, who crumpled to the ground in last night's game, will go on the DL with what is most likely a slight tear in his quad muscle. Lowrie has a pretty decent .817 OPS in 17 games for the Red Sox this season. Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:24:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289560 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289560 Is JD Drew the mid-season MVP? -- Who was the biggest surprise of the first half? -- Who was the biggest disappointment? Fire Brand of the AL gives out there awards and The Bottom Line chimes in... Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:41:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288706 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288706 The Red Sox have lost 4 of 5 by one stinkin' run. Leads have been blown, rallies have been squashed... something needs to be done. Red Sox Nation needs to unite and don their rally caps... Together we may be able to turn the tide here... it's can't hurt, right? Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:49:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285442 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285442 My friends and I like to play a game we call the before & afters. We match sports players/managers/personnel last names up with another sports figure with the same first name. It can be fun and quite creative. After brainstorming through the Major League, On Deck Sports proudly presents the top 10 before & after names of baseball. The winner(s) is probably the best before & after I've heard, period, unless our viewers can take the cake and come up with a better number one. And so we begin… [...] Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:22:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285271 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285271 What do these 2 lists of players have in common? Chone Figgins Asdrubal Cabrera Gregor Blanco Luis Castillo Marco Scutaro Austin Kearns Joey Gathright Brian Schneider Shannon Stewart Julio Lugo David Eckstein Ryan Theriot Jason Bartlett Jamey Carroll Carlos Ruiz Juan Pierre Matt Treanor Daric Barton Andruw Jones Cesar IzturisClint Barmes Eric Hinske Corey Hart Miguel Olivo Jose Guillen Alex Rodriguez Evan Longoria Carlos Lee Cody Ross Jermaine Dye Josh Hamilton Alfonso Soriano Ryan Ludwick Chase Utley Ryan Doumit Ryan Braun Dan Uggla Lance Berkman Mike Jacobs Marcus Thames Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:53:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284009 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284009 As Julio Lugo's defensive struggles continue — the shortstop has 12 errors — he has become less eager to talk about it. It stands to reason, of course. But it doesn't help explain the balls that keep kicking off his glove or the throws he short hops to first base. Tue, 27 May 2008 12:04:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271399 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271399 Three RBI for Moises Alou yesterday, Joe Crede 2-for-4 with a homer and Oliver Perez dominating the Yankees. In other words, welcome a typical Sunday for my bench. Yes, one day before I can insert any of the three into my lineup, they go nuts. Then, a la Mike Cameron two weeks ago, I'll put them in and they will go 1-for-20. Mon, 19 May 2008 10:18:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268520 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268520 See the video at The Bottom Line. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:11:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264709 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264709 It was a battle between two of the best offenses in the league, but it took an error and a broken bat single for the Tigers to beat the Red Sox last night... get the recap at The Bottom Line. Thu, 08 May 2008 07:37:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264691 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264691 Say what you want about Coco Crisp and his vocal unhappiness about being a backup outfielder; but don't you ever say that he doesn't have a sense of humor. When asked about the new speedier Boston team (their 26 stolen bases this season is the same as the amount of homeruns they've hit), Crisp came back with this gem: "But now we do [have speed]; Me, Ellsbury, Lugo, and Manny [Ramírez]. I think when you have the capabilities of stealing a base on a baseball team, it gives a different dynamic to your baseball team as well as having power." That is pure gold how he just slipped Manny's name in there. I'm sure it's no coincidence that a couple of days ago Ramirez stole his first base in 3 years. Mon, 05 May 2008 10:23:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263560 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263560 The look in this picture is not the respectful nod of a man who's just been bested in a fair fight. It's the bitter face of a man who's just been struck out for the seventh time in 17 career at-bats, by a former teammate he doesn't seem to like. Sun, 04 May 2008 22:11:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263432 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263432 As runners were crossing the finish line for the Boston Marathon the Red Sox were crossing the plate with 8 runs and a sweep of the Texas Rangers. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:12:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252412 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/252412 Westbrook was pitching decently, Betancourt was waiting in the wings, and the Red Sox needed to hold the Tribe down with Julian Tavarez, who, quite honestly, inspires as much confidence as Hubert H. Humphrey these days. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:23:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/237802 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/237802 While the idea of community projections has existed in blog circles for a while, I haven't seen any real good breakdown as to if those projections were more accurate in aggregate vs. any single individual or experts predictions. So here is what I propose to you today; let's find out. All you have to do is click on the links below to fill out a form for each player asking for predictions for the following statistics; AVG, OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, SB and for pitchers - Wins, Losses, ERA, Strike Outs/9 IP, IP, and Saves. If you would like to provide your name or MVN "handle", it will only be used to call out how correct, or incorrect you are at the end of the season. If you would rather not provide any information linking yourself to your predictions and providing a layer of plausible deniability, feel free to leave it blank. Lastly, please provide the team you root for on a regular basis. Could it be that the collective intelligence of Yankee fans about Red Sox players is more accurate than the fans that live and die all things Sox? We will hopefully find out. Follow the story link to participate... Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:12:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/217674 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/217674