A Three Game Set & Then The All Star Game

Hello and good morning on this warm and humid early Friday morning here in north central Connecticut. My goodness, Nick Swisher beat out our very own Kevin Youkilis for the final AL All Star berth in the closest vote ever. The NY voters must have been out in force because if you compare the player's statistics, the IS no comparison. Take a look...

Youkilis***.292***17 HR***55 RBIs
Swisher***.298***14 HR***48 RBIs

I'll take Youk in a heartbeat, offensively AND defensively. But the "voters" have spoken and that's the way it goes. Hard to believe, isn't it? New York over Boston yet again. But the Sox must concentrate on winning all three of the upcoming Canadian games because they're falling behind in the AL East.

In Boston Red Sox good news (for a change), Jacoby Ellsbury will be joining the team up in Toronto tonight. He might not play but he's feeling so much better. His "homecoming" away from home will be an emotional recharge for the team, part one of the DL puzzle that confounds all of us in Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International. More news...the Sox are looking for bullpen help. Other than the closer, Jonathon Papelbon and the exceptional set-up man, Danny Bard, there's an empty void when it comes to late inning help. The bullpen ERA is 4.83, second-worst in the American League. They've allowed runs to score in five of the last six games. They have a league-high 13 blown saves. All in all, other than Paps and Bard, THEY SUCK! C'mon Theo, the trade deadline is July 31st. It's coming up fast. Here are the pitching match-ups for the three game set up in Canada...

Friday 7/9/2010 at Tor 7:07 PM ET NESN/RSN*** Lester (10-3) vs. Romero (6-5)
Saturday 7/10/2010 at Tor 1:07 PM ET NESN/RSN*** Lackey (9-4) vs. Morrow (5-6)
Sunday 7/11/2010 at Tor 1:07 PM ET NESN/RSN*** Matsuzaka (5-3) vs. Litsch (0-3)

Oh boy, Matsuzaka again. I don't know if I'll be able to watch his quest to find the plate Sunday afternoon but I'm sure he's aware that he's on the brink of leaving the rotation once Josh Beckett gets back in a couple of weeks. Hey Daisuke. Yes, you! Please don't throw 100 plus pitches in the first five innings. The plate is that white thing in the batter's box, right in front of your catcher. Aim for it, low, inside or outside black.

That's it for today. You can click on this post's title for more on our Red Sox and as always, BE WELL. I thank you for stopping by. I really do. Readership is down but I'm not. I'll keep on doing what I do fairly well. FAITH. GO SOX. And keep going. Shine on and on and on and on.