For those that scoffed at the Manny Ramirez trade, you can’t argue with these numbers since the trade took place:

Jason Bay: .347 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 22 RUNS, 2 TRIPLES in 23 games played (16-7 record)

Manny Ramirez: .380 AVG, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 13 RUNS, 0 TRIPLES in 25 games played (11-14 record)

So if you’ve been in a cave the last 4 years, this just in: the Boston Red Sox are good and so is their farm system. Not only have the Sox churned out prospects faster than butter with the likes of Youkilis, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lester, etc., but this season, the Pawtucket Red Sox are enjoying their best season ever!

Here’s a short list of their recent accomplishments:

• on Tuesday, 1B/OF Jeff Bailey was named the International League MVP and teammate knuckleball P Charlie Zink was named the IL MVP pitcher. This is the first time the PawSox have ever swept these awards. Meanwhile, Bailey was just called up to Boston and had a clutch single in the 5th inning to bat in 2 runners on Tuesday in New York against the Yankees.
• with their win on Wednesday against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the PawSox improved to 83-56, which ties a franchise mark with 83 wins (with 4 games still remaining) and is a franchise-record 27 games above .500
• the PawSox will host playoff games at McCoy Stadium for the first time in 5 years, most likely Wednesday, September 3rd and Thursday, September 4th (if they remain in the wild-card spot)

Wow!

After his start last evening, the Boston Red Sox optioned Clay Buchholz to Portland.  Its hard to blame Sox management, who have stood by Buchholz as he has posted an unimpressive 2 and 9 record and an ERA of 6.75 on the season.

Last night, Buchholz could not make it out of the third inning, allowing the Orioles to score their first five runs.  The Orioles would proceed to win the game 11 to 6.

The PawSox beat the Chiefs last evening 8 to 5, lead by the offensive prowess of Jeff Corsaletti, who drove in 4 runs off a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly.

With this win, David Pauley becomes the league’s first 14-game winner.  Pauley went 6 and a third innings and struck out two batters.

Pawtucket now needs just 3 wins to clinch a playoff spot, there are 11 games remaining in the season.  Bartolo Colon hopes to make it just 2 wins tonight in the series finale.  Game time is at 7:05 in Pawtucket.

The Pawtucket Red Sox lost to the Scranton Yankees 8-6 in a 10-inning game that lasted four hours, 17 minutes.
Although Pawtucket starter Devern Hansack started out well for the Sox, reliever Chris Smith faltered later in the game and wasn’t able to carry any momentum.
Smith allowed six runs.
Scranton leads Pawtucket by two-and-a-half games in the International League North.

Charlie Zink: The knuckleballer struggled in his major league debut, earning a no-decision after 5 innings of work in Boston’s 19-17 blowout turned come from behind slugfest.  Zink retired the side to start off the game, but his outing quickly turned sour. Zink surrendered 11 hits over 4 1/3 innings, giving up 8 earned runs.

Clay Buchholtz: The Red Sox acquired RHP Paul Byrd from the Cleveland Indian yesterday to replace the struggling hurler in the rotation. Sox manager Terry Francona has repeatedly prasied Bucks for his progress and said he would stand by the young pitcher. Buchholtz will likely be sent back down to Pawtucket, but Red Sox brass won’t make a final decision on that until later today.

Demetrius Andrade: The 20-year-old boxer from Providence will face-off against Andray Belanov of Russia in the second round of competition on Thursday. He confidently told the Projo, “I’m just going to give him a beating.”

Alicia Sacramone: The former Brown University gymnast fell off the balance beam and failed to land a tumbling sequence during her floor exercise as China upset the error-prone United States in the women’s gymnastics team final. China’s score of 188.9 points was more than two points ahead of  the Americans, which is actually considered a blowout in a competition that was supposed to be  decided by the slimmest of margins.   Read More

Courtesy of Metro:

Fantasy football is coming to the social website Facebook.  Legendary MIT Blackjack player Jeff Ma is pairing with “Sports Illustrated” on the project.  He says Facebook lets you do exciting new things with fantasy football, like assign starting players. Ma is now co-founder and vice president of research at Citizen Sports Network.  Fantasy football is also on venues like ESPN, Yahoo and CBS Sportsline.

Courtesy of Metro

After 7 1/2 seasons in the minors, Pawsox knuckleballer Charlie Zink finally got the call he’s been waiting for. Yesterday the Red Sox called up the 28-year-old righty to replace the injured Tim Wakefield in the rotation.

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Here’s how the local athletes are doing thus far in the Summer Games:

Swimmer Elizabeth Biesel- Finished seconds away from a medal, placing fourth in the 400 individual medley on Saturday. She will swim in the pre-lims for the 200 backstroke on Thursday.

Boxer Demetrius Andrade- Will take on Andrey Balanov of Russia in the second round of the welter-weight division Thursday night. Andrade is the top-ranked welter-weight from the U.S., although he enters his upcoming match as the underdog. He doesn’t seem too fazed by it; he told the Projo, “People don’t expect the United States to win, but I’m going to prove them wrong.”

Gymnast Alicia Sacramone- Qualified for the individual finals in both the floor exercise and the vault. The former Brown University tumbler stepped out of bounds in the floor exercise to finish 31st overall. But Sacramone still can look forward to her best event, the vault, for which she captured the World title last year. Sacramone and the U.S. team will face the top-ranked Chinese in the finals.  

Before the start of Friday night’s Revolution-Fire matchup, a nine year old girl kicked a penalty shot through a cardboard cutout into the center of the Revs goal to win a year’s supply of Ocean Spray. The good news is that girl will never have scurvy. The bad news is that would be the most difficult shot to find the back of the Revs net. 

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With the Red Sox on the road battling with the AL Central’s ChiSox, minor league talent took the field at Fenway this past Saturday. The scheduled double header began at noon, Boston’s A affiliate, the Lowell Spinners taking on Hudson Valley. Lowell would go on to win the game 4 to 3 in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Lowell’s sluggers Middlebrooks and Dening impressed, with a collective 6 hits, 4 RBIs and a run. Middlebrooks would go on to hit the walk off single in the bottom of the 12th to win the game. Perhaps most entertaining was the post game celebration, Middlebrooks was swarmed at the pitchers mound, not unlike when Lester pitched his no hitter, or the Sox won the 2004 World Series.

The Paw Sox took the field, fresh off an extended series against league rivals the Scranton Yankees. After being bumped into second place in the International League, it was important for the Paw Sox to pick up the win Saturday afternoon. Opponents the Charlotte Knights did not make it very difficult, dropping their second straight to the Paw Sox 5 to 2.

David Pauley got the win for Pawtucket, improving his season record to 13 and 4. Pauley went 7 innings, giving up just 4 hits and 2 earned runs. Joe Thurston was the real star of the Paw Sox batting lineup, hitting the only home run of the day, a solo shot off of Haeger in the bottom of the third. This win put the Paw Sox at 74 and 48, just a half game behind the Scranton Yankees.