time for the orioles to return home (and the sox to find a winning streak)

IMO the birds have until somewhere around the all-star break to enjoy being in 1st place. after that they'll be headed to the middle of the pack where they belong. this is essentially the same team as last year that finished 23 games back! they aren't fooling me one bit.
2005 team offensive numbers - .288/.344/.485
2004 team offensive numbers - .281/.345/.432
they trail only texas in total runs scored this year with 313 (sox have 309) but unless they get more pitching they're not going to be in it for the long run. the owner just doesn't make moves and i don't see him changing that any time soon.

the second place sox refuse to put together a string of wins this season. with the yankees floundering, we really should be holding a commanding lead in the division instead of looking up at the orioles.
- wakefield has not been effective in 5 starts and the bats aren't helping him out any by scoring an average of 3.2 runs in those 5 games.
- miller has had good outings (except that one against toronto) and has been pitching through about the 6th inning. i don't know much about his injury/surgery but he seems to be doing just fine averaging over 95 pitches. this was a great pickup by theo and i think he will end up winning a lot more games in the second half.
- wells has pitched a couple good games back to back and should be headed in the right direction as long as the team keeps hitting for him the way they have in his wins (and even in the two NDs). his early meltdowns in games make it difficult for me to be overly optimistic but i'll just keep my fingers crossed that his veteran experience will help him continue to turn around his w-l record.
- clement's pitching is not dominant but has been very effective. his only loss this year comes by a team who has seen his plenty of times from his days with the cubs. he's currently our ace and when schilling returns we will have a nice 1-2.
- arroyo's last game would have been a win were it not for the efforts of the sabotaging bullpen. he's a solid middle of the rotation pitcher and surprised many last year. this year the expectations are higher and i see arroyo meeting, if not exceeding those expectations.
- schilling will be returning to the mound relatively soon from what i read. i know we need his arm in the rotation, i only hope that when he returns he is back to 100%. this guy has a lot of heart and i could see him returning to help out his team possibly before he is really ready to do so which is probably what happened to start the season.
- the bullpen, i hope to be doing some research into situational stats for foulke and company. until then i will withhold comment.


the bats must come alive soon and consistently, preferably throughout the lineup.
- damon and varitek are both in the zone this year. damon is doing an excellent job leading off while varitek is doing a phenomonal job all around.
- youkilis and ortiz are also doing well. i don't think youk should be sent back down since he can play more than just 3rd base if necessary. ortiz has seen a couple of bad streaks but still has a tendency to hit at key moments (something i like to see manny do a bit more too)
- mueller can and will improve his numbers through the end of the season too. he always seems to fly under the radar - even the year he was batting champ. one hot streak and he will be back at his career averages.
- jay paytons numbers are down from his career probably due to not playing everyday. i like his replacement defense in the outfield though and if he can bring his offense up even just a little bit i'll be satisfied with his performance. vazquez, however, looks awful. i thought we would be getting a whole lot more.
- bellhorn still does nothing for me. i don't like him on the field at all. he does see a lot of pitches and draws a good amount of walks but i also see him ending a lot of innings. maybe i am just hypersensitive when it comes to his at bats. i wouldn't be crushed if the sox picked up another guy at 2nd either now or in the winter.
- millar has been hitting in the very recent past and if he can keep this up i won't start in on him either. for now i will just say that i am happy olerud is available as an alternate.
- manny's numbers seem fine except for his batting average. k-rocka told me that historically there's about a month in the season where manny seems to own every pitcher, i hope we see that soon. i haven't seen as many games as i would like to but still i haven't seen the happy-go-lucky manny from years past. c'mon manny, get loose, be happy and start hitting the bejesus out of the ball like we know you can!

lastly, the coaching staff has a few bonehead moves including premature substitutions and sending runners to home when they should have stayed put on 3rd. these missteps have probably cost us a few games already. hey, tito and co., stop making these silly mistakes, especially since the division will likely come down the last few games. maybe this year we can try winning the season deciding games now instead of waiting for the backs-to-the-wall-do-or-die-emotional-rollercoaster-blood-pressure-through-the-roof situations. don't get me wrong, i enjoy those exciting games as much as anyone and the years off my life from the stress are probably worth it but it might also be nice to have the division clinched with two weeks to spare. just something to think about.

all in all things aren't terrible, they're just so-so, definitely not at all where we should be if we're doing everything right. borrowing a few lines from moms and dads everywhere i'll say that i am not mad, just a little disappointed. this team has tons of potential and would like to see them really apply themselves starting now.