Clemens Watch

Roger Clemens has announced that he will wait until June to pitch, if he does indeed decide to return to the majors for a final year.

It is likely that if Clemens returns it will be with a similar arrangement as with the Astros, which limits the amount of time he has to travel. He has not said a possible team that he would favor signing with, but the Red Sox, Rangers, and Yankees have all expressed interest in signing him. The Astros will also likely begin negotiations after May 1st, the deadline set when he was denied arbitration by the team after the 2005 season. If he returns to the Red Sox, he would certainly bolster the fifth spot in the rotation, which is currently being filled by pitching prospect Lenny Dinardo.

Rocket Meter: 30%

Management deserves a Stern punishiment

In a surprising move, the Red Sox option Rule 5 draft pick Adam Stern to AAA Pawtucket after Wednesday night's game, instead promoting utility man Willie Harris. Harris, a career .252/.309./.299 game in 322 games and 854 at bats can be used in the outfield positions in a capacity similar to Stern. While Stern has fewer career at bats, he has demonstrated incredible potential this year, both in the World Baseball Classic as a member of Team Canada and in the Red Sox organization. The move seemed a particularly odd choice after Stern made two spectacular defensive plays, one which allowed the save for Jonathan Papelbon, in two days.

The move could prove benefiecial for Stern, as he will be an everyday player at Pawtucket, but perhaps he should have remained on the team until Coco Crisp returned from the disabled list. The extra at bats will probably help Stern in the long run, however, and he may develop into an equally adept offensive player as he is a defensive player.

Grab the brooms

Matt Clement, Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield all recorded wins this weekend in a 3 game sweep in Baltimore.

The Red Sox are playing some good baseball. With the exception of the first game against the Orioles, their run support wasn't as massive as it has been in past years (don't worry, its still early in the season) but pitching staff on all levels has been on their A-game. Keith Foulke has been shaky at best, and all three saves this weekend went to Jonathan Papelbon.

Despite his dominance in the first two games, he had a shaky third outing but managed to still get away with the save. In the third game, Foulke was used in a setup role and looked more like his old self once again. Papelbon will most likely return to middle relief if Foulke returns to his 2004 caliber. He is best suited for a starting role, however, so expect to see him in the starting rotation some time this season, and likely full time next season.

-J

Game 3

Red Sox 2, Rangers 1

Beckett (1-0) wins Sox debut
Trot Nixon: 2 run HR is Boston's only offense
Timlin shaky, Foulke doesn't get a chance
Papelbon earns Save (1) in Sox closer debut

Clemens Watch

Here at Hire Trey and Jon we are starting a new thing called the Clemens Watch. It will be measured by the Rocket-meter, which will identify the likeliness of coming back to Boston based on news we hear. 0 represents a 0 percent chance (difficult I know) while 100 represents a guarantee.

Clemens met behind closed doors with General Manager Theo Epstein yesterday for about an hour in Arlington, Texas. Clemens was flown in my the Rangers management, and Theo took the opportunity to pounce on someone else's dollar. Clemens stated that his family would support his decision to pitch in Boston should he decide to do so. It would be the perfect ending to a storybook career, as he began his career in Boston 23 seasons ago. He is tied for the career wins list in Boston, and the number 21, his number during his first 13 seasons in the majors (also with Boston) has been unclaimed since he left in 1996.

Rocket Meter: 40%

-J

Game 2

Red Sox 4, Rangers 10

Wakefield (0-1) struggles in Texas, again.
This isn't 2005 anymore: 7ER in 3.2 IP
Bard: 3 passed balls
Theo: Mid-season trade for Douggie?
Home Run Dept: Rangers 3, Sox 0
Coco Crisp: 2006 Red Sox MVP

Game 1 - Opening Day

Red Sox 7, Rangers 3

The Ace is back: Schilling (1-0) 7 innings, 117 pitches strong.
2006 AL MVP: Ortiz 3 for 5, 1HR, 3RBI
Tek: 2 out, 2 run double
Lowell: Homers in Boston debut
Crisp: 2 spectacular defensive plays, 2 runs scored (both from 1B) Damon who?
Papelbon perfect, Foulke finishes