Clement Trot’s Out, Manny Needs Rest & A Trade - Sox in First But Amazed
It’s actually quite surprising to see the Sox in first place, still. I haven’t written for awhile, and neither has Shawn 
I knew earlier in the season that it would be hard to just pull away in the AL East, especially since D-Backs and Jays still chip at the ankles of the front runners (and surprisingly, the O’s tango with that).
The Yankees have caught up to the Sox, not by playing ball that a $200mm club should play, but by being a division where good teams regularly beat up on each other.
Honestly, with the morale as low as it appears (from Millar to Manny, and trade-talks of Mueller and Arroyo), the Sox will have to catch fire and win this division to make the playoffs. There’s a couple of ideas with that. One being that the last four teams to win the Series were Wild-Cards, that has to stop eventually and why not this year with the Sox taking the division? Two, the win percentage I don’t think will be high enough to yield a Wild Card birth. I think that could go to the A’s or Twins.
But we have to get there first, and we need changes. Hopefully Manny is just in a stage right now, like the last 4 years, and he’ll come out of it and play regularly (since he usually produces despite any mood he might be in). Without the combo of Ortiz and Manny, the offense doesn’t have a 1-2 punch. They can produce runs, but I think the regular consistent run-spurts will go away without those two back-to-back.
The rotation will be tested again, as I’m sure Clement will need extended rest for the ball to the head. Trot is on the DL and where is Kapler?