For most of this season, the Red Sox and Dodgers were viewed as the favorites to win their respective leagues. And nobody should exactly run away from those predictions. After all, if the season ended today, the Dodgers would still have home field in the NL and the Red Sox would be the wild card in the AL.
But it suddenly feels like these are very good teams that can really use a booster shot before tomorrow’s 4 p.m. trade deadline.
The Red Sox are now the current symbol that you can’t have too much pitching. It wasn’t too long ago that the anticipation was that their rotation was going to be overstocked and Boston was going to be able to market Brad Penny in a deal. But, right now, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are fantastic and everything else is problematic.
Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka are on the DL, and Matsuzaka has created a stir by criticizing Red Sox management for not letting him continue his workout program from his Japanese playing days. Penny has regressed. John Smoltz has not given the hope-for bump to the rotation, with one AL rival saying, “Smoltz has nothing. I hope they run him out there for another 3-4 starts.” They still have young Clay Buchholz or Justin Masterson. Or they have trade options.
The Red Sox are 4-8 since the break. They have scored three or fewer runs seven times in that span and allowed six or more five times. It means they could go for an injection anywhere and be helped, and they are in on the big fish: Roy Halladay, Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez.
As for the Dodgers, they are still comfortably up by seven games out West. But they are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and — more vital — their potential overuse of the bullpen is going to become more of a factor as the season goes along. The Dodgers have the fourth fewest quality starts in the majors and the second most relief innings. A big weight has been put all year on the young trio of Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Jonathan Broxton.
The Dodgers had been fishing on Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, but as I reported yesterday they have moved their focus strongly toward Orioles closer George Sherrill.