Sox Drawer: State of the Sox

The outfield situation is getting sticky, some starters are struggling (ahemDiceK) and there's magic number on the Globe homepage.

Time to assess the current situation of our Sox.

For the love of Ellsbury what's gonna happen in the outfield?

Face (of) the Nation--Ellsbury has wowed everyone with his skills and stills

While Manny rehabs his oblique in the healing sunshine of FLA and J.D. Drew lugs the burden of failing to meet even the lowest of expectations into each at bat, something totally expected is happened around the Hub: Ellsbury fever is gripping the city.

From Cohasset to Coral Gables and points beyond every member of the Nation is enamored with the first Navajo Native American to play major league baseball, be it for his rugged good looks, ability to scale outfield fences in a single bound or race around the basepaths as if he's trying to turn back time.

Or perhaps the love affair has blossomed out of the simple fact that the kid can flat out hit (.411 in 16 games this season, nine straight games since his Sept. 1st callup), and that's something that the $70 million pariah who currently occupies right field cannot make claim to.

Many a tantalizing prospect has come down the Pawtucket pipeline over the decades, but perhaps none with the combination of speed, power, agilty, good looks and at the exact time when the player in front of him is iritatating the Nation with his piss-poor production and "what, me worry" attitude.

I mean everyone knew Boggs was a great hitter and deserved his chance to play, but nobody was screaming to take Carney Lansford, a batting champ and Gold Glove-caliber third baseman, and sit him on the bench.

But that is quickly becoming the case with Ellsbury and Drew, so the question is, what do the Sox do with Ellsbury when Manny comes back in a week or so and you have Coco Crisp entrenched at center (for this season at least) and the multi-million dollar awful investment Drew anchored to right?

I'm not sure what Tito will come up with but this guy has authored more lineups this season than a former FOX executive, and my guess is he will rotate the positions enough so that Ellsbury plays regularly somehwre on the field, and as that magic number dwindles down he will rest some of the regulars and let Jacoby flaunt his stuff every day, then use matchups and game situations to determine his playing time in the playoffs.

Either way this kid has sewn up the right to patrol the Fenway outfield permanantly beginning next season. The decision will be up to Theo & co. which one of the incumbents to jettison in order to make it happen.

Matsuzaka's recent struggles have to concern Sox
The numbers are hard to ignore for the 26-year old Japanese rookie: in his last five starts the Diceman is 1-4 and has allowed 32 hits and 28 earned runs in 26 1/3 innngs for a 9.57 ERA, plus his strikeouts have decreased (seven in his last three starts ) while his longball total escalates (six in his last fourt starts, 23 for the season).

So what's the problem?

Obviously fatigue and lack of having been through the grind of a 162-game major league schedule would have to be the prime reasons for his recent nosedive, but the bigger question is, will he be able to recover from this dead arm period in time for the playoffs, or is he a ticking timebomb of potential burnout/injury ready to explode?

Boston has tried to provide some relief to the rookie who has almost reached his career high total for innings (205) with another couple of starts plus the postseason to go, but the big picture is he is being counted on to be the number two starter when the postseason begins, and a guy who has a multitude of pitches but is not getting guys out and is allowing a ton of homers isn't the guy you want starting Game 2 on the ALDS against a Cleveland or Anaheim.

No they need to get it straigtened out and quick ,even if it means sitting him out for a srat here at the end of the season to let him recharge his batteries and get prepared for the real grind that he has yet to experience--the MLB playoffs.

Magic number time already?! okay, I'll play along
Thanks to the Globe for reminding everone that with any combination of 14 Boston wins and/or Stankee losses the sox will officially clinch their first AL East title since 1995.

Get the confetti and streamers ready.

With a three game set against the Rays up next starting tonight and then a three gamer against New York, the number could be reduced to less than double digits in less than a week.

Then again by that time the season will be almost over seeing as there is only 18 games left, so what this number means is that Boston could clinch the division as long as they continue to win and the Yanks lose a few along the way between now and the end of the season on Sept. 30.

Thanks for keeping us up to speed on this, guys.