Ask 14: Jim Rice: 2nd Half Improvements

Saurbeck? Pedroia needs to bunt? Games are more important in the second half of the season than the first half?  That’s it...JIM RICE FOR THE HOF!

Justin Masterson is coming back to the Red Sox in a move that should help to shore up the bull pen. I hope this move is what it takes to solidify the relief pitching because I do NOT like the idea of trading for a reliever.

Relievers are such an unknown commodity in today’s game that just because you make a trade doesn’t mean it will work out. You never know how a player will perform after moving from a small market to big market or in the second half of the season. No one thought that Eric Gagne or Scott Saurbeck would perform the way they did following their respective trades to Boston.

While the team waits for help, the lineup needs to do some of the small things to steal runs. Over the last five games, the Red Sox have left too many runs on the table. The team needs to do the small things to help score runs. I know that Pedroia is a good hitting 2nd basemen but does he ever bunt? I bunted and I was a pretty good hitter.

You need to do the small things to score runs because games are so much more important in the 2nd half of the season than in April, May, and June.