DH-ing Up A Storm

Sox: 6 Twins: 5

As much as I wish I could say it was Papi I was referring to in the title of this blog, it was Mikey Lowell who was punishing the ball this afternoon in Minny. Lowell, in the DH spot to give him a "half day" of rest and to rest the still slumping Papi, did not rest at the plate, getting four knocks today out of the five hole. Penny, who was feeling a little under the weather, put together a decent outing, allowing three runs over five and a third innings, earning his fifth W as a Red Sox. He outlasted Liriano, who was chased after giving up five runs in just four innings, thanks to an offense that produced timely hits over a two inning span beginning in the third.

Jake extended his hitting streak to 20 games with an infield hit in the third, went 2 for 5 today and Pedey went 3 for 5. Youk and Bay each had two hits and two RBI. We know what Lowell did. Rocco Baldelli had two hits of his own, but had to leave the game because he, too, was feeling not quite right. Surprisingly, RightyTek, who has been tearing it up so far this season, went hitless this afternoon, as did Lugo. The sixth run of the game was a solo shot by Jeff Bailey, his third long ball of the season. Say what you want about Bailey's average (and it's all justified), but the guy can knock one out every now and then.

Tomorrow, Jon Lester looks to build off his strong start last week against Toronto when he faces Nick Blackburn. The question of where Papi will hit in the lineup will most likely be answered, but the issue of who should get the bulk of the starts at short until Lowrie (who played a little T-ball today) returns still remains. Lugo, while he did not make an error today, went 0 for 4 and I can't remember when his last hit was. Green, who is almost as scary in the field as Lugo, is at least getting some consistent hits. Lugo's got the big, gigantic salary, but Green is the better performer of the two overall, even considering the Seattle fiasco.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!!