...not a belly-itcher! All kidding aside, a decent starting pitcher (#3 or #4 quality) is an absolute must for the Red Sox if they want to play deep into October. They may be able to make the playoffs with Beckett, Lester, and pray for rain, but such a shallow starting rotation likely means one and done (think 2005 and 2009) once October begins. They may be able to slug their way to some wins in the remainder of the regular season, but they'll be facing better pitching in the post-season.
Let's face it, if the 2011 Red Sox have a major weakness, it's the starting pitching. They are toward the bottom of the league in starter ERA. They almost added another starter last night in Rich Harden, but got cold feet once they saw his medical files. You'd have thought they would have known he's a health risk before pursuing him in the first place. Other targets are Erik Bedard (if Harden's medical files scared the Red Sox, why even bother with Bedard?) Jason Vargas and Wandy Rodriguez. If they sit on their hands as the deadline passes, I'm afraid it's "wait 'til next year". The longer Buchholz' back injury is drawn out, the less likely he will return this season and if he does, who's to say he'll be anything close to the Buchholz of last year?
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