The Navicular Bone Strikes Again!

Remember that obscure bone in the foot that I never knew existed until 2010, when it mercilessly truncated the season of one Dustin Pedroia?   It's baaaack and this time the victim is Cody Ross.   Ross fractured his navicular bone fouling a ball off his foot over the weekend in Philly, just like Pedey did that fateful game in San Fran.   Whether it will end his season, which looked promising from the HR and RBI standpoint, remains to be seen, but he will miss significant time and join the growing list of Outfielders with Owwies.   Ross will hit the DL tomorrow when Youk rejoins the team.   Rumor has it that Youk's return doesn't necessarily mean Middlebrooks, or "Brooksie" as Bobby V calls him, gets Paw Soxed.   With Ross's power bat out of the lineup, the Sox can ill afford to lose Middlebrooks, who appears to be adjusting to the pitchers adjusting to him (3-for-4 tonight against the O's).  

  So, what will the Red Sox do with a surplus of infielders and a shortage of outfielders?   Will Gonzo see more right field than just during interleague games?   Will they try again with Youk in the outfield?   How about Middlebrooks?   Or will they try to trade Youk for outfield help.   Nava has been making the most of his playing time in left field, but he is not a long-term solution, as we saw in 2010.   

  The Red Sox and O's have been in a bit of a bizarro situation, given their history in the past few years.   In 2009, the Red Sox won all but 2 of their games against the Baltimore birdies and were near the top of their division.   From the end of 2011 and into 2012, the tables have turned and now it's the O's on top and the Sox on the bottom.   Tonight, however, the Sox emerged victorious, beating the O's 8-6.   Oddly enough, as bad as Buchholz pitches (and he's made last year's Lackey look not half bad in comparison), the Sox seem to put on their hitting shoes whenever he's on the mound.   Clay couldn't claim the win tonight however.   Andrew Miller, who may have found his niche in the bullpen (knock on wood), grabbed the W instead, and on his birthday, to boot.   Now, the Sox and Yankees are tied, both with .500 records of 21-21.   The epic rivalry has taken a back seat so far this season.   The Phillies, Tigers, and Angels have also been struggling.   The only "usual suspects" in the league who are playing to expectations are the Rays and the Rangers.   This being May, a lot can change, even by the All-Star break, but so far around baseball it's been a season of "expect the unexpected".