The Red Sox were 8-0 against the Yankees and then they added Victor Martinez at the trade deadline. But anyone who thinks the Red Sox are now the favorites to win the AL East is sadly mistaken, says FOX analyst Tim McCarver.
“The fact the Red Sox made such a move shows they are worried about someone or something,” McCarver said. “If it’s Mike Lowell’s range, Jason Varitek’s ability to hold up offensively and defensively or how that recent report will affect David Ortiz.
“It’s impossible to say how he will handle that [report Ortiz tested positive for performane-enhancing drugs in 2003].”
The two rivals started a four-game series in The Bronx last night with the division lead on the line. At the trade deadline, the Yankees held a 2 1/2-game lead. While Boston aggressively pursued Martinez, one of the top run producers in the sport, the Yankees were content to add utility man Jerry Hairston Jr.
“You have some very smart people running the Yankees, primarily Brian Cashman, and he’s not going to make a move just to make a move or because it’s the popular thing to do,” McCarver said. “There are some teams in baseball that helped themselves at the trade deadline. Everyone jumped the gun and said the Red Sox were the biggest winner, but I am not sure about that.”
McCarver said he believes that Martinez’s defensive deficiencies outweigh his offensive clout. Martinez, acquired from the Indians, switches between first base and catcher.
“It’s going to be very interesting and compelling to see how [Red Sox manager] Terry Francona handles it,” McCarver said. “You can’t have everything.
“If you put Martinez behind the plate, then you lose something defensively and he has to learn a whole new pitching staff. If you put him at first, then you move [Kevin] Youkilis to third base, where he is not very slick with the glove.”
The Red Sox spent the early part of the season beating up on the Yankees and the rest of baseball to build a lead in the AL East. But last night’s meeting was the first time the two teams have met in a little less than two months. The Bombers were two games back after they left Fenway Park on June 11 and the Red Sox division lead would swell to five games, but now the teams are in a tight division battle that will likely rage on through September.
“I thought the Red Sox were a clear favorite the first two months of the season, but I am not too sure now the way the Yankees have played of late with the re-emergence of Joba Chamberlain or the way Phil Hughes has performed in the bullpen. But now those guys have to keep it up.”