All's Wells

I don't remember if I said it out loud or if it was just the voices in my head that are always so smug when they're right. When the word came down that David Wells was coming off the DL and going to be joining the rotation, I thought "please let him make a couple of rehab starts. Please let them beat up on him at Pawtucket for a game or two." But no. Theo and Terry apparently weren't listening to the voices in my head that day. They went ahead and, after watching Jumbo pitch a simulated game against Gabe Kapler and Alex Cora, they figured he had the green light to join the team.

Well, here we are, the morning after that happy reunion. Four and two-thirds innings and eight runs later. I know I should be ecstatic that we won the game. I know I should be writing about my ongoing and building man-crush on David Ortiz, who did it again last night, securing the Sox a 9-8 walk-off win over the Indians. I just can't believe that Theo and Terry didn't acknowledge and act on something that was so obvious to even casual fans like myself. Wells needs a couple of starts to get back the touch on his curveball and the location on his fastball. Why on earth would you give him those starts in Boston in the middle of an increasingly heated playoff race? To keep him happy? I don't know if David Wells is capable of happiness within the game of baseball- he seems fueled by discontent. And Devil Dogs. I'm sure he finds joy elsewhere, but when he's playing- and certainly while he's been playing for Boston, happiness is not a word you'd associate with the big fella. So take the risk of pissing him off a little, drop a bus ticket to Rhode Island in his lap, and say "we'll see you in two weeks, tubby."

At least we got away with a win on this one- and that puts us closer to an effective David Wells. That's pretty huge. Ortiz can't keep bailing us out, though. Or can he? It really is like watching a photo-negative of "The Natural." There's no doubt in any of those fans minds that he's going to do it. It's like the chant the Juventus fans used to scream at Baggio- "Roberto! Roberto! Bring us another miracle!" I'm sure it's much more melodic in Italian, but I just wonder how far a team can go with miracles on demand like that.

Yesterday was also the trade deadline, and I'm pleased to be right about that, also. Aside from picking up a Texas reliever for a low-level prospect on Sunday, Theo held his ground. I think that was the right move. When you look at what the Yankees gave up for Abreu, Corey Lidle, and Craig Wilson, it's just silly. The guys on "Baseball Tonight" talked about the fact that the Yankees may have an edge now because they "bolstered their rotation." With Corey Lidle? Aside from Abreu (who as I said is not much of an upgrade from Matsui or Sheffield, if that), does anyone really see Craig Wilson or Corey Lidle changing the course of the playoff run? The biggest factor at this point, that I can see, is the health of Jason Varitek's knee. If he goes down, that's really bad for the Sox. And really good for the Yankees.

While we're on the subject of trade deadlines, I could not believe how active Texas was yesterday. Aside from renting Carlos Lee (and trading baseball's biggest head to Milwaukee), they picked up a bunch of mediocrity in an effort to make the playoffs. I can say, however, after having seen all of the AL West teams in fairly rapid succession over the last couple of weeks, that Texas isn't going to be happy with their trades. Texas will not be emerging with a division crown. The Angels will. Aside from taking two of three from the Sox this weekend, the Angels seem poised to move away from the otherwise crowded AL West. Their rotation of Jered Weaver, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Ervin Santana is really really good. It's easily the best 1-4 rotation in the AL, if not in baseball. Actually, with the way baseball is this year, the AL is baseball. Sure, the Twins have Santana and Liriano. The Rangers have Rogers, Verlander and Bonderman. Heck, the Sox even have Schilling, Beckett, and Lester, but I'm not betting the farm on that one. If the Angels can score four or five runs a game, they're going to run away from that division. And I don't like the idea of facing them in the playoffs.