The Diamondbacks limp into Boston’s storied Fenway Park to continue a 9-game road trip that started off in ugly fashion over the weekend in Minnesota. The Twins swept the Diamondbacks, and in the 3 games, Arizona’s offense mustered only 6 runs. Nothing seems to be going right for the D-Backs, as their offense continues to struggle, and the starting pitching, outside of Dan Haren and Doug Davis, has been shaky as of late. Good news for the D-Backs, is that both Haren and Davis will pitch at Fenway. Here’s a closer look at both teams.

Boston Red Sox (47-31, 1st place, 1.5 games ahead of Tampa Bay Rays)

Manager: Terry Francona (5th year with Boston, 422-304)


Offensive Leaders:
AVG: J.D. Drew, .318
Runs: J.D. Drew, 54
Hits: Dustin Pedroia, 88
HR: Manny Ramirez, 15
RBI: Manny Ramirez, 49
SB: Jacoby Ellsbury, 34

Pitching Leaders:
INN: Jon Lester, 103 2/3
Wins: Daisuke Matsuzaka, 8
ERA: Jon Lester, 3.18
Saves: Jonathan Papelbon, 21

Bottom Line: What can you say about the Boston Red Sox? They are the model franchise of Major League Baseball. Two championship rings in the last 4 seasons will attest to that. Yes, the Red Sox spend a lot of money, they have the 4th highest payroll in the bigs behind only the Yankees, Mets and Tigers. But they also get contributions from their home grown talent as well. Jacoby Ellsbury, a 1st round pick in 2005 out of Oregon State, is leading the American League with 34 stolen bases. By the way, the entire Diamondbacks team has 25. Jonathan Papelbon, Boston’s outstanding closer, was a 4th round pick out of Mississippi State in 2003. First baseman Kevin Youkilis was drafted in the 8th round in 2001 out of Cincinnati. Pitchers Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Manny Delcarmen were all Red Sox draftees.

The Red Sox have persevered despite being racked with injuries. Slugger David Ortiz is still on the DL with a wrist injury. Daisuke Matsuzaka missed a handful of starts while on the disabled list. Starters Curt Schilling and Bartolo Colon and reliever Mike Timlin are currently shelved with injuries.

The Red Sox offensive number are down a bit this year, as nobody is really enjoying a career year. But they are still one of the most feared lineups in baseball, which is not good for the Diamondbacks, who seem uncapable of outscoring anybody these days. Boston’s pitching has been solid, registering a 3.88 team ERA, good for 5th in the American League.

The Sox are 29-9 at Fenway this season, the 2nd best home record in baseball (Cubs 32-9 at Wrigley).

Minnesota’s Pitchers vs. Arizona
Tonight: Josh Beckett (2008: 7-4, 3.87 ERA; career vs. Diamondbacks: 1-3, 5.65 ERA)
Tuesday: Justin Masterson (2008: 4-1, 3.00 ERA; career vs. Diamondbacks: 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wednesday: Tim Wakefield (2008: 4-5, 4.17 ERA; career vs. Diamondbacks: 0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Arizona Diamondbacks (39-37, 1st place in NL West, 3.5 games ahead of Los Angeles)

Manager: Bob Melvin (4th year with Diamondbacks, 282-279)

Offensive Leaders:
AVG: Conor Jackson, .310
Runs: Mark Reynolds, 51
Hits: Orlando Hudson, 75
HR: Mark Reynolds, 16
RBI: Mark Reynolds, 47
SB: Mark Reynolds, 5

Pitching Leaders:
INN: Brandon Webb 106
Wins: Brandon Webb 11
ERA: Brandon Webb 3.40
Saves: Brandon Lyon 15

Bottom Line: The bottom line is simple. The Diamondbacks need to start hitting the ball and producing runs, or 1st place will be a distant memory by the All-Star break. Six runs in 3 games in Minnesota. In the Diamondbacks 19-29 run since May 1st, they are averaging 2.37 runs per loss. The Diamondbacks’ brass made it clear that the team’s philosophy in the offseason was not to go out and try to acquire some pop in the lineup, but rather let the development of young players continue. Those young players haven’t produced enough offensively, and it’s putting pressure on the pitching staff. Tonight’s starter, Haren, is 2-0 with 24 strikeouts and 5 walks and a 2.00 ERA in his last 4 starts. Doug Davis has a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings and no decisions in his last 2 starts.

Eric Byrnes, who has been on the DL for nearly a month, is rehabbing in the minor leagues right now, but struggling mightily. Byrnes is 1 for 12 in 3 contests with Single A Visalia. All indications are that Byrnes will rejoin the team for the Boston series.

Arizona’s pitchers vs. Boston:
Tonight: Dan Haren (2008: 7-4, 3.26 ERA; career vs. Red Sox: 3-2, 3.78 ERA)
Tuesday: Doug Davis (2008: 2-3, 3.65 ERA; career vs. Red Sox: 3-3, 3.78 ERA)
Wednesday: Randy Johnson (2008: 4-5, 5.09 ERA; career vs. Red Sox: 16-7, 4.47 ERA)

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