Good Pitching - No Hitting

Last night's game against the Dodgers had some good news and bad news. The game itself was really another way to get in some good work as far as the jet lagged Sox were concerned. The good news is that Bartolo Colon was very solid. He went 4 innings, threw 60 pitches, while only allowing 3 hits and 1 run to go with 4 strikeouts and a walk. He comfortably threw his fastball in the low 90's and did a nice job mixing in his curve ball. The only thing holding him back seems to be another week or two of conditioning. They want to stretch him out to somewhere between 80 and 90 pitches before bringing him up. Word is that he will be the opening day starter for Pawtucket and will probably pitch 3 or four games with the PawSox before the big call up.

The bad news is all about the jet lagged offense. The Sox managed just 3 hits and one run all night. But, Terry Francona made 9 substitutions during the game, so clearly this is not a game to stress about. But, over the next week, I'd love to see the bats coming a bit more to life. Too bad JD Drew got injured when he did, he was the hottest hitter at the time. Big Papi has yet to break out, among others.

Maybe tonight when the Sox play in the tiny Memorial Coliseum. Any chance Papi has been working on going the other way? A little pop up will be off the wall.