It’s always tough to follow animal acts, but I’ll try anyway.

The Red Sox start a series at Fenway against the Rays (they will always be the Devil Rays or Devil Dogs to me) at Fenway. Although most people expect the D-Rays to go away, it clear at this point that they’re for real. The D-Rays have stayed in first place depite losing their pitching ace, Scott Kazamir for the first month of the season. The Sox will have to cope with the loss of their slugger, David Ortiz who will be out at least a month and maybe longer.

The Red Sox and the Yankees both blew late inning leads last night with their set up guys. Kyle Farnsworth and Hidecki Okijima. The Yankee situation is pretty weird because the Bronx Bombers moved Joba Chamberlin into the starting rotation right after Jon Lester pitched a no hitter and Hank Steinberner got tired of hearing about the hot Sox young starting pitchers. But did the Yankee brass ever consider the edge that Joba gave them in holding leads in the 8th inning and how they would get to their ace closer Mariano Rivera?  The Yankees love Farnsworth for his 95 MPH fastball but the pitch is straight as an arrow (or as the scouts say, true) and he throws it right over the plate into into a hitter’s wheelhouse. Give me a pitcher that throws 92 MPH with movement over a guy who throws 95 MPH with no movement.