The Red Sox are 9-6 in June, and have faced all of the top teams in the American League. They will play the Rays and Tigers this week before interleague play begins, and may do so without ace Clay Buchholz, who could be placed on the DL. Alex says the Red Sox’ decision to option Alfredo Aceves to Triple A, instead of outright releasing him, continues to look wiser as time progresses.

Mike Napoli missed this past weekend’s series against Baltimore with dizziness and nausea, but the Red Sox are hopeful Napoli will return to the lineup tomorrow. Mike Carp stepped in seamlessly at 1B in Napoli’s absence, and is the latest example of the “deep depth” the Red Sox have displayed this season. Every team goes through stretches like the Red Sox are going through right now. The good teams survive, and they survive because of the strength of their entire roster.

Jose Iglesias now has a 17-game hitting streak, and though Alex still hasn’t seen enough to proclaim Iglesias will be the starting shortstop in August, he’s seen enough to say Iglesias should be playing over Stephen Drew right now. Iglesias is the better player right now, and should be in the lineup until he cools off.

On a more negative note, Jon Lester’s struggles continued yesterday, as he allowed five runs in five innings pitched. Is the argument that Lester may not be as good we think he is becoming more viable with each subpar start?

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex looks at the AL East standings, where the Yankees’ instability seems to finally be hurting them. The Yankees have lost five of their last six games.

All Star Game voting is in full swing, and though Yasiel Puig hasn’t even been up in the major leagues for a month, Alex says he has to be featured in the midsummer classic.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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Alex takes a look back at the epic (not really) 14 inning win on Monday night, and how the resiliency of this Red Sox team was on full display yet again. They retook the lead twice in extra innings, which should be commended.

There were some negative stories to come out of Monday’s game, though, including the struggles of closer Andrew Bailey. Outside of the grossly overused Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa, the bullpen has been in-flux this season.

John Lackey hit Matt Joyce on the back in the 6th inning of Monday’s game, and the benches cleared. Following the game, Joe Maddon called Lackey a “bad teammate” for hitting Joyce. So according to Maddon, only his players are allowed to hit batters? Got it.

Following the 14 inning game on Monday, the Red Sox needed Jon Lester to give them innings on Tuesday night and he couldn’t do it. Alex cites the mediocrity of Lester’s last 10 outings, and asks whether Lester isn’t as good as we think he is.

Alfredo Aceves of all people came up big with a quality start on Wednesday night. Should we give the Red Sox credit for not releasing Aceves earlier this season like we all wanted them to? With Lester’s struggles and Clay Buchholz’ status up in the air, it seems as if the Red Sox may need Aceves more than we might have thought.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex talks about the AL East standings, and gives his take on the brawl involving the Dodgers and Diamondbacks this week. Though entertaining, the brawl in isolation will not ignite the Dodgers. The players need to play better for the Dodgers to go on a long winning streak, it’s as simple as that. The intangibles attached to the aftermath of a brawl are irrelevant.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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Jacoby Ellsbury returned to the lineup this weekend, and is in the midst of an eight game hitting streak. Ellsbury has nine extra base hits in this stretch, and is a vital component to the long-term success of this lineup.

David Ortiz has hit three home runs in four days, as his OPS is well north of 1.000. Ortiz, like last season before he got injured, is one of the best hitters in baseball.

Though those at the top of the lineup receive most of the attention, Alex says the role players on the team are arguably the biggest reasons why the Red Sox lead baseball in runs scored. There isn’t an easy out anywhere in the lineup, and that is due to the contributions of Daniel Nava, Mike Carp, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and others.

Jose Iglesias hasn’t been an easy out since returning to the major leagues, as he’s enjoying a 13 game hitting streak. Alex’ long-term opinion on Iglesias hasn’t changed, but he believes Iglesias should play everyday until he cools off. If that means taking at-bats away from Will Middlebrooks (once he returns) and Stephen Drew, then so be it.

Last week’s amateur draft, in which the Red Sox selected left-handed high school pitcher Trey Ball with the seventh overall pick, is briefly recapped as well.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex discusses the AL East standings, and wages a war on extra innings.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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Alex and Jon discuss the latest chapter in the Biogenesis scandal, and whether MLB’s aggressiveness in attempting to impede PED use is ultimately good or bad for the long-term health of the game.

Alex and Jon also talk about why Jose Iglesias’ offensive tear is destined to stop, and who the Red Sox should play on the left side of the infield once it does. Jacoby Ellsbury’s significance to the team, what the club’s plan at the trade deadline will be and if it’s out of line to compare Clay Buchholz’ start of the season to Pedro Martinez is discussed too.

The Red Sox have split the first two of three games against the Rangers, and had an offensive outpouring in their win on Tuesday night. Though John Lackey pitched excellently on Wednesday night, the Red Sox offense came up short, as they struggled to convert with runners in scoring position.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex analyzes the AL East standings, as the Yankees swept the Indians this week.

The MLB amateur draft is tonight, and though the Astros have the number one pick, Alex says it’s no guarantee that their strategy to tank it will pay off.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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The Red Sox did it all without Jacoby Ellsbury, who missed this weekend’s series with a groin strain. Ellsbury injured his groin after stealing five bases against the Phillies last Thursday night. Alex says this groin injury for Ellsbury continues to add to the perception, right or wrong, that he is an injury riddled player. The timing of the injury is especially disappointing because Ellsbury had just been beginning to turn it around offensively.

Alex dismisses the notion, however, that Ellsbury has been holding back in a contract year. The best way to get paid in a contract year is playing your best, not holding back and missing games.

With Ellsbury’s five stolen base performance last Thursday, the value of the stolen base has been a topic of conversation among Red Sox fans recently. Alex weighs in on the debate, and says though he thinks it’s an overrated skill set, there is an intangible value to the stolen base that can’t be ignored.

Jose Iglesias is in the midst of a hot streak, going 14-33 over the past week. Alex may be turning around on Iglesias, and may even think he deserves to stay on the roster once Will Middlebrooks returns from injury…

Clay Buchholz’ Pedro-esque start to the season, Jon Lester’s recent struggles and the upcoming series against the Rangers are talked about as well.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex analyzes the AL East standings, where the Red Sox remain on top. The Orioles were aided by a weak Tigers bullpen this past Friday, and Alex believes because of their bullpen woes, the Tigers could be significant players at this year’s trade deadline.

The Dodgers and Angels continue to scuffle as the calendar turns to June, as both had disappointing weekends against divisional foes. It is gotten so bad for the Dodgers, that Scott Van Slyke had to hit clean-up for them on Sunday.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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The Phillies are teetering on the edge of falling out of playoff contention, and because of that, there is ample speculation that both of Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon may be available at the trade deadline. Alex says it would be beyond ridiculous for the Red Sox to pursue Papelbon, and it would be a mistake for them to pursue Lee as well. As the Red Sox have learned, there are no shortcuts to building a World Series contender. Trading significant prospects for Lee would show that the Red Sox haven’t learned their lessons from the past three years.

One of novelties with Lee is that he works fast, as his average length of game is well below three hours. For comparison sake, the average Red Sox game is well above three hours in length. Alex talks about how much of a factor the increasing length of baseball games is having on the sport’s popularity, and why MLB has not been proactive about this issue.

It was reported yesterday that Dustin Pedroia has been playing the entire season with a torn UCL in his thumb, which he suffered sliding headfirst into 1st base on opening day. Should we admire Pedroia for playing as well as he has through this injury, or criticize him for playing carelessly and sliding headfirst into 1st base?

The Red Sox and Yankees will match-up at Yankee Stadium this weekend in a battle for 1st place, and the Red Sox may have to do it without Clay Buchholz. With this medical staff’s recent history, there is the unfortunate probability that there could be more to the Buchholz collarbone injury than what the team originally said.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex recaps the AL East standings as the calendar turns to June, and rails against those who think the Yankees will be worse when their good players return from injury. Yes, some feel they’re better with Lyle Overbay at 1st base instead of Mark Teixeira.

Alex also talks about how the Cardinals continue to do everything, how the Pirates have done everything right thus far this season and how you’re not doing it right if you’re not appreciating seasons Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout are putting up as an encore to their MVP battle last year.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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In addition to the offense coming alive late on Saturday and Sunday, John Lackey dominated headlines this weekend, as he threw another gem on Friday. Statistically speaking, Lackey may actually be the best pitcher on the Red Sox staff. And no, that is not hyperbole.

The Red Sox made two significant roster moves over the weekend, placing both Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino on the DL. Alex discusses the potential long-term implications of their injuries, and which one of Alfredo Aceves and Jose Iglesias may be on the roster for the long haul.

Many conversations that have occurred over the past 18 months about this ownership group and the organizational hierarchy were revisited with Francona’s return to Fenway this weekend. Alex Speier of WEEI.com penned a three part series on the dynamics of ownership that ran this weekend, and Alex talks about some of the most pertinent questions that the piece attempted to address. One of the conclusions Alex developed from the series is that the bulk of the blame for the past several years of ill-advised decisions may fall on the shoulders of CEO Larry Lucchino.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex looks at the AL East standings, where the Orioles and Rays continue to cost themselves wins in the month of May.

The Phillies are coming to Boston this week, and Alex talks about the organizational crossroads they find themselves in. Speaking of crossroads, the Dodgers continue to debate how to proceed with manager Don Mattingly. Though if fired, Mattingly would be the scapegoat, Alex says it is the only change the Dodgers can make in-season, and thus it is the change they have to make.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

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