Kevin Youkilis News

If we follow the pattern, that means the Sox will play badly for a while and then only make their way back to .500 at 32-32. The Sox have made an art form out of disappointing their fans in the most painful way possible since that terrible September.

One has to wonder if this current year is shaping up like 2004. There was the bench clearing brawl two nights ago and then the walk-off win after being behind last night; one has to think that this could be turning point of the year, where the Red Sox really come together.

5. Tampa Bay Rays - Carlos Pena batting leadoff? Joe Maddon is a great manager, but that's questionable at best.

The running assumption shared by fans and media members alike is the fact that the Boston Red Sox will be trading Kevin Youkilis in fairly short order.

A fat-cat baseball team that was difficult to love had transformed itself through injuries and necessity into a charming who's-on-first routine.

I apologize for being a bit late in getting you this weeks Seesaw report. So with further delay, let's get to it: Matt Adams - The big call up from last week, Adams will attempt to fill the void left by Lance Berkman .

Nothing like a Friday night tilt at Fenway to remind you of your priorities. We've all expended a lot of energy since last September hating the Orioles .

The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2012 , an annual "must buy" for all baseball fans, is now shipping.

While the cellar-dwelling Red Sox dwindle, management is at a crossroads that could involve some crucial decisions for the future of the Red Sox organization as we know it.

Tampa Bay Rays' Elliot Johnson, right, is congratulated by Chris Gimenez after his two-run home run off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday, May 25, 2012.

The slugger was slotted in at first base on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays with Kevin Youkilis at third, but manager Bobby Valentine said there's a strong chance that Gonzalez will move to right on Saturday so he can cram third baseman Will Middlebrooks into the lineup.

THE CONTENTS: The Red Sox return home to Fenway for a seven-game homestand, kicking it off with three against the Rays.

It's still early in the season, but there already has been no shortage of players taking rehab assignments in order to work back from injuries.

It used to be that a baseball team was only as good as its farm system, but it also used to be that if you wanted to buy a ticket for a plane trip, you called an airline and talked to a human being, not a human-being impersonator.

Tampa Bay Rays: Rich Thompson laughs off missed HBP call; Joe Maddon likes the Rays' funk; Rays own AL's best home record Infielder Drew Sutton didn't choose the walk-up song that plays before his home at-bats, but laughed at how fitting Metallica's "Wherever I May Roam" is.

With more than a quarter of the 2012 MLB season complete, teams are beginning to separate themselves from each other, and a picture is starting to appear about what teams have a chance to make the playoffs and what teams should start looking forward to the 2013 season.

Adrian Gonzalez has started the last two Red Sox games in right field, a necessity borne out of the absence of Cody Ross , Ryan Sweeney , and another entire outfield's worth of outfielders.

The MLB trade deadline is just over two months away and it's time to start thinking about whether the Boston Red Sox will be "buyers" or "sellers." At the moment, Boston sits at .500 for only the third time this season and have yet to get over that hump this year.

Here we are again talking about injuries. The Red Sox seem to have an outsized injury problem, or maybe a decade-sized, but it's there.

The Red Sox are playing better baseball lately and are doing so from every conceivable angle.