Changing of the Guard

Like usual, the Red Sox' DH is leading the team in home runs. Unlike usual...it's by, like 1 home run, and it's 5 in all...and it's not David Ortiz.

Hanley Ramirez is, as he always been, a solid player, a hard worker, and one of the offensive highlights of a generally packed team. Right now, the pressure's on him to, well, essentially be David Ortiz, but it hasn't occurred to people that Han-Ram could just be the second coming of Manny Ramirez. The hair, the slowing defensive ability, the clutch hitting...it's all kinda there.

There's also some intense pressure on the Red Sox- after some unruly behavior against the O's, and some matches that have been lost due to just simple lack of ability, the Sox are becoming one of baseball's disappointments this year. People are hitting, but not as well as they should. Chris Sale's playing like a Cy Young candidate (as per usual), but the rest of the pitching is a mess, with a down year for Rick Porcello, some okay stuff from Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz, and David Price just sitting on the DL, minding his own business.

This team's a bit more flawed than the sportswriters figured it'd be, and as the Yankees and Orioles ascend to the top of the division, the flaws are becoming more and more evident.

Coming Tonight- Heavy-hitting outfielder for Han-Ram's old team.