Just when I thought the Sox would be lost without Manny in the line-up, they’ve gone positively batshit over the last few games, scoring nine runs in one inning during last night’s exclamation point on the Texas Rangers series, which featured another three-run home run from Ortiz, three hits from the Elf, and two from Youk, who has clearly flipped on the “automatic awesome” switch.
But, of course, this was the Texas Rangers, a team that couldn’t probably do much worse pitching-wise if it added Judd Hirsch and Peter Dinklage to the rotation. Are the hits here to stay? Or do you find yourself waking up in a cold sweat, worrying about Papi’s wrist and if it’s built to carry us to October?
That’s where an interesting name comes up on the waiver wire: Gary Sheffield. I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: No one has a more frightening stance, in my alcohol-impaired opinion, than Sheff. Guy looks like he’d just as soon drop his bat, catch the pitch in his meaty hands, and tear the cover off with his teeth like a goddam apple. Sure, there’s some bad blood there–always the case with ex-Yankees–but that bat could prove a menacing fill-in if we lose Ortiz for any stretch down the stretch.
It’s likely a moot point–First of all, he don’t come cheap. Also, Sheffield’s on record as saying he’d rather play the field than DH, and he’d have to platoon if he came here. But he’s also on record as saying he’d want to play for us. What say you?
