Today's baseball

SPORTING GOODS

It's pretty amusing that Terry Francona feels confident enough to pitch Craig Hansen or Mike Timlin only when the Sox have a lead of at least nine runs.

And, thank God I'm not a Phillies fan. In today's game versus the Diamondbacks, the fans at Citizens Bank Park were less than pleased with the Phils' starter, Adam Eaton, whose line was

IP 3.2
H 7
R 8
ER 8
BB 3
K 4

in 91 pitches, only 52 of which were strikes. The turning point of the game was a two-out two-run double by the 44-year-old Randy Johnson(!), which opened the floodgates for a eight run fourth for Arizona. Eaton's ERA during his last two starts exceeds 19. One of the jocks on WIP, Sportsradio 610 in Philadelphia, opined this evening that if there is any justice in the world, Eaton will never again start another game for the all-of-a-sudden-only-half-a-game-ahead-of-the-Mets Philadelphia Phillies.

It's interesting to note that Eaton, whose fastball rarely measures more than 90 mph, who doesn't throw a slider, and whose curveball is rarely thrown for a strike is making nearly $8 million/year while helping the Phils not a whit.