Kansas City, Where Wins Are Pretty

Daniel Bard gets the ball tonight against young Danny Duffy, who might be a little better than his record suggests.

This series is must-win. I'll stop short of must-sweep, but the Sox have to win at least two of these games. Cleveland's next, and they're a lot better, so the Sox need momentum It will be interesting to see if Cleveland's new acquisition, a young fellow named Johny Damon, is in good form.

Vicente Padilla (pictured) was, dare we say it, heroic in relief last night. He got out of a jam and then pitched the final two innings. Let's hope he avoids legal trouble, doesn't shoot himself in the leg, and doesn't go Cole Hamels on us. Oh, and pays his child support. But seriously, it would be nice to see a guy with clear talent put it all together and contribute to this team.

Tangentially, the Hamels thing -- it's not that big a deal. Check out this interview with Reggie Jackson and Bob Gibson, where they talk about routine plunkings by annoyed pitchers. Our own Pedro Martinez was a notorious headhunter. In fact, I'd argue that Pedro was over the line (at times), whereas Hamels was within the line. He wasn't out to hurt Harper, he was sending a message. In a perfect world this wouldn't happen, sport would be pure ... well, call me when you get there. Not collect, please.