Scutaro Slams Angels as Sox Sweep
Marco Scutaro broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the eighth inning with his second career grand slam. That was more than enough as the Red Sox finished off a ten game road trip with a three game series sweep of the Angels 7-3. Boston wraps up the visit to the left coast 6-4, matching their best record of the Theo Epstein era.
After a seemingly disappointing split in Seattle, the Sox rebounded nicely by beating LA's two aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver before mashing on the Angels bullpen today. Mike Scioscia was forced to start setup man Scot Shields because Joel Pinierio was hurt just prior to the game. Five Angel relievers combined to give up four home runs, accounting for all of Boston's scoring.
The Sox take Thursday off before returning home for a three game set with the Tigers that will bring the team to the trade deadline. Boston has yet to make any sort of move that will affect the major league team, despite being "involved" with several names. The elephant in the room remains the Sox bullpen. Even though Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez had relatively solid outings today, consistency is what Terry Francona is searching for.
Patriots Release Crable
Just a day after placing him on the active/physically unable to perform list, the Patriots released linebacker Shawn Crable. The former third round pick came in after the 2008 draft with a lot of promise, but never managed to stay on the field. He was placed on season ending injured reserve in each of the last two seasons.
Part of the reason Crable's not even getting a shot this time around is likely because of the addition of Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham. The two Florida linebackers also carry a lot of promise. Plus, Tyrone McKenzie's return from a torn ACL last year only makes Crable's trying to find a spot on the roster tougher.
McCourty Signs Five Year Deal
The Patriots came to terms with their first round draft pick Devin McCourty with a five-year $13.2 million dollar deal. The cornerback will get almost eight million guaranteed. The former Rutgers standout is just the second first-rounder to sign, following the Cowboys' Dez Bryant. McCourty is expected to step in and contribute right away and could compete for a starting job. With the added wide receiver talent in the AFC East, McCourty will almost definitely play a pivotal role alongside Leigh Bodden and Darius Butler in the intra-division games.
Rondo Makes Team USA Cut
Rajon Rondo survived the first round of cuts as Team USA prepares for the FIBA World Championships next month. The initial cut narrowed the team down to 15 players. Coach Mike Krzyzewski must drop his team down to twelve players by August 26th.
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