The Red Sox have told Julio Lugo to take all the time you need to get healthy. Do I hear an ah-hem in there?
It's no secret at $9 million a year Lugo was a gamble. There was nothing on his resume that screamed he was that kind of shortstop. Last year he wasn't terrible (yep, that's a backhanded compliment). He only hit .237 but managed to knock in 73 runs. He made 19 errors. The Red Sox won the World Series, and nobody had much to complain about Lugo or anybody else. OK, maybe Julio's paycheck.
This year, he's been a disaster. Now he's on the DL. Jed Lowrie is playing short. Lugo's .261 average isn't bad, then you look closer at the numbers. In 261 at-bats, he has 22 RBI. In 88 at-bats prior to last night's game, Lowrie had 18 RBI.
A shortstop with no offense better produce with the glove. Lugo has not. His 16 errors were downright scary. Terry Francona bit his tongue. Pitchers need to have faith in their shortstop. They weren't feeling it from Lugo. Lowrie isn't flashy in the field. He's one of those fielders of whom it is said "makes the plays he should make." That's an upgrade from Lugo.
Lugo will return soon. He'll get his job back. But he'll have to do it better. He's being shadowed by Lowrie. The Red Sox are going to have to scrap to make the postseason. An undependable shortstop, at least in the field, won't help.
We don't know if Lowrie is The Answer or just The Backup. Thirty-two games is a small sample. But if he keeps up his steady work, he will at least amp up the pressure on Lugo.
Lugo or Lowrie? It's a developing story.
When the Red Sox opened the season, everybody expected them to be a top-tier team. With two months left, Boston is a big game hunter again. Only without ol' number 99, a Dodger now (and running out grounders like Carl Lewis!).
So who picks up the offensive void Manny left? It'll have to be by committee of course. David Ortiz needs to shake his weekend-without-Manny doldrums; The slumping J.D. Drew has to know a good half year doesn't get it done in a pennant chase; Kevin Youkilis, hey, whatever you're doing pal, keep it up. This might be the point of Youk's career where he becomes a perennial All-Star; what applies here to Youkilis goes for Dustin Pedroia too; Mike Lowell has to stay healthy.
And Sox fans can only hope Jason Bay doesn't get spooked by Manny's blastoff with the Dodgers. Bay might be wise to skip SportsCenter and the box scores.
Disappointments? I don't think anyone saw Jacoby Ellsbury and Coco Crisp both hitting in the .250's. The plan was for Ellsbury to be around .280-.285 and maximize every bit of such an average with his speed. Not happening.
Ellsbury's struggles opened the door for more Crisp playing time. Yet he looks more and more like a fourth outfielder, at least on this team. But how many teams have two center fielders who can go get 'em like these two guys?
Jason Varitek? Let's just say, now that Manny's out of the way, the big off-season decision for the Red Sox will be re-doing, or not, of Varitek's contract.
The ace of the staff? Jon Lester's 10-3 with a 3.14 ERA. Josh Beckett is 9-8 and 4.15. Next question. It's a good situation, though, if you feel that Beckett's best games are ahead of him this month and next. It almost has to play out that way for the Red Sox to stay in it.
Tim Wakefield has been noble, but at 6-8 he's paid the price for lack of offense. To expect him to be this good the entire season is unfair. Just get him some runs, boys. Daisuke Matsuzaka is 12-2, 3.04, but no one's talking Cy Young. Maybe it's because five innings from him lasts longer than the Crimean War did.
Nothing new in the bullpen. The Help Wanted sign for a setup man is still in the window. Is it the embattled incumbent Hideki Okajima, the hard-throwing Manny Delcarmen, the untested Justin Masterson or old standby Mike Timlin? Jonathan Papelbon is waiting.
The Rays aren't cracking. The Yankees aren't going away. And Manny's not coming back. Strap yourself in for the stretch run.
(Lenny Megliola is a Daily News columnist. His e-mail is lennymegs@aol.com)
