Dragnet Emerald City: Sox at Mariners

Getting juiced for tonight’s matchup in Seattle, which of course has been as smooth as pulling teeth without anisthetic the last couple times out there. Chances of things being different this time? Uhhh, well, maybe. If J.J Putz keeps crapping out saves, sure. Will that happen? Good guessing.

Coco and the Sox will look to keep flying after a long flight out West.

Here’s the lookout for Game 109, from Baseball-Reference

NOTABLES

- Jon Lester’s third start is obviously the headliner for tonight’s game, but some interesting undercurrents lie beneath that. The last couple trips out, the Sox haven’t been able to hit in Safeco. At all. Will that change tonight?

- Horacio Ramirez is 6-3 this year. Doesn’t that seem as odd as Erik Bedard’s surge in Baltimore? Did anyone see that coming?

- Of course, the Sox drilled Jeff Weaver in their Fenway opener earlier this year. But they don’t get Weaver this time around, instead traveling to Anaheim to play the Angels on the day they would have faced the former Tiger/Yankee/Angel and Cardinal. But, in a cruel karmic twist, the Sox will face a Weaver that day: Jeff’s younger brother Jered, who - of course - has far superior stuff. Uggghh.

- Interesting to see if J.D. Drew is along for the whole trip, with his son in a body cast and his wife pregnant back in Boston. He’s always talking about being a big family guy, and Tito Francona has given him every day off he’s needed for health of body and mind this year, but they could really use him to get going on this trip, couldn’t they?

– Cameron Smith