TORONTO - Just one of those terrible days for the Red Sox.

On a pristine day here at Rogers Centre, the Sox pitching has been complete chaos. Starter Jon Lester lasted 2-1/3 innings, eight hits, seven runs and Chris Smith didn't fare much better - four runs so far here in the fifth. Mike Timlin, who makes his 1,050th appearance, tying him for 7th all-time with Kent Tekulve, has come on to pitch.

The Sox haven't been able to handle Vernon Wells, who has hit two homers, Lyle Overbay, who has knocked in three runs, or Kevin Mench, who has three hits.

With Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching tomorrow, might be a long weekend for the Sox pen.

It's 11-0 Toronto in the sixth.

TORONTO - The Red Sox would love to add another outfielder to the mix with J.D. Drew's back problems of concern. But there doesn't seem to be anyone out there they can get their hands on that they feel would add anything of substance to their team.

The feeling right now, subject to a further setback, is that Drew should be OK in a few days when the back spasms subside. The Sox wanted Brian Giles, but he exercised his no-trade clause so he can continue his lifestyle in San Diego.

If Giles ever had a change of heart, the Padres would have to wait 30 days (from July 31), then put him on irrevocable waivers. He would have to get to the Sox on waivers, and then approve the assignment. Fat chance.

It wasn't what the Blue Jays had hoped to do at this time of the year because Shaun Marcum has been one of their best starters. But not lately. So today the team sent Marcum, who was drilled for five runs against the Sox Friday night, back to Triple-A.

Marcum hasn't been able to locate his pitches well over the past month and so he'll go back to Triple-A to work thing out there rather than trying to work them out here while the Blue Jays are trying to get themselves in wild card position.

The Jays brought up John Parrish, who will be inserted into the rotation.

It's not Jon Lester's day. After allowing six runs on eight hits in the third inning, he departed for Chris Smith. Lester was missing with his pitches from the start of the game. Jose Bautista drove in a run in the second inning with a sac fly after DH Kevin Mench doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to third. In the third, an Alex Cora throwing error didn't help him out, but the Jays have struck for three runs, including a pair of run-producing doubles by Overbay and Mench. After No. 9 hitter John McDonald singled, Francona came out to get his pitcher.

Marco Scutaro's sac fly off Smith has made it 7-0 Jays.

TORONTO - Jon Lester surrendered a two-run homer to Vernon Wells in the first inning, while Boston's offense stranded two runners with one out in the top half of the first inning.

Wells' homer hit the second deck in left field. Lester had retired the first two batters before allowing a single to center to Alex Rios. Wells then struck the long homer. Lester also walked a batter and hit a batter before striking out Lyle Overbay to end the inning.

It's 2-0 Jays in the second.

TORONTO - Sox manager Terry Francona introduced new information about Josh Beckett - indicating the right-hander has had inflammation in his right elbow.

That coupled with sleeping on the arm has created the tingling and numbness which he experienced in his last start last Sunday at Fenway. It was the first time in this process the media had heard the word inflammation.

According to Francona, Beckett will now be pushed back to next Friday against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway to give him extra time and to be on the safe side. Tim Wakefield will be activated disabled list and pitch Tuesday in New York.

Francona said after talking to pitching coach John Farrell they decided to take an "overly-cautious" approach. Francona said Beckett wants to pitch, but seemed to be on board.

Beckett just threw for about 10 minutes in right field to Farrell. The plan is for Beckett to throw his side session on Tuesday in New York.

Francona had not yet spoken to right-fielder J.D. Drew this morning, but he was not in the lineup. Francona said they're trying to alleviate the spasms in the back. The MRI results, according to Francona, did not show anything new or different. Drew has apparently had a herniated disc for a while.

On Jason Varitek's recent five-game surge: "When he hits we're a better team. When he doesn't, we can still win," said Francona.

Here are the lineups:

Boston:

Ellsbury-RF
Pedroia-2B
Ortiz-DH
Youkilis-1B
Bay-LF
Lowrie-3B
Varitek-C
Cora-SS
Crisp-CF
Lester-SP

Toronto:

Scutaro-2B
Bautista-3B
Rios-RF
Wells-CF
Lind-LF
Barajas-C
Overbay-1B
Mench-DH
McDonald-SS
Litsch-SP

TORONTO - Hideki Okajima is in protecting an 8-4 Sox lead in the eighth.

The Sox scored twice in the top of the eighth on RBI singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, who has knocked in three runs with a homer, sac fly and single.

Paul Byrd went six innings allowing six hits and four runs.

As the baseball season finishes up the dog days of the season, I thought it would be instructive to take a peek at the upcoming crop of free agents.

With more teams signing young players to longer-term deals that buy out one or more free agent years, the talent pool is likely to age and/or diminish over time. These next few years could see the beginning of the end of the top 20-something players in their peak years turning to free agency. In the meantime, major-league baseball teams are still minting money, meaning there will be plenty of interest and dough for the best of the best. Moreover, the Yankees, with $88 million in salaries coming off the books, a new stadium that could produce a windfall in new revenues next season, and the strong likelihood of missing the post-season for the first time in more than a decade, will be bidding aggressively, driving up prices for the premiium players.

Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia fit the bill this off-season, while Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, and Manny Ramirez, among hitters, and Ryan Dempster, Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, and Ben Sheets, among starting pitchers, and Brian Fuentes and Francisco Rodriguez, among relievers, should draw a lot of attention – and money – as well.

In the first of a three-part series, let's take a look at the catchers and infielders in the free agent class of 2009. We will follow up with the outfielders and pitchers in separate articles. Players marked by an asterisk after their names are subject to club and/or player options.

First Basemen      Club
Rich Aurilia       SF
Carlos Delgado*    NYM
Jason Giambi*      NYY
Wes Helms          PHI
Kevin Millar       BAL
Mark Teixeira      LAA
Daryle Ward        CHC

The Mets and Carlos Delgado have a $12M mutual option for 2009 (with a $4M buyout). The 36-year-old slugger got off to a poor start this season (.198/.297/.323 in April) but has hit .314/.407/.594 since July 1. Based on his buyout, the true cost of bringing him back is only $8M. He just may be a bargain at that price. However, Delgado, the team leader of the resurgent Mets, may not give his consent to such a deal. Stay tuned.

The Yankees will undoubtedly reject a $22M club option on Jason Giambi for 2009 and instead pay him a $5M buyout. Giambi, who turns 38 in January, is still productive at the plate, hitting .250/.381/.503 this season. Look for him to sign a one-year contract with an AL team.

Mark Teixeira (.302/.408/.541) is the prize of this year's free-agent class. The switch-hitting first baseman reportedly turned down an eight-year, $140 million contract extension from the Rangers last summer and is rumored to be seeking a ten-year deal for a minimum of $200M. The Angels need Tex's bat and approach (15 BB and 10 SO in 101 PA) but will be competing with the Yankees, Mariners, hometown Orioles, and perhaps the Mets, among others, for his services. If money is no object, sign him. However, I would be skeptical of Teixeira's performance in the final five years of such an agreement when he would be 34-38 years old.

Second Basemen     Club
Jamey Carroll*     CLE
Ray Durham         MIL
Mark Ellis         OAK
Mark Grudzielanek  KC
Orlando Hudson     ARI
Jeff Kent          LAD
Felipe Lopez       STL
Pablo Ozuna        LAD

Orlando Hudson (.305/.367/.450 in 107 games) is the best of a relatively weak group of second basemen. The three-time Gold Glover's season has been shortened once again as he underwent surgery earlier this month to repair ligament damage in his left wrist. The soon-to-be 31-year-old will become a free agent for the first time and will be looking to cash in. O-Dog has posted an OPS+ of greater than 100 for each of the past three campaigns. Only three other second sackers can make that claim: Ian Kinsler, Dan Uggla, and Chase Utley.

At 40, Jeff Kent has slipped noticeably this season, both at the plate (.283/.330/.424) and in the field (13 runs below average per 100 games). I guess it's possible that the Dodgers could bring him back for one more year, but it says here that the 2000 NL MVP and future Hall of Famer will retire.

Shortstops         Club
Orlando Cabrera    CWS
Alex Cintron       BAL
Alex Cora          BOS
Adam Everett       MIN
Rafael Furcal      LAD
Cesar Izturis      STL
Edgar Renteria*    DET

Orlando Cabrera (.272/.326/.357) is a solid, if unspectacular, shortstop. He doesn't hit for much power (7 HR in 585 PA) but still runs the bases well (18 SB in 22 attempts) and can more than handle the defensive requirements of the position. However, at the age of 34, OC may find the going tough this winter. Look for a team to ink him to a two-year contract as a stop gap awaiting a younger alternative.

When healthy, Rafael Furcal is one of the most productive shortstops in the game. He put up a .366/.448/.597 line through the first week of May before hitting the disabled list with a bulging disk in his back, which was surgically repaired in early July. The Dodgers were 18-14 in those 32 games and have been 47-51 without him. There is an outside chance that Furcal could return this season. Either way, the 31-year-old will have a tough time duplicating the three-year, $39M contract he signed as a free agent in December 2005.

Coming off a .332/.390/.470 campaign with the Braves in 2007, Edgar Renteria has been a huge disappointment for the Tigers. He is arguably having the worst year (.264/.314/.355) of his 13-year career. The 33-year-old is average at best defensively and no longer steals bases like he once did. Renteria has picked up the pace a bit in August (.290/.342/.449) and how he performs in September will probably determine the level of interest this winter.

Third Basemen      Club
Hank Blalock*      TEX
Joe Crede          CWS
Chipper Jones*     ATL

The Rangers can exercise a $6.2M club option on Hank Blalock for next season or let him go for a rather cheap $250,000 buyout. After missing more than three weeks, Blalock returned to action last Friday. Due to continued soreness in his right shoulder, Blalock may be relegated to first base, at least for the foreseeable future. Unless the seven-year veteran can man the hot corner, his value will be circumspect, especially given his career splits (.227/.282/.352 vs. LHP and .244/.301/.398 on the road). Put me solidly in the camp of the skeptics.

Joe Crede (.255/.323/.474) has been out of action with a bad back for more than a month. He is serving a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Knights and will likely join the White Sox before the month is out. His pluses (good power and excellent defense) and minuses (health and consistency) are well known. Crede will turn 31 next April and his best days are probably behind him. Put it all together and he looks like a poor man's Scott Rolen.

Make no mistake about it, Chipper Jones will be wearing a Braves uniform next season. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Atlanta has a club option that will vest between $8M and $11M (depending on performance and award bonuses). If anything, look for the Braves and Jones to work out a new deal that keeps the switch-hitting third baseman with the one and only club that he has known. Always an injury risk, Jones is more productive at the plate than ever. Look no further than his OPS+ marks the past four seasons:

YEAR   AGE   OPS+   
2005   33    151
2006   34    154
2007   35    166
2008   36    173

Jones (.359/.460/.568) is not only getting older, he is getting better. While I'm aware that the above trend is unlikely to continue, I would be comfortable tearing up his contract and signing him to an extension that would keep him in Atlanta for the next three seasons.

Utility Infielders Club
Craig Counsell*    MIL
Nomar Garciaparra  LAD
Nick Punto         MIN
Juan Uribe         CWS

Pass.

Catchers          Club
Rod Barajas        TOR
Henry Blanco*      CHC
Toby Hall*         CWS
Mike Redmond*      MIN
Ivan Rodriguez     NYY
Javier Valentin    CIN
Jason Varitek      BOS
Gregg Zaun*        TOR

There are two oldies but goodies...um...scratch that, oldies and formerly goodies...in this group. Ivan Rodriguez (.284/.329/.402 overall but .217/.265/.304 in 16 games with the Yankees) will turn 38 in November and is little more than a good defensive catcher at this point. He served as a two-month rental for New York but doesn't fit into the club's future plans as Jorge Posada is expected to return next season.

Jason Varitek is in the midst of the worst year (.223/.315/.370) of his 11-year career. Boston may have an interest in bringing back its captain, who turns 37 next April, for one more season but not at the $10M average he earned from 2005-2008. However, the question is whether or not Scott Boras' client can suck it up and accept such a deal.

• TrueHoop reader Robert e-mails about the FIBA rankings: "It's ironic that right after this Olympic tournament, the U.S. men actually dropped out of first place in the FIBA world rankings, being surpassed by Argentina. Through all their recent disappointing finishes they were ranked fisrt, but the moment the gold medal match ended was the precise moment they became second. By getting it backwards (the U.S. should have moved up to the top spot, not down from it) FIBA illustrates what many people know about the BCS -- neither human polls nor inflexible metrics are very good."
• Crain's Detroit Business has sources saying Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter the target of an FBI investigation. Hunter and a business partner were part of some suspect property deals. Hunter's attorney acknowledges the partnership was involved in some bad deals, but says that as soon as his clients realized what was going on, he got out. (Probably not important right now, but Hunter had a little credibility issue last summer.)
• TrueHoop reader Kirk e-mails: "Sometime at the start of the last NBA season I e-mailed you trying to make the case that the Dwyane Wade I had come to know and hate (as a Mavs fan) should not make the Olympic roster due to his disastrous injuries and a host of other issues. Last night/morning I stayed up as you did to watch the gold medal game, since I had gone to work early for weeks just to watch the other pool play and tournament games. I was wrong. Very, very wrong. And I love D-Wade now. I can't ever forget him breaking my heart in 2006, but he played with such a fury and passion that it was impossible not to cheer for him. He attacked the basket, made excellent under-control shots, rebounded in the land of giants, and played really amazing defense. His anticipation is among the top three in the league. I was wrong about him, but I couldn't be happier that I was. He has helped make me incredibly proud to be an American today. But now that it's over I am pretty sad. I love the NBA, but there are too many teams and too little talent spread among those teams. We never get to see D-Wade move without the ball like that or see LeBron James defend like an animal and pass like Magic. In order for their teams to win, they have to sacrifice the parts of the games which made them so phenomenal to watch these last few weeks so they can take on the scoring burden. Seeing those guys win last night, seeing the pure joy and understanding that hard work pays off was fantastic. I'd have to rank that game and the medal ceremony as among my favorite basketball moments of my life. I can't wait till the NBA season and I can't wait till the World Championships in Turkey in 2010."
• You had to know that when the Boston Celtics signed Darius Miles, some Portland-obsessed conspiracy theorist would claim that it was all of a scheme to hurt the Blazers, who will be losing cap space if Miles plays ten games. Bingo.
• Cleveland could have the cap space in 2010 to re-sign LeBron James to a max deal, and to bring in someone like Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes all about it. The only thing to consider, however, is that there is no reason to think Cleveland would be the only such team. Uniting two or more of that summer's big stars is the fantasy of many a front office.
• An Oklahoma City writer makes the case that there is nothing wrong with giving the team a stupid name. He makes a convincing case that many teams have stupid names, but all the same I'm thinking that if it's your job to name the thing, you ought to do your job well.
• Jameer Nelson pays for his Orlando teammates to come to the Philadelphia area for some kind of unofficial mini-camp, where they work out and learn about stuff like money management. Pretty amazing.
• An ESPN producer ran across a Tibet protest in Beijiing during the Olympics and wrote about it after getting accosted by officials. He also mentioned that he was helped by an anonymous guy who called himself "no neck." Turns out No Neck himself has a blog with links to video of the whole thing.
• Chris Sheridan puts some facts onto the claim that Sunday's game could have been the biggest win in U.S. Olympic basketball history.
• What Kobe Bryant meant to Team USA.
• Great photos of the Olympics.
• Olympic-basketball themed condom advertisement.
• No, Eduardo Najera does not want to lend your small business money. Not right now, after what happened with that landscaping deal.
• Rudy Fernandez gives the NBA something to remember. (Via RotoEvil)
• Joe Dumars talks to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. He says many different ways that he's fine if he does not make a big trade, and would only trade if the right deal came along. Then Dumars talks about his relationship with the existing roster: "I feel like I have such a unique relationship with all of those guys. They've been here for such a long time. When you have a relationship with people that's built on truthfulness and honesty, you can have any conversation you want. That's the relationship I have with these guys - truthfulness and honesty. I've had some absolutely great conversations with Rip, Rasheed, Chauncey, McDyess, with Prince before he left for the Olympics, obviously with all the young guys. Chauncey and I were on the phone a long time last night talking about different things. This has been a good summer from my perspective, because the complacency that I've taken issue with, the lack of urgency that I've taken issue with, has been front and center in a lot of conversations I've had with guys and it's straightforward, no cute language, here's the deal. It's been a very good summer for me from that standpoint. There is no gray area about where we stand right now."

• Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News: "There is no better way for Jason Kidd to bow out of international basketball, having earned his second gold medal Sunday while extending his record to 56-0 in Olympics, Olympic qualifying and exhibition games. 'I'm undefeated,' Kidd, 35, said. 'I told them I can retire now from international ball, but LeBron [James] threw out something I didn't like. He said he won't play in 2012 unless I'm there."
• Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic : "It took him 40 years, and now Jerry Colangelo has his basketball championship. 'It fills the void,' he said. It took them 40 minutes of heart-pounding effort, and now the members of Team USA have put American basketball back where it belongs."
• Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "They should have been thanking Allen Iverson and Larry Brown, and the 2004 Olympic team. The 2008 Olympic team finished undefeated after beating Spain 118-107 on Sunday in the gold medal game. The players danced and hugged like high school kids who had just won the state championship, then insisted on the entire team showing up for the postgame news conference. This is why they should have been thanking Iverson, Brown and the rest of their predecessors: Without the United States' 5-3 finish and disappointing bronze in Athens, what the 2008 team accomplished would have been considered routine, not the stuff of wild celebrations."
• Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: "So what was the difference between the Redeem Team and the nightmarish Scream Teams of the 2002 and 2006 World Championships, and the 2004 Olympics? According to former Team USA coach Larry Brown, it comes down to one word: Commitment. 'The thing is they got guys that are willing to make a three-year commitment, which I think is tremendous,' Brown said of this current Team USA. 'We had guys that committed (for 2004) and then all of a sudden 9/11 happened, and then there were injuries.'"
• Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer: "What's next for Mike Krzyzewski? He goes back to his real job, coaching a Duke team that returns almost all of its key players and should be stronger inside. He also plans to write another book that will be based in part on his Olympic experience. First, though, he will celebrate wiith his family that came to China with him, and with the players and Colangelo. 'Mike brought class,' Jerry Colangelo said. 'He brought dignity. He brought organization. He's a hall of fame coach. He bled red, white and blue. He was the right guy at the right time.' Ultimately, Krzyzewski made it fun for the players. He made them remember what it felt like to be college kids again -- or, in the case of James and Bryant, to enjoy a little of the college experience they never had."
• Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "'That's the best feeling I've ever had other than the birth of my son,'[Carmelo] Anthony said Sunday of the Olympic men's basketball medals ceremony. Four years after Anthony's disastrous Olympic trip to Athens, where he played little, got on the bad side of coach Larry Brown and was on a team that settled for bronze, the Nuggets forward got redemption."
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: "The grin didn't leave Chris Bosh's face. The grin didn't leave Jose Calderon's face. One won gold, the other won silver and both looked like they were walking on air at the Wukesong Basketball Gymnasium yesterday on the final day of the Summer Olympic Games. 'Personally,' said Bosh, the Toronto Raptors star, 'this is as big as you can get. This only comes once every four years."
• David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel: "Dwight Howard made 35 of 47 in Beijing, which is 74 percent. If he could do that every night in the NBA, it would seriously complicate the lives of opposing coaches. Unlike most of the U.S. team, Howard has already said he'll re-enlist for the 2012 Olympics. What does that mean to his overall development? 'It's a little bit of a grind, but I would never discourage any or our players from playing for their national team,' Stan Van Gundy said. 'I don't think there's a higher honor.' You get a happier player, a better leader and another gold medal for the U.S. If it means a less reliable bank shot, that's a sacrifice we'll just have to live with."
• Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal: "Marc Gasol walked off the court, silver medal draped around his neck, proud and disappointed and happy all at once. 'It feels good to have accomplished what we accomplished," he said, 'but we were so close to winning the gold.' ... Gasol was one of the few Spanish players to stop and talk to reporters afterward, alternating between Spanish and English. The next game he plays will be for the Grizzlies. 'I'm going to relax for a little bit and then I'll be in Memphis,' he said. 'I can't wait to get started.'"
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "... despite saying in a recent radio interview that Oklahoma City is 'the best thing that's ever happened to our basketball franchise and basketball team,' P.J. Carlesimo isn't ready to count on the newfound stability for a spike in victories this season. Certainty, Carlesimo says, will help. It won't guarantee Oklahoma City a better ballclub. 'Are we going to win X more games? Probably not,' Carlesimo said. 'But I just think it's going to make a difference.' Comfort will replace confusion for the players and coaches. Infatuation will replace the increasing indifference that swept the team's old city and its fans."