So far, Celtics got the best deal...

I'm not impressed with Gagne. Not in the least bit. So far he's pitched three times for the Red Sox. The first game was just to get him some work. It was 7-3 or something. He let up 2 hits and a run. No big deal. Appearance two was a bit different. I believe it was 4-1 when he went in. This time he lets up three hits and another run. Appearance three was tonight.

I worked till 11 tonight. Normally, the Red Sox are over when I get home. I forgot they were on the West Coast tonight, so I got distracted by other things. I was about to go to bed 20 minutes ago, but decided to check and see if they won, come to see the game was still going on. I turn on the radio and Gagne's pitching. First batter I listen to, he walks to bring the tying run to the plate. Then I decided to turn the TV on. The score was 9-6 Boston and there were runners on 1st and 2nd. Chone Figgins is up. Gagne throws strike 1 before losing control and throwing three straight balls. Not a good sign. However, he battled back and struck out Figgins before getting Cabrera to pop out to end the inning. It doesn't sound as bad as it looked. He doesn't seem focused or whatever. I heard his numbers in Texas were worse in non-save situations. That's not good.

Papelbon came in for the 9th, and after he threw one pitch to Vladimir Guerrero, I knew the game was over. Jonathan threw a fastball right over the center of the plate that Guerrero swung so hard at he almost fell over. Obviously he missed it, cause you can't hit Papelbon. The Angels went 1-2-3 in the ninth as the Sox avoided the sweep. The Yankees got beat badly by Toronto, so the leads back up to 6.

But getting back to this trade, I went to two of Gabbard's last three starts as a Red Sox. One, he pitched a complete game shut out of the Kansas City Royals. The other was a seven inning 1 run win over the White Sox. He allowed three hits and walked one in each start. Last year, the Sox traded Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena. Injuries then plagued the team's starting rotation and the Red Sox fell out of contention. Schilling just came off the DL and pitched two nights ago, and granted he wasn't horrible, but he took the loss. He hasn't been the same since 2004, and I know it was worth it and all, but now's not the time to reminisce on the good old days. I don't know what he has left in the tank. Gabbard could have given the team a few good starts down the stretch. This looks like it'll go down as a bad trade for the Red Sox, especially if Gagne continues to be a mediocre setup man.