Justin the Master, Drew hot, why’d Coco charge?

Justin Masterson is quickly making waves in Sox Nation as he continues the impressive streak the Red Sox have put together lately in developing quality prospects.

Yesterday, Masterson confounded the Mariners in a game I couldn’t catch (too busy getting a tan so I can stop looking like I have Irish blood) but by all accounts was very impressive, but there is a warning signal in his walks to strikeouts ratio: 12/18 with 24.1 innings in the books.

He’s been able to limit hitters to just 14 hits which accounts for most of his success. With Dice-K looking like he’s out until early July, Masterson’s going to get a couple more starts to establish himself. He’s going to have to keep up his effectiveness if he hopes to hold Clay Buchholz off.

Based on what we’ve seen, Masterson can definitely do just that. Chien-Ming Wang, Derek Lowe and Brandon Webb are shining examples as to what a sinker can do for you.

Buchholz, by the way, has made three starts and boasts a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings, walking eight and striking out 11. That BB/K ratio suggests he still needs to refine his command, but we’ll be hearing from him again sooner rather than later.

Someone else we’re hearing about with conviction is one J.D. Drew. This recent hot streak is far, far too short to crown him the Drew of old, but the signs are very encouraging. He’s looking more and more like the permanent holder of the three-spot until Big Papi comes back and so far in June, has been hitting the ball for a .542 average, .613 OBP and 1.125 slugging. All unsustainable, of course, but when you look at his total line of .320/.421/.526 you can’t help but nod approvingly.

He’s currently projected to hit 22 homers with 28 doubles and knock 90 runs in while scoring 115. If he keeps up this pace, he will post the third highest OPS (.942) of his 10-year career and earn every penny of his salary this year.

Out in center field, Coco Crisp has been getting the bulk of the time with Jacoby Ellsbury sidelined, but Jacoby may be ready to return as soon as tomorrow. The centerfield platoon has been rather effective as Jacoby is projected to get 513 AB and Coco 426. Still, I can’t help but notice that Coco’s still not doing anything with the bat (.260/.304/.384) and I think that he’s still not long for Boston, especially as he continues to maintain that he is unhappy.

Another point about the Coco discussion: he had to know that he was going to get hit. It was a foregone conclusion, and he had all night and day to think about it and prepare himself for it. So why did he charge the mound? He knew he violated a baseball rule by taking out Akinora Iwamura, even though he felt justified in doing it because Jason Bartlett sprained his finger. But what’s the purpose of charging the mound and inciting a melee? To show that he’s a tough guy?

If he had gotten thrown at near the head, I can completely understand the charge, but since it was done “safely” (how safe is a 90-mph fastball anywhere?) should Coco have taken his medicine and headed to first (and then stole second)? Or was he better served to retaliate? I don’t know the answer, but I’d love to know his reasoning behind it because he knew it was coming.

Anyone notice that no team in the A.L. East is under .500? The Sox have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games for a record of 40-26. The Tampa Bay Rays are 1.5 games behind at 37-25. The Yankees have Johnny Damon’s hot hitting at 32-31, and Toronto’s also one game over at 33-32. The Orioles bring up the cellar at 31-31. Meanwhile, all teams in the Central except for the Chicago White Sox are under .500.

Anyone see the Celtics game last night? Wow. At one point after Paul Pierce hit a shot, I saw Antoine Walker in the background looking quite morose. Sorry, Antoine. I miss the Walker Wiggle and all, but you wouldn’t even crack our bench.