Good news or bad news, which one do you want first? I flipped a coin, it came up heads, so I guess it’s bad news first. John Danks suffered an oblique injury in Saturday’s game against the Nationals. The oblique is what I believe to be the side muscle. Lately, the word oblique has disappeared, and side muscle has returned. Baseball terms, geez. Either way, Danks suffered a terrible injury for a ballplayer. No matter what you read, and hear, there is no timetable for his return. If he comes back too early, he’ll throw his arm out because he’ll alter his mechanics. Jake Peavy did that when he suffered an ankle injury, and we saw how that turned out. The Angels Joel Pineiro missed the end of last season with this injury. Rickie Weeks of the Brewers took almost am entire season to recover.

One thing in Danks favor is the training staff the Sox employ. Herm Schneider, Brian Ball, Allen Thomas & Dale Torborg are some of the best conditioners/trainers in the business. They will have Danks up and running as soon as humanly possible, but I wouldn’t expect him to be pitching anytime soon. However, I am always wrong, so he probably won’t miss a start. I think the Sox have used the least amount of DL time over the past 5 years, which is a credit to their entire medical staff.

Jake Peavy is a man of his word. He said he would pitch out of the bullpen, if necessary, and that’s what he did Saturday. 4 innings, 7 strikeouts, while only allowing 1 hit. He was absolutely dominant. I said he would only have 8 wins this season, but if he continues to win 2 a week, I will be wrong……….again!

Can things get worse for Adam Dunn? 2-10 with 5 strikeouts in the first 2 games. However, he did have a two run home run stolen from him by Roger Bernadina. He has at least 3 home runs taken from him this year. It’s nice to see the Sox fans try to pick him up by cheering. If you met Dunn, you would find he is funny and real nice. I guess when you are 300 lbs and 6’5, you can be what you want.

John Mclaren got ejected in his first game as the Nats manager on Friday. Did you see how hot he got when the umps reversed the call at first? Paul Konerko was called out, then ruled safe. With Davey Johnson taking over soon, Mclaren’s ejection days may be behind him.

Love how the Nats gave Johnson a contract for this year, and next year. Isn’t that what Jim Riggleman wanted, for them to pick up his option for next year? The man just wanted a little security. I can guarantee that there is more to the Riggleman story than we will ever know.

I wonder if there is something wrong with AJ Pierzynski’s arm? Friday night, on a pitch out, his throw was no where near the 2nd base bag. I was stunned with how bad it was. The Nats stole 4 bases on Pierzynski Friday. There is nothing wrong with AJ’s bat. He smoked a batting practice fastball from Tyler Clippard over the wall to tie the Friday’s game at 5 in the 12th inning. AJ’s average is almost to .300, not bad considering.

Brent Morel appears to like the 2 hole. The 3rd baseman, who batted in the 9th spot most of the year is hitting .266 so far, and looks real comfortable. Good for him.

You think things are bad for Adam Dunn, check out Brian Bixler, who picked up his first RBI in 2 years on Friday.

Do you think Washington had Jayson Werth pegged for the leadoff spot when they overpaid to get him this past offseason?

I think Friday nights game was the most exciting one I’ve see this year. Mark Teahen with the pinch hit 3 run bomb to tie the game in the 9th. A game tying wild pitch in the 10th, and AJ’s heroics in the 14th. Too bad they didn’t win.

In his 4 losses, Matt Thornton has given up 9 unearned runs. Him and Dunn epitomize that old saying, “If they didn’t have bad luck, they would have no luck at all”.

Sox lose 9-5 in 14 innings on Friday, but win 3-0 on Saturday. They remain 2 games under .500. They’ll try to get to within 1 tomorrow.

Go Sox!!