Dragnet Old Friends: Red Sox vs. D'Backs

New Red Sox, say hello to the old Red Sox.

OK, there isn't that much crossover between the front offices of Arizona and Boston, but there is a lot. After all, Theo's Epstein's former go-to guy is the man responsible for the Diamondbacks rising through the NL West like a phoenix, which is appropriate since they, well, they play in Phoenix.



No more bad puns in this post. WMYM promises. But it's hard to resist sometimes when the crossover is so obvious, as are the results.Since Epstein took over, the Red Sox have won two World Series in six years. Since Josh Byrnes left the friendly confines of the Fens for the sweltering realm of Bank One Ballpark, the Diamondbacks have gone from contraction lookalikes to legitimate contenders, if not favorites, to pitch and small-ball their way to the NL title.

And it's not all small-ball, either. Eric Byrnes has flashed a bit more power than his diminishing role in Oakland seemed to indicate he'd pull off, though he's clearly only the second best power hitter on the roster. Naturally, that role belongs to a starting pitcher, Micah Owings, who might just be the best power hitting starting pitcher since, well, Babe Ruth? Don't cringe, we're serious. In fact, Arizona NOT using Owings as the DH just caused WMYM to let out a sigh of relief. A big one.

Tonight, however, truly will be all about the pitching, with aces Josh Beckett and Dan Haren dueling it out in Fenway. With both J.D. (Boston) and Stephen (Arizona) Drew swinging hot bats, they could provide a compelling subplot, but it seems destined to fall into subhed categories because of the arms on the mound. Sure, Beckett hasn't been at his best vintage throughout much of the season, but when he's on he can be one of the game's best. As can Haren, who's hardly been any more consistent than Beckett this year: Both carry a 7-4 record with an ERA in the 3's into the game.

What should fans expect? Well, if past experience is any kind of a predictor, they should probably expect a lot of outs, punctuated briefly by breaks between innings. And maybe one or two hits. But NOT any walks. You're not going to see them. WMYM is calling it now.

For what it's worth, here's what to look forward to for the rest of the series, which really could be a doozie. Justin Masterson vs. Doug Davis? Yes please. And we'll take a helping of the Big Unit vs. Tim Wakefield old-agers start, too.

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