Rob Bradford, Red Sox Pregame

Rob all of the sudden the team I think most people were left for dead after their. Brief little sell off on Monday night has shown some life and it's come against a bad time because a White Sox been playing well right now.

Yeah they really haven't. You look at how bad how poorly they played when he came in Fenway -- as a team -- and everything's going another way the trade Jim Thome. And it would look like the series would present -- prompt for the Red Sox but it really. He's coming off that you those games in Tampa you say you listen you know while it. The things weren't as optimistic as they were a few days ago when he left they Saint Petersburg still as -- to me it's going to come down to the top three guys in this rotation the Red Sox. Start over the last -- go back it and balk calls. And those guys have to continue to be really really good or at least get very very did in an.

Couple weeks it puts a lot of pressure on those three guys though because there's so much uncertainty right now and four and five slots. That when it's Lester -- to Beckett stern arena Buchholz is turn they really need to win.

Yeah your obsolete writes on an and they are going to need good performance we've where our currency value. The fourth and fifth stars and now we're also -- say there's some potential there for some good outings. Daisuke has been in purging he'll pitch Wednesday and on the minor league outings of that that would present burn another start. And so you know you would say there is some some hope but certainly the 12 and three guys the Red Sox rotation the most important. And if you're doing go on without route you cannot afford to have a Josh Beckett who is not trending the right way as he was in the last few innings you cannot afford to have Jon Lester is. Hip act up at all you really need those guys solid insult the Carolina.

A word on Tim Wakefield who if you only watched the first inning yesterday you might think. He might never pitch again in the major leagues he settled down after that but clearly he has really battling subpoena.

Yeah I think he's basically destroyed car from the wind is saying you know I'd. I'm going to go out there I'm going to give everything I can for as long as I can't and then that'll be in for this year anyway before he -- surgery on that back. -- ID you have to give a tremendous amount I credit the way he's pitching in the kind of Cheney is even walking around the clubhouse BCA guy with. With that kind of Olympic is -- in it's it's not easy to watch but as long as he keeps producing and pitches well more than he just pitched well. That's an encouraging thing and that's something the rats are beneath the only question -- how long can he do it because everything seems gravy he's just got a riding out this injury long has he can. I mean realistically it's not going to get better on its own mean you might see him make who knows a handful of starts from here until the end of the regular season. But it's very very difficult to envision him as being a guy who could maybe even -- playoff roster now I I don't think anyone thinks is going to get better. I think that you're right it's it's it's just a matter of how he can go to the end of the month. The playoffs are always think that that he factors in the equation it's what they can what he can do to get them to the playoffs that's the biggest thing it. It's it's not going to get better is just how much seeking got out the next few weeks.

Texas is a team that doesn't seem like they're going away -- Tampa Bay and the other hand as a team that seems like they can't take advantage of any opportunity to lead last night at home against Detroit. They lost that game they're now one and four in their homestand which was such a big homestand including the two losses to the Red Sox earlier this week. And now they head out of the road for a trip that includes stops in Boston and New York the race just don't seem to have what they had last year.

Now every time you looked like they were going to turn a corner and make -- run and you'd they have one basic ups and we looked at the schedule both with Texas and camping you look at the red site scheduling state. But the Red Sox haven't finished because home games and some teams are playing. So I think that Tampa we said account after the Red Sox won that third one that third game of the series that that might be the big the biggest dagger to them and that might be proven out to be case can be Texas Red Sox raced to the and the that's how I look at it right now. Because even with Tampa having three game for the Red Sox at Fenway Park so I don't think that's enough to give back memories. Ira thanks as always we'll -- to assume based on.