Health is on the way by Jared Carrabis
Victor Martinez returns to Red Sox tonight in Anaheim


(Scott Lauber on Twitter) -- As expected, Victor Martinez will be activated from disabled list before tonight's game. Dusty Brown optioned to Pawtucket. #RedSox

If you haven't heard, ratings on NESN are down 36%.

Apparently nobody wants to dedicated three hours a night to watching a makeshift baseball team. It's almost as if you're a NASCAR fan. Would you still watch your favorite driver if he was out there competing against the best in a go-cart held together by duct tape and crazy glue?

I'm sure the diehards would remain, but that could shake the on-the-fence fans off pretty quickly.

With the return of Josh Beckett in a winning effort in Seattle, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek working vigorously to get back to full health, and now the return of Victor Martinez, this team may not have to make the big splash that fans are begging for.

After torturing ourselves over the weekend by watching the Red Sox' bullpen cost the team an entire series, and nearly a sweep, Theo will absolutely have to address his catastrophic bullpen.

However, I don't see any teams adding the likes of Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury after the trade deadline, as all players mentioned besides Ellsbury have at least one All Star selection under their belt.

No knocks against Bill Hall, who was brought to this team to be nothing more than a utility player, but there were some plays that Pedroia would have made that Hall could not, that may have been pivotal in some games. With that being said, Hall's bat has compensated for his lack of experience being a full-time second baseman.

In the absence of Pedroia and Martinez, the Red Sox have missed out on two players who lead both by example with are great emotional leaders.

Hopefully with one half of the two returning tonight, the Red Sox will light a spark and finish out the dreaded ten-game west coast road trip on a good note.

-Jared Carrabis

Will the return of Victor Martinez make a difference in the standings?

Of course! He's one of the best hitting catchers in the game!He can't do it on his own. We still need Pedroia and Ellsbury.Even when everyone comes back, the Red Sox dug themselves in too deep of a hole to recover.

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Published on July 26, 2010

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