Red Sox waste solid start by Masterson, face daunting challenge with Volquez this afternoon

The Boston Red Sox have one of baseball's best starting rotations, so quality outings are the norm and not the exception. When a solid start is wasted by an underachieving offense, that leads to aggravation. Last night's game between the Red Sox and the Reds in Cincinnati is a prime example. Justin Masterson gave Boston seven strong innings, allowing three runs and four hits, yet the Red Sox bats were mostly silenced by Aaron Harang. The result was a 3-1 victory for Cincinnati, and another road loss for the Sox.

Sometimes, when your offense is held to one run, you should just tip your cap to the opposing pitcher. Harang did pitch well, surrendering four hits in seven innings. An RBI single by Manny Ramirez in the fourth inning was Boston's only production at the plate. Of course, the Red Sox lineup looked more like a National League team. Boston is already without David Ortiz. Kevin Youkilis was given the day off. Jason Varitek sat out with strep throat. The bottom third of the order was composed of Julio Lugo, Kevin Cash and Masterson. And when Ramirez left in the seventh inning with an aching hamstring, Coco Crisp took his place in the cleanup spot.

Though the Red Sox are 42-28 and have a 1.5-game lead over second place Tampa Bay in the American League East, they will be tested in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. They are without the DH, so the pitcher must bat. Today, with Tim Wakefield on the mound, Kevin Cash and his punchless bat will hit in the No. 8 spot. Lugo is one of the worst - if not the worst - offensive shortstops in baseball, and he will litter the No. 7 spot. Ramirez will not be in today's lineup because of his sore hamstring, so Crisp and his slumping bat will appear.

Right now, only Ramirez, Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury are producing at the plate. Kevin Youkilis showed signs of life with a home run and two hits in Thursday's victory against Baltimore, but he has been struggling along with Dustin Pedroia, Varitek, Crisp and Lugo. Without Drew and Ramirez, and exceptional starting pitching, the Red Sox would be in the midst of a losing streak.

At some point before the trading deadline, Theo Epstein will likely address the shortstop situation. Lugo had an atrocious first half in 2007, and hit .280 in the second half, but all season he knocked in runs. This year, he has grounded into an alarming number of double plays and has just 14 RBI, a .268 average and an abundance of errors. He is a sub-.200 hitter with runners in scoring position. Simply put, Lugo is a liability at the plate and in the field.

Could Epstein pull off a deal reminiscent of when he traded Nomar Garciaparra in 2004? Possibly. Lugo is not as appealing as Garciaparra, but he could have value to a National League team. Any trade of Lugo would require that the Red Sox eat a portion of his salary - likely at least half of the $9 million he earns per season. The Red Sox could call up Jed Lowrie from Pawtucket and give him the starting shortstop job, or they could acquire another shortstop. Regardless, it will be surprising if Epstein does not address the shortstop situation by the end of July.

This afternoon, Tim Wakefield opposes Edinson Volquez, who was traded from Texas to Cincinnati in the off-season for Josh Hamilton. This is a deal that has worked out remarkably for both sides. Hamilton is an American League MVP candidate and Volquez is a possible National League Cy Young Award winner with a 9-2 record and a 1.56 ERA.

Here are the lineups:

Red Sox

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. J.D. Drew, RF
4. Mike Lowell, 3B
5. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
6. Coco Crisp, CF
7. Julio Lugo, SS
8. Kevin Cash, C
9. Tim Wakefield, SP

Reds

1. Jay Bruce, CF
2. Paul Janish, SS
3. Ken Griffey Jr., RF
4. Brandon Phillips, 2B
5. Adam Dunn, LF
6. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
7. Joey Votto, 1B
8. Paul Bako, C
9. Edinson Volquez, SP