Bay State: A's-Sox Gamer VIII

Everyone says Jason Bay should not be looked at as a replacement for Manny Ramirez. Of course, he's playing Ramirez's position and puts up his best numbers from Ramirez's spot in the lineup. So good luck selling that one.

So Bay will understandably face a lot of pressure as he adjusts to Boston. Here's a quick checklist to gauge how the Boston press will treat Bay's performance tonight:

• Home run: "Manny who?"
• RBI: "Theo Epstein is a genius."
• One hit: "Bay almost as good as Ramirez."
• 0-for-4: "Red Sox lineup doomed for rest of season."
• One or more strikeouts: "Theo is an idiot."
• 0-fer plus an error: "Bring back Gagne!"

With that in mind, comment away!

Red Sox
1. Dustin Pedroia 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis 1B
3. David Ortiz DH
4. Mike Lowell 3B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. J.D. Drew RF
7. Jed Lowrie SS
8. Kevin Cash C
9. Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Starting Pitcher - Tim Wakefield

Oakland A's
1. Ryan Sweeney RF
2. Kurt Suzuki C
3. Jack Cust LF
4. Frank Thomas DH
5. Carlos Gonzalez CF
6. Mark Ellis 2B
7. Jack Hannahan 3B
8. Bobby Crosby SS
9. Daric Barton 1B
Starting Pitcher - Justin Duchscherer