Playing nine innings while presuming the Marlon Byrd/Vicente Padilla reunion will be terrific for team chemistry ...

1. I'm still not sure what to make of Kevin Youkilis. I wouldn't be surprised if his career is in descent, as his manager seems to believe. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up having .290-25-95 season, either, because Youk always looks horrible when he's not going well. Heck, he doesn't look great when he's on fire. The Red Sox need to give him until the end of May (or his next injury) before turning toward Will Middlebrooks, the third base prospect currently tearing it up at Pawtucket (1.118 OPS, seven homers in 66 plate-appearances). As promising as Middlebrooks is -- he's excellent defensively and has continued to improve as a hitter as he's climbed the ladder -- the Sox shouldn't abandon Youkilis just yet.