Here's my take on what we need to do to have a shot:

Improve our bullpen, grab a new catcher, and when Papi comes back, rearrange the order.

1. I feel our bullpen problem can be solved with Scott Downs. He has been dominant for the Blue Jays, putting up a 1.80 ERA and striking out 36 batters in 40 innings. He could set up our games and be reminiscent of last years Hideki Okajima, shortening up the games to 7 innings. With the Jays in dead last, they will be looking to rebuild, and our minor league depth will definitely be intriguing

2. I understand the Varitek works his pitchers well, but he's been hitting like a little leaguer all season with no signs of improvement. A perfect match for us would be Bengie Molina, who is also known to control his pitchers well, only with a much better bat. Molina is hitting just under .300 with 6 home runs and best of all, only 21 strike outs. Less than 1/3 of Varitek's strikeouts. Again, with the Giants 5 games out of the worst division in baseball, they may be looking to rebuild as well. 5 games isn't a lot, so I guess you could say they are in contention even though the division leader is below .500, so maybe things will be different at the trade deadline.

3. I just don't see Papi putting up big numbers when he comes back. Even when he was healthy, he was only OK with Ramirez's protection. His value was in his power, unlike last year when he was hitting .330. However, a wrist injury is devastating for power hitters, and I don't see Ortiz having the same kind of pop in his bat when he comes back. Instead, we should let Drew keep the 3 slot, who has been mashing the ball with Ramirez's protection, and not so much without it. I say when he comes back, let Drew hit 3rd, Ramirez hit 4th, and Papi hit 5th. I would say Papi should hit 4th, but having your 3 and 4 hitters both be lefties can be dangerous late in the game when a lefty specialist comes in and sets the heart of your order down. Drew has proven his best is better than Papi's best (this season), and Manny would probably pick it up with Papi protecting him.

Thoughts?