Daily Red Sox Links: Dustin Pedroia, Bobby Valentine, Jon Lester

The Red Sox lost another frustrating game last night, and find themselves under .500 for approximately the 1,700th time this season. I don't have a whole lot to add right now about this team that refuses to deviate from .500 baseball. So, without further ado, here are your Daily Links!

• There have been many different ideas as to why the Red Sox have failed to live up to expectations this season. Blame has been handed out to everyone from Bobby Valentine, the ownership, and Lucifer, who also goes by Josh Beckett. Patrick Sullivan wonders why more blame isn't being placed upon the underperformance from the team's stars. (Patrick Sullivan; Red Sox Beacon)
• Speaking of blaming the owners, that's exactly what Eric Wilbur did this morning. It's really this type of extreme radicalism that gives Red Sox fans a bad name. This is the type of article that really bothers me, but I won't get too far into it here. If you're interested in my thoughts on this, you can check out my article from yesterday afternoon. If not, that's cool too. (Eric Wilbur; Boston.com)
• Red Sox fans have also found it easy to place the blame on injuries for this season, and there's some validity to that. The team has been destroyed by injuries to many of their key contributors. Alex Convery takes a look at whether it's fair to place some blame on the shoulders of the medical staff. (Alex Convery; Fire Brand of the AL)
• Andrew Miller has been very good out of the bullpen for the Red Sox this year, but his career has been a massive disappointment. Chris Sale, of the White Sox, has been quite the opposite. Here's a venn diagram comparing the two. (Cee Angi; Platoon Advantage)

• The trade deadline was over a week ago, but it's not too late to look back at some of the deals that were made. Using the magic that is only accessible by wizards and the staff at Baseball Prospectus, Ben Lindbergh checked out which teams did the best in improving their roster for the rest of the season. (Ben Lindbergh; Baseball Prospectus)
• The Red Sox starters have been a problem for the team all season long, and it has baffled Boston fans everywhere. It's not just the fans who have been stumped by the failures, though. Opposing batters also seem bewildered by the struggles of such previously consistent pitchers. (Brian MacPherson; Providence Journal)
• The great Jay Jaffe has heard the rumors swirling that Bobby Valentine may not be long for his current job as the Red Sox's skipper. He does not agree that the manager is to blame for the team's failures. (Jay Jaffe; Sports Illustrated)
• I know that it's hardly been talked about around the league this year (Sarcasm Alert!), but this Mike Trout kid has been playing pretty well for the Angels. In fact, one may say that he's been historically great. (Dayn Perry; CBS' Eye On Baseball)