Joe Cowley twitters a pair of minor notes. First, the Sox have signed their first round pick, Gordon Beckham for a rumored $2.4MM. He'll take BP tonight at USCF.

Second, and of greater concern to the Sox playoff hopes, Lance Broadway has apparently parlayed 10 improbably strong innings last season into a starting gig despite a terrible performance in AAA this season. Broadway has been comically hittable this season in Charlotte, allowing an average of 10.4 H/9.

As if that wasn't bad enough, it gets worse; or rather Broadway has gotten worse as the season has grown. Since May 1st, that hit rate has risen to an astonishing 12.0 H/9, leading to an ERA of 5.89 and an RA of 6.68. Worse yet, in his last ten starts, he owns an ERA of 7.27 with a hit rate of 13.2 H/9. To say that those numbers are not indicative of a pitcher who is likely to succeed at the major league level is a massive understatement.

Here's hoping this is a reverse-jinx and not a future I-Told-Ya-So post