Sox: 6 Tribe: 5
Jonathan Van Every's first career homer couldn't have come at a better time. The Sox had rallied back to tie the score 5-5 after being in a 5-0 hole for the better part of the game. They were looking to bounce back from an error-filled loss the night before that snapped their 11-game win streak. Van Every had already made a night for himself with an RBI two innings before and a skid on the rubber to make a fantastic catch in the bottom of that inning. On a night where the Sox were down two sluggers, with Youk and Drew banged-up and resting, they needed someone like Van Every to step up and step up he did, with both the bat and the glove. In the top of the 10th inning, facing his former roommate from his days in the Indians' organization (per the Globe), he sent a "Thanks for the memories" shot over the centerfield fence and trotted around the bases and back to the dugout, where he was greeted with a hero's welcome and a few knocks on his still-helmeted noggin.
Another Jonathan, starter Lester, didn't have such a great night, at least for the first four innings. He surrendered 5 runs, including two dingers, and continued to have trouble with his command. He kept a lot of pitches up and hitters feasted on the offerings, with Mark DeRosa and Kelly Shoppach finding them especially delicious. He settled down in the fifth and sixth, but the damage had been done...or so we thought. His teammates let him off the hook by capitalizing on a tiring Carmona and the Tribe's bullpen. Jake plated the tying run that let Lester off the hook and we know what happened after that.
Tonight, the Sox return to the place where their season ended last year: The infamous Trop. The Rays are off to a rough start this year, however, and are in last place again after their year of dominance. They had the Sox' number for two of the three games in the opening series, and on the mound tonight, is a pitcher who seems to tie them in knots: Matt Garza. Is tonight the night they've finally seen enough of him and knock him into next week? Let's hope so!
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Zeroes and Heroes
Sox: 3 Tribe: 1
What do you get when you pit a veteran knuckleballer against the reigning AL Cy Young winner? A pitcher's duel, naturally! Tonight's game was easy on the ERAs of both starters, who blanked their opponents for seven innings (Wake) and eight innings (Lee). Delcarmen threw in a shut-out inning of his own to keep the duel alive. So, the "zeroes" I refer to are those put up by Tim Wakefield and Cliff Lee, as well as Manny Delcarmen. Watching the game remain scoreless for so long, I began to wonder if they would have to go into extra innings before a run would be scored. Leave it to the closers to open the doors! Kerry Wood came on in the 9th and the Sox, happy not to have to face Lee for another inning, put the first two on via a walk (Pedey) and a hit (Papi). Youk, having an unusually quiet night at the plate, flied out on a bat-buster and up comes J-Bay, who takes the Tribe's closer deep for a 3-run tater. Scoreless tie broken, Sox on top. Mikey follows up with a triple that, due to a bobble in the outfield, could have been an inside-the-park home run had it not been hit by a guy coming off of hip surgery. JD comes in to pinch-hit for Bailey, but strikes out. Kottaras makes the third out of the inning and in comes Paps for the save. Paps must have attended the Dice-K School of Pitching in the off-season because he keeps letting runners on base, either via walks or hits, but manages to escape with little to no damage. Tonight was no different. The Indians stroked three hits off of him, scoring a run. Paps got out of it only allowing the one run and earning his fifth save of the season, but I'm hard-pressed to remember the last clean inning he's had.
The "heroes" of this game, for the Sox, are Wake, who, combined with MDC, one-hit the Tribe over eight innings, and, of course, Bay. Because the tie was broken after Wake left the game and MDC had pitched an inning, Wake couldn't pick up the win, but the Sox extend their streak to 11 games. Tomorrow night, they try for 12, with Penny facing some pitcher I've never heard of named Anthony Reyes.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE!!!!
What do you get when you pit a veteran knuckleballer against the reigning AL Cy Young winner? A pitcher's duel, naturally! Tonight's game was easy on the ERAs of both starters, who blanked their opponents for seven innings (Wake) and eight innings (Lee). Delcarmen threw in a shut-out inning of his own to keep the duel alive. So, the "zeroes" I refer to are those put up by Tim Wakefield and Cliff Lee, as well as Manny Delcarmen. Watching the game remain scoreless for so long, I began to wonder if they would have to go into extra innings before a run would be scored. Leave it to the closers to open the doors! Kerry Wood came on in the 9th and the Sox, happy not to have to face Lee for another inning, put the first two on via a walk (Pedey) and a hit (Papi). Youk, having an unusually quiet night at the plate, flied out on a bat-buster and up comes J-Bay, who takes the Tribe's closer deep for a 3-run tater. Scoreless tie broken, Sox on top. Mikey follows up with a triple that, due to a bobble in the outfield, could have been an inside-the-park home run had it not been hit by a guy coming off of hip surgery. JD comes in to pinch-hit for Bailey, but strikes out. Kottaras makes the third out of the inning and in comes Paps for the save. Paps must have attended the Dice-K School of Pitching in the off-season because he keeps letting runners on base, either via walks or hits, but manages to escape with little to no damage. Tonight was no different. The Indians stroked three hits off of him, scoring a run. Paps got out of it only allowing the one run and earning his fifth save of the season, but I'm hard-pressed to remember the last clean inning he's had.
The "heroes" of this game, for the Sox, are Wake, who, combined with MDC, one-hit the Tribe over eight innings, and, of course, Bay. Because the tie was broken after Wake left the game and MDC had pitched an inning, Wake couldn't pick up the win, but the Sox extend their streak to 11 games. Tomorrow night, they try for 12, with Penny facing some pitcher I've never heard of named Anthony Reyes.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE!!!!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sweepity Sweep Sweep!!!
Sox: 4 Broomed Bronx Boys: 1
It's amazing what being down 2-6 to start the season will do to a team. Wake started something special in Oakland back on April 15. While his no-hitter bid didn't quite make it, his performance seemed to wake (yes, pun intended!) the Red Sox bats from a week-long slumber. They won that game, then clawed their way back to .500, and then just kept on going, Energizer Bunny-style. They mowed down the O's, Twins, and Yanks in order. The Yanks were the most challenging of the three opponents, but the Red Sox were not to be denied. An offense, led by Youk, Bay, and Lowell, scored a grand total of 80 runs since Wake's Tax Day gem. Until then, they had not scored more than 5 runs in one game. There have been some worrisome pitching performances (*ahem* Beckett *ahem* Penny) but the bats have made like the federal government and bailed out the messes made on the mound. To make a further political analogy, Wake's jewel was the stimulus package the offense needed to get going. While our aces Beckett, and Lester have been struggling (though Lester's last two outings have been much better than his first two), Wake and Masterson have been consistent so far. Dice-K, well the WBC broke him and Penny's still trying to get his command back after recovering from shoulder pain.
The young'uns were the story of today's game. Ellsbury stole two bases, including one daring theft of home that earned him standing O's through his next at-bat. It was the first straight-out steal of home for a Red Sox player in 15 years. When this kid gets on base, he makes things happen. His average has greatly improved this homestand, along with the averages of just about everyone on the team. He may run into the occasional out, but most of the time, his aggressiveness on the basepaths pays off and tonight, he put on quite a show! Masterson was masterful, allowing only a single run on a sac fly over 5 1/3 innings. Hunter Jones and Michael Bowden were impressive in relief, saving a spent bullpen. Bowden threw two scoreless frames, whiffing the likes of Derek Jeter and a raking Robinson Cano. Saito came on and grabbed the save, giving Paps the night off.
Tomorrow, the Sox hit the road for a nine-game, three-city tour, starting in Cleveland, stopping by The Trop for a tangle with the Rays (who are in the cellar right now, but they always seem to save their best stuff for the Sox), then to the Yankee Launchpad for the second chapter of the '09 Sox-Yanks saga. Let's hope their momentum comes along for the ride.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!! CONGRATS ON KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE!!!
It's amazing what being down 2-6 to start the season will do to a team. Wake started something special in Oakland back on April 15. While his no-hitter bid didn't quite make it, his performance seemed to wake (yes, pun intended!) the Red Sox bats from a week-long slumber. They won that game, then clawed their way back to .500, and then just kept on going, Energizer Bunny-style. They mowed down the O's, Twins, and Yanks in order. The Yanks were the most challenging of the three opponents, but the Red Sox were not to be denied. An offense, led by Youk, Bay, and Lowell, scored a grand total of 80 runs since Wake's Tax Day gem. Until then, they had not scored more than 5 runs in one game. There have been some worrisome pitching performances (*ahem* Beckett *ahem* Penny) but the bats have made like the federal government and bailed out the messes made on the mound. To make a further political analogy, Wake's jewel was the stimulus package the offense needed to get going. While our aces Beckett, and Lester have been struggling (though Lester's last two outings have been much better than his first two), Wake and Masterson have been consistent so far. Dice-K, well the WBC broke him and Penny's still trying to get his command back after recovering from shoulder pain.
The young'uns were the story of today's game. Ellsbury stole two bases, including one daring theft of home that earned him standing O's through his next at-bat. It was the first straight-out steal of home for a Red Sox player in 15 years. When this kid gets on base, he makes things happen. His average has greatly improved this homestand, along with the averages of just about everyone on the team. He may run into the occasional out, but most of the time, his aggressiveness on the basepaths pays off and tonight, he put on quite a show! Masterson was masterful, allowing only a single run on a sac fly over 5 1/3 innings. Hunter Jones and Michael Bowden were impressive in relief, saving a spent bullpen. Bowden threw two scoreless frames, whiffing the likes of Derek Jeter and a raking Robinson Cano. Saito came on and grabbed the save, giving Paps the night off.
Tomorrow, the Sox hit the road for a nine-game, three-city tour, starting in Cleveland, stopping by The Trop for a tangle with the Rays (who are in the cellar right now, but they always seem to save their best stuff for the Sox), then to the Yankee Launchpad for the second chapter of the '09 Sox-Yanks saga. Let's hope their momentum comes along for the ride.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!! CONGRATS ON KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE!!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday Slugfest
Sox: 16 Yanks: 11
Was this Fenway or Yankee Stadium II? The score would suggest the latter, but it was, in fact, the former. The pitching matchup: Josh Beckett vs. AJ Burnett. While Beckett struggled from the very start, allowing 8 earned runs and having only one clean inning, Burnett cruised through the first three innings. It looked like a long day for the local nine. In the fourth inning, the wheels started coming off for the guy who, until today, owned the Sox at Fenway. He loaded the bases on a Pedey walk, Papi foul out, a Youk single, and a JD walk. Bay singled to drive in one run. Lowell whiffed, then up came Tek with two outs. The Sox were hungry for some salami and salami the captain delivered! Right into the Yankees bullpen! Sox now within a run. Beckett has his one clean inning and Jake knots the score in the bottom of the fifth with a long ball of his own, his first of the year. Pedey singles, and up comes Papi, who had lately been looking as if maybe the 100-year-old batboy Big Pappy should be pinch-hitting for him. That is, until he hit a wall-ball double and advanced Pedey to third. Youk got plunked and the bases were loaded again. This time, JD was up. He put one on the ground right at Teixeira, who pulled a Pedey and threw home. Posada threw back to first to complete the double play, the third one JD's grounded into in this series. Luckily for JD and the rest of the team, the inning wasn't over; there were only two outs. Here comes J-Bay. He knocks one high off the wall for a 2-run double. Sox are now ahead for the first time in the game.
Had the rest of the game not proceeded like it had, Tito would have come under a lot of fire for what happened in the sixth inning. After a quick fifth, Beckett came back for the 6th, even with a pitch count topping 100. He walks Jeter, which I thought would mean the hook for him, but he was left in to face another batter. Johnny Damon, the former Sox outfielder who went to the dark side three seasons ago for more dough, took Beckett's 3-2 offering deep, tying the game again. I know it's April, but raise your hand if thoughts of Grady and Pedro didn't enter your mind at that moment. Manny Delcarmen came to the rescue and retired all three batters he faced and the Sox were on to the bottom half of the inning, trying to break another tie.
The rest of the game was a back-and-forth off the two bullpens. Mikey launched a three-run blast in the 7th and a bases-clearing double in the eighth. Pedey knocked Jacoby in before Mikey's 8th inning three-ribbie double. Paps made things interesting in the ninth, as he's been known to do lately, but he kept the score at 16-11 and the Sox come out of the four-hour slugfest with a series win and a nine-game winning streak. Tomorrow night, will Masterson be masterful in front of a national television audience, and will the Sox bats make Pettitte's stay on the mound a short one? Having taken the first two games of the season in comeback fashion, anything can happen for these Red Sox. Even when they get buzzsawed early in games, they've been coming back and claiming these games for themselves.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!! CONGRATS ON OUTSLUGGING THE BRONX BOMBERS!!!!
Was this Fenway or Yankee Stadium II? The score would suggest the latter, but it was, in fact, the former. The pitching matchup: Josh Beckett vs. AJ Burnett. While Beckett struggled from the very start, allowing 8 earned runs and having only one clean inning, Burnett cruised through the first three innings. It looked like a long day for the local nine. In the fourth inning, the wheels started coming off for the guy who, until today, owned the Sox at Fenway. He loaded the bases on a Pedey walk, Papi foul out, a Youk single, and a JD walk. Bay singled to drive in one run. Lowell whiffed, then up came Tek with two outs. The Sox were hungry for some salami and salami the captain delivered! Right into the Yankees bullpen! Sox now within a run. Beckett has his one clean inning and Jake knots the score in the bottom of the fifth with a long ball of his own, his first of the year. Pedey singles, and up comes Papi, who had lately been looking as if maybe the 100-year-old batboy Big Pappy should be pinch-hitting for him. That is, until he hit a wall-ball double and advanced Pedey to third. Youk got plunked and the bases were loaded again. This time, JD was up. He put one on the ground right at Teixeira, who pulled a Pedey and threw home. Posada threw back to first to complete the double play, the third one JD's grounded into in this series. Luckily for JD and the rest of the team, the inning wasn't over; there were only two outs. Here comes J-Bay. He knocks one high off the wall for a 2-run double. Sox are now ahead for the first time in the game.
Had the rest of the game not proceeded like it had, Tito would have come under a lot of fire for what happened in the sixth inning. After a quick fifth, Beckett came back for the 6th, even with a pitch count topping 100. He walks Jeter, which I thought would mean the hook for him, but he was left in to face another batter. Johnny Damon, the former Sox outfielder who went to the dark side three seasons ago for more dough, took Beckett's 3-2 offering deep, tying the game again. I know it's April, but raise your hand if thoughts of Grady and Pedro didn't enter your mind at that moment. Manny Delcarmen came to the rescue and retired all three batters he faced and the Sox were on to the bottom half of the inning, trying to break another tie.
The rest of the game was a back-and-forth off the two bullpens. Mikey launched a three-run blast in the 7th and a bases-clearing double in the eighth. Pedey knocked Jacoby in before Mikey's 8th inning three-ribbie double. Paps made things interesting in the ninth, as he's been known to do lately, but he kept the score at 16-11 and the Sox come out of the four-hour slugfest with a series win and a nine-game winning streak. Tomorrow night, will Masterson be masterful in front of a national television audience, and will the Sox bats make Pettitte's stay on the mound a short one? Having taken the first two games of the season in comeback fashion, anything can happen for these Red Sox. Even when they get buzzsawed early in games, they've been coming back and claiming these games for themselves.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!! CONGRATS ON OUTSLUGGING THE BRONX BOMBERS!!!!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Youk Da Man!!!
Sox: 5 Thwarted Yanks: 4
It was your usual long, drawn-out Red Sox-Yankees game, drawn out a little longer than expected thanks to a game-tying dinger by J-Bay in the bottom of the ninth. Lester, while not shelled like in his first two starts, was not dominant like he was against the O's on Sunday. His command came and went and his frustration with the home plate ump made for some laborious innings. He only allowed two runs over six innings, however, and he kept his team in the game.
After a quick run in the first inning, scored on a single by Jake, a Joba balk, a steal of third, and a wild pitch, the Sox were held down for five innings, grounding into double play after double play (4 in all). JD didn't bring his A game to the plate tonight, grounding into two of those DPs and flying out with the bases loaded and two outs in between. He went 0-for-4 with a walk. J-Bay, however, did bring it, going 3-for-5 with that 2-run tater off of vaunted closer Mariano Rivera that broke his 0.00 ERA for the season and blew his save. Youk, who Joba was careful to avoid hitting, finished the job for the Sox in the 11th, crushing one into the last row of Monster seats and greeted at the plate by his ecstatic teammates for the hero's dogpile.
A performance worth noting from the pen: Manny Delcarmen, having inherited a bases-loaded no out mess of Oki's making in the 7th, retired the batters he faced in order, allowing Damon to score from third while Bay made a helluva diving catch for the second out. The first out was a shallow fly-out to left, which was not deep enough for Damon to score. He got Melky to ground out to escape the jam with only one run, averting what could have been a big inning for the Yanks. Javy pulled a Houdini act of his own after he hit a batter and walked the next two. Pedey bailed him out big-time with a heads-up throw home, which Tek turned into a double play by throwing to Youk at first. Cabrera popped out to end the inning, saving Javy's butt in the process.
Tomorrow, Beckett, having served his suspension, gets the start against AJ Burnett. This uplifting come-from-behind victory tonight hopefully set the tone for the rest of the series. It ain't over 'til Youk knocks it out of the park!
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
It was your usual long, drawn-out Red Sox-Yankees game, drawn out a little longer than expected thanks to a game-tying dinger by J-Bay in the bottom of the ninth. Lester, while not shelled like in his first two starts, was not dominant like he was against the O's on Sunday. His command came and went and his frustration with the home plate ump made for some laborious innings. He only allowed two runs over six innings, however, and he kept his team in the game.
After a quick run in the first inning, scored on a single by Jake, a Joba balk, a steal of third, and a wild pitch, the Sox were held down for five innings, grounding into double play after double play (4 in all). JD didn't bring his A game to the plate tonight, grounding into two of those DPs and flying out with the bases loaded and two outs in between. He went 0-for-4 with a walk. J-Bay, however, did bring it, going 3-for-5 with that 2-run tater off of vaunted closer Mariano Rivera that broke his 0.00 ERA for the season and blew his save. Youk, who Joba was careful to avoid hitting, finished the job for the Sox in the 11th, crushing one into the last row of Monster seats and greeted at the plate by his ecstatic teammates for the hero's dogpile.
A performance worth noting from the pen: Manny Delcarmen, having inherited a bases-loaded no out mess of Oki's making in the 7th, retired the batters he faced in order, allowing Damon to score from third while Bay made a helluva diving catch for the second out. The first out was a shallow fly-out to left, which was not deep enough for Damon to score. He got Melky to ground out to escape the jam with only one run, averting what could have been a big inning for the Yanks. Javy pulled a Houdini act of his own after he hit a batter and walked the next two. Pedey bailed him out big-time with a heads-up throw home, which Tek turned into a double play by throwing to Youk at first. Cabrera popped out to end the inning, saving Javy's butt in the process.
Tomorrow, Beckett, having served his suspension, gets the start against AJ Burnett. This uplifting come-from-behind victory tonight hopefully set the tone for the rest of the series. It ain't over 'til Youk knocks it out of the park!
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Twin Killing
Sox: 10 Twins: 1
Sox: 7 Twins 3
The Red Sox gave birthday boy Tito another reason to celebrate, with a sweep of the double-header against the Minnesota Twins. Since this double billing was the entirety of the series at Fenway against Minny, the Sox now have back-to-back sweeps and a seven-game winning streak. The man who started it all last week in Oakland, Tim Wakefield, was on the mound again today for the matinee and threw another complete game. A rain-shortened complete game, as he went 7 innings, giving up one run. For the stat geeks, Wake is now 2-0 in games pitched on a Wednesday afternoon in 2009.
The Red Sox' victim in the first game was Twins starter Scott Baker, who surrendered six Sox runs, in pairs, over the first three innings. Why pairs? Three two-run dingers, one per inning in the first third of the game. Youk went deep around the Pesky Pole in the first, Nick Green (who has a habit of using his bat to atone for the sins of his glove) hits his first homer as a Red Sox in the second, and Lowell puts one atop the Monster in the third. The rest of the runs were charged to the pen, who were in the midst of taking a beating reminiscent of Monday's throttling of the O's pen. Five hitters had multi-hit games: Jake, Papi, and Green with two apiece and Drew and Lowell with three apiece.
The nightcap had Jeff Bailey at first with Youk moving across the diamond to give Mikey the night off. Bails went deep in his first at-bat, knocking in three runs. Then, Papi added to the damage against Liriano with a 2-RBI double. The last two runs were scored by an RBI groundout by Jake and a sac fly by Pedey. Penny, who had a much improved outing over last Friday's 8-run debacle against the O's, was touched for three runs, including a Morneau homer. The bats have been there for Penny, bailing him out on Friday and giving him the victory tonight.
Friday night, the Yanks are coming to town. Jon Lester, who is flip-flopping his rotation spot with Beckett to allow for his teammate's suspension, will start for the Sox and the Yanks, electing to skip the banged-around Wang (darn it!) instead throw Joba out there. Will Youk have to duck and cover with his "nemesis" on the mound? And, if Joba should throw in the general direction of Youk's noggin, will MLB be evenhanded and hand him the same suspension they levied on Beckett? Without A-Rod around, will the boos for Sox-spurner Teixeira be loud enough for the both of them?
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Sox: 7 Twins 3
The Red Sox gave birthday boy Tito another reason to celebrate, with a sweep of the double-header against the Minnesota Twins. Since this double billing was the entirety of the series at Fenway against Minny, the Sox now have back-to-back sweeps and a seven-game winning streak. The man who started it all last week in Oakland, Tim Wakefield, was on the mound again today for the matinee and threw another complete game. A rain-shortened complete game, as he went 7 innings, giving up one run. For the stat geeks, Wake is now 2-0 in games pitched on a Wednesday afternoon in 2009.
The Red Sox' victim in the first game was Twins starter Scott Baker, who surrendered six Sox runs, in pairs, over the first three innings. Why pairs? Three two-run dingers, one per inning in the first third of the game. Youk went deep around the Pesky Pole in the first, Nick Green (who has a habit of using his bat to atone for the sins of his glove) hits his first homer as a Red Sox in the second, and Lowell puts one atop the Monster in the third. The rest of the runs were charged to the pen, who were in the midst of taking a beating reminiscent of Monday's throttling of the O's pen. Five hitters had multi-hit games: Jake, Papi, and Green with two apiece and Drew and Lowell with three apiece.
The nightcap had Jeff Bailey at first with Youk moving across the diamond to give Mikey the night off. Bails went deep in his first at-bat, knocking in three runs. Then, Papi added to the damage against Liriano with a 2-RBI double. The last two runs were scored by an RBI groundout by Jake and a sac fly by Pedey. Penny, who had a much improved outing over last Friday's 8-run debacle against the O's, was touched for three runs, including a Morneau homer. The bats have been there for Penny, bailing him out on Friday and giving him the victory tonight.
Friday night, the Yanks are coming to town. Jon Lester, who is flip-flopping his rotation spot with Beckett to allow for his teammate's suspension, will start for the Sox and the Yanks, electing to skip the banged-around Wang (darn it!) instead throw Joba out there. Will Youk have to duck and cover with his "nemesis" on the mound? And, if Joba should throw in the general direction of Youk's noggin, will MLB be evenhanded and hand him the same suspension they levied on Beckett? Without A-Rod around, will the boos for Sox-spurner Teixeira be loud enough for the both of them?
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Broomin' The Baltimore Birdies
Sweep Sox: 12 O's: 1
The first sweep of the season and it was a four-game stifling of the Baltimore Orioles, the last two games of which had the Birds limited to a single run per game. Masterson gave the Sox 5 1/3 very strong innings, surrendering one run and limiting the hits to singles. A scary moment for the O's happened in the third, when Masterson's pickoff throw to second struck third baseman Ryan Freel in the head, causing him to have to be helped off the field by the manager and trainer and leave the game. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests. Robert Andino took Freel's place at third.
O's starter Mark Hendrickson kept his team in the game for his five innings of work, allowing 3 Sox to cross the plate, including a right-handed dinger over the Monster by Tek. Their 'pen, however, imploded and allowed a total of 9 more runs. Radhames Liz, whom the Sox undoubtedly OWN only managed to record one out, while plating six and skyrocketing his ERA to an obscene 67.50. The Red Sox LOOOOVE to see Liz on the mound! The Sox 'pen, however, held the hapless O's scoreless while the offense piled it on. Masterson got the W and the Sox pulled off the sweep that got them one game over .500 after such a frustrating start.
The DL just got another member in Baldelli, whose hammy started barking when he legged out a three-base error. In other DL news, Lowrie will most likely need wrist surgery, but I'm hearing it may not cost him an entire season. He could be back by the all-star break if all goes well. Meanwhile, Lugo's headed to Pawtucket to get in some rehab starts as he makes his way back from his knee surgery.
The Twins come to town for two games tomorrow and Wednesday and this weekend, it's the first Sox-Yanks showdown of the 2009 season.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! CONGRATS ON THE SWEEP!!!
The first sweep of the season and it was a four-game stifling of the Baltimore Orioles, the last two games of which had the Birds limited to a single run per game. Masterson gave the Sox 5 1/3 very strong innings, surrendering one run and limiting the hits to singles. A scary moment for the O's happened in the third, when Masterson's pickoff throw to second struck third baseman Ryan Freel in the head, causing him to have to be helped off the field by the manager and trainer and leave the game. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests. Robert Andino took Freel's place at third.
O's starter Mark Hendrickson kept his team in the game for his five innings of work, allowing 3 Sox to cross the plate, including a right-handed dinger over the Monster by Tek. Their 'pen, however, imploded and allowed a total of 9 more runs. Radhames Liz, whom the Sox undoubtedly OWN only managed to record one out, while plating six and skyrocketing his ERA to an obscene 67.50. The Red Sox LOOOOVE to see Liz on the mound! The Sox 'pen, however, held the hapless O's scoreless while the offense piled it on. Masterson got the W and the Sox pulled off the sweep that got them one game over .500 after such a frustrating start.
The DL just got another member in Baldelli, whose hammy started barking when he legged out a three-base error. In other DL news, Lowrie will most likely need wrist surgery, but I'm hearing it may not cost him an entire season. He could be back by the all-star break if all goes well. Meanwhile, Lugo's headed to Pawtucket to get in some rehab starts as he makes his way back from his knee surgery.
The Twins come to town for two games tomorrow and Wednesday and this weekend, it's the first Sox-Yanks showdown of the 2009 season.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! CONGRATS ON THE SWEEP!!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
He's Back and He Still Owns the O's.
Sox: 2 Birds: 1
The Real Jon Lester emerged in today's win against the O's. The guy who pitched Lester's two previous starts (and the exhibition game against the Mets) and had an ERA of 9, we don't really know who he is, but the genuine article came to Fenway today and blanked the birdies over seven innings, walking two and allowing four hits. He fanned nine and reminded Red Sox Nation and the rest of the baseball world who the ace of the staff was last year. The game was a tight one, as O's hurler from the Far East, Koji Uehara, did a fine job of quieting the Sox bats and limiting Youk to one hit.
Papi, after getting two hits last night, was back to over-swinging and looking lost at the plate this afternoon. It might be beneficial to the team to switch Papi and JD in the lineup, as JD is a high OBP guy and batting him third would give the current offensive force that is Youk a chance to do more damage when he comes to the plate. If Youk has a year like he did last year, he's an excellent clean-up hitter and right now, he needs something to clean up, if you get my drift. Jake and Pedey are coming around, but Papi really isn't helping much out of the 3-hole right now. I understand Tito's loyalty to Papi and, based on all he has done for the team since he arrived six years ago, it's not undeserved. However, right now we're not sure what we'll get out of Papi and the offense might benefit more from putting an on-base guy like Drew (who thrived in the 3-hole last June in Papi's absence) there and move Papi to fifth. That would preserve the lefty-righty sequence in the lineup also.
Tomorrow, Masterson gets the nod in place of the DL-ed Dice-K in the Early Bird Special Patriot's Day game. Can the Sox continue their winning streak and pull off a sweep of the O's? They're playing a lot better ball lately and they've reached .500 with today's win. Let's hope they can keep it going.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!!
The Real Jon Lester emerged in today's win against the O's. The guy who pitched Lester's two previous starts (and the exhibition game against the Mets) and had an ERA of 9, we don't really know who he is, but the genuine article came to Fenway today and blanked the birdies over seven innings, walking two and allowing four hits. He fanned nine and reminded Red Sox Nation and the rest of the baseball world who the ace of the staff was last year. The game was a tight one, as O's hurler from the Far East, Koji Uehara, did a fine job of quieting the Sox bats and limiting Youk to one hit.
Papi, after getting two hits last night, was back to over-swinging and looking lost at the plate this afternoon. It might be beneficial to the team to switch Papi and JD in the lineup, as JD is a high OBP guy and batting him third would give the current offensive force that is Youk a chance to do more damage when he comes to the plate. If Youk has a year like he did last year, he's an excellent clean-up hitter and right now, he needs something to clean up, if you get my drift. Jake and Pedey are coming around, but Papi really isn't helping much out of the 3-hole right now. I understand Tito's loyalty to Papi and, based on all he has done for the team since he arrived six years ago, it's not undeserved. However, right now we're not sure what we'll get out of Papi and the offense might benefit more from putting an on-base guy like Drew (who thrived in the 3-hole last June in Papi's absence) there and move Papi to fifth. That would preserve the lefty-righty sequence in the lineup also.
Tomorrow, Masterson gets the nod in place of the DL-ed Dice-K in the Early Bird Special Patriot's Day game. Can the Sox continue their winning streak and pull off a sweep of the O's? They're playing a lot better ball lately and they've reached .500 with today's win. Let's hope they can keep it going.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Long and Short of It
Sox: 6 Birdies: 4
The long: Beckett's fifth inning, where he gave up 4 runs to the Baltimore boys on a RWI (is there a stat for runs walked in, or did I just make it up?) and a bases-clearing double by a first baseman referred to by the O's radio announcers as--I kid you not--"Huff Daddy." The short: Youk coming a triple short of the cycle on a night that netted him 4 ribbies, or two thirds of the Sox run tally for the night. The other two RBI belong to Tek and Lowell, the latter of whom is tied with Bay for the lead in the Red Sox Ribbie Race with 10 apiece.
Beckett had a somewhat lopsided outing, being effective in every inning but the laborious fifth, where he was channeling Brad Penny from last night's second inning, but with less damage. He bounced back nicely in the sixth with a 1-2-3. The Sox chased O's starter Adam Eaton after four innings and six runs.
In other news around the division, the Yanks got knocked into next week by the Tribe at the brand spankin' new Yankee Stadium II: The Steinbrenner Edition. 22-4, my friends, 22-4! And if we thought last night's 7-run attack by the O's in the second inning was bad, try doubling that number and you get the Tribe's second inning against the Yanks. Holy one-sided slugfest, Batman!
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!
The long: Beckett's fifth inning, where he gave up 4 runs to the Baltimore boys on a RWI (is there a stat for runs walked in, or did I just make it up?) and a bases-clearing double by a first baseman referred to by the O's radio announcers as--I kid you not--"Huff Daddy." The short: Youk coming a triple short of the cycle on a night that netted him 4 ribbies, or two thirds of the Sox run tally for the night. The other two RBI belong to Tek and Lowell, the latter of whom is tied with Bay for the lead in the Red Sox Ribbie Race with 10 apiece.
Beckett had a somewhat lopsided outing, being effective in every inning but the laborious fifth, where he was channeling Brad Penny from last night's second inning, but with less damage. He bounced back nicely in the sixth with a 1-2-3. The Sox chased O's starter Adam Eaton after four innings and six runs.
In other news around the division, the Yanks got knocked into next week by the Tribe at the brand spankin' new Yankee Stadium II: The Steinbrenner Edition. 22-4, my friends, 22-4! And if we thought last night's 7-run attack by the O's in the second inning was bad, try doubling that number and you get the Tribe's second inning against the Yanks. Holy one-sided slugfest, Batman!
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!
7 Runs Down in 2nd? No Problem!
Sox: 10 O's: 8
The top of the second inning was brutal, and that's putting it mildly. Penny was on the mound and in need of a GPS to find the strike zone. The O's were filling the bases like it was going out of style and Penny had walked in not only one, but two runs, with an RBI single sandwiched in between. Then, Nick Markakis dealt what at the the time seemed like the death blow, a grand salami to make the score 7-0. 7-0...sound familiar? 2008 ALCS Game 5 anyone? Apparently to the Red Sox, 7-0 is a call to arms. Or, shall we say, a call to bats! In the bottom of that very same inning, the Sox began giving it back to O's starter Jeremy Guthrie. To the tune of 4 runs. The O's scored one more run after Penny's leadoff baserunner in the fourth was plated by a hit surrendered by reliever Manny Delcarmen. MDC allowed no earned runs of his own, however, and kept the O's tally at 8 while the Sox chipped away at the deficit and, on a 2 RBI double by Nick Green, tied the score. Guthrie was history and the game was left to the bullpens. The Sox tacked on two more runs off the O's pen and the Sox pen held the O's in check.
The big bats tonight were JD and J-Bay. Each had a homer. Bay had 3 RBI, with a 2-run blast in the second and a sac fly in the sixth. JD was on base all night, going 2 for 2 with 3 walks, his second hit being a triple. His one blemish on the night was running into an out in the eighth when he was caught trying to steal second. Green pitched in with 2 hits and the aforementioned RBI double. Pedey went 3 for 4, with one of his hits resulting in him sliding into first. Balls were bouncing off of O's infielders (and second base!) like they were made of rubber. The Sox offense, after starting to show some life in Wednesday's Waketacular, went to town on O's pitching and we can only hope this will continue all weekend.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
The top of the second inning was brutal, and that's putting it mildly. Penny was on the mound and in need of a GPS to find the strike zone. The O's were filling the bases like it was going out of style and Penny had walked in not only one, but two runs, with an RBI single sandwiched in between. Then, Nick Markakis dealt what at the the time seemed like the death blow, a grand salami to make the score 7-0. 7-0...sound familiar? 2008 ALCS Game 5 anyone? Apparently to the Red Sox, 7-0 is a call to arms. Or, shall we say, a call to bats! In the bottom of that very same inning, the Sox began giving it back to O's starter Jeremy Guthrie. To the tune of 4 runs. The O's scored one more run after Penny's leadoff baserunner in the fourth was plated by a hit surrendered by reliever Manny Delcarmen. MDC allowed no earned runs of his own, however, and kept the O's tally at 8 while the Sox chipped away at the deficit and, on a 2 RBI double by Nick Green, tied the score. Guthrie was history and the game was left to the bullpens. The Sox tacked on two more runs off the O's pen and the Sox pen held the O's in check.
The big bats tonight were JD and J-Bay. Each had a homer. Bay had 3 RBI, with a 2-run blast in the second and a sac fly in the sixth. JD was on base all night, going 2 for 2 with 3 walks, his second hit being a triple. His one blemish on the night was running into an out in the eighth when he was caught trying to steal second. Green pitched in with 2 hits and the aforementioned RBI double. Pedey went 3 for 4, with one of his hits resulting in him sliding into first. Balls were bouncing off of O's infielders (and second base!) like they were made of rubber. The Sox offense, after starting to show some life in Wednesday's Waketacular, went to town on O's pitching and we can only hope this will continue all weekend.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Whole Nine Innings: Starring Tim Wakefield
Sox: 8 A's: 2
Sorry for lack of blogs the past few days. With the way the games were going, I felt I didn't have much new to say. Just a broken record about the scuffling offense. However, today's game was a different story. After a four and a half hour late night marathon/debacle last night resulting in a 6-5 loss for the Sox, the 'pen was taxed and a long, quality start was an absolute must for today's game. Wake was the pitcher charged with making that happen and make it happen he did. He had a no-no going for 7 1/3 innings, throwing fewer pitches in the first five innings than the recently DL-ed Dice-K threw in the first inning last night. The knuckleball was knuckling and Wake was locked in. The free-swinging A's hit into outs quickly and Wake had several innings with less than 10 pitches. Why, those A's were looking a little like...the Red Sox so far this season before the Sox' 6-run outburst in the eighth. Six runs, folks! That's more runs in one inning than the Sox had scored in an ENTIRE GAME this season before today!
While the Sox were giving Wake a healthy dose of run support, starting with Papi's first extra base hit of the season, Wake was waiting and having time to think about what he had done so far. Youk was put on intentionally and Drew made 'em pay for that move (and being buzzed by the pitcher) by going yard for a 3-run dinger! Add that to Mikey Lowell's 2-run shot in the second and that's 5 runs. Then, Bay walks, Lowell singles, Green singles home Bay, Kottaras (who hit a double earlier in the game) walks and Jake connects for his first two RBI of the season. Pedey, the only one without a hit today, ends the inning, but six runs scored and the Sox took an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th.
Wake took the mound in the bottom of the 8th after waiting through eleven batters and a pitching change. The wait took its toll, as Wake allowed the leadoff hitter a walk and then Kurt Suzuki, who has some sort of Red Sox hitting streak going, just had to keep that streak alive and break up Wake's no-hitter by knocking a single to left with one out. Rookie Landon Powell added another hit to the mix and scored Mark Ellis, who walked. Saito began warming in the pen, but sat down after Wake retired two more hitters and came out again for the ninth, having thrown less than 100 pitches. He made it through the ninth, allowing two more hits and his line for this clutch effort is 9 IP, 4 H 2 R 2 BB 4 K While it's tough to lose a no-hitter when coming so close, Wake did exactly what his team needed today and pitched one of the best games of his career. It was definitely one of the best games I've seen him pitch. Today's performance is a reminder that Wake is still valuable to this team. His maturity and experience helped right the ship and the offense responded to his effort by giving him 8 runs. This game ended a frustrating road trip on a high note and hopefully this will carry over to their homestand, which begins on Friday against the O's.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!! CONGRATS TO WAKE FOR A COMPLETE GAME!
Sorry for lack of blogs the past few days. With the way the games were going, I felt I didn't have much new to say. Just a broken record about the scuffling offense. However, today's game was a different story. After a four and a half hour late night marathon/debacle last night resulting in a 6-5 loss for the Sox, the 'pen was taxed and a long, quality start was an absolute must for today's game. Wake was the pitcher charged with making that happen and make it happen he did. He had a no-no going for 7 1/3 innings, throwing fewer pitches in the first five innings than the recently DL-ed Dice-K threw in the first inning last night. The knuckleball was knuckling and Wake was locked in. The free-swinging A's hit into outs quickly and Wake had several innings with less than 10 pitches. Why, those A's were looking a little like...the Red Sox so far this season before the Sox' 6-run outburst in the eighth. Six runs, folks! That's more runs in one inning than the Sox had scored in an ENTIRE GAME this season before today!
While the Sox were giving Wake a healthy dose of run support, starting with Papi's first extra base hit of the season, Wake was waiting and having time to think about what he had done so far. Youk was put on intentionally and Drew made 'em pay for that move (and being buzzed by the pitcher) by going yard for a 3-run dinger! Add that to Mikey Lowell's 2-run shot in the second and that's 5 runs. Then, Bay walks, Lowell singles, Green singles home Bay, Kottaras (who hit a double earlier in the game) walks and Jake connects for his first two RBI of the season. Pedey, the only one without a hit today, ends the inning, but six runs scored and the Sox took an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th.
Wake took the mound in the bottom of the 8th after waiting through eleven batters and a pitching change. The wait took its toll, as Wake allowed the leadoff hitter a walk and then Kurt Suzuki, who has some sort of Red Sox hitting streak going, just had to keep that streak alive and break up Wake's no-hitter by knocking a single to left with one out. Rookie Landon Powell added another hit to the mix and scored Mark Ellis, who walked. Saito began warming in the pen, but sat down after Wake retired two more hitters and came out again for the ninth, having thrown less than 100 pitches. He made it through the ninth, allowing two more hits and his line for this clutch effort is 9 IP, 4 H 2 R 2 BB 4 K While it's tough to lose a no-hitter when coming so close, Wake did exactly what his team needed today and pitched one of the best games of his career. It was definitely one of the best games I've seen him pitch. Today's performance is a reminder that Wake is still valuable to this team. His maturity and experience helped right the ship and the offense responded to his effort by giving him 8 runs. This game ended a frustrating road trip on a high note and hopefully this will carry over to their homestand, which begins on Friday against the O's.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!! CONGRATS TO WAKE FOR A COMPLETE GAME!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Clawing Their Way Back
Sox: 5 Halos: 4
So how long was the line to get on this roller coaster? It was a game full of ups and downs for the Sox as they squeaked out a win, with Paps managing to Dice-K his way out of a bases loaded jam in an agonizing bottom of the ninth. The game started with the Sox continuing their frustrating pattern of squandering opportunities at the plate. Jake led off with a hit, then snatched second, but got a little overzealous trying for third and got caught in a rundown. Running into an out is never a good thing, especially when the team's in a run-scoring slump. Grounding into double-plays is another fine way to ensure more offensive futility and there were two of those today, courtesy of Jake and Mikey. But, Mikey redeemed himself in the 5th by taking a Saunders pitch yard for a two-run shot. The hero of the game has to be J-Bay, who saw Mike Napoli go deep twice and thought it might be a good idea to do the same thing. Bay also made a highly unusual catch in left, robbing Torii Hunter of extra bases. The ball snow-coned into his glove, fell out, and then fell back into his glove. Whether or not it touched the wall in between we'll never know, but the second base ump ruled it an out.
Penny had a quality outing, throwing six innings and giving up 3 runs. His nemesis on the Angels' squad has to be Napoli, who homered off of him twice. His velocity was good, which bodes well for the Red Sox. How he feels after this start will be another indication of what they might be able to expect out of him this season. Ramon Ramirez was sharp again in relief, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Pap got an easy third out in the eighth, but made the ninth inning all kinds of interesting (and maddening!) by letting Torii Hunter knock one out and Kendry Morales double before recording his first out on Juan Rivera. He handed out a freebie to Napoli, whiffed Erick Aybar, another freebie to Chone Figgins (thank goodness Figgy couldn't steal with the bases loaded) before Howie Kendrick came to the plate. Kendrick gave Papelbon fits as he fouled off something like nine pitches in a row before finally flying out to right and giving the Sox their first win since Opening Day.
Tomorrow, Beckett's back on the mound and we hope he's the same Beckett we saw on Tuesday. If so, the Sox have a very good chance of climbing back to .500.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
So how long was the line to get on this roller coaster? It was a game full of ups and downs for the Sox as they squeaked out a win, with Paps managing to Dice-K his way out of a bases loaded jam in an agonizing bottom of the ninth. The game started with the Sox continuing their frustrating pattern of squandering opportunities at the plate. Jake led off with a hit, then snatched second, but got a little overzealous trying for third and got caught in a rundown. Running into an out is never a good thing, especially when the team's in a run-scoring slump. Grounding into double-plays is another fine way to ensure more offensive futility and there were two of those today, courtesy of Jake and Mikey. But, Mikey redeemed himself in the 5th by taking a Saunders pitch yard for a two-run shot. The hero of the game has to be J-Bay, who saw Mike Napoli go deep twice and thought it might be a good idea to do the same thing. Bay also made a highly unusual catch in left, robbing Torii Hunter of extra bases. The ball snow-coned into his glove, fell out, and then fell back into his glove. Whether or not it touched the wall in between we'll never know, but the second base ump ruled it an out.
Penny had a quality outing, throwing six innings and giving up 3 runs. His nemesis on the Angels' squad has to be Napoli, who homered off of him twice. His velocity was good, which bodes well for the Red Sox. How he feels after this start will be another indication of what they might be able to expect out of him this season. Ramon Ramirez was sharp again in relief, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Pap got an easy third out in the eighth, but made the ninth inning all kinds of interesting (and maddening!) by letting Torii Hunter knock one out and Kendry Morales double before recording his first out on Juan Rivera. He handed out a freebie to Napoli, whiffed Erick Aybar, another freebie to Chone Figgins (thank goodness Figgy couldn't steal with the bases loaded) before Howie Kendrick came to the plate. Kendrick gave Papelbon fits as he fouled off something like nine pitches in a row before finally flying out to right and giving the Sox their first win since Opening Day.
Tomorrow, Beckett's back on the mound and we hope he's the same Beckett we saw on Tuesday. If so, the Sox have a very good chance of climbing back to .500.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Offense, Where Art Thou?
Sox: 3 Angels: 6
With this loss, the Sox are officially in the AL East cellar. Yes, it's only four games into their season and standings at this time of year are as meaningless as a Spring Training game, but can we PLEASE score some more runs here? Wake had a mixed-bag kind of outing, but only allowed three runs. Yet, he continues to be the victim of crappy run support. Masterson, who is usually pretty sharp and can produce double-play balls on cue, was apparently possessed by his evil embedded Yankee (or embedded Angel) twin who goes by the handle of "Disasterson" and allowed the Halos to double the score.
Now for our MIA bats. Jake, though he did hit into a double play, went 2 for 3, snagged a bag, and advanced to third on an errant throw. Pedey roped a double in the 8th and snagged a bag of his own, but his bat was silent earlier on. Kottaras, making his first major league start behind the plate managed a single, as did Mikey. Youk has cooled down a bit, but he went 1 for 3. The 0-fer club consists of Big Papi, J-Bay, J.D. and Lowrie, who is 1 for the season so far. Papi does deserve some credit for a sac fly, however. Oh, young Lowrie, where hast thy bat gone? When you make us wonder how long it will be before Lugo's back, something's just not right.
It was nice to see the tributes to Nick Adenhart in Angel Stadium, including the "34" on the mound and his jersey in the dugout. This had to be a very hard game for the Angels to play, the first one played since the tragedy and they got a win for the kid. Frustrating for the Sox to lose another one, but an uplifting win for the Angels.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
With this loss, the Sox are officially in the AL East cellar. Yes, it's only four games into their season and standings at this time of year are as meaningless as a Spring Training game, but can we PLEASE score some more runs here? Wake had a mixed-bag kind of outing, but only allowed three runs. Yet, he continues to be the victim of crappy run support. Masterson, who is usually pretty sharp and can produce double-play balls on cue, was apparently possessed by his evil embedded Yankee (or embedded Angel) twin who goes by the handle of "Disasterson" and allowed the Halos to double the score.
Now for our MIA bats. Jake, though he did hit into a double play, went 2 for 3, snagged a bag, and advanced to third on an errant throw. Pedey roped a double in the 8th and snagged a bag of his own, but his bat was silent earlier on. Kottaras, making his first major league start behind the plate managed a single, as did Mikey. Youk has cooled down a bit, but he went 1 for 3. The 0-fer club consists of Big Papi, J-Bay, J.D. and Lowrie, who is 1 for the season so far. Papi does deserve some credit for a sac fly, however. Oh, young Lowrie, where hast thy bat gone? When you make us wonder how long it will be before Lugo's back, something's just not right.
It was nice to see the tributes to Nick Adenhart in Angel Stadium, including the "34" on the mound and his jersey in the dugout. This had to be a very hard game for the Angels to play, the first one played since the tragedy and they got a win for the kid. Frustrating for the Sox to lose another one, but an uplifting win for the Angels.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Ball Meets Glove. Sox Go Down.
Sox: 3 Rays: 4
I've had just about enough of the Tampa Bay Rays, thank you very much. Especially their outfielders, who thwarted the Sox bats time and again this afternoon, their gloves gobbling up fly ball after fly ball. Even MVPedey's day at the plate ended in futility, going 0-for-5. Lowrie left his bat in Fort Myers, it seems. Or maybe in Citi Field, where he knocked a grand salami off of Oliver Perez last Saturday. Youk, however, had his second 3-hit game in a row. Aside from an RBI triple by Bay and the second Tek homer of the series, Youk was the team's one-man offense. Tek gets special kudos for working on his swing from the left side and bringing the pop back. Even if his average stays low, if he can knock some homers every now and then...
Dice-K was letting them fly today, giving up 3 dingers in the 5 1/3 innings he pitched. He K'ed more batters than he walked, but those long balls put the hurtin' on him and the team. MDC came on in the sixth in relief of Dice, and got the two outs he needed, but got all walky when he came out again in the seventh. Ramon Ramirez, of the flawless inning in yesterday's game, bailed MDC out big-time when he induced a double play to get out of the inning. He went on to pitch a flawless eighth. So far so good for the guy the Sox got when they shipped Coco to Kansas City.
Tomorrow night's a night-owl special as the Sox go west for their first encounter with the Angels. Right now, the Angels are in my thoughts and prayers after the tragic loss of their young pitcher Nick Adenhart in a car accident last night, hours after he threw six shutout innings against Oakland. He was just 22 years old. So young and full of promise. He had earned a spot in the rotation when several of the Halos starters turned up injured to start the season. Now, all we can do is wonder what could have been:-(
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!
Rest In Peace, Nick Adenhart.
I've had just about enough of the Tampa Bay Rays, thank you very much. Especially their outfielders, who thwarted the Sox bats time and again this afternoon, their gloves gobbling up fly ball after fly ball. Even MVPedey's day at the plate ended in futility, going 0-for-5. Lowrie left his bat in Fort Myers, it seems. Or maybe in Citi Field, where he knocked a grand salami off of Oliver Perez last Saturday. Youk, however, had his second 3-hit game in a row. Aside from an RBI triple by Bay and the second Tek homer of the series, Youk was the team's one-man offense. Tek gets special kudos for working on his swing from the left side and bringing the pop back. Even if his average stays low, if he can knock some homers every now and then...
Dice-K was letting them fly today, giving up 3 dingers in the 5 1/3 innings he pitched. He K'ed more batters than he walked, but those long balls put the hurtin' on him and the team. MDC came on in the sixth in relief of Dice, and got the two outs he needed, but got all walky when he came out again in the seventh. Ramon Ramirez, of the flawless inning in yesterday's game, bailed MDC out big-time when he induced a double play to get out of the inning. He went on to pitch a flawless eighth. So far so good for the guy the Sox got when they shipped Coco to Kansas City.
Tomorrow night's a night-owl special as the Sox go west for their first encounter with the Angels. Right now, the Angels are in my thoughts and prayers after the tragic loss of their young pitcher Nick Adenhart in a car accident last night, hours after he threw six shutout innings against Oakland. He was just 22 years old. So young and full of promise. He had earned a spot in the rotation when several of the Halos starters turned up injured to start the season. Now, all we can do is wonder what could have been:-(
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!
Rest In Peace, Nick Adenhart.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Fizzle in the Fenway Hizzle
Sox: 2 Rays: 7
Allow me to compare my beloved baseball team's game today to a soda bottle whose cap has been left off too long. Fizzle, fizzle, fizzle...FLAT! After yesterday's terrific, feel-good opener, the Sox fell short today. Lester started out strong, striking out 5 in the first two innings. A throwing error by Youk in the third led to the Rays scoring their first run. However, Lester escaped further damage by getting Longoria to ground into a twin killer. Lester set down the side in order in the fourth, thanks to a diving play in right by Rocco, robbing his former teammate Dioner Navarro of a hit. In the fifth, however, the wheels came off. He walked former Red Sox Gabe Kapler and then a hit and run single by Iwamura advanced Kapler to third. Bartlett pulled off a safety squeeze bunt and Lester took a mental holiday, throwing to a surprised Tek at home instead of getting the sure out at first. To make matters worse, Haverhill boy Carlos Pena takes him yard after a double play scored the third Rays run. A four-run fifth inning for the pesky Rays. Ouch!
The Sox bats, they were plumb tired after yesterday's festivities. They took some free passes from Kaz, but the hits were few and far between, and when they happened, they weren't all that timely. They managed to scrape together two runs, but left too many guys to languish on the sacks. Deja Game 7, anyone? But, let's not be too hard on our Sox; it's only game 2 of 162 and no team ever goes 162-0. Being 1-1 sure beats where those Bronx boys are right now, doesn't it?
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Allow me to compare my beloved baseball team's game today to a soda bottle whose cap has been left off too long. Fizzle, fizzle, fizzle...FLAT! After yesterday's terrific, feel-good opener, the Sox fell short today. Lester started out strong, striking out 5 in the first two innings. A throwing error by Youk in the third led to the Rays scoring their first run. However, Lester escaped further damage by getting Longoria to ground into a twin killer. Lester set down the side in order in the fourth, thanks to a diving play in right by Rocco, robbing his former teammate Dioner Navarro of a hit. In the fifth, however, the wheels came off. He walked former Red Sox Gabe Kapler and then a hit and run single by Iwamura advanced Kapler to third. Bartlett pulled off a safety squeeze bunt and Lester took a mental holiday, throwing to a surprised Tek at home instead of getting the sure out at first. To make matters worse, Haverhill boy Carlos Pena takes him yard after a double play scored the third Rays run. A four-run fifth inning for the pesky Rays. Ouch!
The Sox bats, they were plumb tired after yesterday's festivities. They took some free passes from Kaz, but the hits were few and far between, and when they happened, they weren't all that timely. They managed to scrape together two runs, but left too many guys to languish on the sacks. Deja Game 7, anyone? But, let's not be too hard on our Sox; it's only game 2 of 162 and no team ever goes 162-0. Being 1-1 sure beats where those Bronx boys are right now, doesn't it?
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Grand Opening!
Sox: 5 Rays: 3
The Red Sox got the '09 Season off to a good start with a victory over division rival Rays today on Opening Day at Fenway Park. After a nice, albeit ringless, opening ceremony, Josh Beckett took the mound and looked every bit like the Josh Beckett that dominated in '07, making quick work of the Rays in the first inning. Bottom of the first, Jake whiffs, but Pedey, always one to start off with a bang, delivers a ball into the monster seats and takes his jog around the bases to give the Sox their first run. Papi follows Pedey with a single to center. Youk flies out, Drew doubles, Bay walks, and the bases are loaded. Mikey Lowell comes up and ends the inning with pop-up to Navarro.
Beckett coasts through the second inning, but hits a speed bump in the third, walking two batters in a row and giving up a run via Carl Crawford's sac fly. In the bottom of the third, the Sox add three more runs when Pedey walks, Papi flies out, Youk hits a single, Drew grounds out, driving in Pedey, Bay singles, Lowell doubles, and Lowrie singles. Things aren't looking too good for Shields, who seems to have the most trouble in odd-numbered innings this game. Beckett settles down, and Shields does, too, but not for long. After Tek goes yard in the bottom of the 6th, Shields is outta there.
After Beckett pitches 7 innings of 1-run, 2-hit ball, Oki comes on for the 8th. He gets off to a very shaky start, hitting one batter and walking the next. He K's Crawford, then is lifted for Masterson. With Masterson on the mound, the inherited runners double-steal, putting both of them in scoring position for Longoria's single to right. Masterson recovers by fanning Pena for the infamous Golden Sombrero and getting Burrell to fly out to right.
9th inning in a save situation: It's Papelbon Time. He sets down the side in order to grab his first save of the season and put the Red Sox in the win column.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
The Red Sox got the '09 Season off to a good start with a victory over division rival Rays today on Opening Day at Fenway Park. After a nice, albeit ringless, opening ceremony, Josh Beckett took the mound and looked every bit like the Josh Beckett that dominated in '07, making quick work of the Rays in the first inning. Bottom of the first, Jake whiffs, but Pedey, always one to start off with a bang, delivers a ball into the monster seats and takes his jog around the bases to give the Sox their first run. Papi follows Pedey with a single to center. Youk flies out, Drew doubles, Bay walks, and the bases are loaded. Mikey Lowell comes up and ends the inning with pop-up to Navarro.
Beckett coasts through the second inning, but hits a speed bump in the third, walking two batters in a row and giving up a run via Carl Crawford's sac fly. In the bottom of the third, the Sox add three more runs when Pedey walks, Papi flies out, Youk hits a single, Drew grounds out, driving in Pedey, Bay singles, Lowell doubles, and Lowrie singles. Things aren't looking too good for Shields, who seems to have the most trouble in odd-numbered innings this game. Beckett settles down, and Shields does, too, but not for long. After Tek goes yard in the bottom of the 6th, Shields is outta there.
After Beckett pitches 7 innings of 1-run, 2-hit ball, Oki comes on for the 8th. He gets off to a very shaky start, hitting one batter and walking the next. He K's Crawford, then is lifted for Masterson. With Masterson on the mound, the inherited runners double-steal, putting both of them in scoring position for Longoria's single to right. Masterson recovers by fanning Pena for the infamous Golden Sombrero and getting Burrell to fly out to right.
9th inning in a save situation: It's Papelbon Time. He sets down the side in order to grab his first save of the season and put the Red Sox in the win column.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
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