Let's Take This Show On The Road

To say it was an awesome weekend for the Red Sox would be an understatement. Going into Saturday's game, the team was 2-10 and completely woebegone. Nothing was working for them, neither on the mound, at the plate, or in the field. This weekend, we started to see the team we were hoping to see from Opening Day. On Saturday, Beckett continued on his way back to ace-dom with another Commander Kick-Ass outing, going 8 innings and giving up one run. On Sunday, Lester also kept the Jays to a single run. Today, it looked like either Beckett or Lester were pitching in a Dice-K suit--since he's a righty, I'll go with Beckett. Dice-K was the Dr. Jekyll version (Peter Abraham of the Globe called Matsuzaka "Trick or Treat"), commanding the strike zone and leaving the Jays stymied. He wasn't throwing them right down the middle like his 100% Pure Mr. Hyde start last Monday against the Rays, but painting the corners. When he has outings like these, we all wonder why he can't pitch like this more often.

Meanwhile, the offense, which put up 8 runs yesterday, continued to put its collective funk in the past and put up a 9-spot. Jed Lowrie, who is raking up a storm, lead the pack with 4 RBIs, the first 2 coming on a bases-loaded single in the 1st inning and the second 2 on a dinger in the 5th. Youk, who came within an inch or two of a homer in the 3rd, didn't miss the second time he hit the ball to right field. The ball landed in the Jays' pen for a 2-run shot. Then, in the 7th, Ells went yard for the second game in a row. He now leads the team in homers with 4. Papi's single plated Youk in the 3rd. Even he of the epic slump, Carl Crawford, plated a run when his wall-ball double scored Lowrie from first. It's clear Lowrie needs to remain in the game while his bat is scorching hot. With two lefties on the mound in Oakland, it's an absolute necessity, as Lowrie batting from the right side is a bona-fide lefty-killer. For Lowrie, being healthy and able to contribute at a high level is great to see. The wrist injury and the mono are behind him now and the real Jed Lowrie has emerged. He won't keep hitting over .500, that's for sure, but he'll be one of the better bats at shortstop.

Now, it's time to take this winning streak and better baseball on the road. The Sox have yet to win away from Fenway and West Coast trips have been tough on them in the past, but I'm hoping they can carry some momentum with them to Oakland. If good pitching is as contagious as bad pitching, let's hope Lackey caught the bug!