Fenway West - The Boston Red Sox Western Home: 6/7/09 - 6/14/09

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Red Sox Win Slugfest in Philly

The Red Sox quickly put 5 on the board out of the gate but the rain then started to fall and the tarp was on the field before the 2nd inning. After the delay Dice-K took the mound and unfortunately the 2009 post WBC Dice-K showed up and got knocked around. Matsuzaka gave up 4 runs on 7 hits including 2 home runs in 4 innings so the tired bullpen had to step up. Delcarmen and Oki each gave up runs in relief but RR and Paps kept the Phils at bay.

The Red Sox offense provided plenty of fireworks let by Julio Lugo's 4 hits. Bay and Ells each had homers and Mike Lowell went 3-4 in the game. With the Yankees loss to the Mets today the Sox now have a 3 game lead in the A.L. East and have a 5 game winning streak going.

Red Sox Win 11-6 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	5	0	0	0	3	0	2	0	1	11	13	0
Phillies	0	0	1	3	1	0	1	0	0	6	13	3

Red Sox May Delay Smoltz's Arrival

John Smoltz was not light's out in his last start with the PawSox so the team is not sure they want him to start Thursday's game vs. the Marlins. If Smoltz does not start at Fenway on Thursday he will start with the PawSox. It makes sense to have him go one more in Pawtuckett since the team has Penny pitching well. There are two factors that are influencing this decision; the first is what happens tonight. If Dice-K gets shelled and has to be pulled early then Wake will be the go to guy. This would open a spot in the rotation for Smoltz this week. The other factor is the trade market, the Sox are looking for the best possible deal for Penny and are not going to rush into a bad one just to make room for Smoltz. All things considered not a bad situation to be in.

Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 6/13 vs. the Phillies

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

Kevin Youkilis, 1B

Jason Bay, LF

Mike Lowell, 3B

Rocco Baldelli, RF

Jason Varitek, C

Julio Lugo, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, P

Red Sox Need a Long Outing From Dice-K

Last night's game used up most of the Red Sox bullpen; Oki, RR, Masterson, Saito and Bard all pitched. That leaves just MDC and Paps with fresh arms. Dice-K has the well known problem of throwing a ton of pitches early and not going very deep into games. The Sox really need him to step up big tonight. With the Brad Penny trade rumors, Dice-K has flown under the radar with his 1 win and 7.33 ERA. If Matsuzaka struggles again tonight the Sox are going to find themselves in a difficult situation; trading Penny might be more risky and fans will be vocal about bringing up Buchholz for Dice-K's spot in the rotation. In the end if Dice-K can get into the 7th tonight with a solid outing all of the other speculation will not matter and Red Sox fans will sleep easy.

John Henry Gets in Teixeira's Head

As the Red Sox were sweeping the Yankees, Red Sox owner John Henry wrote, "the MT curse?" referring to Mark Teixeira on his twitter account. When Teixeira found out about the remark he told reporters the following:

"There's no reason to get into it with a 70-year-old man about baseball."

John Henry is 60 years old so Teixeira is obviously trying to get into it with him. When told of Henry's email to WEEI saying it was "purely entertainement Nothing more. I don't believe in curses." Teixeira responded with:

"You guys make the decision," Teixeira said to the reporters around his locker. "Whose reputation looks better right now?"

Guessing by the boos Teixeira gets in Baltimore, Boston, and Anaheim I am guessing that Henry's reputation looks better now. John Henry had one more thing for Tex:

After reading his heartfelt quotes I turned to Shakespeare for a response, but was worried he, too, might take offense.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Red Sox Win a Thriller in Philly

Jon Lester deserved a win tonight after going 7 innings and giving up just 1 run on 2 hits. The Red Sox took a 1 run lead into the 9th without the option of going to Papelbon who was given the night off because of all of his recent work. Tito went with RR to close out the game but for his second straight appearance he gave up a home run. The game stayed tied until the 13th when with one out, Bay and Lugo singled. Tek walked to load the bases and Ells broke up the tie with a single. Green brought in Lugo with a sac-fly and then Lowell brought in Tek with a hit. Bard came in for the bottom of the 13th and struck out the side after giving up a walk and hitting a batter.

The Sox were very lucky when two balls hit by the Phils in extra innings went foul and just missed being walk-offs. Boston used 6 pitchers in the game and Saito was credited with the win.

Red Sox Win 5-2 BOX SCORE

	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	R	H	E
Red Sox	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	5	11	0
Phillies	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	0

Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 6/12 vs. the Phillies

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

J.D. Drew, RF

Kevin Youkilis, 3B

Jason Bay, LF

David Ortiz, 1B

Jason Varitek, C

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

Nick Green, SS

Jon Lester, P

Night Moves For Youk?

The Beard of Truth has spoken:

Kevin "Night Moves Youkilis: You have to admit it has a nice ring to. I've been trying to convince Youk to change his batter's music to match the ferocity of his bat, and me, his beard. But he wont listen to me. So I'm coming to you for help. We need to spread the word. Take it to the people. Just like Obama said "Yes We Can" get Youk a badass batter's song. I've put together a very persuasive presentation, that I'm including below. Thanks for your time. Have a great day, and stay furry.

Connecting Red Sox Fans!

SWEET SWEEP!
Looking forward to being at Fenway next week. Red Sox Nation Day is 6/16! I'm rsncagov on twitter if anyone cares to follow. For Southern California fans, I have appointed Mayors of both LA and SD, Hilary of Los Angeles can be contacted at rsnla.mayor@gmail.com and Laura of San Diego at rsnsd.mayor@gmail.com for events in those areas. RSN Facebook is another source of connection. San Francisco has a fun meetup group, with Joyce as the leader and the link is http://www.meetup.com/Bay Area-Boston-Sports-Fans/ . FYI, Youk's brother Scott has a great restaurant in SF, Maverick at 17th & Mission. Good Eats!
Go Sox!
Karen Doherty, Gov, RSN CA

Papelbon v. A-Rod: Classic Moment

A.J. Burnett: F-Bombs for the Kids

Things continue to go wrong for the Yankees and their overpriced pitcher A.J. Burnett. He had trouble with cellphone etiquette yesterday at a book store in Boston and got bounced:

“He was swearing and stuff and the security guard went over and told him to quiet down because there were kids around...
Well, A.J. didn’t. So the security guard - who was described to us as an “elderly gentleman” - told him to hit the road. Vacate the premises.

The Herald came up with the quote of the day with this line:

Apparently early exits are getting to be a habit for the Pinstripes’ alleged ace!

Red Sox and the YES Network Plays of the Game

So, most people know I am a member of Red Sox Nation living in New York. Some days it is harder than others, but not today! 8 games in a row and a come from behind victory at that.

I usually watch all the Red Sox games on NESN through mlb.tv (highly recommend it BTW), but when it is Red Sox/Yankees games, I get stuck watching the games on the YES network. I know, feel my pain.

However, one of the great things...is when the Sox beat the Yankees...you get to watch the post game coverage on the YES network. You get to watch the YES guys wonder what went so horrible wrong. You get to watch Girardi get grilled by the press. You get to watch Jeter pretend like the Red Sox are not in his head. You get to watch Nick Swisher explain that his base running just really isn't all that bad and that poor little Jason Bay just tricked him.

Last night, here were the YES Plays of the Game:

Player of the Game:

Brad Penny. Yes, you heard me right. It wasn't CC Sabathia or anyone else wearing pinstripes. It was B Penny who was the best we have seen him yet on the mound. I'm getting to the point that I really don't want to see Penny traded, even though it is probably inevitable. We ended up seeing a pitcher duel between Brad Penny and CC Sabathia, who would have predicted that?

Defensive Play of the Game:

Rocco Baldelli making a spectacular diving catch in center field in the 8th inning. It was all kinds of awesome. A picture cannot just convey how beautiful that catch was. It reminded me why I am so happy that Rocco decided to come and join us this season. Good job there Rico Baldy!!

Overall Play of the Game:

Dustin Pedroia's 10 pitch at-bat where he worked a walk and seemed to unravel CC Sabathia. I don't think Nick Green got enough credit for the hit he got in front of Pedey's at bat, but that doesn't take away from the spectacular at-bat that Pedey had. He kept CC working and obviously frustrated him. Plus, with CC's pitch count, he basically pushed him right to the limit and then over it. It was a sure thing of beauty and to see Pedey's firey response when he got Ball Four. All kinds of awesome. I agree. That at-bat was the game changer.

The YES Network got it right and yeah, it had to hurt.

*giggles*

Yankee Covers For Your Enjoyment

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Yankee Fan Comments

Just thought I would share some of the comments by Yankee fans on the LoHud Yankees Blog after tonight's game:

The whole “lots of games left” remark got us 3rd place last season.
George isin’t in good health and Hal doesn’t even want to own the Yankees. He’s just doing it out of respect for his father. Hank is probably on the horse farm somewhere, probably doesn’t even know the season has started.
“Wonder what Cashman was thinking as he was watching that 8th inning unfold.” He was thinking, if I would of spent even 1 minute on the bullpen in the off season we could of won this game.
theres no panic for me…just disappointment, frustration, sickness, illness and despair….hmmm panic might feel better
Not gonna panic. But wow, this blows. I feel numb. Time to find some vodka
I’m not going to work tomorrow.
What do you want from a team of millionaires who really only care about when their next paycheck is coming. I typically get over losses within a few hours, but this one is gonna mess with my weekend plans. I am so embarrassed.
WHATS THE NUMBER TO THE YANKEES SUICIDE HOT LINE?????????

Oh, How Sweet It Is!

Hey NY! How does it feel now? Your umpteen bazillion dollar man that you 'stole' from the Sox just went 0-5, including the final out of the game! BWAAHAAHAA!!! I can't wait for the NY covers tomorrow!

The Sox have now won all 8 games played against the Yankees this year, besting the previous mark of 7 set back in 1912, a year coincidentally that the Sox won the World Series.

Brad Penny turned in 6 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and 1 BB while notching 5 K's. Unfortunately for him, Sabfathia was just a bit stronger. He had a 4 hitter going into the 8th inning. Joe Girardi pulled a GL and left him in there 1 pitch too many, though, as the Sox put up 3 more runs that inning. Those 3 runs and the Papi tater in the 2nd were just enough. Yes, Papi hit another HR, so he's not quite dead yet! This is why slump or no, David Ortiz is Big Papi!

Manny Delcarmen had a rare blown save, his 1st of this season, but Saito came in and did his job and got the win while setting up for Papelbon in the 9th who had a 1-2-3 inning notching his 16th save.

Oh this feels so good right now!

Sox Win 4-3 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	3	10	1
Boston	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	X	4	8	0

2009 Red Sox Draft Picks: A Family Affair

This week seems like it is all about the Red Sox and the Yankees...and in many ways, it is. However, in other news....the 2009 MLB Draft was also this week.

Here is an article that gives a basic play by play of those who were drafted. Here are a few highlights though of names that perked my interest:

The first round draft pick for the Sox was Reymond Fuentes. He plays out in Center Field. He is also cousin of the Mets' Carlos Beltran. He also looks like a speedy little devil.

Let's jump to the 16th Round of the Draft. The Sox selected Luke Bard. He is of course the little brother of our own Daniel Bard. In the family tradition, Luke is a fastball pitcher. He doesn't have the velocity that his big bro does, but he can hit the mid 90s. He is only 18 and has signed a letter of intent to play college baseball with Georgia Tech, but the Sox are trying to keep it within the family.

So...let's jump again to the 36th round. The Sox drafted outfielder Michael Yastrzemski. You heard me right, Yastrzemski. Michael is the grandson of our very own Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz says that he his grandson definitely has the skills and the stuff to make the major leagues. Michael has said that he plans on going to college, but will being drafted by the Sox change his mind? The idea of having another Yastrzemski in the outfield at Fenway Park...I think it makes us all just a little excited.

Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 6/11 vs the Yankees

Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitek, C
Rocco Baldelli, CF
Nick Green, SS

Brad Penny, SP

Another Reason Why the Sox Will Stay With Papi

Just take a look at these statistics for a sample of Sox players vs. the Yankees so far this season, and see where Papi ranks:

Jason Bay, 11 for 21 with 2 doubles, a triple and 3 home runs -- .524 batting average, .655 on-base percentage, and 1.143 slugging percentage.

Kevin Youkilis, 7 for 17 with a double and a game-winning home run -- .412 batting average, .565 on-base and .647 slugging.

Dustin Pedroia, 8 for 23 with 2 doubles -- .348 batting average, .500 on-base and .435 slugging.

Mike Lowell, 9 for 26 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs -- .346 batting average, .414 on-base and .654 slugging.

David Ortiz, 7 for 23 with 4 doubles and a home run -- .304 batting average, .379 on-base and .609 slugging.

Papelbon on Oki's Gambling Problem

Jonathan Papelbon joked that Hideki Okajima needed to call 1-800-GAMBLER after he showed him how to play craps. Watch below:

Wake Starting to Get Some All-Star Buzz

Should Tim Wakefield be on the A.L. All-Star team? Haggs thinks so and others in the blogosphere are starting to debate the issue. Wake carried the team for the first month and half of the season and he is still coming up with solid outings but he is on the bubble when it comes to numbers. For further reading on the issue check out the following links:

NESN - Tim Wakefield: All-Star?

NY TIMES BATS BLOG - Wakefield Takes Aim at All-Sar Game

BOSTON GLOBE - Dancing with a Sox Star

ONE IF BY LAND - Let's Calm Down With Wakefield All-Star Talk

More Great Yankee Covers

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wang's ERA

Chein-Ming Wang, ace of the Yankee staff, threw 69 pitches in 2.2 innings of work tonight, allowing 4 earned runs thereby shaving his ERA from 14.46 to a minuscule 14.34.

Ken Rosenthal is a DB

Today on ESPN's OTL Ken Rosenthal took on a blogger for speculating that Raul Ibanez might have been using PED's to improve his performance this year. In Rosenthal's thinking, the blogger could not speculate anything in his blog because it did not adhere to a "simple standard of decency." When asked about what the standard of deceny was he said, “Would you want this written about yourself?”

This is coming from the guy who wrote this about the Red Sox:

Yet, fairly or not, Ramirez's messy divorce with the Red Sox could raise suspicions that the team prefers a certain type of player — unassuming, conformist, white. The current makeup of the team's roster might create similar notions

There you have it: Mr. Hypocritical, DB of the Year: Ken Rosenthal

Where Are They Now: Keith Foulke

Keith Foulke was the Red Sox closer in 2004 when they won their 1st WS in 86 years. Foulke won 1 of those games and saved the final game as he tossed the ground ball he fielded to Doug Mientkiewicz. After allowing 1 little run in 11 postseason games that year, knee surgery the next year hastened his downfall. He retired before 2007 due to injuries, and came back to work the next year in the Oakland A’s bullpen, albeit just another arm rather than closer. His cell phone has been quiet ever since.

Foulke finds himself in Newark, NJ this year closing for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League where he has a 2.41 ERA and 9 saves. He is 36 years old and looks across the river where the Yankees have an aging, yet still effective 40 yo closer and says that he doesn’t want to retire yet.

Fenway West wishes him good thoughts and good luck on his quest to hook up with a major league team as the trading deadline surfaces on yonder horizon. A tip of the cap to Star Ledger sports columnist Steve Politi for asking if Rivera is done, and pointing out that Foulke is pitching just 5 miles from Yankee Stadium.

Red Sox Wang Dang Doodle to 7th Straight over the Yanks

With Chien-Ming Wang on the mound you knew the Red Sox were going to get some runs. Wang got behind on counts in the first inning but the Sox only scored one run leaving the bases loaded. They added 2 more in the second and one more by a Mike Lowell homer in the third to send Wang packing. Phil Hughes came in and the offense padded the lead with 2 more runs in the 4th.

Wake was a little shaky early but settled down pitching 6 innings and giving up 3 runs. RR came in with a 3 run lead but gave up back to back home runs to Damon and Teixeira, he didn't get through an inning. Oki bailed him out with 1 1/3 innings of not hit ball with 3 K's before Paps took over in the 9th. The Yankees got the tying run to second but Paps shut the door and preserved the victory to make it 7 straight over the Yankees, and put the Red Sox in sole possession of first place in the division.

Red Sox Win 6-5 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yankees	0	1	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	5	11	0
Red Sox	1	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	6	9	0

Wang's Wife Need Not Worry

Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang is worried that he may have to leave the game early:

Chien-Ming Wang's wife is very pregnant with the couple's first child, and Joe Girardi said tonight that, should the Yankees get word in the middle of the game that Chia-Ling Wu is about to give birth, it will be Wang's decision as to what to do.

He won't be in a position to make the difficult choice after the Red Sox chase him out of the game in the second inning. I just hope he didn't get advice from A-Rod* on what to do in the delivery room.

Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 6/10 vs. the Yankees

Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Mark Kotsay, CF
Nick Green, SS
George Kottaras, C

Tim Wakefield, SP

Around the Nation

Here are a couple of things you might enjoy while waiting for game 2 against the Yankees:

Dave Magadan thinks Ortiz is over the hump.

Papelbon catches some z's during last night's game. - video

Red Sox draft update.

Tito on WEEI today.

Eckersley in the Booth

The great thing about having Eck in the booth is you know he can go off the reservation at any moment. He can throw in some F-bombs or an occasional "hair cheese with gas." He even has Orsillo dropping some salad references and since Wake is pitching tonight we should get our fair share of them. We all miss Remy but Eck has been entertaining in his absence.

More Yankee Covers - Enjoy

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Red Sox Continue to Own the Yankees

Josh Beckett showed the Yankees that he is the still an ace and that the Red Sox are still the better team; he went 6 innings giving up just 1 hit while striking out 8. The pen continued the dominance with three more innings of 1-hit ball.

The Sox offense provided all that was needed scoring 7 runs on 9 hits including a 2-run long blast by Big Papi in the second and a solo home run by Nick Green in the 7th. The win put the Red Sox in a tie with the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East and was their sixth consecutive victory against their division rivals.

Red Sox Win 7-0 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
Red Sox	0	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	7	9	0

Yankee Fans Are REALLY Getting Desperate

The LA Times reports that a Yankee fan from VT purchased some Yankee grass seeds, went to the Phish concert at Fenway Park on May 31st, put some water in the bag and dispersed the seeds while at the show.

Apparently, they do sell bags of Yankee grass seeds, but if the grass that sprouts from the seed was never in Yankee Stadium, I say it's not authentic and his effort was all for nought.

Also, the Yankee fan in question is a Phish fan, leading me to believe that he may well have gotten his Yankee grass seeds mixed up with his other grass seeds.

Showcasing Fenway

ABC News showed how the Red Sox ownership markets Fenway Park. Watch below:

Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 6/9 vs. the Yankees

Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitek, C
Mark Kotsay, CF
Nick Green, S

Josh Beckett, SP

A-Rod* Scandal of the Week: Too Much Kate

ARod*s new relationship with Kate Hudson is not going over well with his teammates:

“First we dealt with all the Madonna mayhem, now we’re on to Kate. It’s distracting,” says one person connected with the team. “And they haven’t even been together that long....It’s not like there’s a problem with wives or girlfriends going to games,” said the source. “But a lot of us agree that this is a little much. They’re barely dating, and it’s all about Kate.”

We'll see if she shows up at Fenway today as Sox fans get their first chance to chant "A-Roids."

Perfect Timing for the Rivalry

The Yankees and Red Sox are both playing well as they meet for a series to determine the division leader. Beckett is becoming and ace again and Ortiz is showing signs of life. The Yankees have been hitting a ton of home runs lately but can they still produce outside of the Bronx? Mike Lowell is looking forward to the series:

"From our standpoint, I believe we have a lot of similarities being in a big market and having high expectations," said Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell. "I look forward to it. I think it's a great way to see how you measure up at certain points in the season. I know they've been playing really good baseball and I feel like we're getting into that groove where we're going to be playing some of our best baseball. They're always exciting games, and two teams mixed up with a lot of talent."

Unfortunetly the weather does not look great for tonight's game but they should still get it in. Get ready for another 4+ hour epic struggle for baseball domination.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Not So Hot Sauce

David Ortiz has a new hot sauce: "Big Papi En Fuego." He is doing the right thing by giving some of the proceeds to the David Ortiz Children's Fund but "En Fuego" he is not so it may be a little on the mild side. The marketing team behind this could not have done much worse; even their website links to an article deriding Papi at the plate.

Paps: "Don't F' With Beckett"

Jonathan Papelbon was back on CSNNE and delivered the goods as always. When asked about the bunt attempt to try to break up Beckett's no-no Paps delivered the goods:

While no one was watching....

It appears the reports of David Ortiz's demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Big Papi has quietly been turning things around. With the single he hit yesterday, he extended his hitting streak to six games. In these games, he has hit for an average of .280, with 7 hits in his last 25 at bats. He has two doubles, a home run, 4 RBI's, and 3 runs scored.

While these numbers aren't quite the scorching numbers we have come to expect from the big guy, it is a noticeable improvement. His batting average has risen by 12 points in these last six games

Let's hope it continues, (and just in time for the Yankees, no less.)

Outfield Should Be OK for Yankee Series

With an off day today, J.D. Drew should be OK to go tomorrow against the Yankees. Ellsbury is getting checked out today but should not miss much time. Kotsay and Baldelli have proven they can fill in where needed.

Q&A With Yankees Beat Writer Peter Abraham

To get ready for the upcoming series with the Yankees, Fenway West interviewed one of the best in the business: Yankee beat writer Peter Abraham from the Journal News and author of the LoHud Yankees Blog.

FW: Who is more hated by Yankee fans: Youk or Papelbon?

Peter Abraham: That's a good question. For Yankees fans, they're Iraq and Iran. I'd say Papelbon. There's a grudging respect for Youkilis but all the histrionics of Papelbon seem to grate on the Yankees fans. Those mean faces he makes on the mound get them all riled up.

FW: Did the Yankees bring Chien-Ming Wang back too quickly?

Peter Abraham: No, he needs to pitch. But they screwed up his rehab from the start. They wouldn't allow him to run in spring training and that led to his losing strength in his legs, which led to pitching poorly and then they couldn't figure out what it was. Now that he is healthy, he needs to pitch. The guy who won 19 games twice is in there somewhere.

FW: Johnny Damon has put up some good numbers so far this season; do you think the Yankees will bring him back next year?

Peter Abraham: It depends on the FA market and whether they feel they can upgrade with somebody else. Damon has been very productive for them, but his better days are behind him and he doesn't have the speed he once did. Being a Boras client, he will be a difficult player to sign as well. If Matt Holliday has a good season, he'll be attractive. And if Jason Bay gets on the market, they would probably have to take a run at him.

FW: Do you see the Yankees making any big trades before the deadline?

Peter Abraham: Not that big as they do not need either a starter or a productive bat. They need relievers and those trades aren't that major unless they make a play for some established closer. I could see them trying to get Huston Street or somebody like that.

FW: What is you prediction for this 3-game series with the Red Sox?

Peter Abraham: As I write this on Sunday, the Yankees are losing to the Rays and not looking very good. I'd say Boston takes two of three at home.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

O.C. Back to Boston?

Buster Olney is reporting that the Red Sox :

are accelerating their search for someone who can play shortstop, according to sources. They have had conversations with the Oakland Athletics about Orlando Cabrera, who was the Boston shortstop when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.

Cabrera is in the middle of a 1-year $4 million deal with the A's. Oakland usually charges a high price for its players so this may not get done but Sox fans would love to have OC's glove back at short.

Red Sox Drop the Rubber Game to the Rangers

Dice-K has still not found his grove and ended up with his 4th loss of the season today. He gave up a homer in the bottom of the first to Young and it went downhill from there. It was not the typical Matsuzaka type of outing since he didn't walk anyone; he just left too many pitches out over the middle of the plate and now has an ERA of 7.33. The Rangers had 5 runs on 10 hits in the game.

The Red Sox offense was flat again getting just 4 hits off of the Rangers starter Padilla and none off of their pen. Kotsay had two hits and a home run in the game. Jacoby Ellsbury had to leave the game in the 5th with a strained right shoulder. Kotsay and Baldelli had to Rochambeau to see who would play center in his place.

Red Sox lose 6-3 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Rangers	1	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	6	12	1
Red Sox	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	0

Lars Anderson is a Deadhead

Lars Anderson talks about his numbers, outlook on the future and what's on his ipod. Watch below:

Today's Red Sox Lineup 6/7 vs. Texas

Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitek, C
Mark Kotsay, RF
Nick Green, 2B

Dice-K, SP

Smoltz, Lowrie, and Lugo

John Smoltz pitched very well in his second to last rehab start with the PawSox last night. He went 6 innings allowing just 1 hit in the 2nd inning and a run on a sac fly before retiring the last 10 batters he faced in order. In 4 minor league starts, Smoltz is 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA. He spoke with the media after the game:

“I still have to work on that changeup,” he said. “I know it’s not a pitch that I absolutely have to have but it’s a nice pitch to have if the other ones aren’t where they need to be. In the past everyone thought I could rely on stuff to get hitters out. Now I’m going to have to rely on pitching. I’ve been pitching for awhile so coming back from this surgery will be no different for me. I’ll go out and hit my spots and take the sting out of the bat. That’s the goal of every pitcher.”

Jed Lowrie is about three weeks away from returning to the team according to Terry Francona:

"He's doing good. The biggest thing right now is stamina [with the wrist] and as he goes he feels a little fatigued, which is certainly understandable. He's doing terrific. He's a real conscientious kid. He puts in his time and he's thoughtful when you ask him a question."

Julio Lugo still loves playing in Boston even when fans boo him:

“It’s tough. Nobody wants to be booed,” he said. “Not me, not anybody. Sometimes the only person who knows what’s going on and why you missed a ball is you. You’re the one out there. The fans just want you to make the play.

“At the same time, I’m not making excuses. . . . I’ll tell you the truth. I think the fans have been fair to me. I signed here because they wanted to see the Julio Lugo hitting the ball and making crazy plays. Sometimes you deserve the boos. Sometimes you don’t, but I love it here.”

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