Here is tonight's lineup vs. the Rangers. Game time is 8:05pm.
Ellsbury- CF
Pedroia- 2B
Martinez 1B
Bay- LF
Lowell- 3B
Ortiz- DH
Varitek- C
Anderson- RF
Gonzalez- SS
Penny- SP
This lineup is thanks to Amalie Benjamin on Twitter. It's the first time we are going to see Alex Gonzalez back in a Boston uni over at short stop. I'll admit, I'm excited.
And Anderson? I first thought it was Lars Anderson. I knew he played first base, but thought he might play outfield as well. As it turns out, it is Brian Anderson. I don't know too much about Brian, but I am sure gonna find out. Josh Reddick was optioned back to Pawtucket when Brian joined the club.
Anyone heard any info about when Rocco Baldelli might be healthy and returning from the DL? Anyone? Bueller?
Let's go Red Sox!
Last night Chris Woodward was almost blamed for a loss that would put the Red Sox in second place in the wild-card standings but Pedroial and Martinez saved him. They couldn't save him after the game as the Red Sox designated him for assignment to make way for Alex Gonzalez.
| Josh Reddick, CF | |
| Dustin Pedroia, 2B | |
| Victor Martinez, 1B | |
| Jason Bay, LF | |
| J.D. Drew, RF | |
| Mike Lowell, 3B | |
| David Ortiz, DH | |
| Jason Varitek, C | |
| Nick Green, SS Jon Lester, SP |
Alex Gonzalez is once again a member of the Boston Red Sox. A waiver trade was made with the Cincinnati Reds to send Gonzalez to Boston. Gonzalez will be a defensive improvement at short but won't add much to the offense. The Reds received Kris Negron from the Red Sox.
The RemDawg spoke with the Globe last night about the depression he has been suffering from this season.:
“You didn’t want to get out of bed. The first thing you thought when you woke up was ‘another lousy day is ahead of me.’ I had no desire to do anything. I was a guy who always took pride in being there every day, whether I was sick or not. I couldn’t answer the bell that one night. I really think that’s what triggered it....I’m not embarrassed to say so, people go through it all the time. It’s probably best to tell the truth, and that’s what I did. And if it helps people, that’s good, too.’’
Who would you rather watch at the top of their game? That is the challenge I am taking part in for today's Daily Duel against Rich Levine from CSNNE.com. (of course I am choosing Beckett) I know all of you would much rather watch baseball than football and some of you hate the Patriots so help my out by going here and giving me your vote.
Michael Bowden is one of the Sox’s top prospects. He made his debut in August of last year and limited the White Sox to 2 runs over 5 innings. He’s had a fair season in Pawtucket, but it’s been an up and down season so far for him. He has a 4-5 W-L record, 3.23 ERA, 108+ IP, 89 H’s, 78 K’s, and 41 BB’s. Perhaps after getting bypassed first by Bard, and now by Cabrera, he’s decided to stake his claim by tossing 5+ innings of 3 H, shutout ball on Tuesday.
Clearly, Clay Buchholz does not want to return to Pawtucket, foisted heist of his BMW rims notwithstanding. Last Saturday, he limited the Yankees to two runs over 6 innings, but Sabathia was 2 runs better. Tonight, he went 7 innings against the Twins, and allowed only 1 earned run.| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Josh Reddick, RF |
| Victor Martinez, C |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| Mike Lowell, 3B |
| Casey Kotchman, 1B |
| Nick Green, SS |
| Chris Woodward, 2B Clay Buchholz, SP |
On CSNNE's Cinco with Cinco, Jonathan Papelbon is asked what his reaction would be if Pedroia charged the mound. He laughed at the idea but when asked about Manny Ramirez he seemed to be up to the challenge. Watch below:
Josh Beckett earned his league leading 14th win with a great effort. He pitched 7 innings and gave up just 3 hits and 2 runs. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay continued to fuel the resurgent offense with a home run and three hits apiece. The Red Sox had an early lead and when the Tigers got on the board, the Sox responded with a 5-run inning.
Jerry Remy joined the NESN crew in the second inning and thanked fans for their support. He blamed his absence on poor health following his surgery which led to an infection. He also said he had been suffering from depression and joked that the doctor said he could not watch games on NESN becasue Don Orsillio would lead to more depression.
Red Sox Win 8-2 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
Kevin Youkilis has been suspended for 5 games for charging the mound last night. The suspension will begin tonight.
Jerry Remy is at Fenway today, he will not announce tonight's game but should be back soon.
John Smoltz has refused an assignment to Pawtucket so the Red Sox must either trade him or release him.
et Red Sox became a Triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and has remained so ever since. Ben Mondor, owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox from 1977 to 2005, purchased the bankrupt PawSox and turned the franchise into a model of AAA stadiums. He is the only Minor League owner to be inducted into Boston’s Hall of Fame. He remains Chairman of the Board.
as he completed the transaction…. DOH! I write for a Red Sox blog that gets well in excess of 4K hits a month! I quickly called Matt O’Donnell, owner and editor of FenwayWest.com, and told him I wanted to try and get press passes for a PawSox game. Well of course! I gave a call to the PawSox and was directed to Bill Wanless, Vice President of Public Relations, and left a voice mail. I followed that up with an e-mail, telling him about graduating from high school around the corner to my current status as a contributing writer to this blog. I received a quick response awarding me 2 press passes! (Well, don’t I feel special!)
with any players considering the late time it was getting to be. Feeling a little discouraged, I turned around to find my way back up to the press box when I see a player signing autographs for kids who would drop down toy buckets and cut out milk jugs in hopes of gaining an autograph. He turned slightly, and I saw #30- Michael Bowden! Yes! He was one of three players I had prepared questions for. He was easily accessible, friendly, and willing to answer my questions. He readily agreed to have his photo taken for my post of his interview as well.
On up to the press box. I met the 2 Steve’s calling the game, and they directed me to sit anywhere that was unoccupied. I start walking down the aisle and stopped at the first station I saw. It wasn’t until after the game had started that I realized I was directly behind home plate, totally in line with the plate, rubber, and second base. Air conditioning on a hot, muggy Rhode Island summer day felt good at first. Soon though, the windows were being opened one by one, making the experience closer to what it should be- outdoors.
| 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B 3. Jason Bay, LF 4. David Ortiz, DH 5. Mike Lowell, 3B 6. J.D. Drew, RF 7. Casey Kotchman, 1B 8. Jason Varitek, C 9. Nick Green, SS |
| Josh Beckett, SP |
The Red Sox have a 2-game win streak and possibly a new pitcher for the rotation. After the first inning last night Tazawa pitched well and showed he can pitch in the bigs. Saito had his best outing of the year, Bard looked good again and the offense continued to show signs of life; Bay and Lowell both are hitting well with power. Josh Beckett is on the mound tonight so the Red Sox have a good shot at extending this streak to 3. I wouldn't put Youk's ejection up there with the fight in '04 that turned the season around, but it did show how deep the Red Sox bench is now. The key players should be well rested for September and should be able to rise to the challenge in a pennant chase.
Red Sox Win 7-5 BOX SCORE
Aaron Bates is a California 1st baseman who started off this season at AA Portland and was shredding pitchers at a .340 clip when he got called up to Pawtucket. He struggled there hitting at a .205 average when he was unexpectedly called up to Boston to plug a hole at 1st base due to injuries. He played in 5 games for the BoSox. He hopes his last game there will be the one that the front office remembers: 3/4, 2 doubles, 1 run, 1 RBI. You can read the full story in the San Jose Mercury-News. Let's hope that he makes RSN forget about that other Aaron B. for good.| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| Victor Martinez, 1B |
| Kevin Youkilis, 3B |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| J. D. Drew, RF |
| Jason Varitek, C |
| Nick Green, SS Junichi Tazawa, SP |
Pedroia explains his approach at the plate after last night's game. Watch below:
The bats were back as the Red Sox returned to Fenway to take on the Tigers. Ellsbury started the game with a hit and Pedey went yard to start the hit parade. Nick Green and J-Bay also homered in the game. Every starter for the Sox had a hit execpt Victor Martinez believe it or not. The Sox put up 6 runs on 12 hits in the game to give the pitching staff some much needed support.
Penny did not feel well on the mound and was puking between inning (2nd time this year) but he managed to go 6 innings while giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs. MDC had a nightmarish outing blowing the save while giving up 2 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning. RR came in to stop the bleeding and earned the win while Paps had a 4 out save.
Before the series with the Tigers started I was interview by the blog Detroit 4 Lyfe, head on over there to check it out.
Red Sox Win 6-5 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 0 |
Fernando Cabrera, closer for the Pawtucket Red Sox ever since Daniel Bard got called, has joined his former teammate in Boston. Cabrera has a 1.69 ERA in 38 games for Pawtucket, has earned 20 saves, and made the AAA All Star Team this season, earning a save in that game, as well.
Russ Morman, a first round pick by the Chicago White Sox in 1983, played in the Minor Leagues for 17 years, making it to the big leagues in 9 different seasons. He earned a World Series ring in 1997 as a member of the Florida Marlins. After retiring, he became a coach and manager with several different organizations, garnering a Manager of the Year Award in 2001. He has been in the Red Sox organization since 2004, first as hitting coach for the Portland Seas Dogs (AA), and now hitting coach with the Pawtucket Red Sox since 2008.
Q~ Who has been your biggest surprise this season so far?
A~ We just like to continue to see the guys continue their progress in terms of trying to make it to the big leagues. I would say that maybe a guy like Aaron Bates might fit that. He was a major league invite, he started off the season at Double A, got to Triple A, got a chance to get to the big leagues.
Q~ Like Michael Bowden last year.
A~ Exactly. There are those types of stories. Chris [Carter] has been up and down, Jeff Bailey’s been back and forth a couple of times
Q~ Is there anyone at Portland or the single A teams that looking forward to get up here at Pawtucket?
A~ I have no idea about that. Until they show [up] here, I don’t really know. We also have another young player that’s just come up this year, Bubba Bell came up this year, and Mark Wagner, too, who caught behind the plate today, so we’ve got some good young talent that’s moving through the system and getting their feet wet here at the Triple A level. It’s exciting to see some of the guy’s progress in their careers.
Q~ How about Chris Duncan from St. Louis?
A~ He’s been an absolute professional He came in here and just really worked hard. He’s a special kid anyways, he’s always been around baseball. It’s great to see him out there. He’s going to be a big influence and very influential because he’s been there. He’s already shown guys how to go about their business with his work ethic. It’s been really, really good.
(Chris Duncan was not very talkative and didn’t want to answer questions, understandably so, but was very polite nonetheless. He was recently traded to the Red Sox for Julio Lugo and sent to the AAA PawSox after being in the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals.)
So much for getting Guzman but in other waiver news, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang have both cleared waivers and can be traded. The Red Sox may kick the tires, especially if Penny struggles again tonight.
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| Victor Martinez, C |
| Kevin Youkilis, 3B |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| J.D. Drew, RF |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| Casey Kotchman, 1B |
| Nick Green, SS Brad Penny, SP |
Things look a little bumpy with Penny on the mound tonight and Tazawa on Tuesday. Getting back to the Fens is sure to help wake up the bats and bring some life to this dead offense. The offense should also improve as Drew and Bay seem to be swinging a little better of late. If Ortiz continues to struggle at the plate the Red Sox can have Martinez DH. The Sox play the Yankees 6 more times so winning the division is not an impossibility and with Wake coming back the rotation will get better.
The Red Sox just need a spark to get going again. In both the series with the Rays and with the Yankees, the team lost by a walk-off that seemed to have a lingering effect on them. Taking 2 out of 3 agaist the Tigers will put them on the road to the playoffs; the Red Sox have too many good hitters to continue to struggle like this.
The Red Sox offense sputtered again as the Yankees took the fourth game of the series. Lester pitched well but had no support and the bullpen looked shaky. The Red Sox took the lead in the 8th with a 2-run tater by V-Mart, but the lead didn't last long when Bard gave up back to back homers in the bottom of the inning. The losing streak is now at 6.5 games back in the division and tied for the wild-card.
Red Sox Lose 5-2 BOX SCORE
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Bay LF
Drew RF
Lowell DH
Varitek C
Green SS
Jon Lester, SP
The Red Sox also made a roster move today; reliever Fernando Cabrera was called up from Pawtucket for Sunday night's game and Enrique Gonzalez being sent back down.
Is Cristian Guzman the answer at short? Theo and the Red Sox hope he is. Guzman is hitting 315 with an OPS of .770 for the Nats this season. He is a free swinger who only has 11 walks in 387 AB's this season.
Yes the Yankees are in first place and have taken a sizable lead in the division but that does not equal a turning of the tide in the rivalry and does not equal a World Series championship as some would have you believe. Take this joke of an article from John Harper in the NY Daily News:
the Yankees on the verge of burying the Red Sox deep in the standings with a four-game sweep, the Rivalry has taken a rather stunning turn back to more familiar Yankee dominance.And it's at least partly because the Yankees, for a change, are winning the battle of the front offices. Going back to the winter when he swooped in to steal Mark Teixeira from the Red Sox, Cashman this year is outmaneuvering Theo.
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