Saturday, August 15, 2009

You Haven't Done Nothin'

Earlier this month Matt told Yankees writers to settle down, as they haven't won anything yet. I've had this song spinning' around in my head ever since that post (there are worse songs to have stuck in your head- do you need a reminder- lol.) I dedicate this song by the great Stevie Wonder to all Yankee fans and writers, as well as Ken Rosenthal and Keith Law.



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Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 8/15 vs the Rangers

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!

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Red Sox DFA Woodward

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.

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Friday, August 14, 2009

Ninth Inning Rally Beats Texas

The Red Sox scored 6 runs in the top of the ninth inning tonight in Arlington, TX, beating the Rangers 8-4. Jon Lester pitched another great non-decision game. In 6 innings, he allowed 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 11, making some of those Rangers look downright silly at times. During the 9th inning rally, the Sox overcame a baserunning error by Clay Buchholz, who was sent in to pinch run for Jason Varitek.



Sox Win 8-4 BOX SCORE

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Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 8/14 vs the Rangers

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

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Welcome Back Alex Gonzalez

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.

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Jerry Remy Talks About His Depression

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.’’


Remy has said that doctors have adjusted his medication and have him on the right track. He showed a great deal of courage coming forward with this information and his presence in the booth this week was a large step in his recovery. The best part of this news is that it ends speculation that Remy's cancer had gotten worse.

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Josh Beckett vs Tom Brady

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.

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Michael Bowden Makes His Statement

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.

Buchholz, Cabrera, Bard, and Tazawa have all made it to Boston since graduating from Pawtucket this year so far. Bowden could be next, but there are also a couple of other pitchers that are putting up some noticeable numbers, including Marcus McBeth, Rocky Cherry, Billy Traber, and Jose Vaquedano. Javier Lopez has been a bit streaky at times, stringing several scoreless performances together, interupted by a couple of stinkers. He seems to be on an upswing right now, hurling 7 scoreless innings over his last 7 appearances.

Who will be the next man from Pawtucket to get the call?

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Man on a Mission

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.

Yes folks, just when we thought it was safe to go to the ball park again, just when we thought the Sox bats had come alive for good, after watching in painful silence as the Yankees put the hurt on the Sox by limiting them to 0 runs in a 25 inning stretch, just after we see them turn the corner and pound out 15 runs in 2 games against the Tigers, the bats go quiet once more. The opposing pitcher this time was another stud, Justin Verlander, who silenced the Sox bats, save for 4 hits, and 0 runs.

Buchholz now has two quality starts in a row. With Smoltz shaky at best and now gone, and with Penny having a bit of a rollercoaster ride lately, Buchholz appears to be stepping up his game. Let’s hope that his good showings against Sabathia and Verlander, and Tazawa’s 4 good innings once he settled down, are signs of good gems to come.

There is some other good news from this game besides Buchholz’s pitching. Fernando Cabrera, who was recently called up to Boston from Pawtucket, struck out the side in the 9th inning. He allowed only 1 hit in his 2 innings pitched so far.



Sox Lose 0-2 BOX SCORE

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Today's Red Sox Lineup 8/13 vs the Tigers

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

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Papelbon Laughs Off Pedroia

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:

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Beckett, Lowell and Bay Put Red Sox in the Driver's Seat

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

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Youk, Remy, and Smoltz

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.

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McCoy Stadium and the Pawtucket Red Sox


My first ball game as a credentialed writer



For 2 years in the late ‘60’s, McCoy Stadium was the home of the Pawtucket Indians, not the Red Sox. Professional baseball in Pawtucket dates back to 1892, and the city has hosted a pro team continually since 1970. When the Indians pulled up stakes after the 1967 season, McCoy stayed empty until the Red Sox moved their AA team to Pawtucket. In 1972, the Pawtucket 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.

Sensing that my trips back east might be lessening in the not too distant future, I tried to talk my brother into taking in a game at Fenway Park this year. He steadfastly refused to take out a 2nd mortgage on his home to finance such a trip, so I decided to try for a game at McCoy Stadium instead. No alternative financing was required, so we purchased a pair of tickets in a great location on line for $24. ($24 at Fenway might get you a beer and a dog.)

As soon 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!)

Half way up to Pawtucket, I realized I had forgotten my questions that I had drawn up beforehand! We made a quick stop at a library, went to my e-mail and printed them up again. We had no problem entering and parking in the VIP section. I was thinking that I may not have time to get onto the field to talk to any of the players. After finding the press box, I made it to the field and spoke briefly with the first player I saw hoping I would not have to break out my poor, broken Spanish. No such luck, but I was able to communicate a bit with pitcher Randor Bierd, from the Dominican Republic.

Still looking like quite the newbie I was, I asked the first person I saw about talking 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.

This stroke of good luck certainly had a quick, positive effect on my attitude and confidence. I continue to backtrack and follow my steps from the press box. I’m walking along the edge of the field that borders the stands, when a group of kids from a Cape Cod youth organization start yelling down at me asking me for my autograph. "My autograph?! But I’m nobody." They responded, “Well, you’re down on the field, so you must be somebody!” So I obliged them and signed a t-shirt, sneaker, and a hat.




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.



I opened my laptop, got Game Day up, and started typing. Score sheets, press info, statistics, and player bios were made available for all. There was great food and drinks for all in the press box, in a casual atmosphere.

It was another full house at McCoy. My brother had been roaming around while I made my way to the field and then back up to the press box and showed up just after the National Anthem had been sung. The Columbus Clippers get roundly booed as if they were the Yankees at Fenway.

I found myself sitting next to sports writer Mike Scandura who turned out to be of great assistance to me. When my brother showed up, he jumps right into the conversation giving me some time to write and enjoy the game, too. Scandura was very knowledgeable about the Sox and the game. He also filled me in about protocol for those with press passes. To my other side was the official scorer, behind him was the man who puts up the plays and stats on Game Day.

The PawSox would eventually lose the game. Clinging to a 2-1 lead going into the 7th inning behind a good 5 inning performance by Kris Johnson, Javier Lopez came in and unfortunately had a horrible day on the mound. He allowed three runs to score on three hits one walk and one error by himself. I had been hoping to see him return to his old self when he was pitching well for Boston. He had a recent run of good games in June and July, (8 games, 9 innings, 0 runs allowed), before another downslide. He’s been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride this season. After a few subpar games at the end of July, he’s gotten back into a nice groove in August (6 games, 6.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 0 earned runs.) Let’s hope that’s the Javier Lopez that may show up in Boston in September.

Once the game was over, Mike showed me the way to the clubhouse. After giving the players about 15 minutes, we were allowed to enter. There were sofas, a big TV, and food for the players. Past these were the lockers. I saw Lopez, but was hesitant to approach him given his performance. My questions were based upon his good string of frames just earlier in the month. He was quick to make his departure, understandably so. Mike was interviewing Fernando Cabrera, after which I got to ask him a few questions. After Cabrera, I spoke with manager Ron Johnson and batting coach Russ Morman.





After we left the clubhouse, we took a walk through the halls beneath the stands which had seemingly endless memorabilia from the PawSox history, including the longest professional baseball game ever played- 33 innings, which started on April 18th, 1981, was called at 4 in the morning of April 19th. The game was finished on June 23rd. Members of the Red Sox roster in 1981 who played in that game include Wade Boggs, Bob Ojeda, Bruce Hurst, Rich Gedman, and manager Joe Morgan. Cal Ripken, Jr. was a member of the opposing team, the Rochester Red Wings.


Fenway Park isn't the only Red Sox park that hosts major concerts. While I was back east, Bob Dylan played a show there.

Everything about the day was near perfect. I got my first press credentials and 4 interviews. The only thing to make the day better would have been the PawSox winning, but as Johnson and Morman both said, the development of the players is just as, if not more important than winning. Big thanks go to Mike Scandura for showing me the ropes, Bill Wanless for getting me the passes, and Michael Bowden, Fernando Cabrera, Ron Johnson, and Russ Morman for taking the time to speak with me.

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Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 8/12 vs the Tiger

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

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Signs of Hope

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

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Keith Law Quick to Pass Judgement on Youk

Kevin Youkilis was ejected in the rain delayed game between the Tigers and the Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis was ejected after being hit by a high, inside pitch and charging Rick Porcello, the Tigers pitcher on the mound. Another baseball melee ensued, and both Porcello and Youkilis found themselves taking early showers.
Only 6 innings later and Keith Law of ESPN has already opined on the incident and again casting a negative shadow on the Sox. This is not the first time he's taken cheap shots at the Sox. He ranks right about dead even with Ken Rosenthal when it comes to baseball coverage.




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NPR on Pawtucket Red Sox and McCoy Stadium

More flattering stories! National Public Radio (NPR) posted a great story about taking in a Pawtucket Red Sox game at McCoy Stadium as compared to a visit to Fenway Park. There is also an audio link that you should listen to in addition to reading just the article that enhances the story nicely. (It was a bit humorous to hear the announcer call the city PAW-tucket, when it really should be pronounced P'tucket.) My review of my trip to McCoy Stadium in July will be coming soon.


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Aaron Bates: Portland to Pawtucket to Boston

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.

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Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 8/11 vs the Tigers

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

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Pedroia: "I Just Try to Hit the Ball Hard"

Pedroia explains his approach at the plate after last night's game. Watch below:

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Offense Wakes Up

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

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Fernando Cabrera Gets Called Up to Boston

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.

Some may have questioned why he got the call rather than Michael Bowden. Unfortunately for Bowden, he had a poor start on August 5, (3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K), which may be the most likely reason he was bypassed this time.

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PawSox Interviews: Russ Morman

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.

I found him congenial and easily accessible; as I did with all the other PawSox manager and players I spoke with. Morman is as genuinely interested in the progress of the players that pass through Pawtucket as manager Ron Johnson.



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.)

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Nats Will Not Trade Guzman

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.

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Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 8/10 vs the Tigers

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

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The Road Ahead

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.

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More of the Same

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

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Sunday, August 9, 2009

Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 8/9 vs the Yankees

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.

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Red Sox Make Waiver Claim on Cristian Guzman

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.

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Dear Yankees Writers, Settle the Eff Down, You Have Not Won Anything Yet

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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