Red Sox Haiku (almost?)

Papi provides flair

hits second of pair just fair

not supposed to rhyme

Thanks to RedSox.com for the first two lines

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Wake's back! Papi, two!

Tim Wakefield pitched a great game tonight, his first since July 8th, but unfortunately did not get the win. Wake went 7 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and 1 run, walking 1 and striking 3 White Sox out. This was the first time Martinez had ever caught a knuckleballer in a game. He had caught a couple of Wake’s bullpen sessions under the supervision of Gary Tuck, the bullpen coach. There were no wild pitches in tonight’s game, and while Martinez did have an error, it was on a throw, not a passed ball.

Wake allowed a run in the 1st, but David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz homered in the bottom of the 2nd to even things up. Alex Gonzalez, of slight power and average, hit his 5th HR of the season to give the Sox the go ahead run in the 5th. He went 2/3 for the night, raising his average to .219. Ramon Ramirez gave up a HR in the top of the 8th for only his 3rd BS of the season. Enter Big Papi in the bottom of the 9th as we hark back to 2004 and the days of seemingly endless Big Papi walk-off HR’s and other greatest hits. He launched his 2nd HR of the night around the Pesky Pole, giving him 22 HR’s and 77 RBI’s so far in the 2009 campaign.

Sox Win 3-2 BOX SCORE

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

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Yankee fans are having a field day with this one

Yankee fans are pointing to the spike in his HR totals in 2003 as compared to 2002. The Twins did not want him swinging for the fences, they wanted him to be hitting singles and playing small ball. Upon arrival in Boston, they said swing away. That's why he started hitting more home runs.

Yes, it is a sad day in Red Sox Nation. I like Papi as much as any other fan. I've read his autobiography and was impressed by his integrity and his many other positive qualities. I will reserve final judgement of him after he does his research to find out what the substance was that got him on 'the list.' One thing is certain, he will talk, he will come clean, and it won't be some half assed dog 'n pony show like A-Rod or that other former Yankee.

David Ortiz is no Roger Clemens.

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Theo on Ortiz

NECN.com has a video interview with Theo Epstein and his thoughts on the allegations of Ortiz's name being on 'The List,' as well as video interviews with his teammates. Theo says that Ortiz has the full support of the Red Sox.

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Ken Rosenthal Wastes No Time Tying Papi & RSN to the Whipping Post

The pseudo-journalist for Fox wasted no time at all to lash out at David Ortiz and all of Red Sox fans with harsh words before Ortiz even had a chance to respond to the allegations that his name is on 'the list.'



Rosenthal: Black cloud over Boston

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David Ortiz Issues Statement

From WEEI.com:

BOSTON, MA — Red Sox Designated Hitter David Ortiz issued the following statement today:

Today I was informed by a reporter that I was on the 2003 list of MLB players to test positive for performance-enhancing substances. This happened right before our game, and the news blindsided me. I said I had no comment because I wanted to get to the bottom of this.

I want to talk about this situation and I will as soon as I have more answers. In the meantime I want to let you know how I am approaching this situation. One, I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true. Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive. Two, I will find out what I tested positive for. And, three, based on whatever I learn, I will share this information with my club and the public. You know me - I will not hide and I will not make excuses.

I want to thank my family, the Red Sox, my teammates, and the fans for their patience and support.

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David Ortiz Talks About His Restaurant and the Slumping Sox

Big Papi speaks with NECN on the opening of his new restaurant and answers questions about the team's recent struggles. Watch below:

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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

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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.

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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.)

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Breaking News: Papi Homers!

David "Big Papi" Ortiz has finally hit his first home run of the year against Brett Cecil of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 6th inning of the game underway right now at Fenway Park.

The Sox are in the middle of taking the Jays out behind the woodshed right now. Besides Papi's homer, 'Tek has 2 homers today so far, Lowell has one, Baldelli has a triple.....



Update after the game! Sox lead 8-0 in the 6th!

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Ortiz is Going To Stay at the 3 Spot in the Order

Terry Francona explained why he is keeping Big Papi as the number three guy in the Red Sox batting order:

He's going to get hot. How hot? Well, let's find out. And when it does happen, I don't want him hitting eighth. Again, we set this up [the lineup] for a reason, and we want to see this through. If it gets to the point where we have to make a change, I will certainly do that. And I've told David, David and I have had this talk, and that's not a problem. I'm probably the one hanging on to this, I want this to work where it is."

Ortiz has struggled but I think there is way to much focus on where he bats in the order right now. Moving Big Papi down to #7 is not going to magically make him start hitting home runs. There is pressure on Ortiz now at #3 and there will be pressure on him if he bats #7. Nothing is going to make the pressure go away until he hits a few homers. It will happen soon and he will get more relaxed at the plate and start putting up good numbers. Keep the faith.

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WAKEFIELD!!!

Tim Wakefield started the first game of today's twin bill, which is now in a rain delay in the bottom of the 7th inning. I cannot say enough about this man! Total class act both on and off the field for starters, but he certainly still has his best stuff on the mound! After flirting with a perfect game for 5 innings and a no-no for almost 8 last week at Oakland, he follows that with another gem today: 7 IP, 5 H's, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. This leaves him with an ERA of 2.45!

Hopfully this performance will quiet all the Wake naysayers once and for all.

Now for bright spots on offense: 6 of the 9 starters today have at least 2 hits, with Drew and Lowell each getting 3 apiece so far. 3 hits for Lowell? That means he's raised his BA about 150 points or so in the past week, to a nice .315! Papi's bat has come to life as well with two hits today. He's raised his average a good 50 points this week. Winter question marks answered!

Nick Green is swinging a hot bat with a 2B and a HR today, but I think he may be using Lugo's old glove, as he has 2 errors today, too.

The game is in a rain delay at the moment, with another game scheduled for later today. Both the Sox and the Twins have Thursday off. The Sox will stay at home for a series with the Yankees starting on Friday. The Twins will be heading off to CLE for a series starting on Friday. Weather.com calls for showers and rain for the rest of the day in Boston, so it remains to be seen whether or not ball will resume today, or whether or not any games will be made up on Thursday.

UPDATE: The game was called after a 1:25 delay.

SOX WIN 10-1 BOX SCORE

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The Alarm Clock Has Rung, The Sox Have Awoken!

Justin Masterson got the call to start today, as the Sox rotation was in a bit of flux with Dice-K on the DL, along with a pending 6 game suspension that was hovering over Beckett for a day or two before it was reduced. Masterson is looking like he could be another Julian Tavarez: short relief, long relief, starter; he's done it all so far this year. Masterson went 5.1 innings tossing 84 pitches. He allowed only 4 H's, 2 BB's, 1 ER, while notching 3 K's and his first W of the season.

The bullpen studs came through again, this time it was Delcarmen, Okajima, Lopez, and Hunter Jones (who?), allowing only 1 H and 1 BB in 3.2 innings.

Have you been wondering about the top of the line-up? Well, today Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Papi combined to go 9 for 16, scoring 7 times, and knocking in 6 runs.

Two of the big question marks over the winter were Lowell and Varitek. Both went 2 for 5 today, and combined for 3 R's and 3 RBI's.

Kevin Youkilis had only 1 H today. He also drew 3 BB's, 1 of which was an IBB. (No explanation necessary.) His BA stands at a FAT .469.

The Sox have now won 5 in a row, sweeping the O's and climbing into a tie for 2nd place after a 2-6 start that had them in the cellar (gasp!) for a couple of days.

When all was said and done, the SOX plated 12 men, beating the Orioles 12 - 1. BOX SCORE

Tim Wakefield gets the start tomorrow against the Twins.

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Monkeys Are Off Their Backs!

Through 6 innings:


8 of 9 starters have hits already, including:



Ortiz- 1 for 3

Lowell- 1 for 3 (Double)

Varitek- 1 for 3 (Home Run!)

Josh Beckett is looking good! 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB's, 10 (ten!) K's, 93 pitches (61 strikes)

Recap coming after the game.

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Game On! Red Sox Top Yanks in GFL

Mikey and Papi silenced the critics today as they both went yard in a 7 run 2nd inning, sending Yankee ace Wang to the showers early. Wakefield had a rough 2+ innings, but the bullpen was excellent for the remaining innings, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while registering 9 strikeouts. Julio Lugo, who has been having an great spring training hitting .450 so far, left with a knee injury in the first inning.

SOX 8 Yankees 4 BOX SCORE

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Amalie Benjamin on David Ortiz

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Good News on Big Papi

For the Red Sox to get back to the promised land they are going to need David Ortiz and Mike Lowell to be healthy in '09. Without power coming from the middle of the order the Sox will not be able to keep up the Rays or Yankees. Today we have some good news about half of the equation from the Boston Herald:

According to a source close to him, David Ortiz is getting up at 8 a.m. every morning for strength and cardio workouts, followed by hitting at 11 a.m. He is said to be experiencing no discomfort or pain in his left wrist, injured last season.

If the wrist and knee are fine, we can expect Papi to be back to hitting 40+ homers this season.

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Another Round With Pedro?

Pedro Martinez recently announced he wanted to keep playing. His constant injuries will probably keep the Mets from re-signing him but what about the Red Sox? Pedro could be this year's Bartolo Colon (minus 150 pounds) for Boston and fill in when a starter hits the DL. Big Papi was doing his part to keep Pedro thinking Red Sox when the two participated in Ortiz's charity golf event in the D.R. on Saturday.

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Big Papi Goes All Rickey Henderson in the Locker Room

According to Big Papi, Papi isn't the problem.

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