Justin Masterson lived up to the hype I gave him earlier and only gave up 2 hits and 1 earned run in 6 innings. He left the game with the lead and a chance for a win in his major league debut but the pen could not hold it. Lopez and Delcarmen each gave up 2 runs and the Sox are now losing 5-3.
Read more...The Jimmy Fund auction of the David Ortiz jersey that was buried in concrete at the new Yankee Stadium ended today. The winning bid was for $175,100. The winning bidder's name and location has yet to be announced.
Read more...Still no Tek but Coco is back and in center, Jacoby will give J.D. a day off and play right. Sean Casey also has the day off so Lowrie will be at 3rd, Youk is back in the lineup at first. Game time 1:30 Eastern, make sure to watch Masterson's first major league start.
Jacoby Ellsbury RF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Jed Lowrie 3B
Julio Lugo SS
Coco Crisp CF
Kevin Cash C
Justin Masterson SP
Justin Masterson will be called up from the Sea Dogs to pitch the day game for the Sox tomorrow. As I posted earlier Masterson had a good spring and a good start to the AA season. I think he is going to be a better pitcher than Lester and should find his way into the rotation by season's end. People on the Globe message board said I was crazy last week when I suggested Masterson be given a start, now we'll see who was right.
The Red Sox could not come from behind tonight, the winning streak ends at 6. It was bound to happen sooner or later with all of the injuries and players out sick. Lester took one for the team and pitched on three days rest when Dice-K was unable to go. He pitched well enough to keep the Sox in the game before he was replace by Hansen in the 6th. Hansen, who had been called up earlier in the day because Delcarmen was sick, gave up a go ahead home run to the Angels and got the loss.
Youk missed the game with a sore back so Lowrie had to play third again. Offensively the Sox still did fairly well managing 10 hits. Lugo kept his hit streak alive with 2 hits and Big Papi had a home run. J.D. is starting to look like the hitter he was last year and went 0-4. K-Rod came in the 9th and got the Sox out in order, there would be no joy in Mudville.
Sox Lose 6-4 BOX SCORE
For the second straight day Tito has had to make a last minute pitching change; yesterday it was Beckett with a stiff neck, today it is Dice-K with the flu. The flu has been taking its toll on the Sox of late.
Read more...Youk is out with a stiff back, Tek is still sick, Coco should be back tomorrow.
Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Drew, RF
Casey, 1B
Lugo, SS
Lowrie, 3B
Cash, C
Matsuzaka -- P
Read more...Today there is more Bronx controversy after Dumbass Hank said he wanted Mike Mussina to throw more like Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer. Mussina responded to Hank by saying: "He owns the team or runs the team or whatever it is; he can say whatever he wants to say, I'm not going to get into some verbal argument with somebody, because it's useless."
Bob Ryan compares Hank to Fredo Corleone. Watch it:
Tek- Still had the flu yesterday and with the Pauley call-up Pedroia was the emergency catcher. Tito told the media the following: “He says he can go back there, at this point, that’s good enough for me. We’ll get him some equipment that will fit him.”
Coco- Says he is feeling better and Tito said he may be in the lineup tomorrow. Can they really play him over Jacoby after last night?
Cora- Still a week away from being cleared to throw, Lowrie is the guy for now.
Lowell-Took BP yesterday and may play for the Paw Sox this weekend. With Casey playing great he can take his time getting back.
Beckett-Will skip the start and return Sunday against the Rays.
Delcarmen- has the flu and will not be available tonight.
Former Miss San Diego Heidi Watney will be the new sideline reporter for NESN
Joe Castiglione called it the most exciting game of the season. The Red Sox came from behind twice tonight to keep the winning streak going. Jacoby Ellsbury was the hero of the game by hitting 2 homers and scoring the winning run after reaching on a bunt single. 
Pauley struggled early but the Sox got him off the hook with a home run by Youkilis. Okajima had a big strikeout of Vlad in the 7th but he gave up the game tying home run on his first pitch of the 8th. Timlin relieved him in the eighth and earned the win, Papelbon had a save in the 9th.
Every starter of tonight's game besides Ortiz and Cash are batting above .300 and Lugo now has an 8 game hit streak. Pedroia has been on fire and continued to stay hot going 4-5 and hitting the go ahead double in the bottom of the 8th. The Sox are on an incredible run, enjoy it while it lasts.
Sox win 7-6 BOX SCORE
Josh Beckett will not start tonight's game due to a stiff neck, David Pauley will get the start. Pauley was on notice when Beckett had the flu but he did not know about the start until 4 pm.
Coco is still hurt, Tek still has the flu.
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Sean Casey, 1B
Kevin Cash, C
Julio Lugo, SS
Josh Beckett, P
Read more...The Yankee pitching staff is not getting it done and now Dumbass Hank is getting into the mix. His public outburst about Joba is now in all of the New York papers and is spilling over into the Boston media. Ha ha.
The Red Sox have finished their sweep of the last place Texas Rangers and now have a much better team to face. Boston will play a three game series against the Angels of Anaheim/California/Los Angeles/Bakersfield or wherever they are from this year. This will be the first meeting with the Angels since the Sox swept an injured and depleted team in the ALDS, they should be much healthier now. The Angels have Jared Weaver going tonight against Josh Beckett: advantage Sox. Weaver has lost 3 of his 4 starts. Manny will be back in the lineup but Coco is still hurt and Tek may still be out with the flu (Beckett had the flu over the weekend). Okajima and Papelbon are rested and ready to go. All signs point to a continued winning streak. No word if the Rem Dog will be back in the booth tonight,(back problems) but the Sox have proven the can win with the backups.
Watch Yankee fans acting as the usually do during last week's Red Sox series.
The David Ortiz curse jersey from Yankee Stadium being auctioned on ebay is now at $70,200. There are 2 days left to bid. The winning bidder gets to have the jersey presented to them at a Red Sox game. Proceeds from the auction go to the Jimmy Fund.
Read more...The Red Sox beat the Rangers 8-2 on Patriots Day for the 4th straight victory against Texas. Boston scored 5 runs in the 4th and 3 more in the 5th. Texas pitching was abysmal giving up 12 hits and 11 walks. Youk's hit streak came to an end, Lugo went 4-4, Big Papi looked like he is over the hump, Ellsbury had 2 stolen bases and Thurston had a really bad day with a strikeout and 4 pop ups leaving 9 runners on base. No Manny, no Tek, no Lowell...no problem. Buchholz had his first win of the season. Sox win 8-3.
Box Score
The Red Sox have scored 8 runs so far but it could be much worse for the Rangers. Boston has left bases 3 times. The Rangers pitchers have walked 10 batters. How about this day for Thurston (0-4 with 9 LOB) OUCH. Buchholz is done for the day after going 6 scoreless innings. Big Papi is 2-4 with 3 RBI's. Aardsma is in for Boston in the 7th and has given a run. The Sox lead 8-1.
Read more...Manny gets another day off, Lowrie is in for Casey and Tek is sick with the flu.
CF-Ellsbury
2B Pedroia
DH Ortiz
1B Youkilis
RF Drew
3B Lowrie
SS Lugo
C Cash
LF Thurston
SP Buchholz
Don't forget about the early start time: 11:05 am Eastern (8:05 Pacific)
They looked like they were going to lose for most of the game after the first batter for the Rangers hit a home run, but somehow the Sox managed to come from behind. With a lineup that many would not recognize a few years ago including: Lowrie, Cash, Pedroia, Ellsbury and Thurston, and without Manny the Sox got some key hits in the late innings. Lowrie, who looked like he might be the goat of the game after getting out twice with a runner on third and 1 out, hit an RBI double and scored in the 8th. Sean Casey walked with bases loaded in to put the Sox ahead for good. Sox win 6-5. Box Score
Manny Ramirez took 3 strikes and stepped towards the dugout before turning and arguing. Whatever he said was not appreciated by the home plate ump who quickly ejected him. Joe Thurston will replace Manny which means Coco is still injured.
Read more...Ellsbury-CF
Lowrie-2B
Ortiz-DH
Ramirez-LF
Youkilis-3B
Drew-RF
Casey-1B
Cash-C
Lugo-SS
Wakefield-P
Jed Lowrie has been finding his way into games since he was called up from the Paw Sox. Today
he will start at second and he will be at third on Patriot's Day. Last night he came in to pinch run for Sean Casey. He is a versatile fielder with good offensive skills making him very useful as a utility infielder and as the future shortstop for Boston. The Red Sox locked up Lugo for 3 more years at $12 million each, so he is going to be very hard to move unless they are willing to eat some of the payments. Alex Cora could be the odd man out. If you noticed the Red Sox are in no hurry to rush him back. When Mike Lowell comes back in a little over a week Theo will have a tough decision to make. Lowrie may be sent back down but it will not be for very long if Lugo continues to struggle. The papers would be all over Julio's rally killing double play last night but Manny's moon shot saved his bacon.
Manny's game winning 8th inning home run may not have landed yet.
Jon Lester pitched well after a shaky start and kept the Sox in the game. The bullpen did their job and the offense delivered once again. In the eighth Pedroia got a hit and Big Papi drove one trough the shift to set the table for Manny's blast. Paps came in for the 9th and sealed the deal. Sox win 5-3. Manny continues his MVP season and Youk has an 8 game hit streak. The Yankees were shut out in Baltimore...life is good.
Box Score
Before tonight's game Terry Francona was interviewed on WRKO and said the Sox were very impressed with Jed Lowrie and that he would start at second base tomorrow and third base the next night. Tito also said it would be a week before Mike Lowell enters a game and he will most likely have a rehab start in Pawtucket.
Read more...no surprises...Coco is still out
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, lf
Kevin Youkilis, 3b
J.D. Drew, rf
Jason Varitek, c
Sean Casey, 1b
Julio Lugo, ss
Jon Lester, SP
The NY Daily News is reporting that Yankee pitcher Kyle Farnsworth will be suspended for 3 games and fined $2,000 for throwing a pitch at Manny Ramirez's head on Thursday. Manny had hit 2 home runs in the game before he was thrown at. There is no word if Aardsma will have any punishment for hitting A-Rod the night before.
The New York Times has an article about Kevin Youkilis and the Yankee rivalry. The Times asks Youk what it is like to now be one of the more hated players on the Red Sox by Yankee fans. Youk told the Times the following:
"It’s weird thing, though, it’s real different where I grew up. I was a real Cincinnati Reds fan. If some guy was using expletives and this and that to a player on the field, with kids around, a parent would say something to those people. Here, it’s like it’s taught to the kids.”
The Red Sox crushed the Rangers by a score of 11-3 tonight. Boston has averaged 7.6 runs per game over the last week and 38 hits over the last 3 games. Every player on the team is contributing and now Big Papi has broken out of his slump with 5 RBI's. Rookie Jed Lowrie had 2 more hits tonight so the pressure will start to build on Lugo. All this and the Yankees lost 8-2 to the O's, you couldn't ask for much more. Box Score
Read more...David Ortiz has hit a grand slam in tonight's game to put the Sox ahead. The entire team mobbed Ortiz in the dugout after he rounded the bases. There is not a much better way to break out of a slump.
Read more...Coco is still out. Watch out Lugo, Jed's in at short.
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
J.D. Drew RF
Jason Varitek C
Sean Casey 1B
Jed Lowrie SS
Dice-K P
Mike Lowell can come off the DL next week but Tito said "odds are against it." Lowell has yet to start swinging a bat. Lowell's swelling has gone down but it looks like another 2 weeks before we see him in the lineup. The Red Sox will be ok if Lowell misses some more time with the way Casey has been filling in. Youk asked Fancona to put him in the game yesterday even though his toe was not 100% so a DL trip does not look likely.
Read more...
When the Red Sox play the Angels on Earth Day (Tuesday) they will be wearing a special green patch on their sleeves to mark the occasion. In addition to the patch the Sox will be given an Environmental Merit Award by the EPA for the "green" changes they made to Fenway in the off season. Representatives from the NRDC and EPA will throw out the first pitch.
There are 2 ways to get a coveted Red Sox souvenir going on right now. The Ortiz jersey that was cemented and dug up from the new Yankee Stadium is up for auction on ebay, proceeds go to the Jimmy Fund. You have 6 days left to bid but it is already over $30,000. Take a look at the auction here.
You can also win one of 9 2007 World Series Rings by entering the raffle on the Red Sox Foundation website. The raffle is only open to Massachusetts residents online and the only way to enter if you are not a Massachusetts resident is to buy a ticket at select malls in Massachusetts...not very accommodating to the fans in the rest of New England and across the country.
The Red Sox won 7-5 in the Bronx tonight but the game was never really close. Beckett dominated the Yankee lineup for the first 4 innings before he ran into a little bit of trouble in the 5th. After the 5th he resumed making quick work of Yankee batters until he handed off the ball to Paps in the 9th.
The Sox offense got it done again tonight scoring 7 runs on 13 hits. Manny went yard twice forcing the Evil Empire to throw behind him late in the game. Big Papi's struggles continued with an 0-5 performance. Ellsbury also failed to get a hit. Pedroia had another multi hit game and every other starter recored a hit against the Yankee staff.
Papelbon did not have his best night giving up 2 runs in the 9th but in the end the Sox won 7-5 and split the series in New York. Box Score
Youk is in....Coco is still out
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Youkilis 3B
Drew RF
Varitek C
Casey 1B
Lugo SS
Beckett P
Schilling is not coming back any time soon and Buchholz has struggled, so has Lester for that matter. The Red Sox have nothing to lose by bringing Justin Masterson up for a few starts until Buchholz can get some control back. Masterson currently has a 1.29 ERA with the Sea Dogs. During Spring Training he pitched well in his 2 games with a 2.25 ERA. There is not much to lose by doing this for a limited time until you can get some quality starts from Colon, Schilling, Lester or Buchholz. The current plan is not working, why not take a chance on Masterson?
Kevin Youkilis -Youk left the game last night after fouling a pitch off of his toe. The X-rays were negative and he should be a game time decision tonight.
Alex Cora- on the 15 day DL with a sore elbow he had an MRI yesterday but the team is still waiting on the results. Joe Thurston was called up to replace him.
Mike Lowell- on 15 day DL with a hand injury. Jed Lowrie called up to replace him.
Coco Crisp- the sore hamstring that kept him out of so many games this spring is back. He missed last night's game and should be out a few more to fully recover.
Bartolo Colon- is on the Minor League DL but threw yesterday and said he was progressing well.
The Red Sox gave up 15 runs in the Bronx tonight to the Yankees. Clay Buchholz looked lost on the mound tonight giving up 7 runs in 3 2/3 innings. The Red Sox will have to decide if Buchholz can remain in the rotation after failing to build on his one good outing this season. The bad pitching for the Red Sox did not end with Buchholz; Tavarez and Timlin struggled mightily on the mound. Aardsma was the only one who was not lit up tonight.
Offensively the Sox were good, scoring 9 runs on 14 hits. As good as the offense was it could have been better; 11 runners were left on base. The only starter without a hit was Ellsbury (0-5).
David Ortiz is still not hitting well and looked like the slump was starting to get to him.
Overall it was a long slugfest with a bad outcome. On top of that, ESPN took a page out of Fox's playbook and felt the need to show Jeter's parents every 5 minutes. Luckily since it was such a long game we don't have to wait long until Beckett takes the hill and shuts down the Yankees tomorrow.
Box Score
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
J.D. Drew RF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Sean Casey 1B
Jason Varitek
Julio Lugo SS
Buchholz has been getting better with each start; he is keeping balls down in the zone and getting more break on his curve. The Red Sox offense struggled against Wang last time but I just don't see that happening again tonight. Buchholz said the following about tonight's match up:
"I don't really know what to expect. They've seen me once and I've seen them, so I think each of us have maybe a little bit of an edge on one another. I want to go out there and try to do basically the same thing we did at our place, just throw strike one and get some swings out of them. Hopefully get some outs."
Yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day in the Major League Baseball; April 15, 1947 was the day Robinson first played in the majors. I was lucky enough to be at the game at Shea Stadium in 1997 when Robinson's number was retired for all teams. President Clinton spoke to the crowd and Robinson's wife was on hand for the ceremony. Unfortunately the game was not a sellout. I do not think people respect how much Jackie Robinson had to go through when he broke the color barrier, the league and teams should do as much as possible to educate fans about his efforts.
Players are allowed to wear #42 on April 15 each season. Yesterday 9 teams opted to have
everyone wear the number to honor Robinson; the Red Sox were not one of them. David Ortiz, Coco Crisp, and coach DeMarlo Hale were the only members of the team to wear #42. This is sad when you consider that the Red Sox were the last team in the majors to integrate; a full 12 years after Robinson joined the Dodgers. The Sox held a tryout for Robinson in 1945 but management was quoted as saying, "Get that nigger off the field." When the new ownership took control of the Red Sox they promised to do more to recognize the problems of the past. Red Sox owner John Henry said the following:
"I think we have to make a statement not just in baseball but in our community that diversity is an issue that hasn't been fully addressed in the past and certainly has to be fully addressed."
The Red Sox have expanded their annual tribute to Robinson on his birthday but it takes place in the middle of the winter and gets little exposure.
The New York Mets have dedicated the entry way to their new stadium to Robinson, why can't the Red Sox all wear #42 for one day? They could wear an advertisement on their sleeves in Japan but not come together to do the right thing on April 15th.
The Red Sox were running on all cylinders last night when they beat the Tribe 5-3. Wakefield pitched good enough and even though Delcarmen was wild and blew the save, Aardsma and Okajima were outstanding. Rookie Jed Lowrie had a big hit getting 3 RBI's in his first major league game. Tek came off the bench to crush one to center and put the Sox ahead. The game ended with a spectacular catch by Ellsbury. The Sox are on a roll and head into New York ready to continue their winning ways.
Box Score
Yes you are reading the title correctly, and no, Bill Lee will not be involved. A Yankee fan astronaut will throw out the first pitch on the International Space Station on Wednesday before the Red Sox-Yankees game. I guess Hank's mom wasn't available. Watch below:
Jacoby will be in right for Drew, Casey gets a day off
Coco Crisp, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jacoby Ellsbury, RF
Julio Lugo, SS
Jed Lowrie, 3B
Kevin Cash, C
P -- Tim Wakefield
Read more...Jed Lowrie will be making his MLB debut tonight, most likely at third base moving Youk to first and giving Casey a day off. Lowrie normally plays short but should not have a problem with the transition to third.
Tito has gone away from his daily switches of Coco and Jacoby in favor of starting Crisp in center and bringing Ellsbury in as a pinch runner or defensive replacement late. Coco is 5-11 lifetime against Byrd so look for him to get the start again tonight.
Tito has consistently changed who leads off the game for the Sox so it could be Crisp, Lugo, Pedroia or even Lowrie tonight. Tonights lineup will be posted here as soon as it is announced.
Cleveland sports writers must have had a late night. I'm sure more than one of them had their articles just about ready for the presses before Joe Borowski came to the mound and Manny Ramirez came up to bat.
There were rumors that Curt Schilling might pitch for the Yankees next season based on his doctor's comments on WEEI but the notion was quickly squashed. Curt had a follow-up interview on WEEI and said the following:
"Me wearing pinstripes, regardless of what point of the season or my career it would have been, is not an option, I can't ... think back to having that conversation specifically … it's not an option. Never has been an option."
You can listen to the interview here.
Coco is hitting, Papi is not. ‘Manny Being Manny’ is now the ‘Man-Ram.’ Detroit is in the cellar, but Baltimore and Oakland lead their divisions. Venerable Mike Timlin’s ERA drops by 61 in one inning of work, Beckett’s ERA is over 6. Dougie is gone. Dumbass Hank threatens the mob, and there's more talk of 'curses'. And you can't forget the 16,000 mile road trip.
Not all is weird, though. The Yankees blew a 7-1 lead over the Rays today, and are in last place. Ok, so eventually they still won the game, but they were in last place when the day started, and their magic number is now down to 148.
Note to self- Yankees return to Fenway July 25th.
Manny Ramirez continued his MVP start with another great game. Manny's game winning 2 run homer in the top of the 9th drove in his 14th RBI of the young season. Ramirez is now batting .309.
Ortiz was back in the lineup tonight and did find a way to get a pair of hits even though one was a Texas Leaguer in the 9th.
Coco had 2 hits and is now batting .343......any offers?
Youk continues to swing a hot bat going 3-4 and driving in 2 runs.
Lester was wild tonight and was lucky to avoid a loss. The Sox pen was excellent; Tavarez, Timlin, and Papelbon went 4 2/3 scoreless innings striking out 7. (Timlin got the W, Paps got the S)
Sox comeback to win 6-4 Box
Kevin Youkilis continues to drive the Sox offense. His 1 run homer to start the 8th inning has put the Sox within 1 run. Tavarez has done a nice job of keeping this a close game after Lester walked too many Indians and gave up 4 runs. Tribe leads 4-3
Read more...
Coco will be starting in center again and leading off tonight. Crisp has been getting the majority of the starts in center over Ellsbury. The Red Sox are trying to portray Crisp as a solid starting center fielder to drum up some interest in a trade. The downside to this is it limits Jacoby but he should have enough time to get ready for the stretch run if they can move Crisp before the All-Star break.
Crisp CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Youkilis 1B
Drew RF
Varitek C
Casey 1B
Lugo SS
SP Lester
The New York Yankees seem more concerned about punishing a practical joker than putting a winning team on the field. The Boston Herald is reporting the following:
Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost told Associated Press the team has discussed possible criminal charges against Castignoli with the district attorney’s office.
“We will take appropriate action since fortunately we do know the name of the individual,” Trost said.
The Yankees continue to look like a scared team that cannot take a joke. Maybe Roger* will have to come "save" them again this year.
I will give the Yankees credit for one thing; they are going to give the jersey to the Jimmy Fund to be auctioned off. More info on how to bid when it becomes available.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer had this in today's paper:
"He needs to be knocked down -- at the least.
Ramirez's act last October calls for high-and-tight heat. Don't hit him, just put him on the ground.
If Jake Westbrook wants to put a two-seamer into Ramirez's ribs, well, there will be no tears shed here."
Go ahead and throw at Manny and put him on base and watch Youk drive him in. Cleveland is quickly rising high on the hated team list. Maybe they can bring out their white crying towels again tonight.
Dice-K did not have his best stuff and had trouble with his control but the Red Sox bats came alive scoring 8 runs giving him the win. Manny and Youk powered the offense while Big Papi took a night off. The good news on the night is the Red Sox won the game 8-4, and the series 2-1 after losing the first game and now head to Cleveland for 2 games with Ortiz, Okajima, and Papelbon well rested.
Here it is, Tito is going to give Ortiz a night off to clear his head...he may pinch hit later.
LF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
RF JD Drew
DH Manny Ramirez
3B Kevin Youkilis
1B Sean Casey
C Jason Varitek
CF Coco Crisp
SS Julio Lugo
(RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka)
The Red Sox shirt buried in the New Yankee Stadium has been found after feverish digging by 
workers. Two workers ratted out the location of the Ortiz jersey, they will hold an "extraction ceremony" today. I thought the shirt did not exist but now that it does Dumbass Hank said the following about Gino Castignoli: "I hope his coworkers kick the shit out of him."
Gino responded by telling the NY Post: "Tell Hank he can come meet me if he wants to try - and tell him to bring [catcher Jorge] Posada, because he's the one Yankee I can't stand."
Note to Dumbass Hank: The Post reported that Gino Catignoli pleaded guilty to being part of a $40 million illegal gambling operation with ties to the Gambino crime family. Nice Job on threatening a mob guy, you may now end up swimming with the fishes.
I for one believe the shirt had a curse on Papi's bat so now that it is removed Ortiz will hit a homer against the Yanks today.
Game time today clocked in at 2 hours and 49 minutes. I'm speculating that this was probably one of the shorter Sox-Yankees games in recent history. Add in the 2 hours and 11 minute rain delay, and now you have your typical game time. Watching the weather maps, listening to McCarver and Buck, waiting..... I went outside to work on the garden, but remained within earshot of the tube. Pap warms up once, twice. I'm thinking no way A-Rod will go yard as he did on Pap last year (thanks for all the reminders, Fox.) Finally the game is being resumed! I knew that NASCAR was on it's way after the game (or so I thought), but Fox cut off the game and went with the race! Whiskey, tango....? The game was over before you knew it, but only after switching to FSN for the last dozen or so pitches. Fox could have at least waited until the end of top half of the ninth before shooing us all off to another station.
Read more...Ortiz went 0-4 again, he is now 3 for 43 on the season. Body Language tells it all when you watch Big Papi go back to the dugout after getting out; the smiles are gone, he looks lost. The slump has now become much more than just a slow start. How long before Tito gives him a day off or moves him down in the order? I do not doubt that he will be fine but it is difficult to look at Ortiz and not see a player having fun.
Read more...The Red Sox lead 4-3 with 2 outs in the top of the 8th. A-Rod is up and Papelbon had just been called in before the game was halted. Based on the radar below it should get back underway quickly.
Update: the tarp is coming off the field.
Update 2: the tarp is back on before a pitch, Papelbon has had to warm up twice. We'll see if it has any adverse effects or if he enters the game at all.
Update 3: The tarp is off, the game is on FX (channel 36 on Comcast Bay Area) now due to the NACAR race on Fox
The skies have cleared and Beckett is on the mound.
Now if we could find a way to shut up Buck and McCarver, the most annoying announcers in baseball.
As you heard yesterday a construction worker building the new Yankee Stadium buried a Red Sox shirt in the concrete to curse the Yankees. Here is what he told the NY Post:
"As I stuck it in, I said, 'The Yankees are done for the next 30 years.' I only put a 30-year curse because I'm 46 and in 30 years I'll be dead, and I won't care if the Yankees win then."
It was a #34 David Ortiz jersey that was placed in the concrete because according to the worker:
"The reason why is George Steinbrenner told [Yankees GM Brian] Cashman to get Ortiz and Cashman told him, we don't need him, We have [Jason] Giambi and Nick Johnson."
The Yankees have already released a statement saying there is no shirt in the concrete. The only problem is pictures came out today in the Post. This is the funniest thing to happen to the Yankees in a long time. They are now talking about digging up the concrete but the worker has not disclosed the exact location. Ha ha.
It's not like Chen-Ming Wang is a Cy Young award winner or anything, but the Sox sure made him look like one tonight. Wang had a no-hitter going in the fifth.
J.D. Drew hit a home run in the 5th, and continues to be one of the only Sox players with a hot bat. Ortiz went 0-3 causing Jerry Remy to note that this is the longest Big Papi slump that he can remember. Just about everybody else was hitless too, except for Coco, who managed one hit in the game. What's going on here? Drew is hitting .429 while Otiz is hitting just .077??!! Coco is hitting .296 while Manny is hitting .256??!!
The poor offensive showing overshadowed what was a good night for Clay Buchholz. He went 6 innings with only one earned run.
J.D. Drew deserves his props. He is off to a great start. It's time for the rest of the Sox hitters to recognize that it's April, not March, and that it's Wang on the mound, not Johan Santana. It's the Evil Empire in town Sox fans. It's time to get the get the offense going.
Tampa Bay pitcher Joes Reyes became the most famous person to get tased by police since the "don't tase me bro" guy.
Following what must have been some good cocktails, Reyes fell down and then picked a fight with a guy and spit blood o
n patrons. Reyes was apparently celebrating his 38th birthday.
Reyes later explained and apologized, "I tried to have a good time on my birthday but I guess that was the worst one. I just want to apologize again to my teammates, the organization, the owner and the fans for what happened last night.''
I turn 38 in September. I may try the Jose Reyes party approach. How bad can it be to get tased? Do you really feel it after that much booze?
By the way, Reyes pitched tonight and got the final two outs in the eighth inning for the Rays. Try that with a raging hangover.
Here's the Sox lineup for tonight but the tarp is on the field. Crisp 8 Buchholz SP
Update: Game On!!!
Pedroia 4
Ortiz DH
Ramirez 7
Youkilis 5
Drew 9
Varitek 2
Casey 3
Lugo 6
One of the F-16 pilots who conducted the opening day flyover at Fenway Park on Tuesday has been grounded by the Vermont Air National Guard.
The pilot did an "unusual maneuver" and has been grounded for "remedial training."
Check out the stunt here...
It looks like world famous tenor Placido Domingo will be singing God Bless America at Fenway during the 7th Inning Stretch in tonight's Sox-Yankees game.
I'll beat everybody to the punch and say what thousands of Sox fans in Fenway will surely say,...."Hey, that's Enrico Pallazo!"
The Yankees come to Fenway today for the most unhyped meeting of the two in recent memory. Traditional media is saying the rivalry has "cooled" and the fans take it more seriously than the players. Every time I hear that I know that things are about to heat up. Last time they were saying that the days of the Muson-Fisk fights were long gone we saw Tek go after A-Rod and Trot and Kapler rolling on the ground and punching Yankee players.
When the two teams met for the only time this spring Jeter got hit by a pitch and Pettitte threw in on Big Papi causing a stare-down. The Joba/Youk incident from last season has not been resolved. The Yankees have a new manager that likes to retaliate and with Buchholz on the mound we are very likely to see a hit batter. Do not be surprised if the "dormant" rivalry heats up in Boston during this three game series. The Yankees are banged up and need a spark; getting into a mix up with the Sox might be the spark they are looking for.
Rivalry related news: Jeter said the following about Fenway Park, "They need a new stadium, It's a great stadium, but it's an old stadium. In terms of accommodations like the visiting clubhouse, I'm sure they would love a new stadium." Note to Jeter, do you really think the Sox would build a new stadium so visiting teams could have a better clubhouse? Have you been talking with Hank too much?
A Sox fan construction worker buried a Red Sox shirt in cement during construction of the new Yankee stadium to put a hex on the team.
The Mayor got the offense going tonight while replacing Mike Lowell with 3 RBI's. The Sox all seemed to get in the offensive groove scoring 12 runs. J.D. Drew went 3-3 and is now batting .440, that is not a typo, he is really batting .440. Everyone had a hit but Ortiz(0-4 GIDP and 2 K's 2BB's) the slump continues, he is now batting .083.
Wakefield pitched well only giving up 1 earned run in 5 innings. He did pitch himself into a bases loaded jam with a hit batter and a couple of walks but got out of it. Wake had 5 K's on the night. Tavarez joined the "I want to blow the game" middle relief club for the Red Sox by giving up 3 earned runs in the 8th to put the game back in reach for the Tigers. Papelbon had to come in and get the last out of the inning. He struck out Cabrera in the 9th before he gave up a double to Guillen. He K'd Renteria, and gave up a single to Pudge before getting Thames to ground out to end the game.
Sox win 12-6 and series 2 games to 1.
Next up: Buchholz against the NY Yankees 7 pm.
Mike Lowell is headed to the 15 day DL This is the worst case scenario for Lowell and the Red Sox. It was originally believed that Lowell would be day to day and miss at most 3 games, with the 
choosing of the 15 day DL we know that the injury is much more serious. Jed Lowrie has been called up from Pawtucket to back up Youk at third. Lowrie hit well in spring training but has only hit .160 in 8 games with the PawSox this season. Casey will play first while Lowell is out and we may see Papi in there at times to keep his glove fresh with Coco or Ellsbury DHing
Extra Bases is reporting that Alex Cora felt a "twinge" while fielding some grounders at 3rd today. Cora would give Youk the occasional break at third while Lowell is out. If Cora goes on the DL the Sox may call up another utility infielder. Ortiz can play 1st when needed but there are no other players to put at the hot corner if Youk gets hurt or ejected.
Read more...Julio Lugo, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Coco Crisp, CF
Sean Casey, 1B
Kevin Cash, C
P -- Tim Wakefield
The platoon continues...Coco tonight
Mike Lowell- The thumb injury is not season ending but could force Lowell to go on the DL. Lowell thought he felt his hand separate when he rolled on it. The Red Sox have to make a roster move when the activate Timlin and Corey is the likely candidate but if Lowell is not greatly improved today he may be the choice. It looks like he will be out about a week.
Mike Timlin - he pitched well for Pawtucket last night going 1 inning and getting three ground outs. He will be activated from the DL tomorrow forcing Brian Corey or possibly Lopez down.
Bartolo Colon- is said to be improving (oblique strain) but was told not to resume throwing for 2 days. He is doing other activities to get into playing shape.(hopefully not lifting cheeseburgers) From the sound of it Colon will not be up with the Sox before May.
Something is not right with David Ortiz at the plate. His early numbers confirm that he is struggling. He's 3-26 so far this season. For those of you scoring at home, that's a .115 average.
The Red Sox had a rally in the second tonight to take a 2-0 lead but those were the only runs 
they could score. The Sox had their chances but left runners on base in almost every inning including bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th. Lester started off fine for 3 innings but he ran into trouble in the 4th when Edgar Renteria hit a 2 run double. The Tigers scored twice more on a home run by Thames and there was no looking back. Boston's bullpen looked bad again with Corey giving up 2 earned runs and Lopez giving up a long ball.
The top third of the order (Pedroia, Youk, Ortiz) was awful tonight going 0-12 and leaving 11 runners on base. Ortiz is now batting .091. Youk and Lugo were both caught stealing making the Sox 1-4 in stolen base attempts this season. The few bright spots were Casey, Lugo, and Manny each having 2 hits.
Sox lose 7-2. Box Score
Next up: Wakefield against the Tigers for the rubber match 7 pm.
The bad news: Lowell had to leave tonight game against the Tigers after spraining his thumb.
The good news: X-Rays were negative and he is currently considered day-to-day.
Update 1: The North Andover Eagle Tribune has more on Lowell's injury:
"I went into a little half-dive and rolled over my thumb," Lowell said. "I felt my hand separate and it hurt right away. I wanted to see if I could play through it and let adrenaline take over, but it was really bothering me. I can't really move it."
"For him to leave the game, you know he's hurting," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "We put him in a splint to try to calm it down. I think the best thing we can do is see how he shows up tomorrow and how he feels. We all know a lot depends on tomorrow."
Lowell said, "I would not want to go on the (disabled list) so I'm hoping for the best."
Julio Lugo came up in the 4th with no outs and runners on 1st and second. He hit a grounder to 3rd that was nearly turned into a triple play but he beat out the throw. He tried to steal second later in the inning and was caught for the third out. This is not going to get him much love from the Nation.
Read more...Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Julio Lugo, SS
Jon Lester SP
Yesterday Neil Diamond announced he would hold a concert at Fenway during a broadcast of him singing "Sweet Caroline" with Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and Wally the Green Monster. The plan for Neil coming to Fenway for a full concert went over, well.... flat to Red Sox Nation. I do not think the organizers of the concert realize that while fans like to sing along with "Sweet Caroline" after a few beers at a baseball game it does not translate into wanting to see a whole set of cheesy Neil Diamond songs live. The concert announcement caught NESN broadcasters Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy off guard, they even said "what if nobody shows up?" I am sure that the Red Sox ownership are involved in the promotion so we will have to endure endless concert promotion commercials during Sox games until August. Bruce Springsteen, the Stones and Jimmy Buffett can fill up Fenway with Sox fans but I don't think they are going to need the new seats...or even the grandstand seats for the number of people willing to shell out some cash to see a glittered up old man sing Cherry, Cherry.
When you look at the players the Red Sox let go or traded in the last few year you have to say the team made some very good choices. Nomar and Pedro cannot put a season together without getting injured and when they are in the lineup their performance is a shell of what it once was. Johnny Damon can now be put in the same catagory. The New York sports website SNY.tv wrote the following about Damon today:
"Johnny Damon continues to hit weak flies to right field like he's swinging a Wiffle ball bat.... You
don't want to overreact to the early season. That's a natural tendency given how long we wait for games that once again count. But thinking the glass is half empty with Damon is not an unreasonable position at the moment, I'm afraid. It doesn't help matters that he should be a designated hitter given the embarrassing condition of his throwing arm, which literally is Little League-caliber."
The days of Sox fans wishing for the idiot back in center are long gone; we now have 2 centerfielders who are better than Damon. Hey, maybe the Yanks want to trade for Coco?
It's been 21 years since the ball went through Bill Buckner's legs. That one moment erased everything else he did in his baseball career. There was no forgiving Bill Buckner for years and years by Red Sox fans.
The New York Yankees paid Alex Rodriguez $192,109 to strike out 4 times against Kansas City pitching today.
The Boston Red Sox righted the ship today behind another strong start from Dice-K. In his 3rd "opening day" Matsuzaka pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings striking out 7. Francona was not afraid to call on Manny Delcarmen who followed Dice-K with going 1 1/3 scoreless with 2 K's. Okajima finished off the Tigers and preserved the shutout. The Red Sox were productive at the plate scoring 5 runs. All of the starters had a hit except Ortiz and Lowell who each drew 2 walks. Youk was 3-3 and is now batting .400 (watch out Teddy Ballgame). Overall a great homecoming for the team and Red Sox Nation. On a side note the Detroit Tigers are now 0-7 with a payroll higher than Boston's.
Bill Buckner took the mound with tears in his eyes as the Fenway crowd cheered him on. Buckner's pitch curved over the plate for a strike. The Red Sox held an emotional ceremony before the start of the home opener in which Big Papi helped Johnny Pesky raise the World Series Pennant in center-field. Watch the videos below.
1:00 pm:
2:05 p.m. — First pitch.
Here is the Sox lineup for the home opener:Matsuzaka p
Read more...The 2007 World Series Rings arrived at Fenway this morning in preparation for the ring ceremony
.
Boston Globe Photo
Take a look at Sox fans at Fenway from WBZTV.
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski proclaimed April 7 as Bobby Doerr Day in honor of Doerr's 90th Birthday. Doerr represented the Red Sox in 8 straight All-Star games and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.
Even though it was Jacoby Ellsbury who helped the Red Sox more in the postseason last year it will be Coco Crisp who will be starting in center after the ring ceremony on Tuesday. Boston will be facing a lefty starting pitcher for the first time this season and Crisp matches up better against left handed pitchers. If Coco can not get something going soon the Red Sox need to get him out of Jacoby's way. He is not helping Boston find a trading partner when he is only hitting .235 with no RBI's so far this season.
Bartolo Colon now has soreness in his right side and his next start with the PawSox might be pushed back.
Josh Beckett said he felt good after pitching yesterday...health wise.
Julio Lugo is not a favorite of Red Sox Nation after making 3 errors at short yesterday. The message boards do not have much good to say and the ProJo has a piece on Jed Lowrie in today's paper.
The Vermont Air National Guard will conduct the flyover before the home opener on Monday at Fenway. I hope they can do better than the Oakland flyover that was did not arrive until at least a minute after the National Anthem was over, they had to tell players to stay on the field and wait for it.
While you have some free time on Monday since the Sox are off you may be able to meet legends Luis Tiant and the Spaceman Bill Lee. The 2 former Boston pitchers will be at the Cask ‘n Flagon for the “ Legend's Pre-Opening Day Celebration” to benefit Mini Fenway Park at 7 pm. For those of you who have not heard, a kid size Fenway Park is being constructed in Quincy, Mass. for little league games and charity events. Tickets to the celebration are $50.
Let's be honest. That's not the start that any of us were hoping for. Everyone knew the Jays had an improved team and were going to win more games this year, but a sweep??!! The Sox bats have been too quiet and the pitching has been shaky. But, there's no need to panic.
It's time to put things in perspective. The Sox have just finished a road trip from hell. Tokyo-Oakland-Toronto is not anybody's idea of a dream itinerary. Now, the Sox get to head home and right the ship in Fenway Park.
Two words put the Sox slow start into perspective, "Detroit Tigers." The Tigers have a larger payroll than the Sox and are off to a dismal start. They looked awful against Chicago tonight. Tigers fans are panicking. Let's hope that we give them more reason to panic this week when they arrive in Boston for a 3 game series.
What is the worst thing you can do when you take the mound with bases loaded and two outs? Manny Delcarmen did it on just one pitch. After Beckett was pulled in the 5 in a tie game
Delcarmen gave up a grand slam to Frank Thomas; his second home run of the series. The Red Sox middle relief collapsed once again. Okajima and Papelbon came in late to get some work and pitched well, but in all three games against Toronto the starters and middle relievers failed to get the game to them where they were in a position to help. Boston leaves Toronto after losing today 7-4 and getting swept in the series. The long strange trip is over; the Red Sox are 3-4 to start the season. The good news is that Monday is an off day and we won't have to hear about how tired the Red Sox are. J.D. Drew and Tek continued to hit well and Jacoby homed today. On Tuesday the Red Sox will open up at Fenway after the pre-game ring ceremony. The hype and hoopla will be over and the team can return to regular baseball.
Lugo's time in the lead-off spot did not last long. Tito continues to swap Coco and Ellsbury in center. Today's game will be broadcast nationally on TBS and on NESN and WRKO in New England. Start Time 1:07 pm Eastern.
Pedroia-2B
Youkilis-3B
Ortiz-DH
Ramirez-LF
Lowell-3B
Drew-RF
Varitek-C
Ellsbury-CF
Lugo-SS
Beckett-SP
Today's match up will feature 2 of the best pitchers in the American League; Josh Beckett against Roy Halladay.
Josh Beckett is making his first start with the Red Sox today after suffering a back and recently reported hip injury during spring training. Beckett is coming off a Cy Young caliber year going 20-7 last season with a 3.27 ERA. He was 2-1 vs. Toronto last season with an excellent ERA of 2.35. The only thing to worry about is his career ERA of 6.16 at Rogers Centre. Boston needs a quality start from Beckett today to avoid the maligned middle relief pitchers in the pen.
Roy Halladay is making his second start of the season after losing to the Yankees on opening day in the Bronx. He pitched 7 strong innings but did give up 3 earned runs. Halladay does not usually pitch well against Boston; he has a career record of 9-10 and an ERA of 4.82. Youk and J.D. both hit over .300 against him and Jacoby is a perfect 3-3. The Jay's starters have been very good against Boston so far and Halladay is the ace of their staff, the Sox have their work cut out for them today. Lineups coming soon.
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