Disaster in K.C.
Red Sox Lose 12-9 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
| Royals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
Monday, September 21, 2009
Red Sox Lose 12-9 BOX SCORE
Nick Green's dead leg
Nick Green had been experiencing problems with his leg for a couple of days when he was sent in to pinch hit against the Angels last week. He hadn't said anything to Tito or the trainers, as he hadn't been playing much with the arrival of Alex Gonzalez. He thought that the dead leg symptoms might go away, but you could see him struggling during the at bat in question. Fortunately he was able to draw a base on balls, which sent in the tying run in the game that the Sox battled back 3 times to beat the Angels.
The Boston Herald is reporting that the Sox have sent Green back to Boston to have his leg examined by the team physician. Chris Woodward has been called up to replace him as an infield reserve, but the Boston bullpen will remain short 1 pitcher during Green's abscence. Green is tied with Jonathan Van Every for having the lowest ERA of all of Boston's pitchers this season.
According to an unverified report, Green will also be getting a better haircut in Boston, too.
The Boston Herald is reporting that the Sox have sent Green back to Boston to have his leg examined by the team physician. Chris Woodward has been called up to replace him as an infield reserve, but the Boston bullpen will remain short 1 pitcher during Green's abscence. Green is tied with Jonathan Van Every for having the lowest ERA of all of Boston's pitchers this season.
According to an unverified report, Green will also be getting a better haircut in Boston, too.
Read more...When Nick Green tried to give himself a haircut yesterday before the game, it led to one the season’s most ribald moments. Green inadvertently shaved his head in one spot and he asked Rocco Baldelli for help. Baldelli cracked up and invited the rest of the team over. Eventually, Ramirez completed a new haircut for Green. When Green joined the team for stretching, Varitek removed Green’s hat and revealed the final result, a short and choppy coif. Green laughed while the Sox applauded . . .
No post season for Tazawa
Junichi Tazawa was placed on the 60 day DL today by the Boston Red Sox. Boston.com reports that he has a mild groin strain and will be replaced on the roster by infielder Chris Woodward.
Does this make room for Paul Byrd on the post season roster? We'll see how Theo and Tito deal with the post season pitching plans.
Red Sox Lineup 9/21 vs K.C.
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF | ||
| Dustin Pedroia-2B | ||
| Victor Martinez-C | ||
| Kevin Youkilis-1B | ||
| Jason Bay-LF | ||
| David Ortiz-DH | ||
| Mike Lowell-3B | ||
| Rocco Baldelli-RF | ||
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Tim Wakefield-SP |
What if Wakefield Pitches Well?
Another Reason Why The Red Sox Shouldn't Have Traded Kotsay
You have to love a player that can have fun in the middle of a game. Watch below:
hat tip to The Dugout Doctors
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Meanwhile, in Seattle...
... the Mariners beat the Yankees again today, taking 2 out of 3 in their series. Joba 'Headhunter' Chamberlain couldn't make it past the 3rd inning, getting shellacked to the tune of 3 IP, 6 H's, 7 ER's, 3 BB's, only 2 K's, and 1 HR. Chamberlain is now 8-6, with a 4.72 ERA.
With Seattle's win over the Yankees and the Sox beating the Orioles again today, the Sox are now only 5 games behind the Yankees, but only 4 games behind in the loss column.
I'm tellin' ya, it could still happen!
Read more...
Red Sox Make it Look Easy
RR looked a little wild in the game but got through an inning and 2/3 without giving up a run. Oki pitched a perfect 8th and Saito finished off the O's in the 9th.
The Rangers lost again today so the Red Sox are almost a lock to win the Wild-Card. If the Red Sox go 7-7 the rest of the way and the Rangers go undefeated, the Sox will still make the playoffs.
Red Sox Win 9-3 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
| Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
Red Sox Lineup 9/20 vs. The Baltimore O's
The lineup is in....
Ellsbury- CF
Pedroia- 2B
Martinez- 1B
Youkilis- 3B
Bay- LF
Lowell- DH
Drew- RF
Varitek- C
Gonzalez- SS
Matsuzaka- P
Tek is in for catcher. I think that's the right call with Dice-K on the mound. Dice-K is most comfortable with him behind the plate. Papi is getting the afternoon off and Lowell is DHing. I like that as well. I think that Papi & Lowell should really share DH when V Mart is playing at first base. Bay is in the lineup...for now. Hopefully it stays that way and sickness doesn't scratch him last minute again.
Game is scheduled to start at 1:35 EST. Let's Go Red Sox!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Yankees Beware
These are not the same Sox that you knocked around starting in game #9 of the season. After getting your collectives asses kicked 8 times in a row, you finally rise up and show some life like it was a pro wrestling smackdown. These Sox however, have won 9 of their last 10 games.
These Sox knocked the birds of Baltimore out of their nests for the 15th time in 17 contests between the 2 clubs this season. Jon Lester was good tonight, but not overpowering, and garnered his 14th win and team leading 22nd quality start, as the Sox beat the Orioles 11-5 at Fenway South. He allowed 10 hits in 6 innings, yet with all those hits, including 2 home runs, he kept the damage to 3 runs allowed. He did not issue any free passes.
Wagner, Saito, and Ramirez pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 baserunner. Unfortunately, sandwiched in there was Manny Delcarmen's tough outing. He served up a phat meatball sandwich: 2 walks, 2 home runs, 0 outs. After a lights out April in which he tossed 13 scoreless innings, his ERA has been steadily rising ever since. I love a good home-town-boy-makes-good story, so I certainly hope he can correct his miscues before October. I'd hate to see him go. The Sox will certainly need the April MDC in about 2 & 1/2 weeks. Barring a '78esque implosion, the Sox will be squaring off against the Angels in the ALDS. They technically have not been eliminated from the AL East crown, but they are 7 games ahead of the reeling Rangers, the magic number down to 9 for the wild card slot. Let's not dismiss the fact that the Sox are 9 and 1 in their last 10 games, and have reduced the Yankees lead from 9 games to 6, but only 5 in the loss column. Yankees! You'd better not look over your shoulder lest you trip and fall! It still could happen, yaknow. Just sayin'....
OK, let's get back to tonight's game. Every starter had at least 1 hit, Pedroia and Ortiz 2 hits each, and Drew and Lowell 3 hits each, including a home run by Drew. Rookie Josh "Glenda" Reddick hit his 2nd home run of the season.
Alex Gonzalez made a 'Web Gem' worthy stab and turned a great 6-4-3 double play! I'm tellin' ya- sign this guy for the next 3 years!
Sox Win 11-5 BOX SCORE
Read more...Red Sox Lineup 9/19 vs the O's
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF |
| Dustin Pedroia-2B |
| Victor Martinez-C |
| Kevin Youkilis-1B |
| David Ortiz-DH |
| J.D. Drew-RF |
| Mike Lowell-3B |
| Josh Reddick-LF Alex Gonzalez-SS Jon Lester-SP |
Time To Start Thinking About the Playoff Rotation
The Red Sox are going to be in the playoffs and they are going to be playing the Angels in the first round. A six game Yankee lead is too much to overcome at this point. How would you set up the rotation? Josh Beckett is the defacto ace of the staff but Lester has been a better pitcher lately. Here is a look at what the playoffs might look like:
Game 1 Josh Beckett/Jon Lester in Anaheim
Game 2 Josh Beckett/Jon Lester in Anaheim
Game 3 Clay Buchholz/Dice-K/Tim Wakefield in Boston
Game 4 Josh Beckett/Jon Lester in Boston
Game 5 Josh Beckett/Jon Lester in Anaheim
If Lester pitches game one he can also start at Fenway where he is unstoppable. He did not pitch against the Angels this season and had one start against them last season where he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, but I think most in Red Sox Nation would feel more comfortable with him on the mound to start the series. My rotation is in bold but I have a feeling that Beckett will get the start in Game 1.
The Angels are going to have a tough time figuring out their rotation, they have Lackey, Weaver, Saunders, Santana and Kazmir all wanting to start and all with similar numbers. (Santana looks to be the odd man out and Kazmir is a big question mark for the Angels)
Roger Clemens* Keeps Digging Via Twitter
Even though his defimation lawsuit against his former trainer was thrown out earlier this month, Roger Clemens* continues to dig deeper into the massive hole of denial. Now he has turned to twitter to get his message out. Since speaking to millions through national TV interviews and appearing in front of Congress did not get his version of the story out he is posting updates like these to get people on his side:
Some people are just ASS CLOWNS! it would be nice to one day have a chance to have our say in a fair setting
And yes we will. Our side is loaded with info. Can't wait to get it out there!!! Coming soon
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sox & Dawgs Goes On Hiatus
One of the great Red Sox sites on the web came to a halt tonight. Ian Bethune posted a note on his site Sox & Dawgs to explain his decision:
I've always been someone who has given 110% on no matter what I do in life. So when I realized I could no longer offer that, I decided this was the best step to take right now. I'd rather not do anything at all then give you something half ass when you expect more of me. Believe me this decision didn't come easily. I've gone back in forth in my head all day.But in the end, I knew when I wrote down that I couldn't give the 110% on everything that it was time to think about things....Maybe I'll have a change of heart in the morning, maybe I won't. I do know for right now, I need to take time to figure things out.
Over the last two years Ian has linked to my stories countless times, he was the first big site to put a link up for Fenway West back when we were getting about 4 hits a day. I owe him a great deal of thanks for all of the support he has given me and hope he will have his great site back up soon. Read more...
Sox Roll Over O's on Way to Red October
The Red Sox continued to look like a team that is ready for the playoffs and Clay Buchholz looked like a true number three starter. Buchholz gave up 5 hits and 1 run in 6 innings tonight and earned his 6th win.
The Red Sox offense was powered by J-Bay who went yard in the 4th before leaving the game with the flu. Casey Kotchman seemed to benefit from his recent time in the lineup by going 3-4 with a RBI in the game.
The bullpen was spectacular; Bard, Oki, and Papelbon combined for 3 hitless innings.
Red Sox Win 3-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
| Orioles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Red Sox Lineup 9/18 vs Baltimore
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF | ||||||||
| Dustin Pedroia-2B | ||||||||
| Victor Martinez-C | ||||||||
| Kevin Youkilis-3B | ||||||||
| David Ortiz-DH | ||||||||
| Jason Bay-LF | ||||||||
| J.D. Drew-RF | ||||||||
| Casey Kotchman-1B | ||||||||
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Clay Buchholz-SP |
John Henry Takes on the Boston Media for Ortiz Reporting
Red Sox owner John Henry has a new post up on NESN where he vehemently defends David Ortiz and says that the media owes him an apology for their reporting. He specifically calls out Dan Shaughnessy and Tony Masserotti. in the article.
David spent more than a week trying to get to the bottom of why he was on that list. He began only with the knowledge that he had never used steroids. It was a nightmarish week of frustration for David. I could not believe the rush to judgment that took place.I understand why people want to support Ortiz in this matter and I understand why the members of the media are skeptical. We still do not have the full story and Henry has a right to defend his star player but the way Ortiz addressed the situation at the beginning and during the press conference has allowed for some doubt in his story. The Boston media is not responsible for an injustice to Ortiz. The MLBPA, MLB and those that have broken the rules before him have led to a climate of guilty until proven innocent, especially when there is circumstantial evidence. Henry never apologized for the Red Sox signing Gagne when they knew he was a steroid user.
Read more...
Tek. That's it. You're Grounded!
We all know I am a Tek fan. Always have been. This off season, I was just sick thinking that he might not get resigned by the team. When he did sign, I was happy as could be...jumping up and down...and singing from the roof tops. I think the world of our Captain.
I also think it's time for the Captain to be the Captain from the bench. I had accepted his diminished bat for the other things he does. But with two glaring errors in the past two days, umm...yeah, it's time to call a spade a spade.
In the game on Wednesday....Tek let a ball get beyond him on a strike 3 from Ramon Ramirez that caused all hell to break loose and our boys to go from having a 2 run lead to having a 2 run deficit.
Then last night. Josh Beckett threw a nasty breaking ball...that Tek went to the mound and called. And, Tek lost the ball again and it allowed the runner on 3rd to score...game tied.
Ugh with a side of ugh. With defense like that, I can no longer defend his lack of offense. V MART should be our starting catcher, in my lowly opinion.
Sorry Captain. I still love you. Always will. I just can't stand strong in your defense any longer. Sad times, sad times.
Red Sox Rookies Get Some New Clothes
- Junichi Tazawa - Dorothy
- Josh Reddick- the Fairy Godmother
- Michael Bowden - the Tin Man
- Dusty Brown - the Scarecrow
- Daniel Bard - the Cowardly Lion
- Jed Lowrie - a Flying Monkey.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
No Brooms Tonight
Josh Beckett went 8 full tonight, allowing 7 hits and 3 runs while striking out 7 Halos. That and 2 home runs, 1 each by Ellsbury and Bay, were not enough to sweep the Angels out of Boston. Tied 3-3 going into the top of the 9th, Billy Wagner suffered his 1st loss in a Sox uni by a combination of Angel's small ball (sac bunt in the 9th) and Howie Kendrick going 3/4, including a HR, 2 RBI's, and 2 runs scored. Victor Martinez was back in the line up and connected for another hit.
I don't know much about the Angel's 2nd baseman, except that he's 26 yo, has a .304 average spanning his 4 season in the bigs so far, and has played 1st base for Ellay before moving over 1 base.
Sox Lose 3-4 BOX SCORE Read more...
Peter Abraham Will Soon Be Covering the Red Sox
Yankees Beat Writer Peter Abraham of the LoHud Yankees blog has accepted a job with the Boston Globe to blog about the Red Sox. Before you get mad and say why is a Yankee guy going to cover the Red Sox, take a step back from the rivalry and understand that Boston is getting one of the great beat writers in baseball. Earlier this season we interviewed Peter Abraham prior to a Yankees/Red Sox series here on Fenway West. He has a great following and will bring outstanding baseball writing to the Hub. So let us be among the many who wish him good luck now that he is on the right side of the rivalry.
Read more...Red Sox Lineup 9/17 vs the Angels
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-1B
Jason Bay-LF
David Ortiz-DH
Mike Lowell-3B
J.D. Drew-RF
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Josh Beckett-SP
Sox and Charity: The August Edition!
Hi All! It's time for another charity update. As I have stated in previous months, I committed to donating $10 to charity for every Red Sox win in 2009. After the All Star Break...the Red Sox seemed to hate charity since they seemed hell bent against racking up wins. However, they seem to be a fan of the charity once again!
For the month of August, the Red Sox won 15 games, so that mean $150 going to charity. This month, the money was donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The money is spent to fund research in hopes of finding a cure to Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes.
I participate in our local walk each and every year, so this month was an easy one to pick the charity. Diabetes is a disease that pulls at my heart strings. My mom unfortunately passed away in 2007 from diabetes related complications. It's one of those diseases that can be managed, but if it is not....it can lead to countless problems. I have such hopes that there will be a cure for the disease in my lifetime so that people do not need to suffer like my mom did.
I used to walk for my mom when she was with us...and since she has passed away, I have walked in her honor. If you happen to have a few extra dollars lying around and want to donate, feel free to donate to my walk page. The walk has come and gone, but they accept donations for about another month.
Now let's review the charities we have given money in 2009.
April $140.00 Donated to MalariaNoMore.Org
May $150.00 Donated to Bob Woodruff Foundation
June/July $310.00 Donated to The Jimmy Fund
August $150.00 Donated to JDRF
for a total of $750.00 being donated in 2009. And in September, we have won 10 games...and I hope we finish all kinds of STRONG! And let's not forget OCTOBER!
Let's Go Red Sox! Not only do walk off wins like last night bring us all kinds of warm fuzzy happiness, but they also help our some really amazing charities.
Fenway Faithful are in the Angels' Heads
"I don't give a damn about this place. I just play. I can't speak for everybody else," Hunter said. "We gotta play better. … If you do this in the regular season, what's going to happen in the playoffs?
"A lot of players on this team are getting it wrong. It's not more important to play this team (the Red Sox) than the Tampa Bay Rays or Seattle Mariners. You play the same game. You do what you do. You have fun. You don't change your game because it's the Red Sox or the Yankees. If you play nervous, you're going to make mistakes. Show some (guts)."
When you have Fuentes saying the umps are too scared to make a call and you add that to the Angels' history against the Red Sox in the playoffs you have a team that is playing scared and may be looking at another post season to forget. Read more...
So...walk off goodness and all that jazz!
So, last night walk off by Alex Gonzalez happened. It did. I am smiling from ear to ear as a result. After the game, I had some Red Sox induced adrenaline so I had a hard time falling asleep. I spent way too much time blathering about the awesomeness of the Red Sox on the twitter. Then, I read this article at 1:35 AM EST by Adam Kilgore over at the Globe. Let's just highlight a few things.
Green revealed after the game that he has been battling a "dead leg" and he thought he was going to collapse during the at-bat and had no chance to get a hit.
So, looks like Greenie has been experiencing a "dead leg" since Monday and did not mention it to anyone. Nick's at bat looked bizarre before we knew what was going on...and hearing his "dead leg" story explained a lot of things. But, umm..I have a bone to pick with you Nick Green. How could you NOT mention it to anyone? You could have been getting treatment for the past 2 days. You allowed Tito to put you into a game to pinch hit with the GAME ON THE LINE when you could not put any weight on your freakin' leg. Not cool. At all. It worked out...since you worked a walk...kind of, but seriously. Next time...you have trainers for a reason...clue them in when your leg is umm...shall we say...dead.
And the controversy continues with Nick Green. Mainly...did he or did he not actually strike out. Umm, let's be honest...he did. I will accept the "it could go either way" of the check swing. The umps could justify that call, no doubt. However, Ball 4...umm, complete strike. We know it. The umps now know it. The Amica Strike Zone surely made sure that Jerry Remy knew it last night. That pitch was dead center in the strike zone. However...the umps called it a ball. It happens sometimes. I am sure that Fuentes is unhappy that he gets a blown save because of a bad call. I can get him being mad as hell about it. However...this is what he had to say after the game about the umpiring.
Afterward, closer Brian Fuentes claimed the Red Sox get calls from umpires at Fenway because the umps are afraid, and that players on his team and on others agreed with him. "It seems like some times, especially here and some other places, some guys are timid to make a call," Fuentes said. "It just seems like that’s the way it is. At Fenway. You hear it time and time again from other guys. The same thing happens when they come through. It’s something you have to live with. It’s either human mistake, or they’re scared. It’s one of the two."
Umm. Really? The umps don't make the right calls because they are scared at Fenway? Seriously? Even if that is true....and well, it's utter malarkey...why would you say that? Next time Fuentes is up in a do and die situation....and the umps see a call that could "go either way"....no chance in hell that the umps are giving the call Fuentes way. I guess our closer isn't the only one with a need to STFU.
Great game. It may have made it so I was up at 3am and still unable to sleep. Ah, good times. Reminded me of October and that's a very good thing.
P.S. Tek. You're grounded. Just sayin.... Read more...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Red Sox Win! Red Sox Win! Red Sox Win!
You're once, twice, three times...
No, that one won't work.
Three times a charm?
Naah, been done before.
Three's company?
No, not that one, either.
I'm wrackin' the ol' noggin tryin' to come up with some snappy title to this post about the Red Sox coming back 3 (three) times tonight, but not having much luck, so I'm going to type away and see if any lightbulbs flash on along the way.
No, that one won't work.
Three times a charm?
Naah, been done before.
Three's company?
No, not that one, either.
I'm wrackin' the ol' noggin tryin' to come up with some snappy title to this post about the Red Sox coming back 3 (three) times tonight, but not having much luck, so I'm going to type away and see if any lightbulbs flash on along the way.
Paul Byrd was adequate tonight. (I promise no aviary humor tonight.) He went 5+ innings allowing only 3 runs to score by the Angels. Well, there is the matter of the 9 hits he allowed, but as the final score would indicate, it's not how many hits you make, it's how many runs you score. Despite holding the Halos to 3 runs, he left the game on the short end of 3-0 deficit. Not to worry as the Sox scored 5 times in the bottom of the 6th (comeback #1) After Byrd handed over the ball to the bullpen, Saito came in and pitched 1 inning and allowed another run in. Next up was Ramirez who had nothin', nada, zippo, zilch tonight as he allowed 3 more Angels around the diamond while registering only 1 out. So now the Sox are down 7-5. (Around about that time the Bums from da Bronx tallied a comeback of their own, as they were down 2-4 and came back to beat Toronto 5-4.) The Sox scored twice in the 8th for comeback #2, tying the game, but not for long, as the Angels put another run up in the top of the 9th. (Are you following all this?) Down by 1 run in the bottom of the 9th, Ortiz draws a 2 out walk. Joey Gathright enters to run for Papi. J.D. Drew singles. Reddick had pinch hit earlier for 'Tek and scored one of the 8th inning runs, so now enter Dusty Brown at catcher. Enter Jed Lowrie to pinch hit for Brown before he even had a chance to step up to the plate. Lowrie singles. Nick Green coaxed a walk to load the bases. Next up, A-Gonz who singled to drive in Drew and win the game.
Earlier I said it's not how many hits, but how many runs that counts (Baseball 101.) The Sox had 13 of 'em tonight, but the Halos had 17. Thankfully, the Sox pitchers scattered them just barely enough to offset that lopsided statistic.
Now, about this shortstop dilemma. I commented on an earlier post about the possibility of a long term future for Alex Gonzalez in a Sox uni. The usually light hitting (yet vacuum like sweeping of just about any ball hit in between 2nd and 3rd bases) Gonzalez was hitting at a fugly .210 clip when he arrived for his 2nd tour of duty in Boston. He has lifted his batting average by a full 25 points in the past month. Since August 16th, he has 29 hits in 93 at-bats for a nice .312 average. He's only 32 years old. Both Lowell and Jeter are 35 years old, and are doing just fine, thank you very much. Theo would do well to lock him up for the next 3 years.
Despite winning 7 in a row, the Sox remain 6.5 games behind the Yanks, but only 5 behind in the loss column. Texas has lost 4 in a row, distancing themselves from the Red Sox in the Wild Card race by 6.5 games.
Sox Win 9-8 BOX SCORE
Read more...
Injury Update
Tim Wakefield is "losing strength" in his leg due to the back injury. He met with doctors today and it is not looking good
Kevin Youkilis: lower back spasms near his kidneys have him out again tonight and possibly for tomorrow.
Victor Martinez: he is away from the team for a personal matter and should be back tomorrow.
Red Sox Lineup 9/16 vs the Angels
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Jason Bay-LF
Mike Lowell-3B
David Ortiz-DH
Rocco Baldelli-RF
Jason Varitek-C
Casey Kotchman-1B
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Paul Byrd-SP
Tek Talks About Dice-K's Return
Jason Varitek spoke with reporters after last night's win over the Angels. Watch below:
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A-Rod* Scandal of the Week: Gum Littering
Alex Rodriguez* does not respect the stadium he plays in nor his fellow teammates according to a post from YankeesMix.com:
He has this habit between almost every inning where he takes this slobbered mass of pink matter, comprised of at least five or six pieces of synthetic rubber (or gum) from his pie hole, and throws it on the Stadium's fine Kentucky bluegrass. When the Yanks notch a win, take notice, he has a special gum flip where he pops it out of his mouth and into the air, then whacks it away just before he starts shaking his drooly hands with his teammates.Read more...
Yankee Fight Video
The Yankees and Jays were involved in a bench clearing brawl tonight. Watch the video below before MLB takes it down:
You can expect a slew of suspensions are forthcoming...ha ha.
BEAT LAA
For this series or for the first round of the playoffs we offer you some proper attire:
click on the picture to order one of your own.
Read more...
Ortiz Blogs Again!!
After several weeks of silence David Ortiz is blogging again and he is ready for the playoffs:
Not everybody gets prepared to be playing in October, but this ballclub gets prepared to be playing in October. We've made some moves the last couple of months that are going to help us get where we want to go.Things are quickly falling into place for another special fall for the Red Sox. Read more...
Dice-K Comes Up Huge
The game was tied at 0-0 until the 6th when the Red Sox took the lead on a throwing error by John Lackey. Ells and Big Papi each had 2 hits in the game.
With the dominating performance by Dice-K tonight, the Red Sox suddenly have the best rotation in baseball. Going into the playoffs with Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, and Dice-K all pitching well could spell trouble for any team standing in their way.
After the game Matsuzaka talked about how he was feeling:
"On the road back I've been a burden on my teammates more than anything, and I feel that I owe them."
The Rangers lost again so the Red Sox now lead the wild-card race by 5.5 games.
Red Sox Win 4-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| LA Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Red Sox Lineup 9/15 vs the Angels
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
J.D. Drew-RF
Jason Bay-LF
David Ortiz-DH
Mike Lowell-3B
Casey Kotchman-1B
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Dice-K-SP
Red Sox to Visit the Bay Area 3 Times in 2010
MLB has released the 2010 schedule. After only coming to the Bay Area once in 2009, the Red Sox will play out here 3 times in 2010; twice against the A's and once against the Giants.
Read more...Dice-K's Leash
“He has done an outstanding job of committing to a program and getting himself in what we consider, just to the naked eye, better shape,” Farrell said. “He’s reshaped his body. He’s added core strength. He’s gotten the strength levels in his shoulder back to a level where he was a year ago. I think he feels good about himself as well, so we’re all looking forward to his next time out here.”
If Matsuzaka can pitch well tonight then look out; with a rotation of Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, and Dice-K going into the post-season the Red Sox could go deep into the month of October. Read more...
Monday, September 14, 2009
How does Tito pick his lineup?
Ortiz, Varitek, Martinez, Youkilis, Lowell, Kochman, Kotteras, Gonzalez, Lowrie, Green, and Pedroia are all involved in Tito’s daily ordeal of trying to come up with a line-up for the day. You could almost pull the whole outfield onto that list, as Youkilis has done some time in left field, but for this discussion we’ll stay with the DH and infield positions:
Ortiz~ DH, 1B
Varitek~ C
Martinez~ C, 1B
Youkilis~ 1B, 3B
Lowell~ 3B
Kochman~ 1B
Kotteras~ C
Gonzalez~ SS
Lowrie~ SS, 3B, 2B
Green~ SS, 2B, 3B, P
Pedroia~ 2B
You can see how many players and positions are involved, it’s downright incestuous. Actually, any one of them could fill the DH slot.
Peter Gammons Uses a Little Grateful Dead to Explain the State of the Red Sox
In his latest blog post Peter Gammons tries to explain the current Red Sox season and where it could possibly end up. To get his point across he throws in some Garcia/Hunter:
It has been a long, strange trip to get here, with three weeks remaining and the team having a chance to reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.
and to finish off the article he throws in :
For now, it comes down to the final 20 games, half of which are away from Fenway. It starts with Matsuzaka against Lackey, which goes to show you never can tell.So enjoy a little Jerry on this off day:
Read more...
Jason Bay Talks About His "Bomb"
J-Bay wraped one around the Pesky Pole yesterday for on of the shortest homers anyone could hit. He joked about it after the game. Watch below:
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Jon Lester is God
As of right now, the Ace of the Boston starting rotation is Jon Lester. Beckett may have had that title, and he may well earn it back (as evidenced by his latest start), but right now it’s Lester.He has been a formidable force in his last 19 starts. Going back to May 31st, he has won 10 and lost 2, while posting an absurdly low 2.02 ERA. In 11 of those starts, he allowed 1 earned run or less. No left hander has succeeded in Fenway Park as Lester has done since Mel Parnell stood on the Fenway
mound back in the ‘50’s. The 2nd game of today’s double-header bears witness to this. Lester went 8 shutout innings and allowed only 2 hits, while striking out 7 to lead the Sox of a doubleheader sweep and a series sweep over the reeling Rays. Billy Wagner tossed a scoreless 9th inning.Offensively, the Sox scored 4 runs on 7 hits. It was a relatively quiet day with the bats, but Jason Bay did mash hit 32nd tater of the year in the 8th inning. In Tito’s daily ‘pick the line up’ game (does he use a dart board?), he had Ortiz at DH, ‘Tek catching, Martinez at 1st, and Lowell at 3rd, while Youk had the day off.
3 Dead Rays
Sox Win 4-0 BOX SCORE| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Red Sox Lineup 9/13 Game 2
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-1B
J.D. Drew-RF
Jason Bay-LF
David Ortiz-DH
Mike Lowell-3B
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Jon Lester-SP
Clay Does it Again
Clay Buchhoz had a no decision in game one of today's doubleheader against the Rays, but he is the reason the Red Sox won; he pitched 7 innings and gave up just 1 run on 5 hits. He took another step in becoming the #3 starter if the Red Sox make the post-season. Oki pitched a perfect 8th and Papelbon came in to earn his 36th save in the 9th.
The offense was having a hard time getting hits off of Rays starter Matt Garza, but in the 6th Pedey just missed a homer with a wall-ball double and V-Mart drove him to put the Sox on the board. Pedroia also had a 2-run homer off of Garza in the 8th.
Game 1 of the Rangers doubleheader is delayed until at least 5pm so the Red Sox now have a 3.5 game lead in the wild-card standings.
Red Sox Win 3-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
John Henry Joins the Blogosphere
Red Sox owner John Henry has started a blog on NESN and in his first post he warned readers not to take him so seriously:
Now I realize that if I, for instance, joke around about a curse ... oooeuff! Some people seem to take everything seriously in sports -- everything. I don’t know how anyone can take curses seriously!
I kidded about Yankees Universe and the fact that Red Sox Nation has ceded many of the planets in our own solar system to the Yanks ... oh boy. Some took great offense. “SOX OWNER BASHES YANKS!”
So let's be clear. This blog will often be written with a sense of humor. And it will be controversial for at least a couple of reasons. Number one -- I'm writing it. Number two -- I have had a lifelong tendency to be blunt.
It should be an interesting read. Read more...
Red Sox Lineup 9/13 Game 1
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-C
Kevin Youkilis-3B
Jason Bay-DH
Casey Kotchman-1B
Rocco Baldelli-RF
Josh Reddick-LF
Nick Green-SS
Clay Buchholz-SP
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Red Sox Win Rain Shortened Game
Red Sox Win 9-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 9 | 8 | 0 |
Ranger's Money Woes May Aid Red Sox
The Texas Rangers are a financial mess and their money problems may cause them to lose the wild-card race. The already lost out on signing their number one pick and now they may have to shut down Kevin Millwood for the remainder of the season so he does not hit 180 innings pitched which would guarantee him $12 million next season.
However, owner Tom Hicks contradicted the report and said Millwood would keep on pitching:
"As far as Kevin Millwood is concerned, we never gave any consideration to that," Hicks said. "We need him to be one of our leaders down the stretch. There have not been any thoughts or discussions with MLB about Kevin's contract for next year -- nor will there be. We expect Kevin to be in the rotation next year and have a strong finish to his contract."
It would be a real shame if the Red Sox win the wild-card because of Texas' money problems and not because they were the better team, it would be yet another failure on the part of commisioner Bud Selig. We can only hope that Hicks is right and that the better team wins with their best players on the field. Read more...
Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 9/12 vs the Rays
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martine-1B
Kevin Youkilis-3B
David Ortiz-DH
Jason Bay-LF
J.D Drew-RF
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Josh Beckett-SP
5:15 is Really Early
Yesterday around 4 pm I was lucky enough to be given two great seats to the Giants/Dodgers game so my afternoon plans quickly changed. I went with a friend to The Bus Stop Bar in San Francisco for some pregame beverages. The bar has been around since 1900 and has 4 flatscreens within view and luckily one of them was tuned to NESN. The bartender was from Worcester, Mass. and the guy sitting next to me was wearing a Japanese Dice-K shirt, Dirty Water was even playing on the jukebox. The rain started falling at the Fens so we, like most of you, were watching wiffleball highlights and wondering how Lester was going to get out of the bases loaded jam when the game resumed.
We left the Bus Stop and headed to Red's Java House near AT&T Park for some more beverages and greasy food before heading into the game.
While people out here like to compare the Giants-Dodgers rivalry to that of the Red Sox-Yankees, it isn't really the same. 25% of the fans at the game last night were in Dodger blue and both sides were pretty vocal but not near the intensity you get when the Yankees are at Fenway. It was a must win game for the Giants who were trying to catch the Rockies in the wild-card or the Dodgers in the division to get into the playoffs. Those dreams however disappeared into the San Francisco night when Casey Blake crushed a pitch from Matt Cain in the 6th. It was strange seeing Manny in a different uniform but he wasn't much of a factor in the game and he is still was not running out ground balls.
I headed home to Sonoma County after the game but realized I had to set my alarm early to call into The Baseball Show at 5:15 am, which is way too early for any sane person to be up on a Saturday morning, especially after a night on the town.
You can watch the clip from "Web Sox Nation" below:
Friday, September 11, 2009
Rain Out
The rain skirted NYC long enough for the Orioles-Yankees game to count- with the O’s on top 10-4 over the Yankees in the top of the 7th. In that game, Derek Jeter overtook Lou Gehrig in the 3rd inning for the franchise record of most hits.
Matt Damon: Yanks Will Fold Like a Cheap Suit
Avid Red Sox fan Matt Damon spoke for the rest of Red Sox Nation on SIRIUS XM’s Mad Dog Radio channel today.
Williams: “Meanwhile, your Red Sox, they’re only about 19 games back of the Yankees. Do they have anything for them in October?”
Damon: “Yeah, of course, man. October comes and everybody is 0-0. All we need to do is back into the wild card and we’re fine. We’re fine. Listen, New York, they’re going to collapse. They’re still, I mean, nobody on that team has won a World Series in... I mean, Jeter has but the rest of them…”
Williams: “Posada has, Pettitte has…”
Damon: “Nine years ago these guys won the World Series. They got so smoked by the Red Sox in ’04, I mean, I’m telling you, man. They’ve got the yips. They’re going to fold like a cheap suit. You watch, man. You watch. If we make it into the playoffs, man, we’re taking them down.”
You can listen to the clip below:
Read more...
Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 9/11 vs the Rays
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF Dustin Pedroia-2B |
| Victor Martinez- C |
| Kevin Youkilis-1B |
| David Ortiz-DH |
| Jason Bay-LF |
| Mike Lowell-3B |
| J.D Drew-RF |
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Jon Lester-SP |
The Baseball Show-Web Sox Nation
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A Team Dedicated to Giving Back
On this anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks please think about giving back to your community in some way. Below is a list of some of the Red Sox players and the charities they support:
- Jacoby Ellsbury: Let Me Play on Native Lands
- Dustin Pedroia: Melanoma Foundation of New England
- Kevin Youkilis: Hits for Kids
- David Ortiz: David Ortiz Children's Fund
- Jason Bay: Ronald McDonald House Charities
- Jason Vartiek: Pitching in For Kids
- Mike Lowell: Mike Lowell Foundation
- Josh Beckett: Josh Beckett Foundation
- Jon Lester: The Jimmy Fund
- Tim Wakefield: Franciscan Hospital For Children
- Boston Red Sox: Red Sox Foundation
Two Year Old to Throw Out First Pitch Tonight
A two year old boy whose aunt died in the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001 will throw out the first pitch at Fenway tonight. The boy, Cooper Harrington, was born on Sept. 11, 2007. His dad says he can throw the ball about 6 feet so it should be fun to watch. Happy Birthday Cooper!
Read more...Thursday, September 10, 2009
Bad Bowling for a Good Cause
Tonight was the 3rd annual Beckett Bowl and judging by the highlights, there aren't too many good bowlers on the Red Sox. Watch below:
They Didn't Break
A few weeks back I wrote this post:
Make or Break TimeAfter yesterday's off day the Red Sox are now ready to begin a tough stretch that will determine if they will be playing golf or baseball when the regular season ends. They will play 22 games in a row against the Jays, Yankees, White Sox, Rays and O's before the next off day. 12 of those games will be at home. With V-Mart and Alex Gonzalez, Tito will use a variety of lineups to get players some rest and we should see Wake at some time during this stretch. Hold on because it's gonna be a bumpy ride but hopefully the Red Sox will be in the playoff hunt when it is over.
So, how did they do? The Red Sox went 15-7 over that stretch. Before this 22 game stretch started the Red Sox were 1/2 game behind the Rangers in the Wild Card race and are now 2 games up. The team released Brad Penny and saw the debuts of Junichi Tazawa and Paul Byrd. The Red Sox did not win the Wild Card during this stretch but they put themselves in a good position to make the playoffs; something that was not a given 22 games ago. Read more...
Dice-K Looks Ready, Wake on Hold
Daisuke Matsuzaka looked like a pitcher ready to return to the majors after last night's rehab game with the Salem Red Sox. He pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and a walk, he struck out 7 batters; giving him a victory in the Carolina League playoff game. Look for Dice-K's next start to be with the big club in place of Paul Byrd or Tim Wakefield.
Wake is having another cortisone shot today to try to pitch against Baltimore late next week if all goes well. If he still experiences discomfort in a side session he may opt for surgery which would keep him out for the rest of the regular season and most likely the post-season.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Byrd flies again, Sox send O's to Road Kill Cafe
Paul Byrd regained the form he displayed in his 1st start again in tonight’s contest against the AL birds, the Orioles. He went 5 innings, scattering 6 hits, and allowing only 2 runs. He left the game with a 3-2 lead. Manny Delcarmen enters the game and promptly but uncharacteristically earned his 3rd blown save of the season: 1/3 IP, 2 H’s, 1 BB, and 2 runs. Tonight’s road crew of Ramirez, Wagner, Bard, and Papelbon followed and scraped the 
Orioles off the road to October. Wagner earned his 1st victory in a Sox uni, Bard earned hold #10, and Papelbon scored save #35.
Offensively the Sox were hot again, spanking 15 hits. Every Sox starter, save 1, had a hit today; 5 had multi-hit games, including 3/5 by Jason Bay. Mike Lowell stole a base, his 1st of the season. The Birds of Baltimore managed to climb back into the game after Paul Byrd left, going 1 up on the Sox in the top of the 6th inning. Pedroia knocked in a run in the bottom of that inning to even it back up at 4 each. In the bottom of the 7th, V-Mart came off the bench to hit a double to clear 3 Sox off the field and across home plate, effectively leaving the Orioles as road kill this season, as they have won only 1 game at Fenway since July 12, 2008.
Sox Win 7-4 BOX SCORE
Read more...
Orioles off the road to October. Wagner earned his 1st victory in a Sox uni, Bard earned hold #10, and Papelbon scored save #35.Offensively the Sox were hot again, spanking 15 hits. Every Sox starter, save 1, had a hit today; 5 had multi-hit games, including 3/5 by Jason Bay. Mike Lowell stole a base, his 1st of the season. The Birds of Baltimore managed to climb back into the game after Paul Byrd left, going 1 up on the Sox in the top of the 6th inning. Pedroia knocked in a run in the bottom of that inning to even it back up at 4 each. In the bottom of the 7th, V-Mart came off the bench to hit a double to clear 3 Sox off the field and across home plate, effectively leaving the Orioles as road kill this season, as they have won only 1 game at Fenway since July 12, 2008.
Sox Win 7-4 BOX SCORE
Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 9/9 vs Baltimore
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF |
| Dustin Pedroia-2B |
| J.D. Drew-RF |
| Kevin Youkilis-1B |
| David Ortiz-DH |
| Jason Bay-LF |
| Mike Lowell-3B |
| Jason Varitek-C |
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Paul Byrd-SP |
A Little Added Pressure for Dice-K
When Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the mound tonight for the Salem Red Sox he will be pitching in game 1 of a best of 5 playoff series against Winston-Salem. This is the inaugural season for the Salem Red Sox so Dice-K will have the added pressure of starting thier first ever playoff game. Even though it is a single A game, the added pressure should give us some indication as to Dice-K's ability to rejoin the rotation as a dependable pitcher for the remainder of the season.
"This is a great way to kick off the 2009 post season for the Salem Sox," said Salem General Manager John Katz. "It's always exciting to have a major-leaguer on the field, and to have a pitcher the caliber of Daisuke Matsuzaka on the bump in game one is really something special."Read more...
Big Papi Set To Make History
With one more home run David Ortiz will set the record for the most home runs by a designated hitter. When he went deep last night he tied Frank Thomas for the record with 269 homers while being a designated hitter. Ortiz did not know about it until he was told after the game. Watch below:
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Chicks Dig The Long Ball
Back home at the Fens the offense was able to pepper the fans with souvenir home run balls. Pedroia got it started with a homer in the first then Youk hit one of his own. Alex Gonzales hit one in the second and Pedey went yard again in the third. J.D. Drew kept the homer parade going with with a home run in the third and Big Papi hit one in the seventh. That is a total of 6 home runs in the game folks, it doesn't get much better than that. But wait...there's more...
The pitching was outstanding with Clay Buchholz earning his 5th win by going 7 shutout innings and just allowing 3 hits. Bowden finished off the game with 2 scoreless innings of his own.
Red Sox Win 10-0 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 0 |
Read more...
Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 9/8 vs the O's
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF Dustin Pedroia-2B |
| Victor Martinez-C |
| Kevin Youkilis-3B |
| David Ortiz-DH |
| Jason Bay-LF |
| J.D. Drew-RF |
| Casey Kotchman-1B |
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Clay Buchholz-SP |
Lowrie Back With the Red Sox
Jed Lowrie is back on the Red Sox after rehabbing with the PawSox but he may not be able to contribute much to the team. The wrist injury that sidelined him in the first place continues to impact his swing and limit his production. He finished his time in Pawtucket by going 0-3 and was just 3 for his last 37. With Alex Gonzales hitting well and Nick Green still on the bench it is unlikely that Lowrie's return will have much of an impact on the team. He told the ProJo that he is still having issues with the wrist:
Read more...
"At this point, it's just about managing it and doing what I can to help (Boston) win,'' he said. "It's something I have to deal with. It's fine. It's not 100 percent.''
Haggs Discusses the Rotation
Joe Haggerty was on NECN's Sports Late Night to discuss Josh Beckett's start and the state of the rotation. Good stuff as always from a great reporter. Make sure to follow him on twitter for great in-game info.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Can The Red Sox Get There Without Wake?
If the Red Sox are going to the promised land again in '09 they may have to do it without Tim Wakefield. He will miss his next start and possibly more according to Terry Francona:
"We have him penciled in down in Baltimore but having said that we’re going to talk to Tom (Dr. Tom Gill) and figure out whether he can pitch every 10 days or whether that’s doing him a disservice. We’re kind of stuck in the middle, and he is, too. There’s a lot of gray area here and we really don’t know.”
If Dice-K makes another rehab start then the rotation would be Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Byrd, and Tazawa or possibly Bowden. With an off day this week they can skip the 5th spot and go back to Lester but after that it means Dice-K and Byrd will need to be in the rotation; not something that sits well with this corner of Red Sox Nation. Read more...
Beckett Pitches Well in Red Sox Loss
It is safe to say that most Red Sox fans are not taking today's loss in Chicago too hard since Josh Beckett showed he can still pitch well. He went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and more importantly ZERO home runs. He did have one bad inning but rebounded nicely. Unfortunately the Red Sox could not get a timely hit and had a combined 16 runners LOB. Hopefully the Tribe can beat Texas again and the loss won't matter much. The Red Sox now head back to Boston to take on the O's.
Red Sox lose 5-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| White Sox | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
Today's Red Sox Lineup 9/7 vs Chicago
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-1B
Kevin Youkilis-3B
Jason Bay-LF
Mike Lowell-DH
Rocco Baldelli-RF
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Josh Beckett-SP
Should The Red Sox Keep Shifting the Lineup?
When the Red Sox obtained Victor Matinez they brought a solid bat to the team, they also made Tito's job much harder. To keep V-Mart's bat in the lineup the team needs to rotate Tek, Lowell, and Ortiz out of their usual spots. Red Sox pitchers have long benefited with Varitek calling the game behind the plate and Martinez is not a defensive upgrade, but offensively the team is much better with V-Mart's bat replacing Tek's. When V-Mart goes to first and Youk shifts to third, you get the benefit of allowing Mike Lowell to rest his hip, but his hot bat is on the bench. With Big Papi struggling at the plate, the DH spot has looked like a better spot to play Lowell or V-Mart and keep Tek behind the dish, but that hasn't happened much. Lowell has definitely been the odd man you since V-Mart arrived while Big Papi is usually the DH. Tito can't get away with saying he is just going to start Ortiz against righties because his numbers are very similar against lefties.
There is no question that right now the team is better offensively when Tek and Ortiz are on the bench, letting V-Mart catch and Lowell DH. Big Papi and Tek have been the heart and soul of the Red Sox for years and have a huge fan support but their numbers are starting to hurt the team. It might be time to have them sit out even more. Theo will have to make some big choices in the offseason with those two.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
It Still Could Happen
The Red Sox are 79-57 and the Yankees are 87-50 after today’s games. If the Sox go 19-7 and the Yankees go 10-15, that would leave the Sox at 98-64 and the Yankees at 97-65. It could happen, not bloody likely, but it still could happen. Just sayin’, ykwim?
(Must be the eternal optimist in me, or when I’m drinking beer- hoptimist.)
Read more...
(Must be the eternal optimist in me, or when I’m drinking beer- hoptimist.)
Lester Helps Red Sox Increase WC Lead
Jon Lester looked like the ace of the staff on the south side of Chicago this afternoon. The Red Sox starter pitched seven shutout innings and gave up just 4 hits while he struck out 8 including his 200th K of the season. He was aided in the bottom of the 1st when Pedey made a spectacular over the shoulder catch on a flair in shallow right and doubled up the runner on second.
Mike Lowell got the offense started with a 2-run homer in the 4th and Youk drove in another run in the 5th to pad the lead. Ells had 3 hits in the game with a stolen base. David Ortiz could not get out of the slump and put up another 0-fer.
Wagner came in to pitch the 8th and gave up his first run as a member of the Red Sox; a long home run before recording 2 outs and being replaced by Bard. Daniel Bard threw a slider for a ball and then 3 straight fastballs to get a strikeout and end the inning.
V-Mart hit a 3-run homer in the top of the 9th to give the Red Sox a 5 run lead and take some pressure off of the bullpen. Papelbon still came in to pitch the 9th to get some work, he gave up 1 hit in the non save situation.
The Rangers and Yankees both lost so the Red Sox picked up a game in the division and added to their wild-card lead.
Red Sox Win 6-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
| White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Today's Red Sox Lineup 9/6 vs Chicago
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF | ||||
| Dustin Pedroia-2B | ||||
| Victor Martinez-C | ||||
| Kevin Youkilis-3B | ||||
| Jason Bay-LF | ||||
| David Ortiz-DH | ||||
| Mike Lowell-3B | ||||
| J.D. Drew-RF | ||||
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Jon Lester-SP |
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