Alex Gonzalez may have a hairline fracture in his right hand from getting beaned last night. Tito explained the injury:
"Gonzie got a flor-scan, flor-scope, whatever they call that thing in there," he said. "It was actually a little bit inconclusive. That doesn't mean that -- I think they just feel a little more comfortable if they get some x-rays tomorrow morning. Paulie said it could be as little as a blood vessel. But it doesn't seem like a real good time to not -- we weren't going to play him tomorrow night anyway, so we'll get him checked a little bit further."Green is still out with the leg injury, Lowire is not 100% and Woodward is away from the team for the birth of his kid. If Gonzalez can't go the Red Sox get worse defensively. They may have to go with Chris Woodward in the playoffs, he is only batting .215 with an OPS of .520 in 33 games this season. Read more...
The Cleveland Indians have no shortage of players making their major league debuts and the hazing of rookie players was on display in and around Fenway tonight.
When (Trevor) Crowe walked into the visitor's locker room at Fenway Park on Friday, he saw his brand new baseball shoes sitting on a chair in front of his locker frozen into a block of ice. Even the inside of the shoes were filled with ice.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| Red Sox | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
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
Dice-K-SP
Red Sox fans are very worried that Tek and V-Mart will struggle to gun down the speedy LAA Angels baserunners. They have reason to be concerned but as Angels blog points out, so do Angels fans:
Meanwhile, the Angels have only thrown out 23 percent of prospective base stealers. That’s mediocre.
In last year’s playoffs, the Angels’ small-ball approach probably hurt them more than helped them. The Red Sox are more selective with their aggressive running. When they go, they make sure they can make it.
Want to get your picture with a Red Sox player? Get to tonight's game early and you can go out on the warning track for the shot:
Friday, October 2 – On-Field Photo Day – Fans will have a chance to get a photograph with a player before the game during On-Field Photo Day. Fans will be invited to head to the warning track on the field as soon as the gates open at 5:10 p.m. Players will come out to the field and greet fans for approximately one hour.
As if the freezing and severing of Ted William's head was not enough, a new book now claims that employees of the cryonics facility that has his body have been doing extremely bizarre things to his remains:
In "Frozen," Larry Joohnson, a former exec at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale Ariz., graphically describes how The Splendid Splinter" was beheaded, his head frozen and repeatedly abused:I do not understand how people can ever become this crude. Hopefully an investigation will lead to prision time for these employees and Ted Williams will be unfrozen and cremated as he asked to be in his will. Read more...
Johnson writes that holes were drilled in Williams' severed head for the insertion of microphones, then frozen in liquid nitrogen while Alcor employees recorded the sounds of Williams' brain cracking 16 times as temperatures dropped to -321 degrees Fahrenheit.
Johnson writes that the head was balanced on an empty can of Bumble Bee tuna to keep it from sticking to the bottom of its case.
Johnson describes watching as another Alcor employee removed Williams' head from the freezer with a stick, and tried to dislodge the tuna can by swinging at it with a monkey wrench.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-C
Kevin Youkilis-1B
David Ortiz-DH
Jason Bay-LF
Mike Lowell-3B
Joey Gathright-RF
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Jon Lester-SP
So, it seems that John Smoltz and the Cardinals are blaming his loss yesterday...not on his suck, but on the unrubbed balls he was given for the game.
I'll admit it...I openly am annoyed by John Smoltz and everything he does. I was SO excited when he signed with the team. On his first outing with the Red Sox...I jumped around proclaiming it John Smoltz Day. Since then, Smoltz has done nothing but disappoint me. He didn't pitch well with us...and seemingly was not ready for the challenge, especially in the AL East. He seemed arrogant in his post game interviews. Then, he left...went to the Cards and seemed to pitch "lights out." Maybe that shouldn't annoy me...but it does. If he was going to be pitching lights out, it should be for us.
But, I digress. So, last night...Smoltz walks an uncharacterist 5 people. He says it is because he was given "unrubbed balls." (Insert your own joke here...they write themselves!) Fine. It seems like classic not taking responsibility for your own suck, but fine. I can't see Joshie Beckett ever blaming one of his losses on something else. That's just not how he rolls...
The next part is what really annoys me. Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan goes on to say that the reason Bronson Arroyo didn't have that same hard time was because he was using pine tar that he had on his ball cap.
Duncan, who said the umpires told him the baseballs indeed were rubbed up, said Arroyo was able to deal with the issue because "I'm sure he had pine tar on his cap. He didn't have any problem getting a grip. Balls like that can generate a lot more movement than a slick ball that hasn't been rubbed up."
Asked if he had seen Arroyo go to his cap, Duncan said, "Just every pitch."
The Sporting News picks the Red Sox as the most dangerous wild card team in the playoffs:
To win in October, a team needs power pitching, at least one big-time slugger, a dominant closer and a chip on its shoulder (the "we don't get any respect" angle is always popular).
No team features a better mix of these ingredients than the Red Sox.
Since I am still reliving the awesome that was yesterday....getting to go to Fenway...go on the tour and meet Dustin Pedroia as part of the Dunkin' Donuts Perks Most Value Tour...I will let you all in on the Q&A that Pedey did with the fans.
I am a dork, but you will all benefit from my dorkiness. I took some notes while Pedey was answering questions. Dave O'Brien, radio sportscaster started off by asking Pedey a few questions and then turned it over to the crowd.
FAMILY
Pedey began by gushing about the newest Pedroia, Dylan. He says he already looks good in a Sox uniform and that he has that baby fat, but a few muscles emerging already. O'Brien asked if Pedey would be disappointed if Dylan didn't wanna play ball when he grew up. Pedey smiled and said no. He said as long as Dylan is a good kid and enjoys himself...then that is all he can ask for. It's obvious he is just in love with that little boy...as well he should be.
TITO
O'Brien asked Pedey about his relationship with Tito...saying it has been reported a lot about it. Pedey's response, "I just flat out hate him" followed by a big laugh. He went on to say how great Tito has been to him. He talked about when he first came up and struggled so much and Tito never gave up on him...and how that made such a difference. He said Tito was awesome and so grateful he gave him a chance.
He also said that Tito kicks his butt in cribbage daily and said he is finally willing to openly admit that Pedey is in fact not very good at it. I think it's the first time I've heard the adorable ego that is Pedey admit he is not good at anything.
JETER LOVE
Pedey admitted that he likes Jeter. We all knew this since they've been WBC BFFs for a while now. He said that Jeter has been to the World Series 6 times, won 4...and for someone to have that level of success, everyone respects him. I agree. I can't say I have Jeter hate. I have to respect the way Jeter has played the game, even if he plays for EVIL.
MIDSEASON ADDITIONS
Pedey said he has really enjoyed having Gonzo in the lineup. He said that when he came up in 06, Gonzo was on the team...so it didn't take much time for them to get comfy working the double team action together. He said that Gonzo just makes it look easy.
Pedey also talked a bit about V-MART. He said that Theo easily got the best available player on the market in V MART. And made a special note that he did it last year with JayBay as well. Pedey said that the Sox were one game away from the World Series last year and that having V MART on the team...it should bring us that one extra game we need to get back there. Sounds like people on the team are really loving having V MART around.
O'Brien asked about JayBay's upcoming free agency and if Pedey tried to talk him into resigning. You could tell Pedey didn't want to answer this one. He said that JayBay has to take care of his family...first and foremost. He said that he doesn't really get the whole free agency stuff since he lucky never had to be a part of it. He did joke that a lifetime supply of Dunkin' Donuts might get the deal done.
OTHER FAV BALLPARKS
Pedey was asked what other ballparks besides Fenway he likes to play in. He said he likes to play in Anaheim. "The park is nice, the weather is always nice and they have the rally monkey there." Giggles. He also said he likes playing in Seattle. I guess Pedey is not bothered by the constant trains...as we all know I am. DAMN TRAINS. Sorry, back to Pedey. He also said when they played interleague at Houston...he liked that park. He did finish off by saying there is no better ballpark in the world than Fenway Park. Well done sir, well done.
SUPERSTITIONS
Someone asked if Pedey had any superstitions before or during the game. He said he didn't and that he didn't believe in it. He said that people get their usual routine, but that he didn't think that made a difference. He said he could go right from an event like this to playing the game...and would be fine. He did make fun of Nomar playing with his batting gloves for a bit. It was cute.
He was asked to share a fellow teammate's superstition. He said that there are 3 bathroom stalls in the bathroom. A certain player (which player???....it's for me to know and you to find out) came into the clubhouse during the game and went to the bathroom...came back a minute later and went back into another stall. Pedey asked what he was doing...and said player said, "I didn't get a hit. I'm gonna try this stall." Good to know that actual baseball players do the same stupid things I do during the game...and think they matter. Someday...I'll write a post where we can list all our superstitions. Mine are pretty ridiculous, but I still do them.
PEDEY AND THE MEDIA
Pedey obvious is not a fan of the media attention in Boston. He went on to say you have to have a thick skin to play in Boston. He was asked if he reads any of the blogs or social media. He said no, he doesn't. He said the only thing he uses his computer for is checking his fantasy football team. LOL He said all that stuff can get overwhelming if you let it, so most of the players just ignore it. He did say that he sees that he has a Twitter...and made the point that it was not him. He said he didn't care and hopes the guy is having fun being him on a computer. Oh if only Pedey knew he wasn't alone...with the fake Jacoby and the fake Jed.
Pedey went out of his way to say that "O% of what the media reports is true."
And as I said before, Pedey went off a little bit on the idea of the sports media having an opinion if or how the Red Sox should celebrate clinching the post season. Pedey said that the team felt that last night would be the night to clinch. He was right...it just wasn't done with a win. When asked what he thought of the sports radio talk about it...I actually wrote down the quote:
"We'll handle this. We don't need sports media to decide how we should handle it. We are going to do whatever the hell we want to."
Joey Gathright-CF
Josh Reddick-LF
Casey Kotchman-1B
David Ortiz-DH
Rocco Baldelli-RF
George Kottaras-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Jed Lowrie-3B
Chris Woodward-2B
Tim Wakefield-SP
Red Sox reliever Billy Wagner has not made a decision about pitching next season. He was asked the question on XM's MLB Home Plate yesterday:
Jody McDonald: “Is it a given that Billy Wagner is going to play in 2010?”Read more...
Billy Wagner: “No, sir. That’ll be up to (laughs), obviously, my wife. She’s been telling me to play and I told her, I said, ‘I don’t know about all this.’ I said, ‘Let’s just talk about it when we get home.’ I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been a blessing to get back and have an opportunity like this but, you know, it’s a young man’s game.”
Peter Abraham will be joining the Boston Globe to cover the Red Sox very soon, and he was nice enough to answer a few questions for us.
FW: Will you have your own blog with the Globe or will you blog as a part of Extra Bases?
Peter Abraham: I will be blogging for Extra Bases but the plan is to really ramp it up with plenty of content, new features, multi-media, etc.
So, the Red Sox clinched the wild card last night when the Angels nicely beat the Rangers. We all were hoping that the boys would clinch with a win and we'd get to see a crazy celebration on the field...in front of the fans. However, our late innings rally was a run or two too short.
There is a lot of discussion last night and this morning...that the Red Sox should not have had a celebration following their 5th straight loss. A lot of people think it is bad form....or embarrassing.
I am not one of those people. I'm gonna give you just one little highlight of my Pedey Q&A article this evening. Dave O'Brien started off the Q&A asking Pedey some basic questions before turning it over to the fans.
One question he asked Pedey was about how they planned to celebrate when they clinch. O'Brien said that a lot of sports radio people were discussing if they should be celebrating at all and in what way...
It's one of the only times I say Pedey get annoyed and a little disgrunted. His response was...that he did not feel it was the media, sports radio or anyone else's job to decide how or if they will celebrate. He followed it with this statement, "We're the ones who will put the work in to clinch, so we can decide to celebrate any damn way we want." That was followed by a bunch of cheers...myself included. LOUDLY.
The Red Sox won the wildcard...and we know for sure that they are going to the post season. I am celebrating that. I think the Red Sox should celebrate that. It would have been better to celebrate clinching because of a win...instead of a Ranger loss, but it's still pretty kick arse.
My thoughts...the Red Sox put the work in all season long in order to be in the position to clinch, no matter how it comes. A lot of other teams would wish to be in that position. When you know you are going to the post season...champagne should fly...Pap should wear almost no clothing and don a hat made out of a beer case.
All it matters...in my little old world...is that you got in, not how you got in. And maybe all of this spectulation on how the right way to "celebrate" is why the Red Sox decided to celebrate behind the closed doors of the clubhouse and not let the media in. It's their celebration....and Pedey is right...they can do it however the hell they want.
Let's Go Red Sox! We are officially headed to Soxtober!!!
Jason Bay spoke with reporters after the Red Sox clinched the wild-card late last night. Watch below:
The Angels beat the Rangers tonight and punched the Red Sox ticket to the playoffs. They may have backed in, but they are in. In Theo we trust.
Read more...Earlier tonight...I posted the photo blog of the Dunkin Donuts Perks Most Valuable Tour with Dustin Pedroia at Fenway. Here is a little more information about the event...in particular about the tour of Fenway Park. The Q&A with Dustin Pedroia will be in Entry 3 (I know...I like to draw things out).
I live in Upstate NY...which is about 3.5 hours away from Fenway Park. I got up at 5am...and was out on the road at 5:30am. I wanted plenty of time to get there and get lost...and to find parking. Well, I am glad I did that. Traffic was insane. INSANE. There was an accident and then just the basic "driving into Boston" traffic. My GPS went from telling me I would get there at 8:45am to 10:00am in about 5 seconds. My GPS found me a detour, but still I ended up pulling into the parking garage at about 9:55am. I was supposed to meet my "Fenway Date" Jayne at 9:45am in front of Fenway. So, I jumped out of the car...grabbed by bag and RAN down the street to Fenway. Literally. Well...maybe I jogged. You get the point.
I got there just at 10am...and we went inside. They were just saying hello to people and telling them about the plan for the day. The plan was to officially have the best day EVER!
First up...batting cages. Jayne went first. Seriously. She kicked arse. She hit every ball...and many of them she hit well. I haven't played baseball since I was in elementary school...and let's be honest, when I did...I was really bad at it. I was afraid of the ball and just all around sucked. So, I wasn't sure I would get in the cage. But, I also figured...I only live once...and got in there. And yeah, I sucked. But....I don't care. GOOD TIMES.
Next we went on a tour of Fenway. The highlight of the tour...was of course...going inside the Green Monster. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to go inside. I am so jealous of people I see at games who get to look inside and what not. Now...I have been one of those people. The nice little old man who gave us our tour...the most entertaining thing he said all afternoon..."We have 3 people who work the scoreboard from inside the Green Monster. We used to have 4, but then we traded Manny Ramirez."
Other interesting tidbits on the tour....
Even though the Monster was built in 1934...they didn't add the little window to have a TV camera until 1975. NBC was covering the World Series and wanted to be able to film home runs as they went over the Monster. So, they added this little pop out door for a camera.
So, the camera man was supposed to follow the travel of the ball as it went up up up and over the Monster. Well...Carlton Fisk. At the plate. Hits a high fly ball towards the Monster. And what does the camera man catch.....you remember the image......
Fisk wishing the ball fair. So, why didn't the camera man watch the ball go up up up....like he was supposed to? Well..as Fisk hit the ball, he got ready to follow it up, but there was a "critter" in the Green Monster by his feet, so instead of focusing on doing his job, he was trying to get the little critter away from his feet. Instead, he caught an iconic moment of Red Sox Nation. At least that is the story.
The Ted Williams Seat. The guy sitting in that seat...was Joe Boucher from Albany, NY (basically in my backyard). He came with his family for the doubleheader. Wore a straw hat and proceeded to fall asleep. Ted Williams decided to wake him up by hitting a 502 foot home run. Joe Boucher after the game...admitted he was a...gulp...Yankees fan. He also said that the baseball god's blessed him that day by him not being hurt by William's home run ball...and from that day on, he was a Red Sox fan. The headline the next day in the newspaper, "BULLSEYE- Knocks Sense Into Yankee Fan!" LOL. Joe Boucher kept to his word and remained a Red Sox fan.
The tour guide went through all the different alterations and upgrades of the park. He said that in 2012...they are hoping to have Fenway Park recognized as a national landmark. If and when that happens, it will never be able to be torn down. *crosses fingers*
He also said that the current owners are close to the end of the planned upgrades. He said that if the upgrades were a 9 inning ball game, we would currently be in the top of the 9th.
I had a great time on the tour. If I could have, I would have spent HOURS in the Green Monster. I would have looked at every single name in there. I remember JayBay telling a story of after he got to Boston...he went into the Monster and found where he signed it as a member of the Pirates. That's pretty cool.
After the tour, we had lunch. While we ate...some lucky little kids got to go back down to the batting cages and swing with Dustin. I am not a little kid...so I didn't get to do that. I guess that is acceptable, even though I think everything should be about me.
And then...Dustin showed up. This entry is long...and it's late...and the Red Sox didn't clinch on their own, so I am going to save the Dustin entry for tomorrow. I took some notes, so I'll remember what we said. So...come on back and read it tomorrow...when hopefully the Rangers will have lost and we will know for sure we are heading to the Post Season.
STAY TUNED......
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| Blue Jays | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 1 |
Hey all! So, Fenway West was lucky enough to get an invite to the Dunkin Donuts Perks Most Valuable Tour with Dustin Pedroia. Matt lives all the way in California, so he awesomely offered the opportunity to attend and blog about the event to me. Thanks Matt! I have a whole story...I will share it soon. But first...here is a quick photo post of the event.
I arrived at Fenway at 10am after battling some pretty hairy traffic. I actually ran from my car to the meet up spot with Jayne, who was my Fenway date.
Fernando Cabrera has been recalled up to Boston again for the final week of the season, as reported by Chad Finn of Boston.com.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
When the Angels beat the Rangers last night it put the Red Sox within one win of making the playoffs. The Sox have 6 more games to get that win and in reality, they could make the playoffs without winning another game if the Rangers lose just one more. With that kind of leaway Tito will rest some players throughout the week but he still plans on having Beckett make his next start.
Read more...
“During the game isn’t the easiest time to discuss that stuff, but we talked a little bit,” Francona said. “We’ll see how he does. I think our thought right now is that we’ll probably keep him on his turn, which means he’ll pitch Saturday. We just want to make sure we do what is in his best interest, and that’s probably realistic. That doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how it works out.”
| a | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Blue Jays | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 14 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 5 | 7 | 0 |
Josh Beckett will not pitch tonight due to mild back spasms. Michael Bowden will make the start. Not the news Red Sox Nation wanted to hear after coming off a sweep by the Yankees. Terry Francona explained the injury when the clubhouse opened:
Beckett's back spasms are upper left. He couldn't get comfortable coming home. We'll be cautiousRead more...
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
Michael Bowden-SP
In October of 1912, seven years before gambling nearly destroyed the sport, the world of baseball got lucky. It would get two teams-the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants, winners of a combined 208 games during the regular season-who may well have been the two finest ball clubs ever assembled to that point. Most importantly, during the course of eight games spanning nine days in that marvelous baseball autumn, they would elevate the World Series from a regional October novelty to a national obsession. The games would fight for space on the front pages of the nation's newspapers, battling both an assassin's bullet and the most sensational trial of the young century, with the Series often carrying the day and earning the “wood.”
In The First Fall Classic, veteran sports journalist and author Mike Vaccaro brings to life a bygone era in cinematic and intimate detail-and gives fans a wonderful page-turner that re-creates the magic and suspense of the world's first great series.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Yankees | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Jason Bay-LF
Kevin Youkilis-1B
David Ortiz-DH
Mike Lowell-3B
J.D. Drew-RF
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Paul Byrd-SP
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustin Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-C
Kevin Youkili-1B
Mike Lowell-3B
David Ortiz-DH
Rocco Baldelli-RF
Jed Lowrie-SS
Brian Anderson-LF
Dice-K-SP
There is a lot of news to report after last night's Red Sox/Yankees game as usual.
Jon Lester was not hit in the knee and should make his next start.
Hideki Okajima returned to Boston yesterday because he was experiencing soreness in his right side.
Victor Martinez will catch Dice-K today after Tek's offensive and defensive disaster last night.
Terry Francona wants a fun celebration when the Red Sox clinch a playoff spot even if it is the Wild-Card.
Yep, that's right...it's me! I kept trying to talk myself out of going to one of the games in NYC. I'd tell myself...it's too expensive...I've gone to enough games...I can watch it just as well at home on TV.
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| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| Yankees | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 1 |
The New York Post leads their sports coverage with a photo of Yankee players popping open a bottle of champers and a large headline reading "Yankees Ready to Clinch"
Their article reads: "Uncork the champagne and use red socks to mop up spills on the clubhouse carpet. That would be quite a Yankee Stadium party. Lights, camera, AL East title."
Have the Post sports writers been watching the Red Sox and the Yankees during the past two weeks?
Keep your Mumms off ice for this series.
Hey, remember a while back when everyone was talking about how stagnant our offense was and how we couldn't score runs? I do. It was brutal. I remember the Red Sox putting a new record on the books for the most innings without scoring a run. Not good.
However...lately...that problem seems to have disappeared. Our bats seem to all come out of their slump together and we are once getting those timely hits...often with 2 outs.
Let's take a look at the last couple of weeks....let's start with that Tampa Bay series.
9/12 Red Sox 9, Rays 1 (W)
9/13 Red Sox 3, Rays 1 (W)
9/13 Red Sox 4, Rays 0 (W)
9/15 Red Sox 4, LAA 1 (W)
9/16 Red Sox 9, LAA 8 (W)
9/17 Red Sox 3, LAA 4 (L)
9/18 Red Sox 3, O's 1 (W)
9/19 Red Sox 11, O's 5 (W)
9/20 Red Sox 9, O's 3 (W)
9/21 Red Sox 9, KC 12 (L)
9/22 Red Sox 1, KC 5 (L)
9/23 Red Sox 9, KC 2 (W)
9/24 Red Sox 10, KC 3 (W)
So...7 times out of that stretch we scored 9 runs or more. There were numerous times we blew out the team we were playing and other than the Greinke game...there weren't any games which the team ran away with it against us. We just seem to be hitting on all cylinders.
What is the difference? For me. The answer is easy...and two fold. The answer is VICTOR MARTINEZ.
V MART obviously brings the bat. He's a stud. With him in our lineup as Catcher, JD Drew is the #8 hitter. That's a good lineup. With him in the lineup as Catcher, Mikey Lowell and Papi BOTH get to play the game. So, V MART has brought so much to this team. I hope we keep him. We better!
I said it was two fold. V MART has also seemed to have a real nice influence on one Mr. David Ortiz. Papi used to have Manny and we all know that something has been missing since he's been gone. It seems like Papi & V MART are a new Band of Brothers...in the lineup....in the dugout...in the club house. David Ortiz is a hitter and I never questioned he would get his swing working...but it also seems like the presence of V MART has really given him some extra Papi mojo.
Let's hope...and pray...that this hitting thing we have going on...keeps on right into Yankee Stadium.
Let's GO RED SOX!!! Clap Clap ClapClapClap!
Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Red Sox will go with Jon Lester for game 1 of the ALDS which will most likely be in Anaheim.
The Red Sox have yet to make that declaration publicly, of course, since the team can’t clinch a postseason spot until tomorrow while playing the Yankees in New York at the earliest. But the team’s pitching rotation for the final week of the regular season sets up for just such a deployment and multiple clubhouse sources confirm that Lester is the team’s first choice to open the playoffs.
NOTE- Salty language alert! NSFW! (Not safe for workplace.)
The Red Sox ace discusses win # 16 with reporters after last night's game. Watch below:
Read more...| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury-CF | |||
| Dustin Pedroia-2B | |||
| Victor Martinez-C | |||
| Kevin Youkilis-1B | |||
| Jason Bay-LF | |||
| David Ortiz-DH | |||
| Mike Lowell-3B | |||
| J.D. Drew- RF | |||
| Alex Gonzalez-SS Josh Beckett-SP |
A Red Sox fan was temporarily released from a 10-day jail sentence so he could go to tonight's Red Sox game in Kansas City.
“These ball games are among the few pleasures the defendant has in life. He had been looking forward eagerly to attending this game with his family,” King said.
Judge Waggoner said Barker’s request was “reasonable under the circumstances” and granted the request.
Curt Schilling said he was going to announce his intentions known on "Joe Buck Live" last night. That should have been a big enough clue for you. If your Senate bid begins on "Joe Buck Live" you might as well higher Gary Coleman's campaign manager from when he ran for governor of California. As expected Schilling made the following announcement:
“Regardless of the amount of support and outreach that’s been given to me, it just did not make sense.”
Jacoby Ellsbury-CF
Dustn Pedroia-2B
Victor Martinez-1B
Kevin Youkilis-3B
David Ortiz-DH
Jason Bay-LF
J.D. Drew-RF
Jason Varitek-C
Alex Gonzalez-SS
Paul Byrd-SP
During Paul Byrd's brief time away from baseball he experimented with gardening, but according to an interview with Rob Bradford at WEEI.com, his efforts did not pay off:
“It was ready to go, but I planted like 50 pumpkins and I’ve only got four,” Paul explained. “And all of my tomato bushes died. My corn died. My cucumbers grew but they’re crooked. So what I discovered was — soil is extremely important, so is following directions, and I’m a ballplayer, not a gardener. But I guess the positives are that I have four pumpkins.”
“We need to start winning series,” Girardi said. “We haven’t done it for a while, and that’s not who we’ve been this year. Now is a good time to try to get a game tomorrow and win a series. We need to play better.”
| 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 |
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 . . .
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