With the loss and a Yankee win the Red Sox move into second place by half a game.
Don't forget to tune in to hear Mike Lowell call The Baseball Show tomorrow morning (9 am Eastern, 6 Pacific) and talk with Mike Felger, Lou Merloni, Sean McAdam and Steve Buckley.
Red Sox Lose 6-3 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Lowell, 3B
George Kottaras, C
Julio Lugo, SS
Tim Wakefield, SP
Terry Francona had another health issue after yesterday's game in Minnesota. Throughout his years with the Red Sox he has had back and circulation problems and also has high blood pressure. There are few jobs in sports that come with as much stress as managing the Red Sox and Tito's health has suffered because of it. Yesterday's event is a red flag, even if it is being spun as nothing major. Francona may not be able to stay on as the Red Sox skipper for much longer due to the continual strain he is putting on his body. His family and friends have most likely begun to put pressure on him to step aside and I would not be surprised if this is his last season as manager of the Sox.
UPDATE: Rob Bradford of WEEI.com posted this about Francona:
Francona said "when I was on the field I thought i was going down....I thought I was going to pass out...I felt fine today." Francona was thrown out in the 7th inning after arguing with the homeplate umpire. Fracona said he has never experienced anything so sever in regards to his blood pressure like he did Thursday.Read more...
When the Blue Jays entered Fenway last week the series was billed as the playoffs in May. The Jays were in first place and there was talk that they might do what the Rays did last year. Jays fans were feeling very confident as seen from the interview I did with the Toronto Sports and the City blog:
FW: How confident are you that the Blue Jays will be in the playoff hunt in August?
S&TC: August? I'm thinking October. The Blue Jays are winning the pennant.
The Blue Jays have now lost 9 in a row and the confidence is gone:
Amazing. In the space of one road trip, skittish Jays fans have gone from puffing out their chests with pride and planning an October parade route down Yonge Street, to demanding a dismantling of the roster, looking over their shoulders with fear and trepidation at the Orioles.Wake is starting tonight against Cassey Janssen in Toronto. This series could let the Jays back in the hunt or send them on their way to a fire sale before the trade deadline. Read more...
When they unfreeze Ted Williams he is gonna be pissed that all of his cool stuff is being auctioned off by a second rate junk dealer. Look at the way this stuff is being presented; I've seen more interest at the used DVD table in the flea market.
Josh Beckett pitched very well today giving up just one run from a homer by Crede. He only gave up 3 hits in 7 innings and had 8 K's. Oki and Paps each gave up a hit in scoreless innings. Jason Varitek fueled the Red Sox offense with two home runs including a tape-measure bomb in the 7th. Ellsbury's hit streak came to an end but Pedroia had a hit today to extend his streak. Both teams had their catchers and mangers thrown out in the late innings. Tek and Tito were ejected for arguing balls and strikes. The Sox split the series with the Twins 2-2 and have now played their final game at the Metrodome.
Red Sox Win 3-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Twins | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Mike Lowell, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitk, C
Jeff Bailey, LF
Julio Lugo, SS
Josh Beckett, SP
You can never have too much pitching right? What if you have too much mediocre pitching with a guy who is dominating in AAA wanting to come up. The Red Sox rotation has been OK but there are some big issues.
Red Sox Lose 4-2 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Twins | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
Eric Gagne must have been saddened when he learned that the Capitals team that was being furnished with steroids was the Washington Capitals and not the Quebec Capitales; the Can-Am league team Gagne just signed with.
"I'ts' too early to gauge the impact of his arrival on turnout at the stadium, but let's just say it's a big score for the team (and) for the league as well," said team owner Miles Wolff.Probably not the "big score" that Gagne was looking for. I hope the team has stocked up with a large supply of baseballs for when Gagne starts serving up meatballs without the help of PED's. Read more...
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Lowell, 3B
George Kottaras, C
Nick Green, SS
Dice-K, SP
There is trouble brewing for Bud Selig as the Midsummer Classic draws nearer. Now there's a movement to vote Manny Ramirez as the starting left fielder for the NL All-Star team. The goal according to the website Vote for Manny is:
To highlight the silliness that are the MLB rules towards PED users as well as their "head in the sand" approach to this situation. Rather than confront it head-on, MLB is choosing to do nothing and simply hope there are three higher vote getters in the NL OF.
His rehab is going well and he is a few weeks away from starting his first game for the Red Sox. Last night he went 3 1/3 innings giving up one run and striking out two.
A pattern is developing for Jon Lester this season; get into a grove for a few innings and then bam, the wheels come off and the opposing team has put a crooked number on the board. Tonight it was the fifth inning where the Twins scored 5 times including a three run homer over the Hefty bag. Lester's ERA is now above 6. Ouch.
The Sox offense had 9 hits including 2 by Ells extend his streak to 21 games. Ortiz had a double in his first game at the #6 spot. Too many runners were LOB and only 2 runs crossed the plate.
Red Sox Lose 5-2 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Jason Bay, LF
David Ortiz,
Jason Varitek, C
Jeff Bailey, 1B
Julio Lugo, SS
Jon Lester, SP
The clock on Brad Penny's time in Boston appears to be ticking away. With Buchholz's domination in AAA and Smoltz activation looming, the Red Sox have to make a choice for the rotation. Here are the options:
Option 1: Keep Penny in the rotation, Buchholz stays in Pawtucket and Smoltz goes to the pen (which he does not want to do.)
Option 2: Bring up Buchholz, send Penny to the pen (Masterson goes to PawSox) and use Smoltz as a spot starter or go with a 6-man rotation.
Option 3: Trade Penny or Buchholz (Smoltz has no trade value until he has some sucessful starts)
The Red Sox are most likely going to trade Penny before the deadline. Buchholz has too much long term value to trade for a quick fix. The rumor mill on Penny has started to heat up and there are a number of teams that would like him. What can the Red Sox get in return for Penny? The catcher of the future or a big bat as insurance for Ortiz is wishful thinking but they could get a good prospect which would help keep the Sox rolling for years to come.
They say you can never have enough pitching. The Red Sox are hell bent on testing out that theory here in 2009. Yes, our current starting 5 has been a little shaky, but in the last couple of weeks they seem to be returning to form. Lester seems to be getting better with each outing. Beckett pitched a gem of a game before Pap came in and messed it all up. Daisuke Matsuzaka is back from reminding us why we hate the WBC and showing that he will return to form. Wake has been a rock star. And Brad Penny...he is even impressing me lately, which says an awful lot.
That seems like enough all on its own. But the list goes on. John Smoltz has been continuing his rehab starts through the minors. He said he feels good and like he would normally in Spring Training. He has stated he hopes to be ready to pitch for the Sox in the middle of June. It's May 26th today, so that is not far away at all. John Smoltz people!
Let's not forget our boys pitching up a storm in the minor leagues. Michael Bowden who we got to see for a few innings of relief pitching early in the year has been getting it done with the PawSox. He has a 2-2 record with a 1.64 ERA.
And, to the heart of this entry...we have Clay Buchholz. We know I am a fan. His stat line so far with the PawSox: a 3-0 record, a 1.30 ERA, 49 Ks over just over 48 innings pitched.
Clay got the start in yesterday's Memorial Day game. Clay held a no hitter until the 9th inning over Louisville until Danny Richar had to be a buzz kill and get a single off our until then perfect Buch. He ended up with a complete shutout game, 1 hitter, throwing 96 pitches, K-ing 7 batters.
Of course, flirting with a no-no is nothing new for Clay. He pitched a no hitter in September of 2007 when he was up with the Red Sox. He was the first Red Sox rookie in history to ever throw a no hitter. Clay reported that he was disappointed that he was not able to get those last 3 outs without allowing a hit. What Clay should be disappointed about is that he is still stuck down in the minors given how he is pitching. They said his control was SO good yesterday that only went to a 3 ball count ONCE.
So, that is our starting pitching....and I haven't even mentioned our bullpen which is the best in the business. Yes, you can never have too much pitching...I agree. However, it does raise some interesting questions:
What will the starting 5 be when John Smoltz is active and ready to go in a few weeks? Who is the odd man...or more likely odd men...out?
With Buchholz pitching like he is in AAA, how long before he gets called up? And if so, how is room made for him?
Are there pitching trades which are going to be made in order to get some of the position players we desire? If so, who? We've heard rumors of Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen and even Brad Penny.
Would Boston ever consider a 6 man rotation?
What is the likelihood of everyone on the pitching staff staying healthy throughout the course of the season?
I still say...with our pitching depth and the questions it raises, it is a still a GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE!
Penny pitched a typical game giving up 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Amalie Benjamin reported that he was throwing up between innings with some kind of sinus issue. RR took over and shut down the Twins for 1 2/3 innings and Oki pitched a hitless 9th. Then Papelbon gave up a hit and a two-run homer to Joe Mauer to put the Twins within one run before shutting the door for good.
Red Sox Win 6-5 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 1 |
| Twins | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, DH
Rocco Baldelli, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Jeff Bailey, 1B
Julio Lugo, SS
Brad Penny, SP
People sometime refer to the Korean War as the forgotten war, but I want to take a moment to thank people for taking the time to remember those who lost their lives in that and other wars on this Memorial Day.
My uncle, Bill O'Donnell, was killed in Korea in 1951. He was a great athlete who played baseball and football at The Manlius School in New York and at Seton Hall University.
On Memorial Day in 2000 an article was published by Bill McGurn in the Wall Street Journal:
He and his wife had only been in Madison two years. His wife had a copy of "Always With Us" about the young men who gave their lives in various wars. Mr. McGurn spent ten years in Asia and came across many soldiers and visited many cemeteries there--Vietnam, Korea, Japan. He was very personally conscious of the sacrifices and final resting places of these men. He and his wife were struck by discovering in the book the fact that Bill O'Donnell had lived in their house--to find a face linked to that address. They never met the O'Donnell family, and he imagined that sad telegram that every soldier's mother knows about even before she opens the content. He then wrote the article as a tribute to the men and families that sacrificed in a town such as Madison.
Tim Wakefield picked up his 6th win of the season today as the Red Sox avoided the sweep. The offense delivered with 16 hits and 12 runs. Ells kept the streak going and now has a hit in 19 straight games. Lowell and Youk each hit home runs and J.D. Drew went 4-5. Every Sox starter had a hit but David Ortiz who went 0-5 with 8 runners LOB. He hit one ball hard but it was a line out and he is now batting .195.
Big Papi's time in the 3 spot seems to be over for a while. The team is standing behind him but it is time to drop him in the order until he can get it going again.
Red Sox Win 12-5 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Mets | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16 | 0 |
Yesterday, Lugo's absence from the lineup was spun as a routine day off. When Nick Green was put into the lineup at short again today there was no hiding that Lugo's defense is going to cost him playing time. In the past Lugo always seemed to get hurt when there was pressure on Francona to bench him. Is Nick Green now the starting shortstop? Are the Red Sox going to platoon Green and Lugo? Will the Sox make a move to get some help at short before Lowrie comes back? All of those things are now on the table and Julio Lugo is not happy about it:
When asked if he was hurt, he said everything was fine. When asked why he was not in the lineup, he walked away from a group of reporters saying: "Go ask Tito."Read more...
Met's closer Fransisco Rodriguez was taken to the hospital yesterday with severe back spasms. I heard about almost immediately after the game on Twitter. News was just breaking. It went from he is seeking medical attention to he just collapsed to they are putting him on a stretcher and he is crying uncontrollably with the EMTs.
I was shocked to hear this. I often curse K-Rod mainly because he is so crazy good. I knew we would lose Game 1 since there is no way we were getting 2 runs off K-Rod....no way.
Here is a blog from the NY Post about what happened with K-Rod yesterday.
"I've never been through the type of pain I'm having right now," Rodriguez said. "It's a struggle even to walk."...
"They came out of nowhere," he said. "I was getting my running in and I stopped because my back locked up. I came in to get some treatment and some adjustment, but it made it a lot worse. I couldn't even move for an hour. It's been a really tough day."
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
J.D. Drew, RF
Mike Lowell, 3B
George Kottaras, C
Nick Green, SS
Tim Wakefield, SP
Red Sox Lose 3-2 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Mets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Remember back in April when the Sox started off with 2-6 record and it didn't seem like we could do anything to win a game? It does seem like forever ago since we then went on a tear and won a dozen games straight. Well, at that point...I decided to try to give our wins an extra bump of karma. It couldn't hurt, eh?
You see, for me baseball and my obsession with it if often a selfish endeavor. I sometimes prioritize baseball over those actual people in my life. I prioritize baseball over sleep. I am sure there are times baseball has made me not the best employee I could be.
So, I wanted to make my appreciation of all things Red Sox a little less selfish while adding some karma to a team that was struggling out of the gate. I decided I was going to donate $10.00 to charity for every Red Sox win. Originally, I thought I might pick one charity for the whole year, but I am going to mix it up. Each month a new charity gets my love and dollars.
For the month of April, the charity I donated to was MalariaNoMore.Org In April, the Sox won 14 games so I donated $140.00 to their charity. With every $10 donated, they can provide one malaria net to a much needed area in Africa. Here is just a snippet from their site about what they do and why it is important:
Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria. We know how to stop this tragedy, but we need your help.
A $10 mosquito net can protect a child and its family as they sleep, the time when most malaria-spreading bites occur.
The tragedy of malaria can be transformed into our generation's greatest triumph—the ending of malaria deaths—with a simple act of compassion.
Make your mark on the fight against malaria with a gift that supports Malaria No More's live-saving programs, including such as our efforts to distribute mosquito nets where they are most needed.
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
J.D. Drew, RF
Mike Lowell, 3B
Jason Varitek, C
Nick Green, SS
Josh Beckett, SP
Red Sox players seem to be getting a little tired of Lugo's defense. Pedroia blamed Lugo's failure to turn the double play last night for the loss.
Maybe it was to get ready for the series with the Red Sox or maybe they want to create Mets Nation, whatever the reason the Mets are playing "Sweet Caroline" during the 8th inning at the new Citi Field. Mets fans are not happy and have booed the song as it plays. I love how the guy towards the end of this video yells "Go Boston!" as the song plays.
Dice-K lost in his first outing after coming off of the DL in a game that had its share of odd events. Santana was too much for the Red Sox; striking out Big Papi and Youk 3 times apiece. You was beaned in the fifth causing Eck to let one fly in the broadcast booth:
Johan Santana did not like that Youk staring at him after being plunked:
I just told him to just take his base," Santana said. "That was about it. But he was still looking at me and talking and it fires me up. I've got respect for everybody and I respect this game but at the same time, I'm going to play hard. If you're looking at me like that, you're going to get it back because I'm a gamer and that's what I'm going to do."Dice-K looked a little rusty in the game giving up 5 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings. The Sox offense left too many ducks on the pond to win this one.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Mets | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Julio Lugo, SS
Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP
Even an 8-game win streak can't hide the problems in the New Yankee Stadium. Two new incidents happened this week:
A rebellion of the rich. In that expensive area downstairs - the one with the empty seats - there are seemingly more waiters and waitresses, serving free food, than there are patrons.On Wednesday, it got so crazy that the fan-elite started tossing ice cream sandwiches over the moat to peasants sitting in the $400 "cheap" seats. This did not sit well with Toastie security forces, who began scolding their most prized customers. The lecture from security prompted a guy in the rich seats to say: "I paid for this food, I can do with it what I want!"
The security also refused to let Twins radio broadcaster John Gordan go to the team bus even though he had the right credentials.
The Yankee police even want to limit bloggers' ability to get the word out by banning computer bags, laptops, and video cameras from the stadium and not offering wifi. Most other parks offer free wifi and let you bring in a laptop and a video camera.
People know that I LOVE me some Clay Buchholz. And if you don't know that...well, I love me some Clay Buchholz. I think the kid is just crazy talented and each and every day, I open my web browser...terrified that Theo is finally going to be beaten into submission by some other team and trade him for that bat or catcher we have in our list of wants. Sure, I'll admit that with our pitching depth that might make a lot of sense, but my heart will be broken. I want Clay pitching for the Red Sox. I heart him. Sure, he struggled last year, but I think the kid has so much potential. I feel that if we trade him, we are giving some other team their future ace....I like this kid that much.
So yeah, Clay is on my list of minor league prospects I follow. But there are many others. Today the Globe posted a little slideshow article about many of the minor league players that are being all kinds of impressive this year. Check it out...a bunch of them have them potential to be the next Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester or Jonathan Papelbon.
...but some obscure team about 215 miles to the south and west of Boston has won 9 games in a row.
Read more...
I usually try not to talk about the player's personal lives because I think that it is...well...personal. However, I read this and just felt the overwhelming need to mention it, not for the news per se....but for the news inside the news.
So, Jason Varitek is officially divorced. There was an article in the Globe about it. No shock or real news to anybody. I find it annoying that the financial terms of their divorce is reported. Why is that anyone else's business but their own? Why can't they just say that the two sides came to financial terms? I am glad for Tek that it is over since I know that process can be stressful.
What intrigued me is the comment by the judge:
The divorce decree, signed Tuesday by Judge Melodie Snell Connor, stipulates that the couple can't interfere in each other's lives, and shall behave "as if never married to each other."
John Smoltz discuses where he is at in the road back to the big leagues after his first minor league start of the season. Watch below:
The Red Sox offense was efficient with 4 runs off of 7 hits including a 2-run jack by J-Bay. Ells had another hit in the game and now has a 16 game hit streak.
With the sweep of the Blue Jays the Sox are now within 1/2 a game of first place as we head into inter-league play.
Red Sox Win 5-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| Red Sox | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
Jason Bay hit another multi-run home run in the bottom of the 1st inning of the Sox-Jays game tonight. It was his 11th multi-run home run in a row, surpassing Kevin Youkilis and Tony C. who each had hit 10 multi-run home runs. If his next home run is not a solo shot, he will have tied Ken Griffey, Jr. and Hank Aaron for the lead in that category.
Video of Jason's home run here.
Jonathan Papelbon was surprisingly level-headed when talking about steroids on CSNNE but now he is back to making Red Sox management cringe with statements like he is no longer “choking his splitty." Watch below:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
J.D. Drew, RF
Mike Lowell, 3B
Jason Varitek, C
Julio Lugo, SS
Jon Lester, SP
Here's the video from the Baseball Show on CSSNE last Saturday. I was on third after The Bottom Line and the Joy of Sox.
and in today's Red Sox news:
Justin Masterson has a new post up about moving to the bullpen.
You can get some tickets from Josh Beckett if you can eat lots of burgers.
Fenway West interviewed the Toronto blog "Sports and the City" to get their take on the Blue Jays and the A.L. East this season.
FW: How confident are you that the Blue Jays will be in the playoff hunt in August?
S&TC: August? I'm thinking October. The Blue Jays are winning the pennant.
FW: What is the biggest need for the Jays?
S&TC: Healthy pitchers: Ricky Romero, Casey Janssen, and Jesse Litsch are all battling back from injury. Shaun Marcum could be ready to pitch in August. Also, increased production from three and four hitters Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. The best offense in the American League has yet to receive much from two of their most important and historically productive hitters. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
FW: Do you foresee them making any big moves before the deadline?
S&TC: I don't. The return of healthy arms, one by one, will be the equivalent of big moves before the deadline, especially Marcum in August, if he's ready to go.
FW: How much does Toronto miss A.J. Burnett?
S&TC: Who's A.J. Burnett?
FW: Who has been the Jays MVP so far? Why?
S&TC: The Jays are the best team in the AL East thanks to three co-MVPs: Aaron Hill, Roy Halladay, and Marco Scutaro. Hill can rake, and will prove to be better than Dustin Pedroia. Doc is, well, Doc; the best pitcher in baseball. Scutaro is getting on base like nobody's business, and has been flawless in the field.
FW: What do Jays fans think of Kevin Millar?
S&TC: We have embraced him. "Cowboy Up!"
I love Pedey for many reasons, but his snarky sense of humor is on the top of the list. NESN basically interviewed everyone and their brother about the game last night. My biggest chuckle came from our resident MVP...one Mr. Dustin Pedroia. He was asked what he thought about Jacoby Ellsbury's fielding record last night of 12 put outs. Here is what he had to say:
"It's under review because he called me off. Stat rat. He's a stat rat."
... the man can play guitar, too. This is Timmay at the Hot Stove Cool Music at Fenway 2005:
(photo by Steve Latham)
Wake is pictured here with Bill Janovitz, who has written a song about him.
Thanks to Surviving Grady for the heads up on Bill Janovitz and "The Ballad of Tim Wakefield."
(Now all I have to do is to see if I can get Tim to sit in with this country rock sort of jam band I'm playin' in these days the next time the Sox are in Oakland.)
Read more...| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 0 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| Kevin Youkilis, 1B |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| Mike Lowell, 3B |
| Rocco Baldelli, RF |
| Jason Varitek, C |
| Julio Lugo, SS Brad Penny, SP |
So, some people like to talk some smack. Some people particularly like to talk some smack about one Mr. Tim Wakefield, the crazy knuckleballer for the Boston Red Sox. They like to say some stuff about about how he is too old to pitch. That his best days are clearly behind him. How his knuckleball is horribly inconsistent...either really good or really bad. They also like to say things about how he is cheap at 4 million/year, but at this point that is 4 million too much. And that with the plethora of starting pitching prospects we have down in the minors, Wakefield is taking up prescious space for someone who can actually get wins.
Yeah, so those people....most of last off season.....completely me. No one talked more smack about Tim Wakefield than I did. I mentioned how I hated to see him on the mound because it probably meant a loss for the team. I mentioned that he was old and like Timlin should be respectfully put out of his misery. I mentioned that with people like Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden down in AAA, it made no sense to resign Wake no matter how cheap he is.
I would like to make it official. Tim Wakefield, I am an idiot. I was about as wrong as any one person can be wrong. You have been the defacto ace this season. You've been more consistent than any other pitcher on the mound. You've been eating innings like a kid eats candy...and brought us victories when the tides seemed to be turning against us. You came out in Oakland...nearly pitched a no-no and then finished it off with a complete game. You gave us hope again Wake. Then, you came back out like gang busters against the Twins...another impressive victory. Then Cleveland. You didn't get the win, but the team did. You made that possible. Then Tampa Bay. The only Sox pitcher who could get a win in that series. Then Cleveland again and this time you did get the win. Alright, then you showed us that you might in fact be human against the Angels. You got hit hard and often. Did that mean the old Tim Wakefield was back? The one I liked talking smack about so often?
Nope. Doesn't seem like it. Tim Wakefield came out last night against the red hot Toronto Blue Jays and his knuckleball was nothing other than brilliant. The Sox won a close game 2-1. We didn't score a lot of runs, but that didn't matter to Tim Wakefield. He didn't need it. He pitched through 8 innings. Hear that Josh Beckett and Jon Lester...EIGHT innings. In the 8th because of 2 errors, Wake had 2 guys on and only one out. Uh oh. My mind started to wonder if I might see that Wake I don't like. Nope. Wake used that crazy magical knuckleball and got two sweet pop ups. Inning over. Errors on the books, but no damage done.
Now I do have a word of warning for Tim Wakefield. You NEED to keep on pitching like a monster because any signs that you are in fact human...you know, like that Angels start. My brain immediately starts thinking about talking smack again. So, continue the dominance that is Tim Wakefield of 2009. It's a beautiful thing to watch.
And Brad Penny. Consider yourself on notice. I've always got to be talking smack about someone and my attention has quickly focused onto YOU!
Terry Francona explained why he is keeping Big Papi as the number three guy in the Red Sox batting order:
He's going to get hot. How hot? Well, let's find out. And when it does happen, I don't want him hitting eighth. Again, we set this up [the lineup] for a reason, and we want to see this through. If it gets to the point where we have to make a change, I will certainly do that. And I've told David, David and I have had this talk, and that's not a problem. I'm probably the one hanging on to this, I want this to work where it is."
I kept waiting for this video to be funnier but then I realized it was made by a Blue Jays fan. A-Rod is the target but I think Jays fans come out looking like bigger losers in this one:
Tim Wakefield resumed his place as the ace of the staff with a great game tonight. He went 8 innings giving up 5 hits and one earned run. The run came off of a homer by Kevin Millar (if you are going to give up a home run, that one is OK.) The Red Sox scored two runs in the second; an RBI single by Jeff Bailey and a sac fly by Kottaras. It was nice to see Bailey get a big hit in his last game at first since Youk will be back tomorrow. 2 runs was all they would need for the win. The game was over in 2 hours and 17 minutes after Paps came in to sit them down in order in the 9th. Nice start to the series against the first place Jays.
Red Sox Win 2-1 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| Mike Lowell, 3B |
| J.D. Drew, RF |
| Julio Lugo, SS |
| Jeff Bailey, 1B |
| George Kottaras, C Tim Wakefield, SP |
Kevin Youkilis played the first of two rehab games last night for the Paw Sox."I feel good. I’m just excited to get out there and start playing some more baseball," he said. "Hopefully everything goes well the next two days and I’ll be back in the [Red Sox] lineup on Wednesday. I’m slowly getting back. These next two days will help me get back in baseball shape. A lot of times you try to work out off the field and rehab, but it’s not the same as getting the spikes on and getting in the dirt."
He went 0-2 with a walk last night and will play DH in his next game.
Nothing like an off day to get the rumor mill going. Theo is busy preparing for the worst case scenario where Ortiz never gets his swing back and Tek stops producing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this and it does not mean that Buchholz or Bowden are on the way out the door. The Red Sox like to go with players they have developed so they will be cautious to jump on a deal where they have to give up some young talent. The Eric Gagne trade soured the team on trading for a quick fix.
Victor Martinez would be a nice solution for the catcher of the future and Nick Johnson is a moneyball type of player but Theo is not about to trade Buchholz, Bowden or MDC unless things get worse.
So, I am going to stay in denial about the woes of the Red Sox lately because well, denial is my friend. It's the only way to go. We lost a series to the Seattle Mariners. Oh God! Nick Green is an error machine while Lugo is playing like an All-Star. Jon Lester can't seem to get a good clean start under his belt. Papi still hasn't hit his first homer. We are the #1 team in the MLB in the GIDP stat. We seem to think leaving the bases loaded is what the cool kids do. The Yankees have been winning games they are supposed to lose while we are losing games we are supposed to win. Yeah...denial, that's the way to go.
Instead, I am going to talk about one of my favorite players, Mr. Jonathan "Cinco Ocho" Papelbon.
I adore him. Having him on the mound in the 9th inning is a beautiful thing. I know...he might not be ours forever, but that is also something I am going to stay in denial about. PAP time is one of my favorite times of the game. One, it means we are ahead and honkering down in on a win. And two, the guy is about as legit as a closer as you can get.
Yes, Pap has not been as crisp or tight as we are used to seeing. He seems content on filling hospitals in Red Sox Nation with his heart attack antics. We are used to seeing him come in and get a 1-2-3 inning and securing the win with ease. This year, Pap seems to like making it just a smidge more difficult on himself. Which of course begs people to constant wonder...usually on Twitter...what is going on with Papelbon. Is he hurt? Are hitters finally figuring out his fastball? Is the era of Papelbon over so soon?
At this point, I am not concerned about Papelbon. Sure, I'd like him to go back to the days of making it look easy, but all in all....the guy is still getting the job done. He is 10/10 in save opportunities. Sure some have been close, but when it came to it, he got the job done. Here is a quote from an article over at the Redsox.com where Pap talked about getting into and out of trouble following a Tampa Bay save where he almost blew it and then struck out the side:
"I basically put myself in a situation where I had to go into punchout mode. That's not always the situation I want to be putting myself in, but it is what it is. I always know that that gear is there. It's just, when do I need to bring it out?"
The Red Sox were in a position to win this game; Masterson settled down after giving up 2 runs in the second. He went 6 1/3 giving up 9 hits and 2 runs including a home run. Delcarmen pitched one scoreless inning and Oki was perfect for the 2 batters he faced. RR had his first loss of the season after giving up the winning run in the 9th.
The offense left too many runners on base and Badelli failed to get a hit for the third straight game as DH.
Red Sox Lose 3-2 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| Mariners | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 1 |
David Wells wants to clean up the game by banning players from the Hall of Fame the first time they test positive for roids. He also called out Roger* on the golf course:
“I saw Roger last year at a Toby Keith charity golf event in Oklahoma. I started calling him ‘He-lie,’ because for years, he called me ‘He-lie.’ You know, (as in) whatever comes out of Boomer’s mouth, ‘he-lies.’ Well, I got payback.“Actually, it was great. (His wife) Debbie and (Clemens) on the first tee, Toby and I and a buddy of his were finishing up and I said, ‘Toby watch this.’ I yelled ‘He-lie!’ And Roger didn’t like it very much, but he came over and said hello.”
Here's the lineup in what could be Masterson's last start for a while. Lugo is out because of the strained groin.
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Jason Bay, LF
4. Mike Lowell, 3B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Rocco Baldelli, DH
7. Jeff Bailey, 1B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Nick Green, SS
Justin Masterson, SP
Julio Lugo left last night's game in the 8th inning with a groin strain:
"More of a precaution than anything. I've been playing through it for days. It's just a little tighter," Lugo said. "Today, when I got that hit to left field, and tried to go to second, it got tight then. Through the course of the game, it got a little tighter. But I'm going to work it out," Lugo said.Gil Velazquez came in because he is the better defensive shortstop on the bench and it was late in the game. Lugo will likely miss today's game and could be back on Tuesday when the Red Sox play Toronto. Nick Green should be in at short today.
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