Alfredo Aceves - 1 Good, 1 Hero
Andrew Bailey - 2 Good, 1 Bad
Jackie Bradley Jr - 1 Good, 2 Bad
Craig Breslow - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly
Clay Buchholz - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 2 Hero
Mike Carp - 4 Good, 11 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero
Pedro Ciriaco - 5 Good, 4 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 2 Honorable Mention
Jose De La Torre - 1 Good, 1 Bad
Ryan Dempster - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass
Felix Doubront - 1 Good, 2 Ugly, 2 Jackass
Stephen Drew - 9 Good, 7 Bad, 7 Ugly, 2 Hero
Jacoby Ellsbury - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 14 Ugly, 2 Hero
Jonny Gomes - 9 Good, 6 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention
Joel Hanrahan - 1 Good, 1 Bad
Jose Iglesias - 7 Good, 1 Ugly
John Lackey - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Hero
Ryan Lavarnway - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly
Jon Lester - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 2 Jackass
Will Middlebrooks - 5 Good, 6 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention
Andrew Miller - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly
Franklin Morales - 1 Good
Clayton Mortensen - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass
Mike Napoli - 10 Good, 5 Bad, 14 Ugly
Daniel Nava - 14 Good, 6 Bad, 7 Ugly
David Ortiz - 10 Good, 3 Bad, 12 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass
Dustin Pedroia - 17 Good, 3 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero
David Ross - 3 Good, 4 Bad, 2 Ugly
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 8 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention
Junichi Tazawa - 8 Good, 3 Bad
Koji Uehara - 7 Good, 1 Bad
Shane Victorino - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention
Allen Webster - 1 Jackass
Alex Wilson - 5 Good, 1 Bad, 3 Ugly
Most Valuable Player is Dustin Pedroia with 17 Good
Least Valuable Player is Mike Carp with 11 Bad
The Co-Ugliest Players of the Month are Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Napoli with 14 Ugly
Heroes of the Month are Clay Buchholz, Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and John Lackey with 2 Hero
Jackasses of the Month are Felix Doubront, Jon Lester, Clayton Mortensen and David Ortiz with 2 Jackass
The Honorable Player of the Month is Pedro Ciriaco with 2 Honorable Mentions.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Sabathia Cruises, Yankees Defeat Sox (5/31/13)
Once again the Boston Red Sox inability to hit left handed pitching doomed them as CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees blinded them. Jon Lester (6-2, 3.53 ERA) allowed 4 runs before getting lifted in the 6th inning. The Yankees were a bit better tonight after the age-less Mariano Rivera finished the Sox off as the Yankees took game 1 of the series 4-1 in Yankee Stadium.
"The Sox can't hit lefties"
It was a bad omen right from the start when it was learned that Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis were coming off the DL and Jacoby Ellsbury would need to be scratched one day after setting the Red Sox record for most steals in one game. For a man with an already bad reputation for being fragile, this certainly doesn't help at all.
Turns out it didn't matter who was playing because nobody was going to hit Sabathia anyway in the top of the first inning. Daniel Nava led the game off by taking strike three and Jonny Gomes followed by doing the same. Dustin Pedroia showed no fear with a ground rule double but David Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. At first, Lester stayed tough in the bottom of the first inning. Brett Gardner walked but was erased on a perfect strike em out throw em out off the bat of old friend Kevin Youkilis by Lester/David Ross. Robinson Cano grounded out to third to end the inning.
Mike Napoli swung and missed for strike three to open the top of the second before Stephen "PU" Drew flied out to left. Ross smacked a double but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. The Yanks broke through in the bottom of the second as Mark Teixeira worked a lead off walk. Vernon Wells doubled him over to third before Jason Nix singled home Texeira to give the Yankees the lead. Lester struck out David Adams but Ichiro Suzuki singled home the second run. Chris Stewart hit into a double play ended the inning as the Yankees led 2-0.
2-0 Yankees
2-0 may as well be 8-0 because Sabbathia didn't give an inch the rest of his outing. Jose Iglesias singled to lead off the top of the third but a Nava double-play ended that. Gomes flied out to center to end the inning. Lester rebounded in the bottom of the third as Gardner flied out to center to start. Youkilis grounded out to short and Cano took strike three to end the inning.
Sabathia cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Pedroia grounded back to the mound to start. Ortiz grounded out to first and Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Teixeira grounded out to short to start. Wells also grounded out to short and Nix grounded out to third to end the inning.
Sabathia put the exclamation point on his outing by turning up the heat in the top of the fifth inning. PU Drew whiffed, Ross struck out swinging and JBJ took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees gained ground in the bottom of the 5th but lost their manager in the process. Adams was hit by a pitch to lead the inning off then Ichiro hit a ball back to Lester who's throw was a bit wide to second that nearly pulled PU Drew off the bag. He wasn't but manager Joe Girardi didn't know that so he argued and argued until....HE GOT THE HEAVEEEEE HO! Stewart walked but Lester struck out Gardner. Youkilis made his old team pay by singling home Ichiro but Stewart was out trying to advance to third to end the inning with the Yankees leading 3-0.
The Sox tried to rally in the top of the sixth when Iglesias singled to start, but Nava struck out swinging. Gomes banged into a double play to end the inning. Lester tried to keep pace in the bottom of the sixth although Cano walked to start. Teixeira whiffed and Wells lined out to center. Nix flied out to left to end the inning.
The Sox finally broke through in the top of the seventh as Pedroia doubled to right to begin. Ortiz advanced Pedroia to third with a grounder and Napoli singled Dustin home to cut the lead. With the tying run at the plate PU Drew struck out swinging and Ross grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox got their only run of the night and still trailed 3-1.
Just as soon as the Sox cut the lead, the Yankees extended it in the bottom of the seventh. Adams grounded out to short but Ichiro stroked a single. Stewart beat out a ground ball to third and that was it for Lester. Lester didn't have it tonight as he allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Bye bye Lester.
Andrew Miller was brought in to pitch to Gardner...who singled home Ichiro. Miller came back to strike out Cano and Youk but the damage was done with the Yankees up 4-1.
Captain Picard knows the Sox are toast
Sabathia returned for one batter in the top of the eighth, getting JBJ to ground out to first to start. David Robertson came in to get Iglesias to fly out to right and Nava to watch strike three go by to end the inning.Clayton"Vigo" Mortensen came in for the bottom of the eighth and Teixeira went down swinging to start. Wells flied out to right and Nix grounded out to short to end the inning.
In came Marino Rivera with a 3 run lead to close out the top of the ninth. Gomes flied out to left but Pedroia somehow singled to center. Ortiz singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate in Napoli......who struck out swinging. Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for Ortiz but went nowhere as PU Drew grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Yankees had taken the opener of this series 4-1.
Kate Upton dances on the Sox grave
Jackass of the Night is Jon Lester. Not that the Sox offense did themselves any favors, but he was outpitched by CC Sabathia and got hit around by the aging Yankees offense, allowing 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Lester The Unlikely Jackass
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with a run scored.
David Ross was 1 for 3.
Jose Iglesias was 2 for 3.
Clayton Mortensen pitched a scoreless 8th inning
The Bad:
Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Stephen Drew was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.
Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in the only run.
Andrew Miller allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning.
Honorable Mention:
Pedro Ciriaco ran for David Ortiz in the top of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Terrible, just terrible. This Yankees team is older than dirt but they just put the hurt on the Red Sox big time. Trouble with left handed pitching has been killing them all year and it happened tonight. Sabathia finished with 10 strikeouts, just pathetic offense. If the Sox offense doesn't get cooking, they're going to be swept in a hurry. The rumor is Ellsbury is going to miss the next game too which is a bad blow to the Sox who had trouble scoring tonight. If he can't stay healthy, especially with Jackie Bradley Jr and Bryce Brentz waiting in the wings, there's a chance he could be traded in July. The loss drops the Sox to 33-23 just 1 game in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Felix Doubront (3-2) goes up against Phil Hughes at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.
It was a bad omen right from the start when it was learned that Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis were coming off the DL and Jacoby Ellsbury would need to be scratched one day after setting the Red Sox record for most steals in one game. For a man with an already bad reputation for being fragile, this certainly doesn't help at all.
"Too...much...running...must...take...day....off"
Turns out it didn't matter who was playing because nobody was going to hit Sabathia anyway in the top of the first inning. Daniel Nava led the game off by taking strike three and Jonny Gomes followed by doing the same. Dustin Pedroia showed no fear with a ground rule double but David Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. At first, Lester stayed tough in the bottom of the first inning. Brett Gardner walked but was erased on a perfect strike em out throw em out off the bat of old friend Kevin Youkilis by Lester/David Ross. Robinson Cano grounded out to third to end the inning.
Mike Napoli swung and missed for strike three to open the top of the second before Stephen "PU" Drew flied out to left. Ross smacked a double but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. The Yanks broke through in the bottom of the second as Mark Teixeira worked a lead off walk. Vernon Wells doubled him over to third before Jason Nix singled home Texeira to give the Yankees the lead. Lester struck out David Adams but Ichiro Suzuki singled home the second run. Chris Stewart hit into a double play ended the inning as the Yankees led 2-0.
2-0 may as well be 8-0 because Sabbathia didn't give an inch the rest of his outing. Jose Iglesias singled to lead off the top of the third but a Nava double-play ended that. Gomes flied out to center to end the inning. Lester rebounded in the bottom of the third as Gardner flied out to center to start. Youkilis grounded out to short and Cano took strike three to end the inning.
Sabathia cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Pedroia grounded back to the mound to start. Ortiz grounded out to first and Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Teixeira grounded out to short to start. Wells also grounded out to short and Nix grounded out to third to end the inning.
Sabathia put the exclamation point on his outing by turning up the heat in the top of the fifth inning. PU Drew whiffed, Ross struck out swinging and JBJ took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees gained ground in the bottom of the 5th but lost their manager in the process. Adams was hit by a pitch to lead the inning off then Ichiro hit a ball back to Lester who's throw was a bit wide to second that nearly pulled PU Drew off the bag. He wasn't but manager Joe Girardi didn't know that so he argued and argued until....HE GOT THE HEAVEEEEE HO! Stewart walked but Lester struck out Gardner. Youkilis made his old team pay by singling home Ichiro but Stewart was out trying to advance to third to end the inning with the Yankees leading 3-0.
Yerrrrr out!
The Sox tried to rally in the top of the sixth when Iglesias singled to start, but Nava struck out swinging. Gomes banged into a double play to end the inning. Lester tried to keep pace in the bottom of the sixth although Cano walked to start. Teixeira whiffed and Wells lined out to center. Nix flied out to left to end the inning.
The Sox finally broke through in the top of the seventh as Pedroia doubled to right to begin. Ortiz advanced Pedroia to third with a grounder and Napoli singled Dustin home to cut the lead. With the tying run at the plate PU Drew struck out swinging and Ross grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox got their only run of the night and still trailed 3-1.
Just as soon as the Sox cut the lead, the Yankees extended it in the bottom of the seventh. Adams grounded out to short but Ichiro stroked a single. Stewart beat out a ground ball to third and that was it for Lester. Lester didn't have it tonight as he allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Andrew Miller was brought in to pitch to Gardner...who singled home Ichiro. Miller came back to strike out Cano and Youk but the damage was done with the Yankees up 4-1.
Sabathia returned for one batter in the top of the eighth, getting JBJ to ground out to first to start. David Robertson came in to get Iglesias to fly out to right and Nava to watch strike three go by to end the inning.Clayton"Vigo" Mortensen came in for the bottom of the eighth and Teixeira went down swinging to start. Wells flied out to right and Nix grounded out to short to end the inning.
In came Marino Rivera with a 3 run lead to close out the top of the ninth. Gomes flied out to left but Pedroia somehow singled to center. Ortiz singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate in Napoli......who struck out swinging. Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for Ortiz but went nowhere as PU Drew grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Yankees had taken the opener of this series 4-1.
Jackass of the Night is Jon Lester. Not that the Sox offense did themselves any favors, but he was outpitched by CC Sabathia and got hit around by the aging Yankees offense, allowing 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings.
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with a run scored.
David Ross was 1 for 3.
Jose Iglesias was 2 for 3.
Clayton Mortensen pitched a scoreless 8th inning
The Bad:
Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Stephen Drew was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.
Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in the only run.
Andrew Miller allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning.
Honorable Mention:
Pedro Ciriaco ran for David Ortiz in the top of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Terrible, just terrible. This Yankees team is older than dirt but they just put the hurt on the Red Sox big time. Trouble with left handed pitching has been killing them all year and it happened tonight. Sabathia finished with 10 strikeouts, just pathetic offense. If the Sox offense doesn't get cooking, they're going to be swept in a hurry. The rumor is Ellsbury is going to miss the next game too which is a bad blow to the Sox who had trouble scoring tonight. If he can't stay healthy, especially with Jackie Bradley Jr and Bryce Brentz waiting in the wings, there's a chance he could be traded in July. The loss drops the Sox to 33-23 just 1 game in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Felix Doubront (3-2) goes up against Phil Hughes at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Bats Wake Up to Salvage Series in Philly (5/30/13)
The Boston Red Sox are heading into New York for a big series with the Yankees on a high note after taking game 4 of the 4 game series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Tonight the Sox scored 4 runs in the first inning and never looked back. Franklin Morales (1-0, 3.60 ERA) made his first start of the season and got the win with 5 strong innings. The Sox won the game 9-2 and spanked the Phillies quite like this demonstration:
The Sox struck first in the top of the 1st against ineffective starter Jonathan Pettibone. Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a single and Daniel Nava singled him over to third. A ground out by Dustin Pedroia scored Ellsbury and advanced Nava to second. David Ortiz walked and Mike Carp singled home Nava to increase the lea. Stephen "PU" Drew struck out but Jarrod Saltalamacchia made up for yesterday by doubling home Ortiz and Carp to put the Sox up even more. Jose Iglesias grounded out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.
Just as soon as the Sox took the lead, Morales nearly gave it back in the bottom of the first. Ben Revere grounded out to second to start but Cesar Hernandez singled. Jimmy Rollins flied out to left but Delmon Young hit a 2 run bomb to cut the lead in half. Domonic Brown continued to be a thorn in the side of the Sox by getting a base hit but this time Saltlamacchia threw him out trying to steal to end the inning with the Phillies down 4-2.
Morales himself whiffed to start the top of the second. Ellsbury walked but Nava flied out to second. Ellsbury stole second and went to third on a single by Pedroia, but Ortiz flied out to end the inning.. Morales got Kevin Frandsen to ground out to second to start the bottom of the second. Erik Kratz flied out to center and Freddy Galvis grounded out to third to end the inning.
Carp whiffed to open the top of the third inning before Drew worked a walk. Saltalamacchia went down swinging before Iglesias lined out to second to end the inning. Morales cruised in the bottom of the third as Pettibone took strike three to start, Revere lined out to left and Hernandez did the same to end the inning.
Morales watched strike three go by to begin the top of the fourth inning but Ellsbury singled and swiped second again. Nava flied out to center and Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning. The Phillies threatened in the bottom of the fourth as Rollins walked to start. Young whiffed but Brown singled and Frandsen walked to load the bases. Morales got a huge out by getting Kratz to bang into a double play to end the inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fifth as Ortiz walked to begin. Carp flied out to center and PU Drew banged into a double play to end the inning. Morales had one last inning in the bottom of the fifth and Galvis popped up to short to begin. Michael Martinez pinch hit for Pettibone and lined out to third. Revere lined out to second to end the inning. Morales stepped up with 5 innings of 2 run ball to keep the Sox in front.
The Sox struck again in the top of the 6th against Jeremy Horst. Saltalamacchia whiffed and Iglesias singled but was foolishly thrown out at second. Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Morales and....BANG! 400 foot bomb to extend the lead. Ellsbury than did his best Tommy Harper imitation by swiping second AND third after being hit with a pitch.Nava walked but Pedroia failed to bring them home with a lineout to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.
THAT'S how you pinch hit!
Craig Breslow replaced Morales for the bottom of the 6th and got Hernandez to ground out to third to start. Rollins also grounded out to third and Young whiffed to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh when Ortiz led off with his 9th home run of the season. Mike Napoli pinch hit for Carp and flied out to center. Drew struck out swinging and Saltalamacchia popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.
In the bottom of the 7th, Jackie Bradley Jr took over in left and Napoli replaced Ortiz at first. Breslow struck out Brown and Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen replaced him. Frandsen grounded back to the mound but Kratz was plunked. Galvis grounded out to first to end the inning
Michael Stutes took over for the top of the 8th and Iglesias grounded out to second to start. Mortensen actually came to the plate and struck out. Ellsbury singled yet again then took off for second, the throw sailed into center and Ellsbury raced for third. That was be the 5th steal of the night and a new Red Sox record. Nava was hit with a pitch but Pedroia flied out to end the inning. Its amazing that David Ross couldn't pinch hit for Mortensen if they were planning on bringing in a new pitcher anyway, guess he was too busy singing Shania Twain in the dugout....yes of course I'm serious.
Junichi Tazawa replaced Mortensen for the bottom of the 8th and Lance Nix pinch hit for Stutes only to strike out swinging. Revere was frozen for strike three but Hernandez singled. Rollins grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox tacked it on in the top of the 9th off Chad Durbin. Jackie Bradley Jr singled and Napoli singled him over to third. PU Drew scored Bradley with a ground out and Napoli advanced to second. Saltalamacchia then doubled to score Napoli and Iglesias doubled to score Salty. Pedro Ciriaco pinch hit for Tazawa and struck out as Ellsbury was retired for the first time all night on a grounder to second to end the inning with the Sox up 9-3.
Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey pitched the bottom of the 9th if nothing else than just to get some work in before the big series with the Yankees. Young lined out to center before Brown whiffed. Frandsen doubled to right but Kratz struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had averted losing 3 out of 4 with a 9-2 win.
Hero of the Night is Jacoby Ellsbury who set a Red Sox record with 5 stolen bases in one game including a 3 for 4 with a walk performance.
The Good:
Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch and run scored.
David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and his 9th homer of the year.
Jackie Bradley Jr pinch hit for Ortiz, singled and scored in the 9th.
Mike Carp was 1 for 3 with an rbi and run scored.
Mike Napoli pinch hit and was 1 for 2 with a run scored.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 5 with a run and 3 rbis.
Jose Iglesias was 2 for 5 with an rbi and played flawless defense.
Jonny Gomes pinch hit and smacked his 3rd homer of the year.
Franklin Morales pitched great for his first game back, allowing just a 2 run homer to Young over 5 strong innings.
Craig Breslow was perfect in 1 1/3 innings of relief to lower his ERA to 1.38.
Vigo Mortensen pitched 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Junichi Tazawa struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.
Andrew Bailey struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.
The Bad:
Pedro Ciriaco struck out as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.
Stephen Drew was 0 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
Bring on the Yankees! The Yanks are going to be pissed off after getting swept 4 straight by the New York Mets. If the Sox can win 1 of the games this weekend, they'll remain in first place. The Sox have no excuses as they are tossing both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz at New York. As for this game, if they could have used some of the offense for the previous two games they could have swept the series. Still, being defeated by Cliff Lee isn't the end of the world and they won 2 games of the 4. If Iglesias is singlehandedly improving the defense and can contribute on offense, they may have yet another on base threat with Ellsbury beginning to catch fire. Either way let's see how this turns out. The Sox win and the Yanks loss put the Sox 2 games in front of the Yankees at 33-22. Tomorrow night CC Sabathia goes for the Sox up against Jon Lester (6-1). The showdown begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Phillies Beat Sox on Longballs (5/29/13)
Before the game, the Boston Red Sox recalled outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr from Pawtucket. It will be interesting to see how he responds after not being able to hit during the month of April. Alex Wilson was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Jackie.
OUT
IN
As for the game, another close loss for the Red Sox. The Philadelphia Phillies may be a .500 team without Roy Halladay but they aren't about to roll over and die as the Sox found out. They're getting timely pitching and some big long balls. John Lackey (3-5, 2.96 ERA) served up 3 gopher balls in 6 innings of work. The Sox were held to just 2 runs by Kyle Kendrick and the normally reliable Koji Uehara served up a bomb to Dominic Brown. The Sox rallied in the ninth but ultimately fell 4-3 at Citizens Bank Park.
The Sox struck first in the top of the first inning against Kendrick as Jacoby Ellsbury tripled to lead off the first although Daniel Nava began his up and down night by flying out without scoring Jacoby. Dustin Pedroia hit a ball further than Nava did to center which managed to score Ellsbury. Mike Napoli (starting over David Ortiz) singled to left but Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.
A triple by Ellsbury
Lackey cruised in the bottom of the first as he got Ben Revere to ground out to short to start. Kevin Frandsen grounded out to second and Jimmy Rollins whiffed to end the inning.
Kendrick cruised in the top of the second as Mike Carp grounded out to short to start. Stephen "PU" Drew grounded out to second before Jose Iglesias whiffed to end the inning. The Phillies struck back in the bottom of the second as Ryan Howard slaughtered a 900 foot home run to tie the game. Delmon Young singled to center but was erased on the Domonic Brown force. Eric Kratz flied out to right but Brown stole second. Luckily Freddy Galvis grounded out to end the threat, but the Phillies tied it 1-1.
Howard ties it up
The Sox shot themselves in the foot in the top of the third although Lackey himself grounded out to third to start. Ellsbury flied out to left but Nava walked before moving to third on the Pedroia. On a blown hit and run, Napoli swung and missed and Pedroia was gunned down at second to end the threat with the go-ahead run 90 feet away. Kendrick grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Revere grounded out to second. Fransden singled and stole second before Rollins walked. Lackey caught Howard looking for strike three to end the inning.
Kendrick cruised in the top of the fourth as Napoli lined out to left to begin. Saltalamacchia whiffed and Carp grounded out to first to end the inning. The Phillies took control in the bottom of the 4th although Young grounded back to the mound to begin. Brown hit his 3rd home run of the series to give Philly the lead before Kratz hit a 413 foot bomb to center to extend the lead. Galvis whiffed but Kendrick himself beat out an infield single to third. Revere grounded out to first to end the inning but the Phillies led 3-1.
Brown homers again
PU Drew walked to begin the top of the fifth but Iglesias whiffed. Lackey dropped down a bunt to move Drew to second but Ellsbury flied out to right to end the inning. Lackey cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Frandsen whiffed to start. Rollins flied out to right and Howard whiffed to end the inning.
The Sox struck back in the top of the 6th when Nava led off with a home run. Pedroia beat out a booted ball by Ryan Howard and advanced to second on a Napoli walk. Unfortunately there would be no small ball as Saltalamacchia lined out rather than bunt. Sure enough, Mike Carp hit into a double play to end the threat with the Sox down 3-2.
Nava hits a bomb
Young led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk and pinch runner John Mayberry Jr stole second, the third stolen base of the night. Mayberry took third on the grounder by Brown before Kratz walked. Galvis banged into a double play to end the inning and Lackey's night. He served up 3 gopher balls but lasted 6 innings, trailing 3-2.
Lackey deserved better
Antonio Bastardo took over for Kendrick in the top of the seventh and PU Drew whiffed to start. Iglesias doubled to left and Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Lackey only to be plunked. Ellsbury too strike three and Nava grounded into a force to end the inning. Andrew Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Gomes taking over for Carp. Cesar Hernandez pinch hit for Bastardo and flied out to center to begin. Revere singled and stole Philly's 4th base of the night before Frandsen walked. Rollins walked to load the bases but Miller punched out Howard. That was it for Miller as Koji Uehara got Mayberry to pop up to short to end the inning.
John Dillinger appreciates the Philly base thefts
Mike Adams came in to pitch the top of the eighth and cruised. Pedroia flied out to right before Napoli and Saltalamacchia both were caught looking to end the inning. The pain in the ass Brown led off the bottom of the 8th with his second home run of the night and 4th in the last 3 games. Kratz flied out to left, Galvis whiffed and Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 4-2 Phillies.
Dammit
Unlike the previous night, Jonathan Papelbon was mortal in the top of the 9th. Jackie Bradley Jr pinch hit for Uehara and did what he normally did, strike out. PU Drew worked a walk and David Ortiz pinch hit for Iglesias. Ortiz flied out but Gomes kept the Sox alive with a base hit. Ellsbury then lofted a fly ball that Brown misplayed and it turned into a double that scored Drew to make it 4-3. How big was the home run by Brown off Uehara now? With the go-ahead run at second base, all Nava needed was a base hit, especially with Papelbon on the ropes. Instead, Nava swung at the first pitch and grounded out to end the game. The Phillies held on to win 4-3.
Jackass of the Night is Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and allowed 4 stolen bases to 4 different men.
Can you throw anyone out, Jackass?
The Good:
Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with an rbi.
Mike Napoli was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Stephen Drew walked twice and scored a run.
Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3.
Jonny Gomes was 1 for 1 with a hit by pitch.
The Bad:
Mike Carp was 0 for 3.
Jackie Bradley Jr struck out as a pinch hitter.
David Ortiz was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4 but walked and the one hit was a home run.
John Lackey took the loss by serving up 3 home run balls but didn't pitch that bad, allowing just 3 runs in 6 innings of work. He was 0 for 1 at the plate too.
Final Thoughts:
It was nice to see the Sox battle back in the 9th but Nava swinging at the first pitch was just bawful. Its one of those situations where you want to throw the TV out the window because they had Papelbon on the run and he was in danger of blowing his first save of the year. Its nice to see Jackie Bradley and Jose Iglesias on the big club, Iglesias is already playing solid defense and his getting his hits, it would be great for Bradley to step up until Victorino comes back as well. Sox manager John Farrell is pushing Clay Buchholz back so he could have both Jon Lester and Clay ready for the New York Yankees. If the Sox can win tomorrow, they'll go into that series in first place. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-22, 1 game in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox wrap up the 4 game series against Philly with Franklin Morales making his season debut taking on Jonathan Pettibone at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.
As for the game, another close loss for the Red Sox. The Philadelphia Phillies may be a .500 team without Roy Halladay but they aren't about to roll over and die as the Sox found out. They're getting timely pitching and some big long balls. John Lackey (3-5, 2.96 ERA) served up 3 gopher balls in 6 innings of work. The Sox were held to just 2 runs by Kyle Kendrick and the normally reliable Koji Uehara served up a bomb to Dominic Brown. The Sox rallied in the ninth but ultimately fell 4-3 at Citizens Bank Park.
The Sox struck first in the top of the first inning against Kendrick as Jacoby Ellsbury tripled to lead off the first although Daniel Nava began his up and down night by flying out without scoring Jacoby. Dustin Pedroia hit a ball further than Nava did to center which managed to score Ellsbury. Mike Napoli (starting over David Ortiz) singled to left but Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.
Lackey cruised in the bottom of the first as he got Ben Revere to ground out to short to start. Kevin Frandsen grounded out to second and Jimmy Rollins whiffed to end the inning.
Kendrick cruised in the top of the second as Mike Carp grounded out to short to start. Stephen "PU" Drew grounded out to second before Jose Iglesias whiffed to end the inning. The Phillies struck back in the bottom of the second as Ryan Howard slaughtered a 900 foot home run to tie the game. Delmon Young singled to center but was erased on the Domonic Brown force. Eric Kratz flied out to right but Brown stole second. Luckily Freddy Galvis grounded out to end the threat, but the Phillies tied it 1-1.
The Sox shot themselves in the foot in the top of the third although Lackey himself grounded out to third to start. Ellsbury flied out to left but Nava walked before moving to third on the Pedroia. On a blown hit and run, Napoli swung and missed and Pedroia was gunned down at second to end the threat with the go-ahead run 90 feet away. Kendrick grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Revere grounded out to second. Fransden singled and stole second before Rollins walked. Lackey caught Howard looking for strike three to end the inning.
Kendrick cruised in the top of the fourth as Napoli lined out to left to begin. Saltalamacchia whiffed and Carp grounded out to first to end the inning. The Phillies took control in the bottom of the 4th although Young grounded back to the mound to begin. Brown hit his 3rd home run of the series to give Philly the lead before Kratz hit a 413 foot bomb to center to extend the lead. Galvis whiffed but Kendrick himself beat out an infield single to third. Revere grounded out to first to end the inning but the Phillies led 3-1.
PU Drew walked to begin the top of the fifth but Iglesias whiffed. Lackey dropped down a bunt to move Drew to second but Ellsbury flied out to right to end the inning. Lackey cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Frandsen whiffed to start. Rollins flied out to right and Howard whiffed to end the inning.
The Sox struck back in the top of the 6th when Nava led off with a home run. Pedroia beat out a booted ball by Ryan Howard and advanced to second on a Napoli walk. Unfortunately there would be no small ball as Saltalamacchia lined out rather than bunt. Sure enough, Mike Carp hit into a double play to end the threat with the Sox down 3-2.
Young led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk and pinch runner John Mayberry Jr stole second, the third stolen base of the night. Mayberry took third on the grounder by Brown before Kratz walked. Galvis banged into a double play to end the inning and Lackey's night. He served up 3 gopher balls but lasted 6 innings, trailing 3-2.
Antonio Bastardo took over for Kendrick in the top of the seventh and PU Drew whiffed to start. Iglesias doubled to left and Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Lackey only to be plunked. Ellsbury too strike three and Nava grounded into a force to end the inning. Andrew Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Gomes taking over for Carp. Cesar Hernandez pinch hit for Bastardo and flied out to center to begin. Revere singled and stole Philly's 4th base of the night before Frandsen walked. Rollins walked to load the bases but Miller punched out Howard. That was it for Miller as Koji Uehara got Mayberry to pop up to short to end the inning.
Mike Adams came in to pitch the top of the eighth and cruised. Pedroia flied out to right before Napoli and Saltalamacchia both were caught looking to end the inning. The pain in the ass Brown led off the bottom of the 8th with his second home run of the night and 4th in the last 3 games. Kratz flied out to left, Galvis whiffed and Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 4-2 Phillies.
Unlike the previous night, Jonathan Papelbon was mortal in the top of the 9th. Jackie Bradley Jr pinch hit for Uehara and did what he normally did, strike out. PU Drew worked a walk and David Ortiz pinch hit for Iglesias. Ortiz flied out but Gomes kept the Sox alive with a base hit. Ellsbury then lofted a fly ball that Brown misplayed and it turned into a double that scored Drew to make it 4-3. How big was the home run by Brown off Uehara now? With the go-ahead run at second base, all Nava needed was a base hit, especially with Papelbon on the ropes. Instead, Nava swung at the first pitch and grounded out to end the game. The Phillies held on to win 4-3.
Jackass of the Night is Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and allowed 4 stolen bases to 4 different men.
The Good:
Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with an rbi.
Mike Napoli was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Stephen Drew walked twice and scored a run.
Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3.
Jonny Gomes was 1 for 1 with a hit by pitch.
The Bad:
Mike Carp was 0 for 3.
Jackie Bradley Jr struck out as a pinch hitter.
David Ortiz was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4 but walked and the one hit was a home run.
John Lackey took the loss by serving up 3 home run balls but didn't pitch that bad, allowing just 3 runs in 6 innings of work. He was 0 for 1 at the plate too.
Final Thoughts:
It was nice to see the Sox battle back in the 9th but Nava swinging at the first pitch was just bawful. Its one of those situations where you want to throw the TV out the window because they had Papelbon on the run and he was in danger of blowing his first save of the year. Its nice to see Jackie Bradley and Jose Iglesias on the big club, Iglesias is already playing solid defense and his getting his hits, it would be great for Bradley to step up until Victorino comes back as well. Sox manager John Farrell is pushing Clay Buchholz back so he could have both Jon Lester and Clay ready for the New York Yankees. If the Sox can win tomorrow, they'll go into that series in first place. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-22, 1 game in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox wrap up the 4 game series against Philly with Franklin Morales making his season debut taking on Jonathan Pettibone at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Lee is Lights Out in Sox Loss To Phillies (5/28/13)
Before the game, it was learned that Alfredo Aceves was sent back to Pawtucket as the Sox activated Franklin Morales for the first time this season. Morales gives the team a spot starter/long reliever going forward. At least Aceves redeemed himself in his last start before being demoted.
OUT
IN
As for the game itself, it was a pleasure to watch. A 2 hour 30 minute masterpiece that was devoid of long waits between pitches, endless guffawing from the NESN telecasts and drop in ads up the wazoo. In the end the opponent had won but it was a great, exciting game....just didn't end well. In the end Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies were too much for the Sox as the Phillies took the second game of this set 3-1 at Fenway Park.
Jeff Bauman salutes the crowd before the game
Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster (2-6, 4.45 ERA) got off to a rocky start as Ben Revere grounded back to the mound to start, but Michael Young launched a towering home run over the monster for a quick lead. Jimmy Rollins lined out to center and Ryan Howard struck out to end the inning but the Phills were up 1-0.
The Sox struck back in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled but Jonny Gomes flied out to right. Jacoby stole second and scored on the single by Dustin Pedroia. Unlike other games, with Cliff Lee on the mound, its more believable that this would be the last run scored by the Red Sox just 3 batters into the game. David Ortiz popped up to third and Mike Napoli whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
Dempster settled down in the top of the second inning as Delmon Young and Domonic Brown both flied out to right. John Mayberry struck out to end the inning. Lee froze Daniel Nava for strike three to begin the bottom of the second inning. David Ross whiffed and Stephen Drew popped up to short to end the inning.
Dempster worked out of trouble in the top of the 3rd as Freddy Galvis walked to open the frame, but Erik Kratz grounded into a double play. Revere singled and stole second but Michael Young grounded out to third to end the inning. Jose Iglesias grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Gomes whiffed to end the inning.
Dempster again pitched out of trouble in the 4th although Rollins began with a flyout to center. Howard whiffed but Delmon Young singled off Dempster. Brown whiffed to end the inning. Lee caught a break in the bottom of the fourth. Pedroia grounded back to the mound and Ortiz absolutely crushed a ball deep to center field, centerfielder Ben Revere ran all the way to the wall, reached up and grabbed it. It was a 418 foot out, 17 feet further than Michael Young's home run yet it was just a loud out. If Ortiz had hit it 20 feet in either direction it was gone but he happened to hit it to the one part of the park it could be caught. Talk about bad luck. Napoli whiffed to end the inning.
Dempster hung tough in the top of the fifth as Mayberry popped up to short to start. Galvis flied out to left but Kratz walked. Revere grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox tried some small ball it the bottom of the 5th. Nava singled and David Ross bunted him over to second. Unfortunately he was stranded when PU Drew popped up and Iglesias struck out to end the threat.
Dempster was in trouble again in the top of the sixth. Michael Young grounded out to second but Rollins walked. Howard singled but Delmon Young flied out to right. Brown flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the 6th as Ellsbury grounded out to second to start. Gomes lined out to right and Pedroia grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Phillies executed small ball just a little bit better in the top of the 7th. Mayberry singled and Galvis sacrifice bunted him over to second. Unlike PU Drew, Kratz singled to score Mayberry. Dempster got Revere to ground back to the mound and Michael Young to ground out to short to end the inning. A 2-1 lead for Lee may as well have been 7-1. That was it for Dempster after 7 solid innings with just 2 runs allowed.
The hard luck loser was hardly a loser in this one
The Sox couldn't crack Lee in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ortiz grounded back to the mound, Napoli grounded out to third and Nava flied out to center to end the inning.
Craig Breslow replaced Dempster for the top of the eighth and whiffed both Rollins and Howard. Delmon Young grounded out to short to end the inning. Lee returned for one last inning in the bottom of the eighth. Ross whiffed and PU Drew flied out to center, but Iglesias singled. With the tying run on first, Ellsbury whiffed to end the inning. Lee was damn near unhittable for eight innings.
Great game, too bad the wrong team won
The Phills put the game away in the top of the 9th off Junichi Tazawa when Brown clobbered a home run to dead center to start the inning. Mayberry watched strike three go by and Galvis lined out to center, but Kratz singled. Revere singled but Michael Young struck out to end the inning. Now the score was 3-1 and all but over.
Nice going Tazawa
Guess who came in to close out the game? Old friend Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon had been 9 for 9 in save opportunities coming into this game. Gomes whiffed, Pedroia grounded out to third and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the game. Sweet revenge for Papelbon as the Phillies won it 3-1.
Way to go Cherrington, let Papelbon go to save games against you
Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 and with the Sox needing just a run, he never delivered.
Ortiz the Jackass
The Good:
Daniel Nava was 1 for 3.
Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3.
Ryan Dempster was the hard luck loser but didn't pitch like a loser. He went 7 strong innings and allowed just 2 runs.
Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 8th.
The Bad:
Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
David Ross was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.
Stephen Drew was 0 for 3.
Junichi Tazawa gave up a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth.
The Ugly:
Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and scored.
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
Once again the Sox have trouble with a lefty although this time the lefty happens to be one of the best in the game when healthy. Dempster pitched very well, just came up a bit short. With the Sox traveling to Philadelphia tomorrow, the Sox are headed for interleague play and have to play National League ball for 2 games. Speculations are the Sox are thinking of bringing up an extra bat for pinch hitting purposes and demoting one of their pitchers. I'd bring up Jackie Bradley Jr and send down Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen with the way he's been struggling but we'll see what happens. As for this game, not much to say, Cliff Lee is damn good...not much you can do when he's on. The loss put the Sox at 32-21 but a loss by the New York Yankees tonight means the Red Sox are in first. John Lackey (3-4, 2.72 ERA) goes tomorrow against Kyle Kendrick at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.
As for the game itself, it was a pleasure to watch. A 2 hour 30 minute masterpiece that was devoid of long waits between pitches, endless guffawing from the NESN telecasts and drop in ads up the wazoo. In the end the opponent had won but it was a great, exciting game....just didn't end well. In the end Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies were too much for the Sox as the Phillies took the second game of this set 3-1 at Fenway Park.
Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster (2-6, 4.45 ERA) got off to a rocky start as Ben Revere grounded back to the mound to start, but Michael Young launched a towering home run over the monster for a quick lead. Jimmy Rollins lined out to center and Ryan Howard struck out to end the inning but the Phills were up 1-0.
The Sox struck back in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled but Jonny Gomes flied out to right. Jacoby stole second and scored on the single by Dustin Pedroia. Unlike other games, with Cliff Lee on the mound, its more believable that this would be the last run scored by the Red Sox just 3 batters into the game. David Ortiz popped up to third and Mike Napoli whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
Dempster settled down in the top of the second inning as Delmon Young and Domonic Brown both flied out to right. John Mayberry struck out to end the inning. Lee froze Daniel Nava for strike three to begin the bottom of the second inning. David Ross whiffed and Stephen Drew popped up to short to end the inning.
Dempster worked out of trouble in the top of the 3rd as Freddy Galvis walked to open the frame, but Erik Kratz grounded into a double play. Revere singled and stole second but Michael Young grounded out to third to end the inning. Jose Iglesias grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Gomes whiffed to end the inning.
Dempster again pitched out of trouble in the 4th although Rollins began with a flyout to center. Howard whiffed but Delmon Young singled off Dempster. Brown whiffed to end the inning. Lee caught a break in the bottom of the fourth. Pedroia grounded back to the mound and Ortiz absolutely crushed a ball deep to center field, centerfielder Ben Revere ran all the way to the wall, reached up and grabbed it. It was a 418 foot out, 17 feet further than Michael Young's home run yet it was just a loud out. If Ortiz had hit it 20 feet in either direction it was gone but he happened to hit it to the one part of the park it could be caught. Talk about bad luck. Napoli whiffed to end the inning.
Dempster hung tough in the top of the fifth as Mayberry popped up to short to start. Galvis flied out to left but Kratz walked. Revere grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox tried some small ball it the bottom of the 5th. Nava singled and David Ross bunted him over to second. Unfortunately he was stranded when PU Drew popped up and Iglesias struck out to end the threat.
Dempster was in trouble again in the top of the sixth. Michael Young grounded out to second but Rollins walked. Howard singled but Delmon Young flied out to right. Brown flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the 6th as Ellsbury grounded out to second to start. Gomes lined out to right and Pedroia grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Phillies executed small ball just a little bit better in the top of the 7th. Mayberry singled and Galvis sacrifice bunted him over to second. Unlike PU Drew, Kratz singled to score Mayberry. Dempster got Revere to ground back to the mound and Michael Young to ground out to short to end the inning. A 2-1 lead for Lee may as well have been 7-1. That was it for Dempster after 7 solid innings with just 2 runs allowed.
The Sox couldn't crack Lee in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ortiz grounded back to the mound, Napoli grounded out to third and Nava flied out to center to end the inning.
Craig Breslow replaced Dempster for the top of the eighth and whiffed both Rollins and Howard. Delmon Young grounded out to short to end the inning. Lee returned for one last inning in the bottom of the eighth. Ross whiffed and PU Drew flied out to center, but Iglesias singled. With the tying run on first, Ellsbury whiffed to end the inning. Lee was damn near unhittable for eight innings.
The Phills put the game away in the top of the 9th off Junichi Tazawa when Brown clobbered a home run to dead center to start the inning. Mayberry watched strike three go by and Galvis lined out to center, but Kratz singled. Revere singled but Michael Young struck out to end the inning. Now the score was 3-1 and all but over.
Guess who came in to close out the game? Old friend Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon had been 9 for 9 in save opportunities coming into this game. Gomes whiffed, Pedroia grounded out to third and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the game. Sweet revenge for Papelbon as the Phillies won it 3-1.
Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 and with the Sox needing just a run, he never delivered.
The Good:
Daniel Nava was 1 for 3.
Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3.
Ryan Dempster was the hard luck loser but didn't pitch like a loser. He went 7 strong innings and allowed just 2 runs.
Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 8th.
The Bad:
Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
David Ross was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.
Stephen Drew was 0 for 3.
Junichi Tazawa gave up a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth.
The Ugly:
Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and scored.
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
Once again the Sox have trouble with a lefty although this time the lefty happens to be one of the best in the game when healthy. Dempster pitched very well, just came up a bit short. With the Sox traveling to Philadelphia tomorrow, the Sox are headed for interleague play and have to play National League ball for 2 games. Speculations are the Sox are thinking of bringing up an extra bat for pinch hitting purposes and demoting one of their pitchers. I'd bring up Jackie Bradley Jr and send down Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen with the way he's been struggling but we'll see what happens. As for this game, not much to say, Cliff Lee is damn good...not much you can do when he's on. The loss put the Sox at 32-21 but a loss by the New York Yankees tonight means the Red Sox are in first. John Lackey (3-4, 2.72 ERA) goes tomorrow against Kyle Kendrick at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Memorial Day Hitting Launches Sox Into First (5/27/13)
The best case scenario of last night's final thoughts came true after all. Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves (2-1, 6.57 ERA) pitched to the best of his abilities, hurling 6 innings of 1 run ball as the Red Sox bats woke up to defeat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Home runs by Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia aided Aceves in the 9-3 win at Fenway Park.
Uncle Sam approves of the Memorial Day win
Aceves got the ball in the top of the first and Ben Revere grounded out to second to start. Michael Young grounded back to the mound but Jimmy Rollins pounded a ground rule double. Ryan Howard whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled off starter Tyler Cloyd and advanced to second on the ground out by Daniel Nava. Dustin Pedroia hit a cheap 300 foot home run to right to give the Sox the lead lead. David Ortiz whiffed but Mike Napoli hit a much further home run over the bullpen to increase the lead. Stephen "PU" Drew walked but Mike Carp flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.
3-0 Boston, thanks Napoli
Delmon Young grounded out to short to begin the top of the second inning. Domonic Brown hit a routine ground ball to Aceves who dropped a leg on it and laid on top of it for a pinfall attempt, being charged with an error. Aceves redeemed himself by inducing John Mayberry Jr to hit into an inning ending double play.
Cloyd settled down in the top of the second as Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to left to begin. Jose Iglesias singled and Ellsbury hit a ground rule double but they were stranded when Nava lined out to left. Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning.
The lone blemish against Aceves came in the top of the third. Freddy Galvis whiffed but Erik Kratz smashed a 1 out home run that cut the lead. Revere walked but was doubled off first on a line drive hit by Young to center, ending the inning.
Kratz tags Aceves
That's as close as Philly got as the Sox put the game away in the bottom of the third. Ortiz hit a lead off double and Napoli drove him home with a ground rule double. PU Drew singled home Napoli to extend the lead. Carp struck out but Saltalamacchia singled to chase Cloyd. Michael Stutes came on in relief and got Iglesias to pop up to first. Ellsbury hit a double that scored Drew but Saltalamacchia was stupidly thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1
Mr. Jones does not approve of Salty's base-running decisions.
Aceves returned to the mound in the top of the fourth inning and allowed a leadoff single to Rollins. Howard grounded into a double play but Young singled. Brown popped up to second to end the inning. Stutes cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Nava grounded out to first, Pedroia grounded out to second and Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning.
The Phillies threatened in the top of the fifth inning as Mayberry singled to start. Galvis flied out to left and Kratz struck out, but Revere singled Mayberry to third With a threat mounting, Aceves snared a line drive off the bat of Young to effectively end the game.
Aceves doing his happy dance on the mound
The Sox added some more insurance in the bottom of the 5th. Napoli whiffed but PU Drew singled and Carp doubled him over to third. Saltalamacchia singled home Drew and Carp scored on an error by Mayberry Jr. Iglesias whiffed and Jeremy Horst came on to pitch to Ellsbury. Jacoby grounded out to third but it was 8-1 Sox.
The Phillies had one last chance to do damage trailing 8-1 in the top of the 6th. Rollins walked and Howard singled him over to third. Aceves got a huge strikeout of Young and a pop up to third by Brown before walking Mayberry. With the bases loaded, Freddy Galvis lined out to end the threat. It was like Aceves chucked a bowling ball into the guts of the Phillies and their fans...like this:
An accurate description of the end of the top of the 6th and Phillies fans' reaction
The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the 6th as Nava whiffed to start. Pedroia walked and Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for him. Ortiz singled but both Napoli and PU Drew watched strike three go by to end the inning.
Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen replaced Vulture for the top of the 7th and walked Kratz to start. Revere lined out to center and Young lined out to second. Rollins grounded out to second to end the inning. Antonio Bastardo came out for the bottom of the seventh and Carp hit one up the elevator shaft to begin. Saltalamacchia flied out to left and Iglesias popped up to second to end the inning.
Mortensen came back for the top of the eighth and Howard doubled to begin. Howard was thrown out at third on a ground ball by Young and that was it for Mortensen. Andrew Miller relieved Mortensen and immediately served up a 2 run homer to Brown to cut into the lead. Mayberry beat out an infield single to second but was erased on the force by Galvis. Kratz whiffed to end the inning but it was now 8-3.
Brown cuts into the lead.
The Sox answered in the bottom of the 8th with Mike Adams on the mound. Ellsbury grounded out to first and Nava whiffed, but Ciriaco singled. Ortiz and Napoli walked to load the bases before Drew walked to score Ciraco. Justin De Fratus replaced the wild Adams to retire Carp on a ground out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.
Miller got the call to end the top of the ninth but ran into trouble when Revere singled. He recovered to get Young to fly out to center. Miller struck out Rollins and Howard to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-3.
Another good win by the Sox
Her of the Night is Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves. Aceves was outstanding with 6 innings of 1 run, 4 strikeout ball, getting key outs when needed.
Aceves is the Hero
The Good:
Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.
Pedro Ciriaco singled and scored as a pinch hitter.
David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Mike Napoli was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored including a solo home run.
Stephen Drew was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
The Bad:
Daniel Nava was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.\
The Ugly:
Mike Carp was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.
Clayton Mortensen gave up a run in 1 1/3 innings.
Andrew Miller gave up a run in 1 2/3 innings.
Final Thoughts:
Hard to believe but the Sox are back in first place. It was a good win and redemption for Vulture who looked like he was going to be unconditionally released following his last disasterous outing against Oakland. Unfortunately for the pitching staff, someone's got to go. Franklin Morales is back and either Mortensen, Miller, Aceves or Wilson has to go. All signs point to Aceves going back to Triple A but at least he'll go down on a much higher note than last time he left. It was a good win and encouraging to see the bats wake up, especially those of Ciriaco and Drew who knows Iglesias is young and hungry. A slip up by either veteran means their days are numbered. The win put the Sox at 32-20 and the Yankees loss puts the Sox alone in first.The Sox look to stay in first place but will have to work for it as Ryan Dempster goes up against superstar Cliff Lee tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.
Aceves got the ball in the top of the first and Ben Revere grounded out to second to start. Michael Young grounded back to the mound but Jimmy Rollins pounded a ground rule double. Ryan Howard whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled off starter Tyler Cloyd and advanced to second on the ground out by Daniel Nava. Dustin Pedroia hit a cheap 300 foot home run to right to give the Sox the lead lead. David Ortiz whiffed but Mike Napoli hit a much further home run over the bullpen to increase the lead. Stephen "PU" Drew walked but Mike Carp flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.
Delmon Young grounded out to short to begin the top of the second inning. Domonic Brown hit a routine ground ball to Aceves who dropped a leg on it and laid on top of it for a pinfall attempt, being charged with an error. Aceves redeemed himself by inducing John Mayberry Jr to hit into an inning ending double play.
Cloyd settled down in the top of the second as Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to left to begin. Jose Iglesias singled and Ellsbury hit a ground rule double but they were stranded when Nava lined out to left. Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning.
The lone blemish against Aceves came in the top of the third. Freddy Galvis whiffed but Erik Kratz smashed a 1 out home run that cut the lead. Revere walked but was doubled off first on a line drive hit by Young to center, ending the inning.
That's as close as Philly got as the Sox put the game away in the bottom of the third. Ortiz hit a lead off double and Napoli drove him home with a ground rule double. PU Drew singled home Napoli to extend the lead. Carp struck out but Saltalamacchia singled to chase Cloyd. Michael Stutes came on in relief and got Iglesias to pop up to first. Ellsbury hit a double that scored Drew but Saltalamacchia was stupidly thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1
Aceves returned to the mound in the top of the fourth inning and allowed a leadoff single to Rollins. Howard grounded into a double play but Young singled. Brown popped up to second to end the inning. Stutes cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Nava grounded out to first, Pedroia grounded out to second and Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning.
The Phillies threatened in the top of the fifth inning as Mayberry singled to start. Galvis flied out to left and Kratz struck out, but Revere singled Mayberry to third With a threat mounting, Aceves snared a line drive off the bat of Young to effectively end the game.
The Sox added some more insurance in the bottom of the 5th. Napoli whiffed but PU Drew singled and Carp doubled him over to third. Saltalamacchia singled home Drew and Carp scored on an error by Mayberry Jr. Iglesias whiffed and Jeremy Horst came on to pitch to Ellsbury. Jacoby grounded out to third but it was 8-1 Sox.
The Phillies had one last chance to do damage trailing 8-1 in the top of the 6th. Rollins walked and Howard singled him over to third. Aceves got a huge strikeout of Young and a pop up to third by Brown before walking Mayberry. With the bases loaded, Freddy Galvis lined out to end the threat. It was like Aceves chucked a bowling ball into the guts of the Phillies and their fans...like this:
The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the 6th as Nava whiffed to start. Pedroia walked and Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for him. Ortiz singled but both Napoli and PU Drew watched strike three go by to end the inning.
Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen replaced Vulture for the top of the 7th and walked Kratz to start. Revere lined out to center and Young lined out to second. Rollins grounded out to second to end the inning. Antonio Bastardo came out for the bottom of the seventh and Carp hit one up the elevator shaft to begin. Saltalamacchia flied out to left and Iglesias popped up to second to end the inning.
Mortensen came back for the top of the eighth and Howard doubled to begin. Howard was thrown out at third on a ground ball by Young and that was it for Mortensen. Andrew Miller relieved Mortensen and immediately served up a 2 run homer to Brown to cut into the lead. Mayberry beat out an infield single to second but was erased on the force by Galvis. Kratz whiffed to end the inning but it was now 8-3.
The Sox answered in the bottom of the 8th with Mike Adams on the mound. Ellsbury grounded out to first and Nava whiffed, but Ciriaco singled. Ortiz and Napoli walked to load the bases before Drew walked to score Ciraco. Justin De Fratus replaced the wild Adams to retire Carp on a ground out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.
Miller got the call to end the top of the ninth but ran into trouble when Revere singled. He recovered to get Young to fly out to center. Miller struck out Rollins and Howard to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-3.
Her of the Night is Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves. Aceves was outstanding with 6 innings of 1 run, 4 strikeout ball, getting key outs when needed.
The Good:
Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.
Pedro Ciriaco singled and scored as a pinch hitter.
David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Mike Napoli was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored including a solo home run.
Stephen Drew was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
The Bad:
Daniel Nava was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.\
The Ugly:
Mike Carp was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.
Clayton Mortensen gave up a run in 1 1/3 innings.
Andrew Miller gave up a run in 1 2/3 innings.
Final Thoughts:
Hard to believe but the Sox are back in first place. It was a good win and redemption for Vulture who looked like he was going to be unconditionally released following his last disasterous outing against Oakland. Unfortunately for the pitching staff, someone's got to go. Franklin Morales is back and either Mortensen, Miller, Aceves or Wilson has to go. All signs point to Aceves going back to Triple A but at least he'll go down on a much higher note than last time he left. It was a good win and encouraging to see the bats wake up, especially those of Ciriaco and Drew who knows Iglesias is young and hungry. A slip up by either veteran means their days are numbered. The win put the Sox at 32-20 and the Yankees loss puts the Sox alone in first.The Sox look to stay in first place but will have to work for it as Ryan Dempster goes up against superstar Cliff Lee tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sox Rally Past Indians....Again (5/26/13)
For the second straight day, the Boston Red Sox turned what should have been a sure loss to the Cleveland Indians into a dramatic, come from behind win. This time it came in a walkoff fashion after being down to their final out throughout their eventual 9th inning rally. The Sox trailed 5-2 but rallied back to shock Terry Francona's Indians and take 3 games out of 4 with the 6-5 come from behind walkoff win at Fenway Park.
Harry and Lloyd celebrate the Sox victory
Once again the Indians struck first in the top of the 1st and once again it came with 2 outs. Felix Doubront got the start for the Sox as Michael Bourn singled and stole second off Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew played a game of "I got it, I don't got it" and Jason Kipnis reached first. Asdrubal Cabrera whiffed but Nick Swisher singled to load the bases. Mark Reynolds whiffed but Carlos Santana singled home Bourne and Kipnis before being thrown out at second trying to stretch. It was 2-0 Indians thanks to the miscue.
Drew and Ellsbury play a game of Ole'
Itt was the Corey Kluber show for the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the first. Ellsbury and Daniel Nava both whiffed but Dustin Pedroia drew a walk. David Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning.
Doubront got in trouble in the second although he got Michael Brantley to ground out to second to start. Doubront walked Mike Aviles and Drew Stubbs but struck out Bourn. Aviles stole 3rd off Salty but this time Felix struck out Kipnis to escape the jam. The Sox could barely make contact in the bottom of the second as Mike Napoli and Saltalamacchia both struck out before Mike Carp grounded out to short to end the inning.
Doubront continued the strikeout rampage by getting both Cabrera and Swisher by way of the K before Reynolds grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Stephen "PU" Drew hit a ground rule double and Iglesias got hit with a pitch. Unfortunately Ellsbury hit into a double play but Drew made it to third. Daniel Nava then got a clutch hit to bring home Drew but he was bawfully thrown out trying to advance to second. Still it was 2-1 Indians.
YERRRRR OUT!
Doubront kept it a one run game in the top of the fourth as Santana grounded out to second to begin. Brantley looked at strike three and Avilies grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Kluber stayed tough in the bottom of the fourth as Pedroia grounded to short, Ortiz grounded to third and Napoli whiffed in short order.
In the top of the 5th, Doubront got Stubbs to groundout and the umpires actually got a call right for a change. Bourn hit a swinging bunt but failed to move out of the way of Saltalamacchia. Home plate umpire Chris Guccione called him out as the fans rejoiced. That rejoicing was short lived as Jason Kipnis hit one of the cheapest home runs in history with a 298 foot line drive that just barely made it over the fence next to Pesky's Pole. Doubront struck out Cabera to retire the side but the Indians now led 3-1 with only one run earned....and barely I might add.
Guccione earns honorable mention for getting a call correct
The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the 5th as Saltalamacchia and Carp both struck out before Drew flied out to right to end the inning.
The Indians struck again in the top of the 6th when Nick Swisher hit a more conventional home run into the monster seats to increase their lead. Mark Reynolds popped up to Doubront before Santana grounded out to second. Brantley also grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Doubront who left after 6 innings trailing 4-1.
Not tonight Felix
Iglesias grounded out to third but Ellsbury singled and stole second. Both Nava and Pedroia struck out to end the inning.
Alex Wilson replaced Doubront for the top of the seventh and got Avilies grounded out back to the mound to start. Stubbs watched strike three go by but Bourn walked. Salty FINALLY caught someone stealing when he shot down Bourn at second trying to steal to end the inning. Bourn was so upset he argued with second base umpire Tom Hallion for so long, Francona had to go out and get him. Bourn still didn't leave so the 3 of them had to stand there during God Bless America as the crowd roared.
Francona's like "Get me outta here!"
Kluber returned for the bottom of the seventh and managed to get Ortiz to ground out to short to start. Kluber whiffed Napoli but was lifted by Francona after allowing only 3 hits and a walk over 112 pitches. Old friend Rich Hill came in to pitch to Saltalamacchia batting right handed and walked him. One and done for Hill as Cody Allen replaced him to pitch to pinch hitter Jonny Gomes (for Carp). Gomes flied out to end the inning.
Craig Breslow (2-0, 1.69 ERA) replaced Wilson for the top of the 8th and ran into big trouble. Kipnis doubled and Cabrera singled him to third. Then a peculiar situation happened where Swisher hit a fly ball that Gomes barely managed to grab. Jonny fired toward home unsuccessfully but the alert Saltalamacchia managed to catch Cabrera napping off first. Reynolds grounded out to end it but Breslow had allowed his first earned run since his season debut with the Indians leading 5-1.
Trailing 5-1 the Sox had every right to call it a day...they didn't. PU Drew tripled to lead off the bottom of the 8th and scored on the Iglesias sac fly. Ellsbury grounded out to second and Nava flied out to center to end the inning but it was now 5-2.
Breslow redeemed himself in the top of the ninth by getting the Indians to beat the ball in the dirt. Santana grounded out to third, Brantley grounded out to first and Avilies grounded out to short to end the inning. That set the stage for the bottom of the ninth. Indians closer Chris Perez took the mound and walked Pedroia. Ortiz doubled Pedroia over to third and Pedroia scored on a groundout by Napoli. Ortiz then caught everyone by surprise including the hot dog vendors by swiping 3rd base. He too scored on the Saltalamacchia ground out but now the Sox were trailing 5-4 and down to their last out. This is where they showed some serious balls. Gomes worked a walk and hustled all the way to third on the Drew base hit. Iglesias worked the count full as Drew took second base off a sleeping Santana. Iglesias took ball 4 that was really strike 3 as Perez was rightfully frustrated on the mound. Then in the middle of the next at bat against Ellsbury, Perez doubled over in pain and had to be carried out on a stretcher. Ice cold Joe Smith had to come in and on the first pitch, Ellsbury lashed a double over the heard of Bourn that scored Gomes and Drew to win the game 6-5.
WE WON!
Hero of the Night is a no-brainer. Jacoby Ellsbury's walkoff double proved to be the game winner.
Jacoby the Hero
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.
Jonny Gomes walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.
Stephen Drew was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored.
Jose Iglesias walked, was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.
Alex Wilson pitched a scoreless 7th inning.
The Bad:
Mike Carp was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.
Felix Doubront was charged with 4 runs (2 earned) in just 6 innings. He gave up 5 hits, walked 2 and struck out 8.
Craig Breslow got the win but allowed a run in 2 innings of work.
Final Thoughts:
Yet another huge win for the Red Sox. This was their 12th comeback win of the season and it proves that this team refuses to give up against all odds. Once again Iglesias comes through in the clutch and, like Ciriaco yesterday, his promotion must have lit a fire under Stephen Drew's ass which makes for the good kind of competition. It was nice to see Ellsbury be the hero after having a sub-par year so far. Doubront was a victim of some bad luck but he's seriously taxing the bullpen by going only 5-6 innings (if that) every time out. They're going to need the bullpen now as the Sox received from very shocking, last minute news that Clay Buchholz will miss his start tomorrow due to a sore AC tendon. The reason? He slept funny holding his daughter and his arm got sore. Ugh.....
Buchholz becomes a punch line by having to miss a start for holding a baby wrong
Not only does this mean Buchholz misses his start against a Philadelphia Phillies team desperate to get back on track, this means the return to the rotation for....*shudders* Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves, the man who basically quit on the Red Sox that rainy night against Oakland and blamed everything else for his shortcomings. Hopefully the negative turns into a positive where Aceves uses his last shot for redemption to pitch a strong game to either remain on the Red Sox or to be a top line pitcher elsewhere. As sad as it may sound with the way this team was assembled, the big weekend series coming up against New York could decide who enters June with the lead in the AL East. Each team is suffering from injuries and incompetence but someone's gotta win, as Kevin Millar would say, why not us? Either way the come back win put the Sox at 31-20, tied for first place with the Yankees, who lost 8-3 as the Tampa Bay Rays pounded Two Ton Sabbathia. Tomorrow the Sox start a three game set with the Philadelphia Phillies with Tyler Cloyd going for Philly at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
Once again the Indians struck first in the top of the 1st and once again it came with 2 outs. Felix Doubront got the start for the Sox as Michael Bourn singled and stole second off Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew played a game of "I got it, I don't got it" and Jason Kipnis reached first. Asdrubal Cabrera whiffed but Nick Swisher singled to load the bases. Mark Reynolds whiffed but Carlos Santana singled home Bourne and Kipnis before being thrown out at second trying to stretch. It was 2-0 Indians thanks to the miscue.
Itt was the Corey Kluber show for the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the first. Ellsbury and Daniel Nava both whiffed but Dustin Pedroia drew a walk. David Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning.
Doubront got in trouble in the second although he got Michael Brantley to ground out to second to start. Doubront walked Mike Aviles and Drew Stubbs but struck out Bourn. Aviles stole 3rd off Salty but this time Felix struck out Kipnis to escape the jam. The Sox could barely make contact in the bottom of the second as Mike Napoli and Saltalamacchia both struck out before Mike Carp grounded out to short to end the inning.
Doubront continued the strikeout rampage by getting both Cabrera and Swisher by way of the K before Reynolds grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Stephen "PU" Drew hit a ground rule double and Iglesias got hit with a pitch. Unfortunately Ellsbury hit into a double play but Drew made it to third. Daniel Nava then got a clutch hit to bring home Drew but he was bawfully thrown out trying to advance to second. Still it was 2-1 Indians.
Doubront kept it a one run game in the top of the fourth as Santana grounded out to second to begin. Brantley looked at strike three and Avilies grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Kluber stayed tough in the bottom of the fourth as Pedroia grounded to short, Ortiz grounded to third and Napoli whiffed in short order.
In the top of the 5th, Doubront got Stubbs to groundout and the umpires actually got a call right for a change. Bourn hit a swinging bunt but failed to move out of the way of Saltalamacchia. Home plate umpire Chris Guccione called him out as the fans rejoiced. That rejoicing was short lived as Jason Kipnis hit one of the cheapest home runs in history with a 298 foot line drive that just barely made it over the fence next to Pesky's Pole. Doubront struck out Cabera to retire the side but the Indians now led 3-1 with only one run earned....and barely I might add.
The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the 5th as Saltalamacchia and Carp both struck out before Drew flied out to right to end the inning.
The Indians struck again in the top of the 6th when Nick Swisher hit a more conventional home run into the monster seats to increase their lead. Mark Reynolds popped up to Doubront before Santana grounded out to second. Brantley also grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Doubront who left after 6 innings trailing 4-1.
Iglesias grounded out to third but Ellsbury singled and stole second. Both Nava and Pedroia struck out to end the inning.
Alex Wilson replaced Doubront for the top of the seventh and got Avilies grounded out back to the mound to start. Stubbs watched strike three go by but Bourn walked. Salty FINALLY caught someone stealing when he shot down Bourn at second trying to steal to end the inning. Bourn was so upset he argued with second base umpire Tom Hallion for so long, Francona had to go out and get him. Bourn still didn't leave so the 3 of them had to stand there during God Bless America as the crowd roared.
Kluber returned for the bottom of the seventh and managed to get Ortiz to ground out to short to start. Kluber whiffed Napoli but was lifted by Francona after allowing only 3 hits and a walk over 112 pitches. Old friend Rich Hill came in to pitch to Saltalamacchia batting right handed and walked him. One and done for Hill as Cody Allen replaced him to pitch to pinch hitter Jonny Gomes (for Carp). Gomes flied out to end the inning.
Craig Breslow (2-0, 1.69 ERA) replaced Wilson for the top of the 8th and ran into big trouble. Kipnis doubled and Cabrera singled him to third. Then a peculiar situation happened where Swisher hit a fly ball that Gomes barely managed to grab. Jonny fired toward home unsuccessfully but the alert Saltalamacchia managed to catch Cabrera napping off first. Reynolds grounded out to end it but Breslow had allowed his first earned run since his season debut with the Indians leading 5-1.
Trailing 5-1 the Sox had every right to call it a day...they didn't. PU Drew tripled to lead off the bottom of the 8th and scored on the Iglesias sac fly. Ellsbury grounded out to second and Nava flied out to center to end the inning but it was now 5-2.
Breslow redeemed himself in the top of the ninth by getting the Indians to beat the ball in the dirt. Santana grounded out to third, Brantley grounded out to first and Avilies grounded out to short to end the inning. That set the stage for the bottom of the ninth. Indians closer Chris Perez took the mound and walked Pedroia. Ortiz doubled Pedroia over to third and Pedroia scored on a groundout by Napoli. Ortiz then caught everyone by surprise including the hot dog vendors by swiping 3rd base. He too scored on the Saltalamacchia ground out but now the Sox were trailing 5-4 and down to their last out. This is where they showed some serious balls. Gomes worked a walk and hustled all the way to third on the Drew base hit. Iglesias worked the count full as Drew took second base off a sleeping Santana. Iglesias took ball 4 that was really strike 3 as Perez was rightfully frustrated on the mound. Then in the middle of the next at bat against Ellsbury, Perez doubled over in pain and had to be carried out on a stretcher. Ice cold Joe Smith had to come in and on the first pitch, Ellsbury lashed a double over the heard of Bourn that scored Gomes and Drew to win the game 6-5.
Hero of the Night is a no-brainer. Jacoby Ellsbury's walkoff double proved to be the game winner.
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.
Jonny Gomes walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.
Stephen Drew was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored.
Jose Iglesias walked, was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.
Alex Wilson pitched a scoreless 7th inning.
The Bad:
Mike Carp was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.
Felix Doubront was charged with 4 runs (2 earned) in just 6 innings. He gave up 5 hits, walked 2 and struck out 8.
Craig Breslow got the win but allowed a run in 2 innings of work.
Final Thoughts:
Yet another huge win for the Red Sox. This was their 12th comeback win of the season and it proves that this team refuses to give up against all odds. Once again Iglesias comes through in the clutch and, like Ciriaco yesterday, his promotion must have lit a fire under Stephen Drew's ass which makes for the good kind of competition. It was nice to see Ellsbury be the hero after having a sub-par year so far. Doubront was a victim of some bad luck but he's seriously taxing the bullpen by going only 5-6 innings (if that) every time out. They're going to need the bullpen now as the Sox received from very shocking, last minute news that Clay Buchholz will miss his start tomorrow due to a sore AC tendon. The reason? He slept funny holding his daughter and his arm got sore. Ugh.....
Not only does this mean Buchholz misses his start against a Philadelphia Phillies team desperate to get back on track, this means the return to the rotation for....*shudders* Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves, the man who basically quit on the Red Sox that rainy night against Oakland and blamed everything else for his shortcomings. Hopefully the negative turns into a positive where Aceves uses his last shot for redemption to pitch a strong game to either remain on the Red Sox or to be a top line pitcher elsewhere. As sad as it may sound with the way this team was assembled, the big weekend series coming up against New York could decide who enters June with the lead in the AL East. Each team is suffering from injuries and incompetence but someone's gotta win, as Kevin Millar would say, why not us? Either way the come back win put the Sox at 31-20, tied for first place with the Yankees, who lost 8-3 as the Tampa Bay Rays pounded Two Ton Sabbathia. Tomorrow the Sox start a three game set with the Philadelphia Phillies with Tyler Cloyd going for Philly at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.