Lester Rebounds as Sox Win 3rd in a Row (6/27/13)

For the first time since May 15, Jon Lester looked like himself. Pitching into the 8th inning and giving the Sox a much needed shot in the arm with a strong performance. The Sox scored all their runs in one inning but made all of them count as they continued their homestand with their 3rd consecutive win, opening a 4 game home-stand with the Toronto Blue Jays.

                                               Happy Sox fans

Jose Reyes worked a leadoff walk in the top of the first and Lester went to 3-0 on Jose Bautista, causing fans to groan and say "Here we go again!" Luckily Lester induced a fly out and Edwin Encarnarcion grounded into a double play to end the inning. Toronto starter, ex Yankee Chein-Ming Wang was tough to begin the first, getting 3 ground ball outs to end the bottom of the first in short order.

Lester worked a clean top of the second then the floodgates opened. David Ortiz and Mike Carp worked back to back walks but Daniel Nava singled home Ortiz to make it 1-0. Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to make it 2-0 and PU Drew doubled in Nava to make it 3-0. Jose Iglesias had yet another infield single that scored Salty and Jacoby Ellsbury also singled to make it 5-0 without an out being recorded.

                                          Papi using his telekinetic powers to start the 7 run rally

Shane Victorino momentarily helped Wang but banging into a double play, but Dustin Pedroia capped off the inning with a  2 run shot into the monster seats to make it 7-0 and chase Wang from the game. Aaron Loup relieved Wang and gave up a single to Ortiz, but Carp struck out to end the inning. A lot of credit should go to the Toronto bullpen, they allowed just 2 hits the rest of the game.

                        
                               Pedroia's blast makes it 7-0

Could Lester hold the fort in the top of the 3rd? Rajai Davis grounded out, Maicer Izturis struck out and Emilio Bonifacio grounded out. So far so good. Loup retired the side in order in the bottom of the third. Jose Bautista became the first Jays baserunner by drawing a 1 out walk in the top of the 4th but was erased on the Edwin Encarnarcion double play. Juan Perez took over in the bottom of the 4th and retired the side without a whimper. The Jays finally broke through in the top of the 5th. Mark DeRosa struck out but Melky Cabrera got Toronto's first hit of the day. 2 batters later Rajai Davis singled and Izturis doubled in both runners. Bonifacio popped up but it was now 7-2 Red Sox. The Sox were retired by Perez in the bottom of the 5th in short order.

Lester rebounded by pitching a clean top of the 6th. Perez concluded his perfect afternoon with a clean bottom of the 6th. In the bottom of the 7th, Lester blew away DeRosa again then got the next 2 batters, for the first time since May 15th he was outstanding.

                                           Lester discovers himself against the Jays

The Sox mounted their first threat since the first inning when Victorino doubled with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th against Brett Cecil then Pedroia walked. Unfortunately Ortiz struck out to end the inning. Lester returned for the top of the 8th but quickly gave up singles to Davis and Izturis before departing with an injured hip. Junichi Tazawa replaced Lester and walked Bonifacio to load the bases. Jose Reyes scored Davis with a sac fly but a wild pitch moved up both runners. Bautista grounded out but scored Izturis to make it 7-4, the boxscore shows Lester gave up 4 runs but only 2 of them were really his fault. Tazawa got the final batter to end the inning. Saltalamacchia doubled with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th against Steve Delabar but Drew left him there by striking out.

New closer Koji Uehara took the mound for the top of the 9th. Adam Lind pinch hit for DeRosa and grounded out. Koji then blew away Cabrera and JP Arencibia to end the game. Sox win 7-4.

THE GOOD:

Hero of the Night is the deserving Jon Lester. Yes he gave up 4 earned runs but was outstanding, carrying a no hitter into the 5th inning and pitched into the 8th inning.

                                              Hero of the Night



Other do-gooders include Dustin Pedroia who was 1 for 3 with a walk including a 2 run home run. David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a walk. Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with an rbi and run scored. Koji Uehara earned his 3rd save and lowered his ERA to 1.97.




















THE BAD:

None....thank God.


THE UGLY:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but the one hit knocked in a run. Shane Victorino was just 1 for 4. Mike Carp was 0 for 3 but walked and scored. Daniel Nava and PU Drew were both 1 for 4 with an rbi and run scored. Junichi Tazawa let both inherited runners to score but did not allow a run himself.


Final Thoughts:

Lester claimed his 8th inning was minor and won't affect his next start, he better be right because the Sox won't survive with both Lester and Clay Buchholz out. It was an otherwise great win and even though they scored all their runs in one inning, they pitched just well enough to get the job done. Everyone contributed which is a good sign. The win puts the Sox at 48-33, 3 1/2 games in front of the Dirty Birds. Who would have thought that the Sox would be in first place going into July before the season started. Tomorrow the rookie Allen Webster takes on Josh Johnson. Hopefully Webster can put out a strong start and build his confidence.

Gomes Picks Up Sox, Top Jays (6/28/13)

After the suddenly leaky Boston pen blew yet another starter's win, Jonny Gomes stepped up to lead the Sox to victory at Fenway Park over the Toronto Blue Jays. Timely hitting and timely hitting were key to the big win.

                                           Mick Foley approves of the win

Allen Webster finally got himself on track, striking out Jose Reyes to begin the top of the first. Jose Bautista flied out and Edwin Encarnarcion flied out to end the inning. Josh Johnson was equally tough in the bottom of the first, striking out Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorinio to begin the bottom of the first. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to end the inning. Adam Lind singled to lead off the top of the second who was erased on a fielder's choice. Rajai Davis grounded into a fielder's choice but stole second. JP Arencibia grounded out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second. Mike Napoli drew a one out walk and Daniel Nava singled. Jarrod Saltalamacchia whiffed but PU Drew tripled home both runners. Jose Iglesias lied out to end the inning.

                                                          Drew's triple makes it 2-0

Webster stayed tough in the top of the third, working around a 2 out single to Reyes to retire the side in the top of the third. Doing well so far. The Sox got some more offense in the bottom of the third. Ellsbury singled and took second on a passed ball. Victorino struck out and Pedroia lined out. Jays manager John Gibbons called for an intentional walk to David Ortiz....big mistake. Napoli singled home Ellsbury to increase the lead 3-0. Nava singled but Ortiz was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Webster ran into a little bit of trouble in the top of the 4th. Encarnarcion worked a lead off walk but Lind struck out. Colby Rasmus hit a ground ball to PU Drew who chucked the ball into the third row. Davis grounded into another fielder's choice. With runners in scoring position, Webster got Arencibia out to end the inning, impressive.

                                               4 shut out innings for Webster, a big improvement

The Sox tacked it on in the bottom of the 4th. Drew doubled with one out but pulled up lame and had to leave, replaced by Brandon Snyder making his season debut. Iglesias singled and stole second. Ellsbury singled home both runners to give the Sox a 5-0 lead. That was it for Johnson as Gibbons pulled him in favor of Aaron Loup. A bizarre play happened when Victorino struck out but Ellsbury was called out for interference to end the inning. Losing Drew was not what the Sox needed with Middlebrooks demoted and Snyder just called up.

                                            Farrell says "I thought you were STEPHEN, not JD"

Snyder moved to third and Iglesias to short. Toronto finally woke up in the top of the 5th. Izturis singled and Bonifacio walked. Reyes grounded out but moved both runners along. Bautista and Encarnarcion hit back to back run scoring singles and Adam Lind brought in Toronto's 3rd run with a sac fly, just like that. Rasmus flied out to end the inning, the jays had cut the lead 5-3. Pedroia and Ortiz singled to lead off the bottom of the 5th but Napoli flied out and Nava banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Jays used some small ball in the top of the 6th. Davis singled and stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a sac fly by Izturis. Bonifacio grounded out to end Webster's day. All in all it wasn't a bad start, 6 solid innings with 4 runs allowed. Neil Wagner relieved Loup with one out in the bottom of the 6th, allowed a 2 out hit to Iglesias but got the next batter. The shaky Andrew Bailey took the mound in the top of the 7th. He touched 95 on the gun, striking out Reyes and Bautstia. Hopes were dashed when Encarnarcion smashed a 95 mph heater into the centerfield stands for a game tying home run. Rather than give him a chance to work out of it, Sox manager John Farrell pulled Bailey for Andrew Miller. Miller struck out Lind to end the inning but the game was tied.

                                 Another lead blown for Bailey, patience could be running out with him

Luckily the Sox were ready to pick up Bailey. Victorino singled and Pedroia singled him over to third to lead off the bottom of the 7th. Brett Cecil replaced Wagner and struck out Ortiz but a wild pitch moved both runners over. Napoli walked to load the bases and Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Nava. Gomes smashed a single that scored Victorino with the go-ahead run. Old friend Darren Oliver relieved Cecil and walked Saltalamacchia to give the Sox an insurance run, 7-5. With a chance to break open the game, Brandon Snyder struck out. Iglesias grounded out to end the inning but the Sox had the lead.

                                           Bringing in Oliver to face Saltalamacchia??

Andrew Miller returned for the top of the 8th and gave up a one out single to Davis but there would be no stolen bases this time as Arencibia grounded into a double play to end the inning. Casey Janssen took the mound for the bottom of the 8th and allowed a 2 out triple to Pedroia but Ortiz grounded out to end the inning. Koji Uehara took the mound for his third straight day of work. No sweat....2 strikeouts and a grounded out to end the game and give the Sox a hard fought 7-5 win.

                                          "We won...HIGH FIVE!"


THE GOOD:

Hero of the Night is......*drumroll*......Jonny Gomes.

                                            Hero of the Night

Gomes pinch hit for Nava and singled home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 7th. Other good guys include Jacoby Ellsbury who was 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 rbi's. Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 5 with a run scored. Mike Napoli was 1 for 2 with a run scored, an rbi and two walks. Daniel Nava was 2 for 3 with a run scored. PU Drew was 2 for 2 with 2 rbi's before leaving with injury. Jose Iglesias was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Andrew Miller pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Koji Uehara picked up his 4th save of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.91.


THE BAD:

Andrew Bailey...again. He was doing great but made one mistake to Encarnarcion that tied the game at 5.


THE UGLY:

Shane Victorino was just 1 for 5 with a Hat Trick but scored the go-ahead run. David Ortiz was 1 for 4 with a walk. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 3 before drawing a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 7th. Brandon Snyder was 0 for 2 at the plate but scored a run after pinch-running for Drew. Allen Webster improved over his last 2 starts, tossing 6 innings and giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.


Final Thoughts:

The good news is the Sox won the game, bad news was Bailey is still having his problems and now Drew is hurt. The official reason is tightness in his hamstring which may not be a DL trip, but it would keep him out a few games. Even though he made a throwing error, Drew has played great in the field and losing him means Iglesias slides over, leaving Snyder at third base. Bailey struggling is really disconcerting because they need him to step up with other relievers beginning to show some arm wear. The drawback of having 5 guys who can't go 7 innings consistently taxes the bullpen tremendously. But, a win is a win. Its great to see Webster rebound to put out a decent outing and its nice to finally have a closer that doesn't walk anyone plus works quickly. The win puts the Sox to 49-33, starting the second half with a win and 3 1/2 games over the Dirty Birds. Tomorrow Felix Doubront goes up against Esmil Rogers.

Timely Pitching and Hitting Aid Sox Win (6/26/13)

Last night the bats knocked around the Rockies for 11 runs off 20 hits, tonight the hits were more timely and got some serious pitching help to sweep the two game set over the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park.

Happy Spikes

Starter John Lackey was outstanding, but the Rockies scored first. DJ LeMahieu struck out but Carlos Gonzalez singled. Michael Cuddyer struck out but Gonzalez stole second and score on the single by Wilin Rosario. Todd Helton struck out to end the inning, Lackey strikes out the side but the Rockies led 1-0. The Sox wasted no time getting the run right back. Jacoby Ellsbury greeted Roy Oswalt with a double and Shane Victorino singled him home to tie the game. Dustin Pedroia flied out but David Ortiz doubled in Victorino to give the Sox a 2-1 lead.

Ortiz double gave Sox the lead they wouldn't give up

Mike Napoli moved Ortiz to third with a groundout but Nava stepped up and singled home Ortiz to make it 3-1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out to end the inning. John Lackey then sent a statement in the top of the second, hitting 95 on the gun while striking out the side again. Oswalt got the side in the bottom of the second and Lackey continued to dominate in the top of the third. He got the first two outs before Gonzalez beat the shift with a bunt single. Cuddyer flied out to end the inning. The Sox stacked it on in the bottom of the third. Victorino and Pedroia singled then Ortiz walked to load the bases. Napoli lashed a single to score Victorino to make it 4-1 plus advancing the runners.

                                            Napoli's bases loaded single makes it 4-1

Nava then hit a fly ball to deep center and all 3 runners advanced, scoring Ortiz to make it 5-1. Then with a chance to blow the game open.....Saltalamacchia struck out. PU Drew flied out but the lead was now 5-1. Lackey worked around a double to Helton to once again strike out the side in the top of the 4th.

                                             Guess he's healthy again, strikes out side 3 times

Oswalt recovered to retire the side in order in the bottom of the 4th. Lackey gave up a leadoff single to Yorvit Torrealba but got the next 3 batters, including striking out Gonzalez to end the top of the 5th. Pedroia led off the bottom of the 5th with a single but was stranded there. Cuddyer greeted Lackey in the top of the 6th with a home run to make it 5-2. Rosario doubled but Helton lined out. Nolan Arenado singled Rosario to third but Tyler Colvin struck out. Torrealba lined out to end the inning. PU Drew hit a one out triple but was thrown out at home when Iglesias grounded into a fielder's choice. Ellsbury popped up to end the bottom of the 6th. Lackey finished strong in the top of the 7th, getting the first 2 batters before striking out Gonzalez. Lackey set a career high with 12 strikeouts in 7 innings.

                                          Even The Rock is impressed by Lackey's performance

Wilton Lopez relieved Oswalt for the bottom of the 7th. Victorino doubled but Pedroia flied out to right. Ortiz was intentionally walked but Napoli popped up. Nava struck out to end the threat. Junichi Tazawa of the Orient Express relieved Lackey in the top of the 8th and was greeted with another Cuddyer bomb to cut the lead 5-2. Taz got the next 3 batters to end the inning. Saltalamacchia worked a walk in the bottom of the 8th but 2 batters later Iglesias banged into a double play to end the inning.

The other half of the Express, and new closer, Koji Uehara took the mound for the top of the 9th. Uehara blew threw the Rockies, striking out 2 of them to give a grand total of 15 on the day (Taz got one the inning earlier). The Sox had won 5-3.

"Hey Jarrod, HIGH FIVE!"

THE GOOD:

John Lackey takes home Hero of the Night honors with his career high 12 strikeouts to go with 7 innings of 2 run ball. He improves to 5-5 with a 2.99 ERA.

                                                      Hero of the Night

Other babyfaces include Shane Victorino who went 3 for 4 with an rbi. Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a run scored. David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, a run scored and an rbi. Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis. Koji Uehara earned his second save with a clean top of the 9th.


THE BAD:

Not much here. Jose Iglesias was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Junichi Tazawa gave up a bomb in the top of the 8th.



THE UGLY:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but scored the one time he was on. Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was an rbi single. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 3 with a hat trick but also worked a walk. PU Drew was just 1 for 4.



Final Thoughts:

With the continuing struggles of Lester and Buchholz being fragile, the rest of the staff needs to step up and John Lackey seems to be doing it. He's been one of the better starters in the AL, a victim of low run support and bizarre bullpen ineffectiveness. It was nice to see Uehara get the save so easily. The concern about him is that at 38, his arm may not hold out. Still, after Bailey and Hanrahan failed, its nice to see someone get the job done. The win put the Sox at 47-33, 3 1/2 games in first as both the O's and Yankees lost. This means that the Sox will most likely spend the rest of the month in first place. Tomorrow Jon Lester tries not to stink opposite former Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang.

Sox 20 Hit Attack Pounds Colorado (6/25/13)

After getting beat up by the Detroit Tigers, an off-day and the Colorado Rockies were just what the doctor ordered to get back on track. The Red Sox pounded the Rockies for 20 hits and 11 runs, winning the game decisively.

                                              Happy Sox fan

Before the game the team made some news. David Ross was transferred to the 60 day DL meaning his concussions are far worse than we thought. Will Middlebrooks was sent down to Pawtucket, officially losing his job as starting 3rd basemen to Jose Iglesias. Taking his spot will be Brandon Snyder. Also, Franklin Morales was placed on the 15 day DL and the Sox brought back Pedro Beato for tonight's game.

                                                                  OUT

                                                                 IN

As for the game itself, Ryan Dempster took the hill for the top of the first. Dexter Fowler walked and DJ LaMahieu caught Dempster asleep by bunting his way on. The Sox defense pitched in when MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez popped up and Michael Cuddyer bounced into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom half. Rockies starter Juan Nicasio was ineffective right from the start. Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to lead off the game and Shane Victorino sacrificed him over to third. The way runs were hard to come by against Detroit, that wasn't such a bad move. Dustin Pedroia singled home Ellsbury for the quick 1-0 lead. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli worked back to back walks to load the bases, but only one run scored when Daniel Nava's single was too shallow to score anyone else. With a chance to break the game open early, Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out and PU Drew popped up to end the inning. The Sox led 2-0 but the missed chance was eerily similar to the Detroit series.

                                                  Nava's single makes it 2-0 Boston early

The Rockies wouldn't go away quietly. Todd Helton lined out but Wilin Rosario smacked his 12th home run of the year to cut the lead 2-1. Corey Dickerson grounded out but Nolan Arenado doubled. Jonathan Herrera grounded out to end the inning. The Sox pretty much put the game away in the bottom of the second, all with 2 outs. Jose Iglesias and Ellsbury were retired but Victorino, Pedroia and Ortiz hit back to back to back doubles to make it 4-1. Napoli's single made it 5-1 and Nava singled as well. Just like the first inning, Saltalamacchia failed with men on base by striking out. Still, the Sox now led 5-1.

                         Ortiz' double made it 4-1, the lead was 5-1 when the inning was over

The Rockies were unable to respond this time, Dempster got the side in order in the top of the third. The Sox rallied again in the bottom of the third. PU Drew flied out but Iglesias and Ellsbury hit back to back singles. Victorino then snuck one by Cuddyer for a single and error that advanced the two runners and scored Iglesias. Pedroia slammed a single to bring home Ellsbury, advance Victorino and chase Nicasio from the game. Adam Ottavino relieved Nicasio and struck out Ortiz, but Pedroia and Victorino executed a double steal. With a 7-1 lead and a chance for more....Napoli flied out.

                                                Another single for Iglesias

The Rockies refused to go quietly, even trailing by 6 runs in the top of the 4th. Cuddyer singled and took second on a wild pitch. Helton flied out and Rosario grounded out back to Dempster. Dickerson walked and Arenado singled home Cuddyer but the runners moved up when the ball got by Ellsbury. Another error in as many games for the Sox. Dempster got Herrera to ground out but it was now 7-2 Boston going into the bottom of the 4th. The Sox smacked the Rockies pitching around even more. Nava singled but was erased on a strike em out, throw em out double play...yet another miscue by Saltalamacchia. PU Drew then hit a long fly ball off the top of the center field wall, most thought it was gone but after a TEN MINUTE review, it was ruled a triple.

                                                Robbed of a home run, Drew settles for a 3 bagger

The red hot Iglesias singled home Drew to bring justice to the game and increase the lead 8-2. Ellsbury grounded out to end the inning. Dempster retired the side in order in the top of the 5th and Ottavino worked around a 2 out walk to Ortiz to keep the Sox scoreless for the first time all game. Rosario struck a 2 out single in the top of the 6th but Dempster finished his day by getting out of the inning. 6 innings and just 2 runs allowed, good start for Dempster.

                                          Dempster comes up big and FINALLY gets run support

Manny Corpas took over for the bottom of the 6th and retired the side. Alex Wilson took over for Dempster and got even more shoddy defense. Arenado singled and scored when Victorino blew a play on Herrera. Wilson recovered to strike out the next 2 batters but Sox manager John Farrell pulled him for Craig Breslow. The lefty/lefty matchup failed as Gonzalez singled home Herrera. Cuddyer flied out but the score was now 8-4. Good news for Wilson was both runs were un-earned. The Sox got the runs right back in the bottom of the 7th. Iglesias and Ellsbury singled and both advanced when Victorino grounded out 1-3. Pedroia scored Iglesias with a sac fly and Ortiz was intentionally walked...bad move. Napoli singled home Ellsbury to make it 10-4. Nava flied out to end the inning. Breslow gave up a one out single and double but got the next 2 batters to avoid any trouble.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the 8th against Josh Outman. Salty finally joined the hit parade with a single and Drew hit another one as well. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch but Iglesias' fly out was too shallow for Salty to score. Ellsbury walked to load the bases and Victorino scored Jarrod with a ground out. Pedroia struck out but that wrapped it up at 11 runs on 20 total hits. Pedro Beato had mop up duty in the top of the 9th and overcame yet another error, this time by IGLESIAS of all people to retire the side and win the game 11-4.

THE GOOD:

Hero of the Night is a tough one. It was an all-around team effort but I'll have to give the nod to Dustin Pedroia.

                                             Hero of the Night

Pedroia was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 4 runs batted in. He wins Hero because he almost beat the Rockies by himself. He's joined on the good list by Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 5 with a walk and 3 runs scored, bumping his batting average to .294....THIS is the Ellsbury that the Sox had in 2008-09. Shane Victorino was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored. David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with a run scored, rbi and 3 walks. Mike Napoli was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 rbi's. Daniel Nava was 3 for 5 with an rbi. PU Drew was 2 for 5 with a run scored. Jose Iglesias was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored to maintain his batting average at .434. Ryan Dempster tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball, improving his record slightly to 5-8 with a 4.15 ERA. Pedro Beato pitched a scoreless 9th inning.


THE BAD:

For one of the only times all year, no one's on this list.


THE UGLY:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia picked up the hat trick (3 strikeouts) but came back to single and score. Alex Wilson gave up 2 un-earned runs due to an error by Victorino. Craig Breslow pitched an inning and 1/3 scoreless relief but he allowed Wilson's 2 runs to score.


Final Thoughts:

That's more like it. With Iglesias continuing his hot streak as well as Ellsbury and Pedroia heating up, the offense appears to be picking up. If the starting pitching could come around the Sox may have a shot to pull away in the division. Its nice to see Dempster finally get some run support as well. If Buchholz can come back soon and Lester gets his head out of his ass, this team is on the cusp of going on a run. The win put the Sox at 46-33, still 2 1/2 games in front thanks to the Dirty Birds 5 run 7th inning to beat Cleveland and the Yankees beating Texas on a walkoff by Ichiro of all people. Tomorrow John Lackey goes against the back from the dead Roy Oswalt.

Down on the Farm 4 (6/24/13)

Today is an off day which means part 4 of our continuing look at the Boston Red Sox' minor league teams. Today we head down to Greenville, South Carolina at Fluor Field to check out the Greenville Drive, currently 3-3 in the second half of their season after going 22-47 in the first (Carolina League).

                  As with most every other Red Sox affiliated park, the left field wall is a Monster replica

Managed by Carlos Febles, it seems Greenville is having the same problem that the Salem Red Sox have, poor fielding and pitching. This is not good for Ben Cherrington because these are the last picks of the Theo Epstein era and truly the start of his own era. If Ben wants to prove he's just as good at scouting amateur talent as Theo was, then his next couple of drafts better go well.

As for the Grenville lineup, let's get a quick run-down. We'll begin with catcher Jordan Weems.


1. Jordan Weems - C

Weems was the Sox third round pick in 2011 and is just 20 years old. He's batting just .209 this season for the Drive but due to his young age, he has all the time in the world to develop. He doesn't have much power but his reputation is being a defensive catcher.

Next on the list is second basemen Mookie Betts


2. Mookie Betts - 2B

Mention the name "Mookie" to old time Sox fans and you may get a kick in the pants. This Mookie, however, could be the heir apparent to Dustin Pedroia. The 20 year old is the team's best hitter. Currently .297 with 8 homers 21 rbi's and 15 steals (in 16 tries). The one drawback is he has 11 errors on the season so far. Still, glove work can be corrected and at 20 he has plenty of time to develop.

3rd on the list is short-stop Jose Vinicio


3. Jose Vinicio -SS

Now this is interesting. Jose is leading the team in the wrong category with SEVENTEEN errors on the season and is hitting just .202. Why hasn't he been cut yet? He's only 19 years old. In fact, he was drafted 3 days after turning SIXTEEN. He was ranked 19th out of the Sox top 20 prospects and as with the others, he has plenty of time to develop. Still, when you can't hit or field that's not the way to get promoted.

Batting cleanup is designated hitter David Chester


4. David Chester - DH

Unlike the 3 previous prospects, Chester is a bit older. The 23 year old was drafted in the 33rd round back in 2011 so team management doesn't consider him a can't miss prospect anyway. He does have some power stroke with 11 home runs and 59 rbi's but is hitting just .264 with 73 strikeouts. If he can learn patience at the plate, maybe he could earn a promotion to Salem soon.

Up next is left fielder Aneury Tavarez


5. Aneury Tavarez - LF

The 21 year old has the same problem Chester has, only worse. Tavarez leads the team with 80 strikeouts and is hitting just .247. He's a riverboat gambler on the base paths with 11 steals and 7 times caught. With the crop of outfielders such as Jackie Bradley Jr, Bryce Brentz and who knows what comes in free agency, Tavarez may want to think about finding some other organization down the line, unless he turns it around at the plate.

Batting 6th is 3rd basemen Keaton Briscoe


6. Keaton Briscoe - 3B

After Nick Moore was demoted to Lowell, the 22 year old Briscoe took over at third and hasn't been much better. He's hitting just .196 with 21 strikeouts in 16 games. The problem with college players that struggle out of the gate is that they run out of time to develop quicker, especially when someone 2 or 3 years younger is hitting 100 points higher like a Mookie Betts. Still, anything's possible.

Up next is center fielder Felix Sanchez


7. Felix Sanchez - CF

Salem and Greenville swapped their center fielders when Sanchez was demoted and Cody Koback was promoted. The 23 year old ran into a brick wall in Salem but has a chance to regain his form in Greenville. He's hitting .267 but has only played 10 games. Like I said before, guys who are 23-24 and are struggling to get by Single A pitching don't have the brightest futures. Getting demoted is either going to fire him up or convince him to find another profession.


Batting 8th is first basemen Boss Moanaroa

8. Boss Moanroa

The 21 year old Australian is really struggling this season. He's played in forty five games and has just 28 hits. Batting .185 in Single A is really not going to cut it. Maybe he needs a demotion to Lowell like Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Mager to get him on track. Otherwise this may be as far as he goes.


Batting 9th is right fielder Drew Turocy

9. Drew Turocy - RF

Age is not on the side of the 24 year old but at least he's batting consistantly, hitting .284 with 62 hits in 57 games. He has no homers on the season, he deserves a call up to Salem and pretty quick because most stars aren't stuck in Low A ball when they're 24. Jackie Bradley Jr is 22 and he already has tasted the majors.


Switching gears to the pitchers mound, let's take a look at some of the starters on the Drive, beginning with Francellis Montas


1. Francellis Montas - SP

The 20 year old has struggled this season for the Drive. He's just 1-6 with a hideous 6.34 ERA. The silver lining is that he's only 20 and the Drive as a unit has been awful this year. The problem isn't control, he's walked just 20 in 55 1/3 innings, he just can't get any movement on his pitches. Still, at 20 he's got time to develop and hopefully can turn into a decent starter.

Next up is Justin Haley


2. Justin Haley - SP

Unlike Montas, Haley's problem is definitely control. The 22 year old is 3-7 with a 4.37 ERA. He's walked 45 batters in 59 2/3 innings. Control issues can be worked on, especially in Low-A ball. The silver lining is he's struck out 63 batters so far. If he can locate better and go deeper into ballgames, he could be a dependable starter down the road.

3rd on the list is Cody Kukuk


3. Cody Kukuk - SP

Suffering from the same lack of control as Haley, the 20 year old lefty is 4-7 with a 4.21 ERA. He's walked FIFTY batters in 51 1/3 innings. He does have 52 strikeouts so once again, learn better control and become a dependable starter. Another lefty had the same problem early in his career, Jon Lester.

Next up is Brian Johnson


4. Brian Johnson - SP

Unlike the others, the 22 year old's problem isn't control or long balls. He's struck out 39 batters in 38 innings and has walked just 17 plus given up just 3 homers. His 1-4, 4.03 ERA could be deceiving due to the poor fielding and average hitting of his team. Put him on a team that can hit and field, maybe his record would be better. I'd say call him up to Salem but they're just as miserable defensively as Greenville. Stay tuned on this guy.

Last is Pat Light.


5. Pat Light - SP

The 22 year old is struggling the most. He's 1-3 with a hideous 8.06 ERA. He's given up 4 homers and 27 runs in 25 2/3's innings. When you struggle to get batters out in Low-A ball, something's wrong. Let's see how this goes.


Looking at some relief pitchers and we're out of here.


1. Jeffrey Wendelken - RP

With the team winning just 22 games in the season's first half, saves were hard to come by. The 20 year old has settled as the team's long reliever with 5 saves, a 3.12 ERA and 42 punch outs in 52 innings. A durable arm and strikeout power on a better fielding and hitting team would normally mean a call up. We'll see how he turns out.

Next is Kyle Kraus


2. Kyle Kraus - RP

The 23 year old was recently demoted from Salem and has responded by going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA. He's given up 4 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts and just 2 walks allowed. Time is already beginning to run out but if he keeps pitching like this, he could be back in Salem soon.

Last is Austin Maddox


3. Austin Maddox - SP/RP

It doesn't matter if he's starting or relieving, the 22 year old righty has struggled all-season. He's 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA. His problem is the longball, serving up 12 of them so far this season. Control isn't really an issue so if he can learn how to keep the ball down, he may eventually earn a call up to Salem.


That about wraps it up for this edition of Down on the Farm. The next off-day is a week from now and we'll take our final look at the Farm in the form of the Lowell Spinners who just began their season. The big club returns to action tomorrow as the Colorado Rockies are in town for the first time since the 2007 World Series, Ryan Dempster will be there to greet him.

Sox Blow Tops, Game as Tigers Take 3 of 4 (6/23/13)

Tempers were as hot as the Detroit game time temperature and when the smoke cleared, the Sox had lost the game, their defensive capabilities and their manager in one fell swoop. Not the best way to end a road trip by losing 7-5 and 3 of 4 to the Detroit Tigers.

                                           "YOU GUYS SUCKKKKK!!!!"

The usually tough lefty Justin Verlander was surprisingly hittable this afternoon by the notoriously poor lefty hitting Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia worked a 2 out walk in the top of the 1st but nothing happened. As usual this series, the Tigers struck first in the bottom of the inning. The REAL Felix Doubront showed up today, walking the first 2 batters before allowing a ground rule double to Miguel Cabrera, scoring Austin Jackson and advancing Torii Hunter to third. Prince Fielder scored Hunter with a groundout and Doubront retired Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta to end the inning.

The Sox showed some balls in the top of the second. Mike Napoli singled to lead off, PU Drew followed a Jonny Gomes fly out by walking. Ryan Lavarnway (now the backup catcher with Ross gone with a concussion) singled in Napoli. Jose Iglesias took one for the team to load the bases, a big hit would have been nice but the team had to settle for a Jacoby Ellsbury sac fly that scored Drew to tie the game. Shane Victorino flied out but 2 runs sure weren't going to be enough. Omar Infante singled to lead off the bottom of the second. Avisail Garcia flied out and Lavarnway showed off his arm by nailing Infante at second trying to steal. All Doubront needed was one more out but he wouldn't get it as Brayan Pena singled and Austin Jackson doubled. Lavarnway then gave the run he got back to the Tigers when he allowed a passed ball that scored Pena to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. Hunter struck out to end the inning

                                            Lavarnway playing hot potato with the ball

The Sox struck again in the top of the third. Pedroia and David Ortiz hit back to back singles and Napoli grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Pedroia. Gomes and Drew struck out but they were getting hits off Verlander, something not many can do. This time Doubront didn't cough up a run as he retired the side in order in the bottom of the 3rd.

The hits kept on coming in the top of the 4th. Lavarnway walked and 2 batters later Ellsbury doubled him to third. Once again what the Sox needed was a hit but instead settled for an rbi ground-out by Victorino. Pedroia lined out but the Sox led 4-3. It should have been 5 or 6 to 3, which did come back to haunt them later. Infante drew a 1 out walk in the bottom of the 4th and was safe at second on a blunder by PU Drew. Bryan Holoday flied out but Jackson walked to load the bases. Hunter popped up to end the inning but Felix' pitch count was rising.

Verlander allowed another hit when Ortiz singled to lead off the top of the 5th but Napoli and Gomes failed to reach. Drew made up for his error by lashing a single but Lavarnway struck out looking to end the potential threat. Verlander had thrown 112 pitches and it was just the 5th inning. Doubront pitched a clean bottom of the 5th but he too was at 104 pitches. It looked like it was going to be another battle of the bullpens.

                                           A shaky first inning costs Doubront a long outing

Drew Smyly came to the rescue of the Tigers in the top of the 6th. Iglesias, Ellsbury and Victorino all grounded out in short order. Junichi Tazawa relieved Doubront for the bottom of the 6th. Peralta worked a lead-off walk but Taz retired the next 3 batters to keep the lead 4-3. The Sox blew their chance to break the game open in the top of the 7th. Pedroia and Ortiz hit back to back singles and a Mike Napoli flied out moved Pedroia to third. The Sox had been getting ground outs and sac fly's all day and just needed another, instead Gomes popped up. Drew popped up as well but Gomes was now 0 for 3 on the day with a huge out right there. The struggling Andrew Bailey came in for the bottom of the 7th and naturally allowed a leadoff single to Jackson. Hunter hit a shot that was snared by Pedroia and Cabrera singled as well. 3 straight shots was enough to convince Farrell that Bailey didn't have it, sending in former Tigers propsect Andrew Miller to close out the inning. Andrew instead allowed a single to Fielder that loaded the bases but came back to strike out Martinez. All he needed to do was get Peralta but instead he plunked him, scoring Jackson from third to tie the game. Infante grounded out but the game was tied. 2 straight games the bullpen has ruined a potential Doubront win.

Drew Smyly returned for the top of the 8th and Ellsbury chased him with a 2 out single. Joaquin Benoit replaced Smyly as the slumping Daniel Nava pinch hit for Victorino. Ellsbury stole his 32nd base of the year but Nava struck out to end the inning. The play of the game came right off the bat in the bottom of the 8th. With Nava now in right, Garcia lofted a ball that Nava apparently caught then dropped while transferring to throw back into the infield. Instead, second base umpire Mike Dimuro ruled an error on Daniel and Garcia safe at first. Sox manager John Farrell was steaming mad as the replays showed he clearly caught it then dropped it trying to throw it back. After Dimuro refused to budge, Farrell blew his top which caused him to get the HEAVEEEEE-HO by Dimuro.

                                        Farrell ejected on a controversial call that cost the game

As if they didn't have one bad call, the next call was blown too. Holoday dropped down a bunt and Miller threw it a little wide to first which apparently pulled Napoli off the bag according to 1st base umpire Alfonso Marquez. Back to back blown errors put runners on first and third with nobody out. Miller lost his composure and walked Jackson. Acting manager Juan Nieves pulled Miller for rookie Alex Wilson. Wilson got Hunter on a fly ball but it was deep enough for Garcia to score the go-ahead run. Wilson was ordered to intentionally walk Cabrera and Nieves came out to replace him with lefty Craig Breslow. The lefty-lefty matchup failed as Fielder broke a 1 for 16 slump by singling in Holoday and Jackson to give the Tigers a 7-4 lead. Breslow got out of the jam by getting Martinez to bang into a double play but 3 un-earned runs gave the Tigers the game.                               

                                                       The ball and the game get by Nava

On to the top of the 9th where the Sox tried to fight back. Pedroia singled and took second on defensive indifference but Ortiz struck out. Napoli flied out but Gomes made up for his day long struggles by doubling in Pedroia to bring the tying run to the plate. PU Drew then hit a rocket down the right field line but was snared on a great play by Hunter to end the game. If that ball got by Hunter, that was a sure triple. As it was, the Tigers won the series and the game 7 to 5.

                                         Even Johnny Depp is shocked the Sox lost

THE GOOD:

There was some good mixed in with all this bawfulness. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a stolen base. His batting average is back up to .289 so he appears to be back in 2009 form. Dustin Pedroia broke out of his slump by going 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. David Ortiz was 3 for 5 himself and Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Honorable mention goes to John Farrell who stood up for his team by allowing himself to be ejected for a blown call.


THE BAD:

Jackass of the Night is easy, Andrew Miller step right up.

          If you pitch like crap, you may as well act like you're taking one. Jackass of the Night

Miller's bad throw and subsequent hit (plus Nava's error) and walk all made up the 3 runs he allowed to lose the game. Ironically the one out he got meant he came out of the game with a LOWERED ERA as none of the 3 runs were earned, still he drops to 0-2 on the season with a respectable 2.93 ERA. Daniel Nava's error may have been a bad call but striking out with Ellsbury standing on second was a huge out. Alex Wilson had the impossible situation of coming into a bases loaded, nobody out jam but only got 1 of the 2 batters he faced, and even the guy he got scored on the sac fly.


THE UGLY:

Everyone else. Shane Victorino ended up going 0 for 4 but one of the outs was an rbi groundout. Mike Napoli was just 1 for 5 but the one hit he got drove in a run and scored a run later in the inning. Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 but his 9th inning rbi double kept the Sox alive. PU Drew was 1 for 4 with a walk and run scored but his second error of the season cost the Sox a run and he made the last out of the game representing the tying run. Felix Doubront threw 5 innings of 3 run (2 earned) ball. He walked 4 and allowed 4 hits but left with the lead. Craig Breslow allowed the 2 run single by Fielder that put the game away but got an inning ending double play to prevent any further damage.

Final Thoughts:

That was bawful all around. They fielded poorly, couldn't get the knockout punch and the bullpen suddenly can't get the crucial outs. Granted, the 8th inning rally began on 2 bonehead calls by the umpires but a punch out or two would have been nice. Losing 3 out of 4 to the Tigers hurts big time and the pitching staff got knocked around big time. If the Sox were to face the Tigers in the post-season, they better pray to magus Lester has his head on straight and Buchholz is healthy. What's more damaging is Franklin Morales appears to be headed for the DL meaning the walking wounded list is growing by the day. Luckily the Sox get Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen back wednesday hopefully. The all-star break can't come fast enough. The loss drops the Sox to 45-33 but amazingly they didn't lose any ground as the Toronto Blue Jays pounded the Dirty Birds 13-5 and Jeremy Hellickson stoned the Yankees 3-1, keeping the Sox division lead at 2 1/2 games. Tomorrow is an off-day and we'll take a look at Boston's Low-A ball team, the Greenville Drive.

Webster Rocked as Tigers Roll (6/22/13)

It was a bad day for Boston sports as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox sent down Alfredo Aceves to Pawtucket so Allen Webster could start tonight's game against the Detroit Tigers. The gamble failed miserably as Webster was once again knocked out, this time by a vaunted Tigers attack that's one of the best in the league. As if that wasn't bad enough, Tigers starter Matt Scherzer was undefeated heading into the game.

                                       Damn Red Sox made the kid sad again

The news started out good though. Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single and Shane Victorino singled him to third. Dustin Pedroia nearly killed the rally by banging into a double play, but Ellsbury scored to give the Sox a quick 1-0 lead. The lead became 2-0 when David Ortiz launched a 413 foot bomb to right field, his 16th of the season to up the lead 2-0. Mike Carp struck out but it was nice to see the Sox score first. Unfortunately they wouldn't score again until the game was out of reach.

                                                          The lone highlight of the game

Then it was the return of Allen Webster who the Tigers proceeded to feast on like a slab of meat. Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter greeted him with back to back singles. The dangerous Miguel Cabrera walked but Webster showed some balls by punching out Prince Fielder. Maybe he was too overconfident because his next offering was sent into the stands by Victor Martinez for a grand slam.

                                      V-Mart may as well be giving Sox fans the middle finger

Jhonny Peralta struck out but Andy Dirks singled. Omar Infante struck out to end the inning. Webster strikes out the side but the game was 4-2 Tigers. Could the Sox comeback in the top of the 2nd? NO! Scherzer retired the next 3 batters in order.  Brayan Pena singled to lead off the bottom of the second but Jackson grounded into a double play. Hunter singled but was thrown out trying to steal. Scherzer got 3 straight groundouts in the top of the third. Martinez worked a 2 out walk but otherwise Webster got the side without a run in the bottom of the third.

Carp got the first hit since the top of the first and advanced to third when Scherzer through the ball away with 2 outs in the top of the 4th. Unfortunately the completely slumping Daniel Nava flied out. Dirks singled and stole second but Webster got 2 outs in between in the bottom of the 4th. Jackson then slammed a single to bring home Dirks. Hunter lined out but the damage was done, 5-2 Tigers. Jose Iglesias singled with 2 out in the top of the 5th but was foolishly thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double.

                                         "Jose, what are you doing?"

The end came for Webster in the bottom of the 5th. Cabrera grounded out and Sox manager John Farrell replaced the rookie with Franklin Morales. Webster threw 82 pitches so unless his pitch count was 80, no real reason to take him out yet. Morales ended up pouring gas on the fire as Fielder walked and Martinez doubled him home. Peralta singled home V-Mart to make it 7-2. Dirks singled as well but Infante and Pena flied out to end the inning. The game was effectively over.

Ellsbury doubled to lead off the 6th but was stranded by the next 3 batters. Morales recovered to work around a Cabrera to escape the bottom of the 6th. Scherzer got the side in the top of the 7th as well to complete a great outing. Morales walked Martinez then struck out the next 2 batters in the bottom of the 7th, but a 2 run rocket by Infante upped the lead 9-2. Morales then motioned for the trainer and his day was done...ah great.

                 Mortensen, Ross, Buchholz and now Morales again? Better get Trapper John MD ready

Alex Wilson got Pena to fly out to end the inning. This is getting worse by the inning. Al Alburquerque relieved Scherzer as PU Drew walked and Iglesias single to begin the inning. The rally was snuffed out when Al got the next 3 outs to retire the side. The Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 8th but Fielder's double play scored the 10th run. Martinez flied out and thankfully the Tigers were done beating up on the Red Sox. Luke Putkonen had mop up duty in the top of the 9th where the Sox showed signs of life for the first time since the first inning. Ortiz singled and advanced to second on the force by Carp. Nava singled Ortiz to third and Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled home Ortiz for the first run since the 1st. PU Drew grounded into a double play to end the game. Final score Detroit 10, Sox 3. BOOOOOOO!!!

                                              Everything stinks

THE GOOD:

Not much here. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 with a run scored. David Ortiz was 2 for 4 including a home run. Jose Iglesias was 2 for 3 keeping his batting average at .438.


THE BAD:

Jackass of the Night is a really tough one. Both Franklin Morales and Allen Webster were integral parts of why the team lost. I'll have to go with both of them.

                                            Jackass of the Night 1

Webster gave up a grand slam in the first inning that effectively ended the game. He did manage to strike out the side and allow only 1 more run the rest of his outing, but giving up 5 runs in less than 5 innings isn't going to cut it. With that said Morales is equally at fault.

                                                      Jackass of the Night 2

Morales came on with the Sox trailing 5-2 and poured poison in the team's brandy. He was tagged for 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 runs and a home run in 2 and 1/3. He turned a 5-2 game into a 9-2 laughter. Worse is he left with injury meaning he could be right back on the DL again, just great.  Other stinkers tonight include Dustin Pedroia, who dropped to .305 after going 0 for 4. Alex Wilson was tagged for a run in 1 1/3 innings. PU Drew was 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout.


THE UGLY:

Shane Victorino and Daniel Nava were both just 1 for 4. Mike Carp was 1 for 4 with a run scored. Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in a run with a 9th inning single.


Final Thoughts:

Well the news keeps getting worse. With Clay Buchholz likely headed to the DL and Morales with him, the Sox pitching staff is in trouble. Vigo Mortensen isn't able to come off the DL until Wednesday and the Sox have to rely on Alfredo Aceves, John Lackey, Ryan Dempster and Felix Doubront to carry them.....not good. Still, the Tigers are one of the best offenses in baseball and they started their hottest pitcher today against a struggling rookie. Tomorrow the Sox try to defeat ace Justin Verlander and counter with Doubront, hoping to tie up the series at 2 all before going home. The loss drops the Sox to 45-32, 2 games ahead of the Dirty Birds.

Offense Wakes Up as Sox Top Tigers (6/21/13)

Once again Jon Lester stunk the joint out. This time, the bats picked him up as the Red Sox outslugged the Detroit Tigers 10-6 at Comerica Park.

                                            Happy Sox fans

As expected, it was learned before the game that Andrew Bailey was removed as Red Sox closer. Koji Uehara would assume the duty until further notice. Also, tomorrow's starter appears to be Allen Webster for sure. This means either Pedro Beato, Alfredo Aceves, Alex Wilson or someone else has got to go.

                                                         Guess who's back...back again

Unlike the previous few games, the Bosox wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out then Shane Victorino stepped up to launch a rocket to right field for his 3rd home run of the season.

                                            Going....going....GONE!

Dustin Pedroia singled but David Ortiz hit into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers threatened in the first against Lester. Tori Hunter bashed a one out double and Miguel Cabrera singled him to third...but molasses-like-quick Prince Fielder bounced into a double play to end the inning. Mike Napoli singled to lead off the top of the second and two ground-outs advanced him to third, but PU Drew flied out to end the inning. The Tigers struck in the bottom of the second. Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta hit back to back singles but Lester fought back to whiff Avisail Garcia and get Andy Dirks on a fly out. Unfortunately Brayan Pena singled to tie the game. Omar Infante grounded out but the Tigers already had 5 hits in just 2 innings.

The Sox fought back in the top of the third. Ellsbury singled and Victorino singled him to third. Pedroia then scored Ellsbury with a ground out to take the lead 2-1. Tigers manager Jim Leyland intentionally walked Ortiz to get to Napoli and the gamble worked as Mike grounded out to end the frame. Cabrera worked a one out walk but Fielder once again hit into a double play to end the bottom half of the third.

More Sox magic in the 4th inning happened when Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Drew hit back to back one out singles. Jose Iglesias beat out a throw for yet another infield single to load the bases. Ellsbury then doubled home 2 of the runners to make it 4-1. The suddenly red hot Victorino singled home Iglesias and Ellsbury to up the lead 6-1. Pedroia singled to chase Fister from the game. Darin Downs came in and got Ortiz to once again ground into a double play.

                                         "Hey fellas, we scored for once!"

Staked to a 6-1 lead, Lester worked a clean bottom of the 4th inning. Napoli singled but was doubled off of first by Fielder who snared a line drive by Daniel Nava. Salty struck out to end the frame. Just as soon as the Sox got comfortable with the lead, Lester nearly gave it away. Andy Dirks led off the inning with a towering home run and Pena followed with a single. Infante popped up but Tori Hunter singled as well. League MVP Cabrera remained red hot by belting a 3 run home run that cut lead 6-5. Fielder flied out but Victor Marinez walked. Peralta popped up to end the inning but the Tigers had scored 5 runs off Lester in just 5 innings.

Iglesias struck a one out triple but looked to be stranded when Ellsbury struck out. Luckily Victorino was on the scene and he singled home Jose to increase the lead 7-5. 4 of the rbi's came from Victorino alone. Lester punched out Garcia, walked Dirks and punched out Pena before Sox manager John Farrell pulled the plug after 102 pitches. Junichi Tazawa was brought in and he got Infante to fly out to end the inning. Lester's not doing the Sox any favors by failing to last 6 innings.

                                           "I sucked...again"

Phil Coke replaced Downs and worked a clean top of the 7th. Taz got Hunter to ground out to begin the bottom of the 7th but Cabrera chased him with a single. Craig Breslow relieved Tazawa and got the next 2 outs no problem. The Sox put the game away in the top of the 8th. Salty walked and Drew hit a ground rule double to chase Coke. Al Alburquerque (there's a mouthful) replaced Coke and got Iglesias to ground out. In what was a stupid move, Leyland had Ellsbury intentionally walked to get to Victorino. Shane made them pay by grounding into a fielder's choice which scored Salty with the game's 8th run. Victorino had driven in as many runs by himself as all 9 Tigers combined. Pedroia popped up but Drew scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-5. Ortiz was also intentionally walked but this time Napoli popped up to end the inning.

                                                       One man wrecking crew

Breslow worked around a 2 out walk to retire the side without a run allowed. The Sox offense put the exclamation point in the top of the 9th. Evan Reed took over for the Tigers and whiffed both Nava and Saltalamcchia to begin the inning. PU Drew singled and Iglesias singled to center which the bobbled ball by Garcia allowed Drew to score and Iglesias to reach second. Ellsbury lined out to end the frame. Andrew Miller had mop up duty in the 9th. Infante struck out but Hunter walked. Cabrera continued to be a pain in the ass by singling Hunter to third. Miller got Fielder to ground out but Hunter scored. Martinez grounded out to end the game and the Sox had won the slugfest 10-6.

THE GOOD:

Hero of the night is a no brainer. Shane Victorino nearly beat the Tigers by himself, going 4 for 5 with a home run, run scored and FIVE rbi's.

Hero of the Night

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with a run scored, walk and 2 rbi's himself. Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with an rbi. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 4 with a walk and scored both times he was on. Mike Napoli was 2 for 5. PU Drew was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored. Jose Iglesias was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored. Craig Breslow pitched 1 2/3's scoreless innings.


THE BAD:

Jon Lester does it again. He gave up 9 hits and 3 walks for 5 runs without finishing the 6th inning. He got the win but his 7-4 record is matched by his 4.57 ERA. Daniel Nava was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts. Just as soon as everyone called for Nava to be on the all-star team, he's been in a complete slump, dropping his average to .275, which isn't bad but nearly 100 points lower than Miguel Cabrera's .368. Andrew Miller allowed a run in mop up duty in the 9th.


THE UGLY:

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but was intentionally walked twice. Junichi Tazawa retired 2 of the 3 batters he faced but was pulled for Craig Breslow.


Final Thoughts:

This team is in deep trouble. Buchholz is on the DL again and Lester continues to stink. Now that they have closer issues, deep starts are very important. You can't expect the trio of Lackey, Doubront and Dempster to give 7 innings of 3 run ball every single outing. It looks like Lackey is able to do it but not the other two. Still, if the offense picks up like tonight then things won't be half bad. The win, combines with the O's loss pushed the Sox to 45-31,  2 1/2 games in front. Amazing how the Sox were never meant to be a contender yet have been in a fight for first virtually all season. If the bullpen can hold up and the Sox get timely hitting, it may not be a lost season. Tomorrow rookie Allen Webster takes the mound against undefeated Max Scherzer (10-0). If Bailey hadn't blown the previous game, this one would be considered a throw-away. As it stands now, its a crucial game of the series.