Uehara Blows Lead, Sox Win 50th Game (6/30/13)

One of the increasing problems for the Red Sox these days are there are some very tired arms in the bullpen. Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, the Boston relievers have had to work double time this season and lot of them are showing the wear and tear. Today it was Koji Uehara's turn to blow the lead but luckily the Sox refused to give up the game, outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Happy Sox Fans

The Sox started Brandon Snyder at third over Jonathan Diaz after yesterday's mishap. In the top of the first, Ryan Dempster took the rubber and struck out Jose Reyes. Jose Bautista flied out and Edwin Encarnarcion grounded out to end the inning. Dustin Pedroia worked a 2 out walk in the bottom of the first against Mark Buehrle but Jonny Gomes grounded out. The pesky Adam Lind grounded out to open the top of the 2nd, Rajai Davis struck out and Colby Rasmus flied out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second. Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava lined back to back singles and Ryan Lavarnway hit a ball that both Lind and Bautista lost in the sun, dropping in fair territory then into the stands for a ground rule double that scored Napoli.

                           Lavarnway adopted Willie Keeler's strategy of "hit em where they aint"

Jose Iglesias struck out but Brandon Snyder proved his worth by doubling in Nava and Lavarnway.

                                          Snyder's effort makes the game 3-0 Boston

Jacoby Ellsbury was hit by a pitch but with Buehrle on the ropes, Shane Victorino struck out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to end the inning.

Dempster got the first 2 outs in the top of the third before Munenori Kawasaki singled and Reyes walked. Bautista grounded out to end the inning but Dempster's pitch count took a hit. Adam Lind departed with injury and Josh Thole replaced him. Buehrle got the side in order in the bottom of the third.

The Jays broke through in the top of the 4th. Edwin Encarnarcion singled but Thole flied out. Rajai Davis and Rasmus hit back to back singles to cut the lead 3-1. Rajai Davis stole third but JP Arencibia walked to load the bases. Maircer Izturis grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Davis to make it 3-2. Kawasaki grounded out but the damage was done. Buehrle responded by getting the side in order in the bottom of the 4th. Bautista singled with one out in the top of the 5th but Encarnarcion's double play got Dempster out of the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the 5th. Jacoby Ellsbury singled and advanced to second on the groundout by Victorino. Pedroia grounded out but Gomes doubled in Ellsbury to up the lead 4-2. Dempster ran out of gas in the top of the 6th. Thole walked, Davis singled and Rasmus singled to load the bases with nobody out. Arencebia popped up but Sox manager John Farrell lifted Dempster for lefty Craig Breslow.

                                           Dempster fails to go 7 innings but leaves with the lead

Breslow got Izturis to pop up and struck out pinch hitter Emilio Bonifacio to end the threat. Buehrle worked around a 2 out hit by Ellsbury to retire the side in the bottom of the 6th. Breslow returned for the top of the 7th but was chased early when Jose Reyes blooped one into the monster seats to cut the lead 4-3. Rookie Alex Wilson was pressed into duty but allowed a single to Bautista. Wilson got Encarnarcion to pop up but once again Farrell bounded out of the dugout, this time he wanted Andrew Miller to face Thole and Davis. Miller did his job by striking out both men but Farrell had burned Breslow and Wilson. If this game goes into extras's, Farrell is in trouble. Dustin McGowan relieved Buehrle and retired the side in order in the bottom of the 7th. Andrew Miller worked around a 2 out walk to Izturis to retire the side in the top of the 8th, keeping the lead intact at 4-3.

                                           Miller puts in a yeoman's effort to keep the game close

Daniel Nava stroked a 2 out single in the bottom of the 8th but a Lavarnway ground out ended matters. Now it was on to the 9th and Koji Uehara was gunning for his 5th save of the season. Jose Reyes flied out to right but in stepped Jose Bautista.....BANG! Bautista launched his 3rd home run in two days as Uehara had become the 4th closer of the season to fail in the 9th inning. Uehara got out of the inning but the game was now tied 4-4.

                                                            FAILED

Now it was on to the bottom of the 9th, could the Sox pick up Uehara after he picked them up all season? Juan Perez had been automatic for the Jays recently and he got the ball. Iglesias grounded out but Snyder singled. Ellsbury walked and Jonathan Diaz ran for Snyder. Jays closer Casey Janssen relieved Perez and induced a ground ball from Victorino....off the glove of Thole at first base allowing Diaz to score the winning run. RED SOX WIN 5-4!!

                                             Someone forgot to join the mob

                                             "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"


THE GOOD:

Hero of the Night is a tough one. Even though he didn't get the game winner, I'm still going with none other than Brandon Snyder. Snyder was 2 for 4 with 2 rbi's and he would have scored the winning run if he wasn't pinch ran for.

                                                         Hero of the Night

Other babyfaces include Jacoby Ellsbury who was 1 for 3 with a walk and run scored. Daniel Nava was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Jonathan Diaz pinch ran for Snyder and scored the winning run. Andrew Miller pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.64.


THE BAD:

The one name on this list is unfortunately Koji Uehara. He vultured his first win of the season by blowing the 9th inning save, ruining a chance for Dempster to inch closer to a .500 record.


THE UGLY:

Everyone else. Shane Victorino was 0 for 4 and technically the final at bat makes him 0 for 5 but it nevertheless scored the winning run. Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 but walked.  Jonny Gomes was just 1 for 4 but made it count with an rbi double and later scored a run. Ryan Lavarnway also got just 1 hit in 4 at bats but made it count by doubling in a run and scoring. Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4. Craig Breslow worked out of a bases loaded and one out jam but served up a homer to Jose Reyes. Alex Wilson faced 2 batters and only got one of them. Ryan Dempster only made it through 5 1/3 innings while allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.


Final Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty but a win is a win. Taking 3 of 4 from the suddenly red hot Blue Jays is nothing to laugh at. The Sox became the first American League team to win 50 games. The great thing about the Sox this season is their role players are stepping up big time. Brandon Snyder was called up and he was the game's hero and Jonathan Diaz filled in for Stephen Drew and scored the winning run. Still, the bullpen is in trouble by blowing yet another lead. What the Sox need in the next series is long outings from the starters to give the arms in the pen a rest. They may need to bring back Clayton Mortensen instead of dumping him. The win puts the Sox at 50-34, 2 1/2 games in front of the Dirty Birds who are on a hot streak of their own. Chris Davis is on pace for 60 home runs this season if he doesn't get hurt or get caught with PED's. Tomorrow is an off-day which means the final look at Down on the Farm. The Sox are back in action Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the San Diego Padres. John Lackey takes the hill opposite rookie Robbie Erlin.

Shoddy Fielding and Lack of Hitting Doom Sox (6/29/13)

All good things must come to an end and the Sox 3 game winning streak bit the dust thanks to some poor managerial decisions, fielding and hitting. It was bawful all around as the Toronto Blue Jays took game 3 of the 4 game series by a score of 6 to 2.

                                                    Mad Sox fans

The Sox made some headlines before the game. The Sox designated Clayton Mortensen for assignment while bringing up Pawtucket infielder Jonathan Diaz. The Sox have 10 days to release, trade or assign Mortensen to Pawtucket. The move was made because of Stephen Drew's hamstring injury.

                                                    So Long Vigo

                                               Welcome aboard Diaz

The Jays pounced on the Sox right off the bat in the top of the first against Felix Doubront. Jose Reyes grounded out but Jose Bautista walked. Bautista took second but got caught in a rundown off a grounder by Edwin Encarnarcion. Unfortunately for the Sox, tagging out Bautista meant Encarnarcion was now on second. Edwin scored on a single by Adam Lind to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. Mark DeRosa struck out to end the inning. Jays starter Esmil Rogers was up to the task of preserving the lead in the bottom of the first. Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia failed to reach base.

The Jays threatened in the top of the second when Rajai Davis doubled and stole third off a sleeping Doubront. Doubront got 2 big outs by striking out Colby Rasmus and JP Arencibia. Maicer Izturis grounded out to end the inning, great work by Felix. Daniel Nava worked a 2 out walk but Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out to end the bottom of the 2nd. Doubront got the side in order in the top of the third. Ellsbury reached on a 2 out infield single but Victorino grounded out to end the bottom of the third. Lind singled to lead off the top of the 4th but was erased on the DeRosa double play. Davis walked but was FINALLY caught stealing by Saltalamacchia to end the inning.

                                                      "Where do you think YOU'RE going, Rajai?"

Pedroia stroked a lead off double in the bottom of the 4th but was stranded when David Ortiz grounded out, Mike Napoli struck out and Nava grounded out. Rasmus singled to lead off the top of the 5th but Doubront got 2 straight strikeouts then got Reyes to ground out to end the inning. 5 innings, 1 run allowed...not bad so far, just no run support. Salty singled to lead off the bottom of the 5th and after Jose Iglesias lined out, he took second on a wild pitch. With a chance to tie the game, Jonathan Diaz lined out and Ellsbury flied out to end the inning.

Doubront ran into a brick wall in the top of the 6th when the awakened Bautista launched a towering home run to up the lead 2-0. Doubront got the next 3 batters but the damage was done. Could the Sox rally after being shut out for 5 innings? NO!  Victorino doubled and headed home when Pedroia sngled. Brian Butterfield made the decision to send Victorino and it turned out to be a bad one when Shane was thrown out at home.

                                             Bad decision leads to the Sox demise

Ortiz then made the decision even worse when he singled, which would have scored Shane easy from third. As it was it was 1st and 2nd with 1 out but Napoli and Nava struck out to end the rally. Davis walked to lead off the top of the 7th but Rasmus flied out. That was it for Felix as Sox manager John Farrell pulled him after 103 pitches in favor of rookie Alex Wilson. As usual, Davis stole second but Wilson got the next 2 outs to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally again in the bottom of the 7th but once again shot themselves in the foot. Old pal Darren Oliver relieved Rogers and allowed a single to Salty. Iglesias tried to bunt his way on but Izturis threw wide allowing Salty to reach third and Iglesias first. With first and third with no out, Diaz tried a suicide squeeze that failed when Oliver gunned down Salty at home. Jays manager John Gibbons pulled Oliver for Steve Delabar. Ellsbury singled to load the bases. Victorino finally got the Sox on the board by slamming a 2 run single to tie the game. With a chance to take the lead, Pedroia and Ortiz failed to get a hit but the game was tied despite 2 runners thrown out at home.

                                           The lone highlight of the game, a single by Shane.

Junichi Tazawa took the mound for the top of the 8th and immediately vomited up his intestines. Reyes singled and Jose Bautista homered again to give the Jays a 4-2 lead just like that. Encarnarcion flied out but the pesky Lind tripled. Emilio Bonifacio hit for DeRosa but grounded out to first with no advancement. Davis popped up but the damage was done. Delabar struck out the side in the bottom of the 8th to quell any potential rally. The strikeout by Napoli earned him the golden sombrero.

Craig Breslow took the mound in the top of the 9th. Rasmus grounded out but Napoli booted a ground ball by Arencibia, allowing him to reach second. Izturis struck out and all Breslow needed to do was get Reyes out and the Sox would have a chance to tie it in the 9th. Instead Reyes singled home Arencibia to increase the lead 5-2. Jose Bautstia then hit a grounder to Diaz....that went under his glove! Reyes scored from first but Bautista was once again caught in a rundown to end the inning. Bad fielding, baserunning and hitting all contributed to this stinkeroo.

                                        Not even Baxter could stand the sight of Diaz' error

Neil Wagner replaced Delabar for the bottom of the 9th. Iglesias grounded out but Mike Carp hit for Diaz and walked. Ellsbury put the exclamation point on the day by grounding into a double play to end the game.

                                                       Boooooooooooooooo!


THE GOOD:

Shane Victorino was 2 for 4 while batting in the two runs the Sox scored. Felix Doubront pitched into the 7th inning while allowing only 2 runs. Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 despite being thrown out at home. Alex Wilson escaped the jam Doubront was in. Mike Carp pinch hit in the 9th and drew a walk.


THE BAD:

Jackass of the Night is Junichi Tazawa. He came in after the Sox worked hard to tie the game and pissed away the game in just 2 batters..

                                                          Jackass of the Night

Other heels include Mike Napoli who comitted an error and earned a golden sombrero by going 0 for 4 with 4 K's.


THE UGLY:

Everyone else. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 before grounding into a game ending double play. David Ortiz was just 1 for 4. Daniel Nava was 0 for 3 with a walk. Jose Iglesias was 1 for 4 with a run scored. Jonathan Diaz was 0 for 3 including a huge error but scored a run. Craig Breslow allowed 2 runs in 1 inning but both were un-earned.


Final Thoughts:

This is NOT good. The bullpen arms are showing signs of overuse due to the starters unable to go 7 innings consistently. Tazawa seems to be tiring as well as Breslow. Uehara is 38 and not used to the workload of closing, who knows how long he'll hold up. The good news is they got young arms available in Alex Wilson, Jose De La Torre, Pedro Beato, Rubby De La Rosa and if they ever bring him up, Ryan Rowland-Smith. The loss drops the Sox to 49-34, 2 1/2 games over the Dirty Birds. Tomorrow the Sox send Ryan Dempster to the mound hoping to suck up some innings against former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle.

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.