Dice K Paces Win Over O's (9/2/10)

With the season hanging in the balance every game, the Boston Red Sox needed a big game from Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-4, 4.29 ERA) against the Baltimore Orioles. Dice K made sure to do his part for five innings before falling apart in the sixth inning. The Boston bats pounded O's starter Brad Bergesen for five runs in the second inning and needed a Mike Lowell rbi ground out for some insurance. After Dice K was charged with 4 runs, Scott Atchison, Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door from there. The Sox needed a win to keep pace with the idle Tampa Bay Rays and they got it with a 6-4 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                              Audrey Bitoni approves of the win

Bergesen got the ball in the top of the first inning and Marco Scutaro beat out an infield single to third to start. JD Drew banged into a double play but Victor Martinez drew a walk. David Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning. Matsuzaka got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brian Roberts grounded out to second to start. Nick Markakis flied out to left and Ty Wigginton grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox hadn't even come back from commercial yet when Adrian Beltre led off the top of the second with his 25th homer of the year to give the Sox a the lead. Jed Lowrie walked and Mike Lowell singled to third, bringing up Daniel Nava. As commentator Heidi Whatney babbled on about CT scans, Nava hit a ball that Wigginton misplayed, allowing Lowrie to score the game's second run. Ryan Kalish doubled in a hobbling Lowell and moved Nava to third, increasing the lead. Scutaro then walked to load the bases for Drew. Drew popped up to center and Martinez also failed by popping up to short. Ortiz stepped in and slapped a single to left which scored Kalish and Nava, increasing the lead. Lowrie whiffed to end the inning but Dice K now had a 5 run lead to work with as the Sox led 5-0.

                                                    Beltre puts the Sox on top

Lowell let a ground ball by Luke Scott go under his glove for an error to start the bottom of the second but Felix Pie banged into a double play. Dice K then struck out Matt Weiters looking to end the inning.

Lowrie led off the top of the third by taking strike three but Lowell singled to center. Nava popped up to center but Kalish walked. Then came a peculiar play when Scutaro bounced a ball to Josh Bell at third place who stepped on third for the final out but then threw to first, catching Wigginton off guard. There was nothing peculiar about Dice K who snared a line drive by Nolan Reimold to begin the bottom of the third. Cesar Izturis followed by grounding out to first and Dice K punched out Josh Bell to end the frame.

Drew singled to leadoff the top of the fourth but Martinez struck out swinging. Drew advanced to second on the groundout by Ortiz as Adrian Beltre was intentionally walked. Lowrie hit a warning track fly ball to right to end the inning. Dice K opened the bottom of the fourth by striking out Roberts swinging but Markakis doubled to left. Wigginton flied out to Drew which advanced Markakis to third. Luke Scott then popped up to third to end the inning with Dice K at 58 pitches.

Lowell went down hacking to start the top of the fifth before Nava flied out to left. Kalish popped up to short to end the inning. Dice K whiffed Pie to open the bottom of the fifth before Matt Wieters doubled to center. Dice K then struck out Riemold swinging on a high fastball before Izturis popped up on the first pitch to third to end the inning. Dice K had thrown 5 shut out innings without walking anyone.

Bergesen came back for the top of the sixth and got Scutaro to ground out to short to begin the inning. Sox broadcasters Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo then started to uncontrollably laugh at the old "Tooth hurty" joke as Drew singled to right. Rich VandenHurk replaced Bergesen and got Martinez to ground into a double play on the first pitch, ending the inning.

                                                   Remy & Orsillo lose it

Then, the dreaded Dice K Disease struck in a bad way in the bottom of the sixth. Bell opened the inning with a single in the hole at second before advancing to third on a double from Roberts. A single to center by Markakis put Baltimore on the board as Bell crossed the plate and Roberts moved to third. Wigginton brought Roberts home with a ground out to cut the lead. With Scott Atchinson warming in the bullpen, Luke Scott walked but Dice K beared down to punch out Felix Pie swinging. Then the night ended for Dice K by allowing a double to Wieters that scored Scott and Markakis. Atchinson came in for Dice K and  managed to strike out Reimold to end the inning, but the damage had been done. The 5-0 lead was now down to 5-4.

                                             Great through five, batting practice in the sixth

VandenHurk did himself no favors to preserve the score by walking Ortiz and hitting Beltre with a pitch to open the top of the seventh. Lowrie flied out to center but Ortiz moved to third, prompting manager Buck Showalter to bring in Matt Albers to pitch to Mike Lowell. Lowell did his part by beating out a double play ball to score Ortiz from third. Nava grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                         Lowell drives in a run

Atchison returned for the bottom of the seventh with Eric Patterson in for Nava in left. Izturis struck out swinging to start before Bell grounded back to the mound. Roberts flied out to center to end the inning.

Kalish grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth before Scutaro flied out to left. Drew singled to center but Martinez popped up to short to end the inning. Atchison got Markakis to ground out to second to start the bottom of the eighth before Wigginton took strike three. That was it for Atchison as Hideki Okajima came in to get Scott to pop up to third to end the inning.

Alfredo Simon came in for the top of the ninth and Ortiz struck out swinging to start. Beltre grounded out to short and Lowrie flied out to left to end the inning. Jonathan Papelbon came in to close out the bottom of the ninth although Pie greeted him with a base hit to left. Wieters singled to center and old friend Julio Lugo pinch ran for him. Corey Patterson pinch hit for Reimold and dropped down a sac bunt to move the runners over, but Papelbon got a big punch out when Izturis struck out swinging. Bell also went down hacking to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of the Night is Scott Atchison. He put the fire out in the sixth inning and tossed 2 full scoreless innings to keep the Sox ahead.

                                                           Hero Atchison

The Good:

JD Drew was 3 for 5.

Adrian Beltre was 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run.

Mike Lowell was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Ryan Kalish was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Hideki Okajima retired the only man he faced.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his 35th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Marco Scutaro was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Victor Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in two runs and scored a run.

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 but scored a run.

Daisuke Matsuzaka got the win but allowed 4 runs in the sixth inning and left after 5 2/3 innings. He struck out 6 and walked 1.

Honorable Mention:

Eric Patterson played left field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

With the season riding on every game at this point, the Sox need to make a statement by going on a long winning streak. It may be impossible given their injury woes but that's what they're going to need to do. They're eight games behind the New York Yankees who won their game tonight and could pull away quick if the Sox go into a rut. Dice K once again had one bad inning but thankfully Sox manager Terry Francona pulled him before the damage got any worse. Kudos to Scott Atchison who put his walkoff disaster behind him and rescued the Sox in this one. The losses of Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia hurt big time but the name of the game is pitching. The Sox are gonna need Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Dice K and John Lackey to step up if they have any hope of a fourth consecutive playoff trip. The win improved the Sox to 76-58, 8 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow is a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Jon Danks goes for Chicago in Game 1 up against Clay Buchholz (15-5, 2.26 ERA) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park..

Yankees Bash Beckett, Sox (8/8/10)

This season went downhill in a hurry for the Boston Red Sox. At one point they were neck and neck with the world champion New York Yankees but injuries to key personnel including Dustin Pedroia, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kevin Youkilis have decimated them. The real culprit in tonight's loss to the Yankees was the regression of Josh Beckett (3-2, 6.21 ERA). Beckett got hammered for 7 runs and failed to get out of the fifth inning. Meanwhile AJ Burnett was scratched due to a bad back so naturally Dustin Moseley held the Sox to just 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings. The Sox bullpen held the fort but so did the Yankees as they took Game 3 of this series 7-2 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                       "We lost to Dustin Moseley??"

Moseley got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded back to the mound to start. Marco Scutaro struck out looking and David Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning. Beckett got the ball in the bottom of the first and Derek Jeter flied out to center to begin. Nick Swisher got a base hit to center and Mark Teixeira got a base hit to right. Alex Rodriguez struck out swinging and Robinson Cano popped up to first to end the inning.

Victor Martinez grounded out to second to start the top of the second and JD Drew flied out to left. Adrian Beltre flied out to the right field wall to end the inning. The Yankees took command in the bottom of the second as Jorge Posada grounded out to first to start. Lance Berkman doubled to right but Curtis Granderson flied out to right. Brett Gardner hit a routine grounder to second but Bill Hall threw the ball away for an error to score Berkman. Gardner stole second and scored on the Jeter base hit to center. Swisher singled to right to move Jeter to third but Teixeira was rung up for strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                          Yankees up by a pair

The Sox failed to answer in the top of the third as Ryan Kalish grounded back to the mound to start. Bill Hall got a base hit to left but Kevin Cash forced him at second. Ellsbury took strike three to end the inning. A-Rod lined out to left to start the bottom of the third but Cano singled to left. Posada popped up to third and Berkman singled inside the first base bag. Granderson flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Scutaro lined out to second to start. Martinez got a base hit to center, Drew walked, and Beltre walked to load the bases. Kalish grounded out to first to end the inning. Gardner flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth as Sox manager Terry Francona told ESPN that Dustin Pedroia is a pain in the ass. Jeter took strike three and Swisher struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                    "Pedroia still can't beat me in cribbage" - Francona

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Hall bashed his 13th home run of the year to put the Sox on the board. Cash took strike three, Ellsbury grounded out to second and Scutaro grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                            Home Run Hall

The Yankees finished off Beckett in the bottom of the fifth as Teixeira hit a home run all the way to Romulus to start. A-Rod walked and Cano was hit with a pitch, but Posada struck out swinging. Berkman doubled to left to score A-Rod and Granderson walked to load the bases. The good news was Gardner struck out swinging....the bad news was Cash pegged Cano in the back with a throw. The ball got away and Cano scored. Jeter finished off Beckett with a double to right to clear the bases. Beckett was toast, allowing 7 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 11 hits and 2 walks. Manny Delcarmen came in to pitch and Swisher struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 7-1.

                                                       Beckett gets rocked

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Ortiz beat the shift with a base hit to right to start. Martinez popped up to third and Drew grounded into a double play to end the inning. Tim Wakefield came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Teixeira popped up to third to start. A-Rod got a base hit to left and promptly stole second, then moved to third on a grounder to first by Cano. Posada struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Beltre doubled off the top of the left field wall to start. Kalish struck out swinging but A-Rod failed to field a swinging bunt by Hall to end Moseley's night. Joba Chamberlain came in to face Mike Lowell pinch hitting for Cash. Lowell beat out a roller to short to score Hall to cut the lead. Ellsbury popped up to left but Scutaro drew a walk to load the bases. Boone Logan was brought in to face Ortiz and David....grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 7-2.

                                                           Lowell gets a run back

Berkman took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh and Granderson flied out to right. Gardner grounded out to short to end the inning.

Martinez popped up to second to start the top of the eighth and Drew struck out swinging. Beltre flied out to right to end the inning. Jeter struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Swisher flied out to right. Teixeira lined out to first to end the inning.

Ramiro Pena came in for A-Rod with David Robertson in to close out the top of the ninth. Pena booted a grounder by Kalish for an error and Ryan moved to second on a grounder to the mound by Hall. Lowell flied out to right but Ellsbury walked. Mariano Rivera was summoned to face Scutaro and Marco forced Ellsbury at second on the first pitch to end the game. The Yankees had won 7-2.

                                                              Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Josh Beckett. He got pounded for 11 hits and 7 runs in just 4 2/3 innings.

                                                 "Get out of here, Jackass" - Francona

The Good:

Adrian Beltre was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Manny Delcarmen struck out the only man he faced.

Bill Hall was 3 for 4 with a home run.

Mike Lowell was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Tim Wakefield tossed 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Ryan Kalish was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Cash was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Victor Martinez was just 1 for 4.

JD Drew was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

If Josh Beckett continues to pitch like this, kiss the post-season goodbye. I know he and a few others have been off and on the Disabled List but that's not going to get the job done. Jon Miller said it on the ESPN broadcast that this is the first time the Sox rotation has been healthy virtually all season and the time to strike is now....and they've gone right in the tank after the trade deadline. Losing Kevin Youkilis sucks but they have to be better than that with the Yankees starting to pull away and a big series with the Tampa Bay Rays coming. There's still 50 games left in the season but they look overmatched against the Yankees right now. The Sox have to find a way to figure it out or else they'll be home in October for the first time since 2006. The loss dropped the Sox to 63-49, 7 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon when Jon Lester (11-7) takes on Phil Hughes of New York. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees Score Late, Sink Sox (4/6/10)

So much for the feel good win of Sunday night for the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester performed as bad as Josh Beckett did in the opener and it became a battle of the bullpens after New York Yankees starter AJ Burnett didn't last long either. Unlike on Opening Day, the Yankees bullpen held and the Sox cracked. Nick Johnson and Robinson Cano drove in the deciding runs and the world champion Yankees got revenge on the Sox with a 6-4 win at Fenway Park.

Lester got the ball in the top of the first inning and Derek Jeter led off by striking out swinging on a full count. Nick Johnson grounded out to third before Mark Teixeira took strike three to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Burnett in the bottom of the first inning as Jacoby Ellsbury's pop up fell into no-man's land for a leadoff single. Ellsbury took off for second but Jorge Posada threw the ball into center, moving Jacoby to third. Dustin Pedroia lined out to second but Victor Martinez drew a walk. Kevin Youkilis hit a fly ball to center and Ellbury made a mad dash home to score on the sac fly to give the Sox the lead. Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                              1-0 Sox

The Yankees tied it in the top of the second as Alex Rodriguez led off with a tapper back to the mound to start. Robinson Cano broke his bat on a base hit up the middle before Jorge Posada walked. Nick Swisher doubled down the right field line to score Cano with the tying run. Marcus Thames drew a walk and Sox pitching coach John Farrell sprinted to the mound to tell Lester that Slumdog Millionaire was on in the clubhouse. Lester got so excited that he struck out Curtis Granderson swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Yankees tie it up

Adrian Beltre led off the bottom of the second with a base hit to center but JD Drew whiffed on a curve in the dirt. Mike Cameron struck out but Beltre swiped second on the throw down. Marco Scutaro popped up to Teixeira in foul territory to end the inning.

As the top of the third inning began, NESN flashed the injury report. Boof Bonser would begin his rehab with Pawtuckett on Thursday and Daisuke Matsuzaka would begin his with Pawtucket on Saturday. Jed Lowrie was out with mono and Junichi Tazawa was out for the year with Tommy John surgery. Johnson led off the inning by flying out to right to start. Teixeira missed a home run by 10 feet by the left field foul pole before grounding out to short. A-Rod grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                       Who is Lowrie making out with?

The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Ellsbury doubled down the right field line to start. Pedroia also missed a home run by 10 feet by the left field foul pole before he lined out to a diving Granderson in center. V-Mart bashed his first home run of the season into the Boston bullpen to put the Sox on top. Youk was rung up on a fastball on the outside corner and Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning but the Sox were on top 3-1.

                                                     Martinez put the Sox on top

Lester walked Cano to open the top of the fourth but Posada banged into a double play. Swisher was plunked but Lester struck out Thames to end the inning. Beltre led off the bottom of the fourth by lashing a base hit to center. Drew popped up to left but Cameron was plunked. Scutaro banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Yankees roared back in the top of the fifth as Granderson lashed a base hit to right to start. Jeter lined a base hit to center that sent Granderson to third and Johnson was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Teixeira beat out a double play ball to score Granderson and A-Rod doubled to the left field wall to tie the game. Cano put the Yankees on top with a sac fly to score Teixeira and Posada flied out to left to end the inning. Lester didn't have it at all and left after 5 innings, 4 runs allowed and trailing 4-3.

                                                      Not Lester's best stuff

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth although Jeter made a great jumping catch to rob Ellsbury of a base hit to begin. Pedroia drilled a base hit to right and motored around home to tie the game on a wall ball double by V-Mart. Youk was rung up for strike three and Ortiz went down hacking to end the inning but it tied 4-4.

                                                   Martinez ties it up with a double

Manny Delcarmen made his season debut in the top of the sixth and Swisher doubled high off the wall to start. Brett Gardner pinch hit for Thames and moved Swisher to third with a grounder to second. MDC got a big out when Youk robbed Granderson of a hit with a diving catch. Jeter grounded out to short to end the inning. Alfredo Aceves took over for the Yankees in the bottom of the sixth and Jeter made another great jumping catch to rob Beltre of a hit. Drew grounded out to first but Jeter threw a routine grounder by Cameron into the dirt for an error. Scutaro grounded into a force to end the inning.

"Flamethrower" Daniel Bard came in for the top of the seventh and Johnson walked to start. Ellsbury made a great diving catch to rob Teixeira of a bloop single before A-Rod was rung up on a bad call for strike three. Cano grounded out to second to end the inning. Ellsbury grounded out to first to start the bottom of the seventh before Pedroia popped up to center. V-Mart lined out to left to end the inning.

The Yankees took command in the top of the eighth inning as Hideki Okajima came in to crap his pants. Posada hit a ground rule double into the right field corner but Okajima got Swisher to ground out to short. Gardner sliced a base hit to left but Posada remained at second and Granderson flied out to the left field warning track. Jeter hit a routine grounder to Scutaro but Youk couldn't pick the low throw by Marco and everyone was safe to load the bases. The Yankees pounced on the mistake a Johnson walked home Posada to put the Yankees up for good. That was it for Okajima who had to throw over 30 pitches, leaving the bases loaded. Scott Atchison made his Red Sox debut and first appearance in the United States since 2007 by getting Teixeira to fly out to right to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-4.

                                                          Not Okie's night

Daniel Robertson came in to face Youk in the bottom of the eighth and Youkilis got a base hit to left. Yankees manager brought in Damaso Marte to face Ortiz only for Marte to throw the pickoff throw away to advance Youk to second. Ortiz failed to advance Youk by popping up to center and that was it for Marte. Joba Chamberlain came in to face Beltre and struck Adrian out. Drew whiffed to end the inning as Sox fans groaned.

The Yankees got a big insurance run off Atchison in the top of the ninth although Drew ran down an A-Rod fly ball to the right field warning track. Cano didn't miss like A-Rod did, pounding a home run into the right field corner to ice the game. Posada whiffed and Swisher took strike three to end the inning but the Yankees were up 6-4.

                                                No doubt for Cano

Mariano Rivera came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cameron popped up to short to start. Somehow Scutaro doubled to the left field wall to bring the tying run to the plate. Ellsbury took strike three on the outside corner and Pedroia flied out to right to end the game. The Yankees avenged opening day with a 6-4 win over the Sox.

                                                         Damn Yankees


Jackass of the Night is Hideki Okajima. Yes the error didn't help but he still put two men on and walked in the go-ahead run when one more out got out of the inning.

                                                               Okie-dokie Jackass



The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Victor Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, 3 total rbis and a 2 run home run.

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Adrian Beltre was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Manny Delcarmen pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Drew was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jon Lester lasted just 5 innings and allowed 4 runs in his season debut.

Scott Atchison allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings of work.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Marco Scutaro was just 1 for 4 and committed an error.




Final Thoughts:

That's why the Yankees are the world champions. When the bullpen needed to step up, they did and when the Sox needed theirs, they didn't. Not much the Sox could do against Rivera but they could have avoided getting to that point if they finished off the eighth inning rally. A loss like this stings because two in a row against the Yankees puts the pressure on them for tomorrow night's game. Now its anyone's ballgame for bragging rights this early in the season. Tomorrow night is the rubber game between the two teams with John Lackey making his Red Sox debut taking on Andy Pettite of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park,

Sox Outslug Yankees in Season Opener (4/4/10)

The New York Yankees may have won the World Series last year but this year is a new year and the Boston Red Sox are out for blood. The Sox have reloaded with veterans such as Mike Cameron, Scott Schoenweis and Adrian Beltre and all three had an impact in the season opening win over the Yankees. The Yankees knocked Josh Beckett out in the 5th inning and took a 7-5 lead with 9 outs to play. Pedroia led the charge by knocking in 3 of the four runs the Sox scored and Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door on the 9-7 victory on Opening Day at Fenway Park.

                                                    Joe Perry approves of the win

Derek Jeter opened the season against Beckett by grounding out to short to begin. Nick Johnson flied out to Mike Cameron on the centerfield warning track before Mark Teixeira grounded out to Kevin Youkilis unassisted to end the inning. CC Sabathia got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury greeted him by lining out to center to begin. Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging on a high fastball before Victor Martinez grounded out to first off the first base bag to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the second although Alex Rodriguez grounded back to Beckett to start. Robinson Cano lined out to center before Jorge Posada homered off the Pesky Pole to give the Yankees the lead. Curtis Granderson's 1st at bat in a Yankee uniform ended with him launching a home run over the Sox bullpen to increase the lead. Nick Swisher singled to right and Brett Gardner singled to left. Jerer forced Gardner at second to end the inning but the Yankees now led 2-0.

                                                A new enemy in pinstripes

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the second as Kevin Youkilis led off with a double off the scoreboard. Youk moved to third on a grounder by David Ortiz before Granderson robbed Adrian Beltre of a double with a jumping catch at the wall. Still, the fly out was long enough to score Youk with a sac fly to cut the lead. JD Drew watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                      Granderson makes the catch

Johnson walked to open the top of the third before Teixeira popped up to right. A-Rod banged into a double play to end the inning. Mike Cameron made his Sox debut by walking to begin the bottom of the third but was doubled off on a Marco Scutaro liner to third. Ellsbury grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Yankees embarrassed the Sox in the top of the fourth as Ellsbury just missed a Cano line drive off the wall for a double. Cano moved to third on the Posada grounder and stayed there momentarily as Granderson grounded out to first. Swisher drew a walk and Gardner ripped a base hit to left to score Cano. Jeter singled past the diving Scutaro to score Swisher with another run and advance Gardner to third. All of a sudden Jeter took off for second and Martinez threw down with Gardner coming home. V-Mart's throw wasn't close and Gardner slid in safe with a steal of home as Jeter took second. Yankee fans laughed at the Red Sox fans as Johnson took a backdoor curve to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-1.

                                                     Nice going Martinez

The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the fourth as Pedroia was called out on a bang bang play by umpire Angel Hernandez on a grounder to first. V-Mart grounded out to third before Youk popped up to short to end the inning.

The Yankees knocked Beckett out in the top of the fifth inning although Teixeira flied out to center to start. A-Rod popped up to second but Cano singled off the right field wall. Posada walked and Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough. Beckett looked awful and Francona wisely pulled him after 4 2/3 innings, 5 runs allowed and 94 pitches. Scott Schoenweis made his Sox debut by uncorking a wild pitch that moved the runners along. ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller revealed Scott's wife died and Scott spent time on the Disabled List for depression because of it. Now he's back in the majors and he struck out Granderson to end the inning.

                                                    Awful season debut by Beckett

The Sox began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth although Ortiz popped up to third. Beltre whiffed on a low change but Drew lined a base hit to left. Cameron also lined a base hit to left and Scutaro got the Sox third straight hit to left. Drew came around to score and Gardner's throw sailed, allowing Marco to reach second with Cameron moving to third. Ellsbury watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                         Happy fans

Schoenweis returned briefly for the top of the sixth inning as Swisher grounded out to short to start. Gardner popped up to center and that was it for Schoenweis. Ramon Ramirez made his season debut by allowing a base hit to center by Jeter. Johnson lined out to center to end the inning.

                                                   Great debut by Schoenweis

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Pedroia walked to start. V-Mart doubled down the left field line and Youk ripped a triple past Swisher in right to score both runners. Ortiz broke his bat on a grounder to second and that was it for Sabathia. David Robertson came on and Beltre greeted him with a base hit to center to score Youk to tie the game. Drew grounded out to first and Cameron grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 5-5.

                                                            Youk hits a triple

The Yankees wasted no time taking the lead back in the top of the seventh as Teixeira led off with a walk. A-Rod doubled off the Monster to chase Ramirez. Hideki Okajima came in and Cano scored Teixeira with a ground out to second. Posada increased the lead with a base hit up the middle and Granderson drew a walk. Swisher banged into a double play to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 7-5.

                                                       Didn't look good

The Sox came out swinging in the bottom of the seventh against Chan Ho Park as Scutaro singled up the middle to start. Ellsbury took strike three but Pedroia tied the game up with a home run into the Monster Seats, lighting up the crowd. V-Mart grounded out to second but Youk doubled off the Monster to chase Park. Damaso Marte came in and a wild pitch moved Youk to third. Ortiz walked to chase Park as Joba Chamberlain came in to face Beltre. Adrian grounded into a force to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 8-7.

                                                            Pedroia ties it up

"Flamethrower" Daniel Bard came in for the top of the eighth and got Gardner to ground out to second to start. Jeter grounded out to first but Johnson walked. Randy Winn ran for Johnson but Teixeira grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox hit the killshot in the bottom of the eighth although Drew grounded out to third to start. Cameron lashed a base hit to center before Scutaro drew a walk. Ellsbury lined out to center but Pedroia stroked a base hit to right, scoring Cameron with the insurance run. V-Mart lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-7

                                                       Cameron slides in safe

Jon Papelbon came out to close the game in the top of the ninth inning. A-Rod grounded out to third before Cano lined out to a running Ellsbury. Posada dumped a base hit to center to bring the tying run to the plate but Granderson grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox had beaten the champs 9-7 on Opening Day.

                                                                Opening Day win


Hero of The Night is Dustin Pedroia. He tied the game with a big two run jack and hit the killshot in the 8th inning.

                                                       Opening Day Hero



The Good:

Kevin Youkilis was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

Adrian Beltre was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Mike Cameron was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Marco Scutaro was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Scott Schoenweis tossed one full scoreless inning.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his first save of the season with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Josh Beckett was awful in his season debut, allowing 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings off 8 hits and 3 walks.

Ramon Ramirez was charged with 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Victor Martinez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but walked.

JD Drew was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Hideki Okajima got the win but allowed two inherited runners to score in an inning of work.




Final Thoughts:

Nothing like beating the Yankees on Opening Day. Its going to be a long year but to get off on the right foot is never a bad thing. The Sox were able to fight back after Beckett clearly didn't have it. The combination of Bard and Papelbon could be devastating in the later innings this season. If Beltre can rediscover his form from 2005, this could be a deadly team that rivals 2007. All of those are huge ifs but what's a fact is the Sox beat the Yankees tonight. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees on Tuesday night. Jon Lester makes his season debut opposite AJ Burnett at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.