Mariners Edge Sox Late (4/29/11)

It seems to be one step forward, one step back for the Boston Red Sox this month. After beating the Baltimore Orioles last night to feel good about themselves, they fell apart late against the Seattle Mariners in tonight's game. The problem was the bullpen was forced to throw 5 innings after Daisuke Matsuzaka regressed from his previous starts to throw just 4 innings. The Sox did take a 4-2 lead over Jason Vargas and the Mariners but Matt Albers and Bobby Jenks coughed up the game by the seventh inning. After the Mariners took the lead, not a single Sox batter reached base as Seattle dropped Boston 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         "Oh Jenks....."

Dice K got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mariners wasted no time tagging him. Ichiro Suzuki popped up to left to start but Chone Figgins walked. Milton Bradley flied out to right but Miguel Olivo doubled off the Monster. Justin Smoak lined a base hit to right to score both runners to give the Mariners the lead. Jack Cust took strike three to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 2-0.

                                                          Smoak puts Seattle on top

Jason Vargas got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded back to the mound but Adrian Gonzalez dropped a base hit to right. Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning.

Adam Kennedy flied out to right to start the top of the second but Michael Saunders walked and swiped second. Brendan Ryan popped up to third and Ichiro flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second although David Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Jed Lowrie flied out to center but Mike Cameron wrapped his first home run of the season around the Pesky Pole to cut the lead. Jason Varitek flied out to Saunders to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 2-1.

                                               Home run Cameron

Dice K cruised in the top of the third inning as Figgins grounded out to second to start. Bradley took strike three and Olivo struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the third as Darnell McDonald walked to start. Ellsbury forced McDonald at second but Pedroia flied out to center. Gonzalez singled Ellsbury to third and Youkilis drove Jacoby in with a base hit. Ortiz scored Gonzalez with a base hit into the shift to give the Sox the lead. Lowrie flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                       Ortiz puts the Sox on top

Dice K battled in the top of the fourth as Smoak flied out to center to start. Cust and Kennedy drew back to back walks but Saunders struck out swinging. Ryan lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth when Cameron launched his second home run of the game to add to the lead. Varitek singled to center but McDonald struck out swinging. Ellsbury singled in the hole at second but Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                        Cameron hits another out

The Mariners finally chased Dice K in the top of the fifth inning as Ichiro singled up the middle to start. All of a sudden Jason Varitek walked to the mound and asked if Dice K was okay. Within seconds Varitek frantically waived for the trainer who sprinted out of the dugout. Dice K started clutching his arm and left the game. He had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and sent to Mass General's ICU. Matt Albers came in ice cold and Figgins dropped a base hit to left. Bradley hit a double play ball to Gonzalez who threw to second to get Figgins but Albers dropped the throw to first for an error to score Ichiro. Olivo flied out to right and Smoak took strike three to end the inning but it was 4-3 Sox.

                                                       Dice K leaves with injury

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Gonzalez grounded out to first to start. Youkilis walked but was doubled off first on a bullet hit by Ortiz right to Smoak to end the inning.

Albers walked Cust to start the top of the sixth but Kennedy popped up to short. Saunders popped up to right and Ryan grounded into a force to end the inning. Lowrie grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and Cameron popped up to second. Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bobby Jenks came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Ichiro singled to left and Figgins doubled past McDonald to start. Bradley struck out swinging but Olivo grounded out to second to score Ichiro to tie the game. Smoak walked and Cust doubled off the Monster to score Figgins with the go-ahead run. Kennedy grounded out to first to end the inning with the Mariners up 5-4.

                                                             Cust puts the M's on top

McDonald popped up to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Ellsbury took strike three. Pedroia flied out to center to end the inning.

Hideki Okajima came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Saunders walked to start. Ryan dropped down a bunt to advance Saunders to second but Ichiro walked. Figgins banged into a double play to end the inning. Jack Wilson took over for Kennedy and Jamey Wright came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Gonzalez flied out to Ichiro to start before Youkilis took strike three. Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning.

Daniel Bard came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bradley grounded out to second to start. Olivo took strike threw and Smoak grounded out to second to end the inning. Brandon League came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lowrie flied out to center to start. Cameron flied out to right and JD Drew pinch hit for Varitek. Drew took strike three to end the game, the Mariners had won it 5-4.

                                                          Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Bobby Jenks. He took the loss by allowing 2 runs in the seventh inning.

                                                     Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4.

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Mike Cameron was 2 for 4 with 2 solo home runs.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3.

Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 4.

JD Drew struck out as a pinch hitter.

Daisuke Matsuzaka got rocked for 3 runs in just 4 plus innings.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 2 with an error but walked.

Matt Albers allowed an inherited runner to score and committed an error in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Can this month end already? Every time the Red Sox look like they take the next step, they fall backwards. Jenks was supposed to be the answer to losing Billy Wagner in free agency but he got rocked tonight. The real problem was once the Mariners took the lead, the Sox offense went quietly in the final three innings. The offense is too good to be that unclutch so just add this game to the list of many they should have won. Its beyond frustrating at this point to see the Sox spoil a season that had so much promise. How does a team this good on paper lose 14 of their first 25 games? They've lost close games, they've lost blowouts, they just lose. Guess what they're going to do tomorrow? Probably going to lose. Tomorrow night John Lackey (2-2) goes up against Doug Fister of the Mariners at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold On, Beat Angels (4/22/11)

On a night where the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over them in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Boston Red Sox outlasted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for their third straight win. Jon Lester (2-1, 2.59 ERA) tossed 6 shutout innings to take care of the pitching side. The offense was held in check for the most part but a key error by Peter Boujors ended up being the difference in the game. Matt Albers and Bobby Jenks almost coughed the lead up but Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door in the faces of the Angels. When the dust settled the Sox had beaten the Angels 4-3 at Angels Stadium.

                                                          Kevin Garnett approves of the win

Danny Haren got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jacoby Ellsbury struck out swinging to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short and Adrian Gonzalez flied out to deep center. Lester came out firing in the bottom of the first as Peter Boujors struck out swinging to start. Howie Kendrick struck out swinging and Bobby Abreu took strike three to end the inning.

David Ortiz grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Jed Lowrie struck out swinging. JD Drew took strike three to end the inning. Torii Hunter took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Vernon Wells got a base hit to center. Wells took second on a wild pitch and Alberto Callaspo walked, but Mark Trumbo banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Carl Crawford grounded out to second to start. Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled to right then made a mad dash to third on a fly ball to right by Marco Scutaro, Ellsbury doubled into the right field corner to score Saltalamacchia and put the Sox in the driver's seat. Pedroia took strike three to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                     Saltalamacchia is safe at third

Erick Aybar grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Jeff Mathis grounded out to third. Bourjos doubled to right and promptly stole third. Kendrick walked and stole second but Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox took advantage of shoddy defense in the top of the fourth as Gonzalez flied out to center to start. Ortiz grounded out to first but Lowrie walked. Drew doubled to right and Crawford hit a routine fly ball to center...DROPPED BY BOUJORS! Both runners scored to increase the lead and Crawford stole second to boot. Saltalamacchia flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                  Big error by Boujors

Hunter beat out a little roller to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Wells flied out to right. Callaspo popped up to second and Trumbo struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally as Scutaro and Ellsbury drew back to back walks to start the top of the fifth. Pedroia went down hacking and Gonzalez beat out a double play ball, but Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. Aybar singled to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Mathis and Boujors both went down swinging. Kendrick grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the sixth as Lowrie doubled over the head of Wells only to take third on an error when Wells bobbled the ball. Drew got a base hit up the middle to score Lowrie to increase the lead. Crawford took strike three, Saltalamacchia flied out to left and Scutaro also flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                        Lowrie scores a run

Lester returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and got Abreu to fly out to left to begin. Hunter grounded out to second and Wells struck out swinging to end the inning. Lester was great, tossing 6 innings of shutout ball while allowing 4 hits and striking out 8 batters.

                                                            Lester goes six strong

Francisco Rodriguez cam ein for the top of the seventh and Ellsbury grounded out to short to start. Pedroia walked and took second on a passed ball but Gonzalez struck out swinging. Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. Matt Albers came in for the bottom of the seventh and Callapso grounded out to second to start. Trumbo grounded out to second but Aybar singled up the middle. Aybar stole second and Mathis hit a blooper to center. Ellsbury dove and missed the ball allowing Aybar to score to put the Angels on the board. Bourjos popped up to first to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                            "I don't got it...." - Ellsbury

Trevor Bell came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lowrie grounded out to first to start. Drew walked and a wild pitch moved him to second, but Crawford could only advance JD to third on a grounder. Saltalamacchia was intentionally walked and Scutaro grounded into a force to end the inning. Bobby Jenks came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth as Kendrick doubled to center to start. Abreu knocked in Kendrick with a base hit to center but Hunter flied out to right. A wild pitch moved Abreu to second but Wells flied out to left. Jenks threw a pitch under the glove of Saltalamacchia and he had no idea where the ball was, scoring Abreu all the way from second. Callaspo walked and Reggie Willits pinch ran for him. Maicer Izturis pinch hit for Trumbo and grounded out to second to end the inning with the Angels down 4-3.

                                               "Thanks a lot, Salty" - Jenks

Bobby Wilson took over at first for the top of the ninth and Ellsbury took strike three to start. Pedroia flied out to center and Gonzalez popped up to short to end the inning, Jonathan Papelbon came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Aybar flied out to center to start. Hank Conger pinch hit for Mathis and singled to center but Bourjos flied out to right. Papelbon blew away Kendrick to end the game. The Sox had held on to win it 4-3.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jon Lester. He tossed 6 shutout innings to keep the Sox in the driver's seat all game.

                                                  Lester the Hero

The Good:

Jed Lowrie was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

JD Drew was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his 5th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

David Ortiz was 0 for 4.

Matt Albers allowed a run in the seventh inning.

Bobby Jenks allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Carl Crawford was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was an ugly win but they all count. It doesn't matter if the Sox win decisively or takes advantage of a team throwing up on themselves, the final score is all that matters. The Sox offense was nothing special and needed a big error by Wells to score enough runs to win. The bullpen allowed 3 runs after Lester left and apart from him and Papelbon, nobody really looked good in this game. Still, to steal a road win like this is going to be huge come September if its a close playoff race. After the horrid start the Sox got off to, they essentially have to spend the rest of the month playing catch-up but at least they're on the right track. Winning three straight games is nothing to sneeze at, especially against a pitcher like Danny Haren and a team that's 2 years removed from being in the ALCS. The Sox look to make it four wins in a row tomorrow when they send Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-2, 6.43 ERA) takes on Ervin Santana of the Angels. The game begins at 9:05 Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Sox Defeat Angels in 11 Innings (4/21/11)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Matt Albers was activated from the Disabled List and Alfredo Aceves was sent back to Pawtucket. The Sox feel Albers is more valuable right now and considering how things are going, who knows how this will turn out?

                                                                               OUT

                                                                   IN

On a night where the Boston Bruins got a much needed Game 4 victory in overtime over the Montreal Canadiens to even their first round playoff series at two games apiece, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 11 innings. Josh Beckett continued his hot streak by throwing 8 innings of 2 run ball but was matched by Tyler Chatwood and the Angels bullpen. Adrian Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie broke the deadlock with rbis in the top of the eleventh. Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door in the bottom of the eleventh and the Sox had pulled it out 4-2 at Angels Stadium.

                                                        Andrew Ference approves of the win

Chatwood got the ball in the top of the first and JD Drew grounded out to first on the first pitch of the game to start. Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez stroked back to back base hits to center but Kevin Youkilis banged into a double play to end the inning. Beckett got the ball in the bottom of the first as Maicer Izturis flied out to center to start. Howie Kendrick struck out swinging and Bobby Abreu popped up to short to end the inning.

Ortiz doubled to right to start the top of the second and moved to third on the grounder by Jed Lowrie. Carl Crawford failed to do anything by grounding out to first and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Kevin Youkilis had fouled a pitch off his ankle in the first inning and collapsed in the dugout before taking the field. He had to be hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local ICU. Marco Scutaro was brought in to play short with Jed Lowrie moving to third for the bottom of the second. Torii Hunter grounded out to second to start before Vernon Wells lined out to short. Hank Conger grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a ground out to second. Drew popped up to short but Pedroia drew a walk. Pedroia looked to have been tagged out stealing second but he was ruled safe. Gonzalez was intentionally walked and Scutaro flied out to center to end the inning. Beckett cruised in the bottom of the third as Mark Trumbo grounded out to second to start. Erick Aybar popped up to short and Peter Bourjos looked at a curveball for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the fourth as Ortiz grounded into the shift to start. Lowrie flied out to left but Crawford walked. Carl stole second and Varitek walked, but Ellsbury flied out to left to end the inning. Izturis walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Kendrick flied out to shallow left. A wild pitch moved Izturis to second but Abreu flied out to left. Hunter grounded out to third to end the inning.

Drew flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Pedroia blooped a single to right. Gonzalez was rung up for strike three and Youkilis popped up to Wells to end the inning. Beckett cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Wells grounded out to short to start. Conger struck out swinging and Trumbo flied out to Drew at the right field wall to end the inning, that's 5 no-hit innings for Beckett.

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth as Ortiz walked to start. Lowrie dumped a base hit to left-center and Crawford moved both runners over with a bunt. Varitek struck out swinging on a nasty breaking ball but Ellsbury hit a broken bat looper into right to score both runners and give Boston the lead. Ellsbury was thrown out at second trying to steal second to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-0.

                                                 Ellsbury gives the Sox the lead

Aybar broke up the no-no with a little roller to Beckett to start the bottom of the sixth and moved to second on the Bourjos grounder to third. Aybar moved to third on the grounder by Izturis but Kendrick took strike three to end the inning.

Hisanori Takahashi came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Drew walked to start. Pedroia walked but Gonzalez popped up to third. Scutaro and Ortiz both took strike three to end the inning. The Angels finally tagged Beckett in the bottom of the seventh as Abreu walked to start. Hunter then hit a home run all the way to Portland, Oregon to tie the game. Wells took strike three, Conger grounded out to first and Trumbo popped up to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Hunter ties it up

Fernando Rodney came in to pitch the top of the eighth and the Sox blew another rally. Lowrie grounded out to third to start but Crawford walked. Varitek tried to bunt Crawford to second but ended up getting hit with a pitch. Ellsbury walked to load the bases but Drew whiffed badly to kill the rally. Pedroia popped up to Kendrick to end the inning. Beckett returned for one last inning in the bottom of the eighth and Aybar hit a double down the right field line, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple by Drew. Bourjos grounded out to third and Izturis popped up to short to end the inning. That was it for Beckett who deserved better. He tossed 8 innings of 2 run ball that should have been enough to win the game.

                                                                   Beckett pitched well

Jordan Walden came in for the top of the ninth and Gonzalez popped up to shallow left to start. Scutaro grounded out to third but Ortiz walked. Darnell McDonald pinch ran for Ortiz and stole second, but Lowrie popped up to center to end the inning. Daniel Bard came in for the bottom of the ninth and Kendrick grounded out to short to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Hunter grounded out to second to send this game to extra innings.

Rich Thompson came in to pitch the top of the tenth and he cruised. Crawford took strike three to start before Varitek watched strike three go by. Ellsbury went down hacking to end the inning. Bobby Jenks came in for the bottom of the tenth and Wells grounded out to third to start. Conger hit one up the elevator shaft and Trumbo popped up to first to end the inning.

                                                   Jenks gets it done

The Sox finally took the lead in the top of the eleventh as Drew walked to start. Drew moved to third on the base hit to right by Pedroia and scored on the Gonzalez double into the right field corner. Gonzalez was thrown out at third on the grounder to second by Scutaro and McDonald hit a grounder to third. Pedroia got caught in a rundown but ran around the tag to make it safely back to third to load the bases. Lowrie scored Pedroia with a sac fly to ice the game and chase Thompson. Jason Bulger came in and both runners moved over on a passed ball, but Crawford whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                Pedroia scores the insurance run

Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon came out to save the game in the bottom of the eleventh inning. Aybar grounded out to short to start but Bourjos caught Varitek asleep with a bunt single in front of the plate. A wild pitch moved Bourjos to second but Izturis popped up to third. Kendrick put up a 10 pitch at bat but struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2 in 11 innings.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Adrian Gonzalez. He drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning.

                                                    Gonzalez comes through to be the Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with 2 walks, a stolen base and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Josh Beckett tossed 8 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Bobby Jenks got the win with a scoreless tenth inning.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his fourth save with a scoreless 11th inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

JD Drew was 0 for 4 but walked twice, scored a run and threw out a runner at third.

Jed Lowrie was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Carl Crawford was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole a base.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and was hit with a pitch.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 1 at the plate but stole a base as a pinch runner.

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

Nice to see the season start to turn around after the horrendous start the Sox had. The Sox offense is still struggling to score runs but that's going to come for sure. The real key to the game was the pitching. Beckett pitched another gem and 9 times out of 10, 8 innings of two run ball should be enough to win. The bullpen slammed the door and if they stay healthy, the trio of Jenks, Bard and Papelbon is going to be deadly. Hopefully Youkilis is okay and just left as a precaution. If Youkilis gets hurt again, that's a bad sign considering how injury prone Lowrie and Drew are. As of now the Sox look to be coming out of their slump and winning a road game in extras is always a tough thing to do. Gonzalez getting the game winning rbi is what the Sox need out of him since he's supposedly the second coming of Manny Ramirez. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Angels tomorrow night when Jon Lester (1-1) takes on Danny Haren of the Angels at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Sox Hold Off Late Rally to Defeat A's (4/20/11)

Last night Brett Anderson of the Oakland A's dominated the Boston Red Sox weak right handed hitting lineup. Gio Gonzalez....not so much. Kevin Youkilis, JD Drew and Jed Lowrie all hit home runs and the Sox pounded out 10 total hits as a team. Clay Buchholz (1-2, 5.31 ERA) labored but allowed just a single run in 5 1/3 innings. Oakland shot themselves in the foot by leaving 15 men on base but still managed to rally in the later innings. Jonathan Papelbon wasn't as sharp as he usually was but he still nailed down the save to hold off the A's. The Sox won their first road game of the season 5-3 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                  Kayla Kleavage approves of the win

Gonzalez got the ball in the top of the first and JD Drew struck out looking on the outside corner to start. Dustin Pedroia flied out to right and Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Buchholz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Crisp hit a home run all the way to Osaka, Japan to give the A's the early lead. Daric Barton popped up to third in foul territory and David DeJesus grounded out to short but Hideki Matsui walked. Ryan Sweeney flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Crisp puts the A's on top

The Sox fought back in the top of the second as Kevin Youkilis dumped a base hit to right to start. DeJesus jumped into the right field wall to rob a hit from Jed Lowrie but Marco Scutaro singled to right. Carl Crawford dropped a base hit to center to score Youkilis to tie the game. Crawford was thrown out at second on the strike em out, throw em out double play by Jason Varitek to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Tie game

Mark Ellis led off the bottom of the second by slapping a single to center but Landon Powell struck out swinging. Kevin Kouzmanoff lined a base hit to right but Cliff Pennington beat out a double play ball. Crisp lined out to right to end the inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury took strike three to begin the top of the third and Drew watched strike three go by as well. Pedroia drew a walk but Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Barton lined out to left to begin the bottom of the third and DeJesus popped up to second. Matsui struck out swinging to end the inning.

Youkilis led off the top of the fourth inning with his third home run of the year to give the Sox the lead. Lowrie got a base hit to left and Pennington looked to have robbed Scutaro of a hit but Ellis dropped the throw at second. Crawford beat out a double play ball but Varitek grounded into one to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                          Youkilis hits one out

Sweeney grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the fourth but Ellis doubled down the third base line. Powell flied out to center and Kouzmanoff flied out to right to end the inning.

Gonzalez cruised in the top of the fifth as Ellsbury was rung up for strike three to start. Drew flied out to deep left and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning. The A's threatened in the bottom of the fifth although Pennington grounded out to second to start. Crisp hit one up the elevator shaft but Barton walked. DeJesus hit a seeing eye single into left but Matsui flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Gonzalez led off with a bloop single to left. Youkilis struck out swinging but Lowrie hit his third home run of the season over the left field wall into the rain to increase the lead. Scutaro hit a seeing eye single up the middle but Crawford flied out to center. Varitek popped up to left to end the inning but the Sox led 4-1.

                                                          Lowrie's raindance home run

Buchholz fell apart in the bottom of the sixth as Sweeney doubled to the left field wall to start. Ryan moved to third on the grounder by Ellis and Powell walked. Conor Jackson pinch hit for Kouzmanoff and walked to load the bases. Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough but Buchholz was NOT happy being taken out of the game. He screamed, shouted and kicked dirt as he made his exit. He did leave with a lead after giving up just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings. Daniel Bard came in and blew away Pennington before getting Crisp to pop up to short to end the inning.

                                                     "Damn it all to hell!" - Buchholz

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh with Andy LaRoche at third and Jerry Blevins now on the mound. Ellsbury took strike three but Drew mauled his first home run of the year to increase the lead. Pedroia singled to left but Gonzalez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                   Drew with his first of the year

Bard came back for the bottom of the seventh and Barton popped up to second to start. DeJesus flied out to left but Matsui blooped a base hit to center. Sweeney grounded out to first to end the inning.

David Purcey came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Youkilis lined out to short to start. Lowrie flied out to right in foul territory and Scutaro flied out to right to end the inning. Bobby Jenks came in for the bottom of the eighth and Ellis struck out swinging to start. Powell walked, LaRoche singled past Scutaro and Pennington ate up Marco for an infield single to load the bases. Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young came out to tell Jenks that The Apartment won Best Picture in 1960 and Jenks was so bored he allowed a single to Crisp that scored Powell. Jenks managed to strike out Barton swinging but Francona wanted Jonathan Papelbon for the four out save. Papelbon blew away DeJesus to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                         Crisp does it again

The Sox did nothing in the top of the ninth as Crawford struck out swinging to start. Jason Varitek also went down hacking and Ellsbury popped up to short to end the inning. The A's rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Matsui began with a base hit to center. Sweeney popped up to short but Ellis was plunked. Powell singled to center to score Matsui and put the tying run on. Kurt Suzuki pinch ran for Powell with Josh Willingham pinch hitting for LaRoche. Willingham popped up to Gonzalez 10 feet in front of home plate and Pennington popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had survived 5-3.

                                                   Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jed Lowrie. He was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run, giving the Sox a big lead.

                                                      Lowrie the Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Marco Scutaro was 2 for 4.

Clay Buchholz got the win with 5 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 4 walks.

Daniel Bard tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Bobby Jenks allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

JD Drew was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Adrian Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Carl Crawford was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jonathan Papelbon got the save but allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Its nice to see the Sox back on the winning track and getting the West Coast games out of the way early is never a bad thing. Buchholz didn't look that great but timely hitting and timely pitching got him the win. The resurgence of Jed Lowrie is pretty fun to watch as he was the last guy anybody expected to contribute to the season. If he keeps hitting like this somebody may get traded because it was supposed to be Ortiz, Youkilis, Gonzalez, Pedroia and Scutaro on the infield going into the season. Still, to have Lowrie as a possible sixth man type of utility player gives the Sox a superior bench compared to most of the league. Hell former all-star Jason Varitek is the backup catcher. The bullpen was a bit of an issue with Jenks and Papelbon giving up runs but Bard looked pretty shop. In essence the Sox have two closers in Jenks and Papelbon yet the future could be Bard. The offense didn't look that great but they got some timely long balls and rbi at bats. A win is a win and they all count, no matter how ugly or pretty it looks. Tomorrow night the Sox head to Anaheim to play the....ready for it.....Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Josh Beckett (2-1) looks to make it 3 wins in a row for him when he takes on Tyler Chatwood of the Angels. The game begins at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Angel Stadium.

Lester, Sox Crush Blue Jays (4/17/11)

On the night Ray Allen hit the game winning jumper for the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their first round playoff series with the New York Knicks, Jon Lester (1-1, 3.20 ERA) rediscovered his groove for the Boston Red Sox. Lester was outstanding against the Toronto Blue Jays by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball to put the Sox in position to win. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a 3 run bomb, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in 3 runs and the Sox pounded out 8 total runs off 8 hits. The Sox look to be rebounding from their horrid start with an 8-1 victory over the Jays at Fenway Park.

                                                    Ray Allen approves of the win

Lester got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yunel Escobar grounded out to third to start. Corey Patterson struck out swinging but Jose Bautista hit a ground rule double into the right field seats. Adam Lind grounded out to first to end the inning. Jesse Litch got the ball for the Jays in the bottom of the first and Carl Crawford led off with a swinging strikeout. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third but Adrian Gonzalez ripped a base hit up the middle and moved to second on a passed ball, but Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the second as Aaron Hill walked to start and JP Arencebia singled through the hole at second. Travis Snider banged into a double play but Juan Rivera walked. Rivera got himself in a run-down trying to steal second but it worked as Hill scored to give the Jays the lead. Rivera was tagged out but the Jays led 1-0.

                                                    Yerrrr Out!

The Sox roared back in the bottom of the second as David Ortiz grounded out to first to start. Jed Lowrie hit a pop up down the left field line that somehow blew fair, keeping Lowrie at first. JD Drew rifled a base hit into center to move Lowrie to third and Jarrod Saltalamacchia scored Jed with a base hit past the diving Hill. Ellsbury put the exclamation point on the inning with a 3 run blast to give the Sox a commanding lead. Crawford grounded out to first and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                              "Go find that one, Litsch!" - Ellsbury

Lester continued to work his way out of trouble in the top of the third as Nix walked to start. Escobar's bat shattered as he banged into a double play but Patterson hit a double off the Monster. Bautista was rung up for strike three to end the inning. 

                                                         Look out Lester!

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Gonzalez grounded out to second to start. Youkilis grounded out to short and Ortiz also grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lester cruised in the top of the fourth as Lind popped up to Crawford to start. Hill grounded out to third and Arencebia struck out swinging to end the inning. Litsch cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Lowrie waived at strike three to start. Drew struck out swinging and Saltalamacchia grounded out to first to end the inning.

Snider took strike three to start the top of the fifth before Rivera grounded out to short. Nix singled high off the Monster and stole second, but Escobar went around on a strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Ellsbury flied out to right to start. Crawford tried to bunt his way on but Litsch snuffed it out and Pedroia popped up to shallow center to end the inning.

Patterson grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth and Bautista grounded out to third. Lind singled under the glove of Lester into center but Hill lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the sixth although Gonzalez flied out to center to start. Youkilis went down hacking but Ortiz broke up the string of 13 in a row with a base hit up the middle. Nix bobbled a grounder by Lowrie for an error and Drew walked to load the bases. Saltalamacchia dropped a base hit to right and Ortiz scored easily. Lowrie came home but Drew tried to score as well, getting thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                   Yerrrrr out!

Lester returned briefly for the top of the seventh as Arencebia beat out an infield single to short to start. Snider hit a double play ball to Lowrie but he bobbled it at second and failed to throw out Snider at first for an error. That was it for Lester who allowed just 1 run in 6 plus innings of work to give the Sox a chance to win. Daniel Bard came in and Rivera hit a bullet to Pedroia who doubled off Snider at first for the double play. Nix walked but Escobar was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

                                                      Lester leaves with the win

Casey Janssen took over for the bottom of the seventh and Ellsbury's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Nix to begin. Crawford grounded back to the mound and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Felix Doubront came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Patterson walked to start. Bautista flied out to center but Patterson swiped second. Lind walked but Patterson was thrown out at third trying to steal. Hill dumped a base hit to center and that was it for Doubront. Sox manager Terry Francona brought in Bobby Jenks to pitch to Arencebia. Jenks blew away JP to end the inning. The Sox got some more runs in the bottom of the eighth against new pitcher Shawn Camp. Gonzalez doubled into the left field gap to start and Youkilis was plunked. A passed ball moved both runners over and Ortiz walked to load the bases. Lowrie hit a routine grounder to first...UNDER THE GLOVE OF LIND! Gonzalez and Youkilis scored to wrap up the scoring. Drew struck out swinging and Saltalamacchia popped up to center to chase Camp. Jason Frasor came in and caught Ellsbury looking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                                      Oops!

Dan Wheeler had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Snider popped up to third to start. Rivera flied out to right and Nix flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1.

                                                      Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jon Lester. He tossed 6 gutty innings and held the Jays to just 1 run. He scattered 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

                                                              Hero Lester

The Good:

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

JD Drew was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Daniel Bard tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Bobby Jenks struck out the only man he faced.

Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carl Crawford was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Jed Lowrie was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run and scored twice.

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Felix Doubront walked two batters and gave up a hit in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

To quote the great Lou Brown, "if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak". It would be nice if the Sox could ride the momentum of the last few games to go on a winning streak to get back into contention. First Beckett had a good start, now Lester pitches well. If those two can keep up the pace, the Sox will be in good shape this season. Like it was mentioned many times before, the offense will come and today it did. The Sox benefitted from some miscues but that's what you need to do to break out of a slump. Lester was good and he'll be good moving forward. Hopefully this is the start and the momentum can continue in the next few days. Tomorrow its the special Patriots Day morning game for the Red Sox against the Blue Jays. Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2) looks to get back on track against Ricky Romero of the Blue Jays. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.

Jays Survive Late Sox Surge (4/15/11)

Wow, this team is BAD! After the Boston Red Sox traded for Adrian Gonzalez, signed Bobby Jenks and Carl Crawford...if you told me the Sox would lose 10 of their first 12 games I would have laughed at you. Well the Sox did just that. The Sox dropped to 2-10 on the season with their latest loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Clay Buchholz lasted just 4 innings and Brett Cecil held the Sox to a 3-3 deadlock through 6 innings but Bobby Jenks (0-1, 8.31 ERA) coughed up the game by allowing 4 runs in the top of the seventh. The Sox fought back with 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth but couldn't finish the comeback. Jon Rauch slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox slide continued with a 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

                                              Red Sox fans sending a message to their team

Buchholz took the mound in the top of the first inning and walked Yunel Escobar on four pitches to start. Corey Patterson lined out to a running Jacoby Ellsbury but Jose Bautista walked. Adam Lind looked to have hit a 3 run homer but replays show the ball was foul by about 3 feet. The umpires got together and ruled the ball foul much to the chagrin of Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell. Lind eventually moved both runners over with a groundout and Aaron Hill struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                 "Its foul, John. Now beat it!"

Cecil cruised in the bottom of the first as Carl Crawford looked to have beat out a grounder to first but was called out. Replays showed Crawford was safe but oh well. Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging on a pitch up and away and Adrian Gonzalez popped up to third to end the inning.

Buchholz cruised in the top of the second inning as JP Arencebia struck out swinging to start. Travis Snider grounded out to first and Juan Rivera hit a broken bat grounder to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Kevin Youkilis walked to start. David Ortiz popped up to left and JD Drew hit a routine fly to Snider but he almost collided with Patterson, causing Snider to drop the ball for an error. Jarrod Saltalamacchia took strike three but Marco Scutaro walked to load the bases. Ellsbury struck out swinging to end the inning, what a waste.

                                                           Whoops!

Jayson Nix led off the top of the third with a ground out to short and Pedroia made a great throw to rob Escobar of an infield hit. Patterson tried to bunt his way on but Buchholz threw him out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third although Crawford popped up to Nix in foul territory to start. Pedroia then smashed a home run into the Monster seats to give the Sox the lead. Gonzalez walked and Youkilis then smashed a home run to dead center to increase the lead. Ortiz drew a walk but Drew flied out to center. Saltalamacchia popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                 Youkilis goes yard

Buchholz kept the lead in the top of the fourth as Bautista grounded out to third to start. Ellsbury banged into the centerfield wall to rob Lind of a triple but Hill beat out an infield single to short. Hill swiped second but Arencebia grounded out to third to end the inning. Scutaro was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start the bottom of the first and Ellsbury popped up to Nix. Crawford grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the fifth as Snider popped up to third to start. Rivera and Nix drew back to back walks and moved into scoring position on the grounder by Escobar. Patterson then tripled into the right field corner to drive in both runs. Bautista whiffed to end the inning but the Jays were down 3-2.

                                                   Patterson with a triple

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Pedroia flied out to left to start. Gonzalez went down hacking and Youkilis popped up to second to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the sixth as Lind walked to start. Hill dropped a base hit to left and curiously Sox manager Terry Francona pulled Buchholz.  Buchholz went just 5 plus innings and would be charged with 3 runs. Alfredo Aceves came in and got Arencebia to bang into a double play but Snider doubled off the scoreboard to score Lind with the tying run. Rivera grounded out to short to end the inning but the game was tied 3-3.

                                                     Buchholz wasn't good enough

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Ortiz lined out to right to start. Drew tried to drop down a bunt but Cecil snuffed it out and Saltalamacchia took strike three to end the inning.

Bobby Jenks came in to crap his pants in the top of  the seventh as Nix walked to start. Escobar hit a seeing eye single to left to advance Nix to third but Jenks struck out Patterson swinging. Bautista singled to left to score Nix to give the Jays the lead. Lind singled home Escobar and the boo birds came out. Bautista and Lind pulled off a double steal and Bautista scored on a wild pitch. Hill singled to left to score Lind and chase the incompetent Jenks from the game. Felix Doubrtont came in and got Arencebia to fly out to center, but Hill stole second. Snider grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays ahead 7-3.

                                                           Jays take the lead

Jason Frasor came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Scutaro grounded out to third to start. Ellsbury hit a pop up that drew three defenders in but no one made the catch for a "single". Ellsbury took off for second and Arencebia threw the ball into center, letting Ellsbury take third on the error. Crawford popped up to shallow left which turned out to be a big out and Pedroia grounded out to second to end the inning.

Dan Wheeler came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rivera popped up to second to start. Nix struck out swinging and Escobar took strike three to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth against Mark Rzepczynski although Gonzalez grounded out to first to start. Youkilis and Ortiz drew back to back walks but Drew struck out swinging. Jed Lowrie pinch hit for Saltalmacchia and a wild pitch moved everyone up before Lowrie singled in the hole at third to score Youkilis. Casey Jannsen came in to pitch and Scutaro doubled over the head of Snider to the wall, clearing the bases to cut the lead. With a chance to tie the game...Ellsbury flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 7-6.

                                                                 Sox fight back

Jason Varitek took over behind the plate, Lowrie moved to short and Jonathan Papelbon came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Patterson grounded out to first but Bautista walked. Lind hit a bullet to Youk who doubled off Bautista at first to end the inning. Jon Rauch came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Crawford was booed as he struck out swinging to start. Pedroia grounded out to short and Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the game. The Jays had won it 7-6 and the Sox have lost 10 of their first 12 games.

                                                           Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Bobby Jenks. He allowed 4 runs in the seventh inning to put the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.

                                                       Jenks The Jackass

The Good:

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, a 2 run home run and 2 runs scored.

David Ortiz walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Jed Lowrie singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Marco Scutaro was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Felix Doubront got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

JD Drew was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Carl Crawford was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Clay Buchholz was charged with 3 runs in just 5 plus innings to earn a no-decision.

Alfredo Aceves allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning.

Honorable Mention:

Jason Varitek caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

At the end of tonight's game, Sox fans booed the team off the field. Maybe that will send a message to these guys to turn the season around. Who would have ever thought a team that was this aggressive in the off-season would fall flat on their face? Then again, the Seattle Mariners did the exact same thing last year when they loaded up only to implode. I don't see the Sox players fighting with Terry Francona around. Terry's won 2 rings and knows how to handle egos so at least there shouldn't be world war 3 in the dugout....we hope. Tonight's game was just a new way to lose as Jenks got lit up for the first time all year and the Sox fell a run short of tying it. The Sox starters barely going 5 innings has been a problem the first few weeks of the season because it leaves the door for the bullpen to blow it, like tonight. Again, this team is way too talented to suck this badly so they have to come out of it eventually. Josh Beckett (1-1) has been the stopper for the last four years and the Sox will look to him to pull them out of the rut tomorrow afternoon against the Blue Jays. Jo-Jo Reyes goes for the Jays and the game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.