Mariners Blank Red Sox (4/30/11)

The good news was the Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of their second round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox were shut out by the Seattle Mariners. The horrible month of April is finally over for the Sox and naturally it ended with yet another loss. Doug Fister of the Mariners tossed 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and Mariners bullpen completed the shutout afterwards. John Lackey (2-3, 5.65 ERA) was game by allowing just 2 runs in 6 innings, but those two runs just happened to be the difference. The Sox had chances to take the lead early and tie the game but couldn't get it done as the Mariners beat Boston 2-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Lackey got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ichiro Suzuki dropped a base hit to center to start. Chone Figgins took strike three but Ichiro swiped second. Lackey then turned and fired the ball 100 feet over the head of shortstop Jed Lowrie and Ichiro made it to third on the error. Milton Bradley took strike three and Miguel Olivo grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew their only chance to take the lead in the bottom of the first against Fister as Jacoby Ellsbury walked to start. Ellsbury was erased on the Dustin Pedroia force but Adrian Gonzalez dropped a base hit to center. Kevin Youkilis walked but David Ortiz struck out swinging. JD Drew flied out to center to end the inning, what a waste.

Justin Smoak struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Jack Cust walked. Michael Saunders popped up to Youkilis and Brendan Ryan grounded out to second to end the inning. Jed Lowrie led off the top of the second inning by taking strike three. Carl Crawford grounded out to first and Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined out to left to end the inning.

The Mariners struck first in the top of the third as Jack Wilson popped up to first to start. Ichiro walked and Figgins singled him to third before Suzuki scored on the Bradley double to left. Olivo grounded out to third and Bradley started screaming at the second base umpire for absolutely no reason. Bradley had to be carried out by the third base coach kicking and screaming as Ryan Langerhans pinch ran for Bradley. Smoak grounded out to first to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 1-0.

                                          Bradley puts the Mariners on top....before he was ejected

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Ellsbury doubled to right to start. Pedroia grounded out to third, Gonzalez struck out swinging and Youkilis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lackey got in trouble in the top of the fourth as Cust walked to start. Saunders flied out to left and Ryan popped up to first, but Wilson got a hit just out of the reach of Pedroia to move Cust to third. Ichiro grounded into a force to end the inning. Ortiz struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Drew grounded out to second. Lowrie doubled to right but Crawford popped up to right to end the inning.

Figgins singled to center to start the top of the fifth but Langerhans flied out to left. Olivo flied out to the centerfield warning track and Smoak grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fifth as Saltalamacchia doubled to left to start. Ellsbury and Pedroia drew back to back walks to load the bases but Gonzalez hit a bullet to second, doubling off Jacoby for the double play. Youkilis popped up to first to end the inning, what a squander.

                                                            Yerrrrrr out!

The Mariners struck again in the top of the sixth as Cust and Saunders stroked back to back base hits to left to start. Ryan dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and Wilson scored Cust with a sac fly to center. Ichiro walked but Figgins grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Lackey who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings but left trailing 2-0.

                                              Lackey battled but left trailing

The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the sixth as Ortiz popped up to Ichiro to start. Drew doubled to center and moved to third on the Lowrie fly ball to the centerfield warning track. Crawford walked and that was it for Fister. Aaron Laffey came in and Saltlamacchia hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Hideki Okajima came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning and Langerhans grounded back to him to start. Olivo grounded out to third and Smoak struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew yet another rally in the bottom of the seventh as Ellsbury's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Laffey to start. Pedroia grounded out to short. Gonzalez walked and Youkilis doubled to left to put the tying runs on. Marco Scutaro pinch ran for Youkilis but Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning.

Okajima returned for the top of the eighth and Cust grounded into the shift to start. Saunders popped up a bunt to Okajima and that was it for him. Dan Wheeler came in and got Ryan to pop up to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Drew flied out to center to start. Lowrie grounded out to third and Crawford flied out to center to end the inning.

Wheeler came back for the top of the ninth and Wilson grounded out to Scutaro to start. Ichiro singled to center and stole second on the Figgins swinging strikeout. Langerhans popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox pitchers had held the Mariners to just 2 runs in 9 innings, what a waste. Mariners closer Brandon League came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Saltalamacchia singled to right to start. Ellsbury banged into a double play and Pedroia flied out to right to end the game. The Mariners had won it 2-0.

                                                                  Mariners win
                                                    

Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and left men on base all night.

                                                 Ortiz the unclutch Jackass

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

Adrian Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but John Lackey tossed 6 solid innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 7 hits and 4 walks.

Hideki Okajima tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Dan Wheeler tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 but walked.

JD Drew was just 1 for 4.

Jed Lowrie was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carl Crawford was 0 for 3 but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Marco Scutaro was used as a pinch runner and played short in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Finally this god awful month is over. How fitting that in the wake of the worst start possible the Sox would get shut out in the final game of the month? A season that had so much promise after the Adrian Gonzalez trade and Carl Crawford signing has completely gone up in smoke. The Sox lost 15 of their first 26 games in every way imaginable and there seems to be no end in sight. They are absolutely dreadful with runners in scoring position and if its the not the starters stinking the joint out, the bullpen ruins the good starts. Tonight's game was a microcosm as everyone had no problems getting on base but couldn't do a damn thing once guys were on. Lackey pitched a good, determined game and Wheeler & Okajima kept the M's off the scoreboard, it just wasn't enough since the Sox bats couldn't generate any offense. The month ends with the Sox at 11-15 and the news doesn't get any better. Clay Buchholz will not make the start tomorrow afternoon and will be replaced by Tim Wakefield as he goes up against AL Cy Young champion Felix Hernandez of the Mariners. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Shutout, Sweep Angels (4/24/11)

It was a great Easter Sunday for the city of Boston. The Boston Celtics swept the New York Knicks out of the first round of the NBA playoffs with their game 4 victory and the Boston Red Sox completed a 4 game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in dominating fashion. After Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched a one hit shutout yesterday, John Lackey (2-2, 6.35 ERA) matched the effort with 8 shutout innings of his own. Lackey wasn't as dominant as Dice K but still scattered just 6 hits and no runs. The offense was a balanced attack led by Carl Crawford's 2 run home run and Adrian Gonzalez's 3 hits and 2 rbis. Things are coming up Boston lately from all 3 major sports on right now and the Sox are now on a winning streak after beating the Angels 7-0 at Angel Stadium.

                                                           Paul Pierce approves of the win

The Sox iced the game early against Angels starter Matt Palmer as Jacoby Ellsbury doubled into the right field corner to start. Dustin Pedroia flied out to left but Adrian Gonzalez scored Ellsbury with a double to center. Kevin Youkilis walked and David Ortiz lined a base hit to left to score Gonzalez with another run. Youk moved to third on the hit and he scored on the rbi grounder by Mike Cameron to increase the lead. Carl Crawford grounded into a force to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 3-0.

                                                   Sox go up big early

Lackey got the ball in the bottom of the first and Erick Aybar tried to bunt his way on but Youkilis snuffed it out. Bobby Abreu singled to center but Torii Hunter flied out to right. Alberto Callaspo singled off the glove of Pedroia but Ellsbury made a leaping catch to rob Vernon Wells of a hit to end the inning.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Scutaro walked. Ellsbury forced Scutaro at second and Ellsbury was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.

                                                               Yerrrr out!

Lackey turned up the heat in the bottom of the second as Howie Kendrick struck out swinging to start. Mark Trumbo took strike three and Jeff Mathis struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Pedroia was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Gonzalez took strike three and Youkilis flied out to right to end the inning. Peter Bourjos caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single up the third base line to start the bottom of the third. Aybar beat out a fielder's choice but Abreu banged into a double play. Hunter was plunked but Callaspo flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Cameron flied out to center and Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning. Lackey cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Wells grounded out to short to start. Kendrick flied out to center and Trumbo went down swinging to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fifth although Saltalamacchia grounded out to first to start. Scutaro singled to left and Ellsbury singled him to third with a base hit to right. Pedroia scored Scutaro with a sac fly to left and Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 4-0.

                                                     Scutaro scores a run

Mathis flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but Bourjos singled to center. Aybar struck out swinging and Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Youkilis singled up the middle to chase Palmer. Hisanori Takahashi came in and walked Ortiz, but Cameron banged into a double play. Crawford then smashed his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                      Crawford with his first home run

Lackey cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Hunter flied out to center to start. Callaspo also flied out to center and Wells flied out to center to end the busy inning for Ellsbury.

Francisco Rodriguez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Scutaro singled in the hole at short to begin. Ellsbury struck out swinging and Pedroia advanced Scutaro to second with a grounder to second. Gonzalez hit a grounder through the hole at third to score Scutaro and he took second on the throw home. Youkilis walked but Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                            Gonzalez drives in a run

Lackey got Kendrick to to ground out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Trumbo popped up to second. Mathis singled to left and took second on a wild pitch, but Bourjos took strike three to end the inning.

Reggie Willits came in for Wells, Bobby Wilson came in for Hunter and Rich Thompson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Cameron struck out swinging to start. Crawford singled to right but Saltalamacchia flied out to center. Scutaro also flied out to center to end the inning. Lackey returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Aybar singled to right to start. Abreu popped up to short but Wilson walked. Callaspo popped up to short and Willits flied out to center to end the inning. Lackey was outstanding, tossing 8 shutout innings while allowing just 6 hits.

                                               Lackey gets the job done

Ellsbury took strike three to open the top of the ninth and Pedroia struck out swinging. Gonzalez singled to right but Youk struck out swinging to end the inning. Dan Wheeler came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Kendrick grounded out to second to start. Trumbo struck out swinging and Mathis flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won their second consecutive shutout 7-0.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is John Lackey. He tossed 8 shutout innings while allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out 6.

                                                        John Hero

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

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

Carl Crawford was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Marco Scutaro was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

THIS was the team Sox fans envisioned going into the season. Not a single automatic out and great starting pitching. This week especially showed how great the starters can be if they lock in and today was no different. This was one of Lackey's best starts in Boston since he's been here and this is what they were expecting out of him last season. Better late than never for both Lackey and the Boston bats which now is a well oiled machine. Barring injury, this team is loaded for bear and its only a matter of time before they streak right by the New York Yankees in the AL East. The Yankees are good but the Sox look unbeatable right now. Its only April and the Sox got off to a really bad start but when everyone plays to their full potential. this is a very dangerous team. Good to see Crawford hit his first home run as he's the only one who hasn't lived up to expectations yet. He's too good not to deliver so this could be the start. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to Baltimore for a four game set with the Orioles. Clay Buchholz (1-2) looks to keep the starting pitching hot streak going when he takes on Zack Britton of the O's on Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Camden Yards.

Sox Blanked By A's (4/19/11)

The good news is the great starting pitching the Boston Red Sox got in their series with the Toronto Blue Jays carried over to their game tonight with the Oakland A's. The bad news was they left their bats and reliable bullpen back in Boston. John Lackey (1-2, 9.82 ERA) tossed 6 solid innings of 1 run ball to keep the Sox in the game. The problem was the Sox bats were blanked by Brett Anderson and old friend Craig Breslow. The wheels fells off in the bottom of the eighth when Dan Wheeler, Hideki Okajima and Alfredo Aceves were all smacked around by the A's, turning a winnable 1-0 game into a five run deficit with just 3 outs to go. Naturally the Sox failed to rally in the ninth and the Sox had been shutout by the A's 5-0 at Oakland Coliseum. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Anderson got the ball in the top of the first and Jed Lowrie struck out swinging to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second but Adrian Gonzalez singled off the right field wall. Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning. The A's wasted no time getting to Lackey with small ball in the bottom of the first as old friend Coco Crisp singled to left to start. Crisp stole second and Daric Barton moved him to third with a grounder to second. Crisp scored on the grounder by David DeJesus to put the A's up for good. Jack Willingham popped up to first to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                         Crisp starts the rally

The Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second inning as David Ortiz grounded out to first to start. Mike Cameron grounded out to short and Carl Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning. Hideki Matsui flied out to left to start the bottom of the second and Kurt Suzuki popped up to second. Mark Ellis doubled over the head of Crawford and moved to third on a passed ball, but Kevin Kouzmanoff struck out swinging to end the inning.

Anderson cruised in the top of the third as Jarrod Saltalmacchia grounded out to short to start. Darnell McDonald whiffed on a curveball down and in before Lowrie flied out to left to end the inning. Lackey cruised in the bottom of the third as Cliff Pennington grounded out to second to start. Crisp grounded out to short and Barton popped up to left to end the inning.

Pedroia walked to start but got picked off by Anderson. Sox manager Terry Francona came out to argue that it should have been a balk and was given the heave-ho by umpire Jim Reynolds. Gonzalez and Youkilis both struck out swinging to end the inning. What mayhem!

                        "THAT WAS A BALK YOU INCOMPETENT OLD SOW!!" - Francona

Lackey dominated the bottom of the fourth as DeJesus flied out to left to start. Willingham took strike three and Matsui struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt again in the top of the fifth as Ortiz grounded out to second to start. Cameron grounded out to third and Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning. Lackey did what he could in the bottom of the fifth as Suzuki popped up to short to start. Ellis walked and Kouzmanoff singled to left but Pennington popped up to short. Crisp grounded out to second to end the inning.

Saltalamacchia grounded back to the mound to start the top of the sixth before McDonald flied out to right. Lowrie struck out swinging to end the inning. Lackey returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth as Barton grounded out to second to start. DeJesus dropped a hit in front of Crawford but Willingham popped up to first. Matsui lined out to right to end the inning. Lackey pitched very well but got no run support, lasting 6 innings while allowing just the one run.

                                                         Lackey deserved better

The Sox failed to pick up Lackey in the top of the seventh as Pedroia flied out to center to start. Gonzalez reached on a bobbled grounder to Anderson who threw the ball away for an error. Youkilis banged into a double play to end the inning. Dan Wheeler came in for the bottom of the seventh and cruised. Suzuki flied out to right before Ellis and Kouzmanoff both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew their only rally in the top of the eighth as Ortiz singled through the shift to start. Jacoby Ellsbury pinch ran for Ortiz but was called out on batter's interference when Cameron got in the way of Suzuki after striking out. Ellsbury getting called out loomed large as Crawford and Saltalmacchia both got back to back base hits. The rally ended as McDonald struck out swinging to end the inning....why didn't JD Drew pinch hit? The bullpen fell apart in the bottom of the eighth as Wheeler gave up a leadoff double to center. Hideki Okajima made his season debut by crapping his pants, allowing Pennington to steal third. Crisp lined out to center but Barton dropped a base hit to center to score Pennington. DeJesus struck out looking but Willingham walked. Matsui reached into his Yankee past to double to right to score both runners and ice the game. That was it for Okajima as Alfredo Aceves came in to pitch and Suzuki singled to right to score Matsui to wrap up the scoring. Ellis hit a routine grounder to Youk but his throw pulled Pedroia off the bag for an error. Kouzmanoff grounded out to third to end the inning with the A's ahead 5-0.

                                                    "Oh that was very bad..." - Okajima

Old buddy Craig Breslow came in to close out the top of the ninth and Lowrie grounded out to third to start. Pedroia walked and Gonzalez singled to left to chase Breslow. Brian Fuentes came in and Youkilis flied out to left. Ellsbury popped up to Pennington to end the game. The A's blanked the Red Sox 5-0.

                                                        A's win

Jackass of the Night is Hideki Okajima. He allowed an inherited runner to score and was charged with 3 of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                           Okie Dokie Jackass

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia walked twice in four plate appearances.

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3.

Carl Crawford was 1 for 3.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 3.

One of the rate times the losing pitcher is on the Good list but John Lackey tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 4 hits and a walk while striking out 3.

The Bad:

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Dan Wheeler was charged with a run in 1 plus innings.

Alfredo Aceves allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

It seems like the Sox like to take 2 steps forward and a giant leap back so far this season. They drop their first 6 games but take two of 3 from the Yankees. They fall to 2-9 then take 3 out of 4 from the Blue Jays...only to fall flat on their face in Oakland tonight. The bats couldn't miss against the Jays but they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn tonight. Again, the Sox are way too loaded offensively to have too many games like this but this was BAD. Its sad to see Okajima's career go up in flames but he's clearly not the same pitcher he was in 07 and 08. Its one thing if he was young, but he was older even then. The Sox may need to cut him loose if he can't get back to 2009 form, let alone 07 or 08. Lackey finally looked good and the rotation has finally turned it around, its too bad the bullpen and bats let him down tonight. What can you do but tip your cap to Brett Anderson and say hey, ya got us. Francona getting tossed trying to protect his cribbage partner was pretty funny though. Its a shame the Sox lost because the Boston Celtics took Game 2 of their first round playoff series against the New York Knicks tonight. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against Oakland when Clay Buchholz (1-2) takes the hill against Gio Gonzalez of the A's. The game begins at 3:30 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

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.

Indians Drop Sox, Streak Reaches 5 (4/6/11)

Another game, another loss for the Boston Red Sox as the season continues to get out of hand before it really starts. Tonight it was Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 5.40 ERA) who got the short end of the stick against the Cleveland Indians. Dice K allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings and the Sox offense was again dormant in the clutch. The Sox bullpen was lit up for 5 runs as Dennys Reyes, Dan Wheeler and Tim Wakefield got tagged again. This all led to the Sox 5th straight loss and an Indians 8-4 win at Jacobs Field.

                                                      "WIN SOME GAMES FOR ONCE!"

Indians starter Mitch Talbot faced Jacoby Ellsbury to open the game and struck him out swinging. Carl Crawford stepped in and singled off of Talbot's glove. Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging bringing up Adrian Gonzalez. Crawford stole second cleanly but it didn't matter because Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Dice K took the mound and promptly gave up a leadoff single to right by Michael Brantley. Asdrubal Cabrera flied out to left bringing up Sin Soo Choo. The Sox pitching staff continued to give up long balls as Choo blasted a homer to centerfield to give the Indians the lead just like that. Carlos Santana flied out to center but Travis Haffner worked a 10 pitch walk. Orlando Cabrera was then hit by a pitch as Red Sox Nation groaned. Dice K Disease was striking early but it ended when Travis Buck flied out to left to end the ining with the Indians up 2-0.

                                                          Indians strike first

The Sox rallied in the top of the second although Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short to start. David Ortiz and JD Drew stroked back to back singles before Jason Varitek walked to load the bases. Marco Scutaro hit a Texas Leaguer to score Ortiz and Ellsbury scored Drew with a groundout to first to tie the game. Crawford lined out to third to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       Ortiz scores a run

Unfortunately, Dice K couldn't keep the Indians at bay in the bottom of the second. Matt Laporta led off with a single to center but Jack Hannahan flied out to center. Brantley walked and Asdrubal Cabrera singled home Laporta to give Cleveland the lead back. Choo grounded into a double play to end the inning but the Indians re-took the lead 3-2.

                                                            Indians take the lead

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Pedroia was hit by a pitch to start. Gonzalez doubled him to third and it looked like the Sox would tie the game. Then the Sox inability to hit in the clutch struck again as Youkilis whiffed and Ortiz lined out softly to short. Drew watched strike three go by to end the inning but Talbot was now up to 72 pitches after 3 innings. Dice K made short work of the Indians in the bottom of the third by striking out Santana looking on 3 pitches to start. He struck out Hafner swinging in 4 and getting Orlando Cabrera to fly out to left in 3 to end the inning.

Varitek led off the top of the fourth by flying out to center then Scutaro struck out on swinging on 9 pitches. Ellsbury took strike three to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Buck led off with a fly out to center and Laporta hit one up the elevator shaft. Hannahan walked but Brantley grounded out to first to end the inning as Dice K looked to be cruising.

Crawford led off the inning with a walk and promptly stole second. Pedroia moved him over to third with a ground out and Gonzalez was intentionally walked. That was it for Talbot as Chad Durbin came in to pitch to Youkilis. Youk's slump continued as he struck out swinging. Indians manager Manny Acta replaced Durbin with Rafael Perez and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Dice K got Asdrubal Cabrera and Choo to ground out to Pedroia then the wheels almost fell off. Santana and Haffner stroked back to back singles after it looked to have been a strike 3 call on Santana. Luckily Orlando Cabrera grounded out to second to end the inning but that was it for Dice K. He threw 96 pitches

                                                                Dice K battled

Perez cruised in the top of the sixth as Drew struck out swinging to start. Varitek flied out to right and Scutaro took strike three to end the inning. The Indians put the game out of reach in the bottom of the inning thanks to some boneheaded baseball by the Sox. Dennys Reyes relieved Dice K and plunked Buck and Laporta to start. Hannahan walked to load the bases with nobody out. Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough and sent for Dan Wheeler. Dan got Brantley to hit a grounder to Youkilis who stepped on third and fired home. Varitek touched the plate but had forgotten its not a force play and Buck was safe with another run. Asdrubal Cabrera cleared the bases with a towering shot to right field to put the game out of reach. Choo grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was decided 7-2.

                                   "He's safe you dummy, ya forgot to tag him!" - Dale Scott

Frank Hermann came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox tried to come back. Ellsbury took strike three but Crawford singled in the hole at short. Pedroia flied out to right but Gonzalez smashed his first home run of the season to cut the lead. How important was the home run by Cabrera now? Youkilis popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 7-4.

                                                  Adrian's first Sox home run

Tim Wakefield held the fort in the bottom of the seventh as Hafner struck out swinging to start. Orlando Cabrera  popped up to first and Buck grounded out to second to end the inning.

Tony Sipp came in for the top of the eighth and Ortiz hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Mike Cameron pinch hit for Drew and flied out to center. Jed Lowrie pinch hit for Varitek and flied out to left to end the inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia took over behind the plate for the bottom of the eighth and Laporta settled matters with a home run to Jupiter to wrap up the scoring. Hannahan grounded out to second, Brantley struck out swinging and Asdrubal Cabrera flied out to left to end the inning with the Indians up 8-4.

                                                     Wakefield gives up a run

Vinnie Pestano came in to close out the top of the ninth and the Sox went quietly. Scutaro flied out to right, Ellsbury grounded out to second and Crawford lined out to left to end the game. The Sox dropped to 0-5 with an 8-4 loss.

                                                             Sox lose again

Jackass of the Night is Dan Wheeler. Yes, Reyes loaded the bases and Varitek's mental error didn't help but the three run homer by Cabrera was the difference in the game.

                                                          Jackass Wheeler

The Good:

Carl Crawford was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases and a run scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run homer.

JD Drew was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

The Bad:

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Dennis Reyes was charged with 3 runs after hitting 2 batters and walking one.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 2 with a boneheaded play at home but walked.

Marco Scutaro was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Daisuke Matsuzaka took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 5 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks.

Tim Wakefield allowed a run in two innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia caught the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

In the first five games, the Red Sox as a pitching staff had given up 15 home runs while the offense were even worse with runners on base. All 5 starters have been defeated and none of them looked particularly good. Its only April but after last year's injury plagued year left a bad taste in the fans' collective mouths, this was NOT the way to win rapport. Especially since this was touted by radio jocks as the "best team evah". That Varitek blunder was little league, you'd think he'd know better to tag the damn runner. Not that it mattered since Cabrera was going to hit a home run to Sri Lanka anyway but at least it would have been a more interesting game. The losses are piling up and the Sox have to win eventually...right? The Sox look to avoid their second straight sweep when Jon Lester (0-1) looks to improve on his Opening Day outing when he takes on Fausto Carmona of the Indians tomorrow afternoon. The game begins at 1:05 PM Eastern time at Progressive Field.