Yankees Smash Doubront, Sox (4/24/14)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Alex Wilson was sent down to Worcester and the Red Sox finally activated Shane Victorino. The Sox need Victorino's bat since the rest of the outfield have underperformed so far this season. The sooner he can regain his rhythm, the better the offense will be.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                            IN

The good news was the Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of their first round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox got their brains beaten in by an angry New York Yankees team. After social media had a field day calling the Yankees cheaters and flim-flammers for the shenanigans of Michael Pineda in last night's game, the Yankees took it out on the Red Sox, pounding Felix Doubront (1-3, 6.00 ERA) and the Boston bullpen for 14 hits and 14 runs. Meanwhile Yankees ace CC Sabathia held the Sox bats to just 2 runs in 6 innings. The Sox got three runs off Shane Greene but it wasn't nearly enough as the Yankees crushed the Sox 14-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                    "Allowing 14 runs to the Yankees...."

The Yankees wasted no time getting to Doubront in the top of the first inning as Jacoby Ellsbury took strike three to start. Derek Jeter grounded back to the mound and Carlos Beltran hit a routine grounder to Xander Bogaerts....off his hand for an error. Naturally Alfonso Soriano doubled off the bullpen wall to score Beltran, putting the Yankees up for good four batters into the game. A passed ball moved Soriano to third and Mark Teixeira walked. Brian McCann lined out to center to end the inning.

                                                         "I don't got it" - Bogaerts

Sabatahia got the ball in the bottom of the first as Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second to start. Shane Victorino struck out swinging but David Ortiz was hit with a pitch. Mike Napoli grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the second as Brett Gardner walked to start. Brian Roberts hit a routine grounder to Brock Holt who threw to second.....dropped by Pedroia for an error. A wild pitch moved the runners over and Yangervis Solarte doubled down the left field line to score both runners and ice the game. Ellsbury grounded out to second to move Solarte to third and Jeter hit a ball off of Holt for a "single" to put runners at the corners. It looked like Beltran was hit with a pitch to load the bases but the pitch went to the backstop. Yankees manager Joe Girardi challenged that it was a wild pitch and Yankees manag...errrr Head of MLB Operations Joe Torre DEMANDED the call changed, and sure enough....Solarte was sent home as a run scored with Jeter going to second. Beltran grounded out to third but Jeter moved to third on the play. Soriano lined out to right to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.

                                                        A comedy of errors

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Jonny Gomes walked to start. Bogaerts forced him at second but Holt walked as well. David Ross lined out to third and Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees finished off Doubront in the top of the third as Teixeira hit a home run all the way to Sweden to increase the lead. McCann grounded out to second and Gardner hit a routine grounder to Doubront who bobbled it for the third error in the game. Gardner swiped second and third before scoring on the Roberts base hit to center. Solarte popped up to third but Roberts stole second as the boo's rained down. Ellsbury doubled to center to score Roberts and Sox manager John Farrell had had enough of Doubront. The errors didn't help but he still allowed 7 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Burke Badenhop came in to pitch and Jeter took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 7-0.

                                                       "Not your night, Felix" - Farrell

The Sox did rally in the bottom of the third as Pedroia walked to start. Victorino doubled off the third base bag and Ortiz hit a sac fly to center to score Pedroia. Napoli grounded out to short but Gomes doubled to center to score Victorino. A wild pitch moved Gomes to third but Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 7-2.

                                                      Gomes drives in a run

Beltran lined out to third to start the top of the fourth but Soriano doubled down the left field line. Teixeira flied out to center and McCann was intentionally walked. Gardner lined out to left to end the inning. Holt grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth and Ross took strike three. JBJ was hit with a pitch but Pedroia watched strike three go by to end the inning.

The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Roberts grounded out to second to start. Solarte grounded back to the mound and Ellsbury grounded out to second to end the inning. Victorino flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Ortiz struck out swinging. Napoli took strike three to end the inning.

Jeter grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Badenhop. He put the fire out  big time and Craig Breslow came in to pitch to Beltran. Carlos doubled off the Monster but Soriano flied out to right. Teixeira grounded out to third to end the inning. Gomes watched strike three go by to begin the bottom of the sixth but Bogaerts beat out a roller to third. Holt took strike three and Ross forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning.

The Sox fell apart in the top of the seventh as McCann got an opposite field base hit to left to start. Gardner walked and Roberts hit a grounder to Holt....who booted it for yet another error. The floodgates opened as Solarte got a base hit to right to score McCann and Garnder. Ellsbury hit a ground rule double down the right field line to score Roberts and Jeter singled to center to score Solarte and Ellsbury. Beltran forced Jeter at second but Soriano walked. Teixeira walked and FINALLY Farrell pulled the incompetent Breslow. Edward Mujica came in and McCann popped up to third in foul territory. Gardner grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 12-2 Yankees.

                                                           They can't do anything right.

The Sox did rally in the bottom of the seventh against Shane Greene making his major league debut. JBJ walked to start and Pedroia hit a routine grounder to Jeter. Jeter went OLE! for an error to move JBJ to third. Bradley scored on a passed ball and Pedroia moved up to second on the play. Victorino struck out swinging and Jonathan Herrera pinch hit for Ortiz with the game already over. Herrera walked and Napoli walked as well to load the bases to chase Greene. Adam Warren came in and Gomes hit a sac fly to right to score Pedroia, moving Herrera to third. Bogaerts doubled to center to score Herrera but Holt lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 12-5.

                                                      Bogaerts drives in a run

The Yankees struck back in the top of the eighth as Roberts lined one over the head of Pedroia into right to start. Solarte flied out to center but Ellsbury doubled off the Monster. A wild pitch scored Roberts and Jeter walked, but Beltran hit one up the elevator shaft. Soriano grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 13-5.

                                                          Another run scored

Ichiro Suzuki took over for Beltran to start the bottom of the eighth and Ross lined out to right to start. JBJ watched strike three go by and Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Mike Carp the infielder came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Herrera came in to play second to Pedroia. Teixeira walked to start but McCann grounded into a double play to make the remaining fans laugh. Gardner, Roberts and Solarte all walked to load the bases then Ellsbury walked to score Gardner. Kelly Johnson pinch hit for Jeter and hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Yankees up 14-5.

                                                              Not exactly Koji Uehara

John Ryan Murphy came in for Teixeira with David Robertson now on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Victorino grounded out to third, Herrera flied out to center and Napoli grounded out to second to end the game. The Yankees had won it 14-5.

                                                              Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Felix Doubront. He got hammered for 7 runs in 2 2/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                                    Jackass Doubront

The Good:

David Ortiz was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Jonathan Herrera walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.

Jonnny Gomes was 1 for 2 with with a walk and 2 rbis.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Burke Badenhop tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Ross was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Carp got tagged for a run in the ninth inning as a pitcher.

Craig Breslow allowed 5 runs in an inning.

Edward Mujica allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but walked and scored two runs.

Shane Victorino was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was quite possibly Boston's worst game all season. Not just the incompetent pitching but all the errors early in the game that could have avoided the rallies to put the Sox in the hole they weren't able to get out of. Its been a microcosm of the season as the pitching has been mostly wretched but the offense has completely evaporated. The Sox only had 4 hits in the game and apart from Napoli and Bogaerts, not a single Sox starter is hitting over .257. That's a bad sign for the future, especially since they're the hunted this season. They snuck in the back door last year because nobody expected this team to gel together but this year, teams are going to be ready. The Yankees just blew their doors off in 2 out of 3 games at Fenway and Jacoby Ellsbury is making the Sox regret giving him up big time. Was he worth a 7 year deal? Hell no, but Grady Sizemore and Daniel Nava sure as hell isn't replacing him so far. Doubront looks like he took a step back as well but then again, NOBODY looked good tonight. It was all around bawful and the less said of this mess, the better. The Sox now travel to Toronto for a three game set with the Blue Jays. Tomorrow night Jake Peavy looks for this first win of the season against former Chicago White Sox ace Mark Buehrle. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Sox Drop O's With 7th Inning Rally (4/19/14)

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Red Sox finally defeated the Baltimore Orioles in a Saturday matinee. Felix Doubront and Bud Norris of the Orioles battled to a 2-2 tie after six innings. Nelson Cruz driving in both runs for Baltimore while Mike Napoli and David Ortiz provided the runs for Boston. In the bottom of the seventh, Brock Holt hit an rbi triple to put the Sox ahead. Junichi Tazawa (1-0, 0.00 ERA) shut the door in the eighth and his Orient Express partner Koji Uehara blanked the O's in the ninth. It added up to the Red Sox winning the game 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Phoebe Dollar approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Doubront in the top of the first as Nick Markakis got a base hit to center to start. Markakis stole second as Young struck out swinging but Adam Jones walked. Chris Davis took strike three but Nelson Cruz got a base hit to left to score Markakis. Matt Wieters struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                                 Cruz drives in a run

The Sox answered against Bud Norris in the bottom of the first as Grady Sizemore struck out swinging to start. Dustin Pedroia walked and David Ortiz singled off the Monster to move Dustin to third. Mike Napoli hit a routine grounder to Jonathan Schoop who bobbled it for an error to score Pedroia. Mike Carp hit into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

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

JJ Hardy grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Schoop took strike three. Lombardozzi grounded out to third to end the inning. David Ross struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Brock Holt also went down hacking. Jonathan Herrera popped up to short to end the inning.

Markakis struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Young grounded out to third. Jones flied out to right to end the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr led off the bottom of the third with a pop up to third before Sizemore flied out to left. Pedroia struck out swinging to end the inning.

Davis lined out to right to start the top of the fourth before Cruz grounded out to short. Wieters took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz launched his third home run of the season to put Boston on top. Napoli got a base hit up the middle but Carp grounded into a double play. Ross popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                          Home run Big Papi

Hardy led off the top of the fifth by striking out swinging before Schoop popped up to third. Lombardozzi lined out to center to end the inning. Holt grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Herrera flied out to left. JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The O's tied it in the top of the sixth as Markakis ripped a base hit to center to start. Young grounded into a double play. Jones doubled to left then stole third base. Davis was hit by a pitch then Cruz grounded out to third to end.....but wait! O's manager Buck Showalter challenged the call and New York Yankees manag.....err Head of MLB Operations Joe Torre DEMANDED the call be changed. Sure enough, the call was reversed and Jones scored to tie the game. Wieters hit a grounder to Holt who booted it for an error, but Hardy flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Tie goes to the runner

Sizemore flied out to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Pedroia doubled to center. Ortiz flied out to center and Napoli took strike three to end the inning.

Schoop grounded out to third to begin the top of the seventh and Lombardozzi popped up to first. Markakis walked and that was it for Doubront. Felix battled to allow just 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks. It was the Orient Express time as Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch and Young lined out to center to end the inning.

                                                          Good work by Doubront

The Sox took command in the bottom of the seventh as Carp walked to start but Norris threw high and in to Ross. Ross didn't like it and a shouting match occurred. When things calmed down Ross struck out swinging but Holt tripled to center to score Carp with the go-ahead run. That was it for Norris and Evan Meek (who shall not inherit the earth) came in to face Herrera. Herera dropped down a suicide squeeze bunt to score Holt out of nowhere but JBJ grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                            Holt gets it done

Tazawa returned for the top of the eighth with Jonny Gomes in for Carp, and Jones flied out to right to start. Davis struck out swinging and Cruz grounded out to third to end the inning. Ryan Webb came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Sizemore grounded out to second to start. Pedroia dumped a base hit to right but Ortiz lined out to center. Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning.

The other half of the Orient Express, Koji Uehara, came in to close out the top of the ninth. Wieters walked to start but Hardy struck out swinging. Schoop and Lombardozzi both went down hacking to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brock Holt. His rbi triple put the Sox up for good in the seventh.

                                                                 Hero Holt

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Felix Doubront tossed 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Junichi Tazawa got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Koji Uehara earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Grady Sizemore was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

David Ross was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Mike Carp was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Jonathan Herrera was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Jonny Gomes played left field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

That was a good win and Doubront deserved better. He had Markakis struck out but got squeezed big time. The Sox rally in the seventh would have given him the win. Either way the Sox got timely offense to win this one including shut down pitching at the end. Tazawa and Uehara were one of the main reasons the Sox went as far as they did last year and today they slammed the door on the Orioles. Offensively Holt gave the team a lift big time and if the Sox do decide to bring back Stephen Drew, at least Holt had one moment in the sun. The Sox need to go on a nice winning streak to get back over .500 so hopefully this was the start. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Baltimore tomorrow night when Jake Peavy of the Sox takes on Ubaldo Jimenez of the Orioles. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Nova, Yankees Edge Sox (4/13/14)

Looks like the magic of the 2013 season wore off in a hurry for the 2014 Boston Red Sox. The Sox have now lost eight of their first fourteen games including three out of four to the New York Yankees. Ian Nova stymied the Red Sox allowing just 2 runs while pitching into the eighth inning. Felix Doubront (1-2, 6.75) was game but surrendered three runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Sox jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Jonathan Herrera rbi single but Carlos Beltran hit a two run shot off Doubront in the bottom of the third. The Yankees made it 3-1 but Mike Napoli homered in the sixth to cut the lead to one. The Sox loaded the bases in the top of the eighth but couldn't deliver the knockout punch. The Yankees beat the Sox 3-2 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                 Losing three of four to the Yankees?

Nova got the ball in the top of the first inning and Grady Sizemore grounded out to short to start. Xander Bogaerts ripped a base hit to left but David Ortiz struck out swinging. Mike Napoli also struck out swinging to end the inning. Doubront got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brett Gardner led off to lining out to a running Daniel Nava to start. Carlos Beltran lined a base hit to left and Jacoby Ellsbury doubled down the right field line. Alfonso Soriano lined a ball to center and Beltran trotted home....but Ellsbury was thrown out at third by Bradley to end the inning before the runner scored.

                                                                   Yerrrr out!

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Daniel Nava grounded out to second to start. AJ Pierzynski struck out swinging but Ryan Roberts lined a base hit to left. Jackie Bradley Jr lined a ball off Nova into shallow right for a base hit to move Roberts to third. Jonathan Herrera lined a base hit to center to score Roberts to put the Sox on top. Sizemore dumped a base hit to left but JBJ was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Yerrrr out!

Brian McCann led off the bottom of the second and Yangervis Solarte grounded out to third. Kelly Johnson walked and took second on a wild pitch but Francisco Cervelli flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third as Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Ortiz grounded out to third and Napoli grounded out to short to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third as Anna grounded out to first to start. Gardner singled to right and Beltran hit a home run all the way to Nepal to put the Yankees up for good. Ellsbury grounded out to first and Soriano grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-1.

                                                           Home run Beltran

Nava hit a rocket to Ellsbury to start the top of the fourth before Pierzynski grounded out to second. Roberts lined a base hit to left and JBJ lined out to left to end the inning. The Yankees got another run in the bottom of the fourth as McCann walked to start. Solarte walked and Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves ran to the mound to tell Doubront what happened in the latest episode of Supernatural. Johnson forced Solarte at second and it looked like Cervelli banged into a double play to end the inning. Yankees manager Joe Girardi challenged that Cervelli was safe at first and former Yankees manager Joe Torre DEMANDED the call be changed. Sure enough, the call was overturned as Cervelli was safe and McCann scored to increase the lead. Sox manager John Farrell ran out of the dugout and shouted at the umpires causing him to be ejected. Apparently Cervelli was hurt on the play and Ichiro Suzuki pinch ran for him. Anna flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-1.

                                       "I've had it up to here with you divotheads!" - Farrell

Herrera lined out to short to start the top of the fifth but Sizemore singled to center. Bogaerts flied out to center and Ortiz flied out to the right field warning track to end the inning. Gardner singled to center to begin the bottom of the fifth and moved to second on a fly ball to deep center by Beltran. Ellsbury flied out to right and Soriano struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the sixth as Napoli smashed his third home run of the season to cut the lead. Nava flied out to center, Pierzynski grounded out to short and Roberts also grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                           Home run Napoli

McCann doubled to center to start the bottom of the sixth before moving to third on a grounder to short by Solarte. Johnson struck out swinging and Ichiro grounded out to second to end the inning. 

JBJ took strike three to start the top of the seventh before Herrera grounded out to third. Sizemore flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning. Anna flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Gardner lined out to a running Nava. Beltran doubled to left and that was it for Doubront. Felix fought well, going 6 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs off 7 hits and 3 walks. Chris Capuano came in to get Ellsbury to ground out to second to end the inning.

                                                            Doubront deserved better

Bogaerts flied out to right to start the top of the eighth and that was it for Nova. Matt Thornton came in to face Ortiz and Ichiro made a great jumping catch to rob Big Papi of extra bases. David Phelps was brought in to face Napoli and Gardner missed catching a "double" by Napoli. Nava walked and Pierzynski was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Acting Sox manager Torey Lovullo had Mike Carp pinch hit for Roberts but Mike struck out swinging to end the inning. Huge chance blown by the Sox there. Soriano flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth and McCann lined out to center. Solarte singled to center and Johnson grounded out to second to end the inning.

Shawn Kelley came in to close out the top of the ninth and JBJ struck out swinging to start. Herrera took strike three and Gardner made yet another diving catch on Sizemore to end the game. The Yankees played a flawless defensive game to win 3-2.

                                                                  Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is a tough one but I'll go with David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout in a one run game. One hit or home run might have been the difference.

                                                                   Jackass Ortiz

The Good:

Grady Sizemore was 2 for 5.

Mike Napoli was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Ryan Roberts was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Chris Capuano tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Mike Carp struck out swinging as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 3 but walked.

AJ Pierzynski was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jonathan Herrera was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Felix Doubront took the loss but pitched relatively well, tossing 6 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs. 

Final Thoughts:

The Sox had their chances but couldn't get it done when it counted. Its unfair to put too much blame on Carp because its very hard to come off the bench ice cold in the later innings and expect to produce. Still, the Yankees defense made a ton of great plays to rob the Sox of extra hits. Doubront pitched relatively well too so you just have to tip your cap to the Yankees for playing a great all around game. The Yankees took three of four and the Sox are in a bit of trouble moving forward. Usually the Sox come out like a house of fire against the Yankees in April but this time it was the other way around. There's still a series at Fenway coming up but still, this was no fluke. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox look to rebound in a three game set in Chicago against the White Sox. Jake Peavy goes for the Sox against Erik Johnson of Chicago on Tuesday night at 8:10 PM at Commiskey Park.

Rangers Outslug Sox at Fenway (4/8/14)

The 2014 Boston Red Sox seem to be stuck in a rut. A day after John Lackey pitches a good game, Felix Doubront (1-1, 9.00 ERA) craps his pants against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers lit up Felix for 5 runs and knocked him out in the third inning. Burke Badenhop and Brandon Workman also took a beating as the Rangers pounded out a total of 13 hits and 10 runs. The Sox offense woke up late to score 7 total runs but clearly it wasn't enough. The Rangers feasted on the Sox and won the game 10-7 at Fenway Park.

                                                    "CAN SOMEONE PITCH WELL!!!"

Doubront got the ball in the top of the first and Shin-Soo Choo led off by drawing a walk. Elvis Andrus dropped down a bunt to move Choo to second and Shin moved to third on the fly out to center by Prince Fielder. Adrian Beltre flied out to right to end the inning with Stevie Ray Vaughn's rendition of Voodoo Child blaring on the stadium speakers. Martin Perez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jonny Gomes led off with a walk. Dustin Pedroia banged into a double play and David Ortiz whiffed to end the inning as Blind Melon's No Rain played over the Fenway speakers.

Alex Rios led off the top of the second by grounding out to new Sox player Ryan Roberts to start. Donnie Murphy popped up to Pedroia near foul territory and Michael Choice took strike three to end the inning. The Sox failed with men on base again as Mike Napoli chopped a single up the middle to start. Grady Sizemore dumped a base hit to center and Napoli moved to third on the liner to right by Xander Bogaerts. AJ Pierzynski killed the rally by banging into a double play to end the inning.

The Rangers pulverized Doubront in the top of the third as Robinson Chirinos hit one onto the Mass Pike to give the Rangers the lead. Josh Wilson grounded out to third but Choo singled off the Monster. Andrus took strike three but Fielder chopped a double over the head of Napoli into the right field corner that scored Choo. Fielder took third on the throw home and he scored when Beltre singled past the diving Bogaerts. Rios singled to left and Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves came out to tell Doubront that Law & Order SVU was on in the clubhouse. Murphy hit a pop up but Sizemore dove the wrong way and the ball dropped in for an rbi "double". Doubront was squeezed on a walk by Choice and Chirinos chased him by drawing a walk. The postage stamp strike zone frustrated Felix too much and he was gone after 2 2/3 innings and 5 runs allowed. Burke Badenhop came in and got Wilson to ground into a force to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 5-0.

                                                     Not Doubront's day

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third although Roberts walked to start. Jackie Bradley Jr banged into a double play and Gomes took strike three to end the inning. 

The Rangers lit up Badenhop in the top of the fourth as Choo led off with a walk. Andrus singled past the diving Bogaerts and Fielder singled past the diving Pedroia to score Choo plus advance Andrus to third. Beltre pounded a double off the Monster to score Andrus but Rios grounded out to short. JBJ ran down a Murphy liner to right but it scored Fielder with another run. Choice grounded out to short to end the inning but the game was over early 8-0.

                                                          Rangers pour it on

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Pedroia doubled into the left field corner to start. Ortiz hit a fly out to deep center but it was enough to move Pedroia to third. Napoli hit another chop up the middle for a hit to score Pedroia with the Sox' first run. Sizemore hit a grounder to Murphy who tagged out Napoli but Sizemore beat out the throw to first. Sox manager John Farrell came out to argue that Murphy never tagged him and umpire Ron Kulpa told Farrell that he was out of the baseline anyway. Farrell said the hell with it and went back to the dugout as Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox did get a run but trailed 8-1.

                                                      Pedroia scores a run

The Rangers got the run back in the top of the fifth as Chirinos doubled to left to start. He moved to third on the bunt by Wilson and scored on the double down the right field line by Choo. Choo moved to third on the Andrus grounder but Fielder grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 9-1. Badenhop allowed four runs of his own, not great.

                                                              Badenhop wasn't much help

Pierzynski singled up the middle to start the bottom of the fifth but Roberts banged into the Sox fourth double play of the game. JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in to pitch the top of the sixth inning and Jim Adduci pinch hit for Beltre to begin. Adduci hit a ground ball to Napoli who flipped it to Workman for the out. Gomes made a running grab of a Rios liner and Murphy swung and missed for strike three to end the inning. Gomes led off with a walk but...stop me if you've heard this....Pedroia banged into a double play. Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning.

Workman cruised in the top of the seventh as Choice grounded out to second to start. Chirinos flied out to left and Wilson grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the seventh as Napoli got a base hit to right to start. Sizemore lined a base hit to right and Napoli moved to third on the fly out by Bogaerts. A wild pitch moved Sizemore to second and Pierzynski singled up the middle to score Napoli and move Grady to third. That was it for Perez as Jason Frasor came in to pitch. Roberts walked to load the bases and JBJ doubled off the top of the Monster to score both Sizemore and Pierzynski. Gomes struck out swinging and Pedroia grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 9-4.

                                                       Pierzynski is pumped up

Workman kept up the pace in the top of the eighth as Choo grounded out to second to start. Andrus was rung up by home plate umpire Chris Conroy for strike three and Fielder whiffed to end the inning. Neal Cotts came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ortiz whiffed on a 92 mph fastball to start. Napoli also went down hacking but Sizemore doubled into the right field corner. Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning.

The Rangers finally got to Workman in the top of the ninth as Adduci doubled off the Monster to start. Rios hit a liner off Pedroia for an infield single to put runners at the corners but Murphy forced Rios at second. Choice hit a sac fly to center to score Adduci with another run. Chirinos grounded into a force to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 10-4.

                                                        Rangers score another run

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth against Joakim Soria. Pierzynski singled to center to start but Roberts was rung up for strike three. JBJ singled to right and Gomes singled up the middle to score AJ. Pedroia whiffed but Ortiz doubled off the centerfield wall to score JBJ and Gomes to cut the lead. Napoli whiffed on a big curveball to end the game. The rally was fun but it wasn't enough as the Rangers had won it 10-7.

                                                                Dammit

Jackass of the Night is Felix Doubront. He got rocked for 5 runs in just 2 2/3 innings.

                                                                     Jackass Doubront

The Good:

Jonny Gomes was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Grady Sizemore was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

AJ Pierzynski was 3 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Ryan Roberts walked twice in four plate appearances.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Burke Badenhop allowed 4 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Brandon Workman allowed a run in 4 innings of work.

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

David Ortiz was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

Seems like the Red Sox are stuck in a rut they can't get out of. They somehow ground into 5 double plays yet still put 7 runs on the board. Too bad Felix Doubront and Burke Badenhop stunk the joint out in this one. Doubront seems to fall apart when calls don't go his way and that needs to change or else umpires will prey on that. The Sox are going to have to make a roster move tomorrow because Craig Breslow is ready. The word is Brandon Workman may be sent back to Pawtucket even though it should be Badenhop after that performance. The healthier the Sox get, the better they'll be in the long run. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to take the rubber game of this series when they send Jake Peavy (0-0, 3.00 ERA) to the mound up against Alexi Ogando of the Rangers. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Youngsters Step Up To Beat Orioles (4/3/14)

A lot of the talk going into the season was how the next generation of Boston Red Sox players were going to pan out? Could Jackie Bradley Jr learn how to hit? Could Will Middlebrooks rediscover how to hit? Could Xander Bogaerts be the x-factor everyone from scouts to rival players said he was? For one game anyway they lived up to their potential as the Red Sox took game 3 of the series against the Baltimore Orioles. Felix Doubront (1-0, 5.06 ERA) pitched into the 6th inning to earn the win as the bullpen slammed the door on the dirty birds. The Sox had taken 2 out of 3 from Baltimore to open the season including this one 4-3 at Camden Yards.

                                            Party time in Baltimore

Wei-Yin Chen got the start for Baltimore and Jonny Gomes led off the top of the first with a single to right. Who says you need to be a fast runner to hit leadoff? Dustin Pedroia hit a sharp liner that was stabbed by Nick Markakis and David Ortiz singled to right. With 2 men on....Mike Napoli grounded into a double play to end the inning. So much for that. Doubront got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Markakis greeted him with a single to left. JJ Hardy hit a hard liner to Nava but Chris Davis beat out a double play ball. Adam Jones walked but Sox killer Nelson Cruz grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second. Xander Bogaerts singled to left and Daniel Nava singled him over to third. Will Middlebrooks banged into a double play but Bogaerts scored to give the Sox the 1-0 lead. David Ross struck out to end the inning, but 1 run is better than none.

                                                     Happy fans

Could Doubront pitch with the lead in the bottom of the second? Matt Wieters flied out to center, Delmon Young struck out swinging and Jonathan Schoop flied out to right to end the inning. That answered that.

Time for more offense in the top of the third. Jackie Bradley Jr reached on an infield single but Gomes lined out to left and Pedroia flied out to right. Ortiz then smacked what should have been a double but he had a load in his pants getting out of the box and it was just a long, rbi single as Bradley motored all the way home. Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning but again, 2-0 is better than nothing.

                                                 JBJ's mad dash makes it 2-0

Once again Doubront remained red hot in the bottom of the third. He got Ryan Flaherty to ground out to second but Markakis singled to left. No problem, Hardy grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox tacked it on in the top of the 4th. Bogaerts singled to left but Nava flied out to center. Middlebrooks finally got a hit to left and that inspired Ross to single home Bogaerts to increase the lead. JBJ flied out to right but Middlebrooks moved to third. Gomes whiffed to end the inning but its nice to see Ross pick up where he left off in the World Series to give the Sox a 3-0 lead.

                                                   Ross drives in a run

The O's fought back in the bottom of the 4th. Davis doubled to center and moved to third on a groundout by Jones. Cruz made things easier by grounding out to Middlebrooks but Doubront couldn't escape unscathed. Wieters doubled home Davis and Young singled home Wieters just like that. Doubront recovered to strike out Schoop but the lead just shrunk to 3-2.

Chen appeared to settle down in the top of the 5th. Pedroia flied out to left but Ortiz singled to right. Napoli flied out to right and Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. As it was, Doubront got back in form in the bottom of the 5th. He struck out Flaherty swinging, got Markakis to pop up to short and whiffed Hardy to end the inning.

The Sox scored again in the top of the 6th. Nava struck out looking but Middlebrooks doubled to left. Ross grounded out to third so Middlebrooks couldn't advance but JBJ took care of that with a single that scored Will. JBJ reached second on the throw home to boot. That was it for Chen as O's manager Buck Showalter pulled him for Evan Meek. He did NOT inherit the earth but he did plunk Jonny Gomes only for Pedroia to ground out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                         An accurate re-enactment of Gomes' HBP

Doubront would be chased in the bottom of the 6th as Davis singled to center to start. Jones flied out to right but Red Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough as he lifted Doubront after just 75 pitches for Brandon Workman. Normally someone comes out of the game that early with so few pitches if he's hurt, but Farrell knows his starters didn't really work long in spring training plus the wear and tear of October baseball last year means he's got to lighten the load a little. Doubront kept the Sox in the game with 5 1/3 gutty innings while being charged with 3 runs.

                                                Not great but it'll do

Workman made his season debut by striking out Cruz swinging but allowing a single to Wieters. Brandon uncorked a wild pitch that scored Davis to cut the lead as Young walked. With the pressure mounting and the go-ahead run on first....Workman got Schoop to ground out to second to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 4-3.

Meek returned for the too of the seventh inning and got Ortiz to pop up to second. Napoli struck out swinging but Bogaerts singled to right. Nava lined out to center to end the inning but its great to see Bogaerts tearing it up so far. Chris Capuano, the winner of the final bullpen spot battle royal relieved Workman for the bottom of the 7th. Chris made good by striking out Flaherty looking to start. Markakis grounded out to short and Hardy grounded out to second to end the inning.

Zach Britton replaced Meek to pitch the top of the eighth. Middlebrooks struck out swinging but Ross walked. JBJ banged into a double play to end the inning just like that. Now it was time for The Orient Express to save the day for the second game in a row. Junichi Tazawa struck out Davis to open the bottom of the 8th but Jones singled to center. Cruz beat out a double play ball and Wieters singled to center. With the go-ahead run on.....Young grounded out to second to end the inning. It wasn't pretty but Taz got the job done.

On to the top of the 9th where Gomes struck out swinging to start but Pedroia doubled to right. Ortiz grounded out to third and Napoli grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Now it was on to the bottom of the 9th where birthday boy Koji Uehara came on to save it. The now 39 year old struck out Schoop swinging then got two pop ups to Middlebrooks off the bats of Flaherty and Markakis to end the game. The Sox had grinded out a 4-3 win to take the season opening series 2 games to 1.

                                               "Happy birthday Koji" - David Ross


Because everyone pitched in, its hard to select just one Hero of the Night but because of how things have gone the first 3 games, we're going with The Orient Express. Yes, both of them. Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara have pitched a combined 5 innings and haven't allowed a run yet, saving both the second game as well as tonight's.

                                         Co-Heroes of the Nights: Tazawa and Uehara


The Good:

David Ortiz was 3 for 5 with an rbi,

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Despite hitting into a double play

Will Middlebrooks was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

David Ross was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an rbi.

Felix Doubront picked up the win by allowing 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings. To be fair, he may have been able to pitch longer but Farrell pulled the plug early.

Chris Capuano pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



THE BAD:

Mike Napoli was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.



THE UGLY:

Jonny Gomes was just 1 for 4.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5.

Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4.

Brandon Workman allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in the sixth inning.




Final Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty but a win's a win. This was a typical grind it out win that was reminiscent of last year's run. It's nice to see the whole team step up in a win, especially early in the season. Doubront had one bad inning but looked great while he was out there and the bullpen has looked impeccable so far. Other than the wild pitch by Workman (which technically was Doubront's run) the bullpen hasn't allowed a run yet in 3 games. Like I mentioned earlier, its good to see the young guns (Bogaerts, Bradley, Middlebrooks) deliver. It may not happen all the time but its still great to see. The home opener is tomorrow which means ring ceremony, flyover, hoopla, etc and possibly an actual game. Jake "Duckboat" Peavy takes the hill in his season debut against Marco Estrada and the Milwaukee Brewers at 2:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Peavy Rocked, Tigers Take Game 4 (10/16/13)

After the Boston Red Sox took a 2-1 series lead in the 2013 American League Championship Series despite being held in check by Annibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, it appeared that any Detroit Tigers starter can pitch a gem but the Sox would find a way to win. Not if your own starter vomits up his intestines in the second inning though. The Tigers pounced on the ineffective Jake Peavy, starter Doug Fister joined the others in shutting down the offense and Detroit evened the ALCS with a 7-3 victory at Comerica Park.

Fister took the mound in the top of the first inning and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to second to begin. Shane Victorinio popped up to Prince Fielder in foul ground but Dustin Pedroia dumped a base hit to right. David Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning. Peavy took the ball in the bottom of the first and got Torii Hunter to ground out to third to start. Miguel Cabrera froze on a curveball for strike three and Prince Fielder grounded out to third to end the inning.

As usual the Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning although Mike Napoli doubled off the glove of Cabrera to begin. Daniel Nava moved Napoli to third with a groundout to second but Jarrod Saltalamacchia popped up to third in foul territory. Stephen "PU" Drew took a high strike three to end the inning. Peavy crapped his pants in the bottom of the second inning as Victor Martinez poked a base hit to left before Jhonny Peralta walked. Alex Avila walked to load the bases but Peavy got a big out when Ellsbury ran down a sinking liner by Omar Infante to keep the Tigers from advancing. The Tigers took command when Austin Jackson walked to score Martinez. Jose Iglesias hit a double-play ball to Pedroia but he booted it, only able to get Avila at second as Peralta score to put runners at the corners. Hunter doubled down the left field line to score both men to ice the game early. Cabrera put the exclamation point on with a base hit to center to score Hunter. Fielder grounded out to second to end the inning but the Tigers had jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

                                                Game is over already

Down five runs, the Sox needed to make a stand in the top of the third inning but failed. Will Middlebrooks whiffed and Ellsbury hit a line drive over the head of Hunter in right but a cannon throw by Torii kept Ellsbury at first. Victorino was rung up on a check swing breaking ball but Pedroia walked. With a chance to club back in to the game....Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning. Peavy returned for the bottom of the third and got Martinez to ground out to short to start. Peralta grounded out to short and Avila flied out to a running Nava in left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing against Fister in the top of the fourth as Napoli and Nava both whiffed to start. Saltalamacchia singled to right center but Drew flied out to right to end the inning. Peavy returned for the bottom of the fourth inning but immediately regretted it as Infante pounded a ground rule double to left over the head of Nava to start. Jackson singled off the glove of Pedroia and Infante came all the way around to score. Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough and lifted the incompetent Peavy after allowing 6 runs (so far) in just 3 innings.

                                            "Yeah you're out Peavy, now beat it!" - Farrell

Brandon Workman got the call to relieve Peavy and Jackson immediately stole second base. Iglesias dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Jackson to third but Workman got Hunter to ground back to the mound. Cabrera put the exclamation point on the game when he slammed a single to center to score Jackson. The supposedly hobbled Cabrera swiped second but Fielder whiffed to end the inning with the Tigers up 7-0.

The Sox did not respond against Fister in the top of the fifth inning as Middlebrooks whiffed to start the inning. Somehow Ellsbury doubled past Peralta in left but Victorino popped up to a running Iglesias at short, nearly doubling Jacoby off second base. Pedroia grounded to third and was out on a bang bang play at first to end the inning. Workman returned for the bottom of the fifth inning and Martinez lined out to second to begin. Peralta whiffed but Avila walked. Infante flied out to right to end the inning, good work Brandon.

                                                   Yeoman's effort by Workman

Somehow the Sox rallied in the top of the sixth briefly with Don Kelly taking over in left for Peralta. Ortiz flied out to center but Napoli sliced a single to right. Nava hit a ground ball up the middle for a base hit and Saltalamacchia singled home Napoli to put the Sox on the board. PU Drew killed the rally with a strikeout then Mike Carp pinch hit for Middlebrooks....only to ground into a force to end the inning but the Sox would not be shut out, 7-1.

                                       "ARE YOU THREATENING ME!!??" - Drew

Ryan Dempster replaced Workman for the bottom of the sixth with Xander Bogaerts taking over at third. Jackson started the inning by dumping a single to right. Iglesias beat out a double play ball but Hunter grounded into one to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox scored in the top of the seventh inning with Phil Coke now pitching to Ellsbury. Jacoby sliced a single to left and that was it for Coke. Al Alburquerque came in an Victorino doubled in Ellsbury. Pedroia failed to move Shane over when he grounded out to third and Tigers manager Jim Leyland brought in Drew Smyly to pitch to Ortiz. David did what Pedroia couldn't and advance Victorino to third on a ground-out but now there were two outs and Napoli popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 7-2.

                                                   "We're not dead yet!" - Ellsbury

Franklin Morales took over in the bottom of the seventh and Ellbsury robbed Cabrera of extra bases with a great running catch to begin. Fielder flied out to center but Martinez singled. Kelly popped up to second to end the inning.

Ramon Santiago took over at third for Cabrera with Jonny Gomes pinch hitting for Nava to start the top of the eighth inning. Gomes popped up to short, Saltalamacchia whiffed and Drew popped up to left to end the inning. Felix Doubront came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning and began by hitting Avila....good start huh? Well Felix recovered to induce a double play from Infante although Jackson walked on a 3-2 pitch that just missed inside. Iglesias sliced a single to right but Doubront blew away Hunter on a full count to end the inning.

Joaquin Benoit came on to close out the top of the ninth with a 4 run lead and Bogaerts greeted him with a ground rule double to begin. Ellsbury slashed a line drive off the bag at first base into the right field corner for a triple that scored Bogaerts. Another base hit would have made it interesting but alas, Victorino whiffed and Pedroia whiffed badly on a ball in the dirt. Ortiz flied out to right to end the game. The Tigers had evened the series with a 7-3 win.

Jackass of the Night is Jake Peavy. He got hammered for 7 runs in just 3 plus innings and put the Sox out of reach early.

                                                 Game 4 Jackass: Peavy


The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 4 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Xander Bogaerts doubled and scored in the ninth inning.

Brandon Workman pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Ryan Dempster pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Franklin Morales pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Felix Doubront pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 5.

Jonny Gomes was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Carp was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Shane Victorino was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Apart from the 8th inning rally in Game 2, the top four starters by Detroit have allowed TWO combined runs in the first four games. Apart from a once in a lifetime grand slam and a home run by Mike Napoli, this series could easily be over now. As it is, the series is just tied with Game 5 coming tomorrow night. The Sox are going to have to find a way to score some runs because they can't keep continuing to be shut down and pull a rally out their collective asses in the playoffs. Luck runs out eventually and maybe that will be the case in Game 5. Tomorrow night Jon Lester looks to get revenge on Annibal Sanchez in a Game 1 rematch at 8:05 PM at Comerica Park.