Peavy, Sox Bash Blue Jays (4/25/14)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made an unpopular roster move. Brock Holt has been sent down to Pawtucket and Will Middlebrooks has been activated. Holt had been getting on base a lot but Sox brass wants Jonathan Herrera's defense and the thinking is Middlebrooks will re-discover his bat. Then again, if anyone else goes down Brock is just a phone call away.

                                                                              OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, now that was just what the doctor ordered. Jake Peavy (1-0, 2.87 ERA) tossed his best game of the season to win his first game of 2014. He allowed the Toronto Blue Jays to just one run in seven strong innings. Offensively the Sox pounced on Mark Buehrle early and often for 12 hits and 7 runs. The Sox scored another run against the Toronto bullpen while Boston's relievers held the fort for them. The returns of Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino helped big time and the Sox looked like themselves for the first time in a while as they won 8-1 over the Jays at the Skydome.

                                                          Leola Bell approves of the win

Buehrle got the ball in the top of the first inning and Dustin Pedroia led off with a base hit to center. Shane Victorino grounded into a double play and David Ortiz grounded out to third to end the inning. Peavy got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Reyes struck out swinging to start. Melky Cabrera struck out swinging and Jose Bautista popped up to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Mike Napoli walked to start. Jonny Gomes lined out to center but Xander Bogaerts doubled over the head of Edwin Encarnacion down the right field line. AJ Pierzsynski hit a sac fly to center to score Napoli and the returning Will Middlebrooks blooped a base hit to right to score Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr to left. Pedroia lashed a base hit to left to score both runners but was thrown out at second to end the inning trying to stretch a double with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                       "You're out you dummy!"

Encarnacion struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Dioner Navarro flied out to center. Juan Francisco got a base hit to right but Brett Lawrie lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Victorino grounded out to short to start. Ortiz then bashed his fifth home run of the season to add to the lead. Napoli doubled off the left field wall and Gomes walked, but Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                             Big Papi delivers

Colby Rasmus popped up to Bogaerts in foul territory to start the bottom of the third before Ryan Goins flied out to left. Reyes popped up to Middlebrooks in foul territory to end the inning.

Pierzynski lined out to Bautista to start the top of the fourth before Middlebrooks flied out to Cabrera. JBJ hit a triple into the gap in center but Pedroia popped up to right to end the inning. Cabrera lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Bautista doubled to right. Encarnacion walked but Bautista was thrown out trying to steal third. Navarro popped up to short to end the inning.

Victorino lined out to left to start the top of the fifth before Ortiz grounded out to first. Napoli singled to left and Gomes beat out a roller to third. Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. Francisco struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Lawrie grounded back to the mound. Rasmus grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox added to the lead in the top of the sixth as Pierzynski singled to center to start. Middlebrooks hit a gap shot to center to score Pierzynski but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. JBJ walked and that was it for Buehrle as Neil Wagner came in to pitch. Pedroia hit a routine grounder to Reyes but his relay throw to Goins pulled Ryan off the back for an error. Victorino popped up to third and JBJ stole third base. Ortiz walked to load the bases and Napoli walked to score Pedroia. Gomes struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 7-0 Red Sox.

                                                           Sox walk in a run

Goins grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the sixth but Reyes doubled to right. Cabrera got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners but Bautista took strike three. Encarnacion struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bogaerts popped up to third to begin the top of the seventh but Pierzynski got a base hit to right. Middlebrooks got plunked and both runners moved over on the JBJ grounder to first. Todd Redmond came in to pitch to Pedroia and Dustin lined out to right to end the inning. Peavy got tagged in his final inning as Navarro grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the eighth. Francisco hit a home run all the way to Santiago, DR to cut the lead. Lawrie walked but Rasmus struck out swinging. Goins grounded out to first to end the inning. Peavy was outstanding, allowing just 1 run in 7 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                                  Good work Peavy

Victorino doubled to left to start the top of the eighth but Ortiz struck out swinging. Napoli grounded out to short and Gomes lined out to second to end the inning. Chris Capuano came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Reyes struck out swinging. Cabrera also went down hacking and Bautista watched strike three go by to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the ninth and Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Pierzynski doubled to center then moved to third on the Middlebrooks grounder to short. JBJ lashed a double to left and Pedroia drew a walk. Victorino took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                         Bradley drives in the final run

Andrew Miller came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Encarnacion took strike three to begin. Navarro got an infield single to short but Francisco struck out swinging. Lawrie popped up to second to end the game. The Sox won the game 8-1.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jake Peavy. He held the Jays to just 1 run in 7 innings allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out seven.

                                                        Hero Peavy

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Will Middlebrooks was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

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

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi, 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Chris Capuano pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and hit a home run.

Jonny Gomes was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

THIS is the team the Red Sox were looking for when they started the season. Victorino and Middlebrooks coming back healthy complete the lineup they were looking for when they signed Grady Sizemore and Pierzynski to replace Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury. Not only that, this was Peavy's best start of the season and if he can have another season like he did last year, the Sox will be in contention as long as everyone stays healthy. Having Miller back healthy and the addition of Capuano has also helped tremendously. All in all, this was the first win since the beginning of April that felt remotely like 2013 with their guns back. Hopefully the Sox can ride the momentum back into contention from here on in. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon when Clay Buchholz (0-2) looks for his first win of the season against Brandon Morrow of Toronto. The game begins at 1:05 PM at the Skydome.

Red Sox Walkoff Orioles (4/20/14)

It was a great day for Boston sports as the Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of their first round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox walked off the Baltimore Orioles. Going into the bottom of the sixth, the Sox looked dead in the water. Jake Peavy had allowed 5 runs before getting knocked out in the top of the sixth while Ubaldo Jimenez was pitching great for Baltimore. Suddenly the Sox turned the clock back a year as Jonny Gomes hit a three run over off Jimenez in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead. The Sox tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on bad defense by Baltimore while the Sox bullpen tossed zeroes. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Mike Carp hit a fly ball to David Lough who threw the ball away. Dustin Pedroia scored to win the game 6-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Justin Florek approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Peavy in the top of the first as Nick Markakis popped up to Brock Holt in foul territory to start. The pain in the ass Nelson Cruz then hit a home run all the way into Walden Pond on the first pitch to put the O's on top. Chris Davis walked and Adam Jones singled to center before Matt Wieters singled to right to score Davis, moving Jones to third. JJ Hardy hit a sac fly to center to score Jones and David Lough flied out to the right field wall to end the inning with the O's up 3-0.

                                                          O's go up early

Jimenez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Grady Sizemore walked to start. Sizemore stole second but Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third. David Ortiz grounded into the shift but Sizemore moved to third before Mike Napoli watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Jonathan Schoop struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Ryan Flaherty flied out to center. Markakis walked and Cruz singled to left, but Davis grounded out to first to end the inning. Jonny Gomes led off the bottom of the second with a grounder to short before Daniel Nava also grounded out to short. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jones singled to left to start the top of the third before Wieters popped up to left. Hardy struck out swinging and Lough took strike three to end the inning. AJ Pierzynski lined out to a leaping Lough to start the bottom of the third before Brock Holt walked. Sizemore struck out swinging but Holt stole second. Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning.'

Schoop almost hit a home run to Nebraska but the ball went foul and he eventually struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth. Flaherty was retired on a nubber in front of the plate but Markakis walked. Cruz took strike three to end the inning. Ortiz flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Napoli flied out to left. Gomes doubled to the left field wall but Nava struck out swinging to end the inning.

The O's struck again in the top of the fifth as Davis grounded into the shift to start. Jones grounded out to second but Wieters singled over the head of Holt. Hardy got a base hit to center and Lough hit a fan touched ground rule double into the right field seats to score Wieters. Schoop grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 4-0.

                                                          O's pour it on

The Sox tried to start a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Bogaerts got a base hit to center to start. Pierzynski popped up to short, Holt took strike three and Sizemore popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

The O's finished off Peavy in the top of the sixth as Flaherty doubled off the Monster to start. Markakis popped up to second and Flaherty moved to third on the fly out to right by Cruz. Davis was intentionally walked but Jones ripped a base hit to left to score Flaherty. That was it for Peavy who got rocked for 5 runs in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed 10 hits and 4 walks and was lifted for Chris Capuano. Wieters lined out to left to end the inning with the O's up 5-0.

                                                      "I sucked tonight" - Peavy

The Sox began the comeback in the bottom of the sixth but Pedroia grounded out to second to start. Ortiz got a base hit to center and Napoli walked. Gomes then pulverized his second home run of the season to put the Sox back in it. That was it for Jimenez as Zack Britton came in to pitch and Nava grounded out to third. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                            Sox climb back in

Steve Lombardozzi pinch hit for Hardy to start the top of the seventh and took strike three. Lough's bunt attempt was snuffed out and Schoop popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Pierzynski struck out swinging to start. Holt got a base hit to center and Sizemore hit a grounder to Britton. He flipped to Flaherty but he dropped it for an error. Pedroia made Flaherty pay with a base hit to right to load the bases. Ortiz ripped a base hit to right to score Holt and chase Britton. Evan Meek (who will inherit nothing) came in to pitch to Napoli and Mike hit a grounder to third. Schoop bounced the throw home and Sizemore scored on the error to tie the game. Gomes hit one up the elevator shaft and Nava struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                           Tie game

Flaherty got a base hit to left to start the top of the eighth but Markakis struck out swinging. Junichi Tazawa came in just to face Cruz and got him to pop up to second. Andrew Miller came in to face Davis and struck him out swinging to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the eighth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Pierzynski grounded out to second and Holt grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jones doubled into the left field corner to start the top of the ninth and Wieters grounded out to second to move him to third. Lombardozzi grounded back to the mound and that was it for Miller. Edward Mujica came in to face Lough and got him to strike out swinging to end the inning. Brian Matusz came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Sizemore struck out swinging to start. It looked like Pedroia hit a home run but an idiot fan reached out and grabbed the ball for an interference "double". Umpires got together but concluded that a fan touched it. When play resumed a wild pitch moved Pedroia to third and Ortiz was intentionally walked. Darren O'Day was brought in to face Napoli and ended up hitting him to load the bases. Mike Carp pinch hit for Gomes and hit a liner to Lough. Lough instinctively fired home but the throw was way off the mark. Pedroia made a mad dash for home and scored to win the game on the error. The Sox had won it 6-5.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Johnny Gomes. The Sox were down 5-0 in the sixth and his home run changed everything.

                                                     Jonny Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Chris Capuano tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Junichi Tazawa retired the only man he faced.

Andrew Miller tossed a full scoreless inning.

Edward Mujica got the win by retiring the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Mike Carp flied out to left in his only at-bat.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

AJ Pierzynski was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jake Peavy got rocked for 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings allowing 10 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5.

The Ugly:

Grady Sizemore was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

That might have been the most "2013" win of the season so far. Taking advantage of bad defense and winning by any means necessary. The Sox were down 5-0 and looked ready to pack it in when Gomes clobbered that home run. Then the O's blew it in the seventh then blew it again in the ninth. Buck Showalter is going to have a headache tonight because they had this game in the bag in more ways than one. Still, they won games last year like this so its good to see some of that carry over to this year. Peavy looked awful but he was due for a stinker, hopefully he'll be okay next start. Word is Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino could be returning sometime soon so that'll help the stagnant offense. Let's see if they can rise up to the occasion in tomorrow's big game. The Sox look to wrap up the series with Baltimore tomorrow morning on Patriots Day. Clay Buchholz (0-1) gets the start for Boston against Wei-Yin Chen of Baltimore. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.

White Sox Walkoff Red Sox On Error (4/15/14)

One thing's for sure when it comes to the Boston Red Sox, the magic of last year is completely gone. Not only are the bats not getting it done, they're not winning the close games anymore. Jake Peavy of the Red Sox and Erik Johnson of the Chicago White Sox locked in a pitcher's duel through six innings. Adam Dunn hit a home run off Peavy but Daniel Nava hit one off Johnson. In the bottom of the ninth, Burke Badenhop (0-2, 7.71 ERA) allowed a base hit to Alexei Ramirez and Chris Capuano came in to get the final out. It didn't happen as Adam Eaton walked and Xander Bogaerts threw a grounder by Marcus Semien away to end the game. The White Sox had won the game 2-1 over the Red Sox at Commiskey Park.

                                                       Foamy can't stand errors

Johnson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Grady Sizemore led off with a broken bat fly out to right. Xander Bogaerts took strike three and David Ortiz popped up to third to end the inning. Peavy got the ball in the bottom of the first and Adam Eaton struck out swinging to start. Marcus Semien popped up to Mike Napoli and Conor Gillaspie struck out swinging to end the inning.

Napoli took strike three to start the top of the second and Daniel Nava ripped a liner right to Ramirez. AJ Pierzynski got a big hand from his old fans before grounding out to short to end the inning. The White Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Jose Abreu grounded out to short to start....but wait! White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged the call, but it was upheld. Adam Dunn immediately hit a home run to Nebraska to put Chicago on top. Dayan Viciedo doubled to left but Alejandro De Aza took strike three. Ramirez walked but Tyler Flowers was rung up for strike three on a questionable pitch to end the inning with Chicago ahead 1-0.

                                                      Home run Dunn

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the third as Ryan Roberts struck out swinging to start. Jackie Bradley Jr walked and Jonathan Herrera singled to center, but all Sizemore could do was move the runners over with a fly out to center. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Eaton grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Semien popped up to center. Gillaspie grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The BoSox struck back in the top of the fourth as Ortiz struck out swinging to start. Napoli also struck out swinging but Nava crushed his second home run of the year to tie the game. Pierzynski struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Nava ties it up

Abreu struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Dunn drew a walk. Viciedo grounded a base hit up the middle but De Aza took strike three. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Roberts flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and JBJ grounded out to second. Herrera struck out swinging to end the inning. Peavy cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Flowers struck out swinging to start. Eaton flied out to center and Semien grounded out to second to end the inning.

Sizemore grounded out to second to open the top of the sixth before Bogaerts flied out to center. Ortiz flied out to right to end the inning. Gillaspie grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth before Abreu walked. Dunn walked and both runners moved over on the grounder to short by Viciedo. De Aza flied out to left to end the inning. That was it for Peavy as he allowed just 1 run in 6 solid innings. He allowed 3 hits and 4 walks in his outing.

                                                        Good work Peavy

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Napoli got a base hit to left to start. Nava lined out to short and Pierzsynki missed a home run by 10 feet before walking. Roberts struck out swinging and that was it for Johnson. Scott Downs came in to face JBJ and struck him out swinging to end the inning. Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh as Ramirez grounded out to short to start. Flowers struck out swinging but Eaton singled off the glove of Herrera. Semien lined out to right to end the inning.

Herrera grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth before Sizemore also grounded out to second. Jake Petricka came in to pitch to Bogaerts and Xander struck out swinging to end the inning. Andrew Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Gillaspie lined out to left to start. Abreu grounded out to second but Dunn walked to chase Miller. Burke Badenhop came in to pitch with Leury Garcia in to run for Dunn. Viciedo hit a comebacker to Badenhop to end the inning.

Ortiz grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth but Napoli walked to chase Petricka. Donnie Veal came in to face Jonny Gomes pinch hitting for Nava. Gomes struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Napoli to second. Sox manager John Farrell sent Dustin Pedroia in to run for Napoli and Pierzynski was plunked. Daniel Webb came in to face Mike Carp pinch hitting for Roberts and Carp grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Things came to a crashing halt in the bottom of the ninth as De Aza walked to start. De Aza was thrown out at second trying to steal but Ramirez got a base hit to left. Flowers took strike three and John Farrell wanted Chris Capuano to face Eaton. Adam walked and Semien hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts.....who threw low to first, Carp unable to pick it for an error to score Ramirez. The White Sox had walked off the Red Sox 2-1.

                                                          White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. His error in the ninth led to the walkoff win

                                                                Nice error Jackass

The Good:

Mike Napoli was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with a home run.

AJ Pierzynski walked and was hit with a pitch in four plate appearances.

Jonathan Herrera was 1 for 3.

Jake Peavy allowed 1 run in 6 innings allowing 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 8.

Junichi Tazawa tossed a full scoreless inning.

Andrew Miller got the first two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Grady Sizemore was 0 for 4.

Johnny Gomes struck out as a pinch hitter.

Ryan Roberts was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Carp was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Burke Badenhop took the loss on an unearned run in a full inning.

Chris Capuano was on the mound for Bogaerts' game ending error.

Honorable Mention:

Dustin Pedroia ran for Napoli in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

The magic of 2013 is gone, that's for sure. The Sox used to win games like this but this year they just don't. Scoring just 1 run the entire game is inexcusable in itself especially since they mad men on base all game, but to lose on an error is just a sucker punch to the gonads. Peavy battled his ass off and Tazawa did what he could to keep the game tied, but the Boston offense just couldn't get anything going. The losses of Shane Victorino, Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew are all rearing their ugly heads because the replacements aren't doing so well. Still, its only April and there's a long way to go. They should be able to figure it out moving forward. The BoSox look to bounce back tomorrow night against Chicago when Clay Buchholz takes the hill against Jon Danks of the ChiSox. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.

Sox Stun Rangers Late (4/9/14)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Craig Breslow was activated off the Disabled List and activated for tonight's game. Breslow gives the Sox a much needed shot in the arm as his relief experience is badly needed. The Sox sent Brandon Workman back to Pawtucket as a corresponding move.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                               IN

As for the game, once again the Red Sox looked like they were sleepwalking through another game. Once the Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the eighth, all hope looked lost. Suddenly the Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth. Who else but David Ortiz hit the 3 run shot off reliever Neil Cotts to put the Sox ahead. Koji Uehara slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox stole one against the Texas Rangers 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                           Britt Linn approves of the win

Jake Peavy got the start for the Red Sox and Shin-Soo Choo hit the first pitch of the game over the head of Jackie Bradley Jr for a double to start. Elvis Andrus hit a grounder to Napoli but Choo didn't run to third. That was a huge mistake as Prince Fielder grounded out to second and Choo went to third. Alex Rios walked and stole second but Mitch Moreland struck out swinging to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr got the start for Texas and Jonny Gomes grounded out to third to start. Dustin Pedroia also grounded out to third and David Ortiz was retired on a dribbler in front of the plate to end the inning.

Peavy cruised in the top of the second inning as Donnie Murphy struck out swinging on a nasty changeup to start. Leonys Martin popped up to left and Robinson Chirinos took strike three to end the inning. Mike Napoli and Xander Bogaerts drew back to back walks to start the bottom of the second but Daniel Nava took strike three. Ryan Roberts banged into a double play to end the inning.

Josh Wilson struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Choo walked. David Ross threw out Choo trying to steal and Andrus grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Ross hit one up the elevator shaft to start. JBJ and Gomes both walked and Pedroia hit a dribbler in front of the plate. Ross Jr threw the ball away allowing JBJ to score and Pedroia to take second. Ortiz banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                     Ooops!

Peavy turned up the heat in the top of the fourth as Fielder, Rios and Moreland all struck out swinging in short order. Napoli grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Bogaerts walked. Nava was called out on strike three and Bogaerts overslid the bag on a steal attempt for a double play to end the inning.

                                                       Yerrrrr out!

Murphy popped up to Pedroia to start the top of the fifth but Martin hit a routine grounder to third. Roberts threw the ball wide of first for a "single". Chirinos popped up to Roberts in foul territory and Wilson popped up to second to end the inning

Choo walked to start the top of the sixth and moved to second on the swinging bunt by Andrus. Fielder moved Choo to third with a grounder but Rios flied out to third to end the inning. Pedroia began the bottom of the sixth by striking out swinging before Ortiz doubled off the garage door in center. That was it for Ross Jr as Alexi Ogando came in to pitch. Napoli popped up to short on the first pitch and Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

The Rangers finally tagged Peavy in the top of the seventh when Moreland hit a home run all the way to Santo Domingo to tie the game. Murphy grounded out to short and Martin went down hacking. Chirinos walked and that was it for Peavy after 109 pitches. He made one mistake to Moreland but was outstanding otherwise. Kevin Kouzmanoff pinch hit for Wilson and Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch. Kouzmanoff singled to right but Choo flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Peavy deserved better

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Nava took strike three to start. Mike Carp pinch hit for Roberts and also took strike three. Ross whiffed to end the inning. 

Jonathan Herrera took over at third with Andrew Miller on the mound for the top of the eighth. Andrus doubled into the right field corner to start and moved to third on the grounder by Fielder. Rios hit a fly ball to JBJ with Andrus and Jackie fired home...safe! Andrus scored and the Rangers took the lead.

                                                      Rangers take the lead

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as JBJ walked to start. AJ Pierzynski pinch hit for Gomes and dumped a base hit down the right field line. Grady Sizemore pinch ran for Pierzynski and was erased by the Pedroia force. Neal Cotts came in to pitch to Ortiz and Big Papi swatted a 3 run bomb just over the Pesky Pole to give the Sox the lead. Rangers manager Ron Washington wanted the call reviewed and when the umpires looked at the tape, nobody had any clue where the ball landed so it was upheld. Napoli whiffed and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox led 4-2.

                                                  Ortiz pounds a home run into right

Koji Uehara came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Sizemore now in to center, Nava now in left and JBJ in right. Murphy grounded back to Koji to start and Martin whiffed. Jim Adduci pinch hit for Chirinos and popped up to Herrera in foul territory to end the game. The Sox had stole one 4-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Ortiz. His 3 run home run was the difference in the game.

                                                        Hero Big Papi

The Good:

AJ Pierzynski singled as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked 3 times and scored 2 runs.

Jake Peavy deserved the win by going 6 2/3 innings while allowing just the home run to Moreland. He struck out 8 batters.

Junichi Tazawa retired the final batter of the seventh inning.

Koji Uehara got the save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Daniel Nava was 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.

Ryan Roberts was 0 for 2.

Mike Carp struck out as a pinch hitter.

David Ross was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Andrew Miller vultured the win by allowing a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jonny Gomes was 0 for 2 but walked.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 2 and got caught stealing but walked twice.

Honorable Mention:

Grady Sizemore pinch ran for Pierzynski in the bottom of the eighth.

Jonathan Herrera played third base in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a good comeback win but it would be nice for the offense to not fall asleep for seven innings day after day. Jake Peavy pitched his ass off but has nothing to show for it because the bats were quiet for most of the game. The Ortiz homer bailed out another bad offensive performance and something's not right with this team. They hit into more double plays than they score runs it seems. Losing Jacoby Ellsbury severely impacted team speed but who would have thought it would be this bad? Still, a win is a win even if its better late than never. Ortiz has been bailing out the Sox for 11 years now and they're gonna miss him when he's gone. As mentioned earlier, Craig Breslow has been activated so they have the trio that got them to the World Series last year back. The Sox now travel to the Bronx for a set with the New York Yankees. Clay Buchholz takes the mound for the Sox opposite Michael Pineda of the Yan kees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Brewers Spoil Home Opener (4/4/14)

It was supposed to be a great day for the Boston Red Sox. They were going to receive their 2013 World Series rings and play their home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately a lack of clutch hitting and shoddy 9th inning relief led to their demise. The Sox and Brewers battled to a 2-2 tie when the floodgates opened in the top of the ninth inning. Interim closer Edward Mujica got smacked around for 4 runs and the Brewers dropped the Sox in front of their own crowd 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                              So much for the home opener

Before the game, the Red Sox held their ring ceremony. It was their third in the last decade....that has a nice "ring" to it doesn't it? David Ortiz got a special ring along with it for being World Series MVP, probably a bonus for his lowballed contract.

                                               Check out the bling

                                                City of Champions

Jake Peavy took the ball to start the top of the first and struck out Carlos Gomez on 3 pitches. Jean Segura then tripled down the left field line and today's heel Ryan Braun struck out as well. Peavy completed the trifecta by striking out Aramis Ramirez to end the inning. Marco Estrada took the ball for the visitors and Daniel Nava popped up to left. Dustin Pedroia hit one to the warning track but was caught in center. David Ortiz struck out to end the inning.

Jonathan Lucroy led off the second inning with a blast over everything to give the Brewers the lead. Logan Schafer also blasted one to right but it died at the wall. Kris Davis then doubled off the Monster and Scooter Gennett hit one to deep right but again caught just before the warning track. 4 straight hard hit balls and Lyle Overbay bucked the trend by walking. Gomez singled down the line to score Davis but was caught stealing to end the inning. The Brewers led 2-0 and Peavy got hit HARD.

                                               Lucroy goes yard

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second. Mike Napoli worked a 10 pitch leadoff walk to begin but Mike Carp hit one up the elevator shaft. Grady Sizemore singled and Napoli took off for third and the relay throw by Schafter hit him in the back. The ball rolled into right field allowing Napoli go come home and Sizemore advance to second to cut the lead. Sizemore then swiped third only because Ramirez missed the tag, Lucroy's throw was there in time. Xander Bogaerts then hit a fly ball but Schafer made up for his throw by gunning down Sizemore at home trying to score. Inning over, Brewers still had the lead 2-1.

                                                  Close, but Sizemore was out.

Jean Segura led off the top of the third by grounding out to second. Braun popped up to second and Ramirez flied out to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third although AJ Pierzynski struck out swinging. Will Middlebrooks smashed one into the Monster seats to tie the game, his first of the season. Nava gave one a ride but it was caught in right. Pedroia struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                    First of the season for Middlebrooks

Lucroy led off the top of the 4th with a double off the Monster that ate up Carp. Peavy got Schafer to pop up to short and Carp made up for it by snagging the fly ball hit by Davis. Gennett popped up to Middlebrooks to end the inning. Ortiz popped up and Napoli struck out to begin the bottom of the 4th but Schafer missed a blooper by Carp and Mike ended up at second base. Sizemore worked a 9 pitch walk but Bogaerts was robbed of a certain triple by Gomez in center to end the inning.

Peavy began the top of the 5th by striking out Overbay swinging. Gomez hit a wall ball single and advanced to second on the swinging sacrifice bunt by Segura. With the go-ahead run on second, Braun flied out to right to end the inning. Estrada remained tough as Pierzynski led off the bottom of the 5th by going down hacking. Middlebrooks flied out to center and Nava struck out swinging to end the inning.

Peavy got into a jam into the top of the 6th. Bogaerts dropped a line drive by Braun, his first error of the season and Lucroy walked. The Sox caught a break when Schafer botched a bunt before popping up to Middlebrooks. Davis flied out to left and Gennett grounded back to Peavy to end the inning. Peavy finished with 6 innings of 2 run ball, just like John Lackey in the second game of the year.

                                            6 solid innings for Peavy

Pedroia singled to right to begin the bottom of the 6th but was thrown out trying to steal. Ortiz grounded out to Overbay and Napoli worked a 10 pitch walk to chase Estrada. Will Smith (no, not the Fresh Prince) relieved Estrada as Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Carp. Napoli advanced to second on a wild pitch....then to third on a passed ball. With the go-ahead run 90 feet away....Gomes took strike three to end the inning.

                                           This guy doesn't like pinch hit strikeouts

It came down to a battle of the bullpens as Burke Badenhop made his season debut by getting Overbay to ground out to lead off the top of the 7th. Gomez got his third hit of the day with an infield single to third but Badenhop struck out Segura swinging. Braun grounded out to Bogaerts to end the inning. Sizemore worked a leadoff walk to begin the bottom of the 7th and advanced to second on the groundout by Bogaerts. Pierzynski lined out sharply to Overbay and Brewers manager Ron Roenicke had Middlebrooks intentionally walked to get to Nava. With the go-ahead run at second base....Nava grounded out to short, 2 more runners left on base.

                                       Lack of clutch hitting kills you every time

Badenhop returned for the top of the 8th and was greeted by a Ramirez single. Fortunately, Lucroy banged into a double play. Schafer flied out to right to end the inning, a solid effort by Badenhop.

                                                Good debut by Badenhop

Brandon Kintzler relieved Smith in the bottom of the 8th and Pedroia lined out to Overbay to start. Ortiz reached on a single into the shift. Once again there would be no clutch hitting as Napoli banged into a double play to end the inning.

Edward Mujica came on to pitch the top of the 9th and crapped his pants. He was greeted with a leadoff double by Davis. Gennett dropped a bunt down but Mujica foolishly threw to third and everyone was safe. Overbay made them pay with a triple down the right field line to score both runners to ice the game. Gomez continued to be red hot with an rbi single to increase the lead. Segura beat out a double play ball and stole second to boot. Braun flied out to right but Ramirez singled home Segura to chase Mujica. Farrell had enough and lifted him for Andrew Miller. Miller provided no relief as he walked Lucroy and Schafer to load the bases. Somehow Miller struck out Davis to end the decrepit inning with the Brewers ahead 6-2.

                                                Brewers ice the game

Fransisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez was brought in to close out the 9th. Gomes looked at strike 3, Sizemore grounded out to second and Bogaerts popped up to end the game just like that. The Brewers had spoiled the home opener with a 6-2 win over the Sox.

Jackass of the Night is easy. Edward Mujica gave up 4 runs on 4 hits in just 2/3 of the 9th inning. Accordian Man translated Mujica as "sh*t the bed"

                                                Jackass Mujica



The Good:

Mike Napoli walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Mike Carp was 1 for 2.

Grady Sizemore was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a stolen base

Will Middlebrooks was for 2 with a walk and solo home run.

Jake Peavy tossed 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4

Burke Badenhop pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief.



The Bad:

Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Johnny Gomes was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with an error.

AJ Pierzynski was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Andrew Miller faced 3 batters and walked 2 of them.




Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox have trouble scoring runs. They managed only 5 hits in the entire game. If the Sox had a 3 or 4-2 lead going into the 9th, it would have been a lot different but Mujica looked frozen on the mound and it showed. This has been one of the coldest, nastiest winters in recent memory so it may take a while for the team and the weather to warm up. The offense better wake up because the team has had 4 good games by the starters and only 2 wins to show for it. Now is not the time to go into a slump with the season just starting. The Sox blitzed through everyone last April and it led to the division title but this season is starting out the opposite. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow when Clay Buchholz takes the mound for his season debut opposite Wily Peralta at 7:10 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.