Cards Tie Series on Miscues (10/24/13)

In the 2004 World Series, the Boston Red Sox set an unwanted record by committing 8 errors in the first two games. Luckily they won both games but 9 years later there was no luck in Game 2 this year. The Sox clung to a 2-1 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals when a series of clutch hits and miscues by the Sox defense led to the Cardinals tying the World Series with a 4-2 victory at Fenway Park. It was the first World Series loss at Fenway since Game 4 in 1986.

Lackey took the mound in the top of the first inning and Matt Carpenter grounded out to short to begin. The Fox broadcast showing the 2004 Red Sox alumni throwing out the first pitch which was a painful reminder to Cardinals managr Mike Matheny and catcher Yadier Molina who were on the 2004 Cards that lost to the Sox. Carlos Beltran lined one into left and Jonny Gomes dove....couldn't catch it. He did scramble after the ball to hold Carlos to a single before Matt Holliday struck out swinging on a high 93 mph fastball. Matt Adams flied out to left to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury popped up to third to begin. Shane Victorino whiffed on a changeup out of the zone and Dustin Pedroia swung and missed for strike three to end the inning.

Molina poked a single to right to begin the top of the second before Allen Craig flied out to right. David Freese whiffed on a curveball in the dirt before Jon Jay grounded out to second to end the inning. David Ortiz led off the bottom of the second by grounding out to second before Mike Napoli drew a walk. Gomes popped up to center before Jarrod Saltalamacchia also popped up to the same spot to end the inning.

Daniel Descalso led off the top of the third inning by swinging and missing on a cutter in the dirt before Carpenter whiffed on the exact same pitch. Beltran grounded out to second on the first pitch to end the inning. Stephen "PU" Drew led off the bottom of the third by whiffed to start. Xander Bogaerts also swung and missed for strike three before Ellsbury lined a broken bat bloop single to center. Victorino popped up to center to end the inning.

The Cards struck first in the top of the fourth when Holliday tripled into the gap in center. Pedroia saved a run with a diving catch on a liner by Adams but Molina grounded on to Pedroia who had no choice but to go to first for the out, scoring Holliday to give the Cards the lead. Craig walked but Freese grounded out to short to end the inning with the Cards up 1-0.

                                                   The Cards strike first

The Sox tried to fight back when Pedroia doubled off the Monster to begin the bottom of the fourth before Ortiz walked. The rally ended as Napoli banged into a double play and Gomes popped up to Carpenter to end the inning.

Jay lined out to a running Ellsbury to begin the top of the fifth before Drew made a hell of a play to rob Descalso of a hit. Carpenter also grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth although Saltalamacchia walked to begin. Drew flied out to left before Bogaerts whiffed again. Ellsbury popped up to third to end the inning.

Lackey returned for the top of the sixth and Beltran popped up to center to begin. Holliday whiffed on a breaking ball in the dirt but Adams smacked a seeing eye single into left. Molina grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth although Victorino was retired on a squibber to third. Pedroia walked and Ortiz crushed a 2 run homer into the Monster Seats to give the Sox the lead. Napoli looked at strike three before Gomes grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                 Kiss it goodbye, home run Ortiz

Unlike every other World Series game at Fenway going back to Game 5 in 1986, the Sox failed to hold the lead in the top of the seventh inning. Lackey did freeze Craig for strike three but Freese worked a crucial walk on a full count. Jay singled to right and that was it for Lackey. Lackey pitched a heck of a game but the bullpen would eventually fail him.

                                                  Good effort by Lackey

Pete Kozma pinch ran for Freese as Craig Breslow came in and the Cardinals pulled off a double steal when Saltalamacchia couldn't get a grip on a ball from Craig. Descalso walked to load the bases with nobody out and Carpenter popped up to left. Kozma took off for home and Gomes threw home but Saltalamacchia muffed the throw, allowing the run to score. If that wasn't enough, the ball got away and Jay took off for third. Breslow threw the ball away allowing Jay to score the go-ahead run and Descalso advanced to third. Beltran singled to right to score Descalso and chase Breslow from the game. Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch and got Holliday to ground out to second but it was 4-2 Sox. Just like that the Cardinals had the 4-2 lead and the Sox were deflated.

                                                        The Cards lead it

Carlos Martinez was the new pitcher in the bottom of the seventh and Saltalamacchia whiffed to start. PU Drew lined one off Martinez but Kozma made an amazing throw to nab Drew at first. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Adams lined out to left to begin. Molina flied out to the warning track in center but Craig singled to center. Kozma popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox tried to start a rally when Ellsbury reached on an error by Carpenter to begin the bottom of the eighth. Martinez froze Victorino with a slider for strike three before whiffing Pedroia. Cards manager Mike Matheny left Martinez in to face Ortiz and David singled into the shift. Martinez was still there to face Napoli with the tying runs on and Matheny's faith was rewarded when Mike popped up to short to end the inning.

Koji Uehara took the mound in the top of the ninth and Jay popped up to left to start. Descalso grounded out to short and Carpenter lined out to a diving Bogaerts to end the inning. Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal came on to end the bottom of the ninth and froze Gomes to start. Saltalamacchia whiffed badly and Daniel Nava pinch hit for Drew only to strike out to end the game. The Cardinals broke the Sox 8 game world series winning streak with a 4-2 win at Fenway.

                                                  The Cards take game 2


Jackass of the Night is Craig Breslow. He was brought in to protect a 2-1 lead and allowed both inherited runners to score and one of his own.

                                              Breslow the Jackass



The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 3 with a walk including a 2 run home run.

Junichi Tazawa retired the only man he faced.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 8th.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Shane Victorino was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Daniel Nava struck out to end the game.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4.

John Lackey took the loss but pitched well, getting charged for 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. If it wasnt for the comedy of errors in the 7th the game might have turned out differently.




Final Thoughts:

If this is the beginning of the end for the Red Sox this season, this sure was a bitter pill to swallow. The Sox committing 2 errors on one play and giving up an rbi single 30 seconds later was like bing, bang boom for Sox fans The Sox pretty much needed to win both games at Fenway because you can't really trust Jake Peavy and Clay Buchholz at this point to get the job done. Not that Joe Kelly or Lance Lynn are as scary as Adam Wainwright and Wacha but it could be a slugfest the next two games. Once again Lackey pitched his ass off and the Sox failed to score many runs for him. The bullpen minus Breslow locked it down but it was too late at that point. Fortunately the Sox are not dead yet and the series is only tied early. Game 3 in St. Louis as Jake Peavy taking the mound against Joe Kelly at 8:05 PM at Busch Stadium.

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.

Tigers Shutout Sox in Game 1 (10/12/13)

When you think of the feared Detroit Tigers pitching you may think Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister. Well the Boston Red Sox totally underestimated their former prospect Annibal Sanchez. Sanchez was dominant and the Sox were no-hit for 8 innings. A rally in the ninth fell short and the Detroit Tigers took Game 1 of the 2013 ALCS by a score of 1-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Jon Lester got the start for Boston and began the top of the first inning by whiffing Austin Jackson. Torii Hunter was rung up on a check swing in the dirt but the hobbled Miguel Cabrera got a base hit to left that should have been a double when Daniel Nava misplayed it. Prince Fielder slashed a rocket to center for a base hit but old pal Victor Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox had one of their only rallies in bottom of the first inning, Sanchez started by freezing Jacoby Ellsbury for strike three. Shane Victorino struck out but the ball got away from catcher Alex Avila, allowing Shane to reach first. Victorino swiped second and Dustin Pedroia walked. An unhappy David Ortiz was rung up on a full count, check swing in the dirt for strike three. Sanchez blew away Mike Napoli on a full count for his fourth strikeout of the inning, tying Orval Overall in 1908 for a post-season record, to end the inning.

                                          "Out??? No way!" - Ortiz

Lester began the top of the second inning with Jhonny Peralta grounding out to third. Omar Infante whiffed and Avila watched strike three go by to end the inning. Sanchez matched Lester in the bottom of the second inning when Nava whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to begin. Stephen "PU" Drew somehow drew a walk but Will Middlebrooks flied out to left. David Ross also walked but Ellsbury grounded out to a charging Jose Iglesias to end the inning with Sanchez already up to 51 pitches.

                                                Orval Overall digs Annibal Sanchez

Iglesias himself led off the top of the third inning with a pop up to right. Jackson poked a base hit to left but was erased on the Hunter double play to end the inning. An unhappy Victorino was rung up on a borderline changeup on the inside corner to begin the bottom of the third. Pedroia lined out to center and Ortiz grounded out to third to end the inning.

Lester cruised in the top of the fourth, starting by getting Cabrera to ground out to second to start. Fielder also grounded out to second on a full count and Martinez lined out to right to end the inning. Sanchez continued to dominate in the bottom of the fourth, beginning by getting Napoli on yet another check swing called third strike. Nava also took a called third strike before Drew whiffed to end the inning. That's 9 strikeouts and no hits allowed for Sanchez.

Lester was almost tagged in the top of the fifth inning when Peralta led off with a double to the centerfield wall. Infante grounded to first but Napoli fired it to second where Drew caught Peralta going back to second for the out. Avila singled to right but Victorino booted the ball, allowing Infante to advance to third. Iglesias grounded to third but Middlebrooks fired home and Infante was out by a mile. Jackson flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox keeping it tied. Middlebrooks grounded out to second on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth before Ross popped up to second. Ellsbury was rung up on a questionable foul tip into the mitt call by home plate umpire Joe West to end the inning. That's 5 innings, 10 strikeouts and no hits allowed for Sanchez.

The Tigers struck first in the top of the sixth although Hunter grounded out to third to start. Cabrera walked and Fielder was hit to put the pressure on. Martinez beat out a double play ball and Peralta blooped a single to center to score the hobbled Cabrera to give the Tigers the lead. Infante grounded out to third to end the inning but Lester had thrown 102 pitches and the Tigers had a 1-0 lead.

                                                       Peralta puts the Tigers on top

The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth but Victorino unsuccessfully tried to catch Fielder sleeping at first with a bunt attempt. Pedroia found a way to draw a walk and advance to second on a passed ball but Ortiz whiffed badly. Napoli and Nava drew back to back walks to load the bases but Drew whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning. Sanchez had struck out 12 and didn't allow a hit through 6 innings.

                                                    Who saw this coming in 2005?

Lester returned for the top of the seventh inning and got Avila to line out to Drew to begin. Iglesias was hit on his little baby toe and that was it for Lester. He did the best he could, allowing just 1 run through 6 1/3 innings but the offense let him down.

                                                      Lester deserved better

Junichi Tazawa relieved Lester and he got Jackson to ground out to third although Iglesias moved to second. Hunter flied out to the right field warning track to end the inning. Al Albuquerque replaced Sanchez for the bottom of the seventh with Mike Carp pinch hitting for Middlebrooks. Carp hit a broken bat grounder to Iglesias before Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch hit for Ross only to watch strike three go by. Ellsbury worked to count to 3-1 then took a very questionable strike two call at the knees that had Victorino in the on-deck circle ready to riot. Jacoby whiffed to end the inning as the boo-birds rained down, causing Sox manager John Farrell to ask Joe West for an explanation.

                                           "That was baloney and you know it Joe!" - JF

Xander Bogaerts came in to play third with Salty taking over behind the plate as Craig Breslow took the mound for the top of the eighth. Cabrera flied out to right but Fielder walked. Martinez flied out to left and the pain in the ass Peralta doubled down the left field line for a ground rule double amidst "Who's your dealer?" chants from irate adult Sox fans. Sox manager John Farrell went to the mound to ask Breslow if he wanted to walk Infante or pitch to him and Breslow said to walk him to load the bases. Sure enough Infante walked to get to Avila as Ramon Santiago pinch ran for Peralta. The gamble worked as Breslow got Avila to fly out to center to end the inning. Don Kelly took over in left as Jose Veras came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Victorino whiffed on a damn good curve by Veras before Pedroia was rung up by West much to Dustin's chagrin. Tigers manager Jim Leyland wanted lefty Drew Smyly to pitch to Ortiz and Drew got Ortiz to fly out to center to end the inning. The Sox were held hitless through 8 innings but were one swing of the bat away from tying it.

Koji Uehara took over in the top of the ninth and Iglesias golfed a base hit to center to begin. Uehara recovered to whiff Jackson on a high fastball but Hunter doubled down the left field line. Kelly whiffed for a huge out and Drew made a wonderful over the shoulder grab to rob Fielder of a hit to end the inning.

                                                  One last chance for the Sox

Joaquin Benoit came on to finish the no-hitter in the bottom of the ninth and Napoli left the bat on his shoulder for strike three to begin. Nava woke up the crowd and broke up the no-hitter with a bloop single to center. Quintin Berry pinch ran for Nava but Drew flied out to right. Berry swiped second to put the tying run at second but the 20 year old rookie Bogaerts popped up to short to end the game. The Sox were 1 hit, struck out 17 times and lost 1-0.

Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and left 3 men on base. One swing of the bat could have impacted the game but he failed to deliver every single time.

                                                      Game 1 Jackass: Ortiz

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia walked twice in four plate appearances.

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Ross walked once in two plate appearances.

Quintin Berry stole a base a pinch runner.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Jon Lester was the hard luck loser giving up just the 1 run in 6 1/3 innings. Lester gave up 6 hits and struck out 4.

Junichi Tazawa got out of the 7th inning.

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

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

Shane Victorino was 0 for 4 with an error and a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 2.

Mike Carp was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 1 at the plate.



The Ugly:

Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but walked.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in deep trouble. Not that Sanchez was a pushover, his performance tonight is proof of that, but the Sox needed to win this game with arguably the two best starters in the American League going in Game's 2 and 3. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are looming and the Sox will have to counter with the still injured Clay Buchholz and unpredictable John Lackey. It doesn't look good for the Sox unless they somehow find a way to score some offense against a group of starters that can match their own. The only Detroit weakness is their bullpen but good luck getting to it. Tomorrow night the Sox hope to rebound when Clay Buchholz takes on Max Scherzer at 8 PM in Game 2 at Fenway Park.

Rays Walkoff in Ninth, Force Game 4 (10/7/13)

The Boston Red Sox may very well win their ALDS matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays but the Rays surely won't go quietly. Heading to Tampa to finish them off after taking the first two games at Fenway Park, the Rays saved their season with a dramatic walkoff home run by the unlikeliest of players against the toughest closer in the American League. With 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, little known Jose Lobaton took Koji Uehara deep and the Rays walked off with a 5-4 Game 3 win at Tropicana Field.

                                                                 This sucks

The Sox struck first against Tampa starter Alex Cobb in the top of the first inning as Jacoby Ellsbury snuck a seeing eye single in the hole at short to begin. Shane Victorino was plunked and Ellsbury scored when Ben Zobrist threw away a double play ball off the bat of Dustin Pedroia. David Ortiz walked but Mike Napoli popped up to left. Daniel Nava grounded back to a diving Cobb to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0

                                           Victorino cleans out Zobrist to make it 1-0

Clay Buchholz got the start for the Sox and David Dejesus hit a 3-2 flare into left field for a base hit to start. Dejesus was erased on the force by Zobrist before Evan Longoria popped up to center. Wil Myers hit a broken bat grounder to second to end the inning.

Cobb settled down in the top of the second inning as Jarrod Saltalamacchia whiffed to begin before Stephen "PU" Drew popped up to left. Will Middlebrooks was out at first on a bang bang play to end the inning. Old friend James Loney began the bottom of the second with a double off the wall but was doubled off second on a Desmond Jennings liner to Napoli. Matt Joyce lined out to a sliding Nava in left to end the inning.

Ellsbury flied out to left to open the top of the third inning before Victorino swung at air for strike three. Pedroia swung at strike three in the dirt to end the inning. Buchholz got Yunel Escobar to ground out to third before Jose Molina waived at strike three. DeJesus looked at strike three to end the inning.

Ortiz led off the top of the fourth with a walk before Napoli went the other way with a base hit to right. Nava flied out to center but the hustling Ortiz moved to third to put runners at the corners. Saltalamacchia whiffed on a pitch in the dirt for strike three before Drew grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The bottom of the fourth began with Zobrist hitting one up the elevator shaft but it hit the catwalk and the ball was ruled foul. Zobrist ended up walking on a borderline 3-2 pitch but Buchholz recovered to freeze Longoria with an inside change. Myers whiffed after nearly hitting a bomb before Loney ripped a hit to right. Jennings walked to load the bases but Buchholz whiffed Joyce to end the 35 pitch inning. Good god that was brutal.

The Sox struck back in the the top of the fifth although Cobb blew away Middlebrooks to open. Ellsbury lined one off the glove of Loney and taking second on the hustle double before Victorino ate up Longoria with an infield single to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch by Cobb scored Ellsbury and a Pedroia grounder moved Shane to third. Ortiz lashed a single to left to score Victorino before Napoli grounded out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                  Ellsbury scores to increase the lead

The Rays roared back in the bottom of the fifth and Escobar beat out an infield single to short to begin. Molina flied out to center but Jennings doubled to right to put runners at second and third. Buchholz got a big out when Zobrist popped up to short but Longoria smashed a 3 run home run to left to tie up the game. Myers walked and Loney singled but Sox manager John Farrell suck with Buchholz to face Jennings. Clay rewarded Farrell's faith by getting Jennings to pop up to short to end the inning but the Rays had tied it 3-3.

                                                     So much for that lead

Alex Torres replaced Cobb for the top of the sixth and struck out Nava to begin. Saltalamacchia grounded a seeing eye single to center but Escobar ran down a PU Drew pop up. Torres struck out Middlebrooks and celebrated after to end the inning. Buchholz returned for the bottom of the sixth and got Joyce to pop up to Middlebrooks in foul territory to begin. Escobar popped up to first and Molina popped up to third to end the inning. That was it for Buchholz after 6 solid innings giving up just the mistake to Longoria in his outing.

                                                    Clay goes 6

Joel Peralta took the mound in the top of the seventh and Zobrist made a great jumping catch to rob Ellsbury of a hit. Victorino flied out to left and Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning. Craig Breslow took the mound in the bottom of the seventh and Sean Rodriguez pinch hit for DeJesus but popped up to third to begin. Zobrist singled to chase Breslow as Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch, but uncorked a wild pitch to move Ben to second. Tazawa got Longoria to pop up to third and blew away Myers to end the inning.

Jake McGee came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ortiz got a gift walk to begin the inning. For some reason Sox manager John Farrell decided to pinch run Ortiz with Quintin Berry, removing Ortiz' bat from the game. Berry took off for second and.....SAFE! Rays manager Joe Maddon sprinted out of the dugout throwing everything he could get his hands on to protest the call. The replays showed Berry was clearly out but there was nothing that could be done. Napoli grounded out to short and Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Nava. Maddon had Gomes intentionally walked to set up the double play but Saltalamacchia whiffed for the second out. PU Drew popped up 15 feet to the left to end the inning. That was a huge squander for the Sox as Ortiz bat was now sorely missed. Franklin Morales came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and walked Loney to start. Sam Fuld pinch ran for Loney and Jennings caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single to first. Joyce popped up a bunt to Saltalamacchia and that was it for Morales. Brandon Workman came in and the Rays got more luck when Pedroia and Drew ran into each other on an Escobar grounder, loading the bases. Delmon Young pinch hit for Molina and grounded a hard one to Napoli who couldn't get the ball out of his glove, deciding to step on first for the out but the go-ahead run scored. Rodriguez flied out to left but it was 4-3 Rays.

                                                     Dammit

Somehow the Sox rallied in the top of the ninth against closer Fernando Rodney. Middlebrooks walked to start and Xander Bogaerts ran for him. Ellsbury hit a flare to left that dropped in no man's land for a single before Victorino grounded back to the mound, but both runners moved into scoring position. Pedroia grounded to short but Bogaerts scored to tie the game. Mike Carp pinch hit for Berry and Ellsbury swiped third to put the go-ahead run 90 feet away. Carp was rung up for strike three to end the inning but it was tied 4-4.

Koji Uehara was brought in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Zobrist grounded out to first on the first pitch. Longoria flied out and with Wil Myers out of the game due to dehydration, Jose Lobaton pinch hit for Fernando Rodney. Out of complete nowhere Lobaton crushed a solo home run to win the game for Tampa. Unbelievable.

                                                                   Dammit


Jackass of the Night is unfortunately Koji Uehara. How the hell do you give up a walkoff bomb to Jose freakin Lobaton?

                                                   Uehara the Jackass


The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Shane Victorino was 1 for 3 with an HBP and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 1 with 3 walks and an rbi.

Quintin Berry pinch ran for Ortiz and stole a base.

Jonny Gomes walked as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts scored a run as a pinch runner.

Craig Breslow retired one of the two men he faced.

Junichi Tazawa got both hitters he faced.



The Bad:

Mike Carp struck out as a pinch hitter.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 4.

Franklin Morales gave up a run in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 3 but walked.

Clay Buchholz was game by lasting 6 innings but allowed a 3 run bomb to Longoria to finish with a no-decison.

Brandon Workman allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.




Final Thoughts:

So much for a clean sweep. The Rays kept thier season alive and now the pressure is on the Sox to put them away. If the Sox can't win Game 4 you're looking at a Game 5 in Boston with Matt Moore on the mound looking for revenge, not a pleasant picture. Pretty much whoever wins Game 4 wins the series because I don't like the idea of the Sox choking away a 2-0 series lead. Tonight's game was a tough pill to swallow as Buchholz made one mistake and the Sox worked their asses off to tie the game in the ninth. Hopefully the Sox have better luck in Game 4. Jake Peavy goes for the Sox tomorrow night against Jeremy Hellickson at 8:30 PM at Tropicana Field.

Bats Power Sox Past Angels (6/9/13)

That's a little more like it for the Boston Red Sox. The Sox needed their offense to start stepping up and today they did in a big way. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, the Sox proceeded to smack four home runs, score 10 runs and pound out 11 hits against the Los Angeles Angels. Ryan Dempster (4-6, 4.40 ERA) tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 3 runs to keep the Sox in the game. Daniel Nava tied the game in the bottom of the third and David Ortiz smashed a 3 run bomb to put the Sox up for good. Jarrod Saltalamacchia went yard in the sixth and seventh inning with the only hiccup being Koji Uehara allowing two runs in the bottom of the eighth. As a whole, the Sox blasted four home runs as they took 2 of 3 from the Angels, winning 10-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Happy Sox fan

Things went bad right from the start of the top of the first. Mike Trout took strike three to start and Josh Hamilton grounded out to short....but Albert Pujols swatted a 400 foot bomb to right-center to put the Angels on top. Mark Trumbo singled to right but Dempster struck out Howie Kendrick swinging to end the inning with the Angels on top 1-0. 

                                                       That didn't take long

Joe Blanton got the start in the bottom of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury lined out to left to start. Daniel Nava stepped in against Blanton, the man he hit the grand slam off of 3 years ago in Nava's MLB debut. This time it was Blanton who got the duke, inducing a line out to center. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning.

Dempster got some help from his defense in the top of the second. Alberto Callaspo walked but the Sox pulled a 4-6-3 double play off Erick Aybar. Chris Iannetta struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the second as David Ortiz worked a leadoff single to begin. Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltlamacchia both struck out swinging but Mike Carp walked. With two men on....Stephen "PU" Drew popped up to third to end the inning.

Dempster ran into big trouble in the top of the third as J.B. Shuck doubled to center to lead the inning off but got a key out when Trout grounded out back to Ryan, stranding Shuck at second. Hamilton lined out to right but in stepped in Pujols. Dempster drilled him, earning some serious stank eye from Albert. Dempster pulled a Rick Vaughn and threw a wild pitch juuuuuust a bit outside to advance Shuck to third. Trout walked but PU Drew robbed Kendrick of a hit with a good play to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Jose Iglesias reached on an infield single to short but was erased on an Ellsbury force. Ellsbury made up for it by swiping his 24th base of the year. Nava singled home Ellsbury to tie the game. Pedroia singled to left to bring up the red hot Ortiz, who took advantage of the wind blowing out to launch yet another 3 run bomb to give the Sox the lead. Napoli was rung up for strike three on a bad call and Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 4-1.

                                                       Ortiz puts the Sox on top

Could Dempster hold the 3 run lead in the top of the fourth? NO! Callaspo hit one of those 300 foot home runs right around the Pesky Pole to cut the lead instantly. Aybar lined out to left, Iannetta popped up to second and Shuck popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 4-2.

                                                           Callaspo hits one out

In the bottom of the fourth, Carp took advantage of a shoddy throw from Callaspo to reach on an error to begin. PU Drew then struck out swinging by losing his bat into the stands. Blanton threw over to first a few times but that was rendered useless when a wild pitch advanced Carp all the way to third. All Iglesias had to do was hit a fly ball but all he could do was pop up to first. Ellsbury then scored Carp with a scintillating triple to right that extended the lead. Nava flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                     Ellsbury with a triple

Could Dempster hold the fort in the top of the fifth? NO! Trout hit a leadoff double to left but Dempster froze Hamilton for strike three. Pujols popped up to center but Trumbo singled home Trout. Kendrick forced Trumbo at second to end the inning with the Angels down 5-3.

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Pedroia popped up to second to start. Ortiz took strike three and Napoli went down hacking to end the inning.

Dempster finished his day with a clean top of the sixth inning. Callaspo struck out swinging, Aybar lined out to left and Iannetta went down hacking to end the inning. That was one of the better starts for Dempster this season, finishing strong by allowing 3 runs in 6 innings with six strikeouts.

                                                 Solid effort by Dempster

The Sox pulled away in the bottom of the sixth when Saltalamacchia pounded his seventh home run of the year to increase the lead. Carp then cracked his sixth of the year for back to back jacks. That was it for Blanton as Michael Kohn came in to face Drew. Kendrick pulled a Tuukka Rask and kick-saved a grounder by Drew for an error before PU took second on a passed ball. The rally ended as Iglesias flied out to right, Ellsbury popped up to right and Nava struck out swinging on a ball up in his eyes to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                              MagiCarp delivers again.

Craig Brewslow replaced Dempster in the top of the and Shuck botched a bunt attempt, popping up to Iglesias who caught the attempt. Trout doubled off the monster and Hamilton advanced him to third on a force. Napoli and Saltalamacchia nearly killed each other on a pop up but Napoli caught it for the third out. Old friend Robert Coello replaced Kohn for the bottom of the seventh and poured gas on the fire. Pedroia flied out to left but Ortiz walked. Napoli also walked and Saltalamacchia cleared the bases with a three run bomb to center to extend the lead. Carp flied out to center but Drew ripped a base hit up the middle. Iglesias doubled into the left field corner and Ellsbury walked to load the bases, chasing Coello. Scott Downs came in and Nava lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 10-5

                                   Jarrod says to Ortiz "Anything you can do I can do better"

Koji Uehara of the Orient Express relieved Breslow in the top of the eighth and pooped himself. Iglesias moved to second to give Pedroia the rest of the day off as Pedro Ciriaco took over at third. Trumbo grounded out to short but Uehara hit Kendrick with a pitch, his first hit batsmen ever. Callaspo beat out a double play ball but both Aybar and Iannetta walked to load the bases. A single by Shuck up the middle drove in two runs and chased Uehara. Andrew Miller came in to replace Koji and was greeted by a Trout single to right. Good news was Iannetta stopped at third and Shuck was tagged out by Drew going back to second to end the inning. The Sox still led 10-5.

                                                          Yerrrr out!

Kevin Jepsen replaced Downs for the bottom of the eighth and Ciriaco grounded out to first to start. Ortiz grounded out to short and Napoli earned the golden sombrero by striking out swinging to end the inning.

Andrew Bailey came on to finish off the top of the ninth. Hamilton went down hacking before Pujols popped up to first in foul territory. Trumbo walked but Kendrick took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-5.

                                                            Sox win



Hero of the Night is Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He went 2 for 4 with 2 home runs and 4 total rbi's.

                                                                Salty Hero

The Good:

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a 3 run home run.

Mike Carp was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Jose Iglesias was 2 for 4.

Ryan Dempster got the win by allowing just 3 runs in 6 solid innings. He walked 2 and struck out 6 batters.

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Andrew Miller got the final out of the eighth inning.

Andrew Bailey pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Pedro Ciriaco was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Koji Uehara allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning

The Ugly:

Daniel Nava was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts but walked.

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run, stole a base and scored a run.

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

Stephen Drew was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Other than Uehara's meltdown, the day was an impressive one for the Red Sox. Their bats woke up to pound the Angels and finish 4-2 on the homestand. 6-3 in their last 9 games. This was the Sox 39th win of the season, after 64 games last year the Sox were 31-33. Quite a turnaround. Oh and guess who defeated the Red Sox in the 64th game last year, today's starter Ryan Dempster. The Sox now travel on a critical road trip to Tampa Bay for three games and Baltimore for another four. Whether they stay in first or not will be decided by this road trip. The win today improved the Sox to 39-25, 1 1/2 games in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now begin a three game set with the Rays, John Lackey (3-5, 2.79 ERA) goes up against Alex Cobb tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Leaky Pen Fails Sox in Game 1 (6/8/13)

After last night's rainout, this was NOT what the Boston Red Sox needed in a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels. The normally rock solid Boston bullpen crumbled in today's game after Felix Doubront (4-3, 4.84 ERA) went 6 innings and allowed just 3 runs. Franklin Morales, Clayton Mortensen and Andrew Miller allowed 6 runs on 6 hits and 6 walks combined to turn a 3-2 game into a nightmare defeat. The Boston bats left 14 men on base despite scoring 5 runs in the game and it all added up to a 9-5 defeat at the hands of the Angels at Fenway Park.

                                                   "No clutch hits? Ugh!"

Doubront got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mike Trout grounded out to short to start. Josh Hamilton ripped a double to right but Albert Pujols lined out to first. Mark Trumbo grounded out to short to end the inning. In the bottom of the first, lack of clutch hitting doomed the Red Sox against Angels starter Tommy Hanson. Jacoby Ellsbury singled and stole second but got caught in a rundown when Nava sent a grounder right back to starter Hanson. It was a shame as Dustin Pedroia doubled Nava over to third. Now with runners in scoring position....David Ortiz struck out and Mike Napoli grounded out meekly to third to end the inning.

                                                       Men left on - 2

The Angels struck first in the top of the second as Howie Kendrick led off with a single to left and advanced to second on the grounder to first by Alberto Callaspo. Chris Ianetta grounded out to third but Erick Aybar singled home Kendrick and took second on the throw. J.B. Shuck struck out looking to end the inning but the Angels were on the board up 1-0. 

More incompetence followed in the bottom of the second as Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked but Mike Carp flied out to center. Stephen "PU" Drew walked and Jose Iglesias flied out to right to moved Saltalamacchia to third. With two runners on.....Ellsbury grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                         Men left on - 4

The Angels tacked it on in the top of the third. Trout doubled to left and Hamilton walked before both advanced on a double steal. All Albert Pujols had to do was hit a fly ball and he did, scoring Trout and sending Hamilton to third with a sac fly to center. Trumbo grounded out to short to score Hamilton but Kendrick lined out to center to end the inning with the Angels up 3-0.

                                                     Trout gets the rally started

Could the Sox counter in the bottom of the third? It seemed that way when Nava and Pedroia hit back to back singles....but then both Ortiz swung at air and Napoli watched strike three go by. Saltalamacchia popped up to third to end the inning.

                                                         Men left on - 6

Doubront finally settled down in the top of the fourth as Callaspo flied out to right to start. Iannetta struck out swinging and Aybar lined out to third to end the inning. The Sox finally rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Carp whalloped a 434 foot bomb to right field, his 5th of the year, to cut the lead. Drew and Iglesias both popped up to short but Ellsbury walked. Ellsbury stole second then Nava then hit a shallow fly ball that Hamilton booted, allowing Ellsbury to score and Nava to reach second. Hanson uncorked a wild pitch to move Nava to third and Pedroia worked a walk. Once again with two men on Ortiz.....grounded out to second to end the inning. Yes, they cut the lead 3-2 but left 2 more men on base.

                                           Carp circles the bases as Hanson can't bear to watch

Doubront got in trouble in the top of the fifth as Shuck walked to start. Trout and Hamilton both struck out swinging but Pujols singled to left to move Shuck to third. Trumbo grounded out to second to end the inning. Hanson got Napoli to fly out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Saltalamacchia grounded out to first. Carp singled to right but Drew struck out swinging to end the inning. Hanson put himself in position to win the game.

                              Another Tommy Hanson approves of the Angels hurler's performance

Doubront returned for the top of the sixth and Kendrick grounded out to second to start. Callapso doubled to left but Iannetta flied out to right. Aybar grounded out to first to end the inning. Doubront did well, tossing 6 solid innings and allowing 3 runs. The Sox just couldn't generate enough offense for him.

                                                    "Thanks for nothing fellas" - Doubront

Michael Kohn came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Iglesias walked to start. Ellsbury forced Jose at second but Nava ripped a base hit to right. With a chance to tie the game....Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning.

                                                Men left on - 10

Now came Sox manager John Farrell's critical decision. Doubront hadn't gone seven innings all year but was under 100 pitches. Farrell thought he had done enough and brought in lefty Franklin Morales to replace Felix. Shuck grounded out to first to start but Trout doubled to left. Hamilton flied out to center and Morales was just one out away from a scoreless inning. It never happened as Pujols was intentionally walked and Trumbo made Morales pay by doubling home Trout. Kendrick walked to load the bases and Callaspo walked to score Pujols. Iannetta walked to score Trumbo and chase Morales. Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen came in and Aybar beat out an infield single to second to score Kendrick. Shuck flied out to center to end the inning with the Angels now ahead 7-2. The parade of boos rained down as they should have.

                                 Morales faces 8 batters, gives up 2 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs

Now down 7-2 the Sox needed a rally big time against Scott Downs in the bottom of the seventh. Ortiz flied out to left, Napoli lined out to center and Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to end the inning. So much for that.

Trout led off the top of the eighth with a single to right and moved to second on the grounder to second by Hamilton. Trout moved to third on a grounder to short by Pujols but Trumbo popped up to short left to end the inning. Garrett Richards took the mound in the bottom of the eighth and Carp grounded back to the mound to start. Drew took strike three but Iglesias singled to right. Ellsbury reached on catcher's interference but Nava grounded out to second to end the inning. That's 12 left on base.

The Angels, meanwhile, had no trouble getting clutch hits and plays in the top of the ninth. Kendrick and Callaspo hit back to back singles but Ianetta popped up to third. Farrell bounded out of the dugout and brought in Andrew Miller to get the last two outs without allowing a run...he failed. Aybar walked to load the bases but Shuck hit the next ball to Napoli who tossed it to Salty for the force at home. Trout then walked to bring the 8th run in and Pedroia booted a ground ball by Hamilton allowing the 9th run to score. Pujols grounded into a force to end the inning but now the game was out of reach with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                                    Nice going Miller

The Sox rallied too little too late in the bottom of the ninth as Pedroia grounded back to the mound to start. Ortiz grounded out to first but Napoli singled to left. Saltalamacchia singled to center and Carp singled home Napoli to cut the lead. Drew doubled home both runners and Iglesias reached on an infield single to third to chase Richards. With the tying run in the on-deck circle, Ernesto Frieri struck out Ellsbury to end the game. Total men left on base: 14

                                              

Jackass of the Night is an easy one. Franklin Morales was brought in for relief and ended up giving up 4 earned runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                                Jackass of the Night

The Good:

Daniel Nava was 3 for 5 with an rbi. 

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a walk. 

Mike Carp was 3 for 5 with 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored. 

Jose Iglesias was 2 for 4 with a walk.

The Bad:

Other bumbing bawfulness included David Ortiz going 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts. 

Clayton Mortensen gave up 2 runs in just 1 2/3 innings pitched.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but walked, scored a run and swiped 2 bags. 

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 5 but scored a run. 

Jarrod Saltlamacchia was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run. 

Stephen Drew was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in two runs. 

Felix Doubront went 6 innings and gave up 3 runs to take the loss. He's now 4-3 with a 4.84 record on the year. 

Andrew Miller walked in a run but didn't allow any runners he put on to score in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

Woweeee that was bad pitching. Yes the Sox left 14 men on base but had the bullpen not allowed 6 runs they may have won the game. What also sucks was this was Game 1 of the double-header meaning if Clay Buchholz stinks in Game 2, they're already down 3 relievers with only the Orient Express and Andrew Bailey to use. Say goodbye to Jackie Bradley Jr as well, Shane Victorino is going to be activated before Game 2 later tonight. At least this time Jackie made some contributions before being demoted. Either by injury or incompetence we may see Jackie again soon. As for the game, the Sox drop to 37-25, 1 game in front of the New York Yankees, who were victorious against the Seattle Mariners, for first place in the AL East.. The Sox look to salvage the day by sending undefeated Clay Buchholz (8-0) out against ace C.J. Wilson in about 2 hours at Fenway Park.