O's Drop Unclutch Sox (8/14/12)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. It was discovered that Kelly Shoppach was the one who blew the whistle on how horrible Sox manager Bobby Valentine is to the media so Sox GM Ben Cherrington shipped him to the New York Mets for a player to be named. It would have been a lot easier for Cherrington just to fire Valentine but oh well, bye bye Kelly. In his place the Sox finally activated closer Andrew Bailey off the Disabled List. Its too little, too late with the Sox hopelessly out of the AL East race but at least he can show something for next year.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                 IN

As for the game, with tensions buzzing over another media blowup, the Boston Red Sox found a new way to lose tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox as a team pounded out 11 hits....but only scraped out one run. A lot of guys got hits but none of them when it mattered. Josh Beckett (5-10, 5.19 ERA) continued his career nosedive by getting knocked out in the sixth inning after allowing 6 runs. Andrew Bailey made his too little, too late Red Sox debut by striking out the only man he faced, but by that point the O's already had a commanding lead. Reports of the Red Sox players hating Bobby Valentine are coming out and it shows as the Sox dropped another game 7-1 to the O's at Camden Yards.

Wei-Yin Chen got the ball for Baltimore in the top of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury slapped a leadoff single in the hole at short to start. Pedro Ciriaco dropped down the perfect bunt and almost beat it out. Dustin Pedroia lined one off the glove of Chen but Manny Machado gunned him down at first. Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Beckett got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nick Markakis grounded out to second to start. JJ Hardy popped up to short and Nate McLouth struck out swinging to end the inning.

Cody Ross grounded out to second to start the top of the second inning but Ryan Lavarnway singled to right. Carl Crawford beat out a fielder's choice and Mike Aviles struck out swinging to end the inning. Adam Jones popped up on the infield but Avilies sprinted past Beckett to make the catch. Matt Wieters walked and Chris Davis singled to right, but Mark Reynolds hit one up the elevator shaft. Manny Machado popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Machado made a good play to rob Danny Valencia of a hit to start. Ellsbury grounded out to first but Ciriaco doubled down the left field line. Pedroia walked but Gonzalez flied out to left to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the third as Omar Quintanilla clobbered a home run all the way to the Red Sea to start. Markakis grounded out to short, Hardy popped up to first and McLouth popped up to first to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            Home run Quintanilla

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth when Ross hit a ground rule double to the left field stands to start. Ross moved to third on a grounder to first by Lavarnway and scored on the Crawford base hit to center. Avilies struck out swinging and Valencia flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Crawford ties it up

Beckett cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Jones struck out swinging to start. Wieters lined out to center and Davis flied out to left to end the inning.

Ellsbury grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Ciriaco grounded out to short. Pedroia tripled into the right field corner but Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. The O's retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Reynolds hit a home run to Jupiter to start. Machado popped up to short, Quintanilla lined out to left and Markakis flied out to center to end the inning with the O's up 2-1.

                                                          Reynolds hits a home run

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the sixth and Ross singled to left to start. Lavarnway lined out to left but Crawford singled to right. Aviles struck out swinging and Valencia flied out to center to end the inning. The O's finally knocked out Beckett in the bottom of the sixth as Hardy got a base hit to left to start. McLouth popped up to third but Jones walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Jones hit a Baltimore chopper over all 3 defenders to score Hardy with another run. Davis lined a base hit to center to score Jones and chase Beckett. Josh would be charged with 6 runs before the inning was over. Mark Melancon came in to pitch and naturally he served up a 3 run homer to Reynolds all the way to Jacksonville, Florida to ice the game. Machado grounded out to short and Quintanailla struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was all but finished 7-1.

                                                Reynolds ices the game

Ellsbury dropped a base hit to right to start the top of the seventh and chase Chen. Darren O'Day came in and Ciriaco struck out swinging. Pedroia doubled to right and Gonzalez walked to load the bases, but Ross struck out swinging. Lavarnway took strike three to end the inning, what a waste. Melancon got Markakis to grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh and Hardy struck out swinging. McLouth grounded out to first to end the inning.

Old friend JC Romero came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Crawford flied out to center to start. Aviles also flied out to center but Valencia singled to left. Ellsbury grounded out to first to end the inning. Scott Posednik came in to play center for the bottom of the eighth and Jones struck out swinging to start. Wieters grounded back to the mound and that was it for Melancon. Andrew Bailey made his Red Sox debut by walking Chris Davis but striking out Reynolds swinging to end the inning.

                                                        Better late than never for Bailey

Matt Lindstrom came in to close out the top of the ninth and Ciriaco lined out to left to start. Pedroia flied out to right and Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won it 7-1.

                                                                       O's win

Jackass of the Night is Josh Beckett. He got hammered for 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole too deep to climb out of.

                                              2006 Jackass Beckett returns

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Cody Ross was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Crawford was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Andrew Bailey struck out the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Mike Aviles was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Pedro Ciriaco was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Ryan Lavarnway was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Danny Valencia was just 1 for 4.

Mark Melancon allowed the 3 run homer to Reynolds in 2 1/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Scott Posednik played centerfield in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Not only is the season going down the drain, but if that wasn't bad enough,......this happened. Yessire bob, the players themselves have revolted against Valentine. Its been a long time coming to after the lackadaisical play as of late. Tensions have been bad virtually all season with incidents popping up here and there but now that its in full print in the media for the whole world to see, there's no denying it now. Its been a bad year anyway with long term injuries to David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Will Middlebrooks and John Lackey missing the season with Tommy John surgery, but anyone that's left clearly has no love for Valentine. Its almost guaranteed Valentine won't be back next season to manage this team and hopefully the next guy in can get the most out of Gonzalez, Crawford, Pedroia, etc thast Bobby couldn't. A picture surfaced of Bobby Valentine sleeping in his office with Pedroia sarcastically saying "Here's our manager making the starting lineups" Its gotten pretty ugly around here. As for this game, how the heck do you crank out 11 hits but only 1 run? The O's only had 7 as a team but still plated 7 runs. Chen is a good pitcher but it wasn't like he was working on a 3 hit shutout. Once again the Sox are finding new ways to lose and the season can't end fast enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 57-60, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Aaron Cook (3-5) looks to stop the bleeding against Miguel Gonzalez of the Orioles. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Floyd, White Sox Shut Down Red Sox (4/29/12)

It was bad news all around for the city of Boston as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Chicago White Sox snapped the Boston Red Sox six game win streak. Gavin Floyd held the Boston lineup to just 1 run and 3 hits in 6 2/3 innings, following in Jake Peavy's footsteps from yesterday. Meanwhile the White Sox pounced on Josh Beckett (2-3, 4.45 ERA) for three early runs including an Adam Dunn home run. Beckett recovered to pitch into the seventh inning but the Red Sox could muster a Cody Ross rbi single. The White Sox got the insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and the White Sox bested Boston 4-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                              Losing to Chicago?

Floyd got the ball in the top of the first and Mike Aviles flied out to center to start. Ryan Sweeney struck out swinging and Dustin Pedroia popped up to left to end the inning. The White Sox wasted no time getting to Beckett in the bottom of the first as Alejandro De Aza singled over the head of Adrian Gonzalez to start. Brent Lillibridge dropped down a bunt to move De Aza to second and Alejandro scored on the Alex Rios base hit to left to put the White Sox up for good. Adam Dunn hit the killshot with a two run home run to South America to ice the game. AJ Pierzynski struck out swinging and Alexei Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the game already over 3-0 Chicago.

                                                       Dunn puts the ChiSox up for good

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the second as Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. David Ortiz flied out to center and David Ross took strike three to end the inning. Beckett recovered in the bottom of the second as Kosuke Fukudome grounded out to first to start. Dayan Viciedo took strike three and Eduardo Escobar grounded out to first to end the inning.

Floyd dominated the top of the third as Nick Punto struck out swinging to start. Marlon Byrd also struck out swinging and Kelly Shoppach popped up to second to end the inning. The White Sox threatened in the bottom of the third as De Aza took strike three to start. Lillibridge dumped a base hit to right but Rios flied out to left. Lillibridge stole second and Dunn walked, but Pierzynski lined out to a running Ross to end the inning.

Aviles popped up to right to start the top of the fourth before Sweeney grounded out to second. Pedroia struck out swinging to end the inning. Ramirez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Fukudome flied out to left. Viciedo singled to left but Escobar struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gonzalez grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth before Ortiz grounded out to second. Ross walked to break up the perfect game but Punto took strike three to end the inning. De Aza struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Lillibridge flied out to left. Rios struck out swinging to end the inning. Apart from that first inning, Beckett had pitched very well.

The no-hitter continued in the top of the sixth as Byrd grounded out to short to start. Shoppach flied out to right as White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson told a funny story of how Blue Moon Odom won a big money bet by walking on his hands around the length of Municipal Stadium. Aviles grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                       Kansas City handwalking champion

Dunn struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Pierzynski flied out to left. Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning. 

Sweeney struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh but Pedroia broke up the no-hitter with a base hit to center. Gonzalez struck out swinging but Ortiz doubled into the right field corner. Ross hit a seeing eye single to left to score Ortiz and chase Floyd from the game. Addison Reed came in and Punto grounded out to first to end the inning with the BoSox down 3-1.

                                                       Ross gets the BoSox on the board

Beckett ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh as Fukudome grounded out to first to start. Viciedo popped up to first in foul territory but Escobar singled in the hole at first. De Aza and Lillibridge both walked to load the bases and chase Beckett. His one mistake to Dunn was the difference in the game as he left after 6 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs. Scott Atchison came in to face Rios and got him to fly out to right to end the inning.

                                                               Beckett made one mistake

Lars Anderson pinch hit for Byrd to lead off the top of the eighth and flied out to left to begin. Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch hit for Shoppach and struck out swinging but Aviles walked to chase Reed. Matt Thornton came in to pitch to Sweeney but Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine countered by bringing in Darnell McDonald to pinch hit for Ryan. McDonald took strike three to end the inning....I could have done that. Rich Hill made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth and crapped his pants. Dunn walked and Brent Morel pinch ran for him. Pierzynski hit into a double play but Ramirez reached on a swinging bunt to Hill and Fukudome walked to chase Rich. Junichi Tazawa came in and Viciedo hit a single to left to score Ramirez for another run. Escobar flied out to center to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                         White Sox score another run

Thornton came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Pedroia lined out to second to start. Gonzalez struck out swinging to earn the hat trick and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the game. The White Sox had won it 4-1.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Adrian Gonzalez. He was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts in a game where one swing of the bat could have made the difference.

                                                         Gonzalez The Jackass

The Good:

Cody Ross was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Scott Atchison retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Ryan Sweeney was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Darnell McDonald struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nick Punto was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marlon Byrd was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Lars Anderson was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Kelly Shoppach was 0 for 2.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rich Hill was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Mike Aviles was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Josh Beckett allowed just 3 runs but couldn't get out of the seventh inning. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks but struck out 8 batters.

Junichi Tazawa allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

All good things must come to an end and the six game win streak was snapped. Its too bad the Red Sox couldn't generate any offense until it was too late because Beckett overcame his lousy first inning to pitch into the seventh inning. Punto leaving men on and Tazawa giving up the fourth run ruined any hope of a comeback. Just have to tip your cap to Gavin Floyd the same way Jake Peavy dominated last night. Hopefully the Sox bats can wake up in their next series because essentially they've scored two runs in the last two games against a starter. Getting good starts from Beckett and Jon Lester has certainly helped turn things around this month. Still, the bats lit up the White Sox the first two games and that's the kind of offense they should be having, not the one that's been shut down the last two games. The BoSox have one game left this month and now they return home for a set with the Oakland A's. Clay Buchholz (2-1) gets the start for Boston against Tommy Milone of Oakland tomorrow night. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Beckett, Sox Thrash Twins (4/24/12)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Nate Spears cleared waivers and was returned back to Pawtucket. As for the game, the Boston Red Sox left no doubt in this one against the Minnesota Twins. The Boston bats woke up to launch an 18 hit attack against Nick Blackburn and the Minnesota bullpen. Mike Aviles and David Ortiz both went yard and Adrian Gonzalez drove in a couple of runs. On the other side of the ball Josh Beckett tossed 6 solid innings and held the Twins to just two runs. Scott Atchison and Matt Albers was perfect out of the bullpen and the Sox ran away with an 11-2 victory over the Twins at Target Field.

                                                 Jill Valentine approves of the win

The Sox ambushed Blackburn in the top of the first as Mike Aviles doubled to center to start. Ryan Sweeney singled up the middle to score Aviles but Dustin Pedroia forced him at second. Adrian Gonzalez singled to right to move Pedroia to third and David Ortiz scored Dustin with a base hit to left. Kevin Youkilis dropped a base hit to right to load the bases and Gonzalez scored on the Cody Ross grounder to first. Marlon Byrd grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                            Sox take the lead

The Twins wasted no time getting to Beckett in the bottom of the first as Denard Span drilled a base hit to center to start. Jamey Carroll forced Span at second and Joe Mauer walked. Josh Willingham walked to load the bases and Justin Morneau walked to score Carroll. Beckett recovered to strike out Ryan Doumit swinging but felt he was getting squeezed. Danny Valencia grounded out to third to end the inning and Beckett started screaming at home plate umpire Adrian Johnson who screamed back. All this mayhem had the Twins down 3-1.

                                                         Twins score a run

Kelly Shoppach doubled off the right field wall to start the top of the second and Aviles dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Kelly to third. Unfortunately Sweeney grounded out to second and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Chris Parmalee struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Plouffe grounded out to third. Span grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the third as Gonzalez walked to start. Ortiz clubbed his third home run of the season to increase the lead but Youkilis struck out swinging. Ross flied out to the left field warning track but Byrd ripped a base hit to left. Shoppach struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                        Ortiz jacks one out

Carroll grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third but Mauer singled to center. Willingham doubled to right but Morneau hit a liner to short. Doumit popped up to Byrd to end the inning.

Matt Maloney came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Aviles greeted him with his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Sweeney doubled to the centerfield wall but Pedroia grounded out to short. Gonzalez got a base hit to right to score Sweeney but Ortiz forced Adrian at second. Youkilis got a base hit to left but Ross struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                              Aviles hits one out

Beckett cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Valencia grounded out to third to start. Parmalee flied out to center and Byrd made a running catch to rob Plouffe of a double to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the fifth as Byrd singled to center to start. Shoppach struck out swinging but Aviles hit a double that got caught under the centerfield wall to score Byrd. Sweeney struck out swinging but Pedroia doubled off the right field scoreboard to score Aviles. Gonzalez doubled to left to score Pedroia and chase Maloney. Jeff Gray came in and Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                     Gonzalez drives in a run

Span blooped a double into center to start the bottom of the fifth but got caught in a rundown on a grounder to the mound by Carroll. Mauer flied out to center but Willingham doubled to left to score Carroll to cut the lead. Morneau flied out to left to end the inning with the Twins down 10-2.

                                                       Twins score a run

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth inning as Youkilis flied out to right to start. Ross struck out swinging and Byrd grounded out to short to end the inning. Beckett returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and Doumit took strike three to start. Valencia and Parmalee both struck out swinging to end the inning. Beckett tossed 6 solid innings, survived early squeezing and held the Twins to two runs.

                                                           Beckett gets it done

Shoppach struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Aviles also went down hacking. Sweeney flied out to center to end the inning. Scott Atchison came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Plouffe flied out to right to start. Span took strike three and Carroll grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth with Alex Burnett now on the mound. Pedroia flied out to right and Lars Anderson pinch hit for Gonzalez. Anderson got a base hit to left and Ortiz drew a walk. Nick Punto pinch hit for Youkilis and walked to load the bases. Darnell McDonald pinch hit for Ross and beat out a double play ball to score Anderson. Byrd grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-2.

                                                                    Anderson scores a run

Atchison returned for the bottom of the eighth and Mauer took strike three to start. Clete Thomas pinch hit for Willingham and struck out swinging while Morneau grounded out to first to end the inning.

Shoppach grounded out to third to start the top of the ninth but Aviles got a base hit to left. Sweeney forced Aviles at second and Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning. Matt Albers came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Doumit grounded out to second to start. Sean Burroughs pinch hit for Valencia and doubled to right but Parmalee flied out to left. Plouffe popped up to McDonald to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-2.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Ortiz. He outscored the Twins by himself by driving in three runs including a 2 run homer.

                                                           Aviles salutes our Hero

The Good:

Mike Aviles was 4 for 5 with a two run home run and 3 total runs scored.

Ryan Sweeney was 2 for 6 with an rbi and a run scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 3 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and two runs scored.

Lars Anderson singled and scored.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4.

Nick Punto walked as a pinch hitter.

Darnell McDonald drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Marlon Byrd was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Josh Beckett earned the win by tossing 6 innings and allowing just the two runs. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 5.

Scott Atchison pitched two scoreless innings.

Matt Albers pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run and scored twice.

Cody Ross was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Kelly Shoppach was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Looks like the New York Yankees woke up the Red Sox as they've scored 17 runs against the Twins so far. The Sox are flexing their offensive muscle and the addition of Marlon Byrd is paying off already. Instead of having the black hole of Nate Spears/Jason Repko, Byrd is a threat to get on base to give the Sox a deadly 1-9 when everyone's healthy and hitting. Youkilis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are beginning to come around too and that's bad news for the rest of the league. Pitching wise Beckett looked good although he was definitely squeezed early. It was encouraging to see Atchison and Albers do well out of the bullpen, especially Albers after that disaster on Saturday. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum to have a good rest of the month. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow night against the Twins when Clay Buchholz (1-1) gets the ball against Liam Hendriks of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Rangers Pull Away Late, Beat Sox (4/18/12)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a shocking but necessary roster move. Mark Melancon has been an unmitigated disaster this season so far and the Sox are sending him down to Pawtucket to regain confidence. In his place the Sox called up Junichi Tazawa. Three years ago he was a promising starter before Tommy John surgery. Let's see how he does as a reliever.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                   IN

Another game, another loss for the Boston Red Sox. After getting plastered by the Texas Rangers last night, the Sox turned to Josh Beckett (1-2, 5.03 ERA) to be the stopper. He did manage to hold Texas to 3 runs through seven innings to give the team a chance. The problem was Derek Holland was better than he was, holding the stagnated Red Sox offense to just 2 runs. Franklin Morales pulled a Melancon and melted down in the top of the eighth inning, allowing three runs. The Sox failed to respond in their next two innings and the Rangers had once again beaten the Red Sox 6-3 at Fenway Park.

Beckett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ian Kinsler struck out swinging to start. Elvis Andrus flied out to right but Josh Hamilton dropped a base hit to left. Adrian Beltre forced Hamilton at second to end the inning. Holland got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Mike Aviles walked to start. Aviles stole second and moved to third on the grounder to short by Dustin Pedroia. The rally ended as Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging and Cody Ross took strike three to end the inning.

Nelson Cruz popped up to Gonzalez to start the top of the second before David Murphy flied out to center. Mitch Moreland popped up to a running Darnell McDonald to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as David Ortiz hit an opposite field double into the left field corner to start. Kevin Youkilis broke out of his slump with his first home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Kelly Shoppach struck out swinging, McDonald flied out to center and Jason Repko lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                          Youkilis hits one out

Naturally the Rangers struck back in the top of the third inning as Brandon Snyder struck out swinging to begin. Kinsler walked and Andrus smashed a ball off the Monster, moving Ian to third but Andrus was thrown out at second by McDonald. As usual Hamilton hit one in the hole at second and beat out the throw to score Kinsler. Beltre hit a seeing eye single to left but Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rangers down 2-1.

                                                 "That damn Hamilton again" - Gonzalez

Aviles dumped a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third but was immediately picked off. Pedroia popped up to center and Gonzalez struck out swinging again to end the inning.

                                                                 Yerrrrr out!

The Rangers went ahead for good in the top of the fourth as Murphy singled to center to start. Napoli hit yet another home run this series to put the Rangers on top. Beckett punched out both Moreland and Snyder swinging before Kinsler flied out to center to end the inning. The Rangers had taken the lead 3-2.

                                                                 Napoli hits a home run

Ross flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Ortiz did the same. Youkilis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Beckett cruised in the top of the fifth as Andrus grounded out to short to start. Hamilton grounded out to second and Beltre flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Shoppach walked to start. McDonald lined out to a running Hamilton and Repko popped up to second. Aviles walked but Pedroia popped up to second to end the inning.

Beckett blew away Cruz to start the top of the sixth before Murphy grounded out to second. Napoli flied out to center to end the inning. Holland matched in the bottom of the sixth as Gonzalez popped up to short to start. Ross flied out to center and Ortiz took strike three to end the inning.

Beckett returned for the top of the seventh and Moreland flied out to left to start. Snyder struck out swinging and Kinsler grounded out to third to end the inning. Beckett was solid, holding the Rangers to just 3 runs in 7 innings but the Sox just couldn't generate any offense for him.

                                                       Beckett got no help tonight

Youkilis struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh but Shoppach doubled to right. McDonald grounded out to short and Nick Punto pinch hit for Repko. Spears struck out swinging to end the inning.

Things fell apart for the Sox in the top of the eighth with Franklin Morales now on the mound and Nate Spears in left. Andrus flied out to center but naturally Hamilton got a base hit to right. Hamilton took second on a passed ball and Beltre was intentionally walked to set up a force. Cruz walked to load the bases and Craig Gentry was sent in to pinch hit for Murphy. Gentry was plunked to score Hamilton and Sox manager Bobby Valentine still refused to take Morales out. Napoli did the honors with a double to center to score Beltre and Cruz. Moreland was intentionally walked and finally Valentine woke up from his nap to yank Morales. Matt Albers came in and Snyder banged into a double play to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 6-2.

                                                    "Well this sucks" - Gonzalez

Alexi Ogando came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Aviles flied out to center to start. Pedroia grounded out to short and Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Albers returned for the top of the ninth and Kinsler dropped a base hit to left to start. Kinsler got picked off and Andrus struck out swinging, but Hamilton walked. Beltre forced Hamilton at second to end the inning. The Sox had a small rally against Joe Nathan in the bottom of the ninth as Ross walked to start. Ortiz struck out swinging but Beltre threw a routine grounder by Youkilis away for an error. Ryan Sweeney pinch hit for Shoppach and got a base hit to right to score Ross and move Youk to third. Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch hit for McDonald and with the game on the line....he hit a bullet to Snyder who doubled off Sweeney to end the game. The Rangers had won it 6-3.

                                                     Rangers win

Jackass of the Night is Franklin Morales. He turned a 3-2 deficit into 6-2 real quick

                                                      Jackass Morales

The Good:

Mike Aviles was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a stolen base.

Kelly Shoppach was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Ryan Sweeney singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Josh Beckett allowed just 3 runs while going 7 innings. He walked 1 and struck out 7.

Mat Albers tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 3.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined out as a pinch hitter.

Jason Repko was 0 for 2.

Nick Punto struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Cody Ross was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Kevin Youkilis was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Honorable Mention:

Nate Spears played left field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Forget the fact that the Sox have allowed 24 runs the past two games combined, the chilling part is they've only scored six. For an offense that was supposed to be the "best team EVER" last year, this year they're pretty anemic. I know the injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford hurt but they shouldn't hurt THIS much. Derek Holland shutting you down for 7 innings is pretty bad. Beckett pitched well all things considered but the Sox couldn't generate any offense. Saltalamacchia hit an absolute rocket in the ninth, it just happened to be where Brandon Snyder was standing. If the ball gets by him that's at least a double with the tying run on second and only one out. That's just the way things have gone this year, one piece of bad news after another. The only silver lining was Youkilis hitting the home run to stick it to Valentine. Maybe Valentine pushing his buttons Bill Parcells style may actually wake him up. As bad as this series was, now the Sox need to turn it around because the New York Yankees are coming to down for the next series. They haven't gotten off to a great start either so taking this series could even things out. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox send out Clay Buchholz (1-0) to take on Ian Nova of the Yankees this coming Friday afternoon. The game begins at 3:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Pound Rays in Fenway Opener (4/13/12)

The Boston Red Sox ineptitude ended briefly in front of their own crowd at the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park. 100 years ago the Sox were the best team in the American League and this year they looked like one of the worst, falling to 1-5 on the year. Not today....today they looked like worldbeaters, pounding the Tampa Bay Rays and their ace David Price. The Sox knocked Price out after the third inning and used a massive 8 run rally in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away. Josh Beckett (1-1, 5.68 ERA) looked like himself for the first time since last August. He tossed 8 outstanding innings and allowed just 1 run. The only bad news was the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury to a shoulder injury in the fourth inning. Apart from that, everything came up Red Sox as they beat the Rays 12-2 at Fenway Park.

                                             92 year old Johnny Pesky approves of the win

Beckett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Desmond Jennings flied out to a running Darnell McDonald to start. Old friend Carlos Pena doubled just over the head of McDonald off the Monster but Evan Longoria popped up to left. Matt Joyce flied out to center to end the inning. David Price got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a grounder to third. Dustin Pedroia popped up to shallow left and Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Beckett got tagged in the top of the second as Ben Zobrist grounded a base hit up the middle to start. Jeff Keppinger hit a grounder just out of the reach of Youkilis that turned into a double to score Zobrist. The Sox have trailed in all seven games to start the season. Keppinger moved to third on the grounder to second by Steven Vogt but was stranded when Jose Molina grounded out to Aviles. Reid Brignac grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 1-0 Rays.

                                             The Rays strike first

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the first as Kevin Youkilis ripped a base hit to center to begin. David Ortiz walked but both Darnell McDonald and Cody Ross watched strike three go by. Mike Aviles grounded out to second to end the inning.

Beckett cruised in the top of the third inning as Jennings flied out to right to start. Pena grounded out to first and Longoria grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox busted through in the bottom of the third inning as Kelly Shoppach was hit with a pitch to start. Ellsbury blooped a double down the left field line and Pedroia walked to load the bases. Gonzalez slapped a base hit in the hole at third to score Shoppach with the tying run. Youkilis hit a sac fly to right to score Ellsbury to put the Sox ahead and move Pedroia to third. Ortiz accidentally hit a swinging bunt to third to score Pedroia with another run. McDonald drew a walk but Ross grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                   Ortiz drives in a run

Beckett kept the lead in the top of the fourth as Ross made a great diving catch to rob Joyce of a hit to start. Zobrist drew a walk but Keppinger flied out to center. Vogt grounded out to first to end the inning. Burke Bandenhop came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth when tragedy struck. Aviles grounded out to short but Shoppach doubled to center. Ellsbury dropped a base hit to right to score Shoppach but was injured on a double play ball hit by Pedroia to end the inning. Brignac landed on Ellsbury's shoulder and he had to be hauled off on a gurney and headed to Mass General's ICU with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                 Not what the Sox needed

Molina popped up to first to start the top of the fifth with Ryan Sweeney now in for Ellsbury in right with Ross moving to center. Brignac flied out to center and Jennings grounded out to second to end the inning. Wade Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Gonzalez flied out to right to start. Youkilis grounded out to third and Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning.

Pena flied out to the centerfield warning track to start the top of the sixth before Longoria also flied out to deep center. Joyce ripped a base hit over the head of Aviles but Zobrist grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as McDonald flied out to right to start. Ross grounded out to third but Aviles reached on an error when Pena bobbled a throw from short. Shoppach hit a seeing eye single into right to move Aviles to third. Shoppach did a belly flop onto second base for a stolen base but Sweeney popped up to Brignac to end the inning.

Keppinger popped up to first to start the top of the seventh before Vogt popped up to left. Molina lined a base hit to left and Luke Scott pinch hit for Brignac. Scott flied out to a running McDonald in front of the Monster to end the inning. Elliot Johnson came in to play short for the bottom of the seventh and Pedroia went down hacking to start. Gonzalez squeezed a base hit just inside the first base bag but Youkilis struck out swinging. Ortiz went down hacking to end the inning.

Beckett returned for one final inning in the top of the eighth and McDonald made a great sliding catch to rob Jennings of a hit to begin. Beckett struck out Pena swinging on a nasty curve and Longoria grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Beckett who was masterful, holding the Rays to one lone run in 8 innings of work.

                                                              Beckett gets it done

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the eighth with Joel Peralta now on the mound as McDonald doubled off the Monster to start. McDonald took third on a wild pitch as Ross walked to put runners at the corners. Aviles walked to load the bases and Shoppach doubled into the left field corner to score McDonald and Ross. That was it for Peralta as Josh Lueke came on in relief. Sweeney then blooped a single in a right that scored Aviles and Shoppach to increase the lead. A husting Pedroia beat out a grounder with a head first slide into first then Gonzalez blooped a single to left to load the bases. Youkilis ripped a base hit to center to score Sweeney and Pedroia and Ortiz doubled to the left field wall to score Gonzalez to add to the lead. McDonald walked and Ross wrapped up the scoring with a sac fly to center to score Youkilis. Aviles singled in the hole at second to load the bases but Shoppach popped up to short. Sweeney flied out to left to end the inning but the Sox put eight runs on the board to lead 12-1.

                                                      Have a day Kelly Shoppach

Mark Melancon had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Joyce flied out to center to start. Zobrist hit a home run all the way to Argentina to cut the lead but Keppinger grounded out to first. Vogt took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-2.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of the Night is Josh Beckett. He shut down the Rays for 8 innings and held them to just a single run.

                                                              Hero Beckett

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored before leaving.

Ryan Sweeney was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Darnell McDonald was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Kelly Shoppach was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch, 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

The Bad:

Mark Melancon allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in 2 runs.

Cody Ross was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Mike Aviles was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Great win but losing Ellsbury was certainly a worst case scenario. Last year's MVP runner up was supposed to be a catalyst for this offense with Carl Crawford on the shelf. With Ellsbury gone, that's another top of the order million dollar bat on the Disabled List. Still, if Ortiz, Youkilis, Pedroia and Gonzalez hit to their abilities, they may be able to hold out until Crawford and Ellsbury return. Its a shame Ellsbury got hurt because everything else went great. The bats beat around David Price and Beckett was outstanding. If the Sox hadn't rallied in the bottom of the eighth Sox manager Bobby Valentine was going to led Beckett finish the job. Apart from Mark Melancon, there's not much to complain about today. Hopefully this can be the start of the Sox getting on track and getting back to where they were from May to August last year. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox are back in action against this same Rays team. Clay Buchholz gets the start for the Sox up against Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Tigers Massacre Sox (4/7/12)

After the Boston Red Sox dropped Opening Day in walkoff faction, fans thought it could only get better from there. Turns out the complete opposite happened in the second game of the season against the Detroit Tigers. Josh Beckett (0-1, 13.50 ERA) was not ready for prime time this season. The fallen ace allowed 5 home runs to the Tigers in less than 5 innings. If getting one run off of Justin Verlander on Thursday was bad enough, they got even less against Doug Fister and the Detroit bullpen. Fister was gone after just 3 2/3 innings but the bullpen tossed 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball. The Tigers offense pounded Beckett for 7 runs and 3 off the bullpen to hand the Sox a decisive 10-0 beatdown at Comerica Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Fister got the ball in the top of the first and the Sox laid down and died. Jacoby Ellsbury flied out to left, Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third and Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Tigers immediately pounced on Beckett in the bottom of the first inning as Austin Jackson led off with a walk. Brennan Boesch lined out to short but Miguel Cabrera hit a home run all the way to San Jose to give the Tigers the lead. Prince Fielder lined out to second and Delmon Young popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning with the Tigers up 2-0.

                                             Tigers start the torture early

David Ortiz singled past the shift to begin the top of the second but Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging. Ryan Sweeney drew a walk but Cody Ross banged into a double play to end the inning. Beckett recovered in the bottom of the second inning as Alex Avila grounded out to first to start. Jhonny Peralta also grounded out to first and Andy Dirks flied out to left to end the inning.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia smacked a double to right to begin the top of the third but stayed there as Mike Avilies grounded out to third. Saltalamacchia moved to third on the grounder by Ellsbury but Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning. Beckett blew away Ryan Raburn to start the bottom of the third but Jackson doubled to left. Boesch lined out to right and Cabrera took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox caught a break in the top of the fourth inning when Gonzalez singled to center and Fister started clutching his side. Ortiz flied out to right and Youkilis took strike three but Fister waved his arms and fell down. Fister had to be carried out on a stretcher and Duane "Look Out" Below came in. Sweeney popped up to short to end the inning but Detroit's starter was gone.

                                               So much for Fister

The Tigers picked up their teammate by smacking Beckett around in the bottom of the fourth inning. Fielder pounded a 50,000 foot home run to increase the lead before Young singled in the hole at first. Avila then crushed an 800,000 foot bomb to put the game out of reach. Peralta grounded out to third, Dirks grounded out to short and Raburn flied out to center to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 5-0.

                                                         Fielder takes Beckett deep

The Sox rolled over and died in the top of the fifth inning as Ross grounded out to third, Saltalamacchia lined out to third and Avilies whiffed to end the inning. The Tigers finished off Beckett in the bottom of the fourth although Jackson took strike three to start. Boesch grounded out to first but Cabrera bashed his second home run of the day to light up the crowd. Fielder then crushed HIS second home run of the day to add to the misery. Young hit a routine grounder to Avilies who turned a round and threw the ball into the bullpen to make it look like a home run. He was charged with the error and Sox manager Bobby Valentine woke up from his nap to take Beckett out. He was ravaged for 5 home runs and 7 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Scott Atchison made his season debut and got Avila to fly out to center to end the inning but it was 7-0

                                                   What a disaster

The Sox failed to mount a comeback in the top of the sixth as Ellsbury grounded out to second to start. Pedroia took strike three but Gonzalez singled to right. Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning. The relentless Tigers got another run in the bottom of the sixth as Peralta and Dirks stroked back to back singles to start. Raburn forced Dirks at second and Jackson beat out a double play ball to score Peralta. Boesch grounded into a force to end the inning but it was 8-0 Tigers.

Octavio Dotel came in for the top of the seventh and Youkilis grounded out to third to start. Sweeney singled to center but Ross whiffed. Sweeney took second on defensive indifference and Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Albers came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh as Cabrera grounded out to third to start. Fielder was hit with a pitch before Young and Avila stroked back to back singles to load the bases. Peralta hit a ground ball to third and Youkilis fired home for the force but Saltalamacchia spiked the ball like a football and did a boogie woogie for an error that scored Young. Avila moved to third on the error and that was it for Albers. Journeyman Justin Thomas came in and Dirks singled in the hole at short to scored Avila. Raburn struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 10-0 Tigers.

                                                "Good luck Justin, you're gonna need it" - BV

Ramon Santiago came in to play second, taking over for Young with Raburn moving to left to start the top of the eighth. Dotel struck out Avilies swinging before Phil Coke came in to get pinch hitter Darnell McDonald (for Ellsbury) looking. Pedroia drew a walk but Gonzalez whiffed to end the inning. Michael Bowden made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth by walking Jackson. Boesch banged into a double play and Cabrera grounded out to third to end the inning.

Joaquin Benoit came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Don Kelly now at first base. Kelly Shoppach pinch hit for Ortiz and singled to right but Youkilis banged into a double play. Sweeney singled to left but Ross whiffed to end the game. The Tigers had obliterated the Sox 10-0.

Jackass of the Night is Josh Beckett. He got pounded for 7 runs off FIVE home runs in just 4 2/3 innings.

                                         Keep the ball in the yard next time, Jackass



The Good:

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3.

Kelly Shoppach singled as a pinch hitter.

Ryan Sweeney was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 3.

Michael Bowden pitched a scoreless eighth inning.



The Bad:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 3.

Darnell McDonald struck out as a pinch hitter.

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Cody Ross was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Avilies was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Scott Atchison allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

Matt Albers was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 but walked.

Justin Thomas allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning




Final Thoughts:

If losing on walkoff on Opening Day wasn't bad enough, today the Sox got their brains totally beat in. Their supposed big time offense has scored 2 runs in two games while the Tigers scored 10 in this game alone. There were rumblings of some clubhouse problems in Spring Training and it seemed to have carried over to the regular season. The Sox offense and starters have been completely non-existent and the bullpen doesn't look too good either. Still, its only the second game of the season and the Sox have plenty of time to turn it around. The stench of last September seems to loom large over this team even with some new personnel. The Sox look to avoid a sweep in the series finale when they send Clay Buchholz to make his season debut against Max Scherzer at 2:05 PM Eastern time at Comerica Park.