Mariners Edge Sox Late (4/29/11)

It seems to be one step forward, one step back for the Boston Red Sox this month. After beating the Baltimore Orioles last night to feel good about themselves, they fell apart late against the Seattle Mariners in tonight's game. The problem was the bullpen was forced to throw 5 innings after Daisuke Matsuzaka regressed from his previous starts to throw just 4 innings. The Sox did take a 4-2 lead over Jason Vargas and the Mariners but Matt Albers and Bobby Jenks coughed up the game by the seventh inning. After the Mariners took the lead, not a single Sox batter reached base as Seattle dropped Boston 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         "Oh Jenks....."

Dice K got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mariners wasted no time tagging him. Ichiro Suzuki popped up to left to start but Chone Figgins walked. Milton Bradley flied out to right but Miguel Olivo doubled off the Monster. Justin Smoak lined a base hit to right to score both runners to give the Mariners the lead. Jack Cust took strike three to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 2-0.

                                                          Smoak puts Seattle on top

Jason Vargas got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded back to the mound but Adrian Gonzalez dropped a base hit to right. Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning.

Adam Kennedy flied out to right to start the top of the second but Michael Saunders walked and swiped second. Brendan Ryan popped up to third and Ichiro flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second although David Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Jed Lowrie flied out to center but Mike Cameron wrapped his first home run of the season around the Pesky Pole to cut the lead. Jason Varitek flied out to Saunders to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 2-1.

                                               Home run Cameron

Dice K cruised in the top of the third inning as Figgins grounded out to second to start. Bradley took strike three and Olivo struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the third as Darnell McDonald walked to start. Ellsbury forced McDonald at second but Pedroia flied out to center. Gonzalez singled Ellsbury to third and Youkilis drove Jacoby in with a base hit. Ortiz scored Gonzalez with a base hit into the shift to give the Sox the lead. Lowrie flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                       Ortiz puts the Sox on top

Dice K battled in the top of the fourth as Smoak flied out to center to start. Cust and Kennedy drew back to back walks but Saunders struck out swinging. Ryan lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth when Cameron launched his second home run of the game to add to the lead. Varitek singled to center but McDonald struck out swinging. Ellsbury singled in the hole at second but Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                        Cameron hits another out

The Mariners finally chased Dice K in the top of the fifth inning as Ichiro singled up the middle to start. All of a sudden Jason Varitek walked to the mound and asked if Dice K was okay. Within seconds Varitek frantically waived for the trainer who sprinted out of the dugout. Dice K started clutching his arm and left the game. He had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and sent to Mass General's ICU. Matt Albers came in ice cold and Figgins dropped a base hit to left. Bradley hit a double play ball to Gonzalez who threw to second to get Figgins but Albers dropped the throw to first for an error to score Ichiro. Olivo flied out to right and Smoak took strike three to end the inning but it was 4-3 Sox.

                                                       Dice K leaves with injury

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Gonzalez grounded out to first to start. Youkilis walked but was doubled off first on a bullet hit by Ortiz right to Smoak to end the inning.

Albers walked Cust to start the top of the sixth but Kennedy popped up to short. Saunders popped up to right and Ryan grounded into a force to end the inning. Lowrie grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and Cameron popped up to second. Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bobby Jenks came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Ichiro singled to left and Figgins doubled past McDonald to start. Bradley struck out swinging but Olivo grounded out to second to score Ichiro to tie the game. Smoak walked and Cust doubled off the Monster to score Figgins with the go-ahead run. Kennedy grounded out to first to end the inning with the Mariners up 5-4.

                                                             Cust puts the M's on top

McDonald popped up to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Ellsbury took strike three. Pedroia flied out to center to end the inning.

Hideki Okajima came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Saunders walked to start. Ryan dropped down a bunt to advance Saunders to second but Ichiro walked. Figgins banged into a double play to end the inning. Jack Wilson took over for Kennedy and Jamey Wright came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Gonzalez flied out to Ichiro to start before Youkilis took strike three. Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning.

Daniel Bard came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bradley grounded out to second to start. Olivo took strike threw and Smoak grounded out to second to end the inning. Brandon League came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lowrie flied out to center to start. Cameron flied out to right and JD Drew pinch hit for Varitek. Drew took strike three to end the game, the Mariners had won it 5-4.

                                                          Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Bobby Jenks. He took the loss by allowing 2 runs in the seventh inning.

                                                     Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4.

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Mike Cameron was 2 for 4 with 2 solo home runs.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3.

Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 4.

JD Drew struck out as a pinch hitter.

Daisuke Matsuzaka got rocked for 3 runs in just 4 plus innings.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 2 with an error but walked.

Matt Albers allowed an inherited runner to score and committed an error in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Can this month end already? Every time the Red Sox look like they take the next step, they fall backwards. Jenks was supposed to be the answer to losing Billy Wagner in free agency but he got rocked tonight. The real problem was once the Mariners took the lead, the Sox offense went quietly in the final three innings. The offense is too good to be that unclutch so just add this game to the list of many they should have won. Its beyond frustrating at this point to see the Sox spoil a season that had so much promise. How does a team this good on paper lose 14 of their first 25 games? They've lost close games, they've lost blowouts, they just lose. Guess what they're going to do tomorrow? Probably going to lose. Tomorrow night John Lackey (2-2) goes up against Doug Fister of the Mariners at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Pull Away Late, Beat Orioles (4/28/11)

The past few days the Boston Red Sox would keep games close with the Baltimore Orioles only for them to get the winning or insurance runs late, tonight it was the opposite. Jon Lester (3-1, 2.52 ERA) pitched an 8 inning gem where he held the O's to just 2 runs. Dustin Pedroia broke a 2-2 deadlock with an rbi single in the top of the seventh as Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in the next 3 runs to put the game out of reach. Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth and the Red Sox snapped their two game skid with a 6-2 victory over the O's at Camden Yards.

                                                   Liu Jian approves of the win

Brad Bergesen got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox wasted no time getting to him. Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to center but Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging. Adrian Gonzalez doubled to the left field wall to score Ellsbury with the first run. Kevin Youkilis walked but David Ortiz banged into a double play with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                      Gonzalez puts Boston on top

The O's struck back in the bottom of the first against Lester as Brian Roberts walked to start. Nick Markakis singled to right and Roberts stole third before he scored on the Derrek Lee base hit into left to tie the game. Vladimir Guerrero struck out swinging and Adam Jones banged into a double play to end the inning but it was tied 1-1.

                                                          Lee ties up the game

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as JD Drew flied out to Jones on the first pitch. Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out to short and Carl Crawford flied out to right to end the inning. Lester settled down in the bottom of the second as Matt Wieters took strike three to start. Mark Reynolds grounded out to short and Jake Fox grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boston took the lead in the top of the third although Marco Scutaro flied out to center to start. Ellsbury dumped a base hit to left and moved to second on the grounder to third by Pedroia. Gonzalez slashed a base hit to right to score Ellsbury to give Boston the lead back. Youkilis flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                    Ellsbury puts the Sox back on top

Lester cruised in the bottom of the third as Robert Andino grounded out to short to start. Roberts flied out to right and Markakis flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Ortiz flied out to left to start. Drew grounded out to short and Saltalamacchia took strike three to end the inning. Lester got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth although Lee watched strike three go by to begin. Guerrero grounded out to short but Jones and Wieters took back to back walks. Reynolds grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bergensen cruised in the top of the fifth as Crawford flied out to center to start. Scutaro also flied out to center and Ellsbury struck out swinging to end the inning. Lester dominated the bottom of the fifth as Fox flied out to center to start. Andino grounded out to third and Roberts flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the sixth as Pedroia beat out an infield single to the mound to start. Gonzalez doubled down the left field line but Youkilis and Ortiz both struck out swinging. Drew was intentionally walked to load the bases but Saltalamacchia flied out to center to end the inning. The O's tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as Markakis grounded out to second to start. Lee took strike three but Guerrero hit his 440th career home run to tie the game. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       Guerrero hits number 440

Jim Johnson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox rallied. Crawford doubled to right but Scutaro botched the bunt and Carl stayed at second. Ellsbury moved Crawford to third with a grounder to second and Carl scored on the Pedroia roller that Reynolds couldn't come up with. Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                  Crawford scores the go-ahead run

Lester got the O's to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh as Wieters grounded out to second to start. Reynolds grounded back to Lester and Fox grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox iced it in the top of the eighth as Youkilis walked to chase Johnson. Mike Gonzalez came in to pitch to Ortiz and David singled to center. Mike Cameron pinch hit for Drew and walked to load the bases. Saltalamacchia slashed a base hit to center to score Youkilis and re-load the bases. Crawford struck out swinging and that was it for Gonzalez. Jason Berken got Scutaro to pop up to second but Ellsbury dropped a base hit to center to score Ortiz and Cameron to ice the game. Pedroia grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                    Sox ice the game

Lester returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth with Jed Lowrie taking over for Youk at third. Andino doubled past Crawford in right but Roberts grounded out to second. Markakis flied out to left and Lee grounded out to third to end the inning. Lester was amazing, tossing 8 innings of 2 run ball to keep the Sox in the game.

                                                            8 strong innings for Lester

Josh Rupe came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Gonzalez grounded out to short to start. Lowrie and Ortiz stroked back to back base hits to center but Cameron banged into a double play to end the inning. Jonathan Papelbon came on to close out the bottom of the ninth and Guerrero struck out swinging to start on a 96 mph fastball to begin. Jones flied out to left and Wieters grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jon Lester. He dominated the Orioles going 8 innings while allowing just 2 runs. He allowed 4 hits and 3 walks.

                                                   Lester The Hero

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Adrian Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Kevin Youkilis walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Jed Lowrie singled in his only plate appearance.

David Ortiz was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Mike Cameron walked and scored at the plate.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

JD Drew was 0 for 2 but walked.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Carl Crawford was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

At this point the Red Sox just need to survive the month and hope they can hit the gas in May. It was a good win but some of the holes on this team are glaring. Scutaro and Crawford are automatic outs right now and Saltalamacchia/Varitek isn't much better. The fact everyone from Ellsbury to Drew has been red hot helps but the bottom of the order is a mess right now. Lester pitched a great game and the starting pitching has been fine the last few weeks. If the Sox can get Scutaro and Crawford going, they'll be in good shape moving forward. Its about time the Sox got some hits with RISP and that's going to be a big key to the season if they can show life with men on base. As the month comes to a close, the fact the Sox was able to turn a 2-10 start to 11-13 after tonight is nothing short of miraculous. The New York Yankees will be looking over their shoulder at the Sox and the battle for AL East supremacy will begin soon. As for now, great win. The Sox now come home to face the Seattle Mariners to end the month. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-2) looks to make it 3 great starts in a row against Jason Vargas of the Mariners. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                           Paul Pierce approves of the win

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

                                                   Sox go up big early

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

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

                                                               Yerrrr out!

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

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

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

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

                                                     Scutaro scores a run

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

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

                                                      Crawford with his first home run

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

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

                                                            Gonzalez drives in a run

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

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

                                               Lackey gets the job done

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

                                                          Sox win

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

                                                        John Hero

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

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

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

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

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

Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

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

                                                         Crisp starts the rally

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                         Lackey deserved better

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

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

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

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

                                                        A's win

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

                                                           Okie Dokie Jackass

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia walked twice in four plate appearances.

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3.

Carl Crawford was 1 for 3.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 3.

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

The Bad:

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Beckett, Sox Down Jays (4/16/11)

For years Josh Beckett (2-1, 1.80 ERA) has been the stopper for the Boston Red Sox and today that's exactly what he was. Beckett was his old self against the Toronto Blue Jays, firing 7 innings of 1 run ball to give his team a chance to win. Jed Lowrie supplied a 2 run home run, Kevin Youlilis and Adrian Gonzalez drove in a run apiece and the Sox bullpen was lights out. Daniel Bard and Jon Papelbon stepped in to nail down the game and the Sox had broken their losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Jays at Fenway Park.

                                                                   Lioness Aska approves of the win

Beckett got the ball in the top of the first and Yunel Escobar led off by grounding out to third to start. Adrian Gonzalez made a nice stab to rob Corey Patterson of a hit and Jose Bautista flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Jays starter Jo-Jo Reyes to begin the bottom of the first as Jed Lowrie beat out an infield single to short to start. Dustin Pedroia walked and Adrian Gonzalez dropped a base hit to right to score Lowrie with the first run. Kevin Youkilis doubled into the right field corner to score Gonzalez and David Ortiz walked to load the bases with nobody out. The rally ended as Mike Cameron stook strike three, Jason Varitek went down hacking and Darnell McDonald grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Gonzalez drives in the first run

The Jays struck back in the top of the second although Adam Lind froze for strike three to start. Aaron Hill doubled off the Monster and scored on the Travis Snider base hit. Snider swiped second but Jayson Nix took strike three. Snider swiped third but Jose Molina took a curveball for strike three to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1.

                                                           Hill scores a run

The Sox scored again in the top of the third as Jacoby Ellsbury walked to start. Lowrie then launched his first home run of the season into the Monster Seats to increase the lead. Pedroia grounded out to third but Gonzalez walked. Youkilis popped up to first in foul territory but Gonzalez moved to second on a wild pitch. Ortiz took strike three to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 4-1.

                                                    Lowrie hits one out

Beckett cruised in the top of the third as John McDonald took strike three to start. Esocbar grounded out to second and Gonzalez made a great diving stab to rob Patterson of a hit to end the inning. Cameron singled up the middle but Varitek banged into a double play to kill a potential bottom third rally. McDonald blooped a broken bat single to right and Ellsbury was plunked, but Lowrie flied out to right to end the inning.

Beckett got Bautista to ground back to him to start the top of the fourth. Lind hit one off of Beckett over to Pedroia who threw Adam out by a foot. Hill walked and stole second but Snider grounded out to second to end the inning. Pedroia grounded a base hit into right to start the bottom of the fourth and Gonzalez walked to chase Reyes. Former Sox pitching coach and current Blue Jays manager John Farrell replaced him with Carlos Villanueva. Youkilis banged into double play but Ortiz walked to put runners at the corners. Cameron struck out swinging to end the inning.

Beckett kept up the pace in the top of the fifth as Nix struck out swinging to start. Molina singled off the left field scoreboard but broke up a double play ball hit by McDonald. Escobar grounded out to second to end the inning. Varitek led off the bottom of the fifth with a fly out to right and McDonald popped up to second. Ellsbury walked and stole second but Lowrie flied out to left to end the inning.

Beckett blew away Patterson to start the top of the sixth and Bautista popped up to second. Lind walked but Hill was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Pedroia began the bottom of the sixth by flying out to right. Gonzalez also flied out to right and Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning.

Beckett came back for one more inning in the top of the seventh and Snider took strike three to start. Nix went down hacking and Molina lined out to first to end the inning. That was it for Beckett who was outstanding, tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball. He gave up just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out nine.

                                                    Beckett was great

Octavio Dotel came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Ortiz walked to start. Cameron dumped a base hit to left and Varitek moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. JD Drew pinch hit for McDonald but only popped up to third. Luis Perez came in to pitch to Ellsbury and got him to ground out to third to end the inning.

Daniel Bard came in for the top of the eighth inning and McDonald singled in the hole at short to start. McDonald was thrown out by a mile trying to steal and Patterson grounded out to first to end the inning. Lowrie beat out an infield single to short to start the bottom of the eighth but was erased on the strike em out, throw em out double play on Pedroia. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonathan Papelbon came in to close out the top of the ninth and Cameron leaped up against the scoreboard to rob Bautista of a hit to begin. Lind struck out swinging on a splitter but Hill hit one off the glove of Youkilis to extend the inning. Hill took second and third on defensive indifference but Snider popped up to a sliding Cameron to end the game. The Sox finally won a game with a 4-1 victory over Toronto.

                                                               Papelbon nails down the win

Hero of the Night is Josh Beckett. He was outstanding by tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9 batters.

                                                    Beckett Hero

The Good:

Jed Lowrie was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

David Ortiz walked 3 times in four plate appearances.

Mike Cameron was 2 for 4.

Darnell McDonald was 1 for 3.

Jacoby Ellsbury walked twice, was hit with a pitch, stole a base and scored a run.

Daniel Bard tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

JD Drew was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

Kevin Youkilis was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

On the same night that the Boston Bruins lost to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of their first round NHL playoff series, the Sox at least gave Boston sports fans something to cheer for. They finally won a game and this may well be the start back to respectability. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are too good not to turn it around and Beckett seems to have it figured out. Beckett was great against the New York Yankees and he was great again today against the Jays. I've been saying the past two weeks that there's too much talent on the team to play this badly and at some point things will turn around. The offense was held to just 4 runs but Beckett came through with a good game. Bard and Papelbon locked it down and the Sox are going to need those two if they want to shorten games moving forward. At some point the offense will come but the Sox are going to need Dice K and John Lackey to step up at some point....or find someone that will. The Sox look to take Game 3 of this series tomorrow afternoon when Jon Lester (0-1) looks to get in the win column against Jesse Litsch of the Jays. The game begins at 1:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Price Outduels Lester in Sox Loss (4/12/11)

The 2011 season is 11 games in and nothing has gone right for the Boston Red Sox. Last night they were pulverized 16-5 by the Tampa Bay Rays and today the Rays only scored 3 runs but it happened to be enough. Jon Lester (0-1, 3.72 ERA) tossed 7 innings of 3 run ball which normally would be good enough to win. Too bad his counterpart was Rays ace David Price who was even better, tossing 7 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. The Sox took the lead on a Darnell McDonald home run but last night's duo of Johnny Damon and Sam Fuld did it again by leading a 3 run rally in the top of the fifth. The Sox got a run in the bottom of the sixth but Price and the Rays bullpen slammed the door on them. The Sox season is slipping away as they've dropped 9 of their first 11 games including this one 3-2 at Fenway Park.

                               "YOU ROTTEN BUMS! YOU OVERPAID WEENIES!"

Lester started off strong in the top of the first as Sam Fuld grounded out to short to start Johnny Damon and BJ Upton both struck out swinging to end the inning. Carl Crawford was plunked to start the bottom of the first but Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging. Crawford got picked off and Gonzalez lined out to a running Fuld to end the inning.

                                                             Yerrrrr out

Felipe Lopez led off the top of the second with a base hit to left but Sean Rodriguez banged into a double play. Ben Zobrist walked and stole second but old friend Kelly Shoppach popped up to center to end the inning. Kevin Youkilis led off the bottom of the second with a ground out to third but Jed Lowrie doubled just over the head of Fuld. Mike Cameron popped up to short and Jason Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning.

Lester got Dan Johnson to pop up to third to start the top of the third and Elliot Johnson took strike three on the outside corner. Fuld singled to right and stole second but Damon froze for strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Darnell McDonald mashed his first home run of the season to put Boston on top. Marco Scutaro flied out to right, Crawford grounded out to short and Pedroia lined out to a running Fuld to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                 McDonald's first home run

Lester turned up the heat in the top of the fourth as Upton froze for strike three to start. Lopez also watched strike three go by and Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning. Gonzalez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Youkilis missed a home run off the Pesky Pole by 10 feet. Youk ended up getting a base hit to left but Lowrie lined out to third. Cameron grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Rays stormed back with a vengeance in the top of the fifth although Zobrist grounded out to short to start. Shoppach grounded a base hit up the middle and Dan Johnson dumped a base hit to left. Elliot Johnson also dropped a base hit to left to load the bases. Fuld then hit a little roller to first and Gonzalez threw home but Shoppach beat the play to score the run. Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young came out to tell Lester that Janet Jackson sang the song Black Cat and Lester was so disinterested he allowed Damon to get a base hit up the middle to score the Johnsons. Upton banged into a double play to end the inning but the Rays led 3-1.

                                                            Damon does it again

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Varitek popped up to right to start. McDonald lined out to third but Scutaro walked. Crawford struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lester returned for the top of the sixth and Lopez walked to start. Lopez was picked off and Rodriguez took strike three. Zobrist grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox had one last chance to crack Price in the bottom of the sixth and Pedroia doubled into the right field gap to start. Gonzalez lined one off of Price but was thrown out by Zobrist, Pedroia moving to third on the play. Youkilis took strike three but Lowrie lined a double into the right field gap to score Pedroia and cut the lead. With a chance to tie the game....Cameron grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                          Lowrie gets it done

Lester came back for the top of the seventh and got Shoppach to pop up but Dan Johnson singled to center. Elliot Johnson bounced into a double play to end the inning. Lester had one bad inning and left after allowing 3 runs in 7 innings of work while striking out 8.

                                                           Lester was good but not good enough

Casey Kotchman took over for Johnson at first to begin the bottom of the seventh. Varitek popped up to short, McDonald grounded out to short and Scutaro flied out to right to end the inning.

Daniel Bard came in for the top of the eighth and Fuld grounded out to second to start. Damon threw his bat on a grounder back to the mound and the ball went by Bard, allowing Damon to beat out the infield single. Damon swiped second and moved to third on the Upton fly ball to right. Lopez grounded out to second to end the inning. Reid Brignac took over for Lopez in the bottom of the eighth and Crawford lined out to left to start. Pedroia walked and moved to second on the Gonzalez grounder before Youk was plunked to put the tying runs on. That was it for Price who was outstanding, tossing 7 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. Joel Peralta came in to face Lowrie batting from the left side and Jed flied out to center to end the inning.

Bobby Jenks came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Lowrie snuffed out a bunt attempt by Rodriguez to start. Zobrist grounded back to the mound and Shoppach struck out swinging to end the inning. Kyle Farnsworth came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Jacoby Ellsbury pinch hit for Cameron. Ellsbury struck out swinging and JD Drew pinch hit for Varitek. Drew also struck out swinging and David Ortiz pinch hit for McDonald and flied out to right to end the game. The Rays had won the close one 3-2.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Carl Crawford. He was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and got picked off after getting plunked in what turned out to be a crucial out in a one run game.

                                                        Nice baserunning, Jackass

The Good:

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

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3.

Jed Lowrie was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Darnell McDonald was 1 for 3 with a solo home run.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Jon Lester tossed 7 strong innings of 3 run ball, just didn't get any run support.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless eighth.

Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 4.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 3.

Jacoby Ellsbury struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3.

JD Drew stuck out as a pinch hitter.

David Ortiz flied out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

As Casey Stengal once said "I've been in this game a hundred years but I've seen new ways to lose I never knew existed before." The Sox got steamrolled last night and lost a close one tonight. They can't pitch when they hit and they can't hit when they pitch. Its only April but starting the season 2-9 is a huge hole that's going to take weeks to climb out of. Even if they go on a 7 game win streak, they're only going to be 9-9. Still, they better start getting hot or the "best team evah" is going to go down in flames as one of the biggest jokes of all time. Tonight's game was another case of just not being good enough. David Price outpitched Jon Lester and the Sox couldn't get a clutch hit against him, Peralata or Farnsworth. I never blame anyone for failing to pinch hit. Its unfair to expect someone to come off the bench ice cold after sitting all game and hit someone throwing nearly 100 miles an hour. Still, it would have been nice if someone delivered in the ninth. With the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins starting the playoffs soon, the Sox are going to be a very lonely team when it comes to media and fan support if they don't turn the ship around soon. The Sox look to avoid a series sweep tomorrow night when John Lackey (0-2) looks to right himself against Wade Davis of the Rays. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.