Ortiz, Sox Walkoff Rangers (6/6/13)

One of the things you never do is pitch to David Ortiz in the bottom of the ninth inning with men on base. Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington apparently forgot this, choosing to pitch to him and experiencing the consequences. The Rangers took a 3-2 lead over Jon Lester and the Sox before the Sox tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. With two men on in the bottom of the ninth, David Ortiz launched a walkoff three run home run to give the Sox a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park.

                                                         Ace is pumped from the walkoff

Lester got the ball in the top of the first inning and Elvis Andrus grounded out to short to start. David Murphy lined out to center but Lance Berkman walked. Adrian Beltre singled to left but Nelson Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning. The Red Sox continued their incompetence with runners on in the bottom of the first inning against Texas starter Derek Holland. The returning Jacoby Ellsbury (about time) led off with a single to center and Jonny Gomes followed with one of his own. Unfortunately, Dustin Pedroia banged into a double play. Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Rangers struck first in the top of the second. AJ Pierzynski led off with a ground rule double which led to Jeff Baker. He is a notorious Lester killer and he struck again, belting a 2 run home run to give the Rangers the lead. Craig Gentry flied out to center but Lester walked Jurickson Profar. Andrus grounded out to third and Murphy grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 2-0.

                                                    Baker gets Lester again

Could the Sox answer in the bottom of the second? Mike Napoli singled to center to lead off.....and was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Daniel Nava took strike three and David Ross swung at air to end the inning.

Captain Sisko doesn't like Napoli's baserunning decision

Berkman pulled a Napoli and was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single to start the top of the third.. Its a good thing he did because Adrian Beltre did what he did best, homer against the Red Sox to increase the lead. Lester got Cruz to ground back to him and Pierzynski to ground out to first to end the inning but it was 3-0 Rangers.

                                                Beltre hitting another homer at Fenway

The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Jose Iglesias worked a walk but Pedro Ciriaco struck out swinging. Ellsbury singled to right and Gomes advanced Iglesias to third with a liner to right. Pedroia then ripped a herculean double that scored Iglesias and Ellsbury to cut the lead. Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 3-2.

                                                    Pedroia drives in Ellsbury

Lester escaped a jam in the top of the fourth as Baker popped up to second to start. Gentry walked but Profar flied out to left. Andrus singled to left but Murphy lined out to left to end the inning. Napoli flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fourth before Nava did the same. Ross singled to right and Iglesias walked to put two mean on. Ciriaco.....grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                     "Damn you Ciriaco!!!!"

Lester FINALLY pitched a clean inning in the top of the fifth. Berkman popped up to first, Beltre struck out swinging and Cruz grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally again in the bottom of the fifth as Ellsbury hit a ground rule double to begin. Gomes singled to left to advance Ellsbury to third but Pedroia's swinging bunt got Ellsbury thrown out at home. Ortiz capped off the incompetence with a double play to end the inning.

Lester gave up a lead off double to Pierzynski in the top of the sixth but struck out Baker looking. Gentry grounded out to third and Profar took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Lester after 108 pitches. 6 innings of 3 run ball is normally good enough to keep you in a game, too bad the Sox couldn't score more for him.

                                                        Tough luck for Lester

The Sox threatened in the bottom of the sixth although Napoli flied out to center to start. Nava walked but Ross popped up to first. Iglesias singled in the hole at short and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. With a chance to do damage....Ciriaco whiffed to end the inning.

                                                  
Junichi Tazawa of the Orient Express replaced Lester in the top of the seventh. Andrus flied out to right but Murphy doubled to left. Berkman lined out to third but Beltre singled Murphy to third. Taz got Cruz to line out to center to end the inning. 

The Sox tried the game in the bottom of the seventh with Robbie Ross Jr now on the mound. Ellsbury doubled to left and Gomes singled him to third. Pedroia whiffed but Ortiz walked to load the bases. Jason Frasor came in to pitch to Napoli and Mike grounded out to first....but Ellsbury scored the tying run. Nava struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Ellsbury starts the rally

Koji Uehara, the other half of the Orient Express came on for the top of the eighth inning and Pierzynski whiffed to start. Baker took strike three and Leonys Martin pinch hit for Gentry. Martin flied out to right to end the inning. Tanner Scheppers came in for the bottom of the eighth and Mike Carp pinch hit for Ross. Carp struck out swinging but Iglesias worked a walk. Stephen "PU" Drew pinch hit for Ciriaco and struck out swinging. Ellsbury grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Andrew Bailey came on for the top of the ninth with Jarrod Saltalamacchia now behind the plate. Profar reached with a single to center and Andrus bunted him over to second. Murphy popped up to third and Berkman struck out swinging to end the inning. Michael Kirkman relieved Frasor for the bottom of the ninth and served up a double to center by Gomes to start. In the most peculiar move of the night, Ron Washington had Pedroia intentionally walked to get to Ortiz. Huh? The master of the walk off delivered again, swatting a line drive into the bullpen for a 3 run walk off home run to win the game 6-3.

                                            The result of Washington's decision


Hero of The Night is obvious, Big Papi. David Ortiz launched the walkoff home run to win the game.

                                                            Hero of the Night

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored. 

Jonny Gomes was 4 for 5 with a run scored to raise his average to a lusty .202. 

David Ross was 1 for 3. 

Jose Iglesias was 1 for 1 with 3 walks and a run scored. 

Jon Lester tossed 6 solid innings of 3 run ball. He walked 3 and struck out four batters.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Koji Uehara tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Andrew Bailey got the win to improve to 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Mike Carp pinch hit for Ross and struck out.

Pedro Ciriaco was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Stephen Drew pinch hit for Ciriaco and struck out.

The Ugly:

Daniel Nava was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but did work a walk. 

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored.

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with an rbi off a groundout.

Honorable Mention:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

It seemed like the Red Sox were heading for another un-clutch loss but a few big hits turned the game into a 6-3 win. Why did Washington choose to pitch to Ortiz, no one will ever know. With Middlebrooks and Victorino coming off the DL soon, saying goodbye to Jackie Bradley Jr seems to be logical...but which infielder goes? Iglesias has played flawless defense and found ways to get on base....but management STILL has hard ons for .233 PU Drew and .220 Pedro Ciriaco. If Iglesias is demoted he may strangle Pawsox manager Gary DiScarcina. The win gave the Sox a series win against Texas and improved their record to 37-24, 1 1/2 games in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.. Tomorrow night the Sox open a three game set with the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Felix Doubront takes the hill for the Red Sox against Tommy Hanson of the Angels. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Offense Explodes as Sox Slam Rangers (6/4/13)

Turn the AC on because that was one red hot offensive performance by the Boston Red Sox against the Texas Rangers. A short month ago, the Texas Rangers swept the Red Sox out of Texas and it began the 2-8 slide that knocked the Red Sox out of first place. Tonight was sweet revenge as the Sox pounded out 19 hits and 17 runs.....all without Jacoby Ellsbury who continues to look like a fragile fool by missing yet another game. Ryan Dempster (3-6, 4.39 ERA) tossed 7 solid innings of 3 run ball to pace the pitching side of things. In the end the Sox had laid waste to the Rangers with a 17-5 beatdown at Fenway Park.

                       Jacoby Ellsbury would be on the disabled list for 2 months if that was him

The much maligned Dempster got the ball and immediately ran into trouble in the top of the first. Elvis Andrus popped up to first but old pal David Murphy was hit with a pitch. Lance Berkman dropped down a bunt single but Nelson Cruz beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox got on the board in the bottom of the inning off ineffective starter Justin Grimm. Daniel Nava began his amazing night by working a walk. Mike Carp singled him over to third but Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging. David Ortiz smacked a double to left that scored Nava and moved Carp over to third. Mike Napoli walked to load the bases then Jarrod Saltalamacchia beat out a double play ball that scored Carp with the second run. Stephen "PU" Drew flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                              Ortiz gets the party started

AJ Pierzynski singled in the hole at short to start the top of the second but Jeff Baker took strike three. Jurickson Profar flied out to right and Leonys Martin struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox then went into beast mode in the bottom of the second. Jose Iglesias doubled to center then rookie Jackie Bradley Jr smoked a 2 run home run as the Fenway faithful cheered. After his early season struggles, its nice to see Bradley contribute.

                                                        Bradley's first home run

The Sox weren't done yet. Nava singled to right and Carp worked a walk. After Pedroia flied out to right, Ortiz electrified the crowd with a hilarious 2 run triple. Watching Ortiz romp around the bases reminded old time Sox fans of Luis Tiant in the 1975 World Series. Ortiz then had to run some more as he scored on Mike Napoli's sac fly to increase the lead. Saltalamacchia doubled to left to chase Grimm from the game. Michael Kirkman replaced Grimm and PU Drew greeted him with a run scoring double to cemter. The man who started the inning, Iglesias, ended it with a strikeout but when the dust settled it was 8-0 Boston.

The unlikely speedster motors around for a triple

Dempster responded by striking out Andrus looking to start the top of the third. Murphy whiffed then Berkman grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third although JBJ lined out to left to start. Nava hit a ground rule double into the right field bleachers and MagiCarp singled him in to increase the lead. Pedroia doubled Carp to third but Ortiz struck out swinging. Napoli was intentionally walked to load the bases for Saltalamacchia who crapped his pants by striking out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                       Nava scores a run
 

The Rangers struck back in the top of the fourth although Cruz flied out to right to start. Moreland grounded out to second but AJ Pierzynski hit a ground rule double. Baker hit a cheap home run around the foul pole to cut the lead but Profar popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-2.

                                                 Rangers get on the board

Joe Ortiz relieved Kirkman for the bottom of the 4th and PU Drew led off with a 400 foot bomb to center, his 5th of the year. The Sox then beat the ball in the dirt as Iglesias grounded out to short, JBJ grounded out to second and Nava grounded out to short to end the inning with Boston ahead 10-2.

                                              Not so PU tonight. Home run Drew

Martin drew a walk to start the top of the fifth but Andrus whiffed. Murphy popped up to third and Berkman grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as MagiCarp led off with his 4th home run of the year to extend the lead. Pedroia flied out to right and both Ortiz and Napoli grounded out to third to end the inning. The rout was on as it was 11-2 Sox.

MagiCarp once again is better as a starter than pinch hitter

The Rangers struck back in the top of the sixth when Cruz led off with a home run into the centerfield bleacher camerawell to start. Moreland took strike three, Pierzynski flied out to center and Baker grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 11-3 Sox.

                                                       Cruz hits a bomb

For the third straight inning, the Sox led off with a home run. This time it was Saltalamacchia who clobbered his sixth of the year to begin the bottom of the sixth. "No longer PU" Drew singled to left and Baker threw a ground ball by Iglesias into the dugout allowing Drew to reach third. JBJ grounded out but Drew scored and Iglesias moved to third. Nava then lofted a fly ball that Cruz flubbed, allowing Iglesias to score and Nava to motor his way to third. Jason Frasor relieved Ortiz and MagiCarp drove in yet another run with a sac fly that scored Nava. Pedroia struck out swinging but the game was truly out of hand with the Sox ahead 15-3.

                                                What a massacre

Dempster returned for one more inning in the top of the seventh as Profar grounded out to second to start. Martin grounded out to first but Leury Garcia pinch hit for Andrus. Garcia grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Dempster who pitched one of his better games this season, allowing just 3 runs in 7 innings of work.

                                                       Good work Dempster

Craig Gentry came in for Cruz and Ross Wolf relieved Frasor for the bottom of the seventh. Ortiz grounded out to first and Napoli popped up to first, but Saltalamacchia singled to left. Drew doubled to right and Iglesias singled home both runners to wrap up the scoring for the Sox. JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 17-3 Red Sox.

                                                    The scoreboard says it all

Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen came in for the top of the eighth while Pedro Ciriaco took over at third and Iglesias moved to second, giving Pedroia the rest of the night off. Vigo struck out both Murphy and Berkman, but bobbled a ground ball by Gentry to allow him to reach first. It was a huge mistake as Moreland swatted a 2 run home run into the Charles River to cut the lead. Pierzynski singled to center and Baker singled to short. Profar walked to chase Vigo, he was just one out away from a clean inning before pooping his pants. Andrew Miller came in and got Martin to ground into a force to end the inning with the Rangers down 17-5.

                                               Moreland hits a home run

Rangers manager Ron Washington then tried to save his bullpen by having Murphy pitch the bottom of the eighth with Geovany Soto taking over for Berkman. Nava doubled to left to lead the inning off and MagiCarp looked at strike three. Carp was so outraged that a position player could strike him out, he complained to umpire Andy Fletcher who gave him the boot. Ciriaco lined out to left and Ortiz flied out to right to end the inning. Ironic that it was a position player that held the Sox scoreless for the first time all night. 

                                     MagiCarp gets the heave-ho by umpire Andy Fletcher

Jonny Gomes came in to play left with Miller returning to close out the top of the ninth. Garcia watched strike three go by, Murphy flied out to left and Soto took strike three to end the game. The Sox beat the daylights out of the Rangers with a 17-5 win.

                                                                Sox win

So many, many choices for Hero of the Night with 19 total hits but I'll go with Mike Carp. Carp was 3 for 4 including a home run as well as a walk. He drove in 3 runs and scored 3 times before getting ejected for complaining about being struck out by Murphy. 

                                             Hero of the night: MagiCarp

The Good:

Daniel Nava was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 4 runs scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 6 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Mike Napoli walked twice and drove in a run.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 3 for 5 with 2 total rbis, 3 total runs scored and a home run.

Stephen Drew was 4 for 5 with 2 total rbis, 3 total runs scored and a home run.

Jose Iglesias was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Ryan Dempster tossed 7 innings of 3 run ball to earn the win. He struck out 6 batters while walking one.

Andrew Miller tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Pedro Ciriaco was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Clayton Mortensen allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 but drove in 3 runs with a 2 run home run.

Honorable Mention:

Johnny Gomes played left field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Wow, what a massacre. It was sweet revenge as the Rangers have pretty much had their way with the Red Sox for the past few years. Banging out 19 hits was a lot of frustration being released. Unfortunately what this usually means is they'll struggle to score runs tomorrow. Still, it was an impressive win and its nice to see the offense get going. Nava is hitting .307 with 38 rbi's, only one less than Ortiz which is great news considering the fragility of Ellsbury and Shane Victorino. Dempster stepped up tonight and its too bad he can't pitch like that more often. What else can be said in a game like this? The win improved the Sox to 36-23, 2 1/2 games in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. This time last year they were 28-26.  Tomorrow the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Rangers when John Lackey (3-5, 2.96 ERA) takes the hill against Alexi Ogando of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sabathia Cruises, Yankees Defeat Sox (5/31/13)

Once again the Boston Red Sox inability to hit left handed pitching doomed them as CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees blinded them. Jon Lester (6-2, 3.53 ERA) allowed 4 runs before getting lifted in the 6th inning. The Yankees were a bit better tonight after the age-less Mariano Rivera finished the Sox off as the Yankees took game 1 of the series 4-1 in Yankee Stadium.

                                             "The Sox can't hit lefties"

It was a bad omen right from the start when it was learned that Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis were coming off the DL and Jacoby Ellsbury would need to be scratched one day after setting the Red Sox record for most steals in one game. For a man with an already bad reputation for being fragile, this certainly doesn't help at all.

"Too...much...running...must...take...day....off"

Turns out it didn't matter who was playing because nobody was going to hit Sabathia anyway in the top of the first inning. Daniel Nava led the game off by taking strike three and Jonny Gomes followed by doing the same. Dustin Pedroia showed no fear with a ground rule double but David Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. At first, Lester stayed tough in the bottom of the first inning. Brett Gardner walked but was erased on a perfect strike em out throw em out off the bat of old friend Kevin Youkilis by Lester/David Ross. Robinson Cano grounded out to third to end the inning.

Mike Napoli swung and missed for strike three to open the top of the second before Stephen "PU" Drew flied out to left. Ross smacked a double but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. The Yanks broke through in the bottom of the second as Mark Teixeira worked a lead off walk. Vernon Wells doubled him over to third before Jason Nix singled home Texeira to give the Yankees the lead. Lester struck out David Adams but Ichiro Suzuki singled home the second run. Chris Stewart hit into a double play ended the inning as the Yankees led 2-0.

                                                            2-0 Yankees

2-0 may as well be 8-0 because Sabbathia didn't give an inch the rest of his outing. Jose Iglesias singled to lead off the top of the third but a Nava double-play ended that. Gomes flied out to center to end the inning. Lester rebounded in the bottom of the third as Gardner flied out to center to start. Youkilis grounded out to short and Cano took strike three to end the inning.

Sabathia cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Pedroia grounded back to the mound to start. Ortiz grounded out to first and Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Teixeira grounded out to short to start. Wells also grounded out to short and Nix grounded out to third to end the inning.

Sabathia put the exclamation point on his outing by turning up the heat in the top of the fifth inning. PU Drew whiffed, Ross struck out swinging and JBJ took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees gained ground in the bottom of the 5th but lost their manager in the process. Adams was hit by a pitch to lead the inning off then Ichiro hit a ball back to Lester who's throw was a bit wide to second that nearly pulled PU Drew off the bag. He wasn't but manager Joe Girardi didn't know that so he argued and argued until....HE GOT THE HEAVEEEEE HO! Stewart walked but Lester struck out Gardner. Youkilis made his old team pay by singling home Ichiro but Stewart was out trying to advance to third to end the inning with the Yankees leading 3-0.

Yerrrrr out!

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the sixth when Iglesias singled to start, but Nava struck out swinging. Gomes banged into a double play to end the inning. Lester tried to keep pace in the bottom of the sixth although Cano walked to start. Teixeira whiffed and Wells lined out to center. Nix flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox finally broke through in the top of the seventh as Pedroia doubled to right to begin. Ortiz advanced Pedroia to third with a grounder and Napoli singled Dustin home to cut the lead. With the tying run at the plate PU Drew struck out swinging and Ross grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox got their only run of the night and still trailed 3-1.

Just as soon as the Sox cut the lead, the Yankees extended it in the bottom of the seventh. Adams grounded out to short but Ichiro stroked a single. Stewart beat out a ground ball to third and that was it for Lester. Lester didn't have it tonight as he allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings.

                                              Bye bye Lester.

Andrew Miller was brought in to pitch to Gardner...who singled home Ichiro. Miller came back to strike out Cano and Youk but the damage was done with the Yankees up 4-1.

                                              Captain Picard knows the Sox are toast

Sabathia returned for one batter in the top of the eighth, getting JBJ to ground out to first to start. David Robertson came in to get Iglesias to fly out to right and Nava to watch strike three go by to end the inning.Clayton"Vigo" Mortensen came in for the bottom of the eighth and Teixeira went down swinging to start. Wells flied out to right and Nix grounded out to short to end the inning.

In came Marino Rivera with a 3 run lead to close out the top of the ninth. Gomes flied out to left but Pedroia somehow singled to center. Ortiz singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate in Napoli......who struck out swinging. Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for Ortiz but went nowhere as PU Drew grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Yankees had taken the opener of this series 4-1.

                                                  Kate Upton dances on the Sox grave


Jackass of the Night is Jon Lester. Not that the Sox offense did themselves any favors, but he was outpitched by CC Sabathia and got hit around by the aging Yankees offense, allowing 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings.

                                                Lester The Unlikely Jackass


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

David Ross was 1 for 3.

Jose Iglesias was 2 for 3.

Clayton Mortensen pitched a scoreless 8th inning



The Bad:

Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in the only run.

Andrew Miller allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning.



Honorable Mention:

Pedro Ciriaco ran for David Ortiz in the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Terrible, just terrible. This Yankees team is older than dirt but they just put the hurt on the Red Sox big time. Trouble with left handed pitching has been killing them all year and it happened tonight. Sabathia finished with 10 strikeouts, just pathetic offense. If the Sox offense doesn't get cooking, they're going to be swept in a hurry. The rumor is Ellsbury is going to miss the next game too which is a bad blow to the Sox who had trouble scoring tonight. If he can't stay healthy, especially with Jackie Bradley Jr and Bryce Brentz waiting in the wings, there's a chance he could be traded in July. The loss drops the Sox to 33-23 just 1 game in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Felix Doubront (3-2) goes up against Phil Hughes at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Memorial Day Hitting Launches Sox Into First (5/27/13)

The best case scenario of last night's final thoughts came true after all. Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves (2-1, 6.57 ERA) pitched to the best of his abilities, hurling 6 innings of 1 run ball as the Red Sox bats woke up to defeat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Home runs by Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia aided Aceves in the 9-3 win at Fenway Park.

                                           Uncle Sam approves of the Memorial Day win

Aceves got the ball in the top of the first and Ben Revere grounded out to second to start. Michael Young grounded back to the mound but Jimmy Rollins pounded a ground rule double. Ryan Howard whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled off starter Tyler Cloyd and advanced to second on the ground out by Daniel Nava. Dustin Pedroia hit a cheap 300 foot home run to right to give the Sox the lead lead. David Ortiz whiffed but Mike Napoli hit a much further home run over the bullpen to increase the lead. Stephen "PU" Drew walked but Mike Carp flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                             3-0 Boston, thanks Napoli

Delmon Young grounded out to short to begin the top of the second inning. Domonic Brown  hit a routine ground ball to Aceves who dropped a leg on it and laid on top of it for a pinfall attempt, being charged with an error. Aceves redeemed himself by inducing John Mayberry Jr to hit into an inning ending double play.

Cloyd settled down in the top of the second as Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to left to begin. Jose Iglesias singled and Ellsbury hit a ground rule double but they were stranded when Nava lined out to left. Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning.

The lone blemish against Aceves came in the top of the third. Freddy Galvis whiffed but Erik Kratz smashed a 1 out home run that cut the lead. Revere walked but was doubled off first on a line drive hit by Young to center, ending the inning.

                                                        Kratz tags Aceves

That's as close as Philly got as the Sox put the game away in the bottom of the third. Ortiz hit a lead off double and Napoli drove him home with a ground rule double. PU Drew singled home Napoli to extend the lead. Carp struck out but Saltalamacchia singled to chase Cloyd. Michael Stutes came on in relief and got Iglesias to pop up to first. Ellsbury hit a double that scored Drew but Saltalamacchia was stupidly thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1

                                               Mr. Jones does not approve of Salty's base-running decisions.

Aceves returned to the mound in the top of the fourth inning and allowed a leadoff single to Rollins. Howard grounded into a double play but Young singled. Brown popped up to second to end the inning. Stutes cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Nava grounded out to first, Pedroia grounded out to second and Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning.

The Phillies threatened in the top of the fifth inning as Mayberry singled to start. Galvis flied out to left and Kratz struck out, but Revere singled Mayberry to third With a threat mounting, Aceves snared a line drive off the bat of Young to effectively end the game.

                                                     Aceves doing his happy dance on the mound

The Sox added some more insurance in the bottom of the 5th. Napoli whiffed but PU Drew singled and Carp doubled him over to third. Saltalamacchia singled home Drew and Carp scored on an error by Mayberry Jr. Iglesias whiffed and Jeremy Horst came on to pitch to Ellsbury. Jacoby grounded out to third but it was 8-1 Sox.

The Phillies had one last chance to do damage trailing 8-1 in the top of the 6th. Rollins walked and Howard singled him over to third. Aceves got a huge strikeout of Young and a pop up to third by Brown before walking Mayberry. With the bases loaded, Freddy Galvis lined out to end the threat. It was like Aceves chucked a bowling ball into the guts of the Phillies and their fans...like this:

                      An accurate description of the end of the top of the 6th and Phillies fans' reaction

The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the 6th as Nava whiffed to start. Pedroia walked and Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for him. Ortiz singled but both Napoli and PU Drew watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen replaced Vulture for the top of the 7th and walked Kratz to start. Revere lined out to center and Young lined out to second. Rollins grounded out to second to end the inning. Antonio Bastardo came out for the bottom of the seventh and Carp hit one up the elevator shaft to begin. Saltalamacchia flied out to left and Iglesias popped up to second to end the inning.

Mortensen came back for the top of the eighth and Howard doubled to begin. Howard was thrown out at third on a ground ball by Young and that was it for Mortensen. Andrew Miller relieved Mortensen and immediately served up a 2 run homer to Brown to cut into the lead. Mayberry beat out an infield single to second but was erased on the force by Galvis. Kratz whiffed to end the inning but it was now 8-3.

                                              Brown cuts into the lead.

The Sox answered in the bottom of the 8th with Mike Adams on the mound. Ellsbury grounded out to first and Nava whiffed, but Ciriaco singled. Ortiz and Napoli walked to load the bases before Drew walked to score Ciraco. Justin De Fratus replaced the wild Adams to retire Carp on a ground out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

Miller got the call to end the top of the ninth but ran into trouble when Revere singled. He recovered to get Young to fly out to center. Miller struck out Rollins and Howard to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-3.

                                        Another good win by the Sox


Her of the Night is Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves. Aceves was outstanding with 6 innings of 1 run, 4 strikeout ball, getting key outs when needed. 

                                                  Aceves is the Hero


The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

Pedro Ciriaco singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

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

Mike Napoli was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored including a solo home run.

Stephen Drew was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Daniel Nava was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.\



The Ugly:

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

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.

Clayton Mortensen gave up a run in 1 1/3 innings.

Andrew Miller gave up a run in 1 2/3 innings.





Final Thoughts:

Hard to believe but the Sox are back in first place. It was a good win and redemption for Vulture who looked like he was going to be unconditionally released following his last disasterous outing against Oakland. Unfortunately for the pitching staff, someone's got to go. Franklin Morales is back and either Mortensen, Miller, Aceves or Wilson has to go. All signs point to Aceves going back to Triple A but at least he'll go down on a much higher note than last time he left. It was a good win and encouraging to see the bats wake up, especially those of Ciriaco and Drew who knows Iglesias is young and hungry. A slip up by either veteran means their days are numbered.  The win put the Sox at 32-20 and the Yankees loss puts the Sox alone in first.The Sox look to stay in first place but will have to work for it as Ryan Dempster goes up against superstar Cliff Lee tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Indians (5/25/13)

It was a good day for Boston sports. The Boston Bruins knocked out the New York Rangers in Game 5 of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians. For 7 innings the Sox and Indians played a game of "anything you can do, I can do better" as they waged a war. In the end it was the Red Sox that pulled it out with some late inning heroics. Sox starter Jon Lester didn't have his best stuff but some timely hitting picked him up big time in the game. The Sox rallied from a 4-3 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the eighth to win the game 7-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                Zdeno Chara (and friends) approves of the win

The Indians struck first in the top of the first. Drew Stubbs whiffed before Mike Avilies grounded out to second. Asdrubal Cabrera singled and stole second before scoring on a Nick Swisher double. Mark Reynolds flied out to left to end the inning with the Indians up 1-0.

In the bottom of the first, the Sox exhibited the second and third problems they've been having, inability to hit in the clutch and inability to hit left handed pitching. Jacoby Ellsbury drew a leadoff walk against Cleveland starter Scott Kazmir but Jonny Gomes popped up to second. Dustin Pedroia whiffed but David Ortiz drew another walk. Mike Napoli flied out to center to end the threat.

                                Lord Vader finds the Red Sox lack of clutch hitting disturbing

Lester settled down in the top of the second inning as Carlos Santana whiffed to start. Yan Gomes grounded out to third but Michael Brantley singled. Ryan Raburn hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second. Daniel Nava whiffed and David Ross struck out for the second out, but Jose Iglesias beat out a ground ball and advanced to second on a balk. Iglesias was singled home by the much maligned Pedro Ciriaco to tie the game. Ellsbury flied out to center to end the inning but it was now 1-1.

                                          Sox got a clutch hit from the unlikeliest of hitters

Just as soon as the Sox tied the game, Lester gave the lead right back i n the top of the 3rd. Stubbs drew a walk and advanced to second on an Avilies ground out. Cabrera doubled in Stubbs and ran toward home on a single by Swisher but Gomes threw him out. Reynolds was hit by a pitch and the Indians got yet another two out rbi when Ciriaco kicked a ball hit by Santana, allowing Swisher to score. Gomes struck out but it was now 3-1 Cleveland.

                                                    "THIS SUCKS!!!" - Lester

The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the third as Gomes grounded out to third to start. Pedroia doubled but Ortiz whiffed. Napoli flied out to center to end the inning.

Lester came back in the top of the fourth and gave up a leadoff double to Brantley. Raburn grounded out to third, Stubbs popped up to second and Avilies grounded out to second to start. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the 4th when Nava worked a leadoff walk, Ross struck out for the second time but Iglesias doubled, Nava scoring on the error by Raburn. Ciriaco moved Iglesias to third but Ellsbury grounded out to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

Lester cruised in the top of the fifth inning as Cabrera and Swisher both flied out to right to start. Reynolds singled but Santana whiffed to end the inning. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the fifth as Gomes whiffed to start. Pedroia walked but was forced out when Cabrera let a pop up hit by Ortiz drop. Napoli singled but Nava grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

                                               "You gotta be kiddin" - Pedroia

Lester turned up the heat in the top of the sixth inning. Gomes and Brantley both looked at strike three before Raburn whiffed to end the inning. Bryan Shaw came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and the Sox struck again. Ross whiffed for the hat trick but Iglesias singled. Ciriaco caught Cabrera asleep with a bunt and he threw the ball away, putting runners at the corners. Ellsbury was intentionally walked to load the bases and Gomes scored Iglesias with a sac fly to tie the game. Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning but it was now 3-3.

As soon as the Sox tied the game, Lester coughed up the lead in the top of the 7th. Stubbs grounded out to short but Aviles and Cabrera hit back to back one out singles, Avilies advancing to third. Pedroia snatched a Swisher line drive for the second out. All Lester needed was one more out but he couldn't get it. Cabrera swiped second and Lester uncorked a wild pitch that scored Aviles and moved up Cabrera. Reynolds struck out to end the inning but the damage was done, 4-3 Indians.

                                        "Gadzooks Ross, can't you catch a ball 7 feet in the dirt??" - JL

The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the seventh inning with Joe Smith on the mound. Ortiz whiffed and Napoli flied out to right, but Nava walked. Ross earned the golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout of the day.

That was it for Jon Lester as Junichi Tazawa (4-2, 2.53 ERA) replaced him for the top of the 8th. Taz struck out Santana and Gomes before Brantley grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                         "Nobody can hit me!" - Taz

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the eighth with Michael Bourn in for Raburn and Vinnie Pestano on the mound. Iglesias grounded out to second but Ciriaco then doubled. Ellsbury struck out and with the Sox one out away from going into the 9th down a run, Mike Carp pinch hit for Gomes and doubled in Pedro to tie the game. Pedroia then doubled in Carp to give the Sox their first lead of the game 5-4. Indians manager Terry Francona had managed David Ortiz for 9 years and he was well aware of Ortiz late inning heroics, Tito took no chances and had Big Papi walked. Napoli took a conventional walk to load the bases. The Sox then got another clutch hit when Nava knocked in Pedroia and Ortiz with a single for some insurance. Ross then capped off his crappy afternoon by striking out for the FIFTH time today. If 4 strikeouts is a golden sombrero, 5 must be a platinum donut. Still, the Sox had gone into the inning down 4-3 and ended up on top 7-4.

                                             Not the best day for Ross that's for sure.

With the Sox now leading, Andrew Bailey came on to close out the game but not without some nail biting. Bourn singled to right to lead off but pinch hitter Jason Kipnis (for Stubbs) struck out. Bailey got Aviles to pop up as Bourn sashayed to second base.  Cabrera flied out to end the game as the Red Sox had won it 7-4.

Hero of the Night is Dustin Pedroia. His rbi double in the eighth gave the Sox the lead for good

                                                    Pedroia the Hero

             

The Good:

Mike Carp doubled in the tying run and scored the go ahead run.

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbi's and a run scored.

Jose Iglesias was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Pedro Ciriaco was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Junichi Tazawa got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Andrew Bailey earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

David Ross earned the rare platinum donut by going 0 for 5 with 5 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 3 but walked twice.

Jonny Gomes was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Jon Lester gave up 4 runs off TEN hits in 7 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

This was a good, gutsy come from behind win that showcased what Iglesias can do when given the chance. He's not going to hit 40 homers and he may not hit .240 but at least he's going to give you prime defensive efforts when he's out there. It was nice to see Lester grit his teeth and take his lumps to go 7 and save the rest of the bullpen (save Tazawa and Bailey) for tomorrow with Felix Doubront slated to pitch the finale. Its promising to see the bullpen not give up more runs when behind, allowing the offense at least a chance to tie or go ahead. It was nice to see the role players such as Carp and Ciriaco step up, guess all Pedro needed was the promotion of Iglesias to light a fire under his ass. The Sox will have some problems of who stays and who goes when Victorino, Middlebrooks and Franklin Morales are ready to come off the DL, but they'll cross that path when they come to it. The win puts the Sox at 30-20, 1 game behind the victorious Yankees for 1st place in the AL East. Tomorrow is the finale of the four game set with the Indians with Doubront on the mound against Corey Kluber at 1:30 PM at Fenway Park.