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

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

                                                     Happy Sox fan

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

                                                       That didn't take long

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

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

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

                                                       Ortiz puts the Sox on top

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

                                                           Callaspo hits one out

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

                                                     Ellsbury with a triple

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

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

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

                                                 Solid effort by Dempster

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

                                                              MagiCarp delivers again.

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

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

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

                                                          Yerrrr out!

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

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

                                                            Sox win



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

                                                                Salty Hero

The Good:

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

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

Jose Iglesias was 2 for 4.

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

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Andrew Miller got the final out of the eighth inning.

Andrew Bailey pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Pedro Ciriaco was 0 for 1 at the plate.

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Stephen Drew was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

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

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.

Lee is Lights Out in Sox Loss To Phillies (5/28/13)

Before the game, it was learned that Alfredo Aceves was sent back to Pawtucket as the Sox activated Franklin Morales for the first time this season. Morales gives the team a spot starter/long reliever going forward. At least Aceves redeemed himself in his last start before being demoted.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game itself, it was a pleasure to watch. A 2 hour 30 minute masterpiece that was devoid of long waits between pitches, endless guffawing from the NESN telecasts and drop in ads up the wazoo. In the end the opponent had won but it was a great, exciting game....just didn't end well. In the end Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies were too much for the Sox as the Phillies took the second game of this set 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                       Jeff Bauman salutes the crowd before the game

Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster (2-6, 4.45 ERA) got off to a rocky start as Ben Revere grounded back to the mound to start, but Michael Young launched a towering home run over the monster for a quick  lead. Jimmy Rollins lined out to center and Ryan Howard struck out to end the inning but the Phills were up 1-0.

The Sox struck back in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled but Jonny Gomes flied out to right. Jacoby stole second and scored on the single by Dustin Pedroia. Unlike other games, with Cliff Lee on the mound, its more believable that this would be the last run scored by the Red Sox just 3 batters into the game. David Ortiz popped up to third and Mike Napoli whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

Dempster settled down in the top of the second inning as Delmon Young and Domonic Brown both flied out to right. John Mayberry struck out to end the inning. Lee froze Daniel Nava for strike three to begin the bottom of the second inning. David Ross whiffed and Stephen Drew popped up to short to end the inning.

Dempster worked out of trouble in the top of the 3rd as Freddy Galvis walked to open the frame, but Erik Kratz grounded into a double play. Revere singled and stole second but Michael Young grounded out to third to end the inning. Jose Iglesias grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Gomes whiffed to end the inning.

Dempster again pitched out of trouble in the 4th although Rollins began with a flyout to center. Howard whiffed but Delmon Young singled off Dempster. Brown whiffed to end the inning. Lee caught a break in the bottom of the fourth. Pedroia grounded back to the mound and Ortiz absolutely crushed a ball deep to center field, centerfielder Ben Revere ran all the way to the wall, reached up and grabbed it. It was a 418 foot out, 17 feet further than Michael Young's home run yet it was just a loud out. If Ortiz had hit it 20 feet in either direction it was gone but he happened to hit it to the one part of the park it could be caught. Talk about bad luck. Napoli whiffed to end the inning.

Dempster hung tough in the top of the fifth as Mayberry popped up to short to start. Galvis flied out to left but Kratz walked. Revere grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox tried some small ball it the bottom of the 5th. Nava singled and David Ross bunted him over to second. Unfortunately he was stranded when PU Drew popped up and Iglesias struck out to end the threat.

Dempster was in trouble again in the top of the sixth. Michael Young grounded out to second but Rollins walked. Howard singled but Delmon Young flied out to right. Brown flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the 6th as Ellsbury grounded out to second to start. Gomes lined out to right and Pedroia grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Phillies executed small ball just a little bit better in the top of the 7th. Mayberry singled and Galvis sacrifice bunted him over to second. Unlike PU Drew,  Kratz singled to score Mayberry. Dempster got Revere to ground back to the mound and Michael Young to ground out to short to end the inning. A 2-1 lead for Lee may as well have been 7-1. That was it for Dempster after 7 solid innings with just 2 runs allowed.

                                            The hard luck loser was hardly a loser in this one

The Sox couldn't crack Lee in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ortiz grounded back to the mound, Napoli grounded out to third and Nava flied out to center to end the inning.

Craig Breslow replaced Dempster for the top of the eighth and whiffed both Rollins and Howard. Delmon Young grounded out to short to end the inning. Lee returned for one last inning in the bottom of the eighth. Ross whiffed and PU Drew flied out to center, but Iglesias singled. With the tying run on first, Ellsbury whiffed to end the inning. Lee was damn near unhittable for eight innings.

                                          Great game, too bad the wrong team won

The Phills put the game away in the top of the 9th off Junichi Tazawa when Brown clobbered a home run to dead center to start the inning. Mayberry watched strike three go by and Galvis lined out to center, but Kratz singled. Revere singled but Michael Young struck out to end the inning. Now the score was 3-1 and all but over.

                                                           Nice going Tazawa

Guess who came in to close out the game? Old friend Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon had been 9 for 9 in save opportunities coming into this game. Gomes whiffed, Pedroia grounded out to third and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the game. Sweet revenge for Papelbon as the Phillies won it 3-1.

                                       Way to go Cherrington, let Papelbon go to save games against you


Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 and with the Sox needing just a run, he never delivered.

                                                 Ortiz the Jackass


The Good:

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3.

Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3.

Ryan Dempster was the hard luck loser but didn't pitch like a loser. He went 7 strong innings and allowed just 2 runs.

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 8th.




The Bad:

Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Ross was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 3.

Junichi Tazawa gave up a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth.




The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and scored.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.




Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox have trouble with a lefty although this time the lefty happens to be one of the best in the game when healthy. Dempster pitched very well, just came up a bit short. With the Sox traveling to Philadelphia tomorrow, the Sox are headed for interleague play and have to play National League ball for 2 games. Speculations are the Sox are thinking of bringing up an extra bat for pinch hitting purposes and demoting one of their pitchers. I'd bring up Jackie Bradley Jr and send down Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen with the way he's been struggling but we'll see what happens. As for this game, not much to say, Cliff Lee is damn good...not much you can do when he's on. The loss put the Sox at 32-21 but a loss by the New York Yankees tonight means the Red Sox are in first.  John Lackey (3-4, 2.72 ERA) goes tomorrow against Kyle Kendrick at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Indians Maul Sox in Bawful Effort (5/23/13)

It was a bad day for Boston sports. The New York Rangers staved off elimination with a Game 4 victory over the Boston Bruins of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Cleveland Indians. Throughout the year, there have been games the Sox never should have lost (Hanrahan's blown save in Baltimore) or could have won (most of the games the past week) but this one was an epic disaster that was over as soon as the first Cleveland Indians run scored. Terry Francona made his return to Fenway Park for the first time since the final game of the 2011 season (Jon Papelbon and Marco Scutaro's final games as well) and his Indians brought the pain on the Red Sox big time. Francona got a much deserved standing ovation for guiding the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox to World Series championships before the game started. Once the game was over, most of the fans had gone home or were groaning as the Indians trounced the Sox 12-3 at Fenway Park.

                                       Fans were pleased to see Francona, not the final score

Ryan Dempster (2-5, 4.69 ERA) got the ball to start the top of the first and Michael Bourn looked at strike three to begin the game. Jason Kipnis singled but Asdrubal Cabrera popped up to left. Michael Brantley flied out to the left field wall to end the inning. The Sox did nothing against Cleveland starter Zach McAllister in the bottom of the first as Jacoby Ellsbury whiffed to start. Daniel Nava singled but Dustin Pedroia popped up to second. David Ortiz also popped up to second to end the inning.

The Indians struck first as Carlos Santana (no relation to the guitar player) caught Will Middlebrooks asleep at third base and reached on a bunt single to lead off the top of the 2nd inning. Mark Reynolds walked but Yan Gomes struck out. Old friend Mike Avilies flied out but Drew Stubbs did what no Sox player has done consistently recently and that is to get a clutch hit. Stubbs doubled home the 2 runners for the quick lead. Bourn grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 2-0 Indians.

                                                      Stubbs makes it 2-0

Mike Napoli singled and Jarrod Saltalmacchia walked to lead off the bottom of the third but failed to score thanks to a Middlebrooks strikeout. Stephen "PU" Drew flied to center but Napoli took third. Mike Carp (in for the injured Shane Victorino) grounded out to end the threat.

The Indians struck again in the top of the third. Kipnis whiffed but Cabrera hit a one out single. Brantley and Santana both walked to load the bases. Reynolds singled home Cabrera and Brantley as Gomes worked another walk. Aviles beat out a double play ball to score Santana. Stubbs struck out but the Indians were up 4-0.

                                                            "Well this sucks" - Farrell

The Sox then showed some balls in the bottom of the third. Ellsbury caught Avilies asleep as he reached on a bunt single. Daniel Nava worked a walk and Dustin Pedroia singled....unfortunately Ellsbury was thrown out at home. It was a major miscalculation as David Ortiz then swatted a monsterous 3 run bomb to cut the lead. Napoli whiffed and Saltalamacchia lined out to short to end the inning but the Sox were back in it, 4-3.

                                              "Noooo these are lies!!!!!!" - Ellsbury

Red Sox manager John Farrell made a questionable decision. Rather than bring out Dempster for the 4th inning with 83 pitches on his arm, he relieved him with Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen.

                                            Another poor outing by Dempster

Dempster probably wasn't headed for 5 innings but it was obvious Vigo had nothing. Bourn hit a leadoff double, Kipnis popped up but Cabrera singled home Bourn. Brantley flied out to center but Satana walked. Reynolds grounded into a force to end the inning Mortensen finished the inning but the Sox were down 5-3.

                                                     Avilies is loving this

In keeping with a current theme for a while,  McCallister shut down the Sox in the bottom of the fourth. Middlebrooks looked at strike three before PU Drew grounded out to short. Carp grounded out to second to end the inning.

Pedro Ciriaco replaced Middlebrooks in the field for the top of the fifth, where the Indians scored again. Gomes flied out to left but Mortensen couldn't throw out Avilies on a swinging bunt. Stubbs flied out to right but once again the Sox inability to throw out runners bit them as Aviles stole second. Bourn then singled home Mike to extend the lead. Anyone else notice opponents seem to be doing their damage with 2 out? Kipnis flied to center to end the inning but it was 6-3 Indians.

Ellsbury watched strike three go by to begin the bottom of the fifth but Nava drew a walk. Pedroia flied out to center but Nava took second on a wild pitch. Ortiz grounded out to third to end the inning,

The Tribe chased Vigo in the top of the sixth when Cabrera walked, Brantley singled and Santana walked as well to load the bases with nobody out. Alex Wilson relieved Vigo and gave up a single to Reynolds that scored Cabrera. Napoli dropped a pop up by Gomes who responded by doubling home 2 more runners. Avilies popped up to second but Stubbs tripled home everyone. A Bourn single wrapped up the scoring as the Indians put 6 runs on the board. Kipnis and Cabrera both struck out but it was now 12-3 Indians. Goodnight Red Sox.

                                                            Absolute Bawful

With the game well in hand, Cord Phelps replaced kipnis and Cody Allen took over on the mound for the bottom of the sixth. The only highlight was NESN cameras catching a fan taking forever to blow up a beach ball only for alert Fenway security to seize the beach ball and wrestle it to the ground. Apart from that, Napoli and Saltalamacchia both struck out before Ciriaco flied out to right to end the inning.

Craig Breslow took over on the mound in the top of the seventh and Brantley lined out to short to start. Santana walked and Reynolds singled, but Gomes banged into a double play to end the inning. Scott Barnes replaced Cody Allen and got PU Drew to fly out to center to start the bottom of the seventh. Carp whiffed and Ellsbury grounded out to the mound to end the inning,

Junichi Tazawa took over for the top of the eighth and got Avilies to ground out to short. Stubbs doubled to left but Bourn grounded back to the mound. Phelps grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                The lone highlight

The miserable night continued for the Sox in the bottom of the eighth. Nava singled but Pedroia struck out. Ryan Lavarnway pinch hit for Ortiz and doubled. Napoli whiffed and Saltalamacchia lined out to third to end the inning.

Andrew Miller got the call to pitch the top of the ninth and struck out Cabrera to start. Brantley watched strike three go by and Santana grounded out to short to end the inning. The night finally ended in the bottom of the ninth as Ciriaco whiffed to start. PU Drew grounded out to second and Carp grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Indians had won it 12-3.

On a game like this where bawful occurred all over the place, the Jackass of the Night is a tough one. Ultimately, its Vigo Mortensen. Mortensen took over a game that was 4 to 3 and gave up 5 runs in just 2 innings. If he was able to hold the fort, maybe the offense could have scored the tying run at some point.

                                             Sorry Vigo but you're a Jackass


The Good:

Daniel Nava was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a 3 run home run.

Ryan Lavarnway doubled as a pinch hitter.

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Pedro Ciriaco was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 4.

Mike Carp was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan Dempster got lit up for 4 runs in just 3 innings before being pulled.

Alex Wilson gave up 3 runs in just 1 inning.



The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with an error and a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jarrod Saltalacmacchia was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Oh that was very bad. Another horrible loss where nothing goes right. Dempster pitched like absolute crap but so did Mortensen and Wilson. Dempster drops to 2-5 on the season with a hideous 4.69 ERA. All in all the Indians worked EIGHT walks, the Red Sox as a team had 7 hits. Truly pathetic. Worse news is Shane Victorino is hurt again and Middlebrooks is hobbled as well. David Ross comes off the concussion list tomorrow so some changes are going to be made within 24 hours. Rumor has it that Ryan Lavarnway is going back to Pawtucket to make room for Ross. At least Ryan got a hit in his last at bat. The loss drops the Sox to 28-20, a game behind the idle Yankees. They can't keep losing games like this if they want to compete in the division. They need a few 3-5 game win streaks to keep momentum going. John Lackey (2-4) looks to stem the tide tomorrow in yet another rain soaked game (potentially anyway) against old friend Justin Masterson. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park

Jays Pound Dempster, Sox (5/12/13)

Before the game, David Ross was placed on the 7 day concussion DL after getting knocked goofy by Will Middlebrooks last week. In his place the Sox brought back Ryan Lavarnway to be the backup catcher. Hopefully Ross is alright.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

It was a bad day for Boston sports as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of their NHL playoff first round series and the Boston Red Sox got beat by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox have played some horrendous baseball lately and it was capped off by today's all around stinkeroo in a humiliating 12-4 defeat. The loss capped off a bawful homestand where the Sox went just 2 and 5 and have also lost the last 8 of 10. Sox starter Ryan "Duke The Dumpster" Dempster (2-4, 3.75 ERA) simply didn't have it and once again the Sox were useless at bat. Even more humiliating was Toronto Blue Jays starter Brendan Morrow was scratched due to injury so they called up 25 year old DOUBLE A prospect Chad Jenkins to fill in. This was so sudden that Jenkins was completely surprised to learn he'd get the start. How did the Red Sox respond to facing a spot starter out of double A? Well, let this explain it better.

Only 2 runs off a Double A starter equals this

Trouble reared its ugly head right from the get go in the top of the first inning. Melky Cabrera struck out and Jose Bautista grounded out, but Edwin Encarnarcion hit a ball to Will Middlebrooks who decided to maim some fans in the front row by heaving the ball into their general direction, allowing Encarnarcion to reach second. Then Jarrod Saltlamacchia fumbled a routine ball in the dirt allowing Encarnarcion to reach third base. Luckily Dempster got out of the jam by getting JP Arencibia to ground out but an error and passed ball was not the way to start. In the bottom of the first, Jacoby Ellsbury popped up and Shane Victorino lined out but Dustin Pedroia doubled. How did Mike Napoli do against a rookie pitcher just up from double A in front of 30,000 screaming fans? He grounded out to short of course.

The Jays struck first in the top of the second inning. Adam Lind singled but Brett Lawrie struck out. Colby Rasmus struck out but Emilio Bonifacio doubled. So if Jenkins got out of a jam at age 25, how did 37 year old Dempster respond? He allowed a 2 run single by Munenori Kawasaki. Cabrera grounded out to end the inning but the Jays were up 2-0.

The fun didn't end there, oh no siree bob! In the bottom of the second, Daniel Nava lined out and Mike Carp grounded out. Jarrod Saltalamacchia atoned for his passed ball by hitting a ground rule double. How did Will Middlebrooks respond to the man who was 1-3 last year for Toronto? He grounded out to short...duh.

                                                  "Pooped em....pooped meh pants...."

The hits kept on coming....for Toronto anyway. In the top of the third inning, Bautista blasted a solo home run to increase the lead. Encarnarcion and Arencibia grounded out before Lind flied out to end the inning The Jays were up 3-0 and it would only get worse.

In the bottom of the third, Stephen "PU" Drew lined out but Ellsbury and Victorino hit back to back singles. How did Dustin Pedroia respond to a spot starter on short rest? He hit into an inning ending double play.

                                           "Dagnabbit! Those Double A starters sure are tough!"

The Jays had no trouble scoring in the top of the 4th. Lawrie grounded out but Rasmus walked. Then came the most gruesome play of the game. Bonifacio hit his first home run of the year to make it 5 to zilch but Victorino had a chance to catch it, only to run full speed into the wall and injuring himself. Injuries are never a good thing so hopefully he's okay. Kawasaki popped up and Cabrera struck out to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.

                                        The Flyin Hawaiian grounded by the evil visiting bullpen

The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Napoli crushed a 400 foot bomb to cut the lead to 4. Nava grounded out, Carp flied out and Saltalamacchia grounded out to end the inning.

                                     "Am I the only one who can hit this bastard?" - MN

The Jays got the run back in the top of the 5th. Bautista grounded out but Encarnarcion homered. Arencibia and Lind struck out to end the inning but the Jays were now up 6-1. That was it for Dempster who had thrown exactly 100 pitches and was lit up for 6 runs in 5 innings. Not his best start.

                                           Outpitched by a Double A starter....damn.

The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the 5th. Middlebrooks whiffed but PU Drew walked. Ellsbury whiffed but PU Drew stole second. How did Victorino respond with a runner on second against a Double A starter? He flied out to right in a Herculean fashion. The AA starter on short rest shut down the Sox for 5 innings, pathetic.

                                             Look at this guy, the Sox couldn't hit HIM.

Andrew Miller took the mound for the Sox in the top of the 6th and proceeded to poop his pants as well. Brett Lawrie greeted him with a home run, Rasmus popped up but Bonafacio singled and Kawasaki walked to chase Miller. Outstanding relief there buddy.

                                                   Toronto's new BP pitcher

Clayton "Vigo" Mortensen took the mound and he crapped himself as well. The two baserunners pulled off a double steal on the sleeping battery of Mortensen and Saltlamacchia then Melky Cabrera hit a sac fly to make it 8-1. The Jays capped off the inning when Baustista homered for the second time today and now it was 10-1. The Jays ended up scoring as many runs in this inning as the Sox did all game. Encarnarcion grounded out to end the inning but the Jays had a 9 run lead. Jenkins ran out of gas in the 6th but with a 9 run lead, Jays manager John Gibbons could care less. Pedroia singled and Napoli doubled to right as Aaron "Fruit" Loup relieved Jenkins. Daniel Nava managed a sac fly to make it 10-2 before last night's jackass Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Carp and did what he did best with runners on, he struck out. Saltalamacchia also flied out making the Red Sox look completely incompetent with men on base.

Sox manager John Farrell brought in the bench in the top of the seventh as Pedro Ciriaco took over at first, Nava moved to right field to replace Victorino (who was brought to the hospital but thankfully is ok) and Gomes stayed in left. Arencibia flied out, Lind grounded out and Lawrie lined out to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the seventh as Middlebrooks and Drew struck out before Ellsbury grounded out to end the inning.

Craig Breslow came on to pitch the top of the eighth. Rasmus grounded out, Bonifacio popped up and Kawasaki struck out to end the inning. The Sox somehow rallied off Esmil Rogers who took over for Loup. Esmil served up a nice fat meatball to Ciriaco who gobbled it up and launched it into the monster seats for a home run to make it 10-3. Pedroia flied out but Napoli singled, Nava walked and Gomes was hit by a pitch to load the bases. At this point a grand slam or even a bases clearing double would make the game far more interesting. Bret Cecil relieved the ineffective Rogers who nearly induced a double play ball but Saltalamacchia beat out the throw to first to score Napoli to make it 10-4. Now with runners at the corners Middlebrooks swatted a historic groundout to third that ended the rally. Nothing says clutch more than going 2 consecutive games without a hit with runners in scoring position.

                                                      The one bright spot on the afternoon

 It was now mop up duty for Jose De La Torre, making his major league debut in the top of the ninth.. The last link to Kevin Youkilis also crapped his pants by allowing a double to Cabrera, a walk to Bautista and a single to Encarnarcion that scored Cabrera. Torre did manage to get JP Arencebia to ground into a double-play but Bautista scored to cap off the scoring. Lind grounded out to end the inning with the Jays ahead 12-4. Steve Delabar had mop up duty in the bottom of the ninth. PU Drew singled but Ellsbury struck out. Ciriaco and Pedroia flied out to end the game, the Jays had won it 12-4.

                                                       Tough way for De La Torre to make his debut

I could put the entire team on here and there are plenty of picks for Jackass of the Night but I'll have to go with Ryan Dempster. He was matched up against a 25 year old Double A starter and gave up 6 runs in only 5 inning, making the bullpen throw 4 innings (mostly ineffective). Yes, he was outpitched by someone from Double A.

                                               No no Ryan, YOU are Jackass of The Night


THE GOOD:

Shane Victorino was just 1 for 3 before leaving the game.

Pedro Ciriaco was 1 for 2 including a solo home run.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a home run.

Stephen Drew was 1 for 3 with a walk.



THE BAD:

Mike Carp was 0 for 2.

Jonny Gomes struck out in his pinch hit at-bat.

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts

Andrew Miller gave up 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Jose De La Torre made his major league debut by giving up 2 runs in the ninth




THE UGLY:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 5.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 2 but walked and drove in a run

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 with a passed ball.

Clayton Mortensen gave up a run but pitched 1 2/3 innings to save the rest of the bullpen.



FINAL THOUGHTS:

Mercifully this homestand has come to an end. Almost 10 straight days of misery (with 2 exceptions) ends with the Sox in 3rd place. They can't hit in the clutch, their overworked bullpen is starting to give up runs in bunches, errors are becoming more frequent, they still have troubles pitching in the 9th and hitting lefties and worst of all they have no closer again. Luckily a lot of that can be fixed. Some of the boys are in a slump and once they come out of it, the offense will pick up. Getting Andrew Bailey and Franklin Morales back healthy will shore up the exhausted bullpen and a trade or two may get the lefties and errors situation fixed. Still, the day was a complete washout that even ruined the debut of De La Torre, the 27 year old reliever holding the fort until Morales and or Bailey comes back. The players get a much needed day off tomorrow. Maybe they can go to the bar together or go home and play pickle tickle with their wives, or play pin the tail on the donkey at a children's benefit. ANYTHING to get their minds off the last 10 days. They're gonna need to clear their heads in a hurry because they have a big roadtrip against Tampa Bay coming up. A sweep down there would bring optimism and momentum back to their side big time. The one best team in baseball (record wise) now drops to 22-16 and 2 games behind the Yankees.