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

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

                                                              Losing to Chicago?

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

                                                       Dunn puts the ChiSox up for good

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

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

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

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

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

                                                       Kansas City handwalking champion

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

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

                                                       Ross gets the BoSox on the board

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

                                                               Beckett made one mistake

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

                                                         White Sox score another run

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

                                                           White Sox win

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

                                                         Gonzalez The Jackass

The Good:

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

Scott Atchison retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Ryan Sweeney was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Darnell McDonald struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nick Punto was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marlon Byrd was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Lars Anderson was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Kelly Shoppach was 0 for 2.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out as a pinch hitter.

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

The Ugly:

Mike Aviles was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Sweep Twins (4/25/12)

The bad news was the Boston Bruins were eliminated in Game 7 of their first round NHL playoff series by the Washington Capitals but the good news was the Boston Red Sox swept the Minnesota twins for their third straight win. The Red Sox jumped out to a 7-1 lead thanks to a Mike Aviles three run home run, a Jarrod Saltalamacchia two run hit and two other run scored. Then the Twins came back as Clay Buchholz (2-1, 8.87 ERA) got knocked out in the sixth innings after allowing 5 runs. Scott Atchison, Justin Thomas and Matt Albers allowed rbis to cut the lead...but the trio of Vicente Padilla, Franklin Morales and Alfredo Aceves put Saturday behind them as they slammed the door on the victory. The Sox had held on to win 7-6 and sweep the Twins at Target Field.

                                                       Cael Sanderson approves of the win

Liam Hendriks got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mike Aviles grounded out to second to start. Ryan Sweeney struck out swinging but Dustin Pedroia doubled to left. Adrian Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning after 32 pitches. Buchholz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Denard Span grounded back to the mound to start. Jamey Carroll walked and Joe Mauer dropped a base hit in front of Sweeney but Justin Morneau forced Joe at second. Chris Parmalee walked to load the bases but Trevor Plouffe popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the second inning as David Ortiz walked to start. Kevin Youkilis ripped a base hit to center to move Ortiz to third but Jarrod Saltalamacchia took strike three. Cody Ross dropped a base hit to left to score Ortiz but Marlon Byrd lined out to center. Aviles then pounded his third home run of the season to put the Sox up big early. Sweeney struck out swinging again to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                                Aviles with another homer

The Twins fought back in the bottom of the second although Sean Burroughs grounded out to short to start. Ben Revere doubled to center and Alexi Casilla dropped a base hit to left to score Revere to cut the lead. Casilla stole second and moved to third on the Span grounder to first, but Carroll grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins down 4-1.

                                                  Casilla drives in a run

The Sox answered in the top of the third as Pedroia beat out a roller to third to start. Gonzalez walked but Ortiz popped up to third in foul territory. Both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Youkilis but Saltalamacchia dropped a base hit to right. Pedroia and Gonzalez scored but Saltalmacchia was thrown out trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                 "You're out you dummy!"

Mauer grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third but Morneau got a base hit to left. Parmalee singled to right but Plouffe struck out swinging. Burroughs flied out to Byrd to end the inning.

Ross flied out to left to start the top of the fourth before Byrd singled in the hole at second. Aviles lined out to center and Sweeney lined out to third to end the inning. Revere grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Casilla got a base hit to left. Span hit one off Buchholz for a single and both runners moved over on a grounder to third by Carroll. Mauer popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Plouffe missed a catch at the right field wall allowing Pedroia to reach third on a "triple". Gonzalez lifted an opposite field single to left to score Pedroia and chase Hendriks from the game. Anthony Swarzak came in and Ortiz flied out to left before Youkilis grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                       Sox are all smiles

Buchholz cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Morneau grounded out to second to start. Parmalee and Plouffe both grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Saltalamacchia flied out to left to begin. Ross struck out swinging and Byrd flied out to center to end the inning. Suddenly Buchholz fell apart in the bottom of the sixth with Darnell McDonald now in left. Burroughs struck out swinging but Revere caught Buchholz asleep with a bunt single. Casilla got a base hit to center but Span doubled into the right field corner to score Revere. Carroll walked to load the bases and that was it for Buchholz. He'd eventually be charged with 5 runs in just 5 1/3 innings.

                                                          So much for Buchholz

Scott Atchison came in to pitch to Mauer and Joe lined a ball off him into left to score Casilla and Span. One and done for Atchison as Justin Thomas was brought in to face Morneau and Justin doubled to center to score Carroll. A scary moment occurred when Thomas hit Parmalee in the head with a fastball, knocking him out cold. Sox manager Bobby Valentine yanked Thomas out of the game with Danny Valencia running for Parmalee. Matt Albers came in and Plouffe got a base hit to center to score Mauer and cut the lead. 9 straight batters reached for Minnesota but Burroughs banged into a double play to end the inning with the Twins down 7-6.

                                                  Hope Parmalee is okay

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh as Aviles grounded out to third to start. Sweeney got a base hit to left but Pedroia hit into a double play to end the inning. Vicente Padilla came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Revere grounded out to third to start. Casilla grounded out to second and Span took strike three to end the inning.

Glen Perkins came in to pitch the top of the eighth and blew away the side. Gonzalez, Ortiz and Youkilis all went down hacking to end the inning. Franklin Morales came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Carroll struck out swinging to start. Mauer grounded out to first and Morneau flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the ninth with Jared Burton now on the mound. Saltalamacchia grounded out to first, McDonald grounded back to the mound and Byrd struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins pitchers had retired 15 in a row after Gonzalez' single drove in the seventh run. Alfredo Aceves came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Valencia grounded out to short. Plouffe walked and Ryan Doumit pinch hit for Burroughs. Doumit singled to right and both runners moved over on the grounder to first by Revere. Casilla was hit with a pitch to load the bases but Span struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-6.

                                                          Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is Mike Aviles. His 3 run home run put the Sox up big and helped the team to victory.

                                                         Hero Aviles

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Cody Ross was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Vicente Padilla pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Franklin Morales pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Alfredo Aceves earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Clay Buchholz got charged with 5 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 10 hits and 3 walks.

Scott Atchison gave up a hit to the only man he faced.

Justin Thomas didn't record an out after giving up a hit and a hit batsmen.

The Ugly:

Ryan Sweeney was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Kevin Youkilis was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeouts but drove in 2 runs.

Marlon Byrd was just 1 for 4.

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

Final Thoughts:

That was too close for comfort for the Red Sox. They won the game but they damn near blew a huge lead again. Losing Andrew Bailey in spring training took away their closer but it looks like the guys they brought in to be the set-up guys aren't going to get it done. With the slow start the starters have gotten off to, this team can ill-afford bullpen meltdowns like this and especially the natural disaster last Saturday. The good news is the offense is producing and they just won three in a row against the Twins. The Twins may be a bad team with a TV broadcast that can put you to sleep, but taking three in a row is nothing to sneeze at. Buchholz fell apart in the sixth inning and the sad part is no starter looks good right now. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Buchholz have the ability to dominate, apart from Beckett against the Tampa Bay Rays we really haven't seen it yet. Expecting Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard to pitch like those three would be unfair. Still, the offense is rolling and they did just enough to win. The Sox now move on to a set with the Chicago White Sox in the Windy City. Felix Doubront gets the start for the Red Sox against Phillip Humber of the White Sox. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

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

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

                                                 Jill Valentine approves of the win

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

                                                            Sox take the lead

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

                                                         Twins score a run

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

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

                                                        Ortiz jacks one out

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

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

                                                              Aviles hits one out

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

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

                                                     Gonzalez drives in a run

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

                                                       Twins score a run

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

                                                           Beckett gets it done

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

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

                                                                    Anderson scores a run

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

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

                                                          Sox win

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

                                                           Aviles salutes our Hero

The Good:

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

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

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

Lars Anderson singled and scored.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4.

Nick Punto walked as a pinch hitter.

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

Marlon Byrd was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

Scott Atchison pitched two scoreless innings.

Matt Albers pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Yankees Beat Sox On 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park (4/20/12)

The New York Yankees were the Boston Red Sox first victims 100 years ago in Fenway Park's first game. 100 years later it was the Yankees that were the spoilers with 5 home runs off Clay Buchholz (1-1, 9.00 ERA). Eric Chavez homered twice while Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher and Russell Martin went deep against Buchholz. Meanwhile the Sox anemic offense did almost nothing against Yankees starter Ivan Nova. David Ortiz hit a home run and Mike Aviles drove in a run but that was it. The sad part was the Yankees only outhit Boston 11 to 10 but five home runs will kill you every time. Mariano Rivera slammed the door as the Yankees handed Boston their fourth straight loss by the score of 6-2 on the day honoring 100 years at Fenway Park.

                                               Bringing out the ghosts didn't do any good

Derek Jeter led off the game with a pop up that Pedroia lost in the sun allowing Derek to reach first to start. Curtis Granderson flied out to right and Jeter moved to second on the wild pitch over the head of Jeter by Buchholz. Sure enough A-Rod's single to left  brought home Jeter after the two mistakes. Robinson Cano flied out to deep center as A-Rod tagged and advanced to second. Mark Teixeira grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox now trailed for their 13th consecutive game 1-0. 

                                                   "I got it, I got it....I don't got it" - Pedroia

Mike Aviles led off the bottom of the first against Ivan Nova with a pop up to Cano. Ryan Sweeney then took three straight pitches for a strikeout. Pedroia made up for his error with a two out single to center. Adrian Gonzalez flied out to Granderson at the edge of the Monster to end the inning. 

Nick Swisher led off the second with a wind blown homer into the Monster seats to start. Raul Ibanez grounded out to second and then Eric Chavez homered into the bullpen as well. Russell Martin grounded out to third but Derek Jeter got on with a single off the glove of Kevin Youkilis. Granderson singled Jeter over to third with a hit to right but A-Rod forced Granderson to end the inning with the score now 3-0 Yankees. 

                                                   Yankees add to the lead

The Sox attempted to rally in the bottom of the second as David Ortiz hit a ball off the top of the center field wall that was called a double. Sox manager Bobby Valentine argued it was a home run and after replay, Ortiz second home run of the year to cut the deficit. Youkilis doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on the ground out to first by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Cody Ross then struck out swinging to kill the rally as Jason Repko continued his torrid streak with a ground out to third to end the inning. The Sox did manager to cut the lead 3-1.

                                         "That's a home run ya worthless umpire!" - BV

Cano singled off the glove of Buchholz to begin the top of the third but Teixeira popped up to center. Nick Swisher worked an eight pitch walk but Buchholz escaped trouble when Ibanez banged into a double play to end the inning. Aviles grounded out to sort to begin the bottom of the third but Ryan Sweeney doubled to left. Once again the Sox could do nothing as Pedroia flied out to center and Gonzalez looked at strike three to end the inning. 

Chavez tagged Buchholz again for his second home run of the day to dead center to begin the the top of the fourth. Repko then made the catch of the year, robbing Martin of a sure double. Granderson grounded out to and Jeter struck out to end the inning but the Yankees led 4-1. 

                                                          Repko with a damn good catch

Nova cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz grounded out to Teixeira to start. Youkilis grounded out to short and Saltalamacchia continued his 2 for 26 slump by striking out swinging to end the inning.

A-Rod crushed a homer over the Monster to begin the top of the fifth inning but Cano grounded out to second. Teixeira grounded out to first and Swisher lined out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-1.

                                                                 Rodriguez goes deep

Cody Ross led off the top of the fifth with a double off the centerfield wall but Cano robbed Repko of a hit with a diving catch. Aviles then drove home Ross when Swisher lost the ball in the sun allowing Aviles to reach second. Sweeney lined out to left and Pedroia flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2

                                                            Aviles with a sun aided rbi

The Yankees struck again in the top of the sixth although Ibanez popped up to center to start. Pedroia did not lose a pop up by Chavez this time, retiring him for the second out. Martin then hit another bomb off Buchholz for the fifth homer of the day for the Yankees. Jeter struck out to end the inning with the Yankees now leading 6-2.

                                                Jeter is out but the Yankees get a run

Gonzalez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth but Ortiz singled to right. Youkilis got hit on the elbow but Saltalamacchia continued his season long slump by hitting into a double play to end the inning.

Buchholz returned briefly in the top of the seventh but walked Granderson to end his day. He allowed 6 runs off 5 home runs in 6 plus innings, yuck! Scott Atchison came in and struck out A-Rod swinging, but Granderson took second on a wild pitch. Cano grounded back to the mound and Teixeira grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                            Not good enough, Clay!

Cory Wade came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Ross grounded out to third begin. Nate Spears pinch hit for Repko and looked at strike three but Aviles somehow singled up the middle but Sweeney grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Swisher led off the top of the eighth with a double down the line to chase Atchinson. Justin Thomas was brought in who allowed Ibanez to single Swisher to third but recovered to strike out Chavez looking. Valentine pulled Thomas for the returning Junichi Tazawa who missed 2011 with Tommy John surgery. The Sox then caught a break when Ibanez was caught in a run down with Swisher asleep at third for out number two. Martin grounded out to short to end the inning. 

                                                           Yerrrr out!

David Robertson replaced Wade for the bottom of the eighth inning and struck out Pedroia swinging. Gonzalez somehow singled to left but Ortiz lined out to center. Youk whiffed to end the inning.

Tazawa returned for the top of the ninth and got Jeter to ground back to the mound to start. Granderson lined out to Pedroia and A-Rod flied out to center to end the inning. Cody Eppley replaced Robertson for the bottom of the ninth and Saltalamacchia somehow singled to right. Quick hook Yankees manager Joe Girardi pulled Eppley for invincible closer Mariano Rivera. Rivera punched out Ross swinging as Nick Punto pinch hit for Nate Spears. Punto struck out swinging and Aviles grounded out to second to end the game. The Yankees had won it 6-2.

                                                                      Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Clay Buchholz. He allowed 5 home runs and 6 total runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                               Jackass Buchholz

The Good:

Mike Aviles was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Kevin Youkilis was 1 for 3.

Scott Atchison pitched a full scoreless inning.

Justin Thomas got the first out of the eighth inning.

Junichi Tazawa tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad: 

Jason Repko was 0 for 2.

Nate Spears struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nick Punto struck out as a pinch hitter

The Ugly: 

Ryan Sweeney was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Adrian Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Cody Ross was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

It seems typical that on the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park this year's team looks borderline lifeless. Its been a perfect storm as Buchholz got shelled just like Jon Lester the other night against Texas and the offense has been dormant. The problem is without Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury, the likes of Jason Repko and Nate Spears have to play....and they aren't good. Saltalamacchia is about an automatic out as you can get right now and Youkilis is only recently coming out of it. Without Crawford and Ellsbury at the top of the lineup, the Sox don't have the table setters that Gonzalez, Youkilis and Ortiz should be driving in. That doesn't help the pitching though and the rotation has picked up where they left off in 2011 getting shelled more often than dominating. Its only April so the Sox have plenty of time to wake up but playing from behind in all thirteen games this season isn't a recipe for success. The Sox have now dropped 4 in a row and 9 of their last 13 overall. The Sox look to stem the tide tomorrow when Felix Doubront pitches for the Sox tomorrow to try and right the ship. He goes up against Freddy Garcia of the Yankees at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rangers Massacre Red Sox (4/17/12)

Holy moly this month has gone completely south for the Boston Red Sox. After getting blanked by the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday, the Sox got annihilated by the defending American League champion Texas Rangers. Jon Lester (0-2, 5.82 ERA) got shelled for 7 runs and lasted just two innings. If that wasn't bad enough, Mark Melancon and the bullpen had a total meltdown in the final two innings as the Rangers scored TEN runs in the final two innings. Meanwhile Colby Lewis held the Sox to just two runs in 7 innings on a first inning home run by Dustin Pedroia. Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli drove in 9 runs combined and the Rangers ran away with this one 18-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                       My sentiments exactly

Lester got the call in the top of the first inning and Ian Kinsler shot a base hit into center to start. Elvis Andrus struck out swinging on a nasty cutter but Josh Hamilton lined a base hit past Dustin Pedroia to move Kinsler to third. Old friend Adrian Beltre banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Colby Lewis in the bottom of the first as Mike Aviles led off with a single off the Monster and Pedroia smashed his third home run of the year into the Monster Seats. Adrian Gonzalez slapped a seeing eye single to right but David Ortiz popped up to Beltre in foul territory. Kevin Youkilis looked at strike three on the outside corner but Ryan Sweeney doubled off the top of the centerfield wall. Cody Ross grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                               Sox take the lead

The Rangers exploded in the top of the second as Michael Young struck out swinging to start. Nelson Cruz doubled to center and Mike Napoli hit a home run all the way to Florida to tie the game. Yorvit Torrealba walked, Craig Gentry ripped a base hit to center and Kinsler walked to load the bases. Andrus beat out a roller to the mound to score Torrealba but Ross dropped a pop up by Hamilton. Kinsler ended up being forced at third but Gentry scored to increase the lead. Beltre singled in the hole at second to load the bases but Young grounded out to short to end the inning with Lester at 63 pitches and the Rangers ahead 4-2.

                                                                   Rangers take the lead

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to center to start. Jason Repko took strike three on the outside corner and Aviles struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rangers finished off Lester in the top of the third as Cruz roped a base hit to center to start. Napoli and Torrealba drew back to back walks and that was mercifully it for Lester. He was absolutely horrible, eventually being charged with 7 runs in 2 plus innings. Scott Atchison came in to take a beating as Gentry forced Napoli at third but Cruz scored another run. Kinsler walked to re-load the bases and Andrus scored Torrealba with a sac fly to the right field wall. Hamilton dumped a base hit to right to score Gentry and move Kinsler to third. Beltre flied out to right to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 7-2.

                                                              Hamilton adds to the score

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Pedroia grounded out to short to start. Gonzalez flied out to right but Gentry trapped a sinking live drive by Ortiz for a hit. Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning.

Atchison cruised in the top of the fourth as Young struck out swinging to start. Cruz grounded out to third and Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning. Sweeney popped up to Beltre in foul territory to start the bottom of the fourth but Ross beat out a roller off of Lewis' glove for a single. Saltalamacchia flied out to center but Repko lashed a base hit to left. Ross made it to third but Repko was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning.

                                                            "You're out you dummy!"

Atchison struck out Torrealba swinging on a slider to start the top of the fifth but Gentry lined a base hit to center. Kinsler grounded back to the mound but Gentry broke up the double play by wiping out Aviles at second. Andrus forced Kinsler at second to end the inning. Aviles flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Pedroia popped up to Beltre in foul territory. Gonzalez popped up to center to end the inning.

The Rangers struck again in the top of the sixth as Hamilton grounded out to second to start. Beltre popped up to first but Young hit a home run all the way to Cuba to increase the lead. Cruz flied out to right to end the inning with the Rangers up 8-2.

                                                               Young drives one out

Ortiz grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth and Youkilis struck out swinging to earn the hat trick. Sweeney doubled off the bottom of the Monster but Ross lined out to short to end the inning.

Matt Albers came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Napoli popped up to left to start. Torrealba flied out to the right field warning track and Gentry popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Saltamacchia popped up to Napoli to start. Repko struck out swinging and Aviles was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Things fell apart in the top of the eighth with Mark Melancon on the mound as Kinsler hit a straight fastball right down the middle off the Monster for a double before Andrus drew a walk. Hamilton hit a home run all the way to Alabama and Beltre followed with a home run to South Carolina as the boo's rained down. David Murphy pinch hit for Young and drew a walk before Cruz launched a home run to Arizona to mercifully knock out Melancon from the game. Justin Thomas came into the game to take a beating as NESN showed a graphic that Josh Hamilton's home run landed 15 rows lower than the Ted Williams red seat. For those that don't know Ted Williams hit the longest home run recorded at Fenway marked by a red seat and Hamilton's home run was pretty close to it. Napoli singled to the left field wall but Torrealba took strike three to get a mock cheer from the Fenway crowd. A wild pitch moved Napoli to second and Gentry singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners. Alberto Gonzalez pinch hit for Kinsler and scored Napoli with a grounder to third. Andrus doubled to center to score Gentry and Brandon Snyder pinch hit for Hamilton. Snyder walked but Beltre popped up to right to end the inning with the Rangers up 16-2...woof!

                                                           "Well this sucks"

Koji Uehara came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Nate Spears pinch hit for Pedroia. Spears struck out swinging but Gonzalez launched his second home run of the year to cut the lead. Ortiz grounded out to second and Youkilis struck out swinging to earn the golden sombrero plus end the inning with the Sox down 16-3.

                                                                        Gonzalez goes yard

Vicente Padilla came in and he took a beating as well in the top of the ninth as Murphy broke an 0 for 13 slump with a base hit to left. Cruz struck out swinging but Napoli hit yet another home run to Winchester Mass to wrap up the scoring. Torrealba got the Rangers' 21st hit of the night with a base hit to left but was forced at second by Gentry. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rangers up 18-3.

                                                                    Napoli hits another out

Mark Lowe came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Sweeney singled to right to start. Ross struck out swinging and Saltalamacchia lined out to second before Repko earned the hat trick with a swinging strikeout to end the game. The Rangers had annihilated the Red Sox 18-3.

                                                                   What a loss

Jackass of the Night is Jon Lester. He set the tone for the night by allowing 7 runs in 2 plus innings and putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                          Jon Jackass

The Good:

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

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Ryan Sweeney was 3 for 4.

Scott Atchison allowed just 1 run in 4 innings.

Matt Albers pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Nate Spears struck out as a pinch hitter.

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 4.

Mark Melancon allowed 6 runs without recording an out.

Justin Thomas allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

Vicente Padilla allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Mike Aviles was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Cody Ross was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Repko was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about a living hell for the Boston Red Sox. The stench of September 2011 followed them into this season and they still haven't looked right. Not only did Lester get pounded but the bats were silenced by Colby Lewis and Melancon looks like a deer in the headlights. His body language in the eighth made it seem like he wanted to be anywhere else but Fenway. The Sox have to do something with him because the Sox sent off "Glasbones" Jed Lowrie for him but so far he's giving them less than Glassbones ever did. Lester will have bad days and so will the offense but it just seems like nothing's gone right for the Sox this year similar to the end of last year. The only highlights was Gonzalez hitting a home run, Sweeney going 3 for 4 and Matt Albers not giving up a run. Otherwise the defending repeat American League champion Rangers pounded out 21 hits and 18 runs. Hopefully they wore themselves out and the Sox can serve it back to them tomorrow. After all any time the Sox score 10 runs they do absolutely nothing the next day. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow against the Rangers when Josh Beckett (1-1) takes the mound against Derek Holland of Texas. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.