Dice K Tosses Gem, Sox Blank Angels (4/23/11)

It was a big night in Boston with Anime Boston rocking the Hines Convention Center and the Boston Bruins winning Game 5 of their first round playoff series in double overtime against the Montreal Canadiens in the Boston Garden. 3,000 miles away it was even more Boston success thanks to the resurgent Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-2, 4.09 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Improving on his Patriots Day gem, Dice K was even better tonight with 8 shutout innings allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 9. On the offensive side, Kevin Youkilis hit a 2 run homer and a balanced attack put 5 runs on the board. It all added up to a great night for Bostonians with a 5-0 shutout win over the Angels at Angels Stadium.

                                                     Nathan Horton approves of the win

Ervin Santana got the start for the Angels and Jacoby Ellsbury led off by taking strike three to start. Dustin Pedroia walked and stole second, but Adrian Gonzalez flied out to left. Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning. Dice K began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Maicer Izturis flied out to right to start. Erick Aybar struck out swinging and Bobby Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning although David Ortiz grounded out to second to start. Jed Lowrie doubled into the right field corner but JD Drew took strike three. Crawl Crawford singled off the glove of Aybar to score Lowrie with the go-ahead run but Jason Varitek struck out swining with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                              Crawford drives in a run

The Angels mounted their only threat in the bottom of the second inning as Torii Hunter walked to start. Vernon Wells flied out to center but Dice K almost got his head taken off on a liner by Alberto Callaspo that fell into left for a single. Hank Conger flied out to left and Mark Trumbo struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the third inning when Ellsbury got a base hit to center to start. Ellsbury swiped second and moved to third on the Pedroia fly out to center. Gonzalez dropped a base hit to right to score Ellsbury with another run. Youkilis struck out swinging at a high fastball but Ortiz lined a base hit to center, moving Gonzalez to third. Lowrie flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         Ellsbury scores a run

Dice K cruised in the bottom of the third as Reggie Willits struck out swinging to start. Izturis also went down hacking and Aybar flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Drew took strike three to start. Crawford grounded out to second and Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning. Abreu walked to begin the bottom of the fourth but Hunter flied out to right. Wells flied out to center and Callaspo flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Ellsbury singled to center and swiped second. Pedroia popped up to first and Gonzalez struck out swinging, but Youkilis swatted his 4th home run of the season to ice the game. Ortiz struck out siwnging to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

                                                         Youkilis goes yard

Dice K cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Conger took strike three to start. Trumbo went down swinging and Willits took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox scored again in the top of the sixth although Lowrie flied out to right to start. Drew popped up to third in foul territory but Crawford slapped a double down the left field line. Varitek doubled into the right field corner to score Crawford with another run, but Ellsbury flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                       Varitek finally gets a good hit

Nothing could stop Dice K in the bottom of the sixth as Izturis flied out to center to start. Aybar hit a broken bat liner to Youkilis but Abreu walked. Hunter grounded out to short to end the inning.

Santana cruised in the top of the seventh as Pedroia hit a bullet but right to Izturis to start. Gonzalez hit a 380 foot fly out to left and Youkilis struck out swinging to end the inning. Dice K continued his dominance in the bottom of the seventh as Wells grounded out to short to start. Callaspo and Conger both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jason Bulger came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ortiz flied out to left to start. Lowrie singled to right and Drew hit a routine pop up to shallow right that Abreu slide and missed completely. Drew got credit for a "single" but Crawford flied out to center. Varitek lined out to third to end the inning.

                                                    "I don't got it....." - Abreu

Dice K returned for one last inning in the bottom of the eighth as Trumbo flied out to center to start. Howie Kendrick pinch hit for Willits and grounded out to second before Izturis also grounded out to second to end the inning. That was one of Dice K's best starts ever, allowing just 1 run in 8 shutout innings.

                                                                 Dice K Delivers

Peter Boujors took Trumbo's spot in the lineup for the top of the ninth and Ellsbury struck out swinging to start. Pedroia grounded out to third and Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning. Daniel Bard came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Aybar legged out an infield single to short to start. Aybar took second on defensive indifference but Abreu struck out swinging. Hunter struck out swinging and Wells grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-0.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of the Night is Daisuke Matsuzaka. He pitched 8 shutout innings and allowed just a hit and 3 walks.

                                                           Dice K Hero

The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 5 with 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored.

Jed Lowrie was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Crawford was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 but walked and stole a base.

Adrian Gonzalez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Kevin Youkilis was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Drew was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

If Dice K rediscovers his 2008 form then this team is going to be very hard to beat this season. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett look like they've found their groove and if Dice K does as well, look out American League. Dice K was outstanding tonight and topped his Patriots Day game, which a lot of people didn't think possible. The offense was a balanced attack and if they can stay healthy all season, they'll be tough to beat too. Apart from Marco Scutaro there's not a single automatic out on this team and Scutaro isn't exactly 2007 Julio Lugo either. Its only a matter of time before Ortiz and Gonzalez start hitting rockets out of ballyards and if Ellsbury, Crawford and Pedroia are the on base machines they should be, this really could be the "best team evah". All in all it was a good win and the Sox look to sweep the Angels out of Anaheim on Easter Sunday tomorrow afternoon. John Lackey (1-2) looks to rebound against Matt Palmer of the Angels. The game begins at 3:30 PM Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Sox Hold On, Beat Angels (4/22/11)

On a night where the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over them in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Boston Red Sox outlasted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for their third straight win. Jon Lester (2-1, 2.59 ERA) tossed 6 shutout innings to take care of the pitching side. The offense was held in check for the most part but a key error by Peter Boujors ended up being the difference in the game. Matt Albers and Bobby Jenks almost coughed the lead up but Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door in the faces of the Angels. When the dust settled the Sox had beaten the Angels 4-3 at Angels Stadium.

                                                          Kevin Garnett approves of the win

Danny Haren got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jacoby Ellsbury struck out swinging to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short and Adrian Gonzalez flied out to deep center. Lester came out firing in the bottom of the first as Peter Boujors struck out swinging to start. Howie Kendrick struck out swinging and Bobby Abreu took strike three to end the inning.

David Ortiz grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Jed Lowrie struck out swinging. JD Drew took strike three to end the inning. Torii Hunter took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Vernon Wells got a base hit to center. Wells took second on a wild pitch and Alberto Callaspo walked, but Mark Trumbo banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Carl Crawford grounded out to second to start. Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled to right then made a mad dash to third on a fly ball to right by Marco Scutaro, Ellsbury doubled into the right field corner to score Saltalamacchia and put the Sox in the driver's seat. Pedroia took strike three to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                     Saltalamacchia is safe at third

Erick Aybar grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Jeff Mathis grounded out to third. Bourjos doubled to right and promptly stole third. Kendrick walked and stole second but Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox took advantage of shoddy defense in the top of the fourth as Gonzalez flied out to center to start. Ortiz grounded out to first but Lowrie walked. Drew doubled to right and Crawford hit a routine fly ball to center...DROPPED BY BOUJORS! Both runners scored to increase the lead and Crawford stole second to boot. Saltalamacchia flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                  Big error by Boujors

Hunter beat out a little roller to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Wells flied out to right. Callaspo popped up to second and Trumbo struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally as Scutaro and Ellsbury drew back to back walks to start the top of the fifth. Pedroia went down hacking and Gonzalez beat out a double play ball, but Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. Aybar singled to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Mathis and Boujors both went down swinging. Kendrick grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the sixth as Lowrie doubled over the head of Wells only to take third on an error when Wells bobbled the ball. Drew got a base hit up the middle to score Lowrie to increase the lead. Crawford took strike three, Saltalamacchia flied out to left and Scutaro also flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                        Lowrie scores a run

Lester returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and got Abreu to fly out to left to begin. Hunter grounded out to second and Wells struck out swinging to end the inning. Lester was great, tossing 6 innings of shutout ball while allowing 4 hits and striking out 8 batters.

                                                            Lester goes six strong

Francisco Rodriguez cam ein for the top of the seventh and Ellsbury grounded out to short to start. Pedroia walked and took second on a passed ball but Gonzalez struck out swinging. Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. Matt Albers came in for the bottom of the seventh and Callapso grounded out to second to start. Trumbo grounded out to second but Aybar singled up the middle. Aybar stole second and Mathis hit a blooper to center. Ellsbury dove and missed the ball allowing Aybar to score to put the Angels on the board. Bourjos popped up to first to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                            "I don't got it...." - Ellsbury

Trevor Bell came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lowrie grounded out to first to start. Drew walked and a wild pitch moved him to second, but Crawford could only advance JD to third on a grounder. Saltalamacchia was intentionally walked and Scutaro grounded into a force to end the inning. Bobby Jenks came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth as Kendrick doubled to center to start. Abreu knocked in Kendrick with a base hit to center but Hunter flied out to right. A wild pitch moved Abreu to second but Wells flied out to left. Jenks threw a pitch under the glove of Saltalamacchia and he had no idea where the ball was, scoring Abreu all the way from second. Callaspo walked and Reggie Willits pinch ran for him. Maicer Izturis pinch hit for Trumbo and grounded out to second to end the inning with the Angels down 4-3.

                                               "Thanks a lot, Salty" - Jenks

Bobby Wilson took over at first for the top of the ninth and Ellsbury took strike three to start. Pedroia flied out to center and Gonzalez popped up to short to end the inning, Jonathan Papelbon came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Aybar flied out to center to start. Hank Conger pinch hit for Mathis and singled to center but Bourjos flied out to right. Papelbon blew away Kendrick to end the game. The Sox had held on to win it 4-3.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jon Lester. He tossed 6 shutout innings to keep the Sox in the driver's seat all game.

                                                  Lester the Hero

The Good:

Jed Lowrie was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

JD Drew was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his 5th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Adrian Gonzalez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

David Ortiz was 0 for 4.

Matt Albers allowed a run in the seventh inning.

Bobby Jenks allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Carl Crawford was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was an ugly win but they all count. It doesn't matter if the Sox win decisively or takes advantage of a team throwing up on themselves, the final score is all that matters. The Sox offense was nothing special and needed a big error by Wells to score enough runs to win. The bullpen allowed 3 runs after Lester left and apart from him and Papelbon, nobody really looked good in this game. Still, to steal a road win like this is going to be huge come September if its a close playoff race. After the horrid start the Sox got off to, they essentially have to spend the rest of the month playing catch-up but at least they're on the right track. Winning three straight games is nothing to sneeze at, especially against a pitcher like Danny Haren and a team that's 2 years removed from being in the ALCS. The Sox look to make it four wins in a row tomorrow when they send Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-2, 6.43 ERA) takes on Ervin Santana of the Angels. The game begins at 9:05 Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Sox Defeat Angels in 11 Innings (4/21/11)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Matt Albers was activated from the Disabled List and Alfredo Aceves was sent back to Pawtucket. The Sox feel Albers is more valuable right now and considering how things are going, who knows how this will turn out?

                                                                               OUT

                                                                   IN

On a night where the Boston Bruins got a much needed Game 4 victory in overtime over the Montreal Canadiens to even their first round playoff series at two games apiece, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 11 innings. Josh Beckett continued his hot streak by throwing 8 innings of 2 run ball but was matched by Tyler Chatwood and the Angels bullpen. Adrian Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie broke the deadlock with rbis in the top of the eleventh. Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door in the bottom of the eleventh and the Sox had pulled it out 4-2 at Angels Stadium.

                                                        Andrew Ference approves of the win

Chatwood got the ball in the top of the first and JD Drew grounded out to first on the first pitch of the game to start. Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez stroked back to back base hits to center but Kevin Youkilis banged into a double play to end the inning. Beckett got the ball in the bottom of the first as Maicer Izturis flied out to center to start. Howie Kendrick struck out swinging and Bobby Abreu popped up to short to end the inning.

Ortiz doubled to right to start the top of the second and moved to third on the grounder by Jed Lowrie. Carl Crawford failed to do anything by grounding out to first and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Kevin Youkilis had fouled a pitch off his ankle in the first inning and collapsed in the dugout before taking the field. He had to be hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local ICU. Marco Scutaro was brought in to play short with Jed Lowrie moving to third for the bottom of the second. Torii Hunter grounded out to second to start before Vernon Wells lined out to short. Hank Conger grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a ground out to second. Drew popped up to short but Pedroia drew a walk. Pedroia looked to have been tagged out stealing second but he was ruled safe. Gonzalez was intentionally walked and Scutaro flied out to center to end the inning. Beckett cruised in the bottom of the third as Mark Trumbo grounded out to second to start. Erick Aybar popped up to short and Peter Bourjos looked at a curveball for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the fourth as Ortiz grounded into the shift to start. Lowrie flied out to left but Crawford walked. Carl stole second and Varitek walked, but Ellsbury flied out to left to end the inning. Izturis walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Kendrick flied out to shallow left. A wild pitch moved Izturis to second but Abreu flied out to left. Hunter grounded out to third to end the inning.

Drew flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Pedroia blooped a single to right. Gonzalez was rung up for strike three and Youkilis popped up to Wells to end the inning. Beckett cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Wells grounded out to short to start. Conger struck out swinging and Trumbo flied out to Drew at the right field wall to end the inning, that's 5 no-hit innings for Beckett.

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth as Ortiz walked to start. Lowrie dumped a base hit to left-center and Crawford moved both runners over with a bunt. Varitek struck out swinging on a nasty breaking ball but Ellsbury hit a broken bat looper into right to score both runners and give Boston the lead. Ellsbury was thrown out at second trying to steal second to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-0.

                                                 Ellsbury gives the Sox the lead

Aybar broke up the no-no with a little roller to Beckett to start the bottom of the sixth and moved to second on the Bourjos grounder to third. Aybar moved to third on the grounder by Izturis but Kendrick took strike three to end the inning.

Hisanori Takahashi came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Drew walked to start. Pedroia walked but Gonzalez popped up to third. Scutaro and Ortiz both took strike three to end the inning. The Angels finally tagged Beckett in the bottom of the seventh as Abreu walked to start. Hunter then hit a home run all the way to Portland, Oregon to tie the game. Wells took strike three, Conger grounded out to first and Trumbo popped up to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Hunter ties it up

Fernando Rodney came in to pitch the top of the eighth and the Sox blew another rally. Lowrie grounded out to third to start but Crawford walked. Varitek tried to bunt Crawford to second but ended up getting hit with a pitch. Ellsbury walked to load the bases but Drew whiffed badly to kill the rally. Pedroia popped up to Kendrick to end the inning. Beckett returned for one last inning in the bottom of the eighth and Aybar hit a double down the right field line, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple by Drew. Bourjos grounded out to third and Izturis popped up to short to end the inning. That was it for Beckett who deserved better. He tossed 8 innings of 2 run ball that should have been enough to win the game.

                                                                   Beckett pitched well

Jordan Walden came in for the top of the ninth and Gonzalez popped up to shallow left to start. Scutaro grounded out to third but Ortiz walked. Darnell McDonald pinch ran for Ortiz and stole second, but Lowrie popped up to center to end the inning. Daniel Bard came in for the bottom of the ninth and Kendrick grounded out to short to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Hunter grounded out to second to send this game to extra innings.

Rich Thompson came in to pitch the top of the tenth and he cruised. Crawford took strike three to start before Varitek watched strike three go by. Ellsbury went down hacking to end the inning. Bobby Jenks came in for the bottom of the tenth and Wells grounded out to third to start. Conger hit one up the elevator shaft and Trumbo popped up to first to end the inning.

                                                   Jenks gets it done

The Sox finally took the lead in the top of the eleventh as Drew walked to start. Drew moved to third on the base hit to right by Pedroia and scored on the Gonzalez double into the right field corner. Gonzalez was thrown out at third on the grounder to second by Scutaro and McDonald hit a grounder to third. Pedroia got caught in a rundown but ran around the tag to make it safely back to third to load the bases. Lowrie scored Pedroia with a sac fly to ice the game and chase Thompson. Jason Bulger came in and both runners moved over on a passed ball, but Crawford whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                Pedroia scores the insurance run

Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon came out to save the game in the bottom of the eleventh inning. Aybar grounded out to short to start but Bourjos caught Varitek asleep with a bunt single in front of the plate. A wild pitch moved Bourjos to second but Izturis popped up to third. Kendrick put up a 10 pitch at bat but struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2 in 11 innings.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Adrian Gonzalez. He drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning.

                                                    Gonzalez comes through to be the Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with 2 walks, a stolen base and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Josh Beckett tossed 8 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Bobby Jenks got the win with a scoreless tenth inning.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his fourth save with a scoreless 11th inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Marco Scutaro was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

JD Drew was 0 for 4 but walked twice, scored a run and threw out a runner at third.

Jed Lowrie was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Carl Crawford was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole a base.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and was hit with a pitch.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 1 at the plate but stole a base as a pinch runner.

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

Nice to see the season start to turn around after the horrendous start the Sox had. The Sox offense is still struggling to score runs but that's going to come for sure. The real key to the game was the pitching. Beckett pitched another gem and 9 times out of 10, 8 innings of two run ball should be enough to win. The bullpen slammed the door and if they stay healthy, the trio of Jenks, Bard and Papelbon is going to be deadly. Hopefully Youkilis is okay and just left as a precaution. If Youkilis gets hurt again, that's a bad sign considering how injury prone Lowrie and Drew are. As of now the Sox look to be coming out of their slump and winning a road game in extras is always a tough thing to do. Gonzalez getting the game winning rbi is what the Sox need out of him since he's supposedly the second coming of Manny Ramirez. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Angels tomorrow night when Jon Lester (1-1) takes on Danny Haren of the Angels at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Sox Hold Off Late Rally to Defeat A's (4/20/11)

Last night Brett Anderson of the Oakland A's dominated the Boston Red Sox weak right handed hitting lineup. Gio Gonzalez....not so much. Kevin Youkilis, JD Drew and Jed Lowrie all hit home runs and the Sox pounded out 10 total hits as a team. Clay Buchholz (1-2, 5.31 ERA) labored but allowed just a single run in 5 1/3 innings. Oakland shot themselves in the foot by leaving 15 men on base but still managed to rally in the later innings. Jonathan Papelbon wasn't as sharp as he usually was but he still nailed down the save to hold off the A's. The Sox won their first road game of the season 5-3 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                  Kayla Kleavage approves of the win

Gonzalez got the ball in the top of the first and JD Drew struck out looking on the outside corner to start. Dustin Pedroia flied out to right and Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Buchholz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Crisp hit a home run all the way to Osaka, Japan to give the A's the early lead. Daric Barton popped up to third in foul territory and David DeJesus grounded out to short but Hideki Matsui walked. Ryan Sweeney flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Crisp puts the A's on top

The Sox fought back in the top of the second as Kevin Youkilis dumped a base hit to right to start. DeJesus jumped into the right field wall to rob a hit from Jed Lowrie but Marco Scutaro singled to right. Carl Crawford dropped a base hit to center to score Youkilis to tie the game. Crawford was thrown out at second on the strike em out, throw em out double play by Jason Varitek to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Tie game

Mark Ellis led off the bottom of the second by slapping a single to center but Landon Powell struck out swinging. Kevin Kouzmanoff lined a base hit to right but Cliff Pennington beat out a double play ball. Crisp lined out to right to end the inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury took strike three to begin the top of the third and Drew watched strike three go by as well. Pedroia drew a walk but Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Barton lined out to left to begin the bottom of the third and DeJesus popped up to second. Matsui struck out swinging to end the inning.

Youkilis led off the top of the fourth inning with his third home run of the year to give the Sox the lead. Lowrie got a base hit to left and Pennington looked to have robbed Scutaro of a hit but Ellis dropped the throw at second. Crawford beat out a double play ball but Varitek grounded into one to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                          Youkilis hits one out

Sweeney grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the fourth but Ellis doubled down the third base line. Powell flied out to center and Kouzmanoff flied out to right to end the inning.

Gonzalez cruised in the top of the fifth as Ellsbury was rung up for strike three to start. Drew flied out to deep left and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning. The A's threatened in the bottom of the fifth although Pennington grounded out to second to start. Crisp hit one up the elevator shaft but Barton walked. DeJesus hit a seeing eye single into left but Matsui flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Gonzalez led off with a bloop single to left. Youkilis struck out swinging but Lowrie hit his third home run of the season over the left field wall into the rain to increase the lead. Scutaro hit a seeing eye single up the middle but Crawford flied out to center. Varitek popped up to left to end the inning but the Sox led 4-1.

                                                          Lowrie's raindance home run

Buchholz fell apart in the bottom of the sixth as Sweeney doubled to the left field wall to start. Ryan moved to third on the grounder by Ellis and Powell walked. Conor Jackson pinch hit for Kouzmanoff and walked to load the bases. Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough but Buchholz was NOT happy being taken out of the game. He screamed, shouted and kicked dirt as he made his exit. He did leave with a lead after giving up just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings. Daniel Bard came in and blew away Pennington before getting Crisp to pop up to short to end the inning.

                                                     "Damn it all to hell!" - Buchholz

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh with Andy LaRoche at third and Jerry Blevins now on the mound. Ellsbury took strike three but Drew mauled his first home run of the year to increase the lead. Pedroia singled to left but Gonzalez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                   Drew with his first of the year

Bard came back for the bottom of the seventh and Barton popped up to second to start. DeJesus flied out to left but Matsui blooped a base hit to center. Sweeney grounded out to first to end the inning.

David Purcey came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Youkilis lined out to short to start. Lowrie flied out to right in foul territory and Scutaro flied out to right to end the inning. Bobby Jenks came in for the bottom of the eighth and Ellis struck out swinging to start. Powell walked, LaRoche singled past Scutaro and Pennington ate up Marco for an infield single to load the bases. Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young came out to tell Jenks that The Apartment won Best Picture in 1960 and Jenks was so bored he allowed a single to Crisp that scored Powell. Jenks managed to strike out Barton swinging but Francona wanted Jonathan Papelbon for the four out save. Papelbon blew away DeJesus to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                         Crisp does it again

The Sox did nothing in the top of the ninth as Crawford struck out swinging to start. Jason Varitek also went down hacking and Ellsbury popped up to short to end the inning. The A's rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Matsui began with a base hit to center. Sweeney popped up to short but Ellis was plunked. Powell singled to center to score Matsui and put the tying run on. Kurt Suzuki pinch ran for Powell with Josh Willingham pinch hitting for LaRoche. Willingham popped up to Gonzalez 10 feet in front of home plate and Pennington popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had survived 5-3.

                                                   Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jed Lowrie. He was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run, giving the Sox a big lead.

                                                      Lowrie the Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Marco Scutaro was 2 for 4.

Clay Buchholz got the win with 5 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 4 walks.

Daniel Bard tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Bobby Jenks allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

JD Drew was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Adrian Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Carl Crawford was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jonathan Papelbon got the save but allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Its nice to see the Sox back on the winning track and getting the West Coast games out of the way early is never a bad thing. Buchholz didn't look that great but timely hitting and timely pitching got him the win. The resurgence of Jed Lowrie is pretty fun to watch as he was the last guy anybody expected to contribute to the season. If he keeps hitting like this somebody may get traded because it was supposed to be Ortiz, Youkilis, Gonzalez, Pedroia and Scutaro on the infield going into the season. Still, to have Lowrie as a possible sixth man type of utility player gives the Sox a superior bench compared to most of the league. Hell former all-star Jason Varitek is the backup catcher. The bullpen was a bit of an issue with Jenks and Papelbon giving up runs but Bard looked pretty shop. In essence the Sox have two closers in Jenks and Papelbon yet the future could be Bard. The offense didn't look that great but they got some timely long balls and rbi at bats. A win is a win and they all count, no matter how ugly or pretty it looks. Tomorrow night the Sox head to Anaheim to play the....ready for it.....Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Josh Beckett (2-1) looks to make it 3 wins in a row for him when he takes on Tyler Chatwood of the Angels. The game begins at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Angel Stadium.

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

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

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

                                                         Crisp starts the rally

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                         Lackey deserved better

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

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

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

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

                                                        A's win

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

                                                           Okie Dokie Jackass

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia walked twice in four plate appearances.

Adrian Gonzalez was 2 for 4.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3.

Carl Crawford was 1 for 3.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 1 for 3.

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

The Bad:

Jed Lowrie was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Cameron was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Dice K Dazzles, Bats Pound Jays on Patriots Day (4/18/11)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Rookie relief pitcher Felix Doubront was sent down to Pawtucket for more seasoning and the veteran reliever Hideki Okajima was called up to take his place. 4 years ago Okajima was an integral part of the Red Sox bullpen, hopefully he can rediscover the magic again during this call-up.

                                                                      OUT

                                                              IN

As for the game, welcome to the party Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-2, 6.43 ERA). After Josh Beckett and Jon Lester pitched back to back good games, Dice K just outshined both of them. Matsuzaka was dominant against the Toronto Blue Jays, holding them to just 1 hit and 1 walk in 7 shutout innings in one of his best games ever pitched. The Red Sox bats also made sure this game would be easy by knocking Jays starter Ricky Romero out early and erupting for 9 runs off 13 hits. Jed Lowrie went 4 for 5 with a home run as both Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis also homered for the Sox. The Sox are starting to heat up and they won their third straight game with a 9-1 rout of the Jays on Patriots Day at Fenway Park.

                                                       Tori Black approves of the win

Dice K began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Yunel Escobar led off with a fly out to right. Corey Patterson also flied out to right but Jose Bautista hit a grounder up the middle for a base hit. Adam Lind grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Romero in the bottom of the first as JD Drew led off with a triple off the centerfield wall. Dustin Pedroia walked but Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging. Kevin Youkilis also struck out swinging but David Ortiz walked. Jed Lowrie stepped up with a base hit to right to score Drew and Pedroia. Ortiz took third on the play but Carl Crawford popped up to shallow left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Lowrie stays hot

Aaron Hill led off the top of the second with a fly out to Crawford and JP Arencebia popped up to Jacoby Ellsbury. Travis Snider walked but Edwin Encarnacion flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Jason Varitek flied out to the centerfield warning track to start. Ellsbury lined out to short but Drew walked. Pedroia grounded a single into right but Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning.

Dice K cruised in the top of the third as Jayson Nix popped up to Youkilis to start. Escobar popped up to shallow center and Patterson struck out swinging on a fastball up to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third with Youkilis doubling off the top of the bullpen to start. Ortiz lined a base hit in the hole to right to score Youk and increase the lead. Lowrie lined another base hit to right but Crawford popped up to second to a chorus of boo's. Varitek forced Lowrie at second but Ortiz moved to third. Ellsbury popped up to shallow left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                                Ortiz drives in a run

Dice K cruised in the top of the fourth as Bautista grounded out to third to start. Lind popped up to left and Hill flied out to center to end the inning. Drew beat out an infield single up the middle to start the bottom of the fourth but Pedroia flied out to center. Gonzalez earned the hat trick with a swinging strikeout and Youkilis flied out to right to end the inning.

Sox analyst Jerry Remy complained that play-by-play man Don Orsillo cut him out of pictures together in the top of the fifth inning. Dice K was so excited to hear the news that he struck out Arencebia swinging. Snider flied out to left and Encarnacion grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Ortiz walked and Lowrie obliterated his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Crawford flied out to left to another round of boo's but Varitek walked to chase Romero. Luiz Perez was brought in and Ellsbury struck out swinging. Drew grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 5-0.

                                                        Lowrie hits one out

Matsuzaka cruised in the top of the sixth as Nix struck out looking on three pitches to start. Escobar flied out to right on the first pitch and Patterson lined out to center on the first pitch to end the inning. Dice K threw just 5 pitches in that inning and the Sox scored again in the bottom of the sixth. Pedroia walked to start but Gonzalez forced him at second. Youkilis then belted his second home run of the year into the bullpen to increase the lead. Ortiz grounded into the shift but Lowrie poked a base hit to left for his fourth hit of the day. Crawford broke out of his slump with a double off the Monster to score Lowrie, earning a standing ovation. Perez was done and Octavio Dotel was brought in to strike out Varitek looking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                    Career homer 114 for Youkilis

Dice K returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh as Bautista flied out to center to start. Youkilis took a tumble to haul in a pop up from Lind and Hill grounded out to third to end the inning. Dice K retired the last 16 in a row, allowed one hit and one walk in 7 shutout innings, outstanding!

                                                               Dice K delivers

John McDonald took over at second for Hill to start the bottom of the seventh and Ellsbury clobbered his fourth home run of the year into the Sox bullpen to wrap up the scoring. Drew popped up to center and Pedroia struck out swinging, but Gonzalez fooled Patterson with a ground rule double into the centerfield seats. Youkilis flied out to left to end the inning but it was 9-0 Sox.

                                                        Ellsbury a power hitter?

Alfredo Aceves came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arencebia grounded out to short to start. Lowrie made a nice play to rob Snider of a hit and Encarnacion popped up to third to end the inning. That's 19 in a row retired by Sox pitching. Casey Janssen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ortiz popped up to Bautista to start. Lowrie struck out swinging and Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning.

Tim Wakefield had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Nix popped up to short. Escobar broke up the string of 20 in a row retired with a home run all the way to Boylston Street. Patterson popped up to Youkilis in foul territory and Bautista flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it on Patriots Day 9-1.

Hero of the Night is Daisuke Matsuzaka. He tossed 7 shutout innings allowing just 2 base runners in a masterpiece.

                                                               Dice K Hero

The Good:

JD Drew was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 5 with a 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Jed Lowrie was 4 for 5 with 4 total rbis, 2 total runs scored and a 2 run home run.

Alfredo Aceves pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Tim Wakefield allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Adrian Gonzalez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Carl Crawford was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Honorable Mention:

Darnell McDonald played right field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Looks like the Sox are starting to come out of their slump. Not only has the offense woke up but so has the pitching. Dice K, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have thrown 3 straight good games and Dice K in particular was outstanding today. If John Lackey and Clay Buchholz can pitch to their talent, this team is going to be very tough to beat, especially if the offense cooks like this. Lowrie when healthy is a difference maker and so is Ellsbury, those two could be the key to a good season if they can hold up. Crawford finally got an rbi double and if he gets hot, the AL is in big trouble. Its still early in the season but the signs of a great team are there if they can keep this up. The Sox spend the rest of the month playing AL West teams so now is the time to establish dominance over them and send a message that they're for real. The Sox now travel to Oakland to play a series with the A's. John Lackey (1-1, 15.28 ERA) looks to join the other starters in a resurgence against Brett Anderson of the A's. The game begins tomorrow night at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.