Sox Rally Past Indians (5/25/13)

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

                                                Zdeno Chara (and friends) approves of the win

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

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

                                Lord Vader finds the Red Sox lack of clutch hitting disturbing

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

                                          Sox got a clutch hit from the unlikeliest of hitters

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

                                                    "THIS SUCKS!!!" - Lester

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

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

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

                                               "You gotta be kiddin" - Pedroia

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

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

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

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

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

                                         "Nobody can hit me!" - Taz

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

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

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

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

                                                    Pedroia the Hero

             

The Good:

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

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

Jose Iglesias was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

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

Junichi Tazawa got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

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



The Bad:

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



The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 0 for 3 but walked twice.

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

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

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 but walked.

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




Final Thoughts:

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

Raindance Lackey Shuts Down Indians (5/24/13)

Big news came before the game as Ryan Lavarnway was optioned back to Pawtucket as Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks were placed on the 15 day disabled list. Taking their places is the returning David Ross coming off the DL and....*shudders* Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves. Oh and I forgot....guess who's back? Jose Iglesias finally earned his long awaited call up.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                                IN

As for the game, the last time John Lackey (3-4, 2.72 ERA) pitched in the rain he was outstanding, giving up just 1 run in 6 innings. Tonight he was even better, going 7 innings and giving up an unearned run to lead the Red Sox to victory over the Cleveland Indians. Mike Carp struck a big home run and the Sox rolled over the Indians 8-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Aaron Burr approves of the win

Lackey got the ball to start the top of the first inning and froze Michael Bourn to start. Jason Kipnis grounded out to third and Asdrubal Cabrera whiffed to end the inning. Old buddy Justin Masterson got the start for the Indians and he whiffed Jacoby Ellsbury to start. Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia both grounded out to first to end the inning.

Nick Swisher grounded out to second to start the top of the second inning but Carlos Santana walked. The ancient Jason Giambi banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second. David Ortiz walked and Mike Napoli singled to put two men on. Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out which moved Ortiz to third. The much maligned Mike Carp stepped to the plate and crushed a 3 run home run to put the Sox on the board. Stephen "PU" Drew grounded out to second and the returning Jose Iglesias took strike three to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox.

                                           Game is over in the second inning thanks to Carp

The Sox defense nearly pissed the lead away in the top of the second. Mark Reynolds and Michael Brantley hit back to back singles but Drew Stubbs lined out to short. Michael Bourn whiffed but the baserunners pulled off a double steal on Saltalamacchia, Reynolds scoring when Saltalamacchia fired the ball 627 feet over the head of Iglesias at third. More runs with 2 outs. Kipnis walked and he too stole 2nd off Saltalamacchia. Luckily John got Cabrera to ground out to first to end the inning with the Sox leading intact 3-1.

                                               Flounder hates bad throws

Masterson settled down in the bottom of the third as Ellsbury grounded out to short to start. Nava singled but Pedroia grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Lackey got the Indians to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fourth inning. Swisher grounded out to first, Santana grounded out to short and Giambi also grounded out to first to end the inning. Masterson matched Lackey in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz grounded out to first, Napoli looked at strike three and Saltalamacchia grounded out to third to end the inning.

Lackey whiffed Reynolds to open the top of the fifth before Brantley grounded out to short. Stubbs whiffed to end the inning. Masterson stayed tough as Carp grounded out to third, PU Drew grounded out to second and Iglesias whiffed to end the inning.

Lackey got Bourn to ground back to the mound to start the top of the sixth inning. Kipnis walked and moved to second on the Cabrera groundout, but Swisher whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth although Ellsbury watched strike three go by to start. Nava worked a owalk then Pedroia and Ortiz hit back to back singles to load the bases. Napoli then hit a ground ball that should have been two but the relay throw to first pulled Swisher off the bag allowing Nava to score. Unfortunately Pedroia was too greedy and he was thrown out at home. Still, the Sox led 4-0.

                                                  Nice going you greedy bastard

Lackey returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh. Santana grounded out to first to start before Giambi whiffed. On Lackey's 109th pitch, he struck out Reynolds to end the inning. After Dempster's disaster yesterday, this was a much needed breath of fresh air. Lackey went 7 innings while giving up just the unearned run on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 8.

                                       Lackey has pitched 13 innings in the rain, 2 earned runs

The Sox put the game away in the bottom of the 7th against a trio of former Red Sox pitchers. Saltalamacchia led off with a double off Masterson who was replaced by old friend Rich Hill. Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Carp and was hit by a pitch. Drew struck out but Iglesias singled to load the bases. Ellsbury then singled home Saltalamacchia and Gomes. Nava popped up to third and old pal Matt Albers replaced Hill. Ellsbury swiped second and Pedroia singled him (and Iglesias) home to wrap up the scoring. Ortiz walked but Napoli grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                     Gomes gets hit and scores

Gomes took over in left and Koji Uehara replaced Lackey for the top of the 8th. Brantley doubled to lead off the inning but Koji got Stubbs to pop up to second. Bourn flied out to right and Kipnis flied out to center to end the inning. Vinnie Pestano got the bottom of the eighth and Saltalamacchia flied out to center to start. Gomes whiffed and PU Drew flied out to right to end the inning.

Alfredo "The Vulture" Aceves worked mop up duty in the top of the 9th. Cabrera singled to lead off the inning but Swisher whiffed. Santana flied out to center and Giambi grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1

Tonight's co-heroes of the night are John Lackey and Mike Carp. Carp's three run home was all the offense the Sox needed while Lackey shut the Indians completely down.

                                                     Hero of the Night 1: Lackey

                                                    Hero of the Night 2: Carp

The Good:

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a 2 run single.

David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Carp and was hit by a pitch, then scored.

Jose Iglesias made his return by going 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th.

Alfredo Aceves pitched a scoreless 9th.



The Bad:

Stephen Drew was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 but drove in two runs and scored.

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Good win and even better pitching by Lackey. If only he could start in the rain more often.  It was nice for the Sox not to score all their runs in one inning and the defense of Iglesias is already an improvement over Middlebrooks. Anything he brings on offense is a bonus. The injury to Victorino hurts but if Carp can keep his uncanny streak of good starter/bad pinch hitter, they should be fine until Shane gets back. Ellsbury needs to heat up and maybe today is the start. The win puts the Sox at 29-20, 1 game behind the Yankees. Tomorrow Jon Lester goes for the Sox opposite Scott Kazmir of the Indians at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park in Game 3 of this series.

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

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

                                       Fans were pleased to see Francona, not the final score

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

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

                                                      Stubbs makes it 2-0

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

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

                                                            "Well this sucks" - Farrell

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

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

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

                                            Another poor outing by Dempster

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

                                                     Avilies is loving this

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

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

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

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

                                                            Absolute Bawful

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

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

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

                                                The lone highlight

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

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

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

                                             Sorry Vigo but you're a Jackass


The Good:

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

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

Ryan Lavarnway doubled as a pinch hitter.

Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Pedro Ciriaco was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 4.

Mike Carp was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Alex Wilson gave up 3 runs in just 1 inning.



The Ugly:

Jacoby Ellsbury was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

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

Jarrod Saltalacmacchia was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

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

Buchholz Rescues Sox Against Chicago (5/22/13)

Inability to hit Chicago pitching cost them the first 2 games of the series against the White Sox. This time, the bats woke up just enough to back another start by undefeated Clay Buchholz (7-0, 1.73 ERA). The continuing success of Buchholz and Jon Lester gives the Red Sox hope they can contend now and in the future. The bats on the other hand, they seriously need some fine tuning. They still managed to avoid a series sweep with a 6-2 win over the ChiSox at Commiskey Park

                                                 Someone needs to fix the Red Sox' bats

In a welcome change of pace from the first 2 games, the Red Sox struck first in the top of the first inning against Hector Santiago. The slumping Jacoby Ellsbury grounded back to the mound but Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch and Dustin Pedroia doubled. David Ortiz made up for yesterday's incompetence by smashing a 2 run single. Mike Napoli worked a walk and then the Sox attempted a hit and run. Only problem was Daniel Nava struck out but just the sheer fact Ortiz was running sent Chisox catcher Tyler Flowers into shock, allowing Ortiz to steal third. Yes, David Ortiz stole third base. You can pick your jaws up off the floor now. Unfortunately it sent Will Middlebrooks into shock as well as he struck out to end the inning. Still, the BoSox had the quick lead 2-0.

                                              Tim Raines just fell off his couch at the sight of this

Buchholz was not sharp to start the game but he was picked up by some good defense and timely pitches. Alejandro De Aza singled to start the game but the alert Jarrod Saltalamacchia gunned him down at second trying to steal. Its a good thing he did because Alexei Ramirez singled and Alex Rios walked. Unlike Lester, Clay did not give up a 3 run bomb to Adam Dunn, instead he punched him out swinging. Paul Konerko flied out and Buchholz was out of the jam.

Stephen "PU" Drew and Saltalamacchia both struck out to start the top of the second but Ellsbury singled. Gomes flied out to right to end the inning. Buchholz pitched a clean bottom of the second as Dayan Viciedo grounded out to short to start. Connor Gillaspie flied out to center and Jeff Keppinger grounded out to short to end the inning.

Pedroia walked to lead off the top of the third but Ortiz bounced into another double play this series, talk about Jekyll and Hyde. Napoli walked but Nava whiffed to end the inning. The Chisox broke through in the bottom of the third. PU Drew couldn't find the range and Flowers made it to first on an infield single and De Aza walked. Buchholz got Ramirez to hit a ground ball but he beat out the double play throw. A Rios ground out scored Flowers but Clay once again got Dunn swinging to end the inning with the BoSox still ahead 2-1.

                                            Sox only up 2-1, fans are nervous.

Turns out the BoSox impotent offense would fall asleep again as Santiago shut down the Sox in order in the top of the 4th. Middlebrooks, Drew and Saltalamacchia all whiffed in short order. Konerko singled to begin the bottom of the fourth but was erased on the Viciedo force at second. Buchholz induced a double play from Gillaspie to get out of the inning.

Ellsbury worked a walk to lead off the top of the 5th but Gomes banged into a double play to end that. Pedroia popped up to first to end the inning. Clay worked around a leadoff single by last night's Chicago hero Keppinger to strike out Flowers. Keppinger was erased on the force by De Aza and Ramirez lined out to center to end the inning.

Santiago returned for the top of the sixth and got Ortiz to fly out to center to begin. Napoli whiffed and Nava popped up to first to end the inning. The BoSox went up against a relief pitcher, only scored 2 runs and got only ONE HIT after the 2nd inning. The Sox defense picked up Buchholz in the bottom of the 6th after Rios singled to start. Dunn popped up to second, Konerko flied out to left and the alert Saltalamacchia gunned down Rios trying to steal to end the inning. After taking a lot of criticism, Jarrod stepped up tonight.

                                                     Jarrod to Rios "Not today young fella!"

Brian Omogrosso replaced Santiago in the top of the 7th as Middlebrooks flied out to center to start. Drew popped up to short but Saltalamacchia and Ellsbury hit back to back singles. Gomes grounded out to end the frame. Buchholz returned for the bottom of the 7th and struck out Viciedo to begin. Gillaspie flied out to left and Clay got Keppinger to fly out on his 113th pitch of the outing. Clay wasn't as sharp as he has been but he still managed 7 solid innings and only 1 run allowed (on a beat out double play ball).

                                                        Buchholz with another gem.

The BoSox bats finally woke up in the top of the 8th. Pedroia lined out to left but Ortiz and Napoli hit back to back singles. Nava walked to load the bases and Nate Jones replaced Omogrosso. Middlebrooks hit a sac fly that scored Ortiz and the alert Napoli moved to third. PU Drew walked to re-load the bases. This time it wasn't the Sox offense that produced a run, a passed ball scored Napoli and everyone else moved up. Saltalamacchia struck out to end the inning but it was now 4-1 BoSox.

                                                         Ortiz scores

Staked to a 4-1 lead,  Koji Uehara came on in the bottom of the 8th. Koji caught Flowers looking, and whiffed De Aza. Ramirez lined out to left to end the inning and unfortunately Shane Victorino was the victim of his excessive post-inning celebration. Take a look:

                                           Poor Victorino

Inspired by Uehara's enthusiasm, the Sox put the game away in the top of the 9th. Ellsbury walked and Gomes singled to start the inning but Pedroia struck out. Donnie Veal replaced Jones as Ortiz lined out before Napoli walked. Once again the bases were loaded with 2 outs but this time Nava delivered with a 2 run single. Middlebrooks grounded out to end the frame but it was nice to see a clutch hit for a change with the BoSox ahead 6-1.

                                                         Pedroia the dog

With the game in hand, the recently activated Andrew Bailey made his return to the mound for the bottom of the 9th. Rios popped up to third before Dunn grounded out to third.  Konerko sent the Bosox a parting gift of a 380 foot home run to left field. Viciedo struck out to end the game with Boston avoiding a sweep with a 6-2 win.

                                                 Bailey celebrates the win


Hero of the Night is.....*drumroll*.....Clay Buchholz. Clay worked 7 innings allowing 5 hits, 3 walks and only a single run while striking out 4. He is now 7-0 with a 1.73 ERA, was he cheating this time Jack?

                           Hero of the Night with his menacing stare and equally menacing hair



The Good:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis, a stolen base and a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th inning.




The Bad:

Andrew Bailey served up a home run to Konerko in the bottom of the ninth.




The Ugly:

Jonny Gomes was just 1 for 4 but scored twice.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in two runs.

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Stephen Drew was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.





Final Thoughts:

It was a good win to salvage the series and going 5-3 on the road trip isn't bad at all. If the bats could wake up they'd be in good shape the way they were pitching. Buchholz pitched great but just like Jon Lester, he's due for a stinker. I just hope when that day comes the bats can bail him out to avoid a similar fate. Hopefully Bailey can get on track as the closer because the rest of the troops in the bullpen have been outstanding so far this year. Other than Alfredo Aceves and Joel Hanrahan, the bullpen all has their ERA under 4. The win put the Sox at 28-19, a half game behind the Yankees who lost to Baltimore. If it wasn't for that 2-8 disaster earlier this month, they'd be 2-3 games up by now. Still, this is all you can expect from a team that seemingly can't get a clutch hit more often than not and has trouble with left handed pitching. At least that can be corrected moving forward.  Terry Francona makes his return to Fenway Park tomorrow as the Cleveland Indians are in town. Ryan Dempster looks to bounce back from his stinker in Minnesota to send the fans home happy.

Un-Clutch Sox Drops Second in a Row (5/21/13)

The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Rangers in Game 3 of their second round NHL playoff series, the bad news was the Boston Red Sox got beat by the Chicago White Sox. During every baseball season every time goes through a stretch where they can't do anything right offensively. Even the 2003 Red Sox who set major league records for slugging percentage, total bases and extra base hits hit a few slumps. This year, however, is becoming more of a concern. All smart Sox fans knew this team was going to struggle to hit but not like this. The Sox set new standards for failure in a gut-wrenching 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park.

 

                                                "This offense sucks!" - Kermit

Jose Quintana got the start for Chicago and the slumping Jacoby Ellsbury lined out to center to start. Jonny Gomes and Dustin Pedroia both whiffed to end the inning. Felix Doubront got the start for the BoSox and got Alejando De Aza to ground back to the mound to begin the bottom of the first. Alexei Ramirez beat out an infield single to third but Alex Rios banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Bostonoffense failed to produce in the top of the second inning. David Ortiz popped up to third and Mike Napoli whiffed. Daniel Nava drew a walk but Will Middlebrooks grounded into a force to end the inning. Doubront kept pace in the bottom of the second as Paul Konerko grounded out to third to begin. Adam Dunn and Dayan Viciedo both struck out to end the inning.

The BoSox mustered nothing in the top of the third as Stephen "PU" Drew flied out to right to begin. Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to left and Ellsbury popped up to short to end the inning. Doubront brought the fire in the bottom of the third as Jeff Keppinger grounded out to short, Tyler Flowers whiffed and Tyler Greene flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fourth inning. Gomes and Pedroia grounded out to third and Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning. Doubront matched Quintana in the bottom of the fourth as De Aza drew a leadoff walk, but Ramirez grounded into a double play. Rios grounded out to short to end the inning. Both pitchers were pitching very well.

The BoSox failed to get a hit in the top of the fifth inning as Napoli flied out to right to begin. Nava lined out to the right field wall but Middlebrooks flied out to center to end the inning. 5 innings and no hits allowed for Quintana. The ChiSox struck first in the bottom of the fifth inning although Konerko popped up to first to begin. Dunn grounded out to first but Viciedo singled. Keppinger had the lowest slugging percentage of anyone that qualified in the majors. Think of Jose Iglesias playing for Chicago. Well for some reason lady luck was not shining on the Red Sox as Keppinger hit his first homer of the year to give the Chisox a commanding lead. Flowers doubled but Greene grounded out to third to end the inning but Chicago was up 2-0.

                                                   The worst slugger in the league goes yard

The BoSox remained hitless in the top of the sixth inning as Drew popped up to short to begin. Saltalamacchia whiffed but Ellsbury worked a walk. Gomes struck out to end the inning. What a garbage performance by the BoSox offense. Doubront came back for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth. De Aza and Ramirez both grounded out to second but Rios singled. Konerko walked but Doubront got Adam Dunn to fly out to end the inning. 6 innings and 2 runs allowed is a huge improvement for Felix, its too bad he got zero run support

                                             Hard to win a game when your team has no hits

The Sox blew their biggest chance to get back in the game in the top of the seventh. Just as it seemed Quintana was going to throw a no-hitter, Ortiz, Napoli and Nava worked 3 straight hits to load the bases and chase the pitcher. In came unhittable Jesse Crain who punched out both Middlebrooks and PU Drew to end the threat.

                                                   Gotta tip your cap to the effort of Quintana

Rookie Alex Wilson relieved Doubront and continued his hot streak by pitching a clean bottom of the 7th. Viciedo and Keppinger flied out to right before Flowers grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox finally got on the board in the top of the eighth. Matt Thornton relieved Crain and Saltalamacchia greeted him with a walk. Ellsbury singled to once again put the tying runs on. Matt Lindstrom relieved Thornton and Red Sox manager John Farrell sent in Mike Carp to pinch hit for Gomes. If there was ever a situation to call for a bunt, this was it. Unfortunately Farrell was too conservative and let Carp hit away.....only he flied out without advancing either runner. Ironically a wild pitch during the next at bat with Pedroia up moved the runners. Pedroia then hit a ground ball to Ramirez at short who shockingly played hot potato with it, allowing Saltalamacchia to score and Ellsbury reach third. With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first.....all Ortiz had to do was hit a fly ball and the game was tied. Instead, Ortiz banged into a double play thus killing the rally. Still, the Sox had cut the lead and trailed 2-1

                                          There goes the bat, the ball and the ballgame.

All Wilson had to do was hold the fort in the bottom of the eighth and the Sox would have a chance to tie it in the ninth with one swing of the bat. He did manage to whiff Greene and get De Aza to line out to first, but Ramirez singled. Rios doubled home the insurance run and Konerko walked to chase Wilson from the game. Andrew Miller came in and struck out Dunn to end the inning but it was 3-1 Chicago.

ChiSox closer Addison Reed came in to finish off the game in the top of the ninth. Napoli whiffed, Nava flied out to left and Middlebrooks flied out to center to end the game. The ChiSox had taken the game with a 3-1 win.

                                                        Big loss for the BoSox


Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. His double play in the top of the eighth inning was the difference in the game.

                                                               Ortiz is Jackass


THE GOOD:

Jacoby Ellsbury was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Daniel Nava was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Felix Doubront was the hard luck loser but hardly pitched like a loser. He threw 6 solid innings and gave up just a 2 run jack to Keppinger, unfortunately the Sox couldn't generate any offense.

Andrew Miller struck out the one batter he faced.



THE BAD:

Jonny Gomes who was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts

Mike Carp was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 4 with a strikeout

Stephen Drew was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



THE UGLY

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

Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 0 for 2 but walked and scored Boston's only run.

Alex Wilson was headed for 2 more perfect innings but was chased with a single, double and a walk.



Final Thoughts:

One of the worst fears about this team is becoming true, the lack of offense on this team is killing them right now. They've had the tying runs on base the past 2 games but couldn't get over the hump. They have guys that get can get on base but with Ortiz slowing down, they really don't have the guys to drive them in anymore. That's the main problem this team has is other than Ortiz and Napoli they don't have a legitimate rbi man. Middlebrooks was supposed to be but he's fallen flat on his face, hitting just .208. The good news is the situation is fixable. A trade can be made by either dumping one of their position players or one of their prospects to get a reliable rbi man. The loss drops the Sox to 27-19, 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees. Clay Buchholz hopes to avoid getting pounded like Jon Lester or become a hard luck loser by Doubront in the finale against spot starter Hector Santiago tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM at Commiskey Park.