Sox Walkoff for 8th Time (7/3/13)

Last year the Red Sox only had 3 walkoff wins, this season they already had 7 going into tonight. Tonight's game at Fenway Park against the San Diego Padres was the classic pitcher's duel that ended with the Red Sox' 8th walkoff win of the season.

                                                   Tina Fey celebrates the win

Jon Lester looked to continue his comeback into legitimacy but ran into a brick wall in the first inning. Logan Forsythe flied out and Chris Denorfia struck out. Lester's problems with 2 outs continued as Carlos Quintin singled and Chase Headley singled him to third. Kyle Blanks singled home Quintin to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. Jesus Guzman flied out to end the inning, Lester had already thrown 31 pitches. Padres starter Edinson Volquez was tough but seemed vulnerable in the bottom of the first. Shane Victorino hit a ground rule double with one out and Dustin Pedroia singled him to third then stole second. David Ortiz then ended a rally by smashing a liner....right to Pedro Ciriaco who doubled off Pedroia at second.

Lester rebounded from his tough first inning to retire the side in short order in the top of the second. Daniel Nava singled to lead off the bottom of the second but Volquez struck out the next 3 batters to end the inning. Lester got the first 2 batters of the top of the third before Quintin doubled. Headley grounded out to third to end the inning but what is with Lester having trouble with 2 out? The Sox threatened again in the top of the third when Jose Iglesias got with a pitch and Jacoby Ellsbury singled. Victorino grounded out but moved both runners. With both runners in scoring position....Pedroia struck out. Padres manager Bud Black took no chances and intentionally walked Ortiz to load the bases. Could Nava deliver?? NO! Nava grounded out to end the inning.

Even the mime can't handle Nava stinking up the batter's box

Lester once again failed to pitch a clean inning in the top of the 4th. He got the first 2 outs but Yasmani Grandal doubled. Ciriaco grounded out but this is getting annoying. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the 4th. Mike Carp singled and Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled him home to tie the game. Brandon Snyder and Jose Iglesias failed to advance Jarrod with groundouts and Ellsbury flied out to end the inning.

.

Tie Game

Lester got 3 straight groundouts in the top of the 6th but Volquez remained just as hot in the bottom of the inning. Carp doubled with one out but 3 straight strikeouts ended the inning with the game tied. Lester finished his outing by striking out 2 of the final 3 batters he faced. What a rebound after not only the first inning but the last month and a half.

                                                   7 innings of 1 run ball, that's more like it

Nick Vincent relieved Volquez in the bottom of the 7th and retired the side in order. Junichi Tazawa relieved Lester and made everyone proud by striking out the side in the top of the 8th.

                                        Tazawa pitches with power by striking out the side

The Sox threatened to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th when Pedroia doubled to lead off. Black had Ortiz intentionally walked before bringing in Luke Gregerson to pitch to Nava....who struck out. Carp flied out and Salty struck out to end the inning. Sox manager John Farrell took no chances and brought in Koji Uehara to pitch the top of the 9th. Uehara got 2 groundouts, walked Guzman but got the final out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 9th, Farrell took a chance when he sent Jonny Gomes to pinch hit for Snyder. Here's what happened:

                                                       BANG!

                                                     Sox Win
THE GOOD:

Hero of the night is a no brainer....Mr. Walkoff himself Jonny Gomes

                                             Hero of the Night

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4. Mike Carp was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Jon Lester was outstanding, tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball, scattering 6 hits and one walk, lowering his ERA to 4.41. Junichi Tazawa struck out the side in the 8th and Koji Uehara pitched a perfect 9th to earn the win (2-0, 2.00 ERA).


THE BAD:

Brandon Snyder was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts....and that's it.


THE UGLY:

Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino were both 1 for 4. David Ortiz was 0 for 2 but was intentionally walked twice. Daniel Nava was 1 for 4 and so was Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but Jarrod's one hit was a run scoring double. Jose Iglesias was 0 for 2 but was hit by a pitch.


Final Thoughts:

That was more like it from Lester. If he can get back on track the Sox are headed for good things. After a rocky first innings he allowed just 4 baserunners. It wasn't pretty on offense but a walkoff win is never a bad thing. Scoring 2 runs in 9 innings generally means you don't win but they managed to do it tonight. The offense is what it is but Lester's outing is just the tonic they need. The win puts the Sox at 52-34, 3 1/2 games in front of the Dirty Birds. Tomorrow night the Sox look for the sweep as Allen Webster goes against Eric Stults.

Lackey Dominant as Sox Defeat Padres (7/2/13)

Is it time to believe yet? Quite possibly the most hated man on the 2011 Red Sox for being out of shape, aloof, ineffective and unproductive has turned it around in a complete 180. This season he's in shape and it shows. Tonight he was dominant, tossing 8 outstanding innings as the Red Sox defeated the visiting San Diego Padres in the first of their 3 game series.

                                               The Mayor approves of the win

Old friend Pedro Ciriaco got the start in tonight's game, he's been hitting .250 with a home run since he was traded last month. It's good to see Pedro keeping active in the majors rather than fumble about in the minors.

                                          "Hiya Dustin, how ya been?"

 Shades of his last start, Lackey totally blew away the first two batters in the top of the first. He touched 95 on the radar gun before inducing a ground out by Carlos Quintin. Padres rookie Robbie Erlin was game but nibbled too much. The baserunning blunders of saturday's game were apparently not corrected as Dustin Pedroia worked a 2 out walk before being thrown out at home on a David Ortiz double. So much for the bottom of the first.

Chase Headley flied out and Lackey whiffed Kyle Blanks to begin the top of the second. Jesus Guzman doubled but Nick Hundley flied out to end the inning. Jonny Gomes stroked a one out single in the bottom of the second but Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Brandon Snyder flied out to end the inning. Old friend Pedro Ciriaco stroked a 1 out single and stole second on the Logan Forsythe strikeout. Chris Denorfia flied out to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the third when Jacoby Ellsbury singled and stole second with one out. Shane Victorino flied out to advance Ellsbury to third but Pedroia flied out to end the inning.

Blanks doubled with 2 out in the top of the 4th but Guzman struck out to end the inning. The Sox finally struck in the bottom of the 4th. Ortiz singled and Napoli walked. Gomes struck out but Saltalamacchia walked to load the bases. Brandon Snyder stepped in with a really long at bat, culminating in a wall ball double that cleared the bases. Snyder got greedy and was thrown out a third, but it was now 3-0 Boston.

                                                    Yerrrrrr out! 3-0 Sox



With Erlin's pitch count at 93, Padres manager Bud Black had seen enough and lifted the rookie in favor of Tim Stauffer. Iglesias and Ellsbury singled, meaning Snyder would have scored if he was a bit more patient. Victorino flied out to end the inning. Lackey ran into his only real trouble of the day in the top of the 5th. Hundley doubled and Alexi Amarista singled him to third. Ciriaco did the Sox a favor by hitting a grounder third, keeping Hundley there and getting Amarista out at second. Forsythe popped up but Ciriaco stole second. With runners on second and third, Pedroia made the defensive play of the game by jumping up to steal a base hit from Denorfia. The Sox ran into more outs when Pedroia walked then was thrown out 2 batters later trying to steal on a strike em out, throw em out double play by Napoli.

Lackey pitched a perfect top of the 6th and the Sox got some insurance in the bottom of the frame. Gomes doubled to left to lead off then 2 batters later Iglesias singled him home. Amazingly, the Sox ran into yet another out as Iglesias was thrown out at second trying to stretch.

                                        Even Officer Hanson can't believe the Sox' baserunning



Staked to a 4-0 lead, Lackey gave that insurance run right back when Jesus Guzman homered leading off the top of the 7th. Lackey recovered to get the next 3 outs, 7 innings of 1 run ball is nothing to sneeze at. Joe Thatcher pitched the bottom of the 7th where Pedroia walked and stole second with 2 out but was stranded when Ortiz popped up to left. Lackey returned for the top of the 8th and used an assortment of breaking pitches to get Forsythe to ground out. Denorfia walked but Quintin struck out. Headley gave one a right but was robbed on a good catch by Victorino to end the inning. Lackey had pitched 8 outstanding innings to give the depleted bullpen a much needed rest.

                                            "Go back to San Diego you bums!"





Dale Thayer pitched the bottom of the 8th and allowed a 2 out walk to Salty. Mike Carp pinch hit for Snyder but struck out. Jonathan Diaz took over at third base as Koji Uehara of the Orient Express took the mound looking for his 5th save. This time there would be no homers as struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced to get the save. The Sox had prevailed 4-1.

                                           "We win. FIST PUMP!"



THE GOOD:

Hero of the Night is a no brainer. John Lackey continued to dominate by tossing 8 innings of 1 run ball, striking out 6 while scattering 6 hits and a single walk. He finally gets above .500 at 6-5 and lowers his ERA to 2.81.

                                          Hero of the Night



Other do-gooders include Jacoby Ellsbury who was 2 for 4 with a stolen base, upping his average to .299. Dustin Pedroia worked 3 walks and stole a bag. David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Jonny Gomes was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked twice and scored a run. Brandon Snyder was the offensive hero, driving in 3 of the 4 runs. Jose Iglesias was 2 for 3 with an rbi, upping his batting average to .415, earning him AL rookie of the month honors for June. Koji Uehara bounced back from Saturday's failure to post his 5th save of the season.


THE BAD:

Shane Victorino was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Mike Carp pinch hit for Snyder and struck out.


THE UGLY:

Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with 2 more strikeouts but walked and scored.


Final Thoughts:

So THIS is the John Lackey the Sox thought they were getting back in 2010. The one that won 19 games and was one of the top pitchers in the AL. Maybe he's finally turned the corner which would give the rotation a huge boost down the stretch. Its nice to once again see Snyder as the offensive hero because a team that wins a division or playoff berth needs contributions from everyone. The Sox have been cooking and its easy to see why: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Victorino and Iglesias are hot and Ortiz continues to drive them in. Every now and then Salty or Napoli pitches in and maybe someday PU Drew will as well. The win put the Sox at 51-34, 3 1/2 games in front of the Dirty Birds for the division lead. Tomorow night Jon Lester looks to get his second straight quality start as he goes up against Edison Volquez.

Down on the Farm 5 (7/1/13)

Today's off day marks the final chapter of Down on the Farm. We end the series with a look at the Lowell Spinners, the short season single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Their season began less than a month ago so its too early to see who's doing well and what not. We can still look at the field though:

                                          Great night view of LeLachur Field

Some of the prospects include outfielder Kendrick Perkins.....no not this man:

   
 I mean THIS man:

                                He does have the mean looking scowl of the other Perkins doesn't he?




Also included is short-stop Tzu-Wei Lin, the Terror of Taiwan

Batting third is former Central Arkansas superstar Forrestt Allday, there's a mouthful.

Batting cleanup is the DH, Kevin Mager

Next up is centerfielder Manuel Margot

Nextr on the list is first basemen Nick Moore

Batting 7th, the second basemen Reed Gragnani

Up next, the catcher, Jake Romanski

Batting 9th, the third basemen, Carlos Asuaje

Don't forget bench ace Williams Jerez

And now your starting pitchers beginning with 18 year old phenom, Jamie Callahan.

Next is the Dominican Dynamite, Mario Alcantara....no, not Izzy.

3rd starter is Mario's tag team partner, Simon Mercedes

4th up is the Columbian Cyclone, Sergio Gomez

Last is 20 year old Ty Buttrey

In the bullpen is Jonathan Aro

and Kyle Martin

Team closer is Greg Larson

Managing this group of outlaws is Bruce Crabbe

I know this seems kind of lame but the team literally has just started. They've only played in 12 games and in the game I saw on June 21, they defeated Tri-Cities 4-0 on the back of Callahan, Martin and Larson. This should be an interesting group of youngsters to watch this season.

Uehara Blows Lead, Sox Win 50th Game (6/30/13)

One of the increasing problems for the Red Sox these days are there are some very tired arms in the bullpen. Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, the Boston relievers have had to work double time this season and lot of them are showing the wear and tear. Today it was Koji Uehara's turn to blow the lead but luckily the Sox refused to give up the game, outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Happy Sox Fans

The Sox started Brandon Snyder at third over Jonathan Diaz after yesterday's mishap. In the top of the first, Ryan Dempster took the rubber and struck out Jose Reyes. Jose Bautista flied out and Edwin Encarnarcion grounded out to end the inning. Dustin Pedroia worked a 2 out walk in the bottom of the first against Mark Buehrle but Jonny Gomes grounded out. The pesky Adam Lind grounded out to open the top of the 2nd, Rajai Davis struck out and Colby Rasmus flied out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second. Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava lined back to back singles and Ryan Lavarnway hit a ball that both Lind and Bautista lost in the sun, dropping in fair territory then into the stands for a ground rule double that scored Napoli.

                           Lavarnway adopted Willie Keeler's strategy of "hit em where they aint"

Jose Iglesias struck out but Brandon Snyder proved his worth by doubling in Nava and Lavarnway.

                                          Snyder's effort makes the game 3-0 Boston

Jacoby Ellsbury was hit by a pitch but with Buehrle on the ropes, Shane Victorino struck out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to end the inning.

Dempster got the first 2 outs in the top of the third before Munenori Kawasaki singled and Reyes walked. Bautista grounded out to end the inning but Dempster's pitch count took a hit. Adam Lind departed with injury and Josh Thole replaced him. Buehrle got the side in order in the bottom of the third.

The Jays broke through in the top of the 4th. Edwin Encarnarcion singled but Thole flied out. Rajai Davis and Rasmus hit back to back singles to cut the lead 3-1. Rajai Davis stole third but JP Arencibia walked to load the bases. Maircer Izturis grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Davis to make it 3-2. Kawasaki grounded out but the damage was done. Buehrle responded by getting the side in order in the bottom of the 4th. Bautista singled with one out in the top of the 5th but Encarnarcion's double play got Dempster out of the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the 5th. Jacoby Ellsbury singled and advanced to second on the groundout by Victorino. Pedroia grounded out but Gomes doubled in Ellsbury to up the lead 4-2. Dempster ran out of gas in the top of the 6th. Thole walked, Davis singled and Rasmus singled to load the bases with nobody out. Arencebia popped up but Sox manager John Farrell lifted Dempster for lefty Craig Breslow.

                                           Dempster fails to go 7 innings but leaves with the lead

Breslow got Izturis to pop up and struck out pinch hitter Emilio Bonifacio to end the threat. Buehrle worked around a 2 out hit by Ellsbury to retire the side in the bottom of the 6th. Breslow returned for the top of the 7th but was chased early when Jose Reyes blooped one into the monster seats to cut the lead 4-3. Rookie Alex Wilson was pressed into duty but allowed a single to Bautista. Wilson got Encarnarcion to pop up but once again Farrell bounded out of the dugout, this time he wanted Andrew Miller to face Thole and Davis. Miller did his job by striking out both men but Farrell had burned Breslow and Wilson. If this game goes into extras's, Farrell is in trouble. Dustin McGowan relieved Buehrle and retired the side in order in the bottom of the 7th. Andrew Miller worked around a 2 out walk to Izturis to retire the side in the top of the 8th, keeping the lead intact at 4-3.

                                           Miller puts in a yeoman's effort to keep the game close

Daniel Nava stroked a 2 out single in the bottom of the 8th but a Lavarnway ground out ended matters. Now it was on to the 9th and Koji Uehara was gunning for his 5th save of the season. Jose Reyes flied out to right but in stepped Jose Bautista.....BANG! Bautista launched his 3rd home run in two days as Uehara had become the 4th closer of the season to fail in the 9th inning. Uehara got out of the inning but the game was now tied 4-4.

                                                            FAILED

Now it was on to the bottom of the 9th, could the Sox pick up Uehara after he picked them up all season? Juan Perez had been automatic for the Jays recently and he got the ball. Iglesias grounded out but Snyder singled. Ellsbury walked and Jonathan Diaz ran for Snyder. Jays closer Casey Janssen relieved Perez and induced a ground ball from Victorino....off the glove of Thole at first base allowing Diaz to score the winning run. RED SOX WIN 5-4!!

                                             Someone forgot to join the mob

                                             "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"


THE GOOD:

Hero of the Night is a tough one. Even though he didn't get the game winner, I'm still going with none other than Brandon Snyder. Snyder was 2 for 4 with 2 rbi's and he would have scored the winning run if he wasn't pinch ran for.

                                                         Hero of the Night

Other babyfaces include Jacoby Ellsbury who was 1 for 3 with a walk and run scored. Daniel Nava was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Jonathan Diaz pinch ran for Snyder and scored the winning run. Andrew Miller pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.64.


THE BAD:

The one name on this list is unfortunately Koji Uehara. He vultured his first win of the season by blowing the 9th inning save, ruining a chance for Dempster to inch closer to a .500 record.


THE UGLY:

Everyone else. Shane Victorino was 0 for 4 and technically the final at bat makes him 0 for 5 but it nevertheless scored the winning run. Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 but walked.  Jonny Gomes was just 1 for 4 but made it count with an rbi double and later scored a run. Ryan Lavarnway also got just 1 hit in 4 at bats but made it count by doubling in a run and scoring. Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4. Craig Breslow worked out of a bases loaded and one out jam but served up a homer to Jose Reyes. Alex Wilson faced 2 batters and only got one of them. Ryan Dempster only made it through 5 1/3 innings while allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.


Final Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty but a win is a win. Taking 3 of 4 from the suddenly red hot Blue Jays is nothing to laugh at. The Sox became the first American League team to win 50 games. The great thing about the Sox this season is their role players are stepping up big time. Brandon Snyder was called up and he was the game's hero and Jonathan Diaz filled in for Stephen Drew and scored the winning run. Still, the bullpen is in trouble by blowing yet another lead. What the Sox need in the next series is long outings from the starters to give the arms in the pen a rest. They may need to bring back Clayton Mortensen instead of dumping him. The win puts the Sox at 50-34, 2 1/2 games in front of the Dirty Birds who are on a hot streak of their own. Chris Davis is on pace for 60 home runs this season if he doesn't get hurt or get caught with PED's. Tomorrow is an off-day which means the final look at Down on the Farm. The Sox are back in action Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the San Diego Padres. John Lackey takes the hill opposite rookie Robbie Erlin.

Shoddy Fielding and Lack of Hitting Doom Sox (6/29/13)

All good things must come to an end and the Sox 3 game winning streak bit the dust thanks to some poor managerial decisions, fielding and hitting. It was bawful all around as the Toronto Blue Jays took game 3 of the 4 game series by a score of 6 to 2.

                                                    Mad Sox fans

The Sox made some headlines before the game. The Sox designated Clayton Mortensen for assignment while bringing up Pawtucket infielder Jonathan Diaz. The Sox have 10 days to release, trade or assign Mortensen to Pawtucket. The move was made because of Stephen Drew's hamstring injury.

                                                    So Long Vigo

                                               Welcome aboard Diaz

The Jays pounced on the Sox right off the bat in the top of the first against Felix Doubront. Jose Reyes grounded out but Jose Bautista walked. Bautista took second but got caught in a rundown off a grounder by Edwin Encarnarcion. Unfortunately for the Sox, tagging out Bautista meant Encarnarcion was now on second. Edwin scored on a single by Adam Lind to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. Mark DeRosa struck out to end the inning. Jays starter Esmil Rogers was up to the task of preserving the lead in the bottom of the first. Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia failed to reach base.

The Jays threatened in the top of the second when Rajai Davis doubled and stole third off a sleeping Doubront. Doubront got 2 big outs by striking out Colby Rasmus and JP Arencibia. Maicer Izturis grounded out to end the inning, great work by Felix. Daniel Nava worked a 2 out walk but Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out to end the bottom of the 2nd. Doubront got the side in order in the top of the third. Ellsbury reached on a 2 out infield single but Victorino grounded out to end the bottom of the third. Lind singled to lead off the top of the 4th but was erased on the DeRosa double play. Davis walked but was FINALLY caught stealing by Saltalamacchia to end the inning.

                                                      "Where do you think YOU'RE going, Rajai?"

Pedroia stroked a lead off double in the bottom of the 4th but was stranded when David Ortiz grounded out, Mike Napoli struck out and Nava grounded out. Rasmus singled to lead off the top of the 5th but Doubront got 2 straight strikeouts then got Reyes to ground out to end the inning. 5 innings, 1 run allowed...not bad so far, just no run support. Salty singled to lead off the bottom of the 5th and after Jose Iglesias lined out, he took second on a wild pitch. With a chance to tie the game, Jonathan Diaz lined out and Ellsbury flied out to end the inning.

Doubront ran into a brick wall in the top of the 6th when the awakened Bautista launched a towering home run to up the lead 2-0. Doubront got the next 3 batters but the damage was done. Could the Sox rally after being shut out for 5 innings? NO!  Victorino doubled and headed home when Pedroia sngled. Brian Butterfield made the decision to send Victorino and it turned out to be a bad one when Shane was thrown out at home.

                                             Bad decision leads to the Sox demise

Ortiz then made the decision even worse when he singled, which would have scored Shane easy from third. As it was it was 1st and 2nd with 1 out but Napoli and Nava struck out to end the rally. Davis walked to lead off the top of the 7th but Rasmus flied out. That was it for Felix as Sox manager John Farrell pulled him after 103 pitches in favor of rookie Alex Wilson. As usual, Davis stole second but Wilson got the next 2 outs to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally again in the bottom of the 7th but once again shot themselves in the foot. Old pal Darren Oliver relieved Rogers and allowed a single to Salty. Iglesias tried to bunt his way on but Izturis threw wide allowing Salty to reach third and Iglesias first. With first and third with no out, Diaz tried a suicide squeeze that failed when Oliver gunned down Salty at home. Jays manager John Gibbons pulled Oliver for Steve Delabar. Ellsbury singled to load the bases. Victorino finally got the Sox on the board by slamming a 2 run single to tie the game. With a chance to take the lead, Pedroia and Ortiz failed to get a hit but the game was tied despite 2 runners thrown out at home.

                                           The lone highlight of the game, a single by Shane.

Junichi Tazawa took the mound for the top of the 8th and immediately vomited up his intestines. Reyes singled and Jose Bautista homered again to give the Jays a 4-2 lead just like that. Encarnarcion flied out but the pesky Lind tripled. Emilio Bonifacio hit for DeRosa but grounded out to first with no advancement. Davis popped up but the damage was done. Delabar struck out the side in the bottom of the 8th to quell any potential rally. The strikeout by Napoli earned him the golden sombrero.

Craig Breslow took the mound in the top of the 9th. Rasmus grounded out but Napoli booted a ground ball by Arencibia, allowing him to reach second. Izturis struck out and all Breslow needed to do was get Reyes out and the Sox would have a chance to tie it in the 9th. Instead Reyes singled home Arencibia to increase the lead 5-2. Jose Bautstia then hit a grounder to Diaz....that went under his glove! Reyes scored from first but Bautista was once again caught in a rundown to end the inning. Bad fielding, baserunning and hitting all contributed to this stinkeroo.

                                        Not even Baxter could stand the sight of Diaz' error

Neil Wagner replaced Delabar for the bottom of the 9th. Iglesias grounded out but Mike Carp hit for Diaz and walked. Ellsbury put the exclamation point on the day by grounding into a double play to end the game.

                                                       Boooooooooooooooo!


THE GOOD:

Shane Victorino was 2 for 4 while batting in the two runs the Sox scored. Felix Doubront pitched into the 7th inning while allowing only 2 runs. Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 despite being thrown out at home. Alex Wilson escaped the jam Doubront was in. Mike Carp pinch hit in the 9th and drew a walk.


THE BAD:

Jackass of the Night is Junichi Tazawa. He came in after the Sox worked hard to tie the game and pissed away the game in just 2 batters..

                                                          Jackass of the Night

Other heels include Mike Napoli who comitted an error and earned a golden sombrero by going 0 for 4 with 4 K's.


THE UGLY:

Everyone else. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 before grounding into a game ending double play. David Ortiz was just 1 for 4. Daniel Nava was 0 for 3 with a walk. Jose Iglesias was 1 for 4 with a run scored. Jonathan Diaz was 0 for 3 including a huge error but scored a run. Craig Breslow allowed 2 runs in 1 inning but both were un-earned.


Final Thoughts:

This is NOT good. The bullpen arms are showing signs of overuse due to the starters unable to go 7 innings consistently. Tazawa seems to be tiring as well as Breslow. Uehara is 38 and not used to the workload of closing, who knows how long he'll hold up. The good news is they got young arms available in Alex Wilson, Jose De La Torre, Pedro Beato, Rubby De La Rosa and if they ever bring him up, Ryan Rowland-Smith. The loss drops the Sox to 49-34, 2 1/2 games over the Dirty Birds. Tomorrow the Sox send Ryan Dempster to the mound hoping to suck up some innings against former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle.