Nerve Racking-But a Real Team Victory!-Peter

I suppose I shouldn't complain too loudly. After all, we won, but this is getting more than a little nerve racking. Going into the bottom of the 7th, and it's still all zeroes. Dice-K has been outstanding all night, only allowing two scattered hits and an equally scattered pair of walks, while striking out four. Even better--he's only averaging just shy of 16 pitches per inning, which for him is a veritable walk in the pahhk (that's park for you non-Boston speakers). Normally, he's 'good' for at least a half dozen more per inning. If this is what happens when you get the flu, maybe a dose for everyone wouldn't be so bad (just kidding). But it's still zip-zip. However, that's about to change.

With one gone in the bottom of the seventh, Papi works the count to 2-2. He may still be in some kind of slump, but this is still Papi. The third pitch comes in and Papi deposits it--in the right field seats--one zip Sox. Looking good, at least, we've got some hope. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long to give it back.

In for the top of the 8th comes The Other Manny--Delcarmen, for you folks who are new visitors to this blog--and he faces one batter, gives up a hit and Terry's not taking any chances. In comes Okajima. Unfortunately, before closing out the 8th, he allows a hit that moves the Delcarmen-charged runner to third and that run comes in on a sac fly--tie score again. Oki gets charged a blown save, but at least gets us out of the inning with a chance to close out the game in the bottom half. But we don't--not just yet.

Top of the 9th and in comes The Saver. You know him as Papelbon. He does his usual, almost. No K's this time around and he does briefly unsettle the collective Sox Nation stomach by allowing a hit. But just as quickly he closes out the Jays with the usual assortment of lasers. NOW we can close out the game in the bottom half.

A chance is all we want. Papi gets his second hit of the game and is replaced by a runner. Manny walks, and after a couple of outs, Tek comes to the plate. Now he may not be the highest average hitter, but one thing he understands is clutch. When the game is one the line, if he's got a bat in his hands, he's almost as dangerous as the guys in the 3-4 holes. Tek is not someone a pitcher wants take too lightly in a situation like that. Sure enough, the ball comes in and just as quickly, it's in center field for a single, Manny doing a good imitation of Crisp or Ellsbury on a mad dash for home. He slides in just beating the throw from Wells--game over--Sox. Hey, we've got a winning streak here!

Equally good--Baltimore lost dropping the Birds out of first and a game behind the Sox. The Rays beat them. Do you believe Tampa Bay? Better yet--the Yanks lost again to Detroit.

Oh, yeah--Celts also won--by 25. Awesome!

Streak Ends in Walk-off - Jenn

Yes, it's over. Thanks to four people - Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis.

Lester had his best outing yet this season as he went 8 innings and gave up just one hit. Several of those innings were of the 1,2,3 variety as he struck out six batters. There were four innings where the Jays saw four of their batters get to first due to walks, but thanks to superb defense, Lester would get out of each inning unscathed. Lester probably could've pitched into the 9th, but he'd already thrown 98 pitches and we didn't want a repeat of Saturday night. So with 98 pitches under his belt, Lester would walk off the mound to a standing ovation and an ERA of 4.31.

Papelbon came in for the 9th inning and would make things a little uncomfortable for the Fenway Faithful. Sure, he'd get the first two batters out on strikes. But then Scott Rolen, in his first time ever facing the Red Sox closer, would belt one to the gap in left center. He's now the 2nd Jay of the night to get a hit and the first to reach 2nd. And Wells was up. But Wells is 0 for 9 in his career against Pap. Hopefully Papelbon can make it 0-for 10. And that's just what he did, thanks in no small part to a spectacular catch from Sox 2nd baseman, Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia's hitting streak may be over, but the kid can still play defense like nobody's business. Last night was no different. He saved a run in the top of the 9th thanks to the play I mentioned above. He looked a little shaken up after the play, but was able to swing the bat with just as much passion as always when he came to the plate in the bottom half of the same inning. Sure he popped out to 3rd base giving the Sox 2 outs, but after that defensive play, we'll give him a pass.

So with 2 outs in last half of the last inning, Papi came to the plate. He walked. Then Manny was up. He lined to center for a base hit. Oh my God, there were two men on and Youkilis was coming to the plate. Youk had already gotten a hit off Halladay when he chopped one to center field in the 2nd inning, and with a batting average of .343 against the Doc, Youk could be the clutch we were waiting for. And on a 1-0 pitch, Youk lines that ball into center field. Thanks to a bobble from Vernon Wells, Papi was able to cross home plate to give the Sox the 1-0 win and break that awful losing streak.

With the Yankees and those guys from Tampa Bay both losing yesterday, the Sox are back on top. Sure they're tied for first with the Orioles, but better to be tied than behind. Today it's game two against the Jays and Dice-K's back. Here's hoping we can go two in a row, and like Dad said, start a new and better kind of streak.

YES!! IT'S OVER!!-Peter

The losing streak is history! But the way our heroes did it had me dreading a sixth loss to the very end. How does this sound? Crisp and Pedroia both are quickly gotten out in the bottom of the ninth, score still zeroes all around. Lester'd done an excellent job through eight, allowing only a lonesome hit--cut his ERA way down from where it was at the start of the game. But still no runs, even though we had a few more hits than the Jays. Papelbon came in and, aided by an amazing stop by Dusty at second, quickly put down the Jays in the 9th, getting two K's in the process. But....still zeroes all around. This is getting seriously nerve-racking!


Then....the aforementioned start of our half of the 9th. That brings up Papi. Would this be a great time for Papi's lightning to strike? Sorry. But he DID reach base on a five pitch walk. Manny followed. Could he; would he end it with a single swing? Again, sorry. But, he too, DID reach on a single. God forbid someone should park one in the cheap seats and end the losing string, not to mention the tension, all at once! Anyway, back to the point--we've got men on first and second and Youk's coming to the plate. Already in possession of one of the Sox' few hits for the evening, he doesn't disappoint. Sharp single to Wells in the outfield and Papi's lumbering around third, his 230+ pounds an irresistible force that dares the catcher--Hell, anyone--should he even get the ball to get in the way. He's coming to the plate, sore knee and all, no matter what! Get out of the way! He crosses the plate and the Sox have won, the losing streak is history and Papelbon has gotten the W, picking up on Lester's fabulous eight inning gem.

Other points: tonight marked the return of Mike Lowell from his three plus weeks on the DL, and even though he was 0-3, it's good to see him back. The Diceman's set to go tomorrow, and maybe we can tack another W onto this one and return to the idea of a winning streak for awhile.

Enough Already!!-Peter

This is even worse than last night's calamity. When do you see Josh Beckett K 13 batters in just seven innings, including the first five to even face him, give up only four hits and lose? Answer: Today against the Rays, who now, believe it or don't, are in first place! There's nothing wrong with your eyes--you don't need new glasses or an emergency application of Lasik (though the news out this week probably indicates that would be not such a good idea)--it's not a misprint. The Rays are in first place in the AL East at the latest time in their miserable history--after sweeping the Sox in Tampa Bay.

It wasn't the pitching, even given the Other Manny giving up a run in the eighth. No, this time it was the hitting (actually lack of hitting would be a better description). The Bosox managed just two hits, a single each by Pedroia and Lugo, coupled by a base on balls to Manny. The only other hint of an offense they could muster was the first stolen base by Manny in over three years--all to no avail.

Papi missed his second straight game with a sore right knee, injured a couple of nights ago. Not very much else to say--this one is just very disappointing, particularly laid on top of last night's shocker; and worse when the team has so many batters over .300 and so many among the leaders in virtually every offensive category.

Hopefully, we turn around, although the next series is against long time thorn in the side, Toronto. At least the Big Hurt can't hurt us this time--he's in Oakland and continuing to sink fast in the west.

One Bad Pitch - Jenn

That's all it took.

After 7 2/3 strong innings, 1 hit and a season high 9 strike outs, Clay Buchholz left one out over the plate. And what could have been another phenomenal game by the rookie, was lost.

Iwamura took that ball and planted it in the bleachers for a two run home run that would give the Devil Rays the lead and the win.

That's all there is to it and that's all I've got to say. Especially since Dad went into all the detail needed on last night's game.

There's one more against the Rays today and Beckett's finally back on the mound. Here's hoping we can take one away from Tampa Bay.

Unbelievable--In a Very Negative Way!-Peter

Yes--the title above says it all! It's not often that a pitcher only gives up just three hits, only one of them in the first seven innings, adds in nine K's and loses. Here was our no-hit hero of 2007 cruising along entering the 8th with just a single hit surrendered and only a couple of walks. As if that weren't enough, he was making a single run by the Sox stand up as if it were a dozen. Then: disaster! A Rays batter--a pinch hitter, no less--gets a single sandwiched in between two easy outs.

I'm thinking, "Please don't give up another hit and let the lead slip away." I should have known better. These are, after all, the Red Sox. Growing up (forget about that line at the top of the overall blog about being tormented since 1978{that's just Jenn's Sox history}--for me it's been since 1947, the year I first saw a Sox game at Fenway when I was four years old) those of us who regularly followed the Sox through thick and thin, and lots more of the latter than the former, had an expression. It was, "Good luck to you and the Red Sox." Anyone who followed the Sox through the 50's, 60's, etc. knows exactly whereof I speak.

Anyway, Buchholz is doing fine; it's two out and he's facing Iwamura, the Rays' second sacker, who is not only batting just .220 for the year, he's only gotten a total of seven HR's in his career. As if those stats aren't comforting enough, he's 0 for 3 this evening entering the eighth. I mean on the Rays you worry about Crawford or maybe Gomes or definitely Pena (a product of this writer's home town near Boston--Haverhill). You definitely do NOT worry about Iwamura. So what happens? On a 1-1 pitch, Buchholz makes probably his only mistake of the evening and leaves a curve hanging right over the middle of the plate. Iwamura does what any batter in that situation would do--he deposits it in the cheap seats--2-1, Rays. After Buchholz finishes the inning, the Sox hitters go meekly in the ninth and it's loss number four in a row. This is getting serious, guys.

On the good side, Varitek is apparently recovered and started and played the entire game. Other than that, not much. Papi had the day off after last night's 0-6 showing, and with the exception of Jacoby, 2-4, no-one on the team showed much. Not even a single extra base hit.

Let's hope we can recover and end this crap with a win tomorrow. I mean these are the Rays--aren't they?

Timlin Loses Another One - Jenn

It was another roller coaster for the Sox. But after 11 hard fought innings, the Sox would end up losing their third in a row.

Wakefield was all over the place last night. Yes, his knuckler was dancing, but it was dancing a little too much. Over the six innings, Wakefield gave up six hits, five walks, and four runs (three of which were earned). He threw 113 pitches, 1 of which was wild and another that hit Evan Longoria who happens to be the league leader in being hit by pitches. (Last night was his fourth of the season.)

But those four runs weren't enough to make Wakefield the losing pitcher. Over those same six innings the Sox had managed to get to Rays pitchers, Matt Garza and JP Howell, and score four runs of their own. Three of them came in the second when Garza walked JD Drew and Sean Casey to load the bases with just one out. Then Garza walked in the Sox's first run when he walked his third straight batter in Julio Lugo. There was still only one out when Cash came to the plate, with the bases still loaded. He flew out to left, but the ball was deep enough to score Drew on the sacrifice. Ellsbury's liner down the 3rd base line would drive in the Sox's final run of the inning in Sean Casey. However Casey would pull his right hip flexer coming around 3rd and be out for the rest of the game. (He's currently listed as day to day.) With Lugo and Ellsbury on first and second, Pedroia would pop out to foul territory and end the inning.

So the score was tied at 4 at the end of six innings and would stay that way through the next four. And it wasn't like the Sox didn't have opportunities. Starting with the 9th, the Sox had at least one man on in each inning. In the 9th, Cash got his third hit of the night when he drove the ball down the 3rd base line for a single. Then with one out and one on, Pedroia ground the ball to Rays 2nd baseman, Akinori Iwamura. It should've been a double play, but in an amazing bout of misjudgement, Iwamura threw to first to get Pedroia. He failed. And by the time Eric Hinske threw the ball back to 2nd, Cash was standing safely on the bag. So now the Sox had two on with one in scoring position and one out. With Ortiz and Ramirez coming to the plate, we should be able to score at least one more run, right? Wrong. Big Papi flew out to center in what was a very frustrating night for him. And Manny struck out swinging. So Iwamura's bad decision wouldn't end up hurting the Rays after all.

After Bryan Corey (who was just recalled from Pawtucket) and Javier Lopez got through the bottom of the 9th unscathed, the Sox had another chance that would lead no where. Kevin Youkilis and Jed Lowrie (who took over for Casey after the injury) both walked. Again two men on and only one out. But Julio Lugo chopped the ball right to Shortstop Jason Bartlett for the double play that would end the inning.

Lopez would face two more batters in the bottom of the 10th and succeed in retiring one of them. Then Francona replaced the side arm pitcher with my favorite old timer - Mike Timlin. He managed to get through the rest of the inning without the Rays scoring and I breathed a sigh of relief. Partly because the inning was over and partly because our closer, the great Jonathan Papelbon, was warming up in the bullpen. He'd definitely be in for the 11th even if we didn't get the lead.

So the top of the 11th came and went and just like the previous two innings - two men on with just one out. Only this time one of them was standing on 3rd. Just 90 feet away from home plate and taking the lead. Anything but a strike out and a double play would give the Sox the lead. Unfortunately Big Papi hit the ball right at Hinske for the double play to end the inning.

I'm worried Papi may be slipping back into his slump. He only went 1 for 5 on Thursday (thankfully that one was a two run home run) and last night he went a whopping 0 for 6. And that 0 for 6 was no more upsetting for us than it was for him. I've never seen him so upset. He threw the bat twice and slammed his helmet into its cubby at least once. Something's gotta change, otherwise Papi may end up spending more time on the bench than on the field. He's lucky he wasn't thrown out of the game on at least one of those tossed bats.

So it's now the bottom of the 11th and to my surprised chagrin, Timlin's still on the mound. Well, I thought, maybe they're leaving him out for just one more batter. But no, he was on that mound for three. And that was all the Rays would need. Crawford lined to left and stole 2nd. Then Upton walked. So with two men on and nobody out, now would be the time to pull Timlin and get Papelbon in there, right? He is warmed up after all. But no, Francona chose to leave the man with the highest ERA on the team on the mound. And just as expected, Haynes, who'd come in in the 9th to pinch run for Carlos Pena singled to right and drove in Crawford to win the game 5-4.

Now I know the Sox clubhouse has been hit hard by the flu and injury, but something needs to be done about the relief pitching. This is the third game in a row, where the bullpen has lost a close game for the Sox. Games we were winning when the starting pitcher left the field. Luckily the Yankees lost yesterday as well, so the Sox are still ahead of the evil empire by 2.5 games. But while the Sox were losing the Orioles were winning and are now tied for first. There are two more games against the Devil Rays, here's hoping they're both wins.

This Is Getting Frustrating!-Peter

Well, once again we broke on top. Up 3-1 very quickly (how much quicker than the first inning or two can you be?), all of a sudden things came to a grinding halt for most of the balance of the game. As the Rays chipped away at the Sox lead, our boys from the Hub finally found themselves behind, 4-3, after the fourth. The hitters, with the exception of Manny, who ended up 3-5, found the hits few and far between, and Garza, the Rays pitcher, who entered with an ERA above 8, started pitching like a Big Leaguer after the 2d. True, our guys did manage to get the tying run in the fifth, but after that--nothing.

And, I mean nothing in the worst of ways. It's not as though we never had a chance. Far from it, in every inning from the 9th through the fateful 11th, we had the lead run in scoring position--and left it there. That is NOT the way to win ball games--even more important as the O's in Baltimore had a game postponed by rain and the 'Stripes lost to Cleveland. Wasted opportunity to pick up ground on both clubs. Perhaps the most painful failure of the final few innings was to have men at first and third with only one out and have Papi, in a situation he usually sinks his teeth into and swallows whole, ground into an inning-ending DP.

This left us with Jenn's pejorative favorite to finish the game as the Sox pitcher. True to a good part of his recent rep, Timlin, after doing fairly well closing out the 10th, faced three batters in the 11th. Every one of them reached base, capped by a game winning single by Haynes, extending the Sox losing streak to three.

As if all of this weren't enough bad news, Sean Casey injured his hip flexor while running the bases early in the game, and is likely to join the other walking wounded on the DL. Too bad, as he was batting .346 when he left the game.

Speaking of BA's the Sox, after the game, had 3 of the top 10 BA's in the league, headed up by Manny's league-leading .370. Manny is also leading the league in HR's and is tied for 4th in ribbies with Papi and a bunch of 'who-are-theys' at 20. He's also 2d in hits with 34, one behind Pedroia's 35 and 3d in doubles, two behind Pedroia and another guy's league leading 11.

Buchholz is supposed to take the mound today, and hopefully he'll slam the door on the suddenly plus-.500 Rays.

Jerked Chicken and Other Things-Peter

Well, we have the continued effects of the flu. While it certainly doesn't appear to be anywhere nearly as lethal as the 1919-20 pandemic that killed over twenty million, it's certainly having a negative effect on the Sox this week. Dice-K gets scratched last night due to the flu and is rescheduled to go today. However, he's still suffering so the Sox call up a guy not from the Pawsox, but from a lower minor level--Double A. They get Justin Masterson, the first Jamaican ever to start a major league game. Although he does walk four batters, his control of the game and his focus keep any of them form scoring. Aside from one bad pitch that was deposited in the center field bleachers by Napoli in the fifth, Masterson left after six strong innings with a 3-1 lead. He probably figured he would get his first major league victory. No such luck. By the time the Sox overworked relief squad finished, he probably felt like the famous chicken dish from his home--Jerked.
As soon as Masterson is gone, the relievers came in and both Lopez and the Other Manny, Delcarmen to you, gave up a hit and a walk apiece without getting any outs. All four scored, the finish coming when the normally dependable Okajima got his second blown save of the season by giving up a couple of hits and a walk before retiring three Angels to end the inning. None of the hits were particularly earth shattering, but they were hits nevertheless, and they hurt.

Aardsma surrenders two hits and a BB before ending the inning and another runs has come across for the Halos. In the ninth, we get Tavarez, who, gives up a hit and a free pass, eventually surrendering an unearned run, helped in part by an error by the usually sure handed Crisp.

Well, I'm thinking, it's the ninth and we're down four. Not great, but we've got the heart of the order coming up and the Manny's been hitting and Papi has been hitting recently, coupled with the fact that the rest of the top half or more of the order is over .300. So, I'm thinking at least we've really got a legitimate shot. As it turns out, that's what we get--shot--bang, we're dead. Yes, Papi put one out that was an absolute shot, getting us to within two, and giving him 20 ribbies on the season, tie with Manny for the season, but Manny launches one that in any normal situation would have been a candidate for the Space Shuttle, but in this case is suddenly held up by the wind and caught to end the game by Torii Hunter.

This flu thing has to be beaten--and soon. So far, we've got Tek, the Diceman, Youk and Beckett suffering from it, and God knows who else about to be bitten by the bug. What were they using, Bush's non-existent flu vaccine?

Well, tomorrow they're Florida-bound for a set with the Rays. Even though those guys are always at the bottom of the league, W-L-wise, they do have some good players (including one, Pena, from yours truly's home town outside Boston, Haverhill), and, given a chance, can make your life miserable. Beckett's supposed to be back on the mound Sunday, and hopefully before the guys win that one, they'll have a two game winning streak going.

To all you Sox fans out there, we appreciate your visits to the blog, but we'd like some comments, feedback, or just plain bitching. Tell us what you think, like or don't.

Bullpen Ruins Stellar Outing for Rookie - Jenn

The title says it all. Justin Masterson made his major league debut this afternoon and had a chance to walk off with the win after a stellar six innings. But then the bullpen took over.

Masterson took the mound at 1:35 eastern and proceeded to pound the Angels with his sinking fast ball. Only two Angels batters, Gary Matthews, Jr. and catcher Mike Napoli, would connect their bats with the ball over the six inning beaut. Sure the young pitcher gave up four walks, but not one of them lead to a run. He also struck out four. It may not have been the amazing effort Clay Buchholz showed last season in his debut, but it was something all Fenway Nation could be happy about. Especially since the Sox pitching staff has been hit hard by injury and sickness of late. Masterson could walk off that mound at the end of the sixth happy with his start and confident in a win.

Those hopes were dashed when the Javier Lopez took the mound in the 7th. The side-arm pitcher faced only two men - and they both reached. Kotchman walked and Izturis drove the ball back up the middle. So with the go ahead run coming to the plate in Mike Napoli, the man who hit the solo home run in the 5th, Francona decided to make a change. Unfortunately his choice was Manny Delcarmen.

The Other Manny, as Dad likes to call him, missed the last two games because of the flu. And based on today's outing, Delcarmen is still sick. Like Lopez before him, Delcarmen also faced only two batters and again, both got on base. Napoli walked to load the bases and then Aybar got an infield single to drive in Kotchman. So the bases are still loaded and there's still no body out. Time for another pitching change.

This time it's Okajima. Okay, I thought, now the inning will end with the Sox lead still intact. Wrong. Chone Figgins singles to right field and drives in the tying run in Maicer Izturis. Still bases loaded. Still nobody out. Then Gary Matthews, Jr comes to the plate. The man who hit two home runs last night had no signs of slowing down as he hit a double up the middle to drive in two more runs and give the Angels a 5-3 lead. Even though Okie had given up two more hits to drive in three more runs Francona left him in. So, to play it safe (and maybe get his focus back) Okajima intentionally walked Guerrero. Then Garret Anderson and Torii Hunter both struck out and Kotchman, who started off the inning with a walk, popped out to Lugo to end to this very painful inning.

The Sox looked like they were going to make a stand when Manny made it to 2nd on a fly ball to deep center that caused Hunter and Matthews to collide. But that hope was dashed when Youkilis grounded out to Aybar to end the 7th.

Aardsma came in for the 8th and I actually thought we might have a 1,2,3 inning after Izturis grounded out to Pedroia and Napoli struck out. But Lowrie took his eye off Aybar's bunt and allowed him to reach first and then steal second. Then Figgins walked and Matthews is suddenly back at the plate readying his bat. And surprise, surprise, he doubles off the monster to drive in Aybar. 6-3 Angels. The 8th inning ended the same way the 7th did. Only instead of Kotchman popping out to Lugo, it was Guerrero popping out to Crisp in shallow center.

Scot Shields came in for the 8th and I was hoping he'd have a repeat of Tuesday's outing. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Lowrie, Lugo and Crisp all grounded out for another 1,2,3, inning.

Tavarez came in for the 9th and after the first pitch it was clear Mr. Hyde was gracing us with his presence. Garrett Anderson, who up until this point was 0-4 on the day, lined one to right and then proceeded to steal 2nd because Tavarez wasn't paying any attention to him. Lowrie saved Tavarez when he made an amazing catch to knock out Hunter and keep Anderson at 2nd. But that save lost its meaning when a pitch to Kotchman got away from Cash and moved Anderson to 3rd. Izturiz did fly out to left field, but the ball was deep enough to get Anderson home. Another run was in and now the score was 7-3 Angels.

There was one more inning for the Sox. We only needed four runs. And the top of the order was coming up. It was possible. It looked even more likely when Ellsbury who was 0-4 on the day singled to left. Ellsbury's speed saved Pedroia's ground ball to 3rd from becoming a double play and then Big Papi stepped into the batter's box. The man who's known for being the best clutch hitter in baseball was also 0-4 for the day. But based on the sudden track record, I was sure Papi was going to shine. And boy did he shine. Scot Shields threw the ball and Papi crushed it to right - almost the exact same spot as last night. 7-5 Angels. And Manny was up. But Angels manager Mike Scioscia wasn't going to take any chances. He pulled Scot Shields for their closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Now Manny homered off Rodriguez last year during the ALDS, so there was still the possibility of a win. And when Manny smacked that ball it looked like it was going out to the seats in straight away center field. But the wind that helped the Sox get their early lead in the fourth inning held the ball up long enough for Torii Hunter to get under it and make the catch for the final out of the game. So the Sox came up short and lost the series 2-1 to the Angels.

It was a tough loss for the Fenway Faithful and the Red Sox staff. But I bet the person hit hardest was the young pitcher making his major league debut. Masterson walked off that field feeling like a million bucks and was forced to watch those more experienced than him lose it all on several misplaced pitches and one very long inning.

Streak Ends--But Papi Still Coming Back!-Peter

Well, all winning streaks must end, and so the Sox' 6 gamer went by the boards tonight. But it wasn't so much their poor play as it was an ununiformed ally for the Halos. Some form of flu bug got the Diceman and he was scratched for Lester, who gamely took on the task on just 3 days' rest. He wasn't great and got hammered for a total of four runs over the innings he pitched. However, the Sox bats, at least for awhile, kept pace. After trailing two-zip, then three-one and four-two, Paps came up and crushed one for a deuce for the Hub Hose, 4-4. It looked like they might once again come from behind and win, but it was not to be.

Casey Kotchman got a solo shot off the Sox bullpen crew, followed in the ninth by Mathews second solo round tripper of the night (yes, Jenn--off Timlin, not that it made any difference in the outcome), and the game was gone.

Good thing, though--Papi continues his comeback, and now has the 3d highest number of ribbies in the league, at 18. Manny's in 2d with 20. Four Sox hitters are in the Top 10 in the league in B.A. as well.

Flu Ends the Red Sox Winning Streak - Jenn

The flu is running rampant through the Sox dugout and I believe it was the reason behind last night's loss.

See, Dice-K was supposed to pitch, but like Tuesday night, he was a late scratch. Why? Because he'd come down with the flu. So Lester, on only three days rest, volunteered to pitch. Now you may say one player with the flu does not a loss make. But Dice-K wasn't the only one out. Varitek was still laid up, as was Manny Delcarmen and Beckett's stiff neck has also turned into the flu. Youkilis, the man who won Tuesday's game with a two-shot home run over the green monster was also out. But not with the flu. He missed last night's game due to a sore back.

But back to Lester. He hasn't been doing well. Every start so far this season has had a rocky inning or two. Last night was no different. Only instead of one or two rocky innings, last night all five were bad. Every inning Lester pitched (except the fourth) saw the Angels score a run. Lester only threw 80 pitches, but those 80 pitches ended up giving the Angels 9 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs, two of which were solo shots from Gary Matthews, Jr. over the green monster. Gary should actually thank Lester. Those two pitches helped Matthews hit his 100th career home run in a ballpark that's seen a lot of career defining moments. Congrats Gar.

So the pitching was sub par, but the Sox offense fought back. They scored a run in the second and the third and the score was 3-2. But then in the 5th, Matthews his his 2nd home run of the night to put the Angels on top 4-2. Lester managed to get out of the inning without any further damage and it was the Sox's turn to even the score. And even the score they did. Actually one man was responsible for the Sox tying things up. His name - David Ortiz. That's right, Big Papi proved once again his slump is coming to a close when he slammed the ball just over the head of Vladimir Guerrero and into the 3rd row of seats in right field. A two run shot and just like that the score was tied. I was beginning to think we were going to have a repeat of Tuesday's game. But alas, such sugarplum thoughts were not to be.

With the flu taking out a third of our pitching staff, a new kid was brought up for middle relief. We've seen Craig Hansen before, and he was good. But last night he just wasn't good enough. Aybar was the first batter he faced and he grounded out to Lugo. Then Mathis struck out. And as I was beginning to think we were going to get out of the inning unscathed, Casey Kotchman got his second home run in as many nights when he lined the ball into the Sox bullpen. Angels 5, Red Sox 4.

The Sox had opportunities to tie the score back up in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings. But as is unfortunately very common for the Sox, they couldn't turn those hits into runs. Over nine innings the Sox got wood on the ball 10 times. But they only managed to cross home plate four.

Although the Angels wouldn't need the insurance run, they managed to get one more off the oldest pitcher in the bullpen. That's right Mike Timlin took over in the 9th and after getting the first two batters he faced out, Guerrero singled to left and stole 2nd. Then Hunter came to bat and sent the ball up the middle to drive in Vladdie. Hunter was called out when he tried to get to 2nd base on the throw home, but not before Vladdie added the Angels 6th and final run to the scoreboard.

So, unlike the past few nights, the Sox wouldn't bounce back. Blame the flu, injury, whatever; the fact is we're missing some key players who could've helped bring the score back around to our side of the fence. But what could've been doesn't matter. What matters is what actually happened and unfortunately the final score remained 6-4 Angels.

There's one more game against the Halos this afternoon. Here's hoping another newby from the farm will help my Sox take the series. Justin Masterson will make his major league debut against Angles lefty Joe Saunders. Should be an interesting match up and as always I can't wait.

The Winning Streak Continues - Jenn

It was another come from behind win as both Ellsbury and Pedroia helped the Sox take their fifth game in a row from the Angels.

The bad news came about a half hour before game time that Beckett wouldn't play due to a stiff neck. So David Pauley, a kid literally on his way back to Pawtucket, got a call on his cell telling him to turn around, he was going to the show. While there were no police escorts, the guy showed up and was ready to take the mound when the game started at 7 pm eastern. His first two innings were very strong, going three up three down, and just as I started thinking we could have a repeat of Buchholz's no hitter last season, Izturas came to bat in the third and smacked one to center for the first Angels double of the night. There would be several more over the next two innings as the Angels would take an early lead of 5-1 by the middle of the fourth.

But this is Fenway park and our beloved Sox have a penchant for coming from behind. And by the end of the 5th inning Dream Weaver had turned into a Nightmare. It started in the 4th when with a lead of four runs Weaver threw a ball that JD drove up the middle for a base hit. After Casey flied out, Cash lined to center and with two out and two men on, Lugo's grounder found its way into right field to drive in JD. 5-2 Angels. Ellsbury would ground to 3rd for the final out, but the Sox were just getting started.

Once Pauley allowed another hit in the 5th, he was gone and Tavarez, in the form of Dr. Jekyll, took the mound. That was the end of the Angels scoring - for the time being. And it was a good thing because it allowed the Sox to pound the hell out of the Angels and come back to tie the game in the fifth.

It all started with Pedroia who on an 0-2 pitch drove one to right that got over Vladdie and bounced into the seats for a ground rule double. That brings the hitting streak to 11 games for last year's rookie of the year. Then Ortiz hit a ball through the shift and drove in Pedroia to make the score 5-3. Unfortunately Vlad would catch the ball that Manny lined just past Pesky's Pole and now there were two outs. But Youk was coming up. While Kevin Youkilis is not known for his home runs, this is a man who's at the top of the league for driving the ball for extra bases. Last night was no different. On a 2-2 count Youk launched the ball over the green monster to tie the game. Weaver would end up getting the next two outs to keep the game tied, but the damage had been done and Weaver's night was over.

In the bottom of the 6th, Ellsbury would continue the rain of runs as he hit his second solo shot of the night to right field giving the Sox the lead. (The 24 year-old outfielder started the game with a solo shot, the fourth game opening home run of Weaver's career.)

Unfortunately the one-run lead would only last until the top of the 8th when Okajima gave up the tying run to Kotchman. Okie would get the next two batters out, but then Ayvar doubled off the wall and Francona was forced to replace him with my favorite pitcher - Mike Timlin. I prayed he wouldn't let the Angels get the lead and my prayers were answered as he got Chone Figgins to ground to Lugo for the final out of the inning.

Now with the game tied, the Angels brought in their closer - Scot Shields. While Shields is great, he sucks against the Sox. They've got his number. At Fenway he's 0-3 with an ERA of 17.65. Last night both those numbers got larger as with one out and Ellsbury on first, Pedroia, again, sent the ball down the third base line to the corner to get Ellsbury home and give the Sox the lead.

Papelbon would replace Timlin (thank God) to make sure that lead stuck. And stick it did as Pap struck out two and got Anderson to pop out to Manny Ramirez for the final out of the game bringing his saves to a total of 8.

I hope tonight's game goes as well, as it seems the Sox are starting to drop like flies. Dice-K was another last minute scratch as he's come down with the flu. Youk was scratched due to a sore back from a play he made last night. Varitek is still out with the flu as is "the other Manny". Sounds like the team failed to get their flu shots this year. The good news is that Beckett's expected to make his next start and Lowell's improving slowly but surely. We'll have to wait and see if we can keep this winning streak going.

Truly A Team Effort!-Peter

First of all, before I begin dissecting the ways that this was a team effort, let it be noted here that this win is DEFINITELY going to be regarded as a mixed blessing by Jenn. You all know what a mixed blessing is. It's the sort of thing that occurs when your mother-in-law drives over a cliff in your new Ferrari. Anyway, tonight's version of that situation--Timlin was the winning pitcher! In his third consecutive good outing, he came in and got credit for the win, pitching a perfect third of an inning.

As for the rest of the team, virtually everyone had something to do with the victory. Things started off bad before the game, as Beckett was scratched due to a stiff neck (on top of his previous bad back?). What in hell is going on with the guy? Josh--close the window by your bed when you sleep; get a new mattress; try yoga;do something--this is getting serious! In his stead the Sox called up someone from the Pawsox, Pauley, who had three appearances last year with OK results.

However, tonight wasn't OK. After being given a quick one run lead, complements of Ellsbury's first of what would become two homers in the Sox half of the first, he quickly surrendered, in successive innings, 3 runs and 2 runs--Sox down, 5-1. In fact, he didn't even make it out of the fifth. But, at that point, things began to turn around for our heroes.

Tavarez replaced him with one gone in the fifth and, to use Jenn's description of Julian, we got Dr. Jekyll tonight. Thank God! He pitched through the sixth without giving up any runs. Then, when he tired in the 7th, putting the first two men he faced on base, Okajima arrived, Hideki on the spot, and closed out that inning with no further damage. By the way, when he came in, the Sox had already taken the lead, 6-5.

That hadn't come all at once. They'd gotten back in front with one in the 4th, 3 in the 5th (another ribbie by Papi as he continues the trek back and a two-spot shot by Youk) and the go-ahead run in the 6th on Ellsbury's second roundtripper of the evening. You can see what I mean by truly a team effort.

However, as things proceeded through the Angels' eighth, Oki suffered his first blown save of the year, giving up a game-tying HR to Kotchman. Enter the soon-to-be mixed blessing. One batter, four pitches and the inning was over. I truly think that Mike's early disasters this year were due to his torn knuckle rehab and the fact that he didn't really have a true spring training to get to regular season shape. The early beat downs by the 'Stripes were, in effect, his spring training, and now he's looking better every time he goes out to the mound. Like I previously said, you don't hang around long enough to own four rings if you're lousy. Will there be future disasters? Probably from time to time. But can he pitch? Oh, Yeah--he definitely knows how, and will continue to prove it, more often than not, in this his final year (by his own plan) before hanging them up.

So what else has yet to be said about this evening's team effort? You have to ask? P-Save, Papelbon, came in and faced three hitters, getting the first two on strikes and the final one on a harmless fly. Most impressive was his K against the Angels' guaranteed future Hall member, Vlad Guerrero. Zip, ZIp, ZIP--and Vlad was toast--burnt toast, at that.It's amazing how badly a laser can burn toast. Game over.

All told, Sox got 16 hits, seven of them for extra bases, including the previously mentioned pair of circuits by Jake. Dusty was 4-5 with three two baggers. This makes the tenth game this season the Sox have come back from being behind to win, and the ninth in a row they've scored at least five runs in.

See ya' tomorrow!

Patriots Day and a Clean Sweep - Jenn

First I want to apologize for having been out of the loop for a few days, I was out of town. But I'm back now and what a homecoming.

Since today's Patriot's Day's game was so early (it may have been 11 on the east coast but that's 8 am for me) the Red Sox bar I go to all the time made special arrangements to open early just for the event. Before I talk about the game, I want to give a shout out to my favorite Sox bar in LA County - Fat Faced Fenner's Fishack. It's on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach and it's great. I've been going there to watch both the Sox and the Patriots for so many years, I'm now a regular and know most of the hardcore patrons. Anyway, since this morning was such an early start, Rob, one of the bartenders, decided to open the back bar at 7:30 just for us hardcore fans to watch the game. So at 8 am, just before the first pitch, I joined the handful of die hard Sox fans who decided to blow off work to watch the game.

And what a game. We outscored, outhit and just outplayed the Rangers in the final game of a four game series. Pedroia went 2 for five, extending his hitting streak to 10 games and Papi's coming back strong. First his grand slam on Friday and two more hits today driving in three of the Sox's 8 runs to bring his batting average up to .177. Sure that average may not be standard for Papi, but it's going up, and that's all that matters.

All those runs are owed to Texas' middle relief. Kason Gabbard was doing a fine job keeping his former team at bay until the second inning when in the middle of a pitch he stumbled and rolled an ankle. He finished out the inning but gave up three walks which luckily for him didn't turn into any runs. He seemed to be doing okay until he came out to warm up in the bottom of the third inning. His foot just didn't feel right, so they pulled him and in came the Sox's saving grace - Dustin Nippert.

Over the 2.1 innings Nippert pitched, he gave up 4 walks, 9 hits and 8 runs, giving him an ERA of 16.62. The Rangers would never recover. Buchholz threw 103 pitches (the most so far this season) over a solid six innings. He may have given up five hits and two walks, but he struck out six batters.

Aardsma was the reason the Sox couldn't finish the series with a shutout. In an unusual turn, Aardsma only pitched 2/3 of an inning, and while he struck out two, he walked two and gave up a hit. Those miscues turned into two runs for Texas. They would score once more in the 9th against Delcarmen, but there was never any fear the Rangers would catch the Sox.

Since the Yankees don't play today they can't lose, which means the best we've got is a 3.5 game lead over the evil empire, but today's game keeps the Sox at the top of American League East and brings their winning streak to five. Tomorrow the Los Angeles Angels come to Boston to face Beckett for the first time this season, and if it's anything like the last time Beckett pitched, it's going to be a great game!

One If By Land, Two if by Sea & I'll Hit Off the Wall for Three!-Peter

Apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but what else can I say about Papi's performance on a game celebrated in honor of Patriot's Day (even though the 'real' P.Day is the eighteenth). I become more convinced every day that Papi's back, or getting damn near to it. Today, as the Sox removed any doubt of the outcome early, Papi got two doubles, the last a ringing shot off the Monster, and drove in three of the team's eight runs.
After former Sox future pitching star, Kason Gabbard, traded to Texas last year in the Gagne fiasco, left with a stiff back, having pitched two shutout innings, the Bosox started to light things up. Staring with five runs in the fourth, capped by Papi's sun-hidden double, they continued the onslaught with another three in the fifth, again capped by Papi's double, this one the wallbanger. The Sox mopup crew gave up the three Texas runs deep into the game, the first two coming off Aardsma in the seventh on a pair of RBI doubles. The final run crossed the plate in the ninth off Delcarmen. Buchholz had a fairly good start, pitching six shutout innings and striking one batter in each inning.
Manny had the day off after yesterday's ejection, and Casey, also got the day off as he's a lefty swinger going against Gabbard, also a lefty. Both Ellsbury and Pedroia had a pair of hits, Lugo had four, and Lugo and Jake stole bases, Jake getting his 7th and 8th of the season.

Sox have now won five in a row, and 9 of 10, and have scored at least five runs in 9 consecutive games. Let's hope this continues for awhile, and that Papi continues to get that stroke back.

Personal comment: when I was a kid in Boston, there wasn't a Patriots Day game--it was a double header, first game starting at 10 a.m. and 2d beginning at 1:05. This allowed the fans to come to Fenway and see the first game, leave to catch the end of the Boston Marathon at nearby Kenmore Square and then return to Fenway for the 2d game. Today no-one plays twin-bills unless one is a makeup game. That's a real loss, but what can you do?

I Think He's Back!-Peter

Well, to once again quote a Yankee, Yogi by name, "It ain't over til it's over." That really sums up the Sox performance today. Facing a good pitcher who spent time with Atlanta while they were running roughshod over the NL, Kevin Millwood, I was thinking the Sox would really need their hitters on today. Sure enough, starting with their leadoff hitter opening the game with a home run, the Sox found themselves behind and continued to get more and more in that situation as the game went on. Finally, after Milton Bradley (whom I never cared for--attitude) popped a 3 run HR in the sixth, the Sox were down 5-0 and showing little likelihood of turning things around.

Manny'd been tossed in the second for arguing an umpire's call at the plate and no-one else seemed to be doing much with the stick. By the end of the sixth, Millwood had an ERA in the one's. However, following Yogi's dictum, things began to change in the 7th. Papi and JD each hit RBI singles to close to 5-2. Then, the penultimate eighth--after the first two Sox batters were quickly retired, Lowrie banged a double to left. Papi promptly took advantage of the opportunity by driving him home with a sharp single, 5-3. That's 2-4 today, and though both singles, they DID drive in runs and seem to prove, along with his performances earlier this week, that Papi may indeed be nearly back to his old self. Pedroia pinch hit and brought Papi across with a ringing double. As the ball came in a bit off line, Dusty got to third on the error, setting up an opportunity for Youk. However, the Rangers intentionally walked him, and not so intentionally walked the next two batters. Suddenly, the score read 6-5 Sox, complements of the Ranger's bullpen and Millwood had nothing to show for his efforts.

That was it, but it was all they needed. Papelbon, as Jenn's T-shirt says, saved--seven pitches for a perfect inning and the game was a W for the Sox.

These last two games really illustrate the wisdom of Yogi's homily. Sox try to complete the four game sweep tomorrow when Patriot's Day is celebrated (even though us old-timers remember when the actual date was April 18 and it was then celebrated).

Manny, Papi & Pap--It's Almost Like Old Times!-Peter

Well, there they were--trailing by a run as they rolled into the later innings, and getting not much at the plate. In fact, after the first couple of innings, when they got three hits and briefly (after the first inning) led, 2-1, they weren't getting anything at all. This is one of those unfortunate (if it's your team not getting the hits) circumstances when you have a pitcher who enters the game with an ERA of somewhere around 9 all of a sudden pitching like he appeared to once upon a time in his past when some scout found him at Out In the Middle of Nowhere High School between chores on the farm. The game started a bit like the previous one with Texas getting a single run at the top of the first, and then the Sox coming back in the bottom to take the lead by the aforementioned 2-1. I figured "no problem", expecting by the third or fourth we'd be ahead by at least five or six runs. Unfortunately, that's all the Sox were to get for awhile. On the fortunate side of things, Lester finally settled down and didn't allow any more runs.

However, the Rangers did have plenty of opportunities. I mean they finished up having left 13 men on base. I often look at the box scores after a game and add each side's LOB to the score to see who would have won if they'd brought everyone who reached base around to score. This game--wouldn't have been pretty for the Sox. BUT THEY DIDN'T.

Which brings us to the fateful eighth--Already one gone and Dusty comes up and promptly lines a shot off the Monster and ends up standing on second. Papi comes up and hits a solid single past a diving second baseman, bringing Dusty home with the tying run. Then Manny launches one over the Monster, the Monster seats, basically everything--Hello, Landsdowne Street-- and the Sox have the lead again, 5-3.

Manny's not just hitting; he's showing power that could help support the Space Shuttle program if they ever have a shortage of rocket fuel for their launch vehicles. After his shot, and the end of the inning, Papelbon came in and slammed the door. Though he did give up a harmless single, the outcome was never in doubt. Even better, to add to the joy of Sox fans everywhere, the Yankees fell again to the Birds, six zip.

Papi's BACK (I hope)!

Sox down in the early going, one zip; two outs and then suddenly the Sox load the bases. Up comes Big Papi. One swing of the bat and the folks in the Monster Seats have a souvenir--one that has been sorely lacking so far this season--four-one, Sox! The Hub Hose continued to pile it on in the next inning, capped by Dusty's home run so that by the end of the fourth it was 9-1, Sox. It remained that way until the Diceman gave up a two run shot into the bullpen to the Rangers' Hank Blalock.

Dice was not really cruising. He had thrown 62 pitches in the first three innings, but somehow held on, limiting the Rangers to that single run in the third. He came out after Blalock's homer, Francona apparently figuring (correctly, in my opinion) that there was no reason to push things much farther. Lopez took over and gave up only a single walk in 1 2/3 innings. Next came Aardsma for another shutout inning and Timlin finished up with a perfect inning. Yes, you read that correctly--a PERFECT INNING. Two of the outs were even grounders. Maybe he should pitch to anybody EXCEPT the 'Stripers.

So, here we are--two in a row and six of seven. Feeling good. On the subject of Papi, tonight's his best showing so far this season, and hopefully, it's the precursor of many more. Not only did he park one on top of the Monster, he finished off the Sox scoring later in the game with an RBI single. If stats mean anything, he just may have regained that awesome stroke that has kept the Fenway Faithful happy for the last five years or so.

He's The Man-ny!

The headline says all you have to know! Twice in the early stages of the game, Manny came to the plate--once with the bases empty in the first and an inning later with a man on--and proceeded to deposit the horsehide in the seats for the 55 thousand plus fans to scramble for the ball. His second rivaled his Volvo-sign rocket of last week at Fenway for sheer awe-inspiring power. It was truly a monster shot! With these two, he takes sole possession of 24th place on the all-time home run list, dropping the greatest first baseman ever, Lou Gehrig to the rear. He also is now the player with the third highest HR total against the 'Stripes in history. Even better, the first two: Jimmie Foxx and Teddy Ballgame also both played for the Sox. All you Yankees fans who hate the Sox, try to explain your way around that one--can't do it, can ya'.

Back to the game--as things continued to roll along, by the time the game was barely half over, the lead was seven zip, Sox. In addition to Manny, Dusty, Youk, Drew and Tek all had multi-hit games, and, just as good--the first two times Ellsbury faced Mussina, he was hit and promptly stole second base. Works just as well as successive doubles. It also keeps the pitcher on edge and doesn't allow him to maintain the full concentration he needs when facing a lineup like the one the Sox put on the field.

On the defensive side of things, Beckett was almost like the guy we got used to seeing last year. He's still probably a tiny bit behind on conditioning, but he gave the team eight solid innings, spoiled only by a three run fifth when the Yanks briefly got to him. But he recovered nicely to close out that inning before things got totally out of hand, and then continued putting up zeroes on the board through the eighth, then giving way to Papelbon for the close.

Pap let things get a bit scary, but did close out the game with his second K of the inning and we're 3-2 for the young season against the boys from the Bronx. Next time we meet them will be same place for four in early July. Hopefully, by then, we'll not just be a game up in first as we are now, but have a nice fat lead--and with Papi fully recovered from this damn slump.

I Hate Yo-Yo's - Jenn

Up and down. Up and down. That's what a yo-yo does. And that's what the Red Sox were last night.

I knew it was going to be an interesting evening when Wang, who was lights out when the Sox faced him last Friday, walked Pedroia. Wang who rarely gives up a walk, gave up three in the first four innings and Pedroia was the first. He'd eventually come around to score on a double by Manny Ramirez and it looked like maybe we could extend the winning streak to five. Unfortunately Clay Buchholz gave up three runs in the 2nd half of the first inning and the yo-yo began.

It's a sad state of affairs when your offense is working its butt off and yet the defense is taking a nap. Actually it wasn't all the defense, just the pitching. Last night's pitching staff was horrible on both sides. It just happened to be worse on ours. Buchholz, the starter, only made it 3.2 innings before he was pulled for giving up 8 hits and 7 runs. Julian Tavarez would come in for the last out of the third and eventually give up four more runs over his inning and a third. Clearly the Tavarez of '06 was back again. I swear this guy's a regular Jekyll and Hyde, too bad you never know what you're gonna get. Last night Hyde was back.

Aardsma would take over for two shutout innings making him the only beacon in a foggy sea of bad pitching. With only 2 hits over his two innings, his ERA is now a healthy 1.80. Too bad Timlin's not in the same ballpark.

Timlin may have saved face the other night with a scoreless inning against the Tribe, but the pitching challenged man I hate so much was back in glorious form last night. He came in for the 8th inning and the Sox were only down by two runs. Unfortunately by the time time Timlin left the mound, the Sox would be down by 6. Over that one inning Timlin would give up three hits, two walks and four runs. And while Giambi didn't homer off him again, he did get a double to drive in two. At this rate I wonder if Giambi is paying Timlin to make him look good. The man who can't hit anything, seems to hit everything Timlin throws at him.

While the yo-yo continued through all nine innings, the fifth inning is when it really took off. The score was 7-3 Yanks. It looked like the game was over and there were still five innings left. But then a miracle happened. The first five men that Wang faced reached and three more runs scored before he was pulled for Ohlendorf. But he didn't fare much better giving up two more hits and two walks. By the time the inning was over the Sox had batted around, Pedroia had gotten two hits in one inning, and they were back in the lead 9-7. Unfortunately, that lead wouldn't last long thanks to Tavarez who I've already talked about.

By the time the fifth inning was over, an unbelievable 50 minutes later, 19 batters had come to the plate, there were 10 hits, 10 runs were scored and a whopping 72 pitches were thrown. In one inning. I should've turned the TV off at that point. But I'm a masochist and had to see how it'd all turn out. As I've already mentioned, it didn't turn out well for our boys from Boston. But today's a new day and Beckett's back on the mound. Here's hoping we can turn things around.

UGLY!-Peter

Not much to say about this one. Normally, when you score nine runs and get 14 hits, you win. Unfortunately, every single Sox pitcher except Aardsma was worse than terrible. That includes Jenn's favorite, Timlin. Middle of the game when it was beginning to look like this one wasn't going to be the Sox' night, we sent 11 men to the plat and got SIX RUNS in the inning--Sox 9, Yanks 7. Unfortunately, we gave it all back in an inning, four runs, in fact, and it continued downhill from there. Papi continued his slow recovery from the slump with a single; Manny( 3-4),JD(3-5) and Casey(2-3) all had multi-hit results, as did Dusty (2-5),but it was not to be tonight. What makes it even more frustrating was that we drove Wang from the mound after only four innings and change (he left in the 5th with no-one out), getting 9 hits, three walks and 8 earned runs from him. Too bad-- a wasted effort. Well, tomorrow's another day. Hopefully, it will have another result.

A Clean Sweep Thanks to the Rookies - Jenn

Last night it was all about the rookies. A guy who made quite an entrance during the '07 post season and another who made his MLB debut last night. Their names: Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie.

After four scoreless innings and one out in the top of the fifth, Jacoby Ellsbury came to the plate. And on a 2-1 pitch he lined to right. Ellsbury could have been out at second except Gutierrez bobbled the ball and the throw got away from the 2nd baseman. Gutierrez got the error and allowed Ellsbury to land on 2nd with just one out.

Lugo was up next and his second single of the night moved Ellsbury to 3rd. Then the new kid came to the plate. He'd already struck out once, but this time things went a little differently. The first pitch he lined just foul down the first base line. The second he grounded to the shortstop. It looked like the end of the inning and another blown opportunity for the Sox. But instead of the double play, Lowrie's speed allowed him to reach first and Ellsbury scored. While Lowrie didn't get a hit, he did get his first RBI and put the Sox on the board with their first run of the night.

Then in the 7th it started again. But this time instead of the score reading 0-0, it now read Sox 1, Indians 2. The Tribe had the lead, Youkilis was up and Jorge Julio had taken over the mound. Youkilis walked on four pitches. Ellsbury walked on five. And that was the end of Julio. Rafael Perez didn't fare much better when he took over. Somehow Lugo made it to first on a bunt bid that popped up but wasn't caught and now the bases were loaded with Lowrie coming to the plate.

All it took was four pitches. The first two were strikes, the third Lowrie lined foul down the 3rd baseline. The fourth was another strike, but this strike took a trip through the infield, past the diving shortstop and ended up in short left. That ground ball got Youkilis and Ellsbury across home, gave the Sox a 3-2 lead, and landed Lowrie on first. The rookie got two more RBI's and his first hit in the big leagues. (Since his earlier RBI was scored as a fielder's choice, this was the one that counted and the ball he'd take home.) Lowrie would come to bat once more in the game and strike out. But three RBI's for his debut should make the rookie very proud and the Fenway Faithful happy to know there's another man to back up Lowell during inter league play.

While the Indians would come back to tie it up in the 7th, and a pinch homer from Varitek in the 9th are what everyone's talking about, the final out by Ellsbury is what I remember. Another spectacular catch from the 24 year-old who makes so many it's almost expected. This time around there were no amazing dives or spectacular dodging of chairs in the visitors bullpen. This time it was a sprint toward the seats and a catch that actually took the ball away from a first row spectator. No fan interference here. Ellsbury had that ball in his glove and there would be no argument from the Tribe. That catch saved the victory and guaranteed the sweep.

Now onto the Bronx and a two-game series against the evil empire. But this time around the Sox are a game ahead and have won four games in a row. With Buchholz and Wang facing each other for the second time, it's going to be a great game.

Don't You Love the Drama?-Peter

Well, here we are again--ninth inning and needing a run to take the lead so our closer(s) can nail down another victory. Last night it was 4-3 Tribe entering the ninth and the Sox bats came through, followed by another Papelbon laserium. Tonight we entered the ninth at least tied, but still needing a run to nail it down and avoid the added stress, wear and tear of extra innings.

Wake started and was doing pretty well entering the fifth; even had a 1-0 lead. The Indians, however, worked a two-spot out of him, combining two walks and a like number of singles for the deuce. They still had men on base, but Wake avoided more damage by getting a grounder for a well timed twin killing. That's the way the score remained until the Sox 7th. The first two Sox hitters were walked and then Lugo tried a bunt. As I've said previously, they call this a game of inches. The bunt doesn't go to the ground instantly, but stays airborne long enough for the Tribe reliever to get a good shot at a catch for the out. Had this happened, a DP very well might have resulted and goodbye rally. But, for whatever reason, it wasn't caught--only caromed off his glove. "In play", you say. So why not pick it up and wing it to 2d or 3d and at the very least get the lead runner or the next in line? Well, the gods were really looking out for the Sox on this one. It went from the pitcher's glove through the catcher's legs as he went out to assist if needed. When the smoke cleared, there were Sox players on every base. Jed Lowrie, just called up last week from the Pawsox wasted little time. Jumping on a pitch he liked, he placed it into center field for a two run single, and the Sox had reclaimed the lead.

Unfortunately, the Indians wasted little time in knotting the score again. Bottom of the same inning, they quickly loaded the bases and then 'The Other Manny', Delcarmen to you, hit the Tribe first sacker, Garko, with a pitch forcing in a run. That was all he'd allow, though and we rolled through a mutually scoreless eighth. Aardsma came in during that inning with two already gone, fired two pitches and the stage was set for the ninth inning heroics.

With one gone, our captain, Jason Varitek, came in as a pinch hitter. Since Wakefield started and Tek doesn't catch him, he'd been letting Cash handle the duties as Wake's latest iteration of Doug Mirabelli. But with Wake long gone by now, it made sense to get Tek into the game, particularly as Cash was already 0-3 on the evening and hitting only .200. Tek worked the count to 1-2, and then drove the next pitch to the opposite field for the lead, 4-3. His third HR of the young season, it's also his third career pinch homer. Couldn't have come at a better time.

We could use a little insurance here, though. The Tribe has some very good hitters. So, insurance runs requested--insurance run delivered. The Sox proceeded to load 'em up and Youk delivered a single for the final run.

This,of course, presented Francona with a bit of a dilemma. Who to send out for the finish? Papelbon had done a spectacular job last night, but he may be needed tomorrow in Yankee Stadium, so ideally he doesn't go tonight so he can stay fresher than those eggs you had for breakfast this morning. Aardsma could have gone on, but he's not really a closer. So the task fell to Okajima. No problemo! Twelve pitches, nine of them strikes and another perfect inning is in the books, including two K's. Game over once again and Okajima didn't even break a sweat.

Some commentary: the rookie playing third tonight, looked pretty good. Handled all his chances cleanly and drove in a trey, even though he was just one for four. Timely hits are always appreciated and his certainly was. Papi also got a single, that's three hits in two games. He's still got quite a way to come back, but these hits can only help him regain his eye and his confidence. Hopefully, it won't be very long before he's crushing the ball again.

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The Ghost of the ALCS Still Haunts Cleveland - Jenn

Tonight's game was starting to bring back horrible memories of October. The Sox were down by three runs, similar to the three games they were down just five months ago. But just like they did back in October, our boys from Boston fought their way back and got the win.

Lester gave another sub-par performance allowing 5 hits, 5 walks, and 4 runs over just 4 1/3 innings. So by the time the 4th was over, the 1 run lead the Sox had in the first, had turned into a 3 run deficit. But again, it was only the 4th inning. There were 5 left and as the Sox have proven on more than one occasion, they have a way of making a comeback.

Tonight was one of those comebacks. And the two men that made it possible were none other than Manny and Big Papi. That's right, Big Papi was hitting again. And he didn't just get one hit. He got two. Neither of them were the clutch, awe-inspiring hits we're used to. But a hit is a hit. And actually, now that I think about it, one of them was clutch. It was a 2 out bloop single in the top of the ninth.

Lugo had already scored on Pedroia's sacrifice fly to deep left. And Papi stepped to the plate with two outs in the inning. If he struck out, as he already had twice, the Indians would be going to the 9th with a tie score and a chance of taking the win. Especially if Timlin stayed in (but more on him later). But instead, on a 1-1 pitch, Ortiz hit the ball to short left. This was the rare occasion when the shift helped Ortiz instead of hurt him. See, with the shift on, the third baseman becomes short stop, the short stop takes over second base and the second baseman takes position in short right. All the outfielders take up their positions deep in the outfield. Because of this positioning Blake couldn't get out fast enough and Michaels couldn't get in. So the ball dropped squarely between them landing Ortiz on first base.

That would be the end of Ortiz. He did what needed to be done and was pulled for the younger, faster Jacoby Ellsbury. That way if Manny got a double, there was a good chance Ellsbury would score and give the Sox the lead. Too bad Ellsbury's speed wouldn't be needed.

Indians closer Joe Borowski threw just one pitch. A pitch that was up and over the plate. And Manny did what he does best - hammered it over the wall in left. It was Manny's third home run of the season that put the Sox on top 6-4, and forced Cleveland to relive the pain of last October. That home run would be enough to bring Papelbon in for the 9th and keep Cleveland in the loss column.

On a side note, some might find the timing of the end of Papi's batting drought quite interesting: within 24 hours of the Yanks uncovering Big Papi's shirt in the foundation of their new stadium, #34 gets two hits. That kind of timing would make some believe the curse that was supposed to be on the Yanks was actually on Ortiz. I however believe it's just a very strange coincidence and what actually got Papi out of his slump was that mental health day I talked about in my last post.

But bigger than Papi's 2 hits was the shocking 1,2,3, 8th inning courtesy of Mike Timlin. That's right Mike Timlin. The same relief pitcher who up until tonight had not retired a single batter in his last two outings and ended last night's game with an astounding 81 ERA. But tonight was a new night. Timlin took the mound and faced three batters. David Dellucci popped out to short left. Franklin Gutierrez lined out to JD Drew in right. And then Indians third baseman, Casey Blake, struck out on just three pitches. Three up, three down and Timlin can finally walk off the mound with his head held high. These three outs bring Timlin's ERA down to a not yet respectable 20.25. And while I'll admit this was a noteworthy feat, I'll also say that even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

So are Ortiz and Timlin finally out of their slumps? The uncovering of a "cursed shirt" says yes. For one of them. Too bad Timlin's jersey wasn't found along with it.

Deja Vu All Over Again-Peter

I know, I know--the title today was first spoken by a Yankee, but since it was Yogi, I'm willing to make an exception and use it. Those must have been some conversations in the '50's between Yogi and his manager, Casey Stengel. But that's for another time and blog, NOT one for our Sox!

Tonight's game was a return matchup of last year's League Championship series, Sox vs. Indians, played in the Jake, in weather that would have generated snow if there were precipitation. Happened yesterday in the Tribe's game against the A's.

This game began well enough. Lester was cruising along through three without a single hit surrendered. The Sox picked up a single run in the first on a Youk two bagger, following a hit, really, a hit, by Papi. More on that later. So we roll into the 4th and the Indians strike. By the end of the inning we're trailing by 2-1, soon to be 4-1 an inning later.

That's the way things continued as inning followed inning, and I'm starting to think, "Christ, can't we get a winning streak longer than two games this season?" At least the middle relievers are doing an outstanding job. Tavarez throws two and two thirds shutout innings, and as if that weren't enough, gets four K's in the process. He even invoked the spirit of El Tiante at one point. Hell, he was impossible to pick up on some of his contortions! Whatever works and thanks to you Luis. All we need now is one of Tiant's thick cheroots in the clubhouse now.

This coincided with the first run in the Sox comeback. Top of the seventh, Lugo and Crisp reach and Pedroia brings home Julio. Two men on with only one out and Papi and Manny coming to bat. Something's got to happen. It did, just not what we wanted. Betancourt struck out both of them. Well, at least we're a run closer. Now if the hurlers can keep holding the Tribe at bay, who knows.

But--Who comes in to pitch with this possibility and everything hanging on the line? I'll give you a hint. I wrote about him last night, agreeing with Jenn. You got it--Timlin! Terry, what are you thinking? But tonight he wasn't the Timlin of this young season. Nosiree--he was the Timlin of 2004 and 2007, the Timlin who owns four Series rings (he got two before coming to Fenway & good or bad so far this season, the man does know HOW to pitch). Entering to open the bottom of the eighth, just after Youk in the top of the inning has brought the Sox another step closer to the Tribe with a shot that had homer written all over it the instant it left the bat, he immediately took command. No fancy flourishes, no BS, just good professional pitching. I and every member of Sox Nation quickly had our worries turn to ecstasy. The man was awesome! Mixing 92 and 93 mph heaters with curves and sliders that looked like they'd fallen off a table, he quickly disposed of the Indian batters--three up, three down, one on strikes. In one fell swoop, his 81 ERA dropped to 20.25. It's not too often you see a hurler cut almost 75% off his ERA in a single inning. But Timlin did it! Maybe I'll rethink my advice of last night. I know Jenn will take more convincing, but I'm willing to think about it. Terry, I should know better than to even consider questioning you. Sorry. Won't happen again.

Which brings us to the top of the ninth and our last three outs. In comes Cleveland's stopper, Borowski. Now you've got a guy here who led the American League last year in saves with 45, so he's not exactly chopped liver. However, he's not lights out like some other closers I can name. In fact, a good way to describe his pitching is it's an adventure--the same way that watching Manny chase down a fly ball sometimes is. Anyway, first guy he faces is Lugo who drives one to left, takes off from the batter's box like he's been scalded and doesn't even slow for the turn at first. No, he's going for two before it even gets near the Indians' left fielder. Add to the fact that said left fielder has the arm of a kid in pre-school and it's a sure thing he'll be standing on second before the dust clears. As it turns out, he makes it in a slide, pops up and is ready to advance to third should the throw-in go awry. It doesn't and Julio's on second--for a second. Crisp drops down a bunt and is barely thrown out in a bang-bang play at the bag--I'm still not sure who won that one, even after several replays. But, more importantly, it leaves Julio standing on third. A sac fly and the game will be tied.

But, at this point the Sox have become sharks with blood in the water. Sac fly? Why settle? They'll do better than that. Yes, Lugo does come home on a sac fly by Pedroia, but the fun's only beginning. Papi comes to the plate. Will he pull off one of his thousand volt shots and simultaneously electrify the citizens of Red Sox Nation and electrocute the fans of the Tribe? He swings and, for once, benefits from the exaggerated shift thrown against him. His ball drops fair into short left, a single--which brings up, who else, Manny.

Borowski throws, Manny swings and the ball is launched like something from a howitzer. Manny takes his usual pose for the requisite two seconds and begins his trot--6-4, Sox. That shot, by the way, puts him in a tie with Lou Gehrig on the all time list at 493. Not such shabby company. Looking forward, ManRam should also pass by such elite players of the past as Mel Ott, Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews, all residents of a particular Hall in upstate New York that will one day also host Manny. The fireworks end at that point, but now it's bottom of the ninth and you know who's coming in--None Other.

Death stare in place, arm appropriately tuned up, he gets the top of the Indians order--strength versus strength. Sizemore gets the first chance. A damn good hitter; he can hurt you. Four pitches later he's a K, with the gun topping out at 97. This guy's not human. Hell, you may have to register that arm as a deadly weapon. Next guy up takes five pitches, but the result is the same. With the exception of an 89 mph slider, all pitches are 93 and up--and the batter is down, another K. Final batter is Hafner, a power hitter who will make you pay for your mistakes. A couple of balls, followed by a quick strike and the final pitch comes burning toward the plate. Hafner hits it a mile, but, unfortunately for Cleveland, a mile will leave it short of the fence and the game is over.

On reflection, I hope that Papi's slump is also over and that Sox are about to break out on a real streak. It's three in a row now, the longest so far in this short season to date. Tavarez is starting to show his ability to burn up batters as well as innings in certain situations. Crisp is hitting like he was supposed to when he came to the Fens in 2006; Drew is hitting like he was expected to when the Sox rescued him from LaLa land. One more at the Jake and then a pair at the Yankees' home park, you know--the House that Ruth Built, aka the House that Hankie Abandoned. Careful, 'Stripes, the spirit of the Shirt is lingering.
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