Bullpen Blows Final Games of the Series - Jenn

While the Red Sox took the first game of the series against the Astros, the bullpen fell flat in games two and three and allowed the Astros to take the series 2-1.

Yesterday, as Dad already explained, we were up, then down, then up again. The last time we were down was due to the bullpen, who's been pretty great as of late. Well, I don't know if they were tired of interleague play or exhausted from their recent homestand. All I know is this is not the bullpen Red Sox Nation is used to seeing.

Aardsma started off great getting through the 6th with no problem. But then the first two batters he faced in the 7th both reached. So Francona pulled Aardsma for Hansen who's been lights out recently. Well yesterday the lights were on as Berkman lined to center scoring Bourn, and a wild pitch allowed Pence to cross home plate bringing them within one. Hansen managed to get the next three batters he faced out, but there were still two innings left.

Since Hansen struggled, Delcarmen came in for the 8th and proceeded to hand the Astros the game. Wigginton homered to deep right to tie it up, Erstad who was pinch hitting lined to center, Pence walked, and Berkman's liner to left scored them both to bring the score to 11-9 Astros. Turns out the walk Delcarmen served up to Pence made all the difference because that's what gave the Astros the win.

Well today's another day and Beckett's on the mound. Unfortunately a new day does not necessarily mean a different turn of events, and while the score was different the outcome was just the same.

With the score tied at 2, Aardsma took the mound for the 8th. He got the first guy out. But then Tejada lined to center and got 2nd on a wild pitch. Okajima came in and although he got Blum to tap the ball back to the mound, it was still enough to get Tejada over to 3rd. Then Loretta, the great Sox 2nd baseman of '06, came in to pinch hit and took Okie's slider to center field allowing Tejada to score the winning run.

Now Aardsma may have been the losing pitcher because Tejada was his runner, but it was Okie's slider to Loretta that allowed him to score. This is that same problem Okie's had all season. If there's a runner on base, and Okie's pitching, odds are 10-1 that runner is going to score. Okie has a hard enough time recording outs when there's no one on base, why make it more difficult by giving him runners from other pitchers? I have no answer to this question, but wonder why Francona continues to put his "set up man" in this position.

Who knows the answer, all I know is what the results show and yesterday and today the results show the bullpen sucking and the opposing team taking advantage and recording the win. Tomorrow it's back to Tampa Bay and a bristling team that's waiting for payback. Should be an interesting series. All I can say is it's a good thing Coco's out of the line-up for the next three games.

Up & Down-Like An Elevator!!--Peter

Well, tonight's game was interesting--in the same way that watching a fly's reaction as you pull off its wings and legs, one at a time is. There's a certain fascination there,but underneath it all, you feel a bit disturbed and once all is said and done, quite unsatisfied at the outcome. Speaking of which, so does the fly. But I digress.

So far as the season has progressed, whenever Jon Lester's been on the mound for the Hose, things have gone pretty well. Tonight started that way as well, but once the Sox hung a big 4 on the board in the 3d, Lester started getting a bit out of character. Before you knew it, the 'Stros had responded to the Sox four spot with a fin of their own, all in the very same 3d inning. To make matters worse, in what was to be Lester's last inning, the 5th, they picked up another run: 6-4, Astros. One of the worst parts of this Houston onslaught was a 3 run shot by former Sox second sacker Mark Loretta that initially put the Houstons ahead.

However, as with any elevator, once the car reaches bottom, it goes back up again. So, in the 6th the Hub Hose tacked on a fiver of their own, punctuated by a run-scoring triple by Jake and a ribbie two-bagger by Youk--Sox up 9-6. This lasted an inning. The elevator then began its descent--6th floor, small appliances, 4th floor, lingerie, 3d floor--well, you get the picture. So, the Astros scored a pair in the 7th followed quickly by a trey in the 8th--'Stros 11-9. This last burst was compliments of The Other Manny-Delcarmen. TOM's been doing fairly well of late, but not tonight--2d floor, men's haberdashery; 1st floor, cosmetics and jewelry--3 runs for Houston. Give the man a Blown Save and the L for the night. Unless the elevator can rise far enough again.

Time for the good old elevator to rise again. And rise it did--just not far enough. Mike Lowell, who was just a triple shy of the cycle, going 4-4, drove his 12th homer into the seats to narrow the deficit to 11-10. Unfortunately, the store closed at that point. Sorry, folks, elevator's closed for the evening. Come back tomorrow and maybe we can get the elevator as high as your hopes this time.

JD Back with a Bang - Jenn

Just when I started worrying that JD had cooled off, he planted one in deep right to quell my fears.

Dad may have been worried about Dice-K going into this game, but I was more concerned about JD. If Dice-K had another bad outing I could let it slide. After all it was only his second time on the mound since coming off the DL and everyone takes time to get their old fire back.

But nothing's wrong with JD. He hasn't been injured or anything and he's still doing some amazing stuff in the outfield. But during the last home stand our faithful right fielder who had been hitting anything that came across the plate had suddenly stopped. In his 19 at bats in Fenway JD only got two hits. That's right two hits. So, you can understand why I was worried. But last night his loud bat quieted my fears.

He may have only had one hit, but that one hit was a three-run shot to deep right that got the Sox on the board. That homer would be the right fielder's 11th. In the month of June. Last season JD had 11 home runs total. He's already got 15 for the season and there are still 3 months left to play. If he keeps hitting this way, he could end up being the team leader in home runs. Something no Red Sox fan would've ever considered since Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are also in the lineup.

But while JD may have added another home run to his 2008 tally, I'm worried why it took him five games to start hitting again. Was he just having problems at Fenway? God, I hope not. There are still another 40 games to play at home and if Fenway means a slump in JD's batting average, that's all bad. With Ortiz still on the DL, we need all the hitting we can get and that means JD needs to continue the streak he had before the Sox returned to Fenway last Friday. I don't care if he hits the balls out of the park or not, he just has to get hits. Because hits lead to runs and runs lead to wins. So, I hope last night was just the beginning and the fire that JD was on eight days ago is burning wildly once again.

Dice, Drew and Papelbon Too!--Peter

Well, tonight's game provided a bit of pregame trepidation for me, based on the Diceman's last outing. Out for a stint on the DL due to shoulder problems that we were told were not serious, he came back last week and was shelled from the game in record (for him) time. He lasted just an inning plus and gave up about everything possible to give up. And that shoulder, we were still assured, was not anything to worry about. Hmmm!

So, my fears were understandable, particularly with the Astros having two certified .300 plus hitters in their lineup. Berkman has been second in the NL all season to Chipper Jones' run at .400 immortality and Tejada, never one of my favorites, is always a threat with the stick.

Dice wasted no time setting out who was boss tonight. First inning: three batters, including the aforementioned Tejada, three K's. Although he ultimately left after just five, his return still not at full condition, he threw nothing but zeroes on the board, picked up 4 K's and had a game WHIP of 1.0. He got credit for the W, too! Hopefully, this is a return to full normalcy for the Diceman.

After matching the Astros output for two innings, the Sox put some runs on the board. With two men on, JD planted one in the cheaps and, just like that, it was three zip, Sox. They added another in the 7th and two in the 9th, but with Drew's shot, they had all they needed to win.

Hansen and T.O.M. each threw a perfect inning, the former needing only 8 pitches, and after Okajima gave up a homer in his 2/3 of an inning, Laser came on to finish up the last 1 1/3 innings throwing perfect baseball on a total of just 13 pitches.

As for Oki's homer, I'm beginning to wonder if he isn't looking at the plate suddenly, totally unlike his normal delivery. Something's amiss. Hopefully, it gets corrected soon for the second half run. Yes, I said second half. Today's game is one beyond half way for the season.

Coco & Cash and a Lotta' Pitcher Panache--Peter

Well, tonight was further proof, if any were necessary, that the Sox have the capability to hit and score on anybody, and from anywhere in their lineup. Although they picked up a run early on some not too impressive stick work, that 1-0 score was about all that was happening against Randy Johnson for five innings. Johnson, who's had his troubles this season, was looking at least somewhat like the RJ of old. True, he wasn't overpowering everyone he faced, but he did manage to add five K's to his second all time lifetime total, and the hits he gave up were, for the most part, fairly scattered.

Now, when that's happening, you get a bit uncomfortable, because you know that at any time a couple of quick BB's mixed with a timely scratch single or two can eliminate your lead in an instant.

Fortunately, Coco was pretty solid with the stick tonight. Picking up three doubles, he was involved in every Sox scoring rally of the evening, and even scored one of the Sox' final runs in the 8th. Ably assisting Coco was Wake's new caddy, Cash. Like his recent predecessor, Mirabelli,not carried for his hitting ability, he nonetheless matched that predecessor in getting a most timely roundtripper to basically salt away the win for Wake and the Sox.

That's all the runs anyone would need this evening. Wake's knuckler was tumbling, floating, fluttering and whatever else a knuckler does when it's working. In seven he gave up only two hits and a walk, leaving him with a game WHIP of under 0.5. Add in six K's and he was on. What makes his stuff even better is that by the time opposing batters begin to get a handle on a low 70's fast ball, not to mention the knuckler, they're totally without any hope when the relief comes in and cranks a few past them at 95+--haven't a clue what to do.

So it was tonight. After seven, in comes The Other Manny-Delcarmen. He hurls a two-K perfect inning in only 13 pitches. TOM was so on, only three pitches were for balls.

He was followed by Hansen, who was also throwing incandescent heat. However, after getting two quick outs in the 9th, he then loaded the bases with a pair of free passes and a hit. Having seen enough, Tito yanked him and handed the ball to Laser, who did exactly what he's supposed to do--SLAM THE DOOR! Five pitches later, only one a ball, and it's K, 3 outs, game over. What more can you ask for?

Also a plus: Youk started and played the whole game, getting a double in the process. His eye is still looking something like he stepped in front of a Marciano (the real Rocky & the true Greatest, for those of you not old enough to remember) jab, but he's playing through it.

Varitek Brings the Win - Jenn

After finally snapping an 0-24 streak on Monday, Varitek followed that up by bringing home the winning run of last night's game on a line drive to right field. Maybe, just maybe the Captain is back.

It's been a tough couple weeks for the Red Sox catcher. While Varitek's been amazing behind the plate (just look at that awesome catch he made Sunday to prevent the Cardinals from getting the lead in the top of the 13th inning) he hasn't been producing when he steps into the batter's box. And he knows it. "I've had some feeble at-bats over the last few weeks, and I've had some really good ones. Sometimes you need a little favor once in a while." Well, on Monday he finally got that favor he was looking for when he doubled off the green monster to start the 3rd inning. He may not have had another hit in the game, but it was a spark. And that spark caught fire last night.

After Lugo, Ellsbury and Pedroia all singled to right in the bottom of the 8th, Lowell stepped into the batter's box and slammed Qualls' pitch into the green monster for a double that would get Ellsbury and Pedroia home and tie up the game. And while Lowell was standing on 2nd, there were already two outs in the inning. But Varitek didn't let that bother him. He took his place in the box and took the 2nd pitch Qualls threw to right field for an RBI base-hit. It was a nice present for the catcher and a very nice present for NESN commentator Jerry Remy on Jerry Remy day at Fenway. Sure the Remdawg got a Mustang convertible, but nothing's better than a win.

So, today's the rubber of the series against the Diamondbacks and hopefully it holds yet another hit from the man behind home plate.

Sooner or Later---They're Gonna' Get Ya'--Peter

Tonight's game is a prime example of what happens when a team is facing one of the most loaded, top to bottom, lineups in the game. The loaded team occasionally goes cold with the stick, looking lucky to even get three or four hits in a game, sometimes for three or four games in succession. Then, suddenly, with as little warning as they had going into the cold snap, they explode--often from the least likely source.

Here the Sox were, a couple of games of sparse hitting, topped off by last night's famine, and looking as if the drought was going to continue for at least another game. Eighth inning and they're trailing 4-1, having basically gotten little of anything after Dusty's solo shot in the first.

The D-backs' starter, Davis, is rolling along sitting down Sox batters just as quickly as they come up to face him when, suddenly, Lugo leads off with his first hit of the evening. Following him is the Speed Racer, and the Sox have got men on first and second. After Drew strikes out (has he cooled off fast or what?), Manny hits a sharp grounder. Now, if the base runners are cursed with just normal speed, it's an inning ending DP. But they're NOT! You have the league leader in steals and another very speedy guy on the bases. At the crack of the bat, they're off like someone's chasing them with a very sharp knife. Result? When the dust clears, Manny's out at first, but, because the other two are so quick, first was the only option the 'Snakes' infielder had and there are Sox players standing on 2d and 3d. Lowell comes up and with one swing of the bat, the score is tied--and it's not over yet!
Varitek, in one of the worst slumps of his career, something like one for thirty, comes to the plate, and batting left-handed singles in the go-ahead run, Lowell, to make it 5-4.

Meanwhile, Masterson is off the hook that a couple of ill-timed fat pitches had put him on and another young Sox pitcher just called up from the minors, Smith--how plain and simple can you get--has a shot at the win. Why? Simple! He's just pitched two innings of no-hit shutout ball, allowing only a single baserunner on a free pass. Total pitches for TWO innings-28! That's averaging 14 an inning--not too shabby.

With that scenario, you know what comes next--Laserman! Pap comes in and finishes off the Diamondbacks the same way the fat broad kills snakes in the comic strip BC. He beats them to death, not with a club, but just as deadly--his assortment of high energy laser beams the official scorer calls pitches. Although he does give one D-back a free ride, after four batters, the game is in the books and Pap's line score shows not a single ball leaving the infield. In fact, only one got even into play that far. The other two guys were his usual stat--large K's. Save number 22. Scary, really scary!

Could Youk Have Made the Difference? - Jenn

That'll be the question on the Nation's mind until Youkilis is back in the lineup. And as of this morning, we're still waiting to hear the 1st baseman's fate for today's 2nd game against the D-backs.

It was during warmups before the top of the 5th inning that Mike Lowell tossed Youk a routine grounder. Unfortunately last night was not routine and the ball bounced hitting Youkilis under the right eye. Within a matter of seconds his eye swelled up like a dinosaur egg and he was gone. Youk wanted to stay in the game as he always does, but with the swelling continuing at a mach pace, Francona wisely removed his first baseman from the game to get checked. The good news is the CT scan came back negative and it's just a contusion. The bad news, the only replacement the Sox had for Youkilis was rookie outfielder, Brandon Moss.

You may wonder why Moss, who Sox Nation is used to seeing play the outfield, was suddenly making his debut at first. Why wasn't it Casey? Well, turns out yesterday was the first day of Sean Casey's three-day suspension thanks to that brawl with Tampa Bay back on June 5th. So he was unavailable. Which meant the only person Francona had to put in there was the (no pun intended) green Moss.

Now to Moss' benefit he's recently been taking ground balls in the infield and was fielding at first in Triple-A so he does have some practice. But a few hundred ground balls in Triple-A does not a gold glove make. Since last night was his major league debut I'm sure Moss got caught up in making a good impression.

So in the 7th, with Reynolds on 3rd, Snyder hit a hard grounder at the first base newbie. Because Reynolds was at 3rd, Moss was probably thinking about the double play rather than just making a clean catch. In doing so, Moss bobbled the ball and while he was able to recover in time to get Snyder at 1st, Reynolds was able to score the Diamondback's 2nd run. And that would be all the Diamondbacks would need to win.

Dad says there's no guarantee that Youk would have gotten a hit. I agree. I also agree that Youk would have fielded that grounder cleanly and gotten Reynolds out at home. Too bad they haven't invented the time machine yet otherwise we could go back and find out. Unfortunately there is no time machine and this morning the D-backs have still taken game one.

So could Youk have made the difference? We'll never know. And now all Red Sox Nation can do is wait and see if the gold glover is back at his post tonight or if Moss will be standing there waiting for a chance to redeem himself.

A Damn Shame--Peter

The title says all you have to know about tonight's game. It's not often that a starter only gives up five hits, a single free pass and strikes out eight in eight innings and loses. I mean, that's a WHIP for the game of 0.875. But, unfortunately, the other stats include two runs allowed measured against JB's fellow Sox players only getting a single run on a total of four hits. As good as Beckett was, the opposing pitcher, Haren, was better. In addition to limiting the Bosox to just two of the aforementioned four hits, covering the seven innings he pitched, he allowed just one BB and had a game WHIP of 0.43!

Josh deserved better, but the closest he got to having his bacon pulled from the fire was the brief Sox rally in the bottom of the 8th, when they scored their only run on a sac fly by Drew with the sacks jammed.

Youk left early when he got nailed just below the right eye by a bad bounce throw from the other side of the infield and it immediately swelled up like a blue egg. If you hadn't seen how he got it, you would have taken one look and sworn he was Kimbo Slice's latest victim. Now, there are no guarantees that his continued presence for the balance of the game would have produced the tying or winning runs, but let's face it--the man's hitting over .300 and his fielding is far better than anyone from the bench, and, though Moss did a creditable job in his stead, it's very conceivable that Youk could have cleanly fielded the grounder that brought home the D-Backs' final run and thrown out that runner at the plate. Hell, we could still be playing ball in eleventeenth inning! We'll never know. Hopefully, nothing's broken and Youk's back tomorrow.

Youkilis Avoids the Sweep - Jenn

It may have taken 13 innings, but in the end the 1st baseman helped the Red Sox get the win in another walk-off.

Nerveracking is right. How many opportunities did the Sox have to finish off this game? Too many. Every inning the Sox had a chance to close the door, but couldn't. It all started in the top of the 9th when Pap should have gotten his 22nd save, but Coco misread the ball and didn't get the jump he needed to slam the door on the red birds. So, that means the bottom of the 9th and extra innings.

In the 10th it looked like Ellsbury would be the winning run when he started the inning off with a double and Pedroia's beautiful sac bunt moved him over to 3rd. But then JD struck out and Casey flied out to left.

In the 11th things got a little hairy when Okie loaded the bases with two outs. But thankfully Francona replaced him with Hansen who threw just three pitches to strike out Ludwick and end the inning.

It's the Sox turn to bat and this time it's Lowell who gets a double to start the inning. Then Youkilis walks. But just like the 10th, the Sox can't get Lowell home. Varitek grounds back to the pitcher, who throws to 3rd for the force out and both Cora and Ellsbury strike out.

Hansen faced just three Cardinals in the 12th and got them all out without breaking a sweat. Then for the third time in a row, the Sox lead-off batter got a double. But for the third time in a row the Sox couldn't get him home. So, it's onto the 13th, the inning to remember.

Lopez took over for Hansen and Duncan, the first guy he faced, doubled off the monster. Then Adam Kennedy, who blew Pap's save when he tied up the game with his RBI to center back in the 9th, lines the ball to right. As I said in a previous post, JD Drew is the man. He may not have caught Kennedy's line drive, but he put all his weight behind the throw to Varitek at home and Duncan was out by a mile. I still can't believe this didn't make last night's web gems.

Even so, Duncan was out, the score was still tied, and Lopez managed to get out of the inning unscathed. And now it's the Red Sox's turn for drama.

Just like the previous three innings, the Sox started off with a hit. But instead of a double, this time Lowell singled off the green monster. Evidently a single was all the Sox would need to break the cycle because Youkils swung at the 5th pitch he saw and planted the ball in the third row of monster seats for his second home run of the game and the first walk-off homer of his career.

That home run not only ended a four-hour, 25-minute game, it gave the Sox the win and prevented the sweep. Whew. I'm exhausted, as I'm sure are the Red Sox. Too bad they face the Diamondbacks today because after this weekend everyone needs a break, especially the relief staff.

Nervewracking, But a Win is a Win--Peter

Well, I got my wish--the Sox returned to their winning ways in Fenway against the Redbirds, but it was quite a wringer they had to go through. Lester did his usual good job, surrendering only a pair of runs in seven and a third, the two runs not coming until the 6th. The Sox then took the lead,scoring one in the 7th and a pair in the 8th. Youk accounted for the run in the 7th with his 12th HR of the season. All this while The Other Manny--Delcarmen pitched the last two outs of the 7th, both K's.

At that point, Laserman entered--should be another Sox win, right? Not this time. Even though he K'd two Cards batters, he also gave up a walk and an RBI double for his fourth blown save of the year, finally closing out the 9th with the Sox tied at 3.

After Pap's exit, Okajima, Hansen and Lopez each pitched scoreless ball, with Lopez finally gaining the win on 2/3 of an inning of shutout ball. This after both Oki and Hansen each contributed 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball, Hansen's being a piece of perfection and including 3 K's--all on 22 pitches.

However, even as the Sox pen, post-Papelbon, was hanging zeroes on the board, no-one on the Sox was doing much with the stick to end the game--until Youk came up again, this time with Lowell on base. Working the count to 3-1, he then unloaded for the second time in the game, driving his 13th of the year into the center field seats and sending everyone home (except El Birdos) happy.

Youk now has 47 ribbies, second on the team, to Manny's 49. In addition to Youk, Crisp, Pedroia and Lowell had multi-hit games, Dusty getting four for the game. Of a total of 13 hits, the Sox connected for extra bases on seven of them. With today's victory, the Hose regained the game over the Rays they lost yesterday and kept pace with Mr. Hankie's Yankees.

Dice Rolls A Hard Eight--Peter

In Vegas parlance, 'rolling a hard eight' is when the person throwing the dice gets a pair of fours. Also called making eight the hard way, it usually occurs when the person needing to hit eight for his winning number gets the pair of fours, or the thrower and anyone else taking the bet has bet that the next throw will be a hard eight.

Unfortunately, on Dice-K's return to the rotation from the DL, the 'hard eight' was not a good thing--far from it. Dice pitched an inning plus, giving up four runs in each of the first two innings the Cards faced him. This was capped by Troy Glaus' grand slam in the second, after which the Diceman was gone. His overall numbers for the appearance were equally appalling--six hits, three walks and seven earned runs in one plus innings. For this appearance alone, his WHIP is an astronomical 9.0, while the ERA for today only is 63.00!! This raised his season's ERA to a season high 3.46. While we're on the 'hard eight' theme, his prior record for 2008, 8-0, is no more either.

Bright lights for the Sox included in the bullpen Aardsma's perfect three K inning and Hansen's inning of shutout relief. Offensively, Drew picked up his 14th HR. Other than that, Sox bats were pretty hollow sounding, as they collected only a total of six hits in the game. Admittedly, with two thirds of those being for extra bases, there was some good wood on the ball, but way too little. This is the second consecutive game against the Cards this has happened. The last time El Birdos (thank you, Sporting News) landed in the Fens they lost games 1 & 2 of the '04 Series on the way to being swept by the Sox. A return to that flavor would be much appreciated tomorrow.

JD Drew's the Man - Jenn

We just finished taking two out of three from the Phillies, and the main reason - the man in right field, JD Drew.

When David Ortiz went down with a torn wrist sheath back on May 31st, a tidal wave of worry went through Red Sox Nation. What were the Sox going to do? How could they possibly make the playoffs, let alone get another title, with their designated hitter out for at least a month, maybe longer? There's no way anyone could possibly fill the lefty's shoes, but could someone come close? The answer to all these questions came in the form one man - J.D. Drew.

Since Papi left the game on that fateful day, JD has seriously stepped up. The right fielder continues to make phenomenal catches in the outfield, but what everyone is really blown away by is what this guy's doing at the plate. The first few games Papi missed, Francona shuffled the hitters, trying different people out in that number three spot. But starting on June 4th Francona struck gold. Drew stepped into that spot and has been hitting there ever since.

This is the guy we all wanted to see last season. In the month of June Drew is batting .441 with nine homers and 22 RBI's. He actually got his 13th homer (the 9th of June) yesterday in the first inning of the game against the Phillies to put the Sox on top 3-0. That home run even lead off "Baseball Tonight's" Touch 'Em All segment last night.

Now you may wonder why Drew is hitting so well. My response - who the hell cares? But if you're looking for a reason, here it is. The pitchers continue to throw the ball down the center of the plate. If the ball is right in the middle of the strike zone, JD's hitting .800 with three home runs. If it's down but still dead center, his average drops a little - it's only .571. But he still has three home runs.

All this hitting is just one more reason the Phillies fans hate him. But the real reason the fans boo every time JD steps to the plate is because he refused to sign with the team that signed him back in 1997. In this series alone, JD has hit 5-12 with two homers. Yesterday he even tied his career high with four hits and was only a triple short of the cycle. I'm sure that shut those booing Phillies fans right up.

I guess all I can say is JD, the number 3 spot is yours for as long as you like it. Just keep knocking the stitches off that ball and please, do not under any circumstances, pull something that'll take you out of the line up.

CELTICS WIN 17TH!!!!--Peter

I know. I know. This is a Red Sox blog, but let's face it. A Boston fan is a Boston fan through and through. So, tonight we'll get to the Sox, but first let me luxuriate in the other Green Monster. That is the Celtics, who were just that to the Lakers in the clincher of the NBA Championship tonight at the Garden, 131-92. It was great to see all of those Celtics greats of the past in attendance: Russell, Jo Jo, Maxwell, and Hondo, and it was somehow fitting to have the Celts clinch their 17th on the 17th, which, when you add them together, is the number that is on Pierce's jersey--34. Somewhere, Red is enjoying another victory cigar. CELTICS WIN!!!!

Now, for the Sox, who also won making it a true Boston evening. Or,as the Boston Herald of my youth would headline it, C's, Sox win. Lester is getting to be more and more a complete pitcher. Tossing a very controlled seven innings, he limited the Phils to six mostly scattered hits. Even when he briefly got in a small jam in the 7th, he did what true pitchers do. He pitched out of trouble with no damage on the scoreboard. That is the mark of a real pitcher. The bullpen finished up the evening's gem. First Oki, with an inning of one hit shutout ball, came on, and included a pair of K's in his work. Then, Laser took the ball in the 9th and it was truly vintage Papelbon. Fourteen pitches, only three for balls--a trey of K's and game over--as Tito then said, let's go watch the Celtics game.

As far as offense, most was provided by Coco's 5th homer of the year, but a Sox record was also tied tonight. Six stolen bases in one game. Like that Celtics score above, this is not a misprint. Crisp got a pair to go with his homer, while Lugo, Pedroia and Casey each got one. Jake also joined in the general thievery. Coming in as a defensive replacement for Manny late in the game, he wasted little time, stealing his 34th base of the season and maintaining his place at the top of the league standings.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Turns 100 - Jenn

I'm not going to talk about last night's game since it was so depressing and Dad covered it very well. I'm not even going to berate Timlin, because honestly, I'm bored doing it. You all know how I feel about him and last night he proved yet again why. So, I'm turning to something I think it pretty cool - the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

If you've ever been to a baseball game you know that usually during the 7th inning stretch the grounds crew make their way onto the field and lead the fans in a rousing rendition of the baseball theme. What you may not know is that the song turns 100 years old this year. It was written and composed by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer back in 1908 and is now as classic as those peanuts and cracker jack the song mentions.

To celebrate the song's birthday, ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" is doing a battle of the bands. Starting last night and for the next two weeks 9 different bands will perform their version of the song on the nightly baseball show. Then after the final band has performed, you the fan, can pick your favorite starting at 8 pm ET on June 29th. The top three will be announced on July 6th and the winner will be revealed on July 13th.

Here are the bands vying for the top spot:

John Pizzarelli
Punch Brothers
Lloyd
The Cab
Gretchen Wilson
Ozomatli
Branford Marsalis
Candlebox
REO Speedwagon

If you happened to miss last night's broadcast or just want to see all the videos as they're posted, you can click on the link below and watch.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn/takemeout

I really liked John Pizzarelli's take, but I can't wait to hear Ozomatli and REO Speedwagon do their versions. I'll let you know what I think once I've seen them, but I'd really like to hear which ones are your favorites. Then on July 13th we'll see if we were in league with the public or if we struck out.

For now, enjoy the song and don't forget to "root, root, root for the home team". (Those would be the guys from the Fens.)

Silver Linings....And Yuck!--Peter

Well, the Phillies wasted little time tonight in making it clear that they have no respect for the reigning World Champs. Starting in the first inning, with home runs by Rollins and Howard, the latter their answer to Big Papi, they launched ball after ball on their way to an ultimate 8-2 victory. It wasn't that they won so convincingly in the score. The Sox have suffered worse, even as they were on their way to a Championship. It was the way the Phils quickly made it clear that whenever they felt the need they could go yard or damn near that was impressive, particularly in the case of Howard.

Now I don't believe that he's nearly as good an all around player as Papi is. But the fact remains he has had more homers in a single season, by 2, than Papi and he's always a threat to launch one, even when his batting average is less than his weight, as has been the case for the better part of this season.

However, in recent weeks, he has been getting on base more frequently and his extra base hits have again become more common. In many ways, his season to date has eerily paralleled that of Big Papi--horrible and severe early season slump, followed by gradual climb back to respectability, punctuated by an increasing number of baseballs leaving whatever yard he can be found in with a good sized piece of northern white ash in his large powerful hands.

Tonight was the perfect example of that recent surge. In his first two at bats, he dropped a pair of balls in the cheapies, picking up three ribbies in the process. Later, in the 6th, with a man on, he tripled to center. His line for the night was 3-5 with four rbi's, giving him 62 for the year, one of two players on the Phils with that total thus far. In fact, this pair, Howard and Utley make a good mirror image thus far this season to Manny and Papi, although our pair are,or have been, out with a series of injuries, and are thus slightly, but only slightly, behind the Phillies pair statistically.

On the good side of things this evening, the Sox were not totally offense-free. Pedroia, as part of a 3-4 evening, picked up a two bagger and a home run, while JD drove his 12th of the season over the wall just two pitches after Dusty's roundtripper.

Sox pitching wasn't what you'd have hoped for, although the four runs Colon gave up were all scored on just three pitches, two by the aforementioned Howard shots. Timlin showed up for just two thirds of an inning in the sixth and amply demonstrated why Jenn reveres him so much. Well, maybe 'revered' is too strong a word--not to mention inaccurate. I guess 'dislikes' is more apropos. He gave up four hits and a pair of free passes, accounting for the last four of the Phils' runs for the evening.

Lopez, Aardsma and Okajima each pitched at least an inning of shutout ball, with both Lopez and Oki K'ing a pair of Phillies batters apiece.

Well, there's always tomorrow. Hopefully, the Sox will turn things around just as they did in their last two road series. For the first time in a long time this season, they won consecutive road series.

Speed and Power: Take Two--Peter

Well, today's game against the Reds was as if yesterday's hadn't ended, just continued on for another nine innings--with one important difference: Sox pitchers led by Beckett shut out the Reds today on six very scattered hits, getting eight K's in the process. Hell, the Sox hurlers were so good, Jenn's favorite, Timlin, finished up with an inning of perfect pitching, claiming two of those K's himself.

As for the power, with Manny & Papi out nursing aches and pains, Drew continued his recent assault on enemy pitching, getting his 11th home run of the season. In that regard, he was joined by Ellsbury, Pedroia and Crisp, the latter's second in two days.

Jake had a particularly outstanding day, as that homer was one of three hits he had in five AB's, supplemented with two more stolen bases in the first inning. As I've said before in this space, Jake getting a single is like most other guys getting at least a double. Today, he led off the game with a single, promptly stole both second and third and easily came home on Dusty's sac fly.

After that, the Sox kept adding to the total until they had nine runs and coasted home, supported by solid relief efforts by Aardsma and Timlin. Tomorrow, it's off to the City of Brotherly Love, or as a sports writer referred to it in the sixties, the city that would boo Santa Claus, for a set. In case you don't recognize either description, I'm referring to Philadelphia.

By the way, the Phillies were the first opposing team I saw play a Boston team live. At the tender age of four, My folks took me to a double-header featuring the Boston Braves (same team, just two cities ago) facing the Phillies. How did the Braves do? I don't know. I fell asleep in the fourth inning of the opener. I didn't get to see the Sox for another two weeks.

Speed and Power Wins the Hour--Peter

Well, as the title suggests, the Sox got back on track against the Not-So-Big Red Machine from both directions. Coming off a frustrating loss last night in their first return to the Rhineland since the memorable 1975 World Series, the guys from the Hub started off fast--literally. First inning. The human afterburner was standing on second--for just a moment and then ignited in a mad dash for the hot corner. Easily taking the base, he not only beat the throw, he also was in position to trot home after the in vain throw by the Reds catcher went into left field. One zip, Sox. It was the first of a pair of swipes today by the Sox outfielder.

As the game moved along, the Hose added single runs in the 4th, 6th and 8th building a 4-2 lead. Unfortunately,. the Redlegs matched the Sox run for run over the course of the game, leaving the score knotted at four after Laser sustained his third blown save of the year by allowing a homer by Encarnacion in the 9th. Sox had to come back in the 10th, and that's the 2d place where power came to the rescue. Back to back? Forgetaboutit! On successive pitches Youk and Coco each dropped a ball in the cheaps and the Sox relief corps made it stand up for the win.

It's a good thing that the pen was able to hold a lead. Aside from Pap blowing his third save, Oki gave up a run as well in just a third of an inning. I'm not sure what's going on, but these aren't the Orioles. He's supposed to hammer the lid shut on the Sox' other opponents. Sometimes he succeeds--others he flops.

However, there was another important element in the Sox W tonight--balance. Just as Oki & Pap gave up a run apiece, The Other Manny--Delcarmen and Hansen each produced a piece of scoreless baseball, Hansen closing out for the save with a full inning of scoreless baseball. But it was a long comeback after continually giving back the lead.

Items of note: Jake's two steals put him back in sole possession of the league lead in the category. They also broke a Red Sox rookie record going back to 1909. While all this was going on, Jake, Dusty, JD and Lowell went 2-5 apiece and Youk was 3-5, including the aforementioned roundtripper and a double, while JD's hits were both for extra bases--double and triple.

All in all a good night. Now on to a new streak with a win tomorrow. By the way, tomorrow's also the Celtics first opportunity to clinch a World Title in 22 years. Play hard, C's!

10 is the Magic Number - Jenn

Now before you get excited, or think I'm off my rocker, I know there are waaaaaaaaaaaay more than 10 games the Red Sox need to clinch a playoff spot. My 10 refers to what Dad already touched on - that Lowell, Youk, and JD Drew all hit their 10th home run of the season last night.

As Dad said, Lowell's number 10 came after an intentional walk to Manny to load the bases in the 5th. Then after fouling the first pitch off, Lowell took Guthrie's second pitch and planted in the first row of the monster seats for a grand slam to put the Sox on top 5-0.

Then in the 7th with the O's now on the board after a shaky 6th inning from Lester, Youk stepped to the plate, swung at the first pitch he saw, and also planted his number 10 in the first row of the monster seats. The Sox were now up 7-2. But the offense didn't stop there.

In the 8th with Pedroia already on 1st, JD took his turn in the batters' box. Like Youkilis, JD swung at the first pitch. But instead of taking it to left and the monster seats, JD decided to change things up a bit and planted that ball in deep right for his 10th homer of the season. That swing also means that JD now has 4 home runs in the last 5 games.

So, needless to say, with a score of 9-2, even Timlin couldn't screw that up and the Sox won.

Lowell, Youk, and JD getting their 10th homers of the season makes the Red Sox only the 2nd team in the majors to have five players with at least 10 home runs this season. The first team to reach this esteemed honor were the Florida Marlins. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the other two players in the Sox top five are Manny and Big Papi.

It Was Worth the Wait, JD--Peter

Well, most of last year, until the late stages of the season and the playoffs, all you could think of Drew was had the Sox made a mistake in grabbing him away from the Dodgers as a free agent? However, what began late last year has continued with a vengeance so far this season. In his latest iteration, covering the absence of Papi, never an easy thing to even imagine, much less actually do, JD has been just awesome!

Tonight was no exception. Hitting in his 11th straight game, he continued to tattoo opposing pitching. Batting .500 since Papi hit the DL, and accumulating six roundtrippers and another six extra base shots, JD is going to have some group like PETOP come after him for cruelty. PETOP? Oh, thought you knew--that's People for The Ethical Treatment of Opposing Pitchers. Tonight was his tenth HR of the year and his dozenth two bagger of '08. This all kind of set up and capped off the Sox eventual win. Lowell and Youk put it away for good. Driving his 8th career Grand Slam into the deep seats atop the Monster gave Lester a five zip lead to work with, and, after he gave back a couple of runs to the O's in the top of the 6th, Youk closed the door on any thoughts the Birds may have had about pulling a Celtics-style comeback on the Sox.

Taking the first pitch he saw, he planted it in the same general area as Lowell's Slam, bringing Manny home at the same time--7-2 Sox. JD's capper came on the first pitch he saw from Walker and was the final nail in the Birds' coffin. I don't know 'Who Killed Cock Robin', but the Sox bats certainly killed The Orioles.

Pitching--Lester did a good job again, getting careless only for a brief time in the sixth, but recovering for one more scoreless inning before giving way to The Other Manny. TOM was outstanding tonight. Throwing only 16 pitches, he produced an inning of perfect baseball, capping it with a pair of K's. TOM was then followed by Jenn's favorite, MIKE TIMLIN.

Looks like the Sox are still giving consideration to my idea of using him against the O's in late inning situations. Last night was terrible. Tonight was terrific! Seven pitches, a perfect inning and even a K for good measure. Hey, wait a minute! I thought Jekyll and Hyde left the team last month.

Oh, before I forget--CELTS WON AGAIN TONIGHT!! Came back from a 24 point deficit for the biggest Finals comeback in NBA history!

Colon Gets 150th Career Win - Jenn

Colon was definitely back on track last night. But before I get to him, I have a riddle for you:

How do you go into the 9th with a five run lead and still get the save? You have Timlin pitch. Dad, if I'd read your post suggesting Timlin be Pap's set-up man yesterday, I would've asked how crazy you are. 'course thanks to #50's performance last night, now I don't have to. He proved the idea was insane. The man sucks and doesn't belong any where near a mound. By the by, last night's inning put the old man's ERA back up over 6. Way to go Mikey!

But now back to the star of the night. No, it's not Varitek, who's three run shot over the green monster gave the Red Sox the comfortable lead they had going into the 9th. Nope, the star of last night's game was Bartolo Colon.

The 35 year-old looked like the Colon of old as he pitched 6 innings and got a season high 7 strike outs. Sure the O's managed to get five hits off him including Scott's solo shot to right in the 5th, but he only walked one guy. Even after Colon's right wrist was tagged by Markakis' chopper at the top of the 4th, he was still able to pitch another two innings and get three more K's.

For a guy no one wanted, I for one am very happy the Sox took a chance and signed him. If he continues pitching like this for the rest of the season, Theo's going to look more brilliant than he already does.

Last game of this series is tonight and with it ends the Sox' home-stand. Then it's on to Cincinnati and three weeks of inter league play. Here's hoping Manny's over his hamstring issues.

So Much For My Idea!--Peter

Well, when I, tongue firmly inserted into my cheek, suggested after yesterday's game that solely in the case of games against the Orioles, Papelbon's setup man should be Timlin rather than Okajima, based on Oki's problems this year only with the O's, I never in my wildest dreams thought that the Sox would take me seriously.

Then, suddenly, here we were the very next game. Sox up 6-1 and it's top of the 9th at the Fens. So, OK--they weren't actually setting up a close by Laserman. They just intended to have Timlin pitch the last inning to finish a nice win with a healthy margin--what I have always referred to as a tie-proof margin. For the uninitiate, that means that even in the worst of cases, you can't be tied on a single swing of the bat.

Timlin comes in after Colon had pitched six solid innings of his 2005 version of himself, striking out seven; after the Sox bullpen in the form of Aardsma and Lopez provides two innings of shutout, one hit ball. Timlin comes in and gives up three hits and a pair of runs while somehow managing to only get back two outs in return. The chief blow in this sudden assault is from 2004 World Series championship teammate Kevin Millar, now firmly ensconced as the O's first sacker. He drives a run scoring two bagger to the far reaches of Fenway's outfield, later scoring himself on an error by the usually surehanded Dusty.

All of a sudden the tieproof lead is no more and the Sox are looking dangerously similar to last night's version. Tito's seen all he needs to. Texting his secretary to let Richmond know to mind his own business and keep his ideas to himself regarding setting up with Timlin (hell of an imagination I've got, don't you think?), he yanks Timlin and puts in The Saver.

Not what he planned, but Laser doesn't disappoint. Five pitches, only one of them a ball and the game is over, Sox, 6-3.

Aside from all of this, highlights of the game included homers by Tek and Lowell, the former finishing out a five run first for the Sox. There was also another stolen base by Jake, who, having made second so easily just kicked it up a gear when the throw intended to nail him went into the outfield and motored onto third; and Manny extended his Sox season high hitting streak to 15 games. Let's see--another 41 and he'll tie DiMag. I'll really get excited if I wake up one morning, say 30 games from now, and find the streak still intact.

Off the field, at least as far as this game was concerned, the Diceman threw 50 pitches from a mound and is looking more and more like he's ready to come back off the DL. Hope so.

Looked Good--For A While!--Peter

Well, the game vs the O's was finally going fine! Manny & JD back-to-backed and JB had the lead and looked like another game in the W column. Looked like! Unfortunately, as Jenn's already detailed, Okajima had another poor outing against the O's. Don't know why he has this O Trouble this year, but the record doesn't lie. It may be a good idea to continue to use him as always with anyone but the O's, and when we're facing the O's (Jenn: you're going to love this) use Timlin as a setup guy for Papelbon. The way Oki's been against the team from Baltimore, Timlin couldn't be much worse and may even hold a lead. I don't like to criticize someone who's been so good for the Sox in most situations, but facts are facts.

Try it--what have you got to lose--beyond what you're already losing.

Other bad news--Celts were moving to a 3-0 lead over the Lakers--and let it get away.

Okie Blows Another One - Jenn

Manny and JD went back to back in the 5th to put the Red Sox on top and potentially hand Beckett his 7th win. But then Okajima took over the mound.

As I said back on June 3rd when Okie blew that save against the Orioles, he's not the same pitcher we loved last season. For some reason the lefty just can't handle the O's. And since the Sox face them 11 more times this season, that ain't good. Just look at his record against them.

Back on May 14th the Sox were playing the O's at Camden Yards. Jon Lester left the game at the end of the 6th with the lead and potentially the win. Then Okie took over and gave up a grand slam to Jay Payton to give the O's a 3 run lead the Sox wouldn't be able to beat.

Then on June 2nd, again at Camden Yards and again with a 1-run lead, Wakefield pitched 7 innings and left the game with another chance at the win. Unfortunately the Sox handed the ball to Okajima for the 8th, and by the time he left, the O's were up by three runs and surprise, surprise, the Sox couldn't bounce back.

Then last night, Manny's 505th home run to deep right and JD's homer over the green monster finally gave the Sox the lead after five innings and Beckett walked off the mound confident his team would finish the visitors off. He was wrong. Okie did manage to get the first batter he faced, Freddie Bynum, to strike out. Unfortunately that's the only out Okie would record. The next four batters he faced all reached, and by the time Francona pulled him, the O's had tied the score, and Okie had blown the save, his 6th of the season. Although Delcarmen got Millar to fly out to center, it was deep enough for Mora, who Okajima had walked, to tag up and score the O's 7th run. Although they'd score 3 more times in the 9th, that 7th run Okie gave up is all the O's would need to win the game.

So, in the 4 times the O's have faced the lefty, they've scored an astounding 8 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. And that doesn't include the 3 inherited runners who crossed the plate when Payton got that grand slam back on May 14th. Which reminds me, the reason Okie's ERA is so low - out of the 14 men Okie inherited from previous pitchers, 11 of them have scored. That's appalling.

I don't have a fix for this problem. The best I can suggest is that for the rest of the season, the Sox don't play Okie when they're facing the Orioles. As for the other teams and those inherited runners - maybe Okajima should just start innings as opposed to taking over for someone. And since they can't keep him on the bench for the next 3.5 months, I suggest they keep the lefty on a very, very tight leash.

JD Drew & A Good Pitching Crew--Peter

Well, the Sox took another today, running their latest work to eight of ten games in the 'W' column. It wasn't as large a margin as yesterday's game, nor was there anywhere near as much offense as in the prior game, but what the Sox got was enough.

JD took care of the offense, accounting for both runs, the second coming on his eighth HR of the season and bringing in what proved to be the winning run. His earlier ribbie was probably a bit more painful, but it counted just as much. In this one, the sacks were jammed and JD didn't get out of the way fast enough. He got plinked and a run scored.

The pitching was just fabulous--by everyone. It's another example of top quality pitching from a young Sox hurler fresh from the farm. A couple of years ago it was Lester and Papelbon. Then, last year we get Dice-K (Ok--he's not from the farm, but he's young and fresh to MLB), Okajima and Buchholtz. This year it's Masterson. Throw in Hansen for good measure and you're going to have child labor law supporters screaming bloody murder!

Anyway, Masterson gave an excellent showing. Tossing six innings, he surrendered just a single run, while allowing only three hits, reducing his ERA to 2.59 in the process. His WHIP for the appearance was 1.00. All of this on a skimpy 88 pitches thrown. After his six innings, Hansen took the ball and proceeded to leave everyone with virtually a mirror image of yesterday's game. Throwing an inning of no-hit ball, he allowed just a single free pass, and put two more K's on the board. His opponent's BA, already a sub-Mendozan .197, dropped further to .188.

Passing the rock to Okajima, he was more than copied. Oki also pitched a hitless inning, with the extra embellishment of allowing no-one to reach base--no matter how they tried. Nine pitches--inning over.

Which brings us, as usual in this situation, to Papelbon. The Saver toed the rubber, threw just five, you can count 'em, five pitches--every one a strike--and the game was over. He was so effortless in picking up his 18th save in 20 attempts, there's not much to elaborate on for the sake of this blog. I mean, what else can you say when a guy who's throwing his usual assortment of lasers ends the game in five pitches?

One other item--CELTICS WIN AGAIN AGAINST THE LAKERS! Fourteen down, two to go!

Still With Streaks: A Beginning and An End--Peter

Well, the Sox returned to their winning ways today--big time! Like last night's game had its tone set early on, so too did today's. Only this time it was the Sox who were setting the tone. In the first inning with JD aboard, Manny waited through a pair of pitches away from the plate and then took the next one he saw and planted it beyond any outfielder's grasp in the seats and instantly it was Sox up two zip.

The M's got a pair in the 3d, but that was the last time they'd be anywhere close to the Hose on the scoreboard--as far as runs were concerned went. Bunching hits together inning by inning, the Sox led after six by 6-2. Then, just to remove any remaining doubt about the outcome, they tacked a fin on the board in the bottom of the 8th and that was that.

The M's did score a single unearned run off Laserman in the 9th, but it wasn't his fault. Part of the blame goes to the end of a streak, a very long streak at that. Leading off the 9th, the M's Bloomquist reached on an error by Youk. That's what I said, an error by Youk. You don't see that written or said very often. In fact, Youk had, up to that point, a major league record 238 game errorless streak at first. Gone in a heartbeat. From there Bloomquist managed to get to second, where a base hit by Cairo, who was pinch hitting for Richie Sexson, brought him around. After that Laserman slammed the door on any further nonsense. Two K's and a pop fly and the game was in the books.

Another streak that went by the way today, and this was a good one to end, was Wake's winless streak against the M's. Through thick and thin, no matter how well he has pitched (last week's 1-0 complete game loss) or how poorly, no matter how well the M's have done as a team (their 116 win season a few years ago) or how poorly (the last few seasons since the 116 win season), one thing has seemed almost a certainty. They somehow always manage to beat Wakefield. In fact, it was way back in 1997 that Wake had last defeated the M's. After today's game, that streak's up on the shelf next to Youk's--history and nothing more.

Wake wasn't quite as brilliant as last week when he got no support, but he was better than just OK. In seven innings, he gave up only five hits, two runs and K'd six. His WHIP was a very cool 1.00 for the game. Added to this was the fact that he received some offensive support, something that usually is absent whenever he faces the M's. Today, the aforementioned four-bagger by Manny was bolstered by a 3-5 day by JD, including a homer and triple; as well as doubles by Lowell, Youk and Cora. In fact, of the 13 hits the Sox recorded, six were for extra bases. Adding to his two hits, Coco also stole two bases, giving him ten for the year.

At this point, I also want to comment on one other aspect of our bullpen. While I know everyone likes to look at the ERA of the relievers, and the same everyone worries when the members of the relief crew have ERA's above 2.00 (and I do this myself), an equally important thing to look at is the opponents' batting average. The reason I say it's equally important, when a relief pitcher enters a game, it's rarely for longer than two innings at most. Some middle relievers may occasionally go longer, but in most cases, one or two innings is it for one of the pen crew. So, if they give up a run or two, it has an unnaturally large effect on their ERA because they haven't pitched as many total innings as a starter. This is true whether it's Papelbon, Okajima or the Yanks' Rivera. In fact, though he got the W yesterday for the Stripers, Rivera gave up a single run in the only inning he pitched and his ERA went from 0.37 to 0.67--almost double what it had been.

Take a look at the opposing BA's against some of the Sox pen crew and you can see how important this stat is. Pap has an opposing BA of .219. If you looked at Hansen's ERA, even after pitching an inning of shutout ball today, you'd see it at 4.60, well below where it's been recently, but still ugly. However, and this is a BIG however, his opponents' BA is at a sub-Mendoza line .197. Early on this year, he had one or two horrible outings, and his ERA was left so bloated that it's taking him months to get it down to where anyone would want to lay claim to it and say, "Look at my ERA."

Before I shut down for the evening, I have one more item to cover. Regular visitors to this site know that I occasionally will also mention something not Sox, but something that I consider worthy of mention in the context of sports. Today is another example like that, but one which I truly wish I were not mentioning.

Jim McKay passed away today. Best known as the original host of Wide World of Sports and of many Olympics broadcasts, he was more than just a sportscaster--far more. Anyone who watched him immediately knew and appreciated that. Jim was a true gentleman and one who was far more concerned with the human condition than merely who won or lost. He will be truly missed. Rest easy, Jim.

Three Errors and Done - Jenn

Colon was not the Colon Red Sox Nation was used to seeing last night. He was bad, and I mean absolutely awful, right from the start.

See, after two men reached in the top of the first, Beltre chopped the ball back to Colon, and what should've been an easy double play to end the inning, turned into an error that allowed a man to score. Colon caught the ball and threw to 2nd, but there was evidently some confusion between Pedroia and Lugo as to who was supposed to be covering the bag. So there was no one there and a ball that should've been caught, ended up in the outfield. Although Colon managed to get the next two batters out, another man scored and the inning ended with the Mariners ahead 2 runs - both unearned.

The 2nd was much better for Colon as he had a 1,2,3, inning. Then in the bottom half of the same inning the Sox had an opportunity to come back when they loaded the bases with two outs. But as is unfortunately way too common for the Sox, the guy who stepped to the plate struck out to end the inning and leave three men on. But I don't think that's what caused the Sox to throw in the towel. I think it was the two errors in the 3rd.

Ichiro stepped to the plate and for the first time in a very long time Youkilis couldn't come up with a low throw from Lowell. Ichiro reached and Lowell was charged with a throwing error. Although the error was Lowell's, Youk's face said otherwise. It was obvious he felt the fault was his and would probably go to the score keepers after the game to make sure they knew it too.

But that wasn't the end of the errors. Two batters later, Colon tried to pick off Ichiro at 2nd. Again the throw was off, and the ball ended up in the outfield, allowing Ichiro to reach 3rd - exactly what Colon was trying to prevent. Ichiro would of course score on the sacrifice to center that Beltre provided. Colon managed to get the next batter to fly out to left for the final out of the inning, but by that point the game was over.

You may ask how I can say the game was over after just 2.5 innings with the opposing team ahead by only three runs. Here's why - because after three errors and three runs, not to mention a final strike out in a bases loaded situation, the Sox were done. They just didn't seem to have the energy they needed to score.

Maybe they were tired after Thursday's brawl. Maybe they were worried about the number of Sox players that have suddenly wound up on the DL. Maybe they were surprised by the suspensions handed to Lester and Casey. (I know I was.) Maybe the Mariners, the worst team in baseball, just happen to be this season's thorn in the Sox' side. Who knows the reason. The fact is they weren't the Red Sox we know and love.

I believe a team follows the lead of the man on the mound. And last night the man on the mound just didn't have his stuff. I mean, look at Lester's no-no. Every guy behind him was doing everything they could to make sure their pitcher walked off that mound without allowing a single hit. Even Ellsbury made a spectacular catch before anyone was even talking no hitter.

On the other hand when you have a pitcher who makes not one, but two errors in the first three innings, the team will obviously still try, but there's not going to be the same kind of passion there is when the pitcher's doing everything right.

At least it's just one game. Hopefully Colon's next start will bring back the Colon we've grown accustomed to seeing. And anyway, it's just the first game against the Mariners. There's still two more, and if the first inning of today's game is any indication, it looks like the Sox are back to their Fenway ways of winning.

Streaks and Freaks:Take 3 & UGLY!--Peter

Well, for the final take on the freak show last night at the Fens, MLB handed down its suspensions--most, though not all based on ridiculous reasoning. That's what happens when you have a bunch of pampered crybabies (especially the Rays) overseen by a used car salesman masquerading as a Baseball Commissioner while he's also a team owner. Three Sox: Coco (7 games), Lester (5 games) and Casey (3 games) were suspended, while five Rays got the hook: Shields (6 games), Gomes and Jackson (5 each), Crawford (4 games) and Iwamura (3 games). Some of the suspensions were just plain idiotic. Lester's getting suspended for 5 games because he threw too close to a Rays batter after a warning was issued? Come on! If you absolutely have to do something, toss him and that's the end of it. A five game suspension? If they'd done things like this in the past, half of the pitchers in Cooperstown would have spent more time on suspension than they did pitching!

Crisp defends himself and gets to sit for seven games? What would Rocky Marciano have gotten? He was a pretty good semi-pro ball player. Let's see--win the Heavyweight Championship and stay undefeated--I know! We'll suspend him for life! Brilliant! Bud--go back to your used car lot in Milwaukee and have a Schlitz on me.

Tonight's game--UGLY from the getgo. Sox lost eight zip, which is bad enough, but the way they lost is worse. Three errors, including two by losing pitcher, Bartolo Colon--and after such a promising return to MLB in his three prior starts for the Sox. Well, everyone has to lose sometime, so it might as well be now.

The Hose did get seven hits, but only two were for extra bases, a pair of doubles. JD kept his recent hot streak alive, going 2-3. Manny sat out, his hammie being a bit sore. Add that to Papi on the DL and Ellsbury out and day-to-day due to straining his wrist in last night's game, and the Sox weren't showing much to the Mariners. To make matters worse, the Rays won, shaving the Sox lead to a half game. Good news--the Stripes lost.

Fight Night at the Fens and Other Bizarre Occurrences - Jenn

Last night's final game against the Rays was anything but normal. Starting with the 2nd inning, it was a very bizarre night.

Before I get to last night's game, let me give a quick recap of what started it all. There was some bad blood between Coco and the Rays on Wednesday. In the 6th inning Bartlett blocked 2nd base with his knee, injuring Coco. Then in the 8th, Coco, determined to get payback, took out Iwamura on a late slide. After that, everyone knew Coco was marked. It was just a question of when. Well, the when was the bottom of the 2nd inning, when Coco came up to bat. The first pitch was a ball. The second pitch hit Coco in the leg. Okay, good, the Rays got their retaliation, now we can move on. If only. In case you missed it, here's what happened next:

What amazes me, is that Shields took his shot so early in the game. I mean, if you're going to hit a guy, do it toward the end of your outing. Or even wait 'til the next series. After all, everyone knows that revenge is a dish best served cold. But Shields, who by the way is one of the Rays best pitchers, decided to take Coco out in his first at bat. And you saw the result.

Obviously both Shields and Coco were ejected from the game. But so was Jonny Gomes. And although Carl Crawford and Akinori Iwamura remained in the game, don't expect to see them in the next few Rays outings. Here's a better view of what went down and why Gomes, Crawford and Iwamura will probably be suspended along with Shields and Crisp.

After the brawl, which took at least 15-20 minutes between trying to break it up and getting a new pitcher to the mound, things could've gone back to normal. But they didn't. There was another fight. But this one didn't take place on the field and it wasn't between opposing teams. This fight took place in the Sox dugout. But even weirder than that, was who it was between. Check it out:

That's just the end of the fight. What you didn't see was Manny taking a swing at Youk and then shoving him hard into a post. No one knows why the fight took place or what it was about because neither Manny nor Youk were willing to talk about it after the game. Only Francona could shed some light on the unexpected outburst. "I think they were just exchanging some views on things," the manager said. "We had a lot of testosterone going tonight. It was kind of a hectic night. Sometimes things happen and we'll handle it. In fact, it's been handled and we'll move on from that one. It really wasn't that big a deal."

I hope that's the case, because with the number of players the Sox are losing due to injury and suspension, they can't afford to be fighting each other. Then again, I guess I can understand it. When you spend 8 months of the year with the same group of people, and you're confined to a small area, people can get testy and fights break out. I'm sure there's the occasional argument between team mates. The only thing that makes this outburst different from the rest is that it was caught on tape.

But that wasn't the end of Fight Night at the Fens. Don and Remy, the NESN commentators were caught exchanging blows between innings, too.

This is why I pick NESN over any other channel showing the Sox games. Don and Remy. Even when tensions are high, they can still find the funny. It would've been great if their outburst were enough to lighten up the game. But unfortunately something happened in the 4th inning that sent waves of terror throughout Red Sox Nation. Ellsbury left the game hurt.

Ellsbury made one of his signature diving catches for the first out of the inning. Unfortunately he came up lame in the process.

Between Papi with his torn tendon sheath, Manny with his strained hamstring (which is why he's been DHing in Papi's absence), Coco being ejected and probably suspended for a game or two, and now Ellsbury with a right wrist strain, it's amazing the Sox have anyone left to play in the outfield. Thank God Ellsbury's listed as day to day, but I'm still waiting for the bad news. Even Francona said he'd have to be re-examined today. If Ellsbury returns to the clubhouse in pain, I have a feeling an MRI will be taken of that wrist. Until then, we'll just have to hope for the best.

What's amazing is that between all of the strange going ons, 9 innings of baseball were still played. And the Red Sox came out on top - of both the game and the American League East. The Sox now have a game and a half lead over the Rays and face the imploding Seattle Mariners today for the first of a three game series.

So ideally, by the time Monday rolls around the Sox will have a healthy lead in the east, Ellsbury will be back in the outfield, and the feud between the Rays and the Sox will be a distant memory. Hey, I can hope can't I?