OK, OK, so the Sox couldn't quite close the deal in the finale at Yankee Stadium, losing 3-2 in the 9th. Their old nemesis, Giambi, stepped up and bit them again, accounting for all of the Stripes' runs.
But, last night in the Fens, the Sox got back to their winning ways, 8-0, over the Pale Hose. You don't have to know much and I'm not going to do my usual length reportage here (it's my birthday, you see, and the family are waiting for me). All you have to know is that Dice-K pitched arguably his best start since coming to the Hub last year, going eight shutout innings and allowing only a pair of hits and just two, count 'em, walks, while sending seven members of the Chisox back to the dugout with a K next to their names. The Diceman was awesome.
Added to that was the performance by the Sox offense, led by Pedroia. Dusty went 4-4, including another double, while Bay knocked in a few ribbies, and others chimed in as well. All in all, a great return to the Fens. Oh, yes--lest we forget, Jenn's favorite, Timlin, pitched a perfect 9th to close things out.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A-Rod Boo'd and Dustin Seals Yanks Fate - Jenn
So two games down with one to go and the Sox are doing just fine for what could be their final outing at Yankee Stadium.
Sure the Sox won Tuesday night, but that wasn't the highlight. The highlight of the game was hearing the Yankees fans booing. But they weren't booing their arch rivals. Nope, they were booing one of their own. The man who tried to steal the Sox thunder last year when he announced he was opting out of his contract during game four of the World Series. The same man who's the highest paid player in baseball. The man who doesn't have a World Series ring because ever since he joined the Spankies, they haven't won. You all know of whom I speak. The man playing 3rd - Alex Rodriguez.
Talk about a bad night. A-Rod went 0-5 including two inning ending double plays. One that dashed any hopes the Yanks had of winning the game. It was the bottom of the 7th and Delcarmen was not the same Manny we saw on Sunday against the Jays. Nope, this time he only faced 4 batters; and of those four, three reached base: Damon walked, Jeter singled and then Abreu walked to load the bases. Francona knew it was time to pull Delcarmen. So Masterson came in to face A-Rod.
Now for any pitcher this situation spells pressure. The bases loaded with just one out? It could mean at least one run, maybe more. Papelbon knows all about it. Back in '06 our closer blew his save when he relinquished a walk-off homer to the 3rd baseman. But evidently Masterson doesn't know the Red Sox history because he stepped on the rubber, threw two pitches, and got A-Rod to tap the ball back to Alex Cora for his second inning ending double play. And then the crowd let him have it. It was a grin inducing moment to say the least. That double play kept the Sox in the lead and allowed both Okie and Papelbon to slam the doors on the Yanks.
Last night was more of the same. Not quite as many boos for the home team, but a lot of runs for the visitors. Unlike night one, though, most of the runs came in the 8th.
The Sox were leading when the 8th inning rolled around, but it was only by two runs. Jason Bay put an end to that when he knocked Youkilis in with a triple that got away from Abreu when it found the gap in right center. And the hits just kept coming, culminating with Pedroia stepping to the plate with the bases loaded and only one out. So on a 2-0 pitch, Pedroia slammed the ball to left center for his first career grand slam to give the Red Sox a 9 run lead.
While the Sox, actually it's Timlin's fault, gave up one more run, there was never any chance the Yankees were going to catch those guys from the Fens, giving the Red Sox their 2nd win at The House that Ruth built.
Today's the final game of the series and here's hoping Lester does a better job than he did against the Jays and the Fenway Faithful can pull out their brooms.
Sure the Sox won Tuesday night, but that wasn't the highlight. The highlight of the game was hearing the Yankees fans booing. But they weren't booing their arch rivals. Nope, they were booing one of their own. The man who tried to steal the Sox thunder last year when he announced he was opting out of his contract during game four of the World Series. The same man who's the highest paid player in baseball. The man who doesn't have a World Series ring because ever since he joined the Spankies, they haven't won. You all know of whom I speak. The man playing 3rd - Alex Rodriguez.
Talk about a bad night. A-Rod went 0-5 including two inning ending double plays. One that dashed any hopes the Yanks had of winning the game. It was the bottom of the 7th and Delcarmen was not the same Manny we saw on Sunday against the Jays. Nope, this time he only faced 4 batters; and of those four, three reached base: Damon walked, Jeter singled and then Abreu walked to load the bases. Francona knew it was time to pull Delcarmen. So Masterson came in to face A-Rod.
Now for any pitcher this situation spells pressure. The bases loaded with just one out? It could mean at least one run, maybe more. Papelbon knows all about it. Back in '06 our closer blew his save when he relinquished a walk-off homer to the 3rd baseman. But evidently Masterson doesn't know the Red Sox history because he stepped on the rubber, threw two pitches, and got A-Rod to tap the ball back to Alex Cora for his second inning ending double play. And then the crowd let him have it. It was a grin inducing moment to say the least. That double play kept the Sox in the lead and allowed both Okie and Papelbon to slam the doors on the Yanks.
Last night was more of the same. Not quite as many boos for the home team, but a lot of runs for the visitors. Unlike night one, though, most of the runs came in the 8th.
The Sox were leading when the 8th inning rolled around, but it was only by two runs. Jason Bay put an end to that when he knocked Youkilis in with a triple that got away from Abreu when it found the gap in right center. And the hits just kept coming, culminating with Pedroia stepping to the plate with the bases loaded and only one out. So on a 2-0 pitch, Pedroia slammed the ball to left center for his first career grand slam to give the Red Sox a 9 run lead.
While the Sox, actually it's Timlin's fault, gave up one more run, there was never any chance the Yankees were going to catch those guys from the Fens, giving the Red Sox their 2nd win at The House that Ruth built.
Today's the final game of the series and here's hoping Lester does a better job than he did against the Jays and the Fenway Faithful can pull out their brooms.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
'Dustin' Off The Yanks--Peter
Well, tonight was an even better repeat of last night than the original. Taking the ball was recent Sox acquisition, Paul Byrd. Allowing just five hits and a pair of runs while knocking down five K's, Byrd acted like deja vu all over again--the last time he faced the Stripes he was beating them in last year's playoffs to clinch Cleveland's Division Series victory. Tonight, however, was as much Dusty's evening (not to mention Jason Bay, as well) as Byrd's.
While going 3-5, he saved the best for last. In the top of the 8th, bases loaded, Dusty took the third pitch he saw and drove it to left, finally settling in the cheap seats, the first grand slam by an opposing second baseman in Yankee Stadium history. That shot made it 11-2, and convinced most of the Yankee fans that their time would be better spent riding the IRT to their homes. Avoid the rush! Oh, wait a minute--since they almost all left then, they created the rush.
Prior to that blow, the Sox had assembled a 7-2 lead, helped in large part by Bay, who drove in four runs with a double, triple and sacfly. Papi continued his batting surge with a 2-3 evening, including a double, and added on a pair of free passes, while overall the Sox collected a total of 13 hits, five of those for extra bases.
On the other side of the ball, after Byrd left, he was ably picked up by The Only Manny-Delcarmen for an inning of perfect ball. He handed the ball off to Jenn's favorite, Timlin, who, other than a first pitch homer by Giambi, produced a satisfactory two innings to close out the game.
This win leaves Mr. Hankie's Yankees seven games to our rear, and the Sox still lead the Twinkies by 2 1/2 and the Chisox, who lost tonight, by 1 1/2 in the wild card, with thirty games left in the season. Tomorrow we have Lester going, and, hopefully, he and the team will complete a fitting Sox final farewell to Yankee Stadium--SWEEP!!
While going 3-5, he saved the best for last. In the top of the 8th, bases loaded, Dusty took the third pitch he saw and drove it to left, finally settling in the cheap seats, the first grand slam by an opposing second baseman in Yankee Stadium history. That shot made it 11-2, and convinced most of the Yankee fans that their time would be better spent riding the IRT to their homes. Avoid the rush! Oh, wait a minute--since they almost all left then, they created the rush.
Prior to that blow, the Sox had assembled a 7-2 lead, helped in large part by Bay, who drove in four runs with a double, triple and sacfly. Papi continued his batting surge with a 2-3 evening, including a double, and added on a pair of free passes, while overall the Sox collected a total of 13 hits, five of those for extra bases.
On the other side of the ball, after Byrd left, he was ably picked up by The Only Manny-Delcarmen for an inning of perfect ball. He handed the ball off to Jenn's favorite, Timlin, who, other than a first pitch homer by Giambi, produced a satisfactory two innings to close out the game.
This win leaves Mr. Hankie's Yankees seven games to our rear, and the Sox still lead the Twinkies by 2 1/2 and the Chisox, who lost tonight, by 1 1/2 in the wild card, with thirty games left in the season. Tomorrow we have Lester going, and, hopefully, he and the team will complete a fitting Sox final farewell to Yankee Stadium--SWEEP!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A Great Start Against the Stripes!--Peter
Tonight was a great way to make the final push against Mr. Hankie's Yankees--with a win at the soon to be past tense Yankee Stadium. I was somewhat concerned with Beckett not being available to go at all this trip against the Stripes, and that concern was enhanced by the fact that Wake was going to start tonight--fresh off the DL from shoulder problems. Not to worry--too much. True, he started off serving up a shot to Stripes leadoff, Demon, errrr, Damon that immediately had the Sox trailing, but the Hose immediately evened up things in the 2d and by the end of their half of the 3d, they were in the lead to stay, first 3-2, then later 6-2, and finally, 7-3, the final.
Papi contributed a pair of resounding doubles, Yoooouk had one to plate Papi, Bay showed timely hitting with a hit and a sacfly to pick up a pair of ribbies and Coco went 3-5 and stole a base, keeping a vital rally going and ultimately helping secure the final margin of victory.
On the pitching side of things, you couldn't have asked for much more. Wake produced a workmanlike five innings, scattering hits and avoiding trouble in most cases, the only notable exceptions being a pair of homers surrendered to his former teammate, Demon....errr, Damon.
Not wanting to put too much strain on Wake's shoulder, Terry brought on Lopez for an inning of perfect baseball, followed in order by Tom-Delcarmen, Masterson, Okajima and The Laser--Papelbon. Five relievers, a total of two hits and a pair of passes and NO RUNS.
In his part of this, Oki quickly gave us a perfect 2/3 of an inning, including a K. He's again looking more and more like the Oki we came to expect last year. He was followed by Papelbon and for the last five batters of the game it was vintage Papelbon. Needing only fifteen pitches, ten of them strikes, Pap didn't allow a ball out of the infield and K'd two batters in the process.
The win leaves Mr. Hankie's Yankees six games astern, and the Sox only 3 1/2 behind the Rays. Just as important, the Twins are trailing, 3-2, in the top of the 8th in Seattle. On the negative side, the Pale Hose won their game against the O's.
Late flash--top of the 9th in Seattle and the M's still lead the Twins, 3-2.
Papi contributed a pair of resounding doubles, Yoooouk had one to plate Papi, Bay showed timely hitting with a hit and a sacfly to pick up a pair of ribbies and Coco went 3-5 and stole a base, keeping a vital rally going and ultimately helping secure the final margin of victory.
On the pitching side of things, you couldn't have asked for much more. Wake produced a workmanlike five innings, scattering hits and avoiding trouble in most cases, the only notable exceptions being a pair of homers surrendered to his former teammate, Demon....errr, Damon.
Not wanting to put too much strain on Wake's shoulder, Terry brought on Lopez for an inning of perfect baseball, followed in order by Tom-Delcarmen, Masterson, Okajima and The Laser--Papelbon. Five relievers, a total of two hits and a pair of passes and NO RUNS.
In his part of this, Oki quickly gave us a perfect 2/3 of an inning, including a K. He's again looking more and more like the Oki we came to expect last year. He was followed by Papelbon and for the last five batters of the game it was vintage Papelbon. Needing only fifteen pitches, ten of them strikes, Pap didn't allow a ball out of the infield and K'd two batters in the process.
The win leaves Mr. Hankie's Yankees six games astern, and the Sox only 3 1/2 behind the Rays. Just as important, the Twins are trailing, 3-2, in the top of the 8th in Seattle. On the negative side, the Pale Hose won their game against the O's.
Late flash--top of the 9th in Seattle and the M's still lead the Twins, 3-2.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Two of Three-In Toronto!!--Peter
Boy, after yesterday's nightmare, eleven zip thrashing, I figured we're back to what passes as normal for the Sox against Toronto. There wasn't a semblance of anything good for the Hub Hose--even Lester couldn't help at all. But today, after the first inning, anyway, was pretty much a different story, and, best of all, the Sox made it two of three against the Jays--in Toronto, no less!
Starting in the 3d, the Sox fought back. Sending nine men to the plate, the Sox picked up four, including Dusty's 14th homer of the year. Yoouk added an RBI on a hit in the inning as well, his 89th of the year. However, it wasn't to be easy by any means. With a single run in the 4th and a pair in the 6th, the Jays squirted back into the lead, and the Sox bats fell silent. I started to think, "Here we go again." Worse, I'm playing the game of scoreboard watching, and seeing the Stripes trampling the O's 7-2 midway through their game, while Tampa and the Chisox are going back and forth, both affecting the Sox place in the division race and the wild card at the same time.
Then, suddenly Coco turned on a 1-0 offering and drilled it into the cheaps in right to tie the score at five. It's his seventh of the year. From there on, both sides' pitchers took control of the game, allowing not much of anything. The Toronto half of the 7th, plus all of the 8th, 9th and 10th went by without more than a single scratch hit for each team. Masterson, Okajima, Papelbon and TOM-Delcarmen all pitched shutout ball through to the end of the game. Masterson gave up the only hit, while Oki finished out the 8th on just ten pitches, and Laser threw two innings of perfect baseball, allowing just two balls out of the infield. He got the 'W' after Lowrie drove a 1-1 offering deep into the right field seats for a 6-5 lead in the top of the 11th, and TOM held serve in the bottom half, allowing only a single free pass. TOM got the save for his efforts.
Although the Sox only collected nine hits over the 11 innings, four were for extra bases and three of those were homers.
It's good that the team is pulling together to hang in the two races they're involved in, because with all of the injuries, the place is starting to look like the 4077th MASH. Lowell, Wake, Lugo, Colon and Aardsma are on the DL, and JD, and JB are both hurting but hoping to work through it on a day-to-day basis. Even on day-to-day, you have to think that a herniated disc (JD) and 'numbness and tingling' in his pitching arm (JB) sound pretty serious and just what we do not need at this juncture.
On the plus side, Colon seems to be coming along and may be able to pitch in the upcoming Yankees series in NY or no later than the following one, and JB's exams and treatment are supposed to be 'making progress'. Hope that's not just blowing smoke into the nether regions of the fans' collective anatomy.
OH--the latest from your faithful scoreboard watcher: Pale Hose beat the Rays, so the Sox regain the game they lost to the Rays in the standings yesterday. The Twinkies lost; unfortunately, Mr. Hankie's Yankees managed to pull out their game, 8-7 after the O's had clawed back to a tie at seven. So that leaves us 4 1/2 behind the Rays for the division, with 32 games left; a half game up on the Chisox in the wild card and one full game up on the Twins in the wild card. The Stripes are five games to the rear.
Starting in the 3d, the Sox fought back. Sending nine men to the plate, the Sox picked up four, including Dusty's 14th homer of the year. Yoouk added an RBI on a hit in the inning as well, his 89th of the year. However, it wasn't to be easy by any means. With a single run in the 4th and a pair in the 6th, the Jays squirted back into the lead, and the Sox bats fell silent. I started to think, "Here we go again." Worse, I'm playing the game of scoreboard watching, and seeing the Stripes trampling the O's 7-2 midway through their game, while Tampa and the Chisox are going back and forth, both affecting the Sox place in the division race and the wild card at the same time.
Then, suddenly Coco turned on a 1-0 offering and drilled it into the cheaps in right to tie the score at five. It's his seventh of the year. From there on, both sides' pitchers took control of the game, allowing not much of anything. The Toronto half of the 7th, plus all of the 8th, 9th and 10th went by without more than a single scratch hit for each team. Masterson, Okajima, Papelbon and TOM-Delcarmen all pitched shutout ball through to the end of the game. Masterson gave up the only hit, while Oki finished out the 8th on just ten pitches, and Laser threw two innings of perfect baseball, allowing just two balls out of the infield. He got the 'W' after Lowrie drove a 1-1 offering deep into the right field seats for a 6-5 lead in the top of the 11th, and TOM held serve in the bottom half, allowing only a single free pass. TOM got the save for his efforts.
Although the Sox only collected nine hits over the 11 innings, four were for extra bases and three of those were homers.
It's good that the team is pulling together to hang in the two races they're involved in, because with all of the injuries, the place is starting to look like the 4077th MASH. Lowell, Wake, Lugo, Colon and Aardsma are on the DL, and JD, and JB are both hurting but hoping to work through it on a day-to-day basis. Even on day-to-day, you have to think that a herniated disc (JD) and 'numbness and tingling' in his pitching arm (JB) sound pretty serious and just what we do not need at this juncture.
On the plus side, Colon seems to be coming along and may be able to pitch in the upcoming Yankees series in NY or no later than the following one, and JB's exams and treatment are supposed to be 'making progress'. Hope that's not just blowing smoke into the nether regions of the fans' collective anatomy.
OH--the latest from your faithful scoreboard watcher: Pale Hose beat the Rays, so the Sox regain the game they lost to the Rays in the standings yesterday. The Twinkies lost; unfortunately, Mr. Hankie's Yankees managed to pull out their game, 8-7 after the O's had clawed back to a tie at seven. So that leaves us 4 1/2 behind the Rays for the division, with 32 games left; a half game up on the Chisox in the wild card and one full game up on the Twins in the wild card. The Stripes are five games to the rear.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dusty & Tek Save One For the Byrd--Peter
Well, this one to a large degree seemed just like a typical Sox W from earlier in the season, not to mention 2007. Lots of contributions from all corners. Dusty and Tek both homered, Ellsbury drove in a pair of ribbies, and Coco went 3-4 with his 15th swipe of the year. As if all of this weren't enough, the relief pitching did its job from front to back end of the bullpen.
Specifically, Dusty's still on fire. Tonight he got a couple of hits, including his thirteenth homer of the season. What's more, this makes the 46th of his last 5o games in which he's hit safely. That's not too shabby--not at all! As for Tek, his homer tonight is the third in as many games for him, giving him 11 on the season.
Byrd started for the second time since the trade that brought him to the Fens, and while he gave up a pair of two-run shots, he was otherwise pretty decent. He left with a lead that his teammates gradually expanded to the final 8-4, and got his first W in a Sox uniform. Masterson followed for an inning of shutout ball, although he did allow three baserunners. None of them got home, which is more important. Masterson was followed, in order, by Okajima and Papelbon, each of whom also tossed an inning of shutout ball, Oki's being perfect and setting the stage for the finish; Laser's slamming the door. In fact, both Oki and Pap got a pair of ground ball outs and a K, the only ball leaving the infield being a 9th inning single Pap gave up.
As I write this, the Rays lead in the 9th top of the 9th 6-4 against the Pale Hose, the Twins are zip-zip against the Halos in LA (hopefully, the Angels will hold any lead they get tonight, unlike last night), and Mr. Hankie's Yankees kept pace with our guys, and remain 6 games to the rear.
Unfortunately, a bit of negative news: JD's back pain is being caused by a herniated disk, not a good thing at all.
Specifically, Dusty's still on fire. Tonight he got a couple of hits, including his thirteenth homer of the season. What's more, this makes the 46th of his last 5o games in which he's hit safely. That's not too shabby--not at all! As for Tek, his homer tonight is the third in as many games for him, giving him 11 on the season.
Byrd started for the second time since the trade that brought him to the Fens, and while he gave up a pair of two-run shots, he was otherwise pretty decent. He left with a lead that his teammates gradually expanded to the final 8-4, and got his first W in a Sox uniform. Masterson followed for an inning of shutout ball, although he did allow three baserunners. None of them got home, which is more important. Masterson was followed, in order, by Okajima and Papelbon, each of whom also tossed an inning of shutout ball, Oki's being perfect and setting the stage for the finish; Laser's slamming the door. In fact, both Oki and Pap got a pair of ground ball outs and a K, the only ball leaving the infield being a 9th inning single Pap gave up.
As I write this, the Rays lead in the 9th top of the 9th 6-4 against the Pale Hose, the Twins are zip-zip against the Halos in LA (hopefully, the Angels will hold any lead they get tonight, unlike last night), and Mr. Hankie's Yankees kept pace with our guys, and remain 6 games to the rear.
Unfortunately, a bit of negative news: JD's back pain is being caused by a herniated disk, not a good thing at all.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A Two Inning Fantasy--Peter
Well, here we were with Clay Buchholz on the mound. I'm starting the game very nervous. Will he continue to do as poorly as he has for most of the season or will he find himself and really be a plus for the rest of the season and the pennant race? One inning and no hits, a one, two, three inning in fact. Meanwhile, the Sox pick up a deuce in each of the first two innings. Bottom half of the second and Buchholz gets two outs while only surrendering a walk, I'm starting to think, "Hey, he's allowed no hits. He was pitching against these same Orioles when he got his no-no last year. Could it be....a repeat?" Hell of a fantasy. Then, unfortunately, reality arrived. Had been on its way all along, but got held up in rush hour traffic from Baltimore's Inner Harbor on its way to the ball park. By the time the third out was in the books, the O's had scored three times and the no-hitter--fuhgeddaboudit! Three hits to go with those three runs were on the board.
But wait! It got worse. After a base running error took the Sox out of a potential scoring opportunity in their half of the third when Lowrie went from a leadoff double to the second half of a twin killing, the O's really went to town on Buchholz.
A hit batsman and a walk, sandwiched around a fly out, followed by a steal of 3d, left Buchholz in the showers and set up an explosive greeting for Aardsma. Usually pretty sharp, the first batter he faced, Hernandez, took two and then unloaded-- a three run shot into the cheaps--O's, 6-3. So much for fantasy. After the game, Buchholz found himself on a longer trip than just to the showers. He was sent down--way down. Usually, he'd go from Boston to Triple A Pawtucket, as he did earlier this year. Not tonight. This time it's Double A Portland. Well, at least he'll have plenty of lobster right at his doorstep.
It just went downhill from there. The Sox outhit the O's 13-9 and had more men on base, but it was the two 3-run homers by the Birds that made the difference. With the exception of Okajima, who went two innings, allowing only a single walk and K'ing two, every Sox hurler gave up runs. Jenn's favorite, Timlin, had the next fewest runs allowed, giving up one in two innings. By the way, it was Timlin's 1,049th career appearance, second only to Kent Tekulve in baseball history for right handed pitchers.
Offensively, Ellsbury, Youkilis, Bay and Crisp had two hits apiece, with the Sox getting three doubles, a triple and another homer, the last from Bay. They just weren't timely. Jake also picked up his 41st steal.
So, where are we? Well, the Rays lost, so we missed a great chance to pick up a game and are still four and a half out. The Twins and Stripes both won, thereby cutting the Hose wild card lead to a half game over the Twinkies and to five and a half over Mr. Hankie's Yankees.
But wait! It got worse. After a base running error took the Sox out of a potential scoring opportunity in their half of the third when Lowrie went from a leadoff double to the second half of a twin killing, the O's really went to town on Buchholz.
A hit batsman and a walk, sandwiched around a fly out, followed by a steal of 3d, left Buchholz in the showers and set up an explosive greeting for Aardsma. Usually pretty sharp, the first batter he faced, Hernandez, took two and then unloaded-- a three run shot into the cheaps--O's, 6-3. So much for fantasy. After the game, Buchholz found himself on a longer trip than just to the showers. He was sent down--way down. Usually, he'd go from Boston to Triple A Pawtucket, as he did earlier this year. Not tonight. This time it's Double A Portland. Well, at least he'll have plenty of lobster right at his doorstep.
It just went downhill from there. The Sox outhit the O's 13-9 and had more men on base, but it was the two 3-run homers by the Birds that made the difference. With the exception of Okajima, who went two innings, allowing only a single walk and K'ing two, every Sox hurler gave up runs. Jenn's favorite, Timlin, had the next fewest runs allowed, giving up one in two innings. By the way, it was Timlin's 1,049th career appearance, second only to Kent Tekulve in baseball history for right handed pitchers.
Offensively, Ellsbury, Youkilis, Bay and Crisp had two hits apiece, with the Sox getting three doubles, a triple and another homer, the last from Bay. They just weren't timely. Jake also picked up his 41st steal.
So, where are we? Well, the Rays lost, so we missed a great chance to pick up a game and are still four and a half out. The Twins and Stripes both won, thereby cutting the Hose wild card lead to a half game over the Twinkies and to five and a half over Mr. Hankie's Yankees.
Good News and Bad News - Jenn
After a horrific weekend against the Jays, the Sox are back in a groove. They've taken the first two games against the Orioles and are thereby keeping a tight grip on the lead in the wild card race.
The good news that I referred to in the title is that the Sox are on the road and so far they're winning. Better news is that Varitek hit home runs in each of the first two games in Baltimore. And after 3 and a half weeks as a member of the Red Sox, Jason Bay is making it obvious the trade of Manny was a smart move. He had two homers in the first game and three hits in yesterday's. And while Youkilis was hitless in Monday's game, he helped give the Sox some breathing room last night when he launched homer #24 into the cheap seats in the 5th inning.
And speaking of breathing room, let's talk about Dice-K. They're calling him the escape artist in Boston because no matter what kind of bases loaded situation he finds himself in, he seems to get out of it without any damage. That's exactly what happened in the fourth inning. After giving up two runs in the 3rd, he proceeded to load the bases in the 4th with no one out. It was a nightmare to watch. But then Houdini appeared and Dice-K got Melvin Mora to strike out and Aubrey Huff to pop out to Youkilis to end the inning. I don't know what it is about Dice-K and him loading the bases with walks. Maybe he likes the pressure. Maybe it allows him to really focus and throw strikes. Whatever the reason, while it may work for him, it's torture for any Sox fan to watch.
So that's all the good news of the last two games. Now unfortunately, the bad news. We now know why Beckett pitched such an awful game Sunday. Turns out Josh woke up Sunday morning with some tingling in his right hand. He thought it was just numb because he'd slept on it funny. But the tingling never went away. In fact it was still there as of yesterday's game. And now the ace who was supposed to take the mound for Saturday's game against the Jays will miss his start. He didn't even throw Monday or Tuesday and was supposed to take a few practice tosses today to see how his hand feels. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about and the ace will be back to full form in time to face the Yankees next week. If it's not nothing... well, I don't want to think about that.
The other upsetting news is that Buchholz is scheduled to take the mound today. He hasn't done well in his last several starts and he was even sent back down to Pawtucket to work on his pitch. But now he's back and hopefully improved. He needs to throw a better game today than he has because we can't afford to be any farther back in the standings than we are already. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I may be watching today's game through my fingers.
The good news that I referred to in the title is that the Sox are on the road and so far they're winning. Better news is that Varitek hit home runs in each of the first two games in Baltimore. And after 3 and a half weeks as a member of the Red Sox, Jason Bay is making it obvious the trade of Manny was a smart move. He had two homers in the first game and three hits in yesterday's. And while Youkilis was hitless in Monday's game, he helped give the Sox some breathing room last night when he launched homer #24 into the cheap seats in the 5th inning.
And speaking of breathing room, let's talk about Dice-K. They're calling him the escape artist in Boston because no matter what kind of bases loaded situation he finds himself in, he seems to get out of it without any damage. That's exactly what happened in the fourth inning. After giving up two runs in the 3rd, he proceeded to load the bases in the 4th with no one out. It was a nightmare to watch. But then Houdini appeared and Dice-K got Melvin Mora to strike out and Aubrey Huff to pop out to Youkilis to end the inning. I don't know what it is about Dice-K and him loading the bases with walks. Maybe he likes the pressure. Maybe it allows him to really focus and throw strikes. Whatever the reason, while it may work for him, it's torture for any Sox fan to watch.
So that's all the good news of the last two games. Now unfortunately, the bad news. We now know why Beckett pitched such an awful game Sunday. Turns out Josh woke up Sunday morning with some tingling in his right hand. He thought it was just numb because he'd slept on it funny. But the tingling never went away. In fact it was still there as of yesterday's game. And now the ace who was supposed to take the mound for Saturday's game against the Jays will miss his start. He didn't even throw Monday or Tuesday and was supposed to take a few practice tosses today to see how his hand feels. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about and the ace will be back to full form in time to face the Yankees next week. If it's not nothing... well, I don't want to think about that.
The other upsetting news is that Buchholz is scheduled to take the mound today. He hasn't done well in his last several starts and he was even sent back down to Pawtucket to work on his pitch. But now he's back and hopefully improved. He needs to throw a better game today than he has because we can't afford to be any farther back in the standings than we are already. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I may be watching today's game through my fingers.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Yooouk & Tek and Dice Gets A Win--Peter
Well, we're still four and a half to the rear of the Rays, but tonight's win, the second in a row and sixth of the last eight, was a team effort. The offense was largely, though not entirely, a product of Yooouk and Tek, each getting a homer and having a multi-hit game. For Yooouk, it was his 24th of the year; for Tek, his 10th, but, more importantly, his second in as many nights and accompanied this time by a solid two bagger as well. Perhaps the long slump is at last over. Certainly hope so. For his part, Yooouk was 3-5 on the evening.
As I mentioned, they weren't the only people peppering the ball around the field. Both Big Papi and Jake had multi-hit games as well, Papi driving in a run, while the Speed Racer scored a pair and also displayed his usual larcenous talents another two times, increasing his league lead to 40 on the season in that category. He's the first Sox player in quite a few years to get that many in a single season, and looks like a decent bet to crack the half century mark before the end of September arrives.
Overall, the Sox totaled fifteen hits, only four of which were for extra bases. But they did what has too often eluded them earlier this year--they frequently bunched their knocks so as to get the most benefit from them. Even with that, they still stranded a dozen.
Turning to the hurlers, the Diceman picked up another win, going five and allowing six hits and five walks while getting a half dozen K's. He gave up two runs in the process, lowering his ERA to 2.77. The only disturbing thing about his pitching continues to be a high number of walks. While he usually manages to pitch himself out of trouble just as quickly as he pitched himself into it, it's not a good thing to make a habit of. Sooner or later, a batter takes advantage and converts those extra baserunners to runs.
He was good enough to win, though. The bullpen followed just as well. Lopez provided an inning of perfect baseball, while Masterson and TOM, Delcarmen each added an inning of shutout ball. However, TOM was a bit unnerving in his inning. Getting the first out rather easily, he then gave up consecutive singles. The second out moved them to 2d and 3d with the O's biggest basher, Huff coming to the plate. A drive like last night's and it would quickly be 7-5 and Lasertime. TOM regained his mastery of the situation just in time getting Huff to harmlessly ground out and end the game.
Aside from the distance behind the Rays noted above, the win left the Hose still a game and a half ahead of the Twins in the wild card and (drum roll) six and a half up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees, who lost 2-1 tonight to Toronto. At least the Jays aren't playing favorites.
One other more somber note: former Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski was rushed to Mass General today and underwent bypass surgery. Prayers and good wishes to him and his family. Hopefully, he wins this one as easily as he used to pick caroms off the Monster and throw out the hitter going for second. Yaz has always been a real class act, as well as a damn good player.
As I mentioned, they weren't the only people peppering the ball around the field. Both Big Papi and Jake had multi-hit games as well, Papi driving in a run, while the Speed Racer scored a pair and also displayed his usual larcenous talents another two times, increasing his league lead to 40 on the season in that category. He's the first Sox player in quite a few years to get that many in a single season, and looks like a decent bet to crack the half century mark before the end of September arrives.
Overall, the Sox totaled fifteen hits, only four of which were for extra bases. But they did what has too often eluded them earlier this year--they frequently bunched their knocks so as to get the most benefit from them. Even with that, they still stranded a dozen.
Turning to the hurlers, the Diceman picked up another win, going five and allowing six hits and five walks while getting a half dozen K's. He gave up two runs in the process, lowering his ERA to 2.77. The only disturbing thing about his pitching continues to be a high number of walks. While he usually manages to pitch himself out of trouble just as quickly as he pitched himself into it, it's not a good thing to make a habit of. Sooner or later, a batter takes advantage and converts those extra baserunners to runs.
He was good enough to win, though. The bullpen followed just as well. Lopez provided an inning of perfect baseball, while Masterson and TOM, Delcarmen each added an inning of shutout ball. However, TOM was a bit unnerving in his inning. Getting the first out rather easily, he then gave up consecutive singles. The second out moved them to 2d and 3d with the O's biggest basher, Huff coming to the plate. A drive like last night's and it would quickly be 7-5 and Lasertime. TOM regained his mastery of the situation just in time getting Huff to harmlessly ground out and end the game.
Aside from the distance behind the Rays noted above, the win left the Hose still a game and a half ahead of the Twins in the wild card and (drum roll) six and a half up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees, who lost 2-1 tonight to Toronto. At least the Jays aren't playing favorites.
One other more somber note: former Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski was rushed to Mass General today and underwent bypass surgery. Prayers and good wishes to him and his family. Hopefully, he wins this one as easily as he used to pick caroms off the Monster and throw out the hitter going for second. Yaz has always been a real class act, as well as a damn good player.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Lester and Bay-A Really Good Day!--Peter
Well, after the weekend abomination with the Jays, the Hose went on the road, not always the best place to be for them this season. However, in today's game in Baltimore, our heroes were definitely equal to the task. Offensively, the Sox got nine hits, but five of those were for extra bases. Jason Bay, holding up his end of the bargain in the trade that brought him to the Fens, drove two balls out of the yard, accounting for three of his four RBI's for the game. Those two shots were part of his 3-5 day, which also included a stolen base and nine total bases. including his output before his arrival, he now has 26 homers on the season, exactly the same number Manny now has. Be nice to see them face off in October.
He wasn't the only one doing a job on the O's pitching. Big Papi had a pair of long doubles, scoring twice and driving in a run, and Tek, our captain, added a solo shot in the 2d.
On the other side of the ball, so to speak, Jon Lester tossed another gem. Going seven, he allowed only four hits and a single free pass, surrendering a single run on what was probably his only mistake, resulting in a homer by Huff. It clearly wasn't a freak shot as Huff now has 27 HR's for the year. Nevertheless, he was the pitcher of record for the possible win when he was succeeded by TOM, Delcarmen. After getting a pair of outs, TOM put a couple of runners on and was replaced by--Laserman! The Laser made just a single mistake, again to Huff. Huff slapped a double into the outfield that plated both of the runners TOM left of base. Then, settling down, Pap slammed the door for the balance of the 8th and was drop dead--game over solid in the 9th, picking up his 33d save in 37 chances. The only baserunner he had was Huff on the 8th inning double. So, Lester's now 12-4, and Pap's ERA is down to a Papelbonian 1.84 and an opposition BA of .188.
He wasn't the only one doing a job on the O's pitching. Big Papi had a pair of long doubles, scoring twice and driving in a run, and Tek, our captain, added a solo shot in the 2d.
On the other side of the ball, so to speak, Jon Lester tossed another gem. Going seven, he allowed only four hits and a single free pass, surrendering a single run on what was probably his only mistake, resulting in a homer by Huff. It clearly wasn't a freak shot as Huff now has 27 HR's for the year. Nevertheless, he was the pitcher of record for the possible win when he was succeeded by TOM, Delcarmen. After getting a pair of outs, TOM put a couple of runners on and was replaced by--Laserman! The Laser made just a single mistake, again to Huff. Huff slapped a double into the outfield that plated both of the runners TOM left of base. Then, settling down, Pap slammed the door for the balance of the 8th and was drop dead--game over solid in the 9th, picking up his 33d save in 37 chances. The only baserunner he had was Huff on the 8th inning double. So, Lester's now 12-4, and Pap's ERA is down to a Papelbonian 1.84 and an opposition BA of .188.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A Toronto Weekend!--Peter
Well, it's been a typical Toronto weekend for the Sox--and that applies regardless of the actual location of the games. Historically, with only a very few exceptions, the Hose seem to have a great amount of difficulty beating the guys from north of the border. This weekend was no exception. First, after a rainout on Friday, they faced the Jays' best pitcher, Halliday. Now here we have a difficult task in any case. Although the Sox have on occasion beaten Halliday, it's not a common thing. He has won a Cy, and is always a tough pitcher to get anything against. Saturday was no exception. The Sox, in spite of a late solo shot by Dusty, could do no better than a 4-1 loss.
Today was far worse, from all aspects. Beckett was starting for the Hose and had just come off his last game, an eight inning masterpiece. Should give us at least a good chance, yes? Well, no. In fact, make that NO!! After K'ing the leadoff hitter, JB gave up hits to next six batters, finally facing ten batters while surrendering six runs in the 1st. As it turned out, the game was over the, since the boys from the Fens would only manage four runs all game. JB ultimately left after 2 1/3, his shortest outing since a 1 1/3 mess in June of 2006. But is was like a snowball rolling downhill. Things just kept getting worse for our heroes. Each successive Boston hurler gave up hits and runs, except the last one, Papelbon, and he wasn't in trying to save a game, just get some work to stay sharp. His inning was classic Laserman--three up, three down, with a pair of K's in 13 total pitches. Unfortunately, nobody else was even remotely close. Okajima, who in recent outings has looked very much like the Oki we've come to expect from 2007, had a terrible inning: five hits and three runs, all earned, on 28 pitches. Aardsma, Timlin, Buchholz and Masterson each gave up a run apiece in one to one and 1/3 innings each. Not pretty.
On the plus side, if there was one, both Yooouk and Dusty left the yard, Yoouk's his 23d for the year. Lowrie went 3-3, including a double and triple; one homer short of the cycle.
To make matters worse, with these two losses, the Sox are now four behind Tampa, subject to the Rays' game tonight, and just five up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees and a half game up on the Twins in the wild card race. They go on the road for nine games, all against AL East teams, starting tomorrow in Baltimore. Yuck!
Today was far worse, from all aspects. Beckett was starting for the Hose and had just come off his last game, an eight inning masterpiece. Should give us at least a good chance, yes? Well, no. In fact, make that NO!! After K'ing the leadoff hitter, JB gave up hits to next six batters, finally facing ten batters while surrendering six runs in the 1st. As it turned out, the game was over the, since the boys from the Fens would only manage four runs all game. JB ultimately left after 2 1/3, his shortest outing since a 1 1/3 mess in June of 2006. But is was like a snowball rolling downhill. Things just kept getting worse for our heroes. Each successive Boston hurler gave up hits and runs, except the last one, Papelbon, and he wasn't in trying to save a game, just get some work to stay sharp. His inning was classic Laserman--three up, three down, with a pair of K's in 13 total pitches. Unfortunately, nobody else was even remotely close. Okajima, who in recent outings has looked very much like the Oki we've come to expect from 2007, had a terrible inning: five hits and three runs, all earned, on 28 pitches. Aardsma, Timlin, Buchholz and Masterson each gave up a run apiece in one to one and 1/3 innings each. Not pretty.
On the plus side, if there was one, both Yooouk and Dusty left the yard, Yoouk's his 23d for the year. Lowrie went 3-3, including a double and triple; one homer short of the cycle.
To make matters worse, with these two losses, the Sox are now four behind Tampa, subject to the Rays' game tonight, and just five up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees and a half game up on the Twins in the wild card race. They go on the road for nine games, all against AL East teams, starting tomorrow in Baltimore. Yuck!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Another Big Inning--Peter
Well, here the Hose were against the Rangers once again. Trying for a series sweep, the only way they could improve on the past two nights was to again score tons of runs and then NOT give the Rangers a chance to get back in. The Sox took care of the first requirement early. In the 2d inning, they started soft and slow, like Neil Diamond's 'Brother Love' in the song. Loading the bases, they picked up a run on a single by Coco. Next was a run forced in by Cora getting hit by a pitch while the sacks were still jammed. JD added one on a fielder's choice, plating Tek, 3-0, Sox.
Then the Hubhose picked up the pace. The snowball that was the Sox offense rolled a bit faster down the hill that was the Rangers pitching. Dusty drove a double off the Monster, sending one run in and Drew to third, and bringing Big Papi to the dish. He let just one pitch, a ball, go by and then unloaded into the right field seats for three more runs, and a 7-0 Sox lead.
That wasn't then end of things however. Yoouk doubled yet again in this series and was sent home by Bay's base hit. After that, Lowrie finished off the scoring for the inning with a double that drove Bay home. End of the 2d, Red Sox 9, Rangers nothing.
However, after the game two nights ago, and last night's late mini-rally by the guys from Texas, I wasn't exactly relaxing completely yet. These guys do, after all, have the highest team BA in MLB, along with a number of very dangerous long ball players.
That's where Dice-K came in. Pitching perhaps his best game of the year, he kept setting down Texas batters, more or less one right after the other through seven. Yes, he did give up 6 hits and his usual accompanying bunch of free passes, but he also picked up five K's and kept the Rangers from turning any of the walks into anything productive. By the time he left after seven, his season ERA was down to 2.74. The Diceman's looking more and more like what he was hoped to be when Theo grabbed him last year. He's now 14-2.
Dice was followed, in succession, by TOM, Delcarmen and Jenn's favorite, each of whom tossed an inning of perfect baseball. Between them they K's half of the batters they faced. While they were busy doing this, the Sox added a solo run in the 8th on Pedroia's double, his third hit of the evening, and a single by Bailey, who'd come in to take over for Yoouk at first base.
Items of note: tomorrow Paul Byrd, formerly of the Tribe, pitches his first game for the Sox, going against Toronto. Hopefully, he continues his recent successes that he's shown in his last four starts where he's unbeaten. A continuation of the Sox recent batting surge wouldn't hurt his chances.
Then the Hubhose picked up the pace. The snowball that was the Sox offense rolled a bit faster down the hill that was the Rangers pitching. Dusty drove a double off the Monster, sending one run in and Drew to third, and bringing Big Papi to the dish. He let just one pitch, a ball, go by and then unloaded into the right field seats for three more runs, and a 7-0 Sox lead.
That wasn't then end of things however. Yoouk doubled yet again in this series and was sent home by Bay's base hit. After that, Lowrie finished off the scoring for the inning with a double that drove Bay home. End of the 2d, Red Sox 9, Rangers nothing.
However, after the game two nights ago, and last night's late mini-rally by the guys from Texas, I wasn't exactly relaxing completely yet. These guys do, after all, have the highest team BA in MLB, along with a number of very dangerous long ball players.
That's where Dice-K came in. Pitching perhaps his best game of the year, he kept setting down Texas batters, more or less one right after the other through seven. Yes, he did give up 6 hits and his usual accompanying bunch of free passes, but he also picked up five K's and kept the Rangers from turning any of the walks into anything productive. By the time he left after seven, his season ERA was down to 2.74. The Diceman's looking more and more like what he was hoped to be when Theo grabbed him last year. He's now 14-2.
Dice was followed, in succession, by TOM, Delcarmen and Jenn's favorite, each of whom tossed an inning of perfect baseball. Between them they K's half of the batters they faced. While they were busy doing this, the Sox added a solo run in the 8th on Pedroia's double, his third hit of the evening, and a single by Bailey, who'd come in to take over for Yoouk at first base.
Items of note: tomorrow Paul Byrd, formerly of the Tribe, pitches his first game for the Sox, going against Toronto. Hopefully, he continues his recent successes that he's shown in his last four starts where he's unbeaten. A continuation of the Sox recent batting surge wouldn't hurt his chances.
Sox Double Up The Rangers--Peter
Well, Jenn, you sort of got your wish. This time the Sox opened a big lead and didn't give it back--at least not enough of it to matter. Starting in the 2d and continuing in the 3d and 5th, the Sox built an eight zip lead, and Lester was rolling along in pretty good shape. The Sox runs this time were all without benefit of any homers, but the Sox didn't waste time throwing a bunch of two baggers up on the board--a total of six to be exact, three by Yooouk, who continued where he'd left off the night before. Other members of the 'doubles team' (sounds a bit like Wimbledon, don't you think?) were Dusty, Bay and Lowrie. In the case of Yooouk, Bay and Lowrie, they included two run doubles each, Yooouk's leaving him with 83 ribbies for the season.
Things admittedly began to get a bit tense in the Texas 8th when Milton Bradley popped a 3-run homer to get the Rangers within four, the actual drive given up by Jenn's favorite. But Lopez and Masterson closed out, in order, the inning and the game, so no harm done.
Other news: new addition Byrd's taking Buchholz's spot in the rotation for now, and unfortunately, Lowell's on the 15 day DL with a strained oblique. Separately, Yanks lost again to the Twins and are now six games astern of the Sox.
Things admittedly began to get a bit tense in the Texas 8th when Milton Bradley popped a 3-run homer to get the Rangers within four, the actual drive given up by Jenn's favorite. But Lopez and Masterson closed out, in order, the inning and the game, so no harm done.
Other news: new addition Byrd's taking Buchholz's spot in the rotation for now, and unfortunately, Lowell's on the 15 day DL with a strained oblique. Separately, Yanks lost again to the Twins and are now six games astern of the Sox.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wait, What was the Final Score?! -- Jenn
In case you missed last night's game, it was a roller coaster. Dad was so sure we'd won, he actually called me at the end of the first inning. Now, as I've mentioned before in this blog, I TIVO the games, which means if you know what's going on, DO NOT, under any circumstances, tell me. I'll see the game eventually and I don't want to know. But sometimes Dad can't help himself and he ruins it for me.
So, yesterday he called all excited. "I know you don't want to know, but I have to tell you," he said
"Fine, tell me."
"We're up 10-zip and it's only the first inning."
Well, it was only the first inning and these are the Red Sox after all. Needless to say 10-zip wasn't the final score. Dad... maybe next time you should wait to call me with the good news until after the game's over.
Yes, the Red Sox scored 10 runs in the first inning. And yes, six of them came from Big Papi hitting to deep right and center field respectively. But as Dad said, things went south in the 5th when the Rangers sent 10 men to the plate and scored eight times bringing the Texas team within two. And it wasn't just the fault of the Sox bullpen. The umpires were just as much to blame. Last night's game is a perfect example of why instant replay should be allowed in baseball. The number of miscalls were amazing.
Those eight runs the Rangers scored in the 5th? Who knows if all eight would have happened had the umps counted Laird's double off the wall as the fly out to center it actually was. See, Coco Crisp caught the ball only to drop it on the transfer. That's right, he caught the ball. Squarely in his glove. And upon looking back at the instant replay you can clearly see it. But the umps ruled it a missed catch, Laird ended up on 2nd base and Zink was removed from the game with no chance of recording the win. I didn't realize, though, that last night's roller coaster of runs would also cut short Zink's time in the bigs.
But back to the game and another miscue. So, Papi was first up in the bottom of the 5th and he crushed yet another ball to straight away center field. But instead of this being called a home run (which would've marked three for the DH), the umps called fan interference and what should've been a solo shot was instead ruled a double. And of course, if you look at the instant replay, it seems pretty clear that ball would've bounced off the top of the wall into the seats. Luckily it didn't matter, because Youk stepped up and crushed his 2-2 pitch to straight away center field and trust me, there would be no question about this home run.
Course this excitement was short lived because the Rangers would score another five runs in the top of the 6th and take the lead. I was so frustrated, I was on the verge of throwing my remote at the TV. But after being talked down by my hubby, I decided it was safer to just fast forward through the next two innings.
And am I happy I did. See, if I had ruined our TV, I wouldn't have seen the awesome three-run shot that Youk launched over the green monster for runs 17,18, and 19. You read that right, 19 runs. And it's a good thing Youk got his 2nd homer of the night. Without it, the Rangers probably would have won the game. As Dad said, Papelbon gave up an unearned run in the 9th to give Rangers their 17th run of the evening. But the Sox still had two more, and luckily that was all they'd need.
In case you haven't been keeping track, the Rangers 17 runs coupled with our 19, made for a total of 36, and one hell of a ball game. One that I really don't want to repeat any time soon. Here's hoping Lester can bring the heat and keep the Rangers' score a nice low zero.
So, yesterday he called all excited. "I know you don't want to know, but I have to tell you," he said
"Fine, tell me."
"We're up 10-zip and it's only the first inning."
Well, it was only the first inning and these are the Red Sox after all. Needless to say 10-zip wasn't the final score. Dad... maybe next time you should wait to call me with the good news until after the game's over.
Yes, the Red Sox scored 10 runs in the first inning. And yes, six of them came from Big Papi hitting to deep right and center field respectively. But as Dad said, things went south in the 5th when the Rangers sent 10 men to the plate and scored eight times bringing the Texas team within two. And it wasn't just the fault of the Sox bullpen. The umpires were just as much to blame. Last night's game is a perfect example of why instant replay should be allowed in baseball. The number of miscalls were amazing.
Those eight runs the Rangers scored in the 5th? Who knows if all eight would have happened had the umps counted Laird's double off the wall as the fly out to center it actually was. See, Coco Crisp caught the ball only to drop it on the transfer. That's right, he caught the ball. Squarely in his glove. And upon looking back at the instant replay you can clearly see it. But the umps ruled it a missed catch, Laird ended up on 2nd base and Zink was removed from the game with no chance of recording the win. I didn't realize, though, that last night's roller coaster of runs would also cut short Zink's time in the bigs.
But back to the game and another miscue. So, Papi was first up in the bottom of the 5th and he crushed yet another ball to straight away center field. But instead of this being called a home run (which would've marked three for the DH), the umps called fan interference and what should've been a solo shot was instead ruled a double. And of course, if you look at the instant replay, it seems pretty clear that ball would've bounced off the top of the wall into the seats. Luckily it didn't matter, because Youk stepped up and crushed his 2-2 pitch to straight away center field and trust me, there would be no question about this home run.
Course this excitement was short lived because the Rangers would score another five runs in the top of the 6th and take the lead. I was so frustrated, I was on the verge of throwing my remote at the TV. But after being talked down by my hubby, I decided it was safer to just fast forward through the next two innings.
And am I happy I did. See, if I had ruined our TV, I wouldn't have seen the awesome three-run shot that Youk launched over the green monster for runs 17,18, and 19. You read that right, 19 runs. And it's a good thing Youk got his 2nd homer of the night. Without it, the Rangers probably would have won the game. As Dad said, Papelbon gave up an unearned run in the 9th to give Rangers their 17th run of the evening. But the Sox still had two more, and luckily that was all they'd need.
In case you haven't been keeping track, the Rangers 17 runs coupled with our 19, made for a total of 36, and one hell of a ball game. One that I really don't want to repeat any time soon. Here's hoping Lester can bring the heat and keep the Rangers' score a nice low zero.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Football Cardiac!--Peter
Well, it's now obvious what the Pats were missing in the Super Bowl--the Red Sox! By the time the game was over tonight, I really wasn't sure what to say. I mean how often does a team--any team--score ten runs in the first inning and face the possibility of losing? How often does a starting pitcher (the Rangers') give up 12 runs, find himself down by ten, and not get the loss? The answers to those rhetorical questions, in order, is rarely and over ninety years ago (August 3, 1918; Cards over Phillies, 16-12). As Casey Stengel, former Yankees manager, used to say, "You could look it up."
The way tonight's game went, Tito's comment about trying to score a field goal was pretty apropos. I mean, in the first inning, after the latest Sox rookie pitcher, Zink, a knuckleballer, no less, went through the three batters he faced without a scratch, the Sox sent their entire lineup to the plate, almost twice, and came away leading ten zip. Big Papi was the biggest he's been in a long time, getting a pair of three run shots as the start of a 3-4, 6 ribbie night. The rest of the lineup also contributed in what looked like the biggest onslaught since the German army's march across western Europe in 1940.
However, in what then made it really look like a football game out of season, and what really began to make me start to worry about the possibilities of blowing this insurmountable lead and losing, the Rangers tacked on eight in the 5th to close to 12-10. True, our heroes did add a pair in their half of the same inning, but in the 6th, Texas came all the way back, and took the lead, 15-14. You watched this, and two things happened. First, you began to feel a cardiac coming on. Second, you quickly understood why the Rangers have the best team B.A. in the league. Ultimately to total 20 hits for the second straight game, the Rangers were threatening to run away with a contest that just a few innings earlier they were looking like they'd be happy to lose by only ten runs.
Fortunately, two things happened to save the Sox. First, the back end of the bullpen, starting with Okajima, did its job and held off the ravenous hordes from the Southwest. Oki was like we came to expect him to be for the first time in a long time, shutting out the Texans for an inning and two thirds, allowing just a single walk in the process. He ultimately was credited with the win. Papelbon allowed an unearned run, but his pitching was classic Papelbon when it counted. With one gone in the 9th via a K, he found himself with a runner on as a result of Youk's second error of the game. Youk with two errors in a game? Well, it happened and the two were #'s 2 & 3 of the week! This from one of the surest handed defensive players in MLB over the last twenty years. Anyway, that runner made it to second without drawing a throw, to be brought home by the next player with a double, 19-17 Sox. Bearing down, Laser got the next two batters, bang bang and the game at last was over.
The cardiac conditions, however, continued from the 5th onward. Having crept to within 14-10 in the 5th, the Rangers continued their scoring tsunami by tacking on an eight spot in the 6th, capped by Kinsler's sacfly to take the lead, 15-14. As if that weren't enough, they added what was beginning to look like an insurance run, expanding the lead to 16-14, in the 7th. However, as the Sox were soon to show, when it came to insurance, they didn't have enough coverage.
In their half of the 7th, the Sox matched that insurance run, leaving them trailing 16-15. Oki held serve in the top of the 8th and the Sox again took charge in the bottom half. Getting his fifth hit of the evening, Dusty banged his 36th double of the year to left, bringing home Ellsbury, who'd walked on four pitches a few moments earlier when he came in as a pinch hitter--tie score. Then, things got even more interesting. Thinking that it was probably wiser to walk Papi than pitch to him, given his 3-4, two HR, 6 RBI evening to that point, they elected to pitch to Yoouk. After all, even though he'd already had a homer, he'd also struck out his previous two AB's.
Now, we'll never know if lightning would have struck a third time for Papi tonight, but it definitely did a second time for Yoooouk! Working the count to two and O, Yoooouk unloaded on the third pitch and drove it over the Monster to put the Sox back in front by--that's right--Tito's 'field goal', 19-16. That left it to Papelbon to finish things off.
The total of 36 runs by both teams ties an AL record set by an earlier Red Sox lineup against the Philadephia A's--in 1950. The Sox were actually outhit tonight, 20-17, but had eight extra base hits among theirs, including the aforementioned four homers by Papi and Yoouk.
Outside the bounds of the game, the Sox picked up a new pitcher, Paul Byrd, from Cleveland. He's good at eating up innings and has been really good in his last four outings. Hopefully, he'll be a help oer the final six weeks of the season. As for our new rookie, Zink, after giving up the Rangers' first eight runs, and leaving with an ERA of 16plus, he was sent back down to Pawtucket after the game.
The way tonight's game went, Tito's comment about trying to score a field goal was pretty apropos. I mean, in the first inning, after the latest Sox rookie pitcher, Zink, a knuckleballer, no less, went through the three batters he faced without a scratch, the Sox sent their entire lineup to the plate, almost twice, and came away leading ten zip. Big Papi was the biggest he's been in a long time, getting a pair of three run shots as the start of a 3-4, 6 ribbie night. The rest of the lineup also contributed in what looked like the biggest onslaught since the German army's march across western Europe in 1940.
However, in what then made it really look like a football game out of season, and what really began to make me start to worry about the possibilities of blowing this insurmountable lead and losing, the Rangers tacked on eight in the 5th to close to 12-10. True, our heroes did add a pair in their half of the same inning, but in the 6th, Texas came all the way back, and took the lead, 15-14. You watched this, and two things happened. First, you began to feel a cardiac coming on. Second, you quickly understood why the Rangers have the best team B.A. in the league. Ultimately to total 20 hits for the second straight game, the Rangers were threatening to run away with a contest that just a few innings earlier they were looking like they'd be happy to lose by only ten runs.
Fortunately, two things happened to save the Sox. First, the back end of the bullpen, starting with Okajima, did its job and held off the ravenous hordes from the Southwest. Oki was like we came to expect him to be for the first time in a long time, shutting out the Texans for an inning and two thirds, allowing just a single walk in the process. He ultimately was credited with the win. Papelbon allowed an unearned run, but his pitching was classic Papelbon when it counted. With one gone in the 9th via a K, he found himself with a runner on as a result of Youk's second error of the game. Youk with two errors in a game? Well, it happened and the two were #'s 2 & 3 of the week! This from one of the surest handed defensive players in MLB over the last twenty years. Anyway, that runner made it to second without drawing a throw, to be brought home by the next player with a double, 19-17 Sox. Bearing down, Laser got the next two batters, bang bang and the game at last was over.
The cardiac conditions, however, continued from the 5th onward. Having crept to within 14-10 in the 5th, the Rangers continued their scoring tsunami by tacking on an eight spot in the 6th, capped by Kinsler's sacfly to take the lead, 15-14. As if that weren't enough, they added what was beginning to look like an insurance run, expanding the lead to 16-14, in the 7th. However, as the Sox were soon to show, when it came to insurance, they didn't have enough coverage.
In their half of the 7th, the Sox matched that insurance run, leaving them trailing 16-15. Oki held serve in the top of the 8th and the Sox again took charge in the bottom half. Getting his fifth hit of the evening, Dusty banged his 36th double of the year to left, bringing home Ellsbury, who'd walked on four pitches a few moments earlier when he came in as a pinch hitter--tie score. Then, things got even more interesting. Thinking that it was probably wiser to walk Papi than pitch to him, given his 3-4, two HR, 6 RBI evening to that point, they elected to pitch to Yoouk. After all, even though he'd already had a homer, he'd also struck out his previous two AB's.
Now, we'll never know if lightning would have struck a third time for Papi tonight, but it definitely did a second time for Yoooouk! Working the count to two and O, Yoooouk unloaded on the third pitch and drove it over the Monster to put the Sox back in front by--that's right--Tito's 'field goal', 19-16. That left it to Papelbon to finish things off.
The total of 36 runs by both teams ties an AL record set by an earlier Red Sox lineup against the Philadephia A's--in 1950. The Sox were actually outhit tonight, 20-17, but had eight extra base hits among theirs, including the aforementioned four homers by Papi and Yoouk.
Outside the bounds of the game, the Sox picked up a new pitcher, Paul Byrd, from Cleveland. He's good at eating up innings and has been really good in his last four outings. Hopefully, he'll be a help oer the final six weeks of the season. As for our new rookie, Zink, after giving up the Rangers' first eight runs, and leaving with an ERA of 16plus, he was sent back down to Pawtucket after the game.
Are the Bats Back? - Jenn
So the Red Sox split the series with the White Sox this weekend. The two they lost, they lost by just a run or two. The two they won, they won by 4 runs each.
Seems the bats don't like to play every day. Too bad, because our players show up on a daily basis and deserve to hit the ball. I don't know if it's a lack of batting or if the other team's pitching is really good, but something's gotta change. The Sox can win every other day and expect to make the playoffs. As a matter of fact, it's a miracle they're still leading the wild card albeit by only a game and a half. But that's another blog for another time. Let's get back to this weekend the the first stint against the Chi Sox.
The two games we lost weren't due to bad pitching on the Red Sox's part. Let me rephrase that. It wasn't due to Lester's pitching. He threw a great game, unfortunately Buehrle threw better, only giving up four hits and two walks over seven innings. Lester also pitched seven innings, but gave up six hits and three walks, which eventually turned into 4 runs. Those numbers tell you it's all about the bats. As per usual, the Sox got on base, but then couldn't get home. they left a total of six men on base. If any of those guys made it home the Sox might've had a shot.
On Sunday, there was a snowball's chance in hell the Red Sox were going to catch the White Sox. Why? Because Buchholz STILL can't locate his pitches. What the hell happened to this kid? I mean, he threw a no-hitter last season! Now... he either throws it right down the middle of the plate or so far outside, the ball might as well be in another ball park. On Sunday the rookie only pitched three innings before he was pulled. And in those three innings he gave up seven hits, three of which were home runs. Oh, and in case the three homers weren't enough, he also walked two.
But even though the Sox were losing when Buchholz left, they didn't give up. And they came pretty close to catching the Other Sox. But as Dad always says close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. As usual the Red Sox left another 6 men on base, which means the Other Sox took the win.
Now that we got the losses out of the way, let's talk the more important wins. The only difference between these two games and the two the Red Sox lost was the pitching and the fact that the bats decided to show up. They'd evidently had enough of a break. Saturday Dice-K was on the mound and looked great. He pitched a solid eight innings and gave up only four hits and three walks over his 106 pitches. And for the first five innings the Red Sox bats slept. But then in the 7th inning the alarms went off and the bats woke up. Hard!
Logan had taken over for Carrasco and he only faced five batters. But while most pitchers will ideally face five batters over the course of 2 innings, Logan faced his five in one. And not one of them recorded an out. By the time Papi came to bat, the bases were loaded with Varitek at 3rd, JD Drew at 2nd, and Pedroia at 1st having just driven in a run off his single. So on a 2-2 pitch Papi crushed the ball off the wall in left center for a bases clearing double that did two things. It put the Sox on top 5-1 and ended Logan's night. Jacoby would slam the final nail in the White Sox's coffin with a solo shot in the 8th and give the Red Sox a much needed win.
Then last night Beckett, the other ace in the Red Sox bullpen, pitched another solid eight innings. But while he was giving up a hit here and there, the White Sox's Danks was hitless through 6 1/3. And although the Chicago team only had one run, things looked bleak. But the Red Sox never give up, and after one out in the 7th an amazing thing happened: Danks ran out of steam.
Youkilis started the run with a broken-bat single to right and ruined Dank's run at a no-hitter. Then Lowell walked, setting the stage for JD Drew who on an o-1 pitch did the same thing Papi did two nights earlier. He slammed the ball off the wall in left center for a two-run double. Now the Sox were up 2-1 and Danks was not happy. Danks managed to get out of the inning without any other runs scoring, but the damage was done and the Red Sox were leading.
The Red Sox bats took a quick cat nap for the eighth inning, then got back to work in the 9th when Jed Lowrie sent two men home with a double off reliever Matt Thornton. Then Ellsbury once again arrived with the perverbial nail when he got his 34th RBI off a single to right. I guess Ellsbury wanted payback for Danks drilling him in the 6th inning.
Needless to say Saturday and Monday made up for the depressing losses that were Friday and Sunday. And with the Rays idle yesterday the Red Sox gained a half game so now they're only four games back. Today it's back to the Fens for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. With the bats back and the debut of another knuckleballer in Charlie Zink, maybe yesterday is the beginning of a nice long winning streak. As for Zink being the new Wakefield? Talk to me tomorrow.
Seems the bats don't like to play every day. Too bad, because our players show up on a daily basis and deserve to hit the ball. I don't know if it's a lack of batting or if the other team's pitching is really good, but something's gotta change. The Sox can win every other day and expect to make the playoffs. As a matter of fact, it's a miracle they're still leading the wild card albeit by only a game and a half. But that's another blog for another time. Let's get back to this weekend the the first stint against the Chi Sox.
The two games we lost weren't due to bad pitching on the Red Sox's part. Let me rephrase that. It wasn't due to Lester's pitching. He threw a great game, unfortunately Buehrle threw better, only giving up four hits and two walks over seven innings. Lester also pitched seven innings, but gave up six hits and three walks, which eventually turned into 4 runs. Those numbers tell you it's all about the bats. As per usual, the Sox got on base, but then couldn't get home. they left a total of six men on base. If any of those guys made it home the Sox might've had a shot.
On Sunday, there was a snowball's chance in hell the Red Sox were going to catch the White Sox. Why? Because Buchholz STILL can't locate his pitches. What the hell happened to this kid? I mean, he threw a no-hitter last season! Now... he either throws it right down the middle of the plate or so far outside, the ball might as well be in another ball park. On Sunday the rookie only pitched three innings before he was pulled. And in those three innings he gave up seven hits, three of which were home runs. Oh, and in case the three homers weren't enough, he also walked two.
But even though the Sox were losing when Buchholz left, they didn't give up. And they came pretty close to catching the Other Sox. But as Dad always says close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. As usual the Red Sox left another 6 men on base, which means the Other Sox took the win.
Now that we got the losses out of the way, let's talk the more important wins. The only difference between these two games and the two the Red Sox lost was the pitching and the fact that the bats decided to show up. They'd evidently had enough of a break. Saturday Dice-K was on the mound and looked great. He pitched a solid eight innings and gave up only four hits and three walks over his 106 pitches. And for the first five innings the Red Sox bats slept. But then in the 7th inning the alarms went off and the bats woke up. Hard!
Logan had taken over for Carrasco and he only faced five batters. But while most pitchers will ideally face five batters over the course of 2 innings, Logan faced his five in one. And not one of them recorded an out. By the time Papi came to bat, the bases were loaded with Varitek at 3rd, JD Drew at 2nd, and Pedroia at 1st having just driven in a run off his single. So on a 2-2 pitch Papi crushed the ball off the wall in left center for a bases clearing double that did two things. It put the Sox on top 5-1 and ended Logan's night. Jacoby would slam the final nail in the White Sox's coffin with a solo shot in the 8th and give the Red Sox a much needed win.
Then last night Beckett, the other ace in the Red Sox bullpen, pitched another solid eight innings. But while he was giving up a hit here and there, the White Sox's Danks was hitless through 6 1/3. And although the Chicago team only had one run, things looked bleak. But the Red Sox never give up, and after one out in the 7th an amazing thing happened: Danks ran out of steam.
Youkilis started the run with a broken-bat single to right and ruined Dank's run at a no-hitter. Then Lowell walked, setting the stage for JD Drew who on an o-1 pitch did the same thing Papi did two nights earlier. He slammed the ball off the wall in left center for a two-run double. Now the Sox were up 2-1 and Danks was not happy. Danks managed to get out of the inning without any other runs scoring, but the damage was done and the Red Sox were leading.
The Red Sox bats took a quick cat nap for the eighth inning, then got back to work in the 9th when Jed Lowrie sent two men home with a double off reliever Matt Thornton. Then Ellsbury once again arrived with the perverbial nail when he got his 34th RBI off a single to right. I guess Ellsbury wanted payback for Danks drilling him in the 6th inning.
Needless to say Saturday and Monday made up for the depressing losses that were Friday and Sunday. And with the Rays idle yesterday the Red Sox gained a half game so now they're only four games back. Today it's back to the Fens for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. With the bats back and the debut of another knuckleballer in Charlie Zink, maybe yesterday is the beginning of a nice long winning streak. As for Zink being the new Wakefield? Talk to me tomorrow.
Monday, August 11, 2008
A New Day and Timely Hitting--Peter
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, the Sox went into the late innings down 6-3, after having jumped out ahead three zip in the first. They valiantly tried to come back and almost pulled it off, finally falling 6-5. They fell one good hit short. On the plus side, Oki threw a perfect 8th, keeping the Pale Hose from stretching their lead and giving his teammates a chance if they could get the timely hit.
Today, with Beckett taking the mound, things were rolling along with each team matching the other's zeroes--with one exception. Chicago's starter, Danks, had a set of zeroes that JB, as good as he was pitching, wasn't matching. Danks wasn't allowing any hits--none-zilch!
The result was that after six, the Chisox led 1-0--and the Bosox still were hitless. Not looking good, but baseball is a nine inning game. Opening the 7th, Youk and Lowell got successive hits and after Bay's out, JD Drew drove a ball deep to center for a solid double and plated both runners, 2-1 Boston and the end of the no-no. With that assist from JD, JB kept things rolling from the defensive end. He pitched a very clean eight innings, scattering seven hits and allowing no walks while ringing up 8 K's. Entering the 8th, our heroes got a pair on base with just a single out, Jake on second and a great opportunity to steal third. Never happened. The next two batters couldn't get them home, again the frustration of failing to get that timely hit that, at this stage, likely would have salted the game away--possibly heated up a game breaking rally.
However, when they got another chance in the 9th, they didn't blow the opportunity. With the bases loaded, Jed Lowrie shot the ball into left for a two run double. Not to be outdone, Jake got his second hit of the evening a few moments later to drive in the third run of the inning and close out the scoring.
Enter The Laser. Although not a save opportunity, he performed as he almost always does--twelve pitches, final nail in the coffin, game most definitely over. His perfect inning included a single K, leading to his ERA dropping back under 2.
Big Papi didn't play, getting as much a mental as a physical rest from Tito. Other benefits: the Twinkies, chasing the Sox for wild card rights, stayed just 1.5 games to the stern--by shutting out the Stripes four zip, dropping Mr. Hankie's Yankees five games behind them. Hubhose also cut a half game off the Rays' lead. While I'm on the subject of the Rays, they've avoided for the most part the injury bug all season. Today, that changed. Their rookie of the year candidate, Longoria, went to the DL with a broken wrist. He's only on the 15 day DL, but a busted wrist isn't healing in 15 days. Could be a big hit to the Rays' drive.
Today, with Beckett taking the mound, things were rolling along with each team matching the other's zeroes--with one exception. Chicago's starter, Danks, had a set of zeroes that JB, as good as he was pitching, wasn't matching. Danks wasn't allowing any hits--none-zilch!
The result was that after six, the Chisox led 1-0--and the Bosox still were hitless. Not looking good, but baseball is a nine inning game. Opening the 7th, Youk and Lowell got successive hits and after Bay's out, JD Drew drove a ball deep to center for a solid double and plated both runners, 2-1 Boston and the end of the no-no. With that assist from JD, JB kept things rolling from the defensive end. He pitched a very clean eight innings, scattering seven hits and allowing no walks while ringing up 8 K's. Entering the 8th, our heroes got a pair on base with just a single out, Jake on second and a great opportunity to steal third. Never happened. The next two batters couldn't get them home, again the frustration of failing to get that timely hit that, at this stage, likely would have salted the game away--possibly heated up a game breaking rally.
However, when they got another chance in the 9th, they didn't blow the opportunity. With the bases loaded, Jed Lowrie shot the ball into left for a two run double. Not to be outdone, Jake got his second hit of the evening a few moments later to drive in the third run of the inning and close out the scoring.
Enter The Laser. Although not a save opportunity, he performed as he almost always does--twelve pitches, final nail in the coffin, game most definitely over. His perfect inning included a single K, leading to his ERA dropping back under 2.
Big Papi didn't play, getting as much a mental as a physical rest from Tito. Other benefits: the Twinkies, chasing the Sox for wild card rights, stayed just 1.5 games to the stern--by shutting out the Stripes four zip, dropping Mr. Hankie's Yankees five games behind them. Hubhose also cut a half game off the Rays' lead. While I'm on the subject of the Rays, they've avoided for the most part the injury bug all season. Today, that changed. Their rookie of the year candidate, Longoria, went to the DL with a broken wrist. He's only on the 15 day DL, but a busted wrist isn't healing in 15 days. Could be a big hit to the Rays' drive.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Sox vs Sox; The Hawk Lives!--Peter
Well, the Bosox came to Chitown yesterday hoping to duplicate their series against the Chisox of a year ago, when they went through them like a buzzsaw, outscoring the Pale Hose by a combined score of 49-6. Well, at least in the first game this year, it wasn't to be. Falling behind 4-1 even though Lester was pitching, they tried to come back for a win in the 9th, picking up a quick trey on Dusty's homer, but ultimately falling 5-3.
Tonight was different. The Diceman was pitching and quickly set the tone. Although he gave up a single run in the 5th, the Sox quickly matched it in the very next inning. Then, while Dice rolled through the Chicago batters like a hot knife through butter as inning after inning passed by, the Hubhose lineup awoke.
Tied 1-1 entering the 7th, they tacked a four spot on the board. With the sacks jammed, Dusty did what he did best. He hit and drove in the tie breaker. That brought Papi to the plate, bases still jammed. Now, Papi, other than his first couple of games back from the DL, hasn't done much with the stick. He's sort of gone into a mini replica of the start of his season, entering tonight's game at 5-30 and a BA of just .240 since his return. Tonight he served notice that that was over. As part of a 3-5 evening, he came to the plate in the aforementioned bases loaded situation, took a swing and drove one off the wall in distant center clearing the bases. The only question until it finally dropped out of the atmosphere was whether or not it would clear the wall.
Ellsbury finished off the Sox scoring in the 8th with his third hit of the evening. Driving the ball on a nearly flat line, Jake put his 7th homer of the year into the cheap seats. He also has recently shown all the signs that his prolonged midseason slump is a thing of the past. Tonight's three knocks are just the latest confirmation of that.
Other multi-hit Sox were Lowell and Youk, each collecting a deuce. In Lowell's case, it ended an 0-17 drought that had seen his BA drop to .270.
As far as the Diceman was concerned, tonight was his longest outing of the year. He finished eight innings, allowing just four hits and three free passes, a WHIP for the game of less than 1.0. His season ERA dropped back below 3 as well, now 2.90. He was followed in the 9th by Jenn's favorite, Timlin. Mike looked pretty good for the entire inning--except for one pitch. Facing a certain first ballot future Hall of Famer, Jim Thome (a former teammate of Manny in Cleveland--was that a lineup or what!?), he fired a fastball that was supposed to move across the plate and out of the zone. It started across the plate and then, as if it had a mind of its own, stayed there--right in the middle of the plate about belt high. There are some batters you don't offer that pitch and location to--ever. Thome is one of them. He did exactly what he has always done in that situation. He swung and deposited the ball deep into the bleachers, ending a flat bullet-like trajectory from the plate to the seats.
As the winning Red Sox walked off the field just one batter later, Timlin and Tek were obviously in deep discussion over that pitch, Timlin clearly not satisfied over giving it up, and Tek just as clearly discussing the details and providing a proper degree of encouragement to his pitcher lest the memory hurt him in a more risky situation in the future. Just one of the many non-statistical ways that Tek is so valuable to this pitching staff and this team.
Now, the Hawk! You have to be of a certain age and experience to even know who the Hawk is--from a Red Sox point of view. The White Sox play-by-play announcer for over twenty years now, he was, in his playing days, a fearsome slugger, onw who could turn a game or series around with a single swing of the bat. Arriving at Fenway after Tony C was nearly killed by a fastball in 1967 in the late stages of a pennant race they eventually won (there were no divisions and no playoffs then--first in each league went to the Series), Ken Harrelson was grabbed by the Sox for the late season push after Conig went down. He responded with a vengeance and stayed in Boston for a few more seasons, his hitting and out there personality making him an instant favorite at Fenway. In 1968, he was on the cover of SI, as much for his fashion style as his bat, and led the A.L. in RBI's for the season.
Well, tonight I was watching the game on Chicago's WGN TV network and heard the announcer comment on an easy catch by a Bosox outfielder about a "can of corn". The expression goes way back to the early days of the last century when an easily caught fly was called a can of corn due to its similarity to a grocery store clerk snaring a can of corn from the top shelf of the display in the store. I hadn't heard the phrase in many years and wondered who the announcer was. Much to my pleasure when he signed off the end of the broadcast, Ken Harrelson, The Hawk revealed himself. Thanks for the memories, Kenny!
Tonight was different. The Diceman was pitching and quickly set the tone. Although he gave up a single run in the 5th, the Sox quickly matched it in the very next inning. Then, while Dice rolled through the Chicago batters like a hot knife through butter as inning after inning passed by, the Hubhose lineup awoke.
Tied 1-1 entering the 7th, they tacked a four spot on the board. With the sacks jammed, Dusty did what he did best. He hit and drove in the tie breaker. That brought Papi to the plate, bases still jammed. Now, Papi, other than his first couple of games back from the DL, hasn't done much with the stick. He's sort of gone into a mini replica of the start of his season, entering tonight's game at 5-30 and a BA of just .240 since his return. Tonight he served notice that that was over. As part of a 3-5 evening, he came to the plate in the aforementioned bases loaded situation, took a swing and drove one off the wall in distant center clearing the bases. The only question until it finally dropped out of the atmosphere was whether or not it would clear the wall.
Ellsbury finished off the Sox scoring in the 8th with his third hit of the evening. Driving the ball on a nearly flat line, Jake put his 7th homer of the year into the cheap seats. He also has recently shown all the signs that his prolonged midseason slump is a thing of the past. Tonight's three knocks are just the latest confirmation of that.
Other multi-hit Sox were Lowell and Youk, each collecting a deuce. In Lowell's case, it ended an 0-17 drought that had seen his BA drop to .270.
As far as the Diceman was concerned, tonight was his longest outing of the year. He finished eight innings, allowing just four hits and three free passes, a WHIP for the game of less than 1.0. His season ERA dropped back below 3 as well, now 2.90. He was followed in the 9th by Jenn's favorite, Timlin. Mike looked pretty good for the entire inning--except for one pitch. Facing a certain first ballot future Hall of Famer, Jim Thome (a former teammate of Manny in Cleveland--was that a lineup or what!?), he fired a fastball that was supposed to move across the plate and out of the zone. It started across the plate and then, as if it had a mind of its own, stayed there--right in the middle of the plate about belt high. There are some batters you don't offer that pitch and location to--ever. Thome is one of them. He did exactly what he has always done in that situation. He swung and deposited the ball deep into the bleachers, ending a flat bullet-like trajectory from the plate to the seats.
As the winning Red Sox walked off the field just one batter later, Timlin and Tek were obviously in deep discussion over that pitch, Timlin clearly not satisfied over giving it up, and Tek just as clearly discussing the details and providing a proper degree of encouragement to his pitcher lest the memory hurt him in a more risky situation in the future. Just one of the many non-statistical ways that Tek is so valuable to this pitching staff and this team.
Now, the Hawk! You have to be of a certain age and experience to even know who the Hawk is--from a Red Sox point of view. The White Sox play-by-play announcer for over twenty years now, he was, in his playing days, a fearsome slugger, onw who could turn a game or series around with a single swing of the bat. Arriving at Fenway after Tony C was nearly killed by a fastball in 1967 in the late stages of a pennant race they eventually won (there were no divisions and no playoffs then--first in each league went to the Series), Ken Harrelson was grabbed by the Sox for the late season push after Conig went down. He responded with a vengeance and stayed in Boston for a few more seasons, his hitting and out there personality making him an instant favorite at Fenway. In 1968, he was on the cover of SI, as much for his fashion style as his bat, and led the A.L. in RBI's for the season.
Well, tonight I was watching the game on Chicago's WGN TV network and heard the announcer comment on an easy catch by a Bosox outfielder about a "can of corn". The expression goes way back to the early days of the last century when an easily caught fly was called a can of corn due to its similarity to a grocery store clerk snaring a can of corn from the top shelf of the display in the store. I hadn't heard the phrase in many years and wondered who the announcer was. Much to my pleasure when he signed off the end of the broadcast, Ken Harrelson, The Hawk revealed himself. Thanks for the memories, Kenny!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sox Take 2 out of 3 Thanks to Bay and Ellsbury - Jenn
The newest member of the Red Sox and a rookie are the reason behind the Sox winning the past two games. (We won't talk about the first game and the fact that Buchholz still can't seem to locate his fast ball.)
Yes, Jason Bay is doing so well in left, most of the Fenway Faithful can be heard whispering "Manny who?" Believe it or not, today marks the one-week anniversary of the new left fielder. And over the course of that week, Bay has made a serious statement. He's hitting .423 over the last six days and that includes two doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBI's, three of which came during the past series against Kansas City. While he only had two hits in last night's game, he came around to score on both of them.
Everyone kept talking about how much pressure there would be for Bay to fill Manny's shoes. Well, based on the past week and this series especially, it looks as if Bay ain't feelin' no pressure.
Then there's Jacoby Ellsbury - the center fielder who made his statement at the end of last season and kept it up for the first couple months of this season. Then something happened and for no understandable reason, the young rookie quit hitting. He had hit such a skid, in fact, his batting average dropped to just .258. But then the team went west. And unlike every other away game this season the center fielder started hitting. He didn't play in the first game against the Royals. But he was present and accounted for in games two and three. And boy did he make his presence known.
He went two for four in game two and three for four last night. And Dad, I hate to correct you, but in actuality, Ellsbury stole bases both nights. He stole two on Tuesday and one last night. I think the reason last night's steal isn't in his stats is because it went uncontested. By the time the pitch reached home, Ellsbury was already standing on 2nd, so why risk throwing the ball away? But he really let the Sox management know he was back when he drove the ball 410 feet to straight-away center field for a three-run shot. Turns out the back of the order isn't such a horrible place to be.
It's good to see the rookie hitting again. But while his hitting took a slump, the one thing that never failed to show up, was Ellsbury's spirit in the outfield. Whether he was playing left, center, or even right field, he always tried to catch the ball. It didn't matter if it was hit right to him or nowhere near the outfielder, he gave it his all and caught the leather. Well, last night was no different.
The bottom of the fifth inning the Royals were on the verge of tying the Sox when Mitch Maier hit a fly ball to shallow center. Cora, Lowrie and Ellsbury all ran after it. And just as it looked like Lowrie and Ellsbury would crash into each other with no one catching the ball, Ellsbury stopped, dropped and rolled and somehow came up with the baseball securely in his glove for the out. It was a spectacular play that I'm sure would have made last night's web gems if Brett Farve's trade to the Jets hadn't monopolized ESPN for the next several hours.
It was a great game that gave Wakefield a much needed win and allowed the fans to see the Red Sox do what they need to win a pennant - hit! We're still three behind the Rays, but this momentum is a step toward righting that wrong. Tomorrow it's off to Chicago to face the White Sox for the first time this season and John Lester's on the mound. Let the winning continue.
Yes, Jason Bay is doing so well in left, most of the Fenway Faithful can be heard whispering "Manny who?" Believe it or not, today marks the one-week anniversary of the new left fielder. And over the course of that week, Bay has made a serious statement. He's hitting .423 over the last six days and that includes two doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBI's, three of which came during the past series against Kansas City. While he only had two hits in last night's game, he came around to score on both of them.
Everyone kept talking about how much pressure there would be for Bay to fill Manny's shoes. Well, based on the past week and this series especially, it looks as if Bay ain't feelin' no pressure.
Then there's Jacoby Ellsbury - the center fielder who made his statement at the end of last season and kept it up for the first couple months of this season. Then something happened and for no understandable reason, the young rookie quit hitting. He had hit such a skid, in fact, his batting average dropped to just .258. But then the team went west. And unlike every other away game this season the center fielder started hitting. He didn't play in the first game against the Royals. But he was present and accounted for in games two and three. And boy did he make his presence known.
He went two for four in game two and three for four last night. And Dad, I hate to correct you, but in actuality, Ellsbury stole bases both nights. He stole two on Tuesday and one last night. I think the reason last night's steal isn't in his stats is because it went uncontested. By the time the pitch reached home, Ellsbury was already standing on 2nd, so why risk throwing the ball away? But he really let the Sox management know he was back when he drove the ball 410 feet to straight-away center field for a three-run shot. Turns out the back of the order isn't such a horrible place to be.
It's good to see the rookie hitting again. But while his hitting took a slump, the one thing that never failed to show up, was Ellsbury's spirit in the outfield. Whether he was playing left, center, or even right field, he always tried to catch the ball. It didn't matter if it was hit right to him or nowhere near the outfielder, he gave it his all and caught the leather. Well, last night was no different.
The bottom of the fifth inning the Royals were on the verge of tying the Sox when Mitch Maier hit a fly ball to shallow center. Cora, Lowrie and Ellsbury all ran after it. And just as it looked like Lowrie and Ellsbury would crash into each other with no one catching the ball, Ellsbury stopped, dropped and rolled and somehow came up with the baseball securely in his glove for the out. It was a spectacular play that I'm sure would have made last night's web gems if Brett Farve's trade to the Jets hadn't monopolized ESPN for the next several hours.
It was a great game that gave Wakefield a much needed win and allowed the fans to see the Red Sox do what they need to win a pennant - hit! We're still three behind the Rays, but this momentum is a step toward righting that wrong. Tomorrow it's off to Chicago to face the White Sox for the first time this season and John Lester's on the mound. Let the winning continue.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wake & Speed! What Else Do You Need--Peter
Well, tonight's game in KC, the final one between the teams this year was a Sox victory, although it took a few innings longer to develop than pre-game guesses would have indicated it should have. In fact, but for a bang-bang catch and relay for an inning ending DP in the 1st, the Sox would have broken on top a lot sooner.
Anyway, as the title would indicate, Wake was once again in excellent form tonight. Staying almost exclusively with the knuckler in the low 60's, not even going very much to his "fast" ball (around 70--hell, wouldn't even break a pane of glass), he celebrated his 42d birthday (actually last Saturday) with a win. He has deserved to be the winner a number of times through the summer, but failed because he got no run support.
Not tonight! The eight runs the Sox bunched between the 5th and 7th innings were more than enough to insure that this time he came away with the W. Even though he gave up the Royals' two runs, he allowed just four hits and not a single free pass. One of the runs was unearned, coming after Cash's passed ball in the 5th. After that, the bullpen took turns, an inning at a time--an inning per hurler, finishing off the Royals.
As for the speed, Jake took over the game offensively. Looking more and more like he's coming out of the long slump he's been suffering through, he went 3-4 tonight, topping off the performance with his 6th homer, a solid shot that brought across three runs in the 7th and finished out the scoring for the evening. Perhaps he didn't attempt any steals tonight, but you got the sense watching him perform that the urge-not to mention the certainty--was right there just waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.
There was one play in the 5th, however, when he demonstrated his ability to turn on the jets at a moment's notice. With the boys from KC batting and already having plated a pair, the next batter, Maier, drove a low screamer into center. Anyone else likely would have taken it on the first bounce, allowing a single and another run. Jake isn't anyone else. He flipped on the switch for the afterburner and, stretching full length, snared the ball in a tumbling roll, making the out and ending the inning. For you older folks, it almost made you think of Number 37 from the mid-50's--Jimmy Piersall.
Other highlights of the game: Bay continued to hit and score, getting a pair each of hits and runs, and JD also picked up a pair of hits and scored one.
One possible negative: Youk was hit on the hand or arm by a pitch in the 1st and after the inning ended, left the game. MRI's showed no damage, but it was/is worrisome. It doesn't take much for a misplaced pitch to radically change a team's offensive lineup via a broken bone. One of the Sox' great stars of the 60's was put on the sidelines with a broken hand or arm at least three times, not to mention literally almost being killed by what was ultimately a career ending beanball in 1967 during his relatively and unfortunately brief stint with the team. That's Tony C I'm referring to--another memory for those of you older than 45. Conigliaro was the most tragic example of getting hit, but even a broken hand and DL for a month or so can drastically affect a team's chances in a tight pennant race.
Anyway, as the title would indicate, Wake was once again in excellent form tonight. Staying almost exclusively with the knuckler in the low 60's, not even going very much to his "fast" ball (around 70--hell, wouldn't even break a pane of glass), he celebrated his 42d birthday (actually last Saturday) with a win. He has deserved to be the winner a number of times through the summer, but failed because he got no run support.
Not tonight! The eight runs the Sox bunched between the 5th and 7th innings were more than enough to insure that this time he came away with the W. Even though he gave up the Royals' two runs, he allowed just four hits and not a single free pass. One of the runs was unearned, coming after Cash's passed ball in the 5th. After that, the bullpen took turns, an inning at a time--an inning per hurler, finishing off the Royals.
As for the speed, Jake took over the game offensively. Looking more and more like he's coming out of the long slump he's been suffering through, he went 3-4 tonight, topping off the performance with his 6th homer, a solid shot that brought across three runs in the 7th and finished out the scoring for the evening. Perhaps he didn't attempt any steals tonight, but you got the sense watching him perform that the urge-not to mention the certainty--was right there just waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.
There was one play in the 5th, however, when he demonstrated his ability to turn on the jets at a moment's notice. With the boys from KC batting and already having plated a pair, the next batter, Maier, drove a low screamer into center. Anyone else likely would have taken it on the first bounce, allowing a single and another run. Jake isn't anyone else. He flipped on the switch for the afterburner and, stretching full length, snared the ball in a tumbling roll, making the out and ending the inning. For you older folks, it almost made you think of Number 37 from the mid-50's--Jimmy Piersall.
Other highlights of the game: Bay continued to hit and score, getting a pair each of hits and runs, and JD also picked up a pair of hits and scored one.
One possible negative: Youk was hit on the hand or arm by a pitch in the 1st and after the inning ended, left the game. MRI's showed no damage, but it was/is worrisome. It doesn't take much for a misplaced pitch to radically change a team's offensive lineup via a broken bone. One of the Sox' great stars of the 60's was put on the sidelines with a broken hand or arm at least three times, not to mention literally almost being killed by what was ultimately a career ending beanball in 1967 during his relatively and unfortunately brief stint with the team. That's Tony C I'm referring to--another memory for those of you older than 45. Conigliaro was the most tragic example of getting hit, but even a broken hand and DL for a month or so can drastically affect a team's chances in a tight pennant race.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Speed & JB:Back on Course--Peter
Well, tonight's victory in KC was truly a team effort--13 hits, five for extra bases, from eight guys. Even though we left eight on base, we still managed to get what we've all too often been missing--timely hits. Also, the pitching was solid from start to finish.
JB started out with a quick one zip lead and, although he gave up the tying run in the bottom half of the 1st, partly due to JD's error, and then surrendered a leadoff double in the 2d, he quickly returned to the form we've come to expect from him. Of the next 17 batters he faced, he retired 16. Finally surrendering the Royals' second run in the 7th, he left with 7 K's, only 4 hits and a pair of passes, his WHIP for this game under 1.0.
Jenn's favorite pitcher, Timlin, took over, closed out the 7th and then pitched a scoreless 8th, surrendering just a single hit while tossing only 15 pitches. He was followed in the 9th by Smith, who threw a nine pitch perfect inning to close out the game.
I also noted the return of SpeedRacer, better known to you all as Jacoby Ellsbury. Jake not only continued to show signs of recovering his stroke, going 2-4 and driving in a run, he also got back on track in the running department, stealing his 36th and 37th bases, extending his league leading total over Seattle's Ichiro.
Papi only got a single hit in 5 AB's, but it accounted for the first Sox run. In my opinion, both he and Lowell are still slightly affected by their injuries; their timing isn't exactly on, but it's close.
Oh, some other good news--as I was writing this, the Rangers finished off Mr. Hankie's Yankees, dropping them 3 1/2 to the rear of our heroes. Unfortunately, Tampa won tonight, coming from behind to beat the Tribe for the first time in six games. While I'm at it, the Chisox are tied with Detroit in the bottom of the 10th, 6-6, but have a runner on 1st. Root for the Bengals to hold off and then beat them! The Twinkies are trailing Seattle in the bottom of the 6th and the M's have the bases loaded. Hope they get 'em all home and blow out the Twins!
OOOPS! Latest update: Seattle picked up a pair in the 6th and now lead 6-3 in the top of the 7th, while the Tigers and Pale Hose are still knotted at 6 in the bottom of the 11th. You'll have to catch the finals in tomorrow's paper or later tonight on ESPN.
JB started out with a quick one zip lead and, although he gave up the tying run in the bottom half of the 1st, partly due to JD's error, and then surrendered a leadoff double in the 2d, he quickly returned to the form we've come to expect from him. Of the next 17 batters he faced, he retired 16. Finally surrendering the Royals' second run in the 7th, he left with 7 K's, only 4 hits and a pair of passes, his WHIP for this game under 1.0.
Jenn's favorite pitcher, Timlin, took over, closed out the 7th and then pitched a scoreless 8th, surrendering just a single hit while tossing only 15 pitches. He was followed in the 9th by Smith, who threw a nine pitch perfect inning to close out the game.
I also noted the return of SpeedRacer, better known to you all as Jacoby Ellsbury. Jake not only continued to show signs of recovering his stroke, going 2-4 and driving in a run, he also got back on track in the running department, stealing his 36th and 37th bases, extending his league leading total over Seattle's Ichiro.
Papi only got a single hit in 5 AB's, but it accounted for the first Sox run. In my opinion, both he and Lowell are still slightly affected by their injuries; their timing isn't exactly on, but it's close.
Oh, some other good news--as I was writing this, the Rangers finished off Mr. Hankie's Yankees, dropping them 3 1/2 to the rear of our heroes. Unfortunately, Tampa won tonight, coming from behind to beat the Tribe for the first time in six games. While I'm at it, the Chisox are tied with Detroit in the bottom of the 10th, 6-6, but have a runner on 1st. Root for the Bengals to hold off and then beat them! The Twinkies are trailing Seattle in the bottom of the 6th and the M's have the bases loaded. Hope they get 'em all home and blow out the Twins!
OOOPS! Latest update: Seattle picked up a pair in the 6th and now lead 6-3 in the top of the 7th, while the Tigers and Pale Hose are still knotted at 6 in the bottom of the 11th. You'll have to catch the finals in tomorrow's paper or later tonight on ESPN.
Back On the Road Again--Peter
Well, as the song title says, "Back on the Road Again"--just with less satisfying results, as usual. Things started off well, as the Sox quickly put a deuce up on the board in the 1st. Although they were threatening more, that was all they got--until the 9th. It was the same problem that's frequently dogged them all season--lack of a timely hit that could/would have broken the game wide open. By the end of the game, they'd had a dozen LOB, whereas KC only had 7. Simple math tells you where this could have gone very easily with just one or two more nicely timed knocks.
The other problem is Buchholz. He's got talent, but something that he had when he first came up last year is missing. He seems to get along fine for an inning or two, and then everything falls apart. Either Bucky serves up a fat one that ends up in the cheaps, or, as yesterday, he can't find the strike zone or, again, yesterday, he hits a batter. Whichever it is, he suddenly has dug himself a hole that's too difficult to climb back out of.
The positive side of things is that at least both the Rays and Stripes lost yesterday, so our relative position remained the same. Also, from the Central Division, both the Pale Hose and the Twinkies are a game and a half behind the Sox in the Wild Card.
JB's taking the ball today, so hopefully, we'll have a better result.
The other problem is Buchholz. He's got talent, but something that he had when he first came up last year is missing. He seems to get along fine for an inning or two, and then everything falls apart. Either Bucky serves up a fat one that ends up in the cheaps, or, as yesterday, he can't find the strike zone or, again, yesterday, he hits a batter. Whichever it is, he suddenly has dug himself a hole that's too difficult to climb back out of.
The positive side of things is that at least both the Rays and Stripes lost yesterday, so our relative position remained the same. Also, from the Central Division, both the Pale Hose and the Twinkies are a game and a half behind the Sox in the Wild Card.
JB's taking the ball today, so hopefully, we'll have a better result.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Bay Helps the Sox Sweep - Jenn
Over the three game series against the Oakland A's there were a lot of posters and signs welcoming Jason Bay to Fenway. But my favorite had to be "The Manny Show Cancelled for Baywatch." And as a TV writer, let me tell you - this midseason replacement was just the breath of fresh air the Red Sox Channel needed.
This weekend Bay made the Fenway Faithful believe in life after Ramirez. While he may not have the stats Manny has, he's not too far behind the guy. And he proved in his first three starts as a Red Sox, that his heart is firmly planted in the game. Something we haven't seen from Manny in a long time. Over his 11 at bats, Bay had four hits including the triple in the 12th inning that led to the Sox win on Friday and the homerun that cemented the win on Saturday. Although yesterday Bay failed to do anything quite as heroic as he had on Friday and Saturday, he still got two hits and scored on both of them.
But if you think his offense is something to write home about, you should've seen his defense. On Friday he kept the Red Sox's one-run lead in tact when he made a sliding catch reminiscent of Coco or Ellsbury to end the fifth inning. And he's learning how to play the wall as if he's been playing Fenway's Monster for years.
Now while I understand that it's still only been three games and there's still two months left in the regular season, I have to say, Bay's off to a pretty nice start.
As for Manny, sure he hit two homers over the weekend and had five RBI's, but he also ground into a double play on Friday in the 9th inning with two men on. And here's something else I found out about our left fielder. Turns out, the Fenway Faithful weren't the only ones sick of Manny being Manny. Lowell and Varitek both went to Theo Epstein and told him that Manny had to go. His stats weren't worth what he was doing to the team emotionally.
But the real shock was to discover that Ramirez actually lobbied to stay in Boston after he learned of the trade to the Dodgers. His agent, Scott Boras, told the Red Sox management that his client would behave for the rest of the season, if they kept him on. As you know, the Red Sox responded with a simple, "thanks, but no thanks".
In my opinion they made the right choice in sticking with their decision to cancel the Manny show. As for the shiny new season of Baywatch, only time will tell if the ratings remain high. But right now, it looks like this new show will be on for many seasons to come. Good thing I'm already a huge fan.
This weekend Bay made the Fenway Faithful believe in life after Ramirez. While he may not have the stats Manny has, he's not too far behind the guy. And he proved in his first three starts as a Red Sox, that his heart is firmly planted in the game. Something we haven't seen from Manny in a long time. Over his 11 at bats, Bay had four hits including the triple in the 12th inning that led to the Sox win on Friday and the homerun that cemented the win on Saturday. Although yesterday Bay failed to do anything quite as heroic as he had on Friday and Saturday, he still got two hits and scored on both of them.
But if you think his offense is something to write home about, you should've seen his defense. On Friday he kept the Red Sox's one-run lead in tact when he made a sliding catch reminiscent of Coco or Ellsbury to end the fifth inning. And he's learning how to play the wall as if he's been playing Fenway's Monster for years.
Now while I understand that it's still only been three games and there's still two months left in the regular season, I have to say, Bay's off to a pretty nice start.
As for Manny, sure he hit two homers over the weekend and had five RBI's, but he also ground into a double play on Friday in the 9th inning with two men on. And here's something else I found out about our left fielder. Turns out, the Fenway Faithful weren't the only ones sick of Manny being Manny. Lowell and Varitek both went to Theo Epstein and told him that Manny had to go. His stats weren't worth what he was doing to the team emotionally.
But the real shock was to discover that Ramirez actually lobbied to stay in Boston after he learned of the trade to the Dodgers. His agent, Scott Boras, told the Red Sox management that his client would behave for the rest of the season, if they kept him on. As you know, the Red Sox responded with a simple, "thanks, but no thanks".
In my opinion they made the right choice in sticking with their decision to cancel the Manny show. As for the shiny new season of Baywatch, only time will tell if the ratings remain high. But right now, it looks like this new show will be on for many seasons to come. Good thing I'm already a huge fan.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sox Sweep At The Fens--Peter
Well, it was only the lowly A's, but for the second time in a week, the brooms were out at Fenway, and this time they were in the right hands. Continuing the momentum they built in successive wins on Friday and Saturday, the Sox finished the sweep against the A's with a workmanlike 5-2 victory. The W featured a good combination of timely hitting, including a pair of hits by Jason Bay and doubles by Yooouk, Dusty and Lowell with a pair of sac flies from Coco for good measure; and good pitching from start to close.
The Sox scored the first run to open the first with a two bagger by Dusty followed by a hit by Yoouk. They closed out the scoring in the 6th with a sac fly by Coco to expand the lead to three runs.
Pitching was pretty solid for the entire game. Dice-K started and rebounded from his last start by pitching a solid six innings. Although he gave up the A's only two runs on a pitch he left out over the middle of the plate, he looked good: eight K's and only two walks and four hits in six innings. His countryman, Okajima followed and pitched a scoreless 7th. Continuing the quality, Delcarmen came on for the 8th and surrendered only a single free pass in an inning of shutout work. TOM was then followed in the 9th by Pap. Laser did what he's expected to do and emphatically slammed the door on just 11 pitches, three of them for a K, while allowing no-one to reach at all--save 31 for him this year.
Only two things broke up the flow of the game: a 37 minute rain delay during the Sox half of the 6th and Papi's first stolen base since last September. He had such a huge jump on the Oakland battery, he didn't even draw a throw--in fact, the A's catcher was so stunned by the sheer audacity of the move, he fumbled the ball and couldn't even cock his arm to consider a throw.
Now, it's off to KC and hopefully, the Sox can reduce their road W-L deficit by a substantial margin. It would be a great help to them in getting back on top of the Rays and keeping ahead of the Stripes. By the way, if it needs emphasizing, the final three games of the year for our heroes are at Fenway against the very same Stripes. So building up a lead of more than three games going into those final ones would basically slam the door on any Yankee hopes for the year as far as the rivalry goes.
The Sox scored the first run to open the first with a two bagger by Dusty followed by a hit by Yoouk. They closed out the scoring in the 6th with a sac fly by Coco to expand the lead to three runs.
Pitching was pretty solid for the entire game. Dice-K started and rebounded from his last start by pitching a solid six innings. Although he gave up the A's only two runs on a pitch he left out over the middle of the plate, he looked good: eight K's and only two walks and four hits in six innings. His countryman, Okajima followed and pitched a scoreless 7th. Continuing the quality, Delcarmen came on for the 8th and surrendered only a single free pass in an inning of shutout work. TOM was then followed in the 9th by Pap. Laser did what he's expected to do and emphatically slammed the door on just 11 pitches, three of them for a K, while allowing no-one to reach at all--save 31 for him this year.
Only two things broke up the flow of the game: a 37 minute rain delay during the Sox half of the 6th and Papi's first stolen base since last September. He had such a huge jump on the Oakland battery, he didn't even draw a throw--in fact, the A's catcher was so stunned by the sheer audacity of the move, he fumbled the ball and couldn't even cock his arm to consider a throw.
Now, it's off to KC and hopefully, the Sox can reduce their road W-L deficit by a substantial margin. It would be a great help to them in getting back on top of the Rays and keeping ahead of the Stripes. By the way, if it needs emphasizing, the final three games of the year for our heroes are at Fenway against the very same Stripes. So building up a lead of more than three games going into those final ones would basically slam the door on any Yankee hopes for the year as far as the rivalry goes.
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