Well, as Jenn described it, the Sox had an interesting, if very wet, weekend to close out the season at Fenway. As one who's ridden out both a Category 4 hurricane as well as a 7.1 earthquake, I can tell you I'd rather do the hurricane any day--you at least get a warning before it arrives.
As for this one, it was a marginal Category 1, winds at least 74 mph, and hanging just off the New England coast as it moved north. Of course, due to the overall size of such a storm, even hanging a couple of hundred miles off the coast means that any land close to the coast is going to get rain--a lot of rain--as the storm moves on by. Such was the case as it headed for an actual landfall in eastern Maine near the Canadian border. That's what we New Englanders refer to as 'Down East' country--even though it's up north. You just have to look at a map and then factor in a bit of understanding of how things are in that part of the world.
Anyway, since Jenn already discussed the games for all of you out there, I'll just pontificate a little on the coming playoffs.
The first series has the Fenmen facing the Halos, a team that they have faced a number of times previously in the last few years in the post-season. We almost always seem to have minimal trouble with them, sweeping in most cases. In fact, that's what happened in 2004, when our relative positions were the same--the Angels had just won their division and the Sox were the wild card.
This year, there is a bit more ominoousity (don't know if that's really a word, but it must be--I just used it!) for the Hose. In nine games this year, the Angels swamped the Sox, eight games to one. Additionally, the Halos had the best regular eason record in baseball, winning an even hundred games. Our heroes' 95 wins wasn't bad, but there's the Angels' century to consider. The one good thing in that regard--it's a fresh season, in effect.
Serious worries: Lowell is questionable with his injured hip. He tried to play over the weekend, but lasted one at bat and limped to the pine. Possibly even more serious is the fact that Beckett strained his oblique during a bullpen session over the weekend, and has been scratched from the Game One start, moving instead to Game 3. Lester has been inserted as the Game 1 starter. Come tomorrow, we'll know how things work out.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Dancing Our Way to the Playoffs - Jenn
This weekend was the final series of the regular season and how fitting that the last three games the Sox play are against their hated rivals the Yankees. But unlike the last few seasons, there was nothing on the line for this series. The Sox had already clinched a playoff berth and the Yankees had... well... three more games before they were going home. So it should've been an easy series that focused on Dustin getting the batting title and us sweeping the Yanks. That wasn't quite the case.
As Dad already mentioned, Friday's game was a massacre. The Yankees came in and killed everyone they faced. No surprise though because the Yankees were playing against Pawtucket. Oh well, there was still Saturday and Sunday to watch and win. Only there wasn't because Saturday was rained out. So now we were looking at a double-header Sunday if that hurricane off the Massachusetts coast would stay where it was. And while there was some rain on and off on Sunday, it wasn't enough to dampen Sox fans' spirits.
Sunday's first game was a chance for Mike Mussina to get his 20th win. So of course all our regular Red Sox were out there in great form. At least almost great form. Dice-K was on the mound cruising along for the first three innings. So was Mussina. Neither team could get on base let alone cross home. But then in the 4th, Dice-K had a melt down. A-Rod ended up on base when a strike was called a fourth ball. (That wouldn't be the only time strikes were called balls and vice versa. The ump behind the plate was all over the place Sunday morning. What was a ball with one batter would be a strike with the next.) With Bobby Abreu already on base and only one out, it wouldn't take long before a single and a walk added up to three runs thanks to Xavier Nady's homer.
3-zip Yanks was the score until Joba Chamberlin took the mound and walked Jason Bay. Then Kotsay hit a ground-rule double and the two were in scoring position. Chris Carter ground out, but scored Bay, and Kotsay crossed the plate on Ellsbury's single. It looked like Mussina's win might be in trouble. But on a day when Dice-K only lasted four innings and Mussina was gunning for his 20th win, a comeback was not in the cards for the Sox.
Papelbon took the mound and also had one of his worst outings yet. From the first batter he faced, he couldn't get anyone out. And after 10 batters came to the plate the score stood at Yankees 6, Sox 2. That would be the final score for game one of the double header. But that was game one... game two is where we get our title.
Wakefield took the mound and with the way Wake's been pitching, it was anybody's guess whether we'd win or not. But he was on and win we did... after a little tension and 10 innings. Although Wake pitched five innings of shut-out ball, it was the relief staff that got Wake a no decision. Thanks to a two-run single from Sean Casey in the bottom of the 8th, the Red Sox were up 3-1 going into the 9th.
Unfortunately David Aardsma couldn't hold onto the lead. Betemit started the carnage with a single. Then Johnny Damon walked. Cabrera bunted, but was safe because Aardsma couldn't get a grip on the ball thanks to the wet field. Then Miranda popped out. But because Velazaquez doesn't understand that the outfielder has the right of way when it comes to catching balls, he and Van Every collided allowing Betemit to score. Gardner then struck out and the Sox were one out away from winning the game. But Cano, who already had a hit in the game, plated Johnny Damon with his single to left. The score was now tied, which meant the Sox were going to the bottom of the 9th and then onto extra innings.
After so much time in wet seats, the fans were starting to get antsy. They were doing anything the could to keep themselves and the Sox pumped up for one more win, including this couple who were a little early with the celebrating, but their dance was much appreciated all the same.
Anyway, the dancing in the seats must have been just what the doctor ordered because Cora started off the bottom of the 10th with a triple. It should have been over with the next batter, but these are the Red Sox and so it can never be that easy. Carter struck out when he swung at a pitch that was so far outside, it might as well have been down by the third baseman. Then the Yankees intentionally walked not one, but two batters in Bailey and Casey. So now the bases were loaded with just one out.
The Yankees were clearly looking for the double play. Thankfully Ross just struck out which meant the Sox still had a chance. That chance came in rookie Jonathan Van Every who had already gone 0-3 with a walk.
Van Every only saw four pitches. But it was on that fourth pitch that Van Every ended the season the way all seasons should end - with a single to right that plated Cora for the walk-off win. It was great! Not only did the Sox win the game in a great show stopping moment, but they're going to the playoffs. And the Yankees, they're heading home to watch the playoffs on their respective television sets.
Wednesday the Sox face the Angels for the first game of the ALDS. It's going to be tough competition, but the Angels have been division champs before... And the Sox still swept them.
As Dad already mentioned, Friday's game was a massacre. The Yankees came in and killed everyone they faced. No surprise though because the Yankees were playing against Pawtucket. Oh well, there was still Saturday and Sunday to watch and win. Only there wasn't because Saturday was rained out. So now we were looking at a double-header Sunday if that hurricane off the Massachusetts coast would stay where it was. And while there was some rain on and off on Sunday, it wasn't enough to dampen Sox fans' spirits.
Sunday's first game was a chance for Mike Mussina to get his 20th win. So of course all our regular Red Sox were out there in great form. At least almost great form. Dice-K was on the mound cruising along for the first three innings. So was Mussina. Neither team could get on base let alone cross home. But then in the 4th, Dice-K had a melt down. A-Rod ended up on base when a strike was called a fourth ball. (That wouldn't be the only time strikes were called balls and vice versa. The ump behind the plate was all over the place Sunday morning. What was a ball with one batter would be a strike with the next.) With Bobby Abreu already on base and only one out, it wouldn't take long before a single and a walk added up to three runs thanks to Xavier Nady's homer.
3-zip Yanks was the score until Joba Chamberlin took the mound and walked Jason Bay. Then Kotsay hit a ground-rule double and the two were in scoring position. Chris Carter ground out, but scored Bay, and Kotsay crossed the plate on Ellsbury's single. It looked like Mussina's win might be in trouble. But on a day when Dice-K only lasted four innings and Mussina was gunning for his 20th win, a comeback was not in the cards for the Sox.
Papelbon took the mound and also had one of his worst outings yet. From the first batter he faced, he couldn't get anyone out. And after 10 batters came to the plate the score stood at Yankees 6, Sox 2. That would be the final score for game one of the double header. But that was game one... game two is where we get our title.
Wakefield took the mound and with the way Wake's been pitching, it was anybody's guess whether we'd win or not. But he was on and win we did... after a little tension and 10 innings. Although Wake pitched five innings of shut-out ball, it was the relief staff that got Wake a no decision. Thanks to a two-run single from Sean Casey in the bottom of the 8th, the Red Sox were up 3-1 going into the 9th.
Unfortunately David Aardsma couldn't hold onto the lead. Betemit started the carnage with a single. Then Johnny Damon walked. Cabrera bunted, but was safe because Aardsma couldn't get a grip on the ball thanks to the wet field. Then Miranda popped out. But because Velazaquez doesn't understand that the outfielder has the right of way when it comes to catching balls, he and Van Every collided allowing Betemit to score. Gardner then struck out and the Sox were one out away from winning the game. But Cano, who already had a hit in the game, plated Johnny Damon with his single to left. The score was now tied, which meant the Sox were going to the bottom of the 9th and then onto extra innings.
After so much time in wet seats, the fans were starting to get antsy. They were doing anything the could to keep themselves and the Sox pumped up for one more win, including this couple who were a little early with the celebrating, but their dance was much appreciated all the same.
Anyway, the dancing in the seats must have been just what the doctor ordered because Cora started off the bottom of the 10th with a triple. It should have been over with the next batter, but these are the Red Sox and so it can never be that easy. Carter struck out when he swung at a pitch that was so far outside, it might as well have been down by the third baseman. Then the Yankees intentionally walked not one, but two batters in Bailey and Casey. So now the bases were loaded with just one out.
The Yankees were clearly looking for the double play. Thankfully Ross just struck out which meant the Sox still had a chance. That chance came in rookie Jonathan Van Every who had already gone 0-3 with a walk.
Van Every only saw four pitches. But it was on that fourth pitch that Van Every ended the season the way all seasons should end - with a single to right that plated Cora for the walk-off win. It was great! Not only did the Sox win the game in a great show stopping moment, but they're going to the playoffs. And the Yankees, they're heading home to watch the playoffs on their respective television sets.
Wednesday the Sox face the Angels for the first game of the ALDS. It's going to be tough competition, but the Angels have been division champs before... And the Sox still swept them.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
On to The Playoffs!--Peter
Well, after the Sox had beaten the Tribe for the final time on Thursday night, I'd put together a rather long combination reportage/diatribe about the game, Bud Selig's idiocy on the 'tie-breaker' as opposed to a playoff for the division title, if the Sox and Rays were tied at season's end; how cool it was to see Joe Torre in the playoffs with 'Red Sox Lite'(Dodgers) after Mr. Hankie's Yankees had forced him out after the 2007 season; and the fact that with Dusty's 20th steal of the year, it was the first Sox team since 1914 to have at least three base stealers each with at least twenty steals for the season. The three: Ellsbury, Crisp and Pedroia.
Unfortunately, when I posted it, the computer erased the WHOLE DAMN THING--except for the title. So, sorry, you won't see it; just the highlights just mentioned above.
Now, for the Friday night game against same Yankees. Yuck!! The announced starter, Dice-K didn't start or pitch at all; got someone named Pauley. Due to the torrential downpour that caused rain delays of over two hours, Papi was scratched,Pedroia didn't play and, after a single at-bat, Lowell headed for the bench, which is probably where he should have stayed from before the game's start. After one grounder, he limped off the field, literally, not even running out the grounder. Tito later said he'd be 'day-to-day'.
Oh, yes--the game. The Yanks inserted a new guy at short for Jeter after the latter'd had an at-bat, and the sub promptly led a Yankee massacre of the Sox, getting two homers and a ringing double. Abreu, and Damon also accounted for a good deal of carnage, quickly changing the score from an end of 1st 3-1, Sox to a final of 19-8, Stripes. That score is correct--this is not a rerun of playoff game three in the 2004 Laegue Championships. It might have been worse, but the Sox staged a mini ralley in the 9th, getting three runs and a few doubles. Of course, the last time the Stripes beat up on the Sox by this score, it was the setup for the most incredible comeback in baseball history--the four game sweep of the Yankees by the Sox on the way to the 2004 World Championship. Perhaps this portends something similar for this year's edition of the Sox.
On the good side, in the Sox 1st, Ellsbury, followed by Yoooouk, each hit a homer, staking the Sox to that aforementioned 3-1 lead. Also, along the way, Speedracer stole his 50th base.
Unfortunately, when I posted it, the computer erased the WHOLE DAMN THING--except for the title. So, sorry, you won't see it; just the highlights just mentioned above.
Now, for the Friday night game against same Yankees. Yuck!! The announced starter, Dice-K didn't start or pitch at all; got someone named Pauley. Due to the torrential downpour that caused rain delays of over two hours, Papi was scratched,Pedroia didn't play and, after a single at-bat, Lowell headed for the bench, which is probably where he should have stayed from before the game's start. After one grounder, he limped off the field, literally, not even running out the grounder. Tito later said he'd be 'day-to-day'.
Oh, yes--the game. The Yanks inserted a new guy at short for Jeter after the latter'd had an at-bat, and the sub promptly led a Yankee massacre of the Sox, getting two homers and a ringing double. Abreu, and Damon also accounted for a good deal of carnage, quickly changing the score from an end of 1st 3-1, Sox to a final of 19-8, Stripes. That score is correct--this is not a rerun of playoff game three in the 2004 Laegue Championships. It might have been worse, but the Sox staged a mini ralley in the 9th, getting three runs and a few doubles. Of course, the last time the Stripes beat up on the Sox by this score, it was the setup for the most incredible comeback in baseball history--the four game sweep of the Yankees by the Sox on the way to the 2004 World Championship. Perhaps this portends something similar for this year's edition of the Sox.
On the good side, in the Sox 1st, Ellsbury, followed by Yoooouk, each hit a homer, staking the Sox to that aforementioned 3-1 lead. Also, along the way, Speedracer stole his 50th base.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Another win and A Milestone--Peter
Well, now that the Hose have clinched a spot in the post-season, they're still trying to catch the Rays for the division. Tonight, they started fast with a quick four zip lead in the first inning. Led by the usual stalwarts, Dusty and Big Papi, with their successive doubles, they jumped in front fast. Unfortunately, the Indians chipped and chipped away at their former teammate, Paul Byrd, until midway in the game, it was tied at four. It stayed that way as the innings rolled past until the 8th.
Neither team could get any runners across the plate. Jenn's favorite pitcher, Timlin, came in after Byrd and did a reasonable job for an inning. Although he allowed a couple of baserunners, he threw a scoreless inning. His successors did the same, Aardsma going two and ultimately getting credit for the win.
Finally, in the 8th, the Sox struck for a run. Bailey led off with a triple and was quickly plated with what turned out to be the winning run. In the Tribe 9th, The Only Manny-Delcarmen, took the mound. TOM quickly shut the Tribe down, preserving the victory and getting his second save of the year.
During the course of the evening, another Sox milestone was reached. With Pedroia's steal, his 20th of the year, the team became the first in Sox history since 1914 to have at least three players with 20 or more steals in the same season. The others this year, lest you forget, are Crisp with 20 and, of course, Ellsbury with 49. Speedracer's total also leads the league.
Unfortunately, even though the Fenmen won, the Rays also won, keeping their lead at three with four to go. Their magic number is now one for the division. Who'da thunk it back in April?
Neither team could get any runners across the plate. Jenn's favorite pitcher, Timlin, came in after Byrd and did a reasonable job for an inning. Although he allowed a couple of baserunners, he threw a scoreless inning. His successors did the same, Aardsma going two and ultimately getting credit for the win.
Finally, in the 8th, the Sox struck for a run. Bailey led off with a triple and was quickly plated with what turned out to be the winning run. In the Tribe 9th, The Only Manny-Delcarmen, took the mound. TOM quickly shut the Tribe down, preserving the victory and getting his second save of the year.
During the course of the evening, another Sox milestone was reached. With Pedroia's steal, his 20th of the year, the team became the first in Sox history since 1914 to have at least three players with 20 or more steals in the same season. The others this year, lest you forget, are Crisp with 20 and, of course, Ellsbury with 49. Speedracer's total also leads the league.
Unfortunately, even though the Fenmen won, the Rays also won, keeping their lead at three with four to go. Their magic number is now one for the division. Who'da thunk it back in April?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
CLINCH!--Peter
Well, Mr. Hankie--How are your Yankees? Not in the playoffs, that's for sure! And stop complaining about one of the classiest guys to wear the pinstripes in the last half century--Torre. Also stop complaining about injuries--like every other team didn't have to deal with them. The difference is we dealt--you whined. Torre's lucky he's in LA. He's got Red Sox lite to get to the playoffs with. You got NOTHING! The Sox clinched their fifth post-season engagement in the last six years tonight, beating the Tribe 5-4. Now, they still have an opportunity to get the division championship with five games left, trailing Tampa by 2 1/2 and awaiting the outcome of the Rays' second game today with the O's. Rays win and their magic number drops to three; lose and it's still four. Basically, the Sox almost have to run the table. It's not impossible, but, as they're now in the playoffs, they may do some juggling of players, particularly as they'll want to set up the rotation for the first round.
Tonight had some nail biting, but also showed the various components of the Sox as a team, and how they've persevered and made the playoffs again in spite of some major injuries over the course of the season.
Down 4-2 halfway through the game, they quickly responded with a trey in their half of the 5th to take the lead and then handed it over to the pen. Wake had done a decent job to that point. The only rough inning he had was the Tribe's 5th, when they took the lead, 4-2.
The Only Manny, Delcarmen, gave us a good 2/3 of an inning to start off the 7th, even while loading the sacks. Then, Oki came in and closed out that inning without any damage. Masterson held the Indians scoreless for 2/3 of the 8th, allowing a pair of runners, and when Lopez couldn't get the only batter he faced to make an out, instead loading the bases, Laserman came on to squash that rally getting the batter to foul to Yoouk. After that, Pap continued on in the 9th, getting a pair of K's and a harmless grounder to end the game--on a total for the 1 1/3 innings of ten pitches!
A final note--the Rays came back and won the second game as well. So, our heroes are now down three with five to play, and the Rays' number is three to clinch the division. Let's run the table and also be thankful that we're in the post-season.
Tonight had some nail biting, but also showed the various components of the Sox as a team, and how they've persevered and made the playoffs again in spite of some major injuries over the course of the season.
Down 4-2 halfway through the game, they quickly responded with a trey in their half of the 5th to take the lead and then handed it over to the pen. Wake had done a decent job to that point. The only rough inning he had was the Tribe's 5th, when they took the lead, 4-2.
The Only Manny, Delcarmen, gave us a good 2/3 of an inning to start off the 7th, even while loading the sacks. Then, Oki came in and closed out that inning without any damage. Masterson held the Indians scoreless for 2/3 of the 8th, allowing a pair of runners, and when Lopez couldn't get the only batter he faced to make an out, instead loading the bases, Laserman came on to squash that rally getting the batter to foul to Yoouk. After that, Pap continued on in the 9th, getting a pair of K's and a harmless grounder to end the game--on a total for the 1 1/3 innings of ten pitches!
A final note--the Rays came back and won the second game as well. So, our heroes are now down three with five to play, and the Rays' number is three to clinch the division. Let's run the table and also be thankful that we're in the post-season.
Not the Way to Clinch--Peter
Well, here we were--back at the Fens with Beckett on the mound against the Indians. A win clinches the post-season and eliminates once and for all the Stripes. A loss--welllll. Anyway, JB wasn't his usual self in this game--very wild. Although only a single BB, he hit three batters, a career high and uncorked a wild pitch. When the dust settled, we were behind four zip.
Gradually, the Hose fashioned a comeback, including another blast from Papi. However, as part of a comeback, any comeback, when you get men on base, you have to plate them. In the final two innings, the Sox kept getting multiple men on base--and leaving them there. The bull pen gave them their opportunity, but at the end of the game, the final score read 4-3, Tribe. This had better stop--and fast. The Sox have three more against the Tribe and then finish up against the guys from the Bronx, now temporarily homeless since they closed their Stadium last weekend. If the Sox want to keep it closed, they'd better win one and soon. With the loss, they're up just six on Mr. Hankie's Yankees.
Today, they face the likely Cy Young winner of 2008, Lee. The only pitcher in the league with a better W-L than Dice-K, he's 22-2 and counting. The Hubhose have to remember he can be beaten and get to him early. Once he gets in a groove, it will not be easy.
Gradually, the Hose fashioned a comeback, including another blast from Papi. However, as part of a comeback, any comeback, when you get men on base, you have to plate them. In the final two innings, the Sox kept getting multiple men on base--and leaving them there. The bull pen gave them their opportunity, but at the end of the game, the final score read 4-3, Tribe. This had better stop--and fast. The Sox have three more against the Tribe and then finish up against the guys from the Bronx, now temporarily homeless since they closed their Stadium last weekend. If the Sox want to keep it closed, they'd better win one and soon. With the loss, they're up just six on Mr. Hankie's Yankees.
Today, they face the likely Cy Young winner of 2008, Lee. The only pitcher in the league with a better W-L than Dice-K, he's 22-2 and counting. The Hubhose have to remember he can be beaten and get to him early. Once he gets in a groove, it will not be easy.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Roll The Dice-Pap & Papi With a Burst of Speed--Peter
Well, after yesterday's loss (Toronto, 6-3 with Lester allowing five in the first two innings, and only partially balanced by Bay's 31st homer of the full year, I was ready for a return to victory--and some possible closure in the form of a post-season clinch.
The game started well, Jake leading off with a triple, the first of what would be three extra base hits on the day in four at bats. The next batter up,Dusty, the Bosox' potential MVP, hit a deep fly and, just like, that the Sox were up one zip. With the Diceman holding up his responsibility, the 3d inning arrived. Jake had again gotten on base, this time with the first of a pair of doubles, and, two batters later, Big Papi worked the count full and then unleashed one. When it finally landed, the score was three zip, Sox. It was Papi's 22d homer of the year, and further evidence, if any is needed, that the big slugger appears ready for his usual role in the post-season, a point I made the other day.
Dice-K continued to knock off Jays batters just as quick as they appeared at the plate. He didn't issue as many walks as he normally does, and when he finally left, the line showed he'd allowed just a pair of hits in seven innings, a like number of free passes and struck out a half dozen. He reduced his season ERA to 2.80, and his WHIP for today was just over 0.5--pretty impressive game by any standard.
Following the Diceman in the 8th was his compatriot, Okajima. Oki performed just like the Oki of '07. He faced the minimum three hitters, retired tham all for an inning of perfection, and handed the ball over to Papelbon, better know to readers of this site as Laser.
Laserman wasted little time. Although he got no K's to boost his incredible 73/7 K to BB ratio, he took care of the Jays in fairly short order. He did allow one hit, a single, by Vernon Wells, always a thorn in the Sox' side, but left him to die on first as he kept throwing the ball past Jays hitters.
I mentioned Ellsbury's multiple extra base hits today. At least two of them were due to his blurring speed. The leadoff triple had extra bases written all over it, but anyone else would have had only a fifty-fifty shot at three bases. With Jake, it was almost a foregone conclusion, as he was in top gear before he'd gone halfway down the first base line, and quickly turned the corner there and at second, making both seem as if they lay in a straight line from first.
His second double was more of the same. Lining the ball to right, Ellsbury didn't even slow down as he rounded first. The fact that the Jays right fielder has a howitzer for an arm meant little to Jake. Almost any other runner would have been out by a foot or two, even with a slide. With Jake at speed and coming in standing up, it merely ended up appearing to be a bit closer than it might otherwise have been had he slid. In fact, as the replays showed, it wasn't even as close as it had first appeared. Two bases, no question about it!
Having won their 91st game of the year, the Sox will clinch the post-season AND ELIMINATE MR. HANKIE'S YANKEES, if the aforementioned Stripes lose the final game ever at Yankee Stadium tonight. Wouldn't THAT be symbolically sweet! It would also be an interesting extension of the notorious SI cover jinx to a ballpark. Check it out about half past eight PST tonight.
The game started well, Jake leading off with a triple, the first of what would be three extra base hits on the day in four at bats. The next batter up,Dusty, the Bosox' potential MVP, hit a deep fly and, just like, that the Sox were up one zip. With the Diceman holding up his responsibility, the 3d inning arrived. Jake had again gotten on base, this time with the first of a pair of doubles, and, two batters later, Big Papi worked the count full and then unleashed one. When it finally landed, the score was three zip, Sox. It was Papi's 22d homer of the year, and further evidence, if any is needed, that the big slugger appears ready for his usual role in the post-season, a point I made the other day.
Dice-K continued to knock off Jays batters just as quick as they appeared at the plate. He didn't issue as many walks as he normally does, and when he finally left, the line showed he'd allowed just a pair of hits in seven innings, a like number of free passes and struck out a half dozen. He reduced his season ERA to 2.80, and his WHIP for today was just over 0.5--pretty impressive game by any standard.
Following the Diceman in the 8th was his compatriot, Okajima. Oki performed just like the Oki of '07. He faced the minimum three hitters, retired tham all for an inning of perfection, and handed the ball over to Papelbon, better know to readers of this site as Laser.
Laserman wasted little time. Although he got no K's to boost his incredible 73/7 K to BB ratio, he took care of the Jays in fairly short order. He did allow one hit, a single, by Vernon Wells, always a thorn in the Sox' side, but left him to die on first as he kept throwing the ball past Jays hitters.
I mentioned Ellsbury's multiple extra base hits today. At least two of them were due to his blurring speed. The leadoff triple had extra bases written all over it, but anyone else would have had only a fifty-fifty shot at three bases. With Jake, it was almost a foregone conclusion, as he was in top gear before he'd gone halfway down the first base line, and quickly turned the corner there and at second, making both seem as if they lay in a straight line from first.
His second double was more of the same. Lining the ball to right, Ellsbury didn't even slow down as he rounded first. The fact that the Jays right fielder has a howitzer for an arm meant little to Jake. Almost any other runner would have been out by a foot or two, even with a slide. With Jake at speed and coming in standing up, it merely ended up appearing to be a bit closer than it might otherwise have been had he slid. In fact, as the replays showed, it wasn't even as close as it had first appeared. Two bases, no question about it!
Having won their 91st game of the year, the Sox will clinch the post-season AND ELIMINATE MR. HANKIE'S YANKEES, if the aforementioned Stripes lose the final game ever at Yankee Stadium tonight. Wouldn't THAT be symbolically sweet! It would also be an interesting extension of the notorious SI cover jinx to a ballpark. Check it out about half past eight PST tonight.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
What You Need Is A Veteran!--Peter
Well, here we were--the final stretch run for the post-season. It started last week in Tampa, and now has left the country and landed in Toronto, long a thorn in the collective Sox side. Even with last week's three of four in Fenway against the Jays, this Toronto franchise has always been a cause of much pain to our heroes.
So last night's game starts this series facing one of the Jays' pair of eighteen game winners, Burnett, (the other, Halliday, comes up today) our response being mid-season acquisition Paul Byrd. Byrd has done admirably well on the whole, and has helped the Hose when they most needed it, but there we were, 2d inning, two outs on the first two Jays batters and then--BOOM!Three consecutive doubles from the bottom of the Jays order and we're trailing two zip. "This is not going to be fun", I'm thinking. Oh, ye of little faith, Peter.
There the score remains until the 5th when the Fen men tack on a trey, topped off by Casey's two run double. Unfortunately, the jays are equal to the situation and tie things up in their half of the inning and we move merrily along until the 8th.
The Sox quickly get runners on board and here comes Jason Varitek to the plate. Now, Tek has had the second of a pair of' shall we say, far less than pretty seasons with the bat. He has shown flashed of his career long capability, but overall, his BA has been sub-par. Not to worry. Tek immediately shows why, high or low BA, he's definitely who the Sox want as their catcher and captain, why he's still dangerous in a clutch situation. He's a true veteran, and, once again, proved it last night. Finding a pitch to his liking, he knocked it into the outfield to plate what would turn out to be the winning run, and then stepped aside for the Sox bullpen, with his guidance and pitch calling to nail down the win.
Speaking of the pen, The Only Manny--Delcarmen, got the 'W', with an inning of perfect baseball, followed by Oki closing out the 8th with an 'H', and Papelbon slamming the door for his 39th Save. Laser's save had a few anxious moments, largely of Pap's own making. But all was OK in the end. Pap gave up an infield hit and trying valiantly to throw out the hitter at first, instead threw the ball away--runner on 2d with no outs. He then went to 3-1 on Rolen, who, though not nearly as good as his salad days with the Cards, still can be scary with a bat. Next pitch, Rolen maced one that seemed headed to left for the tying run, but it was just a loud out. Acting more in defense than anything else, Yoouk snatched it out of the air for the out. After anothert out moved the Jays runner to 3d, Laser did what he does so well. He simply threw the ball past the Jays batter for three quick strikes--GAME OVER!
With the Sox win, they are still 1 1/2 behind the Rays for the division with nine to play, 8 1/2 over the Jays for the wild card, and 7 1/2 ahead of the Twinkies and Mr. Hankie's Yankees for the card.
So last night's game starts this series facing one of the Jays' pair of eighteen game winners, Burnett, (the other, Halliday, comes up today) our response being mid-season acquisition Paul Byrd. Byrd has done admirably well on the whole, and has helped the Hose when they most needed it, but there we were, 2d inning, two outs on the first two Jays batters and then--BOOM!Three consecutive doubles from the bottom of the Jays order and we're trailing two zip. "This is not going to be fun", I'm thinking. Oh, ye of little faith, Peter.
There the score remains until the 5th when the Fen men tack on a trey, topped off by Casey's two run double. Unfortunately, the jays are equal to the situation and tie things up in their half of the inning and we move merrily along until the 8th.
The Sox quickly get runners on board and here comes Jason Varitek to the plate. Now, Tek has had the second of a pair of' shall we say, far less than pretty seasons with the bat. He has shown flashed of his career long capability, but overall, his BA has been sub-par. Not to worry. Tek immediately shows why, high or low BA, he's definitely who the Sox want as their catcher and captain, why he's still dangerous in a clutch situation. He's a true veteran, and, once again, proved it last night. Finding a pitch to his liking, he knocked it into the outfield to plate what would turn out to be the winning run, and then stepped aside for the Sox bullpen, with his guidance and pitch calling to nail down the win.
Speaking of the pen, The Only Manny--Delcarmen, got the 'W', with an inning of perfect baseball, followed by Oki closing out the 8th with an 'H', and Papelbon slamming the door for his 39th Save. Laser's save had a few anxious moments, largely of Pap's own making. But all was OK in the end. Pap gave up an infield hit and trying valiantly to throw out the hitter at first, instead threw the ball away--runner on 2d with no outs. He then went to 3-1 on Rolen, who, though not nearly as good as his salad days with the Cards, still can be scary with a bat. Next pitch, Rolen maced one that seemed headed to left for the tying run, but it was just a loud out. Acting more in defense than anything else, Yoouk snatched it out of the air for the out. After anothert out moved the Jays runner to 3d, Laser did what he does so well. He simply threw the ball past the Jays batter for three quick strikes--GAME OVER!
With the Sox win, they are still 1 1/2 behind the Rays for the division with nine to play, 8 1/2 over the Jays for the wild card, and 7 1/2 ahead of the Twinkies and Mr. Hankie's Yankees for the card.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Rays 10;Big Papi 3--Peter
The headline just about says it all! Last night was frustrating because the Sox matched the Rays pitch for pitch until the end and even then, barely lost. Tonight, after the Sox half of the 1st, they dropped well behind and kept getting further and further back, only slightly slowed by the efforts of Big Papi. In fact, of the Sox total of six hits for the evening, only one other went for extra bases, a double by Yoouk, that never led to or brought in any runs.
Ortiz came up in the Sox 1st with Jake on base, worked a 1-1 count and promptly drilled one deep into the cheaps in right for the only lead the Fens Men had all evening, two zip. Then, in the 4th, Hose now trailing 8-2, Papi again took the third pitch he saw and launched it. It didn't make the seats this time, however, because their was a catwalk that supports the dome in the way. It came to rest there, never to be seen again--Sox now trailing 8-3. Other than that, no offense at all from the Hose tonight.
One thing seems certain. Based on tonight's eruption and an increase of his power shots in recent games, it appears that Ortiz is ready for the post-season. Lest we forget, it was Papi who was instrumental in the playoffs in 2004 in igniting the Sox run for the world championship.
There is some unfinished business to get there. With ten to play, the Hose are leading the wild card by seven over the Twinkies and eight over both the Jays and Mr. Hankie's Yankees. Also, even though they lost the season series with the Rays 10-8, as well as dropped four of the last six with the Rays, they are still within two of the Rays. The biggest hurdle in that area is that the Rays still have a dozen games left, and are three games up on our heroes in the lost column.
However, do not lose sight of one important stat in that won/lost season record. Of the ten Rays victories,six were by just a single run and an additional two wins were by two runs. Of the Eight Sox wins, all were by more than two runs. So, a hit here, a better pitch there and the record, not to mention their relative locations in the standings might be very different. Gonna' be an interesting final thirteen days of the season.
Ortiz came up in the Sox 1st with Jake on base, worked a 1-1 count and promptly drilled one deep into the cheaps in right for the only lead the Fens Men had all evening, two zip. Then, in the 4th, Hose now trailing 8-2, Papi again took the third pitch he saw and launched it. It didn't make the seats this time, however, because their was a catwalk that supports the dome in the way. It came to rest there, never to be seen again--Sox now trailing 8-3. Other than that, no offense at all from the Hose tonight.
One thing seems certain. Based on tonight's eruption and an increase of his power shots in recent games, it appears that Ortiz is ready for the post-season. Lest we forget, it was Papi who was instrumental in the playoffs in 2004 in igniting the Sox run for the world championship.
There is some unfinished business to get there. With ten to play, the Hose are leading the wild card by seven over the Twinkies and eight over both the Jays and Mr. Hankie's Yankees. Also, even though they lost the season series with the Rays 10-8, as well as dropped four of the last six with the Rays, they are still within two of the Rays. The biggest hurdle in that area is that the Rays still have a dozen games left, and are three games up on our heroes in the lost column.
However, do not lose sight of one important stat in that won/lost season record. Of the ten Rays victories,six were by just a single run and an additional two wins were by two runs. Of the Eight Sox wins, all were by more than two runs. So, a hit here, a better pitch there and the record, not to mention their relative locations in the standings might be very different. Gonna' be an interesting final thirteen days of the season.
Of Pitch Counts and Mulligans--Peter
Well, this game came down to two things--1.) the damn idea of pitch counts; and 2.) a Mulligan, which for those of you who are golf challenged, is a second chance to hit the ball, the first not counting.
Taking things in sort of reverse order, here we had Beckett rolling along through eight innings, only one mistake from a shutout, that being the Pride of Haverhill's Carlos Pena's solo shot that tied the game at one, and as we enter the 9th, what do we do? Do we let him have the chance to win his own game? Do we let him keep pitching because he's doing damn well? NO--we look to the pitch count and take him out, replacing him with a so-far decent rook with no pennant race experience to pitch in a park where until the prior day we'd not even won a single game all season. I hate to be a pessimist, but at that point the likely results were obvious. After a few batters, they were no longer likely. The sacks were jammed and we had the All-Star catcher, Navarro stepping in. Here comes the pitch--THERE goes the ballgame!
The other item, the Mulligan, was the event that allowed the Pride of Haverhill to get an extra swing, which he quickly deposited in the cheaps to tie the score, as already noted above.
The good: the Twinkies, the Jays and Mr. Hankie's Yankees all lost, so we retained our advantages in all cases with one less game to go.
Here's hoping Wake will look like the Wake of last start, not the one before.
Taking things in sort of reverse order, here we had Beckett rolling along through eight innings, only one mistake from a shutout, that being the Pride of Haverhill's Carlos Pena's solo shot that tied the game at one, and as we enter the 9th, what do we do? Do we let him have the chance to win his own game? Do we let him keep pitching because he's doing damn well? NO--we look to the pitch count and take him out, replacing him with a so-far decent rook with no pennant race experience to pitch in a park where until the prior day we'd not even won a single game all season. I hate to be a pessimist, but at that point the likely results were obvious. After a few batters, they were no longer likely. The sacks were jammed and we had the All-Star catcher, Navarro stepping in. Here comes the pitch--THERE goes the ballgame!
The other item, the Mulligan, was the event that allowed the Pride of Haverhill to get an extra swing, which he quickly deposited in the cheaps to tie the score, as already noted above.
The good: the Twinkies, the Jays and Mr. Hankie's Yankees all lost, so we retained our advantages in all cases with one less game to go.
Here's hoping Wake will look like the Wake of last start, not the one before.
What a Difference a Day Makes - Jenn
When I posted on Monday about the Blue Jays weekend series, I was afraid I wouldn't have any finger nails left by the time Dice-K and Kazmir left the mound. Turns out it was a fear unrealized - at least 24 hours ago.
As Dad said, Monday's first game against the Rays saw Kazmir so off his game he had already given up nine runs by the third inning. And by the time Dice-K left the mound there were several more on the board. Why you may ask? It's all because Monday wasn't a baseball game. It was a long-ball game. Of the nine starters on the bench, 6of them, that's right, six of them, hit balls out of the park; which is quite a feat since the Trop is hidden inside a dome. As a matter of fact, Jason Bays' homer was hit so hard it disappeared inside one of the catwalks never to be seen again.
But that was Monday night. A great game not only because we won, but because the win tied us with the Rays for first place in the AL East. A place the Sox haven't seen since before the All Star break.
Unfortunately last night's game, while starting off favorably, as per usual when it comes to the Rays vs. Red Sox, didn't end nearly as well. Beckett started off strong. So strong in fact that he was perfect through the first 4.1 innings. Then he gave up his first hit. But not to worry, one hit does not a run make. However a solo shot does.
Neither team could get on the board, until the sixth when Youkilis hit a deep fly ball to left. Although Hinske made the catch, the ball was plenty deep enough for Ellsbury to tag up, run home and get the Sox their first run. Unfortunately Carlos Pena, the Rays version of Big Papi, came to the plate in the 7th and tied the score with his solo shot. Beckett held strong for another inning and left with the score still tied.
It was Masterson's turn to keep the Rays at bay. He was unsuccessful. Bartlett started off the inning with a soft line drive to right. Then Pena worked a walk when an errant ball from the bullpen found it's way onto the field. That miscue led to the umps taking away Pena's 2nd strike so he could take the swing again. In elementary school we called that a do over and we always thought it was a cop out. Twenty years later I still believe it's a cop out. But cop out or not, that do over allowed Pena to land on first. Masterson did manage to strike out Longoria, unfortunately he followed up that K by hitting Floyd to load the bases.
The only thing that would get Masterson out of that jam was an infield popout, a strike out, or the best option - a double play. But none of those choices happened. Instead Navarro sent the ball all the way to the center field warning track, and because all the Sox fielders were pulled in, Crisp never had a chance of catching that ball. And even if he had, Bartlett still would have scored on the sacrifice.
So the Rays got the walk-off and regained the lead in the East. But they're still only up by a game. Today Wakefield faces Garza. And hopefully my fingernails will get the chance to start growing back.
As Dad said, Monday's first game against the Rays saw Kazmir so off his game he had already given up nine runs by the third inning. And by the time Dice-K left the mound there were several more on the board. Why you may ask? It's all because Monday wasn't a baseball game. It was a long-ball game. Of the nine starters on the bench, 6of them, that's right, six of them, hit balls out of the park; which is quite a feat since the Trop is hidden inside a dome. As a matter of fact, Jason Bays' homer was hit so hard it disappeared inside one of the catwalks never to be seen again.
But that was Monday night. A great game not only because we won, but because the win tied us with the Rays for first place in the AL East. A place the Sox haven't seen since before the All Star break.
Unfortunately last night's game, while starting off favorably, as per usual when it comes to the Rays vs. Red Sox, didn't end nearly as well. Beckett started off strong. So strong in fact that he was perfect through the first 4.1 innings. Then he gave up his first hit. But not to worry, one hit does not a run make. However a solo shot does.
Neither team could get on the board, until the sixth when Youkilis hit a deep fly ball to left. Although Hinske made the catch, the ball was plenty deep enough for Ellsbury to tag up, run home and get the Sox their first run. Unfortunately Carlos Pena, the Rays version of Big Papi, came to the plate in the 7th and tied the score with his solo shot. Beckett held strong for another inning and left with the score still tied.
It was Masterson's turn to keep the Rays at bay. He was unsuccessful. Bartlett started off the inning with a soft line drive to right. Then Pena worked a walk when an errant ball from the bullpen found it's way onto the field. That miscue led to the umps taking away Pena's 2nd strike so he could take the swing again. In elementary school we called that a do over and we always thought it was a cop out. Twenty years later I still believe it's a cop out. But cop out or not, that do over allowed Pena to land on first. Masterson did manage to strike out Longoria, unfortunately he followed up that K by hitting Floyd to load the bases.
The only thing that would get Masterson out of that jam was an infield popout, a strike out, or the best option - a double play. But none of those choices happened. Instead Navarro sent the ball all the way to the center field warning track, and because all the Sox fielders were pulled in, Crisp never had a chance of catching that ball. And even if he had, Bartlett still would have scored on the sacrifice.
So the Rays got the walk-off and regained the lead in the East. But they're still only up by a game. Today Wakefield faces Garza. And hopefully my fingernails will get the chance to start growing back.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Tied For First-Virtually!--Peter
Well, finally, here we are! The Sox went to Tampa for their final series of the regular season against their new rival for the year. Never having beaten the Rays in Tampa this year and needing at least two of three to leave here with, more or less, at least a tie for first, they had their work cut out for them. They settled the first game fast!
While the Diceman was busy gaining his 17th win against just two losses, allowing just three hits and a pair of passes in five innings, five innings in which he surrendered just a single run, a solo shot by his countryman, Iwamura, the Sox wasted no time in taking apart the Rays pitching for the night.
After the first nine pitches of the evening, the Sox had men on first and second and a 1-0 count on Big Papi. The tenth pitch of the game never found leather. Instead it found its way into the cheaps deep in right, three zip, Sox.
But the Hose were far from finished in this night--not even close. After Iwamura's 3d inning solo shot cut the lead to 4-1, the Sox closed out the game in the 4th. Sending ten men to the plate, they started immediately when Jason Bay powered one into the seats in dead center. A couple of batters later, the Sox captain, Tek, made the souvenir hunters in the left field seats happy, driving a ball into their midst and sending Lowrie home ahead of him, 7-1 Sox.
Not to be outdone, after Dusty and Big papi had added a pair of runs on the ground, Yoooouk blasted one into the same left field seats, plating Papi in front of him and finishing the scoring--for the inning.
As the game wore on, the Sox continued to build their lead, Jake adding a single run on a solo shot to the seats in right in the 5th, followed by Yoooouk's RBI two bagger to left in the 6th. At that point, it was Sox, 13-1, and Dice-K was relieved by Smith.
Not sure if it was sympathy on Tito's part, but in two innings, Smith gave up four hits, two of them two-run shots, producing the Rays' final four runs of the evening. Jenn's favorite, Timlin, and Pauley handled the mop-up, each tossing an inning of no-hit, shutout ball.
Extra Info: The six homers the Sox put in the seats is the most since they did the same thing to the Orioles in August of 2003. At the same time all of this was finding its way into the history books, Dice-K's 17th win makes him the all time highest winning Japanese pitcher in MLB, surpassing another former Sox pitcher, Hideo Nomo, who won 16 in a season thrice for the Dodgers. If that's not enough history for you, Jenn's fav, Timlin, also achieved a landmark. Tonight's appearance marked the alltime record number of relief appearances for a right handed reliever, 1,051. The old record was held by a Pirates great, Kent Tekulve. In spite of his problems this season, you don't get to hang around the Show that long if you don't have some ability. Prediction from this corner: after the final Sox win of the year (hopefully, in its final game of the year), Mike hangs 'em up--hopefully wearing his third ring.
Now, about that headline. True, the Sox eliminated the one game margin they had trailed the Rays by. However, as the number of games they and the Rays have played differ slightly to this point of the season, the Sox still trail the Rays--by just over 1 percentage point, .594595 Rays to .593333 Sox. Beckett takes the ball tomorrow and, hopefully, he'll take care of that percentage point and change--and then some.
Oh, the wild card--Mr. Hankie's Yankees won, so they remain the same distance to the rear of the Sox--tied with the Jays, who lost a half game in the standings as they were idle. The Twinkies lost and dropped another game astern of the Hose. Twelve left for the season.
While the Diceman was busy gaining his 17th win against just two losses, allowing just three hits and a pair of passes in five innings, five innings in which he surrendered just a single run, a solo shot by his countryman, Iwamura, the Sox wasted no time in taking apart the Rays pitching for the night.
After the first nine pitches of the evening, the Sox had men on first and second and a 1-0 count on Big Papi. The tenth pitch of the game never found leather. Instead it found its way into the cheaps deep in right, three zip, Sox.
But the Hose were far from finished in this night--not even close. After Iwamura's 3d inning solo shot cut the lead to 4-1, the Sox closed out the game in the 4th. Sending ten men to the plate, they started immediately when Jason Bay powered one into the seats in dead center. A couple of batters later, the Sox captain, Tek, made the souvenir hunters in the left field seats happy, driving a ball into their midst and sending Lowrie home ahead of him, 7-1 Sox.
Not to be outdone, after Dusty and Big papi had added a pair of runs on the ground, Yoooouk blasted one into the same left field seats, plating Papi in front of him and finishing the scoring--for the inning.
As the game wore on, the Sox continued to build their lead, Jake adding a single run on a solo shot to the seats in right in the 5th, followed by Yoooouk's RBI two bagger to left in the 6th. At that point, it was Sox, 13-1, and Dice-K was relieved by Smith.
Not sure if it was sympathy on Tito's part, but in two innings, Smith gave up four hits, two of them two-run shots, producing the Rays' final four runs of the evening. Jenn's favorite, Timlin, and Pauley handled the mop-up, each tossing an inning of no-hit, shutout ball.
Extra Info: The six homers the Sox put in the seats is the most since they did the same thing to the Orioles in August of 2003. At the same time all of this was finding its way into the history books, Dice-K's 17th win makes him the all time highest winning Japanese pitcher in MLB, surpassing another former Sox pitcher, Hideo Nomo, who won 16 in a season thrice for the Dodgers. If that's not enough history for you, Jenn's fav, Timlin, also achieved a landmark. Tonight's appearance marked the alltime record number of relief appearances for a right handed reliever, 1,051. The old record was held by a Pirates great, Kent Tekulve. In spite of his problems this season, you don't get to hang around the Show that long if you don't have some ability. Prediction from this corner: after the final Sox win of the year (hopefully, in its final game of the year), Mike hangs 'em up--hopefully wearing his third ring.
Now, about that headline. True, the Sox eliminated the one game margin they had trailed the Rays by. However, as the number of games they and the Rays have played differ slightly to this point of the season, the Sox still trail the Rays--by just over 1 percentage point, .594595 Rays to .593333 Sox. Beckett takes the ball tomorrow and, hopefully, he'll take care of that percentage point and change--and then some.
Oh, the wild card--Mr. Hankie's Yankees won, so they remain the same distance to the rear of the Sox--tied with the Jays, who lost a half game in the standings as they were idle. The Twinkies lost and dropped another game astern of the Hose. Twelve left for the season.
Sox Take the Series from the Jays - Jenn
Only Saturday's morning game was the blemish on the series. The three others were all great games with awesome catches, timely hits and even a few nail biting moments.
Friday's game saw Wakefield pitch the game he wanted to pitch against the Rangers last week. Instead of an inning and 2/3, the knuckler pitched a solid 8. They were so solid that not one Jay scored. While the rain bogged down spectators and players alike, it clearly didn't hamper Wake's knuckler which was floating every which way. With 4 K's and not a single walk, it's probably one of Wake's best outings this season.
Meanwhile on the offensive Jed Lowrie went two for two with a pair of RBI's. Papi had a 2-run double in the 7th and Kevin Cash hit one over the monster for three more in the bottom of the 8th. Those seven runs gave the Sox a much needed win on a night when most of the other games on the east coast were rained out including the Rays/Yankees opener.
I won't talk about Game Two not because we lost but because for some reason the game was blacked out on the west coast. I saw nothing, and let me tell you. I'm glad I did. I don't think the first game of the double-header would have been very fun to watch.
But Game Three the Sox came back with avengence. This time Bartolo Colon was on the mound. Just back from an extended stint on the DL, he looked good for the first inning. While he pitched six, the 2nd created great concern for me as I watched Colon give up five runs because of a Jed Lowrie error. Luckily though, the Sox didn't let the 3-run deficit get to them and they did what they do best - buckle down and nibble away at the opposition. And thanks to some smart base running by Ellsbury and Pedroia in the first, the Sox only had to get four more runs to take the lead.
In the classic John Sayles movie "Eight Men Out" Joseph Sullivan asks a peer "You know how much you feed a horse to get a day's work out of him? Just enough so he knows he's hungry." And after the morning's loss and just three games between them and the division leading Rays, our Sox were very hungry. It was that hunger that got them the four runs they needed to win the game. Lowrie's sac fly to deep right in the bottom of the sixth started them off. Then Ortiz's take down of Marco Scutaro in the 7th allowed Ellsbury to score run number four on Youkilis' fielder's choice. The Sox just needed one more to tie it up.
That tying run came from a combo effort by Jason Bay's double off the monster and Jed Lowrie's RBI single up the middle in the eighth. But the Sox were still only tied. If they didn't want to go into extra innings, our boys in red had to make their stand now. And stand they did. With two outs, Ellsbury stepped into the batter's box and proceeded to foul off pitch after pitch. Finally he managed to get some wood on the ball, but only enough for it to dribble about 20 feet down the first base line. Somehow the ball stayed fair, allowing Ellsbury to reach first safely and Lowrie to score the Sox's sixth run. Ortiz added some insurance when he plated Dustin Pedroia with his 26th double of the season.
Saturday night's win gave the Red Sox the momentum they needed to storm into Fenway Sunday and take the final game of the series. The Sox may have needed eight innings to get the four runs they'd need to win, but they still got the W. Thanks to a spectacular outing from Jon Lester and some timely hits against the Jays' ace, Halladay, the Sox managed to squeak out four runs and take the lead against the Toronto team. The score was 4-1 going into the 9th and that's what it should have stayed. Unfortunately, Papelbon took the mound and he hasn't been lights out recently. He blew the save against the Rays on Tuesday and came dangerously close to repeating that effort last night.
After giving up a lead-off double to Vernon Wells, and two more singles to Adam Lind and Lyle Overbay, the score was 4-2 Sox. Luckily a call went the Red Sox's way when Overbay was called out at 2nd, but Lind was still standing on third with only one out. A sacrifice or ground out would plate Lind. And although Papelbon did manage to get the next two men out on ground balls, Lind still managed to get home and make the final score 4-3. Pap got his 38th save of the year, but not without a lot of nailbiting from Red Sox Nation.
Today it's off to Tropicana Field for the final series against this year's enemy, the Tampa Bay Rays. Dice-K faces Kazmir... and I'm not sure I have enough finger nails to get me through this game, let alone the series.
Friday's game saw Wakefield pitch the game he wanted to pitch against the Rangers last week. Instead of an inning and 2/3, the knuckler pitched a solid 8. They were so solid that not one Jay scored. While the rain bogged down spectators and players alike, it clearly didn't hamper Wake's knuckler which was floating every which way. With 4 K's and not a single walk, it's probably one of Wake's best outings this season.
Meanwhile on the offensive Jed Lowrie went two for two with a pair of RBI's. Papi had a 2-run double in the 7th and Kevin Cash hit one over the monster for three more in the bottom of the 8th. Those seven runs gave the Sox a much needed win on a night when most of the other games on the east coast were rained out including the Rays/Yankees opener.
I won't talk about Game Two not because we lost but because for some reason the game was blacked out on the west coast. I saw nothing, and let me tell you. I'm glad I did. I don't think the first game of the double-header would have been very fun to watch.
But Game Three the Sox came back with avengence. This time Bartolo Colon was on the mound. Just back from an extended stint on the DL, he looked good for the first inning. While he pitched six, the 2nd created great concern for me as I watched Colon give up five runs because of a Jed Lowrie error. Luckily though, the Sox didn't let the 3-run deficit get to them and they did what they do best - buckle down and nibble away at the opposition. And thanks to some smart base running by Ellsbury and Pedroia in the first, the Sox only had to get four more runs to take the lead.
In the classic John Sayles movie "Eight Men Out" Joseph Sullivan asks a peer "You know how much you feed a horse to get a day's work out of him? Just enough so he knows he's hungry." And after the morning's loss and just three games between them and the division leading Rays, our Sox were very hungry. It was that hunger that got them the four runs they needed to win the game. Lowrie's sac fly to deep right in the bottom of the sixth started them off. Then Ortiz's take down of Marco Scutaro in the 7th allowed Ellsbury to score run number four on Youkilis' fielder's choice. The Sox just needed one more to tie it up.
That tying run came from a combo effort by Jason Bay's double off the monster and Jed Lowrie's RBI single up the middle in the eighth. But the Sox were still only tied. If they didn't want to go into extra innings, our boys in red had to make their stand now. And stand they did. With two outs, Ellsbury stepped into the batter's box and proceeded to foul off pitch after pitch. Finally he managed to get some wood on the ball, but only enough for it to dribble about 20 feet down the first base line. Somehow the ball stayed fair, allowing Ellsbury to reach first safely and Lowrie to score the Sox's sixth run. Ortiz added some insurance when he plated Dustin Pedroia with his 26th double of the season.
Saturday night's win gave the Red Sox the momentum they needed to storm into Fenway Sunday and take the final game of the series. The Sox may have needed eight innings to get the four runs they'd need to win, but they still got the W. Thanks to a spectacular outing from Jon Lester and some timely hits against the Jays' ace, Halladay, the Sox managed to squeak out four runs and take the lead against the Toronto team. The score was 4-1 going into the 9th and that's what it should have stayed. Unfortunately, Papelbon took the mound and he hasn't been lights out recently. He blew the save against the Rays on Tuesday and came dangerously close to repeating that effort last night.
After giving up a lead-off double to Vernon Wells, and two more singles to Adam Lind and Lyle Overbay, the score was 4-2 Sox. Luckily a call went the Red Sox's way when Overbay was called out at 2nd, but Lind was still standing on third with only one out. A sacrifice or ground out would plate Lind. And although Papelbon did manage to get the next two men out on ground balls, Lind still managed to get home and make the final score 4-3. Pap got his 38th save of the year, but not without a lot of nailbiting from Red Sox Nation.
Today it's off to Tropicana Field for the final series against this year's enemy, the Tampa Bay Rays. Dice-K faces Kazmir... and I'm not sure I have enough finger nails to get me through this game, let alone the series.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Another 'W' With A bit of SSweat--Peter
Well, today's game started out a bit ominously, Jon Lester giving up a homer in the very first inning. However, the Sox run manufacturing machine went into high gear in their half of the 1st and suddenly, it was 1 all. Sox run came on a base hit by Jake, followed by, in succession, his 48th steal of the year, a sacrifice by Dusty and an RBI grounder from Papi. His homer hitting may still be a bit off, but that due to the fact that his wrist still isn't 100% and likely won't be until he gets to rest it completely for three or four months--the off-season. In the 2d, the Sox took the lead for good when Bay doubled and, with two outs, came home on a single by Coco. Coco later duplicated his two out heroics for an insurance run that turned out to be much needed, but more on that later.
From the 2d on, Lester and Halliday pretty much duplicated each other's efforts. They kept putting up zeroes, giving up few hits and fewer BB's. At one point, Halliday had a consecutive out streak going of 13 batters, while Lester simultaneously had nine in a row.
Rolling into the bottom of the 7th, it was still 2-1, Sox. At that point, Coco performed his second two out run rescue job, driving in Mike Lowell, who had preceded him with a hit. In the last of the 8th, they added another insurance run. Big Papi hit a sinking liner to right that was just out of the reach of the Jays fielder and went to the wall. Papi did what he does every twelve or thirteen months in such a situation. He went to third, his first triple since August 21 of last year. Good thing he did, because the run he scored a moment later on Yoouk's sacfly was the ultimate winning margin.
Papelbon came on in relief of Lester for the 9th, though the way Lester was throwing, there's some question of why. Anyway, here was Laser. Suddenly, there was Toronto adding runs to the scoreboard. A leadoff double, a couple of singles and it was quickly 4-3, Sox. No K's yet from Pap, and there were not to be any. He managed to steady enough that, coupled with a lucky favorable call on a throw out to second which should, replays showed, have been a 'safe', not the called 'out', got the end of the game. Good thing, too.
Tampa was busy getting beaten again by Mr. Hankie's Yankees, moving the HubHose to within a game of Tampa, while also extending their lead for the wild card over Toronto to 8 1/2 and the Twinkies to six.
Now, it's off to Tampa for three that, hopefully, will leave us with the division lead.
From the 2d on, Lester and Halliday pretty much duplicated each other's efforts. They kept putting up zeroes, giving up few hits and fewer BB's. At one point, Halliday had a consecutive out streak going of 13 batters, while Lester simultaneously had nine in a row.
Rolling into the bottom of the 7th, it was still 2-1, Sox. At that point, Coco performed his second two out run rescue job, driving in Mike Lowell, who had preceded him with a hit. In the last of the 8th, they added another insurance run. Big Papi hit a sinking liner to right that was just out of the reach of the Jays fielder and went to the wall. Papi did what he does every twelve or thirteen months in such a situation. He went to third, his first triple since August 21 of last year. Good thing he did, because the run he scored a moment later on Yoouk's sacfly was the ultimate winning margin.
Papelbon came on in relief of Lester for the 9th, though the way Lester was throwing, there's some question of why. Anyway, here was Laser. Suddenly, there was Toronto adding runs to the scoreboard. A leadoff double, a couple of singles and it was quickly 4-3, Sox. No K's yet from Pap, and there were not to be any. He managed to steady enough that, coupled with a lucky favorable call on a throw out to second which should, replays showed, have been a 'safe', not the called 'out', got the end of the game. Good thing, too.
Tampa was busy getting beaten again by Mr. Hankie's Yankees, moving the HubHose to within a game of Tampa, while also extending their lead for the wild card over Toronto to 8 1/2 and the Twinkies to six.
Now, it's off to Tampa for three that, hopefully, will leave us with the division lead.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A Big Win--Then A Split--Peter
Well, the Sox started off their important Fenway series last night against the Jays with an impressive win. Allowing only three hits over eight shutout innings, Tim Wakefield had the ball dancing, fluttering and, to use his description, tumbling everywhere but in the sights of the Toronto batters. He finished his stint by taking out the last thirteen Jays batters in a row. A quick mop-up by the Sox bullpen and the game was safe and secure in the 'W' column. The Hose picked up a quick game on the Jays in the Wild Card hunt, and a half game each on the Rays and the Twinkies, and, while we're at it, on Mr. Hankie's Yankees.
But that was last night. Today started with a lot of excitement and an opportunity to really, in effect, end Toronto's participation in the Wild Card race. Win 'em both and the Hubhose are 9 1/2 games up on the Jays and have a chance at 7 1/2 on the Twinkies, as well as a shot at picking up the two games they trailed the Rays by entering today's games. However, it was not to be. Talk about an emotional roller coaster!
Game one today: the Sox have recent acquisition Paul Byrd on the mound. Even though he gave no-one a free pass to first, he allowed ten hits that led to five runs--in just five innings.As he was facing one of the Jays' two 20 game winner candidates, Burnett, on the mound, he quickly found out that pitching that way wouldn't cut it. He was followed by Aardsma, who, just back to the Fens from a combined DL & Pawsox assignment(s), surrendered an additional three. Final score, 8-1, Jays.
So, now both the Jays, the Twinkies and the Rays are a game better off vis-a-vis the Fellows From Fens than they'd been a few hours earlier. Obviously, not only the Jays won, but all of the others also did. Time for game 2!
Game two begins with Bartolo Colon back from the DL. He pitches well enough to win, but leaves after six trailing 5-2 after having led two zip in the first. Now, you'll ask how giving up five runs in six innings is good enough to win (other than scoring eight or ten in a single inning, which, let's face it, doesn't happen every other day). Well, in this case it could have been because three of those runs were unearned. However, never say die--because if you do, you just might. You know--self fulfilling prophecy and all that stuff.
Anyway, the Sox get one back in their half of the 6th, and on Yooouk's 101st ribbie of the year, pick up another in the 7th. It's now 5-4.
Fortunately, while this is happening, the 'pen is doing a much better job in the nitecap than in the earlier show. Lopez and Masterson, the latter the ultimate winning pitcher, each toss an inning of perfect baseball, all on a cumulative total of nineteen pitches, three of which are a K that Lopez tacks on.
Comes the Sox half of the 8th--Downs, who came on in the 6th for the jays is still out there. The Sox finally jump all over a Toronto hurler today. Jason Bay, with his third hit of the game putting an exclamation point on the end of an 0-13 slump, led off the inning with a long double. Lowrie scored Bay with a single and took 2d on Dave Ross' sacrifice and 3d on Coco's grounder. Still, it's only five all.
Jake settled the issue then and there. Using the speed that tells opposing players if it's not sharply hit, don't even bother trying to get me out, he barely dribbles one about a third of the way up the first base line. Turning on the afterburners, he is a blur going to first. In case there might be any doubt about who'll win this race, Downs attempts to grab it for the throw to first--but falls flat on his face--literally. Using this opportunity, Lowrie scores the go-ahead run.
But the Sox are not quite through. Papi comes up and drives a ball deep to left for his 26th double of the year (not bad for someone who was out for 43 games with an injury) and Ellsbury goes around the bases doing his best impression of Usain Bolt for the seventh and final run of the game. Come to think of it, maybe Bolt in Beijing was merely doing his best Ellsbury impression. Either way, the Sox now had a two run lead and moved to the 9th to seal the win.
Papelbon came on and it was more like the Laser we've come to know than the imitation who showed the other night against the Rays. Faster than you can say, "Beam me up, Scotty", he'd thrown a dozen pitches, allowed no-one to even hit the ball out of the infield, much less reach base, and one more door had been slammed on an opposing team. Game most definitely over! So, net: three Sox relievers; three innings of perfection.
The Sox had regained the game in the standings they'd lost earlier in the day. Better yet, the Stripes beat the Rays, so the Sox are back to within two with fourteen to play.
During this game, Dusty simultaneously added another historic landmark to his career and burnished his credentials for the MVP. He bacame the first Sox player in nineteen years and only the third all time to get at least 200 hits and 50 doubles in a single season. Both of the former Sox players are in the Hall of Fame--Tris Speaker in 1912 and Wade Boggs in 1989. That's pretty impressive company for a player to keep.
But that was last night. Today started with a lot of excitement and an opportunity to really, in effect, end Toronto's participation in the Wild Card race. Win 'em both and the Hubhose are 9 1/2 games up on the Jays and have a chance at 7 1/2 on the Twinkies, as well as a shot at picking up the two games they trailed the Rays by entering today's games. However, it was not to be. Talk about an emotional roller coaster!
Game one today: the Sox have recent acquisition Paul Byrd on the mound. Even though he gave no-one a free pass to first, he allowed ten hits that led to five runs--in just five innings.As he was facing one of the Jays' two 20 game winner candidates, Burnett, on the mound, he quickly found out that pitching that way wouldn't cut it. He was followed by Aardsma, who, just back to the Fens from a combined DL & Pawsox assignment(s), surrendered an additional three. Final score, 8-1, Jays.
So, now both the Jays, the Twinkies and the Rays are a game better off vis-a-vis the Fellows From Fens than they'd been a few hours earlier. Obviously, not only the Jays won, but all of the others also did. Time for game 2!
Game two begins with Bartolo Colon back from the DL. He pitches well enough to win, but leaves after six trailing 5-2 after having led two zip in the first. Now, you'll ask how giving up five runs in six innings is good enough to win (other than scoring eight or ten in a single inning, which, let's face it, doesn't happen every other day). Well, in this case it could have been because three of those runs were unearned. However, never say die--because if you do, you just might. You know--self fulfilling prophecy and all that stuff.
Anyway, the Sox get one back in their half of the 6th, and on Yooouk's 101st ribbie of the year, pick up another in the 7th. It's now 5-4.
Fortunately, while this is happening, the 'pen is doing a much better job in the nitecap than in the earlier show. Lopez and Masterson, the latter the ultimate winning pitcher, each toss an inning of perfect baseball, all on a cumulative total of nineteen pitches, three of which are a K that Lopez tacks on.
Comes the Sox half of the 8th--Downs, who came on in the 6th for the jays is still out there. The Sox finally jump all over a Toronto hurler today. Jason Bay, with his third hit of the game putting an exclamation point on the end of an 0-13 slump, led off the inning with a long double. Lowrie scored Bay with a single and took 2d on Dave Ross' sacrifice and 3d on Coco's grounder. Still, it's only five all.
Jake settled the issue then and there. Using the speed that tells opposing players if it's not sharply hit, don't even bother trying to get me out, he barely dribbles one about a third of the way up the first base line. Turning on the afterburners, he is a blur going to first. In case there might be any doubt about who'll win this race, Downs attempts to grab it for the throw to first--but falls flat on his face--literally. Using this opportunity, Lowrie scores the go-ahead run.
But the Sox are not quite through. Papi comes up and drives a ball deep to left for his 26th double of the year (not bad for someone who was out for 43 games with an injury) and Ellsbury goes around the bases doing his best impression of Usain Bolt for the seventh and final run of the game. Come to think of it, maybe Bolt in Beijing was merely doing his best Ellsbury impression. Either way, the Sox now had a two run lead and moved to the 9th to seal the win.
Papelbon came on and it was more like the Laser we've come to know than the imitation who showed the other night against the Rays. Faster than you can say, "Beam me up, Scotty", he'd thrown a dozen pitches, allowed no-one to even hit the ball out of the infield, much less reach base, and one more door had been slammed on an opposing team. Game most definitely over! So, net: three Sox relievers; three innings of perfection.
The Sox had regained the game in the standings they'd lost earlier in the day. Better yet, the Stripes beat the Rays, so the Sox are back to within two with fourteen to play.
During this game, Dusty simultaneously added another historic landmark to his career and burnished his credentials for the MVP. He bacame the first Sox player in nineteen years and only the third all time to get at least 200 hits and 50 doubles in a single season. Both of the former Sox players are in the Hall of Fame--Tris Speaker in 1912 and Wade Boggs in 1989. That's pretty impressive company for a player to keep.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sox Win, Another Bucky F-ing Dent, and Timlin Strikes Again - Jenn
That title sums up the three game series against the Rays. Things started so nicely on Monday when the Sox put a 3-spot on the board in the first and John Lester along with our favorite closer kept the Tampa Bay Rays to zeros for the next eight innings.
But then Tuesday came along and everything went to hell.
Okay, so the Sox weren't playing the Yankees. That doesn't mean the Rays, this season's evil little thorn, don't have their own version of Bucky Dent or Aaron Boone to spoil the party. After an okay outing from Dice-K and a great outing from most of the relief staff, the score was still 3-2 Rays. But in the bottom of the 8th Jason Bay, who I still say is one of the best trades the Sox have ever made, came to the plate. Youk was sitting pretty at at first base waiting for something that would allow him to advance. He didn't have to wait long. On a 1-1 pitch, Bay launched the ball over the monster seats to give the Sox two more runs and a 4-3 lead. It should've been enough to get the Sox the win. Unfortunately, the Rays still had one more inning to try and squeak out a win, but there's nothing to worry about because Papelbon's on the mound, right? Wrong!
I knew it wasn't Pap's night from the first pitch. It was a ball. As were the next two after that. But that's not the worst of it. Turns out the guy he was pitching to was a pinch-hitter who had literally just been called up from Triple A. His name is Dan Johnson and he was actually supposed to be in the starting lineup. But he arrived at Fenway mere minutes before game time and so was benched. Why Joe Maddon didn't keep him on the bench for the whole game, Red Sox Nation will never know. But pinch-hit him he did, and on a 3-2 count, Johnson launched Pap's belt-high fast ball over the Red Sox bullpen to tie the score. Although the Sox closer would get Aybar to fly out to center, Perez doubled off the wall and Navarro's opposite field double plated Perez to give the Rays a one-run lead and the win. But there was still one more game and one more chance to take the series.
Unfortunately taking the series was not to be. Although it took 14 innings for the Rays to win, the Rays still managed to get to the Sox relief staff and take game three and the series. The Rays scored in the 2nd and the Sox tied it up in the 3rd. But from the 4th through the 13th innings, neither side scored. The Rays and the Sox would send 14 men to the mound and leave a total of 29 men on base. But all that matters is one pitcher and one batter. And that one pitcher is the oldest in the Sox bullpen - Mike Timlin. And the batter is a young kid from Haverhill, Mass who was a Red Sock for about a second and a half, Carlos Pena.
Timlin may have gotten the first two batters he faced out, but unfortunately he couldn't close. Iwamura and Baldelli both singled off the reliever and set up Pena for his dream crushing 3-run shot over the monster seats. Timlin tried to make excuses by saying the pitch was a ball that Pena shouldn't have been swinging at, but Pena's homer dosen't explain Iwamura or Baldelli's singles. The fact is, it doesn't matter how or why Pena got the homerun, all that matters was that he got enough wood on the ball to lift it over the green monster and give the Rays the three run lead they needed to win the game, the series and take a 2 1/2 game lead in the AL East.
There's no game today, then it's four against that other Red Sox thorn, the Toronto Blue Jays. They're on fire, but the series is still at home, so here's hoping we can do some damage. And the Yankees are playing the Rays over the weekend. I never thought I'd say this, but here's hoping the Yanks win all three games so the Red Sox can regain the lead in the East.
But then Tuesday came along and everything went to hell.
Okay, so the Sox weren't playing the Yankees. That doesn't mean the Rays, this season's evil little thorn, don't have their own version of Bucky Dent or Aaron Boone to spoil the party. After an okay outing from Dice-K and a great outing from most of the relief staff, the score was still 3-2 Rays. But in the bottom of the 8th Jason Bay, who I still say is one of the best trades the Sox have ever made, came to the plate. Youk was sitting pretty at at first base waiting for something that would allow him to advance. He didn't have to wait long. On a 1-1 pitch, Bay launched the ball over the monster seats to give the Sox two more runs and a 4-3 lead. It should've been enough to get the Sox the win. Unfortunately, the Rays still had one more inning to try and squeak out a win, but there's nothing to worry about because Papelbon's on the mound, right? Wrong!
I knew it wasn't Pap's night from the first pitch. It was a ball. As were the next two after that. But that's not the worst of it. Turns out the guy he was pitching to was a pinch-hitter who had literally just been called up from Triple A. His name is Dan Johnson and he was actually supposed to be in the starting lineup. But he arrived at Fenway mere minutes before game time and so was benched. Why Joe Maddon didn't keep him on the bench for the whole game, Red Sox Nation will never know. But pinch-hit him he did, and on a 3-2 count, Johnson launched Pap's belt-high fast ball over the Red Sox bullpen to tie the score. Although the Sox closer would get Aybar to fly out to center, Perez doubled off the wall and Navarro's opposite field double plated Perez to give the Rays a one-run lead and the win. But there was still one more game and one more chance to take the series.
Unfortunately taking the series was not to be. Although it took 14 innings for the Rays to win, the Rays still managed to get to the Sox relief staff and take game three and the series. The Rays scored in the 2nd and the Sox tied it up in the 3rd. But from the 4th through the 13th innings, neither side scored. The Rays and the Sox would send 14 men to the mound and leave a total of 29 men on base. But all that matters is one pitcher and one batter. And that one pitcher is the oldest in the Sox bullpen - Mike Timlin. And the batter is a young kid from Haverhill, Mass who was a Red Sock for about a second and a half, Carlos Pena.
Timlin may have gotten the first two batters he faced out, but unfortunately he couldn't close. Iwamura and Baldelli both singled off the reliever and set up Pena for his dream crushing 3-run shot over the monster seats. Timlin tried to make excuses by saying the pitch was a ball that Pena shouldn't have been swinging at, but Pena's homer dosen't explain Iwamura or Baldelli's singles. The fact is, it doesn't matter how or why Pena got the homerun, all that matters was that he got enough wood on the ball to lift it over the green monster and give the Rays the three run lead they needed to win the game, the series and take a 2 1/2 game lead in the AL East.
There's no game today, then it's four against that other Red Sox thorn, the Toronto Blue Jays. They're on fire, but the series is still at home, so here's hoping we can do some damage. And the Yankees are playing the Rays over the weekend. I never thought I'd say this, but here's hoping the Yanks win all three games so the Red Sox can regain the lead in the East.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Jenn May Be Right--Peter
Well, tonight was the worst way to lose a game. The boys from the Fens struggle and sweat for 13 long innings to stay with the Rays. They want to win to get back within 1/2 game of the team from Tampa, particularly with their nemesis, Toronto, arriving in Beantown day after tomorrow for a three game set. This is particularly the case with the Jays having just had a 10 game win streak, including three against the Twinkies.
So, our guys match the Rays from early in the game right through the expected end of the game in the 9th; sorry, it continued on past there. They matched the Rays scoreless inning for scoreless inning through the 13th inning. By the time the fateful 14th arrived, no-one had scored in ten innings! It was like a double shutout had occurred in the middle of the game, and no-one likely to break the ice.
In the 3d, the Hose had gotten on the board, tying the Rays at 1, when Dusty collected his 46th two bagger of the year, many innings later to be followed by his 47th. The 3d inning drive brought home Lowrie. Beckett was pitching another gem, his second in as many appearances since coming back off the DL. He went six, allowing only a sole run in the 2d and six hits, while nailing seven K's in the process.
Following his departure, Tito not wanting to put too much strain on that arm so quickly, the Sox bullpen, through four hurlers, performed beautifully. From Oki through Lopez, the Sox threw nothing but zeroes at the Rays. In fact, the four surrendered only a collective three hits and four passes in 7 1/3 innings, a collective WHIP of less than one! Masterson, as part of this quartet of quality, allowed no hits at all!
The one failing we seemed to be having was that nobody was able to deliver a timely hit, in a number of cases where we had the baserunners and just a single hit would have sufficed to end the game in the Sox' favor. We ended up stranding SIXTEEN (not a misprint) runners. Had both teams' stranded runners scored, the Sox would have won, 18-17. Sounds almost like the win our guys did get recently against Texas.
Hell, it got worse as the game wore on! In the bottom of the 10th, the Hub Heroes had two men on with no outs--and couldn't score. In the bottom of the 11th, we had two on with just one out--and couldn't score. In the bottom of the 12th, we had two men on with just one out--and couldn't score. The final killer, literally, was in the bottom of the 14th. Trailing 4-1 after a former Red Sock, Carlos Pena, the Pride of Haverhill, Mass drove one into the monster seats for a three run blast, the Hub Heroes got the first three men to bat against the Rays' closer to reach base, starting with Jake's standup double. There they were--bases loaded--NOBODY out, and all we could get was a single run, 4-2; Tampa wins. By the way, lest we forget what I was so baldly hinting at in the headline, guess who gave up the shot by Pena? Take a wild guess--RIGHT--Timlin!
Well, it's done. Got to look forward at Toronto and stop the Jays while we root for Mr. Hankie's Yankees to stop the Rays.
There was some good news in the wreckage of tonight. Based on his last two starts, it appears JB is ready for the post-season, assuming we do make it. We're now still in the wild card lead, and trailing the Rays for the division lead by 2 1/2. Colon was called up from the Pawsox and is expected to face the Rangers in the Fens next week, and Drew is supposedly healing and could be ready for duty in the final one or two weeks' push to the tape. Dusty went 2-4 tonight, increasing his AL-leading B.A. to .328.
So, our guys match the Rays from early in the game right through the expected end of the game in the 9th; sorry, it continued on past there. They matched the Rays scoreless inning for scoreless inning through the 13th inning. By the time the fateful 14th arrived, no-one had scored in ten innings! It was like a double shutout had occurred in the middle of the game, and no-one likely to break the ice.
In the 3d, the Hose had gotten on the board, tying the Rays at 1, when Dusty collected his 46th two bagger of the year, many innings later to be followed by his 47th. The 3d inning drive brought home Lowrie. Beckett was pitching another gem, his second in as many appearances since coming back off the DL. He went six, allowing only a sole run in the 2d and six hits, while nailing seven K's in the process.
Following his departure, Tito not wanting to put too much strain on that arm so quickly, the Sox bullpen, through four hurlers, performed beautifully. From Oki through Lopez, the Sox threw nothing but zeroes at the Rays. In fact, the four surrendered only a collective three hits and four passes in 7 1/3 innings, a collective WHIP of less than one! Masterson, as part of this quartet of quality, allowed no hits at all!
The one failing we seemed to be having was that nobody was able to deliver a timely hit, in a number of cases where we had the baserunners and just a single hit would have sufficed to end the game in the Sox' favor. We ended up stranding SIXTEEN (not a misprint) runners. Had both teams' stranded runners scored, the Sox would have won, 18-17. Sounds almost like the win our guys did get recently against Texas.
Hell, it got worse as the game wore on! In the bottom of the 10th, the Hub Heroes had two men on with no outs--and couldn't score. In the bottom of the 11th, we had two on with just one out--and couldn't score. In the bottom of the 12th, we had two men on with just one out--and couldn't score. The final killer, literally, was in the bottom of the 14th. Trailing 4-1 after a former Red Sock, Carlos Pena, the Pride of Haverhill, Mass drove one into the monster seats for a three run blast, the Hub Heroes got the first three men to bat against the Rays' closer to reach base, starting with Jake's standup double. There they were--bases loaded--NOBODY out, and all we could get was a single run, 4-2; Tampa wins. By the way, lest we forget what I was so baldly hinting at in the headline, guess who gave up the shot by Pena? Take a wild guess--RIGHT--Timlin!
Well, it's done. Got to look forward at Toronto and stop the Jays while we root for Mr. Hankie's Yankees to stop the Rays.
There was some good news in the wreckage of tonight. Based on his last two starts, it appears JB is ready for the post-season, assuming we do make it. We're now still in the wild card lead, and trailing the Rays for the division lead by 2 1/2. Colon was called up from the Pawsox and is expected to face the Rangers in the Fens next week, and Drew is supposedly healing and could be ready for duty in the final one or two weeks' push to the tape. Dusty went 2-4 tonight, increasing his AL-leading B.A. to .328.
It Was The Stripes!--Peter
Well, this one hurt! After dropping behind the Rays, 3-1, in the first half of the game, the Sox came back in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead, 4-3. Helped by Jason Bay's homer and some timely hitting by Yoouk, they had climbed the mountain and with Papelbon coming on in the 9th, following Oki's good job in the 8th, it looke like as sure a thing as you're likely to find in the world today.
Not to be! Papelbon gave up three hits, including a game-tying homer, and eventually, the winning run before finally getting out of the inning, the team now trailing 5-4. Our last at bats did nothing to change the result. With the loss, the Rays are now back up by 1 1/2, and the Jays are now seven behind in the wild card and the Twinkies, six. The Stripes also picked up a game on our heroes, now trailing the Hose by 8 1/2.
Speaking of the Stripes, as I noted in the headline, that's what did it. No, it wasn't Mr. Hankie's Yankees. These stripes came before the game. Warren Buffet, yes, that Warren Buffet, was on hand to throw out the first pitch. Dressed in a uniform that said Red Sox across the chest and wearing the red-B-emblazoned cap, he took the mound and tossed the pitch. The trouble is his 'Red Sox' uniform also had PIN STRIPES!! Who the hell missed that when he was given it in the Sox locker room? The stripes clearly contaminated the whole thing and gave out enough bad vibes to cause the loss. I know, it sounds crazy, but do you have a better explanation?
Not to be! Papelbon gave up three hits, including a game-tying homer, and eventually, the winning run before finally getting out of the inning, the team now trailing 5-4. Our last at bats did nothing to change the result. With the loss, the Rays are now back up by 1 1/2, and the Jays are now seven behind in the wild card and the Twinkies, six. The Stripes also picked up a game on our heroes, now trailing the Hose by 8 1/2.
Speaking of the Stripes, as I noted in the headline, that's what did it. No, it wasn't Mr. Hankie's Yankees. These stripes came before the game. Warren Buffet, yes, that Warren Buffet, was on hand to throw out the first pitch. Dressed in a uniform that said Red Sox across the chest and wearing the red-B-emblazoned cap, he took the mound and tossed the pitch. The trouble is his 'Red Sox' uniform also had PIN STRIPES!! Who the hell missed that when he was given it in the Sox locker room? The stripes clearly contaminated the whole thing and gave out enough bad vibes to cause the loss. I know, it sounds crazy, but do you have a better explanation?
Monday, September 8, 2008
Well, tonight's game was an excellent example of what you do when you've got a fish on the line--even a Ray--you reel it in. That's exactly what the Sox did with the Rays at Fenway tonight. Starting fast, they put up a trey in the 1st and made it stand up for the rest of the game. Recent acquisition Kotsay started off in the leadoff spot with a crisp single and two batters later, was driven home by another two-bagger by Big Papi. Yooouk drove Papi home with a single, but was quickly cut down trying to pick up an extra base or two. As it turned out, no matter. Another recent Sox acquisition, Jason Bay, shot one into the cheap seats, and, suddenly, it was Sox three zip in the first inning.
Lester was once again excellent. It's just as well that he was, because the Rays starter settled down in the 3d and, although the Sox got another five hits on the evening, along weith a pair of free passes, they got no more runs. Meanwhile the Sox portsider pitched into the 8th, giving up just six hits ad three BB's, while getting nine K's. That last figure equals his single game best, achieved in the no-no earlier this year.
When the Rays finally appeared to be on the verge of breaking the ice, with two gone in the 8th, Papelbon was summoned and dispelled any ideas the Rays may have had about making a game of it. Laser struck out the only batter he faced in the 8th, the slammed the door in classic Laserman fashion in the 9th, K'ing two of the three outs he nailed down in the process of ending the game. Overall, 1 1/3 innings and three K's. His ERA dropped to 1.62, while he got his 36th save. Lester's line was pretty good as well, his record climbing to 14-5, while the ERA dropped to 3.23.
Also, the Sox achieved a new MLB record. Tonight was their 456th consecutive sellout at the Fens, breaking the record set by the Indians in 2001, and showing no sign of abating any time soon. So far, in the streak, the Sox attendance figure has exceeded 16 million!
Separately, Coco's 3-3 got him to within shouting distance of .300 and the Sox activated JD Drew from the DL. This follows yesterday's activation of Colon, who, for the time being is at Pawtucket, but expected back in time to pitch against the Rangers later in the week.
Lester was once again excellent. It's just as well that he was, because the Rays starter settled down in the 3d and, although the Sox got another five hits on the evening, along weith a pair of free passes, they got no more runs. Meanwhile the Sox portsider pitched into the 8th, giving up just six hits ad three BB's, while getting nine K's. That last figure equals his single game best, achieved in the no-no earlier this year.
When the Rays finally appeared to be on the verge of breaking the ice, with two gone in the 8th, Papelbon was summoned and dispelled any ideas the Rays may have had about making a game of it. Laser struck out the only batter he faced in the 8th, the slammed the door in classic Laserman fashion in the 9th, K'ing two of the three outs he nailed down in the process of ending the game. Overall, 1 1/3 innings and three K's. His ERA dropped to 1.62, while he got his 36th save. Lester's line was pretty good as well, his record climbing to 14-5, while the ERA dropped to 3.23.
Also, the Sox achieved a new MLB record. Tonight was their 456th consecutive sellout at the Fens, breaking the record set by the Indians in 2001, and showing no sign of abating any time soon. So far, in the streak, the Sox attendance figure has exceeded 16 million!
Separately, Coco's 3-3 got him to within shouting distance of .300 and the Sox activated JD Drew from the DL. This follows yesterday's activation of Colon, who, for the time being is at Pawtucket, but expected back in time to pitch against the Rangers later in the week.
Sox Take 2 out of 3 From the Rangers - Jenn
Thanks to Beckett, Byrd, Bay, Lowell, and Ortiz, the Red Sox are now just a game and half back from those evil Tampa Bay Rays.
The weekend's three game (and final) series against the Texas Rangers was fun to watch -- most of the time. The bookend games were the best - because the Red Sox had early leads in both and Sox pitching kept the Rangers at bay 'til their final out in the 9th.
Although Beckett had a short outing, he was definitely the Beckett of old. The first three innings were a breeze for the ace. All nine men he faced he retired on just 40 pitches. With the Sox up 5-zip, Beckett came out for the fourth and had a little trouble. Maybe the Rangers, having seen Beckett for the first three innings, were more prepared and able to get in a couple hits. But it didn't end up changing anything, because it doesn't matter how many men get on base, as long as none of them reach home. And Beckett along with the Red Sox defense kept the Rangers from scoring. As a matter of fact the pitching and the defense were so good, the Rangers didn't score until the 9th when Okie gave up the only Rangers run. So, with a W for game one, it was onto game 2 and Wakefield's 500th appearance.
But by the time Wakefield left Saturday's game, I'm sure he and all of Red Sox Nation was ready for appearance number 501. Needless to say, game two was a disaster.
Sometimes mother nature is not a lady. That had to have been the case on Saturday when Wake got the first five batters he faced out without breaking a sweat. But Mother Nature clearly wasn't happy with Wake's outing and decided to give him some trouble. She brought the pain - in the form of a gusty wind that sent Wakefield's knuckler everywhere except over the plate. It was so bad that by the time Fracona hooked Wake the knuckler had given up four hits, four walks, and even hit a batter.
But I can't blame the whole game on Wakefield. Sure he'd dug the hole, but if the relief staff had kept the Rangers at bay for the next 7 innings the Sox would've had a chance. But they didn't. Smith gave up two runs, my favorite relief pitcher, Mike Timlin, gave up another four and Pauley gave up the last two nails in the Sox coffin. The game was depressing and as Dad said, lost the Sox the opportunity to move up on those evil little Rays. Oh well, there was still game three.
And game three was what all Sox fans love to watch - a game that has win written all over it. Paul Byrd was the pitcher. Since joining the Sox, he's been a great addition. He got his fourth straight win Sunday thanks to some great hitting from the Sox offense. Things got a little hairy in the third when Byrd loaded the bases with a single, a hit batsman and a walk. Thankfully none of those Rangers would ever see home because with two outs, Byrd got Young to strike out swinging. I'm sure a sigh of relief escaped Byrd's lips because you know it escaped ever member of Red Sox Nation's. His next 3.2 innings were smooth sailing, and by the time he left the Sox were up 7-zip thanks to Ortiz and Bay getting their 18th and 27th homers respectively. Sure the Rangers would wrangle a run in the 8th and 9th, but with Pap on the mound, you knew that was all the opposition would get.
With the Yanks, and more importantly the Rays, imploding before the Nation's eyes, the Sox are now only 1.5 games out of first place in the American League East. And luckily it's back to the Fens for the first of six games against the new thorn in the Sox side. With Lester starting today, there's high hope that the Rays' losing streak will follow them to Boston.
The weekend's three game (and final) series against the Texas Rangers was fun to watch -- most of the time. The bookend games were the best - because the Red Sox had early leads in both and Sox pitching kept the Rangers at bay 'til their final out in the 9th.
Although Beckett had a short outing, he was definitely the Beckett of old. The first three innings were a breeze for the ace. All nine men he faced he retired on just 40 pitches. With the Sox up 5-zip, Beckett came out for the fourth and had a little trouble. Maybe the Rangers, having seen Beckett for the first three innings, were more prepared and able to get in a couple hits. But it didn't end up changing anything, because it doesn't matter how many men get on base, as long as none of them reach home. And Beckett along with the Red Sox defense kept the Rangers from scoring. As a matter of fact the pitching and the defense were so good, the Rangers didn't score until the 9th when Okie gave up the only Rangers run. So, with a W for game one, it was onto game 2 and Wakefield's 500th appearance.
But by the time Wakefield left Saturday's game, I'm sure he and all of Red Sox Nation was ready for appearance number 501. Needless to say, game two was a disaster.
Sometimes mother nature is not a lady. That had to have been the case on Saturday when Wake got the first five batters he faced out without breaking a sweat. But Mother Nature clearly wasn't happy with Wake's outing and decided to give him some trouble. She brought the pain - in the form of a gusty wind that sent Wakefield's knuckler everywhere except over the plate. It was so bad that by the time Fracona hooked Wake the knuckler had given up four hits, four walks, and even hit a batter.
But I can't blame the whole game on Wakefield. Sure he'd dug the hole, but if the relief staff had kept the Rangers at bay for the next 7 innings the Sox would've had a chance. But they didn't. Smith gave up two runs, my favorite relief pitcher, Mike Timlin, gave up another four and Pauley gave up the last two nails in the Sox coffin. The game was depressing and as Dad said, lost the Sox the opportunity to move up on those evil little Rays. Oh well, there was still game three.
And game three was what all Sox fans love to watch - a game that has win written all over it. Paul Byrd was the pitcher. Since joining the Sox, he's been a great addition. He got his fourth straight win Sunday thanks to some great hitting from the Sox offense. Things got a little hairy in the third when Byrd loaded the bases with a single, a hit batsman and a walk. Thankfully none of those Rangers would ever see home because with two outs, Byrd got Young to strike out swinging. I'm sure a sigh of relief escaped Byrd's lips because you know it escaped ever member of Red Sox Nation's. His next 3.2 innings were smooth sailing, and by the time he left the Sox were up 7-zip thanks to Ortiz and Bay getting their 18th and 27th homers respectively. Sure the Rangers would wrangle a run in the 8th and 9th, but with Pap on the mound, you knew that was all the opposition would get.
With the Yanks, and more importantly the Rays, imploding before the Nation's eyes, the Sox are now only 1.5 games out of first place in the American League East. And luckily it's back to the Fens for the first of six games against the new thorn in the Sox side. With Lester starting today, there's high hope that the Rays' losing streak will follow them to Boston.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Well, this was another example of how the recent acquisitions by the Sox have helped right the ship and get us closer to the post-season. Paul Byrd, late of Cleveland, went six and 2/3 strong innings today, allowing no runs and just three hits. The successor to Manny in left, Jason Bay, picked up another homer. All of this along with the usual output from Papi(homer), Pedroia, another hit, a trip by Cora and doubles by Yooouk and Crisp.
Starting out two zip after two, the Sox steadily built their lead, bit by bit, until it was the end of their half of the 7th and they led seven zip. The bullpen, overall, did a decent job, but when it started to look like the Rangers were mounting something of a rally, or might do so, Laserman--you know him as Papelbon-- came in and, as usual, slammed the door.
Best part of the day--the Rays lost and we're now 1 1/2 behind and six of our next nine are against them, half in the Fens. Also, it gets better, both the Twinkies and Mr. Hankie's Yankees lost, each dropping another game to the rear. Yessss!
Starting out two zip after two, the Sox steadily built their lead, bit by bit, until it was the end of their half of the 7th and they led seven zip. The bullpen, overall, did a decent job, but when it started to look like the Rangers were mounting something of a rally, or might do so, Laserman--you know him as Papelbon-- came in and, as usual, slammed the door.
Best part of the day--the Rays lost and we're now 1 1/2 behind and six of our next nine are against them, half in the Fens. Also, it gets better, both the Twinkies and Mr. Hankie's Yankees lost, each dropping another game to the rear. Yessss!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A Missed Opportunity--Peter
Tonight was frustrating--very frustrating! By the time our heroes took the field in Arlington, Texas, they knew that both the Rays and the Twinkies had lost. So they had an excellent opportunity to extend their wild card lead over the Twinks and to creep a game closer to the Rays for the division lead. It was not to be tonight.
Although they broke on top, one zip, in the 2d, the Rangers' response was, figuratively, deafening. After two were out in the Texas half of the 2d, they pushed seven runs across the plate, much of it aided by a sudden streak of wildness by Wake. Four hits, a ringing double among them, four walks and a hit batsman, not to mention a stolen base, and the game was pretty much out of hand. At that point, Wake was given a pass to the showers and his relief picked off a Texas baserunner to staunch the bleeding--for the moment.
It's too bad tonight didn't work out for Wake. It was his 500th appearance in a Sox uniform, a figure only matched once previously--by "The Steemah", Bob Stanley. To top that off, Wake becomes one of an equally select club of hurlers who've had at least 500 appearances and 350 starts for the same club. The only other guys in this elite grouop currently playing are Glavine and Smoltz, both of the Braves. Must be the Boston connection in the baseball genes. The Braves started life in Boston, before moving to Milwaukie and later to Atlanta.
Actually, as things turned out, had that been the extent of the Rangers offense for the night, the Sox would have ended up with the 'W'. They added a threespot in the top of the 3d, and it looked briefly like the Hose might rally. Not to be. In the bottom half of the same inning, Texas replied again, this time picking up a pair of runs on the first of two homers by Cruz, 9-4, Texas.
It just got worse from that point on. The Rangers added a run in the 5th on Cruz's second roundtripper of the game, a solo shot. Acting as if they should keep something going in each inning, they added to that total in the 6th. They picked up a trey on four hits, two of them triples and one a double.
Things stayed that way until the Texas half of the 8th, when they added another pair of runs on three hits, the last of them a solid double by who else--Cruz, he of the two earlier cheap seat shots. It was now 15-4, Texas.
Finally, in their half of the 9th, our heroes awoke and at least tried to stage a meaningful rally. Impossible? Well, remember, these were the same Rangers that the Sox beat less than a month ago, 19-17, scoring ten runs in a single inning along the way. Unfortunately, that was history and this was today. The Bosox did tack on a double deuce, 4 runs, but that's where it ended. They sent nine men to the plate, getting six singles and nothing more. Final score, 15-8, Texas.
On the plus side--yes, there was something of a silver lining--Yoooouk in a return from a few days off for a combo of back spasms and 'flu-like symptoms', drove his 25th home run of the season out of the park, accounting for three runs. Bay and Lowell, who was 2-4 in his second day back from the DL, each got a two bagger. Beyond that--ugly--very ugly.
Although they broke on top, one zip, in the 2d, the Rangers' response was, figuratively, deafening. After two were out in the Texas half of the 2d, they pushed seven runs across the plate, much of it aided by a sudden streak of wildness by Wake. Four hits, a ringing double among them, four walks and a hit batsman, not to mention a stolen base, and the game was pretty much out of hand. At that point, Wake was given a pass to the showers and his relief picked off a Texas baserunner to staunch the bleeding--for the moment.
It's too bad tonight didn't work out for Wake. It was his 500th appearance in a Sox uniform, a figure only matched once previously--by "The Steemah", Bob Stanley. To top that off, Wake becomes one of an equally select club of hurlers who've had at least 500 appearances and 350 starts for the same club. The only other guys in this elite grouop currently playing are Glavine and Smoltz, both of the Braves. Must be the Boston connection in the baseball genes. The Braves started life in Boston, before moving to Milwaukie and later to Atlanta.
Actually, as things turned out, had that been the extent of the Rangers offense for the night, the Sox would have ended up with the 'W'. They added a threespot in the top of the 3d, and it looked briefly like the Hose might rally. Not to be. In the bottom half of the same inning, Texas replied again, this time picking up a pair of runs on the first of two homers by Cruz, 9-4, Texas.
It just got worse from that point on. The Rangers added a run in the 5th on Cruz's second roundtripper of the game, a solo shot. Acting as if they should keep something going in each inning, they added to that total in the 6th. They picked up a trey on four hits, two of them triples and one a double.
Things stayed that way until the Texas half of the 8th, when they added another pair of runs on three hits, the last of them a solid double by who else--Cruz, he of the two earlier cheap seat shots. It was now 15-4, Texas.
Finally, in their half of the 9th, our heroes awoke and at least tried to stage a meaningful rally. Impossible? Well, remember, these were the same Rangers that the Sox beat less than a month ago, 19-17, scoring ten runs in a single inning along the way. Unfortunately, that was history and this was today. The Bosox did tack on a double deuce, 4 runs, but that's where it ended. They sent nine men to the plate, getting six singles and nothing more. Final score, 15-8, Texas.
On the plus side--yes, there was something of a silver lining--Yoooouk in a return from a few days off for a combo of back spasms and 'flu-like symptoms', drove his 25th home run of the season out of the park, accounting for three runs. Bay and Lowell, who was 2-4 in his second day back from the DL, each got a two bagger. Beyond that--ugly--very ugly.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Welcome Back Lowell!--Peter
Well, tonight marked the return of Mike Lowell from the DL. What a return it was! In his first at bat, he rifled a shot into the cheap seats for a one zip Sox lead. Two innings later, in the 4th, he hit a crisp single into the Texas outfield, plating two recent arrivals to Fenway, Kotsay and Bay, and upping the lead to four zip.
Meanwhile, Beckett, also just back from a brief stint on the DL, was rolling along, eventually earning his twelfth victory. He pitched an economical five innings, giving up just four hits and walking no-one, while K'ing seven. Terry, taking no chances as we approach the post-season, pulled him after five even though he'd only thrown eighty pitches, 49 of which were strikes.
Meanwhile, back to Lowell. The Sox third sacker, in his final at bat for the evening, came up in the 9th and drove a ball deep to center and bringing home Bay to up the score to eight zip, Sox. So, overall Lowell was 3-5 for the evening with a pair of extra base hits and four ribbies. Not bad for a return from the DL! Not bad at all! Between his second hit and this one, the Sox had added runs on back-to-back trips by Coco and Jake in the 6th.
As far as the Sox pitching , post-JB, went, it was exemplary, at least until the 9th, when Oki surrendered the Rangers' only run. Up to that point, however, a succession of Sox relievers gave up no hits and only a pair of free passes while striking out three over three innings.
Looked like a good evening, with a well balanced attack, and solid pitching--just what is needed to get to the post-season. Speaking of which, the Twinkies won, remaining 5 1/2 to our rear, while the Rays lost another, their lead over the Hose dropping to 2 1/2 with twentytwo to play. As for Mr. Hankie's Yankees,as I write this, it's three zip, Seattle, in the top of the 5th. Be great if the M's can hang on and win--that'd drop the Stripes to 7 1/2 behind the Sox.
Meanwhile, Beckett, also just back from a brief stint on the DL, was rolling along, eventually earning his twelfth victory. He pitched an economical five innings, giving up just four hits and walking no-one, while K'ing seven. Terry, taking no chances as we approach the post-season, pulled him after five even though he'd only thrown eighty pitches, 49 of which were strikes.
Meanwhile, back to Lowell. The Sox third sacker, in his final at bat for the evening, came up in the 9th and drove a ball deep to center and bringing home Bay to up the score to eight zip, Sox. So, overall Lowell was 3-5 for the evening with a pair of extra base hits and four ribbies. Not bad for a return from the DL! Not bad at all! Between his second hit and this one, the Sox had added runs on back-to-back trips by Coco and Jake in the 6th.
As far as the Sox pitching , post-JB, went, it was exemplary, at least until the 9th, when Oki surrendered the Rangers' only run. Up to that point, however, a succession of Sox relievers gave up no hits and only a pair of free passes while striking out three over three innings.
Looked like a good evening, with a well balanced attack, and solid pitching--just what is needed to get to the post-season. Speaking of which, the Twinkies won, remaining 5 1/2 to our rear, while the Rays lost another, their lead over the Hose dropping to 2 1/2 with twentytwo to play. As for Mr. Hankie's Yankees,as I write this, it's three zip, Seattle, in the top of the 5th. Be great if the M's can hang on and win--that'd drop the Stripes to 7 1/2 behind the Sox.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Dusty Leads The Way Again--Peter
Well, once again the Sox took a lesson from Dusty. Trailing the O's by four going into the 7th, very uncharacteristic because the O's runs came all from the Diceman, their bats suddenly came alive, at least a little. Pedroia took a pitch to his liking and drove his 17th homer of the year into the cheaps to get the Bosox on the board. Then they picked up a second run by a combo of hits before the inning ended.
That still left them trailing 4-2 as they entered the 8th. However, the Sox MVP candidate again showed the way, and by the time the inning ended, they had tied the game at four. The O's came up for the 9th, and everyone expected Papelbon to take over to ensure the O's stayed where they were while the Sox found yet another way to claim victory. However, expectations were not reality. Laserman did not show, but sat while Masterson remained in the game for another inning. He matched his work of the 8th, allowing no runs and leaving it to the Sox offense to settle the issue.
Settle it they did--sort of. They quickly got a pair of runners on, Crisp in the lead at 2d. Coco's bunt was beautiful! He laid one down along the first base line and it appeared to be rolling foul; even Coco was watching it as he ran. Suddenly, for no explainable reason, it popped up a foot in the air, remained fair and died on the base path, getting Coco to first safely. Ellsbury, better known in these parts as Speedracer bunted to the left side of the infield where the O's hurler tried to pick it up and throw out the lead runner, Coco. Not tonight, guy! His throw was way off target, missing the O's third sacker by a good six or seven feet and rolling down the left field line. Coco needed no more of an invitation and jogged home with the winning run. A win by walkoff--error. I'll still take it.
That still left them trailing 4-2 as they entered the 8th. However, the Sox MVP candidate again showed the way, and by the time the inning ended, they had tied the game at four. The O's came up for the 9th, and everyone expected Papelbon to take over to ensure the O's stayed where they were while the Sox found yet another way to claim victory. However, expectations were not reality. Laserman did not show, but sat while Masterson remained in the game for another inning. He matched his work of the 8th, allowing no runs and leaving it to the Sox offense to settle the issue.
Settle it they did--sort of. They quickly got a pair of runners on, Crisp in the lead at 2d. Coco's bunt was beautiful! He laid one down along the first base line and it appeared to be rolling foul; even Coco was watching it as he ran. Suddenly, for no explainable reason, it popped up a foot in the air, remained fair and died on the base path, getting Coco to first safely. Ellsbury, better known in these parts as Speedracer bunted to the left side of the infield where the O's hurler tried to pick it up and throw out the lead runner, Coco. Not tonight, guy! His throw was way off target, missing the O's third sacker by a good six or seven feet and rolling down the left field line. Coco needed no more of an invitation and jogged home with the winning run. A win by walkoff--error. I'll still take it.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Dusty for MVP & Papi & Coco Also Get Three--Peter
Tonight was a great night all around! The most important thing, of course, was the game; and the Sox took care of that early. They led four zip after three; 10-1 after four, and, barring any sudden collapse of everything, the outcome was more than settled. Final was 14-2, Sox. Lester picked up his 13th win against five losses, although he wasn't as sharp as he has been on other occasions. Nevertheless, he gave up six hits while picking up 5 K's in five innings. His one game only WHIP was 2 due to an unusual number of free passes added to his hits allowed. He had four BB's, but when he needed to, he pitched and managed to stay out of danger. He was followed by Delcarmen and Smith, who, between them, allowed just a single baserunner. Pauley finished up, allowing the O's final run.
But the big news for the evening was the play of Pedroia, Ortiz and Crisp. Each of them had three hits, with Dusty driving in five, three of them on a 4th inning shot into the cheaps, Papi four and Coco picking up a steal to go along with his three runs scored. Dusty added a run to his league leading runs scored leading total, while equaling his career high in ribbies at 75, and counting. He also upped his AL-leading BA at .330. His leading hits total also climbed, now at 187. The suggestions that he'll be a solid choice for MVP are growing louder by the day. No arguments here! One of the best sights of the evening was Big Papi bearhugging Dusty in the dugout after the second baseman's homer. It looked like Dusty was in serious danger of getting suffocated, so all-enveloping was the big man's embrace. Careful, Papi--we need every bat we can use--yours and Dusty's for the rest of the season and the post as well!
Tek continued his resurgence at the plate of late, going 2-4, and the only player not to get at least one hit was Ross, who replaced Tek at catcher after coming in an inning earlier as a pinch runner. Overall, the Sox totalled 20 hits, six of which were for extra bases.
As if all of this weren't enough, Jake picked up his 44th steal of the season, padding his lead in that category, and Coco's steal was his 18th this year. Depending on circumstances, he's got an outside shot at 30 for the season, while Jake could very well hit the half century mark.
Once all of this was done, we could indulge in scoreboard watching. With some help from the Stripes, we picked up a game on the Rays, with 24 left, as they lost to Mr. Hankie's Yankees. Also extended the wild card lead over both the Twinkies and Pale Hose to a full four games, as they both lost.
But the big news for the evening was the play of Pedroia, Ortiz and Crisp. Each of them had three hits, with Dusty driving in five, three of them on a 4th inning shot into the cheaps, Papi four and Coco picking up a steal to go along with his three runs scored. Dusty added a run to his league leading runs scored leading total, while equaling his career high in ribbies at 75, and counting. He also upped his AL-leading BA at .330. His leading hits total also climbed, now at 187. The suggestions that he'll be a solid choice for MVP are growing louder by the day. No arguments here! One of the best sights of the evening was Big Papi bearhugging Dusty in the dugout after the second baseman's homer. It looked like Dusty was in serious danger of getting suffocated, so all-enveloping was the big man's embrace. Careful, Papi--we need every bat we can use--yours and Dusty's for the rest of the season and the post as well!
Tek continued his resurgence at the plate of late, going 2-4, and the only player not to get at least one hit was Ross, who replaced Tek at catcher after coming in an inning earlier as a pinch runner. Overall, the Sox totalled 20 hits, six of which were for extra bases.
As if all of this weren't enough, Jake picked up his 44th steal of the season, padding his lead in that category, and Coco's steal was his 18th this year. Depending on circumstances, he's got an outside shot at 30 for the season, while Jake could very well hit the half century mark.
Once all of this was done, we could indulge in scoreboard watching. With some help from the Stripes, we picked up a game on the Rays, with 24 left, as they lost to Mr. Hankie's Yankees. Also extended the wild card lead over both the Twinkies and Pale Hose to a full four games, as they both lost.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Dusty Continues & Another Team Effort--Peter
Well, after we lost the finale of the Chisox series yesterday in a close one, 4-2, and another game in the standings to the Rays, today the O's came to town. Now that they've helped the Rays for the past three games, it's the Sox turn. Recently acquired Paul Byrd was on the hill for the Sox, and gave up a quick shot to the O's Jones, on the first pitch he saw. The Sox responded with back-to-back homers in the 2d, Tek and Bailey doing the honors. Unfortunately, Byrd gave up another solo shot to Castro in the 3d, tying the score.
After the O's took the lead again in the 6th, 3-2, the Sox finally put things in gear and ended the ongoing BS. Starting with consecutive doubles by Bay and Lowrie, they tied the game. After that, the Sox loaded the sacks, sandwiched around an RBI single by Coco, setting up another classic moment for Pedroia. Dusty didn't disappoint. Lining a hit into right, he plated another pair of runs, making the Sox lead, 6-3, and, as it turned out, accounting for the winning runs.
This latest by Dusty is just a continuation of the great stuff he's done since joining the team in 2007 and taking home the AL Rookie-of-the-Year hardware. His game winning hit was his 184th hit of the year, breaking the Sox record for hits in a season by a second sacker set in 1922 by Del Pratt. Eightysix years--wasn't there something else the Sox did for the first time in 86 years recently? YEAH!--2004's Championship!!
As if that weren't enough for the Sox sparkplug, the 33 runs he scored in August were the most by a Sox player since 1950--58 years--when both Dom DiMaggio (Joe's little brother) and Billy Goodman each racked up 35 in a month. Of course, their totals are understandable once you remember that they were hitting in front of not one, but TWO Hall of Famers--couple of guys named Williams and Doerr, not to mention another perennial All-Star at short, Junior Stephens. Pedroia's runs were a part of a .374 BA for the month. So far after one day in September, he's batting .500 for the new month and added another run scored. Guess he's looking for a shot at beating 35 in a month. He's also leading the lead in the race for the silver bat awarded annually to the league batting champion. Also in contention for that prize is another member of the Sox--Yooouk! In addition to his lead in the batting race, Dusty is 1st in the league in hits, 3d in doubles and leading the league in runs scored.
Looking at the work from the mound today, after Byrd's seven innings, three of the four runs charged to him coming on solo shots (including one by a former member of the Sox, Kevin Millar), the Sox bullpen came on and closed the door. Lopez came in and tossed a perfect 8th, needing just a dozen pitches to close out the inning--didn't even allow a ball out of the infield. Then, as always, the Sox closer, Papelbon, better known to regular followers of this blog as The Laserman, came in and slammed the door--another inning of shutout ball. LMan did give up a couple of harmless hits, but when you don't allow any free passes, keep the hits to relatively harmless singles and allow no runs, the results are usually the same--Game Over! In the process, Pap lowered his ERA to 1.68 and took his opponents' BA below the Mendoza Line at .199.
Net result of all of this: Sox picked up a half game each on idle Rays and Twinkies, leaving them behind the Rays by 5 and ahead of the Twinkies in the wild card by 3, with 25 to play. Oh, yes--the Stripes--Mr. Hankie's Yankees won today over the Tigers and managed to remain a full seven to the rear of our heroes.
After the O's took the lead again in the 6th, 3-2, the Sox finally put things in gear and ended the ongoing BS. Starting with consecutive doubles by Bay and Lowrie, they tied the game. After that, the Sox loaded the sacks, sandwiched around an RBI single by Coco, setting up another classic moment for Pedroia. Dusty didn't disappoint. Lining a hit into right, he plated another pair of runs, making the Sox lead, 6-3, and, as it turned out, accounting for the winning runs.
This latest by Dusty is just a continuation of the great stuff he's done since joining the team in 2007 and taking home the AL Rookie-of-the-Year hardware. His game winning hit was his 184th hit of the year, breaking the Sox record for hits in a season by a second sacker set in 1922 by Del Pratt. Eightysix years--wasn't there something else the Sox did for the first time in 86 years recently? YEAH!--2004's Championship!!
As if that weren't enough for the Sox sparkplug, the 33 runs he scored in August were the most by a Sox player since 1950--58 years--when both Dom DiMaggio (Joe's little brother) and Billy Goodman each racked up 35 in a month. Of course, their totals are understandable once you remember that they were hitting in front of not one, but TWO Hall of Famers--couple of guys named Williams and Doerr, not to mention another perennial All-Star at short, Junior Stephens. Pedroia's runs were a part of a .374 BA for the month. So far after one day in September, he's batting .500 for the new month and added another run scored. Guess he's looking for a shot at beating 35 in a month. He's also leading the lead in the race for the silver bat awarded annually to the league batting champion. Also in contention for that prize is another member of the Sox--Yooouk! In addition to his lead in the batting race, Dusty is 1st in the league in hits, 3d in doubles and leading the league in runs scored.
Looking at the work from the mound today, after Byrd's seven innings, three of the four runs charged to him coming on solo shots (including one by a former member of the Sox, Kevin Millar), the Sox bullpen came on and closed the door. Lopez came in and tossed a perfect 8th, needing just a dozen pitches to close out the inning--didn't even allow a ball out of the infield. Then, as always, the Sox closer, Papelbon, better known to regular followers of this blog as The Laserman, came in and slammed the door--another inning of shutout ball. LMan did give up a couple of harmless hits, but when you don't allow any free passes, keep the hits to relatively harmless singles and allow no runs, the results are usually the same--Game Over! In the process, Pap lowered his ERA to 1.68 and took his opponents' BA below the Mendoza Line at .199.
Net result of all of this: Sox picked up a half game each on idle Rays and Twinkies, leaving them behind the Rays by 5 and ahead of the Twinkies in the wild card by 3, with 25 to play. Oh, yes--the Stripes--Mr. Hankie's Yankees won today over the Tigers and managed to remain a full seven to the rear of our heroes.
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