Pitching Leads to Sweep

Dad --

I can't believe it's true. Even as I'm writing this, and I've watched all three games from the back and forth of Monday to the pitching duel Tuesday to the 2-hit spectacle last night, it's amazing, exciting, thrilling... there just aren't enough words to describe how happy I am.

The best part about the sweep? Watching Buccholz and Lester finally become who we always knew (hoped) they were. It's too bad it took 21 games for them to show up. But hey, better late than never. And I guess it's not really late since we're still only in the month of April, but you get my drift.

The most impressive outing for me though, had to be Buccholz. After bad mouthing him in my previous post, it was great to see him turn back the clock and inhabit the rookie who pitched a no hitter some years ago. And before you correct me, yes, I know he didn't pitch a no-no. As a matter of fact he gave up seven hits. But when those hits are coupled with timely outs allowing said pitcher to go eight innings, I'd say I'm allowed to change my mind. It is a woman's prerogative after all. But
I'm not gonna get too excited, not yet. See before I start dancing in the streets, I'm gonna need to see at least another two or three outings of this caliber from the young right hander.

But if Buccholz and Lester keep pitching the way they did in this series, you just may find me with my dancing shoes on.

Jenn

A Sweep!:Peter

Well, Jenn, the title tonite says it all! Finally, the Hose have earned a sweep of a series--and it's against Toronto, no less. The last time this happened in Toronto was in the early 90's when The Rocket was on the team. Tonight Lester finally looked like Lester. He got 11 K's in seven innings and it was all shutout ball. The pen produced in like kind, first Bard striking out the side after he allowed a leadoff double in the 8th and then The Laser, Papelbon, slamming the door once again for his seventh save in a perfect inning. This is the way thing are supposed to be. Now, if Dice can perform like the Dice of 2008, well, you gotta' say things certainly would be looking a hell of a lot better

Two In A Row in Toronto: Peter

Well, do you believe it? With tonight's 2-1 nail biter, the Hose made it two straight against the Jays, moving into a tie with them for third in the division at (yuck) 10-11, although, let's face it--that's a hell of a lot better than they were just over a week ago.That's six of their last eight games for a W. Tonight the pitching was solid with some timely hitting when it counted. Bucky went eight innings and only surrendered a first inning run, while notching another 8 K's and lowering his ERA even more. Ramirez finished for the save with a perfect 9th! OMG!As both Sox wins have come contemporaneously with victories by the other currently active pro sports teams in the Hub, Bruins and Celtics, the traditional sports page headlines for, respectively today and tomorrow will likely read something along the lines of "B's, Sox Win" and "C's, Sox Win". Works for me!

Too Long? How About Tonight?: Peter

Well, Jenn, if you think that JB & Bucky stayed in too long last week, you'll just LOVE (not) tonight. Before I get any further, I'm not ignoring Baltimore--we took the series, just losing (needlessly) the finale after leading it too. But I want to get on to the teams above (dammit!!) us. That starts with Toronto tonight. From inconsequential birds to dangerous birds, as it were. Well, JB was in again, and for two innings, he was sailing along as the Hose quickly built a five zip lead, topping it off with a nine batter four run 3d inning. In fact, as the evening wore on, it was The Captain leading the way offensively, but more of that later (assuming I remember to return to that point). Anyway, into the Jays 3d at 5-0, out of the Jays 3d at 5-6, to be followed by an additional two for the Jays without getting any outs to start the 4th. JB for the night: three plus, eight earned runs. Oouchh!! Fortunately, as the Sox moved along, they managed to regain the lead in the 4th and, every time the Jays caught up, regain the lead again--three times over the course of the evening, finally only letting the Canadians get to within one at game's end, eh.

This is NOT the way to win championships! In fact, it's not the way to even manage a winning record! Something has to change and FAST! Now, admittedly, not everything was bad for the Hub heroes. IN addition to the eighteen hits on the evening (five guys each getting three), there were some bright spots. First, as I already mentioned, Tek has been playing in this short time this season like he's ten years younger. With tonight's three hits, including four ribbies, he's hitting .357 and slugging, better sit down, a Ruthian (that's how sportswriters always used to refer to amazing power stats, B.S.[Before Steroids].857! I mean that's from some other world. That's in Sox terms Teddy Ballgamesque, and then some! I know that realistically the chances of this continuing for the season are like those of Clyde Vollmer winning the Triple Crown (you'll have to look that up, Jenn, and definitely please do;as a sample taste, he's the ONLY player in MLB history to get eight at bats in eight innings in a single game, one the Sox won 29-4(no, that's not a misprint; as Casey would say, "You could look it up.")--another interesting part of Sox history from my very early youth). But it's a nice bit of eternal wishful Sox thinking. Also, the pen, at least part of it, performed well again. Although Oki didn't help at all tonight, giving up a trey in, officially, no innings (couldn't get a single out) and all three batters he faced scored, TOM (The Other Manny, as you long time followers of this blog will recognize)(maybe I should retire that acronym as the original Manny is now long gone, and busy amusing folks in LA--have to think about it, we'll see)pitched two perfect innings, the 6th and 7th, lowering his ERA to 1.74.After Oki did his aforementioned thing, which was NOTHING in any good way, Bard came on for a perfect 8th with a pair of K's, followed by The Laser for a perfect door closing 9th and his 6th save of the young season.
By the way, the game is the longest in terms of time this season in MLB, making the Sox the only team to be involved in the three longest games of the season so far. Hey, the important stat is the W, but some sanity MUST arrive before it's too late. Perhaps it's the coming arrival of the Diceman, set to start this Sunday, I believe. Of course, we've won five of the last seven, but the way we've done it is a way set to wear out everyone just in time for the second half of the season.Remember, Jenn, look up Clyde Vollmer.

Beckett and Buccholz Left in Too Long

Dad --

Yes, last night's game was a bummer considering how exciting the previous two were. But part of the reason both last night's and Wednesday's games turned into a loss and 12th inning win respectively is for the same reason - both starters were left in too long.

This has been a plague of the Red Sox for as long as I can remember. One of the worst samples being Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS when Grady Little left Pedro Martinez in for the 8th inning. After four successive Yankees hits, they tied the score and won the series in extra innings.

That was 7 years ago and the problem still plagues the Red Sox. Although Beckett was iffy for the first couple innings giving up 4 runs, he settled down by the 3rd. Just in time for JD Drew to make his presence known with a grand slam that gave us the lead. That grand slam seemed to do the trick for Beckett. He didn't allow another run for three innings. But as you've said on numerous occasions, a baseball game is nine. So in the 7th Beckett gave up a bunt, a walk and a home run which tied the game. Thankfully Youkilis hit a double in the 12th for the walkoff, but if Francona had pulled Beckett one batter earlier, the Sox wouldn't have needed 3 extra innings to win the game.

Then the same thing happened last night with Buccholz. But unlike Beckett, Buccholz was cruising from the get go. It was a great pitching duel for the first 6 innings. Neither side could score and Buccholz was performing like he did when he pitched his no hitter. But all pitchers get tired, and with one that hasn't been performing too well as of late, you have to wonder why Francona left Buccholz in when he started to falter.

But wondering is pointless. Francona left him in and the Rangers scored three times. The manager pulled Buccholz after that, but again it was too late. Sure the Rangers didn't score off the relief, but neither did the Red Sox. See, unlike Francona, Rangers manager Ron Washington pulled their pitcher when he started to falter. He had fresh guys come in who were able to keep the Sox away from home plate.

Oh, if only Francona would take a lesson from the opposing teams' managers. Well, today we face the Orioles and hopefully Francona will pull Lester when (if) things start to go south.

Jenn

I Waited Too Long--Peter

Well, Jenn, I was going to blog last nite about the Sox first two game win streak of the season, but I was just too tired by the time I got in. So, I figured, I'd do it today. The 2d win was even better than the first, with them coming through in the 12th to win on Yooooouukk's double off the Monstah to plate the winner. Lots of hitting; lousy start by JB (getting to be a real concern), but the way the back end of the pen held up was awe-inspiring! Bard goes perfect for two, followed by Laser for a pair with only a single to mar perfection. Oki finishes off with a perfect 12th.
Then, today! The day starts with the bad news about Jake--four hairline fractured ribs, which means it's anyone's guess when he'll be back burning up the basepaths. I can tell you from experience (thrice), broken ribs are NEVER a walk in the park. They hurt constantly because every time you breath the busted/cracked ribs flex and rub the broken edges against each other. There's nothing you can do except let them heal with time. Some MD's tape 'em, others don't bother. I've gone both ways and it makes no diff. THEY HURT!! You're not going to swing a bat effectively or steal a base or chase down a fly on the warning track (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Anyway, after that bit of news, the Sox had a great pitchers' duel with Texas--for 6 2/3 innings. Bucky was sitting them down as soon as they got to the plate, running up 10 K's in the process while only allowing a couple of hits--until the 7th. Then, aided by a pair of Sox errors (one his own), a couple of solid Rangers hits resulted in three runs. It turned out that this was all the scoring in the entire game.R's 3, Sox zip. I guess if I'm looking for any good news beside Bucky's first six innings, its the fact that the Sox relievers had another good game allowing nothing else. But, on a day when the Stripes lost, and when we're still well under .500, we needed a broom day, not another L.

McDonald - I'm Lovin' It

Dad --

Well, the slide as you called it came to an end yesterday in classic Red Sox fashion. Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo, the NESN commentators, kept saying the Red Sox needed some spark to get things going and I think that spark showed itself in Darnell McDonald.

Since both Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron were placed on the 15 day DL yesterday, the Red Sox had to call up a couple players from Pawtucket. One we'd seen before in Josh Reddick. The other no one in Red Sox Nation had ever heard of - until last night.

McDonald didn't enter the game until the 8th inning when, trailing by two, Terry Francona decided to have him pinch hit for Josh Reddick who'd already produced by sending a couple men home when he got a double in the 6th. Anyway McDonald stepped in for his first at bat and promptly hit a 2 run shot over the green monster to tie the game. Who knew he was just getting started?

In the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded, McDonald stepped into the batter's box once again. And he connected again. But this time the ball couldn't make it over the wall. It did have enough to bounce off the monster though and give the Sox and all of Red Sox Nation something they despereately needed - a walk-off win.

Another interesting bit of info, Dad, evidently McDonald is the first Red Sox to hit a home run in his first at bat since Orlando Cabrera did it August 1, 2004. And we all know how 2004 turned out. I know it's early, but I'm just sayin'.

So as Jerry and Don said, maybe all the Sox needed was a spark to get things back on track. And maybe, just maybe that spark showed up in McDonald last night. I hope he sticks around for awhile. Got knows we need the hits.

Jenn

Speechless (Almost)--Peter

Well, Jenn, I'm almost speechless! Now that the streak has hit five with no sign of relief, I gotta' say I can't believe what's going on! Other than Pedroia, Tek and the back end of the pen, it seems like no-one's doing anything right--even the mainstays of the team. Lackey flat out stunk today. Yoouk's in a week long slump. Papi's ....whatever. Both catchers are getting run on like never before (and they never were stoppers anyway). We're seeing more errors than a damn grammar school pickup team. I haven't felt this frustrated since the days before the "Impossible Dream" team of 1967! Making matters worse, the idiots posting on the web about the Sox have outdone themselves in their pro-Stripes, anti-Sox idiocy!For now, I haven't any retort to come back with.
As far as the "child abuse" comment, I think I've made that before in many conversations, but, at least, in the past ten years, the Hose have more or less gotten me off the hook. The most frustrating game of the current five game slide HAS to be the 12 inning one, for the reason's you already cited. As for Bucky, well, the four runs in the 1st were due to an error. Clean fielding and not only do the Hose not lose that game, they have stopped the streak/slide cold.

Win Streak Comes to an End

Dad --

I'm sure you're confused by my title since the Red Sox have lost the past six games including this morning's Patriot's Day game. Well, the win streak I'm referring to is from the past six years.

The Sox have been playing games on Patriot's Day at home in the Fens since 1959. And 26 of those were double headers. The double headers may be gone, but the winning at home is still around. At least it was until today.

Since 2004 the Sox have won each and every Patriot's Day game they've played. They scored an average of 8 runs per game and rarely allowed more than four. So, I figured with that kind of record and John Lackey on the mound who's 9-2 against the Rays, the Sox actually had a chance. But as you know, these are the Red Sox and as a life-long fan I should know by now not to count on anything.

Aidan, Gary and I made our traditional trip to Fenners for the 8 am start. Yes, it was early to be at the bar, but that's okay since Aidan's up around 6. We settled in and watched the nightmare begin.

The Rays took advantage of Lackey early, getting nine hits off the pitcher and scoring eight times. So, with Lackey gone after 3.1 innings and Aidan's nap time around the corner, we decided to call it a day.

I did manage to catch the rest of the game at home. And while we scored twice thanks to a homer by Hermida, it wasn't enough to continue the Patriot's Day streak. So as my title suggests, that great streak unfortunately came to a close.

I guess it's time to look ahead. Tomorrow's a new day and that means a new team - Texas. The Sox will face the Rangers in Fenway and hopefully start a new streak - one that includes a W.

Jenn

I Really Hate This Team

Dad --

I came to two realizations last night. The first - Marco Scutaro makes me happy. The second - I really, really hate this team. You may be shocked to hear this statement, but don't worry, I'll explain.

Last night during the first inning, Marco Scutaro came to bat. On a 1-1 pitch, Scutaro swung the bat knocking the ball into foul territory and losing his bat as well. It was raining so I guess the pine tar just wasn't sticky enough and his bat went flying up into the seats. Luckily, no one was hurt. Even luckier, a little boy ended up with the stick. Unfortunately, no sooner had the boy staked his claim, than a member of the Fenway security team came and snatched it away.

See, much like a special ball that's hit into the stands whether it be a player's first hit or his 500th home run, usually a member of the park's security comes and takes the ball or bat and replaces it with another. And that's what happened last night. And Dad, Fenway park erupted in boos. Everyone was upset - how could they snatch this great prize from this little boy? And I agreed with them. Well, to my surprise, Scutaro agreed too. When the bat boy presented Scutaro with the retrieved bat, he shooed him away and told him to give it back to the spectator. And believe it or not, that's exactly what the bat boy did. The bat was returned to the excited patron and once again Fenway erupted - only this time it was with resounding cheers. That small act of kindness in a game that's turned into a business, where players agree to autographs for cash, brought a huge smile to my face. I know Scutaro is a brand new member of the Sox, but in my book, that move made him a permanent part of Red Sox Nation.

Now onto my 2nd statement - why I hate this team. Dad, I blame you for this. Out of all the teams in the majors, why oh why did you have to set your eye on this one. It truly is child abuse to turn your son or daughter onto a team with this many highs and lows. For starters, did you know this is the worst start the Sox have had since '97? At the beginning of today's game they were a lowly 4-7.

If that weren't enough, Friday and Saturday's games were further proof. As you know, Friday's game was suspended until Saturday where all the Sox had to do was score one run to end the game and get the win. And the only reason they were even in that position was due to what you mentioned in your last post - the Third Base coach. This guy's a moron. I wonder if he's ever even played this role before. Friday's game should have been over after the Rays got their final out in the top of the 9th. But because the coach at 3rd decided to send Youkilis home on Papi's double in the 6th with no body out, Youk got tagged at the plate and we ended up with the tie going into extra innings. Then in the 10th the Sox had the bases loaded with no one out and once again, they couldn't score. You know the end result - Delcarmen came in in the 11th and gave up a 2 run shot thereby making our team the losers. Again.

Saturday's game was lost by the time the first inning was over. Buccholz gave up 4 runs in first and the Sox never recovered. I don't know what happened to the guy who pitched a no hitter his first time out, but he hasn't produced since. I think it's time for the Sox to give up this ghost. Either trade him to another team or try him out in relief. He's been given every chance in the book. I'm sorry, but he's just not starting material.

The Sox did make a valiant effort late in the game, but as usual, it just wasn't enough to get the win. It's upsetting to see a team spend so much money in the off season to improve and see it go to waste.

Dad, something's gotta change, otherwise this is going to be one hell of a long season.

Jenn

Lester, The Twinkies and Other Things--Peter

I may have to agree with you Jenn about Lester. I just had a similar conversation with your uncle, Phillip, this morning about that exact subject. The diff is that he's down on everyone on the mound staff. Upset with Bard & Pap, although I did manage to point out that in Pap's case, he's still getting batters out with only a few exceptions. Bard has always had nuclear stuff, but, until he improves his location and gets some movement on the ball more often, he's still going to get hit at the worst times by the better hitters. If there's no movement or location, any good hitter can time a heater no matter how hot it gets--even triple digits. That's the diff between him & the Laser.Bard tops out just over the century, while Pap "only" gets to 97 or 98. It may not seem like much, but that 2-3 mph is an enormous difference. But Pap gets more out of his "slower" pitches because he gets his to move in more than just a straight line, and he's mastered, usually, the art of locating his pitches. Makes it harder for a hitter to be a hitter--much harder. Ramirez--not much worth saying about him so far. Oki's about where he should be.

On the other side of things, offense, the Hose appear to have a pretty potent lineup doing about what they should be doing, and that, with the still troubling case of Papi, continued today. Dusty nailed his 4th four bagger of the young season and has 10 ribbies now. Youk, newbie Scutaro,Hermida and Beltre (two more Sox newbies) are all making pretty constant good contact. Jake was over .300 when he got hurt the other day, but he appears to be about ready to get back on the field again any day now.

Speaking of today, the W was definitely a team thing. Lackey continued to show why the Sox picked him up, and the pen did a decent job overall of holding the lead, with one brief lapse by Bard. Pap slammed the door, and the Fenmen left the field 6-3victors, back at .500 again. The hitters I mentioned a moment ago did their share, and even Papi got a two-bagger. Speaking of which, who's in the 3d base coaching box? Papi hits a sac fly with a man on 3d and no score. Papi doubles with a runner in scoring position and....you guessed it: no score. Hello, out there! Forget to set the alarm today? Wake up, for Christ's sake!--unless you really believed the guy who should have scored was on crutches or otherwise unable to beat the throw home that a move to the dish would likely have triggered.

So Far Not So Good

Dad --

Yes, it was a very nice weekend. I especially liked seeing both Lowell and Varitek back on the field, doing what they do best - provide great morale and get hits. Varitek's double trip around the bags was a lot of fun to watch.

But the weekend had to come to an end and the door couldn't have been slammed louder than it was yesterday when we entered the Twins new stadium. Yes, the new outdoor stadium was beautiful and it's nice to be able to see the sun as opposed to a dull ceiling full of lights. Unfortunately the outdoors didn't help our team one bit.

Lester was back on the mound and unlike Beckett, he still hasn't found his stuff. He was all over the place from the get go. One inning he'd face 3 batters and get them out, the next they'd get hits all over him. He gave up a total of nine hits over his five innings, 4 of which turned into runs.

The sad thing is, this is nothing new for Lester. If you look back at past seasons, this is a recurring theme. In his career, he's now 2-5 with a 5.08 ERA for March/April. But Lester doesn't think the months have anything to do with it. Yesterday he said he believes it's just that he isn't executing his pitches and "I've got to do a better job." I'll say.

As the second man in our rotation, Lester needs to get some wins under his belt. Or else he needs to be further down the line, maybe toward the end. Hey, there's an idea. The rotation changes constantly during the season due to injury and other such things. Maybe Lester should be toward the back of the rotation in the early months and once he gains control around the All Star break, then move him to the top. Could help everyone, including the team.

What do you think, Dad? Sound like a good idea?

Jenn

Another solid day in KC: Peter

Well, after stamping all over the Royals yesterday, the Sox tried to do it again today. Opening with a four run first inning, the Sox started with a single by Jake, followed by a swipe of second. He was then knocked in by Martinez, who was brought home by newcomer Beltre, who, in turn, along with Papi, was plated by another newbie on the team, Hermida. After picking up a solo run in the second and allowing single runs in each of the first three innings to KC, the Sox turned up the heat with a threespot in the 4th, coming on a solo shot by Dusty, his third of the year, and a two run scoring double by Beltre--great pickup, Theo! That made it 8-3, and looked like another easy stroll home to game's end. However, in the KC half of the 8th, Ramirez came in to pitch for the Hose and nearly gave the lead back to the Royals. Credit Terry for stopping the bleeding before the carnage overwhelmed the Sox. Ramirez faced three batters, allowing a pair of singles and a 3-run homer. This brought Terry's hook even faster than the heater of the man who followed, Bard. Three batters worth of invisible heat from Bard and the inning was history. Pap came on in the 9th and shut the door with a perfect inning. Season's again all even! On to the Twin Cities to face the Twinkies.

The Captain Leads!: Peter

Well, the game yesterday was quite a show!Shaking up the lineup a bit to stop the Sox three game slide, Terry Francona pulled Papi from the lineup, replacing him at DH with Victor Martinez. That opened the catcher's spot for: The Captain. Jason Veritek took over and filled the position admirably. In addition to handling JB and helping him to his first W for 2010, Tek put a real charge into the ball, setting the tone for a total of five Sox homers with a pair that pretty much bookended the days fireworks. He took his first to the cheaps in his first at bat of the season, and picked up the other in the 9th as a capper for the day. Some of the rest of the Sox slumbering lumber also came to life and, if this is a sign of the season, we may be in decent shape after all.
It's understood that Varitek is not going to get a lot of time on the field, but the spirit he provides as a leader of the team is something that is not easily replaced--and comes at just the right time!

While we're dealing with emotional lifts, Mike Lowell made his 2010 inaugural appearance at third and did an excellent job both in the field and at the dish. He says he's giving serious though to retiring due to injuries and the resulting reduction in range and general playing time, but, like Tek, he's a major part of Sox pride and whenever he leaves, it will be hard to bid him adieu.

Getting Serious!--Peter

Well, three and counting! This is getting to look grim, even if the Stripes also lost tonight. I mean this is following a very disturbing pattern. We get an early lead and then die. Up three zip on JD's first circuit of the year and then nothing! Runners on base, but no-one gets them in! The vaunted bullpen looks like bullshit! Oki, while getting a Hold, allows a baserunner that he's later charged for when Bard, he of the triple digit heat, gives up the hit to plate the run. Then, just to make matters worse, he allows the winning run to score as well, because our bats have been lulled to sleep. This better turn around or we'll really be in deep doo-doo.
On the good side (yes there may have been one), Wake looked pretty good: 6 K's in 7 innings, a WHIP of 1.0. Papi got a hit,his first two-bagger of the year. The Sox also outhit the Royals; they just left the base runners on the bases--not what you're supposed to do.

Let's Think About This for a Moment--Peter

Well, Jenn, you're pretty much on point on the last two games the Sox played and lost. However, they weren't blowouts and we were very close all the way through. Yes, it's frustrating to have your setup & closer get hit, but it happens, sooner or later. Scutaro, who is part of the better defense point of view threw away a ball late in game two that would have ended the inning. Instead, we get bases jammed and Oki walks in the winning run. A good throw and Oki never sees the batter and, presumably, we win. Going to be an interesting season. Hopefully, Papi gets his act together of it's got to be sayonara, in spite of all the good history. Ball, unfortunately, is, as much as anything, a what have you done for me lately operation, and, other than driving in a a run off Pettite, the answer so far is not much. Tacked on to last year's lousy B.A. (OK, he did get all but one HR after June & drove in 99 for the season), it doesn't look good.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

Dad --

Well, Lackey made quite a showing in his debut in the Red Sox uniform, throwing 6 shut out innings. It's so nice to have him on our bench this year as opposed to being forced to face him as the Sox have in the past.

The pitcher only gave up 3 hits and two walks over six and he struck out three. It was nice to watch, especially considering what the two previous starters had done. But then the bullpen came in.

Schoeneweis gave up the tying run in the 7th. Then Papelbon was able to get through the 9th inning unscathed, but he fell apart in the 10th giving up 2 more runs and giving the Evil Empire the lead.

But last night wasn't just about the relief pitching. It's what it's always been about - the Sox can't get the hits when they count. They left eight men on base, Dad. Eight! If even half of those men had scored, the Sox would have won. Oh, well.

Tomorrow Wakefield faces Davies in Kansas City. Here's hoping he's outstanding this season as he was for the first half of last season. We need a win - from both our starters and our relief.

Jenn

Where's This Great Pitching I've Been Hearing About?

Dad --

The Sox may have picked up "run prevention" as you say during the off season, and tried to strengthen the pitching staff for just that purpose, but I've yet to see it these past two games.

Beckett, our ace, only made it through 4.2 innings on opening night and Lester barely got through five innings Tuesday. I know it's only the first two games in a very long season, but we should be seeing these guys at their best right now, not at their so-so.

What's worse, the relief team doesn't seem to be doing that well either. Ramon Ramirez picked up where he left off, pitching just a third of an inning and giving up 2 runs. And while Oki may have done okay on Sunday, last night he was back to his questionable tactics by giving up two hits and a walk which turned into a run during the 2/3rds of an inning he pitched.

Thank God Papelbon and Bard are back to their showmanship selves, otherwise we'd really be in trouble. Yes, Scutaro and Cameron are holding their own in both the outfield and batting, but it doesn't matter what your defense is like if your pitching gives up hits and walks.

As I said earlier, I know it's just the first two games of the season, but isn't this when we should be at our best? If this is what our pitching staff is like now, I don't want to see them in August when injury and tired muscles start to factor in.

Jenn

Great Way to Open the Season!: Peter

Yes, I'm a day or two late, but I've been busy savoring things as well as watching the NCAA Finals last nite. Anyway, the season opened Sunday night at Fenway, with the Sox hosting the Evil Empire. Although many of the faces and names on both sides were the same, there were some notable new faces to get accustomed to in both dugouts as well. The Sox, having gone to "run prevention" during the off season, picked up Marco Scutaro,SS; Cameron, CF; and Lackey, P, to cover the most notable new Hose members. The two who played Sunday, Scutaro and Cameron, both made major contributions right out of the gate, to go along with strong showings by existing Sox stalwarts, Youuuukkk and Dusty. What was great, beside the obvious first game success of all the aforementioned, was the way the team never said die. Down 5-1 to CC, with JB already out of the game, they came back and tied at a nickel apiece. Quickly down 7-5 an inning later,they again bounced right back to take the lead at 8-7, followed up with an insurance run an inning later, and gave the ball to Laser to close the door. He did so nicely, following Bard's equally impressive setup work the prior inning. Speaking of Bard, I don't think he threw anything under 95 mph at all, reaching 99 on a couple of tosses.
Let's hope this continues today in game two and tomorrow in #3.

Separate from the on-field stuff, JB inked an extension for four more years at $68 mill. Not too shabby. This puts the Sox rotation all under contract for a minimum of two more years (the Diceman), with some out through 2014.