Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, according to a 'confidential source', the new Sox manager is Bobby Valentine. Pretty good choice in my humble opinion. More as it comes.

AL MVP

No, it wasn't either of the Sox prime candidates. Even though both Gonzo and Jake had world class seasons, neither of them won the award. Rather it was Detroit's starting pitcher and newly minted Cy Young winner, Verlander, who won the honor. However, Jake came in a not too distant second. He had an awesome season on his return from last year's injury-deleted season, becoming a 30-30 man, hitting over .300 and getting over 100 ribbies. Verlander is a reasonable choice as he won the pitcher's triple crown or most wins, lowest ERA and most K's for the season. He also tossed a no-hitter, and it is clearly the case the Tigers don't win their division without his season. So, he becomes the first starter to win both awards since the Rocket did so with the Sox in 1986. He also is just the second pitcher to collect Rookie of the Year, MVP and the Cy in his career.

The Laser's Redirected!

According to a bulletin from the Globe, Papelbon has agreed to terms with the Phillies. Hate to see him go, but wish him all the best. He was a major part of the Sox successes in the later years of the past decade, including most notably 2007.

Lackey's Out foe 2012!

Just released by the Globe: Lackey's having elbow surgery and will be out for the entire 2012 season. No info on exactly what's being done.

The Press Owes Terry (& Sox) An Apology!

As I sit here watching the Cards battle the Brewers in the background, I'm moved to write because I think that someone--anyone!!--has to say something about the absolute disgusting BULLSHIT that is being thrown about and on Terry now that the season's over & he has gone. Maybe you've seen/heard some/all of the crap that's being heaped upon the guy that got us not only the first Series win in 86 years, but also a second just three years later--the guy who got the Sox more wins than anyone else in MLB over his time in the Hub than any other team other than the Stripes. He's now alleged to have been "distracted" (the polite term) by, take your choice pain meds he takes for his knee or his alleged marital problems (I didn't know he had any marital issues and why should I? It's NONE OF MY BUSINESS!--or anyone else's!It's got nothing to do with the Sox! It's strictly his own personal business!! Period--end of sentence--no new paragraph!!). Forget the fact that the meds were not a recent thing, but also existed when the Sox, under his excellent guidance, were leading the league with the best AL record and the 2d best in all MLB! No commentary then--because it wasn't "news". I've got news for all of you assholes in the press/media. It's still not news. It's personal! I can tell you what knee pain is like because I've had both knees cut on and have arthritis in both knees. Fortunately, I can usually get by without meds, but when/if they're necessary, I use them and don't have to worry that some ink stained wretch will claim I'm 'distracted' due to the effects of the meds. Terry deserves the same courtesy--unless you media assholes don't understand the meaning of the word. However, if you don't, look it up in Webster's. It's right there--courtesy. Look it up--assuming you have the brains to be able to read the definition!
As for some of the other crap making the rounds, pitchers drinking beer and eating chicken during games when they are not playing that day, a big WHO CARES? If they're not playing that day, what the f--- difference does it make. It's certainly not going to affect their performance--because they're NOT PLAYING THAT DAY!
Terry Francona is by far the best manager the Hose had had in my 68 years, has accomplished more than all of the others in the period, and deserves better than this cheap sensationalism that you are heaping upon him. I'm sorry he's left the Sox. I worry that he may go to a team the Sox will have to face. I wish him well--and don't care how many meds he's taking or what the status of his marriage is.

It's Over!!

Well, last night's events were tragic. So bad I had to wait 24 hours before writing.It felt like the Sox players should have started by shouting the old Roman gladiators' salute over the PA system: morituri te salutamus, which, according to my old Haverhill HS Latin teacher, Maggie McCormick, meant "those of us about to die, salute you." The Hose were leading well into the game, 3-2. Lester gave six solid innings of two run ball on three days rest. The Hose were hitting and putting men on base and while they were doing this, the Stripes were lambasting the Rays in Tampa, seven zip into the 8th inning. It looked like the Hose were finally going to make the post-season after all of September's aggravations--LOOKED LIKE. Then, in Baltimore they had a rain delay, effectively taking Lester out of the game. Nevertheless, the Sox hung on to that slim lead while the Rays tied the Stripes at seven--after being down to a final strike. It was that close! Bard came on for the 8th and was vintage Bard--what we've come to expect, not what we've suffered with these past few weeks. He threw a perfect 8th. Sox went fairly quietly in their half of the 9th and then The Laser came to slam the door. Two men up, two K's--most of his pitches like 95+ mph missiles. Then, the O's final batter gets down two strikes--does this seem scarily familiar to a paragraph above? Bang--a double. The next guy duplicates this and it's tied. The next batter comes up and lofts a soft liner to left field. Beantown's $142MM outfielder dashes in to grab it and end the inning--and muffs the grab. It's scored a single, but hit or error, it makes no diff. The winning O's run scores and the Sox are reduced to cheering on the Stripes en masse to somehow recover and beat back the Rays. Eventually, in the Trop they reach the home 12th and Longoria, who already had a 3 run blast to his credit on the evening lines a flat bullet towards the left field foul pole. Will it be fair or foul? Will it stay in or find a nest in the cheaps? As everyone knows by now, it was the worst of both worlds for the Sox--fair and in the cheaps. Game over, season over, wait six months for the Sox. How cruel is fate?
Brief notes: Gonzo didn't win either the batting crown or the RBI title, two things he'd led for more than three quarters of the season. He did hit .338 and have over 200 hits and 117 ribbies, as well as almost 50 two-baggers. He also provided some good leadership, a trait that will continue to be valuable next year. Jake ended up over .320, a 30-30 man with 32 HR's and 39 swipes. More importantly, due to the aforementioned success and his 200+ hits, he had the most total bases in the league. The Hose also had two other season .300 hitters: Big Papi, who missed 30 HR's by one and 100 ribbies by just a couple; and Pedey. The Dustman, valiantly trying to will the Hose home to victory got another homer and ended with 91 ribbies and another .300 plus BA. However, just as last year, the key injuries were collectively too much to overcome. Youk played very little during the final month's collapse--bursitis and a sports hernia (what's the diff from a non-sports hernia, anyway?)being too terrible a duet to overcome. The only three of the season starting rotation still able to throw by September being JB, Lester and Lackey hurt. Lackey was still throwing, but for most of the season, it was a case of the Sox needing an offensive explosion to keep him in range of a W. In fact, he's only the third pitcher in MLB history to finish a season with 10 wins or more who also had a 6 plus ERA--not a distinction one really craves in this game.
So, we go into the winter despairing of what might have been--and, by necessity, if nothing else, looking forward t 2012 and hoping that the team can regain that magic that carried it through the better part of the middle of the first decade of the new century.

Right to the End

Well, here we are in Baltimore against the O's. For a team that's last in the division and worst in the entire league, the O's are sure becoming a large hemorrhoid for the Sox! Yesterday after having outlasted the Stripes in 14 innings, the Sox got taken down by the O's when JB couldn't keep the ball in the yard, even with a good K ratio for the time he was in the game.That allowed the Rays to finally tie the Hose for the Card. Tonight, after the Sox built a 5-1 lead by the 4th, they let the Birds get close again, 5-3. Then, they stretched things out again, 7-3 in the 6th when Crawford got a trip, followed by Scoots with a homer. In the 8th, Lavarnway, the catcher of the future for the Sox, made it 8-4, Sox, with his second homer of the game (he had a 3 run job in the 4th), quite a show for his first ever MLB start. So, 8th inning up 8-4, Sox are safe, right? Not so fast. This is September, 2011 for the Sox. Bard comes in to pit the noose around the Birds' neck and set up for The Laser. Unfortunately, with two outs, he gives up a pair on three hits (including a triple), and by the time the frame is closed out, it's Sox, 8-6. The Fenmen do nothing in the 9th against the O's so-so reliever Gregg and Pap comes on. First batter up, a two strike line single. Pap gets an out on a grounder, but as The Dustman tries to get the lead runner by tagging him out midway to 2d to start a DP, the guy drops to the ground and when Dusty throws on to Gonzo to attempt a double up, the lead guy gets safely to 2d. Replays show the ump was right in saying there was no tag. A Guerrero single followed by a ground out send home the O's seventh run. Finally, Pap gets the third out and we can stop reaching for the nitroglycerin tabs--for now. Sox win, 8-7 and remain tied with the Rays. One game to go! Lester's taking the ball on three days' rest. It's time to step up to the situation and grab it by the throat!

Jake Saves the Day!

Well, after more of the same this past week, bottomed by the Sox for the first time ever losing 3 of 4 to the O's in Fenway, the Card lead was down to 2.5 entering Yankee Stadium (the House that Hankie Built) on Friday. The trend continued as the Hose lost 9-1 on Saturday. Sunday had a twinbill due to Friday'
s rainout. With Wake starting the early game, the dive continued, Sox losing 6-2. The two runs in the Hose were by Jake, giving him 30 HR's and 100 ribbies for the year, and making him the first player in Soc history to be a 30-30 man. Unfortunately, the Sox need wins now, not personal records. So, entering the nitecap, the Hose Card lead was down to 1/2 game. Lackey took the ball, and by the end of the 1st, it was Stripes 3, Hose zip. One of the runs was unearned, but 3-0 is still 3-0! Lackey then turned up the heat and shut out the Stripes from then through the 6th. At the same time, the Hose were chipping, chipping and found themselves up 4-3 entering the Stripes' 7th. Part of the rebound was from JD, playing in his first game in over two months,as he drove in a run with a timely single. Unfortunately, Mr. Hankie's Yankees got the run back in their half of the 7th and the score was tied where it stayed until the 14th. During the drag through inning after inning to that 14th, the Hose bullpen was outstanding. No runs, and when The Laser came in to face the Stripes with bases loaded and two out in the 9th, he struck out the batter on 3 pitches--zip, Zip ans ZIP! Was that it for Pap? Hell, no! He stayed around for what has to be one of his all time best Sox performances, going a total of 2 1/3 perfect innings and getting 4 K's. He was followed by Morales for a couple and then in the 14th, the Hose found themselves with two gone and two on. Jake came to the plate, took a look and noticed that the Stripes seemed to be lacking enough balls in their bullpen in right center. Being a very considerate and charitable sort, he decided to help remedy the situation--by sending them another ball to play with--airmail express! First pitch and Jake took a knee high heater up and away--into said Stripes pen! As a reward for his charity, the Hose added three runs to their total and, with Dubront pitching the bottom of the inning, won the game. The Card lead is now one with three to go, and the Sox for the season are 12-6 on the Stripes, as nice a double as any!

What A Week It's Been: Bookends Continued

Well, as those of you who faithfully follow this site know, I've missed a few games. But, if you faithfully also follow the Sox as I do, you know there haven't been too many recent games to cheer about! They have continued, through yesterday's early game, to create the second half of the season's bookends. Many issues here, but the biggest continues to be injuries--the same thing that kept the Hose from last year's post-season. Most of the troubles are now in the rotation, with only JB and maybe Lester healthy. Bedard is just making his first start in a couple of weeks due to a strained muscle, Bucky is still out with that fracture in his back, although if the Hose make the playoffs, he may be available. Everyone else is just thrust in there to stem the tide. It's like the fable of the Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the dike. Unfortunately, with very few exceptions, the stuck fingers here haven't been thick enough to stop the leaking. Add to this Youk's bursitis complicated by a sports hernia (Is that different from a regular garden variety hernia? I've once had one of those and know the issues.) Add in a few subpar performances from normally reliable players and you have our second half bookend. Even the umps have contributed. Yesterday's early game had the Hose trailing by what became the final, 6-5 and Papi drilled one that replay after replay showed was fair and probably would have been at least a double, but the umps called it foul. After that, Papi went quietly and so did the Hose' hopes.
At least yesterday's late game was a partial reversal in trends. Sox got a season high tying 18 runs on 20 hits, including Jake's 27th HR, an inside the park job. Gonzo got a couple of hits to help the cause and also put a little distance between himself and those pursuing him for the silver bat.
So, going into today's games, the Hose lead the Card by a pair, with the Rays facing the Stripes in the House that Steinnie Built to replace the House That Ruth Built. Keep your fingers crossed. It's going to be a wild ride to the finish. I think the Sox can do it. Now they have to perform!

This Is More Like It!--Wake Gets 200th!

Well, tonight's game was fittingly a confluence of good things for the guys from the Fens. Entering under the weight of a five game losing streak and the Rays only three to the rear, the Hose put everything together (well, almost everything) and erupted. That's the only way to describe it. After trading the lead back and forth through three, the Sox finally took control for good in the 4th, at 6-5 and just kept adding on after that, topped off by a seven run, 11 batter 8th, to crush the Jays 18-6. This is the Hose biggest run total this year and it came with 18 hits, nine of them for extra bases, three of those for the cheaps. All of this without Papi, but I'll get to that in more detail later. Both Jake and The Dustman had four hits apiece, with Pedey having a pair of homers and a pair of doubles, reaching 20 HR's on the year and equalling his career best five RBI's in a game.Gonzo added an RBI to his total, remaining in striking distance of Granderson for regaining the league lead, and also maintaining his batting lead.Speaking of ribbies, Jake now has 94 and only needs a half dozen for the century and has 15 games to go. Good chance. If Papi gets back in quickly, the Hose have a good shot at three players with over 100 for the year.Out of all of this, the Sox gained a game on the Rays, who lost to Baltimore.
The other big news was that Wake finally, in his eighth try, became the 109th pitcher in MLB history to get 200 wins. Thought he had it a week ago against these same Jays, but the pen let him down then. Tonight the team had too many runs for that to be anything more than a remote possibility, and Aceves held the margin. Congrats, Wake, for a well deserved W. Many more to come.
Now, on the negative side of things, injuries, there was good and bad news. The good: Yoouuk came back into the lineup, in spite of everything that's been hurting, and, although no hits, the fact that he's playing with both bursitis and a hernia is just amazing--and just Yoouukk--true guts! Also, there's news that JB did a pen session and is expected back in the rotation by the weekend. Hopefully, that will work out. To the negative, Papi started the game, but had to be pulled even before he got a chance to hit, due to back spasms. Prognosis: have to wait overnight and see.

A Bookend Nobody Wants!

Well, after the start of the season at 0-6 was overcome, I figured that the team would stay out of trouble for the most part and contend for the division, as well as make a strong bid for the Series--just as most 'Experts' were predicting. Now here we are, having lost five in a row and eight of ten and looking like it's going to be a real race just to make the post-season, let alone take the Div. This type of 'bookend' no-one wants--or needs! Yes, we're still in striking range of the Stripes and first in the AL East, but we're also just 3.5 up on the streaking Rays--who just took four in a row from the Sox and will face the Hose again this weekend in the Fens.
The injury bug has returned almost as bad as last year, Youk has added a hernia to his hip problems. Bucky is already out with a fracture in his back, and, although now doing long toss, it's anyone's guess when (if?) he'll be back and effective before season's end. JB's got a sprained ankle and just missed one turn. Day-to-day means he could miss a couple more--just what we don't need. Now Bedard has a strained lat muscle and left Tampa early to talk to the docs. No telling when/if he'll be able to go again.
Hose get a day off today before hosting the Jays and hopefully, they can turn things around again. If not, it could be a long, cold winter and an exclusive undivided view of the Pats.

It's Getting Worse!

This was supposed to be the time when the Hose would be getting close to clinching the AL East title! All that added talent, the "best rotation" in the AL; etc., etc, etc. Well, the injury bug hasn't been as bad as last year when it kept the Hose out of the playoffs totally, but it's been bad enough. Bucky's been gone for nearly two months and "may" be ready to throw from a mound by this weekend (but who knows if or when in a game); JB's got a sudden ankle sprain and is day-to-day, but is already missing one start, maybe another. Youk's back out with hip bursitis and may not play before the next homestand, starting next Thursday. And, the W-L record is looking pretty serious. Sox lost to the Rays tonight, their 3d loss in a row and 5th of six games overall. The Rays have quietly crept back into distant contention, but contention nevertheless for the wild card, just 5.5 behind the Sox after tonight's latest Lackey-luster effort. About the only good thing that can be said about the Hose this week is that they are always fighting. However, "always fighting" still doesn't cut it if the result is a large "L". One other good thing: Jake stretched his consecutive game hit streak to 14. Sox ribbie leaders Jake, Papi and Gonzo still have an opportunity to get a trio of century RBI men, but we're down to 18 games. Papi needs eight and Jake needs ten. Gonzo's already there and, entering tonight's game was in second in the league (to go with his league leadership in hits and B.A.).The team still has an outside chance at three 30 homer guys as well, but it's going to be tight.

Latest Update

I've been a bad boy--Labor Day weekend and hosting friends and family at Stinson Beach--my special Merlot leg of lamb on Saturday, followed by tons (at least it seemed that way) of good old fashioned deli cuts on Sunday, topped off by canoeing and kayaking (the vid of me capsizing the kayak that was miles too small will possibly go viral). Anyway, while this was ll going on, the Hose were slipping behind the Stripes, losing five of seven, including yesterday's one zip tragedy to an 11th inning HR by one of the Jays' minor league callups. Possibly more serious than the loss was JB's sprained ankle that popped up suddenly in the 4th inning that took him from the game. He's day to day--likely will miss one start.
However, today, the Sox started making up for the past frustrating week. Knocking twenty hits around the Jays' home park, the Sox walked away with this one, 14 zip. They scored in 6 of the nine innings, and, in fact, it was 13-0 after just five. Lester looked great, allowing three harmless singles in seven innings, while getting 11 K's and his 15th W. His game WHIP was 0.57. Offensively, everyone of the starters but Pedey got at least one hit, with Papi and Scoots getting four apiece and Gonzo picking up three. Of the Sox' 20 hits, 11 were extra bases, a pair going into the cheaps. Gonzo now has 105 ribbies and Papi has 91, looking like a sure bet for the century. Jake,though not adding to his RBI total, got his 38th two bagger and still looks like a good shot at the ribbie century. Presently, there are at least four members with at least 32 2B's each, three of them at 37 or more, and Gonzo at 42. Gonzo's league leading BA got back over the .340 mark at .342, giving him a little bit of breathing room over Texas' Mike Young, down to .333 after tonight's game. Stripes were long rain delayed,. so too early to see if the guys from the Fens gained ground on them or not.

Jake, Cap & A Perfect Pen

OK< so I haven't been faithful for the last few games (four vs A's {3-1 including a rain soaked doubleheader} and last night's loss to the Stripes), but I've got an excuse. Last weekend was my 50th -- that's right, Five O, high school reunion back just outside of Boston. Add to that an overriding awareness of Hurricane Irene AND a pending birthday (yesterday), and I was a trifle distracted or pre-occupied, or whatever else you want to call it. I did watch all or listen to all of the games live, including the four hours plus of rain delays in Saturday's double header (do you believe ten plus hours of baseball by the time game two was safely in the W column?). Well, the reunion was swell, the Sox play, except for the first A's game last Friday night and last night's loss to Mr. Hankie's Yankees, was really impressive, particularly their perseverance through all of the moisture in the twinbill. I mean, it almost never stopped raining once it got going and that wasn't even part of Irene. She came on Sunday and for this long time veteran of New England hurricanes, was pretty much a non-event (not so for the unfortunate folks in Vermont who will be feeling her watery sucker punch for quite some time).
Anyway, that all brings us to tonight's fabulous game against these same Stripes. JB was pitching, and for the first five innings was looking pretty vintage Beckett. True, he did briefly allow a one zip Stripes lead for about a half inning, but then the Hose reclaimed the lead, 2-1, in their half of the 3d on some timely hitting with men on base. Two innings later, Big Papi came to the dish with Gonzo on first, and proceeded to launch one deep into the cheaps in dead center field just to the right of the 420 foot mark--4-1, Sox. It was looking pretty good at that point for the Hose, but this is Sox-Yanks, and nothing is ever over until its really over. Came the Stripes 6th and JB got a bit off course. He hit Texeira, WP'd him to second and after Cano drove that run home, things got quickly worse. A combo of NY hits, an error in right by Reddick, and before you could blink, the Stripes had taken over the lead, 5-4. NOT TO WORRY!
In their half of the inning, once again showing their ability to come back, the Sox struck. With one gone, and a man on, Tek, the Sox Captain and emotional heart of the team, doubled in the tying run. A couple of batters later and the Sox second MVP candidate stepped to the plate. One swing later and Jake had deposited the sphere into the cheaps and it was again the Sox in front, this time 7-5. When the Fenmen returned to the field, to almost everyone's surprise, JB was still on the mound, in spite of the previous inning's troubles. Followers of this blog have long heard me talk about what it really means to pitch, as opposed to just throwing the ball plateward. JB's 7th inning was a classic example of what pitching really is. Not only that--it'll give him even more gut strength the next time he faces a serious situation that requires good solid, stare in the face of death pitching. Facing some of the Stripes most dangerous hitters, he calmly set down Jeter, Granderson and Texeira in order, just like it was the most natural thing anyone could ever expect.Jeter grounded out; Granderson struck out on a 94 mph heater and Texeira popped weakly to The Dustman. Sit down, Stripes!
In the 8th, Bard took the ball and just as quickly set down Cano, Swisher and Chavez in an inning of perfection. Got Cano on an amazing 'WebGem' stab of a screaming shot to short, followed by a perfect throw to Gonzo at first, followed by Swisher hitting an equally scorched on to Dusty, again ending up in Gonzo's glove for the out, after which Bard took things into his own hands and blew away (literally) Chavez on 98 mph heat. The trouble with trying to hit Bard is that he has such an effortless motion, it's damn near impossible to believe that he's really throwing these miniature cruise missiles past you until you swing and realize that you're about two seconds too late--it's already settled in Varitek's mitt. Inning over, Tek drives the final nail in the NY coffin--with a drive into the Sox bullpen that also plates Reddick, who'd opened the Sox half of the 8th with a double that just kisses the left field foul line. In fact, it was so on the line, the third base ump at first was incorrectly signalling foul before he changed his signal and, correctly, motioned it as fair. Nine-five, Sox. With no further offense to follow, The Laser takes over for the final inning, and is even more perfect than Bard had been. Two K's and a fly ball, just seven pitches, many of them over 95, and the game's over--no question about it. Definitely a team win, and the Sox heart really showed with everyone stepping up to make sure that no matter what happened, the Sox would close on top. Jake, The Dustman and Cap were each 2-5, and Papi had the aforementioned monster shot into the cheaps. Overall, the Sox offense garnered a dozen hits, six of which were either two baggers or seat shots.
Final Fenway game of 2011 tomorrow against the Stripes. The win tonight guaranteed that no matter what the outcome then, the Hose will finish this series still in the division lead, not to mention extending their season series lead over the guys from 248 miles to the south to 11-3.

A Pain in Someone Else's Neck

Well, a couple of games ago, and prior to their latest loss to Texas (yesterday) I had devoted a good part of this site to a worrisome and growing list of Sox injuries. I'd forgotten to include Gonzo in the list. Seems he'd strained his neck and, as a result, was altering his swing just enough that it was robbing him of a lot of his power. Well, after tonight's 11-5 win over the Rangers, the Hose' first of the year, I might add, it appears safe to say that Gonzo is back to what he had been for most of the first half of the year-- a pain in everyone else's neck and a wonderful feeling to the members of Red Sox Nation. Leading the way, he went 3-4 tonight with 2 homers and three ribbies, allowing him to get closer to reclaiming the league lead in that category. While he'd been hurting, the lead had been claimed by a couple of Stripers, Granderson & Texeira. After tonight, Gonzo has narrowed the gap behind Granderson to one, 98-97. Other members of the Sox also played big parts in the W, but it was Gonzo leading the way. Jake came back to the lineup and promptly got a hit and then stole his 35th base of the year, later to score on the first Gonzo drive. Newcomer Lavarnway went 2-5 including a run scoring two bagger. Salty and Lowrie also had two-hit evenings and Scoots picked up three ribbies with his 11th double of the year.
Defensively, Lackey dropped below 6 for his ERA, while getting his 12th W. He also dropped out of the running, at least for now, of being only the third pitcher in history to have at least ten wins and also have an ERA over 6.
The other benefit of tonight's victory is the most important of all. We are again tied for first in the Division with the Stripes. They had to lose to Oakland to complete the gain for the Sox, and being the A's it was in doubt until the final out, a catch against the Yankee Stadium center field wall by a former Hose hero, Coco Crisp. Until that catch, I was afraid a Sox success was going to again be cheated out of its full pleasure for Sox fans.

A Stinker of An Inning and A Return of Concern

Well, today's game can be summed up in one inning. Leading 4-1 in the 6th and apparently on his way to his 200th career W, as well as move past the Stripes back into first in the Division, the Sox gave up eight runs to the Royals, who sent 12 men to the plate, took the lead, 9-4, and eventually won the game by that margin. Other than 2 hit games by The Dustman, CC and new arrival, Lavarnway, the Sox offense was fairly calm. The Hose bullpen was shutout--EXCEPT for Albers, who, in just one third of an inning, allowed three hits, a pair of freebies and five runs, all earned, resulting in the loss.
As for the 'returned concern', last year's season was destroyed by the injury bug. Virtually everyone and anyone of the Sox major players was out for a substantial amount of time, anywhere from a month to, in Jake's case, virtually the entire season. For most of the season this year, there have been the usual assortment of mostly minor dings and bangs, with the lost for the season situation of Dice. Now, in the past few weeks, things have gotten progressively ominous. First Bucky stress fractures his lower back and is gone for at least until mid-September. Then, Drew has shoulder problems and likely won't be available until early September. Now, on successive days this week, Papi has had a walking boot placed on his foot for bursitis (no DL yet, but it don't look good (apologies to my English teachers), and Yoouukk goes on the DL with a stiff back. If that isn't bad enough, Jake now is 'day to day' because of his back. He got hit with a pitch in the back, came out after an additional inning in Friday's win, and wasn't in the lineup today. I Hope we're not seeing a return to 2010.

Back to Winning Again

Well, as those of you who visit regularly know, I've been AWOL for the past week or so. No excuses, but late work hours have taken their toll. Anyway, we missed three consecutive games in which our heroes only managed 3 hits per game, and while winning one of those on Jake's home run, left the Sox out of first by a half game and winning only two of their last seven. Yesterday's game, hopefully, began a return to normalcy, although the injury bug that ruined last year, suddenly appears to have returned to some degree. I'm hoping that it's now at its worst and things will get better for the final forty-odd games. Yesterday, it was a combo of post-early innings JB and The Dustman that won things for the Sox. Having a bit of trouble adjusting from the bullpen mound to the real one due to the dramatic differences in slopes of the mounds, JB gave up three early runs, but then settled down, allowing just a total of seven hits over seven innings and no freebies at all. Got his 10th W. The offense was dominated by a combination of Sox base speed, four swipes overall, including a pair by Crawford, and some timely hitting by the Dustman that accounted for three of the Sox four runs.

Another Twinkie Tweak

Well, it wasn't quite like last night, but when it was over the results were the same. The Sox beat the Twins coming from behind to take the lead and then giving the ball to Papelbon to slam the door. Tonight's win, the Hose' fourth in a row, and sixth of eight, also gained them another game on the Stripes, who lost to the Angels in Yankee Stadium. Tonight's game had Bedard making his second start for the Sox and he showed better than last time, although still not getting the W. Albers blew a save with two hits and a walk in the one inning he pitched, allowing the Twins to tie it at three. However, in the 7th, Big Papi plated the winning run with an RBI single. After that, it was Bard and The Laser, each throwing a perfect inning.

Sox Tweak Twinkies

Well, for the fourth consecutive time this year, the Sox played the day after a long night game of over four hours and won. In fact, the only time this year they've come in exhausted and lost was the first time it happened. Tonight it was Big Papi's night to lead the team's efforts. After the Hose had dropped from a one zip early lead to a 5-1 deficit in the 5th, the team's offense came awake. Picking up a four spot, they tied the game. Wake, who was making his third attempt to win his 200th, suddenly was back in the hunt and when the Hose picked up run number six a bit later, it looked as if he were going to realize his goal. But, it was not to be tonight--Papi or no Papi. Aceves came on to pitch the 8th and gave up the tying run, ending up with a rare blown save. Although he did eventually get the W, it was another tough outcome for the oldest active player in MLB today. Unwilling to play extra innings tonight on top of last night's thriller, the Sox immediately went to work in their half of the 9th. Papi, as part of his 4-5 night ( he missed the cycle by a triple) drove what turned out to be the winning run. Up to that, he'd also had his 22d HR and 30th double of the year, the former of which was followed back-to-back by Salty's HR, the sixth Sox back-2-back this year. The Laser finished up with a 14 pitch perfect inning, including a pair of K's, for his 25th save of the year (in just 26 chances). The man is pitching as much like the Pap of a few years ago as he ever has. Scoots also had three hits and Crawford continued his recent binge with a solid triple. Not to be forgotten, Gonzo added his 92nd ribbie to maintain his lead in that category, while going 2-3 with the stick. With the W, Sox are now up 1.5 over the Stripes and a season high 28 over .500 for the year.

Sox Heroics Against Mo & Others

Well, tonight the Sox showed what makes champions. Every night someone will pick up the flag and lead the team to victory. Yesterday Jake personally destroyed Mr. Hankie's Yankees. Tonight, he was O-fer, but still played an important role in the eventual win (I'll get there later). JB was pitching and doing well, as he had only one pitch he'd like back, and left after six tied at one. He had five K's, allowed 6 hits and a pair of freebies, lowering his ERA to 2.17. But that one bad pitch cost him the chance at the W. While this was happening, the Hose were continuing their recent maddening habit of leaving lots of baserunners on base. Their first run came after they opened the inning with the sacks jammed and no-one out. They finished the inning with them jammed. Later, they got the first two hitters on base in the 6th, had the bases loaded with two gone, and failed to score. Meanwhile, in the Stripes 7th, Albers was looking great--through the first two batters. Then, Gardner absolutely crushed one of Albers pitches and suddenly the Hose trailed. After hitting Jeter, he was gone and Morales came on--with absolutely no command or apparent confidence in his pitches. Granderson walked and Texeira followed on four pitches; bases loaded Stripes. Fortunately, Morales recovered enough to get Cano on a grounder to end the threat. However, the Fenmen weren't getting anybody across the dish. Finally, the Hose half of the 9th arrives, and with it Rivera. Now, this is in many cases not a good thing if you're trying to come back and avoid a loss. However, with the Sox, I have at least some faith, because of the total of Blown Saves in Mo's career, 72 of them, the Sox have more than any other team in MLB--14. That's just shy of 20% of the total. So, Scoots leads off with a solid double. Jake, making up for his collar, drops a sac bunt toward third and as he is thrown out by an eyelash, Scoots takes third. Can they get him home, or will it be another LOB? Not to worry. The Dustman rescues the run with a sac fly to left and it's tied. The Hose have just passed the twenty percent mark of BS's for Rivera. On the way to here--top of the 9th, The Laser was almost lights out, giving the Sox the chance to present Rivera with the BS. On to the 10th: Bard, throwing them well into the high 90's, sandwiches K's of Texeira and Swisher around a harmless broken bat ground out by Cano. Seventeen pitches later and it's the home team's turn. Another scoreless string for Bard has now officially begun.
Sox turn: against the planned Stripes starter for Tuesday, the Hose start off with a fly out by Yooouuukk. Then the fun continues. Big Papi steps up, and suddenly, it's 2004 post-season again. He didn't drive one to the cheaps, but he bounced one in and is standing on second with a ground rule two-bagger. McDonald came in to pinch run, and the Stripes pitcher decides the better part of valor is to intentionally walk Crawford, who finally is starting to look like the guy the Hose acquired for that $140 Mill in the off season. Between last night's 4-4, Friday's couple of hits and tonight's 3-4 to that point, he approached the plate on a nine for ten tear. Can't say I blame the Stripes. Fortunately, all it did was piss off the Sox' newest young hot player. Following Crawford was Reddick, and while he may not be maintaining the torrid pace of a month or two ago, he's still a dangerous man with a piece of northern white ash in his hands. Pitch comes in, pitch goes out toward the left field corner, and it's obvious to everyone in attendance or watching on the tube the game is over even before the ball lands on Fenway's lush grass. Sox win and everyone goes berserk.
Sox are back in first by themselves, have won four of six and have clinched the season's series against the Stripes with six yet to play. After over four hours, the Hose are now off to the Twin Cities to face the Twinkies, and Wake makes his third attempt for his 200th win.
Individual achievements: in addition to Crawford's previously cited 3-4 for the night, Scoots went 4-4, including the aforementioned double. Papi went 2-4. The moundsmen also had an overall good night, the two HR's aside. Collectively, they allowed a well scattered eight hits and four BB's, against a total of eleven K's.

Sox 10 (Jake 6), Stripes 4

I know I've been recalcitrant over the past several days--splitting with the Tribe; Stripes moving closer and finally tying in first, but now they're HERE (Fenway) and last night's game was a heartbreaker. Lester had a two zip lead going into the 7th and then gave up a three spot to the Stripes, who made it stand up for a 3-2 win and sole ownership of first--even though the Hose got almost twice as many hits. They had their chance to break the game open and unfortunately, Gonzo K'd with the bases loaded. OK< so fast forward to today's afternoon get together at the Fens. Mr. Hankies Yankees led today by arguably one of the two major Cy contenders for the year, Carsten Charles (if those were your first two names, you'd go by 'CC' too) Sabathia against Lackey, who, while looking much better since the All Star break, still has an ERA over 6. Not looking great, but then, CC's lost his previous three against the Hose this year. So, Sox take an early two zip lead, only to have the Stripes tie it in the 4th. However, by then the headline above was already beginning to be written. Jake had one of those career days--everything goes right and you look like the classic world beater. He'd driven in the Sox first run on a sac fly, but it was just the beginning.With the score still close in the home 4th after the Sox had picked up a pair, and another pair on base, Crawford among them (more on that later), Jake launched one deep into the right field seats on a 2-0 count and suddenly, the Hose had a bit of breathing room, 7-2. Now Jake's got a quad of ribbies for the game and 19 HR's on the year. Not bad--but not finished--not by a long shot! Mr. Hankie's Yankees crept stealthily closer-- a single run in the 5th, bolstered later by a solo shot from Texeira in the 8th off Bard on a ball that took a small miracle to get any serious wood on. The Bard was shooting literal rockets over the plat in the high 90's and, in a few cases, into triple digits, and this pitch was across the inside corner on Texeira's wrists--nice and tight. It would normally be a feat just to get a tiny bit of bat handle on it. The NY first sacker did more than that, however. Somehow in a fraction of a second, pulled his wrists in closer to his body and then swung, getting most of it and streaking it into the cheaps. Understandably, if you know me at all, I'm starting to get a little nervous. Yes, we're still up, 7-4, but the Stripes are now well inside that 'one swing of the bat can tie (or lead) zone of under five runs' margin. Worse, there's only one out in their 8th and they still have the whole 9th to go. This, I'm worriedly thinking, is far from over. Shame on me. I should have checked the box score to that point and the Sox 8th batting order. Bard closed out the 8th with no further damage and then the fun began in the Hose' half. Reddick, Crawford and Salty reached base on a pair of singles and a full count walk. After Scoots popped out, Jake took his stance and--bang! A sharp single to center, scoring another deuce and moving Salty to third where The Dustman could get him home immediately thereafter via sac fly, boosting the score to a very comfortable 10-4. The Laser, who'd begun the inning warming up to enter in the top of the 9th was able to take his seat again and enjoy the finish as a spectator.
As for Jake, he had six ribbies on the day, his 19th HR and garnered a few more comments about looking like a legitimate MVP candidate if he continues his mode of play. My opinion is he's been spectacular, but the MVP, as of now, is still Gonzo's. Would be nice to see the Hose grab the top two places in the voting, though. Not sure if that's ever happened before, but I'll have to check.
I did mention above that Crawford also had quite a game. He had his best game since coming to the Fens--4 for 4, including a double, one RBI, a run scored and a steal.
All of this insured Lackey would win his 10th of the year and send CC to his 4th loss to the Hose on the season. He's 0-4 vs the guys from the Fens, and 16-2 against the rest of the world. While Lack now has double figures in W's, he still possesses an ERA over 6. In all of MLB history, right since the first pitch was ever thrown, there have only been two, that's right, just two pitchers finishing with winning records for a season in which they had 6 plus ERA's. One was in the 1930's named Wes Farrell and the other was in the 1990's, name escapes me for the moment. This is not a club you especially desire to belong to, but, HEY, it's better than having said 6Plus ERA and having a losing record. So, the Hose are tied for first again and can retake sole ownership with a 'W' tomorrow. Catch you tomorrow night.

Petey, Tek, Pap Lead Way to HubHose Win

The three mentioned above weren't the only Sox heroes in today's month ending win over the Pale Hose, but their play featured the victory. Tek started, driving a shot about a half dozen rows deep into the cheaps in the second with a man on, giving the Fenmen an early two zip lead. Many innings later, the 7th, The Dustman hit a sharp line single to center to snatch the lead back from the Chisox at 4-3. Then, after Gonzo had provided an insurance run in the top of the 9th with a ringing double to right, The Laser simply slammed the door on any ideas that the Chicago Mob might have had about taking away the W in their half of the final inning. It was true vintage Papelbon--k, K, K!--shut down the side, Game Over! For Pap it was his 24th Save in 25 chances. Gonzo's ribbie was his MLB leading 90th. As for the rest of the offense, Jake, Dusty, Gonzo and Scoots each had a pair of hits, with Jake adding his 31st swipe of the season. His steals had slowed of late, no fault of his running ability. But it's awful hard to steal a base when you're putting the ball in the bleachers as often as he has this year.
Defensively, the Sox pen, in addition to Pap's already mentioned close, was excellent. Aceves was solid with a shutout inning and Bard went him one better (one less freebie) with a perfect inning that ran his ongoing total to 26 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Aceves is now 7-1 on the season.

Sox Sock Sox

At least after they lost yesterday, they did. Yesterday, Wake seemed to be leading the Hub Hose to their first 2011 win over the Chisox. Unfortunately, He left one pitch too many out over the plate and the Pale Hose catcher, Pierczynski, put it away. Final: Chisox 3, Bosox 1. Unfortunately, also The Dustman's hit streak ended at 25; unfortunate because it ended and also because in today's game, he started another that would have been the 27th in a row. That was yesterday. Today was a different story altogether. Lester on the mound and basically classically Lester. He went 8 innings, allowed just four hits and a walk while nailing 8 K's and gained his 11th W of the year. Offensively, he had all the support he would need and more. The Hub Hose scored most of their runs in two explosive innings--four in the 5th and their final five in the 9th, the last putting the game truly out of reach and allowing The Laser, busy warming in the bullpen, to sit back down. Overall, Dusty, Gonzo, Yooouuukkk, and Salty had multi-hit games, with Gonzo picking up three hits, including his 18th homer, a no doubter in the 9th. He also added a pair of ribbies, reaching 89 for the year as his league leading total grew. Yoouukk launched his 15th and the Sox also swiped three bases, among them Jake's 30th of the year. Overall, a great evening.

Sox Bats Rebound After 14 Inning Duel

Well, after last night's (this morning's?) 3-1 loss in a pitching duel that went into the 14th inning tied at 1, the Sox unlimbered the lumber for 16 hits and 13 runs, including eight for extra bases, three of them doubles by Big Papi. After a see-saw first four innings that saw the Sox behind 7-6, eleven Hosemen went to the plate in the 5th and six runs crossed the plate, effectively ending any questions over who would eventually get the 'W'. Papi drove in five runs, while Gonzo added a pair. The Dustman was one of two Hose with 4-5 evenings, Papi being the other,and was a homer short of the cycle. In his final AB, he drove one to the base of the Monster, but, as it was an 80 mph slider from an outfielder playing pitcher, he just didn't have enough to get it up and over the wall. Even Jake, who supposedly had the night off, got in for a pinch hit single.
As for pitching, Miller started and surrendered seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3, but the Sox middle relievers held the Royals scoreless after the 4th, allowing the Sox to take and build the lead. Morales made it interesting in the 9th, giving up a pair of runs on three hits and a free pass before finally nailing the door closed. With the win, the Hose remain two games up on the Stripes. Pedroia's first hit extended his career high hitting streak to 23 games. And as I dream on, only 33 to go.

Leaving the Mariners At Sea!

Well, the last two games the Hose played against the Mariners went, more or less, like the first, only better. In each, what started off as a game with some closeness in score, although the Hose were ahead, ended up as a rout of various proportions.Yesterday's is a good example. The M's began with a quick two run lead, complements of a two run shot off Wake in the 1st. Not a great way to commence the day's undertaking, but the Sox quickly took control. In their half of the 1st, they sent nine men to the plate and, presto--the score was 5-2, Sox. That's the way things stayed until the visitors' half of the 5th. They managed to coax another run across and now it was 5-3, getting a bit tighter. However, once again, our heroes replied in their half of the inning. Another nine made the trip from dugout to the dish and before you could turn around, the score was 10-3.Wake gave up another couple of runs in the third of the 7th he pitched and Aceves allowed one more, but the Hose, comb inning the aforementioned 10 runs with a couple of additional ones later, took the W, 12-8--and it wasn't that close. Wake picked up his 2,000th K as a Sox member, joining the Rocket as the only Hose hurlers to have that many. He's also now only one away from 2o00 W's as a Sox.Offensively, six Sox players had multi-hit afternoons, topped off by Salty, Crawford and Gonzo with three apiece. Yoooouuukk got his 14th tater, and, along with Gonzo (2) and Salty (4) had a multi-ribbie day.Jake, after his pair of hits, had a BA at .320, and Gonzo upped his, while adding to his league RBI lead at 82. Yooouuk is fourth at 72. The Dustman also extended his hitting streak to a career high twenty games. Only 36 to go. I can dream, can't I?
The Mariners? Oh, yes, the Mariners. As I mentioned, they were left drifting at sea--15 consecutive losses and counting.
The day before, the score was closer, but the modus operandi as the gumshoes like to say, was the same. After going scoreless for six, JB gave up a home run to Seattle and the score was one zip, M's. Not to worry. In their half, the Hose tacked a trey on the scoreboard and that was that. Beckett was, aside from the HR, awesome: 7 innings, a like amount of K's, scattered seven hits and cut the ERA to 2.07 as he grabbed his ninth W on the year. The Laser slammed the door after Bard put in his scoreless inning. Sox hitters had the doubles thing going, with The Dustman,Gonzo, Papi and Scoots each hitting a two-bagger.

Evereyone Hits and Lackey Looks Good!

Well, today's game, back at the confines of the Fens, was one I was half looking forward to and half a bit worried about. It was against the Seattle Mariners, who came to the Hub riding a 12 game losing streak. When it began, they were at .500. Now, well you can see where they're going. My happiness was that we were getting an opponent in full free fall. My worries were that they have to end the streak sometime and I didn't want them to regain their abilities during their visit to Beantown. Part of the last is the fact that one of the worst hitters in MLB in the past five years is now playing for the M's and he always seems to get something against the Hose. Some guys are just like that. They can be the worst in the history of the game, but against a certain pitcher or specific team, they hit like a cross of Ty Cobb and The Babe. Such is Jack Cust. As events were to demonstrate, he did go 2-4, with a double, but wasn't involved in any way with any of the runs the M's managed to score.
Now, the story head--Lackey looked about as good as he has all season at the Fens. He went seven innings, gave up eight hits and a single run, lowering his ERA to 6.28. Throw in four K's and no freebies and you have a pretty respectable evening. He left ahead 7-1. Morales came on in the 8th and gave up three quick runs on a couple of base hits followed by a homer. Suddenly, the walkover was looking at least a bit interesting for Seattle. "Enough", said Terry (at least, it's reasonable he said something to that effect) and Morales was gone, replaced by Bard. He faced one hitter, sent him back to the bench with nothing to show for his efforts and the inning was over. Bard's consecutive scoreless innings streak got a third of an inning longer. For the 9th, The Laser took the mound and it was vintage Pap--ground out, K, pop out--inning and game over. Door slammed. Time for a steak at Locke's.
Offensively, things were just as good. Every Sox starter had at least one hit, with The Dustman getting three in a 3-3 evening that extended his career long hitting streak to 19 games. In keeping with that number, he also purloined (fancy lawyer's word for stole) his 19th base of the year. Gonzo added a pair of ribbies to his league leading total, while Yoouuukk matched the pair. Jake, continuing his show of power of recent times, placed his 16th shot in the cheaps as one of his pair of hits on the evening. With Papi's RBI single, the Sox now have four players with at least 55 ribbies for the season apiece, led of course by the league leader, Gonzo, at 80.
As I write this, it looks like the Sox won't add any space to their lead over the Stripes tonight, as the guys in the jail suits are leading the A's 17-7 late in that game. But, at least the lead is at two.

A Loss and A Win: 14 of 17

Well, the latest Sox win streak, 3 had to end sooner or later--even against the inept O's. I mean every team, no matter how bad they are wins occasionally. For the O's, it was Tuesday night. Opening up three zip, they found the Hose on their heels after a little bit, 3-2. However, this time, the bats that put the game away were not tinged red--they were colored bright orange. A couple of late inning HR's and the game was gone, 6-2. Aceves finally let one get away from him after some pretty impressive service for the Hub Heroes for the season so far.
Today's game was a different story. Led by Jake, the Hose put it away four zip, Sox pitching allowing only two hits for the game. In fact, other than the line for Sox starter and winner Miller, the Hose moundsmen were perfect for the last nearly four innings. First Albers, then Bard and finally The Laser all gave up nothing--no-one got even to 1st against any of them! Offensively, the only word you need to know is Ellsbury. He placed two solo shots in the cheaps, supplemented by single runs off a Tek ground out and a Crawford walk with the sacks full. Jake's pair of dingers mark the first multi-homer game he's had since May of 2008. Other worthy notes include Gonzo's 4-5 day, Pedroia's 17th swipe along with his continuation of his hitting streak to 18 games (a career high) and two hit days each for Reddick and Crawford.

The Beat Goes ON Against the O's

Well, the Sox headed straight for the Bird's Nest near the Nation's capital after last night's 16 inning affair. They were tired but happy. But today was a new day. So, to start things off, they immediately drop behind two zip in the 1st. Playing what, in effect, is your third game in two days can do that to you. However, Wake toughened up and after 4 1/2 the Sox were up 6-2. Looked all right, right? N o t s o f a s t! In their half of the 5th, the O's tacked on a fin and suddenly, our heroes were trailing 7-6. This dragged on until the Hose tied things with a single run in the 7th, and I'm already beginning to think, "not another extra inning extravaganza", even though it was only the 7th. We had two whole innings to get through before that fantasy could threaten to become a reality--fortunately. The very next inning, the Sox offense made Bikini Atoll look like a 4th of July fizzle, by comparison.
Sending a dozen men to the plate, the Sox put on a clinic (where was this last night?) in keeping a rally going. When the smoke cleared and the mushroom cloud had evaporated, the Hose had tacked on eight runs and had a comfortable 15-7 lead. Barring a total collapse, this one was, for all practicable purposes, in the books. The O's did manage to tack on a trey in their last at bat, but it was a case of too little, too late and the Sox had now won their 3d in a row, and 13th of 15. Not too shabby. Yooouuukkk, The Dustman and McDonald each put three ribbies on the board and Crawford, in his return from the DL, added an RBI with a 2-5 evening.

Catching Up--And a Really Sweet 16!

Well, since last we chatted, an All-Star game has been played and the Sox have had one series and started another. The series just concluded last night (actually, early this morning where it was played) was against the Rays. As expected, it was a very competitive one: first game went to the Rays, 9-6, but that Sox 6 was a strong late inning comeback that just feel a bit short. Second game to the Hose, 9-5, with the Sox in control most of the way from the middle of the game on. Then came last night's game! Facing a pitcher with a mid-4's ERA, the Sox had 11 K's against them by the end of the 8th and just 3 hits. Beckett was even better, allowing just a weak infield single in the 2d, after which he retired 22 in a row, leaving after the 8th. Unfortunately, the score was knotted at zip. This chain of events continued through the rest of regulation and into extra innings. What got very frustrating for everyone in Red Sox Nation was the way the Hose were leaving runners on base. From the 10th through the 12th, the Sox left eight runners on, including three in one of those innings that they had with no one out! It's like Tampa was saying, "We're trying to be perfect hosts and give you a game." The only trouble is the Sox weren't going to schnorr and take it. Woven in with all of this were some unbelievable plays in the field by the Sox fielders. Reddick and Jake both took off after a long drive in extras that looked for all the world like it was gone--a game winner. At the last possible second, Reddick launched himself up...up....up stuck up his glove and, as the ball seemed to disappear from everyone's sight, snared it and tumbled to the track, ball securely still in his glove.Until he popped up on his feet, no-one knew for certain where it had gone--HR, extra bases or caught. The Dustman also had a pair of unreal highlight reel plays earlier on, each robbing a Ray of a hit. In each case, he dove far to his left, bounced up while still smothering the ball in his glove, turned and fired to Gonzo for the out. The second of these, he actually launched his shot to Gonzo from his knees--same result.
With those two plays, adding in a steal and a 3-7 evening, including driving in the game's only run, Dusty ended up very deservedly being named the player of the game by ESPN. His show was a perfect example, if one were necessary, of why he's already won the Rookie of the Year and an MVP so early in his career. Oh, I forgot. The game went 16 innings, almost 5 hrs and 45 minutes from start to finish. It was zip-zip through 15, the second longest scoreless tie game for the Sox in their history. The only one longer was 95 years ago (no misprint) against the Browns (today's O's). Sox took that one too!
After JB left, each Sox hurler was just as exceptional in his own way. No-one was getting anywhere. In fact, in the entire evening, the Rays only had one man get as far as 3d--once and late. Other than that,they couldn't buy a baserunner for the most part. Finally, when the Sox got what turned out to be the winner, The Laser came out to slam the door. As soon as he took the mound, I knew from the first closeup of his focused visage that the game was in the bag. Yes, he had a plus-4 ERA, and yes, he may not be the Pap of 3-4 years ago. But, what all of the whiners out there in Fenland seem to be missing is that he had only a single blown save all year and his opposing BA is only in the mid-200's. The shot of his face said everything you had to know. When he's really, indisputably "on", he has a scowl, what I call a death stare. You'd have to be Teddy Ballgame to want to face him in that mode. In fact, that's about the only way you'd stand a chance. True to stare, three up, three down; nothing out of the infield and one K--Door slammed, Game over.

A Brawl & Some Great Pitching = 2 More Hose Wins

Well, twice more the Hose beat the O's, once by total annihilation, 10-3, and once four zip. Both had similarities and both were unique unto themselves. In the former, the Sox started with 8 runs in the first 2/3 of an inning, leading to a 10-3 win in support of five strong innings by JB. He left after a slight (that's what the Hose are calling it and we hope it's nothing more) hyperextension of his knee. JB says he'll be ready by the All-Star game. As that game wore on, and O's frustrations grew, Papi ended up duking it out in the 7th with the O's hurler, Gregg. The latter sounds like an idiot with his comments trying to justify his reaction to Papi's after nearly hitting him thrice in an at bat. While this writer thinks it's a pitcher's right to move someone back (remember LA's Drysdale or Brooklyn's Sal, the Barber?), he also feels that making dumb comments or motions toward the batter because you don't like his reaction to your "message" pitch, is ridiculous! Anyway, I'm sure Commissioner Bud's office will have some ridiculous suspensions and/or fines to impose shortly, which will have absolutely no effect on the way the game is played at all.
On to tonight's game. With the win, a few things happened. Lackey was as good tionight as he'd been terrible in his last outing. He threw six and 2/3 shutout innings, scattering just three singles and K'ing 7 O's, on the way to reducing his impossibly high ERA by almost 2/3 of a run! That's pitching! A hearty clapping of the hands for Mr. Lackey, who certainly wasn't lacking anything tonight in the Fens at all! The quality pitching continued into the pen as well. Bard took over from Lackey and went an inning and a third scoreless, extending his scoreless inning streak to 18 1/3 innings, followed by The Laser, who threw a perfect inning, including a K, to slam the door.
Although the score wasn't anything close to a repeat of the past two nights, Sox bats were still producing. Out of a total of ten hits, six were for extra bases. The only thing missing was a home run. For the most part, the offense was produced by 'the usual suspects'. Jake went 3-4, including his 26th two bagger and a triple, while Yooouuukkk also was 3-4, with a pair of doubles and his 60th and 61st ribbies.Add in a 2-4 evening by Reddick, getting him back within a hit or two of .400, and the order was looking pretty good.The win was the fifth consecutive and ninth of ten, putting the Hose back over .600 for the season, and maintaining their one game lead over Mr. Hankie's Yankees.
Tomorrow, the Sox are starting a fresh face. They've called up Kyle Weiland from the Pawsox to make his first ever major league start. He's looked good with the Pawsox; should be interesting to see him at the Fens.

Sox Bats Unload

Last night it was Wake's 198th MLB win. Tonight it was the collective force of the Sox bats.Starting in a two zip hole, the Sox started the comeback by picking up a trey on The Dustman's 3 run shot in the 3d. The lead was brief, but, as the first of what were to be six shots on the night, it was a good foundation. After the Birds came back to tie in the next inning, the Hose really unpacked the lumber.Starting with single runs in both the 4th and 5th, they added a pair in the 6th and then really unloaded in the 7th! Papi, Reddick and Salty went back to back to back, and suddenly, it's 10-3--game pretty much in the bag--barring the unforeseen. As it turned out, the unforeseen remained pretty much unseen, save for a single run for the O's late in the game, and the Sox picked up the 'W'--AND took over first in the division from the Stripes, who were beaten by the Rays.
Sox pitching was a little bit of a mixed bag, with Miller giving up three earned in his five innings, although he did get the win. The pen looked better overall. Aceves was perfect for two, Atchison, newly recalled, gave up a single run and Jenks threw a final inning of one hit shutout ball.
Besides the HR's, four Sox players had multi-hit games, topped by Gonzo's three for five. It'd be great going into the All-Star break in first.

Sox Answer to Father Time--Wake Rolls On!

Well, he may be the oldest active player in MLB (45 in a few weeks), but Wake just keeps throwing those 60-70 mph pitches and setting down the opposition. Tonight he went seven innings and, after surrendering an early lead, stabilized, if that's the proper word here, finishing with a very satisfactory three runs allowed in those seven innings. He gave up 9 hits, but carefully neutralized most of them and allowed just a single freebie to go along. Add in seven K's, and his performance was excellent, particularly after the Jays had their three early runs. As the game wore on, he got better and better. In fact, only three of those nine hits came after the 3d inning.Bard came on in the 8th and got the first two hitters, followed by a rain delay. That led to Wheeler closing out the inning when play resumed and The Laser closing out the game with three more K's. True, he did allow a run on a single hit, but he was thoroughly in control, and got his 19th save. Pap might have avoided the run if he ever considered baserunners, but he is so focused on the task at hand--getting batters out, that he regularly allows advances by baserunners on 'defensive indifference'. Tonight he had two of those, one of whom, a hit batsman, later scored on the only hit of the inning. Does this mean that he's not effective? I think not. He's just as effective as he's been over the past three or four years, much better than last year, but the ERA is misleading because of things like these 'indifferented' runners.
Offensively, both Yooouuukkk and Jake had 3-5 evenings, each with a pair of doubles and a homer. Jake also picked up his league leading 28th swipe of the year. Net result after the 'W' finds the Hose just a half game astern of the Stripes, who lost to the Tribe tonight.
Gonzo had the night off with a stiff neck, but is expected to be back tomorrow. On the negative side of things, MRI's revealed that Lester, who left last night with a no-hitter going after four, showed a strained latissimus (so much easier to just say "lat") muscle in his back. The Hose put him on the 15 day DL, joining his rotation-mate, Bucky. Hopefully, this isn't the start of a run like last year in terms of injuries.

Houston Sweep Makes Four Straight!

Well, since last we chatted, the Sox closed out the Houston series by winning the last two games 10-4 and 2-1. The former was a close game until mid-game, when the Hose turned it up another notch and moved from a 5-3 lead to 9-3 in a single inning. They added the final run in their half of the 9th and gave up the final Stros tally in the bottom half. Hits were spread across the lineup with McDonald getting the big blow, a three run shot that basically put things out of reach. Three lineup regulars also went 3-5 each: Jake, The Dustman and Gonzo. With the Stripes also winning, the Bosox Boys remained 2.5 games to the rear.
That would change with today's finale. JB on the mound and facing someone with an ERA at game time well into the high four's.Sounds like an invitation to at least duplicate the day previous. However, that's why they play them. As things turned out, the Hose only collected a half dozen hits and were tied entering the top of the 9th. At that point, a form of normalcy returned. With one gone, Sutton pinch hit for JB and walked. He was moved over by Jake's base hit, after which The Dustman's fielder's choice had Sutton on 3d.Gonzo was intentionally walked, Houston figuring they'd rather chance things with Yooouuuk. Bad mistake, although not the way you might think. Although they'd chosen to pitch to him, they were a tad too careful and Yooouuukk ended up driving the winning run after all--with a sacks jammed walk. Hey! A run's a run--no matter how you get it. After the Sox half of the inning closed, the real close arrived in the form of The Laser. Pap came on and once again showed why, even if he isn't the Pap of 2007 or '08, he's not too far shy of that. In a total of 20 pitches, 13 of them strikes, he struck out the side, allowing a harmless single after the first two K's were in the books. With Pap, once you've given up K's to the first two batters, you know that a single is just delaying the inevitable. That final K is just waiting in the wings to jump up and bite you in the ass. Sure enough, Johnson strode to the plate, lifted his bat--and accepted his fate. Third K for The Laser--inning over, game over, series and sweep over! Good night, Houston. Please excuse our rush. We've got to get back to the Fens for tomorrow's game.

Many Apologies--and a Win!

Well, for the faithful among you out there, you know that I've been very bad of late. Haven't kept up with the runs by the Hose--although as they went through series' with San Diego, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and so on, it looks more like runs IN the Hose than by them. True, they weren't blown out by anyone and in at least a few of these games, the Hose just hadn't gotten the timely hit even though outhitting the opposition, and against the Phils, in the first game of that series, Lee was almost untouchable. But a loss is still a big L. The predictable result of all of this, of course, is that our heroes are now 2.5 games astern of the Stripes. In fact, until yesterday, even the Rays were getting very close. However, the Sox finished off their series in the City of Brotherly Love with a win (Lester was masterful!) and moved further to the southwest, specifically Houston. Should be easy, right.
Well, at least for the first batter of the game, it was. Scut led off the game by depositing the horsehide sphere in the cheaps and it was one zip, Sox. The rout was on, right? N o t S o F a s t... The Stros quickly tied it up and after another inning, it was 3-1, Stros. If that weren't bad enough, this was a night when Wake was not on at all. When he left, he'd allowed 11 hits in five and a third, K'd none and was trailing five - one. Not looking good at all for the Sox. However, in the top of the 7th, Sox lightning struck--quickly and decisively. Eleven Hose went to the plat, six got hits (a pair of doubles included) and the Sox had six big runs to take the lead for good. Gonzo's double drove in two of those, lifting his MLB leading ribbie total to 73. Jake didn't play tonight, getting replaced for the evening by Reddick. Now, it likely won't last for the season, maybe not even through July, but here is a guy who is literally hitting the cover off the ball. It's July 1 and with tonight's two hits, he's now batting .450. That's right, four fifty! I'm not going to get excited just yet. Yes, I've always included seeing someone hit .400 for a season in my all-time wish goals, but the best I've done on this one is three or four "come closes", starting with Teddy Ballgame's '57 season, when at 38 years old, he missed his second .400 year by five hits! Ended up at .388. That would be spectacular at any age, but at 38? Classic Ted. There've also been Carew (.388),Brett (.390) and Tony Gwynn (.394). In fact, had there not been a strike late that season, Gwynn was looking more and more likely every day to finish over .400. Not to be, unfortunately. (For those of you who are really curious as to what other all-time wanna see goals I have: they are: breaking DiMag's hit streak (closest was Rose at 44 games);a pitcher wining 30 games in a season (done in '68 by Denny McLain);breaking Ruth's homer records (done by Maris w/61 & later exceeded by others; and career done by Aaron with 756 and later exceeded by others);breaking Cobb's stolen base season and career steals marks (beaten by a number and now both held by Henderson);Hack Wilson's season ribbie mark of 191 (and in a 154 game season, yet)(no-one even close) and, on a slightly lower plane, Earl Webb's doubles in a season mark of 67 (also in a 154 game season & also no-one really close).
Anyway, it'll be an interesting sidelight to the Sox season to watch Reddick from now through late September. The last one to get there was 70 years ago--Teddy Ballgame. Must have been a hell of a season--it's the same year that DiMaggio got his 56 game hit streak.
Oh, almost forgot--tonight's game. So, Wake was not very effective. But the pen was exactly what you want in a pen. After Wake headed for the showers, the pen allowed no runs--nada! In fact, in the remaining 3 2/3 innings, collectively they allowed just a total of two hits, with Morales and Bard being perfect. As always, The Laser closed the door and netting his 16th save.

It'll be good for the Sox to finish up with this inter-league nonsense so they can get their usual lineup back on the field. Big Papi won't have to be just a pinch hitter.

Another Bataround!

Well, the other day against the Brewers the Sox suddenly rose up and put the game out of reach by sending ten men to the plate. Ten men? Nothing! Today against the Pads, the score was knotted at 3 after one of the Pads had tied the game with a 3 run shot in the 6th. Not to worry--our heroes came to bat in the 7th and after scoring the go-ahead run and then making two outs, exploded like a nuclear warhead. When the smoke had cleared, the line for the inning was 13 men to the plate and 10 runs (no typo) scored, the last 9 after two were out. Someone ought to tell the guys that BP is BEFORE the game starts, not during the middle of it.
Seriously, the Sox banged out 14 hits, which when coupled with 9 BB's adds up to a lot of opportunity. Gonzo was 3-5, including a double. Papi, Yoouukk and The Dustman each had run scoring two baggers. At this rate, Gonzo will own almost every offensive category available. He's now well over 60 ribbies, and leads the league in BA, Doubles, hits and RBI's. Way to go, Theo! He's followed closely by both Yoouuk and Papi in terms of RBI's as well. If all of this is not enough, the Hose had 5 guys hitting over .300 on the season. No wonder their team BA is MLB's highest!

Batting Around and Then Some!

Well, after losing yesterday, based entirely on Milwaukee's 1st inning, a game that Lester's post-1st pitching gave them a chance to win, the Sox came back with a vengeance! Starting in the 1st inning, they shot out of the gate like a scalded dog. The first six batters reached base, topped by Yooouuukkk's 3 run blast into the Monster seats, and by the end of the inning eleven men had gone to the plate and the Hose led six zip. Wake, meanwhile, was Wake. Over eight innings, he allowed just three hits and a single freebie, resulting in a game WHIP of 0.5. Although two of the three hits were solo shots, overall, he was in total command, even getting his season high in K's at six. When you're used to swinging at breaking balls in the mid to upper 80's and heat at somewhere north of 90, suddenly dealing with a diet of stuff that just about never exceeds 75, and often may be in the lower reaches of the 60's, is a task that's not something most hitters care to deal with. That's because, assuming the floater is moving and tumbling like it can, it's damn near impossible to hit. When you do, to make things worse, it's not often likely to get very far.

On the offensive side, the Hose bats started hot and continued there for most of the game. IN addition to Yoouukk's blast, Pedroia and Scutaro both drove the ball deep into the cheaps and the Hose tacked on a total of four doubles and a trey. Every Sox starter had at least one hit, and Jake, JD, Gonzo and The Dustman all had multi-hit games, Pedey getting three hits on the day. The hitting performance didn't hurt the stats races either. Gonzo added a pair of ribbies to his AL-leading total and Yoouukk picked up three to vault over 50 RBI's and move closer to the leaders in the league.

Three & Counting!

Well, with last night's dismantling of the Brewers the latest streak has reached three, and 12 of 13 for the Hose. As with many of the W's in the prior 9 game streak, this one was spread throughout the order. Gonzo was 3-4, Papi added three and homers were hit by Jake and Gonzo. Lackey started off like the Lackey of pre-DL, giving up an early four runs, leaving the score knotted at four, and looking like this was going to be a game of attrition to see who would be the last one standing. Kind of like Bastogne in WWII when Gen.McAuliffe told the Germs "Nuts", hung on and waited for Patton to break through. However, after the four early runs, Lack tightened up dramatically, retiring his last 14 batters in a row and only leaving after he was comfortably up 10-4 and eight innings were gone. The pen closed out the game and, with the Cubbies beating the Stripes in Chicago, the Sox had a 2.5 game lead again.

Sox WinBeckett Gem;Cup Comes Home!

Well, for those of you who've been following this blog for awhile, you already know that frequently when the Sox and one of the other Hub teams is victorious, we repeat the classic old Boston Herald sports headline. So, here we go--Sox, B's win! In fact, in the latter case, the Bruins really won--took home Lord Stanley's silver chalice for the first time in 39 years! Hail, Bruins!
Now for the Sox: they resumed their recent winning ways, beating the Rays four zip behind JB's sterling pitching. He threw a complete game one hit shutout, striking out six and walking absolutely....NO-ONE! Game WHIP was 0.11. All of the offense the Hose needed was provided by Yoooouuuukkk in the 7th. Three run HR and that's all that was needed by the Sox. It's fortunate too, as the Rays pitcher held the Hose to just four hits. But one of them was the dinger. JB's ERA dropped back below 2.0 as well.

What to Do?

Well, a few weeks since our last commentary, and I apologize. Part of the excuse was Paris was too beckoning to us. But we're back and here we go.
Got a question this past week from a long time client. She wanted to know why she should consider selling know if many national news stories indicate prices are dropping and, in some cases, hint at a second dip toward the bottom for the housing market.
My reply was simple. Nationally, there is a fair amount of evidence to support such a case. However, as always, real estate is more than anything else a case of Location, Location, Location. In our case, Location is Marin County--nowhere else! In its weekly stats showing sales for the County as compared with the same week one year ago, the I-J showed total home sales were pretty flat compared to a year ago. But average prices were up nearly 20% on the same comparison. This was for single family homes. Condos did show a drop, but the price stats on condos, overall, have frequently lagged those for single family homes.
So where does this leave you as a potential seller? Well, as you've seen me say many times here, with interest rates continuing at or near historic lows and lots of buyers out there with cash in hand and looking, this is definitely a good time to consider putting your home on the market.
One thing to consider about this: it's now mid-June. As we ease into the middle of summer, many folks go away for vacation, leaving their search for a little while. You may want to consider calling us to meet and give you some good ideas to help you prepare your home for the market with the idea of putting it on the market immediately after Labor Day. Homes will sell in July, but in August, the sale rate drops way off, rebounding really with a vengeance after the end of summer holiday. So, have a question? Thinking of selling, but not sure how or when? Give us a call! We'll gladly help you through the issues--and get you a great deal!

What to Do?

And You Thought The Patriots Didn't Play Until September!

Yup! Sixteen to four! What's that? It wasn't the Pats? Oh, well the score had me fooled for a moment there. I know the Hose have been thrashing their way through the AL East the past week, but with their 8th in a row, they outdid themselves--probably trying to make up for only scoring five last night. Today, they batted around twice, with Papi and Tek each driving a ball into the cheap seats. If that weren't enough, Gonzo got another ribbie, his eight straight game with one for a new personal record, The Dustman picked up three its to continue his climb to his normal level in hitting, and Scut had a quad! Yoouuk sat this one out at the request of Terry to get a little rest for a couple of days. Jake also got a pair of hits. Dusty's three included a pair of two baggers, and, coming with last night's contribution, it appears as if the one game off for a physical of the knee has been just the cure for ails him.
Pitching wise, Lackey had the second consecutive decent showing since coming off the DL. He went six, and while allowing all of the Jays' runs, also grabbed 8 K's for his best performance all year to date. He also only walked two. After he left, the pen, in the personae of Wheeler, Hottovy and Bowden each contributed a shutout inning, the first and last of the trio each being perfect.
The win extends the Sox' streak to a season high of eight in a row, and keeps them two up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees.

The Win Streak Continues!

WEll, the only streak that could grow tonight (since the Sox aren't playing the Stripes today) was the overall win streak. Lining up against the Jays in Toronto, the Hose wasted little time in getting that started. In the 3d, they picked up a pair on Dusty's infield single and Gonzo's ground ball DP. Maybe a DP isn't the most glamorous way to score, but, hey--a run is a run. I'll take it. The Jay's halved the lead an inning later in the only even remotely shaky inning Bucky had. Overall, he was sparkling, with just three hits allowed and a pair of walks; his game WHIP was 0.714. He also had a half dozen K's on the evening. The Hose response was in kind plus a little, the team adding another pair to set up a 4-1 lead that lasted for most of the remainder of the game until the 9th when they tacked on an insurance run for the final score of 5-1.
Both Jake and Gonzo continued their outstanding years, the lightning fast center fielder getting three hits, including his 21st double and the first sacker adding a pair of hits, among which was his 20th double and a pair of ribbies to expand his league leading total to 57. Speaking of multi-hit games, The Dustman also had a trey. Perhaps the doctor's exam straightened out his knee so he could swing and move with less pain, the result being three hits. A gutsier guy you're not going to find anywhere!
From the mound, once Bucky left, he was followed by Bard, who produced a 2 K shutout inning, and then, by The Laser, who bettered that with a perfect inning, including a K.
The streak is now seven--and counting.

The Streaks Continue!

The Streaks Continue!
Well, since Game 2 in Yankee Stadium, when the Sox had their longest string of YS success since 1939, they played the last game of the series there and--WON AGAIN! This means that the Sox have now won six in a row in YS for the first time ever. Their other streaks, six games overall and seven in a row over the Stripes obviously continue unbroken. Last night's game was one that I had thought would never get started due to a 3 hour plus rain delay at the start. When it got to 7:30 pm here on the left coast, I figured that's 10:30 pm in My and that would mean a finish, barring long innings or extra innings of at least 1:30 am (as it turned out, it was closer to 2 am), and that wasn't going to happen. Wrong! So the Hose, again with a team effort, backing JB's excellent pitching (after the 1st inning) won the series finale 8-3. JB gave up the first two Stripes runs in the 1st, then shut the team down. However, CC was pitching for the Y's and doing just fine--only a single hit through six. However, this game, barring rain, is played for nine innings and in the 7th, Papi led off with a single. This was his first response to being hit by CC a few innings earlier. When next he stepped to the plate, it was still the 7th, and he finished off the seven run inning he'd begun with his single by driving in more with a solid, ringing two bagger. The teams finished out with each adding a single run in the 9th, final being 8-3. The Dustman missed the game for an exam of his knee in the Hub, an injury that he sustained a little while ago against the Birds that has been hurting him and his plate work. Fortunately, surgery is not necessary for now.

Post-Anniversary Update

Well, the last time I touched base, I mentioned I'd been pre-occupied with preps for my 40th anniversary. Since then, it happened and I was in Paris with my better half catching up on the Sox when possible in the pages of the International Herald Tribune. As it turned out, most of the news was bad for the first half of the week (the recent four game loss streak to Detroit and the Chisox), but got better for the rest of the week with the three game sweep of the A's. Moving on and at home now, I got to enjoy (presumably with all of you) the extension of that winning streak yesterday by the Hose over Mr. Hankie's Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Sox won 6-4, and while the pitching wasn't great, it was good enough. Lester became the first AL starter with 8 W's for the year, going just over six, but giving up three runs along the way. His game WHIP was adequate, being under 2, but he only picked up five K's. Not bad against his BB's as he only allowed one of those. Fortunately, we started well, leaving the first inning with a three zip lead on Jake's HR, Gonzo's trip and Yooouuukk's sacfly. After the Stripes picked up a single run off Lester, the Hose extended it to 4-1, and later to 6-3 on a shot by Papi.
Terry pulled Lester shortly after that and the pen looked good initially (if you ignore Jenks brief appearance), with Aceves holding the Stripes scoreless after completing Jenks' quick walk and Bard throwing a perfect 8th. Then, The Laser came on and allowed a run on a leadoff freebie to Jeter, followed by a hit by Posada. Once the run came in, the Evil Empire got a guy on second with A-roid coming up. Pap buckled down (A-roid has a decent history vs Pap)and closed him and the game out. Sox are now just percentage points behind the Stripes for the division lead.

Finally!!

Hi, everyone! Sorry I haven't been up to date with the latest few games the Sox played (ALL WINS), but I've been pre-occupied with my 40th Anniversary--gotta' know your priorities. Anyway, as I'm certain you all know, we're finally seeing the team we hoped for coming into the season. It looks as if the early April trials and tribulations were just the team getting itself together and growing into what was expected of it. Now, the pitching's good, even with two starters on DL, as Wake has stepped into a starter role again with fabulous command and Aceves has gone from middle reliever to starter and now has a pair of W's and a sub-3.00 ERA!The hitting has, overall, gotten better and more consistent, and even Crawford is starting to put out like he's worth (is anybody really?) that $142 mill. His performance in the past three games has been nothing short of world class! Jake is hitting near .300 and leads in swipes, followed by the Dustman and then Crawford, and to top it all off Papi and Gonzo are above .300, while Yoooouuukk has pushed his BA up into the .270's and is pasting the ball everywhere!
The last three games, 14-2,14-1 and 6-3 have been the immediate result, but they're merely representative of how the Hose have been going this month. They're a dozen of their last 14, three in a row. Also, they're finally in FIRST in the Division. Looking forward to more!

Getting Closer

Well, after a heartbreaking loss to the Tribe last night after taking a lead into the 8th, the Hose made up for it a bit tonight. Led by some more excellent pitching, both starting and pen, and supported by some timely hitting and baserunning, the Hose won against the team that currently has the best record in baseball. After the Indians took an early one zip lead over JB and the Sox, the Hub Heroes quickly struck back with a pair in the very next inning to go up 2-1 and grab a lead that they never relinquished. Both Crawford and Jake reached base, stole second and then scored on some bat work by, first Lowrie, sacfly, and then Gonzo, a solid two-bagger.Things remained this way with both starters stifling any offense until the Sox half of the 7th inning. At that point, Tek came to bat with Papi on second after a solid double. Wasting no time, the Captain unloaded on the first pitch he saw, dropping it into the cheap seats in right, 4-1, Sox. From there on, it was basically mop-up, with The Laser closing the door for his 9th save on the season. He wasn't perfect, but other than a 2-2 count home run to Travis Buck, he was more than good enough, and the Sox prevailed, 4-2.
Hill took the ball from JB in the 7th with two already gone and allowed just a single freebie over 1 1/3 innings, after which Pap came on and closed the door on any Indians hopes of another late game comeback, something they've done more often than anyone else in MLB this year. Big Papi was 2-4, both doubles and the Sox track squad continued to gain notice with Jake upping his league leading steals total to 16 and Crawford getting his 7th swipe. Add in the Dustman's existing total of 9 on the year and it's starting to look like a track meet.
Speaking of Dusty, his injury from baserunning last night, which indirectly was as much to blame for the Sox ultimate loss as the failure of Bard to hold a lead, didn't play tonight, and is listed as day-to-day. Hopefully, that's all it is and he'll be back in the lineup soon. With two starters on the DL, adding top position players is not a path I particularly want to see the Sox forced to follow. A repeat of last year is something no-one (unless you're a Stripes fan) wants to even think about, much less see.

Wake to the Rescue!

Well, after the seven game streak went to the dump in yesterday's 8th inning, Sox losing 9-3, today was a new day. Nationally televised ESPN Sunday Game of the Week and Wake replacing one of the DL'd starters. Aceves did a great job yesterday, but the pen failed the team. Tonight Wake came on and was absolutely masterful for six innings plus. In the 'plus' he began to get hit and gave up the Cubbie's sole run, but, overall, he'd completely dumbfounded the Cubs lineup with his knuckler. Throwing it 95% of the time tonight, he rarely got up to 69 mph. In fact, on a few occasions, the gun showed 59 as the velocity. This has two advantages. First, assuming the knuckler has its usual go anywhere characteristics, the speed is well below what most big league batters have gotten used to seeing since grammar school. It's like no-one knows when to swing because they're not used to waiting half an hour for the ball to reach the plate! The second good thing about this 'velocity' is that when a reliever finally comes in and takes the ball, it's usually going to be at a substantially higher rate of speed. In the case of the Hose, getting Bard and then Papelbon is like going from waiting for the bus to arrive to 'don't blink or you'll miss it'--all in the twinkling of an eye! Batters, if they ever get used to the floating, wait til next week, motion of the ball coming from a pitcher like Wake, have no opportunity to readjust to someone with near century heat such as that by the Sox setup and closer. It's almost cruel that they have to try!
Anyway, Wake allowed just four hits and walked no-one in 6 2/3 innings. What's even more amazing is that he only threw 75 pitches! In fact, he was under 60 entering the 6th inning! He's now in his mid-40's and hoping to pitch in the Bigs for at least another 4-5 years. If that flutterball stays effective, there's no reason why he won't. Late 40's pitching by knuckler pitchers is the rule rather than the exception. Just ask Hoyt Wilhelm, Charlie Hough and the few others who had heavy reliance on the pitch. All threw in MLB until just shy of their 50th B-day.

Once Wake left the game, Bard came on to sear Cubs bats with 98 mph heat for a perfect 1 1/3 innings and then The Laser followed in an effort that justified his above name. Other than a defensive swing double with one out, he was dominating, finishing the game with two K's.
Offensively, Yooouuk extended his hitting streak to ten games, while Gonzo went 4-4 and raised his BA to .342. The Dustman and Papi also each had a pair of hits. As a result, the Sox are now a half game out of first behind the Rays and the Stripes, and off to the MLB-leading Tribe for a series starting tomorrow night.

Mostly Good Pitching and Timely Hitting

Well, folks tonight's game has got to be the most frustrating one of recent weeks for JB. The poor guy's been pitching his heart out--looking like a champion--and all he gets is no-dee after no-dee. Tonight is just the latest example. He went six solid innings, allowing just a single early run, getting a game WHIP just over 1.0 and dropping his ERA another few notches to 1.73. When he left, he had a 2-1 lead, complements of JD, who got the first with a sacfly and the second with a shot into the cheaps in right. An inning later, Big Papi, who had a 3-4 night, also put one in the right field bleachers and JB looked a lock for the W. However, in today's world nothing's ever a lock.
In came Bard in the 8th to set up Papelbon and immediately gave up back to back HR's in the space of four pitches--tie score, blown save (not to mention a jump in his ERA to 3.52). One more no-dee for JB. Fortunately, there's about 3/4 of the season left and thus, plenty of time for him to pick up a bundle of W's.
Now it's the 9th and The Laser takes over. After getting the first batter on a simple grounder, he quickly gives up a pair of hits and a freebie BB. Bases loaded and only one out. A simple sacfly puts the Bengals in the lead, and in the 9th that's NOT what you want your closer doing. Not to worry. Pap digs deep, again really pitching (you regular blog followers know by now what I mean), and quickly puts the Tigers out of their misery--two guys, two K's, time for the post-game showers. The way Pap's throwing the ball this year when he has to, the Sox better be careful. The Pentagon may want to take his arm as a weapon and send it to Afghanistan! Those Hellfire missiles have nothing on his heater!
It's now a season high six in a row and with the Rays' loss, the Hose are just a game and a half out.
Beginning tomorrow, the Sox host the team that's gone even longer than the Sox' now ended 86 year Series drought--the Cubbies! Believe it or don't, their last Championship was over 100 years ago. Hell, the country didn't even have 48 states yet. WWI hadn't happened and Taft was in the White House. Here's hoping for more streak. A little concern is now we have two members of the rotation on the DL: the Diceman and Lackey. I sincerely hope this isn't the beginning of a repeat of last year.

Five and Counting--Pitching Counts!

Well, after the last Baltimore game, when the Dustman rocketed around the bases in the final inning to get the Sox all the way back to win after being down six zip earlier in the game was exciting! Contribs up and down the lineup and all received well deserved salutations. Tonight's series opener against the Tigers was equally exciting to watch, but, rather than offense, it was all from the mound. The starting pitcher for the Bengals had lost his last four or five in a row and sported an ERA well up in the high four's. Bucky took the ball for the Sox and continued his brilliance of late. As it turned out, he didn't get the W, but his states were sparkling--seven innings, only four hits and seven K's. His game WHIP was 0.714--in fact, the whole Sox mound crew tonight had a game WHIP collectively of just 0.67! When you take these last two wins, you're seeing at exactly what a potential champion team looks like when it can win no matter what the situation and with a different hero each and every night. This truly is winning baseball!
So, after seven full, it's still all zeroes and very few on either team are hitting. Coke, the Detroit pitcher (so help me, that's really his name), is matching Bucky zero for zero and being just as stingy with the hits. Bucky is looking good, even when he loads the bases on a single and TWO (no typo) hit batsmen in the same inning. Jam? Sure! What to do? PITCH! Buck does exactly that and, just as quickly, no jam any more.
Finally, with Crawford on base in the 8th, Salty bangs one off the Monster and what turns out to be the winning run crosses the plate. Bard comes in and gives the team a perfect inning, only one ball leaving the infield for an easy fly out. Ninth inning: The Laser comes on to close things out. He immediately gives up a leadoff double to former batterymate Martinez. You'll recall Victor left for the Motor City for $50 mill. He noted before the game that his time in Fenway was "by far the best of his career", but money talks and Bu......, well, you know the story. Anyway, after a pinch runner replaces him on second and is moved to third on an infield ground out, Pap channels himself of four years ago. In a situation where just a fly ball will tie the game and there is only one out, Pap decides that the answer to worrying about a sac fly or worse is to make certain the ball never leaves either of two locations--his glove or Salty's. Like Bucky in his jam, Pap pitches! Next batter: K! Final batter: K! Game over--Sox win! Seems simple, doesn't it.
Just like most people, I love to watch the guys tattoo the Monster or the other walls, but, I also like watching the team's moundsmen pitch--really pitch!

By the way, totally separate from present things Sox, last weekend was my grandson--Jenn's son's--2d birthday. Got him a hitting tee, and the kid's a natural! No coaching, nothing. He takes the bat and immediately swings like he's been watching Teddy Ballgame for 20 years! Check your swing, eye on the ball, SWING! The damn ball goes rocketing across the back yard! Is Scott Boras around?

A Sweep & A Fresh Start

Well, the Hose finally got to .500! First time all season, due to the horrendous 2-10start. But just as sweet as that is, is the way it was done--against Mr. Hankie's Yankees, at Yankee Stadium and after being down by 4-1 after just two. The Sox quickly tied it in there next turn at bat. Yoooouuuukkk drove a ball deep into the cheaps with a couple of guys on base and suddenly, it was four apiece. That's where it stayed for two innings until Big Papi turned on a Garcia offering and drove it about ten rows deep in right: 5-4 Sox. Then, in the 6th, the Sox added a run without a single hit. A couple of walks, a stolen base (Dusty's seventh) and an error by ARod, who apparently had decided to channel Billy Bucks, only at third, allowed Dusty to score. Unfortunately, the Stripes got that one back on A-Rod's double and an error in the outfield by Crawford that allowed a Yankee runner to score; Sox 6-5. Bard got out of the jam, nailing down the final out of the inning. Sharp he wasn't, but, as you've heard me say before, he really pitched at that point--he made the pitches he had to when they had to be made. After holding on through the 8th without a hit in an inning and a third, he handed the ball to The Laser to close out the game. True to expectations, that's exactly what Pap did. Starting by K'ing Granderson, he then got a weak popup from Texeira, followed by a game-ending groundout from A-Rod--save 7 on the year. All the time this is happening, I'm standing in front of the wall-mounted big screen, repeating, "Just throw it by him" over and over and over, as if Pap would try to do anything else. Seemed to work, though.
Although Lester wasn't sharp, he persevered through six to get his fifth W, getting 7 K's in the process, but allowing four runs, three on a pair of HR's in the 2d inning. With his four freebies added in, his game WHIP was a mediocre 1.5. But, like Bard later on, when he had to make pitches, he did just that. The result, the Stripes couldn't get anything serious going after the 2d. The Sox offense was concentrated in three players: Youuuukk (2-5 with a homer), Papi (3-5 with a homer and double, just missing the cycle by a triple) and Salty (2-4 with his final insurance run homer in the 8th).
Unfortunately, two Sox streaks ended in the game, both Gonzo's. His consecutive game streak came to an end at 21, and his consecutive game homer streak ended at four.
Back home tonight to host the Birds.

Sox Latest Run

Well, here we are again--almost back to .500--just a game under, in fact. After the season's lousy start, the Hose have had quite a May!So far, however, every time they've gotten within a game of the magic .500, they've managed to drop a couple of games or so. The last one was the two game Jays series--immediately after which they embarked for Mr. Hankie's multigazillion redo of the House That Ruth Built, The results so far were great--two games, two W's. The formula has been simple--the team as a whole has all been producing, led by a torrid homer and hitting streak by Gonzo, constant good hitting and base running by Jake and, overall, good steady pitching from the Sox rotation.
The first of the two played so far against the Stripes produced a 5-3 win, Bucky going deep into the game and leaving with a 5-1 lead. The lead was propelled by hitting across the lineup, highlighted by another Gonzo home run. Then, the pen, although not total in lockdown mode, made the pitches when it had to. Both Bard and Pap gave up a run to make things a little "squirmy" in the final innings, but they got the outs when it came down to closing the deal.
The second, yesterday's game was an outstanding example of hitting and pitching working together. Not quite as untouchable as in his last outing against the New Yorkers, JB nonetheless kept the Stripers from getting all the way around the bases, resulting in a second consecutive JB-started shutout against them. He got the W this time--no more no-dee's here--and the pen beautifully finished out the final innings, including a stint by a totally new name for the Sox. The hitting was there to back it as well. Gonzo, having been denied in his prior at-bat by CC, again to be the loser against JB, came up in the 7th with one run already in complements of Tek's hit. Two were on base and Gonzo didn't waste a lot of time extending his homer streak to four straight games. He took a 1-2 pitch and drove it about twenty rows deep into the cheaps. Instantly, the Sox lead had tripled--now six zip. It's Gonzo's fifth dinger spread over four consecutive games. Six zip is how it ended and so now the Fenmen are back to one under the magic number. Hopefully, tonight they'll get this particular monkey off their back and into its cage once and for all!