Finally, Out of Baltimore!

Well, after the first two games in the series with Baltimore, it was beginning to look as if the Hose were getting another run in their Sox, and not the kind they wanted. What was the most frustrating was Game 2 when, after coming back to tie in the 7th from a four run deficit, the Sox immediately surrendered the winning run in the very next inning to the O's. It was a combo of errant pitching and a passed ball by the usually steady Tek that set up the winner on 3d and it came home on a single.Then came game 3. After an early 1-1 tie, the Sox pushed ahead by a run, only to have one of Lester's very few mistakes bite him. In the 6th Vlad Guerrero deposited it in the cheaps and the score was once again tied, now at 2. This time, however, the Guys from the Fens went to work like they had in last week's streaks. With Lester continuing to pitch well (sub-1 game WHIP), the Hose pushed across a single run to retake the lead in the 7th, and salted it away with a trey in the 8th.Hitting by the Hose was spread throughout the lineup. Crawford got a double, a sign that maybe he is slowly coming around. Both Jake and Gonzo had three hit games, with the former getting a double and Gonzo doubling that total. Gonzo's now over .300 on the season and getting close to the league leaders in ribbies with 14. Though still in the nether regions of the division, they're showing some of the ability that pre-season predictions credited them with. Should be an interesting summer at the Fens. Seattle's in tonight for a weekend series.

The Streaks Continue!

Well, fellow Red Sox Nation citizens, the streaks by our Hose Heroes continued today with their seven zip thrashing of the Halos in Anaheim. In case you've not been paying attention here recently, today's win is the fifth in a row, eighth out of nine. Just as impressive, in putting together a staff ERA for the series of 0.60 (that's NOT a misprint!), the Sox have equalled the team record I mentioned yesterday for the most consecutive games where their starter has gone at least five innings and given up fewer than three runs. The now equalled record, dating to 1946, is nine in a row.
Heroes today obviously start with the Hose starter, Lackey, who still hasn't lost a game against his former team. Allowing six well scattered hits and just a single BB, he not only shut out the Angels, but put together a game WHIP of 0.875. As with the other Sox moundsmen, this continues the recent sterling performance of this outstanding staff. Offensively, Sox bats accounted for 11 hits, including the first homer by Carl Crawford in a Sox uniform, one of a pair of hits he had today. Looks like he definitely may be coming around. The other major off-season acquisition, Gonzo, also contributed heavily to the carnage today, getting three hits and driving two runs across the plate. Add in both Jake and Scoot each picking up a pair of hits and the glory was spread pretty well across the order. This is the kind of baseball we all were looking forward to coming out of the off-season wheeling and dealing by Theo. May it long continue!
And, for those of you who are used to this comment here, as well as those who are still used to reading the Herald in the Hub (For all I know, the Globe may also be using the format--it's been awhile since I've had my hands on one), tomorrow's sports page head will read Sox, C's Win. Congrats to the Celtics who swept the first round playoffs against the Knicks.

Rool Them Dice!

Based on the last couple of outings, it looks as if JB has some company in the "Return to the Real (insert pitcher's name)" game. Coming off his 9-1 win at the Fens last week against the Jays, the Diceman tonight took the hill against the Angels on the road. When the smoke (all his) had cleared, the Sox had a five zip victory, their seventh in eight games and fourth in a row! Dice was awesome! Everything he threw, the Halos came up craps. At the end of eight innings, he had 9K's against just three passes and only a single off his glove smash single in the 2d inning. His game WHIP was 0.5 and his K's to BB ratio was 3 to 1! Dice only has one game where he had more K's than this and that was just barely--10 K's!
Offensively, the Hose weren't looking bad either. Crawford had a pair of hits and a ribbie, Yooouuukkk was back from his temporary discomfort and got his 4th Hr of the year, a two run shot, while Jake had a couple of hits and a pair of swipes, giving him a fin for the year. I was wondering when he was going to get going and if this is it, this could be quite a larcenous season for the Sox when you add he, Crawford and Dusty together. A century's worth of swipes would not be out of the question.
In addition to that 7 of 8 mentioned above, the is the longest streak the Sox have had since 1946 (that's 65 years ago; also a League Championship) where they've had at least eight games in a row of the starter going at least five innings and allowing less than three runs. The team record is the 1946 Sox, who went nine in a row. We're not back to .500 yet, but looking better every day! Go Sox!

The Streaks Continue

Well, with tonight's win against the Halos, the Sox' latest pair of streaks continue. They now have won three in a row (and six of seven) overall and this is also their third consecutive road win. What started out as an apparently easy lead, the Hose up four zip after six, soon became an exercise in tension, a real schwitzbath as it were. Albers, newly returned to the Show, took over in the 7th for Lester, who'd done very well--four hits allowed, a pair of passes and eight K's over six, along with a game WHIP of 1.0 and a 4-1 K to walks ratio. Unsure why Terry felt the need to pull him at that point, but that's why he gets paid the big money and I just comment on it. Immediately, in just 20 pitches, he's given up a pair of hits and a run to the Angels--four two Sox. After adding nothing on offense in their half of the 8th, the Hose change hurlers and Jenks is left to face the Halos. He sees six batters, half of which get on and, along with a wild pitch of his own and a passed ball by Salty, two thirds of those come around to score before Jenks manages to pitch himself out of the trouble he's thrown himself into. Sox again try for some insurance in the top of the 9th, but the premium was too steep for them and it came down to the bottom of the 9th with The Laser facing the potent Halo lineup As it turned out, he wasn't perfect, but, other than a weak single, he closed things out masterfully, finishing with a K, and reducing his ERA once again. This, if I'm not off base (pun definitely intended) completely, is the Laser's fifth consecutive good outing--looking more and more as though the real Pap has finally taken his turn at the center of things.

Add in the Celtics rout of the Knicks in NYC tonight and tomorrow's sports header in the Herald is: Sox, C's win.

New Streak

Well, just as quickly as the first Sox win streak of the year ended, a new one (actually two) has begun and the Sox are also five of their last six. The Hose split the A's series with yesterday's 5-3 win over the A's. I had hoped to get to the game, but work wouldn't let go its tight grip on me.Anyway, more important, Bucky got the win in a decent, not overpowering start. He lasted into the 6th but as his WHIP was over two by then with a total of ten hits and walks, it clearly was time for the pen. The Sox led 4-1 at that time and when JD added the 3d Sox HR of the game, it was 5-1. The Hose held through the rest of the game, although Pap allowed a pair of 9th inning runs that made it interesting, though none of the hits were solid. When he had to, he pitched his way to the finish of the game and looked pretty good doing it.
Which brings us down the coast and to tonight's game. JB had the ball and was the JB of old once again. This is three straight great starts. In fact, he carried a No-No into the 6th before giving up a bloop infield single that he gloved but couldn't get to first before Aybar had crossed the bag. He tossed a strong eight innings, allowed just three hits and got five K's, against just a pair of free passes. Unfortunately, one of those three hits was a mistake: Torii Hunter rode it out of the yard to tie the game. Nevertheless, the game WHIP was 0.625, which isn't even close to shabby and JB's season ERA is still sub-2. The pen again had a great rest of the game. First Bard threw a perfect inning, followed by the same performance by Jenks. Then, The Laser came on and tossed a shutout inning with one K. That notches his fourth save of the young season.
As for offense, Dusty was 3-4, Jake drove in a pair, and Papi and Gonzo each had a double, the latter driving in the winning run in the 11th inning.
As already noted, the Sox began either one or two new win streaks: two wins in a row and two consecutive road wins. They stay in SoCal over the weekend.

The Streak Continues--and Ends

Well, yesterday at the Fens things kept going right for Bosox. With the Diceman pitching, and doing it quite well, the Hose opened up a nine zip lead over the course of the game. Included were three 'taters (Thanks, George), including one by the Sox sudden new team leader in long balls--Jake. Definitely a team effort, the Hose not only peppered the ball around the ball yard, they also saw some of the offense come from normally hot hitters who've been having problems so far this year. A good example: Yoooookk, who caught up to normalcy with a homer and double.Crawford still hasn't found his bat. Well, actually, he's found it; he's just not doing anything with it beyond failing to use it for its intended use. In addition to Jake & Yooooukkkk, JD also got a pair of hits. Lowrie added to his incandescent run of the past week, getting three more hits. Now hitting over .500. Then, we come to Dice. An abysmal performance hanging on in everyone's memory bank, there was real concern as to if Dice-K still had whatever it was that peaked in '07. Well, he answered the best way possible. Like JB against the Stripes just over a week ago, Dice was masterful. Gave up a single hit over seven and allowed few balls out of the infield. Even though Wake allowed a single meaningless run in the Jays' 9th, the game was a good way to run the streak to three.

Then, off to the left coast, where yours truly resides. I'm not the only one either. Every time the Sox come to Oakland, the number of true fans make it seem more like a Sox home game than an A's game. Tonight, however, wasn't a good one, and the win streak ended hard. The A's pitcher was sparkling, limiting the Sox to very little at bat. Lackey, for his part, was very good, allowing just a scratch run in the A's 1st and then niothing for the rest of his outing. So, going into the 9th, the Hose had a chance. Yes, they still trailed 1-0, but all it would take to convert the win would have been a few timely hits. Well, that's what did it. Unfortunately, the timelies were by the A's. In the 9th, they added four runs to basically salt away the W. Our guys went quietly. Well, tomorrow's a day game, and, though I'm not sure how I'll manage it, I'm hoping to get to the game early, maybe meet Remdog et al to push this blog (I can dream, can't I; I mean, after all, I'm a Sox Fan) and see the Sox split the short series.All depends on the work load at the office.

The Streak Continues--and Ends

Toronto Turning Point?

Well, after the Rays got done sacking the Sox, I was back in panic mode. Then Toronto came to town and it continued. But, suddenly in that 1st Jays matchup, a sign appeared! Although way behind, the Hose fought back gamely to close within a run. Although a loss is a loss, it showed some of that Sox guts that have come to characterize the team of recent years. The next two games were even better. First, JB came out and followed his Stripes win with one almost as good--three hits allowed and 9 K's in seven innings as the Sox won 4-1. Just as good, The Laser produced his third consecutive solid outing--the Pap of old. Both he & JB now boast ERA's at 1.80! Next Jays match had our heroes jumping all over the guys from north of the border from the get-go. Starting with Jake's third HR of the year, a 3-run shot, the Hose, pitched by Lester, made sure that they'd have the year's first winning streak. Finally closing out an 8-1 win with good help from the pen, the Fenmen finally are looking like what we wanted and were led to expect for the 2011 season. Yes, we're still mired in last and have the worst record in MLB, but the signs are definitely there. Now, a little production from Crawford and Dice and things may really begin to hum. Getaway game this morning--the traditional Patriots Day contest, scheduled so fans can watch the Sox win, hopefully, and then get to the Marathon finish a few blocks away just as the winner breaks the tape. Then, out here to the A's and I'm trying to juggle my schedule to go to the second of those contests.

This May Take Longer Than I Thought!

Well, here we were after taking a series from Mr. Hankie's Yankees, looking good doing it, and I thought we had finally started the season for real. In come the Rays, freshly shorn of Manny and with one of our former tormentors, Crawford, now on our side of the field. Before we're out of the 2d inning, it's seven zip--Rays, and going downhill from there. The Diceman rolled and got craps--for his two plus innings. Wake came on and held on for a while. Then he too got lit up. By the time the Hose got around to scoring, the score was the aforementioned 7-0, eventually ballooning to 12-2 by the end of six. It wasn't getting any better, even with Papi and Gonzo getting trips and Crawford and Youk getting two-baggers, the former as part of a two for five afternoon. Jake got a solo shot so late in the game it was meaningless.
True, an old friend, Damon, went 3-5, including a homer, but, as can't be anything but obvious by this date, was for the wrong side from our point of view. So much for old friends. At least he's no longer wearing pinstripes.Small consolation.Tomorrow Lester is scheduled to take the ball, and, if his last start is indicative, we should have a pretty good outing. Even though he was one of the first six losses, it was one zip and he was the real Lester. So let's keep our fingers crossed.
Gonzo's appearance in the lineup today was a relief. When he took a pitch on the hand yesterday and was in quite a bit of pain, all I could think of was, "Don't tell me 2010 is still here!" After last year's injuries, I can't believe that we could still be potential victims of that bug, but you never know.

He's (They're) Back!!

Well, after the Sox took the opener in the Stripes series, I was understandably overjoyed. I had visions of a sweep as the perfect medicine for what had been ailing the Hose. As it turned out, they lost game 2, but then came last nite! Beckett pitching against CC. Right from the first pitch of the game, you knew that the JB on the hill was the JB of a couple of years past--the one we've all been wishing and hoping for.EVERYTHING he threw was devastating! His heater was cranking along at 94-95, and with all kinds of movement; his cutter was surgical; and the curve--forgettaboutit! The 12-6 action was at least three feet in movement, top to bottom. No way you're going to hit that! When it was over, the man had allowed only two hits in 8 innings, gotten 10 K's against a single walk, and allowed just two balls out of the infield! Along the way, even though they had 16 LOB, the Sox picked up four runs, 3 coming late, and put the Stripes to sleep. Dusty got his third consecutive three hit game, and is now batting a nice round .400. Papi drove a ball as far as can be done without leaving the park, but it was a solid double & plated the last run.Then, though it wasn't needed, The Laser showed up. Second consecutive outing for a perfect inning with two K's. Great night!

Drought's Over!

Well, it had to happen--the 0 for all games season start is OVER! Even better--the streak ender came against the Evil Empire--Mr. Hankie's Yankees! Also, if you need more, the game was the Fenway season opener. The early innings were looking too much like the last week and change as the Sox and Lackey quickly found themselves on the short end of a 3-1 score halfway through the 32d inning. However, Sox bats quickly came to life en masse in their half of the 2d and by the time the smoke cleared, it was Sox 6, Stripes 3! Was the streak over? Not so fast! The NY crew slowly chipped away a run at a time until the score was tied 6 all after the top of the 5th. Sox response this time? Score a go-ahead run in their half of the inning. From then on, it was all Sox.While the pen held the Stripes in check, Jenks,Bard and Pap allowing no runs, the latter pair each throwing a perfect inning, the batting order kept stringing hits together in the 7th to expand the lead to 9-6, which is where it finished.
Hopefully, this is the start of the season for the Hose and they'll continue to play this way going forward. Dusty, Gonzo, Papi, Drew and Salty all had multi-hit games, with Dusty going 3-5 including his first 2010 homer.
Go Sox!

1996 Redux:Peter

Well, after this morning's game, the return to 1996 for the Sox is still continuing (and yes, I know that's a redundancy).If there is something good in today's one zip loss to the Tribe, it's that Lester was the Lester of the last couple of years, not, thank God, of the season opener last week! He gave up just 3 hits and got 9 K's, so his ERA is at least back in the respectable area of the mid to upper 3's.However, the hitting (WHAT hitting?) is still bordering on the non-existent, for the most part. Bard took the L, but even his stint was good as he gave up no hits, but unfortunately took the single earned run of the game.
This whole week's games is beyond horrible. When the team hits, the rotation gets lit up. When the rotation looks good, not very often so far, the order can't put wood on the ball. Now, in 1996, the last time the Hose opened 0-6, they finished 85-77, I believe, but no titles were won. This is supposed to be the favorite for the Series title! What the hell's going on? Truth be told, the final week and a half of Spring training, I started to worry as the Sox seemed to be losing virtually every game, and not by a little. But I then said, 'no big deal--it's spring training. Wait to regular season.' Well, I waited and look where we are! Tomorrow we get MR. Hankie's Yankees into the Fens. Hopefully, today's game is a start of a turnaround and in addition to this quality pitching, we get some offense.

An Abortion in Texas:Peter

Well, fellow Sox fans, the new season has begun, and I'm not quite sure who or what to blame for the abortion we've experienced so far. In this week's SI, the Sox were picked to win: the Division, the League and (beating the reigning Champions) the Series. Is it the SI jinx at work already? Is it the fact that I forgot to tear off the March page on my wall calendar so that the 'spirits' of baseball were still looking at Sox activity as Spring Training (the page has, by the way, been removed--last nite, in fact) and didn't count? I don't know which it is/was, but the first two games against last season's league champs have been just what the heading says!Fortunately, it's not the whole team. The hitting, both from the old stalwarts like Youk and Papi (2 HR's in 2 games), as well as at least one of the new signees (Gonzalez) has been all it's supposed to be. Crawford has yet to get a hit, but, hopefully, that will come.
What has been terrible has been the pitching! Lester, deservedly gets the ball for the opener and gets rocked and leaves without a single K. Still, Sox manage to hold to a tie at 5 as Bard takes the ball. When the smoke clears, Texas has a 9-5 lead, Bard has a 54.00 ERA and the final score is 9-5, Texas.
Yesterday, Lackey, a Texan who's never done very well in his home state, gets the call and with a 3-3 tie and 2 outs in the 4th, gives up six runs, including a Slam to last year's team mate, Beltre. The early relief, was no much better, and the Fenmen ended up losing this one 12-5. Meanwhile, Mr. Hankie's Yankees are in first two games up on our heroes. Today Bucky gets the ball, and hopefully, puts the proverbial sock (a big Red one) in it and gets things turned around.
Other items: very briefly, I had a panic over what almost became a repeat of last year with Jake. Chasing a deep fly to his right, he was rapidly closing with the Sox left fielder, his entire focus on the ball. The air controller in my psyche is screaming at the left fielder to get out of the way. Just as a collision is imminent, LF backs away and Jake makes a nice running catch.
Let's get this third game & get out of town and back to the Fens to face aforementioned Stripes.
By the way, as for this blog, we'll try to get you a regular running commentary on things Sox and the games, but this year, as Jenn is getting swallowed up by some really excellent cooking blogging and food writing, along with her entertainment writing, you'll probably see not as much of her commentary as you're used to. However, in keeping with the aforementioned, there very well may be a bite or two (pun definitely intended) on ball park food, which any regular attendee can now tell you has gone way beyond the basic traditionals of peanuts, beer and a hot dog.