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.