Another Traitor!!

Well, tonight the news ain't good! Following in the footsteps of Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens (OK, via Toronto here), and Johnny Damon, Ellsbury has gone 200 miles to the south--and all for money! The Yankees have reached a deal with Jake for seven years and $153 Million, subject, of course, to a physical. Mmmm, how to ruin a guy's early December! That works out to over $21.8 mill per year, or roughly 50% more than the Sox' qualifying offer of $14.1 mill. A tough loss--if he stays healthy. Remember, in 2011, he was in the top five for the MVP with a .300+ BA, 30 homers and over 100 ribbies. The next year he spent most of his time on the DL. This year he batted .298 and had 52 swipes of 56 attempts. He also was a team leader in the post-season, averaging over .338 for the total post-season with a good share of swipes and ribbies. I never want to wish someone bad luck, but if he goes in the very low .200's for the season (how about a serious flirtation with the Mendoza line?) and steals less than 30 bases, I won't be unhappy.
Where does this leave the Sox? Likely guess is that Vic moves to center and the Hose pick up a corner OF on the open market. Other major Sox free agents still on the market are Nap and Drew. The Sox already parted ways with Saltalamacchia, replacing him with Pierzynski at catcher.

Votes Are Now In and Farrell still Got the Shaft!!

Well, now I've seen at least partial vote totals and I still think Farrell got the shaft.  Apparently, the voting took place before the post-season was played, so all of Farrell's achievements EXCEPT (and that's a very important except) winning the AL East were not considered. But, even on that basis, isn't a complete turnaround from 2012's last place to this year's Division title worth something? Francona did get the Tribe into the playoffs for the first time since 2007, but only as the second wild card! Terry won by a total vote margin of 16 points on a 5-3-1 method of counting, including 16 of 30 first place votes cast for Terry versus 12 for Farrell.

UNBELIEVABLE! Terry Wins Manager of Year Over Farrell!

I haven't seen the vote totals yet, but the unbelievable just occurred. Even though John Farrell led the Sox from a 2012 last place finish that had 93 losses under Valentine to a 2013 finish that had them win the Division, A. L. pennant and the World Series, he finished second to Terry Francona. Terry, in his first season back since leaving the Sox after 2011's late season collapse, got the Indians back into the playoffs as the second wild card team for the league. How that, as good as it was, even comes close to beating what Farrell accomplished with the Sox this year boggles the imagination! Talk about an injustice!

Papi Wins Silver Slugger

Well, this is a first for the blog! Three posts on the same day! Awards will do that for you. Tonight the Silver Slugger awards were given out. They are given to the best offensive players in each league at each position. For the sixth time, Papi won as best at Designated Hitter. His BA of over .300, attached to 30 homers and 103 ribbies was what gave him the award. Congrats to Big Papi! That can go up on the trophy room shelf right next to his World Series MVP trophy.

More On MLB Awards

Further to my earlier comments today on the post season awards, the following is the announced schedule for all of the major awards (both leagues).
Beginning with Monday, November 11 (Veterans Day as well): Rookie of the Year. Wednesday, November 13: Cy Young. Thursday, November 14: MVP. The BBWAA, the association of baseball writers who vote for the awards announced their three finalists in each category, and none of them is with the Sox. As previously announced in this blog, the only Sox nominee for an award that has been announced by the BBWAA is Manager of the Year, with Sox manager John Farrell among the three nominees.

I haven't yet seen a date or announced finalists for Exec of the Year, but it would seem very logical that Sox GM Ben Cherington should get strong consideration based on the team he assembled in the off-season, as well as picking up Jake Peavey at the trade deadline to help the Sox get to their final positions as (in chronological order):  AL East Division Champ; AL Champ; and World Series Champ.

Awards Begin Next Week

Well, the season's done; Sox won the World Series, and we now wait until February, 2014 for the start of Spring Training. What is the Sox fan or baseball junkie to do? Simple! Wait for the awards! Specifically, and in no particular order, MVP, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, Manager of the Year, Exec of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year (don't suppose the last one could be given to a team do you?).
Manager of the Year is announced next Tuesday, November 12. Early named candidates in the AL include our own John Farrell and the A's manager, who won last year, as well as Terry Francona. We'll bring you the name of the winner as soon as it's announced, but I'd be way more than damn surprised if it were anyone other than Farrell.

Worst to First in a Year--SOX WIN SERIES!!

Beyond that title, there's not much to say that counts. This team last night finished what it has done all year long--play as a team, many heroes, lots of marvelous play and, most important, provided support and a foundation on which Bostonians and Red Sox Nation can bond. The win last night just caps all of this off. How fitting it was that in this finale, it was Vic who got the ball rolling, just as he did to the Tigers in that clinching game. It was equally fitting that even when the Cards' manager finally figured out that it probably would be a good idea to walk Papi rather than pitch to him, Papi still managed to lead the team's victory from those freebies deliberately dealt him. Jake added a couple of hits and The Dustman was, as usual, spectacular in the field, which brings us to the final inning. Koji was, even with the lone single he allowed, as good as ever. The Cards' best RISP hitter at the plate, trying desperately to keep them alive, and Koji delivered. Strike three; take a seat on the bench, Mr. Carpenter. This is our fucking city, as Papi had declared right after the atrocities of April 15, and we're keeping it!(along with the Commissioner's Trophy)!
Papi deservedly got Series MVP. He was so far beyond amazing, words cannot express. The team was wonderful--every night when someone needed a boost, a different member of the team was there to deliver.
So the season is now over, but Spring Training is only 3.5 months away. We'll see the season awards, some of them (Manager of the Year, Exec of the Year) pretty obvious. Will Papi get the MVP? We'll have to wait and see, but one thing is certain: in this Bostonian's heart he is every bit the MVP not just for the baseball game(s), but for the City, the nation and the World--truly an inspiration!
Wish I were in The Hub this Saturday to see the parade.

Lester, Koji Awesome--Sox Close to Within One

Tonight was a classic example of the Red Sox season.  The Sox outhit the Cards, nine to four. spreading the wealth from top to bottom of the lineup. The pitching was fully worthy of what you'd expect from John Farrell staff. It started quickly with The Dustman and Papi getting back to back doubles to score the first run of the game.  Lester held that lead until what was probably his one mistake, in the 4th, was taken deep by the Cards' Holliday. The game rolled steadily along, Wainwright doing his best to deny the Sox with what would ultimately total ten K's through seven, but in the 7th, the Sox broke the tie and drove home a pair for what would be the final, 3-1. The pitching was unbelievable! Lester picked up 7 K's in 7 2/3 and allowed not a single freebie--NONE! If that wasn't enough, fairly early on, with the Sox clinging to a paper thin one zip margin, a Card already on first and a bunt hit to JL's left, he couldn't possibly get the lead runner and getting the batter at first was at best going to be close. What does Lester do? OmyGod! What did he do!? He scooped up the ball, running toward first, with his bare hand and lobbed it over the batsman's head to Papi at first, just beating out the batsman for the out. Anyone who thinks Lester can't defend his position needs their head examined. Add this play to the glove throw he made against the Tigers in the ALCS and you've got Pedroia in Lester's body! By the time he left in the 8th, his WS ERA was a microscopic 0.59--the fifth lowest ever of any pitcher in the Series with at least 75 innings pitched. Then came Koji--and what else do you really need to know?
Then you have Papi. Until he made an out in the 6th (on a long fly to straight away center, however), he had tied (in the 4th) the all time Series record for consecutive times reaching base. The record, by Hatcher in the 1980's, is nine consecutive times reaching base. His line for the night was three for four, including the aforementioned two bagger in the first. The closest to the nine in a row is eight held by some guy named Gehrig back in the 1920's. Gehrig--wonder who he was--Oh, yes, Hall of Fame; held record for consecutive games played and had 493 career HR's until the disease named for him took him away from us. Pretty fancy company Papi's hanging with. The Sox DH/first sacker is 11 for 15 so far in this Series, an unworldly .733 for a batting average! Then, the final frosting on the cake--the bottom of the order gets together and adds a pair of final runs from Ross's ground rule double, assisted in the end by Ellsbury as they round to the top again.
What now? Now back to Fenway for Game 6, Lackey taking the ball. They are in a similar situation now to where they were against Detroit just over a week ago: back to Fenway leading 3-2, but knowing that the fact they have two chances for the ring doesn't mean they can back off. They have to keep coming just the way they have all season.  Two chances? Like Hell--don't wait--finish the job as soon as possible!

Uehara Picks--Sox Even Series!

Well, this makes two consecutive sudden heart stopping endings in this Series! After last night's debacle, the Sox had to come away with a win. To complicate matters for the team, Bucky, tonight's starter told John Farrell before the game that he wasn't feeling totally right and had "one more start" left in him. So, he went to the mound to try and give the Sox as many innings of good pitching as possible, with as little damage as possible. He did all that and more! Although he lasted just four innings, he allowed a lone unearned run in the 3d after an error by Jake in right center trying to field a St. Lou hit. Other than that, he limited the Birdos to a total of three hits and a like number of freebies, balanced against a pair of K's.  The Sox pulled even in the 5th on a leadoff double by Papi, followed by a pair of passes and a sacfly from Drew to knot the score.
Meanwhile, Doubront, already having pitched last night, came on to pick up Bucky and went 2 2/3 innings, at one point retiring eight straight Cards batters, while only allowing a single run. He also grabbed three K's, and ended up the man with the W on the evening. His WHIP on the evening was an incredible 0.375. When you add in tonight's performance to last night's, the man has done an awesome job!  Other than the one double that led to the lone run he surrendered, he was virtually untouchable. When he finally became touchable, Tazawa came on and slammed the door on any further Cardinal activity for the moment--inning over!
However, before all of this happened, the Sox turned things around offensively in the 6th. Two men on, Gomes comes up, not yet having a hit in the Series. Even the team unbeaten streak in playoff games he starts ended last night at seven in a row. What to do?! Start a new streak! What else! On a 2-2 count, he takes aim, swings and drives the ball on a high, no-doubter arc off the back wall of the Sox pen--Sox, 4-1! An inning later, after Dubront and Tazawa finish, the score is still in the Sox favor, but now 4-2. Lackey, in his first relief appearance since 2004, and no, not for the Sox then, comes on and throws a perfect inning. End of 8th and still 4-2, Sox. After the Sox finish their half of the 9th, Uehara comes on and quickly sandwiches a pair of outs around a deep single by last night's winning run scorer of the Cards. Then, the Cards baserunner is replaced by a very good baserunner, Wong. The man has great speed and is very tough to throw out on a steal. Solution? Simple if you're Koji Uehara. Pick him off! It all happened so fast that the pickoff was done and the inning (and the game) was over before you could even fully grasp the fact! The replays clearly showed how good Koji's move had been though. Usually, a successful pickoff is a matter of inches. In this case, Wong was nailed a good foot and change off first when the tag was artfully applied by Nap. I'm not sure if a Series game has previously ended this way, but if it has, you can be certain it hasn't happened very often. 
With the game in hand, the Sox have now regained the home field advantage and are even in the Series at a pair of games apiece. A win tomorrow would leave them in the same place they were after Game five in Detroit in the ALCS--and wouldn't that be sweet!

Game 3: Cards Literally Steal Game--With Umps Help!

Tonight's game was a nail biter all the way. But the finish was stolen from the Sox! The Ump, De Muth (same guy who made that idiot call at second against the Sox in Game 1), called obstruction against Middlebrooks as the Birdos allegedly scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th, which would make the team from St. Lou the winner--EXCEPT FOR ONE SMALL THING THAT NO-ONE TALKS ABOUT--the Cards baserunner, who was tagged by Salty BEFORE he reached home, NEVER TOUCHED HOME PLATE!! He didn't touch before the tag, during the tag or after the tag. When Salty applied the tag, the runner was over a foot shy of the plate, and after lying there, still without touching the dish, he left the field without touching it. Unless someone can show me a replay with the runner touching the plate, he NEVER SCORED--because one of the basic rules of baseball is to score, YOU MUST TOUCH THE PLATE! So he didn't score because he never touched home! Even with the obstruction call, if you agree with it, he still had to touch and failed to do so. So, in reality, the game should be in the top of the 10th, Sox batting, score still 4-4. This blown call by De Muth is as bad as Don Denkinger's  a number of years ago against the Royals. Definitely NOT the way a World Series game should end, no matter who the winner is.

Sox Win Game One: Lester Throws Gem; Sox bats Hot; Cards Help With Three Errors

Well, this Game 1 was not as close as the Game 1 against the Cards was in 2004. That one ended with a Sox win, 11-9.  Tonight, there was a bit more margin, 8-1, Sox. In fact, it was eight zip, Sox until Dempster allowed a solo shot by Holliday in the 9th. Lester was awesome, allowing just five scattered hits and a walk in 7 2/3 innings, for a game WHIP of 0.78, while allowing no runs.
Meanwhile, the Hose were accumulating runs from the 1st inning on. They picked up a quick trey when a Sox double play grounder instead was muffed by the Cards SS, leaving the bases loaded for Nap to come and try to beak on top. The umps had at first ruled that the Sox runner going to 2d was out and that the Cards fielder had dropped the ball trying to do the relay throw to finish out the DP. However, after what seemed like a dozen video replays of the play, followed by a discussion among all umpires working the game, the call was reversed and the Sox had bases loaded with just one out. It then took a swing by Nap to empty the bases even faster than they'd been filled, and give the Sox a three zip lead in the 1st.
As the game progressed, the Sox good fortune continued. In their half of the 2d, Drew hit a high infield pop that the Cards hurler, Wainwright, called for. However, their catcher, Molina, ran out to try for it and both guys backed off and it fell untouched not quite halfway to the mound for a hit. Shortly after, Pedey drove in a run, and Papi brought in the 5th Sox run on a sacfly to the deepest part of right field that was caugfht by Cards right fielder Beltran as he smashed into the low bullpen wall. He later left the game due to severe bruising of his ribs and was taken to the hospital for A-rays and examination. As for Papi, he later got a pair of hits, the second of these being his 16th career HR in the post-season for another pair of runs.
As for the Sox symbol of the year, the beard, in addition to all of the players wearing beards, many fans had costume versions of all shapes and sizes, including a few worn by women that were shocking pink.
Lackey goes tomorrow against Cards wonder boy Wacha.

Sox Going to Series!!!!

The Headline above says all you really have to know about tonight's game. The details are not necessary. Basically, the two highlights of note were Victorino's 7th inning game winning slam over the Monster, and Koji's continuing near invincibility. Beyond that, it was a typical 2013 Sox team effort. Everyone had a part; everyone contributed; and the whole team ,organization and Red Sox Nation benefited. John Farrell has done a masterful job taking over all of the diverse parts of this team and making them work. As I said a few weeks ago to my brother when he said the problem he has is that the team is all "spare parts", even a Porsche needs spare parts from time to time. But once they're assembled in the right order nothing beats the result.
CONGRATULATIONS to all. Now, on to the Series!

Sox Score Early--Pen Makes It Count

Well, tonight, for the first time in the ALCS, the Sox not only scored first, they had a big inning. Sending eight men to the plate, they started off with a missile to dead center by Nap that stopped flying when it was 460+/- feet away and well beyond the fence--one zip, Sox. As the progression of Sox batters continued, they added on another three runs, just missing a fourth when Ross tried to score by colliding with the Bengals' catcher--just sheer brute force. The Tigers player managed to hold the ball for the out, but he was injured enough so that he had to leave the game a couple of innings later, being replaced by Pena, who was not as good. This would help the Hose as things moved on. The Sox added a fourth run in the following inning on a wild pitch from Sanchez, making their lead four-zip. Sanchez wasn't bad; he just wasn't even close to what he'd been in Game 1. The lead stayed there as the game progressed through one more inning, but in the 5th the Tigers broke through, getting a single run. They duplicated this output twice more in the following two innings, leaving the score at 4-3, Sox after seven. From there on out it was the Sox pen against the very potent Tigers lineup. First Tazawa gave up the Tigers' third run, but limited the damage by getting Cabrera to ground into a no outs, men on the corners DP that effectively ended that threat. This was the third Sox DP of the night. Tazawa had induced an equally amazing DP the previous inning with two men on, and a run in to end that inning. In the 7th with the two from the DP gone, Breslow came on and got Fielder to harmlessly ground out. He duplicated this feat with Martinez leading off the 8th, and then gave way to Uehara, who would go for a rare five out save.
KU wasted no time in KO'ing the Tigers, getting K's on both batters he faced in the 8th. After a Sox threat in the top of the 9th to add insurance came for naught, KU continued his KO by setting down the three Tigers batters he faced in the 9th, thus simultaneously avoiding having to face Hunter and Cabrera with men on, and slamming the door on the Tigers. Sox go home up three games to two. Bucky is set to face Scherzer on Saturday, and IF necessary, Lackey will face Verlander in what would be the Sunday finale.
Sox heroes tonight: the team. Special emphasis goes to Nap, for a three hit night, starting with his shot and followed by a ground rule double, Ross, who was two for three and Pedey who also had a pair of hits. Jake gets mention even though he was 1-4, as he maximized the results of that. He picked an early ribbie in the important 2d inning and later on added a pair of swipes, his 5th and 6th of the post season.

Boston Strong--Sox Win in Motown!

Well, I know you haven't seen much here since the end of the regular season. I've been running around counting penguins, blue footed boobies, tortoises and iguanas in the Galapagos Islands, and getting playoff results ain't exactly easy, given the logistics, internet reception, and time differences (depending exactly where you are at a particular moment). Thanks to texting, I was aware of the results of each Divisional playoff, but few details, other than Papi's pair of shots. Same story in the first two games for the AL crown vs. the Bengals.
Which brings me to the title, Boston Strong. For years, decades, in fact, there has been a phrase that fully expressed the Celtics and their unrelenting drive to win, even in the worst of situations. That phrase is "Celtic Pride". Well, starting this season, a new phrase has arisen in Boston sports to rival Celtic Pride as an expression of a team's determination to never give up, and, more important, to press on for the win, no matter what the obstacle. That new phrase is BOSTON STRONG.  Created in the aftermath of the devastating bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon as a way to rally the spirits of the Hub and, in turn, its sports fans, it has been as constant as the Northern Star in guiding Sox fans and the team they loyally follow, all spirit directed at victory, no matter what.
How else to describe Papi's grand slam in Game 2 against the Tigers two days ago, which tied the score after the Hose had been down, first five zip, and then, 5-1, and looking at a possible two zip game deficit? Even better, what else could it be than Boston Strong that lifted Nap's game winning shot into the right center cheaps at Comerica Park tonight in spite of the gem-like offerings of the Bengals' starter, Verlander?
There the Sox were, few hits and fewer opportunities, as Verlander kept tossing up K's, ultimately 10 in all. Finally, after being among those ten Verlander K's earlier on in the game, Nap worked the count to 3-2. Finally, a pitch in the high end of the zone and out over the far corner of the dish; a pitch that allowed the Sox first sacker to get full extension of his arms and, POW! It's even more interesting that Nap got it. This is because his first career homer way back when he was a rookie came against the same Justin Verlander.
Offensively, the rest of the lineup didn't produce much, merely three hits. But that run turned out to be enough. Bolstered by a start by Lackey that was almost as sparkling as Verlander's, with 8 K's in 6 2/3 innings and just a walk free four hits allowed, and followed by its very good pen. Breslow and Tazawa between them allowing a single hit and a pair of freebies over an inning of work, were then followed by Uehara for a four out save. He allowed a hit, but simultaneously nailed a pair of K's while facing three of the four most dangerous Detroit hitters. Boston Strong, indeed!

Regular Season Ends--On to the Playoffs!

Well, it was not a great way to finish what was, overall, a memorable season for the Sox. The team lost a pair to the O's after leading early in both. The final game had the Hose u0p five zip until the last of the 5th and then were ties at five and in the next inning behind 7-5, the final being 7-6. The Sox outhit the O's, but were unable to get the timely hit that would have given them their 2004-equalling 98th win. The two losses to the O's meant that the Birds are the only AL East team to win the season series against the Hose. Yesterday, Lester's outing was mediocre at best, while today's starter was Webster, who entered with a nine plus ERA, and pitched as if he were an ace, going three no-hit innings and leaving with the lead. After continuing the on-going shutout through the 4th, Dubront started the 5th and lasted just another third of an inning. When he left, he'd allowed five hits and a pair of passes, leading to five O's scores. In the Birds' 6th, first Thornton and then Demp each surrendered a run, accounting for the Birds' scoring for the day.
The Sox added one in the 9th to make it close, but, as we all know, close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades, neither of which was in the mix today at the park.
On a positive note, both Jake and Berry added homers and Berry also had his third swipe of the year, not bad when you remember he's only been up for a few weeks. Assuming the Sox keep Jake after his free agency, can we possibly see a fairly regular outfield including both of them, with Danny Nava in the third slot, all backed by occasional relief from the very clutch Gomes? 
Well, now that it's final, we look to the post-season and the AL wild card situation is not quite final. Three teams, the Tribe, the Rays and the Rangers, are all within a game of each other, Terry's Indians at the top of the pack. So, we could have a clearly defined pair for the wild card, or we could, at the other extreme, have a three way tie for the two slots, with the final determination being established by extra playoff games before the real playoffs begin late in the week. Really be something to see Terry back at the Fens facing the Sox. With the A's loss yesterday, the Hose have home field advantage throughout the AL League championship series.

Lackey, Sox Lack It vs. Rox

Well, the Sox winning streak of at least six games against the Rockies is over. Lackey took to the hill tonight and, although his numbers for the most part were winnable (is there such a word?), he made three bad pitches and paid--with three shots to the cheaps. Hose never recovered from the early onslaught, and lost 8-3. Of the few positive things tonight, Salty got a homer of his own and Bradley, continuing his very late season surge, got a hit and a steal. He's approaching the Mendoza line, in fact.
For those asking what difference it makes for the final few games since the Sox have clinched the Division, there are two reasons why it makes a great difference. First, the team with the best won-lost record entering the playoffs gets home field advantage through out the league playoffs. That, at the moment, is the Sox. But they're only one game ahead of the former Sox-laden A's for that honor, and missed a great opportunity tonight to expand that lead as the A's were beaten by the Halos down in LaLa Land, three zip. There are four games to go, and the Sox should not miss this opportunity. While they certainly have acquitted themselves well in road games, even against other playoff teams and contenders, their home record is one of the best in baseball this year.

Sox Win East Division Title!!

That about says it all for last night's game at the Fens. This is the first Division crown for the Sox since 2007, and we all know what came next then--a World Series championship! As for individual feats, Lester continued his second half brilliance, going seven and allowing only one hit. When he got in an early jam he really pitched out of it, going from bases loaded no outs to two on with two gone to out of the inning unscathed. Offensively, the team was led by Pedey, with  three  hits in 5 at bats, Bard, with three ribbies and two hit games from both Salty and Nava. Papi also picked up another ribbie on his quest to the century mark. From the Sox pen, after Tazawa gave up a two run shot to get the Jays within three, The Ninja came in to beat the Jays to death with his repertoire. He got a five out save allowing no further damage and closed the door, thus putting the exclamation point on the Sox Division Title.

Back to the Post-Season!!

Well, it took four years, but the Sox are officially BACK in the POST-SEASON! The year's not yet over. There are still eight games to go in the regular season, and still other goals to reach and achieve. But this clinch tonight is oh, so sweet after the increasingly sever travails of the last three years. If anyone's memory requires refreshing, 2010 looked promising--until a record string of injuries gutted the lineup and left the Hose just short of the playoffs. The next year, 2011, should be spoken of with a spit on the ground--it was the great collapse, when what appeared a 'sure thing' for the Sox entering September became a punch in the collective stomach of Red Sox Nation and no playoffs. That led to Terry's "departure" and stories of beer and fried chicken. Then, as if the aforementioned weren't bad enough, 2012 arrived and with it Bobby Valentine, who from day 1 showed the direction his reign and the team's fortunes would follow--a very steep dive into the cellar and the worst Sox won-loss record since 1965 (that's 47 years for those of you who played hooky during math class)!
But 2013 began with a hopeful move. John Farrell was obtained as manager, and he re-established the spirit that Terry had fostered during the early 2/3 of the last decade. All of this led to tonight--as a first step only--and the return to the post-season. It has been a collection of many things. Jake has played almost as well as in his 2011 season, not so much power, but all of the speed on the bases. The Dustman has been The Dustman, hovering near .300 all year in spite of a thumb injury that happened on day 1 and would have sidelined anyone else for weeks, if not months. His leadership has been all Pedey as well. Papi, in spite of missing most of the first month and change with painful heel issues, has so far produced 28 HR's and 96 ribbies, and seems likely to pass 30 and 100 even without that lost time. Also, his season BA has remained over .300, and, barring a final slump, will finish there.
Pitching: Farrell's special expertise: Lester returned to his old form, particularly down the stretch. Lackey has come back from his lost season with elbow surgery to post a mid-3 ERA and look like the hurler he used to be, including his 16th career complete game tonight, a two hit, two walk gem, in which the first O's hit didn't come until the 7th. The Sox picked up Peavey at the trade deadline, and he's also provided solid innings to help the overall effort. The pen has, overall, been awesome. Exemplifying how the Sox refused to give in to adversity, when both closers they'd acquired in the off-season went down with season ending arm injuries, they gave the job to Uehara. He responded with a vengeance, at one point running off 37 straight outs.
There are too many other stories that make up important parts of this year so far, but you get what I'm saying. They're back and it was definitely worth the wait. My brother has continued to say all year that while he's very happy, the team still looks like a bunch of "spare parts". Well, Phillip, sometimes a machine needs a few spares to get running properly again, and it certainly looks as if the mechanical team of Cherrington and Farrell have a garage that would give the folks at Porsche a run for their money.
Tonight: aside from the already mentioned complete game victory by Lackey, everything came for the Sox in the 2d. In rapid succession, JD's little brother took the first pitch he saw into the center field cheaps to score himself and Salty ahead of him. This shot was followed by Jackie Bardley getting a solid two bagger, setting himself up to his eventual score when Pedey drove him in with a base hit. That was the offense for the Sox tonight, and it was enough. With the Rays' loss to Texas, the Hose now lead by nine with eight to play.

Uehara's Streak Gone

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. After 37 consecutive outs, Sox closer Koji Uehara finally was reached. I'd hoped that he would have made it into record territory, but it wasn't to be. Every closer in history, whether it was Rivera , Gagne or Eck eventually gets taken down, if only for the moment. The Sox proved that with Rivera, who, although the greatest closer in MLB history, somehow was more susceptible to Sox bats than any other team. Tonight it was Koji's turn. The Birds' Valencia led off the 9th with a triple, removing any doubt as to how much longer the streak would last. Then, the very next batter sacflied his pinch runner home with what would be the winning run. With that, Koji started a new streak by not only getting the fly out, but also retiring the next two batters on a grounder and a K. Three and counting. As the Hose only were able to muster a total of three hits the entire evening, one of them a leadoff 1st inning shot into the cheaps by The Dustman, the outcome was not too difficult to predict. Even so, the Sox had the tying run, Salty, on base in their half of the 9th, but couldn't get him home.
On the bright side of things, the Sox swiped three bases, two by Drew, and cut their magic number by one as the Rays also lost to remain nine back with only ten to play for the Sox. The Rays have a dozen left, I believe.

Farewell, MO -- Sox Sweep Yanks!

Well, tonight is an unusual one for Duffys. We've got a pair of things to cover, one the game and one the last time ever of one of baseball's all time greats at the Fens.

Covering the latter first, tonight was scheduled as the final possible time Mariano Riviera would ever pitch at Fenway, barring a post-season appearance if the Stripes were to get that far. So, the Hose had a special pre-game ceremony to recognize the man and his achievements. Yes, he is a member of the Evil Empire. Yes, there have been times when he  closed out a NY victory over our Sox. But, more important, he's the best ever at his position, bar none; and he's also a true gentleman--in my Yiddish parlance, a mensch. Unlike some other stars in the game today (I needn't name names--they're known to all), Mo does his job. He gets called, he pitches and more often than not, he shuts down the opponent. Period. He's done it 651 times in regular season and 42 times in the post-season, the latter number being interesting as it's his uniform number. By the way, the number's being retired when he leaves as well because it's Jackie Robinson's and MLB decreed that after any current player wearing it had retired, the number would be permanently retired in honor of Jackie. Even that is fitting that the last player to wear it is Mo. So, before the game began, the Sox had an on-field presentation ceremony for him. The entire team assembled on the field and, with Pedey, Papi, Lester and Uehara making the presentations, the Sox gave him a painted portrait of him celebrating a save, a Fenway seat from 1934 that had his number, 42, on it, an autographed bullpen rubber, and, perhaps best of all, his Green Monster pitcher's number. What that last item is, is a solid steel plate about two feet square that has his uniform number on it. As the scoreboard at the Fens is a manually operated one, whenever a pitcher enters a game, at Fenway or at any other game anywhere, their number is hung next to their team's name on the board. When they're replaced, the relieving pitcher's number replaces theirs. The numerals are painted in white against a background of, what else, green. Mo's was presented to him and it had an extra that no other numbers have. It was autographed by every member of the Sox.  If all of this weren't enough, the managing brain trust owning and operating the team then appeared and gave Mo a check, amount unannounced, but you can be certain it's substantial, as a donation from the Red Sox foundation to the school for disadvantaged children that Mo's foundation has established in his home nation--Panama. Ceremony over, the game then began. But throughout the evening, the camera kept returning to the Yankee bullpen area where Mo could be seen patiently autographing anything and everything that fans thrust at him. It was always a smile, a signature, best wishes and move on to the next one. No fees for the autographs were charged; no-one was refused; and everyone was happily satisfied. Because the Stripes never got close enough to warrant his appearance on the mound, he finished the Fenway portion of his career in the pen.  But he will never be forgotten. When the game was over, and all players had departed for their respective locker rooms, where was he to be found? Still standing in the Stripes' pen, pen in hand and still patiently signing autographs: a smile, a signature, best wishes and on to the next. He truly is one for the ages.
Now, as for the former item, the game, Sox swept the series, the victory being the sixth of the last seven games they've played the Stripes. Bucky was making his second start since coming off the DL and he wasn't particularly sharp for the first few innings. But, as he got into the 5th and 6th, he got better, until he looked so good in the 6th (his last), there was open discussion if he might not be allowed to go further by Farrell. However, Farrell isn't considered a master at handling pitchers for nothing. Bucky was gone since the start of June and is just coming back into regular rotation. No reason or need to push him too far, too fast. He gave up a lone unearned run in the top of the 1st due to his own error, a misguided pickoff attempt at first sending the runner, Granderson, to third, followed by a ground ball out. Including the original walk that got the Grandy Man to first to begin with, Bucky allowed just a pair of hits and four passes, while taking down four by K. He gets his 11th win, and reduced his ERA to a minuscule 1.51, the opponents' BA dropping to .190.
Having started off behind for the first time in a few games, the Hose then wasted no time at all getting even and reclaiming the lead. In their half of the 1st, they quickly started the ball rolling. After a leadoff out by Pedey, Nava reached on the first of a pair of doubles, a part of his four hit evening. He was followed by a ribbie single from Papi, who, in turn, was plated by a solid shot to the center field cheaps by Nap. Suddenly, it's Sox three, Stripes one, and it got better (or, if you root for the Evils, worse) from there as the evening progressed.
The final was 9-2, Sox, and the second Yanks run was in the 9th on a defensive indifference advance, followed by a base hit. But that was it for the night. Sox leaders tonight included Nava's aforementioned four hits and Nap's homer. Also important were Papi's pair of RBI-producing hits and Bogaert's pair of hits, a two bagger included. The win put the Sox at a new season high 33 games over .500, and left them 9.5 games over the Rays, who lost today, with eleven to play. I'd misquoted games left last night as eleven when it correctly was a dozen. But after tonight, it really is just eleven. The W was also the Sox' 17th out of 20 games, a winning percentage of .850.

Early Barrage Supports Lester Gem

Well, contrary to last night's methodology, today the Sox reverted to a much easier, less tension filled sway to win. Get four runs early, add some insurance later and let John Lester handle the baseball. After a scoreless 1st, the Sox sent a half dozen to the plate and put the first run on the board. They followed this with an additional pair of runs in the 3d, when seven Sox batsmen went to the plate and batter by batter moved the two runs around. It began with Pedey's single and Vic's sacrifice. Papi wasted no time and dropped his 36th two bagger into left to plate his 92d ribbie. This score was shortly followed by consecutive singles by Nap and Gomes, plating Papi with the Sox third run. Score: three zip, Sox. After the teams swapped single scores, the Sox still held a three run lead until the 5th, when the Sox added an insurance score for what became the final score, 5-1. 
The rest of the way it was Lester tossing a cool three hit gem over eight innings. He K'd five against just a pair of freebies. His game WHIP was a stunning 0.625. He's now got 14 wins on the season, and a chance at possibly tow more by season's end.
Today's win is the Sox 16th in their last 19 games, and the fifth out of six against Mr. Hankie's Yankees. It's also the eighth straight series the team has won. In addition to grabbing a game on the Stripes, the Hose picked up one on the O's, who lost to the Jays. As for the Rays, their game started later and, as of the moment, they lead two zip in the bottom of the 3d. Worst case, the Sox maintain their 8.5 game lead over the Rays, with just eleven to go. Also, if you like looking for omens, with the win today, the Sox are now 32 over .500. The last time they had that big a W-L margin was the final day of the 2004 season, and we all remember what happened then.

Bolt From The Blue, Take Two

Tuesday night it was Carp who put a big FOUR on the board in the 8th after the Rays had tied the game at 4, and the Sox thus snatched the W. Uehara closed it out. Tonight, the game started with the Sox looking as if they would blow out Yankees starter Kuroda and the Stripes along with him. Immediately in the 1st, the Hose put four on the board before everyone had even had much chance to even get settled in their seats. They then jammed the sacks in the 2d with just a single out, and it looked like bye-bye time for Kuroda. However, he worked out of that jam and another almost as serious in the 3d, at the end of which the Sox led 4-1.  From that point things remained unchanged until the NY 6th, when they picked up another run and the 7th, when on Cano's third dub of the night, they tied the game at four. Only workman's speed and solid pitching for the third out of the inning saved the Sox from worse at that moment.
It also set things up for the Hose in their half of the inning. Vic led off with a single, and the new pitcher brought in to deal with Papi couldn't. He hit the big DH and now there were two on. Both teams then substituted. Gomes pinch hit for Carp, while the Evil Empire brought in another guy from their pen. Result: Gomes won the matchup and picked up a freebie to load the bases, and still no one was out. Nava K'd to bring Salty to the plate. After a first strike, he then struck--just like Carp on Tuesday. A smooth solid swing and the ball leaped off the bat heading for its ultimate resting place--the other side of the Sox pen. It was almost a no-doubter. I say almost because, while it looked like a solid shot, it took about a second to be certain that it was going all the way and not just a double. By the time he reached first, it was gone, and with it, any hope and spirit that Mr. Hankie's Yankees might have developed in the top of the inning. Grand slam! In fact, the play by play announcer's commentary as he initially came to the plate and then circled to return to the plate was one of the most enjoyable I've heard in a season of enjoyment. He was saying, as Salty stepped in, the Sox lead the Majors in runs scored from the 7th inning on, with 241 so far this year. Then Salty swung, and the play by play said, "Make that 245." Nothing else needed to be said.
From that point on, it was all Sox pen. First Tazawa picked up the 8th with a perfect 10 pitch contribution. Then Uehara did his thing in the 9th--perfection, and on just nine pitches, one of which was another K. He now has retired 37 consecutive batters, the most by any pitcher since Jenks of the Pale Hose eliminated 41 in a row in 2007.

Like A Bolt From the Blue!

Tonight's game was actually three games in one. First, the Sox, backing a solid five innings by Dempster, took a three zip lead. Then, while Dempster was still on the hill, they began giving the runs back. Dempster gave up the first in the 3d inning, but then left with the score still at 3-1, Sox. In the 7th, Longoria drove home Zobrist with his second double of the night, and things started getting a bit uncomfortable. However, up to that point, whenever the Hose got themselves into a jam, they produced an unbelievable fielding play in their infield, topped off by a 4-6-3 classic started with a great move by Pedey. Finally, Workman, having allowed the Rays second run, in the 7th, was looking good, and it appeared that barring a mistake, he'd hand the ball to Uehara to slam the door again. Unfortunately, in the 8th, he made a mistake. He left a curve hanging out over the middle of the plate, about belt high, with no speed or break to speak of, for Loney. Knowing a gift when he saw one, Loney promptly 'unwrapped' it--over the fence to tie the score. The shot was on a laser like line and definitely a no-doubter from the moment it left his bat.
The Rays got no further, but the damage had been done.  The Sox were unable to do anything at all against the Rays fireballer, Rodney, and the call went to Uehara to at least get the Hose into extras. As always, he did what was expected. While it took a few extra pitches tonight, 17 in all, than he normally needs, it was another Uehara classic three up, three down inning. Included were a pair of K's. By eliminating the three hitters tonight without exception, he extended his perfect string of batters to 34. That's as in how many consecutive batters have been unable to reach base against him, no matter how they tried. The last time a reliever had a string like this, according to the announcers on ESPN, it was 1907. I'm skeptical about the year as the game was played differently then and relievers were an almost unheard of fixture back then. But, no matter the date. Whenever it was, it wasn't any time in the recent few years.  It's like he's pitched his own perfect game and started on the first two and a third innings of the next. But, when he left the mound at the end of regulation, the score was still tied at three.
Peralta came on to pitch the 10th for the Rays. He used eleven throws to walk two of the only three batters he faced. The third batter, Vic, sacrificed Pedey to second. Enter Hernandez, the eighth and final Rays hurler of the evening. He got the final two Sox outs, BUT--and it's a major BUT, not before he walked another pair, Papi intentionally, and faced Sox extra Carp. Carp, who is hitting over .300 on the season always seems to get his cuts when someone needs a rest or in pinch hit situations. With anyone else, he'd be starting. Well, he may not have started tonight, but he sure finished--the inning, the game and the Rays, in that order! Not waiting for anything, he swung at the first offering from Hernandez. The title above tells you all you have to know.  A nice fat pitch out over the center of the plate and belt high, Carp swung. The ball looked like a launch from Cape Canaveral, not coming to rest until it "splashed" down beyond the wall in dead center field. Grand slam, four runs and a 7-3 Sox lead. The next two Sox batters were quickly retired and Tazawa came in to give Uehara a rest. No sense wasting his talents with a four run lead. Other than a four pitch walk, Tazawa shut down the Rays with nothing, and the Sox lead over them grew to 9.5 games--with fifteen to play.
Pedey went 2-4 and Nap, keeping on his recent tear, had a run scoring two bagger, picking up a pair of ribbies.
By winning tonight's game, the Sox won their seventh consecutive series. The run began in San Francisco, and continued from there to now.

The Bucky and Koji Show

Well, tonight had lots of meaning in a number of areas. It marked the opener of a very important series with Tampa Bay, the team immediately behind the Sox in second, and played at the Rays' home field, the Trop. It also marked the return from about four months on the DL of Buchholz. Leading the league in wins with nine (against zero losses), coupled with a sub-2 ERA, when he left with a strained neck, he had recently been undergoing a rehab assignment between the Hose' Lowell and Pawtucket minor league teams. The rehab had varying results, but everyone agreed that if he were to be of value to the team this year, Tampa Bay was about as good a time as any to see exactly what was going to happen.
Matched against the reigning Cy Young holder for the A. L., Price, the plan was to have him go no more than 70-80 pitches max. As it turned out, he threw 74 pitches that carried him and the team through five innings of three hit, one walk shutout ball. Toss in a half dozen K's and a game WHIP of 0.8, and it was an inspiring return. Price was more or less matching him pitch for pitch, and then some.

However, in the 5th, the Sox broke through. No Sox player having reached base through the first four innings, Nap led off with a long drive to the wall in center that the Rays fielder couldn't quite get a handle on. Nap ended up on second and was followed by a Gomes single to center that put the Sox up one zip. Gomes continued on to second on the throw home trying in vain to nail Nap. He was then sacrificed to third by Nava, and ultimately plated by a Salty sac fly.  Now it was two-zip, Sox. Bucky finished out the bottom half of the inning and would ultimately get the win.  However, the game had to be finished first. As Price hung in there through the 8th, allowing just three hits and striking out nine, the Sox pen was going to have to do a top notch job. Task assigned, task accomplished!
First Breslow contributed a pair of shutout innings, allowing only two freebies to reach base. Then, Tazawa put the first pair of Rays batters away in the 8th. When a Ray finally got a hit, Uehara came on for a four out save attempt. Thirteen pitches and a pair of K's later, the save was complete, the Sox had won, and the Sox closer had extended his consecutive perfect string to 31. It's almost as much fun listening to the sportscasters discussing his pitching as it is to watch it. As guest commentator, Derek Lowe (yes, THAT Derek Lowe) said, he just throws that 89 mph fast ball and dares you to hit it, and no-one can.  That's because he's also got the best splitter in history of any closer this side of Mariano Rivera. Mixing them the sway he does is like watching Rembrandt paint.  You can't describe it; you just watch and marvel at the results.
Separately, there were some great fielding plays. Salty threw out three attempted base stealers, the last being the finish of a strike out/throw out DP. Another great DP was started by, who else--the Dustman. Pedey took a sharply hit grounder and tagged the Rays runner on his way to second, then calmly threw out the hitter before he could reach first. Best of all, it looked like it was scripted to be done that way. The guy is a future Cooperstown resident, and he makes everything look easier than breathing. With the win, the Sox go up 8.5 on the Rays, ten on the O's and stay 10.5 ahead of the Stripes. Sixteen games to go.

Napoli Erupts -- Again!

Didn't get a chance to post after last night's thrilling turnaround over Mr. Hankie's Yankees, but, suffice to say, it was in large part due to the bat of Nap. Going 3-3, including a homer and a double, as well as a pair of passes, he got on base every time he went to the plate. The big blow, of course, was with the Sox behind, 8-4, largely off a surprising bad night by Dubront. Sox loaded them up, Nap came to the plate and sent one off to the right field porch, just clearing Ichiro's leaping grab for the ball. Grand slam--TIE SCORE. The Sox took the lead for keeps in the following innings, finally winning their second in a row at the House that George Built, and moving ten games ahead of the Stripes, and 7.5 up on the Rays.
Which brings us to today's game, one played as baseball was meant to played, in the sunshine. Starting quickly in the 2d, Papi doubled, followed by Nap. Continuing on the recent tear he's having, he wasted no time and rifled a shot into the left field cheaps on a three and oh count. No taking a pitch here. Score, two zip, Sox. After the Stripes took one back in their half, the Hose continued their surge. Gomes to the plate and not waiting a bit. One pitch, a swing and the ball came to rest more or less in the same suntan seats in left as had Nap's and it's 5-3, Sox. After the Stripes took another single run in their half, the Sox sent nine to the dish, and when the smoke had cleared, had a 10-2 lead, compliments of a sac fly by Papi and six Sox hits, including a pair of two baggers. At that point it was beginning to look like a replay of the Sox game against the Tigers that ended 20-4. But, pay attention. This is the Evil Empire.
They took back a single run in their half of the inning and then, the Sox added a pair in the 5th, via a two run shot to the same set of cheaps from recent call-up, Bogaerts, scoring another rookie, Jackie Bradley, ahead of him. The score was now 12-3, and looking more and more like a Tigers repeat.
N   o   t     S   o    F   a   s   t! In the bottom of the 6th, the Yankee hitters started pounding and trying to spoil the Sox weekend party. Sending ten men to the plate, the Stripes picked up four runs, all of them with two gone. The culprits were a combo of the usual suspects and a few ho-hum inserts to their lineup. Suddenly, it's Sox 12, Stripes 7, and it's only the 6th inning! Now, I realize that even with Hank's Yanks this close, my five run safety rule still applies, but still, the momentum appears to have shifted, and in a direction I didn't particularly care for. If that weren't uncomfortable enough, after their pitching held the Sox bats in check for a couple of innings, the Stripes tacked on another pair of runs in the bottom of the 8th. Sox 12, Stripes 9. Worse, in addition to Ichiro, a future Cooperstown honoree if ever there was one, the Sox years long nemesis, Overbay, will also bat. If the Hose can only add on some insurance.
Not to worry. After Papi K'd leading off, Nap worked the count to 1-1, and then--another rocket shot to the same left field cheaps as all other Sox taters of today have gone. Score, 13-9, Sox, and while that's all they'd get, at least it was a little added comfort. Now, for the home team to take its final try. Tazawa is still pitching, after having closed out the Stripes 8th by quickly taking out the last two Stripes players. The first he faces in the 9th, he easily retires. Looking good. Maybe this won't be so trying after all. Wait a minute--this is my home town cardiac causing team we're talking about here. After all, it IS the Sox who, even in championship years, that the saying, "Good luck to you and the Red Sox" is about. Next batter, Overbay, and, true to form, he reaches base, this time on a four pitch freebie from Taz. Time for the showers, Taz. Uehara is not a preferred option here, even though with last nights 12 pitch perfect inning, he now has 27 consecutive perfect innings (his own version of a Perfecto). He's pitched in two consecutive games. Breslow comes in. Hail to Yale! Ichiro pops to the catcher and Wells, another historic long time Sox thorn, grounds out. Six pitches, perfect 2/3 of an inning.  Why do I worry so? (Because I'm a six and a half decade Sox fan)Game over--Sox win--AGAIN! Sox are now eleven up on Mr. Hankie's Yankees with 18 to play. For the margin over the second place Rays, have to wait for their final. That's tonight. Sox are also now thirty over .500 on the year. One other interesting stat: BY getting at least nine runs a game for each of the three games so far, the Sox have become the first team in over 100 years (actually 1912) to do that to a Yankees team in New York. In fact, in 1912, they weren't yet called the Yankees; it was the Highlanders, and there was no Yankee Stadium; it was Hilltop Park.

The Ghost of Dave Roberts, Uehara and Boston Strong

Last night's game was a walk in the park. Tonight's couldn't have been scripted by Hollywood. Peavy starts and goes a strong six before opening the 7th with a BB and a hit, the walk coming after he had Ichiro at 1-2. Leading 7-2 at that point, the Sox proceed to be unable to get anyone out and by the time the Stripes have finished the inning, 10 Yankees have gone to bat and the score is 8-7, Stripes. In the Sox 8th, they go quietly, 1-2-3, and after Breslow holds the Stripes scoreless in the last of the 8th, the Hose come to face the greatest closer of all time, Big Mo. Rivera is usually death to any hopes of coming back against the Yankees, but the one possibly encouraging thing is that if any team can do it, the record shows that over the years, none other than the Sox have by far the best record coming back against Rivera. In fact, in the League championship three zip comeback against the Evil Empire, it was against none other than Rivera that the Hose began that unprecedented turnaround.
Tonight, with two out in the 9th and down to their last strike, the Sox pulled a repeat. Napoli got a hit to right and was immediately pulled for a pinch runner, Quintin Berry. Berry is part of the late season expanded roster call-up, and wasted no time in doing his best Roberts. In that famous comeback in '04, it was Roberts who started things going for the Sox by stealing second base against the same Rivera. Tonight his second coming wasted no time in doing an excellent imitation of the event. Even better than the Roberts theft of nine years ago, however, the ball ricocheted on the pickoff throw into left center and, after a moment's hesitation, Berry set sail for third and came in without a throw. Drew, realizing there was no better time to get what was his only hit of the evening, rifled one into right field and Berry scored. Tie ball game! Blown save for Rivera. Once again, the Sox had shown the baseball world that you can get to Mo.  Not often to be sure, but not impossible.
The next heartstopper came in the Stripes' half of the same inning. With one out, Soriano reached base on a freebie, and stole second after he should have been dead and gone with his base running. He was caught so badly off 1st by Breslow that it was only a poor throw by the Sox hurler that instead of out, he was on second as the potential winning run. About then, I'm thinking, "gotta' get a pair of K's, or this game will be over.' Soriano made it even better than that for the Sox. Perhaps emboldened by his good fortune in getting to second, he took off for third as Breslow was into his leg kick. Looked like a sure steal, but n o t  s o  f a s t. Instead of going to the plate, Breslow turned and pegged a perfect throw to Middlebrooks at third. Dead to rights, but Soriano is quick. Realizing he had less than no chance at all to make it safely to third, he quickly reversed direction, chased by Midds. Midds was taking no chances. He quickly threw to the Sox SS, Drew, who, as the chase moved ever closer to second tossed it ahead to Pedey. Pedey placed the tag a good two feet in front of the bag, and the Stripes' threat was dead. Then, Breslow got the K--inning over. So was regulation. In the 10th the Hose wasted no time. Rivera had left after the end of the 9th and was followed by Chamberlain. Now, I don't know what you think of Joba, but I've never thought that much of him either talent wise or attitude. He stares at the plate with that pig-eyed squint and then throws. Now, sometimes he is very hard to hit. But unless he's really, really on, he's reachable--VERY reachable. Tonight, happily, was one of those nights. With one gone, Jake singled and promptly swiped second, the ball again ricocheting into center. However, this time it wasn't far enough for Jake to take third right away. No matter. Vic came up and rifled a single into right and you had the perfect matchup on the play at the plate--Ichiro's cannon-arm vs Jake's hypersonic speed, speed that Terry once referred to (also in a Yankees game) as "breath-taking". It was very close, but Jake beat the throw by an eyelash and the Sox had what was to be the winning run--as soon as they got through the Yankees' half of the inning.
How to do that? Why, Uehara, of course. Entering with, according to the play-by-play on ESPN, a string of 25 perfect innings, the Sox closer started by getting AFraud on a two pitch pop to the infield, and then slammed the door with a pair of K's. Game over. Sox win and extend the current win streak to three. This one took a bit longer than his usual perfection. Instead of his 13 pitch average per outing, he took nineteen to do the job. But, when it was over, the result was the same. His ERA is now down to 1.14 and the opponent's BA is .134. He doesn't do it with an overpowering heater. He uses a combo of a splitter and a split finger slider (if there is such a pitch) that both have movement that would make a snake envious.
As things turned out, I'd place bets that the cardiologists in both the Hub and the Big Apple had a sudden surge of patients after the game tonight. And this is just the first of seven against this same team in the next fourteen days. Sox are now twentyeight over .500 and have twenty to go in the season.

Tigers Nuked--Sox Tie HR Mark

Following on last night's nail biting 2-1 victory, tonight's Sox performance was the most literal example of 'from one extreme to the other' you'll ever likely see on a baseball diamond. After five innings, the Sox were barely ahead, 5-4, the lead going back and forth between the teams. Then came the explosion! Already having hit three homers, the Sox sent eleven men to the plate in the 6th and scored eight runs, six of them on homers by Middlebrooks and Nava, Midd's being a slam. One of the other runs came on an RBI double by Papi, his 2,000th hit of his career. The two bagger was far from his only contribution of the evening, however. He also put a pair into the cheaps, passing Billy Williams for 47th place on the all-time home run list. He now has 427, and, assuming he plays at least a couple of more years, has a shot at the magical 500.
The eight homers in a single game tied a franchise record, originally set on July 4, 1977 against the Jays, also at Fenway. The twenty runs falls short of the team record for runs in a game, but, let's face it. Twenty runs is still twenty runs and a most impressive total nevertheless.  While it would be unreasonable to expect this type of onslaught to go beyond a single game, maintaining the hitting frenzy the team may be in the midst of would not be. They won't likely get 19 hits in a game against the Stripes, who they begin a series against tomorrow, but a healthy ten or twelve knocks would be a respectable total for a game. The Sox hitting spree was so all-inclusive, the only starter who failed to get at least one hit was Pedey, and he gave it a damn good shot. In the 5th, with the score tied for the last time in the game, he hit a hard rapidly sinking liner to left, the Tigers fielder barely snatching it above the surface of the grass. Since it plated a run, it counted as a sacfly and the Dustman got himself another ribbie.
Overall, the Hose hosed Detroit pitching for 19 hits, an even dozen of which were for extra bases, including the already mentioned eight round trippers. None of the Tigers hurlers was immune, and their final pitcher, Reed, got off the lightest only allowing a pair in a single inning.  Everyone else: avalanche! Just to show the 6th wasn't a total fluke, the Sox then tacked on another five in the 7th, compliments of the eight batters the Sox sent to the dish. The featured strokes of this inning were two-run shots by both Lavarnway and Papi, his second shot of the evening and a no-doubter as soon as he completed his swing.
Off the field , some news about a pair of pitchers. Bucky, a new daddy (congrats!), is set to join the team in New York. Former Sox set-up man, Daniel Bard was claimed off waivers by former Sox GM Theo Epstein for the Cubbies. Good luck, Danny. You do leave some fond memories here.

Sox Pitching, Timely Hits Beat Bengals

Tonight's story came down to a very basic combo for winning baseball--good pitching backed by timely hitting.  After losing a well pitched effort from Lackey last night, the Hose threw their left handed ace, Lester, at the Tigers and the league winning leader, Scherzer, who came into tonight's game as just the third hurler in history to open a season 19-1. The prior two are the NY Giants' Marquard, and the Stripes Rocket, Roger Clemens. Only the Rocket advanced to 20-1. Scherzer began his evening as if he was going to be the second to accomplish that feat. After striking out the side in the 1st, he allowed a single hit in the 2d, and then threw a pair of perfect innings. During this time, the Motowners picked up what would be their only run for the evening, that coming on a two bagger by former Sox infielder Iglesias. 

However, other than that lapse, Lester was the master of the activity. He went seven strong innings, allowing just the single run on eight hits. Balancing his allowing not a single free pass, he picked up a season high nine K's. On three occasions during the time he was on the mound, he faced jams from combos of hits, with each situation threatening to put the Tigers in full command of the game. Yet, each time he pitched out of trouble and preserved the status quo. Regular followers of this site know what I mean by pitching in such situations. Anyone can throw a ball up there and dare a batter to hit it. Only someone who knows how to pitch, as opposed to throw, can do that and have a better than even expectation to get away with it. Lester has that quality. When he is on his game, he becomes very difficult at best to score on. Tonight's W, his 13th of the year, is the sixth consecutive gem of this type, a streak that has him pitching with an ERA of below 2.0 for the skein. In fact, this is becoming a happy stat for the starting rotation. In its last 14 games, Hub starters have given up three runs or less in 13 of those games.
After Lester headed to the showers, the Sox pen picked him up, making the sole run he'd allowed the only Detroit score on the evening. This was accomplished by four Sox relievers who, between them, allowed a single hit and no freebies at all. Other than the sole hit, the pen was perfect for the night, with Sox closer Uehara again putting the cherry on the top with a nine pitch, two strikeout effort to slam and lock the door. He was so good, in fact, that Eck, subbing for the regular Sox announcer, Remdog, couldn't stop raving about how great Uehara was, and "what a machine" the Sox closer was. Tonight was his 17th save, and had he been the anointed closer for the entire season, he'd surely be knocking on the door for his 40th.
Which brings us t the timely hitting by the Sox batsmen. You don't get to 19-1 being lucky. Scherzer is a damn good pitcher, and as things were going through the aforementioned first four frames, the Hose had to strike when they could and make it stand up. Trailing one zip after four and a half, they took their shot in the 5th.  With one already gone, Gomes got a hit and was moved along to 3d by Drew's ringing two bagger. Then, after Scherzer appeared to have again taken control with another K, Middlebrooks stroked a well placed single to center that plated both Sox runners.  After that, the Sox moundsmen limited the Bengals to a total of a well scattered three singles, with Uehara closing things out as already mentioned.
At this point, the Sox closer is sporting a near-Gibsonian 1.16 ERA and is allowing opposing hitters only a collective .136 BA for the season. He's not totally untouchable--no-one is. But he's as close to it as you're likely to see in the immediate future.

Truly A Game of Inches

There's an old saying in baseball. Baseball is referred to as a game of inches, and two of the main highlights of tonight's game were ample proof of that adage. The first came in the middle of the game, when the Sox, trailing 2-1, were trying to hold the O's in check so as to be in better position for a possible rally as the game went on. Baltimore's all-everything first baseman, Chris Davis, came to the plate. Already having driven in the Birds' first run, he took a solid swing and the ball took off toward deep center field.  It hit the railing on the most extreme left hand end of the Sox bullpen. Then, its force of impact being what it was, it ricocheted up on a single bounce and traveled over 30 feet through the air in an arc to the seats in deepest center field, just above the 420 mark. What has this got to do with inches, you may ask? Well, had its initial flight path been an inch short of where it struck the railing, it would have ricocheted back onto the field and probably gone for a long double, no harm and no increase in Baltimore's score at that moment. But it ended instead in the cheaps and the score was now O's 3, Sox 1. Not looking good.
However, this is the Sox we're talking about. In the 7th, Drew led off with a ringing double, and after a line out by Bogaerts, was followed by a single by Jake. Jake immediately took second on his second pilferage of the evening, his 49th of the year, and waited to come home. After Vic lined out, Pedey settled things for the moment, striking a single through two infielders on the left of the infield, clearing both outstretched gloves by a matter of inches. Tie score!
In the bottom of the 8th, with two gone, Salty lined a shot high off the Monster for two bases, and after Drew was intentionally passed, Carp came in to pinch hit. He quickly responded with what has to be the ugliest hit in many years--but a hit nevertheless.  All that counts is whether it's a hit or an out, not how beautiful it appears. This was a slowly rising pop just beyond the infield. O's third sacker Machado followed it back, waiting until it approached its apogee and leaped. It just cleared his outstretched glove and dropped for a hit. Another inch of jump (or an inch less of rise on the ball), and the inning would have ended still tied at three. But with the hit, Salty came steaming home with what ultimately would be the winning run of the fourth consecutive win for the Sox. Truly a game of inches!
This brought Sox closer, Uehara, from the pen and instead of his average 13 pitch outing, he slammed the door tonight in just nine, including one K.
The Rays kept pace, 2.5 back, while the Stripes lost one for a change to the Jays and fell 8.5 off the pace. With the loss in this game, the O's dropped to 7.5 behind.

Heroes Everywhere and Dubront Too!

Well, last night's game against the O's had shaped up to be a real battle. The O's in recent years, both at the Fens and away, have been a real pain in the posterior for the Hose. So, it wasn't too surprising that in the 3d, after the Sox had broken on top with a one zip 1st inning lead, had, in turn, taken the lead in the 3d, 2-1. However, Vic immediately took matters into his own hands in what would be a career game for him. With a man on, he drove the ball into the cheaps to reclaim the lead for the Bosox, 3-2. It was just the start. He reached base all five times he stepped to the plate, beginning with a free pass in the 1st and followed with that 3d inning shot. When the day was over, he'd driven in a career high seven ribbies, and hit a pair of HR's, as well as picked up a two run double along the way.
He wasn't the only member of the lineup to reach the seats however. Joining his efforts at putting souvenirs in the cheaps was Nap, who got his 17th on the year. Once all the shouting had died down, the Sox had amassed 14 hits, of which eight were for extra bases. Among these were a pair of two baggers by the Dustman, who ended up 3-5 on the day.
As for pitching, Dubront was a bit shaky in the 3d, when the first four O's batters reached. Otherwise, he was almost untouchable. After the brief lapse in the 3d, he retired 14 of the next 16 men he faced, then left in the 7th, having allowed just four hits and a walk, while grabbing seven K's. His game WHIP was 0.75, pretty damn good from any standpoint. The final 2 1/3 innings was just as good, as two Sox hurlers were perfect for the rest of the game--nothing at all got past them!!
Coupled with the Rays' loss, the Sox extended their Division lead to 2.5 games. There are just 29 games left to the season. Where has the summer gone?

Peavy and Long Ball Equal Sole Possession of First Again

Tonight, in ESPN's Game of the Week, the Sox took it to the Dodgers. You'll note I will sometimes refer to the LA team as the Bums. It is not meant as a sign of disrespect, but rather a long cherished historical reference to the team, going back all the way to Brooklyn. In fact, when they first arrived in LaLa Land, they hired famous clown, Emmett Kelly, to be the team mascot because his costume was always a down at the heels bum.
As for the game, Peavy made his best showing since coming to the Sox from the Windy City. He pitched a complete game three hitter, picking up five K's against a single free pass. His pitch count fore the evening: 111.  The man was completely in control all  of the way.  The only extra base hit was by a former Sox player, AGon, who took a ball left a little too much over the plate, and deposited it in the seats for LA's sole score. It was fitting for the Sox to take this win and capture the series as today is the anniversary of last year's nine player blockbuster trade with these same Dodgers.

Beyond Peavy's excellence on the mound, the Sox offense was an ongoing steamroller.  It began in the first inning, with the Hose getting a single run when Vic doubled to left, followed by what was ruled to have been an infield hit by  the Dustman(actually replays showed the ump blew the call and Pedey should have been called out), after which Nap stroked a long liner that bounced into the seats for a ground rule double and plated Vic. Unfortunately, what could have been a bigger inning and perhaps blown open the game right there was squashed when, after Gomes was intentionally walked to load the sacks, Midds hit into a tailor-made DP to end the inning.  No matter. In the 3d and 4th, the Hose added single runs to take a three zip lead. The second of these runs was Xander Bogaerts' first MLB ribbie, and by the time the night was over, he'd added another hit to go 2-4 and raise his BA to .333. Agon got one back in the Bums' half of the inning with his shot, but afterwards, it was even more all Sox. Salty, Vic and Nap, in that order, all went deep for a total of five more runs, Nap's so obviously a no-doubter when it left the bat that the Dodgers' left fielder didn't move at all, other than to look over his shoulder and watch it sail about twenty rows deep into the cheaps.  Overall, the Sox had seven extra base hits among their total of twelve. Jake also swiped his 47th base for the season, later scoring on Pedey's sac fly in the 3d.
Overall, with tonight's win, the Sox took four of six on the Left Coast, head home for a stand, and have the day off tomorrow, a rest that's not only well deserved, but also needed after this ridiculous schedule of the past couple of weeks.

Settled in First Inning--Sox Win First in Dodgers Stadium

In their second ever visit to the Dodgers home, dating to 2002, the Sox today won their first ever there. They put up a four spot in the top of the 2st frame, and then made it stand up for the rest of the game.  Vic started things off by getting hit by the Dodgers hurler, after which Pedey singled. Nap broke open the scoring as the next batter with a single that plated Vic. Next batter up, Gomes let loose on the first offering he saw and dropped it into the cheaps in center for a four zip lead. After that, the Sox rode the left arm of Lester, saved by Uehara, to the win.
Lester was sparkling, allowing no hits until the 4th, on his way to 7 1/3 solid innings of three hit ball. He allowed four free passes, but picked up six K's and had a game WHIP of 0.95. After Tazawa and Breslow collectively allowed a pair of hits and a walk in one third of an inning in the 8th, Uehara came on for a four out save and was perfect. In netting his thirteenth save, he only used a total of 15 pitches and grabbed one K as well.
Aside from Gomes' homer, the Sox offensive leaders for the day were the Dustman and Nap, the former going 2 for 4 with a two bagger while the latter was 3 for 4 and drove in his 70th ribbie of the year. Defensively, other than the pitching, the Sox play of the day was a solo DP by Drew, who caught a liner and then outran former Sox prospect Ramirez to second for the second out. All this and a double too!

Now That's The Way to Play!

Boy! After the idiocy of losing on Tuesday night to a walk-off walk--could anything even sound more ridiculous--the Sox manhandled the defending World Champions yesterday afternoon. Under a bright sun--you should see my sun burned face--the Hose took it to the Giants, a game I thoroughly enjoyed attending with my younger daughter, Sara. Sitting in perfect seats just a few rows behind the dugout, we had a full view of everything. And there was quite a bit to see!
After failing to score in the first, in spite of a couple of hits, including a double by Jake, the Hose broke the ice in their half of the 2d, picking up a pair of runs on Middlebrooks' 11th homer of the season. In their half of the inning, the host team managed its only pleasant event of the game--their third baseman's first, and to date only, HR of the year. That took care of all Giants scoring, but for the Sox, it was just beginning.
Not content to sit on their laurels as they'd done the previous evening, the Hose quickly added three in the 3d, and another in the 4th. At this point, they had my untieable on one swing lead--at least five runs, 6-1.
Things then settled down for a few innings under the balmy sun and breeze until the 7th, when the Sox sent eight to the plate and added five more runs to the total. This outburst was highlighted by a three run shot to the right field cheaps by JD's younger brother, Stephen Drew. The blast was his tenth of the season. The hose had one more run to add and it came in the following inning, aided by a pair of errors by Giants fielders.
Overall, the Sox leaders on the day were Jake and Vic, who each picked up three hits, including a two bagger apiece. In addition, Jake added to his MLB-leading total of swipes with his 46th in the 3d, on his way to scoring the Sox' third run of the afternoon. Besides these two guys, the Dustman had a pair of two baggers, to give him a nice round thirty for the year, as well as his 70th ribbie.
On the other side of the ledger, the Sox leader was unquestionably their starter, Doubront. Continuing his season's total of good solid pitching efforts, he went eight innings, allowing just five hits and a lone freebie for a game WHIP of 0.75. He also grabbed three K's along the way. He could have finished out the game, but Farrell figured that 114 pitches was sufficient for the day and let Sox closer Uehara do his thing for the 9th. I questioned the wisdom of using your closer in a not even close to save situation, but, given the fact that the Hose have the day off today, are only going 500 miles south for their next series (against the Bums), and only took less than half of his average of 13 pitches per outing (he threw six pitches yesterday), it appeared to matter little. After his perfect outing, his ERA had been reduced to an almost microscopic 1.27.
With the win and the Rays' corresponding loss, the Sox are back in first in the Eastern Division. The Rays start a series at home against the Stripes tomorrow. Hopefully, the two teams split their series while the Sox sweep the Dodgers in LA. Unfortunately, Papi cannot DH and Farrell has to decide when and how often to use him at first. By the way, after an 0-8 performance against SF, he left the game in the middle innings with a stiff back. Hopefully, that's just a minor irritation and he's fine by the time the Hose arrive in LaLa Land.

From the Left Coast

Well, after the partial debacle with the Stripes (at least we got game 2) and the A-Fraud bullshit (going back and hitting A-Fraud was, in my opinion a very stupid mistake--I mean, I understand how a cheat using or hiding the system that promotes and provides PED's should not be playing, but once you got your message our there --the first pitch behind A-F-- your message sending should be over.), and the subsequent blowing of a three run lead, the Sox came west to the area where those of you who follow this site know is the home of this native born Bostonian to play the Giants, or as the Spanish jerseys they sometimes wear proclaim, Los Gigantes. One thing about this and two or three other September series is that whoever the idiot is that created the schedule, has the Sox, in the middle of a pennant race, playing in a NL park where they can't use a DH. So Papi has to play first base or miss a number of games. Last night he played first, but don't know which or how many others he'll do similarly in.
This time Lester was facing the homies and was the Lester, more or less, we like to see. He went 8 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just a half dozen hits, the final two in the 9th inning before leaving the mound.  He allowed just a pair of freebies and none of the hits were for extra bases. Although he only picked up three K's, he was clearly in control most of the evening. Jenn's sister was in attendance at the ball yard and keeping me up to date from her point of view with a variety of texted messages and pics. Some of the comments in the texts were choice as well. Early on, when the Sox put a trey on the board in the 2d, one from a balk by Lincecum, Sara's comment was, "what an idiot the pitcher is!" And I know Sara hasn't seen that many balks in her 30+ years.
Sox heroes, beside Lester's effort, included 3/4 nights by both Vic and Nava, as well as the Dustman's trip. Salty picked up his 34th double of the year, a number that leaves him in fourth place in the AL for that stat.
Today the Hose are throwing Jake Peavy against Vogelsong, and here's hoping we get the Peavy who pitched his first game for the Sox, not the subsequent pair.
Off the field, the Hose called up their number one prospect, an infielder named Xander Bogaerts. He's the third youngest in MLB now, and a native of Aruba, so he has Dutch citizenship. He may start tonight, but Farrell has said he'll be used to spell Drew and Middlebrooks, so as not to rush him into development. But, his minors play so far this year has been both good for average and power as he has 15 HR's and 67 ribbies in 116 games split between AA and AAA ball. The bad news is that it looks as if Bucky is done for the year. The Sox put him on the 60 day DL, and with just 35 games left in the season, that's kind of it for the year. Too bad--his early start was looking like a thing of beauty, pitching wise.
Tomorrow I've got tix next to the Sox dugout for the series finale.

Once A Grinder, Always A Grinder

That even holds true for new members of the team. One thing about this year's Sox team, and I've mentioned it here before, is that no matter how far down the team may get in a given game, they are still there to the bitter end, clawing away, digging, digging to try to get back and win. Last night's game was no exception. After coming back from a one zip deficit in the 7th to take the lead, 2-1, the Hose found themselves suddenly in danger of dropping the game after all. In the very next frame, Tazawa, the Sox' usually reliable setup man, gave up a solo shot to the Jays' Arencibia as he led off the 8th. That tied the game, and while no further damage occurred, the Sox found themselves having to go into extra innings to try to win the game. The Sox starter, Dempster, had done well, allowing just a single run in the 5th, while allowing just a total of four hits and a pair of BB's in seven strong innings, a game WHIP of just 0.86, an excellent mark. But it was all for naught when Tazawa's pitch went sailing into the cheaps. So the team moved through the 8th and 9th with only a lone hit to try to get over. Fortunately, the Sox pen from that point on was untouchable. Breslow took the ball with two gone in the 9th and closed that inning out, followed by a perfect two thirds of an inning in the 10th. Then, the Sox closer, Uehara, took over and eliminated all four batters he faced consecutively. No hits, no walks, nothing--Game Over. It took him just 20 pitches to do this, and in the process, he trimmed his ERA to a minuscule 1.32.
Offensively, the Sox couldn't seem to get anything going until the top of the 11th, but it was worth the wait. Middlebrooks led off with a hit, and Jake followed with one as well, sending Middlebrook to third. Before anything else could transpire, Jake then swiped his second base of the game, his 44th of the season to extend his MLB lead, thus eliminating the chance for a grounder becoming a DP. More on this stat later. Vic came to the plate 0-4 for the evening, and wasted little time rifling a single to score both Sox runners and returning the lead to the Sox for what would eventually become the final score, 4-2.
Coming back for a moment to Jake's lead in stolen bases, he is now ahead of anyone else in MLB by seven, SD's Cabrera, who's out on a PED suspension and was already trailing Jake at the time he went on suspension, and leads his closest competitor in the AL, the Jays' Davis, by a full ten swipes. How high the number will go by season's end is, of course, subject to the course of the season between now and then, but at his present pace, he'd end up with 59.
With the win, the Sox increased their Division lead over the Rays to four, and the distance between them and the O's to six. The Stripes stayed 9.5 back with their 14-7 laugher over the Angels.
Lester goes tonight, and the hope here is we get the Lester that has everything working and no wildness. I don't want to think about the other version that occasionally shows up in his place.

Grinding and Winning

Well, last night's final game against the Astros was pretty much a repeat of the prior two, the only exception being the Sox broke on top for a change before allowing the 'Stros to take the lead. Once they did, however, the guys from Houston held on right to the biotter end. The only runs the Hose could seem to muster were the pair they scored at the start and then on it almost all Houston in the scoring department. Result: the Hose found themselves once again trailing entering the final innings, 5-2.  It seemed that whenever the Sox tried to mount a rally, Houston's hurler would finally find a way to squelch it. In the 6th, they had a bases loaded opportunity with just one gone. Unfortunately, both Jake and Vic were K'd--end of rally.To make matters worse, Vic was tossed in the next inning when he suddenly ran out of the dugout to argue strikes with the ump. But not to worry. In their half of the 7th, the Hose put a runner on and Johnny Gomes saw to it that he wouldn't be left there. One swing and the score was 5-4, 'Stros--still behind, but a lot closer. Nothing else in the 8th.
Then came the 9th. Papi led off with another single, his fourth hit of the game for the second consecutive evening (at one point earlier on, he was seven for seven over the two games). Gomes walked to put two on, and then up came Drew. The next thing you knew the folks in the cheaps in right had a souvenir, and the Sox had the lead, 7-5, which would be the final score.
The pitching was a little sketchy at the start. Dempster got his usual high K's for innings pitched with seven K's for 6 innings. But he also allowed seven hits and five runs in that time, which means he's given up a dozen in as many innings over his last two starts.  In the late innings, though, the pen was outstanding! First, Tazawa pitched a pair of perfect innings, eventually getting the W. Then, the W was assured when Uehara slammed the proverbial door on any ideas the Houstonians might have had by striking out the side for his eleventh save.

It's Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Well, at least once we'll quote a famous Yankee--Yogi, of course. And, once again, it proved true! After losing two zip on Monday to the MLB worst Astros, the Sox immediately found themselves behind last night in the first inning by three zip, then 5-0 after two and it wasn't looking good. Sox catcher Lavernway had a big part in this early deficit, as he allowed FOUR passed balls in the first inning, a "feat" that ties an all time MLB record for futility. Four passed balls in one inning and that isn't particularly a record you want to have on your record. After the Sox narrowed the gap a bit in the top of the 3d to 5-3, helped in part by Jake's first of a pair of homers, things immediately went south again when the 'Stros added a pair of runs in their half of the inning. However, starting the very next inning, the Sox took control of the game. In each of the 5th and 6th innings, the Hose batted around and tacked a five spot on the board, the net result being that by the end of their half of the 6th, they were up 13-7, on the way to a final of 15-10.
Nearly everybody had a hand in the eruption. Jake, Papi and Pedey had a pair of ribbies apiece, Papi while going 4-4, and Vic had himself a 3-5 evening. Sox totaled 15 hits. As for the pitching, after the first few innings, it was not bad, with the pen holding down the Houstonians when it was really necessary.
Nice added benefits were that everybody else in the division except the Birds lost, so the Sox added a little breathing room, while dropping the Stripes 10.5 back.

Dubi, Jake, Dusty and the Sun

Well, the headline pretty much sums up most of the credit for today's Sox victory. Felix Dubront gave his 15th consecutive start of at least seven innings with three or fewer runs (today was zero) allowed. Jake drove in a pair of runs and The Dustman hit a screaming double down the line in left that plated another.

The sun? For the Dback right fielder, Parra, it made fielding an exercise in futility. Early on, Papi hit a smoker to right, and when Parra got under it, he finally couldn't find it and it ricocheted off his glove. Later, in the 6th, with men on second and third, Jake hit a fly to right and, once again, Parra lost it in the sun. This time, it looked at the last second as if he were trying to avoid getting hit in the head by the ball and was ducking out of the way. The ball fell harmlessly a few feet to his right and Jake had a single and an RBI.

As for the pitching, Dubi's performance pretty well speaks for itself. His streak is the longest by any Sox pitcher of this type since Wakefield had 17 in 1995, and extends his streak for this type of start by a portsider as the longest since at least 1920. The pen, as usual, did a good job of slamming the door. Both Britton and Uehara threw one hit shutout innings, Britton's on just nine pitches, and the game was over with another W for the Sox. They now are at a season high 23 games over .500, with fortynine games to go for the season.

Peavy Pays Off!

Well, if tonight's any guide, the Sox acquisition of Jake Peavy this week to bolster the rotation was a master stroke! Pitching seven plus innings, the veteran hurler allowed just four hits and a pair of freebies, while striking out seven. The last of those hits was the leadoff batter in the 7th. In fact, the only possible negative in the whole evening was the solo HR he allowed early in the game to a DB hitter. He left with a 3-1 lead, and got the W after the game was closed out first by Salty's 2 run shot into Koji Uehara's outstretched glove in the pen, followed by Uehara's one walk shutout tenth save. Final: Sox 5-2. During the game, the Hose also got a yard shot by Vic to tie the early Dback lead at 1. Later, Jake swiped his 40th base of the year, tying Sox Hall of Famer Tris Speaker as the only franchised members to ever have at least three seasons of 40 steals per year. Other items of note: with his hit tonight, Papi has now reached base in 17 straight games. Defensively, in the top of the 8th when the Dbacks were threatening to tie, having the sacks jammed and nobody out, the DB's Hill got a base hit to left and Gomes proved that he is not just dangerous with a bat in his hands, but that he also has a gun for an arm. One run scored from third on the hit, but with a perfect peg from left, Gomes had the ball waiting in Salty's mitt about two or three steps before the next Arizona base runner even arrived at home. What would have been the tying run at that point turned into the first out of the inning and the last gasp of the Dbacks.

And If That's Not Good Enough....

Well, after last night's game, it seemed unlikely that the Sox could outdo the walk-off excitement tonight. WRONG! Increasing their position as the team with the most walk-off wins this season, the Sox won their eleventh walk-off victory tonight by sending ten men to the plate in the bottom of the 9th to come from five runs down to win the game, 8-7. Nava started and ended the final frame. Opening with a walk, he closed the inning and the game with a one out bases loaded single, sending the Hose dugout berserk and the fans home in a similar frenzy.
Up until then, the game had seemed almost all Seattle. The M's had their ace, "King" Hernandez on the mound and, after leading 2-1, opened what seemed an insurmountable lead at 7-1 on the third career grand slam, second this season, of  their catcher, Blanco. It seems that as a .176 "hitter" he either goes the max and gets four or goes nowhere. Talk about all or nothing at all!
But that was in the top of the 5th. There were still four and a half innings to go, and in baseball, that can be a lifetime. However, the Sox against Hernandez looked as if they could have twenty innings left to change the score and it wouldn't make any difference. However, these are the Sox, admitted by most experts as the expert 'Grinders'. They just keep swinging and most of the time start to chip away at whoever is in the other dugout. It's like water over a rock. First the rock is there and then as time passes, it's not.
Finally, in the 8th, Vic took a nothing and one count over the Monster. Seven-two, M's. Still, that's a pretty big hill that this Sisyphus had to push that rock up, as nothing else was added to the Hose total in that inning. However, the M's hadn't been able to add to their lead as Wright had thrown three lights out frames at the M's. Yielding just a pair of harmless hits, he shut the team from the Northwest out to set up the climactic ending.
And climactic it most definitely was! Starting with Nava's freebie, the Sox started on a rapidly rising swell that finally swept away, and swept, the M's for the night and the series. Lavarnway singled and was followed by a two bagger by Holt, scoring Nava--seven to three. Then Jake walked and Vic immediately greeted the new pitcher with a two run single--seven to five. The fans are starting to buzz; in fact, they're more than just buzzing. Continuing the eruption, The Dustman took a pitch to left for a base hit and Jake scored. Suddenly, it's seven-six and the fans are insane! And there are still no outs--and the Sox have two men on. After Papi K's for what becomes the only out of the inning, Gomes takes a pitch to center for another hit, and as the run crosses the plate, the Sox have tied it at seven. The fans are more excited that the French were when they guillotined Louis XIV. The only thing that eclipses this crowd are the 2004 comebacks from three zip against the Stripes and the following Series win. But, wait--because, unlike last night, tonight the Hose aren't going to. Drew walks to jam the sacks and Nava, the tenth batter to step to the plate, still with only one out, drills his single into the Fenway outfield and the Sox pull it off!
The lead over the Rays increases to one full game and the Hose also gain a half game on the Stripes, who are idle, while the O's cannot gain any ground even with their win.

Yesterday Peavey; Today Sox Win in 15

Well after getting screwed out of a win that would have put them up by 1.5 over the Rays, by an erroneous call by the second base ump (he later admitted his error), the Sox made a potentially season clinching move just before the trade deadline by claiming Jake Peavey from the White Sox. Like all the rest of us, he changes his Sox each day (at least for Monday and Tuesday). Cost us Iggy, who'll do well wherever he plays, but this was a one time opportunity. Then, following up on last night's 8-2 win over the M's, a great team effort, the Hose tonight went long. By long I'm not talking about a shot to the cheaps (except for the Dustman's two run shot in the 7th). Rather, I'm talking about the length of the game before the Sox took the W. Although they had a number of opportunities as the innings mounted, it took until the 15th until a walk-off by Drew with the sacks jammed and two gone for the team to push the winner across the dish.  Vic, Salty and Dusty all had a pair of hits. Overall, the Sox has 11 hits, but as each inning went on tied at four, it was getting more and more frustrating. Long flies died just shy of the Wall. Runners were stranded. One was thrown out trying to score on a medium deep fly. Finally, the 15th and Drew's walkoff arrived to send us all home happy--and back in first, as the Rays lost. So did the O's.
Pitching was overall very good too. Lackey went seven, giving up three runs on seven hits, while getting a half dozen K's. The pen was its usual excellent self, the only exception being Tazawa's HR by Seager in the 8th that forced us all to sit through an extra half game and then some. Uehara was perfect, striking out the side and Britton got the W, going a pair of shutout innings. He really pitched as he allowed three hits in this space, but also picked up K's, a pair, when he needed to.

Boomer's Gone Deep

Well, today at age 69 one of the more colorful Sox players of the 60's and 70's died. George "Boomer" Scott, former first baseman for the Sox, passed away. He played 14 years in the Majors, nine of them with the Sox, including his rookie year in which he hit 27 homers and drove in 90 ribbies. A three time All-Star, he also was unusually good in the field for a 200+ pounder. For those abilities, he won eight Gold Gloves. During his Sox days, when talking about his powerful drives, he would refer to hitting 'taters', a term that later became somewhat common in MLB in general at the time. Always an entertaining guy as well as a member of the team's Hall of Fame, he'll be missed. RIP Boomer--may you have nothing but taters up there.

The Dustman & Sox Both Winners!

Well, yesterday was a great day for both the team and its All-Star future HoFer. Early on, the Sox came to agreed terms with a seven year contract extension that begins in 2015. It will pay Pedey $100 mill over that time, and virtually guarantee that he remains a Sox member for his entire career, which he's made very clear is what he wants to do. As for the team, they won on two counts: they locked up Pedey from now through 2021, and they beat the current challenger for first place in the Division, the white hot Rays. The game started with the Sox dropping behind one zip on an early homer from the Rays, tarnishing an otherwise good start for Lester. However, the Hose quickly caught up and took the lead at 3-1 by adding single runs to get to that total by the 5th. After Longoria put one into the cheaps to tighten the score at 3-2 in the 6th, Sox, the Sox piled it on in their half of the 8th, scoring 3 runs. It was a team effort, without any yard shots. Nap doubled, followed by singles from Gomes, Drew and Iggy and, bingo--three runs had crossed the plate. Mixed into that combination was a steal by Drew.
As for pitching, Lester gave a much better effort than he has of late, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing two runs. He gave up seven hits and walked absolutely nobody. If that's not good enough, he also K'd eight batters. After coming out in the 7th, he was followed by a pen that was perfect for the rest of thr game! Thornton, in his second appearance, went a third of an inning on just two pitches. Tazawa closed out that inning and then added another whole inning without allowing anything on a total of 20 pitches, 16 of which were for strikes. In the process, he picked up three K's. When he was done, the Sox closer, Uehara, came on to slam the door. Slam it he did! Eleven pitches, two K's and the Rays were gone. See ya'!
Returning to the Sox offense, they got the most out of a dozen hits, including a quartet of doubles in that total. They also swiped three, with Dusty and Vic each adding in their 14th of the year to Drew's aforementioned steal.
With the win, the Sox moved back to a 1.5 game lead over the Rays, and extended their lead over the O's to 3.5 games.