Finally!!

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

Getting Closer

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

Wake to the Rescue!

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

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

Mostly Good Pitching and Timely Hitting

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

Five and Counting--Pitching Counts!

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

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

A Sweep & A Fresh Start

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

Sox Latest Run

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