Well, last nite's game against the Royals saw our heroes split the series at a pair apiece. But the most interesting item, from this viewpoint at least was the parallel slow start to explosive pickups of two leading members of the Sox: Lester and Papi. The former had his typical worry-inducing April, going 1-2 and a horrible ERA, while the latter seemed to be having a continuation in April of the bulk of the past two seasons (final few months of '09 excepted somewhat).He only had a single HR and very few ribbies for April.
Well, now it's May and what a diff a month makes. Lester is now, after last nite's win, 6-2 and sporting a 2.97 ERA for the season. For May, his ERA is below 2.00. He is narrowly trailing behind the AL strikeout lead at 77 and is just again his dominant self.
Papi has bombed ten homers this month and now has a season total of 11 to go with his 31 ribbies. His B.A. is at a season high and climbing, after yesterday's HR and 3 ribbie day, sitting in the .270's.
While it's true the Hose are still in 4th, they trail the 1st place Rays by only 5 1/2, the Stripes by 2 1/2, and the Jays by a game and a half. Getting real tight, and hopefully pointing upward toward a solid run at the division leadership.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sterling Pitching!: Peter
Well, tonight is another example of an excellent pitching job by both the starter and the pen. Bucky got the win, one zip, going seven innings of four hit ball, with four K's and the same number of BB's. After the seventh, Bard took over, and immediately gave up a solid double. However, he then proceeded to blow away the Royals, taking down the next three batters. He needed only a total of 12 pitches, finished with a K. Then, The Laser took over. Same number of pitches, but perfect. No hits, no nothing and a K to boot. Game over. Bucky gets his 7th 'W' and his ERA drops to 2.73.
Offensively, Papi continues on his torrid May with a solid double in three trips and Mike Lowell drove in the only run of the game, while playing FIRST base. Series continues tomorrow at the Fens for a day game, PST start of 10:35.
While the Hose didn't exactly light up KC's pitchers, at least it was a good improvement over the previous two games, when the Sox started ahead and then lost, got blown out last night, spoiling what could have been a great Hub evening as the C's closed out the NBA Conference finals over Orlando and won the right to go for their 18th NBA Title. (As it turns out, against who else but the Lakers.)
Offensively, Papi continues on his torrid May with a solid double in three trips and Mike Lowell drove in the only run of the game, while playing FIRST base. Series continues tomorrow at the Fens for a day game, PST start of 10:35.
While the Hose didn't exactly light up KC's pitchers, at least it was a good improvement over the previous two games, when the Sox started ahead and then lost, got blown out last night, spoiling what could have been a great Hub evening as the C's closed out the NBA Conference finals over Orlando and won the right to go for their 18th NBA Title. (As it turns out, against who else but the Lakers.)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Eight Walks!?:Peter
Well, going in it looked like a reasonable bet that the Sox win streak would continue as the Royals hurler not only had an ERA in the high 4's, his away game ERA was well up in the 6's. Dice was pitching for the Sox, and, while he always gives up a somewhat unnerving number of walks, he usually limits them to just four or five and manages to avoid getting hurt by them. But tonight in the 3d, the Diceman couldn't avoid the bad results of too many walks. Of the threespot the guys from KC got, two of the runs were players who reached on a walk.In the four and 2/3 innings he pitched, Dice only allowed a pair of hits. Normally that wouild be a pretty good indication that the guy tossing the ball was going to get the 'W'. However, I'll tell you, Jenn, in all my years of watching baseball in general and the Sox in particular, I can't recall any time when a pitcher has allowed eight walks in that short a time and won. Same story here. Dice-K's line was 4 2/3 innings, two hits and eight walks, leadfing to three earned runs.
So, Jenn, here we are again. Is Dice really all the way back or isdn't he? Overall, he didn't pitch poorly. He wasn't getting lit up, but those eight freebies, along wioth a hit batsman and a wild pitch still hurt.
Plus side: Papi got another hit and JD got three in four at bats. Hall got his fourth HR of the season, but, unfortunately, it was a solo shot. Well, have to have another go tomorrow. Elsewhere, the Rays were well in the lead in the 9th while Mr. Hankie's Yankees appeared to have lost as they deep in a hole in the 9th.Ooops, the latest on both is that those were the finals. Hopefully we'll look better tomorrow.
So, Jenn, here we are again. Is Dice really all the way back or isdn't he? Overall, he didn't pitch poorly. He wasn't getting lit up, but those eight freebies, along wioth a hit batsman and a wild pitch still hurt.
Plus side: Papi got another hit and JD got three in four at bats. Hall got his fourth HR of the season, but, unfortunately, it was a solo shot. Well, have to have another go tomorrow. Elsewhere, the Rays were well in the lead in the 9th while Mr. Hankie's Yankees appeared to have lost as they deep in a hole in the 9th.Ooops, the latest on both is that those were the finals. Hopefully we'll look better tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sox Really Belt-re'd Rays: Peter
Best I could do on short notice to fit tonight's highlights, Jenn. Good to see you back, keyboard in hand. Yes, Beltre was truly awesome tonite. He went 4-5, including a pair of roundtrippers and a triple, and plated a half dozen ribbies. Not too shabby! With tonight's win, the Hose have won four in a row and eight of nine, AND have moved past Toronto in the division to third, just a little bit behind the Stripes. Papi continued his assault on enemy hurlers, getting his 10th HR and going 2-4 to finish a game over .260 for the first time this year. Youk added to his league leading runs scored total, picking up another three, complements of Beltre. Lackey was a little rough around the edges, but managed to get into the 7th inning before giving way to the guys from the pen. Oki closed out the 7th and Ramirez tossed a perfect inning. Nelson in the 9th gave up a hit, but it landed in the cheaps for the Rays' final tally.
Worries still hanging over the team now include Jake missing a second consecutive game, with some people fearing a DL redux. Hope not. Awful hard, Jenn, for anyone to steal bases from the DL. JD joined him on the sidelines tonite as well due to a painful hip flexor. That can really be very painful and can, without attention lead to worse things. So, hopefully he'll get it cleared up. Also, the mystery of JB continues. He's clearly still possessed of his velocity, but somehow the command has gone AWOL. Hopefully, the coaching staff can figure it out before we get too deep into the remaining three quarters of the season.
See ya' Friday!
Worries still hanging over the team now include Jake missing a second consecutive game, with some people fearing a DL redux. Hope not. Awful hard, Jenn, for anyone to steal bases from the DL. JD joined him on the sidelines tonite as well due to a painful hip flexor. That can really be very painful and can, without attention lead to worse things. So, hopefully he'll get it cleared up. Also, the mystery of JB continues. He's clearly still possessed of his velocity, but somehow the command has gone AWOL. Hopefully, the coaching staff can figure it out before we get too deep into the remaining three quarters of the season.
See ya' Friday!
All About the Players
Dad --
I know I've been M.I.A. for a few weeks, but between Aidan and trying to watch the games, it's been tough finding a spare moment to blog. That, and in all honesty, with the way the Sox have been playing, I really haven't wanted to blog - I've been too depressed. But that's all over now. In the past week or so, I feel like I'm watching a whole new team.
Papi - I have to admit for the month of April, I was really starting to worry that we'd lost Big Papi. He just wasn't the man he used to be. It was clear to me that the wrist injury he suffered in '08 had left him scarred, never to hit home runs again. But then May came along - and whatever wasn't working, is now working over time. His batting average so far for the month of May is .359 and he's hit eight home runs. Eight! Just in the month of May. I know there's a lot of season left, but I'm pretty confident in saying the man is back!
Youkilis - He's also back with a vengence. In the last 12 games he has a batting average of .361, he's gotten 13 hits, five of which have been home runs and 12 of which have been RBI's. According to Jerry Remy on Monday, he could be the MVP of the team right now, and with these numbers I tend to agree.
Then there's the pitching. Before Monday all the starting pitchers in the four previous starts went eight or nine innings. That's great. It means our pitchers are back and our bullpen has gotten a break.
All in all, I'd say this is exactly what the Red Sox needed - a resurgence. It's good to see both the defense and the offense working again. Now if the Yankees could start losing some games, we'll really be in it.
Jenn
I know I've been M.I.A. for a few weeks, but between Aidan and trying to watch the games, it's been tough finding a spare moment to blog. That, and in all honesty, with the way the Sox have been playing, I really haven't wanted to blog - I've been too depressed. But that's all over now. In the past week or so, I feel like I'm watching a whole new team.
Papi - I have to admit for the month of April, I was really starting to worry that we'd lost Big Papi. He just wasn't the man he used to be. It was clear to me that the wrist injury he suffered in '08 had left him scarred, never to hit home runs again. But then May came along - and whatever wasn't working, is now working over time. His batting average so far for the month of May is .359 and he's hit eight home runs. Eight! Just in the month of May. I know there's a lot of season left, but I'm pretty confident in saying the man is back!
Youkilis - He's also back with a vengence. In the last 12 games he has a batting average of .361, he's gotten 13 hits, five of which have been home runs and 12 of which have been RBI's. According to Jerry Remy on Monday, he could be the MVP of the team right now, and with these numbers I tend to agree.
Then there's the pitching. Before Monday all the starting pitchers in the four previous starts went eight or nine innings. That's great. It means our pitchers are back and our bullpen has gotten a break.
All in all, I'd say this is exactly what the Red Sox needed - a resurgence. It's good to see both the defense and the offense working again. Now if the Yankees could start losing some games, we'll really be in it.
Jenn
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Another Team Win: Peter
Well, Jenn, tonight was another example of how baseball is simultaneously a team sport and one of individual achievements. The team as a whole put together quite a few good moves to get the win, and within the overall effort, a number of individuals worked to put the period on the sentence, as it were. Thank you, Mrs. Evans (my high school English teacher back at good old Haverhill High).
First, the pitching was nearly stellar. Lester was in nearly complete control for the six innings he pitched. If any fault could be found, it was the five walks he gave out. But, good pitcher that he is, he successfully pitched around these to avoid any damage at all. That's the difference between throwing and pitching. While he was at it, he struck out nine and allowed only a single hit. In fact, the Sox pitching overall was so good, that hit was the only one the Rays managed all evening! After Lester left, he was followed in totally hitless fashion by TOM, Bard and The Laser. These three were only Pap's BB shy of three innings of total perfection.
On the other side of the ball, the Sox were facing some pretty good pitching from the rays as well. However, Big Papi, in a further proof of his return, took care of the Sox offense by himself. With Youk and JD on base ahead of him, he lined a hard double into the deepest reaches of Tropicana's center field and brought home both of them. It was all the Hose needed for the night.
Personnel wise, Cameron returned from what has seemed like forever on the DL, but his outfield wingman, Jake, was out again due to some soreness. The Sox feel it's not anything serious, but took the safe path to avoid losing him again for any length of time.
In other games affecting the Sox, Mr. Hankie's Yankees' game against the Twins was suspended due to weather with the Twinkies in the lead. The Angels-Jays game is now in the bottom of the 7th with the Halos just adding a run to expand their lead to 7-2. If that stays the same, the Hose will move to within a half game of the Jays in the division. So now the Sox have their longest winning streak of the season so far, 4, and are also seven of eight. Since their worst point of the year, 4-9, they have gone 22-12, a pace that if maintained for the year should end up in the post-season again. Let's keep our collective fingers crossed--one game at a time.
First, the pitching was nearly stellar. Lester was in nearly complete control for the six innings he pitched. If any fault could be found, it was the five walks he gave out. But, good pitcher that he is, he successfully pitched around these to avoid any damage at all. That's the difference between throwing and pitching. While he was at it, he struck out nine and allowed only a single hit. In fact, the Sox pitching overall was so good, that hit was the only one the Rays managed all evening! After Lester left, he was followed in totally hitless fashion by TOM, Bard and The Laser. These three were only Pap's BB shy of three innings of total perfection.
On the other side of the ball, the Sox were facing some pretty good pitching from the rays as well. However, Big Papi, in a further proof of his return, took care of the Sox offense by himself. With Youk and JD on base ahead of him, he lined a hard double into the deepest reaches of Tropicana's center field and brought home both of them. It was all the Hose needed for the night.
Personnel wise, Cameron returned from what has seemed like forever on the DL, but his outfield wingman, Jake, was out again due to some soreness. The Sox feel it's not anything serious, but took the safe path to avoid losing him again for any length of time.
In other games affecting the Sox, Mr. Hankie's Yankees' game against the Twins was suspended due to weather with the Twinkies in the lead. The Angels-Jays game is now in the bottom of the 7th with the Halos just adding a run to expand their lead to 7-2. If that stays the same, the Hose will move to within a half game of the Jays in the division. So now the Sox have their longest winning streak of the season so far, 4, and are also seven of eight. Since their worst point of the year, 4-9, they have gone 22-12, a pace that if maintained for the year should end up in the post-season again. Let's keep our collective fingers crossed--one game at a time.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Xing The Rays: Peter
Well, Jenn, as you probably know by now, since you were on Tivo in the 7th inning when we spoke a little bit ago, the Hose won their third straight, sixth of seven tonight. This is the best string for them all season, so maybe, just maybe they're coming around to expectations. Best of all, the victory was contributed to by the team as a whole. Yooouuukk got another HR, his 10th of the season and added to his league leading runs scored total. Big Papi, definitely looking as if he's all the way back, went 2-4, one of them being his ninth roundtripper of the season. This time last year he had a bagel--nada in the HR category. His average is at its highest this year as well, .256--still a way to go there, but definitely headed in the right direction. Dusty and Beltre each picked up three hits, with the latter raising his average to .335 and the former ending an 0-17 slide.
On the other side of the roster, Bucky was looking just primo! He went six, K'd eight and allowed just six hits and a single BB. The only run he allowed was Haverhill's finest driving one into the bleachers. He is on the longest road win streak if any Sox pitcher since the Rocket in 1993--eight consecutive road W's; Clemens had nine.
So, overall, we pick up a half game on the Stripes and one full game on the Rays. Love to see a sweep to really tighten things up in the division; we'll see.
Unfortunately, my Hub Headline of the evening was a bit short of expectations. The Celts lost, so: Sox win; C's lose (in OT, no less). Say hi to my favorite little fan. See you all this weekend.
On the other side of the roster, Bucky was looking just primo! He went six, K'd eight and allowed just six hits and a single BB. The only run he allowed was Haverhill's finest driving one into the bleachers. He is on the longest road win streak if any Sox pitcher since the Rocket in 1993--eight consecutive road W's; Clemens had nine.
So, overall, we pick up a half game on the Stripes and one full game on the Rays. Love to see a sweep to really tighten things up in the division; we'll see.
Unfortunately, my Hub Headline of the evening was a bit short of expectations. The Celts lost, so: Sox win; C's lose (in OT, no less). Say hi to my favorite little fan. See you all this weekend.
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