Sox Box
Rangers 8, Sox 4
WP: Millwood (1-1)
LP: Tavarez (0-1)
HRs:TEX- Sosa (1)
(*note: I did not post on the Sox 2-0 loss to Texas on Friday because I have been out all weekend. From what I gathered from Edes I was better off not witnessing that debacle.)
SUMMARY:
Despite being staked to an early 2-run lead, Julian the Human Gascan Tavarez performed his usual pyrotechnics and torched that advantage quicker than you can say "I'm a hot-tempered Dominican who forgot how to pitch 5 years ago."
Gascan gave up the lead in a four-run Texas 3rd and for good measure J.C. Romero allowed Sammy Sosa's first home run in 2 years, a solo shot in the 8th, and the Sox continue to struggle, falling below .500 on the young season.
HERO: Millwood 6IP, 8H, 3R, 3BB, 3K
The artist formerly known as Kevin Millwood made a brief appearance in Arlington tonight as the veteran righty shook of a troubling first inning to hold the scuffling Boston lineup in check.
GOAT: C'mon, do ya even have to ask? Sing it with me now, "who is the man that can melt away the leads, the Gascan can, oh the Gascan can"
REVIEW:
Amid all the giddiness surrounding Jonathan Papelbon's return to the closer role just before the start of the season I, and possibly many other members of the Nation, lost sight of the horrific fact that Julian Tavarez would now be counted on to go out there every five days and attempt to procure a victory for this team.
That short-sightedness came in to focus quickly tonight in Texas as the man who seemed to blow every single game he entered last season as a reliever continued that trend right over to his first start of the year. For the third time in the first five games the Sox scored in the first inning, yet Tavarez, like Schill on Opening day, couldn't carry that momentum into the later innings. Although the blowing of the lead wasn't entirely his fault.
Boston grabbed the quick 1-0 lead in the first (unlike yesterday's shutout when the team wasn't even ready for the introductions, let alone the game), thanks to the red-hot bat of Mr. J.D. Drew (2-5, R, RBI), who had a Jekyll & Hyde-type game. After Youk and Papi singled and Manny forced pai at second, Drew singled to left, scoring Youk but Manny was out by Brad Wilkerson trying to take third. The Sox tacked on another run in the second thanks to an RBI single by Lugo, but that would be the last time the Sox would enjoy a lead on the evening.
The game began to unravel in the 3rd; after Jerry Hairston Jr. walked to lead off, underrated hitting machine Michael Young roped a double into the rightfield corner. This is when the Mr. Hyde part of Drew's night came into play. The ball rolled around the corner past Drew, and by the time he tracked it down Hairston was on the bench sipping Gatorade and Young had motored around the bases to score the tying run on a double & 2-base, 2-run error. Yikes!
It got worse from there as the Rangers turned 3 singles, a walk and a passed ball into two more runs and a 4-2 lead by the end of the inning. Tavarez was gone by the time Tek's deep double scored Drew, who had singled for the second time, cut the lead to 4-3 in the 6th, but Kyle Snyder came in and immediately allowed a double to Hairston, then Romero took over for Snyder and allowed 3 runs including Sosa's 589th career longball. This one was possibly even 'roid free.
The Boston bats continued their early season slumber. The team is batting a robust .244, and guys like Manny (.235), Papi (.167), Coco (.125) and Tek (.143) have yet to find the groove. Ironically the bulk of the Boston offense is coming from Drew (.412) and Pedroia (.333), two of the last guys expected to be the best and most productive hitters on this team. But, like I said, it's early- no need to panic. Besides, the return to baseball to Fenway Tuesday will be the magic elixir that will awaken this team from its daze and get things on the right track.
Unless it's snowing in Beantown.
RECORD: 2-3
GB: - 1/2
UP NEXT: Boston will try to salvage a game here in the chilly heartland when Schilling takes the mound against Vincente Padilla for the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game. Something tells me the cold evening and Boston's colder bats plus Schill's desire to atone for his opening stinkbomb could make for a tight, low-scoring game. Let's just hope it's the Sox who benefit from the bloopers, check-swing RBI singles and 2-base errors for a change.
4.07.2007
Sox drop 2nd straight in Texas to fall to 2-3
4.05.2007
Matsuzaka looks like a steal at $103 mil
Sox box
Score: Boston 4, Kansas City 1
WP: Dice-K (1-0)
LP:Grienke (0-1)
SV: Papelbon (1)
HRs: KC- DeJesus (1, off Dice-K)
SUMMARY:
The ESPN.com headline put it best: "Dice K dazzles in debut"; the man who trails only the Britney Spears saga and the Anna Nicole case in media attention over the past few months lived up to the hype and then some in his major league debut this afternoon in Kansas City. The 26-year-old Japanese righthander threw 108 pitches in 7 innings and gave up just 1 run while scattering 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 10 Royals.
HERO: Duh!
GOAT: KC reliever Joel Peralta
Peralta blew a 2-1 game wide open when he came on in relief of starter Zack Grienke in the 8th. He promptly gave up a double to Big Papi, intentionally walked Drew, threw a wild pitch and gave up an RBI single to Coco. He didn't get the loss because the Royals were already trailing when he came in, but boy did he make sure KC had no chance to come back.
Perhaps it had to do with this disturbing line on FOXSports.com's bio of Peralta: News: Joel Peralta admitted that the virus he was suffering from early this spring was actually food poisoning from eating a cow tail.
You can't make this shit up, folks!
KEY MOMENT: The moment Dice-K took the mound for the first time after an entire offseason of negotiating, contract demands, wining & dining and immmeasureable media hype. Welcome to the bigs, Dice K.
REVIEW:
After months of hope & hype the debut of the Diceman was a rousing success. For the third straight game the Sox offense staked its starter to a lead, this time courtesy of Manny first RBi of 2007. And for the second consecutive contest the starter made that lead hold up. Dice-K was as good as everyone associated with the Sox had hoped, confusing Royals batters all night while throwing his usual wide variety of pitches effectively. He also fielded his position like a Far east version of Greg Maddox.
Although he gave up a hit to the first batter he faced, a single by David DeJesus, it was smooth sailing from then on for Dice-K. By the time Julio Lugo manufactured a run in the 5th (he doubled, stole 3rd and scored on a wild pitch) to make the score 2-0 Boston, Matsuzaka had allowed only the 1 hit and had struck out 5 batters, including fanning the side in the bottom of the 4th.
Matsuzaka ran into his first real trouble in the 6th; DeJesus got to him again (could he have found his first foil?) when he belted a leadoff homer, and Esteban German followed with a single to center. Luckily German was erased on an attempted steal because Emil Brown followed with a double to deep center that would certainly have tied the game and could have put a whole different spin on the dice-K Debut story, double-digit strikeouts or not.
But the Diceman escaped further damage and Boston padded its lead in the 8th when Papi led of with a double, Drew was intentionally walked, and Peralta came in and did his best Fausto Carmona imitation for KC. Matsuzaka gave way to the pen in the 8th, and after J.C. Romero pitched an inning Johnathan Papelbon made his 2007 debut and breezed through the 9th for his first save of the season.
Basically the day was a rousing success for the Sox and their prized Japanese possession, leaving every member of the Nation ecstatic and wondering what the ceiling on this phenomenal kid will be.
All I know is that $100 mil+ pricetag might look like a bargain when his season is over.
NOTES & QUOTES:
"I didn't know he threw that hard" -Royals 1B Ryan Shealy, who has apparently been living under a rock for 4 months, after striking out three times against Matsuzaka
-on a chilly day around the league (the DET/TOR game was cancelled due to cold) the gametime temp was 36 degrees, or about 40 degrees cooler than for the opener on Monday.
-J.D. Drew had a hit for the third straight game and is now 4-10 early in his Sox career
-after three games there are clearly some guys who are starting hot, and some not so hot.let's take a quick look.
HOT: Drew, Pedroia (5-10), Lowell (4-12), Lugo (4-12)
NOT: *Papi (2-11), Manny (3-11), Tek (1-11), Coco (1-10) * Kd 4 times today
The whole team is hitting .250, yet they are 2-1, based on the strength of its starting pitching. We know these guys will hit, it's just a matter of when. Below 40 temps certainly don't help matters.
Record: 2-1
UP NEXT: Fri @ Texas 2:00 EST Wakefield vs. Tejada
Read More......Matsuzaka Mania about to go to a hoe...nuva...level
Boston (1-1) @ Kansas City (1-1)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-0) vs. Zack Grienke (0-0)
PREVIEW:
The time has come. The man, myth and mania that is Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the mound for the first time as a major league pitcher, and the eyes and ears of two nations will be watching and listening closely.
Well, except for those of us that got caught up in the Extra Innings/MLB fiasco. While I am thrilled that the two sides came to a resolution nearly a week after the possibilty of such a thing happeneing was deemed very remote, the transplanted Sox fan in me says "why the hell couldn't you guys get this thing done before Dice-K's debut!?" Is it ironic or tragic that the resolution came on the day I, and probably many RSN members, was about to plunk down the $20/month for MLB.com live feed?
Alas I will have to sidle up to my screen and catch the "live" gamecast on ESPN.com and try to imagine myself watching Dice-K and his funky motion, wide variety of pitches and devastating location baffle those poor Royals hitters all day long.
While I'm at it I might as well log onto "Amen Corner Live" since I can't watch the Masters either until 4:00. What the hell year is this again?!
Here we go Dice-K, here we go...here we go Dice-K, here we go!
4.04.2007
That's more like it: Sox post impressive victory in game #2
Sox Box
Score: Sox 7, Royals 1
WP: Beckett (1-0)
LP: Odalis Perez (0-1)
HRs: BOS-Youk (1)
SUMMARY: Josh Beckett pitched 5 strong innings and kept the ball in the yard on a cold night in Kansas City, JD Drew and Mike Lowell figure prominently in the game offensively & defensively and the pen holds the lead as Boston evens its record after two games
HERO: Beckett- could also have been Drew or Lowell, but the power pitcher silenced the critics by picking the team up after the disappointing loss on Monday; although he wasn't spectacular- 5 IP, 2H, 1ER, 4BB, 5Ks, 94 pitches- he was good enough to shut down a Royals team that had battered Curt Schilling & the pen on Opening Day.
GOAT(s): Lugo/Coco- in two games the new & former leadoff men are a combined 2-13 with 1 run scored, 1 RBI and 2 walks; so much for offensive catalysts
KEY MOMENT: bot 3rd, Sox up 3-1, 2 on & 2 out
After giving the Sox the early lead with a 2-run double, Gold Glove third baseman Mike Lowell made errors on consecutive plays that put Beckett in an unnecessary bind. As Mike Sweeney knocked a Beckett pitch down the rightfield line, JD Drew raced over and made a beautiful snag to rob an extra base hit and preserve the 2-run lead
REVIEW:
When I got to my son's Little League field after Monday's opening loss, the Yankee Lover on the team ribbed me rigorously, asking me if I still believed my assertion that Boston would take the AL East from the Stanks this year. "It's only 1 game" I responded to him. "Now if Beckett loses tonight, then we gotta start worrying!"
Luckily for me and all of RSN we it didn't come to that as we saw the kind of stuff we are expecting from the team this season: timely hitting, terrific defense, quality starting pitching and a win over a team considered to be in the bottom half off the league. Thanks to Beckett, Drew and Lowell the Sox were able to pull their record even on the young season and regain some confidence and swagger lost after the opening day debacle.
Drew has been able to keep the wolves at bay by beginning his Sox career with big hits and great defense. Monday he made a nice running catch to the cavernous Kauffman Stadium centerfield to take away a hit, and last night his spectacular catch saved the game for Boston. The kid who was crucified before he ever put on a Boston uniform, and whose deal took a mind-boggling 55 days to complete, has wrapped 3 hits in his first 8 at bats around that stellar D, and that's with Papi & Manny hitting only .166 combined, immediately endearing himself to Fenway's fickle fans. A lot can happen between now & the home opener on Monday, though.
Lowell had what can best be described as an adventurous day for Boston; his first inning double off Odalis the world traveler Perez scored Manny & Drew and gave the Sox a quick 3-0 lead. But as quickly as Lowell giveth, he almost taketh away.
In the third inning he did something that he has only done one other time in his career: make two errors in one inning. The fact that he made them on consecutive plays is even more astounding. The other fact that he made another error for a total of three in the game makes me think either someone has a voodoo doll of him somewhere, or the infield at Kauffman must be horrific (I know, one of the errors was on a throw, but I'm trying to figure this oddity out!)
After Drew bailed him out with no damage done the Sox would tack on RBIs by Tek (sac fly), Youk (Boston's first HR of 2007-who had Youk in the pool?), and Lugo's 1st Red Sox ribbie, on a single in the 8th. Beckett would only make it through 5 innings on a chilly Missouri night before giving way to the pen, but thankfully this time the relievers got the job done; the law firm of Lopez, Snyder, Pineiro & Romero combined for 4 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball, while Boston's lineup tattooed KC's starter (4 R, 5 H in 5.2) and its pen (3 R, 3H, 4 BBs in 3 IP).
An all around good showing in Game 2, and now we get to see what our $101 million mega-hyped import can do when Matsuzaka makes his debut tomorrow afternoon. The Sox are back, baby!
NOTES & QUOTES:
"I almost kissed J.D. Drew when he made that play in the gap...J.D. came in and I said, `No one loves you more than me right now'." Lowell, accurately describing everyone's feelings after Drew's 3rd inning catch
RECORD: 1-1
UP NEXT: Wed @ KC, 2PM EST ***Dice-K's MLB debut***
4.03.2007
Opening Day: The Aftermath
From the reaction of fans, talk radio hosts and writers in both the "traditional" media and the blogosphere, the sky is already falling in on the Sox championship dreams after yesterday's disheartening opening loss.
Curt Schilling is taking the brunt of the abuse, which is somewhat deserved and definitely not unexpected given the merciless nature of Red Sox Nation, for everything from his blog to his caring more about a contract extension than winning games. Callers to WEEI have labeled him a "mediocre pitcher", and it is blatantly obvious that members of the traditional media, i.e. newspapers and newscasts, dislike the notion of Curt keeping a running diary of his life while he is supposed to be giving his all in attempting to win another championship for Boston.
Let me just say a couple of things here:
1.) opening day is meaningless. It is another game that is hyped beyond belief because it is the one day of the year that every team is in the playoff race, where every team is on a level playing field yet still in spring training mode, therefore guaranteeing anything can happen.
2.) keeping a blog is not about to affect Schill's pitching any more than stumping for politicians, calling in to sports talk radio shows or sparring with opposing players/mangers has for the last few years. The guy is a different kind of ace, the anti-Steve Carlton, who craves the spotlight, the media attention, and all the accoutrements that come with being a World Series hero twice over and a surefire Hall of Famer. So let Curt Be Curt, and at least wait until he suffers few more embarrassing losses before getting on his case
Coming on the heels of the first loss and with an off day today I though now would be a good time to go over my Top 10 questions surrounding this Sox team going into the 2007 season. Plus I sifted through my notes and realized I forgot to do it before the season.
1.)How will Daisuke Matsuzaka adjust to MLB & the USA?
This guy has about 7 or 8 different pitches, so it will be up to major league hitters to adjust to him as much as anything. Plus he is about as calm a newcomer as you'll ever see, and his easy going demeanor and lack of understanding of the English language will only help him when it comes time to deal with the Boston fans & media. If anyone can easily adapt to a new country & league, it's Dice-K. Expect 18 wins, 250+Ks and an ERA in the high 2.00s/low 3.00s.
2.)WWJDDD?
In case you didn't bring your hip slang dictionary those initials stand for What Will J.D. Drew Do?, and next to Dice-K that is the most talked about subject involving this team in the offseason. That's what happens when you spend $70 mil on a guy who is perceived to be an injury-prone player who lacks the desire necessary to play in Fenway.
But in my opinion Drew is in the perfect situation: he's not being counted on to be "the man", he will have a bunch of guys hitting ahead of him who will be on base a lot, ensuring that he sees plenty of quality pitches, and his perceived lack of mental toughness and psychical stamina are things that are going to drive him to be the best player he can be.
Or he'll be a complete bust. But I pick A.
3.)Who's gonna close?
As I said, this list was culled from my pre-season notes. Thanks to Mr. Papelbon's largess, this question has been resolved. Move along.
4.)Can Schill stay healthy and still be effective?
Boy I wish I had answered this one before yesterday. Despite the opening day horror show I'm going to give this one a yes. He still has the talent, desire and health to do what he needs to do, but judging by yesterday Schill's best at his advanced age might not be good enough against some of the tougher batters in the league. Can he still be a dominant starter? Doubtful. But he can be an effective one, and as long as he is still wanting to go out there and try to get guys out I;m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can still do it with regularity. Yesterday's outing non withstanding.
5.)Will Gopherball Beckett keep the ball in the yard?
Tough one here because the man is first & foremost a fireballer, and by definition fireballers tend to give up a lot of homers. But if new pitching coach John Farrell can get Beckett to stop relying on his fastball so much, especially early in games & counts, he should cut down from his league-leading total of 36 from 2006.
6.)Will Lowell repeat or regress?
He was the throw in player in the Beckett deal because Florida wanted to unload his inflated salary ($9 mil) and apparently declining bat. All Lowell did in his first season in Boston was play stellar third base, tear the cover off the ball for the first three months of the season, rip 47 doubles and knock in 80 runs while batting .287 and endeared himself to the Fenway faithful.
But can he keep it up, or will he regress back to his 2005 form, when he batted .236 with only 58 knocked in?
I doubt he will be able to duplicate his success of 2006; I think a lot of that had to do with proving to everyone that he was better than a throw-in due to an albatross contract, so that motivation will be gone, and he is a year older (now 33.) I think Mike will regress somewhat, possibly batting in the .270s with 35 or so doubles and 65 knocked in, but he will still play a mean hot corner and be a fan favorite because of his work ethic, attitude, and desire to win.
7.)Can Coco come back from an injury-plagued 2006?
There is less pressure on Coco this year because he won't have to worry about hitting leadoff now that Lugo is here. Yet less pressure in Coco's situation still qualifies as a ton of pressure. That's what happens when you are expected to replace a key cog from a championship team, and after breaking his finger last April, Crisp never really got a chance to do that.
The Epstein, who took a gamble on believeing that Coc could replace Demon's productivity in center/leadoff, admitted in a WEEI interview last month that Coco was "90-95% affected by the injury" last season. He'll get his chance tp prove his boss right this year, but anything less than a .280 average, 20-30 steals and superb defense in center will get the man with the cute name on the next bus out of Beantown.
8.)How will Papelbon adjust to the rotation?
See #3
9.)How long before MannyBeingManny rears it's ugly, dreadlocked head?
The over/under is usually the All Star Break, so I'm gonna play it safe and go with that answer.
Unless you count the car & grill auctions, but that was just MBM, Spring Training Edition.
10.)Can Papi put together another MVP-like season?
Unless he decided to alter his diet, swing, or training regimen there is absolutely no reason why Big Papi should not put up comparable numbers to what he has done for the last 3 seasons, meaning an average of 47 homers, 141 RBIs, a .280-.300 average and a slugging percentage over .600. As long as ManRam is hitting behind him Papi will continue to see enough pitches to put up those lofty numbers, and as long as he does that the Sox will be right in the hunt to play in late October.
Did I kill enough time/make everyone forget about that ugly loss for a while? Good. Now let's have them get back on the field and show those Royals which team has the superior players, management, and payroll!
4.02.2007
Sox start season with a thud
Score: Kansas City 7, Sox 1
WP: Gil Meche (1-0)
LP: Schill (0-1)
HRs: KC-John Buck (1)
It was a beautiful day for baseball at packed Kauffman Stadium
SUMMARY:Big Papi did what he was supposed to do- give Curt Schilling a lead to work with- when he drove in Youk with a deep double in the first inning. Unfortunately for the Sox Schill didn't fulfill his end of the deal as he gave the run right back in the bottom of the frame on a based loaded walk, then went on to allow four more runs in four innings of erratic, sporadic opening day ball.
By the time Schill gave way to Javier Lopez in the 5th he had allowed 8 hits including two doubles & a triple, walked 2, struck out five and threw 89 pitches, 55 for strikes. Let's call that less than impressive, especially from a guy who is supposed to be the team's ace, who wants a new contract, and who is going to be counted on for stability in the rotation this year.
Lopez stopped the bleeding in the 5th, but Japanese rookie reliever Hideki Okijima allowed a lead off home run to catcher John Buck on his first major league pitch, and just for good measure Joel I am not a closer Pineiro allowed a run on Tona Pena Jr's (yes, that Tony Pena, Sox fans) second triple of the game in his Boston debut in the 8th.
Basically the loss came down to KC getting timely hitting (5 of the 7 runs scored came with 2 outs) and quality pitching from Seattle castoff Gil Meche. The poster boy for the off season free agent splurging MLB indulged in, especially on pitchers, Meche took his 55 career wins, $55 million contract while wearing #55 and not only out-pitched Schill but held the vaunted Sox lineup in check for 7.1 innings. The righty gave up only 6 hits and the single run while striking out six, including new Boston SS/lead off man Julio Lugo three times; Sox batters Kd 10 times on the day.
There were some positives for the Bosox: new RF J.D. Drew had a single & walk in his debut, Youk had two hits and scored a run from the #2 slot, and Dustin Pedroia went 2-3 from the 9th position. But for every positive there were at least 2 negatives, like the pair of base runners (Pedroia & Tek) gunned down after foolishly attempting to take extra bases that weren't there, the two measly extra base hits produced by this prodigious lineup, and the pair of runs given up by two new members of the pen.
BOX SCORE
Opening Day 2007: Sox at Royals 4 PM EST
Boston (0-0) at. Kansas City (0-0)
Curt Schilling (0-0, 0.00) vs. Gil Meche (0-0, 0.00)
This is where it all starts-opening day, when every team in the league thinks it has a chance to go all the way and before the inevitable steroid scandal has seeped into the fan's consciousness.
Curt Schilling will take the mound for the Sox as they begin their quest for another ring in appropriately the Show Me state against the young & perennially rebuilding Royals. Although KC did go out and splurge (i.e. overspend) on today's mediocre starter Gil Meche, the core of the team is still youth and development.
In that department young 3B Alex Gordon could be the cream of a crowded rookie crop. He is already being compared to his idol, former Royals icon George Brett, and is believed to be one of the most baseball-ready prospect in the major leagues.
Here are the projected lineups:
BOSTON:
1-SS Julio Lugo
2-1B Kevin Youkilis
3-DH David Ortiz
4-LF Manny Ramirez
5-RF J.D. Drew
6-3B Mike Lowell
7-C Jason Varitek
8-CF Coco Crisp
9-2B Dustin Pedroia
P- Curt Schilling
KANSAS CITY:
1-CF David DeJesus
2-2B Mark Grudzielanek
3-RF Mark Teahen
4-DH Mark Sweeney
5-3B Alex Gordon
6-1B Ryan Shealy
7-LF Ross Gload
8-C John Buck
9- Tony Pena
P- Gil Meche
Boston will look for plenty of offense today and a solid 6-7 innings from Schill before giving way to Donnelly, Pineiro and Papelbon for the first win of the 2007 campaign.
Let the run to the title begin!
4.01.2007
Let's Play Ball!!
The season officially opens tonight in St. Louis, but the Sox' drive to another championship begins tomorrow afternoon in Kansas City.
Despite my efforts to ignore the fact that those damned fools at Sports Illustrated had to go and put Matsuzaka on the cover of their baseball preview issue, the Cover Jinx Curse may have struck again.
On the eve of Opening Day 07 and on April Fools Day no less, word came from the team that after throwing 82 pitches in a sloppy final spring start against Philly, Dice-K is suffering from some "arm fatigue" according to pitching coach John Farrell. This is common for many pitchers after the month long grind of the spring, but for a guy who never uses pitch counts, throws every day and who never ices his million dollar right arm, this comes as shocking and unsettling news to all of Red Sox Nation.
I know right now as I type there are literally millions of Nation members praying at some makeshift Bosox altar, probably containing odd paraphernalia like old pictures of you and the gang at Fenway, a coke mirror autographed by Butch Hobson, a Jerry Remy Topps card and a home made bloody sock, and hoping that this bad omen is not, well, a bad omen.
Damn you, Sports Illustrated! May your Swimsuit Edition lose its cache more and more very year!
Let the season begin!
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