Sox win another wild one in Arlington

Sox 7, Texas 4
WP: Wakefield (5-5)
LP: Padilla (2-7)
SV: Papelbon (12)
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
Tim Wakefield was steady if unspectacular and the Boston offense came alive to slap another 5-run inning on the hapless Rangers' pen as Boston ensured itself of yet another series win, regardless of what Tavarez does on Sunday.

HERO: Manny 4-4, R, RBI, BB, 3B, 2B
One day after suffering a "Misadventures of Manny" day in the field, on the bases and at the plate, Ramirez busted out of a season-long slump with a season-high four hits, including his first triple since April 2006.

GOAT: J. Benoit 2/3, 2H, 1ER, 3BBs, 33 pitches
For the second straight game the Sox smacked around the Texas starter, then atomic drop-kicked a weak Rangers reliever for the death blow.

Benoit came into a tie game (4-4) in the 6th and proceeded to incinerate the game for Texas by allowing a single, sac fly and three walks, one with the bases loaded. When he left the score was 7-4 Boston and the game was all but over.

RECAP:
It wasn't close to the mushroom-laced, rain-soaked trip of the night before, but it was another strange, eventful game for the Sox in Arlington, Texas. Once again the Sox fell behind early in the game, only to bide their time and lie in wait for the opponent to go to the bully before pouncing for another kill.

Starter Tim Wakefield spotted the Rangers an early lead when Sammy Sosa doubled with one out in the 2nd and scored on recent call up Marlon Byrd's single for a 1-0 Texas lead. Meanwhile Boston's bats were silent through the first four, registering just two hits, but the Sox would score two in the fourth courtesy of a hit, two walks and a bad Texas error.

The inning began when Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff double to left. Consecutive walks to Ortiz (0-4) and Manny loaded the bases with no outs, but the Rangers almost got out of it with minimal damage when Padilla () induced J.D. Drew to hit a textbook double play grounder to first base. Unfortunately shortstop Michael Young threw wide of Padilla covering first for a costly 2-base, 2-run error that gave the Sox a short-lived 2-1 lead.

Texas re-took the lead in the 5th when they battered Wake for three runs on a HBP, a single, a 2-run double by Gerald Laird and after another single, a sac fly by Kenny Lofton to make it 4-2 Texas. But then came the fateful 6th for Padilla & the Rangers, the one where the Sox took a possible win by an opposing pitcher and turned it into a hard luck loss.

Youk, of course, got things started with his 2nd hit, a single to center. After Papi flied out, Manny hit a bomb to the opposite field that Sosa couldn't track down and Manny raced around the bases for a rare triple as Youk easily scored the Sox third run. Padilla then threw a wild pitch to Drew that enabled Manny to waltz home and tie the game, and after Drew walked and Lowell singled, Benoit relieved Padilla and blew the roof off the mutha.

Coco greeted Benoit with a single to center that Lofton misplayed into a double that brought Drew home with the go-ahead run, 5-4 Sox. After walking Mirabelli, Cora lofted a sac fly to center to score Lowell with run #6, and following another walk loaded the bases, Youk took a base-on-balls that forced in the seventh and final Boston run.

Can you say UG-LY?

However the results far outweigh the beauty of the games, and with a three-run lead to work with Wakefield went out and set down six straight batters before giving way to Javier Lopez to start the eighth. Lopez and Donnelly worked into and out of a jam, then Paps came in and had an adventurous but scoreless ninth to seal the series win.

Like I said, another weird & wild game in Texas, but the end result is all that matters, and with a now-gigantic 11-game bulge over its nearest competitor, Boston will take victories any way it can get 'em, regardless of aesthtics or statitcs.

NOTES:

• Texas Fold 'Em: the Rangers' top three hitters-Lofton, Young & Teixeira-went a combined 0-10, and Sox Killer Frankie Catalanotto was hitless (0-3), one of the few times he hasn't registered a hit against Boston
• Silver Sombrero: Mirabelli is in the throes of a horrific slump (1-21, 8-42 in May) that has dropped his average to .190, and was 0-3 with 3 Ks and a walk in this one.
• Youk remains hotter than a blowtorch; he registered his 6th consecutive multi-hit game and is batting a Williams-esque .409 in May, bringing his current mark to .352, good for 4th in the AL
• Similarly smokin': Manny is on a serious tear, as in 10-19 with 3 doubles, a triple, 4 runs, a homer and 5 RBIs in his last five games; he's raised his average to a season-high .272 with the streak
• Boston only tallied 8 hits, and Manny & Youk combined for 6 of them; Lowell & Coco had the other two. Sox hitters did work the count for 9 walks, though
• The save was just Papelbon's 2nd since May 12th and first since the 17th, yet he is still 6th in the AL in the category, four behind leader Joe Borowski
• Drew went hitless-again, grounded out twice-again, yet did draw three walks, scored a run and had an RBI; he is in the midst of a 3-28 drought that has dropped his average to .227-yikes!

QUOTES:

"The Ranger defense should take an example from that guy-two-handed catch, very rare."--Remy commenting on a nice play by a fan on
a foul ball below him

-"Manny really looks like he's in a groove." --Lowell with a phrase that is music to RSN's ears

-"It's surprising for any team to have this kind of lead at this point of the season."--Lowell, ditto

RECORD: 33-15

AL EAST: Up 11.5 on TOR

UP NEXT: Sun @ TEX 3P

Read More......

Matsuzaka survives a cycle, cramps and magic 'shrooms

Sox 10, Texas 6

WP: Matsuzaka (7-2)

LP: McCarthy (4-5)

HRs: TEX: Catalonotto (4), Vazquez (3)

The Ranger's announcers coined this outfield fungus "The Rally Mushroom"; it was that kind of night.

RECAP:
It was another wet & wild game for the Sox as Dice-K was cruising along with a 4-0 lead until pre-game nausea got the best of him and he surrendered 5 runs in an unbelievable 4th inning to make the game interesting.


But Boston managed to scrape six more runs together on a collection of bloops, bleeders and Texas leaguers, and the Sox went on to win a crazy game in Arlington for Matsuzaka's 6th consecutive victory.

HERO: Matsuzaka 5IP, 7H, 5R, 3BB, 6Ks, 2HRs
Take away the 5th inning-when he surrendered an surreal cycle of hits including two-2-run homers-and he was phenomenal, especially when you consider he was heaving his guts out before the game.

GOAT: Frankie Francisco 1/3IP, 4H, 4ER, 2BB, 0K
The reliever with the unfortunate moniker (a former Sox prospect) came into a 1-run game (6-5 BOS) in the sixth and immediately dumped a jug of methanol on the festivities; 4 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs later the Sox had blown the game open, and Francisco had to be contemplating a potentially lucrative career as an arsonist.

SUMMARY:
There's weird games-like the doozy of a doubleheader against Atlanta two weeks back-and then there are the games the Sox play in Texas. It seems as if every time the team travels to this Mid-Western oasis of steel and steers, something odd happens.

From the series in 2002 when the Sox gave up 6 homers and 19 runs to the Rangers one night, then came back to beat them 13-0 the next, to the incredible 3-HR, 9RBI performance of Billy Mueller in a 14-7 Sox victory in July 2003, there have been some doozys played between these two teams in the heart of Texas.

Well, we can add last night's Twilight Zone special to the list of oddball baseball in Sox/Rangers lore, because this game had more adventure than a failed summer blockbuster.

It started off with a two-hour rain delay that pushed the start time back to 10:00PM EST, and that was only the beginning of the madness-literally. Three and a half hours later the viewers had been treated to a spectacle not often seen on the baseball field, at least not all in one game.

The list of highlights includes: both starting pitchers suffering from nagging problems that forced them to surrender 4 & 5-run innings; three dropped popups including one on the first pitch of the game; two misplayed balls that led to triples, one by each team; a ball bounce directly off second base and into leftfield; Texas hitting for the cycle in the 5th; Manny getting tagged out on both sides of second base; an infield double for Coco Crisp, 11 pitchers throwing 331 pitches; and last, but not least, mushrooms growing in the outfield.

Yes it was a game that could drive even Rod Serling mad, especially since the outcome wasn't decided until well after midnight Eastern Standard Time.

As soon as the game got underway after the delay, that's when the weird shit started. Lugo popped a ball to foul territory near first base that Ian Kinsler nonchalantly dropped-with no error given-that signified what kind of night it would be. Although that play didn't come back to haunt Texas, there would be plenty more opportunities for that to happen.

Like when they got the first two men on base in the bottom of the first but couldn't score thanks to a fortunate double play ball Dice induced from Mark Teixeira and subsequent strikeout of Sammy Sosa. Boston would make the Rangers pay for the missed opportunity when they hung a 4-spot on Texas starter Brandon McCarthy (2IP, H, 4ER, 4BB, K) in the second, fueled by four walks, a sac fly, a bloop single and an RBI fielder's choice by Lugo earned when Sosa dropped a flyball (again, no error) but then nailed Pedroia at second base.

McCarthy would leave after that inning, not from the embarrassment of what happened but due to a Beckett, errr blister, on his pitching hand. The Sox had a golden opportunity to score go by the wayside off reliever Wes Littleton in the 3rd when Papi led off with a single and Manny followed with a double, but after Drew hit a sharp grounder to second, Manny inexplicably broke for third and was picked off as he tried to scramble back to the base with ease. MBM, baby.

The score remained 4-o into the bottom of the 4th, but that's when a pre-game bug bit Dice hard, s he suddenly had the bottom fall out of his performance in one of the strangest innings you'll ever see.

Teixeira started it off with an opposite field smash to left that Manny casually played into a triple. MBM, Pt II. Sosa followed with a deep double to left center that scored the Rangers' first run, and then notorious Sox killer Frankie Catalanotto (how did I forget about him?) launched a 2-run homer to right to cut the gap to one run-for a minute.

After Matsuzaka got Nelson Cruz and Kinsler out, Gerald Laird dropped a single to center and then Ramon Vazquez (another ex-Sox, 2005) blasted a 2-run shot nearly to the same spot as Frankie Cat's, and before you could say "bad sushi", the Rangers had rolled Dice and taken hit for the cycle and a 5-4 lead.

As Matsuzaka came off the field grabbing his right side, the Nation gulped as the health of Boston's biggest off-season investment looked to be in jeopardy. But as soon as I spotted him doing this... ...I knew he was just sick as a dog, not injured. Whew!

To make a long game short, Boston would tag Littleton for two in the 5th on a single by Youk, extending his streak to 17-games, a double by Papi, and a cue shot single off second base by Manny to knock in Ortiz with the go-ahead run, 6-5. Then the wheels came off in the 6th when former farmhand Francisco allowed a walk, an RBI triple by Tek, an RBI double by Coco that trickled off Kinsler's glove into short right, and RBI singles by Lugo and Youk to blow the game open at 10-5.

That outburst allowed Dice-K to exit the game and heave the rest of his stomach contents and Tito used the contigent of Snyder, Lopez, Donnelly, Okajima and Papelbon to close this thing out.

So ended another odd chapter in Boston/Texas history. And I though last night would be the best pitched game of the two!

Must be something in the Texas water.

Like rally mushrooms.

NOTES:

• Lugo's 6th inning steal was his 14th in 14th chances this season, good for 2nd in the AL; Texas' Kenny lofton, who nabbed his 16th theft in the 6th, is tied for the league lead.
• Youk remains scorching hot with another multi-hit game and another RBI; he's now batting .349, 4th in the AL
• Similarly scorching Lowell didn't get a hit, but walked three times and scored twice
• The Sox are averaging nearly 7 runs for every Matsuzaka start. He has now allowed totals of 1 (3x),2, 3(2x), 4, 5, 6 and 7 earned runs in his 10 starts and is tied for the ML lead in victories
• J.D. Drew was hitless (0-4) again and is down to .230; is it just me or has he grounded out to second base about 357 times this season?
• Every Sox starter except Drew & Lowell had hits, and seven of the starting nine registered and RBI
• Boston's top four hitters went 7-18 with 4 runs and 5 RBIs while the bottom three went 3-9 with 3 runs and 5 ribbies
• Sox Killer: Catalanotto has a field day against Boston, no matter what uni he's wearing; coming in he was hitting .318 with 10 homers, 35 doubles and 47 RBIs in 95 career games vs. the Sox

QUOTES:

"I tried my best to take the team as deep into the game as possible to fulfill my responsibility as the starter," Matsuzaka said in the statement. "I regret that I ended up being a burden on my teammates (Friday). I'll do my best to prepare for my next start." --Matsuzaka, ever self-effacing

"One through nine our lineup was chipping away. It's a good formula for winning." --Tito

"Bowling's a fun sport. Great for families."--thoughtful game-related insight from Ranger's color(less) man Tom good Grieve

RECORD: 32-15

AL EAST: Up 10.5 on NYY

UP NEXT: Sat @ TEX 8P

Read More......

Game on!

It's finally stopped pouring, the rain has been reduced to a drizzle, and they're getting set to play ball in Arlington.

So much for getting to bed early tonight!

Read More......

Another f-ing rain delay!

After the extremely hard day I had today (let's just say sick loved ones were involved) and very little sleep coming in, I was so looking forward to plopping down on my Corinthian leather sofa and checking out the Sox game on the wide screen.

Unfortunately when game time rolled around and Extra Innings flicked on (at exactly 8:00 PM EST on the dot, God forbid not a friggin second sooner), I was dismayed to see sideways rain slicing through the Texas air and the tarp covering the field at Whatever They're Calling It Now Stadium.

Look, don't these people know that if the Sox want rain delays, postponements, and hemorrhoid-inducing doubleheaders they can schedule all of their games to be played in Boston? When the team travels to Texas, a place normally as dry as Bob Newhart's humor, we want to see sweltering heat and longballs up the wazzou, not Massachusetts May showers.

Maybe all the games should be played in Florida, just like spring training. It hasn't rained more than a puddle here in the Sunshine State in the last two months, and even when it does it only last for 30-45 minutes. Plus every game would be a sellout.

Maybe I'll start a petition.

Because there's nothing worse than coming home ready to watch your team and there's a blinding rainstorm delaying the game.

Well, I guess maybe living in it, but...

Read More......

Series preview: Sox @ Texas

Texas Rangers (18-29)
AL WEST: 9.5 GB
STRK: L-2 LST 10: 3-7
AVG: .253 (13th) ERA: 5.12 (13th)
HRS: 65 (1)

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS:

GM1 FRI 8P
Matsuzaka (6-2, 4.06 ) vs. McCarthy (4-4, 5.82)
This should be the best game of the three, pitching-wise, as Dice-K is on a roll (3-0, 1.88 ERA in last three starts, reigning AL Player of the Week) and young Brandon McCarthy has been hot in the month of May as well (3-0, 2.31). I expect a LOT of runs this weekend, after this one.
MY PICK: SOX

GM2 SAT 8P
Wakefield (4-5, 3.14) vs. Padilla (2-6, 5.52)
Wake is coming off that horror show in the Bronx (9H, 6ER in 5IP), so he has redemption on the mind; trouble is, he's 7-14 lifetime against Texas, and a miserable 4-11 with a 5.63 ERA at Whatever the Hell They're Calling It Now Ballpark.
MY PICK: TEXAS in a slugfest

GM3 SUN 3P
Tavarez (3-4, 5.27) vs. Loe (1-4, 6.38)
This epic battle of mediocre former middle releivers could come down to their final pitch, and who hits that pitch out. Julie's been hot, so I gotta go with him.
MY PICK: SOX in a slugfest

Last meeting: Texas won 2-of-3
Season Series: Texas, 2-1

KEY PLAYERS:

• Mark Teixeira: .307/8/29--the beefy first baseman has been on a tear (9-18, 2HRs, 6RBI) in the last four games and has hit a scorching .386 in May, but he's never fared well against the Sox (.236, 3HRs, 15 RBI in 127 ABs)
• Sammy Sosa: .266/10/36--Slammin' Sammy is back! Since hitting his first homer of the season against the Sox on April 7, Sosa has become the front runner for comeback player of the year thanks to his power production
• Michael Young: .240/27R/25RBI--the slick-hitting shortstop is having one of the worst seasons of his career but has shown signs of improvement by hitting .271 in May and compiling multi-hit games in 4 of the last 6 contests
• Ian Kinsler: .240/10/26--the winner of this year's Chris Shelton Award, i.e. he lit it up in April (.298, 9HRs, 22RBI) but has plummeted hard in May (.171/1/4)
• Akinori Otsuka: 1.08 ERA, 4SVs--the replacement for broken down Eric Gagne (so glad the Sox didn;t sign him this winter) has been okay; he has half the team's paltry 8 saves

Ah, the Rangers. The team that has never had any pitching in the history of baseball (oh yeah, except when that guy named Ryan pitched for them), but has usually had enough offense to out-slug many of the weaker teams in the league.

Unfortunately there aren't any teams weaker in the AL. Texas owns the worst record in the league (yes, worse than the D-Rays) and even in the Wild West, where the A's and Angels haven't exactly set the world on fire & run away with the division, Texas has been so horrible that they still remain Stankee distance behind L.A. for the division lead.

So what's been the problem with the team I picked to win the AL West (insert snicker here)?

Well of course the pitching sucks, which was pretty much a given since Kenny Rogers is no longer punching cameramen in Arlington, ace Kevin Millwood has been on the DL since May 5th with a hammy problem, and projected closer Eric Gagne is more damaged than Britney Spears' reputation.

The bigger problem has been the offense, or lack therof, from the normally dangerous Texas lineup. Yes, they lead the league in homers, but despite the productive, low-cost addition of Sosa, stalwarts like Young and newcomer Jerry Hairston Jr (.234, .288OBP), who's now hurt have been major disappointments, and slugging third baseman Hank Blalock just went on the 60-day DL after having a rib removed to relieve a nerve disorder.

Yeah, it's been that kind of year in Texas, and although the team flexed its offensive muscles recently when it posted back-to-back 14-run games, it lost the next two and scored a total of 4 runs combined in doing so.

Basically Boston should have no problem taking 2-of-3 from these reeling Rangers, unless someone has a complete meltdown, which would be a nice goal after that bitter Bronx pill the team had to swallow this week.

Go Sox!

Read More......

Sox Drawer: SOX/STANKS Leftovers

Last words on the Stanks series in regards to the A-Rod/Pedroia dustup and Schill's performance in Game 3 last night.

As for the Rodriguez play, nothing materialized last night by way of Boston retaliating for A-Rod's unquestionably cheap play sliding into second base late in Game 2. But the play was rehashed in a curious piece in today's Globe by Curt Schilling's BFF, Dan Shaughnessy, perhaps trying to re-stoke the fire before the teams next meeting June 1st.

Here's another looks at the play, and the subsequent reactions from the parties involved.

"It was a hard slide. It was an awkward slide. We're struggling for every run. I may have come up [with my elbow], but I didn't roll. They have their opinion over there, but I don't take exception . . . I'm not going to go in like a little baby and try to hug him."--Rodriguez

"He better get down next time. If he doesn't he's going to get hit by the ball . . . I wouldn't slide into Derek Jeter like that. I slide in hard, but low. I wouldn't try to hurt Derek Jeter."---Pedroia (notice how even the rookie knows to include Jeter in any demeaning comments about A-Rod? Nice touch, kid)

"Hey, we're playing for our lives right now. There's no room for distraction. Every game for us is a playoff game. They've got a great team over there and I respect them. I always play hard and I'm never
going to apologize for the way I play. Just try to keep it clean. It's just part of baseball. "--A-Rod the self-help god.

And he wonders why people want to vomit when he speaks. This is what the managers had to offer:

"The only thing I saw is that he went in hard."--Torre, defending his player to the hilt

"I'm not going there. That's not baseball. I'm not that interested."--Tito, ducking & covering like a pro

Okay, let's put this thing to rest for a while. Because we all know that when the time is right and the situation ideal, the Sox will retaliate with a pitch or a play that will be so hard it will turn Rodriguez' lips blue.

Oops, too late.

--------------------------------------------------------

As for Schilling's performance last night, just as I expected he went on his blog, 38 Pitches, today and ripped his lack of control and failure to pick up his team, and as usual he was more than a little bit frank when assessing his outing.

"A craptastic finish to what could have been a nice series. I never gave us a chance to even get into this game. I felt great during the day, even better after warmups and then the game had to start."

"24 base runners in the past 12 innings means there isn’t just one problem here. From lack of command to horrible execution, the problems run the gamut. This game always is and always will be about making adjustments and right now there is a plethora of adjustments that need to be made."

"Regardless of the situation I just couldn’t stop the bleeding and continued to let them pull away inning after inning."

That was the gist of it. Look you gotta say this about the guy-he is accountable. He's a realist and realistically he knows that if he pitches like this for any long stretch, the Sox chances of cruising to the East title get mighty slim. He needs to improve, knows he needs to improve, and hopefully in his next start we'll see that improvement.

BTW, Shaughnessy couldn't help but get a shot off on Schilling in his piece today, saying that "Schilling was probably blogging when A-Rod came up for the fourth time."

Stay tuned, this feud could be more interesting than the A-Rod/Pedroia mini-cident.

Read More......

Series Recap: Sox @ Stanks

New York wins series, 2-1

Game Results:
GM1: NYY 6-2
GM2: BOS 7-3
GM3: NYY 8-3

STATS: BOS/NYY
RUNS: 12/ 17
HITS: 30/ 29
XBHs: 11/ 11
AVG: .283/ .293
HRs: 3/4
ERA: 5.76/ 4.00

Composite Box:

• Lugo: 1-14, 2R, RBI- the time has come to drop him from leadoff
• Youk: 6-14, 3R, 4-2Bs, 2RBI-another huge series for the versatile infielder
• Papi: 4-9, 2B, 2R, 3RBI-no power stats, but keeps getting hits
• Manny: 4-13, 2B, 2R, HR, 3RBI-his Gm2 homer helped Sox save sweep
• Lowell: 4-12, R, 2-2Bs, HR, 2RBI- hitless in opener, 2 each in Gms 2 &3
• Tek: 1-6, 2BBs-has hit in 7 of 9 games
• Drew: 0-9, 2Ks- ended five innings in 2 games, sat the finale
• Coco: 3-10, 2R, HR, RBI, 3BBs- hit 1st HR in 49 games in Gm3
• Pedroia: 3-8, K-raised his avg. 16 pts in last week (.253-.269)
• Cora: 1-3-only played in one game of series
• WMP: 2-4, 2B- badly misplayed two balls in RF in Gm3 start
• Hinske: DNP
• 'Belli: 1-4- Gm1 single only 2nd hit in last seven games (2-20)

Pitching Composite Box:

• Wakefield: 5IP, 9H, 6ER, 5BB, 2K, 2HRs, L-should never start vs. NY again
• Tavarez: 5.2IP, 3H, 2ER, 4BB, 2K, W-Leatherface turned just 34 (?@!) on Fri
• Schilling: 6IP, 12H, 6ER, 0BB, 3, 2HRs, L-all'd 5ERs for 3rd time in Gm3
• Donnelly: 1IP,2H,ER, K-a strong contender for the award, but...
• Pineiro: 2IP, 2H, ER-...the new Gascan, ladies & gentleman!
• Okajima: 1IP, H, ER, 2BB-all'd first run since opening day in Gm2
• Papelbon: 1IP, 2BB, 2K-two walks in Gm2 were 1/3 his season total
• Delcarmen: 1IP, 0H, 0R-nice 2007 debut from MattapanManny
• Romero: 1IP, 0H, 3BBs-worked his way into-and out of-a Gm1 jam
• Lopez: 1IP, oH, 2K-solid relief of Tavarez in Gm2

Season Series: Sox lead, 6-3

Was it pretty? Hell no.

Was it devastating?

Not even close.

Was it a little disappointing?

Affirmative on that one.

But losing 2 of 3 to the desperate Stankees in late May is basically meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Especially when New York was throwing its three best hurlers while Boston countered with starters 4,5 and a shaky Schill as #2.

Sure New York salvaged some dignity by winning for the third time in the last six meetings between the two after Boston swept the first three games of the season series, but where did that leave them? They're still a 10-game winning streak from getting back in the race, their DH is under fire and meeting with the commish for making stupid comments and a possible drug violation, the aces of their pitching staff are older than the cast of Cocoon and their so-called savior, Roger Clemens, is having a tough time getting minor leaguers out.

So, as we stand of the precipice of another month coming off the baseball calendar before these two teams meet again, the state of Red Sox Nation looks pretty damn good. Josh Beckett is recovering nicely from his finger boo-boo and should be ready to pitch next week, the offense is clicking despite a few slipping cogs, and old friend Trot Nixon is coming to town for a Memorial Day meeting with the Indians.

Plus there's that 9 1/2 game lead thing to help every member of the Nation feel all warm and fuzzy heading into this holiday weekend.

Enjoy this moral victory until June 1st, Feeble Empire!

Read More......

Pettitte shuts down Sox as Schill gets shelled

New York 8, Sox 3
WP: Pettitte (3-3)
LP: Schilling (4-2)
HRs: BOS- Crisp (1); NYY- Matsui (4), Ball Stealer (4)

This 4th inning blast by Ball Stealer off Schilling was the straw that broke the Sox backs

SUMMARY:
Curt Schilling pitched horribly while Andy Pettitte pitched well, the NY batters pounded out 16 hits (six for extra bases), and the Stanks took two of three in the Bronx.

HERO(s): New York Batters 16 hits, 8 runs, 3-2Bs, 3B, 2HRs
Sink your teeth into these numbers: every Stankee except Giambi had at least one hit, five had at least two hits, and three Stanks (Demon, Ball Stealer & Jeter) had three hits apiece. Ouch.

GOAT: Schill 6IP, 12H, 6R, 5ER, 0BB, 3Ks, 2HRs
He wasn't just a goat, he was that freaky faun creature from Pan's Labyrinth.

RECAP:
You knew things weren't going to turn out well when Coco Crisp was picked off stealing second base to end the first inning with Manny Ramirez standing at the plate, yet replays appear to show Crisp was safe by a considerable margin.

Yep, it was that kind of night in the Boogie Down, and even though the Sox returned the favor when Curt Schilling nabbed Bobby Abreu leaning off first in the bottom of the inning, by then New York had already slapped four hits and three runs on Schill & the Sox, the biggest blow coming on a 2-run homer by Hideki Matsui.

Watching Curt this season I've noticed it's apparent early in games if he either has it or doesn't have it, stuff-wise. This was his second rough start in a row, and even my wife could tell that Curt did not have "it"; what he did have was a mediocre fastball that the Stankee batters smacked all over the Stadium, and also a change-up that didn't change, a splitter that didn't split, and, well you get the point-he sucked.

I'm positive that Schill will admit as much tomorrow on his blog, because the way he was throwing it up there and New York was hitting 'em, it looked like a beer league softball game, minus the DeMarinis.

After New York hung the three-spot on Boston in the first it added another run in the second courtesy of three infield hits and a throwing error by Julio Lugo (0-5), his 5th of the season. But it didn't really matter at that point.

By the end of three innings Schilling had allowed five runs on nine hits and with the way Pettitte was dealing, the chances of a Sox comeback looked bleak. Then, with one out in the fourth, the situation became critical.

That's when Dougie Mientcz-ah, who the fuck cares how he spells it, he's the Ball Stealer to me, took a Schilling meatball and mashed it off the facade of the upper deck in right, a blast that only added one run to the score (6-0), but was like a death blow to the hearts of his former teammates.

Boston would finally get to Pettitte (6.1IP, 9H, 1R, BB, 2Ks) in the sixth when Manny and Mike Lowell sandwiched doubles around a couple of outs, but Brenden Donnelly, making a push as the new team gascan, gave the run right back in the seventh when he relieved Schilling an immediately gave up a triple to Jeter and an RBI single to Matsui.

Even though the Sox would tack on a couple meaningless runs off Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th, it was way past the point of praying for another miraculous finish. Just for good measure the two old Sox, Judas Demon (3-5) & Ball Stealer (3-4) combined for another run in the bottom of the 8th off Joel the Current Gascan Pineiro, and then old nemesis-turned recent punching bag Mariano Rivera closed out the win with an uneventful ninth.

So the Stanks got the moral victory they so desperately needed by taking two of three in the series, but they did not get the confidence-building satisfaction of sweeping their nemesis and jump-starting their playoff push.

And at the end of this horrid night of Red Sox baseball, the Sox are still 9 1/2 games up on New York.

Read that and weep, fuckers!

NOTES:

• Ex-Sox curse: Demon and the Ball Stealer combined to torch their former employers with this ungodly linescore: 6-9, 3 runs, 2 doubles, one homer, 2 ribbies
• More Mientc*$@#z: Ball Stealer has four homers this season, two against the Sox; of his 13 RBIs on the season, one quarter (4) have been against Boston
• Youk's hit streak reached 16 games when he doubled in the second; he had another multi-hit game (2-4) and another RBI and is now batting 347
• Lowell continued his blistering pace, rapping two more hits and two more RBIs; he is now batting .355 in May (27-76) with 17 RBIs
• Boston ended up with 12 hits themselves, including six players with a pair each: Coco, Youk, Manny, Lowell, Wily Mo and Pedroia; Tek, Papi and Lugo went hitless
• Coco hit his first homer of the season off Farnsworth in the 8th; he was also caught stealing for just the second time this season on that bogus play
• As poorly as the three Boston hurlers pitched, none of them allowed a base on balls; Hmmm...
• After a pregame chitchat between the managers and crew chief Joe West there was no fallout from A-Rod's latest pansy attack
• Jeter's 2nd inning RBI single moved him past Joe DiMaggio into 5th on the all-time Stankee hits list with 2,215
• The loss was Schilling's first since opening day

QUOTES:

• "Most of the hits were mistakes and they hammered them. My last 12 innings, I've given up 24 baserunners. It's not just the stretch, it's everything."--Schill assessing the damage
• "We won the series. It was a huge series, there's no doubt."--Pettitte, reeking of desperation
• "He's giving up a lot of hits." --Captain Understatement, Tito on Schilling

RECORD: 31-15

AL EAST: Up 9.5 on NYY

UP NEXT: Thu-Off Day; Fri @ TEX 8P

Read More......

A-Rod's antics liven up drab series

Hold everything, everybody, there's a major news flash coming out of New York City. Are you sitting down? Good, 'cause here it comes:

A-Rod is being accused of doing something cheap & dirty during a game against the Sox!

Go ahead, call your shrink and try to find out how something like this could happen, how could a man of such high moral fiber and solid mental character stoop so low as to throw an elbow at Dustin Pedroia's groin after sliding into second base late in the Sox 7-3 win over the Stanks last night?

I mean would a guy who has no history of behavior of this nature whatsoever do something as despicable...wait a minute, something's coming back to me now...oh yeah, WHAT ABOUT THIS:

Let's get a couple of things straight, outraged members of RSN and furios defenders of the "baseball the way it's meant to be played" card:

1. It was by any measure, a cheap play; not a good, hard slide as if he was trying to take him out type of thing, but a clear cheap shot. The play was over. A-Rod was past the base and went out of his way to throw a little chicken wing towards Pedroia's groin area, then got up and scurried away like he didn't mean to do it. Typical A-Rod, go for the johnson and run


2. Nobody should be surprised or care. In A-Rod's twisted little mind he thinks he was doing something to fire up his team, to prove that he's a "win at all costs" player who is willing to do the little things to show that he's a real gamer. In the mind of this Red Sox fan, he looked like the pathetic little purple-lipped wuss that he is, feebly attempting a half-hearted cheap shot with his team trailing Boston in the game, the standings and the national passtime's popularity contest.


3. We should all be thanking Rodriguez. Let's face it, with a double-digit deficit and one team clearly better than the other, this edition of Sox v. Stankees had become as stale as an American Karaoke results show. The latest little hissy fit from the Queen of all Prissiness has interjected some much-needed adrenaline back into the rivalry, and you can bet with Curt Schilling taking the mound tonight, this little incident could soon turn into something as glorious as this:

Overheard before the first pitch to Rodriguez tonight:

Schill: "Hey Alex, let's see how this bruise looks in HD"

Read More......

Manny, Tavarez power Sox past Stanks

Sox 7, New York 3
WP: Tavarez (3-4)
LP: Mussina (2-3)
HRs: BOS-Manny (7), Lowell (9)

RECAP:
The Sox beat back all those stupid "1978" remarks from rose-colored Stankee fans-at least for one day-with an emphatic victory over the artist formerly known as Mike Mussina.

With a fastball that barely reached the low-90s the Sox batters, namely Manny, Lowell, Papi and Youk, teed off on the stumbling Stankee starter, and Julian Tavarez pitched his second solid start in a row to restore the Sox 10.5-game bulge on the Bummers.

HERO: Manny 1-4, R, 3-run HR
As bad as Manny looked at the plate last night his first inning blast off Mussina not only set the tone for the game, but served notice to the rest of the league that the reports of ManRam's demise have been greatly exaggerrated.

GOAT: Mussina 6.2IP, 10H, 7ER, BB, 2K, 2HRs
What the fuck happened to this guy? He once was one of the meanest, filthiest, rudest pitchers in MLB, and now he's got a tepid heater and an ERA over 6 1/2.

With a chance to help the Stanks sweep the Sox and jump start any of possible postseason aspirations, Mussina wilted like a bad perm in the Florida heat, and any hope New York fans had that he might get back to what he once was could be lost.

SUMMARY:
It's amazing how one loss can have everyone believing that the roof is about to cave in.

After dropping last night's opener Boston's 10 1/2 game lead was under double-digits, the Stanks still had their best pitchers set up to face the Sox while Boston was tossing starters #5 & #2, and suddenly talk of that fateful Season of '78 began creeping into the sports fan's vernacular.

Not so fast there, fuzznuts.

Thanks to a couple of thunderous home runs and another excellent start from the birthday boy, Julian Tavarez, the Sox squelched talks of a New York comeback in the East as once again Boston proved that it doesn't matter who lines up opposite them or who takes the mound against them, every time they play they believe they can win.

Never was that more evident than in the first inning tonight. After a horrific opener in which Manny, despite notching a single, looked lost & helpless at the dish when he struck out once swinging at an obvious ball and the next time looking at an obvious strike, Ramirez did what he does best.

Meaning he put all thoughts of the previous night behind him, forgot about the fact that he hadn't hit a home run in 12 games and that he had trouble hitting Mussina in his career (.244, 5HRs in 90 ABs) and launched a blast high & deep into the New York night for a statement-making 3-run homer.

See Manny doesn't slump. He just waits for the right time to unleash his fury.

As big as that shot was soon it was beginning to look like missed opps were going to bite the Sox again. Boston grounded into double plays in the second and third innings, and other than Lowell's fourth inning solo shot, were not able to crack the fading Mussina.

On his 34th b-day Tavarez cruised through the first three innings, but the wheels fell off a bit in the fourth & fifth. In the 4th Hideki Matsui and Georgie Posada singled and Matsui scored on a wild pitch by Julie; in the 5th the Stanks loaded the bases with one out on a double by Cano and walks to Ball Stealer & Demon but could only get one run home on a groundout by Jeter.

So with the Sox nursing just a 4-2 lead after six innings combined with Boston's failed scoring chances and Tavarez starting to falter, the result of the game was very much in doubt. In fact even the great Rem Dog himself couldn't help but declare "I don't like the way this one's going right now."

Perhaps the team heard the worries of everyone's favorite analyst because the Sox would put together a terrific two-out rally in the seventh that would all but end the game.

Tek (1-2, 2BBs) began the rally with a leadoff walk but was erased on a FC grounder by Coco Crisp. After Pedroia flied out, Coco stole second and Julio Lugo (1-5) singled to center to knock in Crisp with the key 5th run, allowing Boston to enjoy some breathing room heading into the late innings.

Youk followed with a double to deep right center that scored Lugo easliy from first, and the noose began to tighten around the Stanks' throats. When Ortiz followed with a rope double to right off "Papi specialist" Mike Myers to push the lead to 7-2, the crowd began to file out of the Stadium and the chants of "1978" fell silent.

Turns out those fairweathers who left the building missed a near-comeback by their boys, courtesy of some shoddy relieving by the Boston staff's most reliable pen men, Okajima and Papelbon.

Okajima came on in the 8th and did the unthinkable: he allowed a run for the first time since opening day, breaking a streak of 20.2 scoreless innings. He allowed a single to Jeter and walked Matsui & A-Rod (0-2, 2BBs) before surrendering a fielder's choice grounder to Posada that scored Jeter and broke the streak.

As if that little piece of buzz kill wasn't bad enough, Papelbon came on in the 9th inning of a non-save game and couldn't find the plate for a while. He gave up back-to-back walks to Giambi & Cano to open the frame then battled through a seven pitch at bat with Melky Cabrera before getting the pinch hitter on a foul tip strike three.

Order was quickly restored when he induced Demon (0-4) into a groundout, then the mastery of the man known as Paps came into full view with an exquisite "three-pitches, just looking" freeze frame of Captain Jeter to end the game.

Now the worst that could happen is the Sox leave the Bronx losing 2-of-3, and even so would still retain a sizeable 9.5 game lead over the Stanks. But with Schill pitching tomorrow, New York's pre-series hope of taking 2-0f-3 is in serious jeopardy.

Make no mistake the Stanks needed to sweep this series, both for numerological and psychological reasons, and with one of their top pitchers going up against Boston's 5th starter, the Sox got the better of them.

The better teams usually do.

NOTES:

• Ramirez homer facts: it was #477 of his career, passing Stan the Man for 24th on the all-time list; his 51st against the Yankees, 5th-most all time against the Bombers; and his 26th at Yankee Stadium, his most at any visiting stadium except Toronto's Rogers Centre/SkyDome (27)
• Youk extended his hitting streak to 15 games with his first innig single; he is batting .400 in May, has had 11 multi-hit games during the streak, and has knocked in a run in 12 out of the last 14 games; Freaking. Amazing.
• Ortiz had his third 3+ hit game of the season but still hasn't hit a homer in 14 games
• J.D. Who? Drew dropped another 0-4 on us as his average (.237) continues to sink lower than Dustin Diamond
• Boston pitchers allowed only 4 hits but walked 8 New York batters-yikes!
• Javier Lopez pitched a great 1 1/3 in relief of Tavarez (oH, 2K)
• Jason Giambi (0-2; 2-30) and Bobby Abreu (0-4; 8-40 ) continue to be mired in Drew-like slumps
• Lowell continues to blaze: he has hit safely in 12 of the last 14 games with 5 homers and 15 RBIs

QUOTES:

• "You really have to think in terms of winning series, and certainly the pressure is on us to do that tomorrow." -- Torre sounding the sad signal of failure
• "Once I saw Manny hit the three-run homer, I knew it was going to be a good night." --birthday boy Tavarez on his buddy's bomb
• "It's almost June and I don't feel like I've done anything as far as contributing, up to this point."--Mussina. Cheer up, asshole-maybe you'll get hurt
• "He went in late and threw an elbow, but it's no big deal." --Pedroia on a slide by A-Rod. Hmmm...stay tuned...

RECORD: 31-14

AL EAST: Up 10.5 on TOR & NYY

UP NEXT: Wed @ NYY 7P ESPN HD

Read More......

It's one game, so what?!

I'm still trying to figure out if this particular Sox/Stankees series carries as much, less, or the same weight as it would if both teams were running neck & neck for the AL East lead, which is normally the case when they have hooked up at this point in the season for the last decade or so.

Because the huge lead that the Sox enjoy over the Bronx Bummers (9.5 games) has thrown the regular aura usually surrounding a BOS/NY series off kilter.

On the one hand you've got the contingent that hearkens back to 1978, when the Stanks overcame a 14 1/2 game deficit to win the AL East in a playoff when, well you all know what happened. This "glass half full" crew can't help but think, "hey, they came back from a larger deficit that season, why not do it again? And if they're gonna do it again, why not start now, in May, instead of waiting until July or August?"

Therefore one win like last night's 6-2 Stankee victory becomes the stepping stone, the potential first building block for New York to climb back into the race.

Fine. Have your hopes and dreams, Stankee lovers, because the fall from that lofty perch of hope & hand-wringing could be a long & painful one, and I would love to see that happen.

On the other side you've got a slew of people-fans, reporters, TV sports personalities -exclaiming that the season is over for New York, they should just try for the Wild Card and see where the chips fall and get comfortable with the knowledge that their reign of 11 straight division titles is all but over.

In fact Curt Schilling's favorite columnist, Dan Shaughnessy, wrote that very sentiment in this morning's Globe, conceding that the Stanks have basically no chance of catching the Sox and therefore should concentrate on the WC and/or the possibility of a postseason-less October.

Writing that John Smoltz looked at the situation this weekend and stated "I don't think they (Sox) can be caught," Shaughnessy concurred by saying "he's probably right."

Now I may not know much (I'm a blogger, after all, how much can I know?), but I do know that that kind of thinking can be hazardous to one's health.

As bad as the Stankees have looked and as snake bitten as they appear to be this season, and as terrific as Boston has played despite prolonged slumps key players, this season is a LONG way from over.

I mean it's only freaking May- of course the Sox could blow a 9 1/2 game lead with four months to play, especially with 11 games remaining with the Feeble Empire. With the long, storied, and too often sad (for the Sox) history between these two teams, would anyone really be even remotely surprised if something as catastrophic like that were to happen?

I know I wouldn't.

But the Sox are such a talented, cohesive and selfless group of hard workers and over achievers that I do find it hard to believe that this team would fold like the 1978 crew, a team that spawned the "25 men & 25 taxis" era of Sox history.

Put it this way, if Rick Burleson had cut off Jim Rice's throw to third base like Lugo did to Manny last night, I don't think Jim Ed would have laughed it off with a "move out of the way" motion as Manny did.

What I'm trying to say is that I am just taking this season one game at a time. Tired & cliched, I know, but never has that old baseball adage ever been more appropriate. It puts everything into perspective, like last night's loss wasn't any more painful than a loss to the Jays or Orioles, or any less painful than the 14-0 beatdown by the Braves.

It's was just another game, one in which one team may have wanted it more than the other because one team needed it more than the other.

All I care about is that for once it's my team that doesn't need it more.

Enjoy the rest of the series, Stankee fans. Don't foget to keep checking the owner's box to see if your savoir, the Rocket, is staring down on his flock below.

Read More......

Wake gets rocked, Wang comes up big in NY win

New York 6, Sox 2
WP: Wang (3-3)
LP: Wakefield (4-5)
HRs: NYY-Rodriguez (18), Giambi (6)

RECAP:
Tim Wakefield was awful, Chien Ming Wang frustrated the Boston hitters by pitching out of numerous jams and the Stanks got homers from A-Rod and Giambi to defeat the Sox for just the second time in seven meetings this season.

HERO: Wang 6.1IP, 7H, 2ER, 3BBs, 5Ks
The gangly righty stymied the Sox hitters all night with a variety of off-speed pitches combined with his devastating sinker, which the Boston batters beat into the turf for eight groundball outs.

GOAT: Wake 5IP, 9H, 6ER, 5BBs, 2Ks, 2HRs
The Stankees have suddenly become the knuckleballer's kryptonite; in the last two years covering nine starts, Wakefield is a miserable 1-7 with a 6.00 ERA vs. the Bummers.

In two starts against them this year, Wakefield is 0-2 and in 10.1 innings has allowed 14 hits, 9 earned runs, 3 homers and a staggering 11 walks-yikes!

SUMMARY:
For some reason when Tim Wakefield steps onto the field against the Stankees he turns into Tim from Wakefield, looking like an average Joe Schmo trying to throw a crazy pitch to a bunch of professional hitters who don't swing at the bad ones and sit on the fat ones, waiting to pummel those high rollers far into the night sky.

And because of this sudden lack of ability to contain his team's arch enemy, Wakefield has now fallen into "let's try to set up the rotation so he doesn't have to face New York" status.

You may have noticed the stats I mentioned above, regarding how Wakefield has fared against New York since May of 2005, but I dug a little deeper and realized the numbers are downright scary when Wake pitches against New York:

-9 starts, 58IP, 49 hits, 38 earned runs, 33 walks, 42Ks, 12 homers all add up to a 1-7 record with a 5.90 ERA

The Stanks wasted no time jumping on Wakefield tonight, too, as Judas Demon (3-4, R, 2SBs) led off with a single and one out later Alex Rodriguez hit his third homer in the last three days, a titanic 2-run shot that landed behind the concrete pathway in leftfield. That blast gave New York a 2-0 lead after one and served notice that despite the disparity in records, or more likely because of it, the Stanks were coming out to win this series.

The Bombers added two more runs in the second inning, first when noted user of "the stuff", Jason Giambi, hit a right field third-deck moonshot with one out, and then after Cano doubled and Judas Demon singled again eter singled in Cano for a 4-0 New York lead.

As the Stanks were spanking Wakefield's pitches all over the yard, Boston was getting on base vs. Wang but couldn't get the big 2-out hit it needed to break the seal and close the gap. The Sox left two men on in the first inning and the bases loaded in the second and had nothing to show for it. Boston finally broke through against Wang in the 5th, thanks to back-to-back doubles by Youk (2-5, 14gm hit streak) and Papi to cut the lead to 4-1.

Unfortunately Wake gave the run right back in the bottom of the inning when he surrendered a single to Abreu, a walk to Giambi and then a triple to Cano (2-4, R, 2BI) that cleared the bases and, with the way the Sox were missing scoring opportunities, made the 6-1 gap seem almost unreachable.

The Sox cut the deficit to four runs in the 7th when Youk doubled, Lugo walked and Papi hit a sac fly to score Youkilis to cut the score to 6-2. That score got Wang to exit the game, but Brian Bruney came on to fan Manny looking to end the inning.

Boston had one more chance to make a game of it in the 8th, when they loaded the bases again with two outs on a walk, error and a hit batter, but Scott Proctor got Lugo to ground out to second and Cano made a nice play to end the threat and effectively end the game.

So the Stanks cut the margin in the East to 9 1/2 games and must feel pretty confident with the way their offense came alive and the way their pitching lines up for the rest of the series.

The best thing Boston has going for them right now is that Wakefield doesn't have to pitch again this series.

NOTES:

-The Stanks were aggressive from the get-go tonight, stealing four bases and taking big leads, using the hit & run and generally wreaking havoc on the bases

-Although Mirabelli had a rough go behind the dish, he did nail A-Rod trying to steal third with one out and two on in the third inning

-Youk's career high hitting streak was extended to 14 games with his 5th inning double; Lowell's streak ended at 10 games (0-4)

-Manny did register a hit (1-5), but he looked foolish & lost on most of his at bats, swinging at the first pitch every time and striking out twice; he did have a nice rolling catch in the 7th, though, robbing Cano of a hit

-Manny (13 games) and Papi (12) are in extended homerless droughts and the two have combined to hit just five homers in May

-J.D. Drew's hitting nightmare continues: the rightfielder was 0-5, left four men on base, and ended four innings, including the 9th; he's now batting .244-UGH!

-The Stanks made two errors, one by Jeter (8) and one by the Bruney (1)

-Mattappan Manny Delcarmen made his '07 debut and pitched a 1-2-3 7th

-J.C. Romero got into a jam by loading the bases on walks in the 6th but escaped without allowing a run; Pineiro actually pitched a scoreless 8th

-A-Rod's homer was his 6th off Wakefield, the most he has allowed to any batter

QUOTES:

-"We won two in a row. We haven't done this in a while. It's not something we usually trumpet, but we haven't done this a lot."-Joe Torre.

'Nuff said.

RECORD: 30-14

AL EAST: Up 9.5 gms on NYY

UP NEXT: @ NYY Tue 7P NESN

Read More......

Series Preview: Sox @ Stanks

Boston (30-13) at New York (19-23)
AL EAST: Sox up 10.5 on Stanks

STATS (AL Rank) BOS/NYY
AVG: .277 (1st)/ .276 (2nd)
ERA: 3.44 (t2nd)/ 4.58 (11th)
RUNS: 232 (2nd)/ 217 (5th)
HRs: 46 (6th)/ 47th (5th)

Pitching Matchups:
Game 1 Mon 7P ESPN HD
Wakefield (4-4, 2.41) vs. Wang (2-3, 4.54)
Game 2 Tues 7P, NESN HD
Tavarez (2-4, 5.59) vs. Mussina (2-2, 5.64)
Game 3 Wed 7P ESPN HD
Schilling (4-1, 3.57) vs. Pettitte (2-3, 2.83)

KEY PLAYERS:

• A-Rod: .311/17/41- it's official: he's Mr. April (.254/3/7 in May)
• Jeter: .365/26R/24BI-has hit in 21 of last 22 gms (36-88, .409)
• Abreu: .243/2/22-OBP almost 100 pts below career avg (.410-.320)
• Posada: .382/6/25- Georgie leads the American League in batting
• Giambi: .268/5/18- recent 'roid reference may get him cut
• Matsui: .295/3/20-power #s down since return from DL
• Demon: .256/24R/15BI-he's been banged up, blah blah blah

Last meeting: Sox took two of three in the Bronx Apr 27-29

I'm not sure if it's just me, located down here in the RSN South branch but there seems to be absolutely no hype for this series whatsoever. I mean, even ESPN, the megawatt hype machine that is broadcasting 2 of the 3 contests, is barely advertising this series, and I can't figure out why.

Is it because the Stankees are more banged up than than the guy who hit on Meadow Soprano?

Or because after being declared as having the greatest month in the history of the game, A(pril)-Rod has fallen to earth faster than SkyLab?

Or perhaps it's because the bumbling, stumbling Stankees, who have dealt with enough insults and injury to fill an entire season worth of Scrubs, are just too sorry & pathetic an organization right now for anyone to give a crap about this series one way or the other.

I'm going to have to go with all of the above because the same feeling just isn't there with this 3-gamer about to get underway in the Big Apple. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that even if the Stanks somehow managed to sweep the Sox, they would still trail the East leaders by 7 1/2 games, and with another series scheduled in Boston for the first weekend of June, any damage done now could be easily repaired in Fenway, presumably with Josh Beckett back in the rotation.

The latest round of humiliation for the Stanks came this weekend in their interleague series with the rival Mets. The boys from Queens took 2-of-3 from their Bronx brethren and knocked another Stakee starter out of the rotation in the process when Darrell Rasner was injured on a ground ball by Endy Chavez on Saturday; he broke his finger an will need at least three months to recover.

Rasner joins Carl Pavano, Phil Hughes and Jeff Karstens as Stankee starters who are gone for the foreseeable future, and the ones who aren't hurt are pitching like they are. Mussina's ERA is two runs higher than his career average, Pettitte has allowed 56 hits and 21 walks in 57.1 innings, Chien Ming Wang has not regained his pre-injury form yet, and Kei Igawa, their prized $46 million Japanese import, is down in Tampa working on his mechanics with the A-leaguers.

Throw in the fact that Judas Demon is playing like a $13 mil/year octogenarian outfielder, Jason Giambi has opened his mouth and stuck his steroided foot in it again, national columnists are calling for Joe Torre's head, and the entire Stankee organization & fan base is waiting with baited breath for Roger Clemens to recycle up and ride in to save the season, and what you've got is one sorry bunch of sonafabitches residing in the house that Ruth built.

Just for shits and giggles, I hope the Sox sweep those sorry sonafabitches!

Go Sox! Sweep the Stanks!

Read More......

Series Recap: Braves @ Sox

Boston wins series, 2 games to 1

Game Results:
GM1: BOS 13-3
GM2: ATL 14-0
GM3: BOS 6-3

STATS: ATL/BOS
RUNS: 20/ 19
HITS: 41/30
AVG: .345/.291
HRS: 4/5
ERA: 6.84/6.33

Hitting Composite Box:

• Lugo: 2-9, 2B, HR, R, 3RBI-big first game, sat last game
• Youk: 4-9, 2B, 2HRs,2R, 3RBI-he's hotter than Jessica Biel (not really, but)
• Papi: 4-10, 2-2Bs, 3R, RBI-power has been down, average still up
• Manny: 2-10, 2B, R- hasn't hit a homer in 12 games
• Drew: 2-6, 3R, 3BB-back is okay, average is still on life support
• Lowell: 5-8, 2B, GS, 2R, 5RBI- he & Youk have carried team
• Tek: 2-8, 3B, R, 3RBI-Cap'n Clutch comes thru again yesterday
• Coco: 3-11, 2-2Bs, R, 2RBI-still doing all the little things
• Pedroia: 3-9, 2B, 3R-raised his aveage to .260
• Cora: 1-8-slumping but still batting .333
• Hinske: 1-8, RBI-forever forgiven for his game vs. DET.
• Belli: 0-3- a 2-23 slump has dropped his avg to .200
• WMP: 1-4, R, RBI, HR-always capable of clearing Lansdowne

Pitching Composite Box:

• Matsuzaka: 8IP, 9H, 3ER, 0BB, 6Ks, HR, W-keeps getting better and better
• Hansack: 4IP, 6H, 3ER, BB, 2K, 2HRs, L- solid start in an emergency role
• Gabbard: 5IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 7K, W-excellent start in emergency role
• Snyder: 2IP, 2H-lowered his ERA to 1.77
• Donnelly: 1.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, K-raised his ERA to 4.15
• Lopez: 1.2IP, 3H, 3ER, 2BB, 2K-Sat. he was awful, Sun he was awesome
• Pineiro: 2IP, 4H, 4R, BB, HR-it's official-he's the new 'Gascan'!
• Okajima: 1IP, 2H- ran his scoreless streak to 20.1 inns
• Romero: 1IP, 1H, K-hasn't all'd an earned run since 4/20

To say this series was weird, wet and wild would be an accurate assessment of what at times seemed to be a Halloween horror show than an interleague baseball game.

This series between former crosstown rivals Sox and Braves literally had a little bit of everything: rainouts & rain delays, great pitching & horrible pitching, beatings administered by each team in successive games of a doubleheader, 11-three hit games, 2-four hit games, 20 doubles, two triples, 9 homers, one grand slam, a number of great catches & defensive plays, runners tagged out at home, three players making their 2007 debut, one player striking out 5 times in a game, and a total of 933 pitches thrown.

Whew! That was one fucking crazy series!

Boston was lucky to escape with 2 of 3 seeing as the Braves were throwing two of the best pitchers in the game while the Sox countered with two hurlers making their first starts of the season. After the first two games of Saturday's doubleheader basically cancelled each other out, yesterday's rubber match was the tie-breaker, and when Boston prevailed with Kason Gabbard besting Tim Hudson, the Sox could take the flight to New York knowing that with this team, even when they are expected to lose they can find a way to win.

Bring on the Bronx Bummers!

Read More......