That's more like it: Papi's slam leads to rout of Angels

Sox 10, Angels 5
WP: Schilling (7-5)
LP: Weaver (8-6)
HRs: BOS-Papi (21); LAA- Figgins (3), Guerrero (19)

Excuse me, Mr. Ortiz, your Cadillac is waiting.

SUMMARY
Shut out for four innings by Jered Weaver, Boston exploded for six runs in the 5th, highlighted by David Ortiz' mammoth grand slam, then tacked on four more in the 8th to defeat the Angles and give Curt Schilling his first win since June 7th.

# 1 STUNNER Ortiz 1-3, 2R, 4BI, 2BB, GS
His blast off Weaver was one of the longest homers I've ever seen Papi hit at Fenway, landing 3/4 of the way up the right field stands; it was so high & deep he had to take a minute to admire it, an act that Weaver didn't appreciate too much.

Next time don't groove a fastball to Ortiz with the sacks packed, jackass!

PAN's FAUN Weaver 4.1IP, 8H, 6ER, 1BB, 5K
Speaking of said donkey, the guy was cruising with a 5-0 lead until he suffered a Gagne-esque meltdown in the 6th. Six hits and six runs later he was flinging his glove into the bench like his teammate John Lackey did yesterday after getting torched for a sixer. Temper, tempers.

RECAP
I think it's safe to say the Big Man has got his mojo back.

Yesterday David Ortiz had a day worthy of, well, David Ortiz, circa 2003-2006, when he launched a 2-run homer of John Lackey in the 1st inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader, then stroked a 2-run double in the 8th inning of the nightcap which tied the game and gave Boston new life in the contest.

But those two clutch hits were mere appetizers to what he had in store for RSN and his buddies on the Angels roster tonight, although I think it's safe to say that his moon shot grand slam earned him at least one enemy in the L.A. clubhouse.

Boston bounced back from its demoralizing loss (i.e. latest collapse by its newest bullpen addition) last night and climbed off the mat to burn the Halos again, and this time Tito stuck with Papelbon to close it out even though the Sox erased the save opportunity with the 4-run 8th.

Ironic because this was the type of game Francona should've brought Gagne into, and he should have used Paps to save that crucial Game 2 last night.

Ah well, it's all water under the Neponset bridge now.

One thing's for sure is that Curt Schilling owes Ortiz a steak dinner this evening, because until Papi's blast Schill was giving Sox fans reason to head for the razor blade collection tomorrow.

I came in to the contest late because the fam & I were at my buddy Michael's house "celebrating" his 49th birthday while the kiddies depleted the water level in his pool. By the time I jumped in it was the bottom of the 3rd inning and Boston was already trailing 4-0, so needless to say I knew Schill was not pitching well.

Thanks to GameCast and NESN highlights I soon learned that Schill (6IP, 8H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K, 2HR) surrendered a solo run in the first on a double by OC, a single by Vladdy and an RBI fielder's choice by Garret Anderson, then coughed up three runs in the next frame on an RBI single by Reggie Willits and a 2-run homer from Chone Figgins.

Chone Figgins?! He of the 25 homers in 5+ major league seasons?!

To make matters worse I jumped in right in the middle of another stymied Sox rally, as Cora singled and Lugo doubled with one out, only to be left stranded when Youk & Papi followed with fly outs to end the threat.

Other than that blip Weaver was cruising, holding Boston to just three base runners through four innings, and when Guerrero stroked a low splitter from Schilling over the Wall like he was practicing for the Deutsche Bank Championship, I had the feeling I would have been better off had I missed this whole game.

Luckily, like any true diehard (with nothing else to do and recovering from a hot day poolside), I stuck around for more, and thankfully Boston & Big Papi made it worth the wait.

In the bottom of the 5th, not long after Vlad's golf shot, the Sox batters decided they'd seen enough of Weaver and quickly went to work on exorcising him from the game.

Eric Hinske led off the fatal frame with a broken bat dribbler to no man's land in the infield and was safe at first, and three pitches later Coco hit a towering shot to right that hit off the bullpen wall for a long double, and Boston had men at second & third with no outs.

After getting ahead of Alex Cora 0-2, Weaver plunked the second baseman on the back foot to load the bases, and when Julio Lugo (2-4, R, 2BI) followed with a hard liner off the mound that went in to center field for a two-run single, the game was starting to resemble last night's affair, pre-Gagne.

Because the fun had just begun.

Kevin Youkilis wasted no time joining the action when he drove a 1-0 pitch from Weaver into left to re-load the bases, and then Ortiz stepped up to deliver the main course of the evening.

To say that Papi was sitting on a fastball would be akin to saying Youk gets upset when he strikes out, for it seemed as soon as the ball left Weaver's hand Papi launched it into an orbit not since reached in the long history of Fenway Park.

We're still awaiting reports on how many UFO sightings were called in around the Fenway area last night

By the time the ball landed Ortiz was still jogging to first base in full-blown Manny mode, admiring his handiwork like an artist marvelling over his latest masterpiece, and the sight of the mulletted Weaver trying to glare down Big Papi as he rounded the bases only made the moment more special.

You mess with the bull and you get the horns, son, and Boston's biggest steer just stuck a pair of pointy ones straight up your ass.

After a Drew single knocked Weaver out of the game, Boston loaded the bases for the third time in the inning but couldn't push another run across, and the question became "Could Schill & the pen hold onto this lead the offense worked so hard to acquire?"

Fortunately the answer was yes as Curt came out for the 6th and retired the side in order, then Mike Timlin and Hideki Okajima followed with a pair of scoreless innings to set up a save situation and a measure of redemption for Papelbon and the Sox in the 9th.

Except the offense had other plans, like teeing off on Angels relievers Justin Speier and Greg Jones in the 8th.

Boston scored four runs in the inning on three hits and three walks and a wild pitch, the big blow a 2-run double to deep right center by Manny, who up to that point had been 0-4 with four swinging strikeouts on the night.

"Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom..." (Redemption Song for the Marley-impaired.)

By the time the dust settled the score was 10-5, and since Paps had already gone through his warmups, and possibly with the memories of last night still lingering in his bald dome, Tito called for his closer to end this comeback right.

Three batters later the bullpen's main man had done just that, finishing it off with a strikeout of the pesky Willits with a filthy slider after he fouled off four straight pitches, as if to say to Gagne "see, do it like this around here and they'll love you"

And if you hit monstrous homers like David Ortiz, everyone will love you, too.

Except the opposing pitcher.

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Bullpen meltdown costs Sox shot at DH sweep

Angels 7, Sox 5
WP: F. Rodriguez (5-2)
LP: Gagne (3-1)
HRs: LAA-Matthews (16)

SUMMARY
For six innings the Sox looked dead in the water, held scoreless by Earvin Santana, until a late comeback gave the team hope. But Manny Delcarmen surrendered two runs in the 8th, and after Boston bounced back with four in the bottom of the inning, Eric Gagne coughed up three in the 9th for another demoralizing loss.

#1 STUNNER Santana 6.1IP, 4H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K
The struggling starter was called up before the game for his first start in a month, carried an ERA over 6.00 into the contest, then shut down the Boston offense for six plus innings.

PAN's FAUN Gagne 1IP, 3H, 3ER, 33P, BS, L
MotherfuckingcocksuckingCanadianbaconlovingSethRogenlookingwashedupdouchebag can go back to fucking Texas, California, Canada or anywhere they want his sorry, goateed, flabby, floppyhaired, goggle-eyed ass!

Nation, we must unite in producing a curse that will prevent this man from ever taking the mound in a Boston uni again!

SUMMARY
What the fuck just happened?

In the blink of an eye a potential banner day in Beantown was washed away in a flood of fortuitous base hits and faulty pitches, and before anyone could even register what they had witnessed, the Sox split a doubleheader that just minutes earlier it looked like it was destined to sweep.

That's what happens when the so-called best bullpen in baseball suddenly goes all Amy Winehouse, wasting another solid start by Josh Beckett and turning a feel-good come-from-behind win into the kind of loss that sparks fights with spouses and causes beer intake to rise dramatically throughout the Nation.

Label it alcoholic spousal abuse, brought to you by Eric Effin Gagne.

For the third time in a week and seemingly the umpteenth time since he first donned the Boston uniform three weeks ago, Gagne imploded on the mound and coughed up a Boston lead, blowing a save for the second time since Sunday and erasing what could have been one of Boston's biggest wins of the season.

All while Jonathan Papelbon sat in the pen and watched.

Look, I know Tito wants to be careful with the closer, and he did throw 22 pitches in the opener, but would his arm really had fallen off if he came in to close this one out?

After all, it's not every day this club comes back in a big way in the later innings against a quality club like the Angles, let alone with the chance to hang a doubleheader sweep on the second best team in baseball.

The ironic part about the whole thing is that for most of the evening it looked as if Boston was going to go down without a fight, barely able to scratch out a hit let alone score a run off suddenly stingy spot starter Santana.

The former Angel ace had been battered so badly this season that he was put on the AAA shuttle back in July after a dismantling at the hands of the Devil Rays, and was only brought back today to fill in due to the double dip.

The 24-year-old did more than fill in as he held Boston hitless for 4 1/3 innings while his mates built a 2-0 lead thanks to some key hits and ghastly fielding by Julio Lugo.

Beckett (7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 8K) worked out of a two on, two out jam fueled by Lugo's bobble of an Orlando Cabrera grounder in the first inning, but Anaheim touched him for a run in the third when Cabrera singled and Vlad Guerrero, who was a beast in this game, doubled deep into the left field corner for a 1-0 LA lead.

After misplaying another ball that was fortunately scored as the first ML base hit for rookie catcher Ryan Budde, Lugo's third miscue of the game would come back to bite Boston & Beckett in the sixth.

Guerrero (3-5, 2R, 2 2B, 3B, 3BI) hit a routine grounder to lead off the inning that Lugo bobbled & butchered for his 6th error in his last 13 games, and after Garret Anderson singled him over to third and Gary Matthroids struck out, Sox killer Maicer Izturis dumped a single into right that scored Vlad with the unearned run, and Boston trailed 2-0 after six.

Meanwhile Santana was pitching like his namesake, Johan; Boston's first hit of the night was a bloop single by J.D. Drew in the 5th, and even though Lugo tried to atone for his gaffes with a solid double to the triangle in the 6th, Santana retired Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia to escape the frame unscathed.

But things would finally change in the 7th as Boston scored a run on a single by Papi, a double by Drew (2-4) and after Justin Speier replaced Santana, an RBI groundout by Mike Lowell that cut the deficit to a manageable 2-1.

Then came Bullpen Meltdown #1.

Manny Delcarmen got the call to replace Beckett in the 8th and immediately turned the close game into what seemed like an impossible dream.

His line looked like this: Guerrero triple on 1st pitch, Anderson sac fly 2 pitches later, Matthroids 2-run homer three pitches later.

Six pitches, three runs, and that 2-1 lead was now 4-1 with Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez waiting in the pen.

Time to pack it in?

C'mon, it's the fucking Sox.

In the bottom of the 8th Boston staged one of those 2004-esque comebacks, an aspect of their game that had been sorely lacking so far this season but one that has started to reappear lately.

And just like '04, Big Papi was right in the middle of the action.

Reliever Scot Shields retired Eric Hinske to start the inning, then proceeded to walk Lugo and Ellsbury and allow a solid single to Pedroia to load the bases.

As Coco came in to run for Pedroia, Rodriguez entered the game for the Halos in hopes of recording the rare 5-out save.

No tonight, K-Rod.

With Ortiz standing at the plate Rodriguez uncorked a wild pitch that (barely) scored Lugo from third and advanced the other runners up a base, and on the next pitch Papi (2-4, 2R, 2BI) scorched a double to the left centerfield gap that brought Ellsbury & Crisp home to tie the game, and suddenly the park was rocking like it was 2004 again.

One pitch later Manny laced a shot down the third base line that rattled around the corner long enough to score Papi with the go-ahead run, and at this point everyone watching thought, shit, it is 2004 again.

Alas Drew grounded out and Lowell flied out to end the rally, but the damage was done, and all Boston had to do was record three quick outs and the sweet double header sweep was all theirs.

Except instead of the menacing glare and 97 mph heater of Papelbon on the mound, the Angels saw the roly-poly 92 mph Cheez Whiz of closer-turned-clown Gagne staring at them from behind befuddled, bespectacled eyes.

Exact excerpt from my notes: Gagne's on for the save. Oh shit.

Things started off badly when pinch hitter Reggie Willits took Gagne to 13 pitches before finally flying out, and I couldn't help but think if he needed that many tosses to retire Reggie freaking Willits, we're in trouble.

Things got worse as Gagne followed that adventure by walking pinch hitter Casey Kotchman on five pitches, and then the proverbial wheels fell off, and the worst part about it was it was like witnessing a car crash in horrible, super-slow motion.

Chone Figgins singled to right, sending pinch runner Manny Aybar to third, and O.C. needed just two pitches to rip a single to left that scored Aybar to tie the game; by the time Vlad crushed a 2-run double two pitches later , the boos were cascading down so hard on Gagne you'd have sworn they were yelling "Yooooooooouuuukkk".

Interestingly enough the next two big plays would involve Youk, who replaced Hinske to start the 9th: he speared a liner by Anderson for an inning-ending double play, then was tossed, along with Tito, for arguing a strike three call on a ball he foul tipped in the bottom of the inning.

So an afternoon that began with so much joy came to a bitter conclusion, but at least we know that the next time Gagne takes the mound we can just turn off set and go about our lives, secure in the knowledge that this man will probably never have a quality outing in a Boston uniform.

Unless they're playing the D-Rays.

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Game preview: Angels @ Sox GM2

Santana (5-11, 6.22) vs. Beckett (15-5, 3.24)
Fenway Park 705

Having failed at securing a win by starting ace John Lackey against rookie Clay Buchholz in the opener of this double header, Mike Scioscia now faces the dubious prospect of sending scuffling Earvin Santana against the leading Cy Young candidate in th AL to try and gain the split.

Nice try, dickhead.

Instead of treating all the fans of major league baseball to an All Star matchup featuring two of the best pitchers in the game, Scioscia decided to start Lackey in the first game, most likely to freeze Buchholz and perhaps scare the kid into coughing up an easy win in Game 1.

Then the Boston batters played whiffle ball with Lackey's lacking stuff in the first inning, racking the 15-game winner for 2 singles, 3 doubles a triple and a homer in a six-run 1st, and the plan backfired on Scioscia with all the intensity of a '76 Buick.

Now the Angels must pin their hopes of a split on a guy who's star has fallen farther than Lindsay Lohan's, a former phenom who has shuttled back & forth to the minor leagues this season as he tries to figure out what happened to his once-great game.

And he'll have to figure it out against a man who has got his mojo back after suffering through his one rough patch of the season.

Beckett has been spectacular in his last two starts, allowing just 3 earned runs in 15.1 innings of work while striking out 17 batters and walking just two in winning both games, this following a stretch when he lost 4 out of 6 contests after jumping out to an 11-1 start.

Santana, meanwhile, got rocked by the Rays in his last start on July 17th, surrendering 14 hits and 7 earned runs in six innings, prompting an immediate trip back to AAA.

Now he'll have to prove himself against the best team in the majors, a team riding high after the afternoon delight enjoyed in the opener.

Welcome back to the bigs, Earvin.

The only negative for Boston to come out of the opener is the fact that Doug Mirabelli will have to go on the DL due to a strained calf muscle. This move forced the Sox to bring up former Rays & Jays backstop Kevin Cash, who will not make it to Fenway from Ottawa in time to spell Varitek in the nightcap.

As expected Buchholz was optioned back to the PawSox following his victory in Game 1, and speedster Jacoby Ellsbury will be in the lineup for Game 2.

Now word yet on the status of Whiffy Mo Painful, who is expected to be moved soon.

(**UPDATE: In all the confusion I missed the announcement that Boston did in fact unload, err trade, Pena to the Nationals for a bag of balls and two tickets to a Wizards game. Sorry for that oversight, and Whiffy Mo, thanks for the memories, what few there were.**)

Whew!

Now that I've got that all out of the way, it's already time to start the second game.

Lots of excitement surrounding the club today.

Let's hope Becks can give us even more reason to smile.

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Buchholz nets 1st ML win as Bosox hammer Lackey

Sox 8, Angels 4
WP: Buchholz (1-0)
LP: Lackey (15-7)
SV: Papelbon (29)
HRs: BOS-Ortiz (20), Pedroia (6)

SUMMARY
On a beautiful day at Fenway the Sox hitters helped rookie phenom Clay Buchholz earn his first major league victory, and the fact that they did so by battering Angels Cy Young candidate John Lackey just made the victory all the more sweeter.

#1 STUNNER Buchholz 6IP, 8H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K
He wasn't spectacular, he wasn't overpowering, but the 23-year-old veteran of 22 minor league games was good enough, flashed a nice repertoire of pitches, and defeated one of the top teams in baseball to earn a win in his major league debut.

Well done, kid.

PAN's FAUN Lackey 4IP, 11H, 7R, 6ER, 0BB, 3K
Good thing Scioscia held him out of the nightcap showdown with Beckett to unleash him on the kid. All the Angels ace did was allow the most hits and runs he has all season, including a Sox cycle in the first when 10 men came to the plate and six scored.

Well played, Scioscia.

RECAP
Was that sweet or what?

Not only did the Sox dismantle one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, but in the process they got emergency callup rookie Clay Buchholz milestone victory #1 in the process.

On an eventful day for the club both on & off the field the Boston batters picked the perfect time to bust of their "we can't get a big hit when we need it" funk when they plated six runs in the first frame off ML co-wins leader John Lackey.

Did I mention manager Mike Scioscia moved him from the nightcap to start this afternoon so he didn't have to "sit around all day"?

I can't get enough of that one.

Turns out it was a good thing Boston piled up all those runs early, cause those pesky Halos kept hanging around and scratching at the lead until next thing you know they had the tying run at the plate with two on and one out in the 8th inning, forcing tito to bring in Papelbon for a rare four-out save.

But let me back up and explain how we got to that point first.

Buchholz was obviously nervous at the outset, evidenced by the leadoff 4-pitch walk he issued to the AL's 4th leading hitter, Chone Figgins, to start the game.

Trouble struck one out later as Bad Vlad Guerrero lined a solid shot to right that J.D. Drew caught up to but dropped for a two-base error, and the Angels had runners at second & third before everyone had stumbled in from the Cask.

But Buchholz buckled down and minimized the damage by getting Garret Anderson to ground out to first, bringing Figgins home, and then striking out Gary Matthroids on a filthy slider to end the inning with LA leading 1-0.

That deficit would turn into a surplus in a hurry in the bottom of the inning, though.

Dustin Pedroia got the party started with a double down the right field line on Lackey's second pitch of the game. After getting Youk to strike out on a foul tip, Lackey had the heart of the order coming up with no relief in sight.

Up stepped David Otiz, who had hit just one homer in his last 13 games but has enjoyed success against Lackey (8-23, .348, 3 2B, HR, 7BI) in his career. After falling behind 0-2, Papi worked the count to 2-2, then unloaded on a Lackey fastball and deposited it over the right field wall for a well-timed 2-run homer, his first at Fenway since July 31st.

And the fun had just begun.

Three pitches later Manny dropped a flyball between Anderson and Matthroids on the warning track near the Wall for a single (?), and on the next pitch Drew atoned for his gaffe by lacing a three bagger into the left centerfield gap to give Boston a 3-1 lead and help remove some of the butterflies from Buchholz' gut.

The hit parade continued as Lowell (bloop 1B to center), Mirabelli (2B high off the Monster) and Alex Cora (2B to left) all notched RBI hits to run the score to 6-1, and the only negative of the whole scene was when 'Belli came up lame rounding third and had to be replaced by Jason Varitek.

Staked to a 5-run lead Buchholz could relax a bit more but he couldn't let up, especially since the Angels seemed to have runners on base in every inning as they attempted to cut into the lead.

Luckily he benefited from three double plays to help extricate him from potential disastrous situations.

The Sox missed out on a golden opportunity to add to the lead in the second when they loaded the bases with one out on a shift-shading single by Papi, a HBP by Manny (which barely nicked his shirt) and a single by Drew, but Lackey got Lowell to pop out and Coco to ground out to hold the margin to five runs.

They did tack on a run in the 4th thanks to more uncharacteristic miscues by the Angels. Youk led off with a single to center and after Lackey got Ortiz and Ramirez out, Drew (3-5, R, RBI) dropped a single into right for his third hit of the game.

For some reason Guerrero decided to try and nail Youk going to third; not only did the ball nearly smack Kevin in the goatee, it skipped into the stands for a two-base error, and suddenly the Sox lead was a hearty 7-1.

The Halos finally got to Buchholz for a pair of runs in the 5th when they put four consecutive singles together, but once again he sidestepped major damage when Matthroids lined a tracer to Youk who then stepped on first base for a lightning quick inning ending double play, and Boston's lead was 7-3 after five.

By the time Casey Kotchman doubled to lead off the 6th, the rookie was clearly at the end of the line, and when Jeff mathis got him home with a sac fly one out later and he retired Reggie Willits to end the inning, the day was done for the kid with the electric stuff.

After pitching a 1-2-3 seventh, suddenly struggling Hideki Okajima allowed a pair of base runners in the 8th and had to be relieved by Papelbon with two outs in the frame and the tying run at the plate.

Paps proceeded to get Sox killer Maicer Izturis to fly out harmlessly to Coco in center, and when Pedroia added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame on a homer over the Monster to push the lead to 8-4, it was all over but the save.

Papelbon struck out the first two batters in the 9th before allowing a double to old friend Orlando Cabrera, then got Guerrero to fly out to center to end the game, and the whole team feted the kid who came, saw, and conquered one of the most potent teams in baseball.

Too bad the same couldn't be said for potential spoiler John Lackey.

In hindsight maybe they should have saved him for the nightcap.

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Game Preview: Angeles @ Sox GM1

Lackey (15-6) vs. Buchholz (NR)
Fenway Park 105

I spent all my time last night (this morning) analyzing the first two games of this series only to later discover that the pitching matchups I crowed on & on about were not going to happen.

Turns out Mike Scioscia didn't want to throw Lackey opposite Beckett in the nightcap, supposedly because Lackey got to town yesterday and he didn't want him sitting around all day before pitching, but we all know the real reason he switched 'em up:

so he could have his ace go up against the new kid on the block, Sox rookie Clay Buchholz.

At first I was pissed when I learned of this development, but after a night's sleep I realized it was probably the smart thing for Scioscia to do.

Even if it was a chickenshit move.

But really what better time to put your ace on the hill than when a rookie is making his fist major league start for the other team?

I mean Buchholz is going to be nervous enough already, pitching for the best team in baseball in the middle of a pennant race at Fenway and facing the second best team in the majors, so why not add to his nausea by having one of the leading Cy Young candidates in the AL oppose him?

This way the Angels have a much better chance at a split, where before Earvin Santana most likely would have lost the opener and then you run the risk of your ace losing to our ace in the nightcap.

Smart move, Scioscia.

God I hate that guy.

Other news swirling around the park, via the Globe, include the impending trade/demotion of Whiffy Mo Painful, which must be decided before game time so they can activate Buchholz; the fact that Mirabelli, not Tek, will serve as the kid's catcher, saving Captain Clutch for the night game; and the impending return of Jacoby Speedy Ellsbury for Game 2, which also will prompt the return of Buchholz back to Pawtucket.

A busy day at Fenway to be sure, and hopefully one that will end with two wins for Boston, one from the kid with the Beckett-like potential and one by the real deal himself.

Combined with the addition by subtraction of Wily Mo and the return of the promising young Ellsbury and this could be a banner day in the 2007 season for the Bosox.

Either that or a total fucking disaster!

Go Sox!

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Series Preview: Angels @ Sox

LA Angels of Anaheim (70-49) @ Red Sox (72-48)
4 Game Series at Fenway Park

Season Series: Sox lead, 4-2

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Fri 105 Santana (5-11, 6.22) vs. Buchholz (NR)
GM2 Fri 705 Lackey (15-6, 3.07) vs. Beckett (15-5, 3.24)
GM3 Sat 705 Weaver (8-5, 3.85) vs. Schilling (6-5, 4.06)
GM4 Sun 205 Saunders (6-1, 3.50) vs. Wakefield (14-10, 4.55)

Keep an Eye On: Clay Buchholz 8-3, 2.15ERA in AA 7 AAA
Boston's prized pitching prospect makes his major league debut in the first game of the doubleheader. The 6' 3", 23-year-old righty has struck out 164 batters in 117 minor league innings this season while allowing just 78 hits, 28 earned runs and 30 walks. He's the guy every team wanted Boston to include in deadline deals, so here's your chance to see why they were reluctant to part with the 2005 first rounder.

Preview:
Let's play two!

Normally Ernie Banks' old adage is embraced by baseball fans throughout the Nation, but when the opposing team happens to be the one breathing down your team's neck for the best record in baseball, and just tuned your club up pretty good a week ago out West, well the enthusiasm might be dampened a bit.

I'm sure that won't be the case for Boston's starter for Game 1 this afternoon in the makeup game of an April 15th rainout.

Clay Buchholz will make his major league debut in order to fill the gap in the rotation due to the twin bill, but also possibly to provide a spark for a stagnant club that has gone just 19-15 since the break.

Buchholz, the 42nd pick in the 2005 draft out of a Texas JuCo, is a hard-throwing strikeout artist who has racked up an incredible 13Ks/9 innings in his 22 minor league starts the last two seasons, an eye-popping stat that made him one of Boston's most sought-after commodities at the trading deadline.

But Theo was determined not to let this hot prospect walk for a rent-a-player like Jermaine Dye, and today we get to find out why.

Obviously we have to reserve judgement on the kid because he will be facing one of the toughest teams in the majors, but this start is more about what kind of makeup he has, see if he can handle the pressure, and if he somehow turns in a stellar performance, maybe it will rub off on the rest of the team.

The good thing is that his mound opponent will be the worst hurler the Angles will throw at the Sox in the series, former phenom-turned-bust Earvin Santana.

After posting a 28-16 record in his first two season, Santana has been plagued by wildness (136 hits, 82 runs in 110 innings) and ineffectiveness all season, causing him to be sent to the minors

The other good thing about Santana starting: he's 1-9 with an 8.79 ERA on the road this year, and batters are tuning him up at a .341 clip away from the Mouse House.

After that afternoon appetizer, the nightcap promises to be a dandy: two of the leading candidates for the AL Cy Young squaring off in a Friday evening game at Fenway.

Josh Beckett and John Lackey are both neck & neck in the league in the major pitching categories, tied for 1st in wins, and 5th (Lackey) and 7th (Becks) in ERA.

This one has all the makings of a classic pitchers duel, especially the way Beckett has pitched lately; he came within one strike of a complete game shutout Saturday in Baltimore and has won his last two starts after dropping four of his last six decisions.

So fire up the DVR for what should be a scintillating day & night of baseball at the Fens.

You especially might want to set it for Game 1, as word from the Boston brass is that Buchholz will be sent back down after the opener to make room on the roster for outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, as a trade of Whiffy Mo Painful is expected to go down sometime before the long day is over.

Should be a good day of baseball, as long as the Sox avenge the beatdown the Angles laid on them in those first two games of that series last week.

**UPDATE: Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided to switch the starters and pit Lackey against Buchholzin the opener and save Santana for the nightcap against Beckett. What a chickenshit move! Now the kid has to go up against one of the best pitcher's in the league in his ML debut. Fuck you, Scioscia! They'll kill him anyway! **

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Sox save face but still lose game to Rays

Tampa Bay 6, Sox 5
WP: Sonnanstine (2-8)
LP: Matsuzaka (13-9)
SV: Reyes (18)
HRs: BOS-Varitek (10)

SUMMARY
For six innings the Sox were being humiliated at home, shut out by the lowly Rays, and even though a late scoring outburst and 9th inning rally made the score respectable, the result was still the same: an embarrassing loss to one of the worst teams in the league.

#1 STUNNER Andy Sonnanstine 6.2IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K
Don't let the mediocre linescore fool ya, the kid was brilliant for six innings until faltering a bit in the 7th. But for a guy with a 1-8 mark coming in, I'd say he did pretty damn good.

PAN's FAUN Matsuzaka 6IP, 8H, 6ER, 3BB, 5K
Coming off a month's worth of quality starts it's hard to get too down on the rookie, but when the Rays light you up like a fine Cuban cigar you deserve to wear the goat horns.

RECAP
As my son and I sat on the sofa while the Red Sox 9th attempted a 9th inning rally that fell just short, we debated on what's worse: getting shut out at home by a team like the Devil Rays, or mounting a furious late inning comeback only to come up a run short.

He was of the opinion that it's much more humiliating to get shut out by a Rays team that has one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball and was beaten by the Stanks by scores of 17-5 and 21-4 a few weeks ago.

Very true, I admitted, but it seems to me that it hurts a bit more when you've already resigned yourself to the fact that the better team is not going to win, only to have your boys come so tantalizing, agonizingly close to pulling off the comeback before melting down at the finish line.

Either way you look at it, we agreed, the loss sucks.

Boston found itself down by six runs after six innings today thanks to a lackluster start by Daisuke Matsuzaka, and only a batch of five runs in the final three frames saved the best team in baseball from on of its worst losses of the season.

Stop me if you've heard this before, because it's almost the exact same refrain I used yesterday.

The difference between that game and this one was, obviously, last night's comeback was complete when the Sox overcame a much slimmer deficit (1-0) to pull off the miraculous 9th inning win.

Today there would be no such heroics as a combination of four Rays pitchers allowed a few cracks to show but prevented the dam from breaking in helping Tampa Bay earn its first win at Fenway since last Sept. 27th.

The troubles began early for Matsuzaka as he was touched for a run before the game was even ten minutes old when former Japanese League foe Akinori Iwamura led off with a single, went to third on a single by Carl Crawford and scored on a groundout by Carlos Pena.

Things didn't get much better for Dice-K when he allowed a single, a walk and a stolen base in the second but he was bailed out by a caught stealing and a strikeout before any damage was done.

But he wouldn't be so fortunate in the 3rd as the Rays sent 8 batters to the plate and four of them scored, the big blow being a 2-run double off the base of the Wall by Pena which plated Iwamura and Crawford, who had both singled again for the second time in three innings.

Adding insult to insult two more runs would come home thanks to a shot off the mound by Delmon Young that Dustin Pedroia couldn't corral and a beautiful bunt down the 1st base line by Brendan Harris that brought Pena home from third with the Rays' 6th run of the game.

In case you weren't scoring at home, after three innings Dice's linescore read 3IP, 7H, 2BB, 2K, 6ER.

Meanwhile Rays rookie Andy Sonnanstine was looking like the second coming of Andy Messersmith, mixing a variety of off speed pitches with an occasional fastball to befuddle the Boston batters into an assortment of pop ups, grounders and lazy fly balls.

Unlike a lot of the Sox recent contests they didn't miss a boatload of opportunities early in this one, because Sonnanstine didn't give them any. In fact the 24-year-old righty allowed just 3 baserunners in the first six innings: a two-out double off the monster by Lowell in the 2nd; a two-out single by Cap'n Tek in the 5th; and a one-out walk to Pedroia in the 6th that featured Sonnanstine's first 3-ball count of the afternoon.

In the 7th Boston's fortunes would finally change as the rookie, who hadn't made it through five innings in his last two starts, finally began to falter.

After retiring the first two batters of the inning, last night's hero, Mike Lowell, scorched a drive down the third base line that Iwamura somehow managed to snag in foul territory, but the long throw was a bit high and he couldn't get Lowell at first base.

Three pitches later Varitek (2-4, R, 2BI), a.k.a Captain Clutch, wrapped a ball down the right field line that made it into the stands for a shutout-breaking, momentum-making two-run homer, and after Sonnanstine walked Coco on five pitches manager Joe Maddon did what every member of RSN was waiting for: he went to his bullpen.

On came Gary Glover for his 3rd appearance of the series and he was quickly greeted by a run-scoring double by Julio Lugo (2-4, 2BI), who did his best on the day to help defeat his old mates, and suddenly the score was cut to 6-3 Rays.

Julian Tavarez and Mike Timlin combined to hold the Rays at bay through the 7th & 8th innings, and when Maddon went to his pen again for the bottom of the 8th, the Sox batters pounced like paparazzi on an Olsen twin.

Ortiz worked his way into a one-out walk, setting up Manny in a perfect RBI situation, and the risk-taking left fielder didn't waste any time delivering, sending Wheeler's first pitch high off the triangle area of the wall in center for a mammoth double that scored Papi with ease, and now the somnambulant crowd was on its feet and into the game.

Alas the outcome may have been decided a few pitches later when J.D. Drew laced a low liner down the first base line that Pena reached across his body and sniped out of midair, and even though Lowell (2-3, R) walked after that, Wheeler got Tek to ground out on one pitch, and any miraculous comeback would have to take place in the 9th.

When Coco led off the inning against last night's goat, closer Al Reyes, with a beaut of a bunt single on Reyes' first pitch, that comeback appeared to be off to a good start.

Lugo followed that quick strike with an epic at bat, fouling off 7 pitches before stroking Reyes' 12th offering for a sharp double to deep left center that easily scored Coco from first, and all of a sudden the score was 6-5 Rays with the top of the lineup coming up.

Could the team that only had one seventh inning or later comeback all season pull off its second stright such win?

Unfortunately no, as Reyes, determined to finish the game when he saw Jon 17.18ERA Switzer warming in the pen, proceeded to strike out Pedroia, Youk, and after walking Ortiz, whiffed Manny on a pitch up and in, and just like that any hopes of a second consecutive comeback were squashed.

The only saving grace on the afternoon? The Stanks came back to tie their game in the bottom of the 9th, only to see closer Mariano Rivera surrender 3 runs in the 10th and lose 6-3 to Baltimore.

So we got that going for us I guess.

Enjoy the off day tomorrow guys, and how 'bout trying to figure out how to generate some offense while you're out on the links?

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Game Preview: Rays @ Sox GM3

Sonnanstine (1-8, 6.35) vs. Matsuzaka (13-8, 3.59)
Fenway Park 105

The Sox have won the first two games of this series, but not due to offensive explosion one might expect from the best team in baseball taking on one of the worst.

Instead Boston has had to scrape out two close victories, a 3-0 win on Monday that was a 1-0 game heading into the 7th inning, and last night's heart-stopping 2-1 thriller.

Sure the Rays had their two best hurlers throwing in those games, but what will the excuse be today when rookie Andy Sonnanstine, he of the horrible record, ERA and batting average against (.301) takes the mound for the finale?

To put it bluntly those wins were nice, and, coupled with the Birds blowout of the Stanks in the Bronx last night, helped Boston push its East lead back to 5 games, but anything less than an offensive explosion today will be cause for concern from every corner of the Nation.

But the way the Sox have been scoring runs for Dice-K lately, or should I say haven't been scoring runs for him, I find it hard to believe that they will all of a sudden put a 10-spot on the board.

After averaging more than 8 runs/start for Matsuzaka for most of the first half of the season, the Sox have only scored less than 4 RPG for him since the break.

And it's not like he hasn't been holding up his end of the deal: in his last 4 starts Dice has allowed just 5 earned runs over 27 1/3 innings for a 1.65 ERA while striking out 28 hitters.

So although on paper this one looks like a monumental mismatch, the figures show that it could be another nailbiter.

For the sanity of the Nation, let's hope the Sox batters break out of their Matsuzaka slump and destroy Sonnanstine and the Rays before the bad news Angels come to town for the weekend.

Is that too much to ask for?

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Back from the brink: Sox knock off Rays with 2-run 9th

Sox 2, Tampa Bay 1
WP: Gagne (3-0)
LP: Reyes (1-2)
HR: BOS-Lowell (16)

SUMMARY
The Sox took what looked like an embarrassing loss and turned it into a feel-good win when they scored two runs in the 9th off Rays closer Al Reyes to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.

#1 STUNNER Mike Lowell 1-4, R, BI, HR
Boston's most dependable hitter/RBI man unloaded on a Reyes 2-0 offering with one out in the 9th and launched it onto Lansdowne St., tying the game and giving the Sox the chance to pull out the win.

PAN's FAUN Reyes 2/3IP, 3H, 2ER, 1B, 2B, HR
I realize the guy hasn't had a save opportunity since the end of June, but not only did he allow the game-tying homer to Lowell, he then gave up a double to Tek and the game-winning single to Coco.

RECAP
So this what the season has come to, celebrating one-run walk off wins against the lowly Devil Rays?

Evidently, as the Faithful and millions of Sox fans Nationwide, myself and my 10-year-old son included, treated Coco's game-winning hit like they had just won Game 7 of the World Series.

But this is what we're reduced to when the once-hefty division lead has dissipated quicker than Star Jones' waistline.

For 8+ innings this game had the look of one of Boston's most bitter defeats of the season, and coming off that horrid road trip in which it lost two of the last three contests in Baltimore's final at bat, that's really saying something.

That's because young lefties Jon Lester and Scott Kazmir engaged in a classic pitchers duel, with both men pitching around their few mistakes, save for one Lester made in the fourth inning.

Lester (7IP, 2H, 1R, 1BB, 4K), who was making his first start at Fenway since returning from cancer last month, received the heartfelt ovation a man who has fought his way back to the big leagues back after being diagnosed with the Big C deserves, then went out and dominated the first three frames.

After allowing a leadoff walk to start the game, the 23-year-old set down the next nine men in a row, including four by strikeout, and seemed well on his way to recording his second victory in four starts since his return, IF his offense could give him any support.

Unfortunately the way Kaz was pitching, that task would prove near impossible.

Every Sox fan knows Kazmir loves to pitch against Boston, enjoying more success against them in his career than any other team, notching a 5-3 record with a 2.55 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 77.2 innings of work, including two 10K games last season.

Tonight he added to his mastery of the Bososx.

Kazmir (6IP, 4H, 3BB, 8K) pitched his way out of a first inning jam, striking out Lowell after allowing a one out double to Dustin Pedroia and walking Manny Ramirez with two down, and though he got a lot stingier from there, Boston, as usual, let a number of scoring opportunities get away.

In the second Youk worked a one out walk, but Kazmir struck out the side. In the third he issued a free pass to David Ortiz with two outs, and when Manny followed that gift with a single to center, it looked like Boston would have a nice scoring bid.

Which it would had, if not for another unwanted episode of Manny Being Manny.

The throw from the outfield came in to home plate to keep Papi at third, but inexplicably Ramirez tried to take an extra base and broke for second; he was out by as wide a margin as on his attempted steal of third base last night.

Riding the high of that mental miscue, Kazmir retired 9 of the next 11 batters, four by strikeout, and thanks to one mistake by Lester he enjoyed a slim 1-0 lead when he departed after six.

That one mistake was a pitch Lester hung to Carl Crawford to start the fourth, which C.C. ripped off the Wall for an easy double. After B.J. Upton singled him over to third, ex-Sox Carlos Pena belted a sac fly to deep center and the Rays had what turned out to be the only run of the game for a while.

Thankfully Rays manager clueless Joe Maddon, who babies his pitchers like he's running a Devil Rays day care, pulled Kazmir after the sixth and left the one run lead in the hands of his incompetent bullpen.

Who knows, maybe Maddon's angling to get canned?

Gary Glover, who was ineffective last night, came in and immediately walked Cap'n Tek to lead off the 8th, but he was bailed out when Coco Crisp 's sac bunt attempt got Tek nailed at second and then pinch hitter J.D. Drew grounded into a double play to squash the mini-threat.

Then when Tito went to his suddenly sputtering pen to begin the 8th, things nearly got out of hand in hurry.

Manny Delcarmen, who seems to have lost his mojo since his 3-run, 2HR meltdown at the Trop two weeks ago, came in and promptly allowed a leadoff single to Jonny Gomes, then walked Josh Wilson unintentionally, and following a sacrifice and a pop out, issued an intentional pass to Crawford to load the bases.

Out went Manny D. and in came Mike Timlin, and four pitches later the rubber-armed veteran got Upton to strike out to preserve the slim lead with two more chances left for Boston to overcome it.

Dan Wheeler's 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th would cut that number to one, but not before some (more) fireworks from Boston's newest bullpen addition, Eric Gagne, or as Dan from Bugs & Cranks dubbed him, Goatgne.

The much-maligned setup man was determined to put the memories of his first four appearances in a Boston uniform behind him, and I think every member of RSN would agree that the chubby Canadian did just that.

Gagne fanned Pena looking at a nasty curve, got Delmon Young swinging at a filthy fastball, then after allowing a double to Brendan Harris that nearly left the yard, struck out Gomes looking at a perfect slider at the knees for a heart-stopping, fist-pumping "welcome to the Red Sox" moment.

All that was left was a miraculous comeback to top the exciting night off, and for the first time since the Mother's Day Miracle, we were treated to just that.

Reyes, who hadn't had a save opportunity since June 24th, began the final frame by freezing Manny (1-3) on a gorgeous fastball at the knees, and at that point things were looking pretty grim.

But as I said to my son, Boston had two of its most clutch hitters coming up, and making me look like the baseball genius that I am, both the money men delivered.

Lowell watched as Reyes' first two pitches missed the mark, then crushed his next offering high into the Boston night and over the Green Monster for a stadium-shaking, game-tying, season-saving(?) home run, and before the din had even died down, Captain Tek laced a ground rule double into the right field corner and Coco stood at the dish with the game in his hands.

Battling through six pitches, Coco finally got the one he wanted and ripped a single to left, and despite the bad combination of a slow-footed catcher and the rocket arm of young Delmon Young, DeMarlo Hale sent Tek and thankfully Young's throw was off the mark, and the Sox swamped the field like it was 2004 all over again.

Who knows, if they can keep pulling off wins like this, maybe it will be.

NOTES:

-Comeback Kids they ain't: Boston is now just 2-41 this season when trailing after 8 innings

-Trade bait: Whiffy Mo Painful got a courtesy start in right tonight following word in the Globe that his trade to a National League team may be imminent

-Hit show: The Sox had seven hits, 2 by Pedroia, but were held to four hits through the fist 8 innings; the four Boston hurlers held the Rays batters to just 4 hits

-Heating up: Pedroia had his 8th multi-hit game in his last 12 contests, raising his average from .318 to .328

-Youkidding me?: Youkilis struck out three times for the first time this season

-Lineup shuffle: with Drew sitting out Youk took the 6th slot with Lowell moving up to the 5-hole

-Power outage: Lowell's dinger was the first homer by Boston in five games, dating back to Pedroia's 7th inning blast last Wednesday in Anaheim; it was also just the third baseman's 2nd homer of the second half, the other coming July 22nd vs. the White Sox

-Love fest: Lester received loud & lengthy ovations when he walked from the bullpen before the game, when he took the mound in the first, and when he exited the game after the seventh

-Fenway mausoleum: funny how Tropicana Field was filled with louder Sox fans than Fenway has been for most of this series; I guess that's what happens when you only score 5 runs against a piss-poor club

QUOTES:

"Walking in from the bullpen was pretty exciting. It will be nice just to not have to answer the 'first' questions anymore and just be treated like every other starter."--Lester on his return to Fenway

"He's going to help us. We need him to help us, and if we run away from him, that would be a big mistake."--Tito on Gagne. (Hey, Father Francona has been right about this before-remember the clamoring for Cora over Pedroia?)

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Sox stave off Stanks with shutout of Rays

Sox 3, Tampa Bay 0
WP: Wakefield (14-10)
LP: Shields (9-8)
SV: Papelbon (28)
HRs: None

SUMMARY
Tim Wakefield took a no-hitter into the 7th inning and ended up allowing just two hits, continuing his mastery of the D-Rays while keeping his streak of recording a decision in every start this year intact.

#1 STUNNER Wake 8IP, 2H, 2BB, 6K
Just when the Sox desperately needed a win the perfect combination of Wakefield throwing against the Rays fell into their laps; he's now 18-2 in his career against Tampa Bay, including 3-0 this season.

PAN's FAUN Rays pen 2IP, 3H, 2ER, 3BB, 2K
After starter James Shields held Boston to one run on five hits through six innings, Gary Glover and Grant Balfour each allowed a run in the 7th & 8th respectively to give Wake and the Sox breathing room.

RECAP
I take back what I said earlier.

You know, the part about not settling for scores less than 10-1 for any games in this series, and about not wanting to see the bullpen during the next three games, either.

Funny what a near no-no will do for one's opinions.

Of all the pitcher's to get the Sox out of this funk, who woulda thunk it would be the old man, the wily vet, the soft-tossing knuckleballer who would get the minds of RSN off the sneaking Stanks and back on the play on the field?

Well, I'm sure the Devil Rays had a feeling.

Tim Wakefield continued two incredible streaks tonight by once again defeating the Devil Rays and registering his 24th decision in 24 starts this season, and the fact that he did it in grand style just made the victory all the more sweeter.

Wake's knuckler was working to perfection all evening long and when the Sox scored a run in the first it turned out to be the only run he would need on the night.

Which was a good thing, because Tampa Bay starter James Shields (6IP, 5H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K) was nearly as good as Wake, shutting down the sputtering Sox lineup for six innings before giving way to the shaky Rays bullpen.

The game started off looking like it would be a slugfest, at least for the Sox, when Julio Lugo (3-4, R, BI) lined a shot off Shields' shoulder for a leadoff single, then came around to score one out later on a mammoth double off the center field wall by David Ortiz.

But in typical Sox form of late Boston wouldn't plate another run for quite a while despite numerous baserunners and ample opportunities to do so.

The Sox had men on in the second (Cora single), third (Lugo double) and fourth (Lowell single) innings, yet couldn't crack Shields again.

The worst of those missed opps came after Lugo laced a Monster double to leadoff the third. That effort was wasted when Youk hit a soft popup to second base and Papi and Manny both struck out swinging to leave Lugo stranded.

Wakefield faced his only threat of the game in the 7th when white-hot Carl Crawford led off the frame with a solid single to right, bringing the crowd to its feet in appreciation of the old man's effort. C.C. then stole second and went to third on a fly out, but Wake got Delmon Young to strike out to preserve the shutout.

Thankfully by the end of the 6th inning Shields was already at 106 pitches, so mild mannered manager Joe Maddon decided to dip into his horrible but improving pen to try and keep the score at 1-0.

That plan worked about as well as Bush's plan to liberate Iraq.

Gary Glover, one of the few Rays relievers with an ERA under 6.00, entered in the 7th and got two quick outs, then promptly lost all ability to find the plate and walked Mirabelli and Hinske on 9 pitches.

Luckily for us he found the strike zone just in time to give up a solid single up the middle to Lugo that scored Mirabelli all the way from second (hey, he's slow), and suddenly that slim 1-run lead seemed a quite a bit fatter.

The 8th inning brought more of the same: Maddon called on Grant Balfour (is that an unfortunate name for a Rays reliever or what?), and the former Brewer allowed a single to Manny, walked J.D. Drew and then surrendered an RBI single to Mike Lowell (2-4, RBI) to push Boston's lead to a near-impenetrable 3-zip.

Although he must have been tempted to leave Wake in to complete his masterpiece, with memories of Saturday's 9th inning near-meltdown by Josh Beckett fresh in his mind Tito called upon fresh as a daisy closer Jonathan Papelbon to nail this one down.

And Paps did just that, sandwiching a walk to B.J. Upton around strikeouts of Aki Iwamura and Crawford and getting Carlos Pena to ground out to end the game, and for one night the fans could forget about the recent struggles and resurgent Stanks and enjoy a well-played game in the cozy confines of Fenway.

Did I mention the Stanks beat Baltimore on an infield single by Jeter in the 9th?

Never mind.

NOTES:
-Unbelievable: Wake became the first pitcher to record a decision in each of his first 24 starts since 1939

-Leaping Lugo: since the break the once struggling shortstop is batting a robust .339 (41-121) and has raised his average from .197 to .238

-Coco got the night off with what's being called a virus, but is expected to return tomorrow night. Dustin Pedroia also got the game off in favor of the seldom-seen Alex Cora, who went 1-4

-With Coco out Drew took center field again while Eric Hinske manned right field and made two nice running catches in the first three innings

-Although Drew followed his consecutive 3-hit games with an 0-3 he made some nice catches in center, and say what you will about his hitting woes but this guy has played some stellar 'D'

-The only other hit for the Rays was a one out single by Jonny Gomes in the 8th

-Perfect 10: the shutout was the 10th for Boston this season, tying Seattle for most in the majors

-Power outage: Boston failed to homer for the 4th straight game

-Papi power: after being brushed back in the 6th and falling to the ground, Ortiz pumped a couple of impromptu pushups before rising, much to the delight of the Faithful

QUOTES:
-"He was not only throwing it for strikes, but spots you can't hit it. His ball was dropping like 2-3 feet."-Crawford on the knuckler

-"This guy has been a blessing for us." --Tito on Wake

-"I think it was very important for us to get back at home and get some momentum going our way."--Wake on the win

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Series Preview: Rays @ Sox

Devil Rays (45-72) @ Red Sox (70-47)
Standings: Sox up 3 on NYY, up 25 on TB

Season Series: Sox lead 5-1

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Mon 705 Shields (9-7, 4.32) vs. Wakefield (13-10, 4.81)
GM2 Tue 705 Kazmir (9-7, 3.58) vs. Lester (1-0, 6.43)
GM3 Wed 105 Sonnanstine (1-8, 6.35) vs. Matsuzaka (13-8, 3.59)

Keep an Eye on: Carl Crawford .315/72R/62RBI/37SB--the only thing hotter than the Rays' All Star left fielder was the temps at the PGA Championship this weekend. Since Aug 1st C.C. is batting an incredible .520 (26-50) with 8 XBHs, 14 runs scored, 7 ribbies and 4 steals, and his 0-5 yesterday snapped a 12-game hitting streak.

Preview
Ah, just what the doctor ordered for an ailing first place team: a visit from the D-Rays.

Unfortunately the way the Sox are playing right now, even playing a team that has lost 38 of its last 54 games doesn't mean Boston will win this series.

Especially if you remember the way the last meeting between these two clubs played out.

I certainly do, because I was there, sitting a mere 12 rows from the field when Dice-K took a shutout into the 8th inning, only to surrender a home run to Dioner Navarro, then hand the game over to Manny D., who promptly gave up gopher balls to BJ Upton and Carlos Pena to seal the Sox fate.

So you see, just because the Sox usually bitchslap the Rays like Ike Turner doesn't mean this series will go the way it needs to: a demoralizing, high-scoring sweep.

Anything less will be completely unacceptable.

In order to restore the sagging faith of the Nation, as well as keep the streaking Stankees at bay, Boston needs to win each game of this 3-game set by an average score of 10-1.

No 1-run squeakers, no come-from-behind wins, no appearances by the beleaguered bullpen necessary.

Just three straight good old fashioned ass-kickings, and then maybe us worriers who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown can relax for a minute before the big bad Angels come to town and stir up our nightmares of this last road trip all over again.

Other than Game 2 the pitching matchups are squarely in the Sox favor. D-Ray killer Tim Wakefield, who owns a 17-2 lifetime mark against Tampa Bay, will take the mound tonight looking to extend his streak of recording a decision in every game he has started this season.

His opponent, James Shields, got off to a terrific start this season but has fallen back to earth lately, losing 6 of his last 10 starts while surrendering 27 hits and 17 earned runs in his last 22 innings for a 6.95 ERA.

In Game 2 Scott Kazmir will take his 5-3 career record with a 2.55 ERA against Boston to the mound and face Jon Lester in his first home start since returning from cancer.

Hopefully the emotion of the moment will propel the Sox to a soild victory in this one.

And in Game 3 Dice-K will oppose Rays rookie Andy Sonnanstine, who after winning his first decision has lost 8 straight, making this game look like a mismatch of epic proportions.

Like I said anything less than a sweep will conjure up more talk of choking and references of 1978 and 2006 from Sox bashers, so Boston needs to take care of business and demolish the Rays just to hold the line on its slim 4-game lead.

As long as Gagne remains safely chained to the bullpen bench, everything should be alright.

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"Best" bully blows another as Gagne continues to gag

Baltimore 6, Sox 3
WP: Bradford (1-4)
LP: Snyder (2-3)
HRs: BAL-Millar (11), Tejada (11)

SUMMARY
Boston ended its 10 day road trip on a major down note when Eric Gagne gave up a 2-run homer to Miguel Tejada to tie the game in the 8th, then Kevin Millar hit a 3-run jack off Kyle Snyder in the bottom of the 10th to win it for Baltimore.

And the Sox lead in the East now sits at a slim 4 games...

#1 STUNNER Millar 3-5, 2R, 3RBI
The original idiot did a number on his former mates, notching two of the five hits Curt Schilling allowed and then pummelling a Snyder fastball for the game-winning homer.

PAN's FAUN Gagne 2/3IP, 1H, 1ER, 1K, 1HR
The supposed bullpen savoir has been a bullpen sinker as the former Ranger closer has been absolutely horrid in his brief stint with the Sox; he's now allowed 10 hits and 7 earned runs in 4 innings with Boston for a 15.75 ERA.

Worse than his performance, however, is the fact that his stunning awfulness is rubbing off on the rest of the bullpen.

RECAP
Raise your hand if you're starting to get that sickening, 2006 feeling again, Red Sox fans.

If you're hand's not raised right now you're either lyin' or denyin', cause all of a sudden a season that had World Series written all over it is looking more and more like last year, when the Sox broke out to a promising start only to collapse like Lindsay Lohan after one too many 8-balls.

Boston's AL East lead was sliced to a minuscule 4 games thanks to the Stanks' sweep of the Tribe this weekend, all that separates them from a Boston Massacre redux is the fact that they might already be out of first place by the time the two rivals hook up again in two weeks in the Bronx.

Which begs the question, would it be better to give up the division lead this week and go into that series trailing the Stanks, or do we really want to undergo the soul-crushing humiliation of letting our arch enemies ruin our season once again?

Discuss.

I know, I know, I can hear all you eternal optimists out there saying "hey, we've still got a four game lead, we're playing the D-Rays next, and the Stanks embark on a tough road trip themselves this week, so don't give up hope yet."

What I say to that is most of you glass-half-full people are under the age of 30 and are judging the chances of the Sox success on the mere fact that they came back to stun the Stanks in the 2004 playoffs, not the numerous heartbreaking collapses the team has undergone over the last, oh, seven decades before that.

To break it down scientifically, the score stands History 1,487, Sox 1.

Look I'm definitely not ready to throw in the towel and I realize that this band of talented veterans and confident youngsters isn't about to pack it in either, but when things start happening to a team like what happened on this trip, it's hard to ignore the familiar, ominous signs of a season on the brink.

Blown saves, terrible baserunning, awful errors, mental gaffes and lack of timely hits were all staples of the sliding Sox on this roadie, and all of those factors came into play in the finale today.
The worst part about it is that for the third straight game Boston got a great effort from its starter, yet they lost 2 of the 3 contests.

Curt Schilling, in his second start since coming off the DL, held the Baltimore lineup in check, surrendering just 5 hits and 1 unearned run over 6 innings while hitting 90+ regularly on the gun, although for the first time in his storied career he didn't allow a walk or a strikeout.

The only blemish on his linescore came when Millar hit a 1-out single in the 2nd, then went to third on a Buckner-esque error by Julio Lugo and came home on a groundout by Melvin Mora for the game's first run.

The error, which should have been an inning-ending double play, was Lugo's 14th of the season and 3rd on this trip, although he made numerous other mental miscues in the field.

The Sox bounced right back with two runs in the 3rd, but much like seemingly every other game this season the team had a zillion chances to blow the game wide open early but couldn't capitalize.

After getting one runner on in the 1st and two on in the 2nd against struggling Baltimore starter Steve Trachsel (6.1IP, 10H, 3ER, 3BB, 1K) Boston finally broke through in the third, but once again the damage could have been worse.

Kevin Youkilis (1-3, R, 2BB) began the rally when he drew a one-out walk, then went to third on a double off the right field wall by Big Papi, who came within a few feet of a home run if not for his ailing shoulders.

Manny followed with a liner to the right center field gap that scored both runners to give Boston a 2-1 Boston lead, and it looked a big inning was at hand.

Then another untimely edition of Manny Being Manny reared its ugly head, and that was all she wrote.

With J.D. Drew at the plate Baltimore catcher Paul Bako mishandled a Trachsel pitch that squirted a few feet away from him. For some reason only beknownst to Manny, the loopy right fielder broke for third and was thrown out by a country mile, a play that stung that much more when Drew promptly laced a single to right that would have scored Ramirez anyway.

Boston added to its lead when Tek and Lugo doubled in the 4th, but from then on it was same shit, different inning for the Boston offense.

6th inning: Lowell & Tek singled, Hinske grounded into a double play
7th inning: Youk singled, Ortiz walked, Manny grounded into a double play

By the time the 8th inning rolled around both starters were on the bench and it was up to Boston's bullpen to nurse that slender 3-1 lead instead of the 6 or 7 run bulge it should have been had the team been able to get one friggin big hit in any of those innings.

I think you know what happened from there.

Okajima, who seems to have acquired some of Gagne's bad mojo by sitting near him in the pen, walked Corey Patterson to open the 8th, and after Markakis moved him to second with a grounder, Tito did something that made every Sox heart skip a beat:

he summoned Gagne from the pen.

Seven pitches later Tejada launched a blast into the left field seats, and just like that Schill's yeoman effort, much like Dice-K's on Friday night, was gone in the blink of an eye, much to the chagrin of the thousands of Nation members who had invaded Camden for the series.

To make a long and depressing story a little shorter, Boston wasted baserunners in the 9th & 10th, and after Kyle Snyder got the call for the 10th and allowed a leadoff single to Patterson, we all knew the game was about to end, it was just a matter of how.

Markakais singled Patterson over to third and one out later Millar sent a Snyder fastball into the seats for the game winner, and at just that moment if you listened real closely you could hear the sound of millions of tv sets clicking over to the PGA Championship as well as loud exclamations of "FUCK!" coming from every RSN househould across the land.

And so the Sox will limp back to Fenway after a humiliating 4-5 road trip in which its East lead was cut in half and its aura of invincibility was shattered like an egg.

Hey, at least we got the D-Rays next, right?

Maybe they can take two of three from them.

As long as Gagne stays nailed to the fucking bench.

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Game Preview: Sox @ Baltimore GM3

Schilling (6-5, 4.31) vs. Trachsel (5-7, 4.88)
Camden Yards 1:35

The Sox will try and win the rubber match of this series and head back home on a positve note after a long, arduous cross country treak that started in Seattle 9 days ago and ends in the newest road headquarters of RSN, Baltimore, Maryland.

The number of Sox fans who have packed Camden Yards has been absolutely staggering, even by Nation standards, and the standing ovation the team received in the 9th inning of yesterday's game was downright embarrassing for the city and fans of the team.

Curt Schilling will hope to benefit from all the love when he takes the hill today for his second start since returning from the disabled list.

His first start contained a lot of positives for the aging ace: his velocity was there, his pitch location was decent, and he enjoyed an early 2-0 lead thanks to a Kevin Youkilis homerun.

Then came the bad.

He tried to barehand a ball up the middle by Vlad Guerrero that nearly took his finger off, then failed to cover first base on what could have been a rally-killing double play.

Throw in some horrible fielding by young Brandon Moss and it all added up to a disappointing 4-2 loss for Schill and the Sox, but like I said there were some encouraging signs to take from his first start in seven weeks.

Another encouraging sign for Boston is they will be facing mediocre mound man Steve Trachsel today.

The 36-year-old had a decent start against the Sox on August 1st, allowing 1 run and 5 hits in a 5-4 Baltimore loss, but since June 2nd Trachsel is 1-4 and has seen his ERA rise by a full run, from 3.89 to 4.88, an encouraging sign for these hungry Sox hitters.

Key for Schill today will be getting his splitter working and keeping pesky sparkplugs Brain Roberts, Corey Patterson and Nick Markakis off the bases.

Oh and if he can keep Eric Gagne from entering the contest that would be a bonus.

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