AL East: 7 GB (t-3rd)
Streak: L1
Last 10: 5-5
Season Series: Tied 3-3
Streak: L1
Last 10: 5-5
Season Series: Tied 3-3
3 Game series at Fenway Park
Game 1 Tuesday *6:05
Cabrera (5-2, 3.98) vs. Beckett (6-4, 4.07)
Game 2 Wednesday 7:05
Olson (5-1, 3.86) vs. Colon (3-1, 3.91)
Game 3 Thursday *6:05
Guthrie (3-6, 3.40) vs. Lester (4-3, 3.50)
* note early start times due to NBA Finals
PREVIEW:
After a much-needed off day yesterday it's time for the Sox to play ball again. Too bad it's another series against the hard-to-get-excited-about Baltimore Orioles.
For the third time in less than a month Boston will play a series against the O's, a team with no stars, no cachet, and for what seems like the 20th straight season no chance of making the playoffs.
While the Sox will add this three game set to the two-gamer they played on May 13-14 in Baltimore and the four game wraparound series at the beginning of this month, Boston has still yet to play other AL clubs like the Chicago White Sox and have only played the Indians, Angles and Twins once.
In other words, let's mix it up schedule makers; the Nation gets tired of seeing the same teams every other week.
I guess that's what interleague play is for, huh?
Anyway, since they have to play them again they might as well go and sweep the series, which they very nearly did in that memorable four game set a week and a half ago.
In that series Boston took the first three games by a combined score of 20-9 including a 13 inning win in which Baltimore committed 3 errors in the final frame, and Manny Ramirez hit his 500th (and 501st & 502nd) home run before Baltimore saved face with a 6-4 victory in the finale when Hideki Okajima melted down like Three Mile Island.
The series was also memorable because it was the last time we saw David Ortiz in action. Big Papi injured his left wrist in the game on Saturday night, the same night his partner in bashing hit his historic 500th homer. After MRIs and examinations, Ortiz was diagnosed with a torn tendon sheath and placed on the DL with a tentative timetable of a month set for his recovery time.
Since then Boston has been on an unlikely roll, winning five of its last six games despite the loss of Ortiz and for the last three games Jacoby Ellsbury, mainly because guys like Manny and JD Drew have been hotter than Indiana Jones franchise.
Drew has hit safely in his last 8 games, batting .518 (14-27) with 8 extra base hits and 10 RBIs while Manny has a 13-game streak going in which he's hitting .380 (19-50) with 6 homers and an incredible 19 RBI.
Those streaks have not only helped carry the club in Papi's absence but placed the sluggers in the Top 10 of most of the offensive categories in the AL:
Drew: 5th in AVG (.318), 2nd in OBP (.417), 4th in OPS (.926), 9th in runs (41)
Manny: 3rd in HR (14), 4th in RBI (47), 5th in OPS (.938), 5th in SLG% (.552), 3rd in XBH (29), 3rd in TB (127)
Boston will need that production to continue to make up for the loss of Ortiz and to offset the severe slumps of guys like Dustin Pedroia (4-37), Coco Crisp (7-41) and Kevin Youkilis (10-49).
Luckily they get to play the bad news O's at home this time, and with Ellsbury due back tonight and three solid starters on the mound, a sweep is definitely in their grasp before heading to Cincy for the start of interleague play tomorrow.
And thankfully we can say say by bye to B'More for another month.
Game 1 Tuesday *6:05
Cabrera (5-2, 3.98) vs. Beckett (6-4, 4.07)
Game 2 Wednesday 7:05
Olson (5-1, 3.86) vs. Colon (3-1, 3.91)
Game 3 Thursday *6:05
Guthrie (3-6, 3.40) vs. Lester (4-3, 3.50)
* note early start times due to NBA Finals
PREVIEW:
After a much-needed off day yesterday it's time for the Sox to play ball again. Too bad it's another series against the hard-to-get-excited-about Baltimore Orioles.
For the third time in less than a month Boston will play a series against the O's, a team with no stars, no cachet, and for what seems like the 20th straight season no chance of making the playoffs.
While the Sox will add this three game set to the two-gamer they played on May 13-14 in Baltimore and the four game wraparound series at the beginning of this month, Boston has still yet to play other AL clubs like the Chicago White Sox and have only played the Indians, Angles and Twins once.
In other words, let's mix it up schedule makers; the Nation gets tired of seeing the same teams every other week.
I guess that's what interleague play is for, huh?
Anyway, since they have to play them again they might as well go and sweep the series, which they very nearly did in that memorable four game set a week and a half ago.
In that series Boston took the first three games by a combined score of 20-9 including a 13 inning win in which Baltimore committed 3 errors in the final frame, and Manny Ramirez hit his 500th (and 501st & 502nd) home run before Baltimore saved face with a 6-4 victory in the finale when Hideki Okajima melted down like Three Mile Island.
The series was also memorable because it was the last time we saw David Ortiz in action. Big Papi injured his left wrist in the game on Saturday night, the same night his partner in bashing hit his historic 500th homer. After MRIs and examinations, Ortiz was diagnosed with a torn tendon sheath and placed on the DL with a tentative timetable of a month set for his recovery time.
Since then Boston has been on an unlikely roll, winning five of its last six games despite the loss of Ortiz and for the last three games Jacoby Ellsbury, mainly because guys like Manny and JD Drew have been hotter than Indiana Jones franchise.
Drew has hit safely in his last 8 games, batting .518 (14-27) with 8 extra base hits and 10 RBIs while Manny has a 13-game streak going in which he's hitting .380 (19-50) with 6 homers and an incredible 19 RBI.
Those streaks have not only helped carry the club in Papi's absence but placed the sluggers in the Top 10 of most of the offensive categories in the AL:
Drew: 5th in AVG (.318), 2nd in OBP (.417), 4th in OPS (.926), 9th in runs (41)
Manny: 3rd in HR (14), 4th in RBI (47), 5th in OPS (.938), 5th in SLG% (.552), 3rd in XBH (29), 3rd in TB (127)
Boston will need that production to continue to make up for the loss of Ortiz and to offset the severe slumps of guys like Dustin Pedroia (4-37), Coco Crisp (7-41) and Kevin Youkilis (10-49).
Luckily they get to play the bad news O's at home this time, and with Ellsbury due back tonight and three solid starters on the mound, a sweep is definitely in their grasp before heading to Cincy for the start of interleague play tomorrow.
And thankfully we can say say by bye to B'More for another month.
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