Sox bounce back with massacre of Mariners

Sox 11, Mariners 3
WP: Wakefield (4-4)
LP: Batista (3-7)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Manny (14), Drew (7); SEA-None

SUMMARY:
Boston got back to business today - the business of winning at Fenway. Tim Wakefield handcuffed the Seattle hitters for seven innings and the Sox batters took care of the rest, pounding 13 hits including mammoth homers by Manny & Drew in a satisfying rout of the M's.

#1 STUNNER: Drew 3-5, 3R, 2BI, 3B, HR
The Sox right fielder continues to wield a blazing hot bat, ripping a triple ahead of Manny's homer in the first and then blasting a homer of his own to straightaway center in the sixth.

Over his last 15 games Drew is batting .396 (21-53) with 4 doubles, a triple, 4 homers and 12 RBI. Yes, keep those fingers crossed he stays healthy.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Miguel Batista 4.1IP, 6H, 5R, 4ER, 6BB, 1K, 1HR, 85P
The Seattle starter was solid but not spectacular in his start against Boston in their recent series in Seattle, but today the veteran righty was downright awful, walking a half a dozen men including two in the 4th and 5th innings when the Sox broke open a close game.

RECAP:
Wasn't it nice to witness a game in which no punches were thrown, no one got ejected, no fights erupted in the dugout and the Sox came out on top?

Now if they could just get the regular starting lineup back on the field everything would really be kosher.

As it is we'll happily settle for the results put forth by another of Tito's patchwork lineups as the substitute Sox simultaneously slapped Seattle while keeping the Rays at bay in Boston's 24th home victory this season.

For the third straight start Tim Wakefield pitched at least seven innings and allowed 2 earned runs or less, but this time he actually got a win to show for his efforts.

And if Manny Ramirez and JD Drew keep crushing baseballs like they have for the past 10 days or so the Sox might not need Ellsbury, Papi, Pedroia, Lowell in the lineup anyway.

After all the team did pretty well without them today.

With the Mariners having posted 21 consecutive scoreless innings on the Sox over their last three meetings, all Seattle wins, Boston wasted no time in breaking that embarrassing streak.

In the bottom of the first inning Drew smacked a ball off Ichiro's glove and hustled it into a triple, and then Manny followed with a titanic shot that cleared the Monster and landed in a parking lot on Lansdowne for his sixth homer in the last 10 games and 504th of his career.

Seattle tied it in the third when Wake's knuckler wasn't knuckling and the Mariners plated two runs on a pair of singles and a ground rule double by Raul Ibanez, but after he walked Adrian Beltre following the double Wake retired 12 straight batters until Kenji Johjima's one-out single in the seventh.

In the meantime Boston slowly pulled away, thanks to the wildness of Miguel Batista and the timely hitting of the makeshift lineup.

With Ellsbury still nursing his strained wrist and Manny's hammy still too sore for him to play the outfield, plus other myriad situations, Francona went with a lineup that once again resembled a split squad spring training game: Cora subbing for Pedroia at second; Youk taking third in place of Lowell while Casey manned first; Brandon Moss playing left in place of Manny; Cash of course catching Wake; and the odd 1-2 combo of Coco and Lugo leading off at the top.

Even with that odd configuration the Sox managed to pile up the runs against a team that had confounded them for most of their meetings this season, scoring two in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead before blowing it open late in the game.

Boston too the lead back for good in the fourth on a walk to Moss a deep double to left center by Cora (2-4, 2R, BI) and an RBI single by Coco Crisp, his second hit in two innings and the first in a few games that involved his bat and not his fists.

In the fifth the Sox loaded the bases on walks to Moss and Manny (1-2, 2R, 2BI, 3BB) and a single by Casey, chasing Batista from the game, but reliever R.A. Dickey came on to squelch the threat, allowing just one run to score and that was on a passed ball by Johjima.

The lead went to 6-2 when Drew hit a tracer missile off the wall above the camera stand in center field, and after Craig Hansen relieved Wakefield and pitched a scoreless 8th, Boston blew the game open in the bottom of the inning when it sent nine men to the plate and five scored.

Cora got the party started with a leadoff single to right, and after Coco lined out Lugo slapped a single to right as well to set the stage for the team's hottest hitters.

And they didn't disappoint as Drew also laced a single to right for his third hit of the game to score Cora, and after Manny drew his third base on balls pinch hitter Mike Lowell lined a double down the third base line to score Lugo and Drew and push the lead to 9-2.

Kevin Youkilis, who has noticeably toned down his post-at bat antics since the Ramirez dugout incident, provided the final margin when he dropped a double into left that scored both Jacoby Ellsbury, who pinch ran for Manny, and Lowell, and all that was left was for closer Jonathan Papelbon to come in and get some much-needed work.

Unfortunately things didn't go so smoothly for the boys in the 9th as Youk made an error after moving to first base when he botched a throw from Cora, ending his record-setting errorless streak for a first baseman at 238 games.

That blunder, which perhaps was a karmic makeup for the one he should've got last night that went to Lowell, led to an unearned run by Papelbon, but a pair of Ks and a fly out to (appropriately) Drew put a cap on the day and sent the Faithful home happy.

Tomorrow the Sox can take the series from Seattle and put further distance between themselves and the ugly incidents of the Rays series.

Wonder what the lineup will look like.

RECORD: 39-26
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Sun vs. SEA @ Fenway 1:35 Bedard vs. Masterson

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Game Preview: Mariners @ Sox

Batista (3-6, 5.90) vs. Wakefield (3-4, 4.50)
Game 2 of 3 3:55 FOX @ Fenway Park

The Sox will try to regroup after three tumultuous days in which they engaged in an on field brawl with the Rays that resulted in the suspensions of three players, an in-house disagreement between teammates that resulted in numerous denials in the clubhouse, and a shutout at the hands of the Mariners that resulted in the end of their 13-game home winning streak.

All in favor for getting back to winning, Bosox baseball say "aye".

Tim Wakefield will try to right the ship today, although the knuckleballer has had little success historically against the M's, posting a 3-9 record with a 4.15 ERA in 145 career starts (24 appearances.)

But the veteran has been awesome in his last two starts, allowing just 3 earned runs in his last 15 innings, although he's only got a loss and an ND to show for it.

His mound opponent, Miguel Batista, has been equally impressive in his last two starts, allowing 5 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings including a 7 inning, 5-hit, 2 earned run performance against the Sox in Seattle, but he only hasd 2 NDs to show for his efforts.

Boston should have Manny Ramirez back in the lineup this afternoon, but Jacoby Ellsbury will miss his second staright game with his wrist injury. With Sean Casey covering first and Kevin Cash catching Wake it will be another patchwork lineup for Franbcona and the Sox.

No matter. The Sox need to break the 21 inning scoreless stretch against the lowly Ms and take this game to get back on the winning track and put all the craziness of the last few days behind them.

No excuses today.

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Seattle shuts out Sox, ends home win streak at 13

Mariners 8, Sox 0
WP: Hernandez (4-5)
LP: Colon (3-1)
SV: None
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
Felix Hernandez pitched well at Fenway again and got plenty of support from his offense, Bartolo Colon was horrible, from his pitching to his defense, and the Sox were shut out for the first time since...Seattle blanked them 1-0 on May 28th.

#1 STUNNER: Hernandez 6IP, 6H, 0ER, 3BB, 5K, 106P
King Felix continued his reign over the Red Sox as the former phenom racked up his second straight shutout at Fenway dating back to last April's 1-hitter.

According to the wire services his 15 consecutive scoreless innings at Fenway are the longest by an opposing pitcher since 1956. Yikes.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Colon 5IP, 8H, 6R, 3ER, 1BB, 2K, 2E, 79P
Not only did the hefty righty have his worst performance for Boston pitching-wise, but his two inexcusable errors throwing the ball to second base led to three key unearned runs and helped seal the Sox fate. Ugh.

RECAP:
We knew the good times had to end sometime, for Boston and Bartolo Colon, and I don't think anyone was surprised that it all came crashing down tonight.

One night after playing in an exhausting, brawl-filled ballgame that saw three Sox leave the field prematurely and on the same day that three players received suspensions for their actions, Boston's 13 game home winning streak came to a crashing halt at the hands of the slumping Mariners.

On the heels of all that drama the Sox lineup resembled a B squad scrimmage at City of Palms park with Manny Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury and of course Big Papi all riding the pine in this one due to injury.

So is it any wonder that the man who nearly pitched a no hitter here last year came to town and shut down the emotionally drained and psychologically stained Sox?

Well yeah, kinda, because after all this Mariner team was in shambles coming in here, losers of four in a row and 12 of 15 and possessors of the worst record in baseball.

So even though a Boston letdown was almost inevitable with all the turmoil swirling around the club, for the measly M's to shut out one of the best offensive teams in the league for the second time in 10 days was a bit surprising.

But I guess we gotta look on the bright side: at least no punches were thrown.

The game was basically over in the first four innings as Seattle jumped out to a 5-0 lead and Boston could do nothing right, including capitalize on an early bases loaded opportunity that could have changed the complexion of the game.

In the top of the first Jose Lopez hit a one-out single to center and Colon responded with a four pitch walk to Raul Ibanez (2-3, 3R, 2BB.) The inning should have ended, though, when the next batter, Adrian Beltre, grounded back to the mound for what looked like a tailor made double play.

Except Colon made the first of many mental blunders on the evening, tossing the ball between Pedroia and Lugo, who were splitting the bag, and the ball sailed into center field as Lopez scored the first run and Ibanez moved to third.

Jose Vidro then hit the next pitch from Colon for an RBI groundout and Seattle had a quick 2-0 lead.

After Colon retired the side in order in the second Boston had a chance to get right back in the game when they loaded the bases off King Felix on a single by Mayor Casey (3-4), a bunt single by Captain Tek and a two-out walk to Lugo.

But in a twisted taste of karma Cock-o Crisp came to the plate with the sacks full and a chance to do some damage with something other than his mouth or fists, and all the sleazy centerfielder could do was strike out.

Granted it was a check swing strike three, and it didn't look like he went around, but what did he think he was going to get a favorable call from the umps after the debacles of the past two nights?

Like Earl always says karma's a bitch.

After dodging that bullet Seattle would tack on another run in third when sloppy plays by Boston led to a gift Seattle score.

Ichiro (1-5, R, 2BI) reached on an error by Mike Lowell to lead off the inning, a call that should have gone to Crazy Kevin Youkilis but the hometown scorer obviously wanted to keep the first baseman's errorrless streak intact.

Lopez followed with a single to set up runners at second and third with no outs, but after Colon got Ibanez to pop out he foolishly tried to pick Ichiro off second, and once again the ball sailed into center field and both runners moved into scoring position.

Two pitches later Beltre blasted a ball to center to easily score Ichiro, and although the score was only 3-0 it strangely felt like 10-0.

Boston squandered a two on, one out opportunity in the bottom of the inning when a single by Drew (2-3, BB) and a walk to Lowell were wasted when Youk flied out and Casey struck out, and then Seattle would put the game away in the fourth with a pair of earned runs (for a change.)

A single by Richie Sexon (3-4, R, 2BI) and a ground rule double by Yunieski 'All Name Team' Betancourt put runners at second and third with one out, and then Ichiro slapped a single to left that scored both runners, although a great throw by Brandon Moss nearly nabbed Yuni at the plate.

That made the score 5- and it was time to go outside and water the lawn, do some yardwork and hang out with the fam as this one was all but over.

Evidently Seattle scored another run when a ball glanced off Colon's glove (talk about losing it all in one game), and for good measure David Aardsma (1IP, 2H, 2ER, 2BB, 1K) surrendered a pair of runs in the seventh to reach the final score of 8-0.

By that time I, along with many in the Nation and in the Sox dugout, had checked out of this one, wishing there was a Celts game on to divert our attention from the messy massacre that was taking place on the field.

But hey, at least there were no punches thrown, right?

RECORD: 38-26
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sat vs. SEA 3:55 FOX Batista vs. Wakefield

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Series Preview: Mariners @ Sox

Seattle Mariners (21-39)
AL West: 15.5 GB
Streak: L4
Last 10: 3-7

3 game series @ Fenway Park
Game 1 Friday 7:05
Hernandez (3-5, 3.29) vs. Colon (3-0, 3.50)
Game 2 Saturday 3:55 FOX
Batista (3-6, 5.90) vs. Wakefield (3-4, 4.50)
Game 3 Sunday 1:35
Washburn (2-7, 6.56) vs. Masterson (2-0, 2.95)

PREVIEW:
Had to cut the normal preview post short to bring the updates on the suspensions from the Raysbrawl game last night.

According to the Globe Coco Crisp, or Cock-o as I have now taken to calling him for obvious reasons, rightfully received the harshest penalty with a 7-game suspension. Fellow Sox Jon Lester (5 games) and Sean Casey (3) were the only other members of the Boston team to get suspended, curious because neither player appeared to be active participants in the melee.

The Rays on the other hand were hit pretty hard as starters James Shields (6 games) and Edwin Jackson (5) received the equivalents of one missed start each, while Jonny Gomes (5), Carl Crawford (4) and Aki Iwamura (3) got lighter sentences.

The punishments will be staggered so everyone doesn't sit at once, and Crisp has stated he will appeal his, allowing him to play tonight. Expect him to get maybe one game shaved off, but that's about it.

All in all a pretty costly evening for both clubs.

As for the undercard of the Friday night fisticuffs between Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis, ESPN is reporting that Manny took exception to Youk tossing some equipment around the dugout following an out he made in the bottom of the fourth.

This is unsubstantiated by the ball club but is easy to believe that even his own teammates are tiring of Youk's ultra-sensitive intensity regarding balls, strikes and outs.

There is some good news amidst all this brawl-filled bullshit: Jacoby Ellsbury's wrist injury appears to be minor and he should only miss a game or two.

So we got that going for us.

As for this series Seattle staggers into town having lost four in a row and 12 of its last 15 games, with two of those wins coming against the Sox in Seattle a week and a half ago.

Since taking the final two games of that series and a game against Detroit two nights later the Mariners were swept by the Angels, prompting a post-game expletive-laced tirade by manager John McLaren Wednesday night.

So basically the Ms are the one team that might be more of a mess than the Sox are right now, but with a lot worse record. As in the worst record in baseball worse.

The roster for the game tonight, when Bart Colon goes for win #4 in four starts since being called up, will feature Coco Crisp in center but Manny will not be in left. he tweaked his already tender hammy in the 7th inning last night, leading to a rare pinch running performance by Kevin Cash, so he will sit out tonight.

In his place Brandon Moss, who was called up after the game when Chris Carter was shipped back on the PawSox express, will start in left while Mayor Casey takes over the DH duties.

Moss had been on a tear since coming back from his appendectomy, so his bat will be a welcome addition with Papi and now Manny and Ellsbury missing time.

Anyway it will be nice to get back to talking about baseball instead of fights and bickering.

At least for a day.

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Sox Drawer: Brawlgame - The Aftermath

Let's get ready to ruuuummmbbbble!!!!

Believe it or not there was actually a ball game that took place at Fenway last night.

It's just that it got lost amid all the rumbling, tumbling and stumbling that went on both on the field and in the dugout in what will be remembered as one of the wildest, weirdest and costliest games in Boston history.

Set aside the fact that Boston did sweep the series with the Rays and jumped back into first place in the East by a game and a half in doing so. The real story here is twofold, and as I stated last night, the repercussions of last night's brawlgame will be felt for a while to come.

1.) How long are the Sox going to be without Crisp, who is sure to get a hefty suspension and fine for his foolishness, and Ellsbury, who was injured bad enough to have to come out of the game

2.) Will the dugout confrontation between Manny and Youk fracture the clubhouse and cause a possible season-imploding rift in the chemistry of this team, or will it be forgotten about as soon as tonight's game?

The whole thing about the Crisp situation would be meaningless if it weren't for Ellsbury's injury. Had Ellsy not gone down, Coco would have sat out his 4-6 games, played sparingly upon his return, and been shipped to another team before the July 31st trade deadline.

As it stands now the team might need Coco back on the field ASAP if Ellsbury has to miss significant time, and that means a whole lot of roster shuffling and hand-wringing for Tito, Theo and the brass.

Either way Coco is as good as gone for his mentally retarded actions of the last two nights, and the Nation will finally get what it has wanted all along - Ellsbury as its everyday centerfielder.

As far as the Youk/Manny situation, the consensus is that the two were arguing over Ramirez' late participation in the brawl and since emotions were running high Manny just reacted in the heat of the moment to something Youkilis said and that's all there is to it.

Whether that's true or not one thing's for sure: Youk had to say something pretty bad to get Manny fired up like that, and chances are it's not just the one thing that sent him over the edge. Ramirez and Youkilis couldn't be more opposite, and I have a feeling that this is something that might have been simmering below the surface and in the locker room before this incident brought it to the surface.

In fact I noticed onthe night of Manny's 500th home run that Youk didn't seem to thrilled to congratulate Ramirez like everyone else did. Perhaps it was my imagination, or a sign that things aren't so rosy between the team's most laid-back and hair-trigger hitters.

Who knows. Only time will tell if the events of last night affect this team well into the summer, but as of right now it was certainly a dark day for the team and the town in what has been an otherwise mostly sunny season.

Stay tuned.

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Sox and Rays go MMA in an ugly, costly win for Boston

Sox 7, Rays 1
WP: Lester (4-3)
LP: Shields (4-4)
SV: None
HRs: BOS- Manny (13); TB-None

Umpire: "Batten down the hatches, this shit is going down NOW!"

SUMMARY:
A wild game at Fenway saw the Sox engage in fisticuffs with the Rays on the field and then between each other in the dugout as Boston completed the sweep but lost two center fielders.

Coco Crisp charged the mound after James Shields hit him with a pitch in the second inning, inciting a benches-clearing brawl, and later Manny Ramirez was seen slapping & shoving Kevin Youkilis in the Boston dugout. In between the brawling Jacoby Ellsbury left with a sprained wrist, but at least Jon Lester pitched well enough to get the win.

#1 STUNNER: Manny 2-3, BB, 1R, 5BI, HR
He did damage with his bat - belting a 3-run bomb over the Monster in the first inning and a 2-run single in the fourth - and with his hands when he bitch slapped Youk in the dugout at the end of the fourth inning. He also left with a potential knee injury in the seventh.

Busy night for ManRam.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Crisp 0-0, HBP, ejected
He started this whole mess when he package-punched Aki Iwamura last night because he was mad at Jason Bartlett, and then after James Shields appropriately plunked him on the leg, instead of taking his base he took it to the mound, touching off an ugly incident that could linger long into the summer.

RECAP:
Nothing like a little on-field battle royale and off-field infighting to divert attention from the Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals Game 1 taking place across town.

The Sox and Rays renewed long standing hostilities that trace back to Pedro Martinez plunking Gerald 'Ice' Williams in 2000, but to find the origins of this latest incident one only has to look back to last night's game.

When Coco Crisp clocked Akinori Iwamura in the johnson in retaliation for Jason Bartlett dropping a knee in front of the bag as Crisp attempted to slide into second base earlier in that game, everyone knew there would be ramifications in tonight's ballgame.

What we didn't know was how swiftly and severely those repercussions would play out, and the end result of all this misplaced hostility could end up costing Boston dearly in the near future, especially in light of the injury to Jacoby Ellsbury.

The game, which was moved up an hour to 6:05 to accommodate everyone who wanted to watch the Celts play in its first Finals game in 21 years, started out with a bang and just got louder from there when Rays starter James Shields plunked Dustin Pedroia with a pitch one out into the first inning.

JD Drew, who has been scorching the ball since Papi went down, then doubled to deep left center, and up stepped Ramirez, who has also been mashing the ball of late.

After taking ball one from Shields (1IP, 3H, 4ER, 2K, 1HR, 2HBP, 27P), Manny uncoiled his patented silky swing and drove the ball high and deep over the Monster and out of the park, and the Sox had a 3-0 lead before most of the late-arriving crowd had, well, arrived.

Shields went on to get out of the inning, but little did anyone know it would be the only inning he would complete on the night.

Lost in all the wackiness was the fact that Jon Lester (6.1P, 8H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K, 109P)pitched a solid game, the only run he allowed coming in the top of the second when Willy Aybar hit a double high off the Wall with two outs, and after running the count full Jonny Gomes singled him in to cut the lead to 3-1.

Little did we know it would be the last time Jonny would come to bat tonight, but definitely not the last swing he would take.

The real action started as soon as Coco came to bat to lead off the bottom of the second. After throwing him a ball, Shields nailed Crisp with a little message pitch on the thigh, a play Coco himself would have to brush off by admitting it was just "tic for tac."

Only Coco wouldn't take his punishment like a man and walk to first base, and after thinking about it for a second or two, he decided to charge the mound and attempt his best Kimbo Slice imitation.
But Shields was ready for him, and lucky for Coco he dodged the first punch thrown by the Rays starter or Crisp would have been in the BI emergency room having his face reconstructed right now.

The melee then turned into a full scale brawl, complete with sucker punches, cheap shots, rolling around and pig-piling by members of both clubs and coaching staffs, and when the dust settled Shields, Crisp, Gomes and Sox third base coach DeMarlo Hale were ejected, and the only reason there wasn't more is because it was too hard for the umps to get a clear picture of who was really beating on whom.

After the fracas and things settled down Boston scored another run when rookie Cris Carter, who came in for Crisp, came home on a sac fly by Pedroia, but by this point the score was almost irrelevant.

What wasn't irrelevant was what happened during and after the fourth inning.

First Ellsbury suffered a scary injury when he dove and caught a sinking liner off the bat of evan Longoria to lead off the inning, bending his wrist under his body as he hit the ground. The rookie had to leave the game and tests show it's probably just a sprain, but with Coco already gone that meant Boston had to go with an outfield of Carter, making his first major league start, Drew in center and Youk in left.

Ugh!

In the bottom of the frame Boston blew the game open when Carter recorded his first career hit, Lugo followed with a hit, and after JP Howell relieved Grant Balfour, Pedroia (0-2, 2R, BI, BB) walked to load the bases.

Drew (1-3, 1R, 1BI, 2BB) then drew a walk to force in Carter and when Manny dropped a single to left to score Lugo and Pedroia to make it 7-1 Boston, it was all over but the shouting.

Literally.

Following the inning Manny apparently had an altercation with Youk, first backhanding the bald first baseman/third baseman/outfielder and then shoving him against the dugout railing before teammates and coaches separated the two.

As Youk walked away to take his spot on the field he appeared to be clueless as to what set Ramirez off, but something tells me the hot-tempered Youk said something about Manny's lack of participation in the brawl, touching a normally untapped nerve in the eternally placid slugger.

To make a long story shorter (so much for that early start time) the rest of the game was pretty uneventful until Manny possibly injured his knee on a swing in the 7th inning; after drawing a walk he was pinch run for by Kevin Cash of all people, making Manny the third outfielder to be removed from the game due to injury and/or idiocy.

Mike Timlin and David Aardsma combined to keep the score the same despite allowing five baserunners in the last two innings, but the real story of the night wasn't the win, or the second Sox sweep of the Rays at Fenway, or the fact that Boston once again owns a 1 1/2 game cushion in the AL East.

No the talk of this game will be all about the brawls, both on the field and off, and something tells me the ripple effects are going to be felt for many weeks and months to come.

By the way, Celts won Game 1, 99-88.

RECORD: 38-25
AL EAST: Up 1 1/2 gms
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Fri vs. Seattle 705 Hernandez vs. Colon

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Sox Drawer: Coco's cock knock causing a stir

During last night's 5-1 Red Sox win over Tampa Bay Coco Crisp blasted Akinori Iwamura in the package in retaliation for a cheap play Jason Bartlett had pulled on the Sox ceterfielder a few innings earlier.

There is video of the incident on both Bugs & Cranks and Sox & Dawgs, the latter featuring Coco's comments after the game regarding the incident.

The background of the situation goes like this: in the sixth inning of the game, with Coco on first after an infield single, Crisp attempted to steal second base and was successful. But on the play Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett dropped his knee in front of the bag where Coco was sliding, a no no for infielders in the book of baseball etiquette because the runner could suffer serious damage to his hands.

Irked at the play Coco stored it away and reacted on his anger later.

Later came in the 8th inning when Crisp walked with one out and the Sox leading 5-1. Shortly after the base on balls Coco took off for second base, and although he was out by a mile, the intent was not to steal but exact revenge for the earlier play by Bartlett.

Thus when he slid into the base Crisp came up with his arm high and nailed Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura right in the groin, touching off a heated exchange between both teams and included Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, who came out to the mound to remove pitcher Jason Hammel after the play, and continued long after Crisp was in the dugout.

The play was eerily similar to the spring training incident the Rays had with the Stanks when Shelly Duncan package-jacked Iwamura on a slide into second after a Rays player had injured a Stankee catching prospect days earlier.

My feelings about this incident are mixed. Do I believe Coco had every reason to be mad at Bartlett for a play that was stupid but probably unintentionally malicious on his part? Absolutely. But should Crisp had retaliated against Iwamura in the 8th inning of a 5-1 game on a play that wasn't even an attempted break up of a DP, just a straight steal? Absolutely not.

My fellow commenters at B&C are lambasting me for not agreeing with the retaliation, saying that Crsip had to get back at someone so he just picked the nearest player, not unlike a pitcher hitting an opposing batter to get back for one of his own teammates getting hit by the opposing pitcher.

I say bullshit. Coco's problem was solely with Bartlett and he will have other chances to get back at the shortstop, whether it is tonight or one of the next 10 games the teams have against each other.

To cock knock Iwamura was petty and unnecessary and will most likely result in Coco getting drilled tonight and could touch off a season-long war between the top two teams in the East.

The bottom line is Bartlett was wrong for what he did and Coco was also wrong for how he reacted. Let's hope cooler heads prevail and this thing doesn't drag out and give the Rays any more fuel for an already contentious rivalry.

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Sox back where they belong: 1st place

Sox 5, Rays 1
WP: Beckett (6-4)
LP: Jackson (3-5)
SV: None
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox regained sole possession of first place in the AL East with their 12th straight home victory and 5th in a row against the Rays at Fenway. Josh Beckett pitched well enough to win as the new-look offense again performed admirably in Big Papi's absence.

#1 STUNNER: Manny Delcarmen 1IP, 0H, 0BB, 0R, 3K
Yesterday JD Drew made his 2008 debut in this category, today it's another former doghouse inhabitant's turn. With no one on the offense nor Beckett really turning in a great game, it was Manny D's surprising 3-K showing that really stood out tonight, begging the question: where the fuck has this been all year!

THE BIGGEST LOSER: BJ Upton 0-4, 3K, ejection
The talented center fielder may be getting a little full of himself. Not only did he whiff three times, but he tried to throw everyone out at home (he did finally get Manny, but his percentage is low) and he got ejected arguing a close strike three call in the 8th.

My advice: lighten up, Francis!

RECAP:
The Rays would be about five games ahead of the Sox in the AL East this year - if they didn't have to play any games at Fenway.

For the fifth time in five Fenway meetings the Sox waxed the Rays, and this time the result put Boston back in the driver's seat in the East with one more game to play here between the two until September.

Too bad because the Sox would have the Rays back in the cellar by the All Star game at this rate.

The best part about this victory is not just that the Sox won, but how they did it - without the benefit of the longball and by using a revamped lineup that relied on old school techniques rather than "in your face" mashing.

Talk about a versatile team.

After the umps missed yet another home run call this year when Dustin Pedroia's first inning drive appeared to curl around Pesky's Pole but the crew couldn't see it and ruled it foul, Boston went straight to the small ball to grab the lead in the third.

Coco Crisp started the inning with a single to right, and with the hit and run on he made it to second on Julio Lugo's groundout, preventing a double play. That set up the first run of the game when he came around to score easily on Jacoby Ellsbury's (2-5, R, BI) sharp single to center on the very next pitch, even though Upton foolishly attempted to throw him out at home.

Ellsbury moved to second on a wild pitch by Edwin Jackson (5IP, 6H, 4ER, 3BB, 4K, 94P), and after Pedroia struck out JD Drew, batting third in place of Ortiz tonight, belted a ground rule double into the right field seats to score Ellsy and give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Manny Ramirez, who has yet to homer at Fenway since hitting #'s 500-502 on the road last weekend, worked an 0-2 count by fouling off three pitches before he delivered an RBI single to left, and the Sox had a 3-0 lead on three singles, a double and a well-called hit & run.

Small ball indeed.

The Rays would get one run back in the fourth off Beckett (6IP, 7H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K, 92P) on a double by Evan Longoria, a groundout and an RBI single by ex-Sox Eric Hinske, who was 2-4 with an RBI against his old mates.

But Boston would get the three run lead right back in the bottom of the inning when Youk (2-4, R, BI) and Tek both bounced singles into left and Coco crushed a sac fly to center, which scored Youk despite Upton's attempt (again) to nail the runner at the plate.

Beckett dodged a potential bullet in the 5th when Aki Iwamura scorched a one out single to center, nearly taking Becks' head off, but Carl Crawford lined a laser right to Youk at first, who then stepped on the bag to easily double up the stunned Aki.

The score remained 4-1 for a few innings and Boston got a small scare when Beckett slipped throwing a pitch to Cliff Floyd in the 6th, and although he said he was fine and remained in the game to finish the inning, his night was done after that.

Boston missed a chance to pad the lead when Coco got tagged out rounding third on a single to left by Ellsbury in the 6th, but they did tack on a run after Delcarmen struck out the side in the top of the 7th, and once again it was a bunch of little plays that got the run home.

Pedroia grounded out to begin the inning before Drew singled to center, stole second, and after Manny walked Mike Lowell blooped a single to left to load the bases with one out.

Youk then singled to left to score Youk with Boston's 5th run, and the damage could've been worse but Upton finally got his man when he nailed Manny trying to score on a medium depth fly ball to center off the bat of Jason Varitek.

You know what they say, even a broken clock gets the time right once a day.

The game was basically in the books after that as Okajima (1IP, 1H, 2K) and Craig Hansen (1IP, 1BB) continued the improved play of the bullpen and kept the Rays at bay, and in a game that was played in chilly temps and a steady mist the Sox took back what was rightfully theirs - first place.

Who knows, maybe this hit & run small ball stuff will catch on and they won't even need Papi anymore.

Yeah right. That thought's about as crazy as the Rays winning the AL East.

In other words unthinkable, especially if they have to play crucial games at Fenway in September.

RECORD: 37-25
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Thu vs. Rays 6:05 Shields vs. Colon

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Game Preview: Rays at Sox GM2

Jackson (3-4, 3.70) vs. Beckett (5-4, 4.30)
Game 2 of 3 705 ESPN @ Fenway Park

The Sox hope to get the second game against the Rays in tonight, especially since it was switched to a nationally televised game and they will have a chance to regain first place in the AL East with a win, but if Mother Nature has a say in the matter don't count on it.

It's currently raining in Boston (what else is new) and the forecast calls for intermittent showers all night long making a delay or postponement a definite possibility, so we'll have to wait and see if the weathermen are wrong, as usual.

If the game does get played as scheduled there will be some significant changes to the starting lineup, and this time I'm not talking about Boston's.

Yesterday the Rays sat All Star outfielder Carl Crawford after he took a trip to see Dr. James Andrews regarding a knee problem he has been experiencing; needless to say a trip to Dr. Andrews office is never a good thing for an athlete.

Crawford did pinch hit and grounded out in the 8th inning of the loss, and although he is not at 100% he is expected to be in the lineup tonight.

That's a good thing for Tampa Bay because first baseman and team home run leader Carlos Pena will not be in the lineup tonight or for the foreseeable future as he was placed on the 15 day DL with a broken finger sustained when he was hit by a pitch from Justin Masterson in the first inning of last night's game, according to MLB.com.

The loss of Pena and the injury to CC along with closer Troy Percival being on the DL are huge blows for a club attempting to hang on to its tenuous grip of first place and could spell the beginning of the end of the good times for the major league's most surprising team this season.

If the Sox are going to capitalize on the Rays misfortunes they will have to get another solid start from Josh Beckett and hope for another disaster by Rays starter Edwin 'up & down' Jackson.

Beckett has pitched well in his last two starts, surrendering just four earned runs over 13 innings while recording 19 strikeouts, but all he's got is a loss and a no decision to show for it. Still his efforts are a marked improvement from his previous two starts when he allowed 11 runs, 18 hits and 5 homers in 12 2/3 innings.

Jackson has been erratic all year, alternating terrific outings with miserable ones, and the Rays never know which version of Jackson is going to show up. In his last two starts he's given up 7 runs and 14 hits 11 innings, going 1-1, but before that he had allowed just 1 earned run over three starts covering 20 1/3 innings, although he didn't receive a decision in any of those games.

This season he is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against the Sox while Beckett is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against the Rays this year, including his 13-strikeout gem in an April loss.

So the game will most likely come down to which starter performs up to his potential, and will major offensive weapons missing from both teams someone else will have to step up and provide the firepower in order to get his team a win, like JD Drew and coco Crisp did last night.

The battle for first place continues tonight, and the Sox have a change to regain the top spot with a win.

Weather permitting.

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Home boys: Sox K.O. Rays for 11th straight home win

Sox 7, Rays 4
WP: Masterson (2-0)
LP: Garza (4-2)
SV: Papelbon (17)
HRs: BOS-Lowell (8), Drew (6); TB-Iwamura (4), Pena (11)

SUMMARY:
The two teams atop the AL East waged a back-and-forth battle for six innings before Boston finally pulled away with a four-run sixth. Justin Masterson pitched well enough to earn the win as Mike Lowell, JD Drew and Coco Crisp provided the big hits necessary to help the Sox climb within a half game of the Rays.

SUPERSTAR: Drew 2-3, 2R, BI, BB, 2B, HR
Not only did the rundown rightfielder contribute mightily at the plate, he also made two spectacular catches in the field to prevent runs and keep the score close.

Imagine what he could do if played every day - he might just make this list more than once a season.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Garza 5.1IP, 6H, 7R, 5ER, 2BB, 3K, 2HR, 96P
Not only did the randy righty implode on the mound when he allowed four runs in the sixth inning, he exploded as well by cursing at himself & others, slamming the resin bag down and generally acting like a Little Leaguer with a hair trigger during the fatal frame.

RECAP:
So far the season series with the Rays has been a microcosm of the Sox season as a whole.

They win at home, they lose on the road.

Boston ran its record against the Rays in '08 to 4-3 with the win tonight, and yup, you guessed it, all four wins have come at Fenway while the three L's came at the fabulous, soon to be extinct Trop.

By winning its 11th consecutive home game Boston moved to an ML-best 22-5 at Fenway and while the three wins in Baltimore made its road record a bit more respectable, 14-20 is not exactly a mark that makes you start printing playoff tickets.

Regardless of the venue the win tonight was huge for the Sox on many levels:

-Justin Masterson, despite allowing a homer on his first pitch of the night, hung in for the win in what was the least impressive of his three major league starts to date

-the Sox slugged two key homers and had four extra base hits out of their seven in their first game at home since David Ortiz was placed on the DL

-both Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen had solid outings in setting up Jonathan Papelbon for the save

-Boston is now one beautiful effort by Josh Beckett away from reclaiming first place in the East for the first time since May 25th

If that isn't enough to ensure huge ratings for tomorrow night's clash of the titans on ESPN I don't know what will.

As i said this game was worthy of two clubs battling for first place as the Rays and Sox took turns trading leads before Boston finally grabbed the last lead of the night in the sixth.

It all started when Masterson (6IP, 6H, 4ER, 2BB, 5K, 2HR, 91P) allowed a leadoff home run to pesky Akinori Iwamura on the first pitch of the game, a ball that barely cleared the Monster in left but was ruled a homer without the benefit of replay.

When the rookie hit Carlos Pena with a pitch two batters later, it didn't take a genius to realize this wasn't the same masterful Masterson we had seen in his two previous outings.

Luckily for Boston Matt Garza, who had been rock solid lately in allowing just 2 runs and 8 hits in 15.1 innings while posting two straight wins, was as shaky as the rookie, and when Manny Ramirez led off the second with a single and Mike Lowell blasted a 2-run shot over the Wall, you got the feeling it was gonna be one of those nights.

The Sox missed a golden opportunity to add to the lead in the third when Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a walk, stole second (of course) for his league leading 28th theft, and Dustin Pedroia was hit by a pitch to set up a first and second, no outs situation.

But Youk skied to shallow left and ManRam (1-4, 2R) bounced into a double play, and that threat was gone by the wayside.

Like last night's game in Baltimore the Rays made the Sox pay for the failure immediately after when BJ Upton and Pena hit back-to-back booming doubles to start the third to tie the game at two, and if it wasn't for the glove of JD Drew it could have been a lot worse.

On the next pitch following Pena's ground rule double to the right field seats Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria launched a deep, slicing drive to the same corner, but Drew hopped on his horse and tracked the ball down near the wall for an inning-saving out, and Masterson retired the next two batters to escape the inning with the game tied.

As so often is the case in baseball Drew contributed a great offensive play in the next inning when he turned on the first pitch he saw from Garza and deposited it deep into the right field seats to give Boston a 3-2 lead.

You're serve, Tampa Bay.

Neither team scored in the fifth but the Rays returned the serve in the top of the sixth when Upton (2-5, 2R) singled through the infield to right and Pena followed with a towering blast that nearly brought rain and ended up in the bullpen to give Tampa Bay the lead back at 4-3.

The the game, and Garza, fell apart in the bottom of the sixth as the Sox would not only return the serve but slam it down the Rays throats, making sure there would be no more see-sawing for the rest of the night.

It all stated to unravel when Garza hit Youk in the forearm on an 0-1 count, and as the pitcher cursed and called his catcher to the mound you could see something was wrong with the fiery youngster.

If he was mad at himself after that mistake he must have been furious when his former Twins teammate, shortstop Jason Bartlett, booted a grounder by Ramirez, and after Lowell fouled out, Garza walked Drew on a couple of close pitches to load the bases, and it felt like all hell was about to break loose.

It did.

Captain Tek hit a sharp single up the middle to score Youk and tie the game (again) at four, and then Coco Crisp, who just ended a horrific 0-23 slump last night, stepped in with a chance to break the game open.

(*Side note - actual exchange between my son and I at this point: Drew: "Oh great, Coco's up!?" Dad-" he just broke a long slump last night, he's due for a big hit")

Like I actually know what i'm talking about Crisp proceeded to carve a 1-0 pitch from Garza down the leftfield line for a 2-run double, and just like that the game was all but over.

Ellsbury added a sac fly off Grant Balfour as Garza was shredding something in the dugout to give us the final margin of 7-4, and after that it was up to the Sox pen to bring the win home.

Amazingly they did just that. Manny D tossed a scoreless, hitless seventh, and after Javier lefty Lopez walked one and allowed a hit to his two batters, Hansen came on and retired Carl Crawford, Gabe Gross and Bartlett to send the game to the closer.

Papelbon wasted no time in setting the side down in order in the 9th, needing just 12 pitches to record two Ks and a groundout, and when Upton went down swinging to end the game Boston was one step closer to reclaiming first place and had its first game in the win column since Big Papi went on the DL.

If only they could play every game at home, life would be so much easier.


RECORD: 36-25
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Wed vs. TB 705 ESPN Jackson vs. Beckett

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Series Preview: Rays @ Sox

Tampa Bay Rays (35-22)
AL EAST: Up 1 1/2 gms
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 8-2
BA: .262 (5th in the AL)
RS: 257 (6)
HRs: 54 (5)
ERA: 3.65 (4)
RA: 228 (10)
SV: 17 (t5)

Season Series: 3-3

3 game series at Fenway Park
Game 1 Tuesday 705
Garza (4-1, 3.78) vs. Masterson (1-0, 1.46)
Game 2 Wednesday 705 ESPN
Jackson (3-4, 3.70) vs. Beckett (5-4, 4.30)
Game 3 Thursday 605
Shields (4-3, 3,24) vs. Lester (3-3, 3.67)

KEY RAYS:

-1B Carlos Pena .221/10HR/32RBI although the ex-Sox slugger is having a slow start to the season he has been popping the ball better of late, and you know he'd love nothing more than to get hot against his former/hometown team

-CF BJ Upton .305/3HR/32R/34BI/38BB/17SB the talented older Upton has found a home in center field and is tearing it up this season. He is currently 9th in the AL in average, 3rd in steals, 2nd in walks and 2nd in OBP (.410)

-3B Evan Longoria .241/7HR/28BI/22R/9 2B the rookie has struggled a bit with the bat since the Rays dicked him around and sent him back to the minors after his torrid spring, but he's a slick fielder and good hitter who has a flair for the dramatic -he's already got three game-winning hits this year.

PREVIEW:
This week's sign that the apocalypse is upon us - the Sox and Rays are about to wage a three game battle for first place in the AL East and we're already in the month of June!

You know what's even more fucked up about that statement? It's the upstart Rays that own the top spot, not the defending champs.

Bizarro baseball indeed!

But that's the situation we find ourselves in over 1/3rd of the way into the 2008 season, and it's up to the Sox in these next three games to set the situation straight.

Granted it won't be easy as the Rays are most definitely the hotter club, Boston is without David Ortiz and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and all Tampa Bay has to do is take one of the three games to remain in first place, but...

...that being said you have to like Boston's chances of winning all three games and regaining the lead in the East, if for no other reason than the Sox have been unbeatable at home the last few weeks.

The last time the Sox lost at Fenway was the day prior to the last Rays series, when Boston dropped a 3-0 decision to Toronto in the final matchup of a hard-fought three game set on May 1st.

Since then the road warriors have ripped off 11 in a row at home, when they weren't on grueling 10-game road trips, including three straight against these Rays May 2-4 when they outscored the NKOTB, 26-10.

Anyone for a repeat?

The main reason the Rays are where they are has been their pitching. Not only have the young starters stepped up and played well above their years, but the bullpen, which was an atrocious laughingstock last season (and every other for that matter), has been one of the best in the league.

And the Sox, which had one of the best bullpens in baseball last year, have lost quite a few games this year thanks to the pen men's inability to shut a team down and protect a lead (Monday's Okajima debacle immediately comes to mind).

To wit the Rays bullpen ERA (3.36) is 5th in the AL while the Sox sit at 10th (4.09) out of 14 clubs, and Boston's bully has allowed 27 more runs and 45 fewer hits than Tampa Bay's in just 2 2/3 more innings.

Ouch.

So obviously the key to this series will be keeping the game out of the bullpen's hands, which means the Sox starters will have to pitch deep into the games and the Boston batters will have to grab leads early.

No problem, right?

Not as long as Masterson pitches another gem, Beckett keeps the ball in the yard and pitches like he has been lately, and Colon continues his miraculous comeback and posts win # 4 on Thursday night.

If all that happens and Boston keeps hammering the ball at home then the Sox will regain first place when the series is over, and all will be right with the world.

But if the starters falter, the pen keeps sucking, and the hitters can't compensate for the loss of Ortiz, then it could be a lousy series at Fenway for a change.

What am I saying, they're gonna sweep these fucking pretenders!

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Sox Drawer: Sox limp back to Fenway without Papi & Dice K

A 4-6 road trips ends with a depressing defeat and the team trudging home to take on the 1st place Rays without two of its top players.

To all the fans of clubs that are wallowing in mediocrity and blaming a rash of injuries for their team's current crummy state, I only have one thing to say:

STFU!

With yesterday's revelation that David Ortiz, arguably the possessor of most lethal bat in the lineup as well as being the unequivocal leader in the clubhouse, will miss at least a month but most likely more due to a freak wrist injury, Boston has now lost six key players from the roster at some point this season.

A quick recap of the current and past walking wounded:

-SP Daisuke Matsuzaka: currently on the DL due to a shoulder problem; able to return next Wednesday, June 11th, but status uncertain

-SP Josh Beckett: missed the first two weeks of the season with a back injury

-SP Clay Buchholz: just reactivated from the DL due to a cracked fingernail; currently refining his game at Pawtucket

-3B Mike Lowell: missed 17 games in April with a sprained thumb

-1B Sean Casey: key reserve missed 12 games in late April/early May with a hip strain

-DH David Ortiz: out indefinitely with a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist

I don't know about you but that's an awful lot of offensive and pitching firepower to have go down in just over 1/3rd of a season.

Yet here the Sox are, just a game and a half out of first place with the fourth best record in the majors despite the plethora of ailments, and no one is whining and complaining that the losses have robbed the team of any chance of being competitive this year.

Why?

Because thanks to a terrific farm system and shrewd off season deals by Theo this team has more depth than an Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu film, which has allowed the boo birds to remain at bay while Tito plugs holes and fills gaps in the roster, biding time until the day the team is at full strength again.

That's not to say it hasn't been tough to juggle lineups and shuffle players up and down from Pawtucket on what seems like a weekly basis. But the depth does allow the backup players and minor leaguers get a chance to prove their worth, and for the most part almost every single fill-in has performed at or above expectations.

Take Justin Masterson for example. The kid who began the season at Double A Portland will make his third spot start tonight in place of Dice-K, and his excellent efforts in his two prior starts (5H, 2ER in 12.1 IP) have earned him a promotion to the Pawsox and put him on a fast track to become next year's Jon Lester or Buchholz.

Brandon Moss hit a homer in the first game of the year, went back to the minors the next day, came back up when Casey went down, hit another homer in a game against Tampa Bay in early May, had an emergency appendectomy the next night, and was just named the IL Player of the Week for last week when he hit .400 with four homers.

He's now a leading candidate to take Papi's spot on the roster.

Now that's what I call depth.

Of course no one, especially a rookie with 21 career major league games under his belt, is going to be able to replace one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, but the fact is this team is built to withstand temporary losses to the lineup without sinking into the depths of the cellar of the division like some other clubs we know and hate.

Yup, I'm talking about you, New York.

Hopefully they can just keep plugging holes and plugging along, and if and when this team does get back to full strength, there will be no stopping them from capturing title #3 of the new millennium.

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Double dose of doom: Sox blow game, lose Ortiz indefinitely

Orioles 6, Sox 3
WP: Johnson (1-2)
LP: Okajima (1-1)
SV: Sherrill (18)
HRs: BOS-Ramirez (12); BAL-None

SUMMARY:
As if losing the game after they had just taken a 3-2 lead when Hideki Okajima suffered an atomic implosion wasn't bad enough, the Sox got worse news when it was learned David Ortiz will be placed on the DL and miss a minimum of a month and possibly the rest of the season due to his wrist injury.

All together now: "Ay, Papi!"

SUPERSTAR: Adam Jones 1-4, 3BI, 2B
The rookie was having a horrible series at the plate (3-17) until he came to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th and blasted a double off the wall off Oki to win the game for his team.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Okajima 2/3IP, 4H, 4ER, 1BB, 0K, 24P
How do you say "fuckinggodawfuldogshitstanknasty-performance" in Japanese?

All together now: "Oh-ka-gee-mah!"

RECAP:
Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean that really got out of hand fast.

I realize quoting Anchorman on a blog is akin to wrapping up a complex story with "and they lived happily ever after", but in this case that quote was actually the first thing that came to my mind as Hideki Okajima turned what looked like a satisfying come-from-behind victory into a horrific, soul-sucking loss in a matter of minutes.

To make matters worse shortly after absorbing that low blow I'm watching ESPN and I happen to catch on that annoying, omnipresent bottom crawl that Big Papi might have to miss the season if his wrist injury doesn't heal IN A MONTH!

In a month? Before this game started we were led to believe that this could be one of those pesky little injuries that might get better in a few days. Now we learn it's a torn tendon sheath which will require a minimum month's rehab, and if that doesn't work it's sayonara 2008 season for the team's most clutch slugger.

You talk about a devastating 1-2 punch. My gut felt like the ear of that guy who fought Kimbo Slice the other night.

Normally on the heels of such a devastating announcement the result of one game out of 162 would be a minor footnote. Except this wasn't an ordinary game.

Boston blew scoring opportunities in each of the first four innings off Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (6.1IP, 8H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K, 1HR), a theme that would come back to haunt them later in the game.

In the first inning Julio Lugo, batting second with Pedroia getting the night off, singled with one out and Kevin Youkilis (1-3, R, 2BB) followed with a single to right, but Guthrie retired Manny and Lowell to escape the jam.

After Tim Wakefield (7IP, 5H, 2ER, 4BB, 3K) escaped a two-on, one-out situation in the bottom of the inning thanks to a strike 'em out/throw 'em out double play, Boston botched another scoring chance in the second when JD Drew led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice, but once again Guthrie got the last two outs to end the threat.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the third with a single, but Lugo quickly killed that potential rally when he grounded into a double play, and in the fourth inning Lowell (2-4, RBI) singled with one out and following a strikeout by Drew Coco Crisp broke an 0-22 skid with a single, but Alex Cora lined out to once again squelch the opportunity.

The missed chances would come back to bite Boston in the ass in the bottom of the fourth when Baltimore scored a pair of runs off Wakefield on a walk, and RBI double by Audrey Huff and a run-scoring single by The Original Idiot to give the O's a 2-0 lead.

The red hot Ramirez (2-5, R, BI) got half that lead back when he slammed his third homer in as many days, another opposite field blast, for his 502nd home run, and the Sox would tie the game in the next inning when Kevin Cash doubled in Cora, who had walked, and suddenly it was a new ballgame at 2-2.

Boston grabbed its first lead of the game off reliever Jim Johnson in the 8th when Youk led off with a walk, Manny followed with a single, and after a wild pitch moved them over Lowell singled past the second baseman to score Youk and give the Sox a 3-2 lead.

But a golden chance to get more runs went by the wayside when Manny inexplicably broke for home on a grounder to the shortstop, who was playing in to prevent the run, by Drew, and when Coco walked to load the bases all we needed was a single to break the game open.

Unfortunately Cora grounded into a rally-killing double play, and minutes later the failure to put more runs on the board would come back to cost the Sox a chance to win this game.

That's because the minute Hideki Okajima entered the game it was like a black cloud enveloped the stadium.

Toting a deceiving 0.72 ERA into the game, which belied the fact that Oki has been allowing inherited runners to score at an alarming rate this season, the lefty immediately proceeded to load the bases with no outs on three consecutive singles to right field, and everyone in the nation knew there was no where to go but down from here.

Sure enough Millah (1-3, 2BI) hit a booming sac fly that nearly left the yard to tie the game at three, but after a grounder by Luke Scott got Melvin Mora nailed at the plate thanks to a heads-up play by Youk, it looked as if Oki might escape the inning with the game tied.

Ah, not quite.

Okajima, who couldn't find the plate at all (13 of his 24 pitches were balls and he was behind every batter), then walked .218 hitting catcher Ramon Hernandez to load the bases, and then on a 3-1 count Adam Jones, still yet to prove his worth after coming over in the Erik Bedard trade, made himself a Camden hero by booming a ball high off the centerfield wall to clear the bases, ending Oki's night and the game as well.

Boston actually had a chance to tie the game off closer George Sherrill, who walked Lugo and Youk with two outs, giving Manny a chance at capping a truly memorable weekend with a game-tying home run, but although Ramirez gave the ball a ride to right field once again the ball fell short of the seats and Baltimore had salvaged one game of the series.

But like I said a game is not as important in the grand scheme of things when one of the key pieces to the championship contender is on the shelf indefinitely. Combine that somber fact with the loss of number one starter Dice K and the first place Rays coming to Fenway tomorrow, and what was a bright and sunny weekend took a dark turn on a Monday night in Baltimore.

Like Ron Burgundy said, things really got out of hand fast.

RECORD: 35-25
AL EAST: 1 1/2 GB
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Tue vs. TB @ Fenway 7:05 Masterson vs. Garza

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Game Preview: Sox @ Orioles GM4

Wakefield (3-4, 4.70) vs. Guthrie (2-6, 3.64)
GM 4 of 4 7:05 @ Camden Yards

The fourth and final game of this wraparound weekend series gets underway shortly at Camden with the Sox looking to sweep and the O's hoping to salvage one game and a bit of dignity following three horribly played games.

Two notes here:

1.) I absolutely hate these 4 game series that continue into Monday. Why? Because the start of the work week should coincide with the start of a new series (if it's not an off day). Continuing something from the weekend when everyone else has switched gears from weekend to weekday mode just doesn't feel right.

2.) The Orioles have looked like a little League team this weekend. Six physical errors have been compounded by numerous mental miscues, base running blunders, hit batters and general shoddy baseball fundamentals to add up to three straight miserable losses.

Perhaps that's why the Globe's Nick Carfado reported that the team was taking extra infield practice, spring training-like, before the game this afternoon.

That being said the results have been extremely positive for Boston. Coming in to this series the team had been in an offensive slump and had fallen to an anemic 11-19 on the road.

Three games later almost everyone on the club is hitting the ball well (save for Coco Crisp who is in the midst of an 0-21 skid), and even the loss of Big Papi didn't slow the team down yesterday.

With the results of Ortiz' MRI not expected for a while it's safe to say they will have to make due without their top slugger for at least a few games, but with Manny back to being Manny and the rest of the offense clicking, the loss shouldn't affect the team tonight.

Now if they can just get another spectacular outing from Tim Wakefield, they will be in perfect position for a sweep.

Last time out Wake tossed an absolute gem, going eight innings while allowing just five hits and a run in that heartbreaking 1-0 loss in Seattle last Wednesday.

That outing came on the heels of three straight poor efforts in which Wake surrendered 21 hits and 17 earned runs over 13 innings. So even with the performance in Seattle the knuckleballer is just 1-4 in his last 6 starts and needs to get back on the winning track ASAP.

His mound opponent tonight will be the unlucky Jeremy Guthrie. I say unlucky because despite allowing three runs or less in 9 of his last 10 starts the righty is just 2-5 in those starts thanks to the horrid Oriole offense.

For example in his last 3 starts he has allowed just 15 hits and 5 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings, yet he's 0-3 in those games even though his ERA is just 2.17.

See, unlucky.

As long as he remains that way the Sox will be poised for the sweep before heading into the big home series with the Rays tomorrow.

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Manny homers again as Colon goes to 3-0

Sox 9, Orioles 4
WP: Colon (3-0)
LP: Burres (4-5)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Ramirez (11), Lowell (7), Drew (5); BAL-Scott (7)

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox hit three homers for the second straight game, including #501 by Manny Ramirez, and Bartolo Colon picked up another win as Boston beat Baltimore for the third straight game.

SUPERSTAR: Ramirez 3-5, 2R, 3BI, 2B, HR
How do you follow a milestone game? By slamming three hits and three ribs and taking the first step towards the next historic homer, that's how.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Burres 4IP, 12H, 7ER, 1BB, 2K, 2HR
The Sox batters treated Burres like their own personal pinata, notching a dozen hits off the slumping starter in just four innings. Yikes.

RECAP:
No Papi? No problem.

The Boston batters more than made up for the loss of their leading slugger, who missed the game with a hand injury suffered in the 9th inning of last night's win, by clubbing 16 base hits, five for extra bases, and suddenly the team that couldn't win on the road has won three straight away from Fenway.

So far in the series Boston has scored 20 runs and rapped 35 hits including 6 homers and stole 10 bases in taking all three games, a decided difference from the start of the trip in which the Sox lost five of six games in Oakland and Seattle by averaging just over 2 runs and 5 hits per game.

And don't look now but the man behind the resurgence is none other than ManRam, who added to his historic home run total today and is batting .333 (11-33) with 6 runs, 3 homers and 10 RBI on the trip so far.

With production like that who needs Ortiz, right?

Kidding, kidding.

But the best part of this offensive resurgence is that it hasn't been a one Man show - so far in B'More everyone has been getting into the act.

Like Jacoby Ellsbury, who came into this series in a 1-16 skid but has gone 7-15 with two doubles, a triple, two runs scored and seven stolen bases in three games here.

Or Jason Varitek, who came in with no hits in his previous 18 at bats but has four base knocks in his last 9 ABs in the Nation-friendly confines of Camden Yards.

And maybe that's part of the explanation - there's so many Red Sox jerseys and hats dotting the stands and such loud cheering for the "road" team every time the Sox do something good in this series that maybe the guys feel like they're playing in Fenway.

If that's the case let me say thanks Orioles fans, for being such front-running dickwads that you've turned what was once one of the best home fields in the majors into a virtual vacation destination for Red Sox Nation.

The Sox jumped out to an early lead in this one when Mike Lowell led off the second inning with a double, Tek singled him over to third, and JD Drew, who missed the last two games with vertigo (seriously, what ailment has this guy not had?) skied a sac fly to left to put Boston up 1-0.

Baltimore got the run right back in the bottom of the inning on a leadoff double by Luke Scott, a sacrifice and RBI single by Adam Jones off Bartolo Colon (6IP, 7H, 4ER, 2BB, 5K, HR), but Boston wasted no time bouncing back when they roughed up Brian Burres in the third.

Dustin Pedroia started the uprising with a leadoff single to center and after Youk (2-5, 2R) followed with a single that sent Pedroia to third, Manny sliced a double to left to score the Little Big Man and give the Sox a 2-1 lead.

Lowell (2-4, 2R, 2BI, 2B, HR) then launched a sac fly to score Youk and after Tek drilled a liner that Audrey Huff caught at third, Drew dropped a single into right to plate Ramirez for the third run of the inning and a 4-1 Boston advantage.

After Colon retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame, the floodgates opened in the fourth inning, and it was very another extremely memorable occurrence.

Ellsbury (3-5, BI, SB, CS) got the party started with a bunt base hit to open the inning, and then Pedroia, who homered last night, drove a ball to deep center field that Jones snagged at the wall.

But the next two hits would not be caught.

Ramirez, still giddy from the hysteria surrounding his historic homer last night, took a 1-0 pitch from Burres and carved it the opposite way and into the seats for home run #501, and two pitches later Lowell jacked one the other way into the left field seats, giving the Sox back-to-back jacks in consecutive games and if not for Jones' catch we could've had a rare back-to-back-to-back moment to cherish.

Instead we had to settle for the regular B2B version. Oh well.

Staked to a 7-1 lead Colon got a little sloppy when he surrendered a 2-run shot to Scott with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, and after Boston tacked on a couple more runs on a homer by Drew (2-3, R, 3BI) and single by Ellsbury in the 7th he started to tire when he hit Freddie Bynum and walked Brian Roberts to start the bottom of the inning.

On came Javier Lopez, who ruined the recent impressive string by the bullpen when he
surrendered an RBI single to original idiot Kevin Millah, but by then the game was all but over and it was time to start thinking about wrapping up the roadie tomorrow and heading back home to play the first place Rays in the old ballpark on Yawkey Way on Tuesday.

Then again with a home-away-from-home field advantage like the Sox enjoy here, who needs to go home?

RECORD: 35-24
AL EAST: 1GB
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Mon @ BAL 7:05 Wakefield vs. Guthrie

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Game Preview: Sox @ Orioles GM3

Colon (2-0, 2.25) vs. Burres (4-4, 4.15)
Game 3 of 4 1:35 @ Camden Yards

Just as the excitement of Manny Ramirez joining the 500 home run club starts to subside the Sox are hit with more depressing injury news as David Ortiz will miss today's game and possibly more due to a wrist injury he incurred while swinging the bat in the 9th inning last night.

An X-ray after the game proved negative but the wrist is sore and Papi says he will need to have an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

So we can add his name to those of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz as key members of the club who are currently injured.

On the bright side Boston goes for its third win in a row today when Bart Colon goes for his third consecutive win since being called up a couple of weeks ago from Pawtucket.

In his first two starts with the Sox he has gone from decent (5IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 4K) in his first start to superb in his last one (7IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K), flashing a 95 mph fastball while hitting his spots and limiting any potential damaging innings.

Which means he's about due for a letdown.

His mound opponent on the afternoon is the struggling lefthander Brian Burres. In his last outing Burres was tagged for 8 runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Stanks in a game Baltimore came back to win, 10-9 in extra innings.

Before that start Burres had been pitching well, allowing 3 runs and 10 hits over 14 1/3 innings in his previous two starts, and in 8 appearances against Boston he has surrendered 14 hits and 5 runs with 9 walks and 9 Ks in 14 2/3 innings.

Hopefully the euphoria over Ramirez' milestone will carry over to today's contest and the Sox can overcome the loss of Ortiz and the probable letdown of Colon to take Game 3 of this series.

Maybe they'll steal six more bases and Baltimore will make six more errors.

NOTES:
-Bailey to start: with Ortiz sitting out and Manny most likely spent from celebrating #500 last night Jeff Bailey will get the nod and make his first ML start since last July this afternoon. Bailey will play left while Manny slides to DH

-Tito out again: Terry Francona will miss another game as he attends his daughter's high school graduation today. Brad Mills will take the helm for the third time against the O's and 5th time this season.

-Bradford bitter about 500: Baltimore reliever Chad Bradford wasn't too concerned with his historic homer he allowed to Ramirez, basically blowing it off as another bad pitch that got hit out of the park and not something that will consume him. Yeah, right. Not until he hears "the man who surrendered Manny Ramirez' 500th homer" for about the 5,000th time

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