Cardinals 9, Sox 3
WP: Boggs (2-0)
LP: Matsuzaka (8-1)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Drew (14); STL: Glaus (10), Miles (1), Ankiel (12)
SUMMARY:
Daisuke Matsuzaka made his first start since going on the DL almost a month ago, and he looked as rusty as an old swing set; he allowed 9 baserunners in one+ inning of work, and rookie reliever Chris Smith did him no favors by giving up a grand slam to the second batter he faced after coming in with no outs in the second inning.
The loss was the Sox 2nd straight at Fenway, only the second time this year they've lost two in a row at home.
#1 STUNNER: Troy Glaus 2-4, 2R, 4BI, BB, GS
The surly, burly third baseman has been hot in June, and his seventh homer of the month was a doozy as his second inning granny off Smith blew the game open and turned the last eight innings into yard work time.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Matsuzaka 1IP, 6H, 7ER, 3BB, 1K, HR, 48P
We all knew the guy would need some time to round back into form, especially with just one rehab start under his belt. But this outing could be considered a major step backward for the previously unbeaten starter. He. Had. Nothing.
RECAP:
Well that didn't go too well now, did it?
On a picturesque day at Fenway in front of a national TV audience, with its full compliment of players in the lineup and its winningest starter on the mound, it appeared as if a Sox victory was all but certain.
And then the game started, and it quickly became apparent that not only would Boston probably not win this game, but it might lose it in humiliating fashion.
Less than an hour into the game the Sox trailed 8-0, and any hopes of winning this series and Matsuzaka earning his 9th victory of the season were gone in a barrage of Red Bird base hits and bases on balls.
The Cards opened up an industrial strength-sized can of whup ass on Dice-K and the Sox this afternoon, and by the time the second inning was over the team was in worse shape than before Matsuzaka came back from his shoulder injury.
Suddenly the once solid staff is in a spot of trouble, because in the last few days Bartolo Colon and Mike Timlin have gone on the DL, Curt Schilling has all but called it a career, Hideki Okajima has developed a case of Steve Blass disease, and now it appears Daisuke's problems may be more than what a quick trip to the DL can cure.
Is it too late to trade for Santana?
It was obvious right from the beginning that Matsuzaka was either not fully recovered from his sore shoulder or just real, real, rusty. He walked the first batter of the game, the immortal Skip Schumaker, on five pitches that weren't really close to the strike zone, then surrendered a two-run homer to Aaron Miles for a lightning-quick 2-0 St. Louis lead.
Following last night's theme of the Cardinals scrubs doing the damage it was the light-hitting Miles' first homer since last September.
Unfortunately before he was out of the inning Dice K would let every one get in on the act as he followed the longball by allowing a single to Ryan Ludwick, a one out single to Troy Glaus, and after a ground ball moved the runners into scoring position, a two-run single by Jason LaRue (2-5, 2BI) pushed the lead to 4-0 before the Faithful had downed their first $9.00 beer.
Boston looked like it might jump right back in it when Jacoby Ellsbury dropped a leadoff double down the left field line, but rookie Mitchell Boggs, making his third career start in his fourth career appearance, got Pedroia, Drew and Manny to fly out to left, center and right, and before we knew it Matsuzaka was back on the mound.
But not for long.
Second verse, same as the first. Only worse.
Schumaker walked, again, for the second time in two innings, and then Miles (2-5, 2R, 2BI) dumped a single to center and Ludwick walked and the Cards had the bases loaded with no outs and it was all the fans could do to keep from booing Matsuzaka off the field.
Luckily for him this is the kinder, gentler, more forgiving post-titles Fenway crowd.
Mercifully Francona made the trip to the mound to pull his piss-poor starter, and on came rookie Chris Smith, who had been up and down from Pawtucket three times this year without ever getting into a game.
So he gets to come into a bases loaded, not outs jam with Ankiel and Glaus due up.
Welcome to the bigs, kid.
Things looked promising at first when the 27-year-old righty got Ankiel to strike out on three straight knee-bending breakers, but when he tried a similar tact with Glaus the strapping third baseman caught up to a hanging curve and swiftly deposited it into the seats above the Monster, and at 8-0 this one was all over save for the stat-padding.
Alas Boston couldn't even do that, managing a mere six base hits on the afternoon, and although they did scratch out a couple of runs in the bottom of the second off Boggs (5.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 1K, 1HR) on a two-run double by Alex Cora, the only other run the Sox could muster on the afternoon was a solo shot by Drew, aka Juno, to lead off the sixth to slice the deficit to five, 8-3.
Ankiel got that run right back when he took Javier Lopez deep to begin the seventh, and about the only good sign for the Sox on the day was David Aardsma pitching his second consecutive 1-2-3, 3K inning in two days in the eighth.
So we got that going for us.
Thanks to Dice-Ks destruction and another win by the motherlovin' Rays, the Sox lead in the East has been reduced back to a minuscule 1/2 game.
Now Jon Lester will be faced with the task of preventing a humiliating home sweep when he takes the mound tomorrow afternoon, and he doesn't have to pitch another no-no.
Just keep the score under 8-zip after two, please.
RECORD: 46-31
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: L2
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sun vs. STL 1:35 Pineiro vs. Lester
6.21.2008
Matsuzaka gets blitzed as Sox lose 2nd straight at Fenway
Game Preview: Cards @ Sox GM2
Boggs (1-0, 5.56) vs. Matsuzaka (8-0, 2.53)
Game 2 of 3 3:55 FOX @ Fenway Park
The return of Daisuke Matsuzaka from the disabled list this afternoon is a blessing for Boston's beleaguered rotation, stung by the loss this week of Bartolo Colon and the news that Curt Schilling will not be joining it at all this season, but it is also a bonus for the bullpen as well.
To make room for Dice-K the team placed reliever Mike Timlin on the DL for, of all things, a bad knee. You guys sure it has nothing to do with his noodle arm?
Either way it's another day and another set of moves for the constantly flowing Red Sox roster, which has had more changes to its makeup this season than the cast of "Dancing with the Stars."
When we last saw Dice K on the mound he was pitching in Seattle at the end of May. After pitching four innings and allowing two runs, Matsuzaka grabbed his side while warming up before the fifth inning began and was immediately removed from the game.
Turns out he injured his shoulder reaching for a throw while covering the first base bag earlier in the game, and after nearly a month on the DL and one rehab start, the Japanese righthander stated he is ready to pitch at the big league level again.
That remains to be seen about his tired armed teammate Timlin.
When Matsuzaka went down he was leading the league in wins and was second in ERA. One month later he's still tied for the third most wins in the majors and can jump right back into the ERA leaders with a solid performance today.
You can bet Tito & John Farrell will have a close eye on their stud starter, and should his pitch count get high or he appear to be struggling at all he will probably be on a short leash.
The fact that he's facing rookie righty Mitchell Boggs can only benefit Matsuzaka and the Sox. A veteran of 2 major league starts, the 24-year-old Boggs has pitched fairly well since being being called up on June 7th, but his inexperience combined with pitching in Fenway for the first time against one of the top offensive clubs in baseball should play into Boston's favor.
The Sox hope to rebound from last night's messy loss, in which the hurlers surrendered three homers to three obscure Cards and Julio Lugo was the key offensive contributor but also committed a pair of errors in what was a lackluster performance for the team coming off a solid 4-2 road trip.
So it's no excuses today. The top starter is back. The starting lineup (minus Papi) is intact. And a greenhorn is on the mound to face the World Champs in a national TV game in the ballpark where Boston has lost only 8 games all season.
Let's not eff this one up, fellas.
6.20.2008
Miscues and longballs cost Sox against Cards
Cardinals 5, Sox 4
WP: Lohse (9-2)
LP: Wakefield (4-5)
SV: Franklin (10)
HRs: BOS-Lugo (1); STL: Molina (4), LaRue (2), Schumaker (5)
SUMMARY:
A couple of costly miscues in the 6th inning by Julio Lugo broke a 1-1 tie, and a late home run allowed by Hideki Okajima ended up being the game-winning run as Boston dropped its 8th game at Fenway this season.
#1 STUNNER: Kyle Lohse 6IP, 6H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 4K, HR, 109P
The St. Louis starter wasn't overpowering but he got the bigs outs when he needed them, including fanning Manny Ramirez with the bases loaded in the 5th, en route to winning his 6th consectuive decision.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Okajima 1IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 2K, HR, 19P
The woes continue for the team's once most reliable set up man as even bringing him in with a deficit couldn't prevent Oki from blowing this game.
RECAP:
Before this series started if you said St Louis would beat the Sox and Tim Wakefield by bashing three home runs in the opening game, nobody would've thought twice about it.
After all Wake has a tendency to give up the long ball, and the Cards have mashers like Pujols, Glaus, Ankiel, and Ryan Ludwick who are capable of hitting the ball out of the park at any time.
But to lose a game when stiffs like Yadier Molina, Jason LaRue and someone named Skip Schumaker go deep off not only Wake but the artist formerly known as Hideki Okajima, well that's a bitter pill to swallow.
To make matters worse clueless Julio Lugo committed two more costly errors, both coming on back-to-back routine plays in the 6th inning with the game tied at one, and even though he atoned for his flubs with a game-tying home run in the bottom of the inning, the Boston pitchers couldn't prevent those unsung Cards hitters from going yard.
The Sox actually had a lead in this one when Lugo (1-2, R, 2BI, BB) hit a sac fly to score Ramirez with the bases loaded in the second inning, but Boston's inability to capitalize on three sacks full situations in the game would come back to haunt them big time.
In fact the Sox had the bases loaded in the second, two on in the third, bases loaded in the fifth and again in the seventh and only managed to score two runs out of all those opportunities; they stranded 11 men total in the game.
Staked to the 1-0 lead Wake (7IP, 7H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 4K, 2HR, 111P) made it hold up for a few innings, working out of a bases loaded situation himself in the fourth when he got Molina and Adam Kennedy out after allowing a single and a pair of walks with one out.
But in the fifth the Cards tied the game when LaRue, a backup catcher batting just above the Mendoza line, blasted an 0-1 offering from Wake over the Monster to lead off the inning for his second homer of the year, and after Boston blew the bases loaded sitch in the bottom of the inning St Louis would take the lead in the top of the sixth.
Rick Ankiel (2-5, R) started the inning with a shot off the base of the Wall in left center that went for a double, and on the next pitch Lugo botched Glaus' routine grounder when he threw the ball wide of Youk at first, allowing Ankiel to take third.
A few pitches later Wake got Chris Duncan to tap into a surefire 3-6-3 (or 1) double play, but Lugo's relay from Youk back to first sailed past a covering Wakefield as Ankiel scooted home with the Cards' second run of the night.
It was Lugo's 16th error of the season, the most in the majors for any position, three fewer than he had all of last year and just 9 away from his career high of 25, set with Tampa Bay in 2005.
I'd say right now that number is easily within reach.
As I said he did make up for his butchery (somewhat) when he drove a Lohse pitch high and deep over the Monster for his first home run of the year to tie the game at two in the bottom of the sixth, but unfortunately the glory was short-lived as Wake served up a gopherball to the immortal Skip Schumaker with one on in the seventh to give the Cards the lead for good.
The Sox really had a chance to tale control of the game and earn a come-from-behind win when they loaded the bases with no outs off ineffective reliever Randy Flores in the bottom of the inning on a single by Ellsbury and walks to Pedroia and J.D. Drew (1-3, 2BB), but the ancient Russ Springer got Manny to tap into a double play that scored Ellsy but stopped the game-changing rally right in its tracks.
Still down just 4-3 with two at bats left and Lohse out of the game, a comeback was a definite possibility.
And then awful Oki entered the game, allowed a home run to Yadier Molina with one out in the eighth to tack on the all-important insurance run, and all hope was basically lost.
Compounding the pain was the fact that David Aardsma came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, registering three strikeouts of the Cards' most potent hitters - Ludwick, Ankiel and Glaus.
Ouch.
Turns out that run was even more painful than it seemed at the time because Boston did mount one last comeback attempt in the ninth off closer Ryan Franklin when Pedroia hit a one-out double, Manny drew a two out walk and Mike Lowell drove in Dustin with a seeing-eye single up the middle to slice the deficit to 5-4.
Then Franklin, who's subbing for injured closer Jason Isringhausen, got Youk to fly out to right to end the game, and the Sox suffered a rare home loss made all the more frustrating by the way in which they lost.
Game 2 should be interesting as Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his first start since May 27th and puts his undefeated record on the line in a nationally televised game on FOX.
As long as he steers clear of the deadly trio of Yadier, Skip and LaRue, he should be okay.
RECORD: 46-30
AL EAST: Up 1.5 gms
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sat vs. STL 3:55 FOX Boggs vs. Matsuzaka
Interleague Series Preview: Cardinals @ Sox
St. Louis Cardinals (42-32)
NL Central: 3.5 GB
Streak: L3
Last 10: 5-5
Batting Stats (NL Rank)
AVG.: .269 (3rd)
OBP: .348 (3)
RUNS: 338 (7)
HRs: 70 (10)
Pitching Stats (NL Rank)
ERA: 4.06 (6)
BAA: .216 (10)
RUNS: 319 (12)
SVs: 23 (t2)
3 Game Series at Fenway Park
Game 1 Friday 7:05
Lohse (8-2, 3.77) vs. Wakefield (4-4, 4.19)
Game 2 Saturday 3:55 FOX
Boggs (1-0, 5.56) vs. Matsuzaka (8-0, 2.53)
Game 3 Sunday 1:35
Pineiro (2-3, 4.02) vs. Lester (6-3, 3.18)
*KEY CARDS (*not including Pujols, who's on the DL):
-RF Ryan Ludwick .305, 16HR, 55BI, 45R, 21 2Bs, .374OBP, .632SLG% the most surprising player on the most surprising team of the season so far, the 29-year-old rightfielder has climbed from an being an undrafted free agent/career minor leaguer to one of the best players in baseball this season.
-3B Troy Glaus .260, 9HR, 43BI, .362OBP, 40BB the big third baseman was brought over from Toronto in a swap of disgruntled players, but so far he isn't making anyone forget about the man he replaced, Scott Rolen. He has heated up a bit in June, hitting 6 of his 9 homers this month, and the 2002 World series MVP with Anaheim is plenty familiar with Fenway Park, where he's batting .313 with 8 homers in his career
-CF Rick Ankiel .251, 11HR, 31BI, 36R, .332OBP the former phenom pitcher turned HGH-using outfielder has slumped quite a bit since being busted as a PED user but he can still put the ball out of the yard, and NO ONE dares run on him after he gunned two men out at third base in one game earlier this season. Batting just .238 away from home and .218 vs. lefties
PREVIEW:
The St. Louis Cardinals return to Fenway tonight for the first time since Game 2 of the 2004 World Series on the same day Curt Schilling announced he will undergo season-ending, and most likely career-ending, surgery.
Ironic, or appropriate?
In case you have been living under a rock for the last four years Schill, while sporting the infamous bloody sock, won that game on October 24th, pitching six innings of one run ball on one good ankle as the Sox won the game, 6-2.
That win gave Boston a 2-0 advantage in the Series, and two games later the Sox won their first championship since 1918, fulfilling a promise Schilling had made to the Boston fans when he signed with the club in the previous off season.
Today the Cards return to the scene of Schill's historic moment, as the town bids adieu to one of its brightest stars and honors the Boston Celtics, which won its first title since 1986 two nights ago at the (new) Garden.
Talk about coming full circle.
But this series isn't about the past, it's about the present and presently the Cards are one of the biggest surprises of the 2008 season. Picked to finish last in the NL Central by many "experts", St. Louis has been better than that all season long, even leading the division for a while before the Cubs heated up and some Cards broke down.
Right now the team is sputtering a bit, losing 5 of its last 7 games, in part because all-everything first baseman Albert Pujols is residing on the DL with a calf injury. But at 10 games over .500 and in the thick of the division and wild card race, the season has already been considered a success in the eyes of Cards fans everywhere.
A series that was not a success for them was that 2004 World Series, as the Sox swept the over matched Birds by a combined score of 24-12, and although the Cards did ultimately win their first title since 1982 when they topped the Tigers in the 2006 Fall Classic, Boston has since gone on to capture another trophy by sweeping the Rockies in 2007.
Alright, enough of the history lesson.
This series will be interesting on a few fronts, mainly for the return of Daisuke Matsukaka from the disabled list on Saturday; J.D. Drew trying to wreak havoc on the club he played his first 6 seasons with; and former Sox swingman and onetime possible closer Joel Pineiro's return to Fenway for the first time since he was let go early last year.
Tonight Tim Wakefield will take his recent hot streak (6 ER, 14H, 2HR in last 21IP) and put it to the test against the Cardinals ace, Kyle Lohse.
The veteran righty has won his last five decisions and has allowed three earned runs or less in his last six starts, so getting to him will be priority one for the Boston batters.
The good news for Boston is that Manny Ramirez (hammy), Coco Crisp (wrist) and Kevin Youkilis (back) should all be back in the lineup for Terry Francona tonight.
The bad news is it's not 2004, and there will be no miraculous 'bloody sock' performances to count on this weekend.
But how 'bout they sweep these guys anyway, just for old time's sake?
Sox Drawer: Schilling done for the season, career may be over, too
His shoulder unresponsive to rehab, Curt Schilling will go under the knife for what could be a career-ending surgery .jpg)
Today, on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show, Schill admitted it most definitely is the end of his season and quite possibly of his Hall of Fame career.
With the rehab not having the results he and the team had hoped for, Schill admitted it " got to the point where we had to make a decision." When asked "does this end your season?", Schill responded with a soft but definitive "yeah, yeah it does."
The team brass had originally though rehab was all that would be needed to get Schill back on the mound this year, but after a recent setback this weekend, Curt and several doctors, including the one who will perform the surgery, Dr. Craig Morgan, and the team all agreed to go ahead and have the procedure done.
In what sure sounds like a career-ending operation, Morgan will perform a procedure that involves relocating his biceps muscle (ouch!) and "some other stuff", which presumably doesn't include attaching a bionic limb.
Assuming that doesn't happen, it looks like for all intents and purposes the career of one of the greatest big game pitchers ever to play the game is officially over.
So now the retrospectives can roll in. Schilling has been beloved in Boston and Arizona, where he and Randy Johnson helped bring a championship to the desert, but vilified most everywhere else, mainly for his outspoken opinions and willingness to put his foot directly in his mouth, athlete etiquette be damned.
But there's no denying his impact on the game. He leaves (if he is done pitching) after pitching for 20 seasons with 216 victories, 3,116 strikeouts, 3,261 innings pitched and a lifetime ERA of 3.46.
Throw in an all-time best 11-2 playoff record, two World series Championships, one World Series (co) MVP award and one historic bloody sock, and what you have is simply one of the greatest, gutsiest, clutchest (?) pitchers in baseball history.
Forget about all the other bullshit. Sure he was outspoken, said some things he probably shouldn't have (and he regrets) and had a tendency to rub many people the wrong way.
Bottom line he was a one of a kind, a supremely talented athlete who wasn't prone to speaking in cliches and soundbites, who believed in living life the way he wanted, whether it involved making brash statements or writing a blog that opened him up to even more criticism.
Love him or hate him Schill was a blessing to watch and listen to. He didn't care what people thought, he spoke his mind and he gave it his all every time he was on the mound.
And if the last time he ever pitched in the major leagues was last October 25th in Game 2 of the World Series in Colorado, so be it.
He won that game, by the way, and what a fitting way for a future Hall of Famer to go out.
As a winner on the biggest stage the game knows.
Good luck, Curt, and thanks for everything.
6.18.2008
Sox win again thanks to Drew's big bat
Sox 7, Phillies 4
WP: Masterson (4-1)
LP: Kendrick (6-3)
SV: Papelbon (21)
HRs: BOS-Drew (13), Lowell (11); PHI-None
SUMMARY:
J.D. Drew's sweltering June juggernaut continued today at Citizens Bank Park as the sweet-swinging right fielder had four hits and four RBI, including his 9th home run of the month, and Justin Masterson picked up the win despite pitching just five innings, the shortest stint of his career.
#1 STUNNER: Drew 4-5, 2R, 4BI, 2B, HR
He's looking every bit worthy of that $70 million dollar deal now.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Chase Utley 0-4, 5 LOB
The major league's leading home run hitter is mired in an 0-20 slump (0-13 in this series), dropping his average from .317 to .294.
RECAP:
As the injuries keep piling up so do the wins for Boston, which won its third straight road series to pull within four games of .500 (18-22) away from Fenway.
Coco Crisp left after his first at bat today with a hand injury, temporarily joining fellow hobbled/disabled teammates David Ortiz, Bartolo Colon, Kevin Youkilis, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Manny Ramirez in the trainer's room as the team limps back to Boston to begin a home stand with the Cardinals on Friday.
But even with all the ailments, both nagging and serious, this team just keeps plugging away, taking 2 of 3 from the second best team in the National League after dropping the first game in ugly fashion.
Ironically the common thread throughout all this instability is the man who has been crucified for being as breakable as a fluorescent bulb, David Jonathan Drew.
Since the beginning of June Drew is batting .441 (26-59) with 9 homers, 7 doubles, 22 runs scored and 21 RBI. With Ortiz missing the entire month while recovering from a wrist injury, and Ramirez playing sporadically lately due to a tender hammy, Drew has literally carried the load offensively as the Sox have gone 12-5 and won all six series this month.
Today he inflicted pain on the fans of a city he spurned coming out of college, and each time they booed him he just stood in the box stoically and drove another dagger into their Philthy hearts.
The onslaught began in the very first inning as Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia both singled to right to start the game off Kyle Kendrick (3IP, 6R, 6H, 2BB, 4K, 2HR, 75P) and Drew drove a 1-0 pitch for a majestic three-run blast to deep right center field to give Boston a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded.
Mike Lowell (1-3, 2R, BI, BB) made it 4-0 when he followed with a solo shot, the ninth time Boston has gone back-to-back this year and the fifth time in the last three weeks, and the fans were shell shocked before they even had a chance to line up their batteries.
Masterson (5Ip, 4H, 2ER, 2BB, 1K, 92P) gave one right back in the bottom of the inning when he walked Shane Victorino with one out, who then moved to second on a groundout by Utley and scored on a seeing eye single by Ryan Howard (1-4, BI) to cut the lead to 4-1, but for the next few innings it looked like blowout city for Boston.
The Sox plated two more in the third when Brandon Moss, who pinch hit for Coco after he left the game, singled to center to drive in Drew and Lowell, who had doubled and been hit bu a pitch, respectively, and Boston could've blown the game open whe a walk to Julio Lugo loaded the bases with two outs, but Kendrick got Masterson to strike out to end it.
Maybe Baby Steinbrenner was right.
The 6-1 lead soon became 7-1 when Drew (as Mark Jackson would say, mama there goes that man again) singled in Pedroia (3-4, 2R), who had hit a one out double, in the 4th, and from then on with the way Masterson was pitching the rest of the game was rendered garbage time.
Or was it?
Justin left with a 7-2 lead after five innings and nearly 100 pitches, and soon after the shaky Sox pen nearly let the game get away.
Craig Hansen was the main culprit this time, allowing a pair of runs in the seventh inning on an infield single (which could have been another error on Lugo), a walk, a wild pitch and a 2-RBI single by Pedro Feliz, but Manny Delcarmen came in and after giving up a walk to Jimmy Rollins squelched the rally by retiring the dynamic trio of Victorino, Utley and Howard to keep the margin at 7-4.
A 1-23 8th by Delcarmen led to an appearance by Papelbon in the 9th, and after the miscue in Cincy you could bet your ass Paps wasn't gonna let this one get away.
Sure enough he only needed 11 pitches to record three straight outs to end it, and Boston had a hard-fought series win sparked by a former National Leaguer who had dissed the very team the Sox had just trounced.
Now Boston heads home to play the Cards at Fenway on Friday.
Hey, isn't that the team that Drew chose over Philly?
Get your whoopin' stick out J.D.!
RECORD: 46-29
AL EAST: Up 2 gms
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Thu-Off; Fri vs. STL @ Fenway Lohse vs. Wakefield
Game Preview: Sox @ Philly GM3
Masterson (3-1, 2.90) vs. Kendrick (6-2, 4.54)
Game 3 of 3 1:05 @ Citizens Bank Park
In my exuberance over the Celtics winning title #17 last night I failed to touch on a significant piece of injury news that rippled through the nation yesterday:
Bartolo Colon was placed on the DL due to a back injury he incurred swinging the bat against Cole Hammels the other night.
The irony here is that the Sportscenter goons were cracking on Colon's less-than-glorious swings against the hard-throwing Phillies southpaw. Little did we know one of those ugly hacks would render Colon unable to perform, although anyone watching could've guessed something wasn't right.
I mean when was the last time you saw someone corkscrew their batting helmet off trying to hit a breaking ball?
The Sox recalled righthander Chris Smith to take Colon's place on the roster, and the good news is that Daisuke Matsuzaka should be able to start Saturday against the Cards at Fenway after completing his rehab Monday night at Pawtucket.
So the injury merry-go-round continues for Boston, but as usual the team will keep plugging away and hope to win its third straight road series with a victory this afternoon in the rubber match with the Phils.
Justin Masterson will make his second straight road start against young Phillies righty Kyle Kendrick in what could be a battle of future staff aces.
After winning his first three decisions Masterson took his first major league loss last Friday in Cincy despite notching a career high 9 strikeouts and only letting up three runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Reds.
Kendrick, meanwhile, has been a pleasant surprise for Philadelphia, winning five games in a row since late April and proving to be a capable backup to aces like Hammles, Moyer and the disappointing Brett The Animal Myers.
If Boston is going to take this series Masterson will have to do what teammate Jon Lester did last night - shut down the powerful trio of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and pat Burrell. Those three boppers went 0-12 with 8 Ks last night, and if you have any hopes of defeating this team you've gotta keep this potent Philly offense in check.
As long as Mike Timlin doesn't enter the game we should be alright.
Or Oki.
Just pitch another Masterpiece, Justin, and then we won't have to worry about the pen men.
6.17.2008
Sox strike back as Coco, Lester spark win in Philly
Sox 3, Phillies 0
WP: Lester (6-3)
LP: Moyer (7-4)
SV: Papelbon (20)
HRs: BOS-Crisp (5)
SUMMARY:
Coco Crisp hit a two run homer off Jamie Moyer in the second inning, Jon Lester made it stand up with seven solid innings of shutout ball and Boston can win the series in the rubber game tomorrow afternoon.
#1 STUNNER: Lester 7IP, 6H, 0ER, 1BB, 5K, 99P
The kid out pitched the vet for his third straight win and the for the 9th time in 16 starts the lefty allowed 2 earned runs or less.
THE BIGGEST LOSER(s): Utley, Howard, Burrell 0-12, 8K
The Phillies' big three took a big dump tonight, none more so than Howard who followed up his two homer, one triple, four RBI game with an 0-4, 4-strikeout Golden Sombrero gag job.
Talk about all or nothing.
RECAP:
The Sox won behind Coco's two-run homer, Lester pitched seven strong innings and Boston can take the series tomorrow afternoon.
That's all I got because the Celtics just wrapped up World Championship #17, and I'm knee deep in Korbel and Heineken and basking in the first title for the Green Machine since my senior year in high school!
So I'm checking out for tonight and will report back in before the businessman's special tomorrow afternoon.
Good night and
CONGRATS CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RECORD: 45-29
AL EAST: Up 2 gms
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Wed @ PHI 1:05 Masterson vs. Kendrick
6.16.2008
Phillies give Sox a taste of own medicine
Phillies 8, Sox 2
WP: Hammels (7-4)
LP: Colon (4-2)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Pedroia (6), Drew (12); PHI-Howard, 2 (19), Rollins (6)
SUMMARY:
Coming off a series in which Boston hit six homers and scored 16 runs the Phillies turned the tables on them tonight, slamming a double, two triples and three home runs among their 12 hits in routing Bartolo Colon and the Sox.
#1 STUNNER(s): Ryan Howard & Jimmy Rollins 6-10, 4R, 7BI, 3B, 3HR
Philly's leadoff hitter and super slugger tag-teamed the Sox right from the get-go as Rollins hit a homer to lead off the game, Ryan followed with a two-run blast minutes later and both of them did damage later in the game as well.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Mike Timlin 2/3IP, 4H, 4ER, 2BB, 0K, 22P
Why Tito brought Tired Arm into a game that was still winnable (4-2) in the 6th inning when David Aardsma was ready and willing to enter the game is a question the Nation will ponder for days to come.
This latest awful outing pushed the ancient reliever's ERA over 7.00. Please, for the love of God, either make him retire or DFA this fossil NOW.
RECAP:
I, like most of RSN, had a bad feeling about this series, and this opening game in particular, before it even started.
It didn't take long for Philly to prove us cynics right.
The Red Sox got chewed up and spit out by the offensive juggernaut that is the first place Philadelphia Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park, and they wasted little time in flexing the muscle that has allowed them to score 20 runs not once but twice this season.
Philly scored three runs before they had two outs on a pair of first inning homers, and things got so bad for Boston that 260-lb Ryan Howard and cement-footed Pat Burrell both legged out triples before the night was through.
How good is this offense?
Put it this way - their second baseman, Chase Utley, is leading the majors in homers and is second in the NL in RBI and he went 0-5 tonight (with an RBI) and they still scored 8 runs.
That's how good they are.
Tonight's starting pitcher, Cole Hammels, went 1-3 with a single to raise his average to .316 (12-38).
That's how good they are.
With his four ribbies this evening Howard tied teammate Utley for the NL RBI lead with 62, despite the fact that he's only hitting .225.
That's how...well you get the point.
It was apparent right from the start that Colon did not have the same kind of stuff he had in his four previous starts this season when his first pitch to Rollins missed outside badly, and when he put the next one over the plate the reigning NL MVP crushed a fastball off the facade of the upper deck in right for a quick 1-0 Philly lead.
Two pitches later Shane Victorino (2-4, 2B, BB, R) roped a double to deep right center and after Colon got Utley to strike out, Howard hit a 1-0 offering from Bart just over the wall and into the first row of seats in left to give Philly a 3-0 lead before everyone's seats were even warm.
Hammels (7IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 5K, 2HR, 110P), meanwhile, kept the Boston batters at bay, escaping jams in the first when he struck out Drew and Manny after Pedroia had doubled with one out, and in the second when he whiffed Colon after Sean Casey (2-4)doubled and Julio Lugo walked with two out.
Colon escaped a two on, two out jam of his own in the bottom of the second when he got Utley to pop out to Casey at first, but he got burned by Howard again in the third when the beefy first baseman hit a 2-1 pitch to the opposite field again, this time making it as far as the third row of bleachers for his second longball of the game and 19th of the season.
He now trails teammate Utley by just three for the league lead in that department.
That's how good...alright, enough of that.
Trailing 4-zip Boston finally cracked the Hammels puzzle when Pedroia (3-4, R, BI, 2B, HR) and Drew hit back-to-back jacks with one out in the fifth, Drew's eighth of the month and sixth in the last nine games and Pedroia's second in two days, and with the lead sliced in half at 4-2 it looked like the Sox could possibly mount a comeback if they could get Hammels out of the game.
Instead it was Colon who exited the game after tossing a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, reportedly due to a back issue, and that's when things got away from the comeback kings.
After Javier Lopez worked around a two out triple to Burrell (2-2, 2BB) to notch a scoreless fifth, Tito inexplicably brought in Timlin to pitch the sixth with the game up for grabs and Aardsma ready in the pen.
Talk about a move that came back to bite someone in the nads.
Timlin went out and tossed his BP fastball to the salivating Philly hitters, and they hammered him like soldiers home on shore leave. Here's a transcript of the destruction of a comeback chance:
-Pedro Feliz walks on 4 pitches
-Carlos Ruiz (who!?) singles to left on 2-1 count
-Hammels sacrifices both runners over
-Rollins hits 2-RBI single to right center, 6-2 Philly
-Victorino singles, Rollins to third
-Utley grounds into fielder's choice, Rollins scores, 7-2 Philly
(here's where Tito might have wanted to remove Tired Arm, preferably with deadly force, if necessary. But no...)
-Howard triples to deep right center on first pitch, Utley scores, 8-2 Philly, game over, Timlin's career officially over as well.
Okay I made that last part up, but one can dream, right?
Things got so bad for Boston that Francona brought in fellow frazzled reliever Hideki Okajima to pitch the 8th inning of an 8-2 ballgame, hoping he'll work out his kinks in a laugher instead of a save situation.
Good news is he pitched a clean inning and even struck out Howard to cap it off.
Bad news is our top setup man and one of the best in the league last year is pitching meaningless innings in blowouts to get his confidence back because lately he has sucked worse than Speed Racer.
Tomorrow night Boston will get a chance to put this ugly loss behind them and even the series at one with Jon Lester on the mound.
Sure the kid will be opposed by 237 game winner Jamie Moyer.
But he's only batting .167.
RECORD: 44-29
AL EAST: Up 2 gms
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Tue vs. PHI 7:05 Lester vs. Moyer
Interleague Series Preview: Sox @ Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies (41-30)
NL East: Up 3 gms
Streak: L2
Last 10: 6-4
Offensive Stats (league):
AVG: .264 (4th)
RS: 381 (2)
HRS: 100 (2)
Pitching Stats (league)
ERA: 3.82 (4th)
RA: 291(14)
SVs: 20(4)
3 Game Series @ Citizens Bank Ballpark
Game 1 Monday 7:05 ESPN
Colon (4-1, 3.41) vs. Hammels (6-4, 3.27)
Game 2 Tuesday 7:05
Lester (5-3, 3.43) vs. Moyer (7-3, 4.12)
Game 3 Wednesday 1:05
Masterson (3-1, 2.90) vs. Kendrick(6-2, 4.54)
KEY PHILS:
-2B Chase Utley .309, 22HR, 61BI, .401OBP, 55R, .636SLG% not only is the spunky second sacker leading the Phills in every offensive category but he is leading the majors in homers and is second in the NL in RBI. On a team with Ryan Howard. Crazy.
-1B Ryan Howard .217, 17HR, 58BI, 47R, 95K, .319OBP, .464SLG% the average is pitiful but the power numbers are still there for the big first baseman; many think the huge arbitration sum ($10 mil) he was awarded in the offseason has affected his play on the field. Still, he can kill you with the longball at any time and he has 15 RBI in his last 10 games
-LF Pat Burrell .283, 18HR, 47RBI, 56BB, .425OBP, .602SLG% Pat the Bat has been rumored to be traded every year this decade, yet he keeps shrugging off the rumors and criticism and produces; batting .350 (10-35) in his last 10 games with 4 homers and 7 RBI
PREVIEW:
One interleague road series down, one more to go.
But this time instead of facing one of the weaker teams in the National League Boston will take on fellow division leader the Philadelphia Phillies, which possesses a potent offense and solid pitching much like the Sox.
So potent an offense that they scored 20 runs the other night against the St. Louis Cardinals, the most in the majors this season, and it was the second time they had scored 20 this season.
With weapons like ML home run leader Utley, power threat Ryan Howard and versatile Pat Burrell, this team is tough to outscore, and when you add a pitching staff that's one of the top in the league, what you have is the makings of a tough road series before Boston heads home to play the Cards this weekend.
6.15.2008
Bailey lives up to his name as Sox hammer Reds
Sox 9, Reds 0
WP: Beckett (7-4)
LP: Bailey (0-3)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Drew (11), Crisp (4), Ellsbury (4), Pedroia (5); CIN-None
SUMMARY:
After two tight games in this series Boston batters teed off on the ragged Reds pitching staff today, blasting four home runs including three off appropriately-named starter Homer Bailey, as the Sox took the series two games to one.
#1 STUNNER: Jacoby Ellsbury 3-5, 2R, HR, RBI, 2SB
The electric Sox outfielder sparked the offense today when he led off the game with a single, stole second and third base, and came around to score on a sac fly. He also contributed a home run to lead off the 3rd, and his two steals gave him the Red Sox all-time rookie record of 33.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Bailey 2.1IP, 4H, 5ER, 3BB, 0K, 3HR
The only thing worse than a pitcher with the name of 'Walk' is a hurler with a moniker as unfortunate as 'Homer', especially when he lives up, err down, to his handle.
RECAP:
No Manny?
No Papi?
No biggie.
Despite the absence of the team's top two sluggers Boston still managed to club four home runs, three by the most unlikely trio of Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, and inflict an 11-hit, 9-run beatdown on the Reds in the finale of the first Sox series in Cincy since 1975.
And the beneficiary of all the unexpected offensive largess was Josh Beckett, who pitched just well enough (7IP, 6H, 2BB, 6K, 98P) to earn his second win in his last three starts and seventh of the season, helping Boston win its 16th road game as they start to distance themselves from the bottom of the pack in road losses.
But the story in this one wasn't the pitching but the source of Boston's unlikely offense.
It's one thing to have guys step up when your big guns go down. That's what heavy-hitting vets like Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew are paid and expected to do.
It's another story entirely when smallish "sluggers" like Coco (2-5, R, 4BI) and Pedroia and fleet-footed rookies like Ellsy power your offense to its most one-sided victory in a season already full of 'em.
What it says is that top to bottom this team is capable of beating any other even when it isn't at full strength, and when guys like Justin Masterson, Bartolo Colon, Coco Crisp and Little Big Man step up and fill a void and lead the Sox to victory, it bodes well for a club hell-bent on going deep in the playoffs this year.
Not that we'd rather go with these guys than Manny, Papi, Dice-K and Schill, but it's like having a comfy security blanket knowing they're there if we need 'em.
I already mentioned above how Boston scored its first run, on those fleet feet of Ellsbury as he stole two bases in the first inning to surpass a team rookie record that had stood since 1908. His 33 steals are 33 off the AL rookie mark, held by Kenny Lofton, but he's got a LONG way to go if he hopes to break the ML mark of 110, set by Vince Coleman in 1985.
Beckett escaped a jam in the second when he struck out Adam Dunn looking with runners on 1st and 2nd, courtesy fo a walk and Julio Lugo's league-leading 13th error, and Boston began its homer barrage in the top of the second when Crisp smacked a 3-2 pitch from Bailey over the wall in right with Tek aboard for a 3-0 lead.
And with that shot, Coco's second in two days, the seal was officially broken.
After Becektt worked out of another 1st & 2nd situation by striking out the pitcher Bailey (gotta love the NL) and then getting phenom Jay Bruce to pop out, Ellsy showed off his versatility and showed up his centerfield counterpart by lining a leadoff homer into the rightfield seats for Boston's fourth run of the day.
Two pitches later, following a fly out by Pedroia, Drew (1-2, 2R, BI, 2BB) knocked another Bailey meatball to nearly the same spot for his 7th homer in June and a 5-0 Boston lead.
When Bailey followed that bombing with a five pitch walk to Lowell, he was out of the game and the game was soon gonna be out of hand for Cincy.
As Becks was in the process of retiring 10 Reds in a row, Boston piled on in the 5th when Youk (1-5, R, BI) hit an RBI single off Jeremy Affeldt to score Drew, who had walked, to make the score 6-0, and Coco followed that with a 2-RBI single off Dan Majewski for an 8-0 lead to make the game an official laugher.
By the time Pedroia (1-4, R, 2BI) took Majewski deep for Boston's fourth homer and ninth run of the game in the 6th the sold out stadium was basically empty as every Reds fan had already headed out to celebrate Father's Day in a more enjoyable fashion.
About the only ones left, aside from the Cincy diehards, were Sox fans and Youk's family, and the last three innings resembled an intimate gathering at the local muni field.
When Mike Timlin retired the side in order in the 9th the game was mercifully over, and Boston had its second straight road series win under its belt as it headed to its next destination, fabulous Philly.
So the Sox say goodbye to the Queen City again.
At least the memories were a lot better this time around.
NOTES:
-Manny's hammy: Ramirez sat out his second straight game with that tender hammy. He played only 7 of a possible 21 innings in the series, including a pinch hit appearance in the 10th inning yesterday
-Drew's back: after going 0-4 yesterday to snap an 11-game hitting streak Drew picked up where he left off by belting his seventh homer of June. He's now batting .446 (21-47) with 7 homers, 19 runs and 16 RBI in the month.
-So is Tek: after missing the last three games with a sore throat Jason Varitek returned to the starting lineup and went 0-2 with a run and two walks. he was removed in the 8th for Kevin Cash.
RECORD: 44-28
AL EAST: Up 2.5 gms
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Mon @ PHI 705 ESPN Colon vs. Hammels
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