Game Preview: Brunch with the Bosox

Gabbard (1-0, 2.41) vs. Buchholz (0-1, 6.75)
Game 4 of 4 11AM NESN/Extra Innings

The Minuteman is as much of a symbol of Patriot's Day as orange slices and cold ones

It's that time again, New Englanders - Patriot's Day/ Marathon Monday, a.k.a the regional holiday that is as much an excuse to party and watch sports as it is to honor the memory of the Battle of Lexington & Concord.

When I tried to explain to my Florida-born son why the Sox were playing at 11:00 in the morning, I told him it's a local holiday in the area and the Sox always play at that time while the Boston Marathon is winding up downtown.

The first thing he asked me was "do the kids have off from school?"

"Yup, it's a big day up there" I responded.

"You were lucky to grow up there" he replied.

And I realized how right he was.

Growing up in the area I know we looked forward to Patriot's Day as much as any other holiday, like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Memorial Day. We would either head to a spot on the Marathon trail and watch the runners pass by, head down to Kenmore to get caught up in the excitement of the race and the game, or head to the local "Qs" (quarries) to down a few kegs and do what rambunctious teens will do when given a Monday off towards the end of a long school year.

Now the only way I recognize the day is if I happen to get laid off around this time, which unfortunately just happened to me last week.

But I'm trying to look on the bright side. I've got the game on the baseball package, the race on Versus and a couple of keg (cans) close at hand.

If only I had taken my son out of school, he could see what it was like growing up in the Hub. Minus the lousy weather and crowds.

GO SOX.

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Series Preview: Texas @ Sox

Texas Rangers (7-9) at Red Sox (10-7)
4 game series at Fenway

Game 1 Fri 7PM
Mendoza (0-1) vs. Matsuzaka (3-0)
Game 2 Sat 7PM
Jennings (0-3) vs. Lester (1-2)
Game 3 Sun 135P
Millwood (1-2) vs. Wakefield (1-0)
Game 4 Mon 11AM
Gabbard (1-0) vs. Buchholz (0-1)

What to watch for: a pair of old Sox return to Fenway
Former Sox players Kasson Gabbard and David Murphy make their first visit to Fenway since being traded for colossal bust reliever Eric Gagne last July 31st.

With Murphy (.305, HR, 6BI, 9R) and Gabbard (1-0, team low 2.41ERA) off to good starts and showing signs of becoming solid contributors for years to come, and Gagne off blowing saves for the Brewers, this could be one of those trades that comes back to haunt Boston for years to come.

Who to watch: Josh Hamilton .308, 3HR, 15RBI
This kid represents the comeback story of all comebacks as he has gone from prospective big league bust to one of the majors best success stories in the last couple of years.

The former Tampa Bay phenom and No 1 draft pick has battled years of substance abuse and MLB-sanctioned suspensions to climb back to the majors, earning Comeback Player of the Year honors with the Reds last season before being traded to Texas in the off season. His 5-tool talents and sweet swing make him one of the most exciting players to watch in the game.

PREVIEW:
The Sox return to Fenway and finally catch a break with the schedule as the lowly Texas Rangers come to town for a 4-game wraparound series that concludes with the Patriot's Day morning game on Monday.

Fresh off a couple of long games against the Stanks in the Bronx Boston should welcome the Rangers to Fenway with open arms. The Rangers notoriously own one of the worst pitching staffs in the league, and having guys like Luis Mendoza and Jason Jennings throw in this series should be a welcome relief from having to face the Mike Mussinas and Andy Pettittes of the league.

The highlight of this series should be the return of a couple of young prospects the Sox gave up at the trade deadline last season for a man who will forever be reviled in the Hub.

Outfielder David Murphy, who had worked his way up from the minors to make the big club and looked like a potential mainstay in the Sox outfield for years to come, and pitcher Kasson Gabbard, who along with Jon Lester promised to be the backbones of the Boston rotation for many seasons as well, were surprisingly sent packing for washed-up former closer Eric Gagne.

With Gagne already gone and Murphy and Gabbard having the potential to be quality contributors at the major league level for years to come, that move will go down in the annals of bad Sox trades alongside Larry Anderson for Jeff Bagwell and Babe Ruth for cash.

Okay, maybe not that bad, but don't you just get the feeling that Murphy will come back to beat his old club with a clutch later homer and Gabbard will twirl a masterpiece to defeat his former team?

Aside from those guys, the Rangers are looking like the typical Rangers teams of the past few...decades: plenty of offense, lousy pitching. "Ace" Kevin Millwood is 27-28 in his 2+ seasons with the club, and their No 2 starter is the immortal Vincente Padilla.

After losing guys like Gary Matthroids Jr, Gagne, Mark Teixeira and closer Francisco Cordero, this team has gone from potential contender in the AL West to a sure fire division doormat for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully Boston will be able to take advantage of this break in the schedule and rattle off at least 3 wins in this series before the potent Angels come to town on Tuesday.

And keep your fingers crossed that Murphy doesn't tear it up over the weekend and Gabbard doesn't toss a no-no on Marathon Monday.

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Sox Drawer: Trades and deals abound in Beantown

As the MLB trade deadline comes and goes, the Celtics trump the Sox by bringing Kevin Garnett to Beantown; oh yeah, the Sox made some deals, too.

Sox Trade Deadline Tote Board:
Acquired: Eric Gagne
Lost: Kason Gabbard; Joel Pineiro
Failed to acquire: Dye; Teixeira;
Failed to deal: Wily Mo Pena

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but as you can see I have been busy trying to upgrade my site. Also, as you can see, I've still got a few kinks to work out, but I needed to post on the big Boston news, so bugs be damned.

While I was busy trying to improve the look of my blog, the Boston brass was busy upgrading the look of the bullpen as the team heads into the dog days of August with a comfortable yet not insurmountable division lead.

In a flurry of deadline activity the Sox sent starting pitcher Kason Gabbard along with Pawtucket outfield prospects David Murphy and Engel Beltre for Texas fomrer Cy Young winner Eric Gagne, and in a separate deal Boston shipped ineffective and recently demoted reliever Joel Pineiro to the Cardinals for cash and a future minor league prospect.

And just before those baseball deals went down, former Celtics teammates Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale brokered a blockbuster trade that will put 2004 NBA MVP and top 10 talent Kevin Garnett in Celtic green next season in what was the biggest deal for one player in league history.

Wow.

Shit, there's more wheeling & dealing going on in the Hub than at the friggin World Series of Poker.

Being a baseball blog I will just focus on the Sox, although the long-dormant Cs fan in me is ecstatic over the thought of the Big Ticket teaming with PP and Ray Ray next season at the New Garden.

Anyway, the biggest deal of the trade season after the Mark Teixeira to Atlanta deal was made just minutes before the 4PM deadline when the Sox sent promising young starter Gabbard to Texas for Gagne, the 2003 Cy Young winner who has undergone numerous operations since his sensation Cy campaign but has bounced back to become an effective reliever again.

Following his record-setting 84 consecutive save streak spanning 2002-04 Gagne underwent two elbow surgeries including Tommy John surgery plus a back operation in 2005 and 2006.

However when teams saw that the 31-year-old righty was probably healthy again this spring he began drawing interest from a few clubs, one of those being Boston, who courted him for a while when it was unclear who would close with Papelbon headed to the rotation.

But then Paps came to his senses and Gagne inked a 1-year pact worth $6 mil with the perennially pitching-starved Rangers, and now six months later after posting solid numbers this season (2-0, 2.16 ERA, 16 saves in 34 games), he has come full circle and made it to the club in the midst of a potential playoff season.

Funny how things work like that some time.

The price Boston had to pay to bring a veteran setup man to town was high but not astronomical. As I predicted in my post a couple of days ago, Gabbard was a near-lock to leave town with Schill coming back soon and Lester looking totally healed from his chemo treatments, and Murphy and Beltre were also expendable thanks to more coveted prospects like Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss waiting in the wings.

In smaller deal the Sox rid themselves of onetime potential closer turned horrific bullpen contributor Joel Pineiro for the proverbial bucket of balls.

After bringing him to Boston from Seattle in the offseason, the former starter was thought of as a possible replacement for Papelbon before his change of heart, but Pineiro never adapted to his new role and seemed to allow a run every time he came into a game.

His most memorable meltdown came when he went back to Seattle and allowed the game-losing hit in the 9th against his old mates.

So the Sox bullpen has a whole new look, and while the team didn't pick up the bat it wanted when Tex went to the Braves and the White Sox elected to hold on to Jermaine Dye, it still has a great offensive nucleus and now a bullpen that has been upgraded to the point that it looks like a case of the rich getting richer.

And with Garnett headed to Boston and Patriots training camp underway, the Hub is once again the center of the spoirts universe.

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Game Preview: Sox @ Cleveland GM4

Gabbard (4-0, 2.97) vs. Lee (5-7, 5.95)
Jacobs Field 705

Currently there is rain soaking the greater Cleveland area and the game will be delayed for god knows how long, but hopefully this game will get underway tonight.

I mean I really want them to play this one, because I have tix to Sunday's game at the Trop and my son & I were looking forward to watching Dice-K pitch, up close & personal like from third base box seats.

But of course Motherfucking Nature has to screw with my happiness and throw one of life's annoying little curveballs my way yet again.

Okay, enough bellyaching and on to my game preview, assuming there IS a game to preview.

The Sox will attempt to put the bitter memories of last night's heartbreaking 1-0 loss behind them tonight in the series finale with the Indians, and right now there may be no better pitcher on the staff to accomplish such a feat.

Kason Gabbard has emerged as one of the most promising young pitchers in the league, lefty or righty, as his perfect record and sparkling ERA attest to. In his last two starts the 25-year-old lefty has allowed just six hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out nine in 16 innings of work.

Since his 6-hit, 4-run, 6-walk debacle in Seattle on June 26th, Gabbard is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA, and he's walked just eight while fanning 17 in 28 innings. In other words, he's smokin' hot right now.

His mound opponent is hot right now, too--as in he's steaming mad at his teammates and himself over some of his recent performances.

Not only has Cliff Lee been atrocious on the mound of late--23 hits and 19 earned runs allowed in his last three starts covering 16 innings (10.69ERA)--but after giving up five earned runs in the first inning of his last start at Texas on Saturday, he and catcher Victor Martinez got into a confrontation on the field over his play.

Nice.

Oh yeah, he also beaned Sammy Sosa in the head in that game, too.

Let's just say control issues might be a problem with this guy.

So IF this game gets underway it looks on paper like a Red Sox win, especially since the last two games have gone according to form.

Let's hope this one follows suit--providing they play ball at all at the Jake tonight.

Go Sox!

**UPDATE: The game is indeed on, 45 minutes after the original start time. Who cares--it's Dice-K for me & my boy on Sunday!!**

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BoSox walk all over Chicago in second straight rout

Boston 11, Chicago 2
WP: Gabbard (4-0)
LP: Danks (6-7)
HRs: None

SUMMARY
For the second straight game the Boston batters tooled on the piss-poor Chicago pitching staff, blowing open a 4-1 game with a 7-run seventh inning that included three bases loaded walks.

Coco Crisp had his second big offensive game in a row and young Kason Gabbard won his fourth game with his second straight stellar outing. Ah, good times.

#1 STUNNER Coco 3-4, 1R, 5RBI
One day after his three-run triple broke open the ballgame Crisp provided not one, not two but three big run-producing hits today. The slim center fielder has now racked up 8 ribbies in his last two games and 16 in the month of July.

PAN's FAUN Wily Mo Pena 0-2, GIDP, E
Starting in place of Manny in left field (who was DHing in place of Papi) and dropped to 9th in the order, Pena's awful error led to Chicago's first run, then he grounded into a double play one pitch after Coco's single in the second. Ay.

RECAP
I think I'll have to miss games more often.

Although the wife & I didn't make it to the beach as planned due to those pesky Florida summer thunderstorms, we did go to the movies instead (saw "Knocked Up"-friggin hilarious) then went to dinner, so I didn't get to watch today's game until after we got home.

Ah, nothing like delayed gratification.

For the second straight game the Real Sox busted out the whooping stick on the ChiSox and slapped another double-digit scoring barrage on the beleaguered Chicago staff.

And the best funny thing about it is that despite scoring 11 runs, they didn't hit a home run and were without the services of slugging DH David Ortiz.

Big Papi injured his shoulder sliding into second base in last night's 10-3 pasting of the Pale Hose, necessitating an MRI on his damaged wing and at least a day or two out of the lineup, meaning Manny had to slide into his DH spot with Wily Mo Pena starting in left.

Although that configuration would quickly come back to bite Boston when Pena muffed a sinking flyball from Paul Konerko in the second inning that was ruled a two-base error, which was followed by a legitimate two-bagger by Josh Fields that plated the first run of the game, it turned out Pena's non-production at the plate and incompetence in the field would not hurt Boston today.

It turned out to be Boston doing all the hurting from the second inning on.

The Sox would grab the lead right back in the bottom of the frame when Chicago starter John Danks (6IP, 7H, 4ER, 3BB, 4K) handed out free passes to Youk & Mike Lowell and then a single by Jason Varitek to load the bases with one out.

In need of a big hit to keep the momentum of last night going and to prevent the team from falling into another "failed to deliver" funk, Coco Crisp, one of the club's hottest hitters, especially RBI-wise, delivered just that, lacing a Danks offering over the shortstop's head for a two run single that gave the Sox the lead and set the tone for the day.

This would not be a game of missed opportunities.

While the suddenly scintillating Kason Gabbard (7IP, 3H, 1R, 1BB, 1K) held the Chicago lineup in check using his assortment of speeds (slow & slower) to induce a slew of groundball outs, Boston batters set about getting the hard-working lefty a little bit more of a lead to work with.

The Sox would tack on two more runs in the sixth when J.D. Drew (1-3, 2R, 2BI, 2B, 2BB) followed singles by Pedroia and Youk with a line drive double to right that scored Manny, and after an intentional walk to Lowell and a fielder's choice by Tek, Coco lined a single to left that scored Drew but the inning ended when Lowell was called out at the plate.

Although for the second straight day replay showed Boston was robbed on a call when reverse angles showed Lowell's foot cross the plate before Toby hall put a phantom tag on his back.

Oh well. The best was still yet to come.

With Danks out of the game in the seventh and Ozzie Guillen forced to go to his anemic bullpen, Boston wasted no time in turning this somewhat close game into a blowout.

The inning started innocently enough when Big Hit Hinske, pinch-hitting for Wily Mo (thank you Tito), lined a single to right field off reliever Ehren Wasserman, who made his major league debut in last night's loss.

Wasserman appeared to escape any harm, though, when he struck out both Julio Lugo (1-5, 3K) and Dustin Pedroia (2-5), but little did we know the fireworks were just beginning.

Well, I guess you technically can't classify a shitload of bases on balls, a single and a triple as "fireworks", but you know what I mean.

After Hinske stole second while Lugo was whiffing (let's assume that was a busted hit & run), Guillen decided to have Wasserman walk Manny and pitch to Youk with two on and two out.

Talk about opening the floodgates.

Wasserman unintentionally walked Youk, then was replaced by--get this--Boone Logan (where the fuck are they getting these guys? isn't that a porn name? no wonder their bully sucks!), who proceeded to walk Drew on four pitches, scoring Hinske with the Sox fifth run of the day.

Wait, it gets better.

Ozzie pulled another name out of his hat and trotted Dewon Day out of the bunker to take one for the team, and Day honorably followed in his teammates footsteps by issuing free passes to both Lowell (0-2, 2R, BI, 3BB) and Cap'n Tek, the latter after an epic 12-pitch at bat, and just like that the score was 7-1 and the rout was on.

But wait, it gets even better.

Four pitches later Crisp ripped a single straight up the middle to score both Drew and Lowell, and when Ozzie left day in to face the tenth hitter of the inning, Hinske responded to that act of kindness with a ringing triple to deep right that plated Tek with Boston's 11th and final run, and suddenly a three game losing streak has turned into a two game winning streak in which Boston has scored 21 runs, rang up 21 hits and walked an amazing 12 times.

See what happens when I start missing games.

Good news, guys: the wife & I rescheduled our beach plans for tomorrow, so let the beatings continue!

NOTES

• Eagle eyes: of the nine walks issued today by Chicago pitchers, the passes were only distributed to five players--Manny & Tek (1 each), Youk & Drew (2 each) and Lowell (3 freebies)
• Coco's crispy: in addition to his hits, which gave him a modest five game hitting streak (7-20, .350), Coco also continued his Gold Glove campaign in center when he made yet another awesome basket catch of a Jose Uribe drive to end the second
• Lugo on top: for the first time in weeks the hot-hitting Julio Lugo was put back in the leadoff spot, and although he responded with a mediocre game, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games and is hitting a superb .465 (20-43) during that time
• Gabbard has now won three straight decisions since his debacle in Seattle, and this week alone he has won two games, allowing just six hits and one run in 16 innings with 2 walks and 9 Ks; can you say "hot commodity"?
• Joel Piniero got in his requisite one inning/one run allowed appearance when he pitched the ninth and gave up a run on a couple of hits, including a double. Old reliable, isn't he...
• Javier Lopez pitched around a couple of hits to toss a scoreless eighth

QUOTES

"Defensively, he's the best center fielder in baseball and offensively he makes things happen."--Pedroia on Coco

"He pitched better than Beckett"--Ozzie call 'em like he sees 'em Guillen on Gabbard

"When you don't get hits and the bullpen did what it did the last two nights, you're going to get what we did the last two nights. A loss."--Guillen

"Wily Mo will never win a Gold Glove"--FOX's Thom Brennaman after Pena's gaffe

RECORD: 58-39
AL EAST: Up 7.5 gms on NYY
STREAK: W-2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sun vs. CHI 205

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Pedroia big, Gabbard huge in crisp Sox win

Sox 4, Royals 0
WP: Gabbard (3-0)
LP: Bannister (5-6)
HRs: BOS-Pedroia (4), Manny (13), Papi (16)

Gabbard closed the win in style, with this strikeout of Mark Teahan

SUMMARY
Boston used the power of three home runs and a stellar pitching performance from the emerging Kason Gabbard to erase the memories of yesterday's painful loss and gave the Nation something to smile about--a sweet shutout victory.

Who cares if it was against the Royals?

#1 STUNNER Gabbard 9IP, 3H, 1BB, 8K
Wow, where the fuck did this come from? I mean I know the kid has been improving since his debacle in Seattle, but this effort was downright Beckett-esque.

PAN's FAUN Bannister 6IP, 5H, 4ER, 0BB, 3K, 3HRs
Not a bad performance, per se, but when you only allow five hits and three of them are longballs, well you got some problems there.

RECAP
Thank you, schedule makers.

Coming off a tough loss, saddled with some nagging injuries and riding a mediocre 5-7 stretch sandwiched around the All Star break, Boston was in desperate need of playing a team it can just bash around for a few games, kinda like a self help book for an MLB team; you know, a patsy.

Enter the Kansas City Royals.

Nothing like a visit from the perennial doormats of the AL Central to help a sick team cure what ails 'em.

The Sox got healthy in a hurry tonight in more ways than one, turning in a solid offensive showing coupled with a lights-out pitching performance from one of its promising young starters against the Royals.

Perhaps it was because Boston finally had its regular starting nine in the lineup for the first time in quite a while, and although they only managed seven hits on the night, they maximized their potential by scoring all four runs on homers.


But the most exciting aspect of the game (other than the brisk sub-2 1/2 hour run time) had to be the coming out party of young lefty Kason Gabbard.

The 25-year-old was making just his ninth career start, fifth this season, and had been steadily improving since a horrendous 6-hit, 4-run, 6-walk meltdown against the Mariners in late June. Over his last two starts since then he had allowed just 6 hits, 5 earned runs and 6 walks in 12 innings pitched while lowering his ERA from 6.48 to 4.87.

Even with that modest turnaround, and considering the quality of competition across the field tonight, I don't think anyone saw this kind of dominating performance coming from the youngster so soon.

As it turned out KC got a pretty solid effort from its rookie starter, 26-year-old Brian Bannister, as well. Both kids stymied the opposing hitters for the first 3 1/2 innings, the only baserunners coming on a single by Julio Lugo in the third and when Gabbard hit David DeJesus with a pitch to start the fourth.

DeJesus would quickly be erased on a double play, though, and through the first four innings Gabbard had faced the minimum amount of batters and had struck out five of them. Nice.

He would get all the run support he would need in the bottom of the frame when struggling Dustin Pedroia stepped in to face Bannister for the second time ever. Francona had admitted recently that Pedroia had been sick around the All Star break and he had intended to rest him for a game or two, but he couldn't because Cora was sick also.

The skipper followed through on his promise yesterday, as Tito gave Dustin the day off except for a pinch hit appearance in the windfest, and it looks like the brief, belated blow really paid off.

Pedroia worked the count to 3-2, then unloaded his mini-man swing and shot the ball halfway up the Monster seats for his first homer since June 15th, and the Sox smallest player did something none of the big boppers could do yesterday--put a ball out of the freaking yard.

After Papi (1-4, R, 2BI) grounded out, apparently inspired by Pedroia's effort, Manny (1-4, R, BI) decided to best his teammate. Ramirez took Bannister's fourth pitch and deposited it halfway up the light tower, where it ricocheted off and nearly hit a Monster spectator in the skull before landing as a souvenir in the back row.

2-0 Boston.

Ballgame.

Gabbard got into his only trouble of the night in the fifth inning when he allowed a single to Emil Brown (2-3), a walk to Esteban German and then hit Sox nemesis John Buck to load the bases with two outs.

But secondary hero of the night Pedroia (2-4, 2R, BI) bailed him out when he made a gorgeous sidearm throw on a slow roller by Tony Pena to get the speedy shortstop by a hair at first, saving the shutout and effectively ending any hopes KC had of making a game of this one.

Just in case they had some crazy thoughts of a comeback though, Papi squashed them when he followed a one-out single by Pedroia with a Pesky Pole job in the sixth, wrapping the ball just around the wall near the marker for his 16th homer of the season and second in five days.

From there it was all Gabbard's game to drive home, and he cruised through the last three innings, facing the minimum amount of batters again (thanks to another DP) and adding his final two strikeouts of the night to end the ninth and put the seal on his first major league masterpiece.

Like I said, who cares if it was against the Royals?

NOTES

• More Gabby--the complete game shutout was the first by a rookie in the majors this season and the first by a Boston starter since the immortal Paul Quantrill pulled the feat in 1993
• The win was Boston's first shutout since the back-to-back 4-0 and 11-0 pastings of the Braves on June 19th & 20th in the A-T-L
• Julio Lugo extended his hitting streak to six games (11-22) with another infield hit in the third, but the joy was diluted when he was subsequently picked off--by a wide margin--just a few moments later to end the inning
• Dynamic Duo--tonight marked the 45th time Manny & Papi have gone yard in the same game in thier careers, third most among active players
• J. D. Drew returned to the lineup after a two game absence and went 1-4 from the leadoff spot; no word yet on if he'll be out tomorrow
• Pedroia had been in a 3-18 slump before his two big knocks tonight
• The game clocked in at a mind-boggling, National League-esque 2 hours and 18 minutes. Now that's sweet.

QUOTES

"Your adrenaline takes over, but you have to kind of settle yourself down." Gabbard, on the rush of a pitching a CG shutout

"The kid has had a lot of roadblocks coming through the minor leagues. He has very good stuff."--Tito, on the injury-filled minor league travails of Gabbard

"Butter fingers in the 2nd level there. Too much popcorn, too much butter on the popcorn."--RSN President Remy, calling out a fan who failed to catch a foul ball. How can anyone not love Rem Dog?

RECORD: 56-36
AL EAST: Up
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Tue vs. KC 705

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Unlucky 13: Paps blows game in extra innings

Detroit 3, Sox 2 (13)
WP: Grilli LP: Papelbon
HRs: BOS- Ortiz (14)

At first I was upset with myself when I forgot to set the DVR before I went out for dinner & drinks with the wife after spending a few hours at the beach today, causing me to miss most of the game.

Hey, our son is away, I can't spend every night watching baseball.

Then when I got home and turned on the tube and saw it was 2-2 in the 8th I was really pissed, realizing I probably missed out on a great game (Murphy's Law, of course.)

But after witnessing the Sox blow five scoring chances from the 8th to the 12th innings, and then seeing the Tigers, who had also squandered some terrific scoring opportunities, pull out a gut-punch win against Boston's All Star closer in the bottom of the 13th, well then I was just sorry that I caught any of the game at all.

From what I gathered Papi (2-2, R, 2BI, 4BB) had a big game, blasting a two-run homer in the first (perhaps that day off did him some good) for the only damage done to Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (7IP, 7H, 2ER, 1BB, 9K) in his seven solid innings.

I also see that Kason Gabbard (6.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K) had a good outing as well, matching Bonderman by allowing a 2-run double to Craig Monroe in the fifth for his only blemish. He's now put two decent starts together since that debacle in Seattle.

After the starters departed nine relievers on both sides combined to throw all zeroes on the board, at times having to escape tight, tense situations: Detroit had the bases loaded in the 10th but All Star Okajima worked out of it, and Boston had two on in the 10th, one in the 11th, and the bases loaded in the 12th but could not get a run home.

Ugh!

But when Tito was forced to go to Papelbon in the 13th, it looked as if Boston would at least get one more shot at the win.

Except Paps had one of those rare bad outings, which was obvious from the get-go when he plunked Gary Steroidfield with his first pitch of the inning.

Sure enough, after he got MLB leading hitter Maggs Ordonez to fly out and Carlos Guillen to whiff, Ivan Rodriguez sliced an opposite field drive that just eluded Coco's diving try (hey, the guy can't catch everything!), and Sheff, who had stolen second, jogged home with the winning run.

And just like that, one night after getting trounced to break a four-game winning streak the Sox suffered a soul-crushing, one-run, extra inning loss and now own a two-game losing skid.

See, that's why I'm glad I missed (most of) it.

Just one more game left to play before the break, and thankfully the Sox will have Dice-K on the hill, so maybe they can stop this mini-skid and head into the hiatus on a positive note.

Oh one other small, coincidental consolation: the Stanks lost in 13 innings today too, 2-1 at home to the Angels.

So we got that going for us.

RECORD: 53-33
AL EAST: Up 11 on TOR, NYY
STREAK: L-2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sun @ DET, 1:05

Go Dice!

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Game Preview: Texas @ Sox GM4

McCarthy (4-4) vs. Gabbard (1-0, 6.48)
Fenway Park 7:05

With thoughts of sweeping the lowly Rangers long since put to rest, Boston hopes to merely manage a split of the wraparound four game set when they send youngster Kason Gabbard to the mound for his third start of the season and second in place of Curt Schilling.

Gabbard is coming off an atrocious start in Seattle in which he walked four and hit a batter in the first inning alone, and wound up issuing six free passes and six hits in 3 1/3 innings of what would be a 9-4 Boston loss.

His opponent will be highly-touted but yet-to-deliver young righty Brandon McCarthy, who was shelled by the Sox back in late May when he allowed four hits, four walks and four runs in 2 1/3 innings of a 10-6 Texas loss on May 25th. This will be McCarthy's first start since spending 15 days on the DL with a blister problem (hmm, sounds familiar.)

Wouldn't you know it, he's another in a growing list of long & lanky (6' 7") starters to oppose Boston this season and second in a row after teammate Kameron Loe.

Despite who's starting (it doesn't matter at this point) all I know is that the many all-stars on this roster better start playing like it, and if they lose another low-scoring, one-run game I'm going to start watching Premiere League soccer in order to see some real high-scoring teams.

Go Sox!

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Deja vu all over again: Sox pitching sux, Sox lose

Seattle 8, Sox 7

For the second straight night the loyal members of Red Sox nation stayed up til the wee hours of the morning and were treated to the same shit as the previous night: horrible Boston pitching leading to another ugly loss.

This time it was starter Kason Gabbard and Javier Lopez who allowed much of the damage, as the Boston batters mounted numerous comebacks, all to no avail because the Sox pitchers were giving up walks, hits and runs like they were flu shots.

The entire messy affair is just a collage of great plays, big hits and lousy pitches. Eric Hinske had a big homer, Lowell tied it once with a clutch 2-run triple, and Coco got on base three times and scored three runs. But for the second straight night a Boston reliever came out of the pen and allowed a soul-crushing homerun to Seattle, this time a 2-run shot by Richie Sexson that made the score 8-6, and that was enough runs to stave off another Sox comeback.

So for the second straight night I have no desire nor willpower to properly put this game to bed. After last night's game ended at 1:31 EST, tonight Manny whiffed to end it at 1:34 EST, and the feelings I was left with both times were exactly the same: sick & tired.

Full report tomorrow. Maybe after I sleep this one I'll realize it was all a dream that a Red Sox hurler walked in not one but two runs for the second consecutive game.

Couldn't have happened, right?

Good Morning!

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Sox Notes: Gabbard gets the call; Beck passes away

Gabbard gets the nod over Jon Lester to replace Schilling
The Red Sox announced that Pawtucket starter Kason Gabbard will start in Curt Schilling's place tomorrow night in Seattle.

Gabbard is no stranger to the big club, having made four starts for them last season and one earlier this year when Josh Beckett went on the DL. He pitched five innings and allowed six hits and two earned runs in a win against Atlanta on May 20th.

The decision means that Jon Lester will not make his 2007 debut tomorrow despite speculation that the righty, who has been feverishly rehabbing from cancer treatments, would get the call.

But Tito and the front office are still riding the "he's not quite ready" blah blah blah bullshit train, so Gabbard it is, at least this time.

The promotion means someone will have to be sent down, and though most assume it will be the recently recalled outfielder David Murphy (it's so appropriate that Boston have a 'Murph' on the team, isn't it?), today's Globe reports that Manny Delcarmen could be the one on the PawSox express.

Either way it looks like RSN will have to wait at least one more week for the return of Jon Lester to the mound; perhaps they just want him to make his season premiere at Fenway.

Ex-Sox reliever Rod "Shooter" Beck dead at age 38
The well-liked and well-traveled Rod beck passed away late Saturday night at his Arizona home from undetermined causes.

The man known to for his cool nickname, "Shooter", and his bushy mustache, Beck was one of the top closers in the game during the '90s, compiling 238 career saves including a Giants record 48 in 1989 and a league high 51 for the Cubs in 1998.

But by the time he got to Boston in 2000 he was a shell of his former self as injuries and substance abuse, namely alcohol dependency, made him half the pitcher he once was. Beck appeared in 102 games for the Sox in 2000-2001 primarily as a setup man, amassing six saves and an ERA of 3.62.

Although one of his most (in) famous moments in a Boston uniform came when he allowed a homer run to Bernie Williams in the 1999 ALCS, Beck was the type of guy who never drew the ire of the fans, and even if he did he was the type of guy who didn't give a shit about it anyway.

Because it wasn't his stats or his 'stache that made him the beloved man he was; former teammates and opponents alike have been heaping praise on Beck for being a self-proclaimed everyman pitcher, a guy who famously parked his RV outside a minor league Iowa ball field and invited fans & neighbors to come on over for beers and steaks after the games.

Tim Wakefield, who described himself as one of Beck's closest friends while he was with Boston, said in the Globe that he "was absolutely floored" when he heard the news and that he's "had a hard time dealing with it all day."

Jason Varitek, another former teammate, had this to say: "He absolutely loved the game. He loved competing. He was there early, there late. He was great at what he did. He was a good person and a good person to be around."

R.I.P, Shooter

You were one of the last of a vanishing breed-the unspoiled, old school ballplayer.

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Sox rough up Hudson, take 2 of 3 from Atlanta

Sox 6, Atlanta 3
WP: Gabbard (1-0)
LP: Hudson (5-2)
HRs: BOS-Youk (6)

Kason, we hardly knew ye; after his brilliant performance, Gabbard was optioned back to Pawtucket

RECAP:
The Sox stung Atlanta starter Tim Hudson for 8 hits and 6 runs in just 4 2/3 innings and Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 13 games with three hits including a home run as Boston won the third game of this wet & wild series .

HERO: Kason Gabbard 5IP, 6H, 2ER, BB, 7Ks
One day after the Braves rang up 18 hits and 14 runs on a beleaguered Boston staff Gabbard made his 2007 ML debut and shut down Atlanta by throwing a mixture of pitches that kept the hitters off balance all day.

GOAT: Hudson 4.2IP, 8H, 6ER, 2BB, 0K, HR
The man with the second-best ERA in the NL allowed as many runs in the first inning today (4) as he had in his last 17 innings combined; the six earned runs Hudson gave up was almost half as many as he had surrendered all season (13)

Honorable mention: Andruw Jones: 0-5, five strikeouts (yikes!)

SUMMARY:
Just before 4:00PM EST the sun started to shine over Fenway and the grounds crew began to remove the tarp from the field in hopes that the horrible weather would hold off long enough to play the finale of this interleague series.

Shortly after 4:30, following a 2 1/2 hour rain delay, emergency call-up Kason Gabbard threw a ball to emergency call-up Martin Prado, and the game was underway-finally.

Less than a half hour later the Sox had hung a 4-spot on the man who had been allowing less than 2 runs per 9 innings this season, effectively putting the game out of reach thanks to the stellar pitching of Pawtucket padawan Kason Gabbard.

And immediately after his performance Gabbard suffered the same fate as yesterday's emergency starter- he received a slew of "thank yous" and a bus ticket back to the PawSox. Boston brought reliever MattapanManny Delcarmen back to the club to provide bullpen depth for the series with the Stanks

Such is life these days around the old ballteam, a strange existence featuring a revolving-door rotation, games played in, or with the threat of, constant rain, and a still-unfathomable 10 1/2 game lead on the nearest competitors.

When the rain finally subsided things got bright in a hurry for Boston, and I'm not just talking about the skies over Kenmore Square. After Gabbard retired the Braves on 12 pitches in the top of the first, Boston went to work right away on Hudson, the former Oakland ace who has had a rough time winning at Fenway throughout his career.

Coco grounded out to start the inning, but then Youk got the first of his three hits, a single to left that extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Papi then belted a soaring blast to right that somehow eluded right fielder Jeff Francoeur and landed at the base of the bullpen wall, and runners were at second and third with just one out.

Manny then hit a shot up the middle that smacked Hudson in the leg (reminiscent of Lugo's blow to Jeff Karstens) and ricocheted to third base. Trouble is, Youk broke for home as soon as the ball caromed off Hudson; right play, unfortunately the ball bounced right to charging third basemen Chris Woodward, whose throw to home easily nailed Youk fort the second out, with Manny safe at first.

Rally over, right?

Wrong.

J.D.Drew walked to load the bases and then Cap'n Tek, possibly warming up for some of his patented Stankee bashing, ripped a ball into the right field corner that ended up as a bases-clearing triple, a demoralizing blow to Hudson who thought he would escape the inning unscathed.

Eric Hinske followed Tek's hit with an RBI single to right two pitches later, and the Sox enjoyed a 4-0 lead before any of the seats had even dried.

Boston would add a run in the second inning thanks to a leadoff double by Pedroia, a sacrifice by Coco, a walk to Youk, and a bobble by Prado on what should have been a double play grounder by Papi that allowed Ortiz to be safe at first and Pedroia to score the 4th run. By the time Youk wrapped a shot around Pesky's Pole to make it 6-0 in the 5th, the game was all but over.

That's because Gabbard was pitching like an old pro, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced before allowing back to back singles by Francoeur (3-5) and Matt Diaz (4-5) in the fourth. And like an old pro, he pitched out of that mini-jam by getting Andruw Windmill Jones to stike out swinging to end the threat.

After allowing a single and a double to open the sixth, Gabbard walked off the mound to a rousing, and deserved, standing ovation. Unfortunately Brenden Donnely would ruin Gabbard's shutout when he allowed both inherited runners to score, but even a meaningless run allowed in the 9th by Jonathan Papelbon could dampen the spirits of this club or those of RSN.

It was a crazy weekend series in Boston, one that featured 39 runs, 71 hits and nearly 72 straight hours of rainfall.

But in the end the Sox took the series, retained its huge division lead, and head to the Bronx with all the confidence in the world that they can pull off a Bronx sweep.

And if they don't, so what? Right now, being a part of the Red Sox is good, even if that person is only visiting.

NOTES:

-Atlanta outhit Boston 13-9

-Youk is batting .446 (25-56) during his streak

-Mike Lowell & Julio Lugo had the day off

-Cora, Manny & Coco were the only starters not to register a hit

-Diaz had an incredible series for Atlanta (7-12, 2R, 3RBI) as he continues to solidify himself as a big league regular

-Hudson was 1-4 with a 7.92 ERA at Fenway Park coming into this game, and he certainly didn't help those numbers any

-After allowing the inherited runners to score, Javier Lopez came in and got Scott Thorman to ground into a double play to end the inning and squelch the attempted comeback

-Papelbon allowed his first run since May 1st, a span of five appearances

-Okajima pitched the 8th and allowed two hits but kept his scoreless inning streak intact at 20.1

QUOTES:

-"I never really had a chance to get into a rhythm. They got me pretty quick and early. I just didn't have good stuff."-Hudson accurately summing up his outing

-"That ball gets through, different ballgame."-Braves skipper Bobby Cox on the Lopez double play ball. Yeah Bobby, and if wife beating were a sport you'd be a Gold Medal winner, what's your point?

RECORD: 30-13

AL EAST: Up 10.5 on BAL & NYY

UP NEXT: MON @ Stankees 7P

Bring on the Feeble Empire!

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Game Preview: Atlanta @ Sox GM3

Hudson (5-1. 1.77) vs. Gabbard (NR)
2P NESN HD

It's a beautiful day in Red Sox Nation. Well, at least in the Tampa Bay chapter it is.

How can that be, you ask? It's been raining since Wednesday, our top pitcher is on the DL, our rightfielder is hurting and seeking out the batting average cellar like a bunker buster looking for Uday Hussein, and our team just got waxed more painfully than Steve Carrell in "40 Year Old Virgin" last night by the Braves.

To which I say, you got some good points there.

But perhaps I've turned into an optimist during my 14 years in South Florida, away from the five-day rain storms, sports talk radio hosts from hell that constantly remind me how gloomy things can be, and how when a few things go wrong with our team (rain wreaking havoc with the schedule and rotation), it can feel like the end of the world as we know it.

Because from where I'm sitting, the Sox are in great shape.

Q-When was the last time this team had this big of a division lead this late in the season?
A-Never. In fact, this is only the second time in history that a team has owned a 10-game lead 40 games into the season. The last time was in 2001 when the Mariners won a record 116 games.

Q-Despite last night's shellacking and the Sox worst shutout loss since 1990, which team still owns the best record in major league baseball?
A- You guessed it...

Q-Which team has the best ERA in the American League?
A- Okay, Oakland, but the Sox are mere percentage points behind in second place (3.23-3.45).

Q-Which team is currently second in the majors in batting average (.277) and runs scored (226)?
A- Okay, you get my point, I'm done with this foolish game.

My point is despite perceived thoughts of trouble or the typical "sky is falling" mentality of RSN, the Sox are still in the best shape at any point during a regular season since 1995 when they finished the season with a 7-game advantage over the Stanks.

And, speaking of the Evil Empire, the dire condition that Boston's arch enemy is in gives Red Sox fans another reason to rejoice; the Stanks dropped another half game and two places in the standings yesterday and now reside in fourth place behind Baltimore & Toronto, 10.5 games out. Plus, they also lost another starting pitcher when starter Darrell Rasner broke a finger on a hard chopper by the Mets' Endy Chavez. The injury could sideline Rasner for up to three months.

Rasner now joins wounded hurlers Carl Pavano, Jeff Karstens, Phil Hughes, and the recently recovered Mike Mussina & Chien Ming Wang on the list of injured Stankee starters. When New York trots out the immortal Tyler Clippard tonight against the Mets, it will be the 11th different starting pitcher New York has used this season. When Hansack started for Boston last night, it marked the first time someone other than the original starting five of Beckett-Schilling-Matsuzaka-Wakefield-Tavarez didn't start a game for Boston this season.

Things are getting so bad in the Big Apple that ESPN.com columnist Jeff Pearlman openly called for Joe Torre's firing this morning on the front page of the site, and Jason Giambi's recent re-visitation of his steroid use has caused the team to consider voiding his contract.

See, things could be worse... Boston owns a large division lead, and with a loaded pitching staff and a deep bench, it gives Tito a plethora of choices for lineups (Pedroia batting 5th?!), rotations (Gabbard was one of four potential starters for today's game), and makes for sunny times in RSN.

Now, all they have to do is go out and face the the guy with the third-best ERA in the majors and try and beat him with a kid making his fifth major league start, then fly to the Bronx for a 3-spot with the reeling wounded Stanks.

And you know what they say about a wounded animal?

Kick 'em when they're down!

GO Sox!

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