Bad times bite Beckett, too; Rocks hand him first loss

Colorado 7, Sox 1
WP: Beckett (9-1)
LP: Francis (6-5)
HRs: COL-Atkins (5), Holliday (11)

SUMMARY
Different night, same crappy New England weather, same crappy Red Sox result.

Another obscure starter shut down the Sox offense, holding Boston to two runs or fewer for the seventh time in nine games, and the Rockies pounded one of Boston's best pitchers early & often for the second game in a row, and it all added up to an ugly series loss for Boston.

HERO: G. Atkins 3-5, R, 4RBI, 2B, GS
The slumping third baseman has found his groove and picked up his team tonight as his thrid inning grand slam set the tone for another dominating Colorado victory.

GOAT: Beckett 5IP, 10H, 6ER, 1BB, 1K, 2HRs
First time making this category for Becks, and he certainly earned it with an outing that was more reminiscent of July/August 2006 than April-Jun 2007.

RECAP
Technically, the Sox are not in a slump. After all, they have won four of the last seven games and had a chance to sweep Arizona had it not been for a large Unit on the mound.

But after tonight there is no doubt that Boston is struggling, scuffling, stumbling, and worst of all succumbing to weaker teams and inferior pitchers, turning each new scrub into the second coming of Sandy Koufax and suffering from a maddening inability to get runs across the plate.

The stench of desperation hung in the misty, frigid air over Fenway right from the beginning of the game when the lineups were announced and Tito unveiled his latest incarnation of the Magic Leadoff Man-as in poof, let's make one of our multi-millionaire players into a serviceable major league leadoff hitter.

This time it was J.D. Drew's turn at the poisoned position, he of the .236 average and .338 OBP. Granted he does walk a lot (31 in 56 games, 3rd behind Manny & Papi), and he had been hitting the ball better lately, but couldn't the pressure of having to get on base at the top of the order really fuck up his already morbid offensive situation?

The answer, it turned out, is yes as Drew went 0-5 and made outs to begin an inning (1st), end an inning (8th), twice with two men on (4th, 6th), and once with the bases loaded (2nd). Nice.

But I digress. I'm supposed to be recapping the game, but this is how we get when our team has lost 9 of its last 14 games while scoring fewer times than Turtle on Entourage while the Stanks are screaming up from behind them, winners on nine straight.

Much like last night the Rocks got to Boston's starter early, by scoring another first inning run. Kaz Matsui (3-5, 2R), who has been a real pest the past two games, blooped a fly ball to the Bermuda Triangle behind second base that fell between three fielders, and Matsui hustled it into a double. Uh-oh.

One out later Todd Helton (2-5, 2R, BI), another pest, laced a 1-2 offering from Beckett into center to score Matsui with the first run, and just like that you got the feeling it was gonna be one of those nights.

That feeling was especially strong when the Sox loaded the bases in the second off Francis (5IP, 7H, 0R, 2BB, 6K) but once again could not push a run across (I've stopped counting how many times that has happened recently.) Lowell led off with a hard single, and after Tek struck out Coco walked and Lugo reached on an error by Helton to load the bases for Drew.

I'll give him credit- he did hit a frozen rope that appeared headed for left field- but SS Troy Tulowitzki stepped in front of it to snag the hot shot, and after Pedroia K'd, the Nation started to shift in its seats from that queasy, uneasy sensation welling up inside.

But Beckett was on the hill, he of the perfect record and lights out performance last time out, so no worries, right? After all, it was still a 1-run game with seven innings to go.

Becks took care of that glimmer of hope by serving up a 4-spot to the Rockies in the third, and Colorado made Boston's scoring ineptitude seem all the more embarrassing when all the runs scored on one swing of the bat.

Matsui (damn him!) led off the frame with a single and then Matt Holliday (PIA #3) ripped a double to to left center that set up runners at second & third with no outs. After walking Helton to pack the sacks, Atkins, who had a breakout season last year but had struggled mightily this season, worked the count to 3-1 and then pounced on a Beckett fastball, sending a tracer missile into the Monster seats in the blink of an eye that left the sellout crowd dazed & confused.

This couldn't be happening again, could it? And to our best, most dependable, most consistent pitcher to boot?

Unfortunately it was happening again, and just to prove this was like some hardball case of deja vu, Francis continued to shut the Sox down for five innings and then manager Clint Hurdle let five relievers finish it out; still, Boston could manage only one run against the likes of Tom Martin, Manny Corpas and LaTroy Hawkins, and that was on-of course-an RBI single by Lowell in the 7th.

Beckett would allow another run on a homer by Holliday before he departed after five innings (and 100 pitches) as well, and it was small consolation that Snyder, Timlin & Lopez managed to stop the bleeding. By then the damage was done, and it was time to put this one behind us, too.

And so here we are, suffering another case of deja vu, this one flashing back to last season. Beckett started that season like gangbusters, too, before immaturity, control issues and longball problems submerged his first year in Boston, and the Sox enjoyed a comfy divison lead through July until the Stanks came to Fenway, executed the BM II, and derailed any postseason plans the Sox had been making.

But this team is too good, too deep, and too talented to stay in a funk like this for a prolonged period of time, and the veteran leadership won't allow a funk like this to faze them. They realize they can bust out of it any minute, and they also realize there's no way teams are going to face Schill, Beckett, Dice-K and Wake all in a week and defeat every one of them.

So we as a Nation just have to ride it out. The rock-n-rollin' Rockies have left town and the struggling Giants come to Fenway in a series that should see more booing of the opponent than any this side of a visit by the Stanks.

The question is, are we going to be booing just Barry, or are we going to be booing members of the home team as well?

NOTES:

• Boston did register 10 hits, two each by Manny, Lowell and Tek, had three walks and a man reach on an error, but stranded 14 baserunners
• Although the Sox held Willy Taveras in check (0-5), the 2-3 hitters, Matsui & Holliday, went 5-10 with two doubles, a homer, four runs scored and an RBI
• Papi went 0-3 with two Ks and a walk, while Manny continued his hot streak as his two hits raised his average to .293
• The Killer T's, Torrealba & Tulowitzki, had another three hits combined, and Tulo had that nice play on Drew as well
• Atkins diet: How off has Atkins been from last year? He mashed 29 homers and 120 ribbies while batting .329 in '06; this year-.242/5/28

QUOTES:

"It was a fun run. There's no way I take all the credit. If you're not striking everybody out, you need those eight guys behind you."--Beckett, brushing off the importance of his winning streak

"I know I'm a good hitter. I've had two bad months of swings, but we've got four months left."--Atkins, not lacking for confidence

"We're looking at maybe being up 2-1 with a full-fledged rally going. They turn it around in the top of the inning with a grand slam, so it's a big swing."--Tito, pun intended

RECORD: 41-24
AL EAST: Up 7 1/2 on NYY

STREAK: L-2
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Fri vs. San Fran 7EST

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Game Preview: Colorado @ Sox GM3

Francis (5-5, 3.81) vs. Beckett (9-0, 2.88)
Fenway Park 7EST

The Sox will try to put the memory of last night's 10-run debacle behind them, and they have just the right person on the mound to do it.

That's because Josh Beckett has picked up right where he left off before going on the DL May 19th; in three starts since his stint, Becks is 2-0 and has allowed 8 runs in 21.1 innings with 20 strikeouts and just four walks, and four of those runs came in a no decision against the Stanks.

Last time out Beckett was awesome, shutting down the D-backs on five hits and two earned runs with eight Ks and no walks over eight innings in a 10-3 Boston win. Tonight he probably won't need to be as dominant, but the way the Rocks hitters swung the bats against Schilling last night, he's gonna have to be pretty damn good.

Just like last night the Sox will be facing a pitcher who won't be making an All Star roster any time soon. Although rangy lefty Jeff Francis has pitched much better of late (4-1, 7 ERs in his last 36 innings) than he did earlier in the season (18ER in his previous 33.2IP), he's still the type of pitcher that a team like Boston should eat for lunch.

But the way no-name starters have had career performances against Boston in the last week or so, who knows what will happen.

Still, my money is on Beckett getting win #10 against no defeats and climbing to within four of Clemens' team record.

Unless Jeff Francis tosses a no-hitter, or something freaky like that happens.

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Rocks trounce Sox

Colorado 12, Sox 2
WP: Fogg (2-5)
LP: Schilling (6-3)
HRs: BOS- Lowell (12); COL- Hawpe (9)

This 3-run crush job by Brad Hawpe off Schill in the fifth put an exclamation point on Colorado's win

SUMMARY
Nothing to say about this one other than it was a good old fashioned ass kicking administered by a good young Rockies squad.

Nearly every Colorado player contributed to the offensive onslaught, while everyone from Curt Schilling to Julio Lugo played a part in Boston absorbing this brutal loss.

Meanwhile, the Stanks have won eight in a row and are now just 8 1/2 back.

HERO: Rockies batters 12 runs, 14 hits, 19 baserunners
Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit and five had multiple hits, five guys knocked in at least one run while two players had at least three ribbies, and the Rockies mashed five extra base hits.

GOAT: whole Boston team
The pitching? Atrocious. The fielding? Horrendous. The batting? Heinous- just seven hits and two runs against a pitcher that had lost four straight decisions and had an ERA over 5.00.

Not much went right tonight for Boston, and everyone on the field had a hand in it someway.

RECAP:
...hmmm hhmmmm hmmmmm...

... la di da di da di da....

...you know how people always say that their mom used to say if you don't have something nice to say about somebody then don't say anything at all?

Well if that wisdom applies to the sports world then I might as well end this post right here.

Because after what I witnessed on the field tonight, there is not one redeeming thing to say about one player that took the field for the Red Sox in this game.

Before Schill gets wind of this commentary and rips me a new one on his blog, I'm not saying they didn't try, or want to win, or were unprofessional in any way-

I'm just saying they sucked, tonight.

Bad.

Like a high-powered Hoover bad.

Like Paris Hilton on a first date bad.

Like the finale of the Sopranos (to some people) bad.

Hey, it happens, even to the best team in the league. It's the way it happened so quickly, and to so many members of the team at once, that was a bit alarming to the casual observer/over-zealous rabid fanatic.

Curt Schilling (5IP, 9H, 6R, 5ER, 1BB, 5K, 1HR) really got the suck wagon rolling when the Rockies touched him up for a run in the first and two more in the second, and by the end of two innings he'd already thrown 51 pitches and had given up six hits and two earned runs.

And that was the good part of his outing.

In his defense it wasn't all his fault; his defense had a lot to do with it. An error by Julio Lugo in the first inning allowed a runner to get in scoring position, his inability to field a grounder in the second that went right by his glove allowed run #2 to come in, and another gaffe by Lowell on a backhanded play led to Colorado's third run.

Despite all that the Boston batters got Schill right back in the game when they got to Fogg, who was coming off an outing where he allowed 11 hits and six runs in five innings, for a run in the second on a Monstah shot by Lowell (redemption for the error?) and an RBI single by Manny in the third that followed base hits by Youk (2-4) and Ortiz.

But Schill, who had been near-perfect his last time out, was nearly the exact opposite tonight. After he tossed a 1-2-3 fourth, Curt provided the Rockies with all the runs they would need to win the game in the fifth.

Kaz Matsui and Matt Holliday started things off with back-to-back singles to open the inning. When Schill quickly retired Todd Helton (fly out) and Garret Adkins (K), it looked like he might escape the jam and keep his team in the game.

And then he hung a splitter that didn't split to bad Brad Hawpe, and the burly rightfielder obliterated the pitch for a towering three-run homer deep into the right field bleachers that pushed the lead to 6-2 and crushed the spirit of Schill and the Sox.

Boston briefly had one more shot at making a game of it in the bottom of the inning, when Youk led off with a double, but after making it to third with two outs, J.D. Drew (0-3, 2Ks) struck out to end the last threat of the night.

Then came the top of the sixth, which ended the last shred of dignity Boston was hoping to salvage from this mess.

Kyle Snyder came in to relieve Schilling, and even the normally reliable and accurate righty wasn't immune to the bug that bit the team tonight.

Snyder walked three batters (1 intentionally) sandwiched around a couple of outs, and when the normally reliable 1-batter specialist Javier Lopez came on and served up a shot to left by Helton that Manny butchered into a 3-run double to make it 9-3, it was obvious there would be no miracle comeback tonight.

Feeling left out, Gascan Piniero made an appearance and in the 8th allowed three runs on three hits and a wild pitch that turned the game into an official laugher at 12-2. Thanks for coming.

By the time Lugo (appropriately) flied out to end the game, the crowd was sparse, the chilly grey skies were spitting rain, and the Sox and RSN were ready to put this massacre behind them and look forward to Josh Beckett going for win #10 tomorrow night.

Let's hope the old "used 'em all up tonight" adage applies to the Rockies in that one.

NOTES:

• The Terrible Ts: the phonetically challenging duo of Yorvit Torrealba and Troy Tulowitzki tore the Sox up tonight; the two combined to go 3-7 with five runs scored, and in the series the pair is Torrealba also had two hits in Game 1
• After striking out to end the game last night, Helton (1-4, 4 ribs) got the last laugh tonight with his soul-crushing double
• The top three Colorado batters (Taveras-Matsui-Holliday) went 7-13 with six runs scored and two RBIs one night after they combined to go 0-12
• Leadoff limbo: Coco wore the leadoff hat tonight, and turned in an 0-4 stinker. Lugo, meanwhile, is still batting 9th turned in an absolutely dreadful game, going 0-4 at the plate including a big strikeout with two men on in the fourth and numerous misplays in the field, including his 9th error of the season. "Hate to say I told you so..." (scroll down)
• Papi continues to rack up base hits. His single tonight marked the 11th time in the last 12 games he's had at least one hit
• Lowell had an odd night; he committed his 12th error in top of the second, then hit his 12th homer later in the bottom of the inning. He added another hit and now has 48 RBIs, 14 more than ManRam, but his error total is only two off his career high of 14, achieved in 159 games in 2002; he made six all of last year
• Back to "normal": Drew has begun to relegate his Arizona performance to a distant memory; in three games since his 6-hit barrage he is 0-7 with two Ks and he left three men on base tonight
• After a near no-no last week, Schill dispensed with any possible drama by allowing a hit to the first batter of the game; another "interesting" stat on Schill's outing: all six runs he allowed scored w/2 out (talk about not putting 'em away)
• Youk ripped two hits including his 19th double after going through a 3-15 spell
• Snyder had only allowed three runs in his last 10 appearances dating back to May 8th before getting charged with a trio tonight; he also had only walked three batters in his last six outings before the trio tonight. Freaky stuff tonight.

QUOTES:

"You get blown out like that, you can deal with it, not like a 4-3 loss."--Youk, taking the proper perspective

"I had a manageable, winnable game in the fifth and I gave up a three-run homer."--the ever frank and self-critical Schilling

"I'm more worried about going up there looking for strikes and not worried about who you're facing."--Hawpe, dipping into the cliche handbook regarding Schilling

RECORD: 41-23
AL EAST: Up 8.5 on NYY
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 4-6

UP NEXT: Thu 7P vs. COL

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Game Preview: Colorado vs. Sox GM2

Francis (1-5, 5.06) vs. Schilling (6-2, 3.49)
Fenway Park 7EST

Explain to me how a second-year sensation like Justin Verlander can toss a no-hitter against one of the best teams in the National league, but a big game legend and veteran of almost 20 major league seasons like Schill can't close the deal against the the slappy A's?

What's that, Verlander had a heater that reached 101 mph once and 99 repeatedly on the gun last night?

Never mind.

Anyway, Schill will take the hill tonight coming off the his best performance in a Sox uni in a long time, when he held Oakland hitless for 8 2/3 innings before Shannon Bleepin' Stewart lined a solid base hit to break up his bid for history.

No matter. The bigger picture for Boston is the continued improvement of the once-struggling ace, as he has allowed just five earned runs in his last 21 innings after surrendering 14 in his previous 24, picking up two wins and an ND in that time.

His opponent on the mound tonight will be Josh Fogg. The struggling righty, a native of Lynn, Lynn the City of Sin, has been in a fog of late (sorry, too easy), losing four straight and spending time on the DL in late May.

Fogg has allowed an astronomical 95 base runners (72 hits, 23 walks) in 58.2 innings of work, so Boston should be able to put some runs on the board after being stymied by Aaron Cook last night.

I believe another Sox win is in the cards, and who knows, maybe this time Schill will get that no-no.

Go Sox!

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Sox win in under 2 1/2 hours. Yes, it's true!

Sox 2, Colorado 1
WP: Wakefield (6-7)
LP: Cook (3-4)
SV: Papelbon (15)
HRs: None

SUMMARY
Tim Wakefield had a 1-0 shutout going thru seven innings, but he allowed a run in the eighth to tie the game. Extra innings, right? Wrong. The Sox bucked up and put a run on the board in the bottom of the frame, and Paps came on in the ninth to slam the door on the win-forcefully.

HERO: Wakefield 8IP, 4H, ER, BB, 3K
He had been battered worse than Paris Hilton's ego the past few weeks and saw his ERA balloon from 1.79 to 4.22, but tonight his knuckler was dancing like that cute little blond on Dancing With the Stars, and he set a season high for innings pitched.

GOAT: J. Affeldt 1/3IP, H, W
After his staffmate, starter Aaron Cook, had thrown an absolute gem for 8+ innings, and his teammates tied the game in the top of the inning, Affeldt came in and blew the game for them by giving up a double, a walk and a sac fly that plated the winning run.

RECAP
The Sox may have returned to an American League ballpark and played the game under AL rules, but the opponent and style of play said National League all the way.

A low scoring, one-run pitcher's duel that saw the three runs score on a double, single and sac fly and that clocked in at an astoundingly brisk 2:25 is almost an unknown entity in the free-swinging junior circuit, but over in the "turn the lineup over" NL, 2 1/2 hour games are a common occurrence.

Of course it always help to play the game quickly when both pitchers are tossing zeroes on the board like a couple of seniors throwing shoes at the local retirement center.

Wakefield and Cook engaged in a skill full battle of contrasting styles that made for a miserable night for the hitters but was captivating to watch. While Wake's flutterballs were confounding the Rockies, of whom only Todd Helton had faced him before, Cook's sinker was getting the Sox batters to pound more balls in the dirt than the Brokeback boys. (I know, it's old & stale, but it's all I got)

Boston grabbed an early run for Wakefield, and it was a good thing because he had allowed 26 earned runs in his last 5 starts.

Julio Lugo, batting in his new slot in the 9-hole, doubled with one out in the third. After Dustin Pedroia, who went 1-3 batting leadoff for the first time, grounded out and Lugo swiped third without a throw, Youk ripped a double down the right field line to easily score Lugo with the game's first run.

It would remain that way for four more innings; Boston mounted a couple of scoring chances against Cook but were foiled by a couple of DPs, the sinkerballer's best friend, and Wake was plain masterful, allowing just three base runners through the first seven innings but living on the edge with a mere one-run lead.

In the eighth he would slip off that edge, and the Sox hitters' failure to put another run or two on the board would come back to haunt them big time.

Brad Hawpe (1-3, R) led off the frame with a double to right, and just like that the tying run was in scoring position. After a flyball moved him to third, Wake got the fun-to-say Troy Tulowitzki to fly out to shallow right, and J.D. Drew's throw kept Hawpe nailed to the base. But two pitches late the funner-to-say Yorvit Torrealba (2-3, RBI) blooped a single to center to score Hawpe, and suddenly it seemed as if all of Wake's hard work was for naught.

Ah, naught so fast.

Thankful for what he had done for them and embarrassed by not being able to crack a guy with an ERA near 4 1/2, the Sox hitters staged a rally in the 8th that was, well, very NL-like.

Pedroia, who like Lugo took the news of the lineup switch in stride, laced a 2-2 pitch from Cook to center to lead off the inning, and with that Cook was out of the game. And as usually is the case when a manager removes a hot pitcher after he gets in a smidgen of trouble in favor of a cold reliever just to play the friggin percentages, things did not turnout well from Clint Hurdle.

Because Papi (3-3) patiently waited for his pitch from reliever Jeremy Affeldt and then roped his third offering for a laser to right field that missed clearing the bullpen wall by about six inches according to Rem Dog, setting up runners at second & third with no outs. Gulp.

After the obligatory walk to ManRam, the pressure fell on the fragile shoulder of Drew, who in his first game back home since his 7-RBI outburst in Phoenix had a chance to be the hero earlier in the game but GIDP'd.

But with the sacks packed all Drew needed to do was put the ball in the air deep enough to score pinch runner Alex Cora, and after working the count in his favor at 3-1, he did just that. His solid shot to center was plenty deep enough to score Cora with the go-ahead run, and now all that stood between Wake & the Sox getting the win or another heart wrenching loss was one Mr. Jonathan Papelbon.

It's no secret that Papelbon has been less-than-dominating since he blew his first save and allowed his first runs of the season in a May 1st loss against Oakland at Fenway. Since then he has allowed runs in three of 12 appearances, and he's given up nine hits in that time after allowing just two the whole month of April.

It's obvious that Paps was aware of this annoying minor slippage, and he set out to correct it tonight. He entered the electric atmosphere pumped and wasted no time proving to everyone watching that the real Paps is back.

Kaz Matsui? Sat down on a 96-mph heater.
Matt Holliday? Flied out after tasting 97-mph cheese
Todd Helton? Sit down and thanks for (not) coming, and say hello to John Henry on the way out.

After fanning Helton with 96 octane, the fireballing hurler was so amped he nearly jumped from the mound to the dugout, pumping his fists and screaming up into the cloudy night.

We know how you feel, Paps...

...the Nation loves these early, short games too!


NOTES:

• Papi had three hits (two singles and a double) to raise his average to a season-high .340, and he's hit in 9 of the last 10 games (15-38, .395), lifting his average 25 points
• Francona Magic: Tito's long-overdue lineup switch worked well as Lugo and Pedroia both figured prominently in the win. To his credit, Lugo handled the demotion with class, realizing he's still making $8 million/year no matter where he bats
• Colorado's first four batters-Taveras, Matsui, Holiday & Helton-were a combined 0-16. Yikes!
• Taveras had his 15-game hitting streak snapped
• Mirabelli had a rough game, going 0-3 with a strikeout and rally-killing DP
• Welcome home: Drew also had a lousy night at the plate, grounding out to the right side all three times before finally lofting the ball for the winner (baby steps)

QUOTES:

"On a night like tonight, I don't care how many times you've faced him. He was very good."--Tito on Wakefield, disregarding the Rockies' lack of experience in facing the knuckler

"He was commanding."--Tito on Papelbon

"I was in a situation where I wanted to get a pitch in a good part of the zone to be able to drive. I was fortunate to get in a 3-1 count with a pitch out over the plate. "--Drew with a spine-chilling description of the ever-thrilling game-winning sac fly

RECORD: 41-22
AL EAST: Up 9.5 on NYY
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Wed vs. COL 7EST

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Series Preview: Colorado @ Sox

Colorado Rockies (31-32)
NL WEST: 5.5 GB
STRK: W-2 LST 10: 6-4
AVG: .265 (4th in NL) ERA: 4.58 (12th)
HRs: 42 (14th) RUNS: 268 (12th)

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Tue 7EST Cook (4-2, 4.54) vs. Wakefield (5-7, 4.22)
GM2 Wed 7EST Fogg (1-5, 5.06) vs. Schilling (6-2, 3.49)
GM3 Thu 7EST Francis (5-5, 3.81) vs. Beckett (9-0, 2.88)

KEY PLAYERS:

• Matt Holliday (.352/10/46)--this category used to belong to the next guy, but the beefy, blossoming left fielder has taken over; he smacked 34 homers last year as soph, and this season he's taken his game to a ho... nuva...level, as in leading the NL in batting while placing ninth in OBP (.390), sixth in RBIs, third in slugging % and fourth in OPS (.976); needless to say he leads the Rocks in most major categories and should be heading to the All Star game as well
• Todd Helton (.332/6/29)--not long ago this was the man who represented the Rockies in the All Star game, and even more recently Boston tried to deal for him in the off season. But Helton's aging body (he's 33) and hefty contract (he's still owed $103 mil guaranteed for the next six years) helped nix the trade, and all Helton has done is rank fourth in batting, second in on base %, second in walks (46) and and second in OPS (.949) since; his name is still be bandied about in the rumour mill
• Brad Hawpe (.297/8/38)--the rightfielder has come into his own this season; he's second on the team in ribbies and third in total bases, and can also throw the rock from the field (3 assists)
• Willy Taveras (.321/31R/15SB)-- the speedy centerfielder has been on a tear and now ranks seventh in the league in batting, and his legs have got him fifth in the NL in thefts. He has hit safely in all nine games in June (14-43, .326), and much like his counterpart Coco Crisp, he is always a threat on the bases and in the field
• Brian Fuentes (2.15 ERA/18 svs)-- the hard-throwing closer is tied for third in the NL in saves and has a terrific strikeout/walk total (20/6)

PREVIEW:
The Rockies visit Fenway for the second time in history tonight as Boston plays its fist game since completing its long 7-game West Coast road trip on Sunday.

Colorado has changed its style from the years of the Blake Street Bombers; they still have boppers on the team, like Helton and Holliday, but gone are the heydays of guys like Burks-Bichette-Cashstealer-Walker slamming 35 homers apiece. That evidence can be found in the paltry home run and runs scored departments, categories which the team used to own back in the day.

The new Rockies squad is built more on old school beliefs like (don't laugh) pitching, speed and defense. The addition of slick centerfielder Willy Taveras and New York Mets bust Kaz Matsui has energized the team on the basepaths, in the field and in the lineup, and the emergence of Matt Holliday as a big time player has coincided nicely with the (supposed) deterioration of Helton.

Plus now they don't sit around waiting for a 3-run homer all night.

The Rockies pitching staff is adequate if not spectacular. After many failed, pricey experiments (Mike Hampton, hello!), the team decided to go with youth over dollars, err experience, and the results may not be a lot better, but they're certainly not worse.

Despite being last in the league in strikeouts and fourth in earned runs allowed the quartet of Josh Fogg, Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis and Jason Hirsch has posted a decent (for them) 13-18 record, but more importantly, are only making $7 1/2 million combined this year, or roughly half of what Hampton was averaging for a year.

Anyway, the Sox should welcome the return to its home turf, and even though Colorado is playing better and riding a little high right now, so were the D-Backs, and look what Boston did to them.

Wakefield will try to shed the troubles that have plagued him recently (1-4, 7.98 ERA in last five starts) when he takes on Colorado's Aaron Cook. The knuckler has not been dancing as nicley for Wake in the past month, but it only takes one staart to get it back.

Cook, a sinkerball specialist, has been getting hammered himself of late, allowing 10 earned runs in 13 innings over his last two starts, but prior to that he had enjoyed a four game winning streak.

If Wake can bounce back and he gets some offensive support, I believe it should be a fairly easy series for Boston looking at the following pitching matchups, and I predict a sweep heading into the big Giants series this weekend.

I do know one thing: at least this series will have an official ending! (Badda Bing!)

Go Sox!

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