Bullpen woes continue as Sox fall to Jays again

Toronto 10, Sox 2
WP: Litsch (1-0)
LP: Buchholz (0-1)
SV: None
HRs: Tor-Thomas (1)

Superstar: Jesse Litsch 5IP, 5H, 2ER, 3BB, 2K
He wasn't spectacular, but the former D-Rays bat boy from down here in Pinellas County pitched well enough to earn the win.

The Biggest Loser(s): the Boston bullpen 3IP, 5H, 3BB, 0K, 6ER, HR
For the second straight game the supposed strong suit of the Boston pitching staff shit the bed like an old timer at Sunny Acres nursing home. While starter Clay Buchholz kept the damage to a minimum, the duo of Kyle Snyder and Bryan Corey dumped a can of butane on the game and tossed a match to it.

You know it's pretty bad when Julie Tavarez (2.1IP, 1H) is the lone bright spot.

RECAP:
Thankfully I didn't have the misfortune of catching this game today.

Stop me if you've heard this before. Because it was the same opening I used for my last game recap, and the sorry thing is it is just as appropriate today as it was yesterday.

I did miss the game today, thanks to the f-ing FOX blackout that trumps the Extra Innings package, and I am glad I did because it appeared, from trying to follow it on GameCast, to be the type of game that many expletives would have been flung around, possibly along with some small, tossable objects (like my clickers need any more tape on them.)

This loss was especially painful because unlike the night before Boston actually held a lead today, albeit a slim and short-lived one. But when Manny (1-3, BB, BI) doubled Papi in for a 1-0 lead in the first, and then Mayor Casey, making his first start of the season, singled in JD Drew for a 2-1 lead in the top of the 4th, it looked as if the offense was going to get on track and Clay Buchholz (5IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, 2BB, 7K) was going to be able to put his horrible spring behind him and get the club back on the winning track.

In the words of coach Corso, not so fast my friends.

The high-fiving for Casey's first Red Sox ribbie barely subsided before the team would soon be lamenting his first Boston error, and it proved to be a costly one, too. In the bottom of the 4th Lyle Overbay (2-4, R, BI) singled with one out, Aaron Hill reached on a bunt single, and after Marco Scutaro walked to load the bases, 9th place hitter Ger Zahn hit a routine grounder to first that should have been an inning-ending double play.

Except the man who just set the consecutive game errorless streak for a first baseman, Kevin Youkilis, wasn't on the bag today, and his replacement, Casey, booted the ball for a 2-run, 2 base error that gave the Jays a 3-2 lead, and when David Eckstein (2-5, R, 3BI) followed with an RBI single it was just about over.

Not that a 2-run deficit would be impossible to overcome, but the Sox batters have been unable to muster any substantial offense against the Jays pitchers, and once again the bully was abysmal when called on to hold the game to a manageable deficit.

Kyle Snyder continued his rapid descent to being a has-been reliever when he gave up two walks, a sacrifice and a wild pitch to the three batters he faced, and Bryan Corey continues to make the Nation wonder why the fuck Theo ever picked him up last year when he immediately allowed RBI hits to Eckstein, Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and then a 2-run blast by Frank Thomas to cap a 6-run sixth inning and turn a close contest into a rout.

For his efforts this season Snyder (1.2IP, 2H, 2BB, 4ER, 21.60ERA) was shown the door after the game, given his outright release, but the question remains what to do about the hemorrhaging pitching staff. None of the starters have turned in a dominant performance so far this season, and not only has the bully not been a strength, but it has appeared to be more unstable than Britney Spears on crank.

What's that, the ace, savior and shoulda-been Cy Young winner Josh Beckett comes off the DL to start the nationally televised contest against the Jays' Roy Halladay tomorrow afternoon?

Well in that case, never mind.

Thankfully I will be able to catch that one.

RECORD: 3-2
AL EAST: 1 GB
UP NEXT: Sun @ TOR, 1:00EST, TBS HD

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See saw game sees Jays pull out the win

Toronto 6, Sox 5
WP: Marcum (5-3)
LP: Snyder (1-2)
SV: Accardo (12)
HRs: BOS-Manny (12)

SUMMARY
Boston survived another shaky start by Julian Tavarez and overcame an early two-run deficit to take a one-run lead after three innings.

But after Julie left the game Kyle Snyder couldn't hold the lead, surrendering two runs with two outs in the sixth and the Jays would hang on for the win.

#1 STUNNER Alex Rios 3-4, 2-2B, R, GW RBI
Talk about riding an All Star high.

The HR Derby runner up continued to feast on Boston pitching, notching his second three-hit game in a row including a double that knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth, and with two of the hits coming off Julian Tavarez, who he absolutely owns (see bleow.).

PAN's FAUN Snyder 1.2IP, 2H, 2ER, 1BB
Things started out okay for Kyle when he retired the first four batters he faced in relief of Tavarez, but Toronto scored two runs with two outs in the sixth to turn what looked like a nice Sox win into a tough-luck loss.

RECAP
I got one thing to say about this game:

What the hell happened?

I spent the day getting toasted at the beach, in more ways than one of course, and after I got home, grilled the wife & I some dinner and plopped down on the couch for the game, I was more than a little bit spent.

So I was thrilled to see the Sox take another early lead when Manny followed a two-out single single by Ortiz by ripping an offering from Jays starter Shaun Marcum (6IP, 7H, 3ER, 1BB, 6K) over the Monster for a two-run jack and a quick 2-0 Boston lead.

And I was still coherent enough to remember Tavarez, who allowed at least two base runners in each of the first four innings, coughing up the lead in the third when Toronto strung together four hits, a hit batter and a walk to plate four runs and grab the lead back from Boston.

The damage could have been worse, but the Sox cut down a run at the plate when Manny & Lugo sent perfect relay throws to Tek on a double by Gregg Zaun to nail Aaron Hill trying to score, keeping the game at 4-2.

But it was in the bottom half of the inning that I started to get a little drowsy from a devastating combo of sun, beer and my big comfy couch, so I was happy to see Boston slap three runs on the board to take a 5-4 lead before I completely nodded off.

J. D. Drew got the inning started with a hustle double to left on a ball that got between Troy Glaus and the bag at third and trickled into the outfield. Unfortunately Drew would leave the game later after re aggravating his balky hammy on the play. Figures.

Anyway, Dustin Pedroia did his duty by grounding out and getting Drew to third, and with Papi coming up it looked like a run in the books for sure for Boston.

Except this David Ortiz isn't the same Ortiz that would capitalize on a situation like this time and time again over the past few seasons thanks to his myriad ailments, and when Marcum got him to line out to short on a check swing it looked like the scoring chance would be wasted.

It was up to Manny, who like Rios is another member of the All Star team riding high since his return to action, to pull out a clutch two-out hit. He had already driven in five runs in the series, and with first base open you would think Marcum would be careful with him.

Nope. Manny (2-5, R, 3BI) roped Marcum's third pitch for a solid single to left center, scoring Drew for his third RBI of the game and slashing the Sox deficit to 4-3. Still, there were two outs and a man on first, so it looked like they'd have to settle for just the one run.

Not so fast my friend.

The Sox got a gift when Troy Glaus butchered Kevin Youkilis' grounder for an inning-extending error, and Mike Lowell, the Sox other hot All Star and leading RBI man went to work on erasing the deficit completely.

Lowell, he of the team-leading 64 ribbies, worked the count to 3-1 before uncorking a towering drive to straightaway center that bounced high off the wall, along with center fielder Vernon Wells, scoring Ramirez & Youk easily on the veteran's 2nd three bagger of the season.

Okay, his name change is now official: Mike Lowell, Professional Hitter/RBI Guy.

Although Tek would fan to end the inning, the damage was done, the Sox had a 5-4 lead, and now I could start to relax a little bit more.

This is when I started to fade in & out of consciousness. I remember Julie working into and out of trouble in the fourth, the Sox go down meekly in the bottom of the frame, and then Tavarez get pulled after allowing a leadoff single to Glaus (2-4, R, RBI, BB) in the fifth.

And then I blacked out.

When I awoke I was wondering what day & time it was, then I looked at the set and saw that it was the bottom of the sixth and Toronto had pulled ahead, 6-5.

What the hell happened?

Thankfully (or not) through the magic that is the DVR I was able to find out what happened, and as you can surmise, it wasn't good for Boston.

Snyder came in to relieve Julie in the fifth and induced a fly out and then a line-out double play to escape the inning unscathed, then he retired the first two batters in the sixth before allowing a two-out walk to Vernon Wells (0-4, R,BB.)

No biggie, right?

Wrong again. Pesky Reed Johnson (2-4, 2R, BI) sizzled a 2-2 pitch from Snyder into right for an RBI double, and suddenly the game was tied, the go-ahead run was in scoring position and Toronto's hottest hitter, Rios, was at the plate.

Three pitches later Rios had his third hit of the evening, a wall-scraper double that plated Johnson with the lead run, and Snyder was out of the game, one batter too late and not able to get that elusive final out.

Mike Timlin did, though, when he got Frank Thomas to fly out to deep center to end the inning, and the Sox had to feel confident about their chances to score one run over the next four innings.

Wrong again.

A combination of relievers Scott Downs and Casey Janssen shit down the Sox in the 7th and 8th, and when Janssen allowed a two-out double to Cap'n Tek in the 8th, Jays manager John Gibbons brought in closer Jeremy Accardo to get the increasingly common four-out save.

Accardo, who has filled in nicely with high-priced bust BJ Ryan on the DL again, got Coco to pop out harmlessly to short to end the threat, then all he had to do was set down the Sox in the 9th to preserve the win.

That wasn't as easy as it sounds. Wait, that doesn't even sound easy. Ah fuck it...

Julio Lugo (1-4) led off the ninth with a sharp single to right to get the tying run on board, and after Wily Mo, who replaced Hinske who replaced Drew, whiffed (of course), Lugo stole second and Pedroia followed with a gritty 3-2 walk.

So the scene was set. The potential tying run was in scoring position, the potential winning run (in the form of pinch runner Alex Cora) was on first, and the Big Boppers were coming to the plate--a golden opportunity for a seldom seen (this year) walk-off win for the Sox.

Only it wasn't meant to be.

Papi, who must be hurting from the way he missed this pitch, flied out harmlessly to center, and once again it was up to Manny to come through with two outs to save the day.

Although he did hit a solid drive to right the ball was easily caught by Rios (appropriately), and the Sox still cannot seem to put together a decent winning streak unless they are playing the D-Rays.

Speaking of, the Rays knocked off the Stanks and his highness Roidger Clemens tonight down at the Trop.

So we got that going for us.

NOTES

• The Sox tallied 10 hits while the Jays had 12 base knocks
• Drew was replaced by Eric Hinske in the fourth, went 0-1, and was then replaced for pinch hitter Wily Mo in the seventh; Pena singled in that at bat, his first pinch hit in 11 tries this season
• Timlin had another terrific outing (2.1IP, 0H, 0R, K) and has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances
• Joel Pineiro came off the DL and pitched the ninth; he got two quick outs before allowing a double to Thomas and a walk to Glaus, giving way to Javier Lopez, who struck out Overbay to end the inning
• Manny's homer was #582 of his career and 54th against the Jays, his most vs. any team
• As I mentioned above, Rios absolutely owns Tavarez. The slugger is 10-14 lifetime against Julie with two doubles, a triple and a homer. Yikes.

QUOTES

"He may take it to a new level now that he's played in that All-Star game. I think he probably enjoyed that."--Gibbons on Rios

"I'm seeing the ball good. The first couple games I've felt great."--Rios. Thanks Captain Understatement!

"We've seen David [win games] so often. Then Manny rifles the ball to right but it didn't find the outfield grass. It was a great swing."--Tito on the disappointing ending

RECORD: 54-35
AL EAST: Up 10 on TOR, NYY
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sat v TOR 7:o5

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Not again! Sox lose another heartbreaker

Oakland 5, Sox 4 (11)
WP: Casilla (1-0)
LP: Snyder (1-1)
HRs: BOS-Papi (10), Pena (4); OAK- Chavez (8), Ellis (4)

SUMMARY:
After tying the game in the 9th off old friend Alan Embree, Boston couldn't hang on and pull out a win as Kyle Snyder allowed a homerun to Eric Chavez with two outs in the bottom of the 11th to send the Sox to another heartbreaking defeat.

HERO: (a game like this, there's gotta be more than one)

1. Chavez-- hit a homer to win the game, you're a hero
2. Dan Haren-- the A's starter threw a gem and should have had a win until his pen blew it
3. Mark Ellis-- Oakland's second sacker hit for 6th cycle in A's history
4. Wily Mo Pena-- his homer brought the Sox back from the dead, and his single tied the game in the bottom of the 9th

GOAT: (ditto)

1. Kyle Snyder--allow a homer to lose the game, you're a goat
2. Joel Pineiro--gave up the A's fourth run in the 8th; if he didn't, it might never have come down to the 11th
3. Nick Swisher--the A's best hitter went 0-6 with 3 Ks-ugh!
4. Tito Francona--why was Pineiro allowed to come back out for the 9th? He almost blew the game right there
5. Alan Embree--the former Sox reliever allowed 4 hits and 2 runs in 1 1/3 and almost blew this win for the A's

RECAP:
I thought they left these games behind them on the East coast?

After playing a topsy-turvy game last night against the Stanks that lasted four hours, had a terrible outcome and produced enough indigestion to fell Hogzilla, the Sox flew 3000 miles overnight and played in another agita-inducing four-hour marathon that ended at 1:36 EST and had just as disappointing result.

For the second consecutive night (actually, both games ended within 25 hours of each other) the Sox hurlers wasted a spectacular comeback by the offense and lost the game on a solo home run by the opponent in its final at bat.

That hurts.

Last night it was A-Rod who sunk the Sox with a game-winner off Papelbon in the 9th; tonight it was slumping Eric Chavez who launched a scud over the rightfield wall at Whatever Theyr'e Calling It Now Stadium in Oakland, sending the A's fans in the crowd home happy and the Sox back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.

Just like I said after last night's game, I don't have the ability or the desire to describe everything that just happened on the field, so I'm gonna keep it short and, well, short.

The game was pretty cut & dried for about 8 innings- Dan Haren pitched a gem, taking a 4-2 lead into the 8th and setting down 17 straight Sox at one point, while Mark Ellis (4-5, R, 3RBI) provided all the offense with a two-run triple and solo homer- and all Oakland had to do was retire the Sox in the 9th to earn the much-deserved win.

But before you can say 'where are they now?', former Sox bullpen battlehorse Alan Embree gave up a leadoff double to Papi (3-4, HR, 2-2Bs, 2R, RBI) to lead off the 9th, and a pich hit RBI single by Captain Tek to get the Sox withing one, and a deep single to right center by Wily Mo that scored pinch runner Coco Crisp easily from first, and the game was suddenly, miraculously, tied at four.

After Joel Pineiro & J.C. Romero worked their way into-and then out of-a bases loaded, no out jam in the bottom of the 9th, the game was headed to extra innings, and most of the team had to be cursing Bud Selig's dreadful amphetamine ban.

Ah, nothing like extra innings on a West Coast game!

Dustin Pedroia, who batted leadoff in this game, led off the 10th with a single, his only hit of the night, extending his streak to 14 games. But we found out what Youk claimed last week-Pedroia can't run for shit, because when Papi blasted a pitch from Embree all the way to the wall, almost any other player except the catchers would have scored on the blast.

Pedroia, however, was dead meat at the plate.

Riding that adrenaline rush, Ellis dumped a single to shallow center with one out in the 10th to achieve the rare cycle, but the A's couldn't bring him around to score as Snyder came in to retire Shannon Stewart and Travis Buck to end a 2-on, 1-out threat.

Snyder wouldn't be so fortunate in the 11th.

Nick Swisher and Dan Johnson were easily retired to start the inning, but then up stepped Eric Chavez. The proud vet is in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a pro, yet as I stupidly said in my preview post, no matter what he's batting he is still always a dangerous hitter.

As if to prove my point, Chavvy took the third offering from Snyder and deposited it over the wall in right for the walk-off win, and a group of tired and demoralized Sox staggered off the field in search of warm beds and hot pitching.

Maybe tomorrow with Dice-K on the mound.

As long as he stays away from the sushi at Fisherman's Wharf.

NOTES:

• Papi's homer in the first inning was his first longball in 20 games, a span of 64 ABs, the longest drought of his Red Sox career; his three hits raised his average to a season-high .333
• Pedroia, who needed extra frames to extend his hitting streak, is from nearby Woodland, Ca. and will have a number of family & friends on hand for each game of the series (god knows there's room in the stands)
• Santiago Casilla, a 26-year old righty and 3-year vet, picked up his first major league win
• The blown save was Embree's first in exactly two years, when he was with Boston
• J.D. Drew returned from a mini-layoff to rest his hammy and singled in his first at bat; he wound up 1-3 with 2 Ks and was lifted for pinch hitter Tek in the 9th
• For the fifth time this year Tavarez, the Sox 5th starter, had to face the opponent's ace, and although he pitched decently again-5.1IP, 9H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K, HR-Haren was just better
• With the late game last night, early arrival and long flight, Tito rested Coco, Lugo, Lowell and Tek to start the game, but by the end of the night every Sox position player had seen playing time in some form or another

QUOTES:

"Maybe Eric Chavez will find a pitch to his
liking and send us home."

"Are you calling it?"

"I'm hopefully calling it."

--A's announcer Ray Fosse to partner Duane Kuiper immediately before Chavez' game winner

RECORD: 37-19
STRK: L-2
LST 10: 6-4
AL EAST: Up 10
UP NEXT: Tue @ OAK 10P EST

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