Series Preview: Rays @ Sox

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

Season Series: 3-3

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

KEY RAYS:

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

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

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

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

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

Bizarro baseball indeed!

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

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

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

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

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

Anyone for a repeat?

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

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

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

Ouch.

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

No problem, right?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

STFU!

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

A quick recap of the current and past walking wounded:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why?

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

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

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

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

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

Now that's what I call depth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

All together now: "Ay, Papi!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ah, not quite.

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

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

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

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

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

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Game Preview: Sox @ Orioles GM4

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

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

Two notes here:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See, unlucky.

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

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Manny homers again as Colon goes to 3-0

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

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

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

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

RECAP:
No Papi? No problem.

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

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

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

With production like that who needs Ortiz, right?

Kidding, kidding.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But the next two hits would not be caught.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Game Preview: Sox @ Orioles GM3

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which means he's about due for a letdown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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500th clubbed: Manny's milestone powers Sox to win

Sox 6, Orioles 3
WP: Aardsma (2-1)
LP: Cormier (0-2)
SV: Papelbon (16)
HRs: BOS-Pedroia (4), Ortiz (13), Ramirez (10); BAL-Roberts (4)

Bye bye baseball, hello Hall of Fame

SUMMARY:
Manny Ramirez became the 24th member of the 500 home run club when he belted an opposite field blast in the seventh inning off Chad Bradford, and Boston used a trio of homers to defeat the error prone Orioles for the second night in a row.

SUPERSTAR: Ramirez 1-5, R, RBI, HR
He only got one hit, but that one hit ensured his ticket to Cooperstown. So it was a pretty big one.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Bradford 1/3IP, 1H, 1R, 1HR
The sidearmer was brought in for one reason - to get Manny out. Instead Manny put it out, and in the process put Bradford's name in the record book, forever to be known as "the man who surrendered Manny Ramirez' 500th home run."

RECAP:
One day after celebrating his 36th birthday Manny Ramirez got the present he'd been waiting all year for - a free trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When Ramirez carved his 500th career home run to right field in the seventh inning of tonight's win over Baltimore, he capped a season long vigil that began with a bang but had been reduced to a nerve-racking whisper. He began the year with six homers in his first 17 games, but then he went more than 10 games without a homer twice before hitting two in the past four games to finally reach the magic mark.

"I'm just happy everything's done for now," Ramirez said. "I can go be myself and have fun."

Like he ever had a problem doing that, 500 lb monkey hanging off his dreads or no.

The homer was the icing on the cake of what has been an enjoyable couple of days in the Inner Harbor for the Bosox.

After snapping a 1-5 skid with a hard fought and satisfying 13-inning win early Saturday morning that featured key contributions from nearly every member of the bullpen, tonight they fought back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 before pulling away late, thanks to Manny's milestone and some sloppy play by the bumbling Birds.

Wonder what Sunday has in store?

The night started off on a bad note when Jon Lester (5IP, 7H, 3ER, 3BB, 4K, HR, 103P) allowed a pair of runs in the second inning on a walk, a passed ball and a pair of RBI singles by Jay Payton and Adam Jones, but Boston got those two runs right back when Pedroia and Papi hit back-to-back jacks off O's starter Garrett Olson (5IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K, 2HR, 89P) in the top of the third.

It was the fourth time this year Boston has hit back to back home runs, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

Unfortunately Lester gave the lead right back when Baltimore's version of Pedroia, Brian Roberts, hit his fourth homer of the season into the left field bleachers to give the Birds a 3-2 lead.

But once again Boston came right back, this time off reliever Lance 'don't call me Rheal' Cormier. Cormier retired Manny on two pitches but then hit Mike Lowell two pitches later, balked him to second two pitches after that, and after allowing an infield single to Kevin Youkilis, gave up the game-tying hit when Cap'n Tek (3-4, RBI) slammed a single to left.

With the game all square again it was time for the historic heroics.

David Aardsma, one of the few pen men who didn't contribute to last night's victory, relieved Lester and threw a 1-2-3 sixth and then Jacoby Ellsbury, who stole three bases for the second consecutive game (!), led off the seventh with a blistering triple to deep right center, and it was just a matter of time before the Sox brought him home.

Sure enough one out later Ortiz (1-3, R, 2BI) greeted reliever Jamie Walker with a towering sac fly to left that scored Ellsbury with ease, and then O's manager Dave Trembley made his second mistake of the inning when he brought in Chad Bradford to face Ramirez.

The sidewinding vet had spent 2005 with the Sox, so you know he knew all about Manny's tendencies. Like how he loves to swing at the first pitch if he thinks he knows what's coming.

He did, and he pounced on the pitch and drove it deep into the right field seats for the history-making blast, and with arms raised and in full pose mode Manny became a member of a special if not exactly rare group of sluggers who have reached the once exclusive 500 homer club.

The Sox tacked on another run in the 8th when Youk got hit by a pitch, moved to third on a single by tek and scored on a double play grounder by Coco Crsip, and after Okajima tossed a scoreless frame in the bottom of the 8th, Papelbon caused a few nervous moments when he allowed a hit an a walk in the 9th before a base running blunder by the Birds led to a game-ending double play and another road win.

But the fact that Boston won back to back road games for the first time since May 5th & 6th at Detroit, or that they stole 9 bases in two games, or that Baltimore made 6 errors in the two losses and generally played like a Little League team both nights, none of those things mattered.

This night belonged to Manny.

You can call him maddening and you can call him mercurial, you can call him child-like and you can call him Manny being Manny.

But one thing you have to call him is one of the most impressive and feared hitters of all time, and five years after he hangs up his 'do rag for good you'll be able to call him a Hall Of Famer.

Congrats Manny, and happy belated birthday.

RECORD: 34-24
AL EAST: 1GB
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sun @ BAL 1:35 Colon vs. Burres

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Lucky 13: Sox beat Baltimore in extra innings

Sox 5, Orioles 2 (13 inn)
WP: Timlin (3-3)
LP: Bradford (2-2)
SV: Papelbon (15)
HRs: BOS-None; BAL-Huff (9)

SUMMARY:
After Boston and Baltimore played to a 2-2 tie in regulation, the teams traded chances in extra innings until Melvin Mora's critical error in the 13th paved the way for Mike Lowell's game winning hit.

SUPERSTAR: Lowell 3-5, R, 2B, 2BI
He knocked in the second run of the game with a sac fly way back in the first inning, then drove home a more important one when he laced a single down the left field line to score Manny from second base with the game winner in the 13th.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Mora 0-6, 3K, 2E
Is it possible to have a worse game than this? I think not.

RECAP:
The Red Sox finally got a win on the road, and they got it the old fashioned way - they earned it.

After a scintillating start from Josh Beckett (6IP, 4H, 2ER, 3BB, 10K, 118P) resulted in a tie ballgame after six innings, it appeared as if the shaky Sox pen would surely hand the game to the Orioles eventually.

But something funny happened on the way to a complete bullpen meltdown - six Sox relievers combined to shut the O's down for seven innings, leaving the Boston batters with plenty of chances to pull out this much needed road win.

Which they did. Eventually.

And thus on the same day Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the disabled list, Manny Ramirez turned 36 years old and the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987, the Red Sox staged another comeback victory over the pesky Orioles thanks to some solid pitching and shoddy defense.

Did I mention the Sox also stole a team record six bases?

Talk about a memorable day in Beantown sports history.

When the game began it looked like it would be a potentially easy win for Boston.

They scored four minutes and five pitches into the contest, when Jacoby Ellsbury (3-7, R, 2 2B) led off with a double, Dustin Pedroia sacrificed him to third and David Ortiz brought him home with a single. They tacked on another run when Manny doubled Ortiz to third and Lowell drove in Papi with a sac fly, and less than 10 minutes into the game it was 2-0 Boston with Beckett yet to pitch.

Who knew it would be over 4 1/2 hours before the sox would score again.

With Matsuzaka on the DL Boston needs Beckett to be the Beckett of last year, and for the most part this evening he was, save for a couple of lapses that let Baltimore right back in the game.

One of those laspes came in the second, although the run Baltimore scored wans't all Beckett's fault.

He did allow back-to-back singles by Kevin Millah and Luke Scott to set up a 1st & 3rd, one out situation, but it was a terrible throw by Jason Varitek that sailed into center field as Scott tried to steal second that let the first Oriole run score.

The tying run was all Beckett's fault, though, when he served up a leadoff homer to Audrey Huff in the 4th inning to tie the game at two. It was Beckett's 11th homer allowed this season, putting him on pace for a 2006-like 33 for the season.

Yikes.

While erratic Baltimore starter Daniel Cabrera (7IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 2K) settled down after the first inning to hold the Sox scoreless through seven, Beckett also settled down a bit and even struck out four straight Oriole batters from the 5th into the 6th innings.

Then things got crazy as Becks walked three straight batters to load the bases with two outs, and you got the feeling you were witnessing some kind of Jekyll/Hyde performance from the former ace.

But Beckett got Adan Jones to strike out to end the threat, and at 118 pitches thrown it was the end of the night for him.

As a lump formed in the Nation's throat over the prospect of the bullpen being responsible for a tie ballgame, the pen men banded together and did something they hadn't been able to do all year - string together multiple shutout innings.

First Hideki Okajima (2IP, 1H, 1K), then Manny Delcarmen (1IP, 1H, 1BB, 1K), then Javier Lopez (1/3IP, 1H) held the Orioles scoreless through the 10th inning, and even Craig Hansen (1.2IPP, 1BB, 2K) and Mike Timlin (1IP, 1H, 2BB, 1K) managed to escape their innings unscathed, although Tired Arm had to work his way out of a bases loaded jam in the 12th.

Following that tightrope act Boston finally cracked the equally impressive corps of Baltimore relievers, but it would take some truly sloppy defense to get this game over with.

Jamie Walker came on to relieve Fat Matt Albers, who did an impressive job (3IP, 1H, 1BB, 2K) for Oriole manager Dave Trembley, and things immediately went downhill from there.

First catcher Ramon Hernandez dropped a foul pop off the bat of Ortiz (2-6, 2B, R, BI) for an error, and although Walker retired Papi anyway the gaffe set the tone for what was to follow.

The costly mistake came two pitches later, when Melvin Mora airmailed a routine grounder by Manny over Millar's head at first, enabling Ramirez to trot to second and opening the floodgates for Boston.

Three pitches later Lowell ripped a single to left that scored the birthday boy Ramirez easily with the go-ahead run, and after an infield hit by Youk, reliever Dennis Sarfate was greeted with a double steal and then a 2-run error by shortstop Freddie Bynum, who threw a mile wide of first on a routine grounder by Coco Crisp to make the score 5-2, effectively ending the long night right there.

Jonathan Papelbon, who hadn't pitched in a few days, tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the 13th, thanks to a terrific barehanded play by Lowell on a high hopper by Jones, and after he fanned Brian Roberts looking to end the game, he let out his patented primal scene that signalled the end of a long, but satisfying, night in Baltimore.

Now the question is does Jon Lester have it in him to throw another no hitter tomorrow, because the chances that this bullpen can throw another three-four scoreless frames are slim and none.

RECORD: 33-24
AL EAST: 1 GB
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sat @ BAL 7:05 Lester vs. Olson

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Sox Drawer: Matsuzaka to the DL

The results of the MRI on Daisuke Matsuzaka's shoulder revealed a mild strain of the rotator cuff and the team decided to place the undefeated starter on the disabled list retroactive to Wednesday.

The good news is that the damage was minor and Dice-K feels well enough that he thought he could pitch through the discomfort, but luckily he is not in charge of such decisions and the Boston brass opted to protect its $101 million investment and let him rest for 15 days before reevaluating his condition.

This makes Dice K the third Sox starter to make a trip to the DL this season, following Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz, but luckily for Boston the rotation is deep enough, especially with the addition of Bartolo Colon, to weather this latest setback.

Plus Buchholz is due back soon and Justin Masterson is just a phone call away, so hopefully this situation won't come back to bite Boston in the ass.

To take Matsuzaka's place on the roster Jeff Bailey, who was already summoned to Baltimore from Pawtucket in preparation for this scenario, was activated.

Another day, another setback for the defending champs. Time for someone (ahemJoshBeckett) to step up and fill the void created by losing the AL leader in wins and second leading ERA man.

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Series Preview: Sox at Baltimore

Baltimore Orioles (26-26)
AL EAST: 5 GB
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 3-7
BA: .247 (13th in AL)
RS: 218 (11)
HRs: 52 (6)
ERA: 4.13 (8)
RA: 228 (8)
SV: 18 (2)

Season Series: O's lead, 2-0

4 game series at Camden Yards
Game 1 Friday 7:05
Beckett (5-4, 4.43) vs. Cabrera (5-1, 3.70)
Game 2 Saturday 7:05
Lester (3-3, 3.55) vs. Olson (4-1, 4.09)
Game 3 Sunday 1:35
Colon (2-0, 2.25) vs. Burres (4-4, 4.15)
Game 4 Monday 7:05
Wakefield (3-4, 4.70) vs. Guthrie (2-6, 3.64)

Key Orioles:
- OF Nick Markakis .251/9HR/24BI/28R/33BB/.367OBP although the talented young right fielder isn't hitting for average he is leading the team in homers and on base percentage and is third in the AL in walks. Plus he's a very good fielder.

- LF Luke Scott .247/6HR/19RBI/16R/11 2B one of the players acquired in the Miggy Tejada trade, Scott has come on of late, banging 5 of his homers and knocking in 11 runs in May. Plus he's not an egomaniac addicted to PEDs, so I'd say it's worked out for the Birds

- RP George Sherrill 1-1/3.57ERA/17SV/1.19WHIP Mr Wide Brim has been a savior since coming over from Seattle in the Eric Bedard trade, posting the second most saves in the league and providing stability to what was once a shaky pen

PREVIEW:
As the Sox get ready to take on the Orioles this weekend suddenly there are more questions than answers surrounding this once rock solid club.

-Is Daisuke Matsuzaka going to miss one start, many starts or no starts?

-Can the Sox make it to the trading deadline within shouting distance of first place with a bullpen that is leakier than R. Kelly?

-When the hell is Manny gonna hit #500 and get back to his *normal self (*I use that term loosely)

-If the team does make the playoffs, will they be the MLB equivalent of the cross- town Celtics, unbeatable at home but unwatchable on the road?

These are the burning questions currently racing through the minds of everyone in the Nation as Boston opens its four game set against the fourth place Orioles in a wraparound series at Camden Yards tonight.

Don't expect me to provide the answers as I'm just as perplexed about this team than anyone else. I mean how does a club that is one of the best offensive teams in the majors fail so miserably on the road like this one has?

Entering tonight's game Boston is a stunning 21-5 at Fenway and a staggering 11-19 away from home, a disparity unmatched by any other team in the league. The Cubs would be the closest to this type of differential, with a 23-8 home mark and 11-13 road record, but that doesn't come close to Boston's bipolar home/road swing.

With the word on Dice-Ks shoulder yet to come from the front office, Boston will need last year's ace, Josh Beckett, to start performing like the near Cy Young winner he was last year.

At this time a year ago Beckett, not Matsuzaka, was the one with a perfect record, positing an identical 8-0 mark through May 29th en route to a 20 win season. This year, after being derailed by a back problem early on, Beckett has struggled with his command at times, although he has shown signs of coming around in his last two starts.

With the starting staff in flux the bullpen has been counted on more than ever, yet the group that was one of the best in the league last year has been a major disappointment this season. Three pen men have ERAs over 5.00 (Delcarmen, Hansen & Timlin), three have already been released by the team (Corey, Tavarez and Snyder), and the decent three (Okajima, Aardsma and Papelbon) have all had their struggles as well.

Look no one is asking these guys to be perfect, especially as much as they've been asked to pitch, but it seems like every time Tito has to go to the pen now you just roll your eyes, cross your fingers and pray that the guys he calls on can make it through the game unscathed.

Not exactly a heartwarming feeling for a potential championship club.

Basically Boston needs to take three of four this weekend, both to save its spot in the standings (currently 1 game behind the Rays and four in front of Baltimore) and to salvage a little respectability on the road before the inability to win away from Fenway turns into an albatross of Celtic proportions.

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Sox Drawer: Still undecided on Dice K, Sox call up Bailey

The Red Sox recalled Pawtucket outfielder Jeff Bailey yesterday and had him meet the team in Baltimore, although his activation to the roster is dependant on whether or not they place pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled.

That decision will come after the results of Dice K's MRI are examined this morning.

Bailey, who had a cup of coffee with the big club last summer and even hit a homer off Detroit's Nate Robertson, has been one of the hottest hitters in the International League over the past few weeks.

He is currently 8th in the league in hitting (.318), 3rd in homers (16) and 2nd in RBI (44) after a recent power surge in which he's hit 6 long balls and knocked in 14 runs in his last eight games. That includes three multi homer-games and three games in which he had at least 3 RBI (he had five in one game).

But the big news is not the addition of yet another talented position player ready to step in and contribute at the major league level, a la Brandon Moss, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and Joe Thurston.

The main concern is obviously Dice K's shaky shoulder and the probability that he will have to miss at least one start if not more. Just how bad is the shoulder - skip Tuesday's turn bad, or miss a couple of weeks and cross fingers & toes that it all goes away in that time bad?

That is the $101 million dollar question facing the Nation right now.

Stay tuned.

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Road Kill: Sox lose pitcher's duel in Seattle

Mariners 1, Sox 0
WP: Bedard (4-3)
LP: Wakefield (3-4)
SV: Putz (6)
HRs: SEA-Betancourt (3)

SUMMARY:
Tim Wakefield and Erik Bedard both pitched brilliantly but Wake made one mistake - he hung a pitch that Yunieski Betancourt hit out of the park in the 3rd inning - and that turned out to be the only run of the ballgame.

And so the Red Sox road woes continue as Boston lost for the fifth time in six games on this latest trip, and just like last night's walk-off loss this was another extremely painful defeat.

SUPERSTAR: Bedard 7IP, 2H, 3BB, 8K, 109P
The only reason he gets the call over Wakefield is because of that one bad pitch. Other than that Wake matched the former Orioles ace. In fact...

Honorable mention: Wake 8IP, 5H, 1ER, 0BB, 8K, HR, 96P
It's too bad the knuckleballer's 2nd best outing of the year had to go to waste

THE BIGGEST LOSER: None
For the first time ever no one was bad enough to take home this dishonor. I mean who could wear this crown when it was a well played ballgame that featured excellent defense and terrific pitching?

RECAP:
Another late night, another disappointing result.

For some reason these losses hurt even more when you stay up past midnight to watch them, although thankfully this one was played in a tidy 2 hours and 11 minutes, sparing us from another post-1:00am dose of depression.

But the depression will be sinking in soon with Sox fans as the realization dawns on us that this team, no matter how well constructed and loaded with All Star-caliber talent, will not be able to go deep in the playoffs if it cannot win on the road.

I mean who do they think they are, the Celts?

Tonight's loss dropped the sox to a horrid 11-19 away from the friendly confines this season, tied for the second most road losses in the majors with three
other teams - Cincy, Colorado and San Diego.

The only club with more losses away from home? These very Seattle Mariners.

Guess they didn't play them at the wrong time, just the wrong place.

The bad thing about this one, well aside from the fact that Boston got shut out for the 4th time this season and 2nd time in five days and managed a meager 2 base hits, is the fact that Tim Wakefield pitched better than he has in almost a month, since his 2 hit, 8 inning shutout at Detroit on May 6th.

In his three starts since then Wake had allowed 21 hits and 17 earned runs over 13 innings, walking nine and serving up five home runs.

Tonight the homer came back to bite him again, but the knuckler was dancing like Kristi Yamaguchi and you would expect the Boston offense to be able to overcome one little mistake.

Unfortunately Bedard was just as good if not better than Wakefield in what was by far the best outing of the lefty's short Mariner career.

Picked up in the offseason from Baltimore in a controversial trade for both sides that sent stud outfield prospect Adam Jones, among others, to the Birds, Bedard had yet to fulfill the expectations that a former 15 game winner and strikeout king brings to a struggling club.

Until tonight.

In his last start against the Stanks Bedard was shellacked to the tune of 8 hits and 9 earned runs allowed in 4 1/2 innings. Tonight against our Sox the effort was the exact opposite.

All Boston could manage off the lanky lefty was a trio of walks and a pair of base hits, which led to just one scoring chance when Manny and Mike Lowell singled in the 4th inning. But Sean Casey, starting his third straight game in place of the still-injured Kevin Youkilis, grounded into a double play, and the Sox only threat of the night off Bedard went by the wayside.

As good as Bedard was Wake was even better, scattering five hits but issuing no free passes as his knuckler baffled the Mariner hitters all evening. Except for the home run, which Betancourt hit on a 1-1 count with one out in the third, Wake was near perfect.

It's just that Bedard was perfect, as far as not allowing any runs to cross the plate.

But manager John McLaren replaced Bedard, who threw a lot of pitches, with hard throwing reliever Brendan Morrow to start the 8th, and Boston nearly had the reliever on the ropes.

A leadoff walk to JD Drew set the table, but Julio Lugo failed to advance the runner when his bunt went right to first baseman Miguel Cairo who nailed Drew at second. Still a groundout by Jacoby Ellsbury got Lugo into scoring position with two outs, but Morrow fanned Dustin Pedroia with a 100 mph missile, and the threat was over.

The Sox would get one more chance to tie the game in the 9th off All Star closer JJ Putz, but once again the cards were not in their favor.

Putz, still rounding into form after an early season trip to the DL, walked Ramirez
with one out, then after Lowell popped out he walked Casey to set up a potential game-losing situation.

But Coco Crisp grounded harmlessly to second, and the Sox had suffered their first 1-0 defeat since last September 10th against the Rays.

Boston will now travel to Baltimore and enjoy an off day in the Inner Harbor before taking on the Os in a four game wraparound series this weekend.

With Dice K back in Boston for tests on his shoulder and his status in doubt, and a 1-5 record already trailing behind them on this 10 game roadie, the Sox need to take 3 of 4 from the Birds or else this season could go south in a hurry.

At least Bedard won't be waiting for them in Baltimore, too.

RECORD: 32-24
AL EAST: 1 1/2 GB
STREAK: L2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Thu-Off; Fri @ BAL 705

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Sox Drawer: Dice K has shoulder injury

Daisuke Matsuzaka leaves the field last night in Seattle after tweaking his shoulder before the 5th inning of Boston's 4-3 loss (AP photo)

When Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was removed from last night's game against Seattle after tossing a couple of warm up pitches prior to the 5th inning, it was assumed he had a problem with either his side or back.

Turns out it could be a lot worse than that.

The official diagnosis from the front office is that Boston's 8-0 ace has what is commonly referred to as "shoulder fatigue", which in turn sounds both potentially benign yet incredibly ominous.

Evidently this problem has struck the 27-year-old righthander a few seasons into his professional career in Japan. And with a kid who once threw 250 pitches in a game and then pitched again the next day, is it any surprise that he would have arm troubles?

And therein lies the problem. Although he is relatively young, there are so many pitches already on his arm that he is a candidate for a major shoulder injury at any time. And it's not like he's keeping his pitch count down this year, either.

Not only does Dice lead the league in wins, he also leads the league in walks and is 13th in total number of pitches thrown with 1,121.

That number is magnified because 10 of the 12 pitchers ahead of him are in the top 20 in innings pitched, while Matsuzaka has accumulated his large tally as the 32nd place hurler in innings pitched.

In other words he's thrown a shitload of pitches compared to the amount of time he's actually in the game.

The team has sent the pitcher back to Boston to have an MRI on his shoulder, and Francona refused to declare whether or not he will make his next scheduled start Monday in Baltimore.

But let's be frank, here. The Sox have $101 million invested in this guy, and with a past history of shoulder trouble and as many pitches as he's thrown this year, they almost have no choice but to rest him for a week or so, get him some therapy and rehab and hope and pray that this goes away and is never a problem again.

Because the alternative - throw him out there Monday and then have him suffer a full-blown major injury - is just too much of a risk to take.

In other words, look for Clay Buchholz or Justin Masterson to get the start against the O's.

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Sox lose Dice K, Lugo, Tito and the game on a walk-off hit

Seattle 4, Sox 3
WP: Putz (2-2)
LP: Timlin (2-3)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Manny (9); SEA-None

SUMMARY:
In what turned out to be an ugly, costly game in the Pacific Northwest Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury, Julio Lugo and Terry Francona got tossed for arguing a check swing, and Mike Timlin gave the game away when he allowed two hits and a walk in the 9th inning, handing the Ms their first win in the last 8 games.

SUPERSTAR: Manny Ramirez 1-3, R, 3BI, HR, A
The game wouldn't had come down to a walk off situation had ManRam not knocked his 499th career homerun over the right field wall in the 6th, tying the game a three and prolonging the agony for the Nation. He also contributed an outfield assist, which at the time staved off late game misery as well.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Timlin 2/3 IP, 2H, 1ER, BB, L
It's time to give Tired Arm his walking papers, a la Kyle Snyder, Julian Tavarez and Bryan Corey before him, because as soon as he entered the game you knew it was over.

RECAP:
Repeat after me: "I friggin stayed up til 1:10 in the morning for that!"

Now say it again.

What's that, you turned it off before the agonizing 9th?

Lucky bastard.

Because for those of us who did stick around til the bitter end it was a long, sour night of baseball, filled with insults, injuries, ejections and frustration as Boston lost for the fourth time in five games and saw its road record drop to an anemic 11-18.

For some perspective that mark is worse than teams such as Texas and Milwaukee and equals that of Kansas City, which has an aggregate record of 21-30.

I'm too tired right now to do a complete recap, so I'm gonna give you the lazy blogger version:

-Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up three runs in four innings before leaving the game with what appeared to be a side or back strain prior to the 5th

-Julio Lugo got the hook from third base umpire Angel Hernandez after apparently arguing a check swing non-call on Raul Ibanez in the 5th, and after a heated on field exchange Francona joined his shortstop in the clubhouse

-Manny Ramirez tied the game in the 6th after an error by SS Yunieski Betancourt and a walk to David Ortiz; it was his 499th career home run and first in 12 games

-after scoreless efforts from David Aardsma, Manny Delcarmen (!) and Hideki Okajima, acting manager Brad Mills went with Timlin over Papelbon in the 9th. Timlin proceeded to allow a leadoff single to someone named Wladimir Balentien, and after a pair of ground outs, he intentionally walked Ichiro before allowing the game-losing single to Jose Lopez.

And there you have it in a nutshell. It was an awful night and a depressing finish against an awful team the Sox should have beaten. And with that I'm gonna finish my 7 olive martini and hit the hay.

More in the A.M.

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Game Preview: Sox @ Seattle GM2

Matsuzaka (8-0, 2.40) vs. Batista (3-6, 5.83)
GM 2 of 3 10:00 @ Safeco Field

The Sox will try to make it two wins in a row when they send the AL's wins leader to the mound tonight at Safeco Field.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will put his perfect record on the line in what is probably the most Japanese friendly ballpark in the majors. Seattle is the home of Ichiro, Kenji Johjima and a large Japanese-American population, so Dice K should feel right at home when he toes the slab looking for win number nine this evening.

As we all know Matsuzaka's quest for perfection has been anything but perfect as his starts have featured a slew of base hits, walks and pitches thrown.

Yet here we are nearly into June and the perplexing righty has yet to lose a start, so who are we to complain?

We'll at least wait until he loses to start that shit.

Against the Mariners Matsuzaka owns a 1-1 record with a 4.33 ERA. The loss came in the memorable showdown last April with Felix Hernandez, Dice-K's first career start at Fenway, which was spoiled when King Felix blanked Boston with a 1-hit masterpiece.

At Safeco Matsuzaka is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts, so his undefeated record here is at stake as well.

His mound opponent will be veteran journeyman Miguel Batista. The lanky righty has tooled for 8 teams in his 13 year career, some more than once, and his second season in Seattle has been the kind that will get him shipped out again.

In his last 4 starts Batista has allowed 29 hits and 19 runs over 16 innings for an ERA of 10.69 in losing 3 of the 4. Needless to say those stats don't bode well for a team that has lost 7 games in a row and is facing the best offensive team in the AL.

But anything can happen in this game and we know Matsuzaka has to lose sooner or later, and what better place than the house that Ichiro, his countrymen and former Japan League nemesis, built?

Fingers crossed.

NOTES:
-Youk out? Kevin Youkilis is still smarting from the mysterious hand injury that kept him out of last night's game and according to the Globe he is questionable for tonight. Hopefully he didn't hurt it smashing something, like that idiot pitcher for the Royals.

-Lester named Player of the Week: technically the soft spoken lefty had to share the honor with Detroit outfielder Magglio Ordonez, but he'll take it. I guess a no hitter doesn't carry as much weight as it used to. For the week Lester was 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA, earning his first ever POTW award. Great job, Jon.

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Pitching and defense highlights solid win for Sox

Sox 5, Mariners 3
WP: Colon (2-0)
LP: Hernandez (2-5)
HRs: BOS-Ortiz (12); SEA-None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox got back on the winning track in a game that featured numerous terrific defensive plays and stellar starting pitching. Boston broke open a 1-1 tie in the 8th when it plated 4 runs off Felix Hernandez, and Jonathan Papelbon closed out the game after a tumultuous 9th inning.

SUPERSTAR: Bartolo Colon 7IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K, 84P
As good as the former Cy Young winner was in his debut last week, tonight he was even better as Colon was hitting his spots all night and worked his way out of several jams thanks to his composure and defense.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Hernandez 7IP, 7H, 5ER, 5BB, 5K, HR, 112P
Hard to believe this was the same guy who tossed a one-hit masterpiece against the Sox last year in Fenway. This time he was just okay, at least for seven innings, until Boston broke it open in the 8th off the tiring former phenom.

RECAP:
"Did you see that catch by Ichiro? "

Be prepared to hear that a lot because the Mariner centerfielder's incredible, Mays-esque wall-crashing catch to rob Jason Varitek of extra bases in the 5th inning will be replayed on highlight reels and between innings for years to come.

Fortunately for the Sox this game was more than a great catch as Boston got a few nice defensive plays of its own and a quality start from Bartolo Colon to snap its three game losing streak and send Seattle to its 7th straight defeat.

But man was that catch awesome or what?!

See we in the Nation can appreciate it now that our team got the win. But at the time it occurred it was one of those "oh my god, they're gonna use that great grab as a springboard to break the skid they're on and win this game" type of moments.

After all the score was just 1-0 Boston, courtesy of a David Ortiz moonshot off Hernandez in the 4th inning, and Colon had got himself into a couple of mini-jams the two innings prior to "The Catch", giving the Mariners hope that they could mount a comeback and win the game.

But alas Colon, who did allow the game tying run in the 6th inning, buckled down and kept the Ms in check, and the slumbering Boston offense did the rest as they finally awoke in the 8th inning to put this game - and the Nation - to bed.

But not before some tense moments supplied by closer Jonathan Papelbon, who apparently has definitely been hanging with the rest of the bullpen crew too much.

The game started out as a pitcher's duel right from the get-go, with both Colon and Hernandez setting the sides down in order through the first 2 1/2 innings before Bartolo ran into his first spot of trouble in the bottom of the third.

Kenji Johjima started the rally with a one-out double down the left field line and Yunieski Betancourt moved him to third when he followed that hit with a solid single to right. The only thing that kept Johjima from scoring was the threat of Drew's strong arm, a play that would prove fortunate for the Sox.

Colon got Ichiro (2-5, R, BI) to fly out to shallow center to hold the runner at third, and then Dustin Pedroia turned in the game's first defensive gem when he snagged a skidding grounder by Jose Lopez that seemed headed to right field, did one of his patented bounce-ups, and threw to Sean Casey at first to get the final out of the inning.

Ortiz made the M's immediately regret the missed opportunity when he turned on a Hernandez fastball and drove it approximately 420 feet to deep, straightaway center field for his 12th homer of the season and second in two days, and Boston had a tenuous 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the 4th the Mariners staged another mini-threat when after a leadoff walk to Jose Vidro, Colon's only free pass of the night, JD Drew made a nice running catch of a ball that appeared headed for the corner to rob Jeremy Reed of a possible game-tying extra base hit.

The Sox missed a chance to add to their lead when JD Drew singled with one out in the 5th, but that's when Ichiro pulled his wall-crashing stunt that electrified the crowd and crushed the Sox chance to put another run on the board.

Seattle finally broke through Colon's armor in the 6th when Ichiro led off with a single, Lopez was hit by a pitch, and after Vidro sacrificed both runners over Raul Ibanez grounded out to Pedroia to plate Ichiro with the game tying run.

Both starters escaped trouble in the 7th, Hernandez sandwiching a pair of walks between a double play by Lowell and Colon working around a pair of singles to retire Inchiro on a fly out, and then Boston broke it open as King Feliz tired in the 8th.

Hernandez hasn't been the same pitcher since that game at Fenway last April when he took a no hitter into the 8th before Drew spoiled his bid at history, and after bursting onto the scene in that game he has spent a lot of time on the DL and trying to find his lost mojo.

In the 8th his mojo took another beating as Boston batted around, scoring 4 runs on 5 hits and a walk, and why Mariners manager John McLaren left his tiring starter in there to absorb the beating is a question that I'm sure will be debated in the Pacific Northwest for the next 24 hours.
Sean Casey, playing for Youk, started the rally with a sharp single to right, but Julio Lugo's sac bunt attempt failed miserably as Richie Sexson pounced on the ball and nailed Casey at second.

When Jacoby Ellsbury (1-4, BB) grounded out to second it looked like the rally was dead before it started, although it did move Lugo over to scoring position.

But Dustin Pedroia launched the next pitch from Hernandez to deep left center for a ground rule double that broke the tie, and after McLaren decided to intentionally walk Ortiz (1-4, 2R, BI, BB, 2K), Manny Ramirez made him pay with a booming single to deep right that scored Pedroia and set up runners at second and third for Mike Lowell.

Only a sterling defensive play by third baseman Adrian Beltre prevented the inning from becoming a catastrophe as Beltre snared Lowell's hot shot down the line to keep the ball in the infield as Papi scored Boston's fourth run, but an infield single by Drew (2-3, BB) and a bases loaded walk to Tek sealed the fate of Hernandez and the Ms.

Staked to a 5-1 lead Okajima did his job in the 8th before handing the game over to Papelbon in the 9th, but the closer made the game a lot closer than it should have been as he nearly broke down on the mound.

Paps allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and a throwing error of his own before finally getting Vidro to ground out to end the game, and with that the losing skid was snapped and Boston climbed back to 1/2 game out of first place behind the surging Rays.

All in all it was an excellent effort after the debacle in Oakland, one that was filled with many positives for Boston, not the least of which is the apparent addition of another quality starter to the rotation in the form of the rejuvenated Colon.

But did you see that catch by Ichiro?

RECORD: 32-22
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Tue @ SEA 10:10 Matsuzaka vs. Bautista

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A's broom Boston out of Oakland

Oakland 6, Sox 3
WP: Blanton (3-6)
LP: Lester (3-3)
SV: Street (11)
HRs: BOS-Ortiz (11); OAK-Cust (8)

Watching Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, was infinitely more enjoyable than witnessing the Sox get swept by the A's

RECAP:
Gotta confession to make here - I didn't catch a minute of this game.

Instead the fam and I went to see Iron Man at the multiplex before it gets booted out in favor of the myriad other summer blockbusters.

And after seeing the end result of both the film and the game, I'm sure as hell glad we did.

I DVRd the game and planned on watching it when we got back, but after seeing the final score (damn ESPN crawl) I decided against it. Why ruin a perfectly good holiday weekend?

From what I did see on the highlights and recaps Jon Lester of course did not come close to matching his masterful performance from last Monday, surrendering a base hit to the first batter he faced en route to a decent (5IP, 7H, 4R, 3ER, 2BB, 3K) but not quality start, and the Boston offense was once again held in check, this time by mediocre Joe Blanton.

The good things to come from the contest, which was Boston's 7th straight road defeat, were David Ortiz' 11th homer of the season in the first inning and Manny Ramirez' first 3-hit game in three weeks. Ramirez, who improved to 13-21 off Blanton lifetime, also drove in a pair of runs, matching his total from the last 10 games combined.

The bad, aside from Lester's letdown, include Boston batters striking out 10 times, 3 by Jason Varitek and 2 each by Lowell, Youk and JD Drew, and Craig Hansen (1.2IP, 2H, 1ER, 1K) getting shelled again, raising his ERA to a Gagne-esque 7.20.

All in all it was a wasted trip to the Bay area, and the trio of losses combined with Tampa Bay's three game winning streak propelled the rays back into first place as the Sox head to Seattle to take on the sliding Mariners.

And if things start going poorly in that series I might have to go check out Indiana Jones.

RECORD: 31-22
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: L3
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Mon @ SEA 10:10 Colon vs. Hernandez

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Game Preview: Sox @ Oakland GM3

Lester (3-2, 3.41) vs. Blanton (2-6, 3.87)
Game 3 of 3 @ 4:05, Oakland Coliseum

On the heels of the announcement that Sox starter and cancer survivor Jon Lester's father has also been diagnosed with cancer, six days after Lester pitched a no hitter at Fenway and one day after A's hurler Justin Duchscherer nearly duplicated the feat to send Boston to its second straight loss, Lester will take the mound today in Oakland.

Good thing for the quiet lefty there won't be much hubbub or pressure surrounding this start.

But if the Sox are to get back on the winning track it will be up to the unassuming young hurler-turned-role model to get the team back to its winning ways.

Since the Sox have taken their recent seven game home winning streak on the road they have lost two straight in the city by the Bay, and neither game has been close, or pretty.

Friday night Boston got crushed ,8-3, in a game that wasn't even that close, and last night the inexperienced starter Duchscherer held the Sox hitless for 6 1/3 innings before settling on a one-hit shutout.

Today the attention will turn back to Lester, whether he likes it or not, as not only will he have to deal with ending a losing skid, but the pressure of trying to follow up his magical performance of last Monday night.

Not that we're asking him to duplicate the feat, which has only been accomplished once in MLB history by Johnny Van Der Meer in 1938, but the Nation will settle for a solid start and hope that the suddenly anemic offense can get back to mashing the ball like it did all during the homestand.

During that seven game stand Boston averaged 7 runs per game, scoring less than three runs only once in a 2-1 win against the Royals. In two games in Oaktown Boston has managed just three runs total, dropping the teams road mark to an underwhelming 10-16 comapred to its steallar 21-5 record at home.

Manny Ramirez, who has been slumping majorly, will return to the lineup today after sitting out yesterday's game, and hopefully the combination of the regular lineup and the presence of Lester on the mound will lead to an inspired win.

Ramirez, who is in the midst of a 3-26 skid that has dropped his average to .280, should benefit from facing Oakland starter Joe Blanton, off whom he is hitting a robust .556 (10-18) in his career, although he has not homered off the stocky right hander.

Manny is still trying to reach the 500 homer mark and has been stuck on 498 for weeks now. Maybe facing a guy who he has success off of but no homers will change his fortunes.

Blanton has been the victim of poor run support this season as Oakland has scored an average of just over 3 runs per game in his starts, including a 2-1 loss to Boston in the second game of the season in Tokyo.

So we'll see what transpires in the series finale in Oakland today.

Chances are there won't be another no no or near no no on the horizon, though.

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Sox Drawer: Lester's dad diagnosed with cancer, too

Realizing that manager Terry Francona knew of Lester's father's illness at the time made this embrace all the more poignant

On the day Jon Lester takes the mound for the first time since his historic no hitter last week at Fenway, word has come down that his dad, John, has been diagnosed with the deadly illness as well.

Talk about an unwanted father-son connection.

Lester revealed yesterday that his father discovered he also had lymphoma about a month ago but the pitcher, who just tossed a no hitter last week, decided to keep the personal matter under wraps, telling only Boston manager Terry Francona, whom he considers a second father figure.

This helps explain the emotional embrace the pair enjoyed following Lester's gem last Monday against Kansas City at Fenway Park.

Lester says his father has already begun chemo treatments, but that the cancer is a slow growing and will not result in death.

The Lester family is from nearby Puyallup, Washington, so with the Sox playing in Oakland today and then Seattle beginning tomorrow the elder Lester will be able to watch his son pitch today and then be present at the games against the Mariners.

John Lester wanted his son to reveal that he had the illness so he didn't have to carry the burden of hiding such an emotional burden from his teammates and fans, and also to prove that if his son could overcome such a potentially life-threatening disease and handle the aftermath with dignity and determination then he could as well.

I think it's safe to say that everyone in the Nation, and baseball fans in general, will be rooting for the man who is responsible for producing such an inspirational son will be able to recover from this traumatic experience and become as much of a role model for cancer survivors as his namesake has.

Good luck, John, and get well soon.

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