Sox Cash in on superb outing by Wakefield

Sox 5, D-Backs 0
WP: Wakefield (5-5)
LP: Johnson (4-6)
SV: Papelbon (23)
HRs: BOS-Cash (1)

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox rebounded from a string of sub par games by executing a near-perfect performance in the series finale with the Diamondbacks. Tim Wakefield tossed seven shutout innings, battery mate Kevin Cash hit his first homer since 2005, and the Sox outhit Arizona 12-3 in the rubber match.

#1 STUNNER: Wake 7IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 6K, 94P
Boy, when that knuckler is working it's like a work of art. Of course when it's not it resembles torture porn, so thankfully tonight it was working.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Eric Byrnes 0-4, 1K
I know he just came off the DL prior to the start of this series, but the D-Backs leadoff hitter was 1-13 in the three games, failing to provide the spark this slumping club needed.

RECAP:
Old beat older tonight as Boston's ancient warrior Tim Wakefield out dueled Arizona's grizzled vet Randy Johnson in a battle for the aged.

No word if the AARP protested on Yawkey Way.

But the way these two guys pitched tonight, you would have to think that the other old folks are pissed at being shown up by a couple of 40-something hurlers who have no business getting hitters out with such alarming regularity as these two.

Johnson, 44, known for his lanky frame, lousy haircut and high '90s fastball, threw his best game in over a month but got nothing to show for it because once again his anemic offense couldn't give him any run support.

That was mostly due to the fact that his soft-tossing counterpart Wakefield, 41, was baffling the D-Backs' batters with an array of butterflies, moths and other assorted flittery flying flutterballs.

It was an interesting study in contrasts in what was the oldest mound match up in a Red Sox game since 1965, and the most interesting part was that the slower, young guy beat the faster, old guy, but not by much.

In fact both geezers were pretty damn awesome this evening, giving instant credence to the term "forty is the new twenty".

(Sorry, something happened with this post and the rest of it got erased. Here's the finished version)

I said up above that the Sox pulled off a near-perfect performance tonight, and the reason it was "near" perfect and not absolutely perfect is because they missed out on quite a few chances to blow the D-Backs out of the park.

For example, Boston put the first two men on base in the second inning when Mike Lowell led off with a single and Coco Crisp (3-4, R) followed with the first of his three doubles on the evening.

Two on (in scoring position) + no outs = big inning, right?

Ah, no. Kevin Cash lined to center, Brandon Moss (0-3, 2BI) got one run home with a ground out, and after Julio Lugo walked, Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to the Unit and the Sox had to settle for just the one run.

After that the two hurlers traded scoreless innings for a while, scattering a hit here and a walk there but not really encountering any trouble.

Boston had another golden opportunity to add to the lead when Lugo led off the fifth with a double off the Monster and then stole third one out later, but after Pedroia (3-5) reached on an infield single to short Kevin Youkilis, returning to the lineup after receiving that nasty bump below his eye and sporting some funky sunglasses, bounced into an inning ending double play to kill the rally.

The Sox did get another run home in the sixth when once again Lowell (2-3, BB, 3R) singled and Coco doubled (deja vu), but after Cash was intentionally walked to load the bases, all Boston could muster was a sac fly by Moss for another solitary run and a 2-0 lead that could have been five or six-zip.

Ugh!

The good news about that frame is that it was Johnson's last. Although he pitched well (6IP, 8H, 2ER, 2BB, 5K, 109P), working in and out of all those jams raised his pitch count and it was time for the ole' mullet man to get some rest.

And it didn't take long for Boston to break it open against Arizona's pen men.

Juan Cruz allowed a two out double by Youk (1-4) in the seventh but escaped that spot, and after Manny Delcarmen tossed a 1-2-3 eighth with two Ks, the Sox tagged Cruz in the bottom of the inning to blow the game open.

Lowell walked to lead off the frame and then Cruz (1IP, 3H, 3ER, 1BB, 2K, HR, 36P) surrendered Crisp's third double of the game three pitches later.

Then, after an epic 8-pitch at bat, the slender right hander gave up Cash's first home run since June of 2005, a titanic blast that cleared the Monster, and finally the Sox had some breathing room at 5-0.

The breathing was a bit labored, though, thanks to Craig Hansen loading the bases on two walks and an infield hit in the ninth inning.

But Tito called on Paps as soon as the game became a save situation, and the closer needed just five pitches to dispatch Chad Tracy on strikes to save the game and wrap up the series win.

So the Sox ended up salvaging the home stand, ending up with a 3-3 record when it could easily have been 1-5, and the team will get a day off before starting the final interleague series of the year in Houston on Friday.

After that a first place showdown awaits with a trip to the Trop to face the Rays, and hopefully by this time next week the boys will have a comfortable lead in the East as the prepare to face the Feeble Empire in the Bronx.

RECORD: 49-32
AL EAST: Up 1 gm (damn Rays!)
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Thu-Off; Fri @ Houston 8:05 Matsuzaka vs. Hernandez

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Interleague Game Preview: D-Backs @ Sox GM3

Johnson (4-5, 5.09) vs. Wakefield (4-5, 4.17)
Game 3 of 3 7:05 ESPN2 @ Fenway Park

Wow, what a coincidence - tonight's pitching match up features 4-5 Randy Johnson vs. 4-5 Tim Wakefield, and they're both 45 years old! Freaky, huh?!

Okay, so the Unit is 44 and Wake is "only" 41, but the joke was too easy to pass up.

Seriously though these two veterans are two of the oldest players in the game right now, and between them they have 460 wins, 1,105 starts, 6,647 1/3 IP and 6,540 Ks.

And they're a combined 85 years old.

Just sayin'.

Luckily for the Sox their 40-something starter is pitching much better than Arizona's lately, even though the both have identical records and similar ERAs.

In his last five starts Wake has allowed an average of 5 hits and 2 earned runs per start, yet he is 1-2 with two NDs due to an abysmal lack of run support.

In those five starts Boston has scored 0, 3, 11, 6 and 4 runs, and for the season the Sox offense is supplying the knuckleballer with just over four runs per game, among the lowest of all starters in the league.

As for Johnson he has been awful the last month. In four June starts Unit has allowed 33 hits 21 runs in 24 1/3 innings (7.77 ERA), losing all four starts and raising his ERA from 3.83 to 5.09.

To be fair Arizona has scored a grand total of 13 runs in his last 6 starts, but when you toss back-to-back 10+ hit, 7 ER games, it doesn't really matter how many runs your teammates score for you.

One thing's for sure, Boston needs to put those kind of numbers on the board and tonight would be a good time to start. During this home stand the Sox have scored just 18 runs in five games and are a few clutch hits away from an 0-5 mark.

According to the Globe Kevin Youkilis will return to the lineup tonight, which is a good thing considering he had been one of the club's hottest hitters (11-28, 4HR, 8RBI last 8 gms) before he got popped in the eye by an errant grounder and missed the last two games, but slumping outfielder J.D. Drew (2 for his last 19) will get the night off in favor of Brandon Moss.

The only thing that would make this game better would be if Johnson's ex-teammate and sparring partner Curt Schilling was going up against him tonight.

As it is we'll have to settle for the two old timers with contrasting styles in a battle royale to decide who's the best of the rest (home).

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The comeback kings return, just in the nick of time

Sox 5, D-Backs 4
WP: Smith (1-0)
LP: Qualls (1-6)
SV: Papelbon (22)
HRs: BOS-Pedroia (7); ARI-Tracy (4)

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat tonight when they plated four runs in the eighth inning to overcome a 4-1 deficit and eke out a one-run win. Mike Lowell tied the game with a 2-run double and Jason Varitek won it with an RBI single, giving rookie reliever Chris Smith his first major league victory.

#1 STUNNER: Smith 2IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1K, 28P
Lowell and Tek both had clutch two-out hits that allowed the Sox to pull out the win, but they're supposed to do that shit. Smith bouncing back from allowing a grand slam to his second major league batter on Saturday to pitch two no-hit innings and earn his first ML win - that deserves star of the game honors.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Chad Qualls 2/3IP, 4H, 2ER, 0BB, 1K, 24P
With a line score like this he might want to go back to being a DJ.

RECAP:
Let me start off by saying I missed most of this game due to technical difficulties with my Extra Innings package.

The picture would flash on and off in spurts, freeze at some points, and go black at other times.

It got so bad that I was frustrated to the point of watching the premiere of "Wipeout", that Americanized/ESPN-ized version of "MXC" that ABC shoved down our throats throughout the entire NBA Finals, which wasn't so bad because from what I could gather from GameCast the Sox were getting wiped out as well.

In between blank screens I found out that Dustin Pedroia put the Sox ahead 1-0 in the first inning with a titanic blast off Arizona starter Doug Davis, but the 'Backs tied it right up in the top of the second inning on an RBI single by Chad Tracy off Justin Masterson (6IP, 7H, 4ER, 4BB, 4K, HR, 101P).

While I was watching a bunch of effeminate dudes and one pretty hot chick getting covered in mud, blasted in the package and bouncing face first off giant balls (teehee, get it?), Arizona was busy taking the lead when light-hitting Tracy (3-4, 1R, 4BI) launched an 0-1 pitch from Masterson over the Red Sox bullpen for a three run homer and a 4-1 Diamondbacks lead.

Speaking of a blast in the package.

Luckily the score stayed that way for a while because I missed all the action in between, like Masterson working out of two on, two out situations in the fourth and fifth innings and Boston doing absolutely nothing off Davis (7IP, 3H, 3ER, 1BB, 6K, HR, 98P) after the first inning and prior to the eighth.

By the time my reception got back to 21st century standards it was the bottom of the eighth inning and Jacoby Ellsbury had just singled to right to put runners at first and second (evidently Julio Lugo had just singled as well) with nobody out.

That development got Davis, who has now tossed three straight quality starts and has nothing to show for it, removed from the game in favor of Chad Qualls, a move that backfired on Arizona manager Bob Melvin worse than New Coke.

Pedroia (2-4, 2R, 2BI) worked the count by fouling off four consecutive pitches before driving a single into center field to score Lugo and cut the deficit to 4-2, and with two on, no one out and JD Drew and Manny Ramirez coming up it looked like the Sox were going to break this one wide open.

But then Qualls got the suddenly slumping Drew (0-4, 2 for his last 19) to strike out, and one pitch later Manny grounded out to third, although he did advance the runners up a base.

That little piece of fundamental baseball proved to be mighty advantageous for Boston
because Mike Lowell (2-3, 1R, 2BI) took a 2-0 pitch from Qualls and popped it off the Monster for a clutch-as-hell two run double that tied the game at four and brought the Faithful back to life.

But the heroics didn't end there.

Up stepped captain Tek, who just snapped a career-worst 0-24 skid last night with a double off of Dan Haren and was mired in a brutal 1-30 stretch entering this at bat.

After looking at strike one from Qualls, the captain said "what fucking slump?" as he dropped a single into right field that scored Lowell with what wound up being the game winning run, provided Papelbon could brush off a couple of recent blown saves and nail down the win in the ninth.

Eric Byrnes (1-4) made things interesting when he worked Paps for a 9-pitch at bat that resulted in a base on balls with one out, but the steely closer buckled down and got Stephen Drew to strike out and Orlando Hudson to ground out to end the game, and Boston had a much needed come from behind victory to stay one game ahead of the Rays in the East.

The crisis may have been averted tonight but the Sox are still an extra inning home run and a couple of clutch two out hits away from an 0-5 record on this home stand, and if they don't start getting it together soon those effing Rays will overtake them for first place.

And that would be a HUGE blast to the package.

NOTES:
-Yoooouuuuk!: Kevin Youkilis, still recovering from the shiner he received courtesy of an errant warm up toss from Lowell last night, came on in the 9th inning as a defensive replacement for Brandon Moss and fielded the last out of the game, ironically a semi-low throw from Lowell

-Rem Dog honored: it was Jerry Remy day at the ballpark as the club honored the likable Sox second baseman turned analyst turned president of Red Sox Nation with a lengthy pregame ceremony. The cool thing was Extra Innings decided to carry the event live as a bonus for subscribers. The bad news was between the pregame rain and my shitty reception, I barely got to see any of it

-Speaking of rain: for the third straight game the start was delayed by showers, this time for 36 minutes. The two previous contests saw 32 and 50 minute interruptions

RECORD: 48-32
AL EAST: Up 1 gm
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Wed vs. ARI 7:05 ESPN2 Johnson vs. Wakefield

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Sox lose Youk and another game at Fenway

D-Backs 2, Sox 1
WP: Haren (8-4)
LP: Beckett (7-5)
SV: Lyon (16)
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
Boston lost for the third time in four games when Dan Haren out dueled Josh Beckett in a well-pitched nail biter at Fenway.

More costly than the game, though, was the injury suffered by Kevin Youkilis who caught a between innings bad hop below the eye, forcing him to leave the game and leaving the Sox shorthanded on the bench with Sean Casey serving his Raysbrawl suspension.

#1 STUNNER: Haren 7IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 5K, 98P
The man who had never won at Fenway tossed an absolute gem at the old ballyard tonight by limiting the potent Sox lineup to a pair of hits and a base on balls.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Beckett 8IP, 5H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K, 115P
I know he pitched a whale of a game himself, but when the game was winding down and the sphincters were tightening up, Becks folded like a TV tray in a 33-pitch seventh inning when Arizona scored both its runs.

The Josh Beckett of 2007 would not have allowed that to happen.

RECAP:
The Boston Red Sox are kings of their castle no more.

After losing just seven out of its first 35 games at home, suddenly the Sox have dropped three of four in the perhaps too friendly confines of Fenway.

Making matters worse is who they've lost to - an overachieving bunch of scrappy nobodies from St. Louie, and now to a slumping Diamondbacks squad that had dropped 9 of its last 12 games away from the desert and owned a 19-29 mark against teams outside of the squishy soft NL West.

Adding injury to insult was the loss of Sunday's extra innings hero Kevin Youkilis, who caught a bad hop from a Mike Lowell throw while warming up before the fifth inning and had to leave the game when a large black and blue bulge appeared under his right eye socket.

The injury didn't appear to be serious and normally it wouldn't have affected the Sox all that much had Sean Casey been able to come in and back Youk up.

But Casey was unavailable as he began serving his Raysbrawl suspension today (figures), and the incident did end up coming back to cost the team later on when Brandon Moss misplayed a routine grounder into what ended up being the game-winning run.

Guess we can blame it on the Rays. (cue Reggae Paps and Manny D)

For six innings, though, this game was all about the starting pitchers. Haren and Beckett were sporting near-identical records and ERAs coming in to this one, and both were being counted on to pick up the slack from slumping star starters, Brandon Webb and Daisuke Matsuka.

And after a 30+ minute rain delay at the start of the game, both hurlers did just that.

Beckett allowed a two out double in the first inning to Orlando Hudson, another two bagger to Justin Upton with one out in the third, and an infield single to Chris Young with one down in the sixth and that was it for Arizona base runners in the first six innings.

Becks had all his pitches working as he flummoxed the helpless 'Backs batters with a variety of splitters, vertigo-inducing curve balls and filthy heaters; poor Chad Tracy struck out three times on the night against Beckett, all looking.

But as good as Beckett was Haren was a bit better. The only base runners he allowed early on were on a lead off double by Varitek in the third, which broke an 0-24 skid for the captain, and a walk to Jacoby Ellsbury two outs later. That's it.

Sure he wasn't blowing guys away or leaving looking perplexed at the plate like Beckett, but he was getting the job done by doing whatever it took to stop the best lineup in baseball, including going parallel to the ground to snag a botched bunt by Coco Crisp immediately following Tek's double.

In any case both guys were untouchable for the first 2/3 of the game.

And then came the seventh.

It began ominously when Beckett walked his first batter of the game to lead off the inning, Conor Jackson, and progressively got worse as after Tracy struck out (again) Mark Reynolds (1-3, R, BB, 2K) blooped a single to shallow left to set up runners at first and second with one out.

That wouldn't be so bad except where Beckett was breezing earlier he was now laboring, and when Chris Young stepped to the plate with the chance to break the scoreless tie Josh had already thrown 16 pitches in the inning.

Seconds later Young (2-3, 2B, BI) crushed an 0-1 pitch off the Monster for an RBI double, and even though it was just 1-0 I got the feeling the Sox were not gonna win this one.

It was almost as if Beckett had to throw a complete game shutout to ensure a Sox victory tonight.

If that ball that nearly put a hole in the wall wasn't proof enough then the next play just about sealed the deal. With men on second and third Tito had the infield playing in to prevent the run from scoring, and it looked like the strategy would work out when Beckett got Chris Snyder to tap a 3-0 pitch to Moss, who took over at first for Youk.

Except the novice first baseman bobbled the easy grounder, and by the time he found the handle the only play was to tag the runner coming down the line as Reynolds scored to put the Backs up 2-0.

But the way Haren was pitching it might as well have been 12-0.

Boston did get to the tiring righthander in the bottom of the inning when Haren hit Manny (0-3) on a 3-2 count and allowed a single to Mike Lowell one pitch later, but he quickly retired Moss and Tek to escape the mini-jam and end his evening.

A better chance to get this one in the win column fell by the wayside when Boston loaded the bases with one out in the eighth off reliever Tony Pena, Jr.

But after J.D. Drew's sac fly got the Sox on the board, Reynolds make a spectacular snag on a laser beam line drive by Manny down the third base line that would have surely tied the game or gave the Sox the lead but instead ended the inning, and that was that.

After David Aardsma worked his way into and out of a bases loaded jam of his own in the ninth, ex-Sox reliever Brandon Lyon needed just five pitches to dispatch his former team in the bottom of the inning to put a bow on this hard-fought, well-played but ultimately frustrating game for Boston.

If the Sox don't take the next two games it could be time to push the panic button in Beantown. And with trade rumors already swirling regarding this team every game from here until the trade deadline will be like a three hour version of American League Idol.

RECORD: 47-32
AL EAST: Up 1 gm
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Tue vs. ARI 7:05 Davis vs. Masterson

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Interleague Series Preview: Diamondbacks @ Sox

Arizona Diamondbacks (39-37)


AL West: Up 3.5 gms
Streak: L3
Last 10: 4-6

Offensive Stats (NL Rank):
AVG.: .248 (13th)
OBP: .324 (10)
RUNS: 350 (7)
HRs: 81 (6)
Pitching Stats (NL rank):
ERA: 3.96 (5th)
BAA: 248 (3)
RUNS: 339 (11)
SVs: 17 (6)

3 Game Series at Fenway Park
Game 1 Monday 7:05 ESPN
Haren (7-4, 3.26) vs. Beckett (7-4, 3.87)
Game 2 Tuesday 7:05
Davis (2-3, 3.65) vs. Masterson (4-1, 3.00)
Game 3 Wednesday 7:05 ESPN2
Johnson (4-5, 5.09) vs. Wakefield (4-5, 4.17)

KEY D-BACKS:
-1B Connor Jackson .310, 7HR, 40BI, .400OBP and 3B Mark Reynolds .252, 16HR, 47BI, .496 SLG% Wanna know why the 'Backs are such a mediocre offensive team? These two nobodies are leading the club in average, homers, RBI and OBP, that's why.

- CF Chris Young .233, 47R, 13HR, 39BI the former phenom is having a hard time adjusting to big league pitching, but he is still exciting to watch, especially in the field

-SS Stephen Drew .268, 10HR, 27BI, 40R, 15 2B the much-hyped high draft pick has got a LONG way to go to match the offensive prowess of his elder sibling, J.D.. His and Young's slow development have hindered the progress of this young team.

PREVIEW:
Remember when Arizona started the season like a house on fire, jumping out to an incredible 20-8 record and looking like they were going to wrap up the NL West by mid-May?

Me either.

Since then the team is 19-28 and has lost 20 of its last 31 games, and although it has maintained a decent lead in the West it's only because the other clubs in that division (Dodgers, Giants, Pads & Rocks) are some of the worst/most disappointing in the league.

The thing that has kept the team above the fray has been its pitching. Perennial Cy Young candidate Brandon Webb (11-4, 3.40) jumped out to a 9-0 start before a recent slump brought him back to earth, and Dan Haren has been a welcome addition since being acquired in a trade in the off season with the Oakland A's.

Throw in a solid bullpen, anchored by closer Brandon Lyon (15 svs, 2.43 ERA) and what you have is a team that probably had been playing over its head early but has a strong, young nucleus and enough pitching to make it to the postseason.

Tonight the over/under achieving Diamondbacks come to Fenway for the second time since interleague play began and the first time since 2002, and with Boston almost unbeatable at home (save for this last weekend) and Arizona 15-22 away from the desert, a series win is there for the taking for the Sox.

Especially since they won't have to face Webb.

Boston comes into this series having lost two of three to the Cards this weekend and with some serious question marks regarding its pitching staff.

After spending a month on the disabled list Daisuke Matsuzaka looked lost in translation in his return to the mound on Saturday, surrendering seven earned runs in just one inning of work in a 9-3 loss to St. Louis. His ineffectiveness, combined with his inability to consistently throw strikes all season, has got the Nation and presumably Sox management in a quandary as to what is really wrong with him.

As for the other starters Bartolo Colon is on the DL, Curt Schilling is done for the year, and Tim Wakefield has been as hard to get a handle on as one of his patented flutterballs.

The situation in the pen is worse than the rotation.

Hideki Okajima is a shell of his former self, and with every big hit/home run he allows you can sense his frustration and depression with the situation mounting.

Mike Timlin is on the DL with a bum knee, which considering his plus-7.00 ERA and season-long ineffectiveness is a blessing (not) in disguise, and you never know how guys like Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez and now even Jonathan Papelbon (2 blown saves in a week) are going to perform at any given time.

The only consistent pen man has been David Aardsma, who has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last 11 appearances while lowering his ERA from 3.27 to 2.60, and the chrome-domed fireballer struck out the only six Cards batters he faced in two games over the weekend.

Despite all the injuries and inconsistencies Boston still owns the second-best record in the Major Leagues and the best record in the AL thanks to an awesome offense that is 4th in the bigs in runs scored, 2nd in on base and slugging percentage and 3rd in batting average.

What all this means is that the Sox better jump on the D-Backs' pitchers because there's no guarantee the Boston staff will be able to shut down even the anemic Arizona offense.

Without Web the toughest test will come tonight when Haren faces the Sox for the first time since his days with the A's. Fortunately he's never had success against them at Fenway, posting an 0-3 record with a 4.60 ERA in three career starts there.

Boston will be counting on Josh Beckett to step up and produce like he did last season, and with wins in three of his last four decisions and by lowering his ERA from 4.67 to 3.87 in that time, the hard-throwing right hander looks ready to do just that.

With the Rays still breathing down Boston's back for the lead in the East and the streaking Stankees suddenly looming in the background, a series win is a must and a sweep would be even better.

Just as long as they don't drop two of three again or get swept, in which case there would be many fans lighting up the message boards calling for drastic changes to be made to this championship-caliber club.

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Pitcher's duel in the desert goes up in flames

Arizona 5, Sox 1
WP: Johnson (4-2)
LP: Matsuzaka (7-5)
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
A brilliant pitcher's duel between Daisuke Matsuzaka and Randy Johnson was spoiled by shoddy relief work from the Boston pen.

Brendan Donnelly, Javier Lopez and Mike Timlin combined to turn a 2-1 game in the 8th into a 5-1 rout, and Johnson got another victory over the sox while Dice had to settle for a well-pitched loss.

HERO: R. Johnson 6IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, 9Ks
The Unit came up big when his team needed it most, setting the tone by fanning 7 of the first 14 Boston batters and keeping the Sox off the basepaths for most of the game.

GOAT(s): Timlin & Tito
I'm not sure who's to blame more for ruining any chance of a Boston comeback, Timlin for making a 2-run error on a routine play, or Tito for using him in a pressure situation in just his second appearance since spending a month on the DL.

Call them Dumb & Dumber.

RECAP:
While the streaking Stankees were demolishing the Pirates to cut their AL East deficit to less than double-digits, Boston was busy trying to complete an unlikely sweep in the Phoenix desert over the recently hot D-Backs.

Ironically it was former Stankee starter Randy Johnson, who wanted out of the Bronx Zoo as badly as Roidger Clemens wanted back in, who threw a wrench in the Sox' plans, shutting down the righty-dominant Boston lineup on just four hits and a run while striking out nine in six innings.

But as good as Johnson was, Dice-K (6IP, 4H, 2ER, 4BB, 9K) was just as remarkable, matching the Unit pitch for pitch, strikeout for strikeout. It's no coincidence that the two ended the up with nearly identical numbers; they were like pitching Twins, yin & dang, separated at birth by thousands of miles and one incredibly ugly mullet.

Both the flamethrowing veteran and crafty rookie had allowed only one run through the first five innings, with Boston grabbing a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Lowell and 'Zona tying it in the bottom of the frame when Stephen Drew singled in Orlando Hudson, who had led off with a walk.

Matsuzaka and the Sox were lucky to escape the inning giving up just one run, though; after allowing two walks and Drew's one out single to start the inning, an error by Mike Lowell on a wicked hopper from right fielder Carlos Quentin loaded the bases and had the D-Backs threatening to break the game open early.

That's when Dice did his best Johnson impersonation, freezing Chris Snyder on a sugar sweet curveball for strike three and then blazing a knee-high fastball past the stork legs of Johnson to get out of the jam without any further damage done.

Unfortunately the D-Backs would grab the lead in the sixth when Dice was done in by-you guessed it- another leadoff walk, this time to Conor Jackson. After getting Drew the Younger to fly out, Quentin ripped a double deep in the left centerfield gap that easily scored Jackson and gave Arizona, and Johnson, the lead it would not relinquish.

With both starters compiling high pitch counts and departing after six innings, it would be up to the bullpens to finish it off. Arizona's battered pen needed to hold the lead, while Boston's steady but jumbled relief corps had to keep the game a one-run contest.

At least one group got their jobs done.

Brendan Donnelly relieved Matsuzaka for the 7th and after allowing a leadoff single to Eric Byrnes (3-5) he retired the next three batters without incident. But when he gave up a leadoff single to Jackson to begin the 8th, Tito called the pen and brought in lefty specialist Javier Lopez to face Drew. He walked Drew after a six pitch at bat.

On came Mike Timlin, he of the 17 years in the bigs and 1,110+ innings logged on his rubbery right arm. He was just activated from the DL on Tuesday after spending over a month there with shoulder tendinitis. Wonder why.

As Quentin (there's that fucking guy again!) laid down a perfect sac bunt, Timlin sprinted off the mound, grabbed the ball before Quentin was halfway down the line, then promptly threw it into right field for a horrendous two-run error that effectively ended any chance of Boston staging another come-from-behind win.

A walk and another single made it 5-1, and once Zona closer Jose Valverde got into and out of a 9th inning jam, the D-Backs had slammed the door on any thoughts of being swept at home.

The good news is the road trip is over, and after starting 0-3 the Sox finished 3-1 and got terrific starting pitching the whole time. Dice continued to improve from his previous bout of wildness, Beckett and Schilling were both dominant, and now Boston heads home for a much needed day off before taking on the Rockies at Fenway on Tuesday.

All in all a pretty decent trip out West. Too bad it couldn't have ended on a higher note.

NOTES:

• Due to interleague play: J.D. Drew & Papi got the day off, although Drew's might be injury-related; Wily Mo (1-3) played right, while Youk took first base
• How similar were Matsuzaka's & Johnson's outings? Dice threw 120 pitches, 78 for strikes while Johnson tossed 113 pitches with 71 strikes
• Boston batters managed just six hits from six different players, just one for extra bases (double by Lowell), but they did draw five walks
• Dice-K fanned twice in his first two ML at bats; unfortunately for him they had to come against Johnson
• Opposite ends: Manny went o-1 but scored a run and walked three times with Papi out, but Tek, the hero of yesterday's game, went 0-4 with three Ks; ouch!
• A day after snapping a 15-game hitting streak, Byrnes rapped three hits including a double; BTW, how fucked up is it that the team's best hitter bats leadoff?
• It was a sloppy game defensively as Boston committed three errors (Tek had the other) and Arizona was flagged for one when Jackson bumped into Coco on the basepaths for a rare interference call
• Johnson ran his record to 16-7 against Boston
• RSN Unite: it was another large, loud, Red-clad crowd and the two sides engaged in another Miller Lite-esque "Let's go Red Sox/Let's go D-Backs" chant that echoed throughout an enclosed Chase Field in the late innings
• Welcome back: third baseman Chad Tracy, just activated from the DL, struck out three times vs. Dice-K
• The error was Lowell's 11th of the season

QUOTES:

"I just threw it away. Bad error. There's really no excuse."--Timlin, quoting from the 'Small Consolation' handbook

"Our team lost, but overall I feel like I'm improving." --Matsuzaka, who tossed his second straight quality start but has no wins to show for it

"No one wants to get swept at home."--Quentin. Mission accomplished.

RECORD: 40-22
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 4-6
AL EAST: Up 9.5 on NYY
UP NEXT: Mon-Off; Tue vs. COL

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Game Preview: Sox @ Arizona GM 3

Dice -K (7-4, 4.63) vs. Big Unit (3-2, 3.78)
4:40PM Chase Field, Phoenix

A lot is on the line today in Phoenix when Daisuke Matsuzaka faces Randy Johnson in the third & final game of this interleague series.

Dice-K will be trying to snap a personal two-game losing streak after he had enjoyed a six-decision winning streak. He had been hit hard in two of his previous three starts before turning in a fine performance last Tuesday in Oakland (7IP, 2ER), though Boston could not him his usual 8+ runs in order for him to get the win.

Johnson will be making his ninth start since spending the first three weeks of the season on the DL after coming over from the Stanks in a January deal. After starting out slowly, Johnson has returned to early Big Unit form, winning his last three decisions while fanning 61 batters against just 8 walks in 47.1 innings pitched this year.

Johnson will bring a lifetime 15-7 mark with a 4.57 ERA into the game against Boston, and the former Stankee and Arizona teammate of Curt Schilling will be highly motivated to defeat the Sox, especially after the way Boston has slapped his streaking team back to reality the last couple of nights.

In fact the only better matchup today would have been former teammates and co-2001 World Series MVPs Curt Schilling squaring off against Johnson, his onetime clubhouse adversary.

Though they shared a lot of memorable experiences in bringing a title to the desert, its no secret that there's no love lost between the two polar opposite personalities, and to see them go against each other at this stage of their careers would have been fucking priceless.

As is we'll have to settle for watching the goodwill ambassador for Major League Baseball oppose one of the meanest, nastiest and filthiest lefties in league history.

Johnson's game is pretty good, too.

GO SOX!
SWEEP THE D-BACKS!

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Sox hang on for another comeback win

Sox 4, Arizona 3 (10)
WP: Okajima (2-0)
LP: Cruz (2-1)
SV: Papelbon (14)
HRs: BOS-Tek (7); ARI- Drew (3)

SUMMARY:
Boston swiped a victory from the jaws of defeat when it turned a 3-0 deficit after five innings into a one-run extra inning win.

Stephen Drew gave his team the 3-run lead with a 2-run homer in the 4th, but Tek tallied three ribbies to tie it, and Mike Lowell hit a sac fly with the bases loaded in the 10th to secure the win.

HERO: Tek 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 3RBIs
The Captain came through in the clutch-again. He got the Sox on the board with his homer in the 6th, then tied the game with a double in the 8th.

There is a reason he wears that 'C' on his chest.

GOAT: Brandon Lyon 2IP, H, R, BB, 3Ks
All the former Red Sox hurler had to do was retire the Sox in the 8th and then hand the ball over to closer Jose Valverde in the 9th.

Except Lyon choked against his former mates, allowing a leadoff walk to Youk and then a one-out double to Tek that tied the score and put Boston in a position to steal a win.

RECAP:
At least this one was worth staying up for.

The doldrums of a four-game slide have turned into thoughts of a weekend sweep in the desert as the Comeback Kids pulled one of their patented "think you've won it, no you don't" wins over the dumbfounded Diamondbacks.

'Zona came into this series having won 14 of 18 contests with a starting rotation that was a blistering 10-1 during that stretch, while Boston limped into Phoenix having lost 6 of 7 before Schilling's slump busting gem on getaway day in Oakland Thursday.

One blowout and one come-from-behind win later and the tables have turned, with the D-Backs looking like hapless wannabes and the Sox regaining that championship form it had displayed all season before the mini-slump.

It didn't appear that would be the case early in the game though, because even though Julian Tavarez provided a chance for Boston to win, he was in trouble early & often, and the Sox hitters couldn't crack Arizona's young phenom Micah Owings (6IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 4K, HR).

After escaping a 2-on, 2-out jam in the first inning, Julie allowed a run on an RBI double in the second. Following a 1-2-3 third, Tavarez gave up a double to Mark Reynolds leading off the fourth, then three pitches later Stephen Drew said "anything you can do, I can do better" to J.D. as he sailed a ball over his brother's head and into the stands in right field for a 2-run homer and 3-0 D-Backs lead.

He only had one more homer and five ribbies to go to match his elder sibling's output from last night.

Things stayed that way thru five innings as the Sox either blew scoring opportunities (bases loaded in the second, leadoff walk in the fifth) or were getting blown away by an impressive Owings. The big kid from Gainesville had his full repertoire of pitches working, including a 97-mph heater and drop-off-the-table slider that kept foiling Boston's eager bats.

But the Sox finally broke through in the sixth when J.D. Drew (3-5) stated a two-out rally with a bloop single to right. Jeez, this guy really does slaughter Diamondback pitching! Five pitches later Varitek took an Owings offering deep to right center for Boston's first two runs of the game, and now you could sense that there was a chance to pull this one out.

By the 8th Owings was already out of the game and ex-Sox Brandon Lyon was in. Lyon had a brief stint with Boston in 2003, appearing in 49 games and posting a 4-6 record with a 4.12 ERA.

Perhaps he was just trying to repay an old debt when he walked Youk to start the frame. After Drew forced him out at second base, Varitek stepped in and went to battle for his team like a good captain always does. After running the count to 2-1, Tek laced a Lyon slider to the left center, scoring Drew all the way from first with the tying run, and suddenly the many raucous members of the Nation in the house had reason to celebrate.

Hideki Okajima worked around a Julio Lugo error in the bottom of the inning and would contribute two big scoreless inning to allow Boston a chance to pull off the win. And when Boston loaded the bases with no outs in the 10th off fireballing Juan Cruz, it was time to do just that.

Papi started the winning rally with a walk, and then Youk and Drew followed with singles to pack the sacks full of Sox. After Tek struck out (hey, he can't do it all), Lowell pinch hit for Okajima and quickly got behind in the count.

But just like Rem Dog predicted he would do when he fell behind 0-2, Lowell patiently waited for the right pitch to take the opposite way,and when he launched a sac fly to right, Ortiz scooted home with the go-ahead run, and the comeback was nearly complete.

All that was left was for Jonathan Papelbon to make his first appearance since the A-Rod debacle and shut the door on the win. Firing off 97 mph blazers, Paps looked healthy & rested- until he hit Chris Young and allowed a single to Conor Jackson.

Have no fear, because Paps then reared back, dug deep and got Reynolds to softly line out to second base, and just like that a losing streak has turned into a winning streak, and a sweep is a possibility if the Sox can knock off Randy Johnson tomorrow.


NOTES:

• Due to interleague play: Lowell, Manny and Pedroia didn't start the game, although Lowell and Pedroia did bat later. Youk moved to third while Papi manned first, and Eric Hinske filled ManRam's sizable shoes in left field
• As part of Tito's new sliding lineup, Coco moved back to the 2-hole and went 1-5, while Youk took Manny's four spot and went 1-4 with a walk
• Tek (2) & Drew (3) had half of Boston's 10 hits
• Fashion police: will someone please explain why the D-Backs wore white with red unis last night, then hideous all-black spring training rejects tonight? And what's with the retarded block lettering? Fucking expansion teams!
• Eric Byrnes had his 15-game hitting streak snapped as well as a 30-game on base mark
• Drew's six hits in this series match the amount he's had in the past three weeks
• RSN represents: the announced attendance of 49,826 was apparently a new D-backs record; wait a minute, didn't these guys play in a World Series?
• Pedroia pinch hit for Tavarez in the 7th and struck out but reached base on a wild pitch by Tony Pena; another odd play for the season archives
• Ex-Sox sighting: Tony Clark is still alive! The veteran of the 2002 Sox team has evidently been playing out here in the desert for three years now; I seriously thought the dude had retired-and should have after that heinous '02 campaign
• Tavarez, who played in the NL for years, reached base twice, on a hilarious bunt single and a walk

QUOTES:

"He had good stuff, but he made one mistake to me and we capitalized on it."--Tek. Brilliant!

"It's a great club we're playing, arguably the best in baseball."--Owings. Ah, son, there is no arguement there

"He didn't sit around all night. He stretched, hit, was in the cage. That's the type of guy he is."--Tito on the ever-ready, always professional Lowell

RECORD: 40-21
STREAK: W-3
LAST 10: 4-6
AL EAST: Up 10.5
UP NEXT: Sun @ ARI 4:30p

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Game Preview: Sox @ D-Backs GM2

Tavarez (3-4, 5.33) vs. Owings (4-1, 3.86)
9:40 Chase Field, Phoenix

To say that Julian Tavarez has some mighty big shoes to fill, not to mention a king-sized weight on his shoulders, tonight when he takes the mound in Phoenix would have to be considered a massive understatement.

Besides having to follow in the footsteps of arguably the two most impressive pitching performances of the season, Tavarez must also deal with the looming specter of Jon Lester's impending return to the rotation.

Lester has been progressing nicely in his second rehab assignment and could join the big club on the next homestand, presumably bumping Julie back to the bullpen, something he is reluctant but willing to do.

That point plus the fact that Julie is coming off two lackluster no decisions should have the fiery veteran charged up and eager to get a victory tonight, possibly marking his exile to the bully with a bang.

On the other side the Sox will get a look at highly touted youngster Micah Owings. The 24-year-old righthander has already had a ballyhooed career, as a star first baseman/pitcher at Georgia Tech and then Tulane, then as a thrice-drafted prospect who finally stayed with the Diamondbacks.

Originally mentioned as a coveted piece in the Randy Johnson deal, Owings remained in the desert and ultimately was called up from the minors in April to replace the injured Unit in the rotation. After throwing throwing five innings of one hit in his debut, he has won 4 of 5 decisions and established himself as a solid major leaguer after just 43 appearances in the minors.

Owings is a big kid (6'5", 220) with a cannon of an arm, so the contrast in styles between the two hurlers will be apparent from the start. Tavarez & the Sox will have their hands full tonight, but with all that's riding on this game for Julie, look for him to step up big and turn in a quality start.

Hopefully the Sox offense left something in the tank to support him with.

NOTES:
Reliever J.C. Romero was designated for assignment following the game last night as Mike Timlin was activated from the DL. According to the Globe, Romero was visibly upset when a dejected Tito broke the news to him, but with the kind of numbers he was bringing, the move was certainly justified...ESPN.com posted J.D. Drew's lifetime stats against the Diamondbacks, and man if he doesn't like to slay them snakes. In 60 career games against Arizona, Drew is batting .346 with 18 homers and 52 RBIs; just last season + last night's game the numbers are .425/9/27...Manny and Lowell will have the night off tonight, according to the Globe...don't look now, but the Stanks have won five straight after Roidger Clemens made his re-return to their rotation today and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates (ooohhh!) in the Bronx (ah, they're still 10 back)

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Drew's career night fuels huge Sox win

Sox 10, Arizona 3
WP: Beckett (9-0)
LP: Davis (4-7)
HRs: BOS-Lugo (4), Drew, 2 (3,4); ARI-Montero (4)

The number seven was certainly lucky for Drew tonight

SUMMARY:
J.D. Drew had the game of his life, blasting two 3-run homers plus an RBI double, Josh Beckett was awesome in his second start since coming off the DL, and Julio Lugo pulled the play of the year as the Sox rolled the young & restless D-Backs.

HERO: Drew 3-5, 2B, 2HRs, 2R, 7RBI
The $14 million dollar man finally came through with a monster game; I guess it just took playing against his little brother to bring out the best in the slumping right fielder.

GOAT: D. Davis 4IP, 6H, 5ER, 5BBs, 2Ks, 2HRs
The journeyman had been on a hot streak coming in, but the Sox batters cooled him off quick. The fact that he couldn't throw strikes from the start was bad enough for Arizona, but when he did find the plate the Boston hitters torched his belt-high meatballs for blistering hits.

RECAP:
So this is why the Sox invested $70 million in J.D. Drew; here I thought they had merely acquired the world's foremost authority on grounding out to the right side of the infield.

Drew had the game of his life while in the midst of a horrific slump, smacking a career-high two homers and seven ribbies in the first game he's ever played against his younger brother, Arizona rookie shortstop Stephen. He has always hit the D-Backs well going back to his days with Atlanta, but even this kind of night was totally unexpected with the way he had been scuffling.

Boston grabbed an early lead in the first thanks to Julio Lugo's 4th homer of the season and with Josh Beckett mowing down 'Zona batters with a fastball that topped 101 mph and a knee-buckling curve, Drew went to work on supplying him with his league-leading 8.5 runs of support per game.

Who knew he would nearly knock in that total himself?

After Lugo walked to open the third, Pedroia and Papi hit sharp outs before Manny lined a single to center. Drew then took an 84-mph flutterball from Doug Davis and deposited it over the wall in right center about 415 ft. away give Boston a 4-0 lead.

He whiffed on a Davis curve in the dirt his next time up, but in the sixth, after Papi had just doubled in Pedroia with run #6, Drew did something no one who had been following this team all season would have ever expected him to do- hit another three-run homer to effectively put the game out of reach.

This time it was a titanic shot to right off Arizona reliever Edgar Gonzalez (4IP, 6H, 5ER, 5K) that turned a five-run game into a 9-1 rout, and just when you though his night couldn't get any sweeter, he laced a double to right in the 8th that plated Boston's 10th and final run of the game and put a bow around Drew's present to Red Sox Nation.

As Drew was filling his highlight reel, Beckett (8IP, 5H, 2ER, 0BB, 8Ks) was nearly as dominant as Schill was the day before, and his dazzling display of command and velocity put to rest any thoughts of him being hampered by that blister problem-at least temporarily.

One at bat in particular summarizes Beckett's night; after a 1-2-3 first, he quickly got two outs in the second when left fielder Scott Hairston stepped to the plate. Strike one was a 101-mph laser that nearly blew the ump's cap off; strike two was a filthy 76- mph breaker that froze Hairston in place, and after a ball Beckett broke him off with a 96- mph heater that left him muttering under his breath all the way till the timeout.

It was that kind of night for Arizona, a team that had been red-hot coming into the series but played like a bunch of over-matched, overwhelmed little leaguers at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths.

Nothing signified the level of their futility more than the rare play turned in by Julio Lugo in the third inning. After the immortal Alberto Callaspo singled to right to open the frame, he advanced to second on a single to right by Chris Snyder, and almost got himself picked off over-running the bag.

But as he got up to dust himself off after the close play, Lugo waited behind him like a cheetah tracking a zebra, and as soon as Callaspo removed his hand from the base, Lugo tagged him out on a modern version of the hidden ball trick that left the D-Backs stunned and signified the kind of wild night it would be in the Arizona desert.

So after a 4-game losing streak the Sox have won two in a row in dramatic fashion, on a near no-hitter and an this one an offensive explosion. And the string of wacky, weird, and rare plays continues to swirl around this team like a cosmic cloud of championship karma.

'Cause when J.D. Drew is matching his uniform number in RBIs, there's a whole lot of freaky shit going down.

NOTES:

• A few eye-popping numbers to put Drew's night into perspective: he tied his season total for homers, and hit his first longball since April 22nd against New York; he had almost as many ribbies tonight as he had in the entire month of May (9-6); and he had as many hits tonight as in his last 20 at bats, spanning seven games. Oh, and it was his first three-hit game since April 20th and only his second of the season.
• Boston rapped 12 hits including two doubles and three homers.
• Manny's solid night (2-3, 2R RBI) pushed his average to a season high .293 and he now has 33 ribbies, one less than Lugo
• Speaking of Lugo (1-4, 2R, RBI, BB), it was his second leadoff homer of the season and seventh of his career. Still, he's batting just .217!
• Papi played first while Youk sat this one out, and he handled himself adequately, as usual, plus he hasd two hits and scored a run; he's now up to a sizzling .337
• Beckett's streak is the 5th best in Sox history, but he's got a ways to go to catch Roger's record of 14 wins without a loss
• Arizona's Eric Byrnes extended his hitting streak to 14 games with an RBI single in the third
• Red Sox Nation was in full effect in Boston's first trip to the desert; it seemed like about half the 28,000+ appeared to be cheering for the Sox, sorta like a Rays game

QUOTES:

"I think there's always going to be that sibling rivalry going on. He does well, I want to do better. "--Drew about Stephen; ah, good luck matching this performance, lil bro!

"I'm on a great team. I can't take all the credit for being 9-0. These guys have done an unbelievable job behind me."--Beckett, taking the championship line that it's all about the team

RECORD: 39-21
STREAK: W-2
LAST 10: 4-6
AL EAST: Up 10.5
UP NEXT: Sat @ ARI 9:30

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Series Preview: Sox @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks (36-25)
Chase Field, Phoenix
NL West: 1 GB
STRK: L-1 LST 10: 8-2
AVG: 254 (12th in NL) ERA: 3.58 (3rd)
HRs: 54 (8th)

KEY PLAYERS:

• Eric Byrnes (.319/9/32)--the free-spirited outfielder is known for being a goofball, but he happens to own a 14-game hitting streak, the 8th best average and the 2nd most hits in the NL, and he's in the Top 10 in most offensive categories. He's hot, and can knock in a big run or make a great catch at any given time
• Orlando Hudson (.290/6/34/31R)--the 'O Dog' has found a home in the desert after four season in Toronto. The slick second sacker has already made 8 errors this season after just 13 last year, but he's a respected vet who brings a lot to the table
• Stephen Drew (.238/2/23)--the younger brother of J.D. was supposed to be a major piece of the D-backs youth movement this season, but the shortstop phenom has gotten off to a slow start and has been a major disappointment so far; hmm, must run in the family
• Connor Jackson (.283/4/21)--the big young first baseman has been on a tear lately, ripping off a 15-40 (.375) streak in his last 10 games with 2 homers, a triple, seven doubles and 12 RBIs during the stretch, raising his average nealy 30 points

Probable Pitching Matchups:

GM1 Fri 9:30 Beckett (8-0, 2.95) vs. Davis (4-6, 3.05)
Josh Beckett will try for the second time to win his 9th decision without a loss to start the season when he faces Arizona lefty Doug Davis.

Beckett pitched well in his first start since coming off the DL, allowing 4 runs and 8 hits in 6 1/3 against New York on the 3rd, The A-Rod game, but got no decision. Davis, meanwhile, has had three quality starts in a row, allowing just 4 earned runs in 22.2 innings, lowering his ERA 66 points and posting a 2-1 record.

Coming off of Schill's masterpiece yesterday, Beckett will be amped up to follow suit and Davis, who allows righties to hit nearly .300 off him with 15 doubles and 20 ribbies (hello, Manny), should come back to earth as the Sox get hot again.
MY PICK: Sox

GM2 Sat 9:30 Tavarez (3-4, 5.33) vs. Owings (4-1, 3.86)
Julian has pitched well recently, save for an inning or two here & there, but may be making his last start if Jon Lester is ready to return the rotation next week as expected. Therefore Julie could be even more determined than ever to pitch the game of his life.

Owings is a fascinating case. The rookie righty starred at two schools (Ga. Tech & Tulane), played two positions (first base & pitcher) and was drafted three times before landing with Arizona in 2005.

The D-Backs kept him as a starter, and he made his ML debut in April; he has gone on to make eight starts, and after starting out strong, he had a rough patch in the middle where he allowed 13 earned runs in 17.1 innings, but since then he has given up just 2 ERs in 14 innings while striking out 11, winning both games.

Tough one to call, with the wily vet fighting for his spot in the rotation and a rookie phenom looking to add to an already impressive early resume. Plus he can hit.
MY PICK: D-Backs

GM3 Sun 3:30 Matsuzaka (7-4, 4.63) vs. R. Johnson (3-2, 3.78)
The most intriguing game, pitching-wise, of the series will pit the crafty, rising star Dice-K against the fading fireballing hero, Big Unit.

A total contrast in styles, appearance and demeanor, this game will be like a microcosm of two opposite ends of the athletic spectrum. While Matsuzaka is doughy, baby-faced, humble, and ever polite, Johnson is a long & lanky barking bad-haired badass who looks like the Big Bad Wolf compared to Dice's Little Red Riding Hood.

Johnson began his second go-round with the D-Backs on the DL but has recovered to make eight starts, winning his last three decisions after starting 0-2. In his last 4 starts he has allowed just 4 earned runs in 23.2 innings, giving up just 16 hits and 2 walks while fanning 33. Gulp.

Dice will be trying to bounce back from a 2-game losing, and although he pitched well in a loss to Oakland Tuesday, he's going to have to put a lot of zeroes on the board in order to beat a determined Unit.
MY PICK: D-Backs

PREVIEW:
Good thing the Sox won that streak-breaking game yesterday, because right now the desert is no place to bring a dying animal.

That's because the Diamondbacks are playing like jackals, feasting on the rest of the NL to the tune of a 14-4 stretch that has allowed them to be nipping at the heels of division leader San Diego.

And it's no secret as to how they've done it: pitching. Much like the team the Sox just faced, Oakland, the D-Backs are one of the best staffs in the majors, and they have a multitude of hurlers who can shut a lineup down.

In fact there are currently only two regular pitchers with an ERA over 4.00 on the staff, while an incredible five pitchers have marks under 3.00. In this day and age that is downright phenomenal, and at this stage of the Sox season, it's exactly what they don't need to see.

The other factor working against Boston will be the interleague rules, meaning Papi will have to play first base and either Youk or Lowell will have to sit out. With all three batters swinging hot sticks, the loss of any of them will be a major blow to an already sputtering offense.

In the Sox favor they will miss Cy Young winner Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez, so they got that going for them.

Solid pitching matchups, the Drew brothers facing off for the first time as pros, Schill returning to his old haunt, and the thrill of playing in a foreign park will add excitement to this series, and with the Sox headed home after Sunday's contest, what better way to end a tough road trip than with a series win.

Go Sox!

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