Bullpen blows another one as Sox fall from first

Astros 3, Sox 2
WP: Aardsma (2-2)
LP: Brocail (4-3)
SV: Valverde (21)
HRs: BOS-Manny (16), Pedroia (8); HOU-Blum (5)

SUMMARY:
The Sox head to Tampa Bay having fallen out of first place for the first time since June 3rd when Hideki Okajima allowed Mark Loretta to knock in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth as Boston dropped 2 of 3 in its interleague series finale.

#1 STUNNER: Loretta 1-1, GW RBI
Did anyone in the Nation have any doubt that the ex-Sox second baseman was going to drive in the winning run against the artist formerly known as Oki?

Didn't think so.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Okajima 2/3IP, 1H
Once again the numbers don't tell the story with Oki because he allowed yet another inherited runner to score in this one, making it 10 of his last 11 IRs and 12 of 15 total to cross home plate this season.

RECAP:
Another day, another shitty effort from the Boston bullpen cost the Sox and Josh Beckett a shot at what would have been a hard fought win if not for the maddening enigma that is Hideki Okajima.

How a guy who was so incredibly dominating one season can turn into one of the least reliable relievers in all of baseball the next should be the subject of Stephen King's next baseball-related tale:

The Nation That Hated Hideki.

After battling through stranded baserunners and missed opportunities all day long, Boston finally tied the game at two when Manny Ramirez hit his first home run in 15 games off Oscar Villareal with one out in the seventh inning.

That opposite field shot got Beckett (7IP, 8H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K, HR, 111P) off the hook and set up what could have been a great come-from-behind victory to close out the interleague portion of the 2008 schedule.

Instead the loss left the Sox looking up at the pesky Rays, who have won 11 of their last 15 games as the two teams get set to square off in the Trop tomorrow night.

Maybe Boston will leave Hideki in Houston.

Which brings me to my next point (pardon me while I rant but I, along with the rest of RSN, am a tad ticked off right now) - why did Tito bring in the ticking timebomb that is Oki in the 8th inning of a tie game, something he had been sterring clear of doing ever since Oki's epic meltdown in Baltimore on June 10th?

I realize the bullpen was taxed, with Hansen and Delcarmen having pitched in each of the first two games of the series and Papelbon reportedly unavailable due to a cold, but why not stick with the flamethrower Aardsma after he allowed a one out single to Miguel Tejada?

Just like the night before Aardsma, who has been Boston's most consistent reliever for the better part of this season, would have been a better candidate to get out of his own jam than the unpredictable trio of Hansen, Delcarmen and Okajima.

Plus Francona had been remiss to bring Oki in at all whenever there were runners on base due to his inordinately high percentage of allowing inherited runners to score.

But for some reason Tito went against the percentages and probabaly against his own gut instinct and brought Oki in in a situation where he had made a name for himself last season, and the Japanese lefty failed worse than a college sophomore taking his finals the day after an all-night kegger.

Aside from the beleaguered bullpen this game was a stark contrast from last night's wild and wooly affair as runs were at a premium this afternoon following the run-a-minute pace of that game.

Boston left the bases loaded in the first inning when Houston starter Brian Moehler (5.2IP, 7H, 1ER, 3BB, 5K, HR, 111P) allowed a one out single to scorching hot Dustin Pedroia and walks to J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell.

But Moehler worked out of the jam by retiring Youk on a grounder to end the inning, setting the tone for the game in which Boston left 13 runners on base.

The 'Stros got on the board first when light-hitting second baseman Geoff Blum took Beckett deep for his fifth homer of the year and fourth hit in nine career at bats against the Sox righthander.

But Boston wasted no time in tying it up when Pedroia (2-5, R, BI) blasted his 8th homer of the season to left to lead off the third inning. It was Pedroia's 8th hit in 10 at bats in the series and he has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games at a .510 (25-49) clip.

As Dan Patrick used to say, he's en fuego.

The game remained tied at one as both pitchers worked in and out of mini-jams for the next couple of innings until Houston re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and the rally began when Beckett comitted the cardinal sin of National league baseball: he walked the opposing pitcher.

(note: Someone needs to tell these Sox hurlers that the opposing pitcher is supposed to be a rally killer, not starter. On Friday night Daisuke Matsuzaka walked Runelvys Hernandez with one out in the third, last night Jon Lester hit Brandon Backe to ignite a five run rally in the third, and now this.)

After Michael Bourne forced Moehler at second, Hunter Pence beat out an infield single to short (typical Lugo) and then last night's hero, Lance "Big Puma" Berkman laced a single up the middle to plate Bourne with the go-ahead run.

Another bases loaded situation wenbt by the wayside for Boston when Pedroia struck out with the sacks jacked in the top of the sixth, but with Beckett holding the 'Stros at bay the Sox finally came back to tie it when Manny (2-4, R, BI) took Villareal deep to the opposite field with one out in the seventh, and suddenly it was a winnable game again.

But Boston blew another golden oppportunity to take the lead when Villareal followed Manny's longball by allowing a bloop infield single by Lowell and walking Youk and last night's winner Doug Brocail came in to retire Tek and Lugo to end the threat.

Then the bottom fell out in the last half of the eighth when Aardsma (1/3IP, 1H, 1R) allowed a slicing single to Tejada after a lengthy at bat and Francona made the call to the pen for Okajima.

Three pitches in to his outing the reliever bounced a pitch that got by Tek and sent Tejada to second base, and with Oki's confidence at an all time low Houston manager Cecil Cooper sent Loretta, who hit a monster 3-run homer last night, up to bat for Brocail, and the ex-Sox delivered another big hit when he smacked a single into center to easily score Tejada with what turned out to be the game-winning (or losing) run.

Boston made a little noise in the ninth when Manny walked off closer Jose Valverde, but Lowell barely beat out a double play ball at first and then Youk flied out to end it, and the sox had suffered the indignity of losing two of three to a team that had lost 12 of its last 17 games coming into the series.

So it;s off to the Trop to take on the loaded for bear Rays, and with first place on the line and the bad blood still simmering from this month's Raysbrawl affair, tensions should be high and the action should be hot and heavy under the teflon-tarped dome.

Hopefully I'll be there for a couple of the contests to give a first hand account of all the festivities.

And Hopefully Boston will win a couple of the contests, too.

RECORD: 50-34
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: L2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Mon @ TB 7:05 Masterson vs. Shields

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Interleague Game preview: Sox @ Astros Game 3

Beckett (7-5, 3.73) vs. Moehler (4-3, 4.03)
Game 3 of 3 2:05 @ Minute Maid Park

The Sox will try and put the bitter memories of last night's heartbreaking 11-10 loss behind them today when Josh Beckett goes for win number 8 against Houston's Brian Moehler.

Luckily for Boston Beckett has been pitching much better than his record indicates of late, allowing just seven earned runs in his last 27 innings (2.33 ERA) over his last four starts, but he's only got a 2-1 mark in those games after losing a tough 2-1 decision to Dan Haren and the A's last time out.

The veteran Moehler has pitched well for Houston recently also, wrapping three starts in which he's allowed one earned run or less around a horrible outing against Milwaukee in which he gave up seven earned in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-6 loss.

But if today's game is anything like last night's, both these guys ERA will skyrocket amidst a flurry of long balls and laser beams bouncing off the odd angles of Minute Maid Park.

That contest saw 21 runs scored, 27 base hits, 11 extra base hits, 3 hit batters, 6 walks, 16 strikeouts, 20 position players used, 9 pitchers toe the slab and 319 pitches thrown.

I know, it was exhausting just writing that. Imagine playing in that game.

There were so many big hits and strong performances that anyone could have been the hero at any time, but the bottom line is that Boston could have - and should have - won the game if their bullpen had just come through when it had to.

Instead something that has happened way too often this season occurred, namely the pen unable to hold a lead, either by allowing inherited runners to score or just blowing the game outright, and now today Boston will have to scrap to salvage aa series it shoudl have swept heading into the Rays showdown tomorrow.

With Tampa Bay just a half game out after losing a heart breaker of its own in 13 innings last night and playing the lowly Pirates today, a great outing by Josh and a solid win is a must if the team wants to head to the Trop still in first place in the AL East.

But a loss today coupled with a Rays win will make those pesky sea animals even tougher to play knowing that a series win would ensure they hold their grip on the top spot.

Just win, baby. That's all I got to say.

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Sox blow two leads, lose sloppy game to Astros

Astros 11, Sox 10
WP: Brocail (3-3)
LP: Delcarmen (0-2)
SV: Valverde (20)
HRs: BOS-Lowell (12); HOU-Loretta (3), Lee (18), Wigginton (5)

SUMMARY:
On a night when Boston's offense returned in full force the pitching staff had trouble getting any Astros out as the Sox blew leads of 4-0 and 9-6 thanks to shitty performances from Jon Lester and Manny Delcarmen.

Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell both notched 4 base hits apiece and Boston rapped 6 extra base hits, but it wasn't enough to overcome Houston's 14-hit, 3-homer attack.

#1 STUNNER(s - in a game like this there's gotta be more than one):
-Pedroia 4-5, 2R, BI the Little Big Man is as hot as it gets, batting .492 (30-61) in his last 14 games
-Lowell 4-4, 2R, 3BI, 2 2B batting .542 (13-24) during 6 game hitting streak
-Carlos Lee 3-5, 2R, 3BI, HR a big game for a big man
-Lance Berkman 2-5, 3BI, 3K the Big Puma took home the Silver Sombrero but still managed to get the game winning hit
-Mark Loretta 1-4, R, 3BI, HR you just knew the ex-Sox second baseman would factor into beating his old mates in one of these games

THE BIGGEST LOSER(s): ditto
-Lester 5IP, 9H, 6ER, 0BB, 3K, HBP, 2HR not a good outing for the lefty
-Delcarmen 1IP, 3H, 3ER, 1BB, 1K, 1HR not a good outing for the righty
-Brandon Backe 5.1IP, 9H, 6ER, 3BB, 5K, 108P 'Stros starter didn't fare much better
-Geoff Geary 2/3IP, 3H, 3ER, 1BB, 0K neither did the first Houston reliever
-Jason Varitek 0-4, 3K, PB the Captain had a rare bad game at and behind home plate tonight

RECAP:
In case you couldn't get the drift of this wild, woeful game from the descriptions above I'm gonna try and sum it up in 1000 words or less right here.

Or, how 'bout two words: that. sucked.

It's funny because this was one of those games that would have been freakin' awesome if the Sox won.

Instead it was uglier than that chick on the Planters Peanuts commercials, way uglier than Ugly Betty and even fuglier than Nick Nolte's mug shot.

Yeah, it was that bad.

Boston jumped on Houston starter Brandon Backe for a four spot in the third inning, scoring all four runs with two out on a two-run double by Manny Ramirez (1-4, 2R, 2BI), a double by Mike Lowell and an RBI single by Kevin Youkilis.

Unfortunately Sox starter Jon Lester decided to repay the favor and then some when he allowed Houston to score five runs in the bottom of the third after two were out in what seemed like a sick game of "can you top that?"

Before the night was over the sickness of the game would reach new lows as Boston regained the lead only to blow it again, and the outcome wound up being decided on a seemingly innocuous play that prematurely ended the sixth inning.

The bottom of the third began on a bad note when Lester hit his mound opponent Brandon Backe with a pitch to start the frame. Speedster Michael Bourne followed with his second bunt single of the game, but then Lester got a ground out and a strikeout and it looked like he would escape the inning unscathed.

No such luck.

Carlos "El Caballo" Lee ripped a 2-2 pitch from Lester into right field to plate both runners and cut the Sox lead in half, and then things really fell apart when Miguel Tejada lined a single off Lester's leg to prolong the inning, and the agony, even further.

After shaking off the effects of the drilling, old friend Mark Loretta laced the first pitch he saw from Lester deep over the wall in left for a monumental three run homer, and just like that the Sox four run lead had turned into a one run deficit.

I told you it was ugly.

But it gets even worse.

Lee added a run to the lead when he absolutely annihilated a Lester breaking ball for a mammoth solo shot with one out in the fifth, but Boston would strike back with a five run sixth that should have put the game away but ended up falling one run short.

The Sox tied the game when Julio Lugo led off with a walk, Jacoby Ellsbury (1-5, R, BI) tripled him home and after Geoff Geary relieved Backe Dustin Pedroia stroked his fourth hit of the game, a single to right center, to score Ellsy and knot the game at six.

The rally didn't end there though as J.D. Drew (1-3, BB, 2R) dropped a single into center, Manny walked to load the bases and Lowell crushed a sac fly to right to give Boston the lead back at 7-6.

For good measure Youk doubled to deep center (man this stadium can be cavernous in places) to score both Drew and Manny, but the 'Stros alertly cut off the throw to the plate and nailed Youk trying to take third on the play, and it would be that base running blunder that would come back to bite Boston later in the game.

Still you would think a 9-6 lead with four innings to go would be enough to earn the win. But not in this fucked up Arena ball-like contest.

David Aardsma relieved Lester to open the sixth and continued his recent impressive stretch when he set the side down in order including the last two by strikeout. But after the Sox failed to do anything off Tim Byrdak in the top of the seventh, Aardsma ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the inning when he walked Bourne and gave up a single to Hunter Pence to open the frame.

In came Craig Hansen, who promptly surrendered an RBI single to Lance Berkman, who had struck out three times up to that point, and one pitch later Varitek failed to catch an inside fastball from Hansen that went for a passed ball and allowed Pence to score and cut the lead to 9-8.

Gulp.

Hansen got out of the inning when he retired Lee, Tejada and Loretta after that, but another 1-2-3 inning put the Sox back on defense quicker than you can say "blown save."

As soon as Manny Delcarmen came in that's just what happened.

No sooner did the Houston announcers declare that Delcarmen had tossed 13 2/3 scoreless innings over his last 11 appearances, the longest such streak by a Sox reliever this season, did Manny D surrender a laser beam home run to Ty Wigginton of all people to "tie" the game at nine.

And that was the beginning of the end.

Darrin Erstad sliced a pinch hit single to center, Brad Ausmus sacrificed him over, and after Bourne struck out Hunter Pence walked to bring Berkman to the plate in a game-deciding situation.

Wouldn't you know the new NL RBI leader did just that.

The Big Puma pounced on a Delcarmen curve ball and slapped it down the left field line over Lowell's head to score both Erstad and Pence and this topsy turvy contest had come full circle again, with the Sox on the wrong end of an 11-9 score and wondering how it all went so wrong.

Well that's not true, lousy pitching is how, but I meant that in a rhetorical sense.

To make matters worse Lowell hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth off Houston closer Jose Valverde to cut the deficit to 11-10, and if Youk had just stayed at second on that play in the sixth, who knows if he might have come around to score and give the Sox that extra run they needed to possibly win this one tonight.

Once again Boston will try to take 2 of 3 from an inferior National League squad when Josh Beckett takes the mound tomorrow afternoon and tries to find the form that made him a Cy Young contender last year.

If he pitches like these guys did tonight he'll look more like Cy Sperling though.

RECORD: 50-33
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sun @ HOU 2:05 Beckett vs. Mohler

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Dice-K strikes back with solid effort in win over Houston

Sox 6, Astros 1
WP: Matsuzaka (9-1)
LP: Hernandez (0-1)
SV: Papelbon (24)
HRs: BOS-Drew (15); HOU-Abercrombie (1)

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox began a(nother) 10-game road trip with an impressive victory over the unimpressive Astros. Daisuke Matsuzaka bounced back from a horrible start to earn the win and J.D. Drew provided all the offense the team would need with a three-run bomb off emergency starter Runelvys Hernandez in the third inning.

Boston outhit Houston 12-4, with 7 of the knocks coming from Pedroia and Youkilis.

#1 STUNNER: Drew 1-3, R, 2BB, HR, 3BI
Mired in a 2-19 skid and coming off sitting out the finale of the Arizona series due to Randy Johnson syndrome, errr a stiff neck, Drew picked back up where he began the month by hitting another huge home run.

Honorable mention: Matsuzaka 5IP, 2H, 0ER, 3BB, 4K, 87P
An excellent effort by the Sox top starter allows everyone to breath a sigh of relief that Boston's $101 million investment has not turned into a broken down bust.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Hideki Okajima 2/3IP, 2H, 1R, 0BB, 0K, HR, 15P
While everyone has been worrying about Dice-K's health, it's Boston's other Japanese import who is now causing brows to furrow throughout the Nation. This month the unconventional lefty has allowed 9 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings of work, raising his ERA from 0.72 to 3.21.

I mean seriously, what's wrong with this guy?

Dishonorable mention: Manny Ramirez 0-4, K
Manny is now mired in a 2-15 slump and hasn't homered in 13 games or knocked in a run in his last 10 contests. Can you say power outage?

RECAP:
You can put away the rosaries and stop pounding sake. Everything appears to be okay with Dice-K.

After suffering his worst loss since he came to the Sox in his last outing, his first since spending nearly a month on the DL, Daisuke Matsuzaka made up for that horror show against the Cardinals with a strong showing tonight in Boston's first ever trip to Houston's Minute Maid Park.

Thanks to a potent offensive attack and a strong effort on the back end by Jonathan Papelbon, Matsuzaka finally earned his ninth victory of the season, 36 days after he logged his then league leading eighth win on May 22nd against the Royals.

In fact it's been so long since his last victory Hillary Clinton was still running for President, the Celtics hadn't won title #17, and people thought the Happening might actually be a good movie.

Yeah, that's how long ago.

Before we get too exited that the shoulder trouble that sidelined Daisuke for a month is all in the past let me state that he didn't have an absolute lights out performance tonight.

For example he barely made it through the requisite five innings to earn the win when he loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth before inducing David Newhan to pop out to shortstop to preserve the Sox shutout.

He also walked three batters, including Astros starter Runelvys Hernandez, who hadn't hit in a major league game since September of 2006, and struck out twice at the plate himself.

But the good far outweighed the bad for Matsuzaka this evening, and it was apparent from the start that this outing would be quite different from the last time he took the mound one week ago tonight.

In that game six St. Louis batters reached base in the first innings as the Cards jumped out to a four run lead, and the carnage continued in the second inning when Dice-K loaded the bases with no outs on a single and a pair of walks.

Tonight was the exact opposite of that as Matsuzaka not only didn't allow a run or base runner in the first inning, but he began the game by striking out the side with all three batters swinging at strike three.

Talk about night and day.

After putting three batters on in the first two innings Boston finally broke through in the third against Hernandez (5IP, 5H, 3ER, 3BB, 5K), who was called up to start in place of disgraced/released starter Shawn Chacon.

Matsuzaka led off with a strikeout before Coco Crisp drew a one out walk and Dustin Pedroia (3-4, 2R, 2B, BI, BB) followed with a ringing double to left field. Three pitches later J.D. Drew slammed a towering, titanic blast to right that banged off the facade of the upper deck for a key three run bomb, and just like that Dice-K had some breathing room to work with.

It was a good thing, too, because had the game been scoreless who knows how he would have handled the pressure packed situation he faced in the fifth.

Geoff Blum lined out to right to begin the frame, but then Hunter Pence walked and Humberto Quintero singled to right to set up runners at second and third with one out.

Darin Erstad (I know, he's still alive!) pinch hit for the pitcher and promptly struck out, and it looked like Matsuzaka would escape the jam easily. But he walked Michael Boure to load the bases, and suddenly it was finger nail biting time in the Boston dugout.

Before they could reach the cuticles Dice-K got David Newhan to pop out harmlessly to short on a wicked breaking ball, and with that Houdini act Matsuzaka's night was over.

The Sox scored another run when Julio Lugo led off the seventh with a bloop single to right and two outs later Pedroia drove him in with a sharp single to center, and although they missed out on a golden opportunity to blow the game open when Youk (4-5) and Tek both singled with one out in the eighth, with Boston sporting a four run lead and just six outs to go this one was all but over.

And then Hideki Okajima entered the game.

The embattled Boston reliever has been tattooed more than Eddie House the past month, and tonight would be no different.

After getting ex-Sox second sacker Mark Loretta to fly out to open the inning, Bourne took an Okajima offering all the way to the left field wall before Jacoby Ellsbury caught it on the track.

The next time he wouldn't be so lucky.

Pinch hitter Reggie Abercrombie, who has only appeared in 155 games in his career and has just seven homers to his credit, turned on a 2-2 pitch from Oki and deposited it on that silly train track the 'Stros have way up at the top of the stadium, and just like that the shutout was gone and the game was on.

When Miguel Tejada followed that blast with a ringing single off the left field scoreboard Tito had seen enough of Oki's antics and brought in Paps to nail it down.

A strikeout of Lance Berkman (1-4) ended the inning, and when Boston tacked on a couple more runs on a two run single by Mike Lowell in the ninth this one was in the bag.

Sure enough paps tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his 24th save, and Boston had it second straight impressive win against a lesser National League opponent.

In those two wins the Sox have outscored the opposition 11-1, outhit them 24-7, and generally outplayed the mediocre competition of the senior circuit.

And with Dice-K looking healthier, Drew still mashing longballs and Pedroia and Youk hotter than asphalt in August, things are looking good for the team.

Although they still just have a slim 1/2 game lead over those pesky Rays.

They'll have to take care of that problem starting Monday.

RECORD: 50-32
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sat @ HOU 7:05 Lester vs. Backe

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Interleague Series preview: Sox @ Astros

Houston Astros (37-42)

NL Central: 5th, 12 GB
Streak: W1
Last 10: 4-6

Offensive stats (NL rank)
AVG.: .262 (5th)
OBP: .321 (13)
RUNS: 345 (10)
HRS: 81 (7)
Pitching Stats (NL Rank)
ERA: 4.42 (11)
BAA: .270 (13)
RUNS: 377 (6)
SVS: 21 (4)

3 game series at Minute Maid Park
Game 1 Friday 8:05ET
Matsuzaka (8-1, 3.46) vs. Hernandez (NR)
Game 2 7:05ET
Lester (6-3, 3.13) vs. Backe (5-8, 4.82)
Game 3 Sunday 2:05ET
Beckett (7-5, 3.73) vs. Mohler (4-3, 4.03)

KEY 'STROS:
- 1B Lance Berkman .367, 21HR, 63RBI, .450OBP, 70R, 26 2B, .705 SLG% I would be remiss if I didn't mention Taylor Hicks' doppelganger first, since he is leading the club in every offensive stat including man boobs. Earlier this season he was hotter than jalapeno salsa, when a 17 game hitting streak had his average at .399, but now he is merely mildly flaming. And I mean that in a nice way.

- LF Carlos Lee .277, 17HR, 59RBI, 38R, 22 2B, .527 SLG% the gargantuan slugger had been off his game this season until a recent hot streak made his stats look respectable, but he can always hit the ball a mile at any given time. Close runner up to Berkman for the team leads in most major offensive categories, including man boobs.

-Miguel Tejada .288, 10HR, 43RBI, .327OBP, 54R, .455 SLG% the artist formerly known as Miggy has found a home in Houston, the perfect place for a former MVP/juicer who lied about his alleged involvement with PEDs as well as his age to hide out. After all, Clemens and Pettitte laid low there for years

EX SOX:
- 2B Mark Loretta .252, 2HR, 16BI, 10R, 8 2B, 14BB in 50 gms the 2006 Sox starting second baseman will forever be remembered in the Nation for blasting that game winning run against the Mariners on Patriot's Day. Not to mention he hit .285 with 59 ribbies and 75 runs scored and played solid D for the club that year.

He was just named the starter after Kaz Matsui was placed on the DL on Tuesday

PREVIEW:
Boston kicks off its 2008 interleague swan song in the city that is synonymous with heated Red Sox rivalries: Houston.

You remember all the times the Sox and 'Stros duked it out, going head to head by engaging in heated battles to decide...what's that? This is only the second time these two clubs have ever met, the first coming in 2003?

Never mind.

Either way Boston will say farewell to Bud Seligs's brainchild this weekend by taking on the embattled Astros. And I say embattled because the team just had to jettison tonight's scheduled starter, Shawn Chacon, after he went all Latrell Spreewell on the club's GM, Ed Wade.

In his stead Houston will call upon recently signed starter Runelvys Hernandez, a charter member of the All Name team whose previous claim to fame was when he started 4-0 with a 1.10 ERA for Kansas City in 2003 before injuries and ineffectiveness caused him to go 17-29 in parts of four season since then.

Another thing in Boston's favor is it won't have to face Roy Oswalt, who despite having an off season (6-8, 4.77) is still by far the best starter Houston has on its roster.

In other words, the Sox had better sweep these guys or face the fugly fact of having to head to Tampa Bay on Monday looking up at the red hot Rays in the standings.

If the Sox have any hopes of sweeping the 'Stros they must have a quality outing tonight from their own embattled starter, Daisuke Matsuzaka.

After spending almost a month on the DL with a shoulder ailment, Matsuzaka returned to the mound a week ago tonight and looked like one of my son's Little League teammates in an embarrassing effort against the Cardinals at Fenway.

Dice-K looked lost and lethargic in his one plus inning of work, allowing six hits, three walks and seven runs while retiring just three batters, and even though his numbers were made worse when reliever Chris Smith surrendered a grand slam to Troy Glaus after relieving Matsuzaka, everyone in the Nation knew how ugly and unsuccessful this return to action was.

Should Dice suffer a similar fate against the weaker Astros lineup, a team that is last in the NL in walks (221) and is near the bottom in on base percentage, then the club will have to do some serious thinking about what direction to take with the trade deadline a month away.

Do we want to mortgage the future by dealing for a CC Sabathia? Of course not. But if Matsuzaka really is running on fumes after pitching so many innings in Japan the team might have no choice but to go after a horse in order to keep its postseason aspirations alive.

All of this speculation could be put to rest if he comes out tonight and throws seven innings of 2-run ball.

But if he doesn't you can bet Theo's phone will be ringing off the hook this weekend, and it'll soon be deal or no deal time for the Boston GM.

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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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Game Preview: D-Backs @ Sox GM2

Davis (2-3, 3.65) vs. Masterson (4-1, 3.00)
Game 2 of 3 7:05 @ Fenway Park

Boston will look to get back on the winning track at Fenway Park when rookie Justin Masterson puts his undefeated home record on the line against inspirational Arizona lefty Doug Davis.

Like Sox starter Jon Lester, Davis has come back from battling cancer to continue his career in the major leagues. Diagnosed with a thyroid condition earlier this year, the 32-year-old veteran spent six weeks on the DL receiving treatments before returning to action in late May.

In his first four starts since his return he was up and down, allowing one and three earned runs in a couple of starts and then five and six earned in the other two.

Since then he has been lights out in his last two starts, allowing just 9 hits and 1 run with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings of work, yet he doesn't have a win to show for it.

But the fact that he has come back from the Big C and continued to be a productive member of a pennant contending team is a big enough win in itself.

Masterson, meanwhile, will try to continue to prove that he belongs on the big club for the foreseeable future when he makes his seventh start of the season tonight.

After dropping his first decision in Cincinnati a week and a half ago the 23-year-old bounced back with a solid showing in Philadelphia last Wednesday to earn the first road victory of his career.

In four starts at Fenway Masterson in 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA and a .169 BAA, and the kid has yet to allow more than four earned runs in any start this season.

Just the fact that he's made everyone forget about Clay Buchholz, who only threw a no hitter last September, is an accomplishment worth noting.

If the Sox are to break this mini-schneid at home, losing 3 of the last 4 games, it will need to get its offense going. In the four games since returning home the Sox have scored just 13 runs, and only a walk-off homer by Kevin Youkilis separates them from sitting at 0-4 on this home stand.

Speaking of Youk, according to the Globe he is scratched tonight following his run in with an errant Mike Lowell toss during between inning warmups last night that resulted in a nasty shiner below his right eye. He will visit a specialist and then it will be decided when he will return to action.

With or without Youk's hot bat, Boston needs to score some runs off Davis and get this game in the win column. The Diamondbacks had been in a horrible slump, are terrible on the road, having just been swept in Minnesota, and have fewer impact players than the no-name Cardinals.

No excuses, boys. Bring this one home tonight.

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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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Deja Youk: Homer wins it in extra innings after Paps blows save

Sox 5, Cards 3 (13)
WP: Lopez (2-0)
LP: Parisi (0-3)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Youk, 2 (13); STL:None

SUMMARY:
For the second weekend in a row Jonathan Papelbon blew a save with two outs in the 9th against a National League club, and for the second straight Sunday Kevin Youkilis bailed out his dance-impaired teammate with an extra inning homer. This one came with one on in the bottom of the 13th and helped Boston avoid the sweep and remain in first place.

#1 STUNNER: Youk 2-5, 2R, BB, 3BI, 2HR
His second multi-homer game of the season ended with the first walk-off shot of his career, and it's safe to say Paps owes him an expensive steak dinner for the latest save he provided for his closer.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Rick Ankiel 0-6, 2K
Not only did the ex-pitcher, ex-juicer have a lousy day at the plate, but in the 8th inning the Cards' centerfielder fell after over-running a ball hit by Coco Crisp that wound up as a leadoff triple and allowed the Sox to tie the game.

RECAP:
Wow. This game had more going on than a CGI-laden summer blockbuster.

It was a pitcher's duel as both starters, Joel Pineiro and Jon Lester, threw seven solid innings of two-run ball.

It was a pitcher's nightmare, evidenced by Paps' blown save and Mike Parisi's blown game. Also, Hideki Okajima allowed 5 base runners in 1 2/3 innings and Chris Perez walked three straight batters to force in the go-ahead run in the seventh.

It's was a hitter's heaven, with the two team's combining for 29 hits. Seven players had at least two hits, two guys racked up three knocks, Dustin Pedroia ripped four hits and Aaron Miles tallied five base hits on the day.

It was a hitter's hell, as Ankiel went 0-6, Troy Glaus 0-4, and Jason Varitek and red-hot J.D. Drew both suffered through 0-5 afternoons.

It had highs & lows, "ahhhhs" and groans, and a couple of plays that made you sit and scratch your head.

Did I mention it was delayed by rain for nearly an hour at the start and there were 13 pitchers used today?

Let's just hope there's not a sequel in the near future.

The craziest part about the game was that it started out as an ordinary pitcher's duel, with both St. Louis starter/ex-Sox hurler Pineiro (7IP, 7H, 2ER, 0BB, 1K, 1HR, 81P) and Sox lefty Lester escaping numerous jams early to keep the game scoreless for five innings.

With 29 combined hits and just 8 runs scored, you gotta figure there were a lot of men left on base, which there were, but there were also four double plays, a caught stealing and a runner gunned out at the plate that combined to keep the score down and the pitch count up (362 total) in this game.

In fact in the first four innings the teams hit into three double plays and two fielder's choices which killed a few potential rallies, but the Cards finally broke the seal when they scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back doubles and an RBI single by Ryan Ludwick (1-6, BI).

Lester (7IP, 9H, 2ER, 1BB, 3K, 101P) worked his way out of that situation without any further damage, and Boston sliced the lead in half in the next inning when Youk hit a solo shot over the Monster with two outs in the seventh.

And this is when things started to get wild.

Boston finally got Pineiro, who was signed by the Sox prior to last season and was at one point going be the closer for the club, out of the game when Ankiel misplayed Coco's routine flyball into a leadoff triple to start the eighth.

On came reliever Chris Perez, and soon the St. Louis lead would disappear in a sea of bad pitches.

Julio Lugo worked the count to 3-1 before driving a ball to right to score Coco easily, and thanks to Ankiel's blunder the game was tied at two.

After getting Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out for the second out of the inning, Perez allowed a single to Pedroia (4-5, 2 2Bs, R), and after the Little Big Man stole second, the St. Louis righty walked Drew, Manny and Mike Lowell to force in Pedroia with the go ahead run, 3-2.

Perez did strike out Youk with the bases loaded to end the inning, but needing just three outs and with Paps on the mound it appeared as if the game was over.

Ah, not so fast Faithful.

Last Saturday Papelbon entered the game in Cincinnati with Boston leading the Reds 4-3 when Edwin Encarnacion took the closer deep with two outs and two strikes to send the game into extra innings, where Youk and Coco hit back-to-back jacks in the 10th to win the gaame.

Couldn't happen twice in the span of 8 days, right?

Well, it didn't happen exactly like that, but when Papelbon walked Chris Duncan with two outs it did bring up similar feelings of "not again". After all, it was just paps' fifth bases on balls he had issued this season.

Sure enough pinch hitter Adam Kennedy (3-3, BI) drilled a fat fastball into deep center, and this time it was Coco's turn to misplay the ball as he got a bad jump on it, came in first then went back as the ball helplessly bounced off the base of the wall and Duncan came around to score the tying run.

And the park was shrouded in silence.

Paps (1IP, 1H, 1ER, 1BB, 2K, 19P) bounced back to get Skip Schumaker to ground out to end the inning, but the damaage was done and it was time for the emotional closer to take out his frustrations on his mitt in the dugout.

After the Sox went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th, the next three innings went simialr to the first three - plenty of baserunners, but nobody scoring.

Hideki Okajima took over for Paps in the top of the 10th, and Oki did his best Timlin impersonation when he gave up a single and a walk sandwiched around an out before retiting the last two batters to escape the jam.

Boston, meanwhile, got a leadoff double from Ellsbury in the bottom of the 10th, got him to third on a sac bunt by Pedroia, but left him stranded when Drew struck out and pinch hitter Sean Casey flew out.

Oki (1.2IP, 4H, BB, K, 28P) was no better in the 11th as he allowed singles to Yadier Molina, Kennedy and Aaron Miles (5-6) before Craig Hansen came in and struck out Ludwick to squelch the rally.

The frustrations continued in the bottom of the inning when Lowell (3-5, R, BI, BB) led off with a two bagger and Youk and Coco walked, but Jason Isringhausen struck out Alex Cora and ellsy to squelch that threat.

Is this thing ever gonna fucking end?!

Hansen tossed a 1-2-3 12th before Boston got yet another leadoff double in the bottom of the inning, but Pedroia was nailed at third on a bouncer back to the mound and then casey hit into a double play to sq....ah screw it.

The game finally wrapped up in spectacular fashion in the 13th inning, which was an unlucky frame for St. Louis but proved to be very lucky for Boston.

After Javier Lopez releived Hansen with one out to face Duncan the slumping Cards' first baseman drove a double into deep center, and one pitch later Kennedy lined a single to right that looked like it would plate the go-ahead run.

But as Drew ran in and scooped up the ball, Duncan barrelled around third, and instead of trying to slide under Tek's tag Duncan tried to plow him over. Bad move.

Tek hung on to the ball and applied the tag and a disgruntled Duncan was out at the plate, and two pitches later Schumaker flied out to set up Youk's heroics.

Lowell led off the frame with a single to left and five pitches later Youk unloaded on a Mike Parisi fastball and drilled it over the Monster for a long-awaited walk-off homer, and finally this 5 1/2+ hour (with delay) marathon was over.

So the Sox avoided what would have been the first Fenway sweep since 2006 and enlatged its lead in the east with the Rays loss to the Astros.

Next up is a series with the slumping Diamondbacks, and its safe to say the Sox could use a herculean effort from Josh Beckett so the rest of the staff can get some rest after this wild and wooly affair.

RECORD: 47-31
AL EAST: Up 1 1/2 gms
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Mon vs. ARI 705 Haren vs. Beckett

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Matsuzaka gets blitzed as Sox lose 2nd straight at Fenway

Cardinals 9, Sox 3
WP: Boggs (2-0)
LP: Matsuzaka (8-1)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Drew (14); STL: Glaus (10), Miles (1), Ankiel (12)

SUMMARY:
Daisuke Matsuzaka made his first start since going on the DL almost a month ago, and he looked as rusty as an old swing set; he allowed 9 baserunners in one+ inning of work, and rookie reliever Chris Smith did him no favors by giving up a grand slam to the second batter he faced after coming in with no outs in the second inning.

The loss was the Sox 2nd straight at Fenway, only the second time this year they've lost two in a row at home.

#1 STUNNER: Troy Glaus 2-4, 2R, 4BI, BB, GS
The surly, burly third baseman has been hot in June, and his seventh homer of the month was a doozy as his second inning granny off Smith blew the game open and turned the last eight innings into yard work time.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Matsuzaka 1IP, 6H, 7ER, 3BB, 1K, HR, 48P
We all knew the guy would need some time to round back into form, especially with just one rehab start under his belt. But this outing could be considered a major step backward for the previously unbeaten starter. He. Had. Nothing.

RECAP:
Well that didn't go too well now, did it?

On a picturesque day at Fenway in front of a national TV audience, with its full compliment of players in the lineup and its winningest starter on the mound, it appeared as if a Sox victory was all but certain.

And then the game started, and it quickly became apparent that not only would Boston probably not win this game, but it might lose it in humiliating fashion.

Less than an hour into the game the Sox trailed 8-0, and any hopes of winning this series and Matsuzaka earning his 9th victory of the season were gone in a barrage of Red Bird base hits and bases on balls.

The Cards opened up an industrial strength-sized can of whup ass on Dice-K and the Sox this afternoon, and by the time the second inning was over the team was in worse shape than before Matsuzaka came back from his shoulder injury.

Suddenly the once solid staff is in a spot of trouble, because in the last few days Bartolo Colon and Mike Timlin have gone on the DL, Curt Schilling has all but called it a career, Hideki Okajima has developed a case of Steve Blass disease, and now it appears Daisuke's problems may be more than what a quick trip to the DL can cure.

Is it too late to trade for Santana?

It was obvious right from the beginning that Matsuzaka was either not fully recovered from his sore shoulder or just real, real, rusty. He walked the first batter of the game, the immortal Skip Schumaker, on five pitches that weren't really close to the strike zone, then surrendered a two-run homer to Aaron Miles for a lightning-quick 2-0 St. Louis lead.

Following last night's theme of the Cardinals scrubs doing the damage it was the light-hitting Miles' first homer since last September.

Unfortunately before he was out of the inning Dice K would let every one get in on the act as he followed the longball by allowing a single to Ryan Ludwick, a one out single to Troy Glaus, and after a ground ball moved the runners into scoring position, a two-run single by Jason LaRue (2-5, 2BI) pushed the lead to 4-0 before the Faithful had downed their first $9.00 beer.

Boston looked like it might jump right back in it when Jacoby Ellsbury dropped a leadoff double down the left field line, but rookie Mitchell Boggs, making his third career start in his fourth career appearance, got Pedroia, Drew and Manny to fly out to left, center and right, and before we knew it Matsuzaka was back on the mound.

But not for long.

Second verse, same as the first. Only worse.

Schumaker walked, again, for the second time in two innings, and then Miles (2-5, 2R, 2BI) dumped a single to center and Ludwick walked and the Cards had the bases loaded with no outs and it was all the fans could do to keep from booing Matsuzaka off the field.

Luckily for him this is the kinder, gentler, more forgiving post-titles Fenway crowd.

Mercifully Francona made the trip to the mound to pull his piss-poor starter, and on came rookie Chris Smith, who had been up and down from Pawtucket three times this year without ever getting into a game.

So he gets to come into a bases loaded, not outs jam with Ankiel and Glaus due up.

Welcome to the bigs, kid.

Things looked promising at first when the 27-year-old righty got Ankiel to strike out on three straight knee-bending breakers, but when he tried a similar tact with Glaus the strapping third baseman caught up to a hanging curve and swiftly deposited it into the seats above the Monster, and at 8-0 this one was all over save for the stat-padding.

Alas Boston couldn't even do that, managing a mere six base hits on the afternoon, and although they did scratch out a couple of runs in the bottom of the second off Boggs (5.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 1K, 1HR) on a two-run double by Alex Cora, the only other run the Sox could muster on the afternoon was a solo shot by Drew, aka Juno, to lead off the sixth to slice the deficit to five, 8-3.

Ankiel got that run right back when he took Javier Lopez deep to begin the seventh, and about the only good sign for the Sox on the day was David Aardsma pitching his second consecutive 1-2-3, 3K inning in two days in the eighth.

So we got that going for us.

Thanks to Dice-Ks destruction and another win by the motherlovin' Rays, the Sox lead in the East has been reduced back to a minuscule 1/2 game.

Now Jon Lester will be faced with the task of preventing a humiliating home sweep when he takes the mound tomorrow afternoon, and he doesn't have to pitch another no-no.

Just keep the score under 8-zip after two, please.

RECORD: 46-31
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: L2
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sun vs. STL 1:35 Pineiro vs. Lester

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Game Preview: Cards @ Sox GM2

Boggs (1-0, 5.56) vs. Matsuzaka (8-0, 2.53)
Game 2 of 3 3:55 FOX @ Fenway Park

The return of Daisuke Matsuzaka from the disabled list this afternoon is a blessing for Boston's beleaguered rotation, stung by the loss this week of Bartolo Colon and the news that Curt Schilling will not be joining it at all this season, but it is also a bonus for the bullpen as well.

To make room for Dice-K the team placed reliever Mike Timlin on the DL for, of all things, a bad knee. You guys sure it has nothing to do with his noodle arm?

Either way it's another day and another set of moves for the constantly flowing Red Sox roster, which has had more changes to its makeup this season than the cast of "Dancing with the Stars."

When we last saw Dice K on the mound he was pitching in Seattle at the end of May. After pitching four innings and allowing two runs, Matsuzaka grabbed his side while warming up before the fifth inning began and was immediately removed from the game.

Turns out he injured his shoulder reaching for a throw while covering the first base bag earlier in the game, and after nearly a month on the DL and one rehab start, the Japanese righthander stated he is ready to pitch at the big league level again.

That remains to be seen about his tired armed teammate Timlin.

When Matsuzaka went down he was leading the league in wins and was second in ERA. One month later he's still tied for the third most wins in the majors and can jump right back into the ERA leaders with a solid performance today.

You can bet Tito & John Farrell will have a close eye on their stud starter, and should his pitch count get high or he appear to be struggling at all he will probably be on a short leash.

The fact that he's facing rookie righty Mitchell Boggs can only benefit Matsuzaka and the Sox. A veteran of 2 major league starts, the 24-year-old Boggs has pitched fairly well since being being called up on June 7th, but his inexperience combined with pitching in Fenway for the first time against one of the top offensive clubs in baseball should play into Boston's favor.

The Sox hope to rebound from last night's messy loss, in which the hurlers surrendered three homers to three obscure Cards and Julio Lugo was the key offensive contributor but also committed a pair of errors in what was a lackluster performance for the team coming off a solid 4-2 road trip.

So it's no excuses today. The top starter is back. The starting lineup (minus Papi) is intact. And a greenhorn is on the mound to face the World Champs in a national TV game in the ballpark where Boston has lost only 8 games all season.

Let's not eff this one up, fellas.

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