Minnesota 7, Sox 6
WP: Crain (1-1)
LP: Papelbon (2-2)
SV: None
HRs: None
SUMMARY:
For the second time in three games Boston fell behind early thanks to shaky starting pitching then fought back to take a late lead, only to see it frittered away by the previously unhittable Jonathan Papelbon.
SUPERSTAR: Mike Lamb 1-2, 2BI
Inserted into the game in place of injured second baseman Brendan Harris the journeyman infielder, who was in the midst of a 3-20 skid, blooped a single to left field with two on in the bottom of the 9th to win the game for the ecstatic Twins.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Papelbon 2/3IP, 2H, 2ER, BB, BS, L
It seems as if the bullpen bug has finally bitten the closer, who had not blown a save since last September and now has two in the last three days.
And this time he didn't have Julio Lugo to blame for the loss.
RECAP:
Not much more to say about this game than I already have except HOLY SHIT THIS ONE SUCKED!
Another epic comeback by the never-say-die offense was thrown down the toilet after the closer couldn't finish the deal, turning what one minute appeared to be a sweet series-opening victory into a bitter defeat in the blink of an eye.
I know Papelbon is only human and not an indestructible, flame throwing dancing machine that is programmed to mow down hitters and follow each save with an eye bulging primal scream, but when you hand him a 6-5 lead and then he gets beat the way he got beat tonight, it's tough to keep the proper perspective like that.
The first batter to reach in the 9th, Delmon Young, has been a monumental bust since being dealt from the Rays in the off season for pitcher Matt Garza, batting just .264
with 4 extra base hits and 10 ribbies. Always known for his defense, he badly butchered a fly ball by Mike Lowell in the 5th that allowed the Sox to get right back in the game.
Yet he somehow sliced a single up the middle to start the 9th, and things went downhill from there.
After a sacrifice moved Young to second, Paps got Adam Everett to foul out to first for the second out of the game, and with young Carlos Gomez and retread Mike Lamb coming up, it looked like 'that's all she wrote time' then.
Except the fat lady wasn't done singing yet. In fact she was just getting warm.
When Young stole third base uncontested, no one cared because all Paps had to do was blow Gomez away and they were out of there.
But the kid who was acquired in the Johan Santana trade, who had walked only three times all season, somehow worked the count full and then watched as ball four went by him, and suddenly the Twins had new life.
When Gomez stole second uncontested, no one cared because all Paps had to do was blow Lamb away and they were out of there.
But Lamb missed the plan, and after fouling off a couple of 97 mph heaters, he stroked a soft single to left field just over the infield and too far in front of Manny, and both the uncontested runners came around to score in a moment that was both mesmerizing and agonizing for Sox fans Nationwide.
The fact that it had come to that point, that Boston held the lead after such a horrendous start to this game, was a testament to the unrelenting offensive attack the team has possessed the past 10 days or so.
Sox starter Jon Lester (5.1IP, 8H, 5R, 3ER, 1BB, 2K) got them in a hole early, allowing two runs in the 1st inning and two more in the 2nd after Boston had tied it at two in the top of the frame.
By the time Gomez singled home Matt Tolbert, who had doubled with one out in the 4th and moved to third on a wild pitch, it felt like it just wasn't meant to be after the team had to fly in to Minny in the wee hours of the morning following the Detroit series.
That theory was disproved shortly thereafter as the Sox struck for four runs in the top of the 5th inning as the first four Boston batters reached base against Twins starter Boof Bonser (4IP, 7H, 6ER, 3BB, 3K), the big blow being Lowell's booming 2-run double that could have been caught by Young if he didn't take a most circuitous route to the ball at the wall.
Staked to a 6-5 lead, Lester retired the next four batters until Young's single in the 6th led Francona to bring in David Aardsma to face Tolbert.
After Tolbert fanned, Everett hit a shot to the left center field gap that appeared to be headed for the wall until Jacoby Ellsbury cut it off,a nd a perfect relay throw from Ellsbury to Pedroia to Tek nailed Young at the plate and preserved the one run lead.
For the moment.
Two scoreless innings by Hideki Okajima left the Sox in perfect position for Papelbon to slam the door in the 9th, but alas the best laid plans...
It was a game filled with odd/bad plays, such as Youk reaching on a strikeout and then scoring Boston's first run, balls hitting base runners, wild pitches, missed cutoff men and another error by Julio Lugo, but it also featured many good things, like Boston swiping 3 more bases and the Sox stringing up another dozen base hits.
Unfortunately the bad far outweighed the good in this one.
It usually does when your robo-closer goes all HAL 9000 on you.
RECORD: 23-15
AL EAST: Up 2.5 gms
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Sat @ MIN 710 Matsuzaka vs. Parker
5.09.2008
Paps' 2nd straight blown save leads to another tough loss
4.12.2008
Mannny mauls Mussina as Sox defeat Stanks
Sox 4, New York 3
WP: Beckett (1-1)
LP: Beckett (1-2)
SV: Papelbon (4)
HRs: BOS-Manny (2)
SUMMARY:
Manny Ramirez nearly single-handedly defeated his hometown team with a pair of extra base hits and 3 runs batted in, and Jonathan Papelbon weathered a 2+ hour rain delay to strike out Alex Rodriguez with the game on the line as Boston took Game 2 of the series.
Superstar: Manny 2-4, 2R, 3BI
His towering solo shot in the 4th, which hit 3/4 of the way up the Volvo sign atop the Monster, may have been the more memorable blast of the day, but it was his 2out, 2-run double that put the Sox ahead to stay in the 6th that was his more important hit of the afternoon.
The Biggest Loser: David Ortiz 0-4, K, GIDP
Papi's slump has now reached epic proportions (3-44, .070), and it was downright sad to see him ground into a double play on a check swing with two on and nobody out in the first inning.
RECAP:
The first Sox victory over New York in 2008 may have been a long time in the making, but it was well worth the wait.
Well, that's easy for me to say, I was only watching it on TV.
New York had two runners on base with two outs in the 8th, down 4-3, and Tito had just made the call to the pen to bring his closer in to relieve Hideki Okajima and face Alex Rodriguez with the game on the line.
Unfortunately that's right when Mother Nature decided to intervene in what had been a thrilling installment of the Rivalry, and just as Paps was about to take the mound the drizzling skies opened up, the umps called for the tarp, and the game would be halted for over two hours.
No problem for me, as I finished the yard work I had abandoned, cooked a few steaks on the grill, took a shower and watched the end of the third round of the Masters.
The downpour wasn't as enjoyable for the brave souls who chose to stick it out at Fenway to see the game to its conclusion, but at least when play finally resumed 2 hours and 11 minutes later, Paps made those who stuck it out got their money's worth.
When play resumed A-Rod was at the plate with a chance to at least tie the game or put New York in front with a base hit. But Paps would have none of that. He quickly made mincemeat of Rodriguez, needing just three pitches to strike the reigning MVP out, and Papelbon punctuated the moment with his signature primal scream/first pump/crazy glare/ hop-step as he bounced off the field.
It was the moment everyone who braved the delay had been waiting for, and as I said before it was worth the wait.
The game leading up to that point had been just as good, before Mother Nature cast her untimely spell on those of us who had been waiting for a BOS/NY game that didn't involve a New York pitcher completely shutting the Sox offense down.
Instead Josh Beckett (6.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 1BB, 5K) bounced back from a rough first outing with a solid second showing, limiting the Stanks to just four singles and a double over 6+ innings before giving way to Manny Delcarmen after allowing New York to close to 4-3 in the 7th.
Manny Ramirez got the scoring started with a mammoth solo shot in the 4th off Mike Mussina (5.2IP, 8H, 4ER, 0BB, 1K, HR), a ball that would have sailed over Lansdowne if not for the billboard blocking its trajectory.
But New York took the lead two innings later by stringing together a couple of hits mixed in with a sac bunt, a sac fly and a wild pitch, and it started to look like Boston was going to lose another tough one to the boys from the Bronx.
Except another boy from the Bronx would have none of that.
Ramirez, who always does his best hitting against his hometown club, came up with two outs and Jacoby Ellsbury at third and Dustin Pedroia at second and did what his partner in crime Ortiz couldn't do before him- drive in the big runs in a key situation.
Manny laced a double the opposite way to the triangle in right center, easily plating both runners and eliciting a huge ovation from the crowd as he stood on the second base bag and soaked it all in like a victorious politician.
That's the version of Manny being Manny we all love.
The rest, as they say, is history. Beckett came out after New York sliced the deficit to one, and Manny Delcarmen recorded his biggest out of 08 when he struck out Jose Molina with the tying run on second to end the 7th.
After the dramatic, rain-lengthened 8th, Papelbon returned for the 9th and quickly dispatched the three Stankee hitters, striking out Giambi and Posada before getting Robinson Cano to ground out to end it, and a mere five hours after the game started it was over, and the Sox had a big win heading into the series finale tomorrow night on ESPN.
Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates in that one or it could be another long night.
RECORD: 6-6
AL EAST: 1.5 GB
STREAK: W-1
UP NEXT: Sun vs NY 8PM, ESPN Hughes vs. Matsuzaka
4.01.2008
That's more like it: Sox look like champs in 2-1 win over As
Boston 2, Oakland 1
WP: Matsuzaka (1-0)
LP: Blanton (0-1)
SV: Papelbon (1)
HRs: Oak- Cust (1)
Superstar: Daisuke Matsuzaka 6.2IP, 2H, 1ER, 0BB, 9K
Away from the bright lights of his home city, Matsuzaka was near perfect in his 2008 stateside debut.
After surrendering a solo shot to Jack Cust in the 2nd inning, Dice K went into operation shutdown mode, limiting Oakland to one hit the rest of the way and giving his team a chance to come back and win it. They did, but unlike in the opener he actually benefited with a victory this time.
The Biggest Loser: Big Papi 0-4, 3 LOB
I know its early, but Ortiz notched his 3rd straight 0-fer tonight, and once again he came up with men in scoring position and couldn't do what he is paid handsomely to do- drive in runs.
He is now 0-8 on the season and has stranded 11 baserunners in 3 games. Ay Papi!
RECAP:
With some sense of normalcy finally taking hold for the first time this spring, Boston played like the team that calmly, coolly and collectively won the world championship last season.
Daisuke Matsuzaka overcame the Opening Day jitters that plagued him in his homeland and an early deficit to record his first win of the year; the Sox offense, though far from dominant, was opportunistic enough to take a late lead despite being robbed of a home run; and Jonathan Papelbon shook off the rust with an impressive 3- strikeout 9th in what was an all around team effort this evening in chilly Oakland.
I won't go into details here, because it's 1:00 am and I have to get up in 6 hours, but let's just say that this win temporarily put to rest any doubts that this team has what it takes to battle for another ring.
Down early and facing a tough opposing starter in Joe Blanton (6IP, 7H, 2ER, 1BB, 3K), the Sox chipped away at the burly righty for to tie the game in the 5th on an RBI single by Jacoby Ellsbury (1-5), and then took the lead the next inning after a triple by Youk (3-4, 2R) and a double by Tek that should have been a home run.
After being handed the lead Matsuzaka buckled down even more, retiring the next 6 batters on 2 strikeouts, 2 flyouts and a ground out before giving way to Hideki Okajima with 2 outs in the 7th. Oki walked Cust but then got Game 2 hero (and Game 1 goat) Emil Brown to pop out to Pedroia to end the inning.
When Oki allowed a single to Bobby Crosby to lead off the 8th, Tito let him retire the next two batters before bringing Paps in for an early season 4-out save despite the fact that Papelbon looked shaky in his appearance in Japan.
Not this time as Paps got pinch hitter Mike Sweeney to ground into a fielders choice to end the inning, then plowed through the trio of Travis Buck (0-4, 4 Ks), Mark Ellis and Daric Barton in the 9th to earn his first save of the season and give the Sox a chance to take this long, strange series tomorrow afternoon.
What, an afternoon game? By the time the Patriot's Day 11:00am tilt is in the books the Sox will have played at every conceivable hour within the first month of the season.
As long as they keep winning, who cares what the fuck time they play.
UP Next: Wed @ Oakland, 3:35EST
9.27.2007
Sox Drawer: Paps & Lowell make national headlines
From an SI cover and accompanying article for Papelbon to an appearance on the nationally syndicated Jim Rome Radio Show, Sox players are making headlines off the field today
Earlier I expressed the disdain I felt when I opened my mailbox and saw Papelbon's steely glare peeking out at me from the receptacle. And honest to God if he blows out his shoulder or allows a game/series-losing home run in the playoffs, I'm cancelling my subscription the next day.
But I must admit the piece inside the jinxed cover was an informative read as Tom Verducci revealed some insight into items like the decision to return to the pen, the team-mandated pitching guidelines that followed his shoulder injury last season, and what outspoken teammate Curt Schilling thinks of the closer's intelligence.
Here's a few of the highlights:
-On informing Francona of his decision to return to the bullpen this spring
"Man, I'm not sleeping good. I know deep down in my heart this is not what I want to do. If you want to give me the ball in the ninth, I'd love to take it and go back in that role."
Tito's response: "Well, hell yeah!"
-Schilling on Paps' inability to grasp the subtle nuances of being a starter
"This [role] suits him. He's not exactly a charter member of Mensa, so he can just go right after people with two pitches...putting him back as a closer was a no-brainer."
Nice backhanded compliment, Schill.
-On the team's customized, technologically aided schedule used to accommodate his irritable shoulder labrum
...team doctors and officials began devising the Papelbon Program. It covered two pages and was divided into three parts: how often he could be used, a daily testing program and a custom shoulder-strengthening program. For instance, Francona was not to use Papelbon three days in a row, or even two days in a row if he was coming off a high pitch count. Nor could he use Papelbon the day after he had pitched more than one inning
Each day, when Papelbon reports to work, he sees [assistant trainer Mike] Reinhold and estimates the fatigue level of his shoulder on a scale of zero to five, with five being the most tired. Then Reinhold hooks him up to a strength-testing machine that supplements Papelbon's subjective score with an objective measurement of his shoulder strength. A report of the scores is logged along with Papelbon's recent usage patterns and presented to Francona and front-office officials. A summary advisement is included, which might give Francona clearance to use Papelbon aggressively or keep him from using the reliever at all.
Take those Joba Rules and shove em up your asses, Stankees.
-But the best part of the article was the comment Paps had regarding the monetary difference between being a starter and a reliever in the major league marketplace
"I've thought about that, and over my career, what's the difference between $80 million and $100 million? O.K.? Nothing."
Another reason to friggin love this guy.
As for Lowell's interview with Rome, the ever-hyperbolic host labeled it one of the best interviews he's ever conducted and the best baseball interview he could ever ask for.
For once the goateed goofball was right.
Lowell touched on a number of topics and provided candid and witty takes on each, from Manny's work habits to Drew's struggles to being an RBI machine. Her are a few of the best bits I can remember:
-On how he handles the pressure of playing in Boston
"I came from a place that would draw 6,000 fans [Florida Marlins] before we were winning. Here you're playing in front of a packed house every night...a bloop single sounds like a line drive. It makes you think you are a better hitter than you are...and I just try to embrace that."
-On batting in the 4-hole in Manny's absence
"I am fortunate enough to hit with a lot of men on base in front of me, and I feel if I don't drive them in I'm not doing my job. But we're a much better team with Manny hitting fourth than with anyone else on the planet."
-On Manny's preparation
"Everyone thinks he shows up with his dreads, eats a hamburger, and starts hitting in a game. he does more pre-game preparation than anyone I've known, from catching miniature baseballs to improve his reflexes to attempting to catch wiffleballs to improve his hand-eye coordination...he's a freak"
-On Drew's struggles and perceived lackadaisical attitude
"J.D. is so even-keeled that he can handle the scrutiny & criticism better than most...he reminds me of Derrek Lee with the Marlins...this is just his first year in the AL; next year he will be good, when he gets that one season under his belt. I had never even faced Roy Halliday before my fist season in the American league (last year)"
I happen to agree with him 100% on this one
-And finally Rome asked him how he felt about breaking Butch Hobson's club record for RBIs by a third baseman last night
" I didn't even know about the record until i was at like 107 and someone mentioned to me the record was 111. I was surprised--I thought it would be more like 140 with all the great players they've had at that position. But once I knew I was close, i wanted to break it. it's a great honor."
No, Mike, it's a great honor to have had you play for the Sox these last two seasons, and if this should happen to be your last season in Beantown, you will always be remembered as both a clutch hitter and a class act.
Cursed Again? Papelbon graces cover of S.I.
Sports Illustrated slaps its dreaded cover jinx on the Sox by putting closer Jonathan Papelbon on the front of this week's issue
Look, aren't we Red Sox fans a paranoid, superstitious and freakishly pessimistic enough bunch? Do we really deserve this kind of karmic crotch kick on the eve of the 2007 postseason?
While everyone else has the AL East crown all but engraved with the BoSox "B", here in the Nation we are crossing every appendage, wringing every rosary and reciting every good luck prayer that Boston doesn't blow this seemingly insurmountable three-game lead in the final series of the regular season.
And now we have to deal with this.
The SI cover jinx is not as legendary a curse as that of the Bambino nor the Billy Goat, but it is a marginally more powerful and quantifiable entity than that neophyte light weight hex, the Madden cover jinx.
This titan of torture began with the very first issue in 1954 and has continued throughout the decades unimpeded in its ability to render once powerful and successful athletes broken down, tragedy-inflicted, injury-prone messes.
And now it has set its sights on the Nation's beloved glaring, fireballing, fist-pumping closer.
One week before the start of the ALDS.
Thanks a lot, motherfuckers!
9.06.2007
1st ND for Wake but Tek helps beat Birds
Sox 7, Baltimore 6
WP: Buchholz (3-0)
LP: Baez (0-6)
SV: Papelbon (34)
HRs: BOS-Coco (6), Papi (27); BAL-Millar (15)
SUMMARY
One night after a bullpen collapse led to a heartbreaking loss the Sox rallied from three separate deficits and then pulled the rug out from under the reeling Birds when Jason Varitek knocked in the winning run in the 9th and Jonathan Papelbon closed it out in style to earn his 34th save.
#1 STUNNER Varitek 1-1, 2B, RBI
The Captain keeps getting clutcher and clutcher. For the second night in a row the ballsy backstop had a big hit to give the Sox a late lead, but this time his pinch hit RBI double wasn't wasted like last night's 2-run 6th inning blast.
PAN's FAUN Kevin Millar 1-5, HR
The original idiot did hit another homer off his former team, but other than that the king of Cowboy Up choked like a chicken; he struck out to end three innings, none worse than when he watched a Papelbon heater bisect the plate to end the game.
RECAP
I don't know about the rest of you but I'm sick and tired of playing these pluckin' Birds.
This is the fourth series between the two AL East competitors in the last six weeks, and even though the Sox own a 10-5 advantage over these foul fowls, the majority of the games have been close.
Aggravatingly, gratingly, keep-sedating-me close.
Yesterday Baltimore surrendered 17 runs to the Devils Rays and lost by 15.
Today they took the Sox to the brink again as the game was a one-run affair for the 6th time in the 15 meetings this season.
These teams are 40 friggin games apart in the standings and aside from the occasional blow out and no-hitter, the Sox can't seem to shed this shitty, sorry excuse for a team.
Which is exactly why I'm dreading these next three games.
Tonight the Sox and Birds played a cute little game of "which starter sucks worse?" While Boston was sending 16-game winner Tim Wakefield to the mound for the first time since his back spasms forced him to miss a start which indirectly led to Buchholz's no hitter, Baltimore was relying on shaky young lefty Garrett Olson, the O's hard-luck starter in the no-no, to right a sinking ship.
Hmmm, anyone else smell a slugfest?
To say Wake didn't have his best knuckler working would be a more than adequate statement as the Birds touched him for six runs and nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings, his shortest stint in three months and the most hits he'd given up since July 17th against Kansas City.
Christ he hadn't even allowed a run in his last 22 innings coming into this game, a streak that ended in a hurry when Baltimore pushed a run across in the first inning tonight.
But it wouldn't take long for Boston to jump on the beleaguered Olson, who in between rides on the minor league shuttle has gotten hammered like a Lohan in five of his seven his MLB appearances.
The Sox tied the game when Coco, Mirablli and Julio Lugo hit consecutive singles to start the third, then took the lead on an RBI groundout by Big Papi one out later.
One negative to come out of the inning was that Mirabelli, in his first start since coming off the DL for a pulled quad, apparently pulled a hammy running the bases and was replaced by pinch runner Royce Clayton. Let's just say Kevin Cash better practice catching the knuckler a lot in the offseason.
With Wake's flutterball looking more like a dead fish than a lively sprite it didn't take long for the Birds to strike back, and of course it was everyone's favorite idiot Kevin Millar who was right there to provide the punishment.
After allowing a one-out double to Nick Markakis in the bottom of the thitd, Millar ripped a lazy offering from his former teammate into the left field seats to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead, and when Audrey Huff followed that blast with a deep double and then scored on a single by Melvin Mora, it was obvious that Wakefield was either still hurt or just incredibly rusty.
Olson upped the ante in the fourth when he walked J.D. Boo and Youk and then surrendered a three-run jack to Crisp (3-4, 3R, 3BI), his first homer in two months since his Coke bottles grand slam on July 5th against the Rays, and suddenly the score was in Boston's favor again, 5-4.
But Wake (3.2IP, 9H, 6ER, 2BB, 0K) topped him when he handed the lead right back to the bloody Birds in the bottom of the inning on RBI hits by Miguel Tejada and Markakis, and with the score now 6-5 I was starting to feel like I was watching a match at the US Open.
Baltimore manager Dave Trembley had to remove Olson after he injured a muscle following Coco's homer (how conveeenient), and replacement Rocky Cherry (actual name) joined right in on the action when he gave up a solo homer to Ortiz with one out in the fifth.
Not only was Papi's 27th longball of the season his 8th in his last 20 games, but the classic Papi shot was his 200th as a member of the Sox, and does it surprise anyone that it tied the game at six?
After a scoreless inning from Kyle Snyder Tito brought Buchholz in for his first relief appearance against the team who provided him with his best starting memory ever, and although he didn't hold them hitless, he did prevent the Birds from taking the lead in the sixth.
Two walks and a single loaded the bases for B'More, but then Buchholz got Tejada to ground into your classic 5-2-3 double play, and when he whiffed Millar to end the threat you got the feeling this team could turn out to be Buchholz' special bitch.
Just like last night Boston blew another late-inning bases loaded situation when a walk to Lowell and consecutive singles by Youk and pinch hitter Jacoby Ellsbury went to waste when Boo needed just one pitch to ground into a double play to end the 8th, and when Buchholz tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning it looked like this one could be headed into extra innings.
Wait a minute, I forgot how bad the Baltimore bullpen is.
D-Rays reject Denys Baez came on for the 9th and wasted no time in reminding me when Coco reached on a swinging bunt to lead off stole second, and then Varitek, the man who has come up with more clutch hits than anyone on the team this year save for Mike Lowell, came in cold and laced an RBI double to left that gave his team its 3rd and final lead of the night, 7-6.
Last night Varitek's two-run homer in the sixth could have been the game-winner if not for the shoddy relief work, but with Papelbon available tonight and as dominant as he has been lately, this one was as good as in the bag even though the Sox failed to tack on an insurance run.
Didn't matter as Paps wrapped up his 14th straight scoreless outing in style, freezing the ever-smirking Millar with a filthy fastball to end the game, then punctuating his 34th save with a primal scream and glove smack as if to say "not tonight you dirty frigging birds!"
Not it wasn't meant to be for Baltimore tonight, but something tells me the last three games of this season series aren't going to be so easy.
NOTES: Wakefield's streak of 26 consecutive starts with a decison came to an end...Ellsbury's pich hit single was his first of his career and extended his hitting streak to all six games he's played in since his recall...Mike Lowell (0-4) and Dustin pedroia (0-5) had rare off-nights...
9.04.2007
Beckett wins 17th in another fun one at Fenway
Sox 5, Toronto 3
WP: Beckett (17-6)
LP: Halladay (14-7)
SV: Papelbon (33)
HRs: BOS-Ellsbury (2), Youkilis (16); TOR-Stairs (19)
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The energetic Ellsbury has been the ring leader of the Fenway Fun Bunch
SUMMARY
In an NL-esque pitchers duel Josh Beckett bested former Cy Young winner Roy Halladay en route to earning his major league-leading 17th victory, and Jacoby Ellsbury continued to blaze since his recall, ripping three more hits including a homer and a triple as Boston won its fourth straight game.
#1 STUNNER Ellsbury 3-3, R, 2BI
The speedy rookie continues to amaze Red Sox fans & management with his heady play and hot bat. Since his recall on Saturday Ellsbury is batting an astounding .667 (8-12) and is making it very hard for Francona to leave him out of the lineup.
PAN's FAUN Lyle Overbay 0-4, K, GIDP
The struggling first baseman had a game to forget, ending three innings when he flied out with a man on to end the fourth, grounded into a double play to end the sixth, then watched a 96-mph Papelbon fastball whiz past him for strike three to end the game.
RECAP
I might not have witnessed a no-hitter, but I did get to watch an entertaining, well-played and unusually short American League contest between two division foes.
Plus I nearly won a $50 Best Buy gift card to boot.
Not exactly history-making stuff, but pretty damn fun nonetheless.
And that's the one word I would have to use to describe the current iteration of this team, one that has morphed personalities roughly 147 times this season and has seemed to employ a different lineup for each one of them.
Fun.
The Red Sox are playing fun baseball, it's fun to watch them play baseball, and it looks like they are actually having fun out there playing baseball, not going through the motions waiting for the regular season to end or shrinking away like an anorexic starlet in the presence of a hated arch rival.
And the biggest reason for all this giddiness has to be traced to the exuberance that youngsters like Ellsbury and Buchholz have added to the clubhouse.
The unbridled enthusiasm these guys brought from Pawtucket, along with their suitcases full of talent, seems to have rubbed off on the grizzled vets on the club, turning a loose-but-professional team into a bunch of happy-go-lucky kids.
Fun.
And to think less than a week ago the one word I would equate with this team was 'miserable'.
Tonight's game promised to be entertaining from the get-go when the pitching matchups were announced and we learned that current leading Cy Young candidate Beckett would be squaring off against 2003 Cy winner Halladay in a battle of team aces.
The two did not disappoint, although neither was at his very best.
Halladay (8IP, 9H, 5ER, 2BB, 7K) was definitely the shakier of the pair, allowing at least one base runner in each of the first four innings before Boston broke through for four runs in the frame.
And wouldn't you know it was one of the Fun Bunch who brought the Faithful to their feet again.
J.D. Drew led off the inning with a five-pitch walk from Halladay, then Youk (2-4, R, BI) dropped a single into right to send Drew to third and set up Boston's first real scoring threat of the night.
After Varitek struck out on three pitches Coco tapped an offering from Halladay to second base for what looked like a potential rally-killing double play, but the fleet Crisp barely beat the relay throw to first base as Drew came home to score the first run of the game.
Then the fun really begun. (Sorry, I'll stop now)
On the very next pitch Ellsbury drove a Halladay fastball on a low arc into the Red Sox bullpen for his second major league homer and second longball in three days, and just like that a 0-0 game had become 3-0 in the span of two swings of the bats.
Boston finished the inning with back-to-back doubles by Lugo and Pedroia (2-4, BI), and flushed with a 4-0 lead and their best pitcher on the hill it looked like a potential easy win for the Sox.
Ah, I didn't say it was always fun.
Toronto climbed back into the game in a flash when Aaron Hill led of the fifth with an infield single off Beckett's foot, John McDonald walked and with two outs old friend Matt Lumpy Stairs launched a three-run bomb over the Jays bully to slice the Sox lead to 4-3.
But Beckett (8IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 7K) was lights-out from then on, retiring 9 of the last 10 batters he faced with the one being erased on a double play, and he finished his night in style, striking out Alex Rios looking at a nasty yakker to end the eighth.
Youk added a big insurance run in the bottom of the inning when he blasted a solo shot high & deep to straightaway center field off a tiring Halladay, and the only question left was, with Paps & Oki presumably off limits after pitching two days in a row and Gagme on the shelf with a bruised ego, errr sore arm, which reliever would Tito call on to close out the game?
The answer was a surprising one as the intimidator himself, Papelbon, trotted out for the final inning; it was a miracle Remy didn't tumble out of the booth.
All season long Tito has used his prized closer as if he was made of bone China out of fear that Paps balky shoulder from last September would rear its unwanted mug again.
But sometimes the kid gloves approach came back to haunt him, most notably when he wouldn't use his closer in both games of a doubleheader against the Angels, resulting in one of Gagme's more infamous blown saves of his sure-to-be-brief Sox tenure.
So to see the squared cap and menacing glare of Paps enter the game was, to put it mildly, a major fucking shocker to most of the Nation.
Luckily, the All Star closer didn't make the decision look like a mistake.
Papelbon needed exactly 9 pitches to dispatch the Jays including the above-mentioned tracer to Overbay to end the game with a fist-pumping flourish, and the young & talented closer has saved the last three Boston wins without allowing a base runner.
Suddenly the resurgent Sox have won four straight without the services of Manny Ramirez and with Tim Wakefield's status in doubt due to a tricky back problem.
No worries around the Fens, though, cause the kid's have got things all under control.
Oh, yeah the Best Buy gift card part.
On the great baseball website Bugs & Cranks they have what's called an indoor four contest, where you pick a player who will hit an inside the park home run and the first player to reach the feat each month wins a $50 BB card for whomever was astute enough to pick him.
Of course I waited until the final month of the season to do so, but my obscure choice almost made a winner out of me tonight: Jacoby Ellsbury.
With guys like Coco, Jose Reyes, Carl Crawford and even Dontrelle Willis all taken already, I decided to take a darkhorse candidate, a speedy September callup who might just pull the feat.
Hey if Kevin Youkilis and Derrek Lee can do it, why not?
In the sixth inning tonight Ellsbury almost made it happen when he drove a ball deep over Alex Rios' head in right field that landed on the warning track, hit the base of the wall and then kicked right back to Rios, who quickly fired it back to the infield.
By that time Ellsbury had scampered into third with a stand up triple, and I was standing up as well, screaming for Rios to bobble the ball and/or Ellsbury to go for broke and try and make more Red Sox history while making me a little richer, entertainment wise.
Alas we had to settle for the three bagger, but at that point I didn't even care...
...because it sure was fun anyway.
8.22.2007
Sox Drawer: Schill a Ray?
Schilling admits on EEI that he wouldn't mind playing for the Rays
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I heard about this interview yesterday, read the story on the Globe, but still had to hear the words for myself to believe it was true.
So I went to the EEI vault.
Sure enough, during his weekly interview on the Dennis & Callahan show, Schill was asked by Gerry Callahan a few general questions about the Tampa Bay team, and before long the talk veered into the possibility of Curt wearing the (fill in the color) uniform of the Tampa Bay Rays, or Tarpons, or whatever they might be called next year.
Here are some of the more notable tidbits:
-- "I love the team. I think they've got a ton of talent. With Kazmir, Shields and Jackson, I love the thought of that staff growing up together."
-- "You wonder who is the everyday presence on that club that leads..there's gotta be some guys with some presence to push those guys along"
When pressed on whether he would want to play 81 games in the Trop, he responded:
-- "That doesn't bother me. I love Tampa, love the area...I don't mind that. There's something to be said for knowing your going to play every day...and knowing it's literally gonna be 72 degrees at game time" (amen, Schill, especially when it's 95 and wet outside)
That led Gerry to drop the big question: "so you'd consider being a part of that (mentoring the young pitching staff) at some point?"
--"...it's one of those situations you'd certainly look at...if circumstances were (to) happen...I'd love nothing more than to finish my career working on a pitching staff where I would know that there were young guys that were gonna be positively impacted by my being around when I was gone."
And there you have it. Straight from the mad blogger's mouth to my ears. If the Sox don't want to fork over the dough to retain the aging ace for next season, he would actually consider ending his career here in Tampa Bay.
Wow.
Mind you this stuff has been said before, by other marquee players such as St. Pete native Gary Sheffield, and more recently Judas Demon expressed similar sentiments in some offhanded comments last weekend.
But this is huge. A two-time World Series champ, co-WS MVP and the man who brought a championship to Beantown residing in the House that Monster Truck pulls built, putting the finish touches on a stellar career by mentoring the young studs in the Rays system.
Pardon me while I check into the prices of a mini-plan.
Paps sets new mark for Boston closers
By recording his 30th save last night against the Rays, Jonathan papelbon did soemthing no pitcher in the long & storied history of the Boston Red Sox franchise had done: register back-to-back 30 save seasons.
That's right neither Mark Clear nor Steamer Stanley, not book fodder Flash Gordon nor the insufferable Keith Foulke (you) had ever accomplished what Ppas did last night.
And the fact that he did so by getting four outs, three by way of strikeout, had to make the feat that much sweeter.
Hats off to a true closer in every sense of the word, and say another prayer that he decided to rerun to the pen this season.
Halos spank Stanks 18-9 behind Garret Anderson's 10 ribbies
Had to mention this beaut of a game that ended late last night on the West Coast.
The Angels, a team Boston has come to know far to well these last few weeks, absolutely bludgeoned the Stankees last night in Anaheim, winning by a score of 18-9, a number that was even greater until the Stanks scored 4 in the 9th.
But put aside the absolute ass kicking the Angels inflicted on New York, and the fact that LA of A now owns a 6-2 mark against the Bronx Bummers this season, but the Stankee pitching staff allowed one man to drive in 10 runs singlehandedly.
Garret Anderson, who was deemed washed up and ready to be replaced in an ESPN.com piece a few days ago, slammed two homers including a grand slam and drove in an Agel-record 10 runs in the win.
I have nothing more to say.
Read More......
8.18.2007
That's more like it: Papi's slam leads to rout of Angels
WP: Schilling (7-5)
LP: Weaver (8-6)
HRs: BOS-Papi (21); LAA- Figgins (3), Guerrero (19)
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Excuse me, Mr. Ortiz, your Cadillac is waiting.
SUMMARY
Shut out for four innings by Jered Weaver, Boston exploded for six runs in the 5th, highlighted by David Ortiz' mammoth grand slam, then tacked on four more in the 8th to defeat the Angles and give Curt Schilling his first win since June 7th.
# 1 STUNNER Ortiz 1-3, 2R, 4BI, 2BB, GS
His blast off Weaver was one of the longest homers I've ever seen Papi hit at Fenway, landing 3/4 of the way up the right field stands; it was so high & deep he had to take a minute to admire it, an act that Weaver didn't appreciate too much.
Next time don't groove a fastball to Ortiz with the sacks packed, jackass!
PAN's FAUN Weaver 4.1IP, 8H, 6ER, 1BB, 5K
Speaking of said donkey, the guy was cruising with a 5-0 lead until he suffered a Gagne-esque meltdown in the 6th. Six hits and six runs later he was flinging his glove into the bench like his teammate John Lackey did yesterday after getting torched for a sixer. Temper, tempers.
RECAP
I think it's safe to say the Big Man has got his mojo back.
Yesterday David Ortiz had a day worthy of, well, David Ortiz, circa 2003-2006, when he launched a 2-run homer of John Lackey in the 1st inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader, then stroked a 2-run double in the 8th inning of the nightcap which tied the game and gave Boston new life in the contest.
But those two clutch hits were mere appetizers to what he had in store for RSN and his buddies on the Angels roster tonight, although I think it's safe to say that his moon shot grand slam earned him at least one enemy in the L.A. clubhouse.
Boston bounced back from its demoralizing loss (i.e. latest collapse by its newest bullpen addition) last night and climbed off the mat to burn the Halos again, and this time Tito stuck with Papelbon to close it out even though the Sox erased the save opportunity with the 4-run 8th.
Ironic because this was the type of game Francona should've brought Gagne into, and he should have used Paps to save that crucial Game 2 last night.
Ah well, it's all water under the Neponset bridge now.
One thing's for sure is that Curt Schilling owes Ortiz a steak dinner this evening, because until Papi's blast Schill was giving Sox fans reason to head for the razor blade collection tomorrow.
I came in to the contest late because the fam & I were at my buddy Michael's house "celebrating" his 49th birthday while the kiddies depleted the water level in his pool. By the time I jumped in it was the bottom of the 3rd inning and Boston was already trailing 4-0, so needless to say I knew Schill was not pitching well.
Thanks to GameCast and NESN highlights I soon learned that Schill (6IP, 8H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K, 2HR) surrendered a solo run in the first on a double by OC, a single by Vladdy and an RBI fielder's choice by Garret Anderson, then coughed up three runs in the next frame on an RBI single by Reggie Willits and a 2-run homer from Chone Figgins.
Chone Figgins?! He of the 25 homers in 5+ major league seasons?!
To make matters worse I jumped in right in the middle of another stymied Sox rally, as Cora singled and Lugo doubled with one out, only to be left stranded when Youk & Papi followed with fly outs to end the threat.
Other than that blip Weaver was cruising, holding Boston to just three base runners through four innings, and when Guerrero stroked a low splitter from Schilling over the Wall like he was practicing for the Deutsche Bank Championship, I had the feeling I would have been better off had I missed this whole game.
Luckily, like any true diehard (with nothing else to do and recovering from a hot day poolside), I stuck around for more, and thankfully Boston & Big Papi made it worth the wait.
In the bottom of the 5th, not long after Vlad's golf shot, the Sox batters decided they'd seen enough of Weaver and quickly went to work on exorcising him from the game.
Eric Hinske led off the fatal frame with a broken bat dribbler to no man's land in the infield and was safe at first, and three pitches later Coco hit a towering shot to right that hit off the bullpen wall for a long double, and Boston had men at second & third with no outs.
After getting ahead of Alex Cora 0-2, Weaver plunked the second baseman on the back foot to load the bases, and when Julio Lugo (2-4, R, 2BI) followed with a hard liner off the mound that went in to center field for a two-run single, the game was starting to resemble last night's affair, pre-Gagne.
Because the fun had just begun.
Kevin Youkilis wasted no time joining the action when he drove a 1-0 pitch from Weaver into left to re-load the bases, and then Ortiz stepped up to deliver the main course of the evening.
To say that Papi was sitting on a fastball would be akin to saying Youk gets upset when he strikes out, for it seemed as soon as the ball left Weaver's hand Papi launched it into an orbit not since reached in the long history of Fenway Park.
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We're still awaiting reports on how many UFO sightings were called in around the Fenway area last night
By the time the ball landed Ortiz was still jogging to first base in full-blown Manny mode, admiring his handiwork like an artist marvelling over his latest masterpiece, and the sight of the mulletted Weaver trying to glare down Big Papi as he rounded the bases only made the moment more special.
You mess with the bull and you get the horns, son, and Boston's biggest steer just stuck a pair of pointy ones straight up your ass.
After a Drew single knocked Weaver out of the game, Boston loaded the bases for the third time in the inning but couldn't push another run across, and the question became "Could Schill & the pen hold onto this lead the offense worked so hard to acquire?"
Fortunately the answer was yes as Curt came out for the 6th and retired the side in order, then Mike Timlin and Hideki Okajima followed with a pair of scoreless innings to set up a save situation and a measure of redemption for Papelbon and the Sox in the 9th.
Except the offense had other plans, like teeing off on Angels relievers Justin Speier and Greg Jones in the 8th.
Boston scored four runs in the inning on three hits and three walks and a wild pitch, the big blow a 2-run double to deep right center by Manny, who up to that point had been 0-4 with four swinging strikeouts on the night.
"Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom..." (Redemption Song for the Marley-impaired.)
By the time the dust settled the score was 10-5, and since Paps had already gone through his warmups, and possibly with the memories of last night still lingering in his bald dome, Tito called for his closer to end this comeback right.
Three batters later the bullpen's main man had done just that, finishing it off with a strikeout of the pesky Willits with a filthy slider after he fouled off four straight pitches, as if to say to Gagne "see, do it like this around here and they'll love you"
And if you hit monstrous homers like David Ortiz, everyone will love you, too.
Except the opposing pitcher.
6.12.2007
Sox win in under 2 1/2 hours. Yes, it's true!
Sox 2, Colorado 1
WP: Wakefield (6-7)
LP: Cook (3-4)
SV: Papelbon (15)
HRs: None
SUMMARY
Tim Wakefield had a 1-0 shutout going thru seven innings, but he allowed a run in the eighth to tie the game. Extra innings, right? Wrong. The Sox bucked up and put a run on the board in the bottom of the frame, and Paps came on in the ninth to slam the door on the win-forcefully.
HERO: Wakefield 8IP, 4H, ER, BB, 3K
He had been battered worse than Paris Hilton's ego the past few weeks and saw his ERA balloon from 1.79 to 4.22, but tonight his knuckler was dancing like that cute little blond on Dancing With the Stars, and he set a season high for innings pitched.
GOAT: J. Affeldt 1/3IP, H, W
After his staffmate, starter Aaron Cook, had thrown an absolute gem for 8+ innings, and his teammates tied the game in the top of the inning, Affeldt came in and blew the game for them by giving up a double, a walk and a sac fly that plated the winning run.
RECAP
The Sox may have returned to an American League ballpark and played the game under AL rules, but the opponent and style of play said National League all the way.
A low scoring, one-run pitcher's duel that saw the three runs score on a double, single and sac fly and that clocked in at an astoundingly brisk 2:25 is almost an unknown entity in the free-swinging junior circuit, but over in the "turn the lineup over" NL, 2 1/2 hour games are a common occurrence.
Of course it always help to play the game quickly when both pitchers are tossing zeroes on the board like a couple of seniors throwing shoes at the local retirement center.
Wakefield and Cook engaged in a skill full battle of contrasting styles that made for a miserable night for the hitters but was captivating to watch. While Wake's flutterballs were confounding the Rockies, of whom only Todd Helton had faced him before, Cook's sinker was getting the Sox batters to pound more balls in the dirt than the Brokeback boys. (I know, it's old & stale, but it's all I got)
Boston grabbed an early run for Wakefield, and it was a good thing because he had allowed 26 earned runs in his last 5 starts.
Julio Lugo, batting in his new slot in the 9-hole, doubled with one out in the third. After Dustin Pedroia, who went 1-3 batting leadoff for the first time, grounded out and Lugo swiped third without a throw, Youk ripped a double down the right field line to easily score Lugo with the game's first run.
It would remain that way for four more innings; Boston mounted a couple of scoring chances against Cook but were foiled by a couple of DPs, the sinkerballer's best friend, and Wake was plain masterful, allowing just three base runners through the first seven innings but living on the edge with a mere one-run lead.
In the eighth he would slip off that edge, and the Sox hitters' failure to put another run or two on the board would come back to haunt them big time.
Brad Hawpe (1-3, R) led off the frame with a double to right, and just like that the tying run was in scoring position. After a flyball moved him to third, Wake got the fun-to-say Troy Tulowitzki to fly out to shallow right, and J.D. Drew's throw kept Hawpe nailed to the base. But two pitches late the funner-to-say Yorvit Torrealba (2-3, RBI) blooped a single to center to score Hawpe, and suddenly it seemed as if all of Wake's hard work was for naught.
Ah, naught so fast.
Thankful for what he had done for them and embarrassed by not being able to crack a guy with an ERA near 4 1/2, the Sox hitters staged a rally in the 8th that was, well, very NL-like.
Pedroia, who like Lugo took the news of the lineup switch in stride, laced a 2-2 pitch from Cook to center to lead off the inning, and with that Cook was out of the game. And as usually is the case when a manager removes a hot pitcher after he gets in a smidgen of trouble in favor of a cold reliever just to play the friggin percentages, things did not turnout well from Clint Hurdle.
Because Papi (3-3) patiently waited for his pitch from reliever Jeremy Affeldt and then roped his third offering for a laser to right field that missed clearing the bullpen wall by about six inches according to Rem Dog, setting up runners at second & third with no outs. Gulp.
After the obligatory walk to ManRam, the pressure fell on the fragile shoulder of Drew, who in his first game back home since his 7-RBI outburst in Phoenix had a chance to be the hero earlier in the game but GIDP'd.
But with the sacks packed all Drew needed to do was put the ball in the air deep enough to score pinch runner Alex Cora, and after working the count in his favor at 3-1, he did just that. His solid shot to center was plenty deep enough to score Cora with the go-ahead run, and now all that stood between Wake & the Sox getting the win or another heart wrenching loss was one Mr. Jonathan Papelbon.
It's no secret that Papelbon has been less-than-dominating since he blew his first save and allowed his first runs of the season in a May 1st loss against Oakland at Fenway. Since then he has allowed runs in three of 12 appearances, and he's given up nine hits in that time after allowing just two the whole month of April.
It's obvious that Paps was aware of this annoying minor slippage, and he set out to correct it tonight. He entered the electric atmosphere pumped and wasted no time proving to everyone watching that the real Paps is back.
Kaz Matsui? Sat down on a 96-mph heater.
Matt Holliday? Flied out after tasting 97-mph cheese
Todd Helton? Sit down and thanks for (not) coming, and say hello to John Henry on the way out.
After fanning Helton with 96 octane, the fireballing hurler was so amped he nearly jumped from the mound to the dugout, pumping his fists and screaming up into the cloudy night.
We know how you feel, Paps...
...the Nation loves these early, short games too!
NOTES:
- Papi had three hits (two singles and a double) to raise his average to a season-high .340, and he's hit in 9 of the last 10 games (15-38, .395), lifting his average 25 points
- Francona Magic: Tito's long-overdue lineup switch worked well as Lugo and Pedroia both figured prominently in the win. To his credit, Lugo handled the demotion with class, realizing he's still making $8 million/year no matter where he bats
- Colorado's first four batters-Taveras, Matsui, Holiday & Helton-were a combined 0-16. Yikes!
- Taveras had his 15-game hitting streak snapped
- Mirabelli had a rough game, going 0-3 with a strikeout and rally-killing DP
- Welcome home: Drew also had a lousy night at the plate, grounding out to the right side all three times before finally lofting the ball for the winner (baby steps)
QUOTES:
"On a night like tonight, I don't care how many times you've faced him. He was very good."--Tito on Wakefield, disregarding the Rockies' lack of experience in facing the knuckler
"He was commanding."--Tito on Papelbon
"I was in a situation where I wanted to get a pitch in a good part of the zone to be able to drive. I was fortunate to get in a 3-1 count with a pitch out over the plate. "--Drew with a spine-chilling description of the ever-thrilling game-winning sac fly
RECORD: 41-22
AL EAST: Up 9.5 on NYY
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Wed vs. COL 7EST
6.03.2007
A-Rod takes Papelbon deep to help Stanks take series
New York 6, Sox 5
WP: Bruney (2-1)
LP: Papelbon (0-1)
SV: Rivera (5)
HRs: NYY-Rodriguez (20)
SUMMARY:
This one hurts.
Boston overcame a 4-0 deficit with a 5-run fifth, only to see its two best relievers hand the game right back to New York. Hideki Okajima allowed the tying run to score in the 8th, then closer Jonathan Papelbon served up a solo shot to Alex Rodriguez in the top of the 9th to lose the game and the series.
HERO: Dustin Pedroia 2-5, R, 3RBI
The little second sacker continues to get big rips; this time it was a 3-run double in the fifth that put the Sox on the board and gave Boston a chance to win this game. Oh yeah, and the hit extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
What, you thought I was gonna give it to freaking A-Rod?!
GOAT(s): Papelbon & Okajima 1.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 3K, HR
The Sox two best bullpen men looked like a couple of high schoolers when the going got tough tonight. Six outs away from another comback win, these two normally rock-solid specialists couldn't close the deal, and it cost the Sox the game.
RECAP:
Like Michael Richards once famously said, back when he was still known as Kramer: "I'm out."
As in, I'm out of breath, out of words, and out of ways to describe and talk about this series between the Sox and Stankees, one in which there were more comebacks than in the heavyweight division, and more twists and turns than a bad Memento ripoff.
So after three games of back-and-forth baseball, and a couple of nights pounding out roughly 1,500 words attempting to recount what had taken place on the soggy field at Fenway, I'm going to keep this one short and sweet.
Maybe that way it won't sting so much.
Josh Beckett (6.1IP, 8H, 4ER, 3BB, 5K) spotted the Stanks a 4-run lead, with a little help from Mike Lowell. The first run came in the second, when Posada doubled, Matsui singled him to third, and Josh Phelps brought him home with a single to center. New York would plate three more in the fifth after Phelps and Melky Cabrera singled, Abreu walked, and A-Rod hit a shot to third that Lowell tried to play barehanded, like he had the day before.
But the throw bounced in front of Youk and skipped into right field, allowing two runs to score and when Posada (2-5, R, RBI) followed with another single, the score was 4-0 Boston, and things were looking bleak.
Have no fear, because in the bottom of the frame, the Comeback Kids were here.
Tek, Wily Mo and Coco led off the inning with singles off of Andy Pettitte (4.1IP, 7H, 5R, BB, 3Ks); Boston's hottest hitter (sorry, Youk) Dustin Pedroia, then smoked a belt-high Pettitte fastball for a Monster-rattling double that cleared the bases and brought the Sox right back in it, 4-3.
Papi followed one pitch later with a bloop single to right that Bobby The Butcher Abreu misplayed into a three base hit for Ortiz that easily scored Pedroia with the tying run. That play chased Pettitte from the game (thank your rightfielder for that, Andy), and when Luis Vizcaino came in and allowed a sac fly to Youk (1-3), it looked as if Boston would have another comback victory on its resume.
Ah, not so fast my friend.
After Lopez, Donnelly & Okajima combined forces to escape a two-on, one-out jam in the 7th, Matsui singled off his former Japan League teammate Okajima to begin the 8th. Robinson Cano then took Oki's second pitch deep to center that hit high above the Stoppie sign and kicked back to right, and by the time Pena relayed it back in, Cano had a triple and the Stanks had a 5-4 lead.
And the chattering crowd fell silent.
As if that weren't disheartening enough, to go along with the frigid temps and steady rain, what happened in the 9th would assure all members of RSN would go to bed cold & angry tonight.
Papelbon got Jeter to ground out, then fanned Abreu to get the Sox within one out of extra innings. Unfortunately, A-Rod had had enough of the deriding catcalls and plastic girl masks for the weekend, and he didn't want to stick around any longer. Rodriguez unloaded a Papelbon heater into the bully for a deflating home run that silenced the critics and put a capper on a wet, weird, and wasted weekend at Fenway.
And so it's on to a brutal 7-game road trip through Oakland and Arizona for the Sox before they head home to play the Rockies and Giants at Fenway.
Thankfully, we won't have to see the friggin' Pinstripes again until late August.
And thankfully, even by taking 2-0f-3, the Stanks are still 12 1/2 games behind the Sox in the East.
SCOREBOARD!
NOTES:
- Hit parade: every Sox player had a hit, with Pedroia and Manny notching two each
- J.D.Drew sat for the second straight game with hammy problems; Wily Mo took his place in right and went 1-4 with a run scored
- Pedroia batted second for the second consecutive game, with Pena batting 8th and Coco, who had been hitting 2nd for a few games, hitting 9th. It was the fourth time this year Dusty had 2 doubles in a game, the third time in less than a week time in
- More Dusty: Pedroia is batting .489 during his streak (23-47) and has raised his average 85 points, from .253-.338
- Manny's two hits raised his average to a season high .288; he has hit in 11 of the last 12 games at a .435 (20-46) clip
- Twins? in his last 7 innings pitched, Paps has allowed 7 hits and 3 runs, walking 4 while striking out 10; Oki has been just as shaky as his bullpenmate; in his last 7.2 innings, he's allowed 7 hits and 3 runs, with 3 walks and 5 Ks. Freaky, huh?
- Papi nearly took Rivera deep in the 9th, but a combination of the rain drops and Ortiz' "barking" hammys kept the ball in the yard
- Lugo (1-3) was thrown out at the plate by Jeter trying to score on a double by Pedroia in the 6th, although he argued the call, replays showed he was out
QUOTES:
"I heard some, but it's always in good fun. I think the Boston fan always has a lot of fun and I appreciate that. It's not a big deal."--Rodriguez on the series-long ridicule he dealt with this weekend
RECORD: 37-18
STRK: L-1
LST 10: 6-4
AL EAST: Up 10.5
UP NEXT: Mon @ OAK, 10P EST Read More......
5.06.2007
Sox, Schill hold of Twins to take series
Sox 4, Twins 3
WP: Schilling (4-1)
LP: Ponson (2-4)
SV: Papelbon (10)
HRs: None
Soxbox
RECAP:
Just call me Usher, because this is my confession, part II: I didn't see today's game, either.
I kind of hinted at that prospect yesterday, but I just want to get it out there so nobody thinks I'm trying to fake it.
No it seems as if the rigors of attending a Little League game, a wedding, and a major league baseball game with thousands of exuberant Little Leaguers in a span of 27 hours is not conducive to catching up on missed ballgames.
It is conducive to catching up on missed sleep, though, which is what I did when I got home from the Rays game today. Well, not sleep, exactly, I think it's called collapsing.
When I awoke from my brief slumber I checked out the vital stats of the game and was relieved to see that the Sox hung on for the win. I knew they hung on because at the Trop when the scoreboard flashed 4-0 Boston, everyone and their son told me, knowing that I am the resident Sox nut on our team.
After perusing the box score, recap and highlights I noticed a few things:
1.) Schill pitched a whale of a game (6.2IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 7K) but was probably kept in there too a bit long. He was cruising with a shutout through 6, then fell apart in the 7th, when he allowed 2 runs and Oki gave up the third, which was added to Curt's tab. Then again,I didn't see the game, so I may be wrong here.
2.) Dust Pedroia finally had a good f-ing day at the plate: three hits and run scored, two of the hits were doubles. Maybe that '50 at bats' shit Tito was spewing last week wasn't so wacky after all.
The ironic thing is that the guy who is supposed to replace Pedroia at second base, Alex Cora, started at short and contributed 2 more hits and scored 2 runs to raise his average to .405, so now I guess it's Lugo who should watch his back.
Who are we kidding? If they wouldn't sit a kid in his second year making $380k, they sure as hell ain't gonna bench a $36 million dollar free agent. Suddenly the Curse of Rentanerror is looking mighty strong at that spot.
3.) Thankfully, Jonathan Papelbon is as healthy and dominant as ever. With that blown save last week, and the three days of panic & worry it created in the Nation, we had to be thinking "okay, let's see some signs of him not being alright."
Apparently none are there as the menacing glare and crackling fastball are still as nasty as advertised. Thanks to Paps having everyone's back, on a day when Schill gave another quality start but faltered late, and the normally unhittable Okajima allowed a run to score (although he would induce MVP Morneau to ground out after that), the Sox came out Minnesota with a series win and head into the offday tomorrow on a high note.
I'll have a full recap on this series tomorrow, that way maybe I'll know what the hell is going on. I feel so out-of-the-loop.
Now what's this I hear about Clemens signing with the Stanks?
RECORD: 20-10
AL EAST: Up 5.5 games on NYY (they're coming baaaack)
UP NEXT: Off Monday; @ TOR Tue
5.01.2007
Mayday, Mayday! Paps blows save, Sox lose in 10
WP: Duchscherer (2-1)
LP: Donnelly (0-1)
SV: Street (7)
BS: Papelbon (1)
HRs: OAK- Johnson (1), Buck (3)
Sox box
I didn't want to say this, but Boston got beat by a Buck-n-Johnson
SUMMARY:
Sox starter Curt Schilling pitched a brilliant game (7IP, 8H, 2ER, 0BB, 7K) and Boston apppeared well on its way to winning for the 5th time in the last 6 games.
But the normally reliable bullpen allowed the game-tying homer in the 9th and game-losing double in the 10th to send Boston to a heartbreaking May Day loss.
HERO: Travis Buck 3-5, 2R, 2RBI, 2B, HR
Let's say it together, shall we: who the f**k is Travis Buck?
The Sox found out that he is the 23-year-old rookie rightfielder for the Oakland A's who must be a pretty good hitter, despite his .221 average. How do I know this? Because he proved it by rapping three hits tonight and by taking the untouchable one, Jonathan Papelbon, deep to tie the game in the 9th inning, giving Paps his first runs allowed and blown save all season.
GOAT(s): Boston pen 3IP, 5H, 3ER, BB, 3K
There's no getting around it-the bully lost the game for the Sox tonight. Oki did fine in his inning of work, but Papelbon allowed the tying runs in his nightmare 9th (1IP, 3H, 2R, BB, HR), then Black Donnelly gave up back-to-back doubles to start the 10th, and that was all she wrote.
Hey, these guys have been great so far this season, they're allowed one screw up. Just one.
RECAP:
Because April ended on such a positive note Sunday, with RSN riding the high of taking 5 of 6 from the Stanks and the Sox finishing the month with the best record in the league, it made what happened tonight all the more difficult to digest.
Yeah there's nothing like a good swift kick in the head to make a native Bostonian forget about any good times he may have been having earlier in the day. And that's exactly what it felt like when Travis Bickle, errr Buck drilled a 0-2 fastball from Papelbon into the rightfield seats to tie a game that just a couple of innings earlier seemed to be a sure Boston victory.
That's because Schilling was pitching like the Schill of old, mowing down Oakland hitters while scattering 8 hits & a couple of runs and putting in the requisite 7-8 innings before handing the keys over to the night crew. The Sox hitters were doing their part as well, picking right up where they left off in the Bronx by posting a 3-spot before the box seats were even filled and pushing the lead to 4-0 with a single run in the 3rd off A's starter Joe Blanton (7IP, 6H, 4ER, 2BB, 4K).
The Sox struck quickly in the first thanks to three bloop hits, a sac fly and two stolen bases. Coco, back in the 2-hole tonight, beat out an infield single and stole second, then after Papi (2-5, R) blooped a bingle to left, Manny knocked him in with a sharply-hit opposite field sac fly. Youk, batting 5th in place of the ailing J.D. Drew, singled & stole second also, then Lowell hit a shot to short that Bobby Crosby knocked down but threw to the wrong base, allowing both runners to score.
In the third inning Coco led off with a walk, was singled to third by Manny then scored on a sac fly by Youk to give Boston a solid (with the way Schill was pitching) 4-0 lead.
Curt gave a run back in the 4th when first baseman Dan Johnson launched a solo shot to right to put the A's on the board, but after that Schilling retired 8 out of 10 batters before running into a spot of trouble in the 7th. That's when Buck led off with a double, Jason Kendall singled him over to third, and former Sox Todd Walker, batting for the recently acquired Ryan Langerhans, hit a slicing, sinking liner to center that Coco somehow caught but the run scored.
Still, Schilling escaped further damage that inning by getting Shannon Stewart to ground out and Mark Ellis to pop out to Youk, and with a 2-run lead and the best bully in the game rested & ready, it looked like the win was in the bag.
But something happened along the way to victory #17, and it came from the most unexpected source: that rock-solid bullpen. Hideki Okijima took over for Schilling in the 8th and make quick work of Chavez, Johnson & Piazza, and that left Mr. Reliable to close out the win in the 9th.
Only Mr. Reliable was a little off right from the start of the inning. He gave up a single to Crosby on his second pitch, then came the shot heard 'round Beantown, the one that ruined Paps' perfect season, not to mention win #17. Even after Buck's demoralizing homer, Papelbon still couldn't find his dominant form; he allowed another single and a walk before ending the inning with a foul out and groundout.
With both of its best relievers already used it was up to the rest of the pen to come through until the Sox could scratch out a run. But that plan lasted less than an inning as Brendan Donnelly gave up a double to Mike Piazza on the first pitch he threw, then a double to Johnson 5 pitches later, and the A's had their first lead of the game, 5-4. The run would hold up as Boston came up just short of tying it when Youk's soaring fly ball came to rest in Stewart's glove just in front of the Wall to end the game.
We can't harp on this one too much, though. It had to happen sometime (Paps blowing a save), and I'd rather it happened when the Sox hold a 3+ game lead in May than if they were down three games in September.
As long as this was an aberration, and not a trend.
NOTES:
- Drew got the night off due to a stomach virus, not the current 1-19 skid he is on (wink wink)
-Tito went with a revamped lineup, rewarding Coco for his play of late by moving him back to 2nd in the order, dropping Youk to the 5-hole, and starting Hinske in right for Drew. The moves seemed to work as Coco had a nice night (1-4, BB, 2R, SB), Youk contributed a hit, run & RBI, and Hinske doubled in the 9th to start a brief rally for Boston
-Manny continues to show signs of emerging from his season-long slump: he had two more hits and an RBI tonight to raise his average to .215 and his ribbie total to 14. He is batting .272 (6-22) with 2 homers & 6 RBI in his last 6 games
-Before tonight Oakland had only allowed one run in the first inning all year
-No one could have foreseen Johnson's big game (2-5, R, 2RBI, 2B, HR); coming into the night he had no extra base hits and only 2 RBI all season
-For some reason Dustin Pedroia remains locked into the starting lineup. The slumping second sacker went 0-3 and is in the midst of a hideous 5-48 (.104) stretch that has seen his average plummet to .172-yikes!
-Tek (0-4, 2Ks, .225) and Lugo (0-5, .242) also continue to take up residence in the team meat locker
-Oki ran his scoreless streak to 12 innings, dropped his ERA to 0.66, and struck out another batter to bring his season total to 18 in 13.2 innings of work
-Oakland skipper Bob Geren was ejected in the 5th for arguing a strikeout soon after a Sox ballboy touched a ball in play, preventing the A's from scoring a run from third. Papi also protested his strikout in the third.
QUOTES:
-"Our bullpen has been phenomenal. It doesn't always work out the way you want it to."-Schill, aptly summing up the situation
-"We all get used to (Papelbon) being almost perfect. At some point, you're going to give up runs."-Tito, ever the realist
-"I'll take that loss on my back and I'll pick up the team again when they need me."-Papelbon, exuding the confidence & grit that makes him a fan favorite in the Nation
RECORD: 16-9
AL EAST: Up 3.5 on TOR
UP NEXT: vs. OAK, Wed 7P
4.08.2007
Sox beat Rangers the old fashioned way- they eeeeaaaarnned it.
Sox 3, Rangers 2
WP: Schilling (1-1)
LP: V. Padilla (0-2)
SV: Papelbon (2)
HRs: BOS- Big Papi, 2 (2); TEX- Catalanotto (1)
Sox box 
SUMMARY:
It was the ideal recipe for Sox success: take 7 innings of vintage Curt Schilling, mix in two large doses of David Ortiz longballs and top off with a 5-out, door-slamming save from Jonathan Papelbon and you end up with a classic Boston victory.
GOAT: The Sox lineup other than Papi & JD Drew
By combining 94-mph heaters, killer breaking balls and a nasty attitude Schilling kept the Rangers at bay following Papi's 2nd round tripper; 14 of the last 15 batters he faced went down and none made it to 2nd base. But when he was pulled after seven strong innings the lead nearly disappeared with him.
Former closer candidate Joel Pineiro came on in the 8th and promptly made us all realize how grateful we are that he is not by getting into a bases loaded, no-out jam, courtesy of two walks and a bunt single by Kenny Methuselah Lofton. Tito decided he'd seen enough (ya think-can you say hello, Pawsox, Joel?) and brought in lefty specialist Javier Lopez to face pinch hitter Nelson Cruz. Cruz hit a wicked liner to Youk at first, who knocked it down and got the force at second as the Ranger's 2nd run scored, but with runners on 1st & 3rd, one out and Boston clinging to a 1-run lead everyone in the building knew what, or who, was coming next.
For all of the jaw-dropping feats Jonathan Papelbon performed in his brilliant 35 save rookie campaign he had never been called on to get a 5-out save. This being a new year and the Sox in need of a win heading to Fenway for Tuesday's home opener, Tito thought now might be a good time for the kid to get his first one. A risky move, perhaps, since there is still a question mark over Paps' right shoulder, but a move that had to be made nonetheless. If it backfired Tito would be hung out to dry, but it's a place he's accustomed to being in.
Francona would have no reason to fear the second-guessers as Papelbon confirmed that his decision to return to the pen and bypass the rotation was a brilliant one. With a closer's steely glare and a fastball to match Papelbon went through the Texas hitters like Taco Bell through the intestinal track, striking out Michael Young with a wicked 97-mph heater and then inducing Mark Teixeira to pop out on the first pitch he saw to end the threat.
After a baserunning blunder by J.D. Drew killed a 2-out rally in the 9th that could have padded the lead, Paps made the gaffe moot by mowing down the Rangers in the bottom of the inning quicker than you can say "watch out for a Sammy longball." Sosa led off but would pop out on the second pitch he ever saw from Papelbon, quickly followed by Hank Blalock's feeble attempt to catch up to Paps' 96-mph high cheese and then Brad Wilkerson looking at another 96er to end the game.
It was an awesome display of power, pinpoint accuracy and determination that Boston will need to win the division this year.
And they got it from their starter and closer.
NOTES & QUOTES:
-Drew had another Jekyll/Hyde-type game (is this gonna be a trend?)- he had 2 more hits to extend his streak to all 6 games and up his average to .391, but he also struck out twice and was gunned down trying to take third on a ball that barely got by the catcher with 2 outs in the ninth
-Papi had been in a 2-18 slump with zero homers on the season before unloading for his 27th career multi-homer game
"You just can't understand how unbelievable that is. You just can't. Until you're on the mound, you cannot understand that there aren't very many guys in the history of the game that can do that."- Schilling on Papelbon's masterful performance
RECORD: 3-3
UP Next: Off day Monday;
Tuesday, 2PM SEA at BOS Beckett (1-0) vs. Jeff Weaver (0-0)
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