Sox 11, Royals 8
WP: Matsuzaka (8-0)
LP: Bannister (4-6)
SV: Papelbon (14)
HRs: BOS-Drew (4), Lowell (6); KC-Guillen (6), Olivo (6)
SUMMARY:
The Red Sox had a lot to celebrate this afternoon - grand slams by JD Drew and Mike Lowell, Daisuke Matsuzaka picking up his AL-leading 8th victory, extending their winning streak to a season-high 7 games - but nearly as many things to lament, such as another shoddy job by the bully and 6 more walks from Dice-K.
Still a win is a win is a win, and now the Sox will head West as owners of the best record in baseball.
SUPERSTAR(s): Drew & Lowell 5-8, 5R, 2B, 2GS, 8BI
Talk about a 1-2 punch.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Brian Bannister 5.1IP, 12H, 7ER, 1BB, 4K, 1HR
So much for that day/night differential.
(Dis)Honarable mention: Boston bullpen 3.1IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 3K, 2HR
Yet another uninspiring performance from the weakest link on an awesome team
RECAP:
This afternoon's victory over the reeling Royals wasn't pretty, it wasn't easy, and it sure as hell wasn't impressive, at least not pitching-wise.
But in the major leagues the end result is all that matters, and the end result of this one means the Sox now own the best record in baseball, the longest team winning streak in two years, the starter with the most wins in the American League, and an offense that appears to be as unstoppable as any assembled in recent memory.
And it's a good thing that offense is so potent, because the team needed every ounce of its power this afternoon.
Because despite ringing up 11 runs and 14 hits including two grand slams Boston nearly blew this game thanks to what has become the Achilles heel of this club, the unreliable bullpen.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.2IP, 6H, 3ER, 6BB, 7K, 118P) had another mezza mezza game en route to his 8th victory, and he continues to be the team's most puzzling piece; is he the decisive #1 starter who has the best winning percentage and 2nd lowest ERA in the AL? Or is he an implosion waiting to happen, as evidence by his league-leading walk total and inordinately high number of pitches thrown per start?
Right now the answer appears to be a little bit of both.
He keeps walking batters at an alarming rate (6 more today, 42 in 65 1/3 inn on the year) and has yet to pitch into the 8th inning so far this season, mainly because he throws a minimum of 100 pitches each time out. (He threw a season-high 118 today)
But he still hasn't lost this season and has been the backbone of a staff that has been riddled with injuries and inconsistencies at times.
Go figure.
Today he was not on top of his game from the get-go, as he allowed a run in the first inning on a walk, wild pitch and RBI single by Jose Guillen (4-5, 3R, 3BI, 2B, HR), and after issuing another walk he finally got Miguel Olivo to strike out to end the frame.
But not before he tossed an ungodly 34 pitches, with a 50/50 split of balls and strikes.
Yikes.
Good thing for him his offense was on top of its game, and it didn't take long for the Boston batters to penetrate the unbeatable daytime version of Brian Bannister, who had been 4-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA in afternoon starts this season.
After retiring the Sox in order in the first inning, Bannister collapsed in the second as Boston loaded the bases with no outs on an infield single by Manny Ramirez, a bleeder through the shortstop hole by Lowell and a seeing eye single by Youk.
Then JD Drew, who missed yesterday's game with a sore knee, worked the count to 2-2 before sending a pitch high to the opposite field for a Monster grand slam, his first home run since April 11th against the Stanks and a blast that reminded everyone of his monumental granny in Game 6 of the ALCS last year.
Staked to a 4-1 lead Dice still appeared as if he was going to cough it up at any time, with baserunners reaching in every inning against him, so it was nice when Youk (2-4, R, BI) singled in Lowell, who had doubled, in the 3rd to give Boston a 5-1 lead.
But Matsuzaka finally fell off the tightrope in the 5th when KC scored a pair of runs on a walk to Alex Gordon and back-to-back doubles by Guillen and Olivo (3-5, R, 5BI), and suddenly what seemed like a potential Boston blow out had turned into a nail biter.
Well at least for an inning.
The Sox chased Bannister in the 6th when Drew led off with a single, Kevin Cash, getting a rare non-Wakefield start, followed with a single and Julio Lugo drove Drew home with a sac fly to make the score 6-3 Boston.
Jimmy Gobble entered the game and promptly walked Jacoby Ellsbury, surrendered a deep double to left by Dustin Pedroia that scored Cash, and after David Ortiz popped out for the second out of the inning, KC manager Trey Hillman elected to walk the ice cold Manny Ramirez to load the bases for Lowell.
Not only that, but Hillman chose to leave the lefthander Gobble in to pitch to the righthanded Lowell.
Both moves backfired like a 76 'Nova when Lowell crushed a 1-0 pitch into the Monster seasts for the Sox second grand slam of the game, the first time Boston had accomplished that feat since Billy Mueller did it himself in Texas in 2003, and what had quickly turned into a close game just as quickly turned into a rout at 11-3 Boston.
Or so we thought.
With Matsuzaka having been replaced by Javier Lopez to get the final out of the 6th, Francona called on Craig Hansen to work the 7th. Evidently the Nova was still parked on the concourse because Hansen was horrid, allowing a leadoff homer to Guillen, a walk to Mark Teahen and then a booming double to Olivo to slice the Sox lead to 11-5.
As bad as Hansen was (his ERA is now a robust 7.56), David Aardsma was worse. Although two of the hits he allowed in the 8th were of the infield variety, the homer he gave up to Olivo was anything but cheap as it cleared the Wall with room to spare, and now the lead was back to a minuscule three runs, 11-8.
Gulp.
Even Tito's safety net, closer Jonathan Papelbon, nearly fell victim to the shitty bullpen flu as he allowed two hits after recording the first two outs in the 9th.
But sanity prevailed as Paps got Gordon to fly out harmlessly to left to end the wild affair, and the Sox had the longest winning streak since the summer of 2006 just as they head out to the West Coast for yet another 10 game road trip.
While the homestand was impressive, as the Sox won all seven games and improved to an ML-best 21-5 in the cozy confines of their home park, the real test will come when they take their sub-.500 record to Oakland, Seattle and Baltimore.
If they can come close to duplicating the magic the offense and starting pitching provided during this streak, they'll be in great shape.
You think 10 consecutive complete games would be too much to ask for?
RECORD: 31-19
AL EAST: Up 2.5 gms
STREAK: W7
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Fri @ OAK 10:05 Wakefield vs. Harden
5.22.2008
Sox sweep Royals in grand style
Game Preview: Royals at Sox GM4
Bannister (4-5, 4.29) vs. Matsuzaka (7-0, 2.15)
Game 4 of 4 1:35 @ Fenway Park
How can a team top a no hitter, a terrific performance by a Double A pitcher for his first major league victory, and a reclamation project earning his first win in nearly a year?
By having its top pitcher earn his American League-leading 8th win by lowering his ERA to and American League-leading sub-2.00, and extending the team's winning streak to a season high 7 games before the club heads out on another grueling 10-game West Coast/Baltimore road trip.
That's how.
Daisuke Matsuzaka will be in the position to do all of the above when he takes the mound this afternoon in a getaway day matinee at Fenway against the Royals, vying to become the AL's first 8 game winner against the team his made his major league debut against last April.
If he were to defeat the Royals again, as his did in that game, he would give Boston its longest winning streak since the summer of 2006, move the team to a season high 12 games over .500, and provide another 1/2 game cushion to their AL East lead, as the 2nd place Rays have the day off today.
Other than that there's not much to play for this afternoon.
If the Sox are going to do all of the above they will have to beat the Royals' resident day tripper, Brain Bannister.
In what has to be the oddest day/night disparity since the age of Count Dracula, the 27-year-old righty has been unbeatable in day games (4-0, 0.62) but he can't buy a victory at night (0-5, 8.13)
Hopefully the blazing Boston offense will be able to put an end to his daylight dominance, and you have to think for a club that has only scored fewer than 3 runs twice in the last three weeks that shouldn't be a problem.
It's day baseball time at Fenway, so it's time to flip on NESN HD, crank up the surround sound, grab a few keg cans and watch another spectacular performance by a Boston starting pitcher.
Fingers crossed, of course.
5.21.2008
Welcome to the party, Bart! Sox defeat KC again
Sox 6, Roylas 3
WP: Colon (1-0)
LP: Tomko (2-5)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Ellsbury (4), Tek (7), KC-None
RECAP:
The Red Sox keep right on rolling, even with a reclamation project on the mound as Bartolo Colon won his first start for Boston thanks to a 12-hit attack that included home runs from Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the game and Jason Varitek to tie it before Boston broke the game open.
SUPERSTAR: Colon 5IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 4K, 74P
From the scrap heap to a spot in a World series caliber rotation. Colon may have resurrected his career tonight and in the process provided Boston with another veteran arm to bolster its staff for a potential long postseason run.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Mark Grudzielanek 0-4
Grudz came into this series leading the league in hitting, but after his latest 0-fer he has no hits in 10 at bats in the three games and his average has dropped 24 points (.331-.307)
RECAP:
Another night, another win for the Red Sox express.
With the third straight impressive performance by an unlikely Boston starter it doesn't seem to matter whose driving the train as long as it stays pointed in the right direction.
And that direction is atop the AL East standings.
With the win tonight coupled with Tampa Bay's loss earlier today in Oakland the Sox now own a 2 game advantage over the Rays in the standings and a huge psychological edge over the entire league thanks to its recent run of outstanding pitching.
First Jon Lester shocked the Nation with his no hitter Monday. Then Justin Masterson's terrific performance earned him his first career victory last night. And tonight it was Bartolo Colon's turn to get a piece of the action as he made his first start for Boston, and first anywhere since last September 29th with Anaheim.
Next thing you know Roidger's gonna wanna come back and get in on the fun.
Bart, who suffered elbow and shoulder injuries the past two seasons, was not the same fire balling ace who won the Cy Young award in 2005, but he was effective enough to limit the free-swinging Royals to six measly singles, most of them of the blooper variety and including one bunt base hit.
He quickly learned how valuable his offense is as well because he very easily could've taken a loss or ND tonight if not for the relentless determination of the Boston batters.
After working his way out of a two-on, two out situation in the top of the first, Jacoby Ellsbury staked Colon to a quick 1-0 lead when he led off the bottom of the inning with his 4th home run against KC starter Brett Tomko (4.1IP, 7H, 5ER, 1BB, 2K, 2HR).
The Royals would strike back for a run in the third on a single by Joey Gathright (2-2, 3R, 2BB), a walk to Alex Gordon and a broken bat single to left by Jose Guillen, his first hit of the series, and then KC used a bunt and two bloops to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
But just when it looked as if the big fella wouldn't walk off the Fenway mound a winner in his debut, on comes Captain Varitek to save the day.
Following a pop out by Youk, Tek (2-3, R, BI, BB) fell behind 0-2 before he drove a 1-2 pitch from Tomko into the Sox bullpen for his 7th homer of the year and 3rd in the last six games, and suddenly the game was tied and Colon was off the hook for the 'L'.
And it just got better from there as Boston broke the game open as Coco Crisp doubled to left center, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Julio Lugo's sharp single up the middle to make it 3-2 Boston.
Not content to stop there Ellsbury (3-4, 3R, BI, BB, SB) drove Tomko from the game with a single to left, and after Dustin Pedroia singled to load the bases off ex-Sox reliever Ron Mahay, another pair of runs came home on a sac fly by David Ortiz and wild pitch of his own by Mahay.
When the dust settled it was 5-2 Boston, Colon's night was done and it was up to the Boston pen to make sure he got the win he earned.
In other words hold your breath time, Bartolo.
But lo and behold the bully held up, and it was a trio of recently unreliable relievers that (finally) got the job done.
First Craig Hansen tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, then Javier Lopez worked his way out of a leadoff walk to Gathright in the seventh, and wouldn'tcha know even Manny Delcarmen came up with a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth for his contribution to the cause.
Geez, you know things are really going well for the club when that happens.
By the time Tired Arm Timlin surrendered a meaningless two out run in the 9th the champagne (or beer, most likely) was being uncorked in the clubhouse, and when Ellsbury squeezed the final out of the night the Colon comeback was complete, and the Sox brass look like geniuses for making a move that no one else dared to make.
And it paid off.
Again.
Tomorrow Daisuke Matsuzaka goes for the sweep, the AL wins lead and 8-0.
Wonder who his biggest cheerleader will be?
I would venture to guess the new kid on the block, an old veteran who's just happy to be along for the ride.
NOTES:
-Drew out again: JD Drew got the night off after fouling a ball off his knee last night. Ellsbury started in right with Coco getting the call in center
-Manny's woes continue: With an 0-3 night tonight including a strikeout and double play Manny is in the midst of a 3-22 slump that has dropped his average to .292. As Remy mused yesterday, it appears as if the quest for home run #500 is really wearing on him (he sits at 498 and has only homered twice in his last 66 at bats).
-Rhymin' & stealin': His 7th inning theft gave Ellsbury 19 on the season, 2nd only to Ichiro's 21 in the AL, and he has stolen 3 straight since being caught for the first time in his career Sunday against the Brewers. Also, his 3 hits raised his average to .290 and his OBP to .390
-Speaking of OBP: before he was finally retired by Javier Lopez in the 7th inning Alex Gordon had reached base in 7 consecutive plate appearances dating back to last night's game (2 doubles, 2 singles and 3 walks)
RECORD: 30-19
AL EAST: Up 2 gms
STREAK: W6
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Thu vs. KC 135 Bannister vs. Matsuzaka
Game Preview: Royals at Sox GM3
Tomko (2-4, 5.32) vs. Colon (NR)
Game 3 of 4 705 @ Fenway Park
If two kids can pitch brilliantly in back-to-back games against the sliding Royals, why can't a former Cy Young winner keep the streak going?
That's the question the entire Nation wants the answer to as Bartolo Colon, the 2005 Cy winner while pitching for the LA/Anaheim/California Angels, makes his Red Sox debut tonight against KC.
The travails of the hefty Colon have been well documented since he slipped from one of the game's elite pitchers to an embarrassment to his profession in such a short period of time. But just in case you haven't heard the tale, let me recount it here.
Coming up with Cleveland in 1997 Colon became one of the games top hurlers, compiling a 75-45 record, including an 18-5 campaign in 1999, in 5 1/2 seasons with the Tribe before he was shipped to the Expos (remember them?) at the trading deadline in 2002.
Ironically two of the players he was traded for - Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee - have become fixtures of the Indians organization.
After bouncing from Montreal to the White Sox to Anaheim, Colon settled in in Orange County and produced the finest season of his career in 2005, when he went 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA, struck out 157 batters while walking only 43 in leading the Angels to the ALCS, where they lost to eventual World Series champion Chicago.
But since that magical season it has been all downhill for the rotund one as injuries, ineffectiveness and innumerable trips to In and Out Burger derailed his career and made him the laughingstock of baseball.
In 2006 & 2007 Colon went 7-13 while making just 28 starts and pitching 155 2/3 innings while battling shoulder woes that began late in his Cy season. By comparison in 2005 he started 33 games and pitched 222 2/3 innings, so to say the drop off was immense would be an epic understatement.
Long story short the Sox picked him up in the offseason for a mere mil (pending his making the big club) and quickly set about getting him in shape for a potential return to glory. After a lengthy rehab/condition program this spring, he posted a 2-0 record with an 0.64 ERA in three starts for the PawSox, and here we are.
No one is expecting miracles from the guy. But if he turns out to be anywhere near his previous form and can contribute solid innings and keep the opposition under 4 runs per game, the pickup will have proven to be another coup for Theo and the boys.
If not they cut ties and forget it ever happened.
Win/win, I say.
NOTES:
-Hello again Julie, hello: Julian Tavarez, who was not claimed off waivers nor traded to the Rockies as had been rumored, cleared waivers and accepted his reassignment to Pawtucket. Not sure if he'll ever be back with the Bosox, but Francona thinks he will pitch again in the majors.
5.20.2008
This time Masterson gets the win
Sox 2, Kansas City 1
WP: Masterson (1-0)
LP: Meche (3-6)
SV: Papelbon (13)
HRs: None
SUMMARY:
It was almost a case of deja vu for Justin Masterson when the bullpen nearly blew his brilliant performance tonight. But Jonathan Papelbon came on to get the last four outs of the game, including the final out of the 8th with the bases loaded, to secure the kid's first major league victory.
SUPERSTAR: Masterson 6.1IP, 3H, 1ER, 3BB, 5K, 91P
I know he's only made two starts, but the numbers he's put up so far - plus the composure and maturity he's displayed - have got Sox fans salivating over the thought of him, Lester and Buchholz anchoring the Boston rotation for years to come.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Jose Guillen 0-4, 3K
One day after Lester stopped his 10 game hitting streak, Masterson further doused Guillen's hot bat by striking him out twice looking, and in the 8th Hideki Okajima fanned the AL Player of the Week with the tying run on third base.
RECAP:
The suspense of whether Justin Masterson would toss a no hitter was dispatched with quickly when the third batter of the game, Alex Gordon, blooped a double just inside the left field foul line for Kansas City's first hit in 9 2/3 innings.
The only question left after that was 'would the lanky kid from Jamaica earn his first major league victory?'
Despite a few queasy moments after he was lifted from the game and a nerve-wracking 8th inning that saw Hideki Okajima load the bases, the answer, thankfully, turned out to be 'yes'.
For the second time in less than a month Masterson got the call to come down from Portland and fill in for a Sox starter, and for the second time he did so brilliantly, limiting another major league ballclub to a few hits and what should have been no runs (thanks, Delcarmen), prompting GMs around the league to turn off their cell phones to avoid the calls from angry owners screaming "why the fuck can't we cultivate young hurlers like that?!"
Yes, this means you, Cashman.
The way the Boston batters had been crushing the ball lately no one even thought this game would be close enough for a reliever to blow.
But the Sox could barely dent the impenetrable force that is Gil Meche (7IP, 5H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K) tonight, managing just a pair of runs off the expensive Royals starter even though the 2007 free agent signee had allowed 12 hits and 8 earned runs in his last 12 innings pitched.
All the runs for Boston came in the second inning as Meche loaded the bases with one out on consecutive singles by Youk and JD Drew and a walk to Jason Varitek. A sac fly by Julio Lugo scored Youk, and a ground rule double by Coco Crisp plated only Drew, and the Sox had to settle for two when Pedroia flied out to end the inning.
Luckily for Boston Masterson was just as impressive as he was when he started against the Angels on April 24th. In that game he gave up just two hits and one run in 6 innings, but didn't get the win as the trio of Javier Lopez, Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima combined to blow a 3-1 lead en route to a 7-5 LA win.
Like I said earlier, it was almost deja vu all over again for the kid tonight.
He wasn't quite dominant in this one, as the Royals had men on base in 6 of the 7 innings he started, but he did work his way out of potential jams, sometimes with a little help from his fielders.
In the third inning he allowed a two out walk to Mark Grudzielanek and then a single to center to Alex Gordon (3-4), but Gordon inexplicably got greedy and tried to stretch it into a double. He quickly jammed on the brakes and tried to get back to first, but a perfect relay from Coco to Pedroia to Youk nailed Gordon as he slid past the bag.
By the 7th Masterson had made the 2-0 lead hold up, but when he walked Mark Teahan to lead off the inning, who then moved to second on a groundout, Tito pulled the youngster before things got out of hand.
And just like last time, the same trio of relievers almost destroyed the game again.
Lopez did manage to retire the one man he was brought in to face, striking out Ross Gload looking, but then in came Manny D., and there went the shutout and nearly the game.
Delcarmen, who officially makes the Nation cringe every time he enters a game now, has allowed at least one baserunner in 16 of his 20 appearances so far this season and is sporting a god awful (for a reliever) 1.56 WHIP, immediately allowed a single to John 'don't call me Joe' Buck to slice the lead in half, 2-1, and it was only by the grace of the baseball gods that he got the immortal Alberto Collaspo to strike out to end the inning.
Unfortunately Francona's choice for the 8th inning didn't fare much better.
Okajima, who hadn't pitched in six days due to a wrist injury, worked his way into a bases loaded jam in the 8th thanks to a double and a pair of walks (in all fairness to him he should have had a couple of those balls called strikes, but hey, what can you do), and it was only his striking out of Jose Guillen that saved the game from swinging in the Royals favor.
After walking Teahan to load the bases with two out, Francona had seen enough and brought in his horse Papelbon to put an end to this nonsense and hopefully preserve the win for the kid.
Four outs (and three strikeouts) later Paps had done just that, and for the second straight night a young Sox hurler walked off the mound at Fenway with a huge confidence-boosting win under his belt and the promise of a long, bright future as a big league pitcher ahead of him.
Oh, and for his efforts Masterson was sent down to Pawtucket after the game.
Welcome to the Show, kid.
RECORD: 29-19
AL EAST: Up 1.5gms
STREAK: W5
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Wed vs. KC 705 Tomko vs. Colon
Game Preview: Royals at Sox GM2
Meche (3-5, 5.98) vs. Masterson (0-0, 1.50)
Game 2 of 4 705 @ Fenway Park
So how does a team top a no hitter thrown the night before?
How about two in a row?!
That might be a lot to ask from young righthander Justin Masterson, who will make just his second career major league start tonight against the Roayls, but maybe not. After all the kid did pitch a 2-hit, 1-run 6 inning gem versus the Angels in his major league debut a month ago.
But I think it's safe to say that the back-to-back no-no feat will not be duplicated tonight. Instead we in the Nation will settle for another strong performance by the lanky 23-year old Jamaican-born Masterson, and another impressive showing by the sizzling Boston offense.
The team has been averaging over 6 runs per game in May and has a five game and currently a four game winning streak to show for it. Never mind the mini slump when it lost 5 of 6 in Minny and Baltimore, because this offense is clicking on all cylinders right now and shows no signs of slowing down, especially against tonight's Royals starter, mediocre Gil Meche.
You remember Meche don't you? No.
He's the former Seattle Mariner starter who parlayed a 55-44 career record into a 5 year, $55 million contract from KC before the 2007 season, a deal that had baseball experts shaking their heads and middling pitching prospects salivating at the thought of getting paid big bucks for accomplishing basically nothing in the major leagues.
A year and change later Meche is 12-18 for Kansas City with a 4.12 ERA and he has as many victories this year as rookie Luke Hochevar and reliever Leo Nunez.
Nice investment, KC.
Here's to the Sox batters pummelling the ish out of Meche, and Masterson duplicating the feats of fellow phenoms Buchhoz and Lester.
5.19.2008
Lester makes history, no hits Kansas City
Sox 7, Royals 0
WP: Lester (3-2)
LP: Hochevar (3-3)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Tek (5)
SUMMARY:
Jon Lester became the 16th member of the Boston Red Sox franchise to toss a no-hitter when he mesmerized the Kansas City Royals hitters with a variety of well-placed fastballs and crisp breaking balls tonight at Fenway.
The only base runners he allowed were on a pair of walks and a fielder's choice; he struck out 9 batters, including the immortal Alberto Callaspo to end the game, after which Lester was mobbed by teammates, cheered by fans and serenaded by "Tessie" in one of the gretest moments of the 24-year-old's life.
SUPERSTAR: Lester (duh!) 9IP, 0H, 2BB, 9K, 130P
Welcome to an exclusive club, Jon. You earned it and you deserve it.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: Callaspo 0-1, K
The young infielder entered the game as a 9th inning defensive replacement and had a chance to thwart history. Instead he became a footnote in the annals of baseball, forever immortalized as 'the man who made the last out in a no hitter'.
RECAP:
One day after Boston fans were treated to one of the most exciting playoff basketball games in NBA history we were blessed by another monumental sporting event that makes us all realize why we love the games so much.
Because after watching Jon Lester, a man who didn't know if he would even live to pitch again never mind throw a no hitter at Fenway Park, complete his no-no against the Royals tonight, if you weren't overcome with emotions you must either be a serial killer or a Stankees fan.
Just a year and a half removed from the cancer scare that could have cost him his career Lester stands at the top of his profession, first having been on the mound for a World Series clinching game last October and now by joining the list of baseball greats who have thrown no hitters.
He became the first lefty to toss a no hitter for Boston since Mel Parnell in 1956 and by throwing the first one of 2008 he, along with teammate Clay Buchholz, who tossed his last September, also accomplished another rare feat: they became the first pitchers from the same team to toss consecutive no-nos since Nolan Ryan did it himself twice for the Angels in 1974 and 75.
It was truly an amazing night at Fenway and of course as is the case with all no hitters there was plenty of drama, close calls and one great defensive play that made history possible.
The game actually started off on a bad note for Lester after he pitched a 1-2-3 first inning. He walked Billy Butler with one out in the second, and after a fielder's choice by Miguel Olivo cut Butler down at 2nd base, Lester threw an errant pickoff to first that let Olivo scoot down to 2nd with two outs.
But Lester got Michael Teahan to tap back to the mound to end the inning, and little did we know that with that harmless dribbler the Royals only threat of the night had gone by the wayside.
Boston would score all the runs it would need and then some in the 3rd inning off rookie righthander Luke Hochevar (6IP, 5H, 7R, 4ER, 6BB, 2K, HR). The only run Lester would need came home on an RBI double play grounder by Julio Lugo, which plated JD Drew, who had led off the inning with a single.
But Boston went on to tack on three more runs in the inning, thanks to some shoddy defense and shaky pitching.
Jacoby Ellsbury tripled after Lugo's groundout, and Hochevar walked Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and then Manny Ramirez with the bases loaded to force home the second run of the game.
The game got out of hand after that when Hochevar got Mike Lowell to pop up harmlessly to the infield for the apparent third out of the inning. But a blustery wind at Fenway played havoc with the attempted catch by second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, and by the time the ball glanced off his glove and landed on the dirt, Pedroia and Papi had raced around to score, Manny was on third and the lead was 4-0 Sox.
A booming ground rule double to deep center field by Kevin Youkilis pushed the margin to 5-0, and by that time it was all about Lester and would the kid be able to make the lead hold up.
In hindsight the thought seems foolish, but the youngster had allowed at least 3 earned runs in six of his 11 starts this year, so a comeback wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility at that point, even for the Royals, especially if they could get to the bumbling Boston bullpen.
Except Lester made sure they wouldn't have that chance.
And in the next inning, Ellsbury made the play that ensured the no hitter remained intact.
By the 4th inning Lester is starting to get in the zone, having retired six straight batters since the Olivo fiasco, but he nearly lost his bid at history when hot hitting Jose Guillen came to bat with two outs in the inning.
The temperamental DH had just been named the player of the week and carried a 10-game hitting streak in which he was batting an even .500 (19-38) into the game, so you know he was confident as he dug in the box.
So when he sliced a hard, sinking line drive to left center field, everyone assumed it would fall in for another hit.
Except Ellsbury, who raced to the spot where he thought the ball would drop, dove parallel to the ground and snagged the ball just before it hit the top of the grass for an inning ending, no-hit saving catch that will surely earn the rookie a nice dinner at the Oyster House at the very least.
The innings went on and the outs kept piling up, and by the time Jason Varitek hit a two run homer in the 6th to make it 7-0 which all but ensured the Sox would win the game, all the attention soon focused on what the Sox pitcher was in the process of doing.
Or not doing.
The great thing about this game is that Lester seemed to be just as strong in the later innings as he was early in the game. He was throwing darts to every corner of the strike zone, and was ahead of the KC hitters all night, as evidenced by his first pitch strikes thrown to 20 of the 28 batters he faced.
In the 7th he needed 16 pitches to dispatch Grudz, Alex Gordon and Guillen, and in the 8th he fanned Butler and Olivo to start the frame before getting Teahan to fly out harmlessly to center, setting the stage for a raucous scene in the 9th.
As my son and I sat motionless, praying for the Sox to be retired quickly in the bottom of the 8th, Lester looked as calm as a con man in the dugout, his face obviously belying his turbulent intestines.
After the Boston batters obliged with a 1-2-3 8th, Lester took the mound to a roar from the Faithful and went about his business, then proceeded to walk leadoff hitter Esteban German on five pitches to open the inning.
Gulp.
With hearts in throats and fingernails throughout the Nation bitten to the quick, Lester got Tony Pena to ground out to Lowell on a high chopper, retired David DeJesus on a roller to Youk at first and then fanned defensive replacement Alberto Callaspo to complete the masterpiece, and then it was time to rock the party in the old ballyard again. .jpg)
As "Dirty Water" rang through the speakers Lester was mobbed by his teammates, first Varitek, who held him up and then handed him the game ball, and then each member of the team individually hugged the outstanding man who had been through so much in his young life, persevered through it all and now stood on top of the baseball world.
Congratulations, Jon.
We'll be waiting for the Disney version.
RECORD: 28-19
AL EAST: Up 1.5 GMS
STREAK: W4
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Tues vs. KC 705 Meche vs. Masterson
Series Preview: Royals at Red Sox
Kansas City Royals (21-22) 
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 6-4
BA: .264 (5th in AL)
RS: 165 (14)
HRS: 23 (14)
ERA: 4.27 (9)
RA: 185 (8)
SV: 12 (6)
4 game series at Fenway Park
Game 1 Monday 705
Hochevar (3-2, 3.94) vs. Lester (2-2, 3.95)
Game 2 Tuesday 705
Meche (3-5, 5.98) vs. Masterson (0-0, 1.50)
Game 3 Wednesday 705
Tomko (2-4, 5.32) vs. Colon (NR)
Game 4 Thursday 135
Bannister (4-5, 4.29) vs. Matsuzaka (7-0)
Key Royals:
-2B Mark Grudzielanek .331/20R/10 2B/.387 OBP The man known as the human eye chart has people opening their eyes to the fact that the scrappy second sacker is leading the AL in batting. He's also 8th in OBP and has been the sparkplug for the resurgent Royals offense
-OF Jose Guillen .245/18R/16 2B/5HR/30BI The mercurial outfielder is leading the league in doubles and is 7th in RBI and has been on a tear of late, batting .500 (19-38) with 8 doubles, 2 homers and 15 ribbies during a current 10 game hitting streak
-3B Alex Gordon .286/24R/10 2B/5HR/20RBI The former phenom has started to settle into his role as the next George Brett, not putting too much pressure on himself now that his sure fire rookie of the year season is over. He didn't win it, by the way, as Sox fans well know.
-RP Joakim Soria 11SV/1.04 ERA/0.40WHIP/2BB/20K The flame throwing closer just inked a multi-year deal that could keep the lanky righty in Royals blue for the next 6 seasons. Good move, KC, cause this kid's stuff is filthy, electric, nasty and every other outdated adjective for flat out awesome you can think of.
PREVIEW:
Coming on the heels of the Sox sweep of the Brewers Boston will have to face a team that has become a recent nemesis to them, the pesky Kansas City Royals.
Boston has dropped 8 of its last 12 contests with KC and that includes a disastrous 4game set last July at Fenway when the Sox shutout the royals 4-0 in the opener and then dropped the next three by a combined score of 19-10.
That kind of humiliation alone should be enough motivation for the team to come out strong in this series, as if hanging on to first place isn't enough of a motivator, but something tells me it won't be easy to win a series against what has been the most surprising team of the AL Central this year.
Kansas City comes to town having won 6 of its last 7 games including a sweep of the lowly Tigers that helped vault the club into a tie for third place in the division, just two games back of the surging Chisox, and they'd love nothing more than to add another series win against the Sox to their resume to help boost credibility with their long suffering fans and within their own clubhouse.
A major part of the Royals resurgence has been the solid play of Mark Grudzielanek, who leads the league in hitting, and the recent hot streak of Jose Guillen, who was just named the AL player of the week for last week.
Combine those factors with the reality that Boston will start a pair of unproven commodities in games 2 & 3, rookie Justin Masterson and rehabbing Bartolo Colon, and any outcome would not be surprising in this series.
Best case scenario is the Sox pitchers out-pitch the shaky Royals starters, because if the starters should falter the middle relief situation, with Hideki Okajima nursing a slight wrist injury and Delcarmen and Hansen nursing bruised egos, things could get dicey.
And hopefully Boston will have a lead late because 9th inning comebacks are not the norm against fantastic KC closer Joakim Soria.
Basically the Nation won't settle for anything less than winning 3 out of 4 and knocking these giant killers down a few pegs, just to make sure they know who the big boys in the AL really are.
Good luck with .500, KC. The Bosox have bigger plans.
7.18.2007
Time to panic? Sox drop another game to Royals
Kansas City 6, Sox 5
WP: Perez (5-8)
LP: Tavarez (5-8)
SV: Dotel (10)
HRs: BOS-Manny (14)
RECAP
The sliding Sox suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of the cellar-dwelling Royals.
Julian Tavarez couldn't hold a two run lead and failed to make it out of the fifth inning again, the hitters failed to come through in numerous scoring situations, and for the second straight night Kansas City simply outplayed the Sox in every aspect of the game.
#1 STUNNER M. Grudzielanek 2-4, 2B, 2R, RBI
The gritty second sacker with the eye chart name had another terrific night at the plate and made the defensive play of the game, robbing Youk of a base hit with two men on in the seventh to preserve KC's one run lead.
PAN's FAUN Tavarez 4.2IP, 9H, 6R, 4ER, 0BB, 3K
Tito, please remove this ass clown from the starting rotation, stat!
RECAP
Anyone else getting a weird sense of deja vu here?
Last year the Sox rode a hot first half to a 53-33 record at the All Star break, then entered the second series following the break against Kansas City at Fenway on July 17th, 18th, & 19th carrying a 54-36 record and a boatload of confidence they would crush the wretched Royals.
This year the red-hot Sox took a 53-34 record into the break, then entered the second series following the break against Kansas City at Fenway on July 16th, 17th & 18th brandishing the league's best mark at 55-36 and looking forward to roasting the wretched Royals.
Anyone notice the differences?
Aside from the fact that the numbers are just one off, the biggest difference is last year the Sox went on to sweep Kansas City, taking three straight one-run decisions including the final two games of the series by identical scores of 1-0.
This year? After Boston shut out the Royals 4-0 in Game 1, Kansas City went on to embarrass the hometown nine by outhitting, outhustling, and outplaying the Sox for two straight games, and instead of another Sox sweep, KC came to town and shocked the nation by winning the series.
The other big difference between the two seasons is that last year Boston was nursing a slim 1/2 game lead over the Stanks heading into the KC series that bulged to 2 1/2 games after the Sox sweep.
This season the Sox owned a much more cushiony nine game advantage over New York coming in to this series, but that margin, which was up to 12 games just two weeks ago, has now been sliced to seven games, and if Boston keeps up this pace there's going to be another duplication of last year: the Sox freefall from first place to out of the race.
I'm not really sure where I'm going with all this, but I'm just so pissed off after watching that poor excuse for a game that I can't even think straight.
My only crystal clear thought coming out of the loss is that Julian Tavarez needs to be demoted back to the bullpen ASAP, and someone (i.e Jon Lester) needs to be brought up to take his place immediately.
For the third consecutive start Tavarez could not get out of the fifth inning, and he has allowed 28 hits and a total of 18 earned runs in 13.1 innings over that time, which calculates to an astronomical ERA of 12.15.
(Whistling loudly)
And as usual the Sox hitters fumbled away scoring chances like Tony Romo, leaving another eight men on base even though they put together a four-run fourth inning that briefly gave Boston the lead.
Like last night tonight's game remained scoreless through the first three innings (more deja vu?), and in another creepy coincidence the Royals put a pair of runs on the board in the fourth inning of both games as well.
Alright, enough of the freaky coincidence shit, I've played that one out.
Mark Grudzielanek got things started with a single to right, then Mark Teahen (1-4, 2R) followed with a single to left. After a groundout advanced the runners, former USF standout Ross Gload hit a sac fly to Drew that scored Grudz, and two pitches later improving rookie Alex Gordon dropped a single in front of Drew that scored Teahen and gave KC a 2-0 lead.
Unlike last night, however, Boston answered right back with a four spot in the fourth, and with a quality pitcher on the mound that might have been enough to beat these guys.
Manny (2-4, 2R, RBI) opened the frame with a bloop single to center, and a walk to Youk and single by Mike Lowell quickly loaded the bases with no outs against crappy KC starter Odalis Perez (5IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 2K, HR.)
Varitek would get the first Sox run home when he tapped out to shortstop, and after Coco walked to reload the bases, hot-hitting Julio Lugo took the first pitch he saw from Perez and laced it down the third base line just under Gordon's glove for a huge double that scored both Youk and Tek and gave Boston a 3-2 lead.
Hooray--they finally got a big hit with men in scoring position!
Three pitches later J.D. Drew sent a sagging liner to left that Emil Brown made a nice shoestring catch of, but Coco (1-3, R) was alert enough to tag up and easily came home with Boston's fourth run.
The inning ended on a sour note when Pedroia (3-5) was called out on a controversial play at first base for the second night in a row, causing the Sox sparkplug to blow a gasket while the Nation celebrated Boston taking the lead.
But the party would be short lived.
In the very next inning Tavarez had one of his now patented meltdowns, and by the time the fifth was over Julie was muttering to himself in the clubhouse and fans were muttering to themselves "when is this shit going to end?!"
Ironically it was a five foot bunt single by David DeJesus would be the linchpin for the Red Sox unraveling. That's because Grudz immediately smacked a double off the scoreboard that bounced over Manny's glove, allowing DeJesus to race around from first to score, setting up a "wheels fall off" situation.
When Teahen spun a grounder to Lowell that doinked off his glove for his 14th error and set up a first & third, one-out situation, no one was really surprised (even Rem Dog said he could see that coming, and he was right, as usual.)
And when Billy Butler (who the fuck is this guy?) crushed a drive to deep left center that rolled to the wall and scored both runners to give KC the lead back, 5-4, not a fan in the Nation was at all shocked.
The shocking thing was that Tito allowed Tavarez to stay in the game, at least until he surrendered an RBI single to Gordon (2-4, 2BI)to batters later to close the scoring for the Royals, but unfortunately that move came about four batters too late.
Manny gave the Sox hope when he blasted a long & deep shot to straightaway centerfield for his 14th home run with one out in the fifth to cut the lead to 6-5, but Grudz killed Boston's last glimmer of hope when he took a hit--and potential tying run --away from the Sox in the seventh.
Pedroia reached with his third hit of the night with one out in the inning, then moved to second when Manny walked one out later. With Youk at the plate with a chance to tie the game, he hit a bouncing grounder that looked destined for rightfield.
But the spunky second baseman ranged far to his left, dove across the slippery turf, and stopped the ball from reaching the outfield. He then rose to his knees and fired a strike to first base to nail the hustling Youk by a nose, and it was at that point that we knew we had lost to these clowns again.
Even Jonathan Papelbon's first appearance in a week could spark the sad Sox, as the broken Boston boys succumbed to the immortal Octavio Dotel in the bottom of the ninth, failing to capitalize on an Ortiz single when Manny popped out to--ta da--Grudz to end the game.
Now comes the inevitable piling on by Stankee fans/ Sox haters, followed by the interminable feelings of when and if the Empire will overtake Boston for the division lead.
Last year that occurred on the 3rd of August.
Right on track for deja vu all over again.
NOTES
Too pissed.
QUOTES
Too tired
RECORD: 56-38
AL EAST: Up 7 gms on NYY
STREAK: L-2
LAST 10: 3-7
UP NEXT: Thu vs. CWS 705
Game preview: Royals @ Sox GM3
Perez (4-8, 5.68) vs. Tavarez (5-7, 5.15)
Fenway Park 705
Oh joy, look who we get to see take the mound for the Sox tonight in hopes of halting this hideous stretch of mediocre baseball and taking this series from the Royals...
...none other than Julie "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Tavarez.
After hitting a decent stretch in mid-June where he was throwing 6-7 innings per start and allowing 2-3 earned runs per game, Tavarez has regressed back to his human flamethrower form, allowing 20 runs (16 earned) and 32 hits in his last four starts for a 7.71 ERA while only pitching an average of 4 1/2 innings during that span.
Ouch.
Perhaps the Sox can take some solace in the fact that Julie's mound opponent will be the odious Odalis Perez.
The 30-year old righty has played for four teams in eight years and has brought promise and high expectations everywhere he's gone, but he owns a mediocre 62-67 career record and has had an ERA under 4.00 just once, yet he still makes $7 1/2 million per year for that kind of production.
Boston's hit & miss hitters better jump on this clown from the get-go tonight, both to atone for last night's horror show and to make sure they get enough runs to compensate for Tavarez' inevitable middle-inning meltdown.
Go Sox--let's ream these Royals!
7.17.2007
Sox reach new low, get pounded by KC
Royals 9, Sox 3
WP: Gobble (4-1)
LP: Wakefield (10-9)
HRs: None
RECAP
In what has to be one of the most disappointing losses of the 2007 season to date, Boston got outplayed in the field, at the plate and on the basepaths as Kansas City took advantage of a quiet crowd and sloppy Sox squad to hand the Olde Towne Team an embarrassing defeat.
#1 STUNNER(s) Gordon & Pena 6-10, 3R, 3-2B, 2BI
The two youngsters who occupy the left side of the Royals infield finally had the type of games the KC brass envisioned would be everyday occurrences when they promoted the talented rookies.
Pre-season ROY candidate Gordon rapped three hits, stole a base and scored three times, while the erratic SS Pena had a single and a pair of doubles and drove in a couple of runs, although he did make an error and got caught stealing. Still...
PAN's FAUN Wakefield 6IP, 9H, 6ER, 0BB, 1K
Wake's three game winning streak came to a crashing halt as he continues to get hammered like a celebutard fresh out of rehab; in his last six starts the the vet has allowed 26 earned runs and 48 hits in 36 1/3 innings for a 6.44 ERA.
RECAP
What.
The fuck.
Was that?
I mean I just got done watching the game, and I think I know what I saw, but for some reason I'm confused.
Because it appeared to me that the boys from Boston decided to don those distinctive Royal blue unis, while those pranksters from the prairie land thought it would be fun to run around historic Fenway dressed as Red Sox players.
That's the only explanation I can come up with after the team that was dressed in the home whites, the one with the best record and second-highest payroll in baseball took it on the chin from the team with the microscopic budget and vanishing fanbase.
What went on tonight at the Fens goes beyond the simplicity of a bad loss to a bad team; it takes what has happened to the Sox since that meteroic start and puts it into a proper perspective:
the team that started the season 36-16 was awesome and seemingly unbeatable every night, while the one that has been wallowing in mediocrity at 20-21 since is a fragile, fickle squad that can make two-run deficits seem insurmountable and turn minor league hayseeds into Hall of Fame candidates.
Case in point regarding the latter would be 23-year old hurler Leo Nunez, making his first appearance of the season and first start of his career after being recalled from AAA yesterday.
The skinny Dominican had pitched in 48 games as a reliever in 2005 & 2006 for KC but was making his first start ever with John Thompson placed on the DL; all the kid did was hold the powerhouse Boston lineup to one run on six hits in 4+ innings, and if his manager had just left him in there for a few more batters he could've picked up the win.
I'm sure Buddy Bell would have let the Nunez finish the fifth instead of removing him after Julio Lugo led off the inning with a double had Bell known his team would turn a close game (3-1 KC) into a laffer with a five-run seventh.
Perahps he should've asked Tito when he was going to remove Wakefield and then played it from there.
The knuckleball was dancing early, though, as Wake plowed through the first three innings only allowing one base runner, a single by Pena in the third, and he was erased when Mirabelli threw him out trying to swipe second base immediately thereafter.
Unfortunately Boston started playing its favorite game, Missed Opportunities, ealry as well, blowing a leadoff walk by J. D. Drew in the first when Pedroia grounded into a double play, and committing its first baserunning gaffe of the night on an emptyheaded play by Mike Lowell (3-4, R) in the second.
After Youk flied out on a second consecutive nice catch by rightfielder Mark Teahen, Lowell, being the Professional Hitter that he is, ripped a ball off the Monster for a one-out double. But when Coco turned the first pitch he saw from Nunez into a lazy flyout to right, Lowell decided to test the arm of Teahean and tried to take an extra base.
He was out by about four feet.
The Sox took one more crack at Nunez in the third, getting two men on base on an error and a single by Pedroia with two outs, but David Ortiz (1-5) grounded out weakly to second base and another potential scoring chance had gone by the wayside.
And then the Royals struck back.
As if being shut out for 12 consecutive innings finally got them pissed off, Kansas City struck for a pair of runs in the fourth when someone named Billy Butler doubled home Mark Grudzielanek and Teahen, who had both singled with one out.
Not content to settle for just a couple of runs, the Royals followed yet another blown scoring chance by Boston (two on, no outs) in the bottom of the fourth with a single run in the fifth on a single and stolen base by Gordon and an RBI double by Pena, his second hit of the game.
This from a guy who was in an 0-10 slump coming in.
The Sox would finally get a run across in the fifth, but it wasn't exactly on an offensive explosion like yesterday. After Lugo's (3-4, R) leadoff double, Jimmy Gobble came in and got Drew to fly out but saw the Sox score when Grudz misplayed Pedroia's grounder and Lugo came home to make the score 3-1.
Game on.
For an inning.
Following yet another botched rally attempt when Lowell's leadoff single in the sixth was wiped out on a Coco double play, Kansas City tore the game open with a soul-crushing seventh.
Reggie Sanders (yup, he's still playing) opened the frame with a wall-rattling double and Gordon ripped a single to right one pitch later to set up second and third with no outs. Tito stuck with Wake, and on the very next pitch catcher John Buck ripped another double off the Monster that chased both runners home and gave the Royals a 5-1 lead.
After a groundout moved Buck to third, Francona pulled wake and brought in Javier Lopez, who only added fuel to the fire that is Wakefield's ERA.
Lopez promptly walked David DeJesus, then let Buck waltz home on a passed ball. Grudz (2-5, 2R, BI) then singled DeJesus home, and by the time the inning was over, KC had turned a 3-1 contest into a 8-3 blowout.
In the bottom of the seventh one play would typify what kind of night it was for the sad Sox. Lugo again led off with a single, and when Pedroia walked with one out, it looked for a moment as if they might be able to climb back into it if they could get a few runs across here.
Papi came up and lofted a deep fly to left center that was drifting towards the Wall and looked like a sure RBI double. Except Emil Browne lunged at the last moment and stabbed the ball just inches from the Monster, and as Lugo and Pedroia scurried to get back to their bases, Brown rifled the ball to first to double up Dustin and end another inning with egg on Boston's faces.
The game was over right there, but just for shits and giggles KC scored another run in the eight off Joel Pinero, and even though Boston finally put a decent string of hits together and scored a couple of runs in the bottom of the inning on a triple by Coco and a single by Belli, it fell squarely in the 'Too Little, Too Late' category.
It's still tough to say that things have reached critical stages with a team that is still almost 20 games over .500, but keep playing lousy ball against lousy teams, and eventually it's bound to catch up to you.
And don't look now, but the Stanks are just 8 games back.
NOTES
- En fuego: Lugo's three hits extended his hitting streak to seven games (14-22, .636) and raised his average to .217; it was his third three-hit game during the streak
- Lowell is also riding a seven game streak (10-27, .370)
- The Sox (12) and Royals (13) pounded out 25 hits one day after combining for only 10 knocks
- Kansas City made a pair of errors and has committed three in the series; all Boston's errors were mental
- Pena's 'E' was his 16th on the season and 15 have come on the road
- Royal pains: KC has now defeated the mighty Sox in seven of the teams' last 11 meetings dating back to last season
- Easy money: Gobble got the win despite facing just three batters
- Teahen titan: aside from notching his 12th assist when he nailed Lowell, the Royals rightfielder robbed Manny of extra bases when he made a nice running catch of a deep drive to the warning track to end the first
- Triple threat: Coco's 8th inning shot to the deepest part of the park--the corner of the triangle--that scored Lowell in the 8th was Crisp's third three bagger in his last 10 games
AL EAST: Up 8 on NYY
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Wed vs. KC 705 Read More......
Game Preview: Royals @ Sox
Nunez (NR) vs. Wakefield (10-8, 4.47)
Fenway Park 705
As if allowing three homers and getting shut out in the series opener wasn't bad enough for Kansas City, the Royals will trot a young pitcher to make his first major league start tonight in Game 2.
This could get ugly.
The Sox hitters should be chomping at the bit to get a look at 23-year-old Leo Nunez, a lanky kid who has appeared in 48 games for KC over two seasons, but was just recalled from AAA and will be thrust into the fire by making his first ML start in place of injured starter John Thompson.
Boston will counter with grizzled vet Tim Wakefield, who began his career in the majors when Nunez was nine years old. Wake is riding a three game winning streak, but he has been less than spectacular in the last two of those outings.
In his past two starts the knuckleballer has allowed 16 hits, 8 earned runs and three homers, and in his past five starts he's given up 29 hits and 20 earned runs in 30 innings (6.00 ERA), with eight longballs surrendered.
Hopefully the presence of a young starter and feeble hitting Royals team combined with and a bunch of hot Boston hitters, namely Manny & Papi, will help Wake get that ERA down and start the Sox off on a nice little winning streak.
And let's hope Nunez doesn't become the next Jesse Litsch.
Go Sox!
7.16.2007
Pedroia big, Gabbard huge in crisp Sox win
WP: Gabbard (3-0)
LP: Bannister (5-6)
HRs: BOS-Pedroia (4), Manny (13), Papi (16)
Gabbard closed the win in style, with this strikeout of Mark Teahan
SUMMARY
Boston used the power of three home runs and a stellar pitching performance from the emerging Kason Gabbard to erase the memories of yesterday's painful loss and gave the Nation something to smile about--a sweet shutout victory.
Who cares if it was against the Royals?
#1 STUNNER Gabbard 9IP, 3H, 1BB, 8K
Wow, where the fuck did this come from? I mean I know the kid has been improving since his debacle in Seattle, but this effort was downright Beckett-esque.
PAN's FAUN Bannister 6IP, 5H, 4ER, 0BB, 3K, 3HRs
Not a bad performance, per se, but when you only allow five hits and three of them are longballs, well you got some problems there.
RECAP
Thank you, schedule makers.
Coming off a tough loss, saddled with some nagging injuries and riding a mediocre 5-7 stretch sandwiched around the All Star break, Boston was in desperate need of playing a team it can just bash around for a few games, kinda like a self help book for an MLB team; you know, a patsy.
Enter the Kansas City Royals.
Nothing like a visit from the perennial doormats of the AL Central to help a sick team cure what ails 'em.
The Sox got healthy in a hurry tonight in more ways than one, turning in a solid offensive showing coupled with a lights-out pitching performance from one of its promising young starters against the Royals.
Perhaps it was because Boston finally had its regular starting nine in the lineup for the first time in quite a while, and although they only managed seven hits on the night, they maximized their potential by scoring all four runs on homers.
But the most exciting aspect of the game (other than the brisk sub-2 1/2 hour run time) had to be the coming out party of young lefty Kason Gabbard.
The 25-year-old was making just his ninth career start, fifth this season, and had been steadily improving since a horrendous 6-hit, 4-run, 6-walk meltdown against the Mariners in late June. Over his last two starts since then he had allowed just 6 hits, 5 earned runs and 6 walks in 12 innings pitched while lowering his ERA from 6.48 to 4.87.
Even with that modest turnaround, and considering the quality of competition across the field tonight, I don't think anyone saw this kind of dominating performance coming from the youngster so soon.
As it turned out KC got a pretty solid effort from its rookie starter, 26-year-old Brian Bannister, as well. Both kids stymied the opposing hitters for the first 3 1/2 innings, the only baserunners coming on a single by Julio Lugo in the third and when Gabbard hit David DeJesus with a pitch to start the fourth.
DeJesus would quickly be erased on a double play, though, and through the first four innings Gabbard had faced the minimum amount of batters and had struck out five of them. Nice.
He would get all the run support he would need in the bottom of the frame when struggling Dustin Pedroia stepped in to face Bannister for the second time ever. Francona had admitted recently that Pedroia had been sick around the All Star break and he had intended to rest him for a game or two, but he couldn't because Cora was sick also.
The skipper followed through on his promise yesterday, as Tito gave Dustin the day off except for a pinch hit appearance in the windfest, and it looks like the brief, belated blow really paid off.
Pedroia worked the count to 3-2, then unloaded his mini-man swing and shot the ball halfway up the Monster seats for his first homer since June 15th, and the Sox smallest player did something none of the big boppers could do yesterday--put a ball out of the freaking yard.
After Papi (1-4, R, 2BI) grounded out, apparently inspired by Pedroia's effort, Manny (1-4, R, BI) decided to best his teammate. Ramirez took Bannister's fourth pitch and deposited it halfway up the light tower, where it ricocheted off and nearly hit a Monster spectator in the skull before landing as a souvenir in the back row.
2-0 Boston.
Ballgame.
Gabbard got into his only trouble of the night in the fifth inning when he allowed a single to Emil Brown (2-3), a walk to Esteban German and then hit Sox nemesis John Buck to load the bases with two outs.
But secondary hero of the night Pedroia (2-4, 2R, BI) bailed him out when he made a gorgeous sidearm throw on a slow roller by Tony Pena to get the speedy shortstop by a hair at first, saving the shutout and effectively ending any hopes KC had of making a game of this one.
Just in case they had some crazy thoughts of a comeback though, Papi squashed them when he followed a one-out single by Pedroia with a Pesky Pole job in the sixth, wrapping the ball just around the wall near the marker for his 16th homer of the season and second in five days.
From there it was all Gabbard's game to drive home, and he cruised through the last three innings, facing the minimum amount of batters again (thanks to another DP) and adding his final two strikeouts of the night to end the ninth and put the seal on his first major league masterpiece.
Like I said, who cares if it was against the Royals?
NOTES
- More Gabby--the complete game shutout was the first by a rookie in the majors this season and the first by a Boston starter since the immortal Paul Quantrill pulled the feat in 1993
- The win was Boston's first shutout since the back-to-back 4-0 and 11-0 pastings of the Braves on June 19th & 20th in the A-T-L
- Julio Lugo extended his hitting streak to six games (11-22) with another infield hit in the third, but the joy was diluted when he was subsequently picked off--by a wide margin--just a few moments later to end the inning
- Dynamic Duo--tonight marked the 45th time Manny & Papi have gone yard in the same game in thier careers, third most among active players
- J. D. Drew returned to the lineup after a two game absence and went 1-4 from the leadoff spot; no word yet on if he'll be out tomorrow
- Pedroia had been in a 3-18 slump before his two big knocks tonight
- The game clocked in at a mind-boggling, National League-esque 2 hours and 18 minutes. Now that's sweet.
"Your adrenaline takes over, but you have to kind of settle yourself down." Gabbard, on the rush of a pitching a CG shutout
"The kid has had a lot of roadblocks coming through the minor leagues. He has very good stuff."--Tito, on the injury-filled minor league travails of Gabbard
"Butter fingers in the 2nd level there. Too much popcorn, too much butter on the popcorn."--RSN President Remy, calling out a fan who failed to catch a foul ball. How can anyone not love Rem Dog?
RECORD: 56-36
AL EAST: Up
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Tue vs. KC 705 Read More......
Series Preview: Royals @ Sox
Kansas City (39-52) at Boston (55-36)
3 Game Series @ Fenway Park
Standings: Sox up 9 gms in AL East; KC 15.5GB in AL Central
Season Series: Sox lead, 2-1
Probable Pitching matchups:
- GM1 Mon 705 Bannister (5-5, 3.71) vs. Gabbard (2-0, 4.87) MY PICK: Sox win
- GM2 Tue 705 Thompson (1-1, 3.38) vs. Wakefield (10-8, 4.47) MY PICK: Sox win
- GM3 Wed 705 Perez (4-8, 5.68) vs. Tavarez (5-7, 5.15) MY PICK: Sox win
Keep An Eye On: C John Buck .245/15/39--the light hitting catcher leads the Royals in homers, and he gave the Sox fits in the teams' first meeting of the season. In the first game of the year, a 7-1 KC win, Buck clubbed two extra base hits off Boston, including a homer on Hideki Okajima's first pitch in the big leagues
Preview:
For a team struggling to put together a decent winning stretch, a visit from the woeful Royals (or Rays) is just what the doctor ordered to help the Sox get healthy again.
Since putting together a modest four game winning streak against the Rangers & Rays (see) before the break, Boston has dropped five of its last seven games, and after beginning the season by going 36-16 in the first two months, the team is a decidedly mediocre 19-20 in the last month and a half.
So that's why the Sox have to be ecstatic that the lowly Royals are limping into town. Although this year's edition of the team isn't the worst in baseball (for a change), it's still in the bottom 10, and with such putrid numbers in both offensive and pitching categories, it's no wonder why.
- Batting average: .260 (10th in AL)
- Runs scored: 415 (11)
- Homers: 63 (14)
- ERA: 4.51 (10)
- BAA: .279 (13)
- OBP: .391 (13)
Even though the Sox went on to win the nest two in that series, no one can forget the humiliation suffered from that first loss.
And you know what they say--payback's a bitch.
Go Sox--Sweep or Nothing!
just kidding, we'll settle for two out of three if we have to Read More......
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