Seattle 9, Sox 4
The Red Sox just put the finishing touches on a horrendous evening of baseball when Mike Lowell struck out looking at 1:31 am EST.
I've already had a day full of lengthy posts (one of which didn't publish properly-damn computers) and helping my son get ready for his trip up north to visit the Grandparents, so needless to say the last thing I want to do at 1:45 in the morning is recap this travesty of a game.
I'll just sum it up briefly before I head off to la la land for a few hours until I have to take my boy to the airport at 6:30 (arrgghhh!):
Tavarez (finally) got rocked, giving up six runs in 4 something innings and then Snyder lost all control when he walked in two batters. Timlin came on and nearly got the 300 treatment from an errant splintered bat, then proceeded to serve up consecutive big flys to the Mariners, the first time they've done that all season.
Youk made it respectable when he hit a two-run double with two out in the 9th, but even a couple of gritty runs couldn't cover the atrocity that took place in the city known for grunge.
Full report tomorrow. Good night.
Or, as my son always likes to say for some reason, "Good Morning!" (safe flight, Son)
6.26.2007
Caution: Score not as close as it appears
6.25.2007
Series Recap: Sox @ San Diego
**NOTE: This post should have been published earlier this afternoon, but due to a combination of the new Live Writer feature and my inability to use it properly, it did not make it on the net at that time. The staff here at the CBS deeply regrets the unfortunate idiotic error, and someone WILL be fired. Thank You**
STAT
BOS
SD
RUNS
8
9
HITS
23
24
AVG
.232
.242
HRs
1
3
ERA
3.11
2.33
WINS
2
1
GM1: BOS 2-1 W-Dice K L-
GM2: SD 6-2 W-Young L-Wakefield
GM3: BOS 4-2 W-Beckett L-Peavy
Batter's Composite Box:
PLAYER | SERIES STATS | COMMENT |
Drew | 3-7/2K (2 games) | avg. nearing .250 |
Pedroia | 1-6/R/BB/SB(2gms) | little guy in mini slump |
Papi | 1-11/R/RBI, 5K | 5-27 last 10 games |
Manny | 3-1/R/2B/RBI/BB | power outage again |
Lowell | 2-8/2B/2BI(2 gms) | still leads Sox in RBI |
Youk | 1-4/RBI/K (1gm) | slightly banged up |
Tek | 3-6/R/3B/HR/ 2BI / 2BB/2K | busy 2 games for the Cap'n |
Coco | 4-13/R/3K/SB | raised avg 30 pts in 10 gms |
Lugo | 0-10/BB/4K | currently 0-26 (ugh!) |
Cora | 2-4/R/BB/K | has to play more |
Pena | 0-4/K | 3 for his last 21 |
Hinske | 1-2/2B/K | 4 hits in last 8 ABs |
Belli | 0-4/2K | 4 for his last 24 |
Pitcher's Composite Box:
PITCHER: | SERIES STATS | COMMENT: |
Dice-K | 6IP/5H/ER/5BB/9K | earned 9th win |
Wake | 5.1IP/8H/6ER/0BB/4K | dropped below .500 |
Beckett | 8IP/6H/2ER/BB/8K | 11th win leads MLB |
Paps | 2IP/4K | now has 18 saves |
Oki | 1IP/2K | ERA now 0.98 |
Delcarmen | 2/3IP/ all zeroes | 0R, 0H in 2.2IP |
Snyder | 1IP/H | ERA at 2.84 |
Timlin | 1.2IP/2H/K | arm still intact |
Lopez | 1/3/H | one batter wonder |
A decent series for the Sox out in sunny San Diego as the best team in baseball took a pair from the best team in the National League in their own (unique) park.
Dice got a nice win despite some scary moments and Beckett earned his 11th win on the strength of a dominating performance over Padre ace Jake Peavy yesterday.
In between Wakefield laid an egg all over the field as the Pads rocked him for three longballs, and Chris Young smoked 11 Ks in securing San Diego's lone win of the weekend.
Plenty of sunshine, Red Sox fans and a series win is just what the Doctor ordered for the Sox, who must head further (north) West to take on the Mariners for three games before heading back home (finally) for the weekend.
Yes, it's been a long trip, but an 11 game lead over the Stanks and a win over the best pitcher in the NL under their belts should make the flight a little more enjoyable!
Read More......Series Preview: Sox @ Seattle
Seattle Mariners (39-33)
AL WEST: 8 GB
STREAK: W-2 LAST 10: 4-6
AVG. .283 (3rd) ERA: 4.74 (12th)
HRs: 69 (9th) RUNS: 361 (8th)
Season Series: Boston leads, 2-1
Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1: Tavarez (5-4, 4.50) vs. Weaver (1-6, 8.56)
Finally Julie gets to square off against another team's scrub! After matching aces all season (and faring pretty well in doing so), Tavarez rides the high of his 4-game winning streak including a 3-hit, 7-inning gem against Atlanta last week.
Meanwhile after stealing $8 million dollars from the generous Mariner owners following a nice postseason with the Cards, Weaver has gone right back to being the middling piece of milquetoast who couldn't even beat out his brother for a spot in the Angel's rotation. Forget his record & ERA, opponents are batting .387 off him. Nice
MY PICK: Sox in a rout
GM2: Gabbard (1-0, ) vs. Hernandez (4-4, 4.00)
The kid returns to the rotation and who does he have to face but Boston's early season nemesis, King Felix.
Hernandez nearly no-hit the Sox back on April 11th in Fenway in the eighth game of the season, but shortly thereafter spent a month on the DL and hasn't been the same since. Will Gabbard be able to spin some stopgap magic again, or will the King conquer the Sox lineup for the second time this year?
MY PICK: Seattle
GM3: Matsuzaka (9-5, ) Feierabend (1-2, 8.20)
The another famous Japanese baseball player will grace the grounds at SafeCo Field as Matsuzaka takes the mound in the house that Nintendo built.
Dice will feel right at home as he opposes fellow countrymen Ichiro and Kenji Johjima, who play on what might be called the most Japanese-freindly team in the majors. Boston is currently trailing Seattle and New York in that department, but with Dice & Oki they are catching up fast.
Something tells me that the warm atmosphere combined with the stiff mound opponent should spell victory for Dice and the Sox amidst all the Japanese flags flapping thorughout the park.
MY PICK: Sox & Dice= Red storm
KEY PLAYERS:
- Ichiro (.364/53R/37RBI)-- what do you know, Ichiro is near the top of the batting leaders in the AL once again? (although he trails Maggs Ordonez by 17 pts.) After hitting a pedestrian .357 in May, Suzuki has stepped it up in June to the tune of a .429 average (39-91) including a current 19-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .468. Yikes.
- Richie Sexon (.206/14/44)-- the large bopper has always been a hit-it-a-ton or miss-it-by-a-mile player, and this year is no defferent. Although he's seventh in the league in big flys, he's also in the top 20 in strikeouts, along with his teammate...
- ...Adrain Beltre (.257/9/28)-- speaking of stealing money, the free agent bust is at it again. This smooth criminal hit 48 homers in his walk year with the Dodgers, and he's hit exactly 53 in 2+ seasons in Seattle. Stop, thief!
- Raul Ibanez (.280/6/49)-- often overlooked as a key piece of Seattle's offensive puzzle, the leftfielder is leading the team in RBIs and is coming off a four-ribbie game yesterday against the Reds.
The Sox check back into American league play and face a team that is nearly a mirror opposite of the one they just got finished with.
Unlike the Padres, who rely on excellent pitching and sporadic offense to win games, the Mariners spank the cover off the ball yet their pitchers can't seem to get anybody out- opponents are batting a robust .280 off Seattle pitching.
The last time these two teams met was in early May when they had to make up a game that was postponed from that early season series. Boston won the makeup game 8-7 when Dice-K blew a five run lead but Manny hit the second of his two homers to win it for Boston.
After a mediocre couple of months the Ms have turned it on of late, going 13-9 in June and riding the hot bat of Ichiro all the way back into playoff contention. But if they continue to slip out of the race, there have been grumblings that Ichiro would welcome a trade in order to try and play with a contending team before the end of his career.
How friggin sweet would it be to see him playing center and batting leadoff in Fenway?!
Then we'd see who the most Japanese-freindly team in the majors is, wouldn't we Seattle!?
Go Sox! Read More......
Sox Notes: Gabbard gets the call; Beck passes away
Gabbard gets the nod over Jon Lester to replace Schilling
The Red Sox announced that Pawtucket starter Kason Gabbard will start in Curt Schilling's place tomorrow night in Seattle.
Gabbard is no stranger to the big club, having made four starts for them last season and one earlier this year when Josh Beckett went on the DL. He pitched five innings and allowed six hits and two earned runs in a win against Atlanta on May 20th.
The decision means that Jon Lester will not make his 2007 debut tomorrow despite speculation that the righty, who has been feverishly rehabbing from cancer treatments, would get the call.
But Tito and the front office are still riding the "he's not quite ready" blah blah blah bullshit train, so Gabbard it is, at least this time.
The promotion means someone will have to be sent down, and though most assume it will be the recently recalled outfielder David Murphy (it's so appropriate that Boston have a 'Murph' on the team, isn't it?), today's Globe reports that Manny Delcarmen could be the one on the PawSox express.
Either way it looks like RSN will have to wait at least one more week for the return of Jon Lester to the mound; perhaps they just want him to make his season premiere at Fenway.
Ex-Sox reliever Rod "Shooter" Beck dead at age 38
The well-liked and well-traveled Rod beck passed away late Saturday night at his Arizona home from undetermined causes.
The man known to for his cool nickname, "Shooter", and his bushy mustache, Beck was one of the top closers in the game during the '90s, compiling 238 career saves including a Giants record 48 in 1989 and a league high 51 for the Cubs in 1998.
But by the time he got to Boston in 2000 he was a shell of his former self as injuries and substance abuse, namely alcohol dependency, made him half the pitcher he once was. Beck appeared in 102 games for the Sox in 2000-2001 primarily as a setup man, amassing six saves and an ERA of 3.62.
Although one of his most (in) famous moments in a Boston uniform came when he allowed a homer run to Bernie Williams in the 1999 ALCS, Beck was the type of guy who never drew the ire of the fans, and even if he did he was the type of guy who didn't give a shit about it anyway.
Because it wasn't his stats or his 'stache that made him the beloved man he was; former teammates and opponents alike have been heaping praise on Beck for being a self-proclaimed everyman pitcher, a guy who famously parked his RV outside a minor league Iowa ball field and invited fans & neighbors to come on over for beers and steaks after the games.
Tim Wakefield, who described himself as one of Beck's closest friends while he was with Boston, said in the Globe that he "was absolutely floored" when he heard the news and that he's "had a hard time dealing with it all day."
Jason Varitek, another former teammate, had this to say: "He absolutely loved the game. He loved competing. He was there early, there late. He was great at what he did. He was a good person and a good person to be around."
R.I.P, Shooter
You were one of the last of a vanishing breed-the unspoiled, old school ballplayer.
6.24.2007
Beckett earns 11th victory as Sox pound Peavy
Sox 4, San Diego 2
WP: Beckett (11-1)
LP: Peavy (9-2)
SV: Papelbon (18)
HRs: BOS-Tek (8)
SUMMARY:
Jake Peavy, the NL's top winner and ERA leader, had his shortest outing of the season, allowing nine hits and three earned runs and pitched into and out of numerous jams all day, while Josh Beckett had one bad inning out of his eight and earned his ML-best 11th win against just one loss.
HERO: Beckett 8IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 8K
What else can you say about this guy except if he keeps pitching like this its hello All Star start, and Cy Young and postseason awards here we come.
GOAT: Peavy 5IP, 9H, 3ER, 1BB, 3K
He came into the game with only one loss and an ERA under 2.00 (1.78); he left with his first loss since April 30th, saw his ERA rise to 2.14, and was not the same pitcher after a tumultuous second inning.
RECAP:
The two winningest pitchers in each league squared off for what should have been a good old fashioned pitcher's duel out West, but the highly anticipated matchup between Jake & Josh fizzled under the brilliant San Diego sunshine.
Well, at least one half of the equation kept his end of the bargain.
Josh Beckett, who has regained the electric stuff that let him run out to a 9-0 record before a trip to the disabled list, bitchslapped NL West-leading San Diego for eight innings. Unfortunately for San Diego their stud, 'Bama boy Jake Peavy, couldn't summon the game that had led him to the top of the league in wins and ERA.
Peavy's day started to go downhill in the second inning, when the Sox made him fling his body around the diamond like a defensive back for the Crimson Tide football team, and by the time the inning was over, Peavy's uniform looked like an advertisement for Ultra Strength Tide detergent from all the grass and dirt stains.
J.D. Drew (2-4) got Peavy's rough inning off to a scary start when he hit a dribbler down the first base line that lazy ass Adrian Gonzalez couldn't take by himself; as he tossed the ball to Peavy covering, the speedy Drew almost barrelled the ace over and stepped on his ankle in the process as he nearly beat the play out.
Shaken but not perturbed, Peavy pressed on and got Lowell to strike out on five pitches, but then Tek stepped up and pretty much ruined the invincible aura surrounding the Pads whenever Peavy pitches.
The Captain took the fifth pitch from Peavy and blooped a Texas leaguer behind third base that went into the Bermuda Triangle region and forced Khalil Greene and Russell Branyan to collide; by the time Branyan recovered to make a throw, Tek (alertly) was hustling to the uncovered third base bag and Peavy had to hurry over and go airborne to take the throw.
But the ball never met his glove, and as it fell harmlessly near the bag, Peavy hit the ground with a thud and Tek danced around the would-be tag for a fingertip triple that left Peavy battered and the audience dumbfounded.
"That has to be one of the oddest triples you'll ever see" Rem Dog declared, and once again the President of Red Sox Nation was absolutely 100% correct.
Peavy escaped the inning unscathed, runs-wise, when he got Julio Lugo-fer (0-3) to ground out (of course!) to end the frame, but the physical and psychological damage was done: if he was gonna beat the best team in baseball, especially with Beckett on the mound, he was going to have to give up a pound of flesh in doing so.
Perhaps flustered from the previous inning, Peavy got touched for five hits and three runs in the third, although the hardest hit ball of them all was probably Manny's sac fly to the opposite field.
Coco started it off with a one-out bloop single that dropped between Mike Cameron & Jose Cruz, (the Padres seemed to be in a fog all day) then Alex Cora (2-3, BB, R playing for Pedroia) laced a single to right to set the table for the boppers.
Papi fought off three Peavy pitches before muscling a single through the right side of the infield that scored Coco with the game's first run, and when Manny drove the second pitch he saw deep enough to right to score Cora with run #2, it almost felt like the game was over right there.
But it had to seem like deja vu all over again for Peavy & the Pads when Drew dropped another dribbler to the right side, which for some reason ate Geoff Blum up for a graciously called hit that kept the inning alive.
Lowell then lined a single to right that Cruz double pumped on, and Ortiz chugged around from second and slid home around the tag for the 3-0 Boston lead that left the Padres fans in the stadium stunned and the huge RSN chapter in attendance jumping with joy.
With the combination of a giant ball park and a Cy Young candidate on the mound Beckett knew he probably wasn't going to get his usual 8+ runs of support, so when his hitters gave him that three-run lead, he knew he had to make it stand up.
So when the Sox blew a golden opportunity to tack on runs against peavy in the fifth, getting the first two men on base before Peavy retired three straight (including Lugo to end it-again) to squelch the threat, it didn't seem like a big deal at the time.
At least not until the bottom of the inning, when San Diego scored two runs on two hits and a walk and left the tying run at third with its best power hitter at the plate.
Like the Sox in the top half San Diego put the first two batters on (walk, single), and then Terrmel Sledge ignited the rally when he laced a double to deep right center that scored both runs and suddenly turned a breezer into a nail biter.
But the threat ended when Beckett fanned Gonzalez on a nasty breaker, and even a little controversy over balls & strikes with home plate umpire Dana DeMuth couldn't dampen what turned out to be a high-quality win for Beckett & Boston.
Tek gave his team a little breathing room when he led off the 8th with an opposite field blast on a 3-0 fastball off Scott Linebrink, and after Beckett came out for a 12-pitch 8th, Papelbon took the reigns and steered this one into the garage with a 1-2-3, two-strikeout 9th that gave Boston a well-deserved series win.
After two big wins sandwiched around a horrendous loss against the NL's elite Boston will fly to Seattle for a three gamer with the Mariners and say goodbye to the San Diegan sunshine and interleague play.
Meanwhile the Padres have to travel to rivals San Francisco and LA, and Peavy is looking for the number of that lineman that pancaked him.
NOTES:
- A day after managing just four hits Boston rapped 11 today, although Tek's triple and Drew's single were more like gifts from the baseball gods;
- Every starter EXCEPT LUGO had a hit; he's now down to .193.
- Drew has remained in the five-slot since returning from his latest ailment, with Coco (1-5) taking the leadoff spot and today Cora manning Pedroia's two-hole
- Clash of the Titans: the matchup of 10-1 Beckett & 9-1 Peavy was the third such meeting when both hurlers had at least nine wins and only one loss; the last time was Rocket vs. Neagle in 1997.
- Power outage: the Padres top three batters (Cruz-Barrett-Gonzalez) went 0-12 with six K's
- The more I saw of the much-hyped Gonzalez (0-4, 3Ks today, 1-12, 5 Ks in series) the less impressed I was, both at the plate and in the field
- Khalil Greene had another hit and was 5-12 in the series with two bombs
- Boston finished 12-6 in interleague play
"He did well -- won the game, got through the eighth. Good performance in my book."-- Peavy, not exactly gushing about his mound opponent's performance
"Anytime you go against Jake Peavy it's going to be a tough day. To score three runs off that guy, I didn't expect to get that much on a day like that."-- Beckett, showing Peavy how to dish it out on the dais as well as the hill
"I don't feel like I got hit all over the ballpark, by any means. I felt good about myself and everything I did out there, except I lost."-- Peavy; ah, dude, who cares if you "feel good about yourself" ,YOU FRIGGIN LOST!
RECORD: 48-26
AL EAST: Up 11 on NYY
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Mon @ SEA 10EST Read More......
Game Preview: Sox @ San Diego
Now I have to recap the Dodgers/D-Rays game last night my son & I attended last night.
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Russell Martin & Randy Wolfe rock the sweet Brooklyn throwbacks
Plus it was a packed house (for the Trop)-over 24,000, second highest total of the season, and many of the fans in attendance came ready to engage in traditional ballgame activities.
Like heckling the opponent.
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The highlight of the night came before the game, during BP, when some "enthusiastic" Rays fans decided to ride temper-prone Dodgers hurler Brad Penny like the electronic bull at the old Joyland.
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Using clean but biting remarks the gang of hecklers not only got Penny to turn and listen to their rants but he actually interacted with them, returning their barbs with responses like "are you retarded?" and generally looking amused by their witty, beer-soaked banter..jpg)
The best part about the whole thing is that while this was taking place, Penny signed bats, balls and gloves for the other fans along the railing of the outfield wall. So then the rowdies ridiculously asked if he would sign theirs and he said "yes", but when they threw one down he tossed it back to the infield with the rest of the shagged horsehides! Classic.
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Not only that but one of them was retarded enough to toss his glove down.
After a few minutes of curious inspection with his teammates and mulling over whether or not he should bring it to the bullpen and light it on fire, Penny teased the dumb dude with an offer to trade gloves, then made the dude practically beg to get it back.
Which he eventually did, to the dismay of many disgruntled onlookers, who didn't find the whole situation as amusing as me and another Sox fan next to me did.
We felt right at home.
It was fucking awesome.
The whole incident lasted about 20 minutes, and when Penny jogged off to hit the buffet table, all the people in the section were genuinely disappointed to see the repartee come to an end.
But hey, at least the game was nearly as entertaining as the pregame show.
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Aki Iwamura sporting the spiffy (minor league) St. Pete Tarpons duds
Read More......6.23.2007
(Cy) Young and Bard put a hurtin' on Sox
San Diego 6, Sox 1
WP: Young (7-3)
LP: Wakefield (7-8)
HRs: SD-Greene, 2 (11), Bard (3)
The Bard served up a bit of poetic justice to his onetime teamates and the man he just couldn't catch, Tim Wakefield
SUMMARY
Chris Young was dominant for seven innings; Tim Wakefield, not so much.
Young fanned 11 batters and allowed one hit in seven innings while Wake allowed six runs and three longballs in less than six innings, including a controversial 2-run shot to his onetime catcher Josh Bard, and only a late 9th inning rally prevented the Sox from getting shutout for the fifth time this year.
HERO(es):
- Young 7IP, 1H, 2BB, 11K--what more needs to be said?
- K. Greene 3-4, 2R, 2BI, 2HRs--ditto
- Bard 2-4, 2R, 3BI, 2B, HR--an ex-Sox player kills his former mates-shocking!
He's taken home this dubious honor enough times this season to be considered for a lifetime achievement award.
RECAP:
Not much went right for our Sox tonight in San Diego.
They got schooled by a pitcher who was as close to unhittable as Boston has seen all season.
Their former catching prospect Josh Bard, who was thrown at the Padres in order to get Doug Mirabelli back to catch Wakefield, torched his former team with an RBI double and a two-run bomb.
And Boston manager Terry Francona got tossed for the second time this season when not one but two calls were reversed against the Sox, a trap/catch by Manny and the other a fair/foul switcheroo on the homer by Bard.
Didn't even matter that the umps got both calls right.
It turns out none of the shit that came later really mattered because for all intents & purposes the game was over after Bard singled in Mike Cameron, who had led off with a bunt single, for the Padres' first run in the second inning.
Because the way Young was straight dealing, the rest of the game was just for padding his gaudy stats.
Coming into the game the 6'10" Princeton grad (!) was sitting pretty at third in the NL in ERA but also sitting on pins & needles awaiting an appeal of a five-game suspension resulting from a fight with the Cubs Derek Lee last weekend.
And the guy pitched like a man on borrowed time.
Young decimated the Boston lineup for four innings, allowing just a walk to Pedroia in the first while retiring 7 of the first 13 batters on strikeouts, but he did get into trouble in the fifth when he gave up a leadoff single to J.D. Drew and Lowell reached on a muff by rookie third baseman Kevin Flying Kouzmanoff, setting up a potential rally.
Ah, what rally? Young proceeded to mow down the next three batters like Lindsay Lohan snorting rails, striking out Mirabelli, Lugo and Wakefield on 11 pitches to escape the would-be jam.
Alrighty then.
With that kind of firepower on the mound all San Diego had to do was put a couple three runs on the board and it would be time for the supersized contingent of RSN to hit the Gaslamp District to drown their sorrows, and in the bottom of the inning it would do just that.
Khalil Thabit Greene got the party started when he launched Wake's third pitch of the inning deep into the seats in left center for a 2-0 Padres lead. After Wake got Termell Sledge to strike out, Kouzmanoff dropped a ball into left that Manny appeared to make a spectacular shoestring catch of, but after an umpire conference they (correctly) ruled it a trap and awarded Kouzmanoff first base.
Young sacrificed him over and then Marcus Giles (2-4, RBI) roped a double over Manny's head to plate Kouzmanoff and make the score to 3-0, and with the way Young was pitching it might as well have been 10-0.
Just to make things really interesting the Pads would score three more, initate another ump conference and get Tito run from the game all before the sixth inning was over.
With one out Mike Cameron needed just one pitch to line a double to left off Wakefield, and just one pitch later Bard hit the shot heard round Red Sox Nation.
The brief batterymate of Wakefield sliced drive down the left field line that at first was ruled foul, but upon further review of the "quirky" layout of PetCo Park, the umps convened and (correctly) ruled the ball hit off the foul pole that faces sideways along the balcony of the old warehouse and was indeed a homerun.
This second reversal, combined with the blitzkrieg by Young, caused Tito to blow his top for the second time this month, and with the way the game was going and the fact that both calls were correct I'm positive the ejection was planned so he could get a head start on tomorrow's game.
Ironically after all the hubub died down (Tito nearly got hit by a bottle during the arguement), Greene blasted his second homer of the night as if to say "enough-this game is OVER!"
Young left after seven (thanks, NL rules) and the only saving grace for Boston was that they prevented San Diego from recording a major league-leading 12th shutout when callup David Murphy lined a triple to the gap and Mike Lowell brought him home with a double off Justin Hampson in the ninth to spare the indignity of being shutout.
But that was small consolation on this night as Boston was given a full dose of what it's like to go up against the best pitching staff and bullpen in the majors.
And up next is the NL leader in wins & ERA, Jake Peavy.
Gulp.
NOTES:- Boston managed just four hits off three Padres pitchers, Drew's single, Murphy's triple, Lowell's double and a pinch hit double by Eric Hinske in the 8th; that hit was only Boston's 2nd of the game at the time
- Drew returned from his quad strain and broke up what was looking like a possible no hitter by Young with his 5th inning single. He also attempted to steal and made a nice play in the field, although he was pulled after seven (hurt or not?)
- Murphy was just recalled yesterday from Pawtucket when Schill was officially put on the DL; he got into yesterday's game in the ninth, then smoked the three-bagger for his first hit of 2007 tonight
- Wake, who once upon a time was leading the AL in ERA at 1.79, saw his number bloom to 4.52, while Young's ERA is down to an awesome 2.08 and an ML-best 0.94 at home. Wow.
- Green has 4 homers and 14 RBIs in his last 11 games
- One night after 13 Padres fanned, Boston batters turned the baker's dozen; eight players struck out at least once, and five fanned twice
- WARNING!WARNING!: Lugo-fer went 0-3 (his latest such streak is at 0-22) and is now batting .196. Yikes.
- San Diego rapped 11 hits, and four guys (Giles, Cameron, Bard, Greene) had at least two hits apiece
- Lowell, who had sat out three games in a row with a minor thumb strain, snapped a 1-19 skid with his 9th inning blast, a ball that might have gone out if not for a great effort by Cameron
- Speaking of great efforts, Manny made a nice sliding grab in the second inning, then nearly sold that rolling trap play in the 5th; who says he can't play defense?
QUOTES:
"I have a feeling they probably ended up getting both right. But you get frustrated."--Tito, proving my point about the early exit
"I feel I pitched better than the numbers showed. Every ball I made a mistake on, they hit hard. With the stuff I had, no way I give up six runs."--Wakefield. Uh, okay Tim. Dude, you got hammered like chopped meat, get over it.
"I'd only faced him one time, in '02, and it was a time when I was swinging the bat pretty good left-handed and he really gave me a tough time, so I was thinking why not give it a shot right-handed and thankfully it worked out." --Bard, on his decision to bat righty against the righty Wakefield
RECORD: 47-26
AL EAST: Up 10.5 on NYY
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Sun @ SD 4EST
Game Preview: Sox @ San Diego GM2
Wakefield (7-7, 4.18) vs. Young (6-3, 2.26)
Petco Park 10EST
I don't have much time to go into detail about this game- I already predicted a Sox loss in my series preview anyway-because I am taking my son to the D-Rays game to see them take on the West Coast edition of the Red Sox, the LA Dodgers.
That's right it's going to be a veritable Bosox reunion with Nomah, D-Lowe and Slingblade Little livening up the Trop, and no, I won't try to hit Grady with a poison spear dart, so stop asking.
After last night's thrilling 2-1 Sox victory, Boston is due for a letdown when the erratic Wakefield takes on the man with third best ERA in the NL, Chris Young. Young is waiting to serve a five game suspension for brawling with the Cubs' Derrek Lee last weekend, so you know he'll be hungry to mow down some Sox batters before his departure.
Who knows, maybe he'll be ansty. Either way I'm sure the Rays will be getting blown out in plenty of time for me to get home for the start of the game.
I'll have a full report from the Rays game as well as a wrap up of tonight's Sox game later on this evening, or should I say tomorrow morning by the time the game gets over.
Sox hang on for win over Maddux, Padres
WP: Matsuzaka (9-5)
LP: Maddux (6-4)
SV: Papelbon (17)
HRs: None
What's more embarrassing, this fourth inning fall or those hideous throwback unis!?
SUMMARY
After a shaky start (3 walks, 1 run in the first) Daisuke Matsuzaka settled down to pitch six satisfactory innings, and the Sox got to Greg Maddux for four hits and two runs in the fourth to account for the only runs in this well-played game between the top teams from each league.
HERO: Matsuzaka 6IP, 5H, 1ER, 5BB, 9K, 126P
Sixteen starts in and the mystery that is Daisuke Matsuzaka only continues to deepen. At times dominating, other times infuriating, Dice-K is starting to resemble the Japanese version of Julian Tavarez.
I can't believe I just said that.
GOAT: Maddux 6IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 2K, 91P
He's taking home this honor not so much due to his pitching, which was solid save for that rocky fourth inning, but for his barrel roll off the mound as his spike got stuck in the turf during a pitch to Papi in the 6th; as Remy said "that had to be embarrassing." Yep, it was.
RECAP:
Although it was by no means a work of art (3+ hours, 9 pitchers, 302 pitches, one unplanned pratfall), the first game ever at Petco Park between these two division leaders had enough entertainment & excitement to make me forget it ended at 1:16 am EST.
Probably because the way it began pumped enough adrenaline through my body to keep me alert for the next three hours.
What should have been a classic mano-a-mano pitcher's duel between a future Hall of Famer and a Japanese League legend returning to the site of his greatest international baseball moment may have the shiny box score facade of such a contest, but a closer look inside reveals a sloppy, erratic piece of abstract art.
Matsuzaka was the cause for the early agita when he walked the first three batters of the game, and most of the pitches weren't anywhere near the strike zone. Of his first 15 pitches, 11 were balls, and one was a wild pitch. Yikes.
But despite this horrific display of inability to find the strike zone, Dice began putting together parts of a brilliant outing by getting out of the three-on, no-out jam allowing just one run, on an RBI single by newly acquired nuisance, catcher Michael Barrett.
The line score for the inning: 1 hit, 3 walks, 1 wild pitch, 1 run, 1 strikeout
Amazingly following that ominous opening the only category to greatly increase on that line was the strikeout total, as Dice-K settled into a groove from there to the point that he retired 9 of the next 11 batters, five by strikeout.
It was a good thing he calmed down, too, because Mr. Maddux was dealing his usual hand of 'catch this if you can' mastery, setting down eight of the first 10 Sox batters and facing one over the minimum through three thanks to a double play.
Thankfully then came the fourth. As I reported in my preview, Maddux has been touched for 19 runs in his last 32.1 innings, and in the fourth it was evident how as Boston sent seven batters to the plate and almost every one of them hit the ball hard.
Pedroia got it started with a solid single to center, then Papi followed with a long, loud flyout to left. Then the next three batters-Manny, Youk & Tek- all ripped singles off Maddux, Youk's to tie the game and Tek's to knock in the go-ahead run, and even though Wily Mo grounded out and Lugo-fer fanned to end the frame, the damage was done as the final runs of the game had been scored.
Not that anyone knew that at the time because the way Dice-K was pitching it seemed like the whole thing was going to come crashing down like a house of cards at any moment. Matsuzaka allowed two men to reach in the fifth and sixth innings, yet somehow managed to avoid further damage by getting the big out when he needed it.
By the end of six both starters were gone and it was up to two of the best pens in the game to keep the game where it was and give their teams a chance to win it.
San Diego brought in former Sox prospect Cla Meredith, and the righty sidearmer allowed only an infield single to Coco Crisp (3-4) in his inning of work. Boston countered with lefty sidearmer Javier Lopez and then Manny Delcarmen, who combined for a scoreless seventh, then went to the heavy artillery for the final two frames.
Okajima was money in the 8th when he set down all three Padres he faced on just 10 pitches, two on strikeouts after Scott Linebrink had done the same in the top of the inning, which made it a 2-1 game heading into the ninth.
San Diego went with relative unknown Royce Ring instead of closer Trevor Hoffman, and all he did was ring up all three Sox batters on strikeouts, needing just 11 pitches to do so. Whew.
That left the game in the hands of Jonathan Papelbon, and the way he has been slamming the door lately it's almost as if he should have entered the game to Hoffman's infamous Hells Bells theme song.
After getting two quick outs Jose Cruz Jr slapped a single to right to break up the perfect save and ratchet up the tension another notch. But as a large, loud contingent of RSN cheered him on, Paps got Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez to strike out to end it, and Paps nearly broke Tek's mitt slamming the ball into it after the emotional & hard-fought victory.
Like I said, it wasn't pretty and it wasn't very offensive, but the game provided a number of memorable moments and impressive displays.
Too bad one of the most memorable is going to be Maddux' mound muff.
NOTES:
- Throw(it)back--the teams wore 'vintage' 1980s unis, Boston in morbid grey & black and San Diego in those infamous shit brown & Gulden's psychedelic specials. Nice.
- Coco still crispy--with three more hits tonight (plus a stolen base), Coco has now hit in 8 straight games and has lifted his average from .224 top .258 in the last ten games
- Drew who?--Coco batted leadoff tonight as Drew's latest malady-a strained quad-kept him out of the lineup despite a day and a half of rest. It's beginning to look like those preseason naysayers were right-the guy's brittle and slump-prone and NOT worth $70 million bucks
- Manny had another couple of hits (single, double) and is now up to .304, much more Manny-like. Now only if those homers & RBIs would go up
- Youk's RBI single ran his hit streak to six games, and he also made a couple of slick plays at third
- Speaking of third, Lowell (hand) sat for the thrid straight game, but did come in as a defensive replacement in the 8th
- Speaking of Youk's single, Maddux didn't appreciate a non-call that could have been strike three on Youk before the hit, and after he fanned Lugo to end the inning on a near identical pitch, Maddux waved his arms and shouted at home plate umpire Brian Knight on his way off the field
- Speaking of Lugo, he sucks. He went 0-4 and now is below Mendoza at a mind-numbing .198. For $36 million bucks. It's time for Tito to bat him below the pitcher for the rest of the series.
- Oki's scorless outing dropped his ERA to a fiber optic-thin 0.98; wow.
- Delcarmen has now pitched 2.2 hitless, scoreless innings since his most recent callup
- The free-swinging Fathers, who were second in the NL in strikouts coming into the series, fanned 13 more times, including three by leadoff man Marcus Giles
- Barrett the Brawler--the new arrival from the Cubs singled in his first two trips and also threw out Coco trying to steal. Sure, it's all good until he punches Peavy.
"Good game. Got outpitched."--Maddux
"I tried to get off to a gentle start today but that clearly didn't go so well. After getting into the jam I told myself that maybe one run would be permissible here, and that's how I approached that tight spot."--Matsuzaka
"Senior moment." --Maddux, referring to his elderly-like fall from grace in the sixth
RECORD: 47-25
AL EAST: Up 10.5 on NYY
STREAK: W-3
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Sat @ SD 10EST Read More......
6.22.2007
Series Preview: Sox @ San Diego
San Diego (41-30)
NL WEST: t-1st (ARI)
STRK: L-2 LST 10: 5-5
AVG: .246 (16th) ERA: 3.05 (1st in MLB)
HRs: 65 (t-8th) RUNS: 319 (t-8th)
Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Fri 10EST Matsuzaka (8-4, 4.18) vs. Maddux (6-3, 3.90)
Dice-K returns to the scene of his greatest triumph on American soil-the stadium where he helped Japan win the inaugural World Baseball Classic last spring, in which Matsuzaka was named the MVP
But he'll be going up against the Mr. Miyagi of the horsehide, and the technical mastery and baseball wizardry that should be present in this game could be worthy of an Ang Lee adaptation.
Maddux is on a three game winning streak, but in his last six starts he's given up 19 earned runs in 34.2 innings (4.93), while Dice has been a hard luck loser in 2 of his last 3, yet he's allowed only 4 earned runs in 20 innings (1.80) over that span. MY PICK: I Like Dice (Sox)
GM2 Sat 10EST Wakefield (7-7, 4.18) vs. Young (6-3, 2.26)
This one's a toss-up, but at least Wake's flutterball have farther to travel in spacious PetCo. Still, I'll go with the solid Young, who's coming off three NDs and a five game suspension, in his own park. MY PICK: Pads
GM3 Sun 4EST Beckett (10-1, 3.14) vs. Peavy (9-1, 1.98)
This one has all the makings of the game of the year. These two aces could be facing one another less than a month from now in the Midsummer Classic, but for now this matchup is about as good as it gets. MY PICK: Sox win 1-0 on a homer by Pedroia
Key Players:
- Adrian Gonzalez (.295/14/51)-- the third-year first baseman is coming of age this season, placing 8th in the NL in homers and sixth in RBIs; although he's only hit two homers this month, he's hit in 7 of the last 8 games (11-30, .367) including a 4-5, 4R, 3RBI outburst against the Cubs on Sunday
- Marcus Giles (.262/42R/28BI)-- the former Braves second baseman moved out West to join his wacky bro, Brian, with the Pads this offseason. He hasn't hit like they'd hoped, but he is 17th in the NL in runs and has 15 doubles. Still, the guy has to do better if he wants SD to pick up his option next year
- Khalil Greene (.237/9HR/39R/41BI)-- despite the horrendous average the slick, injury prone shortstop has been on a tear lately; in the last 10 games he's hit at a .342 clip (14-41) with 3 doubles, 2 homers and a staggering 12 ribbies-mind you he's 5'11'' and his middle name is "Thabit", which makes the numbers all the more impressive
- Mike Cameron (.260/8HR/37R/34BI)-- though he's never been quite the same since his ugly collision with Carlos Beltran a few years ago, the gifted centerfielder was well enough to win his 3rd Gold Glove last season, so I guess he's still got something left
- Entire pitching staff-- look at the team average, which is last in the NL, and the team ERA, which is first in the majors, and it doesn't take a beautiful mind to realize how this team is tops in the National League. Only one regular on the staff has an ERA over 4.00, and that person would be...none other than...
- ...Boomer Wells (3-5, 4.71)-- the former Sox stopgap filled a need as a replacement for Pedro and D-Lowe after the championship season, but after a decent '05 with Boston (15-7) he went into his usual injury/diarrhea of the mouth/boozing Boomer bit, and the Sox cut him loose
- Cla Meredith (2-5, 3.60)-- the Sox were high on this kid, then they let him go in the "get Mirabelli back to Boston, stat!" fiasco of 2005. All he's done since then is become one off the best setup men in the game, and although he's had a little bit of a rough time this season, he's only 24, so this is a deal that will come back to haunt Boston for a long, long time (ugh!)
- Josh Bard (.257/2/19)-- the other part of the Meredith deal, this guy is a good young backstop who can also hit; repeat: this is a deal that coulc come back to haunt Boston for a long, long time!
PREVIEW:
"San Diego: discoverd by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means whale's vagina."
Ah Saaaan De-yaaago, the city famous for its beautiful scenic vistas, rollicking Gaslamp District, a tubby, choke-prone left handed golfer, and one of the funniest anchormen in the history of local news.
But besides Phil Mickelson and Ron Burgundy, San Diego is also home to the best team in the National Legue (at least by percentage points), as once again the Fathers have assembled a good squad that may not score a lot of runs, but will go toe-to-toe with the best of pitching staffs on any given night.
That's what makes this weekend series so intriguing for the Sox: we know what Boston can do to mediocre pitching (hello, Buddy Carlyle!), and we know Boston can get shut down by has-been hurlers (Joe Kennedy, are you listening?)
We also know that the often scorching Boston bats can go suddenly silent at the hands of superior mound men, as we've witnessed all season with the likes of Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Johan Santana and Roy Halladay.
Not that there's anything wrong with losing to aces, but sometimes you gotta figure out a way to get past those pesky pricks and pull off a victory.
And we're gonna find out if Boston is able to do just that as they face three tough pitching matchups in this series, culminating with the showdown between Peavey and Beckett, who are a combined 19-2. Nice.
Tonight Dice will attempt to best the master, Grex Maddux, and tomorrow Tim will test his knuckler against the brawler Chris Young. Three difficult tests that will say a lot about what this team can do to a true NL pennant contender.
Should be a great series, other than the late endings. But if the pitchers hold true to form, the games should be worth staying up for.
Let's just hope the Sox stay classy.
Read More......6.21.2007
Sox Drawer: State of the Sox
It's an off day for our boys as they travel to San Diego for a three game weekend set with the Padres (current ownners of the best record in the National League), so the lack of game action has led me to do one of my patented, world famous, all-encompassing State of the Team posts.
Truth be told I'm doing this for myself as much as for my trusty readers, because after missing three games earlier in the week I need to get up to speed as to who's hot, who's not, and who's perilously close to slipping below the Mendoza Line with another oh-fer (ahemlugoahem.)
So without further adieu, and before I use up all my bandwidth, here's my latest State of the Sox:
| BATTER | LAST 10 GMS | COMMENT |
| Drew | .228/2HR/3RBI | slowly impr'ving |
| Pedroia | .342/1HR/7RBI | hit in 8 of 9 gms |
| Papi | .296/2HR/4RBI | 2HRs in ATL |
| Manny | .355/3HR/8RBI | avg. now .300 |
| Youk | .300/oHR/3RBI | hit in 9 of 10 gms |
| Lowell | .184/1HR/5RBI | **hand injury** |
| Tek | .237/1HR/3RBI | 2HR, 5BI in Jun |
| Coco | .400/3HR/5RBI | hit in 9 of 10 gms |
| Lugo | .105/5R/1RBI | avg. now .201 |
| Cora | .143/2R/1RBI | big 3B on TUE |
| Pena | .190/0HR/2RBI | 2-4, R on WED |
| Hinske | .250/1HR/2RBI | hit HR on WED |
| Belli | .174/0HR/1RBI | ice, ice baby... |
| PITCHER | LAST 3 APPS | COMMENT |
| Schill | 18.1IP/20H/11ER | on the DL til??? |
| Beckett | 19IP/19H/8ER | ran rec. to 10-1 |
| Dice-K | 20IP/14H/4ER | ERA now 4.18 |
| Wake | 20.1IP/19H/9ER | ERA also 4.18 |
| Tavarez | 20IP/15H/5ER | won last 4 dec's |
| Paps | 3IP/0H/0R/2K | ERA now 1.78 |
| Oki | 3IP/1H/0R/2K | ERA now 1.01 |
| Snyder | 2.2IP/2H/0R/5K | K'd 3 vs. COL |
| Lopez | 1.2IP/1H/1R/1K | 1-hitter wonder |
| Delcarmen | 2.2IP/0H/0R/2B | recalled on 6/18 |
| Pineiro | 3.2IP/4H/0R/2K | 0 runs in 7 of 10 |
| Timlin | 3IP/5H/3ER/HR | his arm is shot |
Delcarmen was called up Monday when the Sox placed Brendan Donnelly on the DL with a forearm strain.
The rest of the injury report looks like this: Curt Schilling was placed on the DL after a shoulder strain was discovered following Monday night's loss to Atlanta; Mike Lowell is nursing a hand injury and was given a couple of nights off in Atlanta; and J.D. Drew was pulled from Wednesday's ass-kicking with a slightly strained quad.
Also, J.C. Romero cleared waivers, which could hurt Boston in the pocketbook when he signs with another team (they'll be on the hook for the bulk of his $1.6 million salary when he gets picked up.)
So despite Schill going on the DL and a number of other guys banged up, plus a lineup shuffle initiated due to Lugo's prolific slump, Boston has shaken off the early June swoon to post a 9-4 record in its last 13 games, and that incredible shrinking lead that New York had whittled from 14 1/2 to 7 1/2 games is now back to a comfy 10 1/2 games.
That's good, because this match up with the Pads over the weekend is going to be a real test of the team's mettle, and with quality pitching match ups each game in what should be a packed & rockin' PetCo Park, there will be a definite playoff atmosphere to the series.
Good thing a huge chunk of the fans will be proud members of RSN!
Read More......A special shout out to a great new website
I want to take a moment to thank the folks behind BlogInterviewer.com for asking me to be included on their innovative new site.
What sets this site apart for all the run-of-the-mill blogrolls is that BlogInterviewer lets the reader actually preview various sites by providing a screenshot as well as a mini-interview with its creator, not just a soulless, impersonal link. Very cool.
This is a terrific way for lesser-known blogs like mine to get our name out there among the traffic heavyweights, and I have little doubt it will catch on like wildfire.
And I'm not just saying that because they were kind enough to ask me to be a part of it.
Really, I'm not.
Anyway, please click the link above and peruse the site yourself; if you want to shoot directly to my page (and I know you do), click here.
Thanks again to Mike Thomas and the rest of the gang for choosing my humble little blog, and keep up the great work!
6.20.2007
Sox slam 10 XBHs in a rout of the Braves
Sox 11, Atlanta 0
LP: Carlyle (1-2)
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Julian's jubilation provided a hilarious backdrop to the Sox offensive display
- After beginning the season 1-3, Tavarez has gone 5-1 since with a perfect 4-0 record and 3.65 ERA in his last seven starts. His overall ERA is now down to 4.50
- Manny's three hits (homer, single, double) raised his average to exactly .300, the first time he's reached that familiar mark all season. His 7th inning homer was #481 career
- Drew followed his homer with a double in the second, but he was pulled after scoring on Manny's double due to what's being called a minor quad strain-jeesh.
- The homer was his 4th in the last 12 games after he had just two all season
- All In: after replacing Drew Wily Mo went on to rap two hits including a double and scored a run. Eric Hinske replaced Ortiz for the 7th and promptly smacked a 2-run homer in the bottom of the frame
- Lugo's struggling so badly that hits are being taken away from him because teammates can't advance a base as they expect him to make an out. After Tek & Coco singled to start the 9th, Julio dropped a hit in front of right fielder Jeff Francoeur, but Tek had to hold up at second and was easily thrown out by the cannon armed Francoeur, thus rendering the hit a fielder's choice and dropping Lugo down to .201. Mendoza alert, Mendoza alert!!
- Coco crispy: the defensive whiz has been tearing the cover off the ball of late, and he's now hit in seven straight and 11 of 12 games to raise his average to .250, the highest it's been since early May
- Pen pals: Joel Pineiro relieved Tavarez in the 8th and after allowing the first two batters to reach he retired three straight to preserve the shutout. Maddog Timlin then tossed a 1-2-3 ninth, needing just six pitches to close it out.
- Keeping up with the Joneses: oft-injured Atlanta 3B Chipper joined Andruw on the bench when he left after the sixth with a groin injury
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