WORLD SERIES Game 6 – 10/30/2013 – at Home vs. the St. Louis Cardinals

RESULT – WIN 6-1

What a year to start a blog following every game of the Boston Red Sox.  At the beginning of the year, I made some bold predictions that this team would be good.  I said they’d win around 90 games and challenge for a Wild Card spot.  I never predicted (no one did) what this team was able to pull off last night.

The Boston Red Sox are the 2013 World Champions after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park last night by the score of 6-1.  This team has been so much fun to follow all year long and has become probably my favorite Sox team, right up there next to the 2004 boys.

After once going 86 years without winning a World Championship, the Red Sox clinched their 3^rd in the past 10 seasons and their first at home in Boston since 1918.  It’s the most championships of any team in the league over that span.

Now to the game.

I said before the series started, that there is no one I’d like to see on the mound more than John Lackey and last night, he was clutch.  He started off a little rocky as I think his emotions were a tad bit high.  Although he retired the side in the 1^st, he was leaving pitches up in the zone and 2 of the 3 outs were hit very hard.  In the 2^nd, the Cardinals put 2 runners on with no outs but Lackey was able to get Matt Adams to lineout and David Freese to flyout.  After a wild pitch, he was able to strike out John Jay to end the threat.

In the 3^rd, he induced a double play to erase a 1-out single and in the 4^th, after the Sox put him ahead 3-0, he was able to work around a huge error by Dustin Pedroia to keep the Cards off the board.  The error came with one out and after a single by Allen Craig.  Yadier Molina hit a sure thing double play ball to Pedroia that he rushed and booted.  He couldn’t recover fast enough and both runners were safe.  Lackey then got Matt Adams to lineout and then struck out Freese to end the inning.

The 5^th inning started with more run support as the Sox staked Lackey with a 6-0 lead.  After a leadoff single, Lackey got Descalso to lineout.  Carpenter then singled to put runners again on 1^st and 2^nd with only 1 out but Lackey got the Cardinals 2 best hitters (Beltran and Holliday) to flyout to end the threat yet again.

Lackey cruised in the 6^th, retiring the side in order getting Matt Adams to strike out to end the inning.  In the 7^th, the Cards would finally knock Lackey out of the game.  He struck out Freese to start the inning and then got Jon Jay to groundout for the 2^nd out.  Descalso then singled and Carpenter then doubled to put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with 2 outs.  Carlos Beltran then singled the opposite way through the shift to plate a run and a wild pitch to Matt Holliday put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd again with 2 outs.  John Farrell visited Lackey on the mound and you could read John’s lips, “This is my guy!”  Farrell stuck with Lackey but Holliday was able to work a walk.  Lackey was then removed from the game with a standing ovation from the crowd.  It was a perfect ending to the huge turnaround that Lackey has experienced this season.  This city is finally a Lackey supporter and I’m sure he appreciates it.

John Lackey’s final line, 6 and 2/3 innings, 1 run on 9 hits while striking out 5 and walking only 1.  He was 3-1 in the postseason with a 2.77 ERA.  Without John Lackey’s emergence this postseason, the Red Sox don’t win this World Series.

Back to the 7^th, with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd and 2 outs.  Farrell elected to bring in Junichi Tazawa to end the threat and he’s just been so good as of late, erasing the meltdowns he was having at the end of the regular season.  Tazawa was able to get the dangerous Allen Craig to ground out back to him to end the inning.

In the top of the 8^th, the Sox went with Brandon Workman to bridge the gap to Koji Uehara and he did just that.  Throwing a heavy sinker, he was able to retire the side in order, getting 2 groundouts in the process.

The 9^th inning started just as you would expect, with Koji Uehara running in from the bullpen.  I knew right there it would be only a matter of minutes before the champagne would be spraying.  Uehara got Jay and Descalso to flyout to start the inning then struck out Carpenter to send the fans and the players into a frenzy.  It was over; the Sox had gone from worst to first and won their 8^th World Championship.

Before I get to the offense, I do have to mention just how electric Fenway Park was.  From the first pitch to the final out, the fans at Fenway yesterday were screaming and into the game.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard Fenway Park that loud.  I can’t wait for the duck-boat parade that’s sure to happen soon.  I may even have to take a trek up there.

As you can see, the Cardinals left a ton of opportunities on the bases last night.  As a team they were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base.  Lackey continually got himself out of jams with 2 runners on.  It shows just how good he is at buckling down and not letting a big inning happen.

The Sox looked to be doing the same as they left a lot of men on base in the first couple of innings.  In the 1^st, they left Big Papi stranded on first after a 2-out walk.  Then in the 2^nd, after a leadoff single by Gomes and a walk by Victorino, Michael Wacha got Bogaerts and Drew to pop-up in foul grounds and then struck out Ross to end the threat.

But in the bottom of the 3^rd, the Red Sox would strike.  Ellsbury lead-off with a single to right and Pedroia moved him to 2^nd on a weak groundout to 3^rd.  David Ortiz was then intentionally walked to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd with big Mike Napoli coming to the plate.  The threat looked like it would come up empty as Napoli was struck out on 4 pitches.  However, Jonny Gomes kept the rally alive with a hit by pitch to load the bases for the clutch Shane Victorino.  Victorino had missed the last 2 games with a sore back and I don’t think anyone knew just how much was going to be able to contribute.

Shane Victorino came through in a huge way with a high double off the Green Monster to plate all 3 runs.  The Sox would go up 3-0 and you could see momentum shifting over to the Red Sox.

In the bottom of the 4^th, Stephen Drew got things started off in a big way by homering on the first pitch he saw into the Red Sox bullpen.  While Drew has played sensational shortstop this whole postseason, he’s absolutely been horrendous with the bat.  It was nice to see him get the monkey off his back with a big back-breaking homer.

The Sox weren’t done in the inning, after a strikeout by Ross, Ellsbury doubled to right-field.  Pedroia flew out to deep right to move Ellsbury to 3^rd and after an intentional walk to David Ortiz; Mike Napoli again came up in a big situation.  This time, big Nap came through, slapping a single to center-field to plate Ellsbury.  Gomes then walked to again load the bases for Shane Victorino.  Right here, I’m thinking no way, can Shane really do it again?  Victorino singled to left to plate the 6^th Boston run.  The inning would be over after a Bogaerts strikeout but the Sox were up 6-0 and on their way to a championship.

They would do nothing more the rest of the way and it almost seemed like they just wanted to fast forward to the top of the 9^th.  You could see the players and the fans getting antsy.  They wanted to get those final 9 outs and win this thing.

With runners in scoring position, the Red Sox were once again horrible, going 3 for 12 and leaving 11 men on base.  Luckily they had 5 RBI with 2-outs (4 for Victorino and 1 for Napoli) that saved them.  That’s one area that this team must improve upon next year.

Ellsbury went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, a walk and a double and Stephen Drew went 2 for 4 with a run, RBI and a homer.  Mike Napoli was 1 for 5 with an RBI and Johnny Gomes was 1 for 3 with a run, walk and HBP.

For a big change, David Ortiz finally didn’t do any damage to the Cardinals.  However, it really wasn’t his fault as he was given the Barry Bonds treatment and walked 4 times on the night, with 3 of them being intentional.  The Cardinals were simply not going to let Big Papi beat them.

Unfortunately they didn’t count on Shane Victorino being this good.  The Flying Hawaiian went 2 for 3 with 4 RBI, a double and a walk.  It was a clutch performance for someone that hadn’t played in 2 days and was the icing on the cake for his comeback season.

David Ortiz was named World Series MVP and he deserved it.  He posted a .688 batting average in the series (11-16) and a .760 on-base percentage.  He had 8 walks in the series, which is a club record, breaking Carlton Fisk’s mark in 1975.  Ortiz joins Manny Ramirez (2004) and Mike Lowell (2007) as the 3^rd Red Sox in the past decade to be named World Series MVP.

This is Big Papi’s 3^rd championship with the Sox and he’s a career .455 hitter on the big stage (20-44).  It’s the best mark among players with at least 50 World Series plate appearances.

The 2013 Red Sox team is special.  They are the first team since 1991 to go from finishing in last place the year before to the champions the next.  The other team to do it was the Minnesota Twins.

So where does this team go from here?  They have a ton of free-agents and unfortunately this team will not look the same next year.  For now, let’s enjoy the moment.  I’ll be blogging here and there, hopefully once a week to keep you up to date with any doings.  Right now, though, I’m looking forward to the parade that’s sure to happen this weekend.  Got to convince the wife to ship up to Boston to witness this great team.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Shane Victorino.  The Flying Hawaiian came through in a HUGE way last night.  With a sore back and not knowing what he’d be able to do, he produced with 4 RBI and started the rally in the 3^rd that won the game.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

I hate to give this out after winning a World Championship but David Ross didn’t have a good night.  He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts at the plate and also didn’t play a great catcher.  He allowed a couple balls to get past him that were ruled wild pitches but his effort seemed lazy on both.  Instead of sliding over and blocking them, he tried to back-hand them and they bounced away.  Luckily they didn’t cost the Sox but Ross is better than that.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Shane Victorino’s 3-run double in the 3^rd to put the Sox ahead and on their way to a World Championship.

NEXT

The offseason.  Live it up – the Red Sox are 2013 World Champions!!!!

WORLD SERIES Game 5 – 10/28/2013 – in St. Louis vs. the Cardinals

RESULT – WIN 3-1

Jon Lester continues to prove what everyone said he wasn’t during his rough patch during the middle of this year.  Lester is the ACE of the Red Sox pitching staff and last night he dominated the St. Louis Cardinals and gave the Sox a 3-1 victory and only one more win to go to a World Series title.

Adam Wainwright was all the talk because of his poor outing in Game 1.  All I heard the last couple of days was that Wainwright would be brilliant, Game 1 was an anomaly, and he’ll be lights out in Game 5.  Don’t get me wrong, Wainwright was excellent too but Jon Lester matched him pitch for pitch and again made the Cardinals look lost in route to a victory.

Lester went 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up just 4 hits and 1 run (a solo homer by Matt Holliday in the 4^th), while walking none and striking out 7.  Not only was Lester dominant but he was also economical as he needed just 91 pitches to get through the outing.  This bodes well for the Sox and John Farrell.  By not throwing a ton of pitches, it leaves the possibility of seeing him in a relief role in a Game 7 should it get that far.

It seemed that Lester had great command of the strike zone last night.  His cutter was downright filthy and when he needed the heat, he was able to bring it and put it where he wanted.  What makes it even more impressive is that he was dealing with back tightness for most of the game.  After the game, he down played the injury saying that it’s the time of year and that he’s fine.  He has 3 months to recover so I’m sure if he’s needed for Game 7 (if need be), he’ll be ready.

This postseason has been simply outstanding for Jon Lester.  In 5 starts, he’s 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA giving up 2 earned runs or fewer in each of his starts.  His only loss was in Game 1 of the ALCS when he lost 1-0 against the Tigers. He’s the first lefty Red Sox pitcher to win his first 3 World Series starts since the great Babe Ruth.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the 8^th, John Farrell went to Mr. Automatic, Koji Uehara, who struck out pinch hitter Matt Adams on 3 pitches.  Adams was the tying run as there was a runner on 2^nd.

In the bottom of the ninth it was more of the same.  Uehara struck out Carpenter, then got Jay on a groundout and Holliday on a fly out to end the game.  It was Uehara’s 7^th save this postseason, tying the record shared by John Wetteland, Troy Percival, Robb Nen and Brad Lidge.

With the pitching being so dominant, the Sox would need only a few runs and although more would have been better, they scrapped together some key hits in the top of the 7^th and held on for the rest of the game.

The game was tied 1-1 in the top of the 7^th as Wainwright struck out Daniel Nava to start the inning.  Nava looked absolutely horrible all night long but on this at bat he looked so lost that I’d be surprised to see him start in Game 6.  Xander Bogaerts singled to start the rally and Stephen Drew had a big walk.  Drew’s walk came after he was down in the count 1-2 and was something that he really needed.  David Ross, starting in place of Salty, then ripped a 1-2 pitch down the line in left that barely stayed fair.  It would bounce over the wall for a ground-rule double to plate Bogaerts and keep Drew at 3^rd.  The bounce into the stands benefited the Cards as Drew would have easily scored on the play.

After Lester grounded out to the pitcher, Jacoby Ellsbury came up with 2 outs.  Ellsbury hasn’t hit well this World Series and had looked lost against Wainwright all night long.  He muscled a ball off his hands into center-field for a single.  Drew scored easily but Ross was thrown out at the plate for the final out.  The damage had been done however as they were up 3-1.

The Red Sox came out with a quick burst of offense in the 1^st inning as Pedroia rifled a 1-out double into the corner in left and David Ortiz brought him home with a double of his own down the right field line.  Why the Cardinals haven’t started pitching around David Ortiz is beyond me.  He’s just insane right now.  Even his outs are loud outs and he’s not swinging and missing at pitches.  Look for them to make sure Ortiz doesn’t beat them in Game 6.

Offensively, the Sox had 3 runs on 9 hits and were 3 for 8 with runners in scoring position.  They left 5 men on base but struck out 14 times on the night.  Gomes was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts, Daniel Nava was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and Stephen Drew was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts,.  Every Red Sox starter except for Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz struck out at least once (most were 2 or more).

David Ortiz had 3 more hits in game 5 (3-4) and is now batting .733 with 2 homers and 6 RBI.  Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a run and David Ross was 2 for 4 with an RBI.  Ellsbury and Pedroia had the other 2 hits for the Sox.

The Sox will now head back to Fenway Park with a 3-2 advantage.  There will be an off day and then on Wednesday night, Fenway Park will host a clinching game of the World Series for the first time since 1975.  If they can win one of the next two games, it’ll be the first time since 1919 that the Red Sox have won a World Series title game in Boston.  In 2004 and 2007 both clinching games happened on the road.

Taking the ball in Game 6 will be John Lackey who has been brilliant this postseason and had a really good Game 2.  He took the loss but went 7 and 1/3 innings giving up just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking 2.  He was even better in the ALCS and there is no one else I’d rather see on the mound in this clinching game.

He’ll be opposed by rookie sensation Michael Wacha.  Wacha has been outstanding this postseason going 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 4 starts.  In Game 2, he went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 6 and walking 4.

The Red Sox need to be patient again against him as they made Wacha work last time out and ballooned his pitch count and got him out of the game early.  I expect them to come out prepared their 2^nd time facing the youngster.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jon Lester.  Lester was amazing again as he simply dominated the Cards.  One bad pitch (the homer to Holliday) but other than that he was lights out.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava.  Both looked lost last night against Wainwright.  They combined to go 0 for 8 with 5 strikeouts.  Nava looked especially lost in his 2 strikeouts.

PLAY OF THE GAME

David Ross’ RBI ground-rule double in the top of the 7^th to give the Sox a 2-1 lead.

NEXT

Wednesday, October 30th, at Fenway Park vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

WORLD SERIES Game 4 – 10/27/2013 – in St. Louis vs. the Cardinals

RESULT – WIN 4-2

Another World Series game and yet another thing I’ve never seen before.  Clinging to a 2-run lead in the bottom of the 9^th with the speedy rookie Kolten Wong on 1^st and the postseason king Carlos Beltran at the plate with 2 outs, Koji Uehara closed out the game with a pick-off.

It was the first time in postseason history that a game has ended on a pickoff.  The 4-2 win evens the Series at 2 games apiece and the fall classic is certainly living up to its billing.

The Sox seem at their best when their backs are up against the wall and with the Sox trailing the Cardinals, David Ortiz rallied the troops in the dugout and demanded that they calm down.  Showing how much he means to this team as a leader, he yelled and pumped up his team and got them to settle down and play their game.

Nobody responded better, or louder for that matter, than outfielder Jonny Gomes, who with one big swing of the bat swung the momentum back to Boston’s side with a  huge 3-run homer in the top of the 6^th to give the Sox a 4-1 advantage.

The top of the 6^th started out looking like a lost cause as the first 2 batters of the inning got out (Ellsbury popped out to short and Nava ground out to 3^rd).  Pedroia lined a 2-out single to center and then the Cardinals smartly walked the dangerous David Ortiz to bring up Jonny Gomes.  Gomes crushed a 2-2 fastball into the Red Sox bullpen that sent the dugout and team into a frenzy.  There was a lot of beard pulling going on and the Sox seemed to get energized by the homer.

Good thing for the long ball because the offense only collected 6 hits on the night.  They did walk 4 times but were just 1 for 4 with runners in scoring position and left 5 men on base.

David Ortiz was 3 for 3 with 2 runs, a double and a walk.  It’s getting to the point where he’s so locked in that the Cardinals need to give him the Barry Bonds treatment by walking him every time he comes up to the plate.

Pedroia was 1 for 4 with a run scored and Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.  Gomes was 1 for 2 with that big homer but he also walked twice.  Stephen Drew collected an RBI with a sacrifice fly but was otherwise 0 for 3 on the night.  David Ross was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts playing in place for Salty.

Clay Buchholz who has already stated that his arm and shoulder are not 100% and he’s suffering from arm fatigue, gritted four innings of work.  He allowed only 3 hits, 1 run (it was unearned) while walking 3 and striking out 2.  His fastball only hit 90 twice and was consistently in the high 80’s.  He worked the corners and showed pin-point accuracy most of the night and relied on his change-up and breaking stuff.  If it was indeed his last outing, he did wonders with no much velocity.

The bullpen took over from there with some unlikely heroes.  Felix Doubront pitched wonderfully for 2 and 2/3 innings, giving up just 1 run and 1 hit while walking none and striking out 3.  The only run he allowed was really Craig Breslow’ s fault, who all of a sudden, can’t be trusted out there.  He’s picked a terrible time to go into a slump.

In the bottom of the 7^th, with the Sox ahead 4-1, Doubront got the first 2 outs of the inning easily but then allowed a pinch hit double off the bat of Shane Robinson.  Farrell decided to go to Breslow for the lefty Matt Carpenter.  Breslow promptly gave up an RBI single and then walked Carlos Beltran to put the tying run on 1^st and the go ahead run at the plate with the dangerous Matt Holliday at the dish.

Junichi Tazawa was brought on to get the final out of the inning and he was able to get Holliday to ground-out and keep the 2 run lead.

In the 8^th, the Sox turned to the unlikeliest of all, Game 2 starter and potentially Game 6 starter, John Lackey made an appearance.  It was his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2004.  Reports are that Lackey asked to pitch and give the bullpen some help as it was his side session day anyway and he wanted to give the bullpen some much needed rest.

Lackey pitched a scoreless frame, allowing just one base runner, Molina, on an error by third baseman Xander Bogaerts.  He was fired up coming off the mound and you could tell his teammates appreciated what he did.

Koji got the final 3 outs while working around a hit.  His pick-off of Wong was impressive and Wong has to feel just terrible right now.  You don’t lose a game like that with the best hitter on your team coming up.

The Red Sox now assured themselves at least 1 game back at Fenway Park.  Game 6 will happen regardless of what happens tonight but the Sox would love to get a win and need only to win 1 of 2 games back in Boston.

Jon Lester will take the hill for the Sox and he was brilliant in Game 1.  He went 7 and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball giving up just 5 hits while walking 1 and striking out 8.  He’ll have to be brilliant once again and hopefully can go deep into the game as the bullpen is going to be mighty thin tonight.

He’ll be opposed by Cardinals Game 1 starter, Adam Wainwright.  Wainwright wasn’t sharp in Game 1 as he allowed 5 runs, only 3 earned in just 5 innings of work.  He struck out 4 and walked one. 

The Sox need to do what they did last time they faced him and get to him early.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jonny Gomes.  His 3-run homer swung momentum to the Sox side and brought back a bench that was in dire need of something good to happen after Game 3’s debacle.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Craig Breslow.  I don’t think you can put Breslow in, in any pressure situations right now.  He’s rattled and I wouldn’t use him in a tight spot right now.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Gomes’ big 3-run homer in the 6^th.

NEXT

Monday, October 28th, in St. Louis vs. the Cardinals.

WORLD SERIES Game 3 – 10/26/2013 – in St. Louis vs. the Cardinals

RESULT – LOSS 5-4

I’ve been watching baseball a very long time and this series has had some things I’ve just never seen before.  However, last night takes the cake.  The Sox looked like they had gotten an out and were heading to extra innings but an obstruction call allows the Cardinals to walk-off with a 2-1 series advantage after a 5-4 win a home.

Dustin Pedroia looked like he had saved the game for Boston.  With the infield in and runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with one out and the game tied at 4, Jon Jay ripped a grounder to Pedroia, who fielded it easily and fired home where Yadier Molina was tagged out by Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Then Salty saw that Allen Craig was racing toward third and he fired it over to Will Middlebrooks.  The ball was up the base path and into the sliding runner and Middlebrooks couldn’t field it.  He dove and the ball squirted into left field, and Middlebrooks and Craig got tangled up.

Craig somehow got out of the tangle and sprinted home where he was out by a mile from a Daniel Nava throw to Salty.  However, third-base umpire, Jim Joyce, called an obstruction on Middlebrooks which meant Allen Craig was called safe and the game was over.

Unfortunately, the right call was made on a very bad rule.  The rule, 7.06, says that with or without intent if the base runner is obstructed, he is awarded the base he would have gotten to.  I just don’t agree with the rule as Middlebrooks was trying to field the ball and fell on the ground.  He then got tangled up with Craig and the result was that he gets the base.  MLB, to its credit, will revisit the rule in the offseason and I think it’s important to change the rule to if there is intent, yes, the runner gets the base.  But if the umpire deems no intent, I’d like to see the ball called dead and the runner return to the base on which he was on.  That would solve ending a World Series game on an obstruction walk-off.

The call overshadowed a really good game.  With just 6 outs remaining and the Red Sox trailing 4-2, Jacoby Ellsbury jump started the 8^th with a leadoff single.  Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch, I know, big surprise right and the Sox had 2 runners on with no outs.

Dustin Pedroia worked the count to 3-2 and John Farrell gambled a bit and put Ellsbury and Victorino in motion and it worked as Pedroia grounded out to short that moved the runners into scoring position with only 1 out.  The ridiculously hot, David Ortiz, was intentionally walked to load the bases and Daniel Nava was able to get a run in with a fielder’s choice to 2^nd.  It was a 4-3 game.

Up came the 21-year old Xander Bogaerts, and again he was calm as could be.  Nothing seems to faze this kid.  He hit a grounder up the middle that took a huge bounce behind the 2^nd base bag and off the glove of shortstop Pete Kozma for an infield RBI single that tied up the game at 4.

Unfortunately in the top of the 9^th, the Sox wouldn’t do anything and John Farrell stupidly let Brandon Workman hit with the bases empty even though he had Mike Napoli ready to go.  It was Brandon Workman’s first career at bat and he was facing the very tough Trevor Rosenthal.  Workman struck out on 3 pitches.  I don’t for the life of me know why he didn’t make a double-switch there, especially since he removed Workman after one batter in the bottom half of the inning.  Farrell needs to do a better job at managing in the National League Park.

Offensively, the Sox weren’t all that good, getting only 6 hits and walking 4 times.  They were 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 6 men on base.  Lots of opportunities were left out there.

Ellsbury went 2 for 5 with a run scored and Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a run, an RBI and a triple.  David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and Daniel Nava was 1 for 4 with 2 RBI.  Victorino was on base twice with a walk and a HBP and also scored twice on the night.  Salty also walked once in the loss and Mike Carp knocked in a run in pitch hitting duties.

Jake Peavy was on the mound and unfortunately didn’t do anything to turn his postseason numbers around.  Peavy lasted only 4 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4.  He just left a lot of balls over the middle of the plate and with the Sox in a National League ball-park, you need to get some offense going and that means that if you’re not doing great work on the mound, you’re going to be taken out of the ball game for pitch hitters earlier than you would like.

Felix Doubront did well coming in for the early exiting Peavy throwing 2 innings of no-run baseball giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk.  Craig Breslow had another tough outing giving up 2 runs on 1 hit while failing to record an out.  He faced 2 batters in the 7^th inning giving up a single and then a HBP.  Both runners would come around to score on the Matt Holliday double off of Junichi Tazawa.

Tazawa pitched 1 inning and gave up no runs while walking 1, giving up 1 hit and striking out 2.  He allowed both inherited runners to score.  Brandon Workman went 1 and 1/3 of an inning giving up 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout.  He took the loss in the walk-off but it was Koji Uehara who was on the mound for the last 1/3 of an inning.  The run that scored was unearned but he did allow a hit.

Game 4 becomes very important now as the Red Sox need to win one to make sure they return to Fenway Park.  The Sox will send out Clay Buchholz who is suffering from arm fatigue and most likely will pitch for the last time this season.  He hasn’t been great in the playoffs but he needs to come up big tonight.  Lance Lynn will oppose him for the Cardinals.  He’s been pretty good this season and the Cardinals don’t seem to have a weak link in that rotation.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  The youngster had 2 hits, a run scored and the game tying RBI in the loss.  He’s batting .313 in the playoffs this year and continues to show tons of poise.  I can’t wait to see him playing shortstop for the next bunch of years.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew was terrible at the plate again going 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.  He was pulled from the game in favor of Will Middlebrooks and although he’s been playing great defense, Drew really needs to get the bat going.  He’s batting an awful .091 in the postseason.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The walk-off obstruction call to give the Cards the win.

NEXT

Sunday, October 27th, in St. Louis vs. the Cardinals.

WORLD SERIES Game 2 – 10/24/2013 – at Home vs. the St. Louis Cardinals

RESULT – LOSS 4-2

There will be no sweep this time for the Boston Red Sox.  The Cardinals take advantage of the Red Sox mistakes in Game 2 to take the win 4-2 and head back home for Game 3 with the series tied at 1.

John Lackey was mostly brilliant on the night but as it’s been all year long, the bats just couldn’t help him out.

The big Texan threw 95 pitches and had a 2-1 lead when John Farrell pulled him with 2 on and 1 out in the top of the 7^th inning.  This is when the game fell apart for the Sox.

Lefty specialist Craig Breslow came on to face Daniel Descalso with Pete Kozma on 2^nd and Jon Jay on 1^st.  The sneaky Cardinals pulled off a double steal to move the runners up a base, which was shocking as the Cardinals were dead last in the NL in steals this year and only had 3 in the whole postseason.  Breslow then walked Descalso to load the bases.

Up next were Matt Carpenter and he hit a fly ball to medium-depth left field.  At Fenway, it’s going to be a close play at the plate should the runner tag up.  Kozma did tag up and tested Jonny Gomes’ arm in left.  Kozma beat the throw that got away from Salty and Breslow who was backing him up, tried to get the runner that was moving up to 3^rd and lofted it over Bogaerts head and into the stands allowing Jay to come home and make it a 3-2 game.  There were 2 errors on the play and both turned out to hurt badly as the Cardinals this time took advantage of fielding blunders.  Carlos Beltran would add an RBI single a batter later to really make it hurt.

I have 2 thoughts on what transpired in the 7^th.  John Lackey was looking good, he struck out Allen Craig to start the inning, but then gave up a walk to David Freese.  St. Louis had 3 lefties coming up for and lefty Craig Breslow was warm and up to last night, lights out, why not bring him in?  Instead, Farrell decides to stick with Lackey against Jon Jay who has hit .283 against righties this year and in the high .100’s against lefties.  Lackey let up a line drive single to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd.  Farrell then replaces Lackey.

I would have liked to see Farrell remove Lackey with Jay at the plate.  I know Lackey had been doing well but your bullpen has been the strength all postseason long and with 3 lefties coming up who struggle against left hand pitching, the move should have been made.

The other thing I want to ask is, what is Breslow doing throwing that ball to 3^rd in that situation?  The runner was pretty much there and nothing good can come of trying to get the out.  He should have held the ball and attacked the next hitter.  It was a brain fart for Breslow and I shook my head thinking what was he doing?

John Lackey really deserved better than the loss.  He went 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs (he was charged with all the runners) on 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking 2.  He showed great command with his fastball and his curveball was once again outstanding.  He was going strong but should have been removed after the walk in the 7^th.  I’ve been shocked at how well he’s pitched on the big stage.  I knew he was a gamer but man, he’s really impressed me.

Breslow pitched 1/3 of an inning and was only charged with 1 hit, 1 unearned run and a walk but he really didn’t do his job last night.  Junichi Tazawa went 1/3 of an inning of no hit, no run baseball.  Brandon Workman went 1 inning and worked around a hit.  Koji Uehara went 1 inning and did what he normally does, got the side out in order.

Rookie pitcher, Michael Wacha, matched John Lackey inning for inning and was equally impressive on the mound.  The only mistake he made all night was a change-up to David Ortiz that he crushed over the Monster to give the Sox a 2-1 lead.  Two other rookies, Martinez and Rosenthal closed out the game with 6 strikeouts, no walks and only 1 hit allowed in 3 innings.  All 3 pitchers are 23 or younger.  This pitching staff is down right filthy.

The biggest problem of the night was the hitting.  The Sox just couldn’t get anything going.  They had only 4 total hits and were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position while leaving 6 men on base.  Mike Napoli himself left 4 in a 0 for 3 showing (he had a walk).

David Ortiz went 2 for 3 with 1 run, 2 RBI, a walk and a homer.  Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 3 with a run, walk and a double.  The only other hit came from Jacoby Ellsbury.  The bottom of the order, the 6-9 hitters went 0 for 14 with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk.  UGLY!

They’ll have an off day tonight as they travel to St. Louis for games 3, 4 and 5.  Game 3 will be on Saturday night as the Sox will send Jake Peavy to the mound against rookie Joe Kelly.

Peavy was roughed up in his last ALCS outing against the Tigers to the tune of 7 runs in just 3 innings.  His postseason career has been terrible and I’m sure he wants to come out and throw a gem.

Kelly was roughed up a bit too in his last outing as he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings.  He’s been good this year though and was 10-5 with a 2.69 ERA in the regular season.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz was once again Mr. Clutch smacking a 2-run homer over the wall to give the Sox the lead in the 6^th.  Unfortunately they would not hold the lead but Big Papi is locked in right now.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Craig Breslow.  Breslow has been so good this postseason but last night just wasn’t his night.  He walked a lefty to lead off the inning then made a terrible error that ended up leading to 2 runs.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The errant throw by Breslow that sailed into the stands to put the Cards up 3-2 in the top of the 7^th.

NEXT

Saturday, October 26th, in St. Louis vs. the Cardinals.

WORLD SERIES Game 1 – 10/23/2013 – at Home vs. the St. Louis Cardinals

RESULT – WIN 8-1

For the first time since 2007, the Red Sox played a World Series game last night.  Under the brightest lights, the Red Sox routed the National League Champion, St. Louis Cardinals, by a score of 8-1 at Fenway Park.

The story of the night will be the blown call at 2^nd base which we’ll get to in a moment but it really should be the pitching performance of Jon Lester.  It was a dominant performance by the ace of the pitching staff and a game that he’ll likely be remembered for long after his career is over.

The power lefty went 7 and 2/3 innings of shutout baseball.  He scattered 5 hits, walked 1 and struck out 8 in the game.  Lester has now won his last 2 World Series games as he picked up the win in the Game 4 clincher in 2007 against the Colorado Rockies.

He became the first starter to hold the opponent scoreless in the opening game of the World Series since the Reds’ starter Jose Rijo did it against the A’s in 1990.

Lester had great command of his fastball last night and his slider had a lot of bite on it.  He was able to get through his 7 and 2/3 innings in just 112 pitches.  He was in a huge jam in the top of the 4^th when the Cardinals loaded the bases with only one out on a walk and 2 singles.  But he escaped as he got David Freese to ground into a huge 1-2-3 double play.

In the top of the 5^th, he would once again escape a jam as the Cardinals had men in scoring position with 2 outs.  This time he was able to get Jon Jay to ground out weakly to Stephen Drew to end the inning.

He would cruise the rest of the game not allowing a single base runner.

Junichi Tazawa recorded the final out of the 8^th and Ryan Dempster came on in the ninth and allowed a solo homer to Matt Holliday and after letting up another hit, settled down and got the final 3 outs of the ballgame.

Now onto the call in the bottom of the first that is all the talk this morning.  After a leadoff walk by Jacoby Ellsbury, and then a one-out line drive single to center by Dustin Pedroia, Big Papi stepped to the plate.

Ortiz hit a grounder to 2^nd baseman Matt Carpenter who fielded it cleanly and flipped to Pete Kozma who looked like he’d turn an easy double play.  Only Kozma dropped the ball and 2^nd base umpire, Dana DeMuth called Pedroia out at 2^nd.  The ball never was secure in Kozma’s glove and you could easily see that he never caught it.  It wasn’t on the transfer as DeMuth initially called.  Manager John Farrell came out to plead his case and after the umpires huddled, they revered the call, which sent the Fenway faithful into a frenzy.

I’ve never seen the umpires huddle and actually reverse a call but it was the right call.  I know Cardinal fans don’t want to hear it but they got the call right and that’s the way it should be.  Kozma never caught the ball and it clearly wasn’t on the transfer.  How DeMuth missed the call is beyond me.

Mike Napoli made the error hurt as he crushed a 3-run double to the gap in left-center to put the Sox up 3-0 and they would cruise the rest of the way.

The 2^nd inning would also be a bad inning for Kozma and the Cardinals.  Stephen Drew led off the inning with a pop-up to the pitcher that looked like it would be an easy out number one.  Adam Wainwright seemed to motion that he was going to catch it but backed off and it fell in between he and Yadier Molina for a single.  David Ross followed with a single and the Sox had something going again.  After a lineout by Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino hit a grounder to short that Kozma misplayed for an error and the Sox had the bases loaded with Pedey up and David Ortiz looming.  Pedoria laced an RBI single to left to make it 4-0 and David Ortiz hit a bomb to right that Carlos Beltran robbed for a sacrifice fly.  It would have been a grand slam and the game could have been over but Beltran made a heck of a play and it cost him as he exited the game shortly after with bruised ribs.

Big Papi would get his revenge though as in the bottom of the 7^th, he launched a 2-run homer to right that extended the lead to 7-0.  It was his 16^th career postseason homer and Ortiz was summoned for a curtain call by the Fenway faithful.

Top prospect, Xander Bogaerts, who got the call at 3^rd, closed out Boston’s scoring with his 1^st World Series RBI as he hit a sacrifice fly in the 8^th to make it a 8-0 victory.

Overall the Sox had 8 runs on 8 hits with one walk.  They were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 4 men on base.  Pedroia went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI, Ortiz was 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 3 RBI.  Napoli had 3 RBI and a double and Drew and Ross each had a hit apiece.  Daniel Nava went 1 for 1 with a run and double and Ellsbury walked once.

For the opening game, the Sox couldn’t have drawn it up any better but they still need 3 more wins.

John Lackey will take the hill tonight and he was simply marvelous in his last appearance against the Tigers in the ALCS.  He went 6 and 2/3 innings, allowing only 4 hits and striking out 8.  Let’s hope he is on again tonight.

The Cardinals will counter with rookie phenom Michael Wacha.  He has been absolutely lights out in the postseason.  So far he’s 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA.  He’s struck out 22 and walked only 4 and allowed only 8 hits.  His WHIP is a ridiculous 0.57.  The Sox will be seeing him for the first time and it’ll sure be a test tonight.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jon Lester.  He was brilliant in the opener.  Showed what a true ace he is.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Ryan Dempster.  Dempster blew the shutout by giving up a solo homer to Ryan Dempster in the bottom of the ninth.  He also allowed a hit and if I were the Sox, I’d make sure Dempster is only in the game in low pressure situations.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The 3-run double by Mike Napoli in the bottom of the 1^st.  He was able to capitalize on a huge error by Pete Kozma.

NEXT
Thursday, October 24th, vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

ALCS GAME 6 – 10/19/2013 – at Home vs. the Detroit Tigers

RESULT – WIN 5-2

The Boston Red Sox are American League Champions and are going to the World Series for the first time since 2007.  What a thrilling series and how fitting is it that the Sox came from behind and got yet another huge homerun to add to the postseason lore of Fenway Park.

Down by one run in the bottom of the 7^th inning with only 8 outs to go, the Red Sox faced the possibility of having to face Justin Verlander in a Game 7 on Sunday.  Up strode Shane Victorino with the bases loaded.  Stymied in a huge slump, he wasn’t the man I wanted up to the plate.  In fact I remember saying to my friends, “I hope Victorino gets a least a sacrifice fly here to get a run in and Pedey and Big Papi are coming up.”

But with one magical swing, Shane Victorino will never have to a buy a beer in Boston again.  A grand slam over the Green Monster to lead Boston to a 5-2 victory over the Tigers, and the American League pennant.

When he first hit it, I knew he at least had some wall but when it went over, I went delirious.  I was jumping up and down and I don’t know how I didn’t wake up the kids who were sleeping in the other room.

In a season where the Red Sox had a lot of come from behind victories and thrilling finishes, this may have been one of the best.  Victorino was in a 2 for 23 slump, before ripping his 2^nd career postseason grand salami, which by the way, ties Jim Thome for the all-time record.

With Max Scherzer on the mound, the Sox knew that runs would be hard to come by and in the bottom of the 5^th got the 1^st run of the game.  It came on a big 2-out single by Jacoby Ellsbury after the youngster Xander Bogaerts kept the inning alive with a 2-out double.

The lead wouldn’t hold up for long as the Tigers would go ahead by a run in the top of the 6^th.  Clay Buchholz walked Torii Hunter to lead off the inning then gave up a single to Miguel Cabrera.  John Farrell then replaced Buchholz with Franklin Morales, a move that I still do not understand.  Morales had not pitched at all in this series and you have Craig Breslow in the bullpen that’s been lights out.  With Prince Fielder coming to the plate, I would have brought in Breslow but for reasons unknown, Farrell went with Morales, and what did Morales promptly do?  Well he walked Prince Fielder on 4 straight pitches.

Up then was Victor Martinez and he singled to left to drive in 2 runs.  Just like that, the Tigers had the lead and still had runners on 1^st and 3^rd with no outs.  Farrell then brought in Brandon Workman to try and get out of the jam and boy did he.

Jhonny Peralta ripped a shot to second base which Pedroia fielded quickly and pump faked home which froze a breaking Fielder who was on his way to score.  Pedroia then tagged Martinez and fired home to Salty.  Fielder, who had stopped tried to retreat to 3^rd base but Salty fired to Bogaerts to tag a flailing Fielder for the crazy 4-2-5 double play.  It was a very good play by Pedroia and bad base running by Prince.  If you break for home, you have to go for it.  The pump fake froze Fielder about ¾ of the way down the base line.  He had nowhere to go when Pedey threw home, he was done.

Workman then got Alex Avila to strike out looking for the final out and to limit the damage.  Workman then worked around 2 base runners in the 7^th to keep the deficit at 1 going into the bottom half of the magical 7^th inning.

Jonny Gomes started the inning off with a bang and very nearly tied up the game with 1 swing as he ripped a double off the Monster that was about 2 feet short of a homer.  After a Stephen Drew strikeout, Xander Bogaerts worked a walk out of Max Scherzer.  The walk was very impressive as Scherzer had Xander 1-2 and couldn’t put him away.  Lots of poise in the youngster Bogaerts and I think he’s earned a couple World Series starts.

Drew Smyly replaced Scherzer and looked to have a double play ball hit by Jacoby Ellsbury up the middle.  But the sure-handed Jose Iglesias boots it and all of a sudden the Sox have 1 out and bases loaded.  Iglesias may not have turned 2 on that play with Ellsbury running but he gets at least the force out a 2^nd and with 2 outs who knows what happens next.

Shane Victorino came up next and on an 0-2 pitch, hits a curveball over the Monster for the Slam and the series!  What a game!

The Sox didn’t have all that great of a offensive game, as they had only 5 total hits in the game but did work 5 walks as well.  They were abysmal with runners in scoring position as usual, going 2 for 10 and leaving 5 men on base.  Jacoby Ellsbury went 1 for 3 with a run scored, RBI, walk but was caught stealing as well.  Victorino went 1 for 3 with 4 RBI, the big homer and was also hit by a pitch, the 6^th time that has happened this postseason.

Pedroia went 1 for 3 with a walk and Gomes went 1 for 4 with a run scored and a double.  Xander Bogaerts went 1 for 1 with 2 runs scored, a double and 2 walks.  He’s been very impressive the last 2 games and he has to continue to start.

Napoli and Salty combined to go 0 for 8 with 6 strikeouts and Stephen Drew went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.  Big Papi went 0 for 3 but did walk once.

Clay Buchholz didn’t have his best stuff and labored through 5 innings.  He let up 2 runs on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5.  I really think he’s still trying to build up arm strength.  Let’s hope with a couple of extra days off he’ll be ready to go in the World Series.

The bullpen was once again lights out, save for the terrible Morales.  Workman went an inning and 2/3, letting up just 2 hits and striking out 1.  Junichi Tazawa went 1/3 of an inning getting Miguel Cabrera yet again.  Craig Breslow was perfect in the 8^th and Koji Uehara struck out 2 and worked around a hit to close out the game for his 3^rd save of the series and 5^th of the postseason.

Koji Uehara was named the ALCS MVP and I can’t think of anyone else that deserves it more.

Game 1 of the World Series will come on Wednesday, October 23^rd in Fenway Park against the St. Louis Cardinals at 8:07 on FOX.  No starters have been announced yet but I expect either John Lackey or Jon Lester to take the hill.  Let’s hope this thrilling joyride of a season can continue.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Shane Victorino.  The Flying Hawaiian had the biggest hit of his career with the grand slam in the 7^th.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Napoli went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.  He came up twice with runners in scoring position and struck out both times.  Not a good night for someone who looked like he was on fire before this.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Is there any doubt?  The grand slam by Victorino in the 7^th.

NEXT

Wednesday, October 23^rd, vs. the Cardinals.

ALCS GAME 5 – 10/17/2013 – in Detroit vs. the Detroit Tigers

RESULT – WIN 4-3

This series, so far, has been all about pitching.  Not just starting pitching but also the bullpen.  Last night, the Red Sox bullpen won them the game.

Staked to an early lead, Red Sox manager, John Farrell, called upon Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara to finish off the last 11 outs of Game 5.  They did exactly that by holding onto a tight 4-3 victory over the Tigers pushing them 1 came away from a trip to the World Series.

Koji Uehara, did the most work as he recording his first 5 out save of the postseason and his first 5 out save since September 20^th.  He was brilliant as usual, retiring all 5 batters he faced in order striking out 2 of them.  When he comes running to the mound, you mind as well turn off the TV because it’s lights out time.

The bullpen did give up its first run of the series but recovered to put away a very good Tigers team.  Tazawa went an inning and a third allowing 1 run on 3 hits and Craig Breslow went 2/3 of an inning retiring both batters he faced.

This bullpen has been amazing all year but they have definitely stepped up their game in the postseason.  I like Farrell using Uehara here for 5 outs.  He has an off day so can still expect Uehara back for Game 6 in Boston.

Jon Lester started the game and didn’t have his best stuff but he gritted it out for 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3.  He threw only 98 pitches but I agree with removing him when Farrell did.  Though he had not thrown a ton of pitches, he had to escape a lot of early jams and he was a lot of high stress counts and situations.

In the bottom of the 1^st, the Tigers had men on 1^st and 2^nd with 2 outs when Jhonny Peralta singled to left.  Miguel Cabrera, who has a bad hip injury and can barely run as it is, tried to score from 2^nd but was nailed at the plate by Jonny Gomes.  It was a base running mistake as Cabrera was out by a country mile.

Lester also escaped a jam in the bottom of the 4^th with runners on 1^st and 2^nd he induced a 1-6-3 double play by pinch hitting Brayan Pena.  The Sox would turn 3 crucial double plays in the game.

The bats heated up again as they had 4 runs on 10 hits and walked twice.  They again left a lot more on the field as they went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 8 men on base but they also produced when it mattered.

Mike Napoli, who’s quickly looking like the series MVP, went 3 for 4 with 2 runs, an RBI, a double and a MONSTER homer to start the Sox scoring.  The homerun was to dead center and measured at over 460 feet.  I haven’t seen many homers hit where this ball landed.  It led off the top of the 2^nd and the Sox would also go on to score 2 more runs that inning.  His double in the top of the third led to the Sox 4^th run as he scored on a wild pitch by Anibal Sanchez.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 5 with a stolen base and Jacoby Ellsbury went 1 for 4 with an RBI, a walk and 2 stolen bases.  Xander Bogaerts, who started in place of Will Middlebrooks, went 1 for 3 with a double, run scored and a walk.  Bogaerts showed tremendous poise in his first postseason start and I think Farrell has to start him again in Game 6.  This time I’d put him in for Stephen Drew, who’s batting .094 in the postseason and went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

David Ross went 2 for 3 on the day as well, with a double and an RBI.  He also had a sacrifice bunt late in the game.  David Ortiz got the only other Red Sox hit.

While I’m not a huge fan of starting both Ross and Gomes, the move paid off as Ross had a great game at the dish and Gomes made a couple nice plays in the outfield.  Even though Gomes didn’t get a hit, I’m starting to agree with Farrell that when he’s in the lineup he provides some special mojo to the team.

With a 3-2 series lead, this thrilling best of 7 goes back to Boston for Game 6.  It won’t be easy as they’ll face Max Scherzer first then if needed Justin Verlander in Game 7.  The Sox have won both of the games that they pitched but their probably the best 2 pitchers in the American League.

The Sox will counter with 2 pitchers that are no slouches themselves.  Clay Buchholz will go Game 6 and he has to want the ball again.  He didn’t fare too well in Game 2 and you know he wants to atone for that.  John Lackey will go in Game 7 if needed.

Game 6 is schedule for Saturday at 4:30 but could move to 8:00 if the Cardinals finish off the Dodgers tonight in the National League Championship Series.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Mike Napoli.  Napoli was huge in Game 5 going 3 for 4 including a monster homerun to start things off and a double to get things going an inning later.  If the Sox take the series, he has to be the MVP, right?

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew went 0 for 4 with 2 K’s again and I’m starting to think maybe he needs to sit in favor of Xander Bogaerts.  Play Middlebrooks in Game 6 at 3^rd and sit Drew John Farrell!  It has to be done.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Mike Napoli’s homerun to centerfield in the top of the 2^nd.  It changed the momentum and just was an absolute bomb.

NEXT

Saturday, October 19^th, at home vs. the Detroit Tigers.

ALCS GAME 4 – 10/16/2013 – in Detroit vs. the Detroit Tigers

RESULT – LOSS 7-3

The Red Sox blew a golden opportunity to take command of the ALCS on Wednesday night but instead missed opportunities and a poor pitching performance let the Tigers take Game 4 by the score of 7-3, evening the series at 2-2.

Where should we start?  Let’s first start with the missed opportunities.  The Red Sox have only scored 10 runs in this entire series, and 4 of them were on the grand slam hit by Big Papi in Game 2.  To win this series, they need to start hitting the ball.

The Sox showed signs of breaking out in this one, as they had 12 hits.  Leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury broke out with 4 hits but the biggest problem of the night was that the Sox left 10 men on base and were 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position.

They just couldn’t get that big hit when they needed it.  I foresee some lineup changes coming for Game 5 because Will Middlebrooks is just stinking up the place right now.  He was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts on Wednesday night and is batting just .174 this postseason.  Xander Bogaerts, who came off the bench for Middlebrooks last night, delivered a ground-rule double down the right-field line in his only plate appearance.  I fully expect to see him at 3^rd base tonight.

Middlebrooks isn’t the only one not hitting.  David Ortiz went 0 for 5 and is batting just .214 this postseason.  I think the big grand slam and the 2-homer game have masked the fact that Big Papi hasn’t been all that good this postseason.

Stephen Drew went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and is batting just .107 this postseason and probably takes the cake for most disappointing.  The problem is, Bogaerts can only play either SS or 3B, not both, so expect Drew to stay in the lineup but really, he needs to start hitting.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 4 for 5 with a run, RBI, double and triple in the loss.  He’s probably the best hitter of the postseason right now, batting .424.  They need to start producing behind him or it’s a lost cause.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2 for 4 with an RBI last night and he too has been hitting the ball fairly well this postseason.

Shane Victorino went 1 for 5 with an RBI and Daniel Nava went 1 for 3.

Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 4 with a walk but had a huge mishap with his glove in the bottom of the 2^nd inning.  With Peavy struggling, the bases were loaded and he had 1 out.  He got Jose Iglesias to hit a groundball to 2^nd base which looked like a sure thing double play for Pedroia.  However, he bobbled it and could only get the out at 2^nd.  It would lead to the 2^nd Tigers run.  They would add 3 more after that and build a 5 run lead that the Sox could not overcome.

Give Pedroia that play 10 times and he gets the double play on 9 of them, unfortunately, this was that 1 time.  After the game Pedroia did admit that he misplayed the ball and seems to be taking it hard.  “It’s my responsibility to turn double plays.  If I catch it, we’re getting two,” he said in postgame interviews.  If they turn 2, they get out of the inning with only a 1-0 deficit but that’s baseball.

Sole blame shouldn’t go on Pedroia though as Jake Peavy just didn’t have it Wednesday night.  He had absolutely no command of his sinker.  He just couldn’t throw it for a strike, it was moving like a wiffle ball up there.  You could tell it was frustrating him throughout the night and it showed on a bases loaded walk to the Tigers weakest hitting player, Austin Jackson, in the 2^nd.  He had a dumbfounded look that just screamed, I can’t command this thing tonight.

Peavy’s final line was 3+ innings, 7 runs on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out just 1.  UGLY line.  Let’s hope he gets to pitch again because I think he’ll have something to prove next time out and I’d hate to see it be next year.

The bullpen was pretty good.  Brandon Workman allowed 2 inherited runners to score but went 2 innings giving up 0 runs on 1 hit while walking 1 and striking out 2.

Ryan Dempster, Franklin Morales and Felix Doubront each went an inning and gave up 0 runs.  Each gave up a hit and Doubront walked one and struck out one.

It’s now a best-of-three series and I feel like it’s a must win tonight for the Red Sox.  They have their ace, Jon Lester, on the mound tonight.  If they don’t win they face a monumental task of needing to win 2 games in a row against Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.  I just don’t see it happening.  Lester needs to come up huge tonight and the Sox need to take a 3-2 advantage back to Boston to have any shot of getting to the World Series.

Lester was amazing in the first game of the series.  He took the loss but went 6 and 1/3 innings giving up just 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 4.  If the Sox had any offense that game, he would’ve had the win.

He’ll be matched up against game one’s star, Anibal Sanchez.  Sanchez went 6 innings of no-hit ball in Game 1 and struck out 12.  He walked 6 and the Red Sox need to take advantage of the free passes.  Sanchez is a big strikeout pitcher but he does give up the walks.  Sox need to be patient but also put the ball in play tonight to have any shot.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  The only Sox player that seems to be hitting right now.  He went 4 for 5 and had 2 extra base hits last night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jake Peavy.  With ace Jon Lester going Thursday, you needed Peavy to come out and pitch a good game on Wednesday night to give you a chance to close out the series.  Peavy didn’t have any command of his sinker just couldn’t get it done last night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The Pedroia mishandle that led to a fielder’s choice instead of a double play in the bottom of the 2^nd inning.  It swung momentum to the Tigers side and put the Sox down very early.

NEXT

Thursday, October 17^th.  In Detroit vs. the Tigers.