GAME 25– 4/28/2013 – Home vs. the Houston Astros

RESULT – WIN 6-1

After showing a glimpse of being a competent pitcher again with his first start, John Lackey had some high expectations to meet.  After six innings by Lackey in an impressive 6-1 victory over the Astros on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Lackey took a first step toward being a productive part of the Red Sox rotation.

The Sox finished off a four game sweep of the Houston Astros and improved to a Major league best 18-7.  This is their best start since 2002 and if they can win Tuesday they would set a team record for wins in April.

Everyone’s quick to poo-poo Lackey’s outing because it was against the Astros, including me who thought the Astros offense was abysmal this year.  But according to the stats, Houston averages just over four runs a game which is actually better than 16 other teams in the Majors this season.  Lackey consistently was between 90-93 and was able to get out of jams locating all of his pitches in the strike zone. 

His biggest test came in the top of the sixth inning when the Astros strung three singles together to load the bases with one out.  Lackey then struck out Fernando Martinez and got Matt Dominguez to ground out to end the inning and the threat.  His pitching line for the game was 6 innings, five hits, 1 run, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.  He threw 81 pitches and though his arm strength isn’t at 100% there were no arm issues and he’ll look to ramp it up in his next outing.

The bullpen came in and shut down the Astros for the rest of the game allowing only 2 hits in the last 3 innings.  Clayton Mortensen, Koji Uehara and Andrew Bailey all got through their outings unscathed.

Offensively, the Sox banged out 11 hits with Daniel Nava going 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored, Big Papi going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and Mike Carp going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk.  Dustin Pedroia also doubled in a run and Stephen Drew hit a 2 run triple.  Jacoby Ellsbury was the only Red Sox player without a hit and was caught stealing for the first time this year.  Mike Napoli struck out 3 times in the game but did have one hit.

The Astros mustered only 7 hits on the afternoon and their 4 and 5 hitters both had 2 each.  Carlos Pena was on base 3 times with 2 hits and a walk and Ronny Cedeno went 2 for 4 knocking in the only run for Houston.  Rick Ankiel hit a double and Jason Castro was on base 2 times with a hit and a walk.  The Stros only got one extra base hit but only struck out 4 times on the afternoon.

The Sox outscored Houston 28-10 over the four game series.  The Astros have never won at Fenway Park, their 0-7.

Boston’s off tonight and start a three game series with the Blue Jays in Toronto tomorrow.  Then their off to Texas to face the Rangers next weekend.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

John Lackey.  John got his first win in over a year and looked great for 6 innings.  It must have been a great relief to get through this outing with no pain in his arm and hopefully will give him some confidence for the rest of the year.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  The speedster went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and was caught stealing for the first time this year.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the fourth and the struggling Stephen Drew up at the plate.  Drew lined a triple down the right field line to knock in two.  It put the Sox up 3-1 and ended up being the winning run of the ballgame.

NEXT

Tuesday, April 30th in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays.  Sox can set a team record for wins in April with a victory.

GAME 24 – 4/27/2013 – at Home vs. Houston Astros

RESULT – WIN 8-4

I went to the game last night, my first on the season and it’s always nice to get to Boston and catch the home team.  It was such a beautiful night at Fenway Park and it seemed more packed than any of the other games this series.  Nice to see a packed house for a change instead of empty seats.

Felix Doubront started very shaky, 31 pitches in the first inning, walking 3, hitting a batter and then uncorking a wild pitch.  Though he faced 8 batters in the inning he was able to escape with only 2 runs.  Doubront rebounded nicely though and was able to settle in nicely and get another quality start.  He lasted 6 and 2/3 innings letting up 4 hits, 3 runs while walking 4 and striking out 8.  He improved to 3-0 on the year and he showed maturity in rebounding from a bad start.  Though he started with 31 pitches in the first inning, he only threw a total of 103 on the night.  After he settled down he looked downright nasty.

The bats were out again for the Sox as they pounded out 12 hits and 8 runs.  Daniel Nava, Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks all had 2 hits with David Ortiz going 2 for 3 with 3 RBI.  Stephen Drew went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an RBI.  Hopefully he’s finding it and finally coming around.  Out of the 8 runs, 4 of them were with 2 outs with Big Papi’s 2 run double being the biggest.  The only guys without a hit on the night were Jonny Gomes and Mike Carp who each played left field and went a combined 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts.

The starter for the Astros, Brad Peacock, didn’t fare very well.  He went only 3 and 1/3 inning and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits.  The biggest problem was the 5 walks he issued to put him in terrible situations.  Hector Ambriz came on in the 6^th and proceeded to give up 6 more runs to put the game out of reach for the Astros.

The Astros did manage to score 4 runs but only managed 5 hits on the night.  They too were helped with walks as Red Sox pitchers handed out 7 free passes on the night.  Marwin Gonzalez had 2 hits, one being a double and he also stole a base.  Chris Carter went 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts but did drive in a run.  Carlos Carporan went 0 for 2 but did get on base twice with 2 walks.  Houston was helped by 7 walks but still are having trouble hitting the baseball.

The Sox ran their record to 17-7 which happens to be the best in the entire Major Leagues.  I knew they would be competitive this year but with April coming to a close they are definitely out performing almost everyone’s expectations.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz continued his torrid start going 2 for 3 with 3 RBI a walk and a double.  2 of his RBI were with 2 outs and he is now batting .519 on the young season.  He’s solidified the middle of the lineup and I’m hopeful that he will continue to stay healthy and deliver in the key situations.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Daniel Bard.  Bard came on in the top of the eighth and proceeded to walk the only 2 batters he faced.  He threw 9 pitches and only 1 landed in the strike zone.  Bard looked like he was coming back from whatever funk he was going through but last night’s performance may get him sent back to the minors.  He was charged with 1 run and got a standing ovation when he finally delivered a strike.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the 2^nd with Big Papi up at the plate down by 2 and 2 runners in scoring position.  He delivered yet again to put the Sox up by 2 and on their way to their 17^th victory.

NEXT

Today, Sunday, 4/28 vs. the Houston Astros going for the sweep.  Big John Lackey makes his comeback and will hopefully improve on the brief good outing of a few weeks ago.

GAME 23 – 4/26/2013 – at Home vs. Houston Astros

RESULT – WIN 7-3

When the Red Sox signed David Ross I scratched my head a bit.  Why were the Red Sox signing a 36 year old back-up catcher when they already had Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway?  I didn’t see anything in Ross so far in this young season, he seemed more of a defensive first kind of guy and I’ve learned that if he gets a hit or two then that’s just a bonus.

Well last night, David Ross had himself a night.  He hit two towering home runs over the Green Monster that I’m still not sure have come down.  He also had 2 other hits on the night and had his first career four hit game.  Not too shabby for a back-up, defense first catcher.  Ross’ average rose almost one hundred points and he looks to be out of that beginning of the year slump.

The long ball was the theme of the night, in addition to Ross’ two bombs, Will Middlebrooks and David Ortiz also added solo shots in the game.  The Sox banged out 17 hits (season high) and had 9 extra base hits (2 doubles each by Pedroia and Napoli).  Pedro Ciriaco went 2 for 4 with a triple and Jacoby Ellsbury had 2 hits and his 11^th stolen base of the year and 200^th of his career.  It was a great hitting night at Fenway and with all those hits; the game was one of the longest played this year clocking in at three hours and 49 minutes.  I’ll take it though, the more hits the better!  Daniel Nava was the only Sox player without a hit on the night.

Ryan Dempster finally got some run support and did what he does best, strike people out!  Dempster had only received 2.63 runs of support through his first four starts.  The veteran righty only went 6 innings but struck out 10 and is second in the league with 43 total K’s.  He walked 3 and let up 4 hits but looked really good again.  He got his first win of the year and lowered his ERA to 3.30.

The bullpen was strong again with only Clayton Mortensen allowing a run through the last 3 innings.  Tazawa and Uehara again shut down the opposition and Alex Wilson came on in the ninth to close it out.  I like what I’ve seen from Alex Wilson so far.  He’s been very good and has not allowed a run so far this year.

The Astros struck out 14 times on the night and only mustered 7 hits and 3 runs all day.  Jaason Castro and Matt Dominguez both had 2 hits on the night but this Astros offense has been really bad this year and they continue to falter at the plate.  Let’s hope this continues two more days.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ross.  First career 4 hit game and 2 absolute bombs over the Green Monster.  Though he’s been splitting time with Salty, Jarrod better start hitting or they may opt to go more the veteran back stopper.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Daniel Nava.  Daniel was the only starter without a hit on the night and he also struck out twice.  He’s been pretty good this year so far so I guess we can forgive him every once in awhile when he brings a 0-4.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the fourth after a Will Middlebrooks HR to left to put the Sox up 4-1, David Ross stepped to the plate and hit a towering moon shot, his second of the night.  It put the Sox up 5-1 and the game was pretty much out of reach from there.  It started a great night for Ross who had a career best showing.

NEXT

Today, Saturday, 4/27 at 7:05 vs. the Houston Astros again.

GAME 22– 4/25/2013 – Home vs. the Houston Astros

RESULT – WIN 7-2

Clay Buchholz looks like the 2010 version of Clay Buchholz.  In 2010, Clay went 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA, was an All-Star and looked like he was destined to be an ace.  Then injuries came and he’s been mediocre since.  In 2011 and 2012, he combined for 43 starts, was 17-11 with a 4.24 ERA.  He fared better in late 2012 as his back injury finally seemed to be at 100% but this year he’s in another zone.  He became only the 4^th Red Sox pitcher to start a season with 5 straight wins (Josh Beckett, Pedro Martinez & Babe Ruth the others).  He also became the first in the Majors this year to 5 wins.

Buchholz pitched 7 2/3 innings, gave up 6 hits, 2 runs, walked 2 and struck out 10.  The Astros went down looking on 6 of his strikeouts as Clay had his two-seamer and cutter painting both corners.  He continues to be aggressive and pitch inside to left handed hitters with his two-seam fastball getting a lot of groundballs or strikeouts.  His confidence is at an all time high and although they’ll be a poor game coming, I think we’re seeing an ace emerge.  He and Jon Lester are starting to form one of the most deadly 1-2 punches in baseball.

The Astros visited Fenway Park for the first time since 2003 and the first time as an American League team.  Houston switched from the National League to the American League this year and is in the middle of a rebuilding phase.  Last night, their offense just couldn’t get anything going scoring once in two separate innings that they were able to get a leadoff double.  Fernando Martinez went 3 for 4 and Jason Castro went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI.  Old friend Carlos Pena went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and Chris Carter was 1 for 4 with a run.  The struggling Stros have been having a difficult time scoring runs this year and let’s hope that continues through the next 3 games.

On the hill for the Astros was Phil Humber, who if you remember threw a perfect game on April 21, 2012 has struggled since his big game.  He has an ERA above 7.00 since throwing the perfecto and so far this year he’s 0-5 with a 7.99 ERA.  The Sox torched him Thursday for 10 hits and 7 runs in only 4 and 2/3 innings.  He walked 3 and managed to strike out 5 but this Sox team strikes out a lot so I don’t know if that’s necessarily on him or the aggressiveness of the Red Sox hitters.  Travis Blackley and Jose Cisnero came in relief and only allowed 1 hit the rest of the game but by then the damage was done.

Big Papi continues to be scorching hot since coming off the DL.  Ortiz went 3 for 4 with 3 runs, 2 RBI and his first home run of the year.  A towering moon shot to deep centerfield.  He keeps saying his timing is off but I don’t see it.  He’s squaring up a lot of balls and hitting rockets out there.  Daniel Nava walked twice and scored once in place of Shane Victorino who is nursing a bad back.  Mike Carp went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and Jarrod Saltalamacchia added 2 more hits and 2 RBI.  Will Middlebrooks added an RBI double and Dustin Pedroia had an RBI single.  Every Sox starter had a hit except Daniel Nava and Stephen Drew who walked once.

Hitting with 2 outs continues to be a theme for the Red Sox as they had 4 runs with 2 outs.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia had 2 RBI with 2 outs and Mike Carp and Will Middlebrooks both added RBI’s with two down.  If they can continue to do damage with two outs this team will be tough to beat.

Daniel Bard made his return to the Red Sox last night and pitched in the ninth inning, giving up a hit with a strikeout.  He looked good throwing 18 pitches and most importantly 10 for strikes.  I hope he gets back to his original form because if he can it will solidify an already impressive bullpen.

The Sox continue the series tonight as Ryan Dempster takes the mound looking for his first win. He’s pitched well in the early part of the season but has yet to get his first win.  He’ll be opposed by Erik Bedard who pitched with the Sox a few seasons ago.  Bedard is up and down but when he’s on he’s a tough lefty.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Clay Buchholz.  This recent hot streak is something to behold but it’s not necessarily all that surprising.  Clay has posted an ERA of 2.89 since May 27^th of last year.  Over 177 2/3 innings of work and he’s been very consistent.  His injury plagued 2011 and terrible start to 2012 had people thinking he was a lost cause be he’s proving that he’s an elite pitcher.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew took a 0 for 3 on the night with a strikeout.  He still is having some problems at the plate and his average is down to .119.  He did walk once but he needs to start dropping in some hits.  The production offensively on the left side of the infield has been terrible with Middlebrooks batting .169.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Big Papi’s first homerun of the season in the Bottom of the third.  It was only a solo shot but put the Sox up 5 to 2 and solidified Big Papi’s return.  He’s been hitting but we all wanted to see him drive a ball out of the ballpark to make sure the Achilles was fully healed.

NEXT

Today, Friday, April 26th vs. the Houston Astros at 7:10.

GAME 21– 4/24/2013 – Home vs. the Oakland Athletics

RESULT – WIN 6-5

Is there anyway Andrew Bailey doesn’t remain the closer when Joel Hanrahan gets healthy?  After losing his closer role during the offseason, Bailey is doing pretty much everything he can to make John Farrell’s decision a tough one when Joel’s healthy.

Bailey had his most dominant outing of the season closing Wednesday’s victory over the scrappy Oakland Athletics.  He struck out al 3 batters he faced and all three went down swinging.  He completely dominated John Jaso, Seth Smith and Jed Lowrie on 19 pitches.  What I noticed most on the outing is how he relied on his breaking ball and slider which complemented his 97-98 mph fastball.  Hanrahan will begin a Minor League assignment on Friday and will rejoin the Sox sometime next week and John Farrell will have a tough decision on his hands.  In my mind, you have to go with the hot hand and Bailey certainly has it right now.

There was a little dicey situation in his ninth inning save as Jed Lowrie drilled a 2-2 pitch down the right field line where there isn’t much foul territory.  The umpire ruled the ball foul and multiple television replays were inconclusive as well.  The ball looked like it could have hit some chalk but it truly a hard ball to judge.  Bailey of course was happy with the results saying, “You know, I’m a big proponent of getting things right.  It’s also a game of inches and judgment calls.  It was on my side today.”

A’s manager Bob Melvin wasn’t as pleased.  “What did I see? I saw chaulk fly.”  He continued, “It makes a huge difference.  Now you have a guy up with a runner in scoring position and anything can happen.”  I’m a proponent for more instant reply but I don’t think there was enough video evidence to actually show that the ball was a fair ball.  I think even with instant replay the call would have stood as is.

Jon Lester started for the Sox and had to grind out his 5 and 2/3 innings.  The big lefty gave up 6 hits, 3 runs while walking 6 and striking out 5.  His pitch count was way up to 115 and the walks were troubling.  The A’s seem to have a lot of tough outs up and down the lineup and really battled Lester out there.  There were a ton of foul balls and deep counts as they were trying to get Lester’s pitch count up and him out of the game.

This generally is fine as the Sox bullpen has been pretty good this year, but lately they have been shaky and last night continued that trend.  Junichi Tazawa came on to relieve Lester and let up 2 hits and a run.  Andrew Miller pitched 1/3 of an inning and actually struck out the only batter he faced which in encouraging seeing how wild he’s been as of late.  Then Koji Uehara came on in the eighth and promptly gave up a home run, bringing the A’s to within 1 run.  Koji recovered and struck out 2 in the inning but that’s the second time in a row Koji’s come on and given up a bomb in an inning.  Luckily Bailey bailed everyone out with a lights out ninth inning.

The Sox look a lot more potent with David “Big Papi” Ortiz occupying that cleanup spot.  Ortiz was smack dab in the middle of both of the team’s big rallies on the night.  He ripped a double off the Green Monster to jump start a three run rally in the bottom of the fourth and also went the other way to beat the shift on an RBI single in a three run sixth.  In his first four games since coming off the DL, he is batting .500 (8 for 16) with 3 doubles and 3 RBI.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 5 and Mike Napoli (1 for 2 with a walk and hit by pitch) delivered yet another big RBI double.  It was Napoli’s tenth double and Major League leading 26^th RBI.  The 3-4-5 combo of Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli has the potential to be pretty dangerous this year if they can continue to hit.

Stephen Drew who had been in an early season slump, contributed with a big 2 run triple in the fourth but also struck out 3 times on the night.  Everyone would like to see Drew start being a little more consistent at the plate.  Jacoby Ellsbury got a hit and a walk and also stole his tenth base of the year.  Daniel Nava went 2 for 2 with an RBI coming off the bench for Jonny Gomes.  Shane Victorino also chipped in a hit and RBI but left the game early with tightness in his hamstring.  Will Middlebrooks took an 0 for 4 and David Ross went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The A’s got a huge night from Chris Young who went 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI.  He also walked once and stole a base.  Jed Lowrie had 3 hits in the losing effort and Josh Donaldson also had 2 hits.  This Oakland squad looks pretty potent and should make the AL West very interesting all year long.  They are no fluke and are proving that last year’s magic is still there.

The Red Sox get another big series win and have the best record in the American League at 14-7.  They have the Houston Astros coming in for a four game set this weekend and it’s the first trip for Houston to Fenway as an American League team.  The Astros are 7-14 on the season and in the midst of rebuilding.  The Sox have the potential to take another series and end April on a high note.  Clay Buchholz is on the mound tonight looking for his fifth straight win.  He’ll be opposed by Philip Humber who is 0-4 on the year with a 6.63 ERA.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Andrew Bailey who completely dominated in the ninth inning Wednesday night.  The bullpen had given up a run in the 7^th and a run in the 8^th to make it a one run situation.  Bailey blew the A’s away 1-2-3 striking out the side for his 5^th save of the year.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ross.  Ross went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and continues to be abysmal at the plate.  His average is down to .120 and he looks like he’s going to be more of a defensive player first, offense second.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the fourth, 2 outs with the Sox down by two and the struggling Stephen Drew at the plate.  Drew got up in the count 2-1 then ripped a triple down the right field line to score 2 runs.  It tied up the game and energized the team and the crowd.

NEXT

Today, Thursday, April 25th vs. the Houston Astros at 6:35.

GAME 20– 4/23/2013 – Home vs. the Oakland Athletics

RESULT – LOSS 13-0 (in 7 innings)

Let’s just be thankful this one ended after 7 innings.  Under nasty wet, raw and dreary conditions, the Red Sox put up their worst performance of the young season.  The home team was unable to pitch, field or hit in what became a rout early.  It was a forgettable night at Fenway Park, one that I hope the team will forget and get it quickly out of their mind and back to winning.

It all fell apart in a nightmarish six-run inning in the top of the third.  It wasn’t like Alfredo Aceves was getting rocked out there (though that would happen soon enough), instead in the third he walked three, had two balks and two defensive miscues (only one was counted as an error).  At times it looked like the circus was in town and on prominent display at Fenway Park.

Overall Alfredo Aceves last 3 and 1/3 innings, gave up 7 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), walked four and gave up a home run.  He simply didn’t have it and he continues to be Jekyll & Hyde out there for the Sox.  One day he looks fantastic and the next he’s abysmal.  Steven Wright came on to finish out the final 3 and 2/3 and didn’t fare much better.  It was Wright’s first Major League action and for the young knuckleballer the conditions weren’t great.  He was touched for 6 hits, 5 runs (all earned), walked four and struck out four.  After the game, Wright was optioned back to Pawtucket but I think that was the plan all along.  His performance certainly made it an easy choice.

The Sox also made 2 errors, one on Will Middlebrooks who short hopped a throw to first base in the fourth.  It’s only the 2^nd error of the season for the infield and I’m willing to bet field conditions were to blame.  The other was on Alfredo Aceves who over shot Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a throw home, also in the fourth.  On that same play, Mike Napoli made a nice diving stop on the first base line only to look up and see Aceves late to the bag.  It was that mental lapse that made me think perhaps Aceves wasn’t in the right mind to be pitching last night.  As a Major League ball player, you can’t have those types of mistakes.  I get errors and such but not covering first is simply lazy and shows that perhaps you’re not all into the game.  I never thought I’d say this but I’m actually glad to be seeing John Lackey come back for his next start.  The only downside is that means Aceves is going back to the bullpen where his erratic pitching could be very hazardous.

Bartolo Colon looked masterful last night, stifling the Sox for 7 innings giving up only 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7.  He looked like vintage Colon last night as the poor weather conditions didn’t faze him in the least.  The only hits on the night came from Dustin Pedroia (1 for 3), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (1 for 2) and Jonny Gomes (1 for 2).  Jacoby Ellsbury had his hit streak ended but did walk once.  Will Middlebrooks went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and as I mentioned before committed his first error of the season.

The A’s bats were on fire last night.  Former Sox Coco Crisp, Brandon Moss and Josh Reddick really had good nights.  Crisp was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI, Moss was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and Reddick chipped in with a 2 for 4 night with 2 more RBI.  John Jaso also chipped in 3 hits as Seth Smith had 3 RBI.  Every starter in the lineup reached base and only one (Chris Young) didn’t get a hit.

The Red Sox are showing good practice by allowing anyone with a ticket stub to the game can return either Wednesday or Thursday night for free.  Ticket stubs from Tuesday’s game can be exchanged starting two hours prior to Wednesday’s 4:05 game or Thursday’s 6:35 contest.  It’s nice to see management reward those that came out or couldn’t come out in the less than ideal, albeit TERRIBLE weather last night.

The Sox will hopefully make this a distant memory and go for the series win tonight with a 4:05 game as Jon Lester (3-0, 1.73 ERA) will go up against Brett Anderson (1-3, 5.95 ERA).

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

There really was no MVP for last night’s game.  But since I have to assign one, I’ll give it to Dustin Pedroia who went 1 for 3 and didn’t strike out or commit an error.  Really though, no one deserved to be an MVP of last nights game.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Alfredo Aceves.  Not only did he not pitch well but his mental lapses (2 balks, 1 error and not covering first on a play) only cemented how poorly he can perform on any given night.  I think he deserves two elbows to the face on this game.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Top of the third when Brandon Moss singled to centerfield to plate Coco Crisp and John Jaso.  It opened the flood gates and the game was basically over right from there.

NEXT

Today, Wednesday, April 24th vs. the Oakland Athletics at 4:05.

GAME 19– 4/22/2013 – Home vs. the Oakland Athletics

RESULT – WIN – 9-6

Mike Napoli and Fenway Park look like a match made in heaven.  Through the first three weeks of the season Nap has a Major League leading 25 RBI.  Last night he hit his first grand slam in a Red Sox uniform, a shot to left center field that went over the Green Monster to put a close game (4-3 at the time) into a romp.  Mike’s using all facets of Fenway Park.  On Sunday he was hitting down the right field line for doubles, last night he banged a double off the Monster in the second then hit his grand slam over the Monster in the fifth.  It seems he’s been heating up with the addition of David Ortiz hitting in front of him.  He’s been as advertised and showing no signs of any hip issues.  The Sox may want to open some contract negotiations sooner rather than later with the big fella.

It was bitterly cold at Fenway Park again, a game time temperature of only 45 degrees but with a stiff wind blowing in from right field (10-18 mph).  It felt like 30 degrees out there but the Sox bats heated the fans up.  Boston smacked 9 hits, plating 9 runners, walking 5 times and getting 7 extra base hits.  Even the slumping Will Middlebrooks cleared the Monster for a three run home that will hopefully break him out of his recent slide.  Jacoby Ellsbury had a double extending his hit streak to 12 games; he also walked twice and stole his 9^th base of the season.  Everyone in the Sox lineup had a hit except Dustin Pedroia who went 0 for 5 but made solid contact in most of his at bats.  Stephen Drew had a hit and a walk and looks like he too may be seeing the ball better.

With all that offense to support him, Felix Doubront went 6 and 2/3 innings for the win (his second on the year).  The young lefty gave up only 3 hits and three runs.  He was a bit wild as he did walk five but he also struck out 8 throwing 113 pitches on the night.  The fifth inning was an ugly one for Doubront as he walked three in the inning but was able to escape giving up only one run.  He looked his best after the Sox put up 5 runs in the bottom of the fifth; he came out in the top of the sixth and struck out 2 blanking the A’s.  It’s always nice to get a shut down inning right after a big inning to demoralize the opposition.

The bullpen was shaky last night as Clayton Mortensen allowed the A’s to climb back into the game in the top of the eighth by giving up 3 runs in only two thirds of an inning.  Alex Wilson relieved him but proceed to walk the lone batter he faced.  Junichi Tazawa came on and was able to get two outs to get out of the inning but the first batter he faced, Eric Sogard, ripped a deep ball to right field that somehow Shane Victorino was able to chase down for the out.  Shane’s defense is amazing out in right field.  He’s run down so many balls that I thought he had no chance at in the early going.  Andrew Bailey came on in the ninth to record his fourth save of the season striking out 2.  Joel Hanrahan can’t get his job back right away, can he?  Not with Bailey pitching this lights out.

Former player Josh Reddick had a good night at the dish going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and Josh Donaldson also had 2 hits and 2 RBI.  There are so many former Red Sox on the A’s that it seems they are Red Sox West out there.  Coco Crisp, Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie, Josh Reddick have all played for the Sox at one point in their career and it’s nice to be able to see the former players (especially when the Sox get the W).

A’s starter A.J. Griffin who had been doing well on the young season was roughed up.  He pitched only 4 innings (his shortest outing of his career) and gave up 8 hits and 9 runs (both career highs).  He didn’t record an out in the fifth and was lifted for Chris Resop who was able to get out of the inning.  The A’s bullpen did pretty well only allowing one hit the rest of the game striking out 5.

Going to be another cold one tonight as another former player Bartolo Colon will take the mound against Alfredo Aceves.  The bullpen has been a bit abused the last two games so John Farrell will be looking for Aceves to give him some quality innings out there.  Game time is 6:35 again.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Mike Napoli.  Mike’s becoming a regular in this section of the column.  He went 2 for 4 last night with 5 RBI.  His two hits were extra base hits (9^th double of the year and 4^th home run) and he’s got 14 extra base hits in 19 games this year.  He’s upped his average to .278 and he’s slugging .570 right now.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Clayton Mortensen.  Clayton allowed the A’s to get back in the game in the eighth inning by walking a batter, hitting a batter then giving up back to back doubles to close the gap to only 3 runs.  Clayton’s been up and down this year so far but with capable pitchers down on the farm, he needs to step it up in a big way.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the fifth after a single to open the inning by Shane Victorino, an error that allowed Dustin Pedroia to reach and a walk to David Ortiz, Mike Napoli stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded.  On the 0-1 pitch, Mike hammered the ball to deep to left center field that disappeared over the Monster.  It was his fourth career grand slam and pushed the lead to 9-3.

NEXT

Today, Tuesday, April 23rd vs. the Oakland Athletics at 6:35.

GAME 18– 4/22/2013 – Home vs. the Royals

RESULT – LOSS 5-4

I know the only other option in the bullpen was knuckleballer Steven Wright who hasn’t thrown a Major League pitch as of yet but I have absolutely no faith in Andrew Miller right now.  Miller came on in the top of the 10^th and struck out Miguel Tejada to start the inning.  By the way, did anyone realize that Tejada was even still playing?  I was shocked to see him come out to pitch hit.  Miller then gave up a single to Alex Gordon and then walked Alcides Escobar.  Billy Butler who had already homered a few innings before came up and he struck him out as well.  I sighed a breath of relief as I thought Miller would escape the outing.  NOPE.  He let up another single to Eric Hosmer then with the bases loaded walked Lorenzo Cain on four straight pitches.  YES, on four straight pitches!  Andrew Miller could not throw one strike in the most important situation of the game.  He has been terrible this year as his ERA is 6.75 and he’s walked 6 batters in his 4 innings of work this year.

Andrew threw 29 pitches in the inning but only 15 found the strike zone.  With Franklin Morales and Craig Breslow working their way back from injuries it leaves Miller as the only lefty out of the pen but he’s been the weakest link of the very good bullpen so far this year.  It ruined a solid start by young phenom Allen Webster the centerpiece of the huge blockbuster trade last year with the Dodgers.  Webster was called up before the game because MLB allows roster expansion to a 26^th man when playing a doubleheader.

The 23 year old right hander flashed an array of powerful pitches, including a nasty fastball that touched 95-97 routinely.  He went 6 strong innings giving up 5 hits and allowing 3 runs (only 2 were earned).  He walked one and struck out 5.  The future looks bright for him and it was nice to see him get some MLB exposure.  He’ll be back this year and I’m sure will be a force in the rotation as soon as next year.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a perfect 7^th striking out2 but Koji Uehara let up 2 hits including a solo home run by Billy Butler in the 8^th.  It is unusual to see Koji give up a hit let alone a home run.  Andrew Bailey pitched a perfect 9^th, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.  Then Miller came on and stunk up the place.

The Sox hit the ball fairly decently banging out 9 hits.  Mike Napoli had 3 hits including a double and home run, knocking in 2 runs.  Jacoby Ellsbury went 2 for 4 with a double and is quietly having a really good start.  Dustin Pedroia added in 2 hits and 2 walks with 1 RBI and Mike Carp also had another RBI double.  Will Middlebrooks took an 0 for 5 but only struck out once, he’s batting .176 and David Ross and Pedro Ciriaco combined to go 0 for 7 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Gordon had himself a night going 3 for 5 scoring 3 runs and Billy Butler and George Kottaras each added a solo home run.  The Royals have a good looking young team that is going to be hard to beat.

The Sox get back at it again today with the Oakland Athletics (12-7) coming to town.  It’s a 6:35 game which you don’t see much here in Boston and I’m looking forward to seeing how the Sox bounce back from a tough Sunday where they dropped 2 games.  Felix Doubront will take the hill.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Mike Napoli.  Mike finished 3 for 5 with 2 RBI a double and a home run.  He also ripped a ball to deep center field to end the 9^th inning that took Lorenzo Cain to the warning track.  A few more feet and they would have had another walk off hit.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Andrew Miller.  Walking a batter on four straight pitches with the bases loaded in a clutch situation will get you a lot of elbows to the face.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The four pitch walk that I’ve written about above.  Just can’t have that happen!

NEXT

Today, Monday, April 22^nd vs. the Oakland Athletics at 6:35.

GAME 17– 4/21/2013 – Home vs. the Royals

RESULT – LOSS 4-2

The streak is over, ended by a very impressive pitching performance by Royals starter and former Angels starter Ervin Santana.  Ervin was brilliant pitching 7 innings giving up only 6 hits, 2 runs, striking out 7 with no walks.  The Sox simply couldn’t string anything together off of him.  I was surprised because the Sox historically hit him pretty well but today he was on and looked fantastic.  If he keeps this up, the Royals are going to be a tough team to beat this season.

The Red Sox had another streak snapped in addition to having their eight game win streak end.  The starting pitching for the Red Sox had only allowed three runs or fewer for 16 straight games.  Ryan Dempster would allow four in his start.  Ryan didn’t pitch all that badly though.  The 35-year old went 7 innings giving up 6 hits, 4 run, and 3 walks and struck out 8 batters.  His 3 walks got him in trouble as his pitch count soared to 107.  Dempster let up a home run to the second batter of the game, Alcides Escobar but was able to get out of further trouble until the top of the fourth when he allowed the other 3 runs.  The first 3 batters of the inning all reached base forcing in the tying run.  Dempster then struck out the next two batters and I thought for a second he’d get out of the inning tied but Salvador Perez, the Royals young catcher was able to single down the left field line to score 2 more runs and ultimately win the game.

The Sox had absolutely no production from their 5-9 hitters as they combined to go 1-19 with 8 strikeouts.  Stephen Drew was particularly awful going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.  Will Middlebrooks was able to get the only hit from the bottom of the order going 1 for 4 but also struck out 2 times.  David Ortiz went 3 for 4 with his first double of the year and also drove in one of the Sox two runs.

The Sox had a huge opportunity in the 8^th when they loaded the bases against Bruce Chen and Aaron Crow with Jarrod Saltalamacchia up at the plate.  Salty had the count 2-0 and I thought would be taking until he got a strike.  I was wrong as he weakly bounced the next pitch back to the pitcher to end the inning.  It was frustrating because I would have like to see Salty take until he got a strike and not be so aggressive in that situation.

The Sox wouldn’t have long to dwell on the loss as Fenway was emptied out and prepared for Game 2 of the doubleheader at 7.  More on that in the next post.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz went 3 for 4 with a double and RBI.  I was hoping Big Papi would have immediate results in the middle of the order and so far so good.  He was lifted in the eighth for a pinch runner but I also heard he may have had some tightness in his calf.  I’m hopeful that it’s not serious because with him in the middle of the lineup, the Sox are a lot scarier.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.  Drew just plain looks bad out there right now.  I’ve seen Drew in the past and know he’s a good hitter.  He needs to find it soon or the Sox may opt to bring young Jose Iglesias back up, though I hear he’s also struggling down at Triple A.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the eighth with 2 outs and the bases loaded.  Salty had a huge opportunity to knock in at the very least one run and maybe even tie the game.  With a 2-0 count I was thinking alright Salty, let’s take until a strike.  Unfortunately he swung at the next pitch and bounced a weak ground ball back to the mound.  Inning over, threat over and GAME OVER.  You have to know the situation there and take some pitches.  You have the perfect opportunity and wasted it away.  You’re better than that Salty.

NEXT

Later on that night, April 21st the second game of the day night doubleheader vs. the Kansas City Royals.

GAME 16 – 4/20/2013 – at Home vs. Kansas City Royals

RESULT – WIN 4-3

One of the Boston Marathon bombers was dead and another on the run.  Friday’s Red Sox game would end up being postponed due to a city wide lockdown that left the city deserted and many people scared.  The Boston Police would capture the other bombing suspect late Friday night and as the city rejoiced the Red Sox planned something special in their first home game since the horrific events.  They had the Marathon Volunteers, the Police and Fire Department, the Mayor, Governor and Police Chief all on the field in a tremendous ceremony.  Some of the survivors and heroes from the attack even came out and delivered a first pitch.  It was moving and symbolic and 37,000 people stood as one.  David Ortiz ended the ceremony taking the microphone and addressed Red Sox Nation, fittingly as he is both the longest tenured player and beloved in the city by all.  His crude but perfect statement said it best, “This is our f---ing city.  And no one is going to dictate our freedom.  Stay strong.”  Though he may have been better off not dropping the “f” bomb on live TV, it was fitting for what the city is feeling, both anger and pride and the resilience of a city standing together.

Then they hit the field and pulled off a dramatic win for the home town.  Clay Buchholz got off to a fast start striking out 4 through his first 4 scoreless innings.  The top of the fifth would see the Royals scratch a run across but Clay would get out of the inning by striking out the remaining 2 batters.  Clay was effective and efficient going 8 innings, giving up 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.  He needed only 104 pitches to get through 8 innings of work and again looked brilliant out there.  He left after a clutch inning ending double play to end a Royals threat in the 8^th.  The Sox were down 2-1 though and it seemed like Clay would be the hard luck loser on the afternoon.

That is until Daniel Nava hit a game winning clutch 2 out 3 run home run into the Red Sox bullpen.  The inning started with a bang when Jonny Gomes doubled to lead off the inning and then Dustin Pedroia followed with a walk.  However David Ortiz then grounded into a double play and the inning looked like a wasted opportunity.  Mike Napoli then walked on four straight pitches and Daniel Nava came up and connected on a 1-1 fastball for an emotional home run to send all 37,000 fans into hysteria.  It was a fairy tale ending to an emotional day.

Andrew Bailey came on in the top of the ninth to close it out and immediately got into trouble as Lorenzo Cain blasted a leadoff homer to cut the lead to 4-3.  He then allowed more men to reach base but with two outs he got Alex Gordon to hit a weak groundball to Stephen Drew to close out the game for his third save of the year.  Bailey was a little dicey again and I liken it to relying on his fastball too much again.  I think I saw 18 of his 22 pitches were fastballs.  When will these closers learn that they need to trust their other pitches as well as their big overpowering fastball.

“Big Game” James Shields was as he usually is against the Sox, brilliant.  James went 6 innings, gave up only 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts.  The Sox batters did grind out a lot of at bats and forced Shield’s pitch count up to 106 through only 6 innings.  Thank goodness for that because it forced him out of the game and on to the suspect Royal bullpen.  The Sox were able to get 3 runs off the Royals bullpen and steal a win from the up and coming team.

David Ortiz had a successful first day back in at the office going 2 for 4 and driving in a run.  It was nice to see Big Papi back in the lineup and their 3 through 5 hitters are going to be tough outs.  Daniel Nava’s big 8^th inning home run was his 4^th of the year and he went 1 for 2 with 3 RBI and a walk.

For the Royals, Lorenzo Cain went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and a home run and 1 RBI.  He scored 3 runs and is red hot right now batting .392 on the young season.  Alcides Escobar and Jeff Francour each had 2 hits apiece and Salvador Perez added a one run triple.

The Sox will close out the series today with a day-night double header at 1:00 and 7:00.  The big news was that John Farrell decided to bring up young pitching prospect Allen Webster to start game 2 of the double header.  Webster was the “steal” of the big blockbuster trade last August that sent Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers.  I’m very interested in watching the young pitching prospect as he’s only allowed 1 earned run in his first two starts at Triple A this year.  Ryan Dempster will start Game 1 and has looked pretty good so far this year.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Daniel Nava.  The resilient outfielder went 1 for 2 with 3 RBI and a walk.  The one being a big clutch 3 run home run to give the Sox an emotional win in their first home game after the attacks on Boston.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ross.  Ross went 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and again looked overmatched at the plate.  I’d say that Ross is a lot like Doug Mirabelli who was either all or nothing.  Like Mirabelli, Ross is a great fielder and I guess we’ll have to have that as a tradeoff for his good defense and game calling.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Is there really any doubt what the play of the game was?  Daniel Nava’s clutch 2 out three run home run in the top of the eighth.

NEXT

Today, Sunday, 4/21 double header at home vs. the Royals 1 and 7.

GAME 15– 4/182013 – In Cleveland vs. the Indians

RESULT – WIN – 6-3

Jon Lester was sharp again in his fourth outing of the year and the Sox offense got some timely hitting to get their second straight sweep and sixth straight victory of the year.  The Sox are clicking offensively and some aggressive and heads-up base running directly led to a couple runs to push the Sox past a good Indians team.

The Sox jumped out in front early again as Mike Napoli tripled to lead off the second inning.  Yes, I said triple for Mike Napoli.  It was only his 7^th career triple and Daniel Nava singled him home to put the Sox up 1-0.  The Indians did get the run right back on old friend Mike Aviles’ fielder’s choice but in the forth inning with two outs Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined a home run down the right field line on a 3-2 count to put the Sox up 2-1 and a lead they would not relinquish.  The bats continued in the fifth when Ellsbury led off with a single and Victorino followed with an on base by error.  Pedroia ripped a ball deep to right that I thought was gone but it ended up being caught Ellsbury tagged up and went to third on some heads up, aggressive running.  Mike Napoli who’s been an RBI machine lately then drove in Ellsbury with a single to right.  Mike Carp then delivered a pitch hit single to drive in Napoli to give the Sox a 6-2 lead and essentially put the game away.  Love what I’m seeing out of Mike Carp and if the guy keeps hitting, he’s going to need to be in the lineup more often.

Jon Lester held the Indians in check for 7 innings.  He wasn’t a strikeout machine this game, only striking out 5 but he was effective in keeping the Indian runners off balance.  His final line was 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.  There were a lot more deep pitch counts this outing for Lester but he was able to get some big outs when he needed including a strikeout to end the seventh and his night.  The eighth got a little dicey thanks to Andrew Miller who just seems a lot wilder this year.  He walked the second batter he faced and then let up a single to the next batter.  He was able to get a fielder’s choice but John Farrell had to bring in Koji Uehara to try to stop the rally.  Koji uncharacteristically gave up a double to Carlos Santana to close the lead to 6-3 but then got Nick Swisher to strike out swinging to end the threat.  Andrew Bailey came on in the 9^th for a 1-2-3 inning to get his 2^nd save of the year and 2^nd in as many nights.  He looked absolutely nasty touching 96-97 routinely and from the look of it Joel Hanrahan is going to have a tough time taking back that closer role.

Offensively, the Sox banged out 9 hits and walked 3 times.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Napoli each had 2 hits and Daniel Nava drove in 2 runs.  Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each contributed with hits of their own as well as that clutch pitch hit by Mike Carp.  Jonny Gomes struggled going 0 for 3 with a strikeout and Stephen Drew continues to struggle going 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.  Pedro Ciriaco went 0-3 but walked once subbing for the slumping Will Middlebrooks.

The Indians didn’t have much luck as they only mustered 6 hits with 2 of them coming from slugging catcher Carlos Santana.  Mike Aviles had a hit and RBI and Michael Brantley also had a hit but struck out 3 times.

The Sox will come home tonight which is sure to be an emotional night as the Boston Marathon bombings are still fresh on everyone’s mind and only about 3 miles from Fenway Park.  David Ortiz is also expected to make his season debut so emotions will be at an all time high tonight.  Clay Buchholz will be on the hill tonight and looks for his fourth win of the season.  Opposing him will be “Big Game” James Shields who now plays for the Royals.  He has a knack of pitching very well against the Sox with his time in Tampa Bay so I expect a low scoring game tonight.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Mike Napoli.  He went 2 for five, scoring 2 runs and driving in 1 as well.  He had a triple and showed some hustle tagging on a sacrifice fly from Daniel Nava to go from 2^nd to 3^rd base then scoring on a pitch hit single from Mike Carp.  Napoli has been an RBI machine lately but it’s his hustle that really turned my head last night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and is now batting .087.  Drew better find it soon or he’s going to feel the wrath of Fenway Park.  Bostonians were not too nice to his big brother and I’m sure he’ll start to hear some boo birds if he doesn’t step it up soon.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Top of the 4^th with 2 outs and a 3-2 count, Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a long line drive down the right field line that just made it over the outfield fence.  Another big 2 out run driven in by a Sox player and a game changer that shifted the momentum to the Sox.  They Sox would hold the lead and go on to win 6-3.

NEXT

Friday, April 19^th back at home vs. the Kansas City Royals.

GAME 14– 4/172013 – In Cleveland vs. the Indians

RESULT – WIN – 6-3

John Farrell made is first bad managerial decision in last night’s game as I think he kept starter Alfredo Aceves in an inning too long.  Alfredo escaped the 5^th inning but gave up a single, deep double to LF and a walk to load the bases before giving up a LONG lineout to RF that Shane Victorino played beautifully to end the inning.  If I was John Farrell right there, I would have taken him out.  He was getting hit hard and was already well above the number of pitches he’d ever thrown in a game.  Unfortunately John let him come out in the bottom of the sixth where he proceeded to walk the leadoff hitter then give up back to back home run’s to former Yankee’s sluggers Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi.  Mark Reynolds then followed with a double before Farrell came out and replaced him with Junichi Tazawa.  By then the score was 5-3 and the tying run was at the plate with no outs.  You could tell Aceves was done at the end of the fifth and I didn’t see the point letting him start the 6^th.

Luckily we have the Japanese tag team known as Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara who came in and again looked dominant.  Tazawa got out of the 6^th unscathed and then struck out the side in the 7^th, he had 4 straight strikeouts.  Koji came on in the bottom of the 8^th and got a weak groundball out of Swisher then struck out the next two hitters, then came into the dugout with a fury of high fives that I hope doesn’t injure his hand.  These guys looked completely in control and really saved the day for the Sox.  Andrew Bailey came on and struck out two after giving up a heart attack inducing long fly ball to start the inning.  He recorded his first save of the year and the bullpen looks fantastic this year.

Alfredo’s line wasn’t all that impressive as he went 5 innings, giving up 7 hits and 3 earned runs.  He walked 3 and struck out 2 but continues to be serviceable in that 5^th starting role.  While I don’t think I’d like to see him there all year, he’s certainly giving the Sox some depth until John Lackey returns from his biceps injury.  The bullpen’s line last night, 4 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 8 strikeouts.  Just pitching nasty right now.

The Sox started off hot again last night with the first 5 batters reaching against Cleveland’s ace Justin Masterson.  Ellsbury opened up the game with a single and went 3-5 on the night, Victorino then followed with a hit by pitch and Pedroia singled to load the bases.  Mike Napoli then followed with a single to score Ellsbury and Victorino to stay red hot.  Daniel Nava then singled in Pedroia to put the Sox ahead 3-0.  Justin Masterson would get out of the inning but the Sox had him on the ropes all night.  Masterson was touched up for 11 hits and 4 runs through 5 innings.  The Sox loaded the bases against him in the second and fourth but Masterson somehow was able to escape with no damage.  They got to him again in the fifth when Stephen Drew walked and Mike Carp tripled him in.  Mike Carp was brilliant in his first start of the year going 3 for 3 with 2 doubles, a triple and a run driven in.  He was taken out in the 7^th when the Indians brought in a lefty for Jonny Gomes which I also didn’t agree with Farrell on.  Gomes promptly struck out looking to end the inning.  Carp could have done that.

Six Sox hitters had multiple hits and the team had 15 overall.  Shane Victorino and Mike Carp both went 3 for 3.  Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nave all had 2 hits a piece as well with Napoli and Nava driving in 2 apiece.  Will Middlebrooks took a 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and is now batting .182.  Will is 2 for 32 since his 3 home run game and seems to be getting out on a lot of outside pitches.  Salty also took a 0 for 5 with a strikeout on the night.  Stephen Drew hasn’t found it yet either and went 0 for 3 but did walk and score a run.  He’s only batting .105 in limited appearances this year.

Nick Swisher shined for the Indians going 2 for 4 with a HR and 2 RBI.  Lonnie Chisenhall also went 2 for 4.  Jason Giambi hit his 430^th career home run off Aceves in the 6^th and although he looks like he’s nearing the end of his career, he absolutely crushed that home run to right.  The guy can still mash.

The Sox look for the sweep tonight as Jon Lester takes the mound.  The Sox have won 5 straight and look to be firing on all cylinders right now.  Let’s hope Lester can continue his torrid start.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Junichi Tazawa.  Really the whole bullpen deserves but Tazawa was nasty last night.  He came on in the 6^th with no outs, a man on second and the score trimmed to 5-3.  He got a ground out, a fly out then struck out the next 4 batters.  He completely dominated in the 2 innings he pitched and I look forward to watching him the rest of the year.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Will Middlebrooks.  Will took a 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and better learn quickly on how to hit outside pitches.  Opposing pitchers are getting Will out with outside pitches that he just can’t hit.  He’s either striking out or hitting weak fly balls and ground balls to the right side.  Baseball is all about adjustments and young Will needs to adjust pretty quickly or it’ll be a long season for the third baseman.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Junichi Tazawa’s first strikeout of the game and the last out of the 6^th.  The Indians had already scored 3 runs and had the tying run at home plate and a runner on third.  Tazawa ended the threat and the Indians wouldn’t even get to first base the rest of the night.

NEXT

Thursday, April 18^th at Cleveland vs. the Indians.  Sox for the sweep.