GAME 55 – 5/30/2013 – in Philadelphia vs. the Phillies

RESULT – WIN 9-2

The bats woke up Thursday night and just in time too as Franklin Morales was making his first start and appearance of the year.  The Sox scored early and often and had 4 runs in the first inning which is the total they scored in the last 2 games.  It was also a historic night as Jacoby Ellsbury did something no other Red Sox player has ever done before.

Ellsbury stole 5 bases on the night to set a new Red Sox record.  He became only the 3^rd player to accomplish the feat in the decade and was making the Phillies pitchers and catcher Erik Kratz looked terrible.  Jacoby went 3 for 4 on the night and also got on base by a hit by pitch and a walk.  He continues to be hot since the game winning hit and is now batting .268 and has 21 steals on the season which is tops in the league.

While Ellsbury was providing the speed, Jonny Gomes and David Ortiz both hit towering homeruns to provide the power on the night.  Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and Jonny Gomes was 1 for 1 with a pitch hit homer.

The Sox banged out 14 hits and scored 9 runs with Jarrod Saltalamacchia going 2 for 5 with 3 RBI, Jose Iglesias also went 2 for 5 with an RBI.  Mike Carp went 1 for 3 with an RBI and Dustin Pedroia also had a hit and an RBI in the effort.  It was an all around good offensive day for the Red Sox and hopefully it will continue this weekend with a great matchup against the Yankees.

Franklin Morales who was making his appearance of the year in a spot start for Clay Buchholz.  He did well in his first outing and I like having another lefty option in the rotation.  Felix Doubront better be very careful because it seems the Red Sox are putting some pressure on him to perform with Morales waiting in the wings.  It also bodes well for the Red Sox that spot starts by Morales and Alfredo Aceves went well and it looks like the Sox have plenty of pitching depth going into the middle of the season.

Morales’ final line on the night was 5 innings, 4 hits allowed and 2 runs.  He walked 2 and struck out 2 and seemed to have good velocity on his fastball.  The Sox will likely stretch him out a bit more each outing but I was impressed and hope young Felix was watching.

The bullpen was rock solid as they allowed only 2 hits through 4 innings and struck out 6 on the night.  Craig Breslow went 1 and 1/3 innings and struck out 2 and Mortensen, Tazawa and Bailey all pitched well for the final 3 innings to nail the door shut on the Phillies.  The series was split as each team won a game in the opposing team’s venue.

I wanted to give a little recognition to the opposition today as Dominic Brown, the Phillies starting left fielder was an absolute beast this series.  In 4 games, he batted .375/.375/1.125 and had 4 homeruns and 5 RBI.  He also stole a base and is looking like the player the Phillies thought they were getting when they called him up to the bigs a few years ago.

The Sox start a big 3 game series today in the Bronx.  The Yankees have lost 4 straight and are still in 2^nd place but behind by 2 games.  It’s early but this series is huge as both teams know they can’t fall too far behind with the AL East being so tough and wide open this year.  The Sox will send Jon Lester (6-1, 3.34 ERA) to face C.C. Sabathia (4-4, 3.96 ERA) in a matchup of aces and a rematch of Opening Day.  Sabathia has been roughed up in his last 2 starts and looks to rebound against the Sox tonight.  The Yankees are also getting back Kevin Youkilis and Mark Texiera and it comes at a great time with the team in a bit of skid right now.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  He went 3 for 4 and was on base 5 times but he also set a team record with 5 stolen bases.  Anytime you can set a single game record on a team that has been around for over 100 years it is impressive.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and was the only Red Sox starter without a hit.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Jacoby Ellsbury’s 5^th swipe of the game in the top of the 8^th.

NEXT

Today, Friday 5/31 in the Bronx vs. the Yankees.

GAME 54 – 5/29/2013 – in Philadelphia vs. the Phillies

RESULT – LOSS 4-3

I thought they were going to do it again and this time it would have been twice as sweet doing it against the former closer, Jonathan Papelbon.  But as he’s shown us many times before, Papelbon scares you just enough but gets the job done to stifle a late Red Sox rally and win the game 4-3.

In the 9^th, with 2 outs and Stephen Drew at first (after a walk), Jonny Gomes kept the Sox in the game with a single and Jacoby Ellsbury blooped in a double to score Drew.  Gomes was held at third and I agree with holding the runner in that situation.  You never want to make the last out at home and Jonny Gomes isn’t exactly a burner out there.  With runners on 2^nd and 3^rd it looked like the Sox were in line for another come from behind victory but Papelbon settled down and got Daniel Nava to ground out to first for the end of the ball game.  No heroics this time and as I watched I remember how crazy Papelbon would make me and think the Philly fans will have many more of these type of games in their future.

The offense couldn’t do much of anything against starter Kyle Kendrick or relievers Antonio Bastardo and Mike Adams.  They let up only 2 runs on 5 hits until the 9^th inning outburst and walked 3 while striking out 7.  I was impressed by Mike Adams who pitched a perfect 8^th and struck out 2.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 2 for 5 with a run and RBI, Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia both chipped in with 1 hit and 1 RBI apiece.  Nava’s only hit was his 7^th homerun of the year.  Napoli and Iglesias were the only other players with a hit.  The last two games, the Red Sox have done nothing offensively scoring a total of only 4 runs.  Let’s hope they can figure it out in time to even the series tonight.

John Lackey turned in his 3^rd consecutive quality start going 6 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs.  He walked 3 and struck out 5 but 3 of the hits he let up were homeruns.  They weren’t hit very far but in Citizens Bank Park a lot of balls will leave the yard.  Lackey has to keep the ball down if he’s going to have any success in this ballpark.  He kept the Sox in the game but was lifted after six for a pitch hitter because they playing under NL rules.

Koji Uehara gave up a homerun in the 8^th (a solo shot) to give the Phillies some much needed insurance and I’m getting concerned that the relief pitchers are giving up way too many homeruns when they enter ball games.  If Uehara doesn’t let up that homerun, the ninth inning becomes a lot more interesting.  Koji has surrendered 4 homeruns this year and only has 5 earned runs allowed.

The Sox will go at it again tonight to try and get a series split as Franklin Morales will get the start.  It will be Morales’ first appearance of the year as he’s filling in for Clay Buchholz who is still nursing a bad collar bone.  It’s not serious though as he’s slated to start the last game of the Yankee series this weekend on Sunday night.  He’ll be opposed by Jonathan Pettibone who’s 3-0 on the year and has pitched well as of late.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ellsbury went 2 for 5 and scored a run and drove in one as well. He had a double and has been hitting the ball well since the game winner at the beginning of the week.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  Salty went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and was the worst of the bunch offensively for the Sox.  They haven’t hit in the last 2 games and hopefully they’ll find it before the series finale.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Dominic Brown’s solo blast in the bottom of the 8^th.  It made the game 4-2 and the Phillies wound up needing that extra insurance run as Papelbon wasn’t sharp closing out the game.

NEXT

Today, Thursday 5/30 in Philadelphia vs. the Phillies.

GAME 53 – 5/28/2013 – at Home vs. Philadelphia Phillies

RESULT – LOSS 3-1

The Red Sox ran into a masterful performance by Cliff Lee last night and sometimes there’s nothing you can do against a pitcher with pin point control.  Ryan Dempster was good as well but Cliff Lee was brilliant and the Phillies rode that horse to a 3-1 victory.

The Sox mustered only 1 run on 4 hits on the night as Cliff Lee went 8 strong innings striking out 8 and walking no one.  Then former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, the career leader in saves for the Red Sox, came in to close out the game in the ninth.  It was his first appearance in Fenway Park since he left in free agency after the 2011 season.

He came in to a mix of boos and cheers but the boos took over the closer he got to the mound.  It surprised me as Paps gave us some great seasons and was a fan favorite in his time with the Red Sox.  His 2007 season and playoffs is something I will always remember him for and if I were at the game, I would have stood up and applauded him for his time in Boston.

Papelbon got the final 3 outs of the game and 2 of them came against former pals David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.  Big Papi said after the game that Paps looked good out there and he tried not to look at his face.

The good news on the night was that Ryan Dempster looked pretty good and seems to have broken out of his 3 game skid.  Dempster pitched 7 strong innings giving up only 6 hits and 2 runs, striking out 4 and walking 3.  He looked a hell of a lot better last night and though he didn’t get the win he has to feel better about his performance, I know I do.

Offensively there wasn’t much to talk about for the Red Sox.  Ellsbury, Pedrioa, Nava and Iglesias had the only hits on the night.  Ellsbury stole his 16^th base of the year and Pedroia knocked in a run.  The Sox has no extra base hits and only had 3 runners in scoring position all night.  It was the case of the Red Sox running into a great pitching performance and the Phillies doing just enough offensively to get the W.

The series shifts to Philadelphia for a two game set as they’ll continue the series in a weird home away 4 game series.  The Sox will send John Lackey (3-4) to the mound against Kyle Kendrick (4-3).  Lackey has been brilliant lately and will hope to continue the pace tonight against the tough Philly lineup.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Ryan Dempster.  Even though he took the loss, Dempster looked good out there after 3 straight poor performances.  He went 7 innings and gave up only 2 runs on 6 hits.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

The whole offense really but David Ross again was terrible.  Going 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.  Ross now has gone 0 for his last 7 with 7 K’s.  If he’s not careful he’ll be looking for a job soon.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The 9^th inning homer off of Junichi Tazawa by Dominic Brown.  It put the Phillies up 3-1 and provided and extra cushion for Jonathan Papelbon, though he didn’t need it in the bottom half of the inning.

NEXT

Today, Wednesday 5/29 in Philadelphia vs. the Phillies.

GAME 52 – 5/27/2013 – at Home vs. Philadelphia Phillies

RESULT – WIN 9-3

Happy Memorial Day everyone!!  Never forget those that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

There was no need for heroic late inning comebacks in this one as the Sox had it in cruise control early and pounded Philly pitching for 15 hits and 9 runs.  The walk-off from the day before still seemed fresh in the player’s minds as they looked like they were having a blast out there.

The Sox wasted no time with 3 runs in the 1^st when Dustin Pedroia hit a 2-run homer and Mike Napoli unloaded a solo shot to right field.  The rout was on as the Sox would add 5 doubles to the mix and go 5 for 11 with runners in scoring position.  The offense was firing on all cylinders and runs were no problem for them on Monday evening.

Jacoby Ellsbury followed up his walk-off win with a 3 hit performance going 3 for 5 with a run scored and a run driven in.  David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all had 2 hits in the effort.  Napoli and Drew both drove in 2 and Salty had an RBI as well.  Drew continues his hot streak getting 2 hits and also had 2 walks.

The only Sox starter without a hit was Daniel Nava who went 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.  Jose Iglesias continued his hot hitting since being called back up to the bigs with another hit.

The story of the day was not the Sox bats though.  Alfredo Aceves was the story as he pitched 6 strong innings and got a win in his first appearance back from his demotion.  He looked focused and looked like someone with something to prove.

His final line was 6 innings, 7 hits, 1 run, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.  He was confident and delivered a good performance in a pinch for the Red Sox.  It was night and day from the last time we saw Alfredo back in April when he was shelled for 8 runs in a little over 3 innings.  While Alfredo pitched well it didn’t matter as the Sox optioned him back to Triple-A after the game as lefty Franklin Morales is finally off the disabled list.  The Sox likely want to see how Aceves takes this trip back to Pawtucket and will continue to monitor his progress down there.

The Phillies finally got something going in the later innings of the ball game as they got to the Sox relievers.  Clayton Mortensen and Andrew Miller both allowed a run in their 1 plus innings of work.

Dominic Brown had a two-run homer and Ben Revere, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and John Mayberry all had 2 hits apiece.  Erik Kratz had a solo homerun in the effort as well.  The Phillies banged out 11 hits but were only able to get 3 runs as they were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

The Sox will go at it again with the Phillies at Fenway tonight with Ryan Dempster taking the hill against the tough lefty Cliff Lee.  Dempster has struggled lately and he’s going to need to be sharp as Cliff Lee has been tough in his last 4 starts.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Alfredo Aceves.  It was a nice comeback for Alfredo and he provided the Sox with the depth they envisioned at the beginning of the year with a strong start on the mound.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Daniel Nava.  The only Sox starter without a hit on the night in a great offensive showing by the team.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Dustin Pedroia’s 2-run homer to start things off in the first.  There would be no need for heroics as the Sox scored early and often.

NEXT

Today, Tuesday 5/28 vs. the Phillies.

GAME 51 – 5/26/2013 – at Home vs. Cleveland Indians

RESULT – WIN 6-5

The cardiac kids were at it again yesterday as they pulled out a great walk-off win to get the series win against the Cleveland Indians.  A four-run ninth inning is what it took and it was by far the most fun game to watch of the year so far.  The fans were going crazy and the players looked just as thrilled.  The Sox came back from their biggest deficit since the Mother’s Day miracle of 2007.

Down 5-2 in the ninth with one of the game’s best closers on the mound, Chris Perez, Dustin Pedroia got things started with a walk.  David Ortiz then rocketed a double to center-field and 2 runners in scoring position the comeback looked like it could happen.  Mike Napoli then grounded out to short for the first out but Pedroia scored to make it 5-3.

Big Papi then stole 3^rd.  Yes, you read that right; Big Papi stole another base, his 2^nd of the year a couple days after stealing his first since 2008.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia then grounded out to the first baseman to plate another run bringing the Sox closer to 5-4 but with 2 outs I thought for sure they would fall just short.

Jonny Gomes then walked and Stephen Drew singled to right.  Drew then stole 2^nd and the Sox had the tying run 90 feet away and the winning run right behind him.  Jose Iglesias drew a walk and Chris Perez hurt himself and had to be removed from the game.  With the bases loaded, the Indians rushed out Joe Smith to try and get the final out of the game against Jacoby Ellsbury.  Joe Smith probably could have used a couple more warm-up pitches as Jacoby Ellsbury lined the first pitch he saw into the left field gap to get the walk-off win.

Ellsbury looked elated as he fist pumped when he got to 2^nd base and then was mugged by his teammates at 2^nd.  He finished 2 for 5 on the day with those 2 RBI and hopefully this big game winning hit will get him going a bit as they need big production out of Jacoby to have a successful season.

Stephen Drew also had a big day at the plate going 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored.  He finished a home-run short of the cycle and had his 3^rd triple of the year in the eighth.  When Drew has it going, he seems to hit the ball hard every at-bat.  The problem is, he’s very streaky and as much as he gets in a groove, he can fall out of it just as fast.

The Sox didn’t do all that well offensively.  They managed only 7 hits and benefited from 5 Indian walks, including 3 in the ninth.  They were only 2 of 7 with runners in scoring position but in the beginning didn’t have a whole lot of runners in scoring position.

Corey Kluber was brilliant in his 6 and 2/3 innings.  He allowed only 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 10.  If not for Chris Perez and his ninth inning meltdown we would be talking about how brilliant Kluber was and how he made the Sox look like idiots.

Felix Doubront was again uneven going 6 innings giving up 5 hits, 4 runs (only 2 earned), walking 2 and striking out 8.  At times he looked brilliant and others he looked flustered.  In the first after Ellsbury and Drew let a ball drop in (it was charged as an Ellsbury error), Doubront couldn’t get out of the inning and allowed 2 runs before getting the final out.  He settled down and was on cruise control until the fifth and sixth when he allowed a run each inning.

Alex Wilson pitched a nice 7^th inning and Craig Breslow finished the game with 2 innings of relief allowing 1 run on 2 hits.  He would get the W but didn’t look great on the night.

It was a thrilling game and the Sox were able to get a big series win against a tough Cleveland Indian team.  The Sox are now in first place as the Yankees have been struggling as of late.  They now play their first interleague series of the year as they face the Philadelphia Phillies for 4 (2 at home then 2 in Philly).

On the mound tonight will be Alfredo Aceves who will get a spot start as Clay Buchholz is nursing a sore collar and be pushed back a few days to get it straightened out.  I’m a bit nervous as Alfredo is a nut case but I’m hoping his time in AAA has made him realize that he’s not above the team and can help the Sox out.  Aceves was a great asset to the Red Sox before his meltdown last year and I’m hoping his demotion has put things in perspective.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ellsbury’s big clutch double to win the game will get you the shaving cream pie to face every time.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Napoli went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.  He’s your typical swing big, miss big type of ball player.  Even when he strikes out though, that big swing is a sight to see.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The game winner off of Ellsbury’s bat in the 9^th.  Jacoby wasted no time and crushed the first pitch he saw for the walk-off win.

NEXT

Today, Monday (Memorial Day) 5/27 vs. the Philadelphia Phillies.

GAME 50 – 5/25/2013 – at Home vs. Cleveland Indians

RESULT – WIN 7-4

The Red Sox were able to get another come from behind victory on Saturday.  It looked bleak when the go ahead run for the Indians crossed the plate in the top of the 7^th when Jon Lester uncorked a breaking ball in the dirt that got away.  Mike Aviles scored from 3^rd base and it looked like the Red Sox again would let one get away from them.

Then the bottom of the order bailed them out.  Pedro Ciraco got it started with a one-out double and after an Ellsbury strikeout, Mike Carp and Dustin Pedroia both doubled to put the Sox up 5-4.  But the Sox weren’t done there.  After intentional walking David Ortiz, Mike Napoli followed with another walk, this time it wasn’t planned.  Then Daniel Nava came up and hit a pop-up that somehow fell in for a single scoring Pedroia and Ortiz to give the Sox the 7-4 lead they would hold for their 30^th win of the young season.

It was another great come from behind victory with the bottom of the order actually chipping in for a chance.  Pedro Ciriaco went 3 for 4 with a run scored and another driven in out of the 9^th spot.  Jose Iglesias went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored out of the 8^th spot.  It was a welcome surprise for a bottom of the order that hasn’t produced at all in the last 3 weeks.

Dustin Pedroia finished 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI.  He now has 14 doubles on the year and is hitting .337.  He doesn’t have the home-run power this year (2 so far) but he is playing like an MVP again and had some great at-bats in the late innings seeing lots of pitches and staying alive in bad counts.

The Sox walked 8 times on the night as Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz and Daniel Nava both had 2 a piece.  Nava also drove in 2 with and scored once as well.  Mike Carp hit a bit pitch-hit RBI double and has become a huge clutch player for the team.

Jon Lester had an ok game.  He has shaky and let up a lot of hits (10 in total) but was able to get out of some jams and grit through 7 innings.  His final line was 7 innings, 10 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts.  After a frustrating 2-run 3^rd inning, Jon settled down and retired 10 of the next 12 batters he faced, 4 came via the strikeout.  Last year that bad 3^rd inning would have done him in but his progression this year shows that he can bear down and get outs when he needs to.

The Red Sox will go for the series win today trying to win 3 of 4 from a hot Indians team.  After being pummeled on Thursday night, the last 2 games have been a welcome sight to these fans eyes.  Felix Doubront who’s been inconsistent as of late will take the hill for the Red Sox and he’ll be opposed by Corey Kluber who has been the same for the Indians.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Pedro Ciriaco.  Pedro has been struggling as of late so it was nice to see him come out and go 3 for 4, drive in a run and score a couple as well.  He had a great break-out year last year and the Sox were hoping he’d become their full time utility fielder but he hasn’t hit all that well this year.  Yesterday he broke out and the Sox needed it in a big way.

 

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ross.  Ross went 0-5 with 5 strikeouts.  I don’t think I’ve seen a hitter do as poorly as Ross did yesterday.  He was overmatched in every single one of his at bats and maybe he’s not quite over that concussion yet or the week and a half he were out messed up his timing.

 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the 8^th, Dustin Pedroia’s one-run, 2-out double to put the Red Sox up 5-4.  Pedroia was down 0-2 in the count but drove a hanging slider off the Green Monster for the game-winning run.

 

NEXT

Today, Sunday 5/26 vs. the Indians.

GAME 49 – 5/24/2013 – at Home vs. Cleveland Indians

RESULT – WIN 8-1

Red Sox Nation is quickly forgetting the disasterous start to John Lackey’s career in Boston as he continues to look great on the mound.  Last night he mowed the powerful Indians lineup downed and you can see Red Sox fans quickly coming to love the big righty.

John Lackey was brilliant going 7 innings giving up only 2 hits and 1 run (it was unearned).  He walked 3 and struck out 8 on the night and cut up the Indians lineup like a skilled surgeon.  In Lackey’s last 2 starts he hasn’t allowed an earned run in 13 innings.  His record is only 3-4 but his ERA is down to 2.72 and is actually lower than ace Jon Lester.

The bats also came out to play Friday night as the Sox scored 8 runs on 9 hits.  The story of the night was Dustin Pedroia and Mike Carp.  Pedroia went 2 for 4 and drove in 2 runs and Mike Carp had a big three-run homer, his 3^rd of the year to get things going for the Sox in the bottom of the 2^nd.

Jose Iglesias started his first career game at 3^rd base and made no errors.  He chipped in with a hit and a run but also struck out twice on the night.  David Ortiz was on base 3 times (2 walks and a hit) and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in 2 runs.

The only Sox starter without a hit was Stephen Drew who is in a slump as of late.  The Sox were 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position and Ellsbury stole his 14^th base of the year.

Former Sox pitcher, Justin Masterson was roughed up for the first time this year as he went 6 innings, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.  I still miss him in a Sox uniform and shutter to think what could have been with him in our pitching staff right now alongside Lester and Buchholz.

The story of the night however was the masterful performance put on by a re-energized John Lackey.  After striking out Nick Swisher in the sixth he jumped out the mound with a fist pump.  It was a sight that I remember from his Angels’ days when a young fiery Lackey was mowing down the AL West.  Let’s hope that’s the Lackey we’ll see for the rest of the year.

It’s a day-game today for the Red Sox as they’ll face off again with the Indians at 1:35 in Fenway (weather permitting).  The Sox will start Jon Lester (6-1, 3.15 ERA) against former phenom Scott Kazmir (2-2, 6.35 ERA).  Kazmir is coming off 2 good starts and is looking to continue his comeback after a disasterous 3 seasons.  Back in the day when Kazmir was with the Rays he would shut the Sox down so let’s hope that in a different uniform he won’t be as good as he was.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

John Lackey.  Lackey was once again dominant as he went 7 innings only giving up with 2 hits and 1 unearned run.  He struck out 8 and was in total control Friday night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and is now batting a terrible .205.  He showed promise there for a few weeks but is again in a slump.  Let’s hope he can work his way out of it because with Iglesias up playing third in Middlebrooks’ absence, they don’t have any other viable options.

PLAY OF THE GAME
Mike Carp’s second inning 3-run homer that ended up being enough as John Lackey was in total control.

NEXT
Today, Saturday 5/25 vs. the Indians.

GAME 48 – 5/23/2013 – at Home vs. Cleveland Indians

RESULT – LOSS 12-3

As I always say, if you’re going to lose, then lose big!  The Sox were pummeled by former manager Terry Francona’s new team, the Cleveland Indians.  They scored 12 runs on 16 hits and made the former manger’s return to Fenway a welcome one.

Ryan Dempster again struggled and has now pitched poorly in 3 straight starts.  His outing lasted only 3 innings and he gave up 4 runs on 5 hits.  The most discouraging statistic though is the 4 walks and the pitch count of 85 in only 3 innings.  His last outing he walked 6 batters and he doesn’t seem to be commanding his sinking stuff well at all.  He did strike out 4 but the Sox have to be a little worried that Dempster is struggling right now.

The bullpen wasn’t much better as nothing could calm the Indians bats last night.  Clayton Mortensen was touched up for 5 runs on 5 hits in only 2 innings.  He walked 3 and stuck out none.  Alex Wilson only pitched 1 inning but gave up 3 runs (only 2 were earned) on 4 hits.  Craig Breslow, Junichi Tazawa and Andrew Miller finally came in to put out the fire pitching the last 3 innings giving up only 2 hits and no runs but by then the damage had been done.   The Sox pitching staff had been torched and we got to see an upfront view of the potent Indian lineup.

Leading the charge for the Indians was Michael Bourn, Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs who each had 3 hits on the night.  Reynolds drove in 3 runs and Stubbs had 2 doubles and a triple while driving in 3 as well.

Every Cleveland starter had a hit and everyone except second baseman Jason Kipnis scored a run.  Carlos Santana walked 4 times on the night as the Sox seemed to try and work around arguable the Indians best hitter.  It backfired though as the next hitter, Mark Reynolds, torched them every time.

Offensively the Sox managed only 3 runs on 7 hits and walked 3 times.  They also struck out 11 times and were 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.  The 6 through 9 hitters were truly terrible going a combined 0 for 15 with 5 strikeouts.  The bottom of the order again, gave the Sox no production and continues to struggle.

Daniel Nava was on base 4 times with 2 hits and 2 walks and Big Papi had a three-run homerun, his 8^th of the season.  Ryan Lavarnway chipped in with a pitch hit double and Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli each had a hit apiece.

Will Middlebrooks left after 2 at bats (both strikeouts) and is now heading to the DL as well as Shane Victorino.  The Sox called up Alfredo Aceves (good grief) and Jose Iglesias who will play 3^rd in Middlebrooks absence.  They get back David Ross from the 7 day concussion list but 2 injuries to everyday starters hurts a lot.

It wasn’t a good night at Fenway Park but the good thing about baseball is they’ll play again tonight and the score will be 0-0.  The Sox will send John Lackey who has been on an absolute roll lately and I hope he can continue it tonight to get the Sox back on track.  The Indians will send their ace Justin Masterson, a former Red Sox pitcher, to the mound.  He too has been on a roll as he has a consecutive scoreless innings streak of 20.  Hopefully the Sox will get to him early because if he gets in a groove he’ll be tough to beat.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Daniel Nava.  Nava went 2 for 2 with a double and also walked 2 times.  He was the lone bright spot of an otherwise terrible night at the ballpark.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Ryan Dempster.  His pitch count was 85 pitches and he only got through 3 innings of work.  He walked 4 and didn’t have any command over his breaking stuff.  It’s alarming because his last 3 starts have been terrible and the Sox will need to get him turned around soon.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Yan Gomes’ double in the top of the 6^th to drive in 2 runs to make it a 9-3 and out of reach for the Red Sox.

NEXT

Today, Friday 5/24 vs. the Indians.

GAME 47 – 5/22/2013 – in Chicago vs. the White Sox

RESULT – WIN 6-2

Clay Buchholz wasn’t his usual dominant self last night but he put in a strong seven innings to secure his 7^th win of the season and also snap a 2 game losing streak for the Red Sox.

Buchholz went 7 innings giving up only 5 hits and one run, walking 3 and striking out 4.  His strikeout total was lower than normal and his command early was a bit off as he was missing with his secondary pitches.  The White Sox got to him for one run in the 3^rd but that’s as close as they’d come off of him.

His pace was a bit slow last night and at one point he threw over to first base 4 times in a row.  He seems to be throwing to first a lot this year and I don’t know if it’s because he’s nervous about the runner stealing or if it’s a timing thing where he’s trying to stunt the runner and not let him have a good jump.  Either way, it’s very annoying to watch and I hope that he can limit his throws over to first in the future. 

Last night he also seemed to be working at a slower pace than usual.  Not Josh Beckett slow but slower than in his previous outings.  It made it seem that he was laboring through the outing when in fact the White Sox never really did anything against him.  The 5 hits were scattered and none were extra base hits.  Sometimes the slow pace though will make a pitcher look less in control than he really is.

It’s a really good thing that Buchholz was in control last night because the bats certainly weren’t going all that good until late.  The Red Sox got 2 in the first inning but would score again until the eighth and ninth.  They had 9 hits but it all came from the top and middle of the order.  The bottom 3 (7-9 hitters) again were absolutely brutal.

Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia was a combined 1 for 11 with 7 strikeouts.  Middlebrooks did have an RBI sacrifice fly and Stephen Drew walked once with the one lone hit coming from Salty but the bottom part of the order has done nothing in the last 2 games.  The Sox really need to get Middlebrooks going and it seems Stephen Drew is as streaky as I remember his brother being.

Overall the Sox left 10 men on base and went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Twice they had rally-killing double-plays.  The first in the top of the 3^rd as David Ortiz wasted a leadoff walk by Dustin Pedroia and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, his 9^th of the season.  Then again in the fifth a leadoff walk was wasted as Jonny Gomes hit into a 5-4-3 double play.  This team is slow on the base paths so double-plays are going to happen but for Big Papi they’re becoming the norm.

The bright spots for the Red Sox offense were Jacoby Ellsbury who was on base 4 times, David Ortiz who had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Daniel Nava who had 2 RBI.

Ellsbury had 2 hits and 2 walks and looked a lot better with his approach at the plate.  He looked like a leadoff hitter last night as he was taking some pitches and working the count to his favor.  For the Red Sox to contend, they need Ellsbury on base.

David Ortiz had 2 hits with one being an RBI single in the 1^st but what everyone will be talking about today is his 1^st stolen base of the year.  It came in the top of the 1^st after his single and a walk to Napoli.  Ortiz stole 3^rd on Nava’s strikeout with everyone in the stadium being shocked he took off.  Nava, who struck out, looked puzzled and Napoli didn’t follow so he must have been as surprised as Nava.  The stolen base didn’t even warrant a throw to 3^rd and I’m sure it was because the White Sox catcher, Tyler Flowers was not ever expecting Ortiz to take off.  It was Ortiz’s 12^th career stolen base and just the second for him since 2008.

Daniel Nava added some insurance in the 9^th inning when he singled in two runs to put the Sox up 6-1.  It was Nava’s only hit on the night but he also walked once.  Nava has 29 RBI this year and is batting .288.  He’s been a pleasant surprise and has become a dangerous middle of the order hitter this year.

Koji Uehara pitched a perfect 8^th inning for his 10^th hold of the year.  He struck out 2 in the outing and looked as dominant as ever.  Andrew Bailey made his first appearance since his triceps injury and was a bit shaky in his return.  He surrendered a solo homerun to Paul Konerko but worked around it for the final outs of the game.  It was great to see him back out there but he needs to limit the solo homeruns for us Red Sox fans to not have any heart attacks in the 9^th inning in the future.

The Red Sox return home tonight for a four games series against the Cleveland Indians and former manager Terry Francona.  The Sox were 6-3 on their road trip and look to keep it going tonight against a tough Cleveland Indian team.

Ryan Dempster (2-4, 4.27 ERA) will toe the rubber tonight looking to rebound after a tough outing last time in Minnesota.  It was his worst outing of the year as he didn’t even make it out of the 5^th inning.  He’ll look to rebound against Zach McAllister ( 3-3, 2.65 ERA) who’s been very good this year.  His last 4 outings have been fantastic as he hasn’t allowed more than 2 earned runs in a game.  He has 14 strikeouts in those outings against 6 walks.  He pitches to contact and the Sox will need to find some space tonight to get a win.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz went 2 for 5 and drove in 2 and also stole his first base since 2008.  Ortiz got the Sox off to a good start in the 1^st and was able to let Clay Buchholz put it on cruise control.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Will Middlebrooks.  Will continues to struggle at the plate.  His average is now down to .203 and with another 0 for night he’ll be under .200.  He did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly but pitchers are getting him out continually on outside pitches.  Will seems to be trying to pull everything and either missing it or rolling over to easy groundballs and pop flys.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Big Papi’s first inning 2-run single to get the scoring started.  It would be all Clay Buchholz would need on the night as he held the White Sox bats in check.

NEXT

Tonight, May 23rd at Fenway vs. the Cleveland Indians.

GAME 46 – 5/21/2013 – in Chicago vs. the White Sox

RESULT – LOSS 3-1

In baseball, sometimes you just run into good pitching and last night the Chicago White Sox starter, Jose Quintana, through a gem.  He had a no-no going into the 7^th inning that was eventually broken up and then the pen finished the Red sox off.

Jose Quintana had a no-hitter going in the 7^th when David Ortiz broke it up.  It was followed by 2 more singles and Quintana was finally lifted from the game.  He went 6 and 1/3 gave up only those 3 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.  He pounded the strike zone throwing 73 strikes in 107 pitches.  His method was to throw strikes and get after hitters early.  The Red Sox were continually in bad counts and couldn’t figure the young lefty out.

 
The good news is that Felix Doubront was equally as good.  Doubront finally looked like a Major League pitcher last night.  He kept his pitch count down (85 pitches in 6 innings) and had great command of his secondary pitches.  His curveball was downright nasty last night.  The only mistake he made was on a 5^th inning 2-run homerun to Jeff Keppinger.  The bomb from Keppinger again came with 2 outs.  The White Sox continue to kill the Red Sox with 2 out RBI in this series.

His final line was 6 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.  I was surprised they took him out after 6 innings but I think that was a confidence booster.  Take him out when he’s doing well and build off of it in his next start.

The good outing didn’t matter much because the Sox offense and bullpen couldn’t get it done last night.  The Sox had plenty of opportunities to tie the game or even take the lead but failed in every attempt.

In the fifth after getting 3 straight singles to load the bases, Jose Quintana exited the game with only 1 out.  Jesse Crain came on and struck out Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew to get out of the jam.

The next inning, the Sox put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with only 1 out and Dustin Pedroia reached on an error by shortstop Alexei Ramirez to cut the lead to 2-1.  With only one out and runners at the corners up stepped Big Papi with a chance to at least tie the game.  He grounded the first pitch he saw to first baseman Paul Konerko who started the 3-6-3 double-play to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Alex Wilson let up a RBI double to Alex Rios that put the score to 3-1 and essentially ended the night for the Sox.  The double again came with 2 outs and so far every White Sox run has come with 2 outs in the series.  The Sox pitchers continue to let 2-out rallies kill them.

It was all about White Sox pitching on the night and it held the Red Sox to only 4 hits, none of them being extra bases.  The Red Sox struck out 8 times on the night and were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.  Johnny Gomes was particularly bad going 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.  Mike Napoli went 1 for 4 but struck out 2 times and Will Middlebrooks took a 0 for 4 with a strikeout.  The bottom of the order for the Sox, 7-9 hitters, went a combined 0-9 with 3 strikeouts and was only on base once (Salty walked once).

The Sox will try to avoid the sweep tonight as Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.69 ERA) takes the mound looking for his 7^th win.  Clay did extremely well in a no-decision last outing going 8 innings giving up only 2 runs and striking out 4.

The Red Sox get lucky as they’ll avoid Chris Sale who is being pushed back a day and will face Hector Santiago (1-2, 2.78 ERA).  He’s pitched in 11 games but has made only 4 starts on the year.  His last start on 5/18 he only went 3 and 1/3 innings giving up 4 hits and 3 runs walking 4 batters.  He’s young and sometimes erratic.  The Red Sox will need to be patient and let him throw strikes.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Felix Doubront.  Doubront took the loss in the game but looked a lot better this outing than his previous 3.  He was efficient and had his secondary pitches looking downright nasty.  It was nice to see his pitch count only in the 80’s through 6 innings as his last 3 outings he’s been in the 100’s in the 5^th.  If he can continue to throw strikes and keep his pitch count down there’s hope for this season.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Really the whole offense should go here but if I have to single one player out I’m going to go with Jonny Gomes.  Gomes went 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts and is not hitting for the Sox this year as his batting average is down to .183.  He was brought in to specifically hit against left-hand pitchers this year and he hasn’t been all that good against lefties, hitting at .178.  Gomes is a career .279 hitter against lefties but can’t seem to get it going this year for the Red Sox.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The double-play hit into by David Ortiz in the top of the 8^th with the tying run on 3^rd and go ahead run on 1^st.  In that situation you want Big Papi to take a pitch or two but he went after the first pitch and drove it into the ground for an easy 3-6-3 double-play.  It was a back-breaker for the Red Sox as the White Sox would add another run in the bottom half of the inning and put the game out of reach.

NEXT

Tonight, May 22nd in Chicago vs. the White Sox.

GAME 45 – 5/20/2013 – in Chicago vs. the White Sox

RESULT – LOSS 6-4

Jon Lester and the Red Sox had a very frustrating night in Chicago.  The White Sox ended the Red Sox winning streak at 5 with clutch two-out hitting.

Lester got the first 2 outs in the bottom of the first then let up a single, a walk and a 3-run homer to Adam Dunn to put them in the hole 3-0.  In the bottom of the second, he got the first 2 batters to groundout to start the inning but then the White Sox doubled three straight times to plate 2 more and stake them to a 5-0 lead.  In the bottom of the 5^th, an error by Will Middlebrooks and walk to Alex Rios was erased with a double play by Paul Konerko.  Lester again had two outs then walked Adam Dunn and then let up a single to Viciedo to plate the 6^th run for the White Sox.

All runs were scored when Jon Lester had 2 outs in the inning.  He just couldn’t get that final out and put them away and credit the White Sox for getting big clutch 2-out hits.

It looked like to me that Lester’s command was a bit off.  He was leaving pitches up in the zone and Chicago hitters weren’t missing them.  His final line was 6 innings, 7 this 6 runs (only 5 earned), 3 walks and 2 strikeouts.  Four of the 7 hits went for extra bases and the White Sox continually hit him hard.  The loss was Lester’s first on the year and his ERA rose to 3.15.  His season so far has been outstanding and he said it best after the game. “It was bound to (end) sometime, it is what it is.” – Lester

Jon Lester hasn’t faired all too well against the White Sox in his career.  He’s had 10 career starts against Chicago and is 4-5 with a gaudy 5.43 ERA.

The Red Sox hitters tried to tie up the game and had two innings that looked like they might do it but both bids fell just a bit short.

In the 7^th, Jarrod Saltalmacchia, who homered in the 3^rd) ripped a shot to deep left with 2 outs that looked like it had enough to get out of the ballpark.  Dayan Viciedo was able to flag it down right in front of the wall to end the inning.

Then in the 9^th, with one out and Mike Napoli on 1^st, Will Middlebrooks hit a shot to center that also looked like it could go.  Alejandro De Aza was able to catch up to it right in front of the wall again for the 2^nd out of the inning.  The wind seemed to be blowing in a bit and cutting down the high fly balls to left and center field.

Middlebrooks did have a big 2-run double in the 7^th to cut the lead to 6-4.  It was his only hit on the night.  Saltalamacchia went 2 for 3 with a homer and 2 RBI.  Pedroia, Napoli and Victorino each had a hit in the game as well as the Sox only had 6 hits.  Shane Victorino left the game in the 6^th inning with hamstring tightness and is day-to-day.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 0-4 and is now batting .241 with an on-base percentage of .303.  He’s simply not getting on base enough for a lead-off hitter.  I know he’s got a ton of speed but it may be time to go with Victorino at the lead-off spot and give Ellsbury some time to figure stuff out in a different spot in the order.

Middlebrooks made his 7^th error of the year in the bottom of the 5^th and it led to an unearned run for Jon Lester.  Will’s fielding percentage this year is a terrible .936 and though he worked on his fielding all Spring Training, the results just aren’t there.  He made 9 errors last year in 72 games and already has 7 in 43 this year.  His career fielding percentage is .944.  This is not something all that new to Will and the Red Sox.  He posted a career .939 fielding percentage in the Minors over the course of 5 seasons.  The Sox seem content on letting him figure it out but if he doesn’t pick it up soon, he’ll be DH’ing when Ortiz hangs up the cleats.

The bullpen pitched 2 solid innings of relief giving up only 1 hit and walking 1 in 2 innings of work.  Clayton Mortensen pitched a perfect 7^th inning which was a relief as he’s been struggling as of late.

They’ll lace it up again tonight as the Red Sox will send Felix Doubront to the mound (3-1, 6.03 ERA) against lefty Jose Quintana (2-1, 3.97 ERA).  Quintana is coming off a start in which he was roughed up by the Angels for 4 runs on 6 hits in 6 and 2/3 innings. Doubront has struggled of late giving up 12 earned runs on 23 hits in 2 games before his last outing on 5/16.  He looked a little better that game going 5 innings and giving up only 2 runs but he walked 6 in the outing.  The Sox will look for Doubront to be a bit more consistent and get them back on track. 

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  Salty went 2 for 3 with a homerun and 2 RBI in the losing effort.  He also had a homer fall just short that may have tied up the game in the 7^th.  Salty has hit the ball pretty good of late hitting at .370 in his last 10 games.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jon Lester.  Lester just didn’t have that great of command last night.  He left a lot of balls up in the zone and couldn’t get the final out of innings.  It’s frustrating to get give up runs with 2 outs in an inning.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bottom of the 5^th.  The Red Sox had battled back to make it a 5-2 game and Lester had 2 outs and Ramirez on 3^rd.  Lester walked Adam Dunn then gave up a single to centerfield to Dayan Viciedo to put the White Sox up 6-2.

NEXT

Tonight, May 21st in Chicago vs. the White Sox.

GAME 44 – 5/19/2013 – in Minnesota vs. the Twins

RESULT – WIN 5-1

John Lackey was outstanding on Sunday afternoon and probably could have gone deep into the game if not for a monsoon and then three hour rain delay.  The Sox sweep the Twins and have won 5 in a row and are hot again.

Lackey went 6 innings giving up only 1 hit and no earned runs (1 run overall).  He walked none and struck out 5.  It was his most dominant start in years as he notched his 2^nd win of the season and lowered his ERA to 3.31.  John most likely would have went out for more innings had the rain not ruined his outing.

After 3 hours, play resumed and 3 relievers nailed it down for the Sox.  Andrew Miller threw a perfect 7^th striking out one.  Koji Uehara struck out the side in the 8^th but not before loading the bases and giving all Sox fans a mild heart attack.  Then Junichi Tazawa pitched the ninth and allowed 2 hits but also struck out 2.  The bullpen is pitching well again and it looks like they have their mojo back.

The Sox had 11 hits on the night with every Sox starter getting a hit except Pedro Ciriaco again.  Pedro was starting at short for the 2^nd straight day as Drew is out with a bad back.  Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 5, driving in 3 runs and hitting his 2^nd homer of the year.  Will Middlebrooks also added his 8^th home run of the year.  Daniel Nava stayed hot and went 2 for 5 and Mike Napoli went 1 for 4 with an RBI.  Jacoby Ellsbury had the day off and Shane Victorino went 1 for 4 with a walk in the leadoff spot.  He also ran down a couple fly balls in center and stole his 4^th base of the year.

In addition to a poor outing at the plate, Pedro Ciriaco made his 6^th error of the year leading to the only run the Twins would put up.  Pedro is batting .184 this year and I think it may be time for the Sox to bring up young Brock Holt as the utility infielder.  Pedro has a lot of flexibility but he’s costing the Sox with his hitless nights and errors.

During the long rain delay, the crowed was treated to a big-screen showing of the classic 1993 baseball movie “The Sandlot” which was previously scheduled for postgame.  Some of the Red Sox players even watched from the visitor’s dugout.  When play did resume however, you could count the fans in the stands.

The Sox now travel to Chicago to face the White Sox who are 19-23 on the year and in 4^th place in the AL Central.  The Sox pulled to ½ game back in the East as the Yankees were rained out against Toronto on Sunday.

Jon Lester (6-0, 2.72) will go for his 7^th win of the year and will be opposed by Dylan Axelrod who is 1-3 on the year with a 4.27 ERA.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

John Lackey.  Lackey was dominant getting his 2^nd victory of the year.  He let up only 1 hit and no earned runs in 6 innings pitched.  He struck out 5 and didn’t seem to be in any trouble the entire outing.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Pedro Ciriaco.  Was again the only hit-less Red Sox player and committed an error (his 6^th of the year) that led to the only Twins run.  Brock Holt is waiting the call-up Pedro.  Let’s get it going.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Koji Uehara’s 9^th inning strikeout of Joe Mauer with the bases loaded and the game still very much in doubt at 3-1.  Koji ended up striking out the side but things looked bleak with the bases loaded and the dangerous Mauer at the plate.

NEXT

Tonight, May 20th in Chicago vs. the White Sox.

GAME 43 – 5/18/2013 – in Minnesota vs. the Twins

RESULT – WIN 12-5

The offense showed up Saturday night for the Red Sox and it’s a good thing because Ryan Dempster didn’t have anything out there.  The Sox banged out 13 hits and scored 12 times and were 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

The Twins banged out 12 hits but couldn’t string anything together as they were only able to plate 5.  Dempster gave up 8 of those hits and all 5 of those runs.  He couldn’t make it out of the 5^th going only 4 and 2/3 and throwing a ridiculous 127 pitches in his short outing.

Dempster walked 6 batters on the night and lacked any type of command on the night.  Having been given a 7-2 lead to start the fifth, it looked like Dempster would cruise to his 3^rd victory of the year but after giving up a lead-off double then 2 quick outs, things got out of hand quickly for the right-hander.  He walked the next batter, his sixth walk on the night, then gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Pedro Florimon and Jamey Caroll.

He was at 127 pitches and finally John Farrell had seen enough.  Farrell came out the batter before and must have been talked into letting Dempster stay because he didn’t pull him.  I would bet he was trying to get Dempster the win but he clearly didn’t have it and needed to be removed.

The bullpen came in and didn’t allow a run the rest of the game.  Craig Breslow got out of a bases loaded one out situation in the fourth when Dustin Pedroia made a really nice basket catch in short right field.  He then spinned and fired home to Ryan Lavarnway to nail Doumit attempting to tag up and score.  There was a collision at the plate but Lavarnway held onto the ball for the double play and seemed to give the Sox momentum going into the late innings.

Breslow looked good going 1 and 2/3 innings giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk.  Alex Wilson pitched 2 scoreless innings to seal it giving up only 1 hit and struck out 2.  His season ERA is now down to 1.26 and he has become very reliable in the pen.

The story of the night was offense and the headliner was Big Papi – David Ortiz.  Ortiz slugged 2 homers and se the franchise record for multihomer games by a Red Sox.  It was the 38^th time he’s done it in a Red Sox uniform.  Ortiz finished the night 3 for 4 with 6 RBI.  He has 7 homeruns and 29 RBI in only 25 games this year.

Ortiz seems to love hitting vs. his former team as he know is hitting .332 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI in 53 career games vs. the Twins.  He has a .500 average with 5 home runs and 16 RBI at Target Field.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Daniel Nava went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, doubling and homering.  Will Middlebrooks was on base 3 times and Ryan Lavarnway knocked in 2 with a big 2-out single.  I hope Lavarnway can come around because he has so much promise and another big bat in the lineup would really help this team.

Pedro Ciriaco was the only Sox player without a hit on the night taking a 0 for 5.  Mike Napoli went 1 for 2 but walked 3 times.  Mike’s been quiet as of late and I expect hit to breakout soon.  He is a very streaky player and he usually follows up a quiet week with a big week.

The Sox go for the sweep of the Twins Sunday afternoon with John Lackey taking the hill in search of his 2^nd win of the season.  Lackey has looked good lately and hopefully he can keep it going.  He’ll be opposed by Pedro Hernandez who is 2-0 on the year but has a 5 ERA.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Is there any doubt?  38^th career multi-homer game and new record holder for the big lefty.  When you really think about, that’s a great accomplishment.  Ted Williams, Jim Rice, Yaz, Carlton Fisk, Manny Ramirez, etc.  A ton of big hitters have been in Boston but he now stands alone in multi-homer games.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP
Ryan Dempster.  When a team stake’s you to a 7-2 lead and you can’t get through the 5^th to get the win you’ll get an elbow to the face.  Dempster’s command was terrible as he walked 6 batters and threw 126 in only 4 and 2/3 innings.  The offense basically gave him an easy win and get couldn’t get out of the 5^th.  Hopefully it’s just a tiny blip on his season but it is troublesome.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The 2^nd home-run by Big Papi.  It was the nail in the coffin for the Twins and set a new Red Sox record. 

NEXT

Today, May 19th in Minnesota vs. the Twins.  Get the brooms ready!

GAME 42 – 5/17/2013 – in Minnesota vs. the Twins

RESULT – WIN 3-2

Clay Buchholz was again dominant Friday night vs. the Twins.  He was denied the win but the Sox were able to win the game in extra innings to run their winning streak to 3 in a row.

Buchholz went 7 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 3 and striking out 9.  He combined with three relievers to retire the last 17 Twins in order to seal the victory for Boston.

He had a few hiccups in the middle innings as he gave up a two-run homer to Pedro Florimon but was able to regain his form and sat down the final seven he faced and seemed to bear down when he needed to.  Clay was locked in early as he struck out 5 of the first 6 batters and looked like he would cruise to his 7^th victory of the year.

Then in the 3^rd, the Twins were able to get their first hit off of him and the Florimon’s homer put the Twins up 2-1.  In the 5^th, he loaded the bases and it appeared like it may be the end for him but he rallied and got Josh Willingham looking and then had Justin Morneau fly out to end the inning.

The bullpen was stellar after Buchholz’s exit.  Andrew Miller was fantastic going 1 and 2/3 innings striking out 2 and didn’t allow a hit.  Alex Wilson got the only batter he faced and Koji Uehara pitched a perfect 10^th with 2 strikeouts to notch his first save of the year.

In total, Sox pitching struck out 14 Twins on the night and only walked 3.

It’s a good thing too because the Sox didn’t have anything going offensively.  They managed 10 hits but grounded into 3 double plays and were only 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.  It seemed like they couldn’t string any hits together and when they did, it would end with a rally-killing double play.

David Ortiz went 3 for 4 with an RBI and Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each had 2 hits apiece.  Stephen Drew was on base three times with 2 walks and a double and Jonny Gomes reached base twice with 2 walks.

In extras, Pedroia who was 0 for 4 and had already grounded into 2 double plays led the inning off with a single then moved to second on a Big Papi walk.  Will Middlebrooks, who went 0 for 4 then laid down a perfect, sacrifice bunt that moved the runners to second and third.  After an intentional walk to Drew, Jonny Gomes broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to center to put the winning run across the plate.

It’s rare to see the Sox play small ball but the 10^th showed just how fundamentally sound the team is this year.  Pushing that run across when nothing else was working last night showed that this team has come a long way from last year.

The Sox go at it again tonight with Dempster taking the mound seeking his 3^rd win of the season.  Hopefully the bats will get going against Scott Diamond of the Twins who is 3-3 on the year with an ERA in the high fours.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Clay Buchholz.  Clay was denied his 7^th win on the season but threw seven strong innings and looked dominant most of the night.  When your starter can consistently go 7 strong and keep producing quality starts, the team is going to win a lot of games.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Carp.  Carp went 0 for 4 on the night with 2 strikeouts.  He has cooled off considerably since his torrid start.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The perfect sacrifice bunt by Will Middlebrooks in the 10^th inning.  When I think of bunting, Will Middlebrooks doesn’t come to mind which is why his 10^th inning bunt was perfect.  It got the runners in scoring position and ended up being the biggest play of the night.  Way to play some small ball Will.

NEXT

Tonight, May 18th in Minnesota vs. the Twins.

GAME 41 – 5/16/2013 – in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays

RESULT – WIN 4-3

Will Middlebrooks has been in quite the slump lately.  His average is down to .211 and since his 3 homerun assault vs. the Blue Jays in early April he has struggled mightily.  The last week or show, he’s shown some signs of coming out of this prolonged slump as he’s hit .265 in his last 10 games with 7 doubles and 1 homerun.  Last night he delivered in a big way.

Down 3-1 with the bases loaded and the count 1-2 vs. the flame throwing Fernando Rodney, Middlebrooks rocketed a line drive double to left-center field that cleared the bases and paved the way to a Red Sox come from behind win.

The second strike thrown by Rodney was a 100 mph fastball that Middlebrooks was terribly late on.  Rodney then threw an 85 mph change-up that somehow Will was able to stay back on and rip it into the gap.  The Sox were able to win the series and have now taken 5 of 6 from the Rays on the season.

The inning started with a 3-1 Rays lead but Rodney opened the ninth by walking both Pedroia and Ortiz.  He struck out Napoli but then walked Daniel Nava to load up the bases.  Stephen Drew came up and all I could think of was the grand slam from the night before but he struck out on 3 pitches and looked lost up their against Rodney.  It looked like Fernando would escape the jam and get the save.

But he couldn’t put Middlebrooks away.  He started out 0-2 and the third pitch was a tough outside pitch that somehow Will let go.  He’s been chasing those pitches during this tough slump so it was encouraging him to lie off then come up with the big hit to give the Sox their first ninth-inning comeback win of the season.

The Sox didn’t have much else offensively last night getting only 4 hits the entire game.  Alex Cobb, the young Rays starter, was brilliant on the night going 6 and 1/3 innings giving up only 3 hits, 1 run, walking 2 and striking out 6.  His movement on his pitches is amazing.  It looks like he’s throwing wiffle balls out there.

David Ortiz went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI.  Shane Victorino went 1 for 4 with a run scored and a double.  Pedroia also went 1 for 3 with a walk and of course Middlebrooks went 1 for 3 with a walk and 3 big RBI.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 0 for 5 with a strikeout and Mike Napoli went 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts and also walked once.  Stephen Drew went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and in total the Sox struck out 8 times on the night.  Ellsbury is now down to .249 on the season and is not producing at the top of the lineup.  It may be time to shuffle the top of the order and put Victorino in that spot followed by Pedroia, Ortiz, Napoli.  Move Jacoby down a bit to try and figure some things out.

Felix Doubront struggled with efficiency and command on the night but was able to escape multiple jams throughout the night.  I was actually impressed given how he’s struggled as of late.  Doubront went 5 innings, gave up 3 hits and 2 runs.  He walked 6 batters and struck out 7.  It took him 104 pitches to get through 5 innings of work.  He seemed to be trying to get the corners too much and reminded me of some of Dice-K’s old performances.  He needs to throw more strikes and get ahead early in counts but this was a step in the right direction.

Clayton Mortensen and Andrew Miller weren’t able to stop the bleeding in the sixth as Doubront came out in the sixth after a walk.  Mortensen was able to get a quick force-out but then walked the next 2 batters to load the bases.  Desmond Jennings then blooped a single to give the Rays a 2-1 lead.  Miller then came in and gave up an RBI single to Luke Scott to make it 3-1.  He was able to get out of the inning but it looked like the damage had been done because the Rays pitching staff was lights out on the night.

Breslow came in for the seventh and shut them down getting a perfect inning.  Junichi Tazawa then pitched the 8^th and 9^th giving up only 2 hits and striking out 2 to get the win.  Tazawa made it a bit scary in the night by giving up a lead-off single to start the inning.  He settled down though and got the remaining 3 outs to secure the come from behind win.

Luke Scott was the big hitter for the Rays going 3 for 4 on the night with an RBI and a walk.  Ben Zobrist was on base twice with 2 walks and Ryan Roberts went 1 for 3 with a solo homerun.

The Red Sox needed a series win in a huge way and thanks to the clutch hitting by Will Middlebrooks they go into Minnesota with some momentum and their ace on the mound in Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.69 ERA).  He’ll be opposed by Minnesota Twins starter Vance Worley (1-4, 7.15 ERA).

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Will Middlebrooks.  Will had the clutch 3-run double to put the Sox up 4-3 in the top of the ninth with 2 outs and 2 strikes.  Let’s hope he’s finally out of this month long slump.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Naps took the hat trick, striking out 3 times in 3 plate appearances.  Mike is a guy that strikes out a ton but last night he came up in some key situations and just couldn’t put a bat on the ball.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Will Middlebrooks key clutch double in the ninth to win the game.
 
NEXT
Tonight, May 17th in Minnesota vs. the Twins.