GAME 129 – 8/21/2013 – in San Francisco vs. the Giants

RESULT – WIN 12-1

Yesterday is why I love the 2013 Red Sox.  One day removed from a very frustrating defeat that could send a team into a downward spiral, everything was back to normal and the bats came out in full effect.

With a barrage of hits and an absolute gem pitched by Felix Doubront, the Red Sox rolled to a 12-1 victory and a series win in San Francisco.

It all starts with pitching and Felix Doubront was on yesterday.  The lefty fired 8 strong innings allowing only 1 run (a solo homer in the 2^nd ining) on 5 hits while striking out 3 and walking 1.  He seemed confident yesterday and threw a lot of first pitch strikes.  His curveball was downright nasty yesterday and in one at bat against Hunter Pence, who he struck out twice, Pence swung and missed when the ball was already in the mitt.  The curveball just disappeared on him and was on point all night long.

Koji Uehara, in a non-save situation, pitched a perfect ninth in what I’m guessing was just a chance to get some extra work in because he hadn’t pitched in a few games.  He struck out 1 in the inning.

The offense showed up in a huge way.  They left only 4 men on base and were 6 for 15 with runners in scoring position.  Every starter except for David Ortiz, who left with back soreness, and the pitcher had a hit.  Hopefully Ortiz’s injury isn’t serious and maybe just some soreness because he’s had to play the field the last 2 days.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 3 for 4 with a double and his 46^th stolen base.  Shane Victorino went 3 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI.  Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.  Both his hits were doubles and he now has 30 on the year.  Will Middlebrooks stayed hot and hit his 11^th homer of the year and drove in 2.  He also walked once and is scorching hot since coming off the DL.  Stephen Drew also homered and drove in 3; it was his 10^th homer of the year.  Jonny Gomes had 1 hit, 1 run scored, 2 RBI and also walked once.  Salty went 1 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI in the win as well.

The Sox had a ton of RBI come with 2 outs.  8 of the 12 runs scored on the day came with 2 outs.  That’s some big clutch hitting.  Both homers in the game (Middlebrooks & Drew) came with 2 outs and are absolute back-breakers.

Xander Bogaerts came in late in the game and reached base on an error.  He is still looking for his first hit of his career.  Mike Napoli, who came in for Ortiz, went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and still looks lost at the plate.

It was a good series win on the road and now they get a much needed day of rest before heading to Los Angeles to face the ridiculously hot Dodgers.  They’ll meet some familiar faces out there with Carl Crawford, Nick Punto, Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez all in Dodger blue now

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Felix Doubront.  No matter how good you hit, you have to have a good pitching performance and Felix was on point yesterday going 8 strong innings of 1 run ball.  It was possibly the best I’ve seen him in a good month and a half.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts before exiting with back pain.  He has looked absolutely terrible in his 2 games on the west coast National League road trip.  Let’s hope the injury isn’t serious and Ortiz can get back to mashing.  He just looks lost up there right now.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Jonny Gomes’ 2 run single in the top of the 3^rd to put the Sox up 5-1 and the game out of reach for the struggling Giants.

NEXT

Friday, August 23^rd, in Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers.

GAME 128 – 8/20/2013 – in San Francisco vs. the Giants

RESULT – LOSS 3-2

Missed opportunities continue to haunt the Red Sox.  Last night they couldn’t capitalize on early chances and then the bats went silent the rest of the game, allowing the Giants to come back for a 3-2 walk-off (literally) victory.

The Red Sox had golden 2 golden opportunities to put a lot of runs on the board and they let them slip away.

In the first, Ellsbury singled then stole 2^nd, Victorino was hit by a pitch and Pedroia singled to load the bases with no outs.  Mike Carp then hit a sacrifice fly to plate the first run of the game.  After a Will Middlebrooks single to again load the bases with only 1 out, Daniel Nava flew out and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.  Twice they had the bases loaded and they came away with only 1 run in the inning.

In the 3^rd, Shane Victorino led off the inning with a homer to put the Sox up 2-0.  The Sox would then have runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with 2 outs after a Daniel Nava double.  Xander Bogaerts would ground out to end the inning.  Yet another threat that they couldn’t capitalize on.

The bats went silent after that.  They were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 7 men on base.  Jacoby Ellsbury went 1 for 4 with a run scored and his 45^th steal of the year.  Shane Victorino went 1 for 3 with an RBI and his 8^th homer of the season.  Will Middlebrooks remained hot going 2 for 4 and David Ross went 1 for 4 with a double in his return to the lineup after his DL stint for a concussion.

Dustin Pedroia and Daniel Nava each had a hit on the night as well but the team as a whole could muster only 7 hits on the night.

Making his Major League debut, top prospect, Xander Bogaerts had a rough night.  He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout and came up twice with a chance to give the Sox some runs but couldn’t come through.  I’m sure there were a lot of nerves for the 20 year old and I’m sure he’ll get better but you know he wanted to have a really good debut.  He did make a nice play at shortstop to help Jake Peavy escape a jam.

Speaking of Jake Peavy, he looked pretty good.  He went 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up just 1 run on 5 this while striking out 4 and walking 1.  His pitch count was a bit high, 92, as the Giants made him work going deep into counts all game.  If the game was in an American League stadium and the rules were different, I believe Peavy would have stayed in longer but due to him coming up 2^nd in the 7^th, John Farrell had to make a switch to try and get his offense going.

Craig Breslow went 1 and 1/3 perfect inning out of the pen getting all 4 batters he faced out.  Junichi Tazawa pitched 1 inning and allowed 1 run on 2 hits.  He wasn’t sharp again and seems to be going back and forth with one good outing and one bad.  Franklin Morales took the loss as he went 2/3 of an inning giving up 1 run on 1 hit while also walking one.  Making his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform, Brayan Villarreal didn’t make a good first impression as he walked the only batter he faced to plate the winning run.  The bases were loaded and he missed on 4 straight pitches.  I know Farrell was trying to save Koji for a save opportunity but he would have at least thrown some strikes.

The Sox will go for the series win today as they send Felix Doubront (8-6, 3.95) to the mound.  Doubront was atrocious in his last 2 outings against the Royals and Yankees.  He lasted just 4 innings in each game and allowed a total of 9 runs on 14 hits.  He’s also been a bit wild as he’s walked 6 batters over that time.  Doubront needs to come in today and throw strikes early and pitch to contact.  San Francisco’s ballpark is huge and he needs to trust his stuff today.

He’ll be opposed by Barry Zito (4-8, 5.34).  Zito had been relegated to the bullpen in his last 4 outings but he’ll get the start today.  Zito doesn’t throw very hard and sometimes walks the ballpark so the Sox need to be patient and wait for their pitch.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Shane Victorino.  Victorino went 1 for 3 with his 8^th homer of the year and was also on base again as he was hit by a pitch.  It was the 9^th time he’s been hit by a pitch this year.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Brayan Villarreal.  In his first appearance for the Sox, he walked in the game winning run on 4 straight pitches.  Not a good start.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The 4 pitch walk to end the game.

NEXT

Wednesday, August 21st in San Francisco vs. the Giants.

GAME 127 – 8/19/2013 – in San Francisco vs. the Giants

RESULT – WIN 7-0

Jon Lester was exactly what the Red Sox needed Monday night.  The big lefty had one of his best outings of the season firing a gem that lifted Boston to a 7-0 victory to start a tough road trip on the west coast.

Lester went 8 and 1/3 innings, scattering just 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3.  He let up no runs and all 6 hits that he let up were singles.  His command on the night was on point and he seemed to get ahead of most hitters. 

Jon flew out a day ahead of his team and got a good night’s rest in before the rest of the team arrived and it seemed to help.  I would like to see that more often out of teams.  It just makes more sense for the pitchers that are going to go in the series to get a jump start and let their bodies adjust to the time difference.

Brandon Workman struck out the final 2 batters of the game and was also dominant in his short outing.  The pitching was spectacular and hopefully the rest of the starters can piggy back Lester’s performance and get a streak going.

After the loss to the Yankees Sunday night, John Farrell opted to not have the team fly out Sunday night and instead go home and sleep in their own beds.  They then jumped on the 10:20 a.m. flight out of Boston and trekked six hours to the other side of the country to San Francisco.  Most of the team went straight to the ballpark.

Though they had to be tired, it didn’t affect their performance.

The Sox banged out 12 hits and scored 7 runs while also walking 4 times in the ball game.  They were led by 3 hits from Shane Victorino and Daniel Nava.  Both also drove in a run and Nava scored 2 as well.  Both were on base 4 times as Victorino was hit by a pitch and Nava walked.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia also had a good night going 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, an RBI and a walk.  He also his his 34^th double of the season.  Salty has been overlooked this year but he’s batting .272 and has an OPS of .797.

Stephen Drew continued his hot hitting going 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia each had a hit in the game.  Will Middlebrooks walked twice and had a sacrifice fly.

The team as a whole was better with runners in scoring position going 4 for 12 but did leave 9 men on base.  For a long road trip after a tough loss to your rival, I expected the worse but this team is resilient and they showed a lot of character tonight.

They’ll go back at it again tonight as Jake Peavy (9-5, 4.41) will take the hill.  He also went out early with Jon Lester so hopefully the situation will mirror Lester’s performance tonight.  He’ll be opposed by Ryan Vogelsong (2-4, 6.75).  Vogelsong is fresh off the DL and has only had 2 starts since missing about 3 months of time.  He was terrible in his last outing giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while lasting only 3 and 2/3 innings.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jon Lester.  Lester put in a performance as if thought his team would be tired and not give him any run support.  Luckily he got some run support but he didn’t really need it tossing a gem.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz went 0 for 5 at the dish with 2 strikeouts.  Maybe he was more focused on his defense as he got the start at first base.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Will Middlebrooks sacrifice fly in the top of the 2^nd inning to plate their first run.  It would be the only one they would need with a nasty Jon Lester on the mound.

NEXT

Tuesday, August 20th in San Francisco vs. the Giants.

GAME 126 – 8/18/2013 – at Home vs. the New York Yankees

RESULT – LOSS 9-6

It was an eventful Sunday night baseball game as the Yankees down the Sox 9-6 to take the series after an emotional and fired up night.

A-Rod, who’s playing under appeal of a 211-game suspension, was again in the midst of a wild scene at Fenway Park.  In the top of the 2^nd, Ryan Dempster plunked A-Rod with the 4^th pitch of the at-bat.  It was the 4^th in a row to come inside and it was clear that Dempster was throwing at Rodriguez.

Joe Girardi went nuts as Brian O’Nora, the home plate umpire, quickly warned both sides but did not toss Dempster.  Girardi was ejected and both benches and bullpens cleared.  Nothing happened on the field but tensions were high the rest of the game and although nothing ever happened, it felt like something could at any minute.

I don’t agree with hitting A-Rod in that situation.  The Sox were up 2-0 and it was still really early.  To plunk the lead-off hitter and get the Yankees fired up just doesn’t make sense.  Dempster claims he didn’t do it on purpose but I just don’t believe it.  He threw each pitch inside and normally has very good control.

A-Rod would have the last laugh as the he led off the top of the 6^th with a solo homer with the Sox up 6-3 that sparked a rally for the Yankees.  The Yanks would score 3 more times in the inning off a Brett Gardner triple that would put them ahead 7-6.  They wouldn’t look back the rest of the night.

Ryan Dempster was just terrible and seems to not handle big games all that well.  He went just 5 and 1/3 innings allowing 7 runs on 9 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3.  He threw 107 pitches in his short outing and was hit hard all night.  When he exited the game in the 5^th with the bases loaded he just looked ruffled and when staked to a 3-run lead, you need to go out and take care of business.  It seems he can never do that.

The bullpen wasn’t all that great last night.  Drake Britton wasn’t credited with allowing any runs but he came in and allowed the Brett Gardner triple to allow the Yanks to take the lead.  He allowed 2 hits in his 1/3 of an inning worked.  The Sox really needed him to strand some runners in that situation and the light hitting Gardner ripped a triple off the wall in the right-center gap.

Brandon Workman went 1 inning and gave up 1 hit and 1 run.  Franklin Morales went 2/3 of an inning and while he didn’t give up any runs, he allowed 2 hits in the outing.  Junichi Tazawa also went 2/3 of an inning giving up 1 hit.  Rubby De La Rosa finished the last inning giving up a run on 2 hits.  They just couldn’t tame the Yankee bats last night.

The Red Sox were able to get to C.C. Sabathia but the bullpen shut them down last night.  Sabathia went only 5 and 1/3 innings as well giving up 6 runs on 7 hits while uncharacteristically walking 5 and striking out 5.

In the bottom of the 5^th, the Red Sox blew a huge opportunity to blow the game open and really hurt Sabathia as they had bases loaded and a 6-3 lead with Stephen Drew up at the plate.  C.C. had intentionally walked Saltalamacchia to load the bases, and then walked Daniel Nava to force in a run.  A base hit by Drew would have broken the game wide open and probably spoiled the Yanks comeback attempt but Sabathia toughened up and struck out Drew on 3 straight pitches.  The mood of the game changed right there.

What do you think the biggest problem on the night was yet again for Boston?  If you guessed hitting with runners in scoring position, you’ve been following my blog all year.  The Sox were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base.  Truly awful.  They just can’t get that big hit when they need it.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a walk while Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk.  Will Middlebrooks was really good on the night going 2 for 3 with 1 run scored, and RBI and a walk.  He hit his 10^th homer of the year and his first since being recalled from Triple-A.  Since returning from his demotion on August 10^th, Middlebrooks has hit .462 and slugged .692 with 3 doubles and 1 homer.  He also has walked 4 times and been on base at a .548 clip.

Shane Victornio went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and Dustin Pedroia had 1 hit in 5 trips to the plate.  Ellsbury didn’t record a hit but was on base with a walk as was Nava.  Drew didn’t have a hit but drove in a run in the loss.

It was a tough loss for the Sox because they knocked around the Yankee’s “ace” and had a lead of 3 runs into the 6^th inning.  They now start a tough west-coast road trip that starts in San Francisco vs. the Giants.

The Sox will send Jon Lester (10-7, 4.31) to the mound against Tim Lincecum (6-12, 4.38).  Lincecum has been better than his record suggests and Lester has been worse than his record so it’ll be interesting to see how this one turns out.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Will Middlebrooks.  Will had a great game last night with both of his hits being the extra base variety.  His 10^th homer of the season was a welcome sign.  The Sox need him to start hitting like last year.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Ryan Dempster.  Dempster was absolutely awful last night.  He just can’t seem to have a perfect frame after the Sox give him the lead.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The Drew strikeout in the bottom of the 5^th when the Sox had the Yanks on the ropes.  It changed the complexion of the game.

NEXT

Monday, August 19th in San Francisco vs. the Giants.

GAME 125 – 8/17/2013 – at Home vs. the New York Yankees

RESULT – WIN 6-1

John Lackey did all he could to right the ship on Saturday afternoon as the Sox snap a 3-game skid with a 6-1 victory over their rivals.  The Sox have not had a 4 game losing streak at all this season.  They are the only team in the league that can say that.

Lackey went 6 and 2/3 innings giving up just 1 run on 6 hits.  He struck out only 1 and walked 3 but 15 of his 20 outs came via the ground ball.  It was different because Lackey’s always been a fly-ball, strikeout type of pitcher so it was nice to see him keep the ball down against a good hitting team.

When he exited the mound, he received a huge standing ovation from the Fenway faithful.  That must have felt good considering all the times he’s walked off that mound to boo’s over the last few years.

The bullpen was fantastic last night as both Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa went 2/3 of an inning allowing just 1 hit.  Koji Uehara closed out the game allowing just 1 hit and striking out 2 of the 4 batters he faced.

Red Sox hitters were able to do something most of the league hasn’t been able to do this year.  Touch up Yankees starrer Hiroki Kuroda.  The Sox roughed him up 5 runs (3 earned) on 11 hits.  He struck out 6 but this is the first time I’ve seen him get hit this hard and often all year.  His ERA coming into the game was an astonishing 2.33.

The offense banged out 14 hits on the afternoon and again should have scored more runs.  They were just 4 for 16 with runners in scoring position and left a staggering 11 men on base.  We really need the Sox to start getting some hits with runners in scoring position.  It’s becoming worrisome and a huge problem.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI.  He also walked once and hit his 24^th homer of the year.  Daniel Nava was 2 for 3 with a run scored, a walk and 2 doubles.  Nava has been hitting so well lately, it’s a must to have him in the lineup.  Will Midlebrooks also went 2 for 3 with a walk and drove in a run.

Jacoby Ellsbury had a really good day going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI out of the top spot.  Shane Victorino went 2 for 5 out of the 2 hole.  When you’re top 2 hitters in the lineup are getting on 50% of the time, you’re going to win a lot of ballgames.

Mike Carp went 2 for 5 with a run scored and he even stole a base, Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.  Stephen Drew went hitless but scored a run and drove in one as well.  Pedroia had a rough day going 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

The Sox set themselves up for a showdown on Sunday night for the series win.  They’ll send Ryan Dempster to the mound who was fantastic in his last outing but has never beaten the Yankees in his career.  The Yanks will counter with C.C. Sabathia who’s having a rough year.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, an RBI and a walk.  Both of his hits were extra bases with a double and a homer (his 425^th of his career).

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia had possibly his worst game in a month going 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Jacoby Ellsbury’s 1 run double in the bottom of the 6^th to put the Sox up 5-1 and on the path to victory.

NEXT

Sunday, August 18th at home vs. the New York Yankees.

GAME 124 – 8/16/2013 – at Home vs. the New York Yankees

RESULT – LOSS 10-3

The Red Sox were hoping to turn their rough last 10 or so days into a positive as the Yankees came to down but things got out of had pretty quickly.  The Yankees outplayed the Sox in pretty much every facet of the game and pounded them to a 10-3 victory at Fenway Park.

As I mentioned yesterday, Felix Doubront had been lights out against the Yankees this season but this time out he was terrible.  The Yankees pounded the lefty for 7 runs (6 earned) on 8 hits over just 4 innings.  He walked 2 and struck out 4 but his streak of giving up 3 earned runs or less ended last night at 16.  It was a night where he couldn’t rebound and the Yankees made him work and forced him into some deep counts. I give lots of credit to the Yanks for making Doubront work as he has a habit of deep pitch counts and making mistakes when he has to come over the plate.

Rubby De La Rosa pitched very well in relief going 2 and 1/3 innings giving up just 2 hits while striking out 1 and walking 1.  Franklin Morales back from his DL stint also pitched well in his 1 and 2/3 innings of work.  He allowed only a walk in the outing.  However, Drake Britton didn’t fare so well in his 1 inning of work as he allowed 3 runs on 5 hits.  He didn’t walk anyone and ended up striking out the side but he was hit hard in the outing.

For the offense, it was another one of those days where the Sox just couldn’t string together hits and get some rallies going.  Though they banged out 10 hits, they were just 3 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 7 men on base.  They hit into 2 double plays and were also thrown out on the base paths 3 times.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored as Stephen Drew was also 2 for 4 with a run scored.  David Ortiz, Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each had a hit and RBI in the loss.  Others with hits were Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks.

It was not a good start the to the homestand as the Rays also one which cuts the AL East deficit to just 1 game.  The Sox need to get things turned around very soon or they’ll be out of first again.

They looked sloppy last night as they committed 3 errors and as I pointed out earlier were thrown out on the basepaths 3 times.  They’ll send John Lackey to the mound tonight against Yankees ace Kuroda.  Hopefully Lackey will be like he has been for most of this season and not what we saw in his last outing.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia was 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs in the game.  The Sox got nothing out of their 1-2 hitters so Pedroia’s production was needed.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Shane Victorino.  Victorino has been in a funk lately and hasn’t been hitting the ball.  He took an 0 for 4 on the night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Alfonso Soriano’s 3-run homer in the top of the 3^rd to put the Yanks out in front 6-0.  Soriano’s been red hot since his trade back to the Yanks.

NEXT

Saturday, August 17th at home vs. the New York Yankees.

GAME 123 – 8/15/2013 – in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays

RESULT – LOSS 2-1

When you bang out 11 hits, you shouldn’t be involved in a pitchers’ duel.  But that’s what happened on Thursday night at the Rogers Centre as missed opportunities with men on base proved costly again as the Sox fall to the Jays 2-1 and loss the series.

The Boston bats were just 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and they left 12 men on base.  It was a frustrating 4-6 road trip and the Sox have lost 4 of their last 5 and the main component of all the losses has been the inability to hit with runners in scoring position.  It has been a problem all year but last year was just bad.

Dustin Pedroia went 3 for 5 on the night and Daniel Nava went 3 for 4 with a run scored and 2 doubles.  Ryan Lavarnway stayed hot and had 2 hits in the loss.  Will Middlebrooks, Jonny Gomes and Stephen Drew all had a hit as well.  Jacoby Ellsbury didn’t record a hit but did drive in a run in the loss.

That was the extent of the offense though as they just couldn’t put hits together.  Their best scoring opportunity came in the 6^th, when the Sox had lead off with 2 singles by Drew and Lavarnway and runners were at the corners with no outs.  Buehrle buckled down however and struck out Nava and Middlebrooks, then got Ellsbury to ground out to third to end the threat.  Can’t have 2 strikeouts there.  Need at the very least a fly ball to plate a run.

Jake Peavy was brilliant through 6 innings but it all fell apart for him in the bottom of the 7^th as he allowed 3 hits and 2 runs and was taken out of the game.  Still if you allow only 2 runs on the game, you’d expect to get the win.

Peavy went 6 innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 4 and walking no one.  Craig Breslow pitched out of the jam in the 7^th getting all 3 hitters he faced out while striking out 1.  Junichi Tazawa and Rubby De La Rosa pitched the 8^th and didn’t allow a run.

It’s a tough loss to take before heading home to face the Yankees who seem to be heating up offensively.  Maybe some home cooking is just what the offense needs.

The Sox will send Felix Doubront (8-5, 3.66) to the mound tonight and he’s been very good against the Yankees this year.  In 2 starts vs. the Yanks he has 2 wins and has gone 12.1 innings giving up just 2 earned runs while striking out 11 and walking 6.  Hopefully he’ll have his Yankee killer mode on again.

He’ll be opposed by the veteran Andy Pettitte (7-9, 4.62).  Pettitte has been bad in his last couple of starts but has a really good track record against the Sox.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Daniel Nava.  Nava went 3 for 4 and had 2 doubles in the loss.  He’s still hitting, even though he seems to be playing less.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Shane Victorino.  The Flying Hawiaan again was bad at the dish going 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Mark DeRosa’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7^th with proved to be the game winner.

NEXT

Friday, August 16th at home vs. the New York Yankees.

GAME 122 – 8/14/2013 – in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays

RESULT – LOSS 4-3 (10 innings)

The Red Sox staged yet another comeback on Wednesday night, but this time it didn’t translate into a win.

Brett Lawrie hit a walk-off single in the 10^th inning to fuel the Jays to a 4-3 win at the Rogers Centre.  This was after big Mike Napoli played a hero in the ninth.

Down 3-1 with 2 outs in the 9^th, Mike Napoli broke out of his slump in a big way, hitting a game tying 2-run homer to right.  Napoli was in the midst of a 5 for 40 slump, and had no hits in his previous 16 at bats.  He had been moved down to 7^th in the lineup.  It was a big hit and we can only hope that this gets him going.

Offensively, the Sox were again bad with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 9 and leaving 10 men on base.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and lately has been a doubles machine.  Big Papi had one hit, a homer, his 23^rd of the year.  Will Middlebrooks, Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury each had hits in the contest.  Pedroia stole his 16^th base of the year.

The Sox played poor defense with Jon Lester making 2 errors that directly led to a run and Shane Victorino making his 3^rd error of the season.  In close contests, you can’t make 3 errors in a game.  You’ll lose every time.

Speaking of Jon Lester, he wasn’t all that bad.  He went 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs, only 2 earned, on 6 hits while striking out 3 and walking 2.  His pitch count was extremely high at 114 and he seemed to be in a lot of 3-ball counts.  The worst thing of the night was his defense.

In the 3^rd inning, Lester took a grounder from Davis off his leg, he then recovered and tried to scoop the ball to Napoli but the ball rolled down the right-field line where Shane Victorino then hit Davis with his throw allowing Davis to come all the way around the bases to score the first run of the game.  It was wild and like something out of a little league game.

Brandon Workman pitched the last 3 innings and did all right.  Though he allowed the winning run to come in, he only gave up 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.  I really like what I see out of Workman this year.  I know the Sox didn’t want to tax their bullpen anymore but I would have liked to see someone else come on in the 10^th.  I think he was done.

They’ll go back at it again today in the rubber game as Jake Peavy will face Mark Buerle in a veteran matchup.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Mike Napoli.  Though he only had 1 hit, it was a big one as it was his 15^th homer of the year and it tied up the game in the ninth to force extra innings.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Shane Victorino.  He went 0 for 4 with a K and made a big error in the game.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bret Lawrie’s single to win the game in the bottom of the 10^th.

NEXT

Thursday, August 15th in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays.

GAME 121 – 8/13/2013 – in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays

RESULT – WIN 4-2 (11 innings)

It was yet another resilient effort by the Red Sox again last night as they persevered with a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays in 11 innings.

Shane Victorino ripped a two-run single in the top of the 11^th to win the game as Junichi Tazawa struggled and gave up the tying homer in the bottom of the 8^th.

The Sox stretched their AL East lead to 4 games from the Rays and with 41 games left in the season set them up very nicely for the home stretch.  Of their 72 victories this year, 19 of them have come in their last at-bat.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked with one out to start the rally in the 11^th.  After a Will Middlebrooks single to put 2 runners on base, Jacoby Ellsbury hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners on 1^st and 3^rd.  Ellsbury then stole 2^nd for his 44^th steal of the year and 2^nd on the night.  Victorino then slapped a 1-2 pitch up the middle to plate both Salty and Ellsbury to put the Sox up 2.  Koji took care of the rest with a perfect inning in the bottom half of the inning.

It was another tough night at the dish with runners in scoring position as the Sox were just 3 for 14 and left 11 men on base.  Mike Napoli is in a terrible funk right now and went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts.  His batting average is now down to .246 on the season and he’s leading the league in strikeouts and is on pace for a team record.

Stephen Drew also had a tough night at the plate going 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.  Salty was 1 for 4 with a run scored and a walk.  He hit his 30^th double of the year and is quietly putting together a good season.  Daniel Nava went 1 for 2 and was then taken out for Jonny Gomes who went 0 for 2 with a walk.

Will Middelbrooks went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a double and has been really good since his recent promotion back to the big leagues.  Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 6 with an RBI and David Ortiz was 2 for 3 with 2 walks.  Ellsbury and Victorino each had a hit apiece.

Overlooked on Tuesday night was Ryan Dempster who pitched very nicely.  He went 7 innings giving up 1 run on just 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking 2.  It was the first time 4 or 5 games that he’s looked really good which bodes well for the Sox as they need all their pitchers to be firing on all cylinders for the stretch run.

Junichi Tazawa struggled again in his 1 and 2/3 innings giving up a big homer to Arencibia to tie the game in the 8^th.  Tazawa has been teetering back and forth between good and bad appearances since right before the All-Star break.  He needs to find his stuff.  Craig Breslow had a brilliant outing, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.

Koji Uehara was great again retiring all 4 batters he faced getting his 3^rd win of the season.  He struck out 1 and lowered his ERA to 1.32.  He’s been a huge piece of the puzzle this year for the Red Sox.

They’ll go at it again tonight as the Sox send Jon Lester (10-7, 4.37).  Lester’s coming off a tough outing in his last go around.  He’ll have to be better to win on the road in the band box of Toronto.  The Blue Jays send Esmil Rogers (3-7, 5.12) to the mound.  Rogers has been atrocious in his last 3 starts giving up 20 earned runs in just 12 and 1/3 innings.  He was good against the Sox though back on June 29^th as he allowed no runs in 6 innings of work.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Shane Victorino.  The Flying Hawaiian came up huge with a clutch 2 out 2-run single to win the game for the Sox.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Nap is in a huge funk right now and was 0 for 5 with 3 more strikeouts on Tuesday night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Shane Victorino’s 2-run single in the top of the 11^th.

NEXT

Wednesday, August 14th in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays.

GAME 120 – 8/11/2013 – in Kansas City vs. the Royals

RESULT – LOSS 4-3

John Lackey battled on Sunday afternoon but couldn’t get over the hump to get the win.  A poor beginning put the Sox in a hole they just couldn’t come back from as the Royals hold on to take the series on a 4-3 victory.

In this first 3 innings of work, Lackey allowed 4 runs and although he came back with 4 shutout innings to end his afternoon, the offense couldn’t muster enough offense to bail him out.  Overall, he went 7 innings giving up 4 run on 7 hits.  He struck out 5 and walked 2.  It wasn’t an awful performance and if the Sox could get to James Shields, he may even have gotten a win but the Shield held the Sox bats in check.

Drake Britton pitched one inning of relief out of the pen giving up 2 hit and walking 2.  He didn’t allow a run and struck out 1 but again was very shaky.

Offensively, the Sox had 3 runs on just 7 hits.  They were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 7 men on base.

Stephen Drew went 2 for 4 with a run scored and Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.  Will Middlebrooks went 1 for 3 and also walked once.  Victorino and Nava each had a hit apiece as well.

Dustin Pedroia walked once as did Mike Napoli.  Napoli also struck out in his 3 other plate appearances.  Jonny Gomes pitch hit but was walked in his only appearance.  Ellsbury and Ortiz also were hitless in the game.

The Sox had plenty of opportunities all day but just couldn’t get anything going.  They hit into 2 double plays (Ellsbury and Lavarnway).  Shane Victorino stole his 16^th base of the year in the loss.

Boston gets a much needed off day on Monday before they travel to Toronto to start a series against the Blue Jays.  Ryan Dempter (6-8, 4.67) will take the hill for the Sox as the Jays will send Todd Redmond (1-1, 4.22).

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Ryan Lavarnway.  Lavarnway went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI in the loss.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ellsbury was held in check all day going 0 for 5 with a strikeout and a GIDP.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Alex Gordon’s solo homer in the bottom of the 3^rd that put the Royals up 4-1.  It would be the deciding run in the contest.

NEXT

Tuesday, August 13th in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays.

GAME 119 – 8/10/2013 – in Kansas City vs. the Royals

RESULT – WIN 5-3

Jacoby Ellsbury’s big night helps the Sox get their first win of the series as they down the Royals 5-3 Saturday night.

Ellsbury has a career batting average of .381 against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie and it just went even higher.  He went 4 for 4 against the right hander and was 4 for 5 overall.  Ellsbury had 2 doubles, 2 singles, 2 RBI and a steal on the night.  He also made a spectacular sliding catch in the outfield saving a run.  He did it all Saturday night!

Maybe the Red Sox view this blog as I just mentioned that the Sox are getting nothing out of their 3^rd base platoon they had going and wondered whether it was time to bring back Will Middlebrooks.  Well, they brought him back and he contributed right away going 2 for 4 scoring 2 runs and also knocking in 2.  It was a good return to action and hopefully he can continue to hit and be that 3^rd baseman of the future the Red Sox thought they had.

Overall the Sox banged out 5 runs on 12 hits and were 3 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Mike Carp went 2 for 3 with a walk and Victorino, Pedroia, Salty and Stephen Drew each had a hit.  Drew scored a run and drove in one as well.  Pedroia, Ortiz and Carp each walked once as well.

Mike Napoli’s hot night on Friday didn’t flow over to Saturday as he went 0 for 4 with 3 K’s.  David Ortiz was also 0 for 4.

Ellsbury’s big day saved Felix Doubront as he just wasn’t all that good.  Doubront lasted only 4 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits.  He struck out 3 but walked 4 and threw 98 pitches in just 4 innings of work.  The erratic pitching reminded me a lot of last year Felix Doubront.  High pitch counts and early exits.  Let’s hope he can return to form in his next start.

The bullpen was rock solid, beginning with Brandon Workman who came in and went 1 and 1/3 innings of work allowing only 2 hits and striking out 3.  Next up was Craig Breslow who went 2/3 of an inning giving up nothing.  Junichi Tazawa went 2 innings giving up only 2 hit while striking out 2.  Koji Uehara nailed down the night for his 12^th save of the year in a perfect inning.

The Sox will try and salvage a split against a tough Royals team as they’ll send John Lackey to the mound against Big Game James Shield.  The Sox have faced Shields a lot as he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays for a long time.  Shields usually does work against the Sox, so it’s going to be a tough game.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ellsbury was great on Saturday night banging out 4 hits, 2 of them doubles, while also knocking in 2 and stealing his 42^nd base of the year.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Naps took a 0 for 4 with 3 K’s.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Ellsbury’s 2^nd double of the night that knocked in 1 putting the Sox up 5-3.

NEXT

Sunday, August 11th in Kansas City vs. the Royals.

GAME 118 – 8/9/2013 – in Kansas City vs. the Royals

RESULT – LOSS 9-6

Jake Peavy’s second start with the Red Sox didn’t go nearly as well as his first one.  The veteran right-hander was given a lead by Boston’s bats but couldn’t hold back the red hot Royals who put up 6 in the sixth inning to rally past the Sox for a 9-6 victory in the 2^nd game of the series.

Peavy went 5 innings giving up 6 runs on 10 hits, 2 of the hits being homers.  Home-runs have been a problem this year for Peavy who’s given up 17 this year in just 92 innings.  He walked 1 and struck out 0 in the game.  After the Sox bats put up a 3-run inning in the fifth, I was hoping Peavy would find it but he couldn’t.

The Royals opened the 6^th frame with 3 consecutive hits including an RBI single by Alcides Escobar.  John Farrell pulled Peavy in favor of Drake Britton.  Britton then walked the first batter he faced and after getting Miguel Tejada to pop out, David Lough produced a sacrifice fly to right.  Eric Hosmer then singled in 2 more to put the Royals on top 7-6.

Britton went only 2/3 of an inning giving up 2 runs on a hit and a walk.  Pedro Beato went an inning and a third allowing only 1 run on 3 hits.  He walked 1 and struck out 1.  Craig Breslow pitched an inning as well giving up 0 runs on 2 hits while striking out 1.

The pitching just wasn’t there but the bats were good.  After an abysmal showing on Thursday night, the Sox banged out 6 runs on 11 hits.  They were 3 for 9 with runners in scoring position but left 10 men on base.

Mike Napoli had a big night going 2 for 3 with 3 RBI and a walk.  He had a huge 3-run double in the fourth and reached base 3 times on the night.  The Sox desperately need Napoli to heat up.  David Ortiz went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and his 22^nd homer of the season.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2 for 4 with an RBI as well.

Jacoby Ellsbury was on base twice with a walk and a hit; he also stole his 41^st base of the season.  Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia each had a hit and a walk.  Daniel Nava went 1 for 4 with an RBI and Stephen Drew went 1 for 5 as well.  The only Sox hitter without a hit on the night was Brock Holt who went 0 for 4.

Opening a series with 2 straight losses is tough and the Sox will try to salvage a split here as the will send Felix Doubront will toe the rubber against Jeremy Guthrie.  Hopefully the bats will still be there and the pitching will show up as well.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Mike Napoli.  Napoli went 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored and 3 RBI.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Brock Holt.  Holt was the only Sox hitter that didn’t muster a hit on Friday night.  The 3^rd base platoon has gone ice cold as he and Brandon Snyder just aren’t getting it done.  Perhaps it’s time to bring back Middlebrooks?

PLAY OF THE GAME

The 2-run single by Eric Hosmer that gave the Royals the lead.  They would not lose it again.

NEXT

Saturday, August 10th in Kansas City vs. the Royals.

GAME 117 – 8/8/2013 – in Kansas City vs. the Royals

RESULT – LOSS 5-1

Bruce Chen silenced the Red Sox bats in a 5-1 victory on Thursday night in Kansas City.  Chen went 7 and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball and though he doesn’t throw all that hard had Boston off all night.  It was a siege of weak infield popups and soft fly balls to the outfield.  They simply couldn’t do anything against the Royals starter.

Seven hits are all they could muster and they hardly had any runners in scoring position all night going 1 for 2.  They left only 5 men on base.

Jacoby Ellsbury had 2 hits on the night and Stephen Drew also chipped in 2 of his own and an RBI.  Drew is up to .253 now and is currently red hot.  Gomes, Napoli and Nava all had one hit a piece and Dustin Pedroia reached base with a walk.  That was it folks, nothing to write home about with the offense.

It was a rough first inning for Jon Lester who didn’t get much help behind him defensively.  Lester surrendered a leadoff double to Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer advanced the runner by grounding out to first.  Lester then walked Billy Butler and up came Alex Gordon who lofted a fly ball to left.  Jonny Gomes misplayed the ball and the ball dropped in for an error and the run scored.  Gomes tried to stay back on the ball and run through it so he would have an opportunity to throw out Cain at the plate.  Unfortunately he slipped as he tried to come forward and the ball fell in.

The error would prove costly as not only did the run score on the play but Mike Moustakas laced a 2-run single with the bases loaded and 2 outs to put the Royals up 3-0.  Lester wound up throwing 41 pitches in the 1^st inning alone and with the Sox offense sputtering it would be all the Royals really needed.

Daniel Nava and Stephen Drew also had errors in the game as the defense was sloppy all night.

Lester would settle down and get through 7 innings to help out the bullpen.  He allowed only 4 hits and 3 runs though only 1 was earned.  It was an outing that wasn’t all that bad considering what happened in the first.  He struck out 4 and walked 2 on the night.

Rubby De La Rosa gave up 2 solo homers in his one inning of work.  He didn’t look as sharp as he did in his first outing.

Hopefully the offense will show up on Friday night as Jake Peavy will take the hill for his 2^nd start with the Red Sox.  He’ll be opposed by Ervin Santana who’s been having a great year so far.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew’s been here a lot lately with his recent hitting surge.  He went 2 for 4 with an RBI on the night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Shane Victorino.  The Flying Hawaiian went 0 for 4 on the night and had 2 weak pop-ups to the infield.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Jonny Gomes’ costly error in the first that ended up turning into 3 runs.  If he catches that ball only 1 run scores in the inning.

NEXT

Friday, August 9th in Kansas City vs. the Royals.

GAME 116 – 8/7/2013 – in Houston vs. the Astros

RESULT – WIN 7-5

Yet another comeback win for the Red Sox last night.  For the second straight night, the Sox overcame a deficit of at least 3 runs.  Last night’s hero was Stephen Drew, who’s been incredibly hot as of late.  Drew hit a 3-run ninth-inning homer to stun the Astros 7-5 on Wednesday and give Boston it’s 27^th comeback win of the season and 70^th win of the year.

It was another improbable victory and another series win.  The Sox are 12-6 in rubber games this season and with the Rays losing 9-8 to the D-backs, they now hold a 2 ½ game lead in the AL East.

The Sox offense banged out 7 runs on 12 hits, but were atrocious with runners in scoring position again going 1 for 11.  They left 11 men on base.  In the end it didn’t matter but it will matter come playoff time or against good teams.  This has been an issue all season and they really need to figure it out and quickly because it’s getting closer and closer to playoff time.

Stephen Drew was 2 for 4 with a walk and 3 RBI.  He hit his 9^th homer of the season and has upped his average to .249.  He’s batting .464 with 2 homers, 8 walks and 7 RBI in his current 8 game hitting streak.  Not to mention 1 walk-off win and yesterday’s game winning homer.

David Ortiz is equally as hot, going 4 for 5.  It was the first time in his illustrious career that he has had back-to-back 4 hit games.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2 for 4 with a walk and his 28^th double of the year.  Jonny Gomes had a big night as well going 1 for 2 with 3 walks and his 10^th homer of the season.  He drove in 2 runs and scored 3 on the night.

Mike Carp, Shane Victorino and Mike Carp all had a hit apiece.  Brock Holt had 2 walks in the game and drove in one run.  Ellsbury took a 0 for 5 with 2 K’s a night after rocking Astros pitching.

Ryan Dempster was serviceable last night but let up 5 runs on 7 hits in just 6 innings.  He didn’t walk anyone and struck out 7 but it seems this is the pitcher we have in Dempster.  He’s going to give up some hits and runs but strike out a ton and eat some innings.  I’d like to see him lower his pitch count and keep the runs down but it just doesn’t seem like that is going to happen.

Junichi Tazawa pitched great out of the bullpen going 2 innings and not allowing any base-runners.  He struck out 2 and got his 5^th win of the season.  Koji Uehara gave up 1 hit in the ninth but struck out the side to achieve his 11^th save of the season.  He’s really been a steal and a big reason why the Sox are where they are this season.

The Sox will start a 4 game set in Kansas City tonight against a tough Royals team.  The Royals are 58-53 and in the hunt in the AL Central.  They are currently in 3^rd place only 5 games out of first.  They’ll send arguably their best pitcher to the mound today in Bruce Chen (4-0, 2.03).  The Sox have had trouble with Chen in the past so hopefully they can get to him early and knock him out of the game.

Jon Lester (10-6, 4.52) will take the hill for the Sox.  He’s coming off a rough outing against the D-backs in which he only last 4 and 1/3 innings and gave up 6 runs on 11 hits.  His 3 starts before that were really good though so hopefully he’ll be back to form tonight.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Stephen Drew.  Drew has been amazing as of late.  Last night he won the game with a big e-run ninth inning homer.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  That’s the way the game goes sometimes.  One day you’re the MVP, the next day you’re the LVP.  Ellsbury took a 0 for 5 day and stuck out twice.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Stephen Drew’s 3-run homer in the top of the ninth.

NEXT

Thursday, August 8th in Kansas City vs. the Royals.

GAME 115 – 8/6/2013 – in Houston vs. the Astros

RESULT – WIN 15-10

It looked bleak again for the Sox Tuesday night.  Down 5-0 after just two innings and their starter on the night, Steven Wright, leaving after just one inning of work, things looked downright miserable.  But these Sox don’t know the word quit.  They battled back and eventually overtook the lowly Astros for a big 15-10 win in Houston.

They simply took the game over but pounding out 15 hits and scoring their second highest run total of the season with 15 runs.  The Sox were great with runners in scoring position last night going 8 for 15 and though they left 9 men on base, they were getting some clutch hits.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Ryan Lavarnway each had 2 RBI with two outs and David Ortiz added one as well.

Ellsbury ignited the offense last night going 2 for 4 with 4 runs scored, 3 RBI and 2 walks.  His 2 hits were homers and he now has 7 on the year.  He’s batting .301 now and is in the midst of a great season.

Shane Victorino went 3 for 5 with a walk and scored 4 runs as well.  The top 2 in the order combined to score 8 of the 15 runs.  That’s how you win ballgames folks.  Setting the table for the big cogs in the lineup.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and Big Papi went 4 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI while walking once as well.  The Sox had 9 walks in the game as Stephen Drew had 3 of them as well as going 1 for 2 on the night.  Mike Napoli walked twice but went hitless on the night.  Brock Holt and Mike Carp were also hitless on the night.  They were the only starters to do so.

Jonny Gomes who came in for Mike Carp went 2 for 3 with 4 RBI and his 9^th homer of the year.  He pinch hit for Carp in the 6^th and hit his 4^th pinch-hit homer of the season.  It’s the most for a Sox hitter since 1953 and one shy of Joe Cronin’s record of 5 in 1943.  As a team, the Red Sox have 6 pinch-hit homers of the season, again one shy of the record set in 1953.

Ryan Lavarnway only had one hit on the night but it was a big one.  His 2-run double in the 5^th put the Sox up 8-7 and they would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the night.  Lavarnway also tied a Major League record he probably isn’t very proud of last night.  In the first inning, he allowed 4 passed balls while attempting to catch knuckleballer Steven Wright.  It seemed like Wright’s knuckler had a ton of movement yesterday and it wasn’t a good thing.  He had no control over it at all and Lavarnway couldn’t stop it.

Speaking of Steven Wright, he wasn’t effective at all last night.  He lasted only 1 inning and gave up 3 runs while walking 2 and striking out 1.  He only allowed 1 hit but with his knuckle ball dancing the way it was, he couldn’t command it and the game just got away from him.

The Sox turned to Brandon Workman who also wasn’t very good on the night.  He came away with his 2^nd win of the year but he was touched up in his 4 and 2/3 innings of work.  Workman allowed 6 runs on 9 hits while walking 2 and striking out 2.  Two of the nine hits were homers.  The only positive thing was that he was able to give the Sox some innings and the bats woke up so the bullpen wasn’t taxed.

Drake Britton went 2 and 1/3 innings and finally gave up a run.  He allowed only 1 run on 1 hit and struck out 3.  He’s looked very impressive so far and I’ve been very impressed with his poise on the mound in high pressure situations.

Rubby De La Rosa made his Sox debut last night and the fireballer threw a perfect frame striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.  I’m looking forward to more De La Rosa in the future.

With the win, the Sox now have 69 victories on the year with 47 games remaining.  They’ve matched their win total from last year and are making us forget about the terrible season of 2012.

Tonight, the Sox will go for the series win as they send Ryan Dempster (6-8, 4.54) to the mound.  Dempster was terrible his last time out against Seattle but had 2 good games before that.  He needs to limit his pitch count and get through more than 5 or 6 innings of work.

The Astros will send Jarrod Cosart (1-0, 0.96) to the mound.  Cosart was just brought up and has been really good in his 4 starts so far.  He has allowed 1 run or less every outing and has gone 6 plus innings every outing.  The Sox will have their work cut out for them tonight.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  Ellsbury had a hell of a night out of the top spot in the lineup going 2 for 4 with 2 homers.  He knocked in 3 and scored 4 times and was also on base 2 additional times with 2 walks.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Brock Holt.  Holt went 0 for 5 and seemed to have the toughest night at the plate.

PLAY OF THE GAME
Ryan Lavarnway’s 2-run double in the 5^th inning to take the lead 8-7.  The Sox wouldn’t lose the lead again.

NEXT
Wednesday, August 7th in Houston vs. the Astros.

GAME 114 – 8/5/2013 – in Houston vs. the Astros

RESULT – LOSS 2-0

For a team that leads the Major Leagues in runs scored (568), the Red Sox sure get shut out a lot.  The Sox were blanked for the 9^th time this season in the opener of a 10-game road trip in Houston last night taking the 2-0 loss.

Brett Oberholtzer looked like Sandy Koufax out there in only his second Major League start.  Oberholtzer was great pitching 7 innings giving up only 4 hits while walking and striking out 2 apiece.  A Red Sox player didn’t reach 3^rd base until the 7^th inning when Jonny Gomes hit a double and was moved to 3^rd on a Jarrod Saltalamacchia sacrifice fly.

The rally was short lived however as Stephen Drew and Brandon Snyder both struck out to end the inning and any threat the Sox would put up all night.

Another rally fell short in the eighth against the Astros’ bullpen as Jacoby Ellsbury walked to start the inning.  He moved to 3^rd on a 2-out bloop single by David Ortiz.  Josh Fields came on for the Stros and promptly struck out Mike Napoli to end the inning then Fields struck out all three batters he faced to earn his first save of the season.

Offensively, the Sox were just awful last night.  They mustered only 5 hits and were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position which has become a theme as of late.  Eight men were left on base.  This has been something that has been going on for the last two weeks.  Just too many men left on base and their batting average with runners in scoring position is becoming worrisome.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 4 with 2 singles.  Ortiz, Gomes and Drew were the only others to find some green last night.  Gomes and Drew had doubles.  Ellsbury, Ortiz and Salty all walked as well but that was it on the night.  Not much to write home about.

It’s a shame too because John Lackey pitched pretty well.  His pitch count was high as the Astros worked a lot of 3-2 and 2-2 counts.  For one of the worst teams in the league, they sure showed a lot of patience out there.  Lackey went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 8 hits.  He walked 2 and struck out 10 lowering his ERA to 3.21.  He takes the loss but it certainly wasn’t his fault last night.

The bullpen was good as well as Junichi Tazawa and Craig Breslow both pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.

The Astros also terrorized the Sox on the base paths, stealing a season high six bases.  The Sox knew they would try to run but were only able to throw out 2 runners.  This is the first Astros game I’ve watched since the Opening Day night game on ESPN at the beginning of the year and I have to say they impressed me last night.  They have a lot of no name players who grind out at bats and play their butts off.

They’ll be back at it today, as Steven Wright (2-0, 3.65) will get his first start of his career for the Sox.  John Farrell elected to give Wright the start to give his regular starters an extra day of rest.  Wright has been spectacular out of the bullpen as of late and hopefully he can stifle the Astros hitters tonight.

Jordan Lyles (4-5, 4.91) will be on the mound for the Astros.  He’s been roughed up in last 4 starts and the Sox will look to make him work tonight.  He’s walked 7 in his last 4 starts and has given up 20 runs over that span.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

John Lackey.  Lackey was really good last night, striking out 10 in 6 innings of work. Unfortunately he doesn’t bat and the Sox couldn’t get any runs for him.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Naps stays ice cold and goes 0-4 with a strikeout.  The strikeout couldn’t come at a worst time as they had an opportunity to score with a runner on 3^rd base.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Robbie Grossman’s RBI single in the bottom of the 5^th inning.  It would be all the Astros would need.

NEXT

Tuesday, August 6th in Houston vs. the Astros.