Game 59 – 6/4/2014 – in Cleveland vs. the Indians

RESULT – LOSS 7-4 (12 innings)

A long night gets even more dreadful as the Indians walk-off on the Sox in extras with a 7-4 win to complete the 3 game sweep.

The game started at 9:35 after a 2 and ½ hours rain delay and when all was said and done, it was 2:02 in the morning when Asdrubal Cabrera hit a walk-off 3-run homer in the bottom of the 12^th to finish off the Sox and sweep them out of Cleveland.

It is the 5^th time the Sox have been swept this season and the 6^th time they have been walked-off on.  In the 3 game series against the Indians, the Sox led just once, Wednesday after an Ortiz 6^th inning homer gave them a 2-1 lead.  They now fall to 5 games under .500 and 8 and ½ games behind the 1^st place Toronto Blue Jays.  It’s the biggest deficit they have had all season.

I get the Sox were at the end of their bullpen but putting Edward Mujica in a close situation right now is just not a good option.  In fact after this disaster of an outing, the Sox may just cut ties with the terrible relief pitcher.  He just doesn’t have it anymore; he lost it at the end of last year and still can’t find it.  In 1/3 of an inning last night, he let up 3 runs on 3 hits including the walk-off bomb.  His ERA is now up to a disappointing 7.29 as he’s allowed 17 earned runs in just 21 innings.  He’s also given up 28 hits, 7 walks and now 5 homers in those 21 innings of work.  The Sox have tons of options at Triple-A so it’s likely the Sox will cut ties with the right-hander.  If they don’t, they are just plain stupid at this point, the guys a bum.

The starter on the night, Brandon Workman didn’t do great but didn’t do terrible either.  Another so-so effort on his part has he went just 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3.  It’s likely that he’s a 5, maybe 6 inning starter at this point as he seems to struggle after 5 innings of work.

Chris Capuano didn’t help causes either as after Workman was lifted in the bottom of the 6^th after allowing a walk and then a single to put runners on 1^st and 3^rd, Capuano gave up an RBI single to Jason Kipnis to tie the game at 2.  He then would allow 2 more singles in a row to put the Sox down 4-2 before he was lifted for Burke Badenhop.  All in all, he allowed 1 earned run (2 inherited runs) on 3 hits without recording an out.

Burke Badenhop came in and settled things down going 1 and 1/3 innings allowing nothing.  Craig Breslow took over for the next 1 and 2/3 and allowed nothing as well while striking out 2.  Junichi Tazawa tossed a scoreless inning working around a hit and striking out 1 and Koji Uehara allowed just 1 walk while striking out 2 in his 2 innings of work.  Then Mujica came in and just stunk up the joint.

But you can’t win games when you don’t get any offense and the Sox were again putrid with the bats, getting 4 runs on only 7 hits while stranding 8 men on base and going 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  They struck out 14 times as a team and their batting average on the night was a ghastly .167.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a run scored, 2 RBI, a walk and his 13^th homer of the season.  Brock Holt went 1 for 6 with 2 RBI.  A.J. Pierzynski went 1 for 3 with a double before getting tossed arguing balls and strikes in the bottom of the sixth.  Daniel Nava, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Dustin Pedroia all had a hit in the loss.  Stephen Drew scored a run and walked once while everyone else did jack sh..

Just an awful series and the Sox will get a much needed day off before heading to Detroit to do battle with the Tigers.  It doesn’t get any easier folks as the Tigers are one of the best, if not the best team in the league.  Here’s hoping the Sox bats can come alive sometime soon.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz reached base 3 times and hit his 13^th homer of the season on a night where the rest of the offense couldn’t get anything going.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ross.  Ross came in for Pierzynski and struck out in his only 2 plate appearances.  I know he brings a lot of leadership to the team but he absolutely can’t hit and is a liability every time he comes to the plate.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The walk-off 3-run homer by Cabrera to win the game in the bottom of the 12^th.

NEXT

Friday, June 6^th in Detroit vs. the Tigers.

Game 58 – 6/3/2014 – in Cleveland vs. the Indians

RESULT – LOSS 5-3

The Red Sox are reverting back to old ways as they let an old formula down them in Cleveland as they lose Game 2 of the series by the score of 5-3.

Starting pitching gave up the lead early, the Sox bounce back, the relievers can’t hold a lead late, the bats never show up, especially in clutch situations and the outfield contributes absolutely nothing, sound familiar?  That was the deal when the Sox were losing 10 straight and not putting any runs on the board and well that’s exactly what happened last night.

The Sox managed only 3 runs on 10 hits and walked 3 times.  They were 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.  They had plenty of key opportunities to score a lot more runs and couldn’t get a clutch hit.

It started in the top of the 1^st when Brock Holt singled to start the game and Bogaerts was hit by a pitch to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd with no outs.  The Sox would then lineout (Pedroia), groundout (Ortiz) and strikeout (Gomes) to end the inning.

The Indians would then add 3 runs on 5 straight singles off Jake Peavy in the bottom of the 3^rd to put the Sox in a quick 3-0 hole.  It could have been worse if not for the 6-4-3 double play that Peavy induced to kill the rally.

In the top of the 2^nd, the Sox again had men on 1^st and 2^nd with only 1 out but Herrera grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

In the 3^rd, after Bogaerts put the Sox on the board with his 2^nd homer of the series, the Sox put 2 runners on again, this time with 2 outs but Pierzynski would fly-out to end the inning.

In the top of the 7^th, after the Sox had tied the game on 2 straight doubles by Bogaerts and Pedroia, the Indian walked Ortiz to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd with no outs but the Sox would then go down in order as Gomes would pop-up to short and Pierzynski and Hassan would strike out to end the inning.

The Sox would not threaten again and the Indians would add 2 more on a Michael Bourn double off of Andrew Miller in the bottom of the 7^th.  Both runners were put on by Peavy but Miller couldn’t strand the runners.

Simply put, this offense stinks!  The outfield is atrocious as last night the combination of Gomes, Bradley Jr. and Hassan went 2 for 10 with a run scored and a walk as they struck out 5 times.  Alex Hassan, who was brought up from Triple-A was 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts.  I don’t see anything in Hassan and the fact that he was batting .217 down in Pawtucket should have told us something.  I don’t get why he got the call-up, I mean the guy was barely hitting his weight in Triple-A but he gets the call-up?  Was there no one else that could come up?  A quick scan of the stat page at Pawsox.com says that only Daniel Nava (.253) was actually better right now as Bryce Brentz is on the DL but why not have Nava out there?  Hassan clearly isn’t the guy.

One of these outfielders needs to step up and start hitting as Victorino is still weeks away from coming back.  I don’t know what the correct combination is and perhaps it’s putting Brock Holt out in left when Mike Napoli is ready to come of the DL but either way, someone needs to hit out there.

Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, a double, his 5^th homer of the year and a hit by pitch.  He’s red hot and is showing why he’s the top rated prospect on the Red Sox.  A definite star in the making.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a walk.  Jonathan Herrera went 2 for 4 with an RBI.  Jackie Bradley Jr. was on base twice with a hit and a hit by pitch, Pierzynski, Gomes and Holt all reached base with a hit.  Ortiz walked once, as did Gomes.  Sounds like lots of men on base with not a lot of runs.

Jake Peavy had some great moments in Tuesday’s lost and some terrible ones.  It started out terrible as the Indians had 5 straight singles to plate 3 runs in the 1^st inning.  He then set down 14 straight as the Sox managed to climb back in the game and tie it up at 3.  However Lonnie Chisenhall broke up the string of 14 straight in the 6^th with 2 outs but he recovered to get the final out of the inning.  John Farrell decided to run him out in the 7^th and he would then walk the leadoff hitter and then give up a single to Yan Gomes.  He then made a great play on a sacrifice bunt attempt to get the lead runner out at 3^rd but was removed for Andrew Miller (beardless by the way and weird looking) to face the lefty Michael Bourn.  I get that Farrell was playing the statistics but Bourn was 5 for 8 in his career against Miller.  Well, now he’s 6 for 9 as he promptly doubled over Gomes’ head in left to plate the 2 runs that would down the Red Sox.  The runs were charged to Peavy but Miller needed to strand those runners.

Overall, Peavy’s stat line was pretty bad, 6 and 1/3 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs while walking 1 and striking out 3.  His season ERA is now up to 4.72 and he’s not pitched well as of late.

Andrew Miller went 2/3 of an inning and allowed 1 hit (that scored those last 2 Peavy runs) but then struck out the other 2 hitters he faced.  Craig Breslow went 1/3 of an inning and allowed 2 hits but Burke Badenhop was able to get a double-play ball to end the threat.  Breslow did not pitch well again.

To avoid the sweep, the Sox will send out Brandon Workman (0-0, 3.24) to the mound as he appeals a 6-game suspension for his role in the melee on Friday night against the Rays.  He’s pitched well enough in his first 2 starts and hopefully he can tame the hot Indian bats.  Corey Kluber (6-3, 3.04) will counter for the Indians.  Kluber is having a really good start to 2014 and has pitched well of late.  In his last 8 starts he’s given up 3 or less earned runs while going pretty deep in games.  In his last outing, he held the good Rockies lineup to only 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 12 in 7 and 1/3 innings.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  Again the only one that seemed to come to hit on Tuesday night.  Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with 2 extra base hits (16^th double, 5^th homer) and was on base again as he was hit by a pitch.  He scored 2 runs and knocked in another.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Alex Hassan.  Hassan went 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts.  I think it’s time to get this kid a ticket back to Pawtucket.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Michael Bourn’s 2-run double off Andrew Miller in the bottom of the 7^th to give the Indians a 2-run lead and eventual win.

NEXT

Wednesday, June 4^th in Cleveland vs. the Indians.

Game 57 – 6/2/2014 – in Cleveland vs. the Indians

RESULT – LOSS 3-2

Well the 7 game winning streak came to sudden stop yesterday as the Indians behind a masterful pitching performance by Justin Masterson (see what I did there?) beat the Red Sox 3-2 in Cleveland last night.

Former Red Sox pitcher, Justin Masterson, who is a very interesting free agent after this season (come on Sox, make a play for him), struck out 10 Red Sox hitters in 7 scoreless innings.  He allowed just 3 hits and walking 4.  The Sox had him on the fence in the 1^st inning as after a Bogaerts single, he walked Pedroia and then Pierzynski to load the bases with 2 outs.  However, he would fan Jonny Gomes looking to end the threat and that would be the only time the Sox would come close to scoring on him.

In the 4^th inning, Masterson did something pretty impressive as he struck out Gomes, Sizemore and Stephen Drew (playing his first game of the season) on a total of 9 pitches and all 3 K’s were swinging.  In fact, at one point in the game he threw 25 consecutive strikes.  When he pounds the strike zone, he’s tough to hit.  His slider last night was just nasty as it bit hard outside on right handers and got in on the hands to lefties.

The Red Sox were pitiful at the plate on Monday night as they managed only 2 runs on 5 hits.  They left 5 men on base and were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.  They barely had any opportunities in the loss.

Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a run scored, 2 RBI and his 4^th homer of the season.  It was a two-strike opposite field bomb that cut the lead to 1 in the 8^th, which made a game out of it.  Unfortunately they could do no more as the Indians won their 4^th straight game.

Brock Holt went 1 for 4 with a run scored, Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 3 with a walk and David Ortiz went 1 for 3 with a walk.  Pierzynski and Stephen Drew both walked once but that was it for hits.  In fact, the 5-9 hitters were a combined 0 for 16 with 7 strikeouts, absolutely no production at all from the bottom of the order.

Grady Sizemore, playing in Cleveland for the first time since leaving his hometown team went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and is now batting an abysmal .226.  With Brock Holt taking fly balls in the outfield, I think the end of the Sizemore experiment may be coming to an end.  He’s lucky right now as the Sox have 2 outfielders on the DL (Victorino and Carp), but when they are healthy, I think Sizemore will be the odd man out.

Stephen Drew made his season debut and went 0 for 2 with a walk and strikeout.  However he did do well in the field as he was in on 3 double-plays.  He was also sporting some new glasses/googles last night that he didn’t have last year.  Bogaerts had 1 assist at 3^rd with no other plays.

John Lackey was on the hill and was pretty good, but received no run support.  Lackey was credited with a complete game as he went 8 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits.  He struck out 3 and walked 2 and threw only 96 pitches.  The double-play ball helped him a lot in this game as the Sox were able to turn 3 to get him out of some trouble.

What killed Lackey were the 2 walks he allowed in the first inning.  Both came around to score on Lonnie Chisenhall’s opposite field double with 2 outs.  They would add the “winning” run in the 3^rd when Michael Bourn, who tripled, scored on an Asdrubal Cabrera single.  It would be all they would need as the bats just couldn’t get it going.

The Sox drop yet another one-run game.  They have played in an American League most 20 games decided by one run.  They have lost 13 of them, which also leads the league.  To make some headway in the AL East, they’re going to have to start winning these close games.

They’ll be back at it again on Tuesday night as Jake Peavy (1-2, 4.50) will take the hill for the Red Sox.  Peavy was really good in his last outing, getting a no decision but pitching 8 solid innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits.  He’ll hope to continue that strong showing tonight.

He’ll be opposed by Indians starter T.J. House (0-1, 4.05).  House is making just his 3^rd start of the year and he was really good in his last outing as he went 6 and 1/3, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 8 against the White Sox.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  The change to 3^rd base didn’t affect Bogaerts bat last night as he was the only one to get the Sox on board as he hit his 4^th homer of the season in the 8^th inning.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jonny Gomes.  Gomes went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts in the loss and could have made a huge impact in the 1^st when he watched 3 straight strikes to end the inning with the bases loaded.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Michael Bourn’s leadoff triple in the bottom of the 3^rd.  Bourn would come around to score on Cabrera’s base-hit to give the Indians a 3-0 advantage and the eventual win.

NEXT

Tuesday, June 3^rd in Cleveland vs. the Indians.

Game 56 – 6/1/2014 – at Home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays

RESULT – WIN 4-0

What a difference a week makes.  At this time last week, the Sox were staring at a 10 game losing streak straight in the face.  The pitching was a mess, they couldn’t get anything going offensively, especially with runners in scoring position.  But today, the Sox are riding high as they complete the 3-game sweep of the Rays by the score of 4-0 to run their current winning streak to 7 games.

This time it was Jon Lester who was dominant on the mound as the big lefty went 7 innings, allowing just 4 hits, no runs while striking out 12 and walking only 1.  He’s now 6-6 on the season and looked brilliant on Sunday.  At one point in the game, Lester retired 12 consecutive batters with a string of 5 straight strikeouts at the back end of that stretch.  Not one single Rays hitter even sniffed 3^rd base on the afternoon.

It was the 2^nd time this season he struck out 10 plus, as he struck out 15 against Oakland in early May.  He’s racked up 2 wins in the current 7 game winning streak and struck out 12 despite just throwing 112 pitches.

Edward Mujica continues to show signs of life as he pitched a scoreless 8^th inning by working around a walk and a hit.  He has now lowered his ERA to 6.10, which still isn’t great but it’s better than the 11+ he was sporting about 2 weeks ago.

Koji Uehara nailed down the ninth striking out 1 of the 3 batters he faced in a non-save situation.

Offensively the Sox had 4 runs on 7 hits and should have had a ton more runs as they walked 7 times.  They were not good with runners in scoring position going 2 for 14 and leaving 10 men on base.  The story of the game was the rookies and some 1^st career hit moments on the night.

Alex Hassan was called up from Pawtucket and went 1 for 3 with a run scored and a walk in his Major League debut.  He collected his first hit in the bottom of the 4^th and scored the games first run on a Bock Holt double later in the inning.  Hassan is not high up on the Red Sox farm rankings but his plate approach is something the Sox love.  He works the count very well and gets on base a ton via walks.

One of the Sox higher ranked prospects was also at Fenway on Sunday afternoon.  Garin Cecchini was not in the starting lineup for the Sox at the beginning of the game but came on in the top of the 4^th after Dustin Pedroia was ejected from the game after mouthing off to the home-plate umpire.  Cecchini is a high prospect and plays 3^rd base down in Pawtucket.  He went 1 for 2 with an RBI and double in his Major League debut.  He also played very well at 3^rd base, nearly turning a triple play late in the game.  He stepped on 3^rd and looked to fire to 2^nd to get the lead runner but he was almost at the bag, so he stopped and fired to 1^st to complete the double play.  Very good instincts and I’m looking forward to more Cecchini in the future.

Brock Holt stayed red hot by going 4 for 4 with 4 doubles, a stolen base, 2 RBI, a run scored and a walk.  He reached base 5 times in the game and is currently batting .337.  He simply needs to be in the lineup everyday right now and the Sox are getting creative with him as he played 1^st base Sunday.  John Farrell has also been working Holt out in the outfield so he should be sticking around for awhile.

Jonny Gomes went 1 for 2 with a run scored and 2 walks.  David Ortiz was on base twice with 2 walks and Jackie Bradley Jr. scored a run and walked in the win. Jonathan Herrera went 0 for 3 but drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.

The Sox will try to keep it going as they head to Cleveland for a series against Terry Francona and the Indians.  John Lackey (6-3, 3.27) will take the hill for the Sox against former Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson (2-4, 5.21).  Lackey was brilliant in his last outing and he looks to keep it going on Monday night.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Brock Holt.  Holt continues to be a great leadoff hitter getting on base 5 times in the game with 4 doubles and a walk.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ross.  Ross continues to be terrible at the plate this year as he went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Brock Holt’s 2-run double in the bottom of the 4^th to put the Sox ahead 3-0.

NEXT

Monday, June 2^nd in Cleveland vs. the Indians..

Game 55 – 5/31/2014 – at Home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays

RESULT – WIN 7-1

Pardon the pun, but Rubby De La Rosa’s first start as a member of the Red Sox was an absolute gem.  The righty went 7 shutout innings giving up just 4 hits while walking none and striking out 8 to lead Boston over Tampa Bay 7-1 on Saturday night.

It was such a dominating performance that the Rays managed only 2 of the 21 outs outs he recoded were out of the infield.  He had pinpoint control with his fastball which he could fire at 98-99 and his changeup was dropping off the table as the Rays just couldn’t touch him.  De La Rosa continually left them off balance as he mowed through the Rays lineup.

With the win, the Sox now have won 6 in a row and the young players are the ones helping out with De La Rosa being the newest to the bunch.

Offensively, the Sox banged out 7 runs on 11 hits while walking twice.  They did leave 7 on base and were only 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position but had some help from the long ball on Saturday night.

Brock Holt hit his first career homer and went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI.  Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1 for 4 with a run scored, 2 RBI and his first homer of the season.  A.J. Pierzynski went 2 for 4 with an RBI as he stayed smoking hot.

Jonathan Herrera, who may be the odd man out when Stephen Drew is ready in the minors, went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.  Grady Sizemore went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and Xander Bogaerts went 1 for 3 with a run scored, his 15^th double and 2 walks.  Mike Carp drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and also was hit by a pitch in the game.  The only Sox not to reach base were Jonny Gomes and David Ortiz who both went 0 for 4.

After De La Rosa came out of the game, Alex Wilson pitched the final 2 frames of the game giving up 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 2.

The story of the game however, was the outstanding pitching performance by Rubby De La Rosa.  The Dodger’s raved about him when he was in their farm system and he had a handful of Major League starts for them that showed tremendous potential but yesterday in his season and Red Sox debut he looked brilliant.  What surprised me the most was just how confident he looked out there.  He didn’t seem nervous at all and had a lot of faith in all of his pitches.  I don’t remember him having as good a changeup as he featured last night when he was a reliever last year but man he was on yesterday.  With Buchholz and Doubront being so inconsistent so far this year, if De La Rosa can pitch like that, the Sox may have just found a huge piece of the pie.

The Sox will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon as Jon Lester will take the hill against Erik Bedard.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Rubby De La Rosa.  He simply shutdown the Rays in his season debut.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and was one of 2 Red Sox hitters that failed to record a hit on the afternoon.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Brock Holt’s 2-run homer in the bottom of the 3^rd.  It would be all the Sox would really need on the night but they would add more for insurance later on.

NEXT

Sunday, June 1st at Home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game 54 – 5/30/2014 – at Home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays

RESULT – WIN 3-2 (10 innings)

The fireworks happened during the game and then after the game as the Sox win their 5^th straight and walk-off on the Rays by the score of 3-2 in 10 innings.

Edward Mujica worked around a leadoff walk in the top of the 10^th, with help from Andrew Miller to keep the score tied at 2 going to the bottom half of the inning.  David Ortiz came to the plate and everyone including me wanted him to hit that walk-off homer.  Especially after the antics involving him earlier in the game, which we’ll get to later, but Ortiz would ground-out into the shift.  Next up was Jonny Gomes who was hit by the pitch to put a runner on 1^st with only 1 out and A.J. Pierzynski coming to the plate.  Pierzynski drilled a pitch into the right-center gap and outfielders Wil Myers and Desmond Jennings literally ran into each other and it dropped in for a hit.  A.J. would wind up with a triple because Gomes scored for the walk-off win, but it likely would have been an inside the park homer had the game kept going.

Before that exciting finish however, the game featured all sorts of drama.  In the bottom of the first, David Price drilled David Ortiz in the back with a first-pitch fastball.  If you remember, last year, in Game 2 of the ALDS, Price let up 2 homers to Ortiz and after the game blasted Ortiz for how long it took him to round the bases on those homers.  I figured it was over because Ortiz had told the media he apologized to Price the next day but I guess Price wasn’t over it.

A warning was issued directly after and John Farrell was ejected because he argued that his team should not have been warned, and if so, then Price needed to be ejected.  Price was not and Farrell went off and earned himself an ejection with a good tirade after he was tossed from the game.

In the 4^th, emotions were again high as Price hit Mike Carp with a high and tight pitch in the forearm.  Price again evaded ejection and new acting manager Torey Lovullo was ejected for arguing the fact.  Benches cleared as Ortiz clearly looked like he wanted a piece of Price at that time.  Tempers cooled and in the end only Lovullo was tossed to the showers.

In the top of the 6^th, Brandon Workman fired a pitch behind Evan Longoria of the Rays.  He was immediately ejected as both sides were already given a warning.  Also ejected was the Sox 2^nd acting manger, Brian Butterfield.  Though it looked like he was trying to hit Longoria, it was also raining at the time.  In my opinion, he should have been left in the game since Price was not ejected but hey, I’m just a spectator.

Even with the emotions flying high, the Sox were able to keep their cool and deliver a game-tying hit in the 7^th and then the walk-off in the 10^th for their 5^th straight win.

Overall the offense wasn’t great as they only had 3 runs on 8 hits and struggled with men in scoring position going 1 for 7 and leaving 11 men on base.

Xander Bogaerts went 3 for 5 with a run scored, an RBI and his 14^th double of the year.  A.J. Pierzynski went 2 for 5 with an RBI, double and triple.  Pedroia walked once and also had a hit.  Ortiz went 1 for 4 with an RBI and Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1 for 4 with a run scored.  Brock Holt reached base with a walk and Mike Carp was hit by a pitch.

Not much going for the offense as Price did look pretty good on the mound save for the beanings of course.

Brandon Workman did pretty well again in his 2^nd start of the season as he went 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits.  He walked 3 and struck out 4 and exited early after the ejection.  He wasn’t sharp with his command and walked a little too many for my liking but he’s looking more reliable at this point that Doubront was so that is encouraging.

Burke Badenhop was the first out of the bullpen and fired 1 and 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, letting up just 1 walk while striking out 1 as well.  Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless frame with a strikeout and Koji Uehara did the same.  Edward Mujica went 2/3’s of an inning giving up just a walk and Andrew Miller retired the only batter he faced to earn the win on Friday night.

It was a great win and their second consecutive walk-off.  Emotions will sure be high again on Saturday night as Rubby De La Rosa (0-0, 0.00) will take the hill for the Red Sox for the first time as a starter.  He’ll be taking Clay Buchholz’s spot in the rotation and I’m excited to see what the kid’s got.  He was one of the prizes we received in the Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett trade.  So far we’ve only seen him in relief so it’ll be nice to see if he has starter potential.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

A.J. Pierzynski.  A.J. had 2 hits on the night but made them count as he had a double and a walk-off RBI triple.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Grady Sizemore.  The Sox are not giving up on the Sizemore experiment but he’s still very inconsistent at the plate.  On Friday he went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Pierzynski’s walk-off triple in the bottom of the 10^th.

NEXT

Saturday, May 31st at Home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game 53 – 5/29/2014 – in Atlanta vs. the Braves

RESULT – WIN 4-3

The Red Sox earn their first sweep of the season as the walk-off on the Braves 4-3 at Fenway Park.  The walk-off ended up being a hit and then an error to get the winning run in but the Sox will take it either way as the Sox run their winning streak to 4.

David Ortiz missed the game with a right calf strain and it will be something that will need to be watched as the Sox already have starters Napoli, Victorino and Middlebrooks on the DL as well as 2 pitchers (Buchholz and Doubront).  So with 4 starters out, the Sox still come out on top and the offense did pretty well without them.

The Sox banged out 4 runs on 12 hits and walked 3 times.  They were 5 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.  I’m a little upset at all the men left on base but you have to be happy with the hits they are getting with runners in scoring position.  Those hits were not happening during the terrible 10 game losing streak.

Brock Holt went 3 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI, a double and a walk.  He’s been doing really well out of the lead-off spot and if he doesn’t stick with the big league club when Stephen Drew is ready, it’ll be a crime.  He’s now hitting .315 at the plate and has been by far the most consistent hitter on the Sox.

Xander Bogaerts went 3 for 5 with a double, run scored and an RBI.  He was at the plate in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to win the game.  With 2 walks to start the inning by the usually reliable Craig Kimbrel, Bogaerts came up with a chance to win the game.  He delivered by hitting a shot to third which Johnson was able to dive for but his throw to 2^nd to try and force out Holt, skipped past La Stella and into right field, Bradley Jr. would motor home to score the winning run.

A.J. Pierzynski went 2 for 4, and Pedroia, Gomes, Sizemore and Ross all chipped in with his of their own.  Ross had a run scored and double as well.  Jackie Bradley Jr. walked once as did David Ortiz who pinch hit and was immediately replaced by Mike Carp.

The top 2 in the order (Holt & Bogaerts) went a combined 6 for 9 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI as well as walking once.  With that type of production out of your two top spots, you’re bound to pull in a victory.

For the third straight game, Boston’s starter did very well as Jake Peavy pitched a hell of a game on Thursday night, going 8 innings and giving the bullpen some much needed rest going into the weekend series.  In his 8 innings, he allowed just 3 runs on 8 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4.

Like Lackey the night before, Peavy was able to get ahead of Atlanta hitters and was aggressive with his fastball.  It was nice to see his command back as his last 2 outings he had a ton of walks.

Koji Uehara pitched the ninth and worked around 1 hit and struck out 1 for his first win of the season.

While the 9^th inning was nice, the 8^th inning was where the action was as the Sox scored 2 in the inning to tie it up.  It was started by Brock Holt who singled and moved to second on an error by the left-fielder Upton.  Bogaerts then singled him in to make it a 2-run game.  Pedroia followed with a single of his own to put runners at 1^st and 2^nd with no one out and Pierzynski at the plate.  A.J. delivered with a single of his own to center which Bogaerts was able to score on by an error on B.J. Upton in center field.  The defense would settle down however and the Sox would get no more.

It was a nice win to build upon going into a tough weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays, a team the Sox were just swept by last weekend.  The Sox will send Brandon Workman (0-0, 3.18) to the mound again for his 2^nd start of the year.  He didn’t do too bad in his last outing but only went 5 innings.  I’d like to see him go a little deeper in the game and am excited to see the young arms contribute at the major league level.

The Rays will counter with David Price (4-4, 4.42) who the Sox knocked around last Saturday, scoring 5 runs off him in the first inning.  He would settle down but it’s encouraging that the Sox were able to score some runs on him and hopefully they can do it again.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  The X-man had 3 hits and an RBI including the game winner.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Daniel Nava.  Nava went 0 for 2 with a strikeout after taking over for Ryan Lavarnway who started at first base.  Nava has still not looked all that great since being recalled to Boston.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Bogaerts single then error to end the game in the bottom of the ninth.

NEXT

Friday, May 30^th at Home vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game 52 – 5/28/2014 – in Atlanta vs. the Braves

RESULT – WIN 4-0

Don’t look now, but the Red Sox are on what is called a winning streak.  Yeah, I know it’s only 3 games but after 10 straight losses, you have to take any type of good news right now.

John Lackey completely dominated the Atlanta Braves in game 3 of this weird series (2 away, 2 at home).  With his complete control and the Sox doing just enough on offense, the Sox pulled a 4-0 win over their interleague rival at home to win their third in a row.  They also moved out of the basement in the AL East but are still behind the red hot Blue Jays, who won their 9^th in a row, by 8 games.

John Lackey was in complete control on Wednesday night as he went 6 and 1/3 innings, giving up 0 runs while scattering 8 hits, striking out 9 and walking none.  It was the 8^th quality start of the season for the big righty and he’s been the team’s most consistent starter this season.

Lackey seemed to be very aggressive in the strike zone last night, getting ahead of most hitters with first pitch fastballs.  He had great command and seemed to be able to put the ball wherever he wanted.  It was quite an impressive showing for Lackey and he’s pitching great so far this year.

The bullpen continued to be strong as they closed out the shutout.  Chris Capuano worked around a walk in his 2/3 of an inning.  Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless inning striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced and Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless inning to close it out, giving up just 1 hit.  Though Koji Uehara was warming in case anything went bad, he was not needed last night and after 2 straight games of closing it out, it was nice to see him get a night off.

The offense did just enough to get Lackey the win as they scored 4 runs on 12 hits.  They were 5 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base, but I’ll take those numbers as at least they seem to be getting some hits with runners on.

Xander Bogaerts went 3 for 4 with a run scored, a double and a walk.  A.J. Pierzynski went 2 for 4 with an RBI.  Jonny Gomes went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored, an RBI and a walk.  Jackie Bradley Jr. went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

Grady Sizemore went 1 for 2 with 2 walks, David Ortiz had one hit and one walk and Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 5 with a run scored.

The offense didn’t need to do much with the way Lackey was pitching but it was encouraging to see them smack the ball around on some tough Brave’s pitching.

They’ll go for the sweep tonight as they send Jake Peavy (1-2, 4.65).  Peavy hasn’t been good in his last 3 starts giving up 5 or more earned runs in each outing.  He’s lasted only 6 innings or less as well and hasn’t struck out man (8 in 3 games).  Let’s hope a trip up against the National League will help him rebound.

The Braves will counter with Mike Minor (2-3, 3.90), who went 6 and 1/3 inning last outing against the Rockies and got the loss as he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits while walking 3 and striking out 6.  He’s a good lefty and the Sox will have their hands full tonight.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

John Lackey.  Lackey was brilliant Wednesday night, striking out 9 hitters in just 6 and 1/3 innings while walking none and giving up no runs.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Brock Holt.  Holt went 0 for 5 out of the leadoff spot and struck out twice on the night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Chris Capuano getting Freddie Freeman to groundout to end the top of the 7^th to preserve a 3-0 lead.  The bases were loaded and one of the most dangerous hitters in the lineup was up at the plate.

NEXT

Thursday, May 29^th at Home vs. the Braves.

Game 51 – 5/27/2014 – in Atlanta vs. the Braves

RESULT – WIN 6-3

So this is what a winning streak feels like?  I know it’s only 2 in a row but after losing 10 straight this actually feels pretty good.  The Sox took their second straight in Atlanta by the score of 6-3 behind a big 7^th inning where they scored 4 runs.

This game had it all, bloops that fell in, clutch hitting, an important call that actually went their way even after a review and decent starting pitching.

Jon Lester was not dominant Tuesday night but he battled hard and minimized damage in key situations.  The big lefty gave up 3 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings of work while striking out 7 and walking 3 to earn his 5^th victory of the year.  He was unhappy all night with the home plate umpire as you could see him yelling into his glove or mumbling to himself leaving the mound after the inning.  From what I saw though, the umpire was pretty fair all night.  Though he wasn’t giving Lester the outside corner, he wasn’t giving it to the Braves either, so as a pitcher you need to adapt and Lester did his best all game.

The biggest obstacle was in the bottom of the 2^nd when the Braves had the bases loaded with no outs and the pitcher Aaron Harang at the plate.  Lester was able to get Harang to ground back to him to start a 1-2-3 double play then get Jason Heyward to ground out to end the inning and the threat.

Lester came out after the 6^th with the score 3-2 Braves but Boston’s bats would come alive in the top of the 7^th as after a Brock Holt groundout, Xander Bogaerts would start the rally with a single.  Pedroia would follow with a single to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd.  David Ortiz would then single in Bogaerts with an RBI single to tie the game.  Gomes then popped up a ball behind 1^st base that fell in to load the bases for Grady Sizemore, who hit into a fielder’s choice to plate Pedroia to give the Sox the 4-3 lead.  With 2 runners in scoring position and a lefty on the mound and righty David Ross coming up to the plate, the Braves opted to intentionally walk Ross to get to the lefty Jackie Bradley Jr.  It was a bit surprising as Ross was batting .175 on the year, but at the same time, JBJ is batting only .201 on the year and isn’t hitting lefties all that well.

Well Jackie Bradley Jr. came through in a big way with a single to left-field on a good piece of hitting to plate both Ortiz and Gomes and give the Sox a 6-3 lead that the bullpen would hold for the win.  That big hit that’s evaded the Sox so much the last month finally happened and I’m glad it was the struggling JBJ to have it.

As I said, the bullpen was good once again in preserving the win for Jon Lester.  Craig Breslow went 2/3’s of an inning giving up 0 runs and only 1 hit.  Junichi Tazawa also worked around a hit and a walk in his 2/3 innings of work and was aided by a spectacular grab in right-field by Jonny Gomes to escape a jam.

Andrew Miller went 2/3 of an inning striking out both batters he faced.  Then it was Koji time as Uehara pitched a perfect ninth, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced for his 11^th save of the year and his 2^nd consecutive.

The offense left a ton of people on base (10) and was 4 for 10 with runners in scoring position.  I’ll take .400 over the terrible .100-.200 they’ve been putting up.  Overall the Sox had 6 runs on 12 hits while walking twice.

Dustin Pedroia went 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.  Grady Sizemore went 2 for 5 with a run scored, an RBI, a double and his 4^th stolen base of the year.  Jackie Bradley Jr. went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI in the win.

Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts both went 1 for 5 with a run scored.  David Ortiz went 1 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk.  Jonny Gomes went 1 for 5 with a run scored.  David Ross went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a walk.

Jon Lester had to bat because of the National League rules and went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.  In his career, Jon Lester is now 0 for 34 with 21 strikeouts.  That’s some spectacularly bad hitting, even for a pitcher.  You’d think he’d get lucky every once in awhile but so far, no.  I’m sure he’s happy to be in the American League where he only has to bat sparingly.

This weird series will now shift to Boston for 2 games as John Lackey (5-3, 3.58) will take the hill for the Sox.  Lackey was brilliant in his last start against the Rays but didn’t factor into the decision.  He went 7 strong innings where he didn’t give up any runs and only 5 hits.

Taking the mound for the Braves will be Gavin Floyd (0-1, 2.49).  Floyd has pitched pretty well this year but so far has no wins to show for it.  In his last outing against a good Rockies team, he went 6 and 2/3 giving up just 2 runs on 7 hits while walking none and striking out 7.  Floyd doesn’t walk a ton so the Sox will have to be aggressive up there.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jackie Bradley Jr.  JBJ came through with a huge 2-run single to cap off a 4-run 7^th inning and had another hit on the night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

There really wasn’t any one to give an elbow to the face but if I had to, it would actually be Lester.  Lester did not have his best stuff on the mound and complained constantly about the strike zone.  The strike zone seemed pretty consistent on both sides so the whining was really not needed.  The less that is spoken about his bat the better.

PLAY OF THE GAME

JBJ’s 2-run single in the 7^th.

NEXT

Wednesday, May 28^th at Home vs. the Braves.

Game 50 – 5/26/2014 – in Atlanta vs. the Braves

RESULT – WIN 8-6

It didn’t look good again going into the top of the 5^th as the Sox were staring at a 6-1 deficit.  Somehow, someway, the Sox were able to get a rally going, score 5 runs in that inning, then add 2 more in the 7^th, THEN protect an actual lead to put an end to the 10 game losing streak and pull out a 8-6 win in on Memorial Day.

Down 6-1, the Sox started to rally in the top of the 5^th after Daniel Nava was able to work a walk after pitch-hitting for Burke Badenhop.  Brock Holt followed that up with a double to put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with 2 outs.  The Braves were careful with Xander Bogaerts and he worked a walk to load the bases for Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia came through with a clutch 2-run single to cut the lead to 6-3.  David Ortiz then delivered the big blow as he crushed a 3-run homer to tie up the game.

In the top of the 7^th, the Sox would again load the bases with only 1 out as Brock Holt singled and Bogaerts and Pedroia both walked.  David Ortiz would come through again, this time with a deep sacrifice fly to right field to plate Holt and take a 7-6 lead.  A.J. Pierzynski would then single home Bogaerts to give the Sox an 8-6 lead and eventual victory.

Overall the Sox hit the ball pretty well yesterday as they scored 8 runs on 7 hits while walking 8 times.  The big statistic change on the day was that they were 3 for 4 with runners in scoring position.  When you hit with guys in scoring position it usually means a W in the win column.  They left 6 men on base but seeing 75% with runners in scoring position is certainly promising for a team that has been struggling so mightily lately.

Brock Holt is loving the lead-off spot as he went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.  Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 3 with 2 RBI, a run scored and 2 walks.  David Ortiz went 1 for 3 with a walk and his 12^th homer of the year.

A.J. Pierzynski went 1 for 5 with an RBI.  Grady Sizemore went 1 for 4 with a run scored and a triple.  Jackie Bradley Jr. went hitless but drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.  Xander Bogaerts and Jonny Gomes both went hitless as well but walked twice and Bogaerts scored twice in the game.

Clay Buchholz had a hit in his lone plate appearance but once again struggled on the mound.

The righty only went 3 innings as he had absolutely no command on the mound.  He let up 6 runs on 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking 8 men.  He needed 88 pitches to get through just 6 innings and has now seen his ERA balloon to 7.02.

It was certainly a low point for Buchholz whose 8 walks was a career high.  The most he ever had in an outing was 5 before Monday.  After the game, it sounded as if John Farrell might be thinking of giving Buchholz some time off as he didn’t commit to Clay making his next scheduled start.  Sill no injury, but there clearly is something wrong and it’s got to be mental at this point.

The good thing is the bats and strong bullpen effort bailed Buchholz out.

Burke Badenhop worked around 2 hits in his outing as he allowed 0 runs.  Chris Capuano went 1 inning and struck out a batter.  Edward Mujica went 1 inning and worked around a walk for a scoreless frame.  Junichi Tazawa went 1 inning and struck out 1 of the 3 batters he faced as Andrew Miller fired a scoreless frame striking out 2 and giving up just 1 hit.

Koji Uehara nailed down the 9^th for his 10^th save of the year by working around a hit.

It’s nice to finally end that terrible 10 game losing streak but the Sox must build on this if they are going to get back into the races here.  They’ll send Jon Lester (4-6, 3.36) to the mound and hope he will rebound from the terrible start last week against the Blue Jays where he allowed 7 earned runs.

He’ll be opposed by Aaron Harang (4-4, 3.32).  Harang has been a pleasant surprise for Atlanta this year and he’ll look to get the Braves a split of the quick 2-game set.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ortiz.  Ortiz drove in 4 and took it upon himself to end the skid they’ve been on with his 12^th homer of the season.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Clay Buchholz.  He’s pitching so badly know you wonder if he’s in need of a skip in the rotation to get his head right.  Maybe even work out of the bullpen for a few outings.  We’ll see what Farrell does.

PLAY OF THE GAME

David Ortiz’s 3-run game tying homer in the top of the 5^th.

NEXT

Tuesday, May 27^th in Atlanta vs. the Braves.

Game 49 – 5/25/2014 – in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays

RESULT – LOSS 8-5

The frustration has finally boiled over as the Sox lose their 10^th straight game as they are swept by the Rays to the tune of 8-5.

The 10 game losing streak is the longest such streak in 2 decades.  In 1994, the Sox lost 11 straight under manager Butch Hobson.  The Sox now sit 8 games back of the Blue Jays in the basement of the AL East.

This one got a little crazy as you could tell the Sox have finally reached their boiling point.  In the 7^th, the Sox lifted Jackie Bradley Jr. from the game for Jonny Gomes who came up clutch with a game tying 2-run homer.  It looked like momentum had finally swung in the Sox favor but it would be short lived.

In the bottom of the 7^th, Craig Breslow, who looks like a shell of himself from last year, was belted around for 5 runs on 5 hits and one walk in just 2/3’s of an inning.  The big-hit being a pinch-hit 3-run homer by Sean Rodriguez.  It was almost like, I’ll see your 2-run homer and raise you a 3-run shot.  Definitely back-breaking.

Later in the inning, Yunel Escobar would rip a 2-run double to make it 8-3.  Escobar would then “steal” 3^rd during the next batter’s at bat.  He would be credited with a defensive indifference as the Sox didn’t even throw down.  That doesn’t mean the Sox were happy with it as words were exchanged back and forth between Escobar and the dugout.  It looked like Escobar was jawing with David Ross as he did not appreciate the maneuver by Escobar.  Yunel then motioned toward Boston’s dugout and the benches cleared after Gomes ran in from left-field and pushed Escobar.  Both players were ejected as was Sean Rodriguez.  It was good to see some fight in them but I’d rather the team focus on the field and worry about you know, winning a damn baseball game than beating up the opposition in a lame pushing match.

The Sox would make it a little interesting in the 9^th as Xander Bogaerts hit a 2-run, 2 out single to close the gap to 8-5.  The Sox wouldn’t get anymore as Pedroia would ground out to end the game.

Overall, the Sox did better offensively if you don’t look at the horrendous average with runners in scoring position (3 for 15) and the men left on base (7).  It’s the same old thing with this team as they continue to falter with runners on and a clutch base hit is needed.

Xander Bogaerts, who left Saturday’s game early, started and went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI, a double, and a hit-by-pitch.  A.J. Pierzynski went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 2 doubles.  Grady Sizemore went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles.  Brock Holt went 1 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI and sacrifice fly.  Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 5 and Jonny Gomes went 1 for 1 with his 5^th homer of the year.  Mike Carp reached base once with a walk.

With Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino hitting the DL, the Sox brought back Daniel Nava who hit 6^th.  He went hitless but it was good to see him back with the club and hopefully he can bounce back from his horrible start to the season.

The 4-5-6 hitters (Ortiz, Carp and Nava) went a combined 0 for 11 with 3 strikeouts.  With all the injuries, the Sox are going to need some guys to step up behind Ortiz.

Brandon Workman got the start for injured Felix Doubront and did serviceable.  He went 5 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3.  He needed 88 pitches to get through the outing but pitched well enough to give the Sox a chance to win.  I’m not sure we’ll see more of him or not as Allen Webster has been doing well down in Pawtucket as well.  I could see the Sox switching it up in Felix’s next spot but we’ll see.

Alex Wilson was also recalled from Triple-A as the bullpen needed some fresh arms after the 15 inning affair the night before.  He pitched 1 inning and worked around a walk.

Craig Breslow imploded in his 2/3 innings of work as we detailed above and Edward Mujica pitched well for the second straight outing.  He went 1 and 1/3 innings giving up nothing and striking out 1.

The Sox will now travel to Atlanta to face the Braves in a weird 2-game set in Atlanta, followed by a 2-game set in Boston against the same Braves. They’ll try to end this terrible streak by sending Clay Buchholz to the mound.  Buchholz has not been good lately so we’ll see how this goes.  I can honestly say that whenever he takes the mound, I get a bit nervous.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jonny Gomes.  Gomes clutch 2-run homer tied up the game in the 7^th, while it was short lived, it was still clutch.  He would also get thrown out for sticking up for his teammates which goes a long way in my book.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jackie Bradley Jr.  JBJ went 0 for 2 with a strikeout before being lifted for Gomes.  He’s batting .197 now on the year.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Sean Rodriguez’s 3-run homer in the bottom half of the 7^th which broke the 3-3 tie after the Sox had tied it up in the top half of the inning.

NEXT

Monday, May 26^th in Atlanta vs. the Braves.

Game 48 – 5/24/2014 – in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays

RESULT – LOSS 6-5 (15 innings)

Andrew Miller has had the worst luck of all Sox relievers this year.  He was on the mound for the 4^th walk-off loss of the season as the Sox drop their 9^th in a row in extra innings Saturday against the Rays by the score of 6-5.

The big lefty has been the losing pitcher in 4 walk-off losses this month, more specifically the last 12 days.  This walk-off was by far longest and probably the most gut-wrenching.

With runners on 1^st and 2^nd with no one out, Miller needed a ground ball desperately to get a double-play, well he got one.  Desmond Jennings hit a comebacker right to Miller who fielded it then proceeded to fire the ball into center field as Dustin Pedroia could not coral the sinking fastball.  Cole Figueroa would score easily from 2^nd for the Rays 2^nd straight walk-off win.

It started off so well too, as the Sox would score 5 runs in the first inning to jump out to a 5-0 lead against Rays ace David Price.  5 runs without David Ortiz (day of rest), Shane Victorino (hamstring injury) and Mike Napoli (finger injury) in the lineup.  The day looked like it could be a blow out and the end of the miserable 9 game skid.

Unfortunately, nope, instead, the Sox would produce only 2 hits and 0 runs over the final 13 innings of baseball.

The offense mustered only 6 hits and 5 runs on the night.  They walked 5 times but were just 1 for 3 with runners in scoring position and left 6 men on base.  As a team, they struck out 16 times with Mike Carp and Grady Sizemore striking out 3 times each.

Brock Holt went 2 for 7 with a run scored batting out of the lead-off spot again and he’s swinging a good stick right now.  With Stephen Drew playing minor league games right now trying to get back soon, the Sox will have an interesting debate as Holt has certainly earned an opportunity to stay with the big league club.  Could we be seeing the last days of Jonathan Herrera, who by the way, went 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Herrera came on for Xander Bogaerts who left the game early with a tight hamstring.  It didn’t look serious and the Sox downplayed the injury after the game so hopefully it was just nothing major as the Sox can’t afford another injury right now.  He went 2 for 5 with a run scored before he exited.

A.J. Pierzynski went 1 for 5 with a 3-run homer and a walk as the DH in the loss.  David Ross had the only other hit, going 1 for 6.  Mike Carp drove in a run on a hit-by-pitch and also scored a run.  Jonny Gomes went 0 for 3 but walked twice and drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.

That was it though.  In 5 hours and 16 minutes of baseball, the Sox could muster only 5 runs and 6 hits.  Wow.  I really don’t know what to say at this point.

Jake Peavy didn’t get the loss but he also didn’t do his job.  Given a 5-run lead to work with right out the gate, Peavy went just 6 innings, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits while walking 1 and striking out 5.  The Rays hit Peavy pretty hard on the night as even some of the outs were hit hard.  In the end, when you score 5 runs in the top of the 1^st and are facing David Price, the pitcher has to get outs and hold off the opposing team.

Craig Breslow worked around a hit in his only inning of work as he struck out 2.  Junichi Tazawa went 1 inning as well and worked around a walk and a hit while striking out 1.  Koji Uehara went 1 inning and struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.

Edward Mujica actually had a decent outing as he went 1 inning, giving up just 1 hit and striking out 1.  Chris Capuano went 1 and 2/3 innings allowing no runs and not hits while striking out 1.  Burke Badenhop also pitched well going 2 innings and allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 1.  Miller gave up the walk-off by giving up 2 hits and 1 run, but it was unearned.  He also struck out 1.

With the streak now at 9, this is the longest losing streak the Sox have experienced since 2001 (August 25-September 4).  To avoid a sweep and an embarrassing 10 game streak, the Sox will send recent call-up Brandon Workman who will start in place of injured Felix Doubront.  Workman has a lot of success last year in these types of starts and down the stretch run last year.  Though he was struggling in the minors this year, hopefully he’ll be on Sunday afternoon.  He’ll be opposed by Jake Odorizzi, who’s been a mess this year.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

A.J. Pierzynski.  A.J’s 3-run homer in the top of the 1^st, gave the Sox a huge 5 run lead that unfortunately they couldn’t hold.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Grady Sizemore.  Sizemore went 0 for 6 with 3 strikeouts on the night.  He’s down to .211 and with the recent string of injuries, we may be seeing much more of him.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The walk-off error by Andrew Miller in the bottom of the 15^th which pushed the losing streak to 9 games.

NEXT

Sunday, May 25^th in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays.

Game 47 – 5/23/2014 – in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays

RESULT – LOSS 1-0

Getting out of dodge didn’t help any on Friday night as the Sox drop Game 1 of the series to the Tampa Bay Rays via the walk-off in the bottom of the ninth by the score of 1-0.

The losing streak has now hit 8 straight games and again it was the offense that struggled mightily as John Lackey did a hell of a job on the mound.

Lackey went 7 strong innings, giving up just 5 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3.  He didn’t strike out a ton but was able to get ahead early on Tampa Bay hitters and he also kept the ball on the ground, recording 17 ground ball outs.  His fastball, which he couldn’t command in his last outing, was a lot better this time out and he was able to throw it low in the zone and the Rays couldn’t get under it and continually hit ground ball outs.

Junichi Tazawa went 1/3 of an inning and retired the only batter he faced.  Andrew Miller went 1 inning and took the loss as he allowed a walk that eventually came around with Burke Badenhop on the mound.  Miller also struck out a batter but Badenhop couldn’t retire the side and allowed the inherited runner to score for the walk-off.

I almost feel like I shouldn’t even talk about the hitting because it was just terrible.  The Sox managed only 5 hits on the night and walked 4 times.  They were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 9 men on base while striking out 11 times as a team.

David Ortiz went 1 for 3 with a walk, A.J. Pierzynski went 1 for 4, Grady Sizemore went 1 for 3 with a walk, Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1 for 3 and Brock Holt went 1 for 4 with a double.  Holt’s double was the only extra-base hit on the night.

Dustin Pedroia walked twice in the loss as well but there were a lot of 0-fers on the evening that led to a putrid offense.

With the losing streak getting to 8 games, the Sox fell into last place with a 20-27 record and trail the Blue Jays by 6 games in the AL East.  While the pitching was better Friday night the offense is still struggling and if they continue with the lack of production with men on base, they will be sellers at the All-Star Break instead of buyers.

They’ll try it again on Saturday with Jake Peavy taking the hill against David Price, a tough lefty that the Sox sometimes have trouble with.  To make matters worse, there are reports that both Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli could be headed to the DL.  If that happens where will the offense come from?

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Brock Holt.  Holt led-off for the Sox on Friday night and had the only extra-base hit on the night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts who’s been red hot lately went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts on the night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth by Desmond Jennings.

NEXT

Saturday, May 24^th in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays.