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.

Game 46 – 5/22/2014 – at Home vs. the Toronto Blue Jays

RESULT – LOSS 7-2

The Boston Red Sox made some history last night.  Unfortunately it wasn’t good history and something they probably didn’t want to do.  With last night’s loss to the Blue Jays by the score of 7-2 the Red Sox were swept not only by the Jays but on the entire homestand which was 6 games.  It was the 2^nd time in the history of the Red Sox, we’re talking over 100 years here, that they have been swept on an entire homestand that was 6 games or more.  The only other time it happened was back in July of 1994.

It marks the 7^th straight loss for the Red Sox and on this horrific homestand they were outscored 33-13 and led for only one inning for the entire 6 game span.  That one inning was Sunday night when they took a 1-0 lead in the 2^nd inning of the last game against Detroit.  Xander Bogaerts had an RBI single to take the lead but Jake Peavy promptly gave it right back in the top half of the 3^rd by giving up a 2-run homer to Victor Martinez.  Ouch!

With Jon Lester on the hill, I fully expected a good pitching duel and since he’s been the stopper all season long maybe an end to this terrible stretch of baseball but Lester looked like a big pile of dog poop in the first 2 innings of the game.  He allowed all 7 runs in the first 2 innings and put the Sox down in the hole early and they were never able to dig themselves out.

Overall Lester went 6 and 1/3 innings, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3.  Though he settled down after the terrible 2^nd inning where he allowed 5 runs, it was a little too late as the bats couldn’t get anything going against Mark Buehrle who ran his record to 8-1 on the season.

Burke Badenhop went 1/3 of an inning working around a hit but gave up no runs.  Craig Breslow went 1 and 1/3 innings giving up 2 hits but no runs and Junichi Tazawa went the last inning working around a walk and a hit while striking out 2.

Overshadowed by this bad stretch has been the bullpen which has been quite good as they’ve been asked to throw a ton of innings and have done well as they’ve either kept the game close or shut down the opposing teams bats.  Hopefully they can stay strong and continue to do well when the bats and starting pitching comes around.

Speaking of the bats, it was the same old story last night as the Sox just couldn’t hit with runners on again.  They were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 5 men on base.  During this 7 game skid they are just 10 for 49 with runners in scoring position.

They were able to only get 7 hits and didn’t walk at all.  Xander Bogaerts stayed hot as he went 1 for 4 with a solo homer that went clear out of Fenway Park for his 3^rd of the year.  Brock Holt went 2 for 3 with a double in the loss.  Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 4 with a run scored and a double, his 17^th of the year.  Jonny Gomes went 1 for 4 with an RBI and Mike Carp went 1 for 4, as did A.J. Pierzynski.

David Ortiz went 0 for 4 and is now hitless in his last 17 at bats.  He also hasn’t driven in a run since May 14^th’s win over Minnesota where he hit 2 homers.  Since then he’s been ice cold at the plate.

It’s been a very rough stretch lately and as a fan you have to hope they can come out of it because this team isn’t much different than what won a World Series last year.  The starting pitching has to get better and the bats really need to wake up.

They’ll be back at it again tonight as they travel down to Tampa Bay to face the Rays.  John Lackey (5-3, 4.01) will take the hill for the Sox.  He was roughed up last time out against the Tigers as he went 5 and 1/3 innings giving up 5 runs on 9 hits taking the loss.  Before that he was good for 4 straight starts so hopefully he can regain his mojo against the division rival Rays.

The Rays will counter with one of their young starters, Chris Archer (3-2, 4.59).  Archer was very good in his last outing against the Angels as he went 5 and 2/3 for the win.  He allowed only 2 hits and 0 runs but was a bit wild as he walked 5 and struck out 5.  He’s been very erratic as of late walking 9 in 10 and 2/3 innings pitched.  The Sox will need to be patient tonight and hit good pitches.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Brock Holt.  Holt went 2 for 3 with a double in the loss.  Holt has certainly held his own at the hot corner since his call-up for the Middlebrooks injury.  Not only is he hitting the ball but he’s also making some great plays at third.  My hope is that he sticks around even when Stephen Drew is ready as the utility man.  Herrera should be sent down and Holt kept in his spot.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jon Lester.  Lester was the latest starter to put the Sox down in an early hole as he was roughed up the first 2 innings to the tune of 7 runs.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The 2-run single by Jose Reyes in the top of the 2^nd that sparked a Jays rally that would end with a 5 run inning.

NEXT

Friday, May 23rd in Tampa Bay vs. the Rays.

Game 45 – 5/21/2014 – at Home vs. the Toronto Blue Jays

RESULT – LOSS 6-4

It’s becoming a broken record at this point but the biggest trouble area for the Boston Red Sox this year is hitting with runners in scoring position.  It’s like the team is allergic to hitting with runners on.  With no one on, the Sox seem to be just fine hitting the ball, as soon as you put runners on, especially in scoring position; the bats go somewhere to hide.

On Wednesday night, the Sox dropped game 2 of the 3 game set to the Blue Jays by the score of 6-4.  Another trouble spot has surfaced as well, allowing the opposition to score first.  This one falls on the starting pitching as they have allowed opponents to score first in 24 games and they’ve won just 5 of those games.  When a team can not hit with runners on, allowing your opponent to score first just adds fuel to the fire of this mess of a season.

Clay Buchholz was the starter yesterday that allowed the Blue Jays to get out to a quick 4-0 lead.  Buchholz has been absolutely miserable this season as he falls to 2-4 on the season while sporting a terrible 6.32 ERA.  He went only 4 and 2/3 innings allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits while striking out 2, walking 2 and allowing 2 homers (both to Edwin Encarnacion who is simply on fire right now with 11 homers this month).  Clay needed 90 pitches to get through his short outing as only 53 were strikes.

Both he and John Farrell continue to say there are not physical issues with his arm and back.  Last night it seemed like he was trying to nibble too much and was inconsistent all night in the strike zone.  It seemed like he was behind in the account to pretty much every batter and even when he retired the Jays, the outs were hit extremely hard.  Grady Sizemore had his work cut out for him yesterday and he routinely had to chase down hard hit balls to deep centerfield.  This is not the same Clay Buchholz and if the Red Sox hope to turn their season around, they need the real Buchholz to show up pretty soon.

Chris Capuano came on after Clay and pitched 2 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits while walking 2 and striking out no one.  Andrew Miller went 1 and 1/3 innings allowing just one walk and striking out 2.  Koji Uehara pitched the last inning striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.  Since Koji hadn’t pitched in awhile since the Sox have lost 6 straight ball games and have had no save opportunities.

Offensively the Sox left 11 men on base and were just 2 for 6 with runners in scoring position.  They matched the Jays in hits with 11 but failed to capitalize with runners on base.  It’s the same old story every single game and until they can start getting some clutch hitting, this team will continue to slide.

Xander Bogaerts continues to swing a hot bat as he went 3 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI and 2 doubles.  He has his average up to .283; his on base percentage up to .381 and his OPS is at .782.  He’s been the lone rookie that has actually performed above expectations.  It seems that his power stroke is finally coming around as he has 13 extra base hits now on the season with a bunch coming as of late.

A.J. Pierzynski went 3 for 5 in the loss and Mike Carp went 2 for 3 with a run scored, an RBI, a walk and 2 doubles.  As I’ve said in the past, I’d like to see Carp get some more at bats as his swing seems perfect for Fenway Park.

Shane Victorino only went 1 for 5 but his lone hit was his first homer of the year.  Brock Holt went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a walk.  Dustin Pedroia went 1 for 5 and Grady Sizemore walked once out of the lead-off spot.  He also stole his 3^rd base of the year.

There was zero production out of the 3 and 4 hole as David Ortiz and Jonny Gomes both went 0 for 5 and Gomes struck out 3 times.

With their sixth straight loss this team is in a bit of a tailspin and a win is desperately needed.  This is their longest losing streak since the end of the 2012 season when they lost 8 straight to end the year.

They’ll send their stopper to the mound tonight as Jon Lester (4-5, 2.67) will take the hill.  Lester pitched exceptionally well last time out against the Tigers but still took the loss as the offense couldn’t score any runs.  He went only 5 innings due to a rain delay but struck out 7 and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits.

He’ll be opposed by Mark Buehrle (7-1, 2.11) who looks to finish off the sweep for the Jays.  Buehrle is enjoying a great season so far and was excellent in last start against the Texas Rangers as he allowed only 2 runs over 6 and 2/3 innings.  He works fast and pounds the strike zone so hopefully the Sox will be able to get to him for some runs today.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  The X-man went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.  He’s heating up at the right time and I’m thinking we’re seeing him blossom right before our eyes.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jonny Gomes.  That’s baseball.  A day after being Game MVP, you turn around and you’re the least valuable player the next day.  Gomes went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts on the night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Anthony Gose’s RBI single in the top of the 7^th which was the nail in the coffin for the Sox as it extended the Jays lead to 6-1.

NEXT

Thursday, May 22nd at home vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.

Game 44 – 5/20/2014 – at Home vs. the Toronto Blue Jays

RESULT – LOSS 7-4

The losing streak has reached 5 games as the Sox drop the first game of the series to the Blue Jays 7-4 at Fenway Park Tuesday night.  For those that say, home is where they heart is, they have lost the first 4 of a 5 game home stand. 

They outhit the Jays 12-11 but could not get that big hit when they needed it as hitting with runners in scoring position continues to be this teams thorn in its side.  When you are 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position and leave 9 men on base you are going to be a team under .500.  It’s alarming how bad this team is with runners on and a big hit is needed.

The Sox had numerous golden opportunities including one in the bottom of the 4^th that the Jays flashed some leather on.  After 2 walks to Ortiz and Napoli, Jonny Gomes beat out an infield hit with 1 out to load the bases for Xander Bogaerts.  The X-man hit a sharp one hopper to 3^rd base where Brett Lawrie was able to stop it, step on third then fire home to get Ortiz out at the plate for an inning ending double-play.  It was a rocket off the bat of Bogaerts and Lawrie made a hell of a play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 5^th, after a 2-run homer by Jonny Gomes, Bogaerts and Brock Holt singled to keep the rally going with David Ross coming to the plate.  Ross would foul out on a bunt attempt, Jackie Bradley Jr. would then move Bogaerts to third with a flyout to center but Dustin Pedroia couldn’t get him in as he struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Sox had runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with 1 out after a beautiful sacrifice bunt by Brock Holt.  Unfortunately David Ross would strike out swinging and Jackie Bradley Jr. would pop out weakly to 2^nd to end the threat.

Then in the bottom of the ninth, the Sox looked like they wanted to tie the game as Pedroia and Victorino both singled to start the frame, David Ortiz launched a pitch deep down the right-field line that looked like a game tying homer.  But it trailed too far right and was a foul ball; he would strike out for the first out of the inning.  Mike Napoli would then end the game on a 5-3 double play.

Just way too many missed opportunities for this struggling team.

Jonny Gomes went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI, a run scored and his 4^th homer of the season.  Mike Napoli went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a walk.  Brock Holt went 2 for 3 with a run scored, double and sacrifice hit.  Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a double.  Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1 for 4 with a run scored, double and RBI.  Shane Victorino and Xander Bogaerts both had a hit and Bogaerts walked once as well.  Ortiz was on base once with a walk.

Fielding was an issue again for Xander Bogaerts as he committed 2 errors in the game at shortstop.  With the re-signing of Stephen Drew earlier in the day, his play at short this season all but assures he moves over to 3^rd when Drew is ready for game action.  Bogaerts has 6 errors on the season and though he may be the long term answer at short, his struggles this year ensure that Drew is needed to play the position for the remainder of the year.

The Sox weren’t helped any on the mound as Felix Doubront stunk up the place.  Doubront went only 4 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2.  He let up 2 homers and exited early with what the Sox are calling left shoulder fatigue.  Looked to me he just wanted out because the Jays were hitting balls hard off of him.  Even the outs seemed loud and Doubront had no answers for the potent Jays bats.

Edward Mujica, who has struggled mightily in his first year with the Sox came in and continued to fail at his job.  Mujica went 1 and 2/3 innings and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits while giving up 2 homers himself.  His ERA on the season is up to 8.04 and is clearly not what the Sox hoped he would be and is revealing exactly why the Cardinals had to move him from closing duties last year.

Burke Badenhop continued his excellent pitching going 1 and 1/3 innings of work giving up nothing and striking out 1.  Craig Breslow worked around a hit for a scoreless inning and Junichi Tazawa went 1 inning and allowed 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 1 in a scoreless frame.

The Sox are now 20-24 and 4 games under .500 for the first time since April 15^th.  With held on the way in the form of Stephen Drew and still only 3.5 games back, there is still some hope but they really need to get something started quickly or this season will be over by July.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jonny Gomes.  Gomes went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI, his 4^th homer and was an offensive force on Tuesday night.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

David Ross.  Ross went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and failed to get a sacrifice bunt down in a key situation.  Ross is terrible at the plate this year batting .167 and though he handles the pitching staff pretty well, he’s simply not doing enough with the bat to warrant any extra plate appearances outside of catching every 5^th day.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Melky Cabrera’s solo homer in the top of the 6^th innings.  After the Sox had fought back and scored 2 runs to make a game out of it, Mujica gives up yet another homer to put the Sox back down by 5.

NEXT

Wednesday, May 21st at home vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.

Game 43 – 5/18/2014 – at Home vs. the Detroit Tigers

RESULT – LOSS 6-2

The sweep is on and it’s not a good thing.  The Tigers take game 3 of the series 6-2 as the Red Sox drop their fourth straight game.  It is the longest streak since they dropped 8 straight to end the terrible 2012 season.  They never lost more than 3 in a row last year on their championship run.

Offense was again the issue Sunday night as they managed only 2 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks.  Xander Bogaerts stayed hot as he went 2 for 4 with an RBI.  Pedroia, Victorino, Sizemore and Jackie Bradley Jr. had the other hits as Victorino and Brock Holt each stole a base.  David Ortiz walked twice and Napoli once.  They were 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 7 men on base.

Will Middlebrooks was placed on the DL Saturday and Brock Holt is up in his place but the Sox really need to do something with the left side of their infield.  Bogaerts has certainly been holding his own but they have gotten zero production out of 3^rd base this year and I’m starting to think Middlebrooks will never be the answer.  He hasn’t shown he can hit big league pitching for an extended period of time and he continually gets hurt.  I think it’s time the Sox explore options in the left side of the infield because Bogaerts has experience at both 3^rd and short, a shortstop could be in the mix.

While their at it, a corner outfielder would be a nice addition as well as Sizemore, Bradley Jr. and Gomes are struggling mightily this year.  I don’t know how many options there are but the Sox have a plethora of young arms that they have the goods to hopefully score some talent in a trade or two.  I think it’s time to do that or this team will be out of it at the All-Star Break.

Jake Peavy wasn’t very good either on Sunday night as he went 6 innings and allowed 5 runs on 11 hits.  He struck out 2, walked no one and gave up a homer to Victor Martinez.

Junichi Tazawa went 1 inning and allowed 1 run on a solo homer by Torii Hunter.  Andrew Miller bounced back from 2 walk-offs by going 1 inning allowing 1 hit, 1 walk and striking out 2.  Burke Badenhop went 2/3 of an inning giving up 2 hits but Craig Breslow was able to get out of the inning unscathed after a walk and a strikeout.

It was a terrible series and the Sox to me have hit rock bottom.  They are now 20-23 and need to get some momentum going for a tough series coming up against the Blue Jays staring Tuesday.  A day off on Monday will help get the bad taste out of everyone’s mouth that was this series.

Some low-lights of the series and of the last month:

Mike Napoli is 9 for 51 with 0 homers in the month of May

A.J. Pierzynski is 2 for 25 over a seven game span.

Grady Sizemore was 1 for 12 in the series.

Jackie Bradley Jr. is 1 for 13 with 6 strikeouts over his last 4 games.

The Sox were outscored 13-3 in the series and outhit 32-16.

They are 10-14 at home this year.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts again was the only Sox hitter that fared well on the night.  He went 2 for 4 and drove in one of the 2 Red Sox runs.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Mike Napoli.  Napoli walked once but also struck out twice and was 0 for 3 on the night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Victor Martinez’s 2-run homer in the top of the 3^rd to put the Tigers up 3-1.  The Sox wouldn’t get much closer.

NEXT

Monday, May 20^th at home vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.

Game 42 – 5/17/2014 – at Home vs. the Detroit Tigers

RESULT – LOSS 6-1

The good news is the Sox scored one more run than on Friday night; the bad news is that it was only 1 run.  The offense again is held in check by Detroit pitching as the Tigers take game 2 on a picture perfect Saturday night at Fenway to the tune of 6-1.

Offense has not been a strong point this season and it roared its ugly head again on Saturday night as the Sox had just 1 run on 7 hits.  They left 6 men on base and were 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and are 0-9 in the series.

Mike Napoli went 3 for 4 and Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 3 with a solo homer but that was about it on the night.  David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia each had a hit apiece but the 5, 6 and 7 hitters (Sizemore, Carp and Pierzynski) were a combined 0 for 11 with just 1 walk.  With Napoli getting on 3 times, those guys have to come through and get a big hit.

Tiger’s starter Rick Porcello went 8 innings giving up just the 1 run on 6 hits while walking just 1 and striking out 4.  The Sox weren’t striking out but weren’t hitting balls all that had as well.  At one point, Porcello sat down 12 of 13 Red Sox batters to puck up his 6^th win of the season.

John Lackey wasn’t very good on Saturday night as he went just 5 and 1/3 innings giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits while walking 2 and striking out 4.  He also let up a homer to Miguel Cabrera.  It looked like Lackey didn’t have the best command on the night as Pierzynski continually set up outside or low to right-handed hitters but Lackey’s pitch would go inside and get hit very hard.  Either Pierzynski or Lackey weren’t on the same page or Lackey just couldn’t command his fastball all that well.

The bullpen held the score to what it was when Lackey came out of the game but the bats never got going for the comeback.  Edward Mujica turned in another solid outing retiring both batters he faced after taking over for Lackey.

Chris Capuano went 2 innings and looked to be back to his early season dominance as he allowed only 1 hit and struck out 3 times.  Koji Uehara went 1 inning and allowed 1 hit and 1 strike out.

To avoid a sweep the Sox will have to win Sunday night against Anibal Sanchez who was dominant against them last year in the playoffs.  The Sox will counter with Jake Peavy who has been up and down this season and hasn’t received much run support.  Will the bats come and save the Sox from a sweep?

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts went 2 for 3 with the only run scored of the game on a solo homer.  It was his first career homerun at Fenway Park.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Grady Sizemore.  Sizemore went 0 for 4 with and grounded into a double play on the night.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Rajai David’s RBI double in the top of the 6^th to knock John Lackey from the game and put the Sox up 5-1.

NEXT

Sunday, May 18^th at home vs. the Detroit Tigers.

Game 41 – 5/16/2014 – at Home vs. the Detroit Tigers

RESULT – LOSS 1-0

It was a game reminiscent of 2013’s ALCS; the Tigers were able to hold off the Red Sox on a rainy night at Fenway Park, winning 1-0 to take Game 1 of the series.

As usual, the Sox bats were the problem yet again.  Offensively they managed only 3 hits on the night but did walk 4 times.  They were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 5 men on base.

The Sox let a scoring opportunity get away from them in the 7^th when Mike Carp opened the inning with a single and the Tigers removed Max Scherzer from the game.  Xander Bogaerts was then hit by a pitch to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd with no outs.  Unfortunately they wouldn’t get any further as Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out and pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski grounded into an inning ending rally killing double play.

In the 6^th, the Sox had a similar situation as David Ross led off the inning with a single and Dustin Pedroia followed that up with a walk.  Grady Sizemore then hit into a 4-6-3 double play and with David Ortiz up, Tiger’s manager Brad Ausmus ordered an intentional walk.  With runners at the corners big Mike Napoli came on to face Max Scherzer but Napoli couldn’t do anything and ended up striking out looking to end the inning.

Another case of not getting the big hit when they needed it. well, not really getting any hits when they needed it.

David Ortiz went 1 for 3 with a walk, Mike Carp was 1 for 4 and David Ross was 1 for 3.  Mike Napoli walked twice and Pedey once.  Overall the Sox struck out 9 times as a team.

It wasted another strong Jon Lester appearance as the big lefty went 5 strong innings giving up only 1 run on 4 hits while walking 3 and striking out 7.  Had the game not been interrupted by rain, Lester likely would have been out another inning but with the 47 minute delay, John Farrell did not want to chance anything and pulled him after only 94 pitches.

Lester got around a shaky first as he threw 27 pitches in that inning alone and he gave up the lone run of the game in that inning on a Torii Hunter RBI single.  Although he did very well, the bats weren’t able to pick him up and Lester falls to 4-5 on the season.

The bullpen was strong as Burke Badenhop went 1 and 2/3 innings giving up just 1 hit and striking out 1.  Edward Mujica went 1 and 1/3 innings giving up just 1 hit and Junichi Tazawa went 1 inning striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.

The Sox will need to get the bats going as they’ll go up against Rick Porcello on Saturday night.  Porcello has been great this year with 6 wins on the season and an ERA a little over 3.  He’ll face off against John Lackey who has been pretty good this season as well but has struggled against the better teams as of late.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Jon Lester.  No one on the offensive side can be called a game MVP.  I’ll give it to Lester who has the unfortunate status of not being helped out this year by the bats.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jackie Bradley Jr.  JBJ went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and is struggling mightily right now.  He is batting just .200 on the year but his at-bats look terrible and he’s not taking very good hacks up there.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Torii Hunter’s RBI single in the 1^st which ended up being the only run scored in the entire game.

NEXT

Saturday, May 17^th at home vs. the Detroit Tigers.

Game 40 – 5/15/2014 – in Minnesota vs. the Twins

RESULT – LOSS 4-3 (10 innings)

In game number 40, the Red Sox battle back but eventually fall in extra innings to a resilient Twins team by the score of 4-3 and lose the series.  Teams like the Twins, who are not very good this year, are teams the Red Sox need to beat in order to get on track.  Losing 2 out of 3 to a mediocre team is not going to help in the log jam of the AL East.  Faced with a strong Tigers team coming into Fenway, then division rival Toronto after that, the Red Sox need to beat teams like this to get ahead in what will be a very tight AL East.

Unfortunately, Andrew Miller got unlucky as Aaron Hick was able to place a base hit in the bottom of the 10^th to plate the winning run from 2^nd base.  Miller’s pitch was picture perfect as he jammed Hicks on a 95 mph fastball but Hicks was able to get his hands inside the ball and get just enough on it to place it in front of Grady Sizemore.  Sizemore’s throw to the plate wasn’t even close and the Twins walked off for the 2^nd time in 3 days (both times off Miller).

I don’t fault the pitching on this one as the offense couldn’t get anything going all day.  They had 3 runs on 9 hits leaving 7 men on base and going 3 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  Just not enough production from the bottom of the order again as the 7-8-9 hitters combined to go 2 for 12 with 2 RBI and 7 strikeouts.

The 2-RBI came from the 8^th spot in the tune of Will Middlebrooks who was clutch with 2 outs in the top of the ninth.  After Big Papi singled to start the inning, Napoli struck out but Gomes and Mike Carp followed with singles to load the bases with only 1 out.  David Ross then struck out for the 2^nd out but Middlebrooks lined the first pitch he saw into right-field for a 2-run single to tie the game at 3 and give the Sox a chance in extras.  Unfortunately Jackie Bradley Jr. would strike out with Sizemore on 2^nd to end the threat.

Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts went 1 for 5 each with Pedey getting a double (his 15^th).  Jonny Gomes went 2 for 4 with a run scored and Mike Carp went 2 for 4 with an RBI.  David Ross and a single and David Ortiz went 1 for 4 in the loss.

Just not enough hitting as the Sox struck out 12 times as a team and didn’t have an answer for Twins starter, former Yankee phenom, Phil Hughes.

Pitching for the Sox were Clay Buchholz who started out terrible giving up 3 runs in the 2^nd but settled down to go 6 innings.  He did give up 10 runs and walked 3 but struck out 10 in the outing.  He looked pretty good after the 2^nd but still threw 107 pitches in just 6 innings.  I still look at this outing as a positive as he was able to bounce back after a disastrous 2^nd inning and get 6 strong innings and keep the score close.

Craig Breslow worked around a walk and struck out 1 in his lone inning of work.  Chris Capuano did the same as he walked one and struck out one in an inning.  Andrew Miller went 1 and 2/3 and gave up 2 hits, the winning run but struck out 2 as well.

The Red Sox will come home with a 20-20 record as they get ready to face the Tigers who have the best record in the American League.  The matchup on Friday night is a doozy as it will be Jon Lester (4-4, 2.75) vs. Max Scherzer (5-1, 2.04).  It’s a matchup of 2 really good pitchers who faced off against each other twice in the ALCS last year.  Let’s hope the Sox can generate a lot more offense in this series than they did in the championship series last year.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

Will Middlebrooks.  Though he only had 1 hit in the loss, it was a big one as he tied up the game in the top of the 9^th with a huge 2-run single.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jackie Bradley Jr.  JBJ was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts and is now batting .205 on the season.  He still looks very overmatched at the plate in his 2^nd season at the dish.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Aaron Hicks’ game winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10^th.

NEXT

Friday, May 16^th at home vs. the Detroit Tigers.