The Dream is Dead...Well, the Streak is Anyway

Jason Johnson (3-8 before the game started) made his debut in a Boston uniform tonight, and it wasn't pretty. He gave up 3 runs in the first, and he also hit 2 people that inning! 2 more runs scored in the 2nd. Johnson stayed in for 4 innings, which surprised me because the 4th inning appeared to be a pretty easy one. Tavarez came in and had a 1-2-3 5th, and a scoreless 6th.

Manny Ramirez came through in the 6th, hitting a 2-RBI single. Lowell followed that up with a single of his own (after 9 pitches), but no one else did anything and the score stayed 5-2.

Seanez came in to pitch the 7th and actually made it through without giving up a run. Surprised me, he did.

Manny seemed to be the only one making any noise tonight. He was 3-for-4 with the only RBIs of the game for the Sox. Everyone else had either 0 or 1 hit(s). Not good!

And there goes the winning streak. Just couldn't get over the 5 runs allowed in the first 2 innings. At least the errorless games streak will continue.

12 in a Row!

Once again, I was playing tennis and had to miss the first 7 innings of the game. I taped it, but I have to go to Rhode Island starting Saturday and may not be able to watch it until next week. But I was able to see Coco Crisp make the most incredible diving catch to end NY's 8th, then David Ortiz put the nail in the coffin with a solo HR to put the Sox up 4-2.

12 wins in a row. Up by 4 games in the standings. First time the Mets have lost 3 in a row all season. This is great.

And since I will be on "vacation" (visiting family), I'm not sure what kind of posting schedule I'll be on. But by next Sunday I'll be back with definite regular posts. Have comfort in the knowledge that I will finally have NESN for a week, and that is the best part of the trip.

Edit: Coco's catch was the #1 web gem last night, and the #1 play on SportCenter's list. Loretta and Youkilis also had a pretty play that made #3 on SC's top plays!

Pedro's Return Was...Kinda Pretty Bad

Pedro! Everybody loves him, and he got a really long standing ovation. I was so excited to see him that I started singing, so it was a good thing I was home alone. Nobody should have to hear that.

Side note: A fan was holding a sign that said:
Go Pedro
Go Sox
I'm confused

Loved it.

Anyway, Youkilis and Loretta singled in the first, due to Pedro's seeming nervousness. He was clearly flustered when Ortiz hit the ball right to him and he only got one out out of it. He walked Ramirez to load the bases with one out, and Nixon hit a sac fly to score Youk. Varitek RBI singled, then the Mets left fielder Milledge DROPPED THE BALL that Lowell hit and 2 more runs scored. Poor Pedro. Poor Milledge I guess, that's the 2nd error he's made out there in as many games.

Pedro asked in a press conference how you could compare the Red Sox of '04 (pointing out Big Papi, Millar, Damon, and Cuckoo Bird (Bronson Arroyo!?)) to the Mets of '06 when some fool asked him to. I miss Pedro and his entertaining interviews.

Manny hit a double in the 3rd and Nixon kindly sent him home on an RBI single. Nixon scored on a double play, then Coco was walked and the Gonz hit a homerun to put the Sox up 8-0. That's right, the Gonz had a HR 2 nights in a row!

Then the crowd started doing the "Pe-dro" chant. That was uncalled for and I did not like it. I mean, he's not A-Rod!

Pedro only lasted 3 innings. That's depressing. But Beckett was pretty awesome as he went 7 2/3 innings and only gave up 2 runs. Beckett is going to be incredible for the rest of the season, I can see it. And the bullpen came in and didn't give up any runs. 11 wins in a row. How freaking good are the Red Sox lately?

I feel bad for Pedro, but Josh Beckett was the man tonight.

Tonight, Tonight

Last night's game was won easily by the Sox, 9-4. Lester won again, proving these young guys really have what it takes. NYY lost, so we're up 3.5 games. Now, let's talk about the most important thing to happen in Fenway in a long time.

Pedro's Return.

Sure, technically his return was yesterday. But tonight, Martinez is pitching against Boston for the first time since he left. He received a standing ovation last night, and no doubt he will receive another one this evening. Isn't this one of the greatest pictures you've seen?

Compare that to Johnny Damon's return. Ha.

I can't wait for tonight. Pedro vs. Beckett. It doesn't get much better than this, people!

Yes, He Did it AGAIN

Youkilis dances. That picture pretty much says it all.

The score of yesterday's game remained 0-0 until Mike Lowell RBI singled in the 6th to score Ortiz. The scoring finally stopped 5 runs later. 6 runs in the 6th. Nice.

Of course, with the good comes the bad, as Wakefield loaded the bases the next inning without getting a single out. Seanez came in and did what he does best: gave up runs. First hitter RBI singled, the next batter ALMOST had an inside-the-park grand slam and cleared the bases on his way to 3rd. Can they PLEASE lose Seanez?? And seriously, everybody knows he's the worst pitcher on the team, so why put him in in a bases loaded/no outs situation? I think Francona must have been drunk.

To continue the horrible mess that was the top of the 7th, Lopez came in and walked the first batter. Two men on, no outs, 4 runs in. Lopez did get one out, but Rollins still scored. 6-5. 15 minutes before that we were up 6-0 (and as soon as I typed that, the WEEI guys said the EXACT same thing). Then he got a strikeout, and things were starting to look okay again, and Timlin came in. And he got the last out on a strikeout, to keep the Sox up by one. Tense half-inning.

Timlin got 2 outs in the 8th, then Papelbon came in after Coste doubled. Papelbon got his out.

9th inning, up 6-5, Papelbon pitched. And he...he...well...he gave up a homerun. It was a solo HR that tied the game, and...I..can't believe it. He got the three outs in a row after that, but seeing a BS next to Papelbon's name is unnatural.

Nothing happened for 2 innings.

Then, the 12th inning. Delcarmen got an out, then Craig Hansen came in and got the 2nd out, but he gave up an RBI double and our 8-game winning streak was looking like it was about to end.

Coco Crisp started off the bottom of the 12th with a ground-rule double. Two outs came after that, and it was looking mighty sour until Youkilis singled in Crisp and tied it at 7. Loretta walked, and then Ortiz got his second chance to win the game.

And win the game he did, with an RBI single.

How can anyone not think he's the best? Best clutch hitter ever, no one can even try to argue otherwise. That's two games in a row that he has had a walkoff hit to win the game. Pretty soon, we're going to get so used to Ortiz the Superhero that if he doesn't win the game, it'll be a stunning blow.

How Is Ortiz So Incredible??!

The first inning started out rough. Before you knew it, it was 2-0 with no outs. Schilling managed to get out of it with only 2 runs, but it's never good to be losing before the first team at-bat.

Loretta and Ortiz got on in the second, and Manny RBIed Loretta. I use RBI as a verb a lot, and though it doesn't make sense if you think about it, it's easier and I prefer easy over difficult any day.

2nd inning some Phillie got caught stealing! I love to see people get CS if they aren't in Boston jerseys.

Mike Lowell hit a solo HR to tie the game, after the FOX guys had been complimenting the hell out of his game. Then Kevin Youkilis stole second! 4-for-4 now for him in steals, and Loretta sent him home about 8 seconds later.

Manny made a great catch on the wall in the 6th. He jumped right into the wall to record the 2nd out of the inning. Red Sox defense is ON.

Schilling got into some more trouble in the 7th, when suddenly bases were loaded with no outs. Wakefield got into the same situation the last time he pitched, and got out of it with only one run. How did Schilling do? We'll never know, as Francona took him out and put Delcarmen in. He did have a season high 10 strikeouts, though. First batter = line drive right to the Gonz. 2nd batter = RBI single (tie game). Lopez came in to pitch and got himself a double play. And it was Awesome.

Hansen came in to pitch the 8th and gave up a double and got 2 outs, but as soon as he walked a man he was taken out for Papelbon, the Scrabble-loving closer. And he got his out, rather easily. He did not have as easy a time in the 9th, when he gave up a single and a double. He let the bases get loaded with 2 outs, then struck out the next guy. And he walked away as though it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

So we went on to extra innings, and Papelbon stayed in as the pitcher. He kept the game at a 3-3 tie, and Tom Gordon came in to pitch the bottom of the 10th. Alex Cora singled, and David Ortiz hit a walkoff homerun. No one was surprised, and everyone was elated. How does Ortiz ALWAYS come through in the clutch? He is the best baseball player ever in the entire world, no doubt about it.

"I'm not a great chess player, but I can play the heck out of some Scrabble... Don't make me bring the Scrabble board to the locker room. I'll bring it!" - Papelbon, threatening some mean Scrabble action

Top 3 Things

3 Things You Need to Know About Last Night's Game:

1. Beckett was phenomenal. He went 8 innings and had a no-hitter going until the 6th. He had retired 17 in a row before some fool singled.

2. Manny Ramirez hit a 3-run homerun and followed it up with another solo shot later in the game. He had 5 RBIs last night, and Lowell had this to say, "He hadn't seen a changeup all day. His first at-bat he saw two other pitches . . . to stay on it and crush it like that, that's why he makes so much money. He can do what other guys can't."

3. Gabe Kapler is loved even more - he too hit a 3R HR last night. On the first pitch, just like Ortiz likes to do.

Another interleague victory, 10-2 this time. That's 7 wins in a row and we're still holding a 2 game lead in the standings.

I bought a new TV yesterday, and I was so looking forward to watching the Red Sox today on FOX, but I have to play tennis at 1:30 and the game is at 1. Gonna have to tape it and avoid scores until I get home.

David Ortiz = RBI Machine

Grand slam in the 2nd inning! Hit by none other than David Ortiz and with 2 outs. And he did it on the first pitch, again. A grand slam in Fenway. I was there for one of those, a long time ago, and it's a great thing to be there for.

Jon Lester had 7 strikeouts through the first 4 innings, which not only sounds good but he was in the process of creating a new career-high in strikeouts. I know, not like he's had a lot of time to do that, but it's still worth mentioning. He finished the game with 10 SOs.

Ramirez, Nixon, and Varitek each contributed some RBI and the final score was 9-3. These interleague games are going incredibly well for Boston, who haven't lost one yet. The streak WILL continue on Friday when Beckett takes on Philadelphia at Fenway.

The Red Sox got a new pitcher, Jason Johnson, from the Indians. This year, he has gone 3-8 with a 5.96 ERA in 14 starts. RedSox.com has more information on the right-hander.

And the Offense Exploded

I was playing tennis and didn't get back until 7:54, and I see it was already 6-0! Here's how it went down:
Nixon singled
Lowell walked
Crisp - OUT
Mirabelli - 2 RBI double
Cora - RBI single
Youkilis - walk
Loretta - 2 RBI double
Ortiz - OUT
Ramirez - RBI single
Nixon - RBI doubleLowell - walk
Crisp - OUT

And that was all in the 2nd inning.

Can you believe all the run support Wakefield got? Wow! He pitched 6 solid innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits. Last night, we saw the Wakefield that we always hope we'll be seeing but don't always get.

After the 6-run 2nd inning, Youkilis and Crisp each had RBI singles to make it 8-0. Washington scored in the 6th, on a bases loaded walk. Here's the best part: Wakefield let the bases get juiced with no outs, then walked a man in. Next: strikeout. Next: strikeout. Next: fly out.

Coco Crisp hit a solo homerun to lead off the bottom of the 7th, 9-1. Loretta RBI singled to score Cora after he had singled and Youkilis walked. Gabe Kapler hit a single to score Youkilis, 11-1.

Tavarez pitched an inning, Hansen pitched the final 2. Tavarez didn't let anyone score, but Craig Hansen gave up two in the 9th. Which is okay when you have a 10-run lead, just not as impressive a final score. Final was 11-3.

Bronson Arroyo pitched a complete game and won Monday night. Record is 9-3. Just so you know.

The New Guy Held His Own

Kyle Snyder started the game last night, and if you don't know who he is, feel no shame. I'd never heard of him, even though I should have if I was keeping up with the latest. Warning: For the next 3 weeks, I'm going to be off my game: I'm house-sitting for 2 weeks in a house with no internet and then I'm going to Rhode Island for a week to see family. I feel no embarrassment in admitting that the thing I'm most excited about is NESN.

So anyway, Snyder started and won. I was reading the mailbag on MLB.com and when I saw the first question, "I am sure Gabe Kapler is excited to be back, but what will happen to him when Wily Mo Pena gets off the disabled list?" I was shocked - Wily Mo! He hasn't played in so long that I kind of forgot about him. But that does bring up an interesting point about Kapler's role if Pena comes back healthy. I guess that's something to wait and see about.

Preview

Back to yesterday's game. Snyder was claimed off waivers 4 days ago from Kansas City. He only allowed 3 runs, and with Crisp, Cora, Kapler all batting in runs, Cora walking with bases loaded, and Manny slamming a homerun, it led to a 6-3 victory over the Nats.

If you can believe this, Van Buren, Lopez, Seanez, and Timlin each pitched scoreless innings. Finally.

Thank You Atlanta Bullpen

Schilling vs. Smoltz. Would it be a great one, or another disappointing Beckett vs. Mussina crapfest?

David Ortiz hit a solo homerun on the first pitch he saw. That is a very, very good sign. I thought he would get a day off yesterday, but it's a good thing he didn't.

Gonzalez slipped and fell and STILL threw out the runner, on his knees! This is why everyone needs to be onboard the Gonz Train like me.

The Braves grabbed the lead later, but they didn't have it for long, because Manny Ramirez broke out of his 0-for-18 slump with a homerun the very next inning! That's the Ortiz and Ramirez stuff I know and love.

TROT NIXON made an AWESOME diving catch to completely rob Thorman of his first major league hit. If that wasn't a web gem, I don't know what is. It was beautiful.

So Seanez came in to replace Lopez who replaced Delcarmen. Two men on. First pitch. 3-run homerun. I have so many, many problems with what happened in this inning. First of all, Delcarmen got 2 outs then allowed a single, so Francona took him out. I don't know why, because he was doing pretty good. So then he puts in Lopez, who walks the next guy. Instead of keeping him in a bit (and not wasting the bullpen, it was only the 7th inning), he put in Seanez. The worst pitcher that we have. And he immediately gave up a homerun to put the Sox behind.

I am so fed up with the bullpen, I cannot begin to describe it. SOMETHING has to be done, and soon, because if we have to put up with this for the rest of the season, we are not going to the playoffs. If Atlanta's bullpen wasn't so bad as well, we probably would have lost.

Back to the game. Nixon and Varitek were walked, then Coco Crisp RBI-singled Nixon to make it a one-run game. Lowell hit a double to score Varitek and Crisp and then it was time to party. We were back on top, and I was screaming and jumping and everything was great. Cora was walked, and then to make it even better, Youkilis hit a 3-run homerun. Seanez was breathing a huge sigh of relief because he got saved by the incredible Red Sox offense, and he somehow got the win.

Timlin came in to pitch the 8th and gave up a run. He's probably not 100% yet, so when it was 9-6 and Atlanta had 2 men on with just one out, I was nervous. He got one out, then let another one score. Two outs, 9-7, Papelbon in. Phew. First pitch out. I LOVE PAPELBON.

Crisp came through AGAIN and RBI-singled the same man as before, Trot Nixon. 10-7.

So after all the anger and rage I had towards the bullpen, it all turned out well because the Red Sox offense is the best in the world. I have to tell you, getting behind in the 7th and coming back in the 8th makes for an incredibly exciting game, but it's so stressful! I have to reiterate: I love this team.

What a game. Good thing the Braves bullpen is worse than Boston's!

The Bullpen Did NOT Mess Up the Game!

Sorry about the late post, all. Long day.

GABE KAPLER PLAYED YESTERDAY!! He came in in the 7th and singled his first at-bat of the year. SO happy he's back! And batting 1.000 too! Plus, he made a great catch to rob Jeff Francoeur of a double in the 8th.

Kevin Youkilis showed he deserves the leadoff spot when he hit a homerun to start the game. It was nice to see that (on Gameday) because FOX screwed me over yet again and showed the Yankee game. As if I didn't dislike FOX enough.

Manny Ramirez sat out with a sore knee, and even though Ortiz was going to have the day off, he had to play. "I immediately called David and told him to reverse [the plan]," said Francona. "First of all, I told him he was stupid for answering his phone. And then I said, 'You're playing, because we can't have both of you out of the lineup.'"

Beckett pitched a good one through four, and he RBI-singled to send Gonzalez home! He did not really own the 5th inning though - he walked a man on 4 pitches to get the bases loaded, then he walked in a run on 4 pitches. However, that was the only run he let score as he exited the inning maintaining a 5-2 lead. As long as he can get out of the trouble, all is forgiven.

David Ortiz hit a solo homerun pretty far to right field. Speaker didn't take it that time (yes, I know that was in Minnesota, but I'm still upset about that).

Gonzalez? 3-for-4. Come on, show him some love.

Manny Delcarmen came in for Beckett in the 7th, and got 2 strikeouts but left two on for Tavarez. Tavarez ended the inning with a strikeout, and went on to the 8th, where he immediately gave up a double. He left the inning after giving up a run, and Javier Lopez replaced him. Lopez got the final out on a SO. Papelbon pitched the 9th, you know the rest. Sox won 5-3.

In other news, the Yankees blew a 9-2 lead. Even with a Johnny Damon grand slam and 3 homeruns in one inning, NY lost 11-9. And Italy scored a goal for the U.S. in the World Cup, and I will take it.

The Red Sox infielders are leading the league with the fewest errors. Apparently, the last time the Red Sox led the league defensively was 1950.

Too many guys are swinging at the first pitch lately and making outs. It never really works, so I suggest they start working on that.

Breaking the Losing Streak

If you like Interleague action, you are going to be one happy camper for the next five series. The Sox will be playing Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and Florida in the upcoming weeks. And last night the Atlanta series began. And you know what that means...

Edgar Renteria!

Last year, Renteria won me over within about two minutes of his arrival in Boston. His poor defense didn't really bother me, because he just tried so hard. I do like to see him performing better this year, but maybe not so much over the next couple days or so.

The second inning went a lot better than the first. 3 up, 3 down in the first, and 3 singles = a run in the 2nd. Then we had 2 men on and 2 men out, and Lester was up. Yeah, interleague, yeah.

So the 3rd inning. Tim Hudson walked three men, and by the time Varitek was up, bases were loaded with 2 outs. What would he do? He did swing at the first pitch (like Thursday), but he swung through the ball. But then he hit a double and CLEARED THE BASES! That's the way to make up for the other night! 4-0.

Jon Lester pitched last night, and what he lacked in offense, he made up for in defense. He got into a bit of trouble in the 5th, but still only let one run score. He pitched 6 innings, then Seanez pitched a scoreless inning, Timlin pitched a seriously easy 8th, and of course Papelbon's inning was scoreless.

You hear that? A perfect game by the bullpen! And a nearly perfect game by Jon Lester. These young pitchers are really coming through for us lately. Pauley and Lester have stepped up and I for one am pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty happy about that.

Also: Matt Clement was placed on the DL yesterday. Another hole in the rotation? Impossible.

Sadly Swept

I got my Sports Illustrated yesterday, and who did I see on the cover? David Ortiz! Last night, he hit a homerun but it only counted as a single. How could such a horrible thing happen? The ball hit the speaker in the dome, and even though it would have been a homerun in a domeless park, he only got a single. ROBBED.

Someone finally made a good decision; Riske was traded for a reliever who will hopefully be effective. He (Javier Lopez) actually pitched last night, and walked the first guy on 4 pitches, let a run score, and got a double play. Typical bullpen stuff.

Wakefield gave up a run in the first inning. Wasn't looking like we were going to get the good Tim, but still, I had hope. By the end of the night, he had let 3 runs score. Which isn't too bad actually, but since the Red Sox NEVER GIVE WAKEFIELD ANY OFFENSIVE HELP, it was too much. It wouldn't have been too much if the bullpen didn't give up two more runs, but that's another story.

Bases loaded for the Sox in the 8th with no outs. Guess?! Manny struck out (why?), Nixon hit a sac fly, and Lowell hit an RBI single. Yay Lowell! At least someone is making an effort to score some runs. Then Coco Crisp hit a single but no one was sent home...Varitek PHed with the bases loaded. Varitek is never really reliable as a pinch-hitter, so I was a little nervous, I won't lie. And wouldn't you know, he swung at the first pitch and popped it up. Figures. To quote my mother, "Two questions. What the hell was Manny swinging at? And why did Varitek swing at the first pitch?" If only we knew.

Alex Cora was 3-for-4 last night, surprisingly. He got a hit in the 9th with 2 outs, so Ortiz was up next. And he came through for us again with an RBI single. So here was Manny's chance to redeem himself for that pretty horrible strikeout in the 8th. And redeem himself he did not. Another strikeout. How depressing.

And just for the record, I do not like Jason Kubel...

Homeruns in the Wrong Direction

Giving up two grand slams two nights in a row is BAD.

The starting pitcher only going 4 2/3 innings is BAD.

Not having a reliable bullpen is just the WORST.

All in all, a very unspectacular game. Coco Crisp hit a solo homerun, and that was about it for us.

Seanez managed to pitch a whole inning without giving up a run, while the other 3 pitchers (Clement, Van Buren, and Delcarmen) each gave up at least one. Minnesota's bullpen gave up exactly zero runs. Quite a difference. A pretty glaring one, actually.

A final score of 8-1 was rather depressing, especially considering Tuesday's intense game. I really wish Clement would start being good all of the time instead of some of the time. And I wish even more that the Yankees would stop winning and being in first place.

Something really needs to happen with starting pitchers. Like, get more than 2.5 (.5 because sometimes Wakefield) good ones.

They'll Break Your Heart

I am on a mission to get people to love Alex Gonzalez (or at least not dislike him, I can't work miracles), or as I like to call him, the Gonz. Sometimes, he makes it difficult. Last night, it was a little easier. Against Santana, only three people got hits. Varitek had one, which was the most important (a solo HR), but the Gonz and Trot Nixon each had 2 hits off the guy. And it only got better. For Gonzalez, that is.

In the 9th, when it was tied 1-1, I saw Loretta was the first up, batting 0-for-3. I said to my cat that he was about to be 1-for-4, and he came through for me. Ortiz almost hit a homerun, but didn't quite make it. Manny had an interesting at-bat but ended up striking out. Varitek was intentionally walked to get to Lowell. I wanted Lowell to do something so very badly, but he didn't. To the bottom of the 9th we went.

Lights out Papelbon came in and gave up a double. But then the next guy up bunted and Youkilis threw the lead runner out! It was so so so great. Then Papelbon struck out the current hottest hitter in baseball, Joe Mauer. Another strikeout meant extra innings! The game had only been going on for 2.5 hours, so it seemed fitting.

And guess who got a hit in the 10th? That's right, Gonzalez! Unfortunately, that was the only hit they could manage.

Mike Timlin replaced Papelbon in the 11th and I got a really bad feeling. He pretty much told me to shove it when he pitched a scoreless inning.

12th inning. Gonzalez got his 19th RBI and broke the tie. Come on, if that doesn't make you like him, you are one cold foo'.

Tavarez came in to pitch the 12th. WHY? Why do they take chances like that? Somehow, he caught Mauer looking, then he hit the next guy. Great! Next up, Morneau hit a ground rule double to get guys at 2nd and 3rd. Tavarez intentionally walked Torii Hunter to load the bases.

TAVAREZ GAVE UP A WALKOFF GRAND SLAM.

I really, really don't like him. I don't want to say hate, but it's getting REALLY close. Not only did he lose what was actually a pretty terrific game, but he cost the Gonz the game-winning RBI. I guess it's not really his fault, because what was Francona thinking putting him in in that situation? I mean, Schilling went 8 fantastic innings, Papelbon had 2, Timlin (who I think should have stayed in) pitched a good one, then Tavarez. And didn't you kind of know we were going to lose when you saw him?

Plenty of Information

About the Gonz (from MLB.com): When the Sox were in Detroit, Curt Schilling walked by the television when he heard an ESPN commentator talking about how the Red Sox are looking for a shortstop. Schilling said, "We need a shortstop? Our shortstop is going to win the Gold Glove!" Alex Gonzalez may not be swinging the bat as well as others, but he leads the AL in fielding percentage (.995) and has only committed one error. I say everyone who wants to get rid of the Gonz needs to shut it, because Gonzalez has improved Boston's defense immensely and that is the reason why he was brought there.

The AL Player of the Month for May has a .143 BA, 0 homeruns, 4 hits, and 1 RBI this month. Do you know who he is?

Pauley has been optioned to Pawtucket, and Gabe Kapler will be going there too. Kapler is moving on up, which is such good news. I can't wait to see him back in a Red Sox jersey.

Schilling goes for win #10 tonight, and will be opposed by Johan Santana of the Twins. Santana has a 6-4 record with a 3.16 ERA.

Oh, and the PotM for May who is having a terrible June? That'd be Alex Rodriguez.

An Incredible High then a Sad, Sad Low

Game 1:

David Ortiz, I bow down to your power.

The man hit a 3-run walkoff homerun to win the first game of the doubleheader. How awesome is this guy? How many walkoff homeruns does that make it? Because it feels like 30.

Not only did he hit that walkoff HR, but he did it with 2 strikes and 2 outs. There's no one in the world better than him. So how did he not win MVP last year? All I can say is he better win it this year. If you think you are better than David Ortiz, you are one crazy mofo.

Game 2:

Like the opposite of the first game.

Pauley pitched 5 innings and gave up 6 earned run. Tavarez gave up a run and Seanez gave up twice that, but the worst was Foulke giving up 4 ER. Count 'em up, that's 13 runs for Texas compared the Boston's 6. Loretta had the best game going 3-for-5, and that tells you a lot. Worst offensive production? 0-for-5, Mirabelli.

One-for-two. Better than 0-for-2, right? It would have been nice to win both and go up 1.5 games over the Yankees, but I guess we'll have to live with a 1 game lead for now. NY has lost 4 in a row, let's hope that streak continues.

Quick One

Saturday:
The second game in the doubleheader that was originally postponed due to rain was again postponed due to rain. But after a delay, the first game was underway and here came Jon Lester.

Texas kept scoring first, but the Sox kept catching up. That is, until Tavarez ran into some trouble in the 7th and allowed 2 runs. Seanez came in to replace him and, if you can believe it, didn't let any more runs score. Final score was 7-4, the final two Texas runs came off of a Hank Blalock HR in the 9th, courtesy of Foulke. His first game back, I guess that's not too bad. We already lost.

Lester wasn't too bad, he gave up 3 runs, 2 unearned. He walked 4 and struck out 4, and lasted 4 1/3 innings. Not too shabby for a first outing.

Today:
There's a game going on right now, and there will be another at 5. We're up 2-1 after a Manny solo HR and an Ortiz RBI-single.

Wakefield Did His Job and He Did it Well

Wakefield pitched against Texas and the Red Sox won!

Wakefield didn't though.

Trot Nixon hit a 3-run homerun in the first inning, and went 4-for-4. Mike Lowell hit a sac fly in the 8th to put the Sox on top 4-3, after - get this - a Papelbon blown save. Is the apocalypse coming? Papelbon still won the game, but he let it get to a tie in the 8th. Too bad for Wakefield, because he pitched 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs; he would have gotten the win. Good to see Nixon gave him some run support right away, too.

Papelbon got his 3 outs in the 9th on strikeouts. Where would we be without him?

Jon Lester is making his debut this afternoon for the first game of a doubleheader. He is highly touted, so hopefully he'll make as good an impression as Pauley did.

Finally, A Good One

Crisp singled, Ortiz singled, Manny RBI-singled, Nixon was walked (from an 0-2 count), Varitek GIDP. But we did get a run in the first, so it was off to a good start.

But then Damon had to go and hit a homerun. Wasn't he like 1-for-15 during the first few NY/Boston games? I wish he would do that again. A-Rod tried to make me feel better by striking out, and I really did enjoy watching that.

Damon hit a 3rd inning double, then got doubled off when Melky Cabrera hit one to Crisp and JD didn't tag. Nice one.

The Yankees had two more solo homeruns, and then came the goodness.

Varitek stopped playing meh-ish and hit a 3-run homerun, and before that he RBI-singled. The best part about that HR was Manny was intentionally walked before that. Then Coco Crisp hit a 2-RBI single. Even the Gonz got in on the RBI action, hitting a double a score a run. Youkilis SFed before he got hit in the elbow. Actually, Lowell got hit tonight, too. What's up with that?

Schilling pitched 8 beautiful innings and Papelbon came in to pitch the 9th. Schilling only threw 96 pitches, 62 of which were strikes. He is now 9-2, which ties him for the best record in the majors (with Glavine of the Mets).

Bronson Arroyo won last night too, and his record is almost as great as Schill's at 8-2.

Wakefield has a sore back, but will still pitch tonight. And they're taking on Texas tonight, and since Wake has a pretty terrible record against the Rangers, I don't know if this is the best idea. Apparently, Craig Hansen is ready to back him up if necessary, so we will see.

So Close it Hurt

Pauley had a 7-pitch first inning, then he struck out A-Rod. Ortiz came out of his slump and hit his 17th homerun to make it 1-0. But Bernie Williams hit a HR later to tie the game and then got a curtain call (?). He gets a curtain call just for hitting a solo homerun in the fifth inning? You gotta do a lot more than that to get my respect.

Manny got a single in the 6th and went for two, which was crazy, and he was out by ten feet. Manny!!

David Pauley pitched a pretty sensational 6 2/3 innings, only giving up that one run (plus another because of Seanez). He got into trouble in the last of the 7th when he loaded the bases (and he could have gotten out of the inning but misplayed a ball that was hit to him). Seanez came in to finish the 7th, so naturally I was nervous, frightened, and scared. And of course, Seanez walked in a run. Didn't you expect it? Then he struck Rodriguez out. I tell you, I just don't know sometimes.

Then stupid Melky Cabrera took away a homerun from Manny that would have tied the game. Je deteste! He reached over the fence and grabbed it. So frustrating.

Turns out that bases loaded walk was what lost the game. Will someone please tell Francona that putting Seanez in in such a tight situation (or really, any situation) is a mistake? Why does this guy get playing time?

So not only did the Red Sox lose and the Yankees are now on top, but Northwestern lost to Arizona in the WCWS. What a bad bad bad day.

WEEI Quote of the Day: "Jorge Posada is really showing some intestinal fortitude out there, he's in pain with an injured back. Did you see the last episode of the Sopranos?"

Ugly Doesn't Begin to Cover it

Brutal.Coco Crisp started the game with a leadoff double. Ortiz and Ramirez got screwed when the home-plate umpire called two balls strikes when they were way out of the box (as evidenced by K-Zone, not just my bias). They would both strike out.

Jeter didn't play, so I didn't have to see his face. GONZALEZ made THE most awesome play to get Damon out at 2nd when Beckett threw the ball to where The Gonz's glove was not. The Gonz dove to catch the ball and as he was diving, made sure to get his foot on the bag. Had Beckett thrown the ball properly, there would have been a double play and the following would not have occurred.

Varitek threw the ball to NO ONE when Cabrera was stealing 2nd and another NO ONE (Youkilis!) covered home and Cabrera scored. Gonzalez made this fantastic defensive play, then this horrible thing happened. It was really, really ugly.

Then came the torrential downpour of awfulness, and it lasted for a long while. Andy 'Who?' Phillips hit a 3-run HR. Beckett really struggled in the 2nd inning, he was just really bad. Single-single-HR-single-single-RBI-single-out-ANOTHER 3-RUN HOMERUN-walk, then he finally left the game. Turns out the highly anticipated pitcher's duel between Mussina and Beckett was...nonexistent. I know I was all to happy to post a picture of Red Sox fans cheering a horrible performance by Johnson, but the above picture is a sad display!

A "mistake" by the home-plate umpire cost the Red Sox a double play and let 5 more runs score. Cairo hit a little nothing, Varitek tagged him out and threw out Williams at 2nd. However, the HPU called it a dead ball and after much debate, let Williams stay at first with Cairo out. So instead of ending the inning, Cabrera was able to double in 2 runs. Whoever the guy is back there (Fieldin Culbreth is the fool's name) really screwed over the Sox tonight, with his horrible calls and "mistake" that showed how much he loves the Yankees. Francona tried to argue with the guy but he loves the Yankees too much to be persuaded that he is a cheater who sucks.

Then David Riske came in and hit Posada with his first pitch, and with bases loaded. Who knows if he meant to do it, I'm thinking no (because he's really not good). Then he gave up a 2-RBI double.

I'm done. I can't even write about this anymore AND IT WAS ONLY THE THIRD INNING. They better forget about last night and turn it around today, because they are a much better team than that.

Back on Top, Now to Extend the Lead

I completely forgot to mention that Bronson Arroyo went 3-for-3 Saturday with 4 RBIs (and six strikeouts). I still wish he was playing for Boston, but it's good to see he's doing so well over in the NL.

Matt Clement pitched last night, so no one really knew what was going to happen. Would the Clement of last year show up and pitch great? Or would the one who has been pitching like crap leave early again?

We got the good Clement! He went six innings and only allowed three runs on six hits. It sure is nice to see that.

The Gonz hit a 2-run homerun, only his third homerun of the year. For some reason, both Gonzalez and Cora (two of the not-so-great hitters on the team) were both playing. But if the Gonz is going to start hitting homeruns, I can be okay with that.

After Gonzalez hit his homerun, Youkilis, Ortiz, and Ramirez each hit one of their own.


Look at all the base-stealing fun...

And a great catch by Coco:

With a Yankee loss, the Sox are back on top of the AL East. My God, it was bad looking up, even if it was just for a day.

Yankee series begins tonight!!

Wakefield Gets No Support

Wakefield pitched, so you have to assume some balls went out of the park. And Carlos Guillen hit a 2-run HR in the 4th to put Detroit up 3-1.

I was dividing my time between this game and the Women's College World Series (I hate UCLA for taking out Cat Osterman and Texas. That leaves only Tennessee for me to cheer for now.), and every time I checked to see what the Sox were doing, I was disappointed. Until I saw an Alex Cora triple! Didn't see that one coming. Crisp RBIed him, but no further scoring would happen for the Sox.

But that doesn't mean Detroit didn't score more. Tavarez came in in the 8th and gave up a 3-run homerun to the first batter he faced. Lost 6-2. No run support for Wake, AGAIN. Not a good one, folks.

Kevin Youkilis. KEVIN YOUKILIS!

I have a confession.

When Boston was down 2-1 in the 9th with 2 outs, I gave up. I even switched the Gameday to the Baltimore/NYY game because I saw that the Orioles had caught up in the 8th. I switched back to the Sox game and saw Youkilis had just hit a 2-run homerun to put the Red Sox on top. KEVIN YOUKILIS. He is SO the man this year! And what made it even better was since it was the 9th inning, you knew Boston was going to win because Papelbon would come in.

I LOVE this team!

Pauley Helps the Winning Effort

First things first: Wily Mo Pena is out for 6-8 weeks due to wrist surgery. And it seems my excitement over Kapler's return was premature. Mike Lowell did something to his hamstring. Bad week so far.

David Ortiz started off the game with a solo HR. As he does.

David Pauley had a pretty good first inning, which got me thinking that maybe he was going to have a pretty easy game. The second inning he walked 3 guys and only let one run score, which is better than half the pitchers on the team. By the end of the third inning, Pauley had gotten a double play to get out of each inning.

A rain delay in the Yankee/Tigers game got me some NESN coverage, and hearing Remy and Don was like sweet, sweet bliss. And a Mark Loretta 2-run homerun made it even better! The man hits 'em long even with a "sore toe." 15-game hitting streak for him.

Manny scored on a wild pitch. Then bases loaded with no outs in the 4th. Including Manny, 3 guys had been walked with a Youkilis double. Nixon struck out. The Gonz did nothing. In fact, I was so confident that the Gonz had zero chance of getting more than 1 RBI, I vowed to go on a week-long fast if he did. Then Coco Crisp hit a single to score Youkilis, but Lowell was out at home (got to love that third base coach and his many, many bad plays). I hate when that happens.

Manny hit one hard into the stands, and scored Ortiz in the process. Put the Sox up top 7-2.

And then Pauley fell apart in the 5th and gave up 4 runs.

But Nixon hit a homerun the next inning! And Gonzalez and Loretta turned a very pretty double play to end the 6th inning and leave the score at 8-6.

And when Papelbon came in to pitch, you knew it was a done deal. We didn't get swept! Yay!