Again, Tavarez was the Man

Here's something I never thought I'd see: fans holding Tavarez signs! Two guys were holding signs that said "Julian's Hooligans" and they had '51' painted on their chests. I guess there's a first time for everything.

Tavarez pitched nicely, leaving the game in the 6th with a 4-2 lead. Craig Breslow had a scoreless 6th. And then came Delcarmen. He did what he's been doing lately; that is, he was not good. He loaded the bases with no outs, and Javier Lopez came in to get a double play and an out. 4-3.

8th inning - Lowell made a leaping catch that was super pretty. It got me thinking about how well Lowell has done this year, which led me to think about Bill Mueller, and then I was kind of sad.

So anyway, Foulke and Timlin finished it out and Tavarez got the win. Again. A few months ago, I would have loved to unload him, but now I actually kind of want him as a starter next year. I'm basically in shock over how great he is as a starter.

Now Foulke is talking about retiring. He finally starts doing good, and now he says he might retire. Seriously, that is just not fair. Why retire when you are actually helping out now? That's some backwards logic.

And Jerry Trupiano (one of the awesome WEEI guys) might be leaving after this year. I've listened to a lot of games on the radio and I really like my WEEI guys, so I obviously don't want that to happen. I so cannot deal with change.

Wakefield goes tonight against Loewen. It would be nice if Wake could grab this game and get a win.

Trot Nixon

I have mentioned before how if I had to pick a favorite Red Sox player, I would say Trot Nixon. I realize that saying this means he will probably not be in a Boston jersey next year, but I am making a plea to Theo to KEEP TROT.

At Fenway, Nixon owns right field. It'll take someone else (presumably Pena) a while to learn the area, plus Wily Mo is not too adept at the simple task of catching balls yet. I fear losing Nixon will cause that defensive prowess that Epstein built this past year to be diminished dramatically. Think about how many errors (some weren't scored as errors, but we all saw the mistakes) Wily Mo made recently, and he was only out there a few times. I'm not trying to tear Pena down, I just think he needs more time to hone his skill before he takes over for the Incredible Leaping Trot.

So in conclusion, I do not want to see Trot on any other team. For as long as I myself have been a Sox fan, he's been on the team, so imagining a Nixonless Boston team is pretty disturbing. KEEP TROT.

Trot stuff: His top 7 moments, and him talking about the possible end.

Wow

11-0.

Seriously.

Beckett allowed 8 runs in 6 2/3 innings, and that is bad. At least Tavarez is pitching tomorrow and that gives them a fighting chance.

The Gonz' personal reason for not playing is his wife is six months pregnant and something's up. I suppose I can forgive him not being here, probably for the rest of the season.

Will Manny play this weekend? The question on my mind. I hope he does, and I really think he needs to. At least one game. Just one. Please?

54 and Counting

#54 tonight, folks!

Gonz was scratched from the lineup due to "personal reasons." What? The Gonz so better be okay.

Hinske had a great offensive AND defensive game, since I commented on Peter's blog how I wasn't too impressed with him thus far. Maybe I should say how much everyone disappoints me and then we'll win like 16-0.

So then Alex Cora hits a triple. Where was that when it mattered? Then the bases were loaded for Big Papi with 2 outs and he knocked one into left field for 2 runs.

Schilling pitched 7 solid innings and only gave up one run. Foulke came in and pitched an easy 8th and Timlin got through the 9th. A win! Yay! And Toronto lost, so we're back in 2nd place.

Randomness:
I think Manny wants out because he's jealous of all the attention Ortiz gets. And really, who wouldn't be?

You can win a day moose-hunting with Papelbon! WHY.

Coco and Clement had surgery today. Crisp will definitely be better next year when his finger isn't busted, but Clement? Who knows.

Best Crowd Shot of the Day:
The fan with the cardboard sign that said, "I'm Proud of You Red Sox." Yes, he wins.

Disappointment

5 games left and the Red Sox are in 3rd place. That's the bronze medal. Bronze is lame.

Truly, it doesn't matter what place we finish in. The fact that the postseason is impossible is what matters the most. I was getting used to always playing for the WS, but I guess I shouldn't have gotten so complacent.

Here's what we have so far, in case anyone cares:
NLE: Mets
NLW: Padres or Dodgers
NLC: Cardinals, Astros, or Reds
ALE: NYY
ALW: A's or Angels
ALC: Tigers or Twins

I like the Angels (because of Vlad) so I'll take them in the ALW, I'll take either in the NLW, and obviously I want the Reds to pull off something huge in the NLC (or WC). The rest, though? Eh.

Oh, and if you have over $42,000 to blow, why not spend it on David Ortiz' 50th homerun ball? If I had that kind of money to spend on whatever I wanted, there is no way in hell I would buy that. These people should be giving their money to charity or something useful. But wait, the money is going to a worthy cause! A worthy cause obviously chosen by Ortiz himself, since it's the Plaza de la Salud Hospital de Niños in the Dominican Republic. Another reason to love Ortiz? I think so.

Not the Patriots, Too!

Pleasant surprise: NESN was showing on MLB.TV even though they were in Toronto. So it was even better to watch Ortiz' FIFTY-THIRD home run with Don and Remy commenting.

Some more doubles for Mike Lowell puts him in 3rd place in the AL with 46.

Chacin wasn't too good in this one early on, but it was Snyder who gave up 4 runs in only 3 innings. Delcarmen came in with men on in the 6th and gave up a triple to the first man he saw. Then an RBI-single and an RBI-double and all of a sudden it was 8-3. Third place in the AL East is looking like a realistic possibility.

Wily Mo Pena had a really rough adventure out in RF. Reason #38 why I want Trot Nixon to stay.

Well, this was one of the worst outings by the bullpen that I have seen in a while. Seemed like they were doing better lately, but this was absolutely horrific. They gave up 9 runs over 5 innings. Ugly.

The Patriots lost in a really sub-par game. Tom Brady looked preoccupied the entire time, and clearly wasn't his best. This marks the first time that I've worn my Brady jersey and the Patriots lost. Obviously, this puts a curse on my jersey.

Wakefield pitches today. Expect 0-1 runs on our side.

It's Official

Dustin Pedroia with the leadoff HR. I need a name for him, because "Pedroia" isn't working for me.

Devern Hansack. No, that's not the bar I was at last night, that was Boston's pitcher today! It was his very first start at the ML level, and he did pretty okay. Gave up 3 runs over 5 innings, but the bullpen (Mike Burns) gave up 2 more and Boston only managed 3 runs, so...they lost.

With this loss, the Boston Red Sox are officially eliminated from the postseason race. And it stings. An October with no Red Sox is like a summer with no ice cream. Like a day without listening to Bronson Arroyo's CD. Like a DVR without new Office episodes stocked up. It just sucks.

All we have now is hope for more Ortiz home runs and that the Yankees lose in the ALDS. And what will we do about Manny's latest trade request? We obviously need him behind Ortiz, but since we keep trading away all the good players, I can see it happening. But I don't want it to!

Tavarez Blows My Mind Sometimes

Lowell, Gonzalez, Pedroia, and Loretta all combined for 7 RBI, getting the Sox a 7-1 win over Toronto. Please note that my Gonz had 3 RBI last night. I love to see him do well, mostly because a lot of people were hating him early in the season and it upset me greatly. Regular readers know how I feel about the hate/boo!

Tavarez pitched another complete game. Wow. Who knew he should have been a starting pitcher all this time?!

So Coco Crisp is done for the year with that damn finger problem. He was a Machine of Awesomeness in spring training, then the Baltimore botched-3rd-base-steal ruined his season. All I can say about that is...I was there to witness it and he should not have even tried to steal. I was asking him what he was doing as he was doing it, he should have listened to me.

Manny took batting practice. I don't know why, but at least he's doing something.

Fifty-One Homeruns, Check

David Ortiz. First at bat. First pitch. 51st home run.

Everyone was on their feet, including all the Boston players. And Ortiz got a hug and a huge smile from every single one of them.

I was watching with my mom and when Loretta grounded out, I told her to get on her feet because it was coming. I didn't expect it to come right then, but I'm glad it did, because now I can watch the Office and Grey's Anatomy with no fear of missing it!

The man then hit #52 in the 7th inning. I am quite positive I was watching it and saw him come to the plate and then I switched to watch a show and missed it. By about 3 seconds. I have the worst timing ever.

All That's Left is Big Papi

HE DID IT!

Ortiz hit home run #50 last night and oh man, was it awesome. EVERYONE was on their feet for a very extended standing ovation, and then the "MVP" chant came, and it was fantastic. Yay Ortiz! And I almost missed it too, I got home in time to see Coco fly out, Loretta fly out, and Big Papi tie Foxx. You know he's going to break this record, and it will be CRAZY. Look at that Papi smile. You cannot not love him. And look how happy Lowell is for him. Ortiz' teammates like him, which is more than I can say for....(to be continued)

Manny had an MRI Wednesday. And now we wait.

Yankees clinched. Boo.

Continued..
Breaking news: A-Rod thinks he's good-looking, and we're all so jealous, and that's why we make fun of him! Not because he doesn't produce, but because we are jealous. Of course!

But seriously, like, nobody likes him. Not even his teammates. Sad.

Nothing Good

Wakefield did not look sharp as he was giving up an RBI-single and a 3-run HR in the 2nd inning. Then, a 2-run home run in the 3rd. Maybe Tim should just hold off until next year, eh? It's probably for the best.

So they begin the 4th with no Youkilis, as apparently his shoulder is still hurting from when Bernie Williams ran into him earlier. Something isn't right with his neck, either. Another injury? I never would have guessed. Then Wakefield came out in favor of DiNardo, and he came up with an inning-ending DP. It was his birthday, so I was hoping he'd have a great game. And he did, pitching 3.2 scoreless.

The Gonz, Hinske, and Mirabelli all contributed an RBI to cut the lead to 6-3 by the 6th. But the Twins are like 75-0 or some ridiculous number when they're leading after the 8th and that tells you that Boston had a huge challenge trying to overcome a 3-run deficit with only a few innings left.

An 8th inning surprise from Coco - a nice diving catch to grab the 3rd out. He's been making some pretty nice plays out in center all season.

The Twins scored another one in the 9th to make it 7-3. Guess the Sox won't be moving up 3 games in the WC.

Varitek received an award for being the first Red Sox catcher to catcher 1000 games. The bronze glove was presented to him by none other than Carlton Fisk. It went down yesterday, when Varitek was not catching. "They don't let me catch a knuckleballer," Varitek said, followed quickly by, "They didn't let me catch one, either."

Not Over Until It's Over

Can you believe we're down to 4 remaining series before the regular season is over? Minnesota, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and the Orioles. I think a 12-0 record is in order.

Boston is 7.5 games out of the WC, and Minnesota is the top team. It could go down to 4.5 games in a few days. Then with 9 games left...clearly, I don't want to give up on this season until I'm forced to. Minnesota plays Boston, Baltimore, Kansas City (damn) and the White Sox. If Chicago and Minnesota remain the top 2 teams in the WC, theirs is going to be a really good series. Plus, the White Sox are on a losing streak, so maybe..

So who do we root for in the postseason? Besides the obvious whoever is playing NYY. Some teams aren't a lock yet, but the Mets sure are and I think I would like to see them win. I would LOVE it if a NY team won and it wasn't the Yankees. Looks like the Reds are out of it (and I say that even though they are out of the WC by less games than Boston, but they have 5 teams in front of them), I don't care for Oakland, and the Dodgers and Padres have a little fight going on in the NL West. I will probably root for whatever team comes out of there, because the Dodgers have so many former Sox and the Padres have Bellhorn and Roberts and oh, a lot of other former Sox as well.

This is a Good Feeling

This was a great game.

Mike Lowell hit his 44th double (3rd in the AL) which was followed up by a Trot Nixon home run. Trot Nixon is my would-be favorite player, but I can't say he's my favorite because everytime I say that about someone, they wind up being traded (see: Hillenbrand, Bellhorn, Arroyo).

Chuck Meriwether is on the Yankee payroll, it's official. He called 2 balls that were way out of the strike zone strikes on Ortiz, who ended up striking out. K-Zone showed the balls and they were no doubters. Maybe Chuck should consider a career change.

Carlos Pena made a diving catch to rob Abreu of a base hit, and it was the best play I'd seen all day (so far!). So of course, ESPN opted not to show it again.

Kevin Jarvis picked off Melky Cabrera. Ohh I love those! Jarvis actually had a great outing, he pitched 5 good innings then in the 6th...well, it started out with an error from Pedroia to let Jeter get on, and he ended up scoring. As did Abreu.

In the 8th, down 4-3, bases were loaded for Pedroia with 2 outs. Wild pitch by Mike Myers! Pedroia got this wicked excited look on his face and started waving Lowell home. It was so cute. 4-4.

Dear Coco Crisp, Anything bad I've ever said about you, I take back. You were awesome! He completely robbed Posada of a 2-run home run in the 8th and it was just the most beautiful thing. Then Loretta tagged Thompson as he was going to second and threw it to 1st for the double play. GREAT inning.

9th - Carlos Pena hit a double, Coco laid down a fantastic bunt and made it to first, then Loretta SFed to get the lead 5-4. And that's how it ended, for 3/4 games and a series win.

Many thanks go out to Jorge Posada for a) just missing the HR, b) the throwing error so Coco reached on the bunt, and c) missing the ball so Ortiz reached on a strikeout.

Jeter's hit streak: OVER, courtesy of Boston.

If the Red Sox had played the way they played these last 2 games during the 5-game series...if only.

Jon Miller Error Count
1. He says: "It's a 3-run home run!" Truth: 2-run HR
2. He says: "2-1 lead" Truth: 2-2 tie
3. He says: "David Wright" Truth: Jaret Wright

No Champagne Yet, Boys

The Sox lost the 2nd game last evening, in a depressing showing. They kept getting the lead and NY kept tying it up. Wily Mo had some defensive mistakes in left, I laughed at Johnny Damon's highlights, Coco came out of a 3-strikeout slump for a double down the line. The absolute worst part was the game was on INHD and it was a YES broadcast. I hate YES and the foolish commentators actually compared the Yankee injuries this season to the Red Sox injuries. They seriously mentioned Cairo. Like losing Cairo is somehow comparable to losing Ortiz or Ramirez. They went on for 10 minutes and I wanted to call in and ask if they could possibly be serious. However, my mom and I spent the whole game making up stupid nicknames for Yankee players, and that was fun.

David Ortiz' 49th HR of the year came off Jaret Wright. The Sox only got 2 runs off him, which is a little ridiculous, considering he isn't that good.

Kyle Snyder pitched 5 innings of 2-run baseball, a pretty good outing from him. Corey pitched 1.1 and gave up a run, and Foulke made me happy and pitched 1.2 with no runs. Foulke looks pretty good lately, I think he could be our closer again next year now that Papelbon will be a starter.

In the 7th and with a 2-2 tie, Pedroia had a beautiful shot down the line to get an RBI and the lead. Nice pinch hitting from the kid! Then Youkilis came in with the bases loaded and 2 outs, and hit a base-clearing double into center field. Youkilis has been so good this season, a nice unexpected surprise.

Timlin pitched the 9th with a 6-3 lead, and ended it with a 6-3 lead. No celebrating tonight, NY!

And I won my tennis match this morning. Played #1 doubles with my dad and we won 6-3, 6-2. As long as the Patriots win and the Sox win later, it will be a good day. I think I'll put the Tom Brady jersey on now and enjoy the game..

Funny moment: The commentators mentioned how Timlin had something hanging around his neck, and how pitchers aren't supposed to wear anything to distract the batters. Then they showed a close up of it and revealed it to be a bracelet-thing with Lester's name on it. They tried to worm their way out of it, with the 'we wish him all the best' stuff. I hope they felt dumb as they sounded.

QotD (from yesterday):
YES Fools: "The Yankees enjoy their high fives."

Finally, a Win

A threatening lineup put out by Francona: Cora, Loretta, Ortiz, Pena, Nixon, Lowell, Hinske, Mirabelli, Murphy. The Yankees lineup read like this: Damon, Jeter, Abreu, A-Rod, Giambi, Cano, Matsui, Cabrera, Fasano. About the only weak spot there is Fasano. I hate them!

Beckett had a 1-2-3 first, so my dream about him loading the bases with no outs did not come true. That was good. However, a Cano 2-run HR the next inning was not so good. JB then proceeded to load the bases (with an out), but he got a double play out of Damon.

Wily Mo struck out TWICE with men on 2nd and 3rd. Pressure?

Nixon led off the 4th with a double, then ended up getting to 3rd on a Jeter throwing error when Hinske hit a single. Then Mirabelli singled to send Trot home. David Murphy got his second hit of the game which was also his first RBI of his career to tie it 2-2. Cora grounded out but Mirabelli did score on it, 3-2.

Bases loaded with one for the Sox in the 7th. A walk forced in a run, but Lowell and Hinske both struck out afterwards.

Bryan Corey came in in the 7th, after Beckett's fine outing. The Cano HR was the only negative spot in Beckett's performance (he did give up 5 walks, but 4 of them didn't matter), which is nice to see considering that utterly awful outing against NY that we all remember.

Foulke was tres interesting. He put men on 1st and 2nd then got 3 outs in a row. In the 9th, Loretta doubled and Ortiz was IBBed to start, then Wily Mo struck out (again), Nixon grounded into a force out, a wild pitched scored Loretta, Lowell BBed, and Carlos Pena grounded out to end the inning. 5-2.

Timlin pitched the 9th and immediately gave up a hit to Bernie. Gabe Kapler caught a Damon ball that was hit well for one out, and Take-a-Seater struck out. Then Posada was called out on strikes and Boston won! FINALLY!

Notes:
- Jeter apparently tapped Ortiz in a friendly manner when he was coming on the field. Nice to see they aren't blowing things out of proportion like some really stupid people (I guess they forgot about the part where Ortiz already clarified himself and praised Jeter). Even Joe Torre has defended Ortiz, on more than one occasion nonetheless, so I don't know why reporters have to harp on it. Aren't there more important things?

- From redsox.com, "The Red Sox could go into 2007 with a rotation of Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Papelbon, Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement." A reliable bunch of folks, right?

Mike Timlin Did What?

The game started off kooky with a Youkilis home run that was only counted as a double. He hit it way back and it bounced off the top of the wall, over the white line. To me, that is a HR. To Camden Yards, it is not. But he did score anyway, on an Ortiz RBI.

The Sox loaded the bases in the 4th inning with no outs, after Mike Lowell had singled in Big Papi for the second run. With Wily Mo at 3rd, Lowell at 2nd, and Varitek at 1st, Trot Nixon GIDP. Oh, Trot. Silly, silly Trot.

Lenny DiNardo had 3 good innings before he imploded, giving up 6 hits and 5 runs in the 4th. Mike Burns took over and had 2.1 good innings.

Loretta tied the game up in the 8th with an RBI single, then he grabbed the lead with another RBI single in the 9th. We have Mark Loretta to thank for this one.

Terry Francona must have been feeling bad for Timlin, because he put him in with a one-run lead in the 9th. Mike sure did make it interesting, but he did end up getting the 3 outs with the lead intact. Congratulations to Mike Timlin for having a good outing!

The Sox bullpen was on last night (I hardly ever get to say that!). After a disappointing 3.2 innings out of the starter DiNardo, Mike Burns, Craig Hansen, Keith Foulke (he got the W), and Mike Timlin put on a good show and allowed all of ZERO runs. Nice work, men. 5.1 scoreless out of the bullpen is encouraging, even if the season is all but over. As my Yankee-loving father points out numerous times EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Poor Tim

Ahh, Tim Wakefield. Always the loser, but never really his fault. They should just nickname him "Man Without Run Support" because he never gets any. I know I've complained about this before, but I can't stop. 3 earned runs really isn't bad, but since the offense never puts up big numbers for him, it's a high mountain to climb. Poor Tim. I feel bad for him.

And what's with the 2 errors from Boston tonight? Don't break down now, it's the only good thing we had this season!

Wait, I do have one thing to fault Wakefield for. He let Kevin Millar hit a home run. Don't get me wrong, I love Millar, but you aren't supposed to give up HRs to him. It's wrong.

E#s just keep getting smaller and smaller...

Not a Very Good Outing for Timlin (again)

The Red Sox are in Baltimore, and I should be there as well. WhyI went in April and May and forgot about September, I don't know.

Daniel Cabrera hit Pena with a pitch right on his wrist. That is some serious pain right there, but he stayed in the game. Wily Mo is awesome.

Kason Gabbard was having another good outing before he was forced to leave in the 5th with 2 outs (tightness in his lat muscle). Hansen came in and promptly struck Tejada out.

Mike Lowell hit yet another double, his 42nd. That's a lot of 2Bs. Then Coco singled him in with 2 outs. Crisp has been better lately, and a couple months ago you know he would have lined it to Tejada. Cora came through with a single, then Youkilis was the man with a 2-run double. Remember, all this with 2 outs! Sometimes I think the first 2 men in the lineup should just ground out, because the Sox are pretty good with 2 outs.

Cora seriously screwed up in the 6th, at least in my opinion. With a man on first and the ball bouncing to him, he elected to bypass the bag at second then completely miss the runner as he ran right past him. By the time he threw it to first, the runner was safe there. I don't know what he was thinking. He seems to lose his mind whenever he's in Baltimore (see: ducking).

Pena scored on a passed ball to make it 4-1. Then Coco added some more RBI and put the score at 6-1. The Orioles announcers were getting very upset over all the bloop hits that the Sox were getting. And so I laughed at them, as I usually do.

The bullpen was pretty sharp, most notably Foulke. 1-2-3 8th.

Oh wait, I wrote that before Mike Timlin came in. Why does he suck so much this year? I guess it's the fact that he is way past his prime. I like him and all, but he should probably consider retirement. And soon. He let 2 men get on in the 9th before getting even one out. Then the fool gave up a THREE-RUN HOMERUN! Why did they take Foulke out when he was looking so nice? You'll never guess what happened next. Another single! Tying run was on. Another base hit. You'd think a 5-run lead would be safe, but not with Mike Timlin on the mound. He finally got the second out on a strikeout, then Mike "Why am I Here" Timlin gave up another run on a single. After all the yelling I had done at Timlin, at this point I was speechless.

I was wondering why they kept Timlin in, and assumed they just had no pitchers left. I was wrong, but understood because the last guy was Javier Lopez. But he was the one who came through and got the last out. I was in the fetal position at that point, and can only thank him for not causing me to go way off the deep end.

The latest on the non-feud between Papi and Jeter: "It's already taken care of," said Ortiz. "[Jeter] knows me. He knows that sometimes some guys from [the media] make things sound the way they're not supposed to. Come on, dude. That guy is one of my favorite players. You never talk [negatively] about Derek Jeter, bro. It's wrong." Just like I said, don't even bother with it. You know some people will do anything to have another Red Sox/Yankee fight.

Tim Wakefield will be pitching today for the first time since July 17. You know what, it seems like he's been gone a lot longer than that...

Ortiz vs. Take-a-Seater

Ortiz: "I'm right there, but I'm not going to win it. They give it to Alex [Rodriguez] one year, even though his team was in last place, so now they can't play that BS anymore, just because your team didn't make it. They gave it to Alex that year because of his numbers. But they always have a reason to vote for whatever, so that's why I don't worry about it...But they'll vote for a position player, use that as an excuse. They're talking about Jeter a lot, right? He's done a great job, he's having a great season, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an RBI guy. It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ball club, the bottom line is, the guy who hits 40 home runs and knocks in 100, that's the guy you know helped your team win games."

Jeter (whom I like to call Take-a-Seater because I enjoy when he strikes out): "I'm not thinking about winning an MVP, I'm thinking about winning the division. Our focus here isn't on individual awards. We've still got something to play for."

And this next exchange? Priceless.

(Taken from Newsday.com) "Don't get me wrong - he's a great player, having a great season, but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup. Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be," Ortiz said.

That last line was a surprising shot at Ortiz's teammates, which raised a few eyebrows in the Yankees' clubhouse. Jeter essentially laughed at the question, saying, "I don't have to hit in his lineup."

Johnny Damon, Ortiz's former Boston teammate and still a close friend, was perplexed, saying, "That doesn't sound like him."

What to make of all that? Nothing. It's just funny to report on. Because really, who cares what Johnny Damon says?

4th Place is Not a Good Place

The Sox actually managed to get nine runs yesterday, with big contributions from Wily Mo Pena, Ortiz, and Lowell. Lowell actually had 3 RBI, Pena and Ortiz both contributed 2, and the other 2 RBI came from Loretta and Kapler. Wily Mo went 3-for-4, Ortiz was 2-for-2 with his 48th HR, and the Gonz was 5-for-5!

No, just kidding. He was 0-for-5.

Anyway, no sweep! I still would have liked to win the series, though. Tavarez was the starting pitcher, and he went 5 innings and allowed three runs. And this time, upon exiting, he tipped his hat to the crowd, thus avoiding more controversy. Which was kind of stupid to begin with, if you follow my line of reasoning. The man was horrible as a reliever. The worst (wait, no, that was Seanez). But he himself knows how atrocious he pitched throughout the year. And everyone in Fenway booed him. WHICH WAS WRONG. I hate to see Boston players booed, and I was livid when the fans starting booing Bellhorn last year. I believe you should not boo your players, no matter how much they suck, because they are still YOUR players. So why should Tavarez be criticized because he didn't tip his cap to people that used to boo him, but love him now? Continue with your non-tipping ways if you wish Julian, but it's probably best that you just do it anyway.

Manny didn't play due to his dumb knee hurting again.

And we might see Matt Clement again before the season ends. Remember him? It seems like forever since he pitched a game for us. It'd definitely be interesting to see him one more time this year.

Did y'all notice that Boston is FOURTH place in the WC, behind CWS, Minnesota, and LA? I hate this season.

The Patriots won last night on a safety, then traded Deion Branch to Seattle for a first round pick in next year's draft.

Things

Things that happened last night that also happened on Friday night:
- The Red Sox mounted a comeback
- Manny Delcarmen gave up 3 runs in an inning (the 12th this time, in the form of a pretty pathetic-looking HR that just curved around the pole)
- One team had a 6-run inning
- The bullpen again murdered every last bit of joy

Things that were different:
- Mike Timlin didn't blow the lead or the game
- Keith Foulke pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief
- It was 12 innings of pain instead of 9

Things that make you want to punch someone in the brain:
- KC scoring 6 runs in the 12th
- Boston's bullpen always gives up the lead then immediately gets the third out

Things that if they happen, I will probably kill something:
- Red Sox get swept by the Royals AGAIN

Things that look more and more every day like they won't happen:
- Red Sox in the postseason

I am so done with this bullpen. I am incredibly angry at the organization for not dealing with this sooner, and for expecting Julian Tavarez and Rudy Seanez to be good relievers. I'm ready for this miserable season to be over, because you know even if the Sox somehow get into the playoffs, the bullpen will be there to screw it all up at the most inopportune times. Even Papelbon couldn't save this bloody bunch.

Bullpen = Death of Joy

You cannot be serious.

After scoring 6 runs in the 8th inning and going up a run, Mike Timlin blew the game in the 9th? YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS.

David Ortiz basically confirmed that he deserves the MVP (by RBI singling 2 runs for the lead), all the little guys came through (Lowell singled, Varitek HRed, Wily Mo 2Bed, even Crisp singled!, Youkilis BBed, Loretta 2Bed), and MIKE TIMLIN BLOWS THE GAME??

That was the most disappointing, frustrating, annoying loss I've witnessed in a long time. A very, very long time. As a matter of fact, I don't even remember the last time I was that excited only to be let down a few minutes later. You know what that was? Cruel.

I guess I can't blame Timlin for the whole thing, though. Delcarmen had his part in the debacle too, when he allowed 3 runs to score in the 8th. If he hadn't allowed those three, then the 2 Timlin allowed wouldn't have mattered.

You know, at the end of the 8th I was ready to call this the greatest game of the season. Why it had to go from the greatest to the worst in a matter of minutes is a mystery only the bullpen can reveal.

And when I read "Lopez released by Sox," I hopefully assumed it was Javier Lopez. Nope! Goodbye Javy Lopez, your time with us was brief and...well...sorry, but it was unspectacular. I'm in a bad mood, I can offer you nothing but negativity.

Schilling and Wakefield are set to pitch next week. Can't wait to see how the bullpen blows those games!

There's Still a Chance...Right?

5.5 games out of the Wild Card, and Chicago and Minnesota are only separated by half a game. And Boston should win the next 3 games with Kansas City as their opponent. However, we all remember being swept by the Royals a short while ago, so nothing is guaranteed.

Some reading for you:
- A painful reminder of Epstein's work this year (that is a lot of bad trades and deals)
- So I was wrong? There's no chance?

Hey, remember when they were down 3 games to the Yankees in '04? Maybe they can work their way out of this huge hole...but with the way the season's been going, I wouldn't bet on it. Don't give up, but don't count on it.

I am Not Happy

I did not get my birthday wish.

Kyle Snyder was the starter last night, and he was..well, you'll see. In the first inning, he got 2 strikeouts and things looked promising, but then...
Jim Thome hit a solo HR in the 2nd, which is never fun. Then Konerko hit one off the wall, and Trot made a neat catch back in the right field corner. KS gave up two more singles to load the bases with just one out, then a depressing ground-rule double to make it 3-0. Snyder: not off to a good start. Another run, as though it wasn't obvious enough that Snyder was not on his game. Oh, if only he could have pitched like he pitched last week when he threw 7 innings of shutout baseball. Kyle, you should be ashamed. Julian Tavarez performed better than you.

He was still in for the 3rd, so Chicago got another run. DiNardo came in after the 5th run, and he took care of business. For now. Coco hit a solo shot in the 3rd to make it 5-1. His 8th HR of the year, and he had the only 2 hits of the game thus far.

So then Jermaine Dye hit a 2-run shot over the Monster. I hate when the pitching is horrible. The bleeding wasn't done yet, as another run scored in the inning. EIGHT TO ONE.

Breslow in - not bad. Mike Lowell helped him out with a great leaping catch at 3rd. Corey came in, and Crisp tried to help offensively with a single + error = got to 2nd. But no one else felt like assisting. Hansen in (yup, he's back) - Pedroia made the funniest play of the night. Dye came in to second but Pedroia forgot to tag the bag or something, so Dye was safe but he was way off the bag because he thought he was out! So Pedroia tagged him anyway. A very what the hell? moment that turned out okay. Mike Burns in - no more damage.

Breslow, Corey, Hansen, and Burns all allowed zero runs. Another good night by the bullpen; too bad the starting pitcher was so awful (and DiNardo, I suppose he's also the bullpen but let's ignore that point).

Jose Contreras was pretty awesome, so they didn't have too much of a chance.

Anyway, congratulations to the (former Red Sox) rookie Anibal Sanchez for throwing a no-hitter last night. Now why couldn't Kyle Snyder do that?!

QotD (a long one):
Lester - "You guys have been so supportive of me, I figured I needed to say something. Not only to you guys, but the fans. These fans here are the best...It's kind of one of those things you can't describe. You're 22 years old, you think you're just going in there for some back pain and then you find out you have cancer. I mean, that's pretty shocking, but we have a positive outlook in it, [it's] very curable and very fightable, and just go on from there. Taking one day at a time and fight it the best we can."

Gotta love that kid (wait, I can't call him kid because I'm now the same age as him!). He actually starts his chemotherapy Friday morning, then it's back home to Washington to continue it. He seems to have a very positive and healthy outlook and I hope he takes as much time as necessary to fully recover. Read more on Lester's interview.

First of All, It's My Birthday

For my gift, I want....Boston to sweep Chicago!

Papelbon's MRI - Fatigued shoulder, and he will begin a strengthening program sometime in the future. Medical terms: transient subluxation in the setting of a fatigued shoulder. No timetable on him returning, if he does at all.

Turns out that rumor about getting Minor League catcher George Kottaras for Wells was right. He cleared waivers and is now in Portland.

Kason Gabbard - Loaded the bases in the 4th with one out, then got himself a double play. And man, did he look excited about it. He was pitching mighty well, and after 5 had 6 strikeouts. Gabbard went 7 shutout innings and wow, that's excellent.

David Ortiz' first at bat was LOUD, everyone was on their feet. He was walked, but you know he really wanted to hit a HR for his return.

Nixon hit a nice double off the wall in the 4th. He wasn't swinging too well in Pawtucket (by his own admission), but I think it might be fixed now. Coco Crisp RBI singled to send Trot home and put the Red Sox up 1-0.

In the bottom of the 5th, Boston turned an outstanding double play started by Lowell. Joe Crede hit it right to him, then he threw it to first to double off Tadahito Iguchi. Youkilis completely fell over and was on his back at the end of the play. It certainly was an interesting way to get out of the inning!

Timlin pitched the 8th and 9th innings, getting his outs easily. What's with the pitching lately? It's, like...good!

One game closer to the Wild Card. Unfortunately, we're chasing Minnesota and they won last night as well.

The three starters for this series were/are:
Julian Tavarez
Kason Gabbard
Kyle Snyder

Now think back to April. Could you ever have even imagined that pitching lineup??

QotD:
Francona on Tavarez - "You know what, he was so funny. He came in today and he goes, 'Boy, thanks, I had so much fun.' And it was pretty obvious he was. Are you kidding me? Thank you."

Nice Gesture of the Day (but I still don't like you):
"There was a big bouquet of flowers in front of the locker of Jon Lester before Tuesday's game and it was courtesy of the New York Yankees."

Bronson pitched a complete game shutout. And no, I will probably never stop talking about him. I still listen to 'Grey Sky Morning' every day!

Tonight's Lineup

Youkilis, 1B
Loretta, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Nixon, RF
Lowell, 3B
Crisp, CF
Mirabelli, C
Gonzalez, SS

Now that looks good.

Oh, It Was a Good One!

Manny's back! Varitek's back! Nixon's back! What are the chances they'd all come back on the same day? Pretty good, I guess.. Ortiz could be back tonight! Papelbon's MRI has been moved to this morning, and Schilling is still sore. Oh, and the Sox have signed Daniel Bard, a pitcher from UNC and their second first-round selection this year.

Julian Tavarez started again, and he struck out the side in the first inning. At one point, he had retired ten in a row. He had a really impressive outing, I must say. Where has that Julian been all year?

Here we are, the at bats of the returning players:
Manny: 1st-double; 2nd-lined out to the pitcher; 3rd-IBB; 4th-walked
Trot: 1st-HBP (boo!); 2nd-fly out; 3rd-RBI single!; 4th-grounded out
Tek: 1st-pop out; 2nd-ground out; 3rd-ground out; 4th-IBB

Quick question: Why does it seem like Hinske always GIDP?

In the 7th, after Nixon's RBI, Tavarez gave up a solo HR. He then allowed a double and was relieved by Manny Delcarmen. JT got a standing ovation from the fans at Fenway, and I clapped for him too. I have to again question where that kind of pitching has been all season. How many games did he blow? And now he has started twice, and both of the starts were great? I am so confused.

Delcarmen needs to shave that beard thing off, ASAP.

He pitched well, despite the thing on his face. I'm usually cool with the hair styles of the various Red Sox, but that thing Has To Go.

Bottom of the 9th, down by one. Manny walked. Nixon went from an 0-2 count to a 3-2 count but grounded out (Manny to 2nd). Mike Lowell hit Double #40 to tie the game! Varitek was walked and the Gonz grounded out, so to the 10th they went. Timlin came in and had a 1-2-3 inning (wow, what fantastic pitching all around!), then CARLOS PENA hit a walkoff home run! I totally called it, too. Okay, so it went something like, "I want Loretta to hit a home run. No wait, I want Pena to hit it to end the game quicker so I don't get nervous." See, I called it. Anyway, the man was so happy, he seriously could not stop smiling. His first HR as a member of the Sox, too. The thing is, he wouldn't have even been in the game if Youkilis hadn't gotten hit by a pitch earlier. Karma!

QotD:
Carlos Pena! "It's amazing, I don't know what to say...It's a happy time for the Pena family!"

Bronson will not be pitching on my birthday (Wednesday). Stupid Reds pitching order.

The Lineup is Almost Right Again

I'm beginning this post with tennis, so bear with me. Yesterday, Andre Agassi played his last professional match. He got the longest standing ovation I've ever seen (8 full minutes). It was really, really nice. He started crying, which of course made me start crying, and then he gave an incredibly heartfelt speech. I'm very sad to see him go, he's been playing for so long and it's going to be pretty strange not so see him anymore. He is such a classy man, and everyone on the tour seems to genuinely like him. I wish him all the best!

Enough of that, time for the Red Sox! The Gonz played! Wily Mo played! The lineup was looking a lot more normal with those 2 back in it.

It looked pretty ugly in Fenway, all dark and hazy. Beckett gave up a couple RBIs, then a solo home run to some guy who hadn't hit a HR in something like 5 years. He only lasted 5 innings (a preventative removal, Francona wants no more injuries) before Breslow had to come in. He went on to allow 2 more runs, Corey came in and allowed one run, and that added up to 6 Toronto runs. Boston could only get one in the 9th. Well...at least it wasn't a shutout.

Wily Mo Pena went 1-for-4, and Gonzalez had no hits in three chances. But they're back, and that's something. Once Nixon, Varitek, Ortiz, and Manny get back, there will be no more excuses for the losing. Which, by the way, needs to stop.

Tavarez says Manny will be back today. He gave his own personal guarantee. I'm not sure if that's worth anything, but it sure would be nice to see Ramirez back in left field.

Also, Nixon and Varitek are supposed to be in the lineup tonight. They play Chicago, who has a 6.5 game lead over Boston in the Wild Card. Do not miss this game!

They're Back

I don't know where this game was nationally broadcast, but I didn't get it and MLB.TV wasn't showing it. At least there's always WEEI. I love when they get so obviously disappointed in everyone. There's a hint of excitement in their voices when it's a 2-1 count or something, then you hear the annoyed sigh along with the details of the easy ground out.

I wasn't expecting too much out of Kevin Jarvis, who was holding down an 11.91 ERA this season. I think he actually did better than I anticipated; he gave up 3 runs but only lasted 5 innings.

A.J. Burnett, on the other hand, had a really good outing. In the 7th, 2 men got on with no outs, then Hinske GIDP and only one run scored. Not what I wanted. Then Javy Lopez took 3 pitches, all called strikes. Way to strike out!

Lenny DiNardo pitched 3 solid innings, but in the 9th, he gave up a solo HR and the hope for a walkoff win was all but destroyed. Craig Breslow came in and gave up an RBI double. Needless to say, the Sox did not mount a comeback in the bottom of the inning. They lost 5-1.

PawSox Update:
Gonz went 1-3
Nixon went 2-4
Varitek went 2-4

Ortiz Update:
"I freaked out because it was in my chest, close to my heart. I had no idea where it was coming from. There are so many things going on with heart attacks and things like that, you don't want to miss a beat about anything. So we came down here and they took care of it....The most important thing right now is that I have no problem with my heart." Doctors said they are 97% sure his heart is fine.

Papelbon Update:
"It feels like it's weak right now -- weak and fatigued. When it's weak and fatigued, that's when you start hurting things inside there." The best-case scenario will have him returning to action in 5-7 days.

Today's game: The Gonz will probably be in the lineup (!), and Varitek and Nixon will most likely be activated but not play. Actually, I have to congratulate Alex Cora, who has been playing quite well in place of Gonzalez. No ducking this time!

The Jons are Having Problems

Jon Lester has been diganosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a treatable form of cancer. I wonder if he would have gotten checked if it hadn't been for that car accident a little while ago. Whatever the case, thankfully they caught it and it can be taken care of. 22 years old. Send some good thoughts his way, as he will begin treatment later this week.

It doesn't really seem right to jump into a baseball game after talking about someone having cancer, but the show must go on I guess. Lowell hit another HR, his second in as many games, to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Then Ted Lilly balked and Hinske came around to score. Kyle Snyder was spot-on, he's been quite impressive lately. He went 7 innings and only gave up 2 hits! I think I like him now (even with his Bronsonesque hair). The new ace?!

Foulke came in in the 8th, and he really needed a good outing after the last time (remember those three home runs?). He let 2 on, then got Kevin Barker to fly out to Kapler. Bengie Molina was running to 3rd and Kapler threw it to Cora who threw it to Lowell who tagged that sucker out! Kapler's strong arm helped a great deal.

Papelbon pitched the 9th - he had some trouble. He tried to throw it to second but overthrew it, runners went to 2nd and 3rd. Then MORE BAD NEWS: Papelbon left the game clutching his right shoulder. Please, please, please let him be okay. At the moment, they're going with shoulder strain from fatigue, and he's having an MRI Monday. And I thought it couldn't get any worse.

But wait! Curt Schilling has a strained lateral and will miss his start on Monday. Guess I spoke too soon. Kevin Jarvis (yeah, who?) will be starting today.

Craig Breslow came in to replace Papelbon, and struck out the first batter, then Timlin came in. He gave up a run, but did get the final out. And Snyder got his very much deserved win.

In other news, the fact that David Wells was traded really signifies the whole "we give up" thing, and that depresses me. But it's not over yet, right? Stranger things have happened. Sure, it seems likely that we won't be watching the Red Sox in the postseason, but I don't think I can give up yet. Varitek, Nixon, and the Gonz are all close to coming back...and while it may be futile to think about it, it's never too late to make a comeback. Until, of course, it's mathematically impossible with the standings. But until then! Don't lose hope.

My birthday is the 6th, and I am going to be the recipient of one seriously stupendous present. First of all, the Reds are on TV in the afternoon, and Bronson should be pitching! Later on, the Red Sox will be on TV. Since I don't live in New England, when the Sox are on ESPN it's a big deal. Because we all know the actual TV is better than MLB.TV. So I get Arroyo and the Red Sox. It will be a good day for me (as long as they both win)!

I was watching the Reds/Padres game, and the Padres announcer said something about the spin out of Boston concerning the Arroyo/Pena trade, and how basically no one in Boston will admit that Arroyo was needed this year because of how bad the pitching was. WHAT?? I know I am not the only one who misses Bronson, and I must conclude that the announcer was way too high for his own good. And what "spin" is he referring to? Everyone knows Bronson took a hometown discount deal and got screwed because of it. Where's the spin in that?

Only one more thing, I promise. Varitek played in Pawtucket, and hit a solo HR his first ab. I think that's good news. Nixon has also been playing, and the Gonz should play today.

I lied, one more thing that isn't baseball-related. It's raining in NY so they're showing the 2001 U.S. Open Sampras/Agassi match, which just so happens to be my favorite match of all time. Sampras (my former favorite) won it 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. I remember watching it in my room, on my floor because I was so nervous and excited. Great match!

Goodye to Wells, Hello to a Win!

As you may know, David Wells was traded yesterday to the San Diego Padres. I didn't think I'd be sad to see him go, but he's been pitching really well lately and I think I'll miss him. I can't wait to find out who we get for him, though. Julian Tavarez assumed the place of Wells as the emergency starter, his first start this season for Boston. Wells' locker was cleared out and his name tag removed before the Boston clubhouse was opened at 3:30. Wells has been traded for a player to be named later...Mark Bellhorn? Just kidding.

So anyway, it was Tavarez vs. Halladay. Nothing to worry about!

Lowell hit a 3-run shot in the first inning. Finally, things were starting out right.

Best play of the game: Bottom of the 7th, Cora up with 2 outs and 1 on. He hit one to right field and it looked like Alex Rios would grab it on the warning track. However, it knocked off his glove and when he went to grab it with his right hand, he hit it into the seats! Home run! Cora's first of the year, and it wasn't even really a home run. But I'll take it! Since the Sox won 6-4, it was that play that won it for them. Rios should get 2 RBIs for that.

Then right after that, Dustin Pedroia made a great diving catch to start a double play. Definitely his best defense so far, and how exciting it is that there's a lot more of that to come with Pedroia.

So Timlin got his usual 2 outs in the 8th and Papelbon came in to get the last. And Gabe Kapler showed why he is always put in for his defense - he made the most fantastic diving catch to rob Aaron Hill. Seriously, it was AWESOME.

And then Papelbon got his last 3 outs and THEY FINALLY WON A GAME!!! Man it feels good to win again! And how about Tavarez coming through? He only allowed 3 runs, and Halladay ended up getting the loss. That is almost unfathomable.

Injury Update!
Varitek could be back MONDAY
Nixon played Thursday, felt fine afterward, and could be back MONDAY
Gonzalez might play in Pawtucket today or tomorrow
Wakefield will pitch a simulated game today
Wily Mo is day-to-day
Manny is ??

Oh, and who do the Padres play next? That's right, the Reds. I wonder if Bronson would like to say anything to David Wells...