Not Doing So Great

Taken from an article in The Providence Journal, I found this bit to be very interesting:

-- Jacoby Ellsbury, who missed two games in Toronto because of the flu, is 1-for-12.

-- Dustin Pedroia is 5-for-18.

-- Kevin Youkilis is 7-for-19. (.368)

-- David Ortiz is 5-for-19.

-- Jason Bay is 2-for-16 (though with four walks).

-- J.D. Drew is 0-for-18.

-- Mike Lowell is 6-for-14. (.429)

-- Jason Varitek is 1-for-13. (.077)

-- Jed Lowrie is 2-for-10.

-- Nick Green is 0-for-7.

I guess this is what you call a team slump. Youk and Lowell hitting well cannot make up for the rest of the team hitting like crap. However, like Varitek said, it can't get much worse than this, so let's hope they work out of this one soon. I hate not being in first place!

I was hoping Ellsbury being back in the leadoff spot would spur some offense, but it was not to be. Not yet, anyway. And now Wakefield is on the DL, which sucks (never thought I'd say that)....but Buchholz being in the rotation is definitely not a bad thing. HOWEVER---

If anyone recalls, everytime I go to see the Red Sox in Baltimore, it seems like Wakefield pitches. I think I saw Beckett once, but I want Lester or someone new. So anyway, I'm secretly kind of excited because now Wakefield won't be pitching when I go August 2nd. And I'm reading this article about Wakefield going on the DL, and life is going great, until I hit this bit:

"The earliest Wakefield can be activated is Aug. 2, when the Red Sox complete a three-game series in Baltimore."

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS

Outrageous

That's the best word I can come up with to describe the All-Star Game last night--outrageous. More specifically, Joe Maddon, the crappiest ASG manager ever. I don't even remember the last All-Star Game (did Beckett start?) but I am certain Joe Maddon sucks at life and really sucks at managing.

Now, anyone who reads this blog even semi-regularly knows I haven't always been easy on Tim Wakefield. But you have to respect someone who leads the league in wins and has been pitching for 17 years. His first All-Star game and he doesn't get to throw a single pitch? He's 42 years old, his chances aren't too hot that he'll get a repeat trip next year. And the man brought a special glove for his catcher to use. I get so sad when I think about that!

But wait! Mariano Rivera, who has pitched in at least 4 games that I know of, gets to throw. Of course.

And Angels fans must be pissed too, because Maddon didn't use either of their guys. Beckett, another one with 11 wins, wasn't used either. I'm not AS mad about that, since he has pitched an ASG before. But it still sucks.

Joe Maddon, you should be ashamed. Wakefield was so excited to be there, and then you screwed him. Nice.

Hey, Look at That!

The Red Sox are capable of winning some more games! And Tim Wakefield was the main reason why.

Wakefield, a man whom I have often complained about in the past, really came through yesterday. He threw a complete game, giving the bullpen a much-needed rest after Matsuzaka's catastrophe (and oh great, he's on the DL). As a matter of fact, Tim didn't even allow a hit until the 8th inning....so very close to a no-hitter. I am quite pleased with Mr. Wakefield at the moment.

Boston's bats also woke up, gathering 8 runs over the game to Oakland's 2. Lowell hit a home run, as did J.D. Drew (a 3-run HR at that!). Everyone had at least one or two hits (except the AL MVP, but that's okay).

And take a look at Jacoby Ellsbury's catch--that's pretty nice. What was even better? Nick Green's catch! I believe right now, when you open the links it will take you to Mike Lowell's HR, but you know how to get to the other videos.

All in all a terrific game. Still sitting in last place, but it's early.

Yay for August 2nd!

Where will I be Sunday, August 2nd?

Why, in Baltimore, for my annual road trip to see a Red Sox/Orioles game!

(Except last year it didn't happen because my tickets were for mid-August and I was in school. But that doesn't count.)

ALL I WANT IS WAKEFIELD NOT TO PITCH. I swear he is out there EVERY time we see a game (except once, I think Schilling pitched). And I want them to win, otherwise those Orioles fans are quite rude.

Leaving?

I really need to be studying, but....

"The Red Sox officially exercised Wakefield's $4 million option on Friday, allowing the venerable right-hander to continue as the longest-tenured player on the team."

Ugh.

"Jason Varitek, the starting catcher of the Red Sox since 1999 and their captain the last four seasons, officially filed for free agency on Thursday, the first day that players were eligible to do so."

Let's keep Varitek and send Wakefield to retirement. I feel bad always doubting Wakefield but...70% of the time I am right.

Timlin is thinking about retiring. I like the man Mike Timlin, but the pitcher Mike Timlin I can say goodbye to. Same with Wakefield, actually. Good people, great pitchers 4 years ago, but...you know the rest.

Going Back

And then Tim Wakefield pitches like that and I feel so bad and take back everything mean I ever said about him.

I wish he could always pitch so wonderfully.

2 games behind TB now, and another series coming up in a few short days...

How Bad Do You Have to Be...

Any more takers on the Time-to-Let-Wakefield-Go thing??

I understand that sometimes he is good, but he is very unpredictable/unreliable/not very good anymore. If he had allowed 0 runs instead of 7, we may have won that game. Because how many runs did they lose by? That's right, SEVEN.

Maybe this is just a sign that Ellsbury should ALWAYS play!!

At least this means Timmy won't pitch in the Rays series. Which is going to be so very important I can't even stand it.

TB of course lost yesterday. If we had better starting pitching, perhaps we would only be 1.5 games back instead of 2.5. Just sayin'.

Kind of Ugly

So things aren't looking so hot right now. We've already lost the series to NY, they are only one game behind us now, this Manny business is an unpleasant distraction, and next up we play the Angels (who we seem to have a lot of trouble with). We need an infusion of positivity, and we also need another starting pitcher to replace Wakef....uhh, we need another pitcher.

I'm hoping Lester can pick up the pieces tonight, but honestly I am not sure how he will do. I'm going to think good thoughts and hopefully we can pull off a win. Ponson is...bad? I hope? 6-1 says otherwise. But an ERA of 4.02 gives me some hope!

8:00...be there or be square. They need to get off to a good start tonight and then just keep it going.

Youkilis' Day

Well now that was just a fun game! Wakefield pitched a wonderful game, Youkilis hit his first ever grand slam, and the Sox moved up to just 1/2 game out of first place. The Rays have lost like 5 in a row or something, which is quite nice for us. Which means....if we win today and they lose, the Sox can enter the All-Star break in first place.

I did feel bad for the Orioles pitcher Liz, he got mauled and the announcers were saying he isn't really ready to pitch in the Majors yet but he had to with Baltimore's injuries. But these are the Red Sox, man....you can't throw in a weak pitcher against their bats!

3 in a Row

Three wins in a row have put me in a good mood. Eh, I probably just jinxed it...but I think with Wakefield pitching it was risky anyway.

So I have been out of town since Friday and made a point to catch a glimpse of ESPN Friday night to see if we won....a grand slam from Ortiz? With 2 outs? All right! I love how everyone in the dugout waited...and waited...and then mobbed him. Awesome. And then Saturday, being down 3-2 in the 8th and seeing Ortiz tie it with a single and having Manny continue his absolute fantasticness (yes, a new word) by hitting a long home run to put us up by 2 (but man, how sad, that Texas pitcher looked like he was about to cry)? What a great couple of games.

Let's continue it at 1:35 today...

Problem

"I feel like Cash can do a good job," Wakefield said. "But I'm going to really miss Doug, not only his professionalism and the way he handled me and the comfort level that I had with him, but also his friendship. We've been together for eight years, accumulated a lot of wins and been through a lot of stuff together. It's unfortunate that it happened that way, but you kind of have to get past that and understand that I'm still an employee here and it's their decision to make.

"I spoke with [Cash] afterwards. He feels bad about it, but he's also excited that he's going to catch me. I told him that I don't have any doubts that he'll do a good job, because he proved that last year. It's just sad to see a good friend go, get released and go home. We've been through a lot together, so it's pretty tough."

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly get any more nervous about a Wakefield game, they go and let the only one who can catch him go. Sigh.

Common Sense Prevails

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald both reported on Thursday that the Red Sox are on the verge of finalizing a one-year deal with Mirabelli, who was a free agent for the second winter in a row.

Finally! If we have to keep Wakefield, we better damn well have Mirabelli!

I Guessed in Error

So much for my Wakefield theory -- Tim and Julian Tavarez will be back next year. Their options were picked up for '08.

Good News on the Pitching Front

John Farrell, the man who led the best group of pitchers the Red Sox have seen in years, has agreed to return next year: The highly respected pitching coach will return to the World Series champions in 2008. This, after Farrell turned down an opportunity to meet with the Pittsburgh Pirates regarding their managerial vacancy.

This is really great news, when you consider that for once, our pitching is a strength instead of a weakness.

Hope you all got to see Papelbon on Letterman a couple nights ago--just reaffirmed my belief that he would be a lot of fun to hang out with!

What else? Mirabelli filed for free agency, which presents a problem for Wakefield. Of course, he wasn't that great this year with the bat, but we've seen what happens when a catcher not named Doug tries to catch Wakefield. Maybe we could just replace Tim? Now begins the Waiting Game, I guess.

I would like to mention that Eric Gagne filed for free agency as well. But I'm not too concerned about that, strangely enough...

Not at All What I Wanted

The Tampa Bay announcer thinks hitting a home run off of Tim Wakefield is enough to get you Rookie of the Year. "If that isn't enough to get you Rookie of the Year honors..." YEAH. ANYONE can do that, even I could do that.

So good old Tim got us in the hole in the second inning. To be expected, at this point. Then another run in the 4th.

Bases loaded with no outs for us in the 6th inning. Ortiz was up, he hit one that looked like a double play, and no one was covering first so he made it there and a run scored. I will take it! Lowell struck out, which was unexpected. Next up, Mr. Drew. He walked! 4-2 now. Then Coco took one up the middle for a single to make it 4-3 with the bases reloaded. What a great inning this was turning out to be! EXCEPT FOR THE INNING ENDING DOUBLE PLAY from Hinske.

Then Tavarez came in to replace Wakefield, who had thrown 95 pitches (57 strikes). "Reliable" Julian got one out and let a run score before he was relieved of his duties. Bryan Corey had to come in and get us out of it with a double play.

7th inning sucked.

8th inning was a little better, Cora hit a HR but he was the leadoff man so we were still down by one. And the next three up were easy outs. Timlin came in to pitch and gave up a single, nearly gave up a HR (just foul), then hit a guy. Ellsbury made a great catch to get the first out, the next ball went to Drew, and the third out was handled by Lugo. To the 9th, down by a run...

Crisp was an easy out, Hinske swung at the first pitch (HOW MANY FREAKING TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THE SAME THING) and thus was an easy out, then Varitek came in for Mirabelli and he was also an easy out.

CRAP.

In football news, the Patriots beat the Bills easily, with a final of 38-7. Too bad the Red Sox didn't have as easy a time.

Oh and NY won.

You Can Do it, Right?

All right, Tim, pick us up.

------------------------

Edited in the 9th: Not what I meant.

These Men are Good

Wakefield is so lucky! He gives up 7 earned runs and we're down 8-1, and now?

Up 14-9!

THAT is why they're my favorite team -- they are never out of a game.

Wait...solo shots by Ortiz and Drew to make it 16. Just when you think it can't get any better...

Err...Gagne. 9th inning. You'd think a 7-run lead would be safe...and you'd think right. But if it had been a 1-run game, we'd be in extra innings right now.

P.S. Happy birthday Jacoby (Jacob) Ellsbury...hitting a home run on your birthday is not bad.

This is Tim Wakefield

Sometimes you see the fake Wakefield, the one who pitches well.

Tonight, right now, I see the Real Wakefield....4 runs in the 2nd inning, with, most likely, more to come as the game goes on.

Don't be deceived...

Wakefield, like Timlin, has screwed up more often than I can forgive. They are going to have to have a pretty amazing final month if I am to ever have faith in them again...and Wakefield is off to a bad start with this game, and the one last Thursday.

Off to Baltimore!

Look for me at the Sox game tonight, for I will be there!

Who was the one pitcher I didn't want to pitch tonight because I've already seen him twice? Wakefield! Who is pitching tonight? Wakefield!

If only I had been born a week ago and could have gone to see the no hitter from Buchholz.

Oh well! I'm off to Baltimore right now and hopefully when I come back I will be happy because they won!!!

Someone's Mad

9th inning - Jon Papelbon got really mad when he rushed to cover first and lost the race with a Ranger. MAN he was mad. I hate to tell him, but the dude looked safe. Gotta learn to pick your battles, yo.

But he recovered and walked away with a save and finally, a win for Boston! Surprisingly it came when Wakefield pitched against Texas. Of course, it was tense for a while: Manny Delcarmen got the nod in relief of Wakefield, and immediately walked Michael Young to load the bases, bringing up Sammy Sosa. Six fastballs later, Delcarmen pumped a 96-mph heater past a swinging Sosa to escape the jam. It's never easy.

Matt Clement has been rehabbing his shoulder since he had surgery in September of 2006. I would LOVE to have surgery on my shoulder and get it over with but Clement's looong rehab is making me reconsider that plan..

Not So Great, That One

That game didn't go according to plan.

Wakefield was off, as was our offense. Things that were not off? NY's offense and pitching. So all of that made for a bad combo.

In positive news (well, sort of positive), Bronson Arroyo gave up 6 runs in 2 innings (and then came out) and he didn't get a loss. His bullpen only allowed one run over the next 7 innings and Washington imploded. So at least one good thing happened today.

It Ended

I guess it had to end sometime. The good pitching. Just...why did it have to be Wakefield? He was doing quite okay, I'm sad he had to have such a bad outing. 5 runs over 7 innings wouldn't usually be horrible, since the Sox offense has been so productive, but you know how they feel about Tim - they only gave him 2 runs of support.

And Tavarez goes tomorrow.

Prepare to lose.

I Wish

Boston won 8-0 yesterday, and the Yankees lost 14-2. Can it always be like this?

Wakefield got so much run support, he was in shock. He didn't give up any runs and he cut down his ERA to 1.79, the best in the A.L.! I don't know what got into these guys but I like it very much.

Time to continue their winning ways - a Baltimore series means I FINALLY get to watch all the games! They are 8-2 their last ten games and that is pretty amazing - not to mention they have a very nice 23-10 record. 7 games ahead of the nearest competition. I know it's early, but I really think this is going to be a good year.

The Less I Write...

I've noticed something. The less I update my site, the more the Red Sox win. Let's hope I don't jinx them for tonight's game.

But seriously, they've been pretty awesome over the last few days. I'm still excited about Manny's bottom of the 8th home run to win Matsuzaka's game (what is up with him, by the way?) a couple days ago. Wakefield was damn near perfect last night, allowing no runs and only 3 hits over 7 innings. I bet he was awfully frustrated with the lack of run support, until the 6th when Ortiz launched a solo shot to put the Sox ahead. Romero, Donnelly, Papelbon - the bullpen is NOT blowing games. Truly amazing, considering last year.

So Boston needs no help winning right now, they are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are sitting pretty on top of the AL East. They have a 6.5 game lead over everyone!

I guess now I need to address the serious matter of Tom Brady's latest faux pas. All the non-Sox fans say Sox fans shouldn't care. But...it's a big deal! Right?! How do you not know that people are going to think that's pretty crappy? I think he must be a little nutty, and that's my final conclusion.

It Happened Again

Tim Wakefield got 4 more runs of support than he usually gets - which is, of course, zero. Three solo shots by Lowell, Mirabelli, and (of course) Ortiz contributed 75% of the runs, with a RBI-single by Mirabelli adding the final blow. Wakefield pitched brilliantly, going 7 innings and only giving up one run. Only 4 hits, too. His ERA? 1.35! With my track record, I'll probably be seeing him when I go to the game in September, but if this keeps up I won't mind so much.

Coco's struggles continued - he went 0-for-4 and his average dropped to .136. At least he's not alone with his problems: Manny is batting .191 and Pedroia is only .188. Eh, no biggie. They'll get in their respective grooves soon.

Can They Keep it Going?

I've been away and the Sox have been destroying. Except for that Matsuzaka start, that wasn't such a great one. But since then, they've only had to play one game because of the rain, and they just pummeled the Angels in a 10-1 victory yesterday. The most surprising part of that win wasn't the huge offensive production (that's to be expected, right?), it was the huge offensive production in a game pitched by Tim Wakefield. I was amazed. Tim was pretty awesome himself, pitching 7 innings and only allowing that one run on 5 hits. Please note though, that 6 of the 10 runs were scored in the 8th, after Wakefield came out!

I had kind of given up on good old Tim, but if he keeps pitching the way he's pitched his 2 games...ooh man, we might have an ace. Not to get too far ahead of myself, though.

The game today starts in just over 30 minutes, and I do not think it is on TV. Which sucks. If only the stupid baseball channels on Comcast didn't cost a million dollars! Thankfully, the new and improved Gameday will keep me in the game.

So I'm watching tennis now, and my favorite player Jelena Jankovic is playing Venus Williams in this marathon match. They are in the 3rd set tiebreak, and man, they're playing some good tennis out there today. Venus is back, man. Of course, I'm cheering against her, but...J.J. won! AWESOME match.

Poor Timmy

I wasn't going to say anything about yesterday's game because it was just another loss. However, when I see headlines like this: "Wakefield Outdueled in Loss," I get a little upset and feel the need to comment.

This man

deserves a medal.

Why? It's the same thing I said all last season: HE NEVER GETS ANY RUN SUPPORT. It's like as soon as Tim Wakefield steps to the mound, his teammates' bats go cold. And it happens like every time he pitches. I just don't get it. Do they hate him? He seems like a nice guy. Why do they do this to him all the time? He only have up one earned run!!

Oh yeah, plus that whole Wakefield/Rangers mental thing he's got.

Someday, Tim. Someday you will only give up one run and actually get a win out of it.