Hey there...as you probably didn't notice I haven't been blogging since the Manny trade...I wasn't happy with it, and was in a little funk afterwards...don't get me wrong, I still love the Sox...I haven't missed a night of the season and am watching Masterson try to get out of trouble here in the 7th of game 2 in the ALDS...but the blog was lost for the season. I kept thinking about a Manny piece that would allow me to move on and get back to business, but I couldn't write it. Maybe someday I will, but for now I'll rely on an old stalwart...here's Simmons' piece on the Manny trade. It's pretty much the position I've held all along and if you know me than you know this is true...if you don't, believe it...thanks to Mr. Simmons for having the job and the motivation to write it...
It's a long one, so grab a drink and sidle on up...enjoy...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=manny
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Catching Up Part 3 - Bring on the Second "Half"
Coming out of The Break the Sox had the daunting challenge of going out to play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and California Plantations, who sported the best record in baseball at the time...how does that team do so well I ask you? The pitching is ok...the offense is ok...the bullpen is strong as usual and K-Rod is saving games at an absurd rate, but does that add up to the best team in baseball? Time to find out I guess...
This is how the 3-game set in LA from 7/18-7/20 went down...
Game 1 featured the second start for Clay Buchholz after his recall from the minors...last time out he didn't do so well, and this time wasn't much better...young Clay couldn't get through the 5th against a lineup with Meicur Izturis in the 3-hole...the Halos threw up 3 in the bottom of the 1st on 4 hits and walk, so right away Buchholz wasn't fooling anyone...the Sox answered back with 2 in the 2nd courtesy of a Youk 2-run shot, and they tied it in the 4th with a solo run, but that was the last time the game would be close...the Halos chased Clay with a couple of hits (and a costly error by Cora) and Aardsma came in to finish the inning, but before he could he surrendered a 2-run single to Howie Kendrick...4 runs in the inning for an 8-3 edge...that would have done it as the Sox couldn't get anything going off of the Angel pen but they decided to add on another 3-spot in the 6th for good measure (thank you Javy Lopez)...an ugly 11-3 final to get the second "half" of the season going...let's hope this isn't a sign...
Game 2 put Josh Beckett back on the hill against the team he dominated in last year's ALDS...opposing him would be Joe Saunders, having one of the surprisingly good seasons being enjoyed by so many of the Angels at this point in the season...still, on paper you had to like the matchup...Youk popped another 2-run shot to get is the lead and Beckett was cruising, looked like this might be a nice little stopper game, since the Angels had taken 3 straight regular season games from the Sox to this point...but our ace ran into trouble in the 7th and couldn't get away from it...the big inning started (apparently as most big innings do- look it up) with a solo shot from Vlad Guerrero...then Hunter and Anderson (who hits us really well in spurts anyway) singled and Reggie Willits sacrificed them over for 2nd at 3rd with 1 out...Beckett intentionally walked Kendrick to set up the DP but the EVER POWERFUL Erick Aybar tripled by finding a seam down the right field line...3 runs in and a 4-2 lead that the Angel pen again held, to keep that the final score...
Game 3 was even worse believe it or not...again the Sox blew a late lead and couldn't avoid being swept by a team that they swept our of the playoffs just 9 or so months ago...Tim Wakefield and Jon Garland each gave up two through the 6th, and in the 7th Coco Crisp stole second and scored when Vlad Guerrero misplayed a Jacoby liner...this game suddenly took on a the feeling of one of those games we luckily eke out to avoid a sweep and maybe get the Baseball Gods on our side, but once again we snatched defeat from he jaws of victory...Wake gave up back to back doubles to score the tying run and Manny Delcarmen threw a meatball to Casey Kotchman (after walking Figgins) who gladly doubled it to right scoring Kendrick and Figgins...once more the bullpen can't get us out of anything...is it just me or does everyone in the pen allow a walk and a hit for every out they record? It's just a matter of the timing and how many runs score...pathetic...safe to say that the Sox should be looking for relievers since everyone out there right now is a Jeklyl/Hyde type mystery...and that includes Pap to a lesser degree...scary, and reminiscent of the 2003 Sox who ultimately had that fatal flaw exposed in the form of Grady Little leaving Pedro in too long...
Horrible series...already sporting an awful road record the Sox had late leads in two of three of these games, games that they would have closed out last year but just can't this year...not against any decent teams, and so here we have answered our question...don't ask me how they do it, but the Angels are a very good team, and much better than the Red Sox apparently...5 straight regular season wins is enough of a sample size to make that statement...the only good news about being out in LA is that it's close enough to Seattle that the MLB schedulers thought "hey, while you're out there, head north and play the Mariners." This year that's a good thing...
And the Seattle series, also a 3-gamer, was the exact opposite story...a sweep for the Red Sox...since it's only the Mariners let's not get too excited here, and since they're the Mariners they're not worth a game-by-game discussion so we'll just gloss over the highlights...
Game 1 was all Jon Lester, 7.1 innings, 0 ER and 6 Ks against 0 walks...the Washington native makes good and is backed up by 2 2-run innings, Pap was flawless, 4-0 Sox...
Game 2 was more of the same, with Dice pitching a dominant game (see what you can do against a crappy offensive team) and taking a shutout into the 8th...they did get to him for 2 in the frame but the Sox already had 4 up there (Drew hit his 18th in this one, already 7 more than he had last year...you figure it out) and Oki and Pap tossed a perfect 1.2 combined, 4-2 Sox win...
Game 3 held a little more suspense as the Sox had to wait until the 12th inning to claim their sweep...Clay was a little better this game, allowing 3 in 5.1 and King Felix was hurt buy a couple of errors, so at the end of 6 it was 3-3...the top of the 12th started with the same score but the Sox doubled up their side of it in that frame...Jacoby led off with a single and Dusty moved him over...Drew was walked intentionally and then the key play was a bit of a gift as Bloomquist misplayed a Youk shot to center, allowing 2 runs to score...Sean Casey drove in an insurance run and then we brought in Hansen because we decided that we didn't want the game to end yet...but unfortunately for the Sox and their fans Hansen DID pick up his second save after trying to give it away...out, single, out, single, walk and the bases were loaded for Jose Vidro, but Vidro smacked one right to Dusty to get the save for Hansen...why won't we trade this guy again?
Hey, a sweep is a sweep, and after being on the wrong side of one we did what we're supposed to do and beat a bad team badly...and on the road too...and we got to go home, but guess what awaited us at Fenway after the off-day? The Bronx Bombers...
And so we arrive at the game and the series that enraged me enough to hop so quickly and energetically back onto the keyboard...of course it would be the Yanks, right? Had to be...especially because isn't this supposed to be the year that they faded? Isn't this the Mussina is done and the young pitchers just aren't there yet year? The year that those insanely expensive free agent signings and the overspending finally caught up to them? It was...I know it was...but here we are, in a late July series, and the Yanks are right there with us...that we both trail the Rays at this point is the only change (ok, that's quite a change) but with their mammoth offense and the resurgences of Mussina and Giambi (both of whom I hate...a lot) the Yanks are putting themselves into position to make a run...
GOD DAMN IT...
And if Game 1 of this series wasn't enough to piss Red Sox fans off I don't know what is...there was no waiting for the marquee pitching matchup of the set, game 1 was Beckett versus Joba...the bona fide ace (perhaps in all of baseball) versus the young, confident up-and-comer...Joba is having a great year making the transition from the pen to the rotation...he's been protected a little, but not much, and tonight would be a real test for him...and for Beckett too...the Yankee lineup is daunting for any hurler, and Beckett needs to show them what an ace is...
The matchup lived up to its billing...on paper anyway...if you read the box score for this one you'd see that Beckett and Chamberlain each went 7 and Beckett was out dueled...he gave up a run, and Joba didn't...Joba struck out 9 and Beckett 6, so both guys must have pitched well, and both pens were flawless...so you'd think that it was just a tough-luck loss on a night where a good young pitcher had it going...but you'd be WRONG...dead wrong...the truth of this one is that Beckett's run was garbage...it was a Giambi "single" hit towards SS against the shift...so Lowell had to field it and everyone was out of position...no play anywhere and Abreu, on third after a single and another single by A-Rod, all with two outs...so whatever, a little back luck there but not too much to complain about...the real complaint could be leveled against Marty Foster. Who the bleep is Marty Foster you might ask? He was the home plate umpire on this night, and if there is any justice in baseball he'll never get behind the plate again...this guy was AWFUL!!!! Everything Joba threw was a strike...I mean everything...I was going to write "everything close" but the truth is that the pitches didn't have to be close...high strikes were called, low strikes were called, outside, inside...it didn't matter...the Sox hitters kept looking back at Foster like he was high...who knows, maybe he was...and worse yet, not only did Beckett not get the same courtesy, but it also extended to Farnsworth and Rivera! It was a sham...and it got almost embarrassing for Foster on TV since he K-Zone kept getting chucked up there and showing how terrible his pro-Yankee calls were...it was a disgrace...the final straw came with Rivera on the hill in the 9th and Mike Lowell at bat...down just the one run, Youk had singled with one down against Mo bringing up Lowell...ball, called strike, foul had the count 1-2, but from there Mikey valiantly kept the AB alive with 2 fouls, a ball and another foul...he was then called out on a pitch that was high and inside, and I mean waaaaay high and inside...little league umps wouldn't have called this a strike in a mercy-rule blowout, that's how bad it was...and you know it's bad if Lowell, the consummate pro and a baseball gentleman by all accounts, argues the call...he threw his helmet and bat down and got his time in before getting chucked, but to get one of the all time good guys that upset you know some crap had to be going on...believe me, it was...horrible calls all night, and a game 1 gift for Joba and the Yanks...this one left a bad taste, and inspired at least one blogger to break out the keyboard...
Games 2 and 3 were less emotional, exciting, worthy, you pick the adjective...the two teams traded blowouts, as the Yanks lit up Wake to take game 2 10-3 and the Sox avoided the sweep by pounding Sidney Ponson to take the finale 9-2...only thing of note in either if these games is BIGGGG PAPI!!!! In game 3 he hit his first HR off of the DL (see, I was so pissed about game 1's pitching travesty that I forgot to mention the return of Big Papi) and I don't think I need to say any more about that...he's the man for the Sox, and seeing his big swing launch one was a true sight for sore eyes...
So a little bit of a bumpy stretch here, but not all too atypical for the Sox at this time of the year...the middle always seems to be the hardest time for the Sox to stay consistent, so hopefully they're ready to get past July and into a groove...
One more series before August and the dog days get here, again against the Halos but this time at home...I'll be back soon to discuss that one, and until then...
GOOOOO SOXXXXXX!!!
This is how the 3-game set in LA from 7/18-7/20 went down...
Game 1 featured the second start for Clay Buchholz after his recall from the minors...last time out he didn't do so well, and this time wasn't much better...young Clay couldn't get through the 5th against a lineup with Meicur Izturis in the 3-hole...the Halos threw up 3 in the bottom of the 1st on 4 hits and walk, so right away Buchholz wasn't fooling anyone...the Sox answered back with 2 in the 2nd courtesy of a Youk 2-run shot, and they tied it in the 4th with a solo run, but that was the last time the game would be close...the Halos chased Clay with a couple of hits (and a costly error by Cora) and Aardsma came in to finish the inning, but before he could he surrendered a 2-run single to Howie Kendrick...4 runs in the inning for an 8-3 edge...that would have done it as the Sox couldn't get anything going off of the Angel pen but they decided to add on another 3-spot in the 6th for good measure (thank you Javy Lopez)...an ugly 11-3 final to get the second "half" of the season going...let's hope this isn't a sign...
Game 2 put Josh Beckett back on the hill against the team he dominated in last year's ALDS...opposing him would be Joe Saunders, having one of the surprisingly good seasons being enjoyed by so many of the Angels at this point in the season...still, on paper you had to like the matchup...Youk popped another 2-run shot to get is the lead and Beckett was cruising, looked like this might be a nice little stopper game, since the Angels had taken 3 straight regular season games from the Sox to this point...but our ace ran into trouble in the 7th and couldn't get away from it...the big inning started (apparently as most big innings do- look it up) with a solo shot from Vlad Guerrero...then Hunter and Anderson (who hits us really well in spurts anyway) singled and Reggie Willits sacrificed them over for 2nd at 3rd with 1 out...Beckett intentionally walked Kendrick to set up the DP but the EVER POWERFUL Erick Aybar tripled by finding a seam down the right field line...3 runs in and a 4-2 lead that the Angel pen again held, to keep that the final score...
Game 3 was even worse believe it or not...again the Sox blew a late lead and couldn't avoid being swept by a team that they swept our of the playoffs just 9 or so months ago...Tim Wakefield and Jon Garland each gave up two through the 6th, and in the 7th Coco Crisp stole second and scored when Vlad Guerrero misplayed a Jacoby liner...this game suddenly took on a the feeling of one of those games we luckily eke out to avoid a sweep and maybe get the Baseball Gods on our side, but once again we snatched defeat from he jaws of victory...Wake gave up back to back doubles to score the tying run and Manny Delcarmen threw a meatball to Casey Kotchman (after walking Figgins) who gladly doubled it to right scoring Kendrick and Figgins...once more the bullpen can't get us out of anything...is it just me or does everyone in the pen allow a walk and a hit for every out they record? It's just a matter of the timing and how many runs score...pathetic...safe to say that the Sox should be looking for relievers since everyone out there right now is a Jeklyl/Hyde type mystery...and that includes Pap to a lesser degree...scary, and reminiscent of the 2003 Sox who ultimately had that fatal flaw exposed in the form of Grady Little leaving Pedro in too long...
Horrible series...already sporting an awful road record the Sox had late leads in two of three of these games, games that they would have closed out last year but just can't this year...not against any decent teams, and so here we have answered our question...don't ask me how they do it, but the Angels are a very good team, and much better than the Red Sox apparently...5 straight regular season wins is enough of a sample size to make that statement...the only good news about being out in LA is that it's close enough to Seattle that the MLB schedulers thought "hey, while you're out there, head north and play the Mariners." This year that's a good thing...
And the Seattle series, also a 3-gamer, was the exact opposite story...a sweep for the Red Sox...since it's only the Mariners let's not get too excited here, and since they're the Mariners they're not worth a game-by-game discussion so we'll just gloss over the highlights...
Game 1 was all Jon Lester, 7.1 innings, 0 ER and 6 Ks against 0 walks...the Washington native makes good and is backed up by 2 2-run innings, Pap was flawless, 4-0 Sox...
Game 2 was more of the same, with Dice pitching a dominant game (see what you can do against a crappy offensive team) and taking a shutout into the 8th...they did get to him for 2 in the frame but the Sox already had 4 up there (Drew hit his 18th in this one, already 7 more than he had last year...you figure it out) and Oki and Pap tossed a perfect 1.2 combined, 4-2 Sox win...
Game 3 held a little more suspense as the Sox had to wait until the 12th inning to claim their sweep...Clay was a little better this game, allowing 3 in 5.1 and King Felix was hurt buy a couple of errors, so at the end of 6 it was 3-3...the top of the 12th started with the same score but the Sox doubled up their side of it in that frame...Jacoby led off with a single and Dusty moved him over...Drew was walked intentionally and then the key play was a bit of a gift as Bloomquist misplayed a Youk shot to center, allowing 2 runs to score...Sean Casey drove in an insurance run and then we brought in Hansen because we decided that we didn't want the game to end yet...but unfortunately for the Sox and their fans Hansen DID pick up his second save after trying to give it away...out, single, out, single, walk and the bases were loaded for Jose Vidro, but Vidro smacked one right to Dusty to get the save for Hansen...why won't we trade this guy again?
Hey, a sweep is a sweep, and after being on the wrong side of one we did what we're supposed to do and beat a bad team badly...and on the road too...and we got to go home, but guess what awaited us at Fenway after the off-day? The Bronx Bombers...
And so we arrive at the game and the series that enraged me enough to hop so quickly and energetically back onto the keyboard...of course it would be the Yanks, right? Had to be...especially because isn't this supposed to be the year that they faded? Isn't this the Mussina is done and the young pitchers just aren't there yet year? The year that those insanely expensive free agent signings and the overspending finally caught up to them? It was...I know it was...but here we are, in a late July series, and the Yanks are right there with us...that we both trail the Rays at this point is the only change (ok, that's quite a change) but with their mammoth offense and the resurgences of Mussina and Giambi (both of whom I hate...a lot) the Yanks are putting themselves into position to make a run...
GOD DAMN IT...
And if Game 1 of this series wasn't enough to piss Red Sox fans off I don't know what is...there was no waiting for the marquee pitching matchup of the set, game 1 was Beckett versus Joba...the bona fide ace (perhaps in all of baseball) versus the young, confident up-and-comer...Joba is having a great year making the transition from the pen to the rotation...he's been protected a little, but not much, and tonight would be a real test for him...and for Beckett too...the Yankee lineup is daunting for any hurler, and Beckett needs to show them what an ace is...
The matchup lived up to its billing...on paper anyway...if you read the box score for this one you'd see that Beckett and Chamberlain each went 7 and Beckett was out dueled...he gave up a run, and Joba didn't...Joba struck out 9 and Beckett 6, so both guys must have pitched well, and both pens were flawless...so you'd think that it was just a tough-luck loss on a night where a good young pitcher had it going...but you'd be WRONG...dead wrong...the truth of this one is that Beckett's run was garbage...it was a Giambi "single" hit towards SS against the shift...so Lowell had to field it and everyone was out of position...no play anywhere and Abreu, on third after a single and another single by A-Rod, all with two outs...so whatever, a little back luck there but not too much to complain about...the real complaint could be leveled against Marty Foster. Who the bleep is Marty Foster you might ask? He was the home plate umpire on this night, and if there is any justice in baseball he'll never get behind the plate again...this guy was AWFUL!!!! Everything Joba threw was a strike...I mean everything...I was going to write "everything close" but the truth is that the pitches didn't have to be close...high strikes were called, low strikes were called, outside, inside...it didn't matter...the Sox hitters kept looking back at Foster like he was high...who knows, maybe he was...and worse yet, not only did Beckett not get the same courtesy, but it also extended to Farnsworth and Rivera! It was a sham...and it got almost embarrassing for Foster on TV since he K-Zone kept getting chucked up there and showing how terrible his pro-Yankee calls were...it was a disgrace...the final straw came with Rivera on the hill in the 9th and Mike Lowell at bat...down just the one run, Youk had singled with one down against Mo bringing up Lowell...ball, called strike, foul had the count 1-2, but from there Mikey valiantly kept the AB alive with 2 fouls, a ball and another foul...he was then called out on a pitch that was high and inside, and I mean waaaaay high and inside...little league umps wouldn't have called this a strike in a mercy-rule blowout, that's how bad it was...and you know it's bad if Lowell, the consummate pro and a baseball gentleman by all accounts, argues the call...he threw his helmet and bat down and got his time in before getting chucked, but to get one of the all time good guys that upset you know some crap had to be going on...believe me, it was...horrible calls all night, and a game 1 gift for Joba and the Yanks...this one left a bad taste, and inspired at least one blogger to break out the keyboard...
Games 2 and 3 were less emotional, exciting, worthy, you pick the adjective...the two teams traded blowouts, as the Yanks lit up Wake to take game 2 10-3 and the Sox avoided the sweep by pounding Sidney Ponson to take the finale 9-2...only thing of note in either if these games is BIGGGG PAPI!!!! In game 3 he hit his first HR off of the DL (see, I was so pissed about game 1's pitching travesty that I forgot to mention the return of Big Papi) and I don't think I need to say any more about that...he's the man for the Sox, and seeing his big swing launch one was a true sight for sore eyes...
So a little bit of a bumpy stretch here, but not all too atypical for the Sox at this time of the year...the middle always seems to be the hardest time for the Sox to stay consistent, so hopefully they're ready to get past July and into a groove...
One more series before August and the dog days get here, again against the Halos but this time at home...I'll be back soon to discuss that one, and until then...
GOOOOO SOXXXXXX!!!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Quick Recap Part 2...Getting Through the Break...
Luckily, after a crap-tastic stretch where we blew game after game against AL East teams (games that could cost us in September), we had the Twins and O's coming to Fenway. Two things about this news...1) The Twins and O's are both terrible...the Twins somehow magically put together 1 year in 4 that they compete with spare parts and young guys, but the other 3 years they're nothing, and this is one of those years...and the O's are, well, the O's...they're owned by Angelos...'nuf ced...2) We're good at home...like MLB-best good at home...we just stink on the road...so getting these two teams into Fenway for a quick 6 before The Break is a good thing I told myself...
And I was right...
In the Twins series we showed them that, in Boston at least, we can beat them just about any way possible...game 1 was a pitcher's duel, with Dice and Scott Baker firing zeros at each other while they were out there...the only O on either side came in the 8th, Manny singled in Pedroia, and that was it...Oki and Pap were nearly flawless, 1-0 Sox...game 2 was a 6-5 win which was of the comeback variety...the Sox put up 4 in the 8th to take the lead, again with the big damage coming from Manny...a game-tying 2-run dinger...this time Aardsma set up Pap who gave up a hit but nothing more...for the finale it was all about the offense...the Sox put a legit hurting on the Twins, 18-5 was the final...I'd give you details but the numbers would take up a paragraph and a third, so let's just say that a 7-run 7th put it away and the sweep was complete...
We have to love Minny, don't we? I mean, it's almost a cliche at this point but that's the state that just keeps giving to Boston, don't they? Papi to the Sox, KG to the Celts and Randy Moss to the Pats (this one with a detour to Oakland, but hey)...we'll take it I guess...I almost feel bad for them, it's a good sports state too, not like they don't love their teams...oh well...thanks Minny...we love ya...
One pretender down...one to go...
Baltimore sneaked into Fenway sporting a sub-.500 record, but in game 1 of this series we tried to help them get over the hump...the game marked the return of Clay Buchholz, after two months away, so we can allow a mulligan here...the kid wasn't sharp and the O's put up 7 runs, enough to beat us on that night (you didn't think we'd get 18 back-to-back, did you?)...the Baltimore bullpen was (gasp) good...wow...can't believe I just typed that, but it was...let's forget that happened, on to game 2...which was a lot more like what we were expecting out of this series...Wake had the knuckler dancing and didn't even need it to be, since the boys threw 12 runs up on the board against a slew of O's hurlers...Drew hit his 17th on the season, Manny his 18th and Youk had the big big fly with his first career grand slam to highlight his 6 RBI on the night...good old fashioned whoopin'...so of course game 3 in the series would be a tight one...this one was all about the arms since the Sox only managed single runs in the 1st and 4th...but Dice, Oki and Manny Delcarmen got it to Pap without allowing a run...Pap did allow one, but just one, and the Sox held on 2-1 to take 2 of 3 from a team that they should ALWAYS take 2 of 3 from...and on this day that W was also enough for first place in the AL East heading into the break...
So a 5 of 6 stretch before The Break catapulted the Sox into 1st...time for some R&R and then hopefully an even better second half of the season...I like where this team is considering that the Rays have been pitching over their heads, the Yanks are also up and down and that we haven't played our best ball yet...if we put it together in July and August we could very well have the kind of September that will see us hit the top and stay there...
The All-Star Break really deserves only one item of discussion here...we'll mention the same thing everyone else was buzzing about after the HR Derby...JESUS, Josh Hamilton can hit...the ball just sounds different coming off of that kid's bat, doesn't it? IN-sane...nice to see him back on top after his personal struggles...he was drafted 1-2 with Josh Beckett, and those two were "can't miss" prospects back in 1999, Hamilton was number 1 for the Rays and Beckett number 2 for the Marlins...Beckett soon lived up to his hype and has become a legit ace for a perennial contender...Hamilton traveled a longer, darker road to the majors, but he's now finally where he belongs...generating the same kind of buzz he did in baseball back in 1999...welcome Josh, you've arrived again...
The actual All-Star game was pretty lame...but the AL won, great, so if we do get back to The Series we'll have home field...someone pointed out that the AL skipper, Terry Francona, looked super giddy after winning the game and then realized that it was probably because Terry knows we can't win on the road, so if we're gonna win The Series, better have 4 games at Fenway!
Ok, getting closer to actual current events...the next blog (tomorrow night or Wednesday at the latest) will get us through the two series before this last Yanks series...that would be the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Disney The State of California with those Annoying Thunder Sticks and That Stupid Rally Monkey (I think that's their official name now, right?), who are really good, and the Seattle Mariners, who I think just might decide to follow the Sonics to Oklahoma City if this season gets any worse...quick comment on the NBA, if you want to read about an injustice, check out the Sonics move to Oklahoma...google it or read the Sports Guy (see link to the right)...all that's missing to make this deal any shadier is the new owner (Clay Bennett) letting David Stern have sex with his wife (Indecent Proposal style)...it's a real travesty, and the Seattle fans are being raped by Stern and the NBA, plain and simple...
GO SAWX!
And I was right...
In the Twins series we showed them that, in Boston at least, we can beat them just about any way possible...game 1 was a pitcher's duel, with Dice and Scott Baker firing zeros at each other while they were out there...the only O on either side came in the 8th, Manny singled in Pedroia, and that was it...Oki and Pap were nearly flawless, 1-0 Sox...game 2 was a 6-5 win which was of the comeback variety...the Sox put up 4 in the 8th to take the lead, again with the big damage coming from Manny...a game-tying 2-run dinger...this time Aardsma set up Pap who gave up a hit but nothing more...for the finale it was all about the offense...the Sox put a legit hurting on the Twins, 18-5 was the final...I'd give you details but the numbers would take up a paragraph and a third, so let's just say that a 7-run 7th put it away and the sweep was complete...
We have to love Minny, don't we? I mean, it's almost a cliche at this point but that's the state that just keeps giving to Boston, don't they? Papi to the Sox, KG to the Celts and Randy Moss to the Pats (this one with a detour to Oakland, but hey)...we'll take it I guess...I almost feel bad for them, it's a good sports state too, not like they don't love their teams...oh well...thanks Minny...we love ya...
One pretender down...one to go...
Baltimore sneaked into Fenway sporting a sub-.500 record, but in game 1 of this series we tried to help them get over the hump...the game marked the return of Clay Buchholz, after two months away, so we can allow a mulligan here...the kid wasn't sharp and the O's put up 7 runs, enough to beat us on that night (you didn't think we'd get 18 back-to-back, did you?)...the Baltimore bullpen was (gasp) good...wow...can't believe I just typed that, but it was...let's forget that happened, on to game 2...which was a lot more like what we were expecting out of this series...Wake had the knuckler dancing and didn't even need it to be, since the boys threw 12 runs up on the board against a slew of O's hurlers...Drew hit his 17th on the season, Manny his 18th and Youk had the big big fly with his first career grand slam to highlight his 6 RBI on the night...good old fashioned whoopin'...so of course game 3 in the series would be a tight one...this one was all about the arms since the Sox only managed single runs in the 1st and 4th...but Dice, Oki and Manny Delcarmen got it to Pap without allowing a run...Pap did allow one, but just one, and the Sox held on 2-1 to take 2 of 3 from a team that they should ALWAYS take 2 of 3 from...and on this day that W was also enough for first place in the AL East heading into the break...
So a 5 of 6 stretch before The Break catapulted the Sox into 1st...time for some R&R and then hopefully an even better second half of the season...I like where this team is considering that the Rays have been pitching over their heads, the Yanks are also up and down and that we haven't played our best ball yet...if we put it together in July and August we could very well have the kind of September that will see us hit the top and stay there...
The All-Star Break really deserves only one item of discussion here...we'll mention the same thing everyone else was buzzing about after the HR Derby...JESUS, Josh Hamilton can hit...the ball just sounds different coming off of that kid's bat, doesn't it? IN-sane...nice to see him back on top after his personal struggles...he was drafted 1-2 with Josh Beckett, and those two were "can't miss" prospects back in 1999, Hamilton was number 1 for the Rays and Beckett number 2 for the Marlins...Beckett soon lived up to his hype and has become a legit ace for a perennial contender...Hamilton traveled a longer, darker road to the majors, but he's now finally where he belongs...generating the same kind of buzz he did in baseball back in 1999...welcome Josh, you've arrived again...
The actual All-Star game was pretty lame...but the AL won, great, so if we do get back to The Series we'll have home field...someone pointed out that the AL skipper, Terry Francona, looked super giddy after winning the game and then realized that it was probably because Terry knows we can't win on the road, so if we're gonna win The Series, better have 4 games at Fenway!
Ok, getting closer to actual current events...the next blog (tomorrow night or Wednesday at the latest) will get us through the two series before this last Yanks series...that would be the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Disney The State of California with those Annoying Thunder Sticks and That Stupid Rally Monkey (I think that's their official name now, right?), who are really good, and the Seattle Mariners, who I think just might decide to follow the Sonics to Oklahoma City if this season gets any worse...quick comment on the NBA, if you want to read about an injustice, check out the Sonics move to Oklahoma...google it or read the Sports Guy (see link to the right)...all that's missing to make this deal any shadier is the new owner (Clay Bennett) letting David Stern have sex with his wife (Indecent Proposal style)...it's a real travesty, and the Seattle fans are being raped by Stern and the NBA, plain and simple...
GO SAWX!
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Yankees Made Me Do It...and other confessions...
Hi there. Nice to see you. Um...yeah, things have been good. Can't complain...you been good? Ok...this is awkward...we said it wouldn't be awkward, but it is...look...I'm really sorry...I've neglected you...and, it's not right. I'll be better...I promise...no, really...I will...I...yeah...let's hug...
And there you have it, my official "Sorry I've been gone so long" apology. Now, the chances that any of you (except my number #1 fan) have been around long enough to know that there's even been a hiatus are slim to laughable, but hey, that doesn't make my absence less excusable! But I'm back, and of course it would be a good, old-fashioned Sox-Yanks clash to inspire me, wouldn't it? Before we get to tonight's RIDICULOUS game I need to recap the last month...usually I go game by game, sometimes pitch-by-pitch on here, but since we're talking 28 games or so and nothing incredibly catastrophic has happened (i.e. we're still near the top of the AL East) we'll just go with the highlights...and we'll take this in chunks...Yanks and part 2 of the recap to follow...
We left off in the NL, about to clash with an NL "Power" in the D-Backs. Hard to call them a power when they can't really hit, but their pitching is formidable...so the series went about as you might think...we took 2 of 3 scoring 11 total runs but holding them to 6...Haren beat Beckett 2-1 in the first game, we got to the Zona starter Davis and then pen late in the second game scoring 4 in the 8th to win 5-4 and Wake had the knuckler dancing in game 3 as we rolled 5-0 with all of the RBIs coming from Brandon Moss and Kevin Cash...how sweet is that? Good series, strong pitching and 1 total error over the three games (and that on a pickoff attempt)...solid baseball all around, nice job taking it...
From there, off to Houston...a hitter's heaven that little teeny field...so you had to figure there'd be at least one crazy game. Sox took the first game behind the return from the DL of the Dice man...5 scoreless though he was a little off overall, but we'll take it...JD homered for all the O we'd need, 6-1 final...Game 2 was the crazy game...11-10…21 runs, 27 hits and just garbage pitching all around…each starter (Lester and Backe) gave up 6 runs and both pens were terrible…Delcarmen killed us allowing 3 in the 8th and though Lowell homered off of Valverde, Youk and Tek struck out to end it…the last game was a brutal one to watch as another Beckett gem was wasted...Aardsma and Oki couldn’t keep ‘em off the board in the 8th and we dropped it 3-2…losing 2 of 3 to anyone sucks but to an NL team that’s not even contending? So far the 2008 Sox are just too inconsistent…weak in the pen and on the offensive side just too streaky…
So, back to the AL for the AL East leading…TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS!!! Boy does that sound nuts or what? But true…I didn’t think they’d last into June, forget July, but here were are starting a 3-game set with them on top of the division on 6/30…game 1 was looking like a possible catapult game…a comeback win was looking sweet in the 9th but it wasn’t to be as Julio Lugo lined out to end it with the tying run on 3rd…game 2 was EXCRUCIATING to watch…Wake allowed 2 runs, 1 earned and both scored on wild pitches!!! Mirabelli…where are you? In fairness Cash is actually doing pretty well…Hansen allowed another but it actually didn’t matter since we mustered a whole run off of Matt Garza…yeah, THE Matt Garza…and did nothing against the pen…3-1 bad guys was the final. Game 3 – we HAVE to salvage a game right? It’s the FRIGGING RAYS??? Nope, no we don’t…not this Rays team… break them up! Another bullpen meltdown…are we sensing a theme here this season kids? Not that hard to pick up…this time it was Delcarmen and Hansen and you saw it coming…3 runs allowed EACH thank you very much, and a 4-1 lead behind Dice became a 7-4 deficit…again we fought back getting 1 in the 8th and another in the 9th but this one ended on one of the ALL TIME dumbest decisions I’ve ever seen by a manager in a regular season game. With 1 out and Lowell on first, Tek at the plate, Francona puts on the hit and run. Know what, ok…why not? Tek has been looking awful at the plate but part of that has been his decision-making up there. If he has to swing with the play on maybe he gets a good pitch and puts it in play…at least moves the slow Lowell over…sure, it’s a gamble, but it’s worth a shot from time to time. Lowell takes off, Tek swings at a decent pitch, but fouls it off…ok, nice try, shelf the play and move on, right? No, not this night…Francona decides to gamble again, and make the exact same bet no less…he puts it on AGAIN!!! Now I’m pissed…are you kidding? With a guy that strikes out as much as Tek does and knowing that he’s in one of his trademark “I’m up here but I’m not sure if I can see and swing a bat at the same time” funks, you put it on twice in a row??? No f-ing way…but he did and the obvious happened…strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out…game OVER. Inexcusable…you should think about that play when you HAVE a base-stealer out there, with Mike Lowell running, trying that twice is insane…a K is a guaranteed game-ender…so kids, if we finish less than 3 games back in this division race, remember that we got swept by the Rays in a mid-summer series where we had a chance to win all 3 games…these things get forgotten in the second half, but this series just might deserve some mention later on…
And no rest for the weary…still on the road and heading to…the Bronx! Hadn’t been in a while so it was “nice” to get back there…sorta…gotta claim a little ignorance on this series as I was off in no-man’s land celebrating birthdays and laying on the beach for the first two games…we all need a break, right? Yeah, so what if I haven’t blogged in a month…I’ve been busy…
Super quick recap, of the first two…Lester gem, Beckett strong, Sox up 2-0 in a best of 4…yay…
Now for the crappy part…game 3 was the classic “If we win this one it would really hurt the Yanks” game…so of course, we blew it…pitcher’s duel all the way to the 9th with Mussina, who just owns us when he’s on (which is far less often these days) allowing zippo and Masterson giving up 2. The brutal part came in the 9th…Mo Rivera, who’s been nigh unhittable this year, took the hill…we all know the history…Sox vs. Mo is classic…we’re just not afraid of him…he’s not of us, and he’s going to get us more than we get him, but we’re not afraid, and that makes us dangerous. Drew singled and Mo hit Manny…Lowell then singled also, driving in JD…so we have 1st and 2nd nobody out…at this point I’m still not that optimistic…it’s Brandon Moss on 2nd (pinch running) and this is still Mo…I’d feel better with him at 3rd…and cue the Youk hit-by-pitch…bases loaded, NOBODY OUT!!! Talk about a chance to put the nail in the coffin…take the first 3 of the 4 game set by coming back off of the unhittable Mo this year…things like that propel teams (hell, it propelled THIS team back in 2004)…so all Coco has to do is make some decent contact…somewhere…that’s all…1-2-3 strikes he’s out…nice work…he did foul off the first pitch so do we call that a success? If Ellsbury were playing any better I’d gripe…but I can’t…so now Tek needs to do the job, but he’s still in la-la land, looking lost up at the plate…gets ahead in the count 2-0 but then pops it up to 1st…UGH!!! And now you just know there’s not a chance in hell that Lugo’s getting it done…did take him 5 pitches this time, but Mo got him swinging…Yanks win…do you get the idea that sometimes Mo just loads ‘em up with 0 outs to see if he can still get out of it? Anyway…another chance to hurt the Yanks, wasted…but, there is game 4 of the set, right? And for fear of actually seeing my own head explode I’m not going into all of the details for this one…let’s just say we had a lead, the pen blew it and Brett Gardner (yes, THE Brett Gardner to borrow my line from earlier) got Papelbon (our Mo, you know that, right?) for a walk-off single in the 10th inning…so, just to paint a pretty picture for you, we have a comeback in line, their HOF closer comes in and puts out the ultimate fire…we have a chance to take 3 of 4 and the pen, anchored by our hopefully HOF closer gives it back to Brett Gardner…I think I’d rather Brett Favre came in and got the hit…I’d feel better about it…like I said, we can never seem to put the nail into these guys, can we? Even in the blowout game 7 of the 2004 ALCS (that always makes me feel better) we just HAD to bring in Pedro to give them a little life, didn’t we? Maybe someday we’ll get the killer instinct…but maybe not…continuing with my theme from the TB series, if we’re close or hurting in September, remember this set too…we had a chance in all 7 games against the other top guys in the division, and only won 2 of them combined…needless to say we’ll need to be playing better ball in August and September…
Ok, that's enough to make you go blind, so we'll halt here...recap part 2 coming soon...before we need a recap part 3, I promise...
And there you have it, my official "Sorry I've been gone so long" apology. Now, the chances that any of you (except my number #1 fan) have been around long enough to know that there's even been a hiatus are slim to laughable, but hey, that doesn't make my absence less excusable! But I'm back, and of course it would be a good, old-fashioned Sox-Yanks clash to inspire me, wouldn't it? Before we get to tonight's RIDICULOUS game I need to recap the last month...usually I go game by game, sometimes pitch-by-pitch on here, but since we're talking 28 games or so and nothing incredibly catastrophic has happened (i.e. we're still near the top of the AL East) we'll just go with the highlights...and we'll take this in chunks...Yanks and part 2 of the recap to follow...
We left off in the NL, about to clash with an NL "Power" in the D-Backs. Hard to call them a power when they can't really hit, but their pitching is formidable...so the series went about as you might think...we took 2 of 3 scoring 11 total runs but holding them to 6...Haren beat Beckett 2-1 in the first game, we got to the Zona starter Davis and then pen late in the second game scoring 4 in the 8th to win 5-4 and Wake had the knuckler dancing in game 3 as we rolled 5-0 with all of the RBIs coming from Brandon Moss and Kevin Cash...how sweet is that? Good series, strong pitching and 1 total error over the three games (and that on a pickoff attempt)...solid baseball all around, nice job taking it...
From there, off to Houston...a hitter's heaven that little teeny field...so you had to figure there'd be at least one crazy game. Sox took the first game behind the return from the DL of the Dice man...5 scoreless though he was a little off overall, but we'll take it...JD homered for all the O we'd need, 6-1 final...Game 2 was the crazy game...11-10…21 runs, 27 hits and just garbage pitching all around…each starter (Lester and Backe) gave up 6 runs and both pens were terrible…Delcarmen killed us allowing 3 in the 8th and though Lowell homered off of Valverde, Youk and Tek struck out to end it…the last game was a brutal one to watch as another Beckett gem was wasted...Aardsma and Oki couldn’t keep ‘em off the board in the 8th and we dropped it 3-2…losing 2 of 3 to anyone sucks but to an NL team that’s not even contending? So far the 2008 Sox are just too inconsistent…weak in the pen and on the offensive side just too streaky…
So, back to the AL for the AL East leading…TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS!!! Boy does that sound nuts or what? But true…I didn’t think they’d last into June, forget July, but here were are starting a 3-game set with them on top of the division on 6/30…game 1 was looking like a possible catapult game…a comeback win was looking sweet in the 9th but it wasn’t to be as Julio Lugo lined out to end it with the tying run on 3rd…game 2 was EXCRUCIATING to watch…Wake allowed 2 runs, 1 earned and both scored on wild pitches!!! Mirabelli…where are you? In fairness Cash is actually doing pretty well…Hansen allowed another but it actually didn’t matter since we mustered a whole run off of Matt Garza…yeah, THE Matt Garza…and did nothing against the pen…3-1 bad guys was the final. Game 3 – we HAVE to salvage a game right? It’s the FRIGGING RAYS??? Nope, no we don’t…not this Rays team… break them up! Another bullpen meltdown…are we sensing a theme here this season kids? Not that hard to pick up…this time it was Delcarmen and Hansen and you saw it coming…3 runs allowed EACH thank you very much, and a 4-1 lead behind Dice became a 7-4 deficit…again we fought back getting 1 in the 8th and another in the 9th but this one ended on one of the ALL TIME dumbest decisions I’ve ever seen by a manager in a regular season game. With 1 out and Lowell on first, Tek at the plate, Francona puts on the hit and run. Know what, ok…why not? Tek has been looking awful at the plate but part of that has been his decision-making up there. If he has to swing with the play on maybe he gets a good pitch and puts it in play…at least moves the slow Lowell over…sure, it’s a gamble, but it’s worth a shot from time to time. Lowell takes off, Tek swings at a decent pitch, but fouls it off…ok, nice try, shelf the play and move on, right? No, not this night…Francona decides to gamble again, and make the exact same bet no less…he puts it on AGAIN!!! Now I’m pissed…are you kidding? With a guy that strikes out as much as Tek does and knowing that he’s in one of his trademark “I’m up here but I’m not sure if I can see and swing a bat at the same time” funks, you put it on twice in a row??? No f-ing way…but he did and the obvious happened…strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out…game OVER. Inexcusable…you should think about that play when you HAVE a base-stealer out there, with Mike Lowell running, trying that twice is insane…a K is a guaranteed game-ender…so kids, if we finish less than 3 games back in this division race, remember that we got swept by the Rays in a mid-summer series where we had a chance to win all 3 games…these things get forgotten in the second half, but this series just might deserve some mention later on…
And no rest for the weary…still on the road and heading to…the Bronx! Hadn’t been in a while so it was “nice” to get back there…sorta…gotta claim a little ignorance on this series as I was off in no-man’s land celebrating birthdays and laying on the beach for the first two games…we all need a break, right? Yeah, so what if I haven’t blogged in a month…I’ve been busy…
Super quick recap, of the first two…Lester gem, Beckett strong, Sox up 2-0 in a best of 4…yay…
Now for the crappy part…game 3 was the classic “If we win this one it would really hurt the Yanks” game…so of course, we blew it…pitcher’s duel all the way to the 9th with Mussina, who just owns us when he’s on (which is far less often these days) allowing zippo and Masterson giving up 2. The brutal part came in the 9th…Mo Rivera, who’s been nigh unhittable this year, took the hill…we all know the history…Sox vs. Mo is classic…we’re just not afraid of him…he’s not of us, and he’s going to get us more than we get him, but we’re not afraid, and that makes us dangerous. Drew singled and Mo hit Manny…Lowell then singled also, driving in JD…so we have 1st and 2nd nobody out…at this point I’m still not that optimistic…it’s Brandon Moss on 2nd (pinch running) and this is still Mo…I’d feel better with him at 3rd…and cue the Youk hit-by-pitch…bases loaded, NOBODY OUT!!! Talk about a chance to put the nail in the coffin…take the first 3 of the 4 game set by coming back off of the unhittable Mo this year…things like that propel teams (hell, it propelled THIS team back in 2004)…so all Coco has to do is make some decent contact…somewhere…that’s all…1-2-3 strikes he’s out…nice work…he did foul off the first pitch so do we call that a success? If Ellsbury were playing any better I’d gripe…but I can’t…so now Tek needs to do the job, but he’s still in la-la land, looking lost up at the plate…gets ahead in the count 2-0 but then pops it up to 1st…UGH!!! And now you just know there’s not a chance in hell that Lugo’s getting it done…did take him 5 pitches this time, but Mo got him swinging…Yanks win…do you get the idea that sometimes Mo just loads ‘em up with 0 outs to see if he can still get out of it? Anyway…another chance to hurt the Yanks, wasted…but, there is game 4 of the set, right? And for fear of actually seeing my own head explode I’m not going into all of the details for this one…let’s just say we had a lead, the pen blew it and Brett Gardner (yes, THE Brett Gardner to borrow my line from earlier) got Papelbon (our Mo, you know that, right?) for a walk-off single in the 10th inning…so, just to paint a pretty picture for you, we have a comeback in line, their HOF closer comes in and puts out the ultimate fire…we have a chance to take 3 of 4 and the pen, anchored by our hopefully HOF closer gives it back to Brett Gardner…I think I’d rather Brett Favre came in and got the hit…I’d feel better about it…like I said, we can never seem to put the nail into these guys, can we? Even in the blowout game 7 of the 2004 ALCS (that always makes me feel better) we just HAD to bring in Pedro to give them a little life, didn’t we? Maybe someday we’ll get the killer instinct…but maybe not…continuing with my theme from the TB series, if we’re close or hurting in September, remember this set too…we had a chance in all 7 games against the other top guys in the division, and only won 2 of them combined…needless to say we’ll need to be playing better ball in August and September…
Ok, that's enough to make you go blind, so we'll halt here...recap part 2 coming soon...before we need a recap part 3, I promise...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
2 for 1 Part 2...
The title of the last blog said "2 for 1 specialS," plural...so here's the second installment...we come from taking 2 of 3 from Cincy thanks to some late offense...now the "mighty" Phillies would attempt to take a series from an AL team...they topped the NL East at the time of this meeting and sport some strong offense (and a hitter's park) led by Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, not to mention a resurgent Pat Burrell...Utley in particular is ON FIRE this year, with 20+ dingers already, and out of the 2B position...now that's an offense...
Game 1 was over early even if we didn't know it...Colon was clearly off and left the game with a stiff back after giving up 4 early runs over 4 innings...clearly not liking the 9.0 ERA pace and concerned for his health, we yanked him, but Mike Timlin may finally be on the down side...seems like someone said that every year but this year it really might be true...4 ER in this one over 2/3 of an inning...ouch...a lofty 7+ ERA for Mike this season...on our end we had back-to-back jacks provide ALL of the offense (Dusty and 2008 JD Drew) and other than that Cole Hamels earned his "ace" moniker...8-2 final and for the second series in a row we dropped game 1 to an NL squad...
But since the title of now 2 blogs would clearly indicate, that's all the Phils would get...
Game 2 was a flat-out dominant performance by someone we're becoming more familiar with these days, the consistently good Jon Lester. All he did was pitch 7 scoreless, striking out 5 and most importantly for him, walking 1...maybe this kid finally realized he's good enough that he should make hitters beat him and not let them beat him...6-3 on the year right now and it's not too bold to say that his performance, if it keeps up, will mean that we might not miss Schill this year (more on that later)...the offense threw up 3 tough runs, 2 from a Coco HR off of the crafty Jamie Moyer and one on the Philly pen courtesy of a Lugo 2-out RBI...Lugo's D has been awful, but we knew that all along and at least he's hitting more this year...still can't believe the Sox brass loved him THAT much, but I like having the speed in the lineup so as long as he hits .270 or so I won't cry too much about him... that was more than enough O since both Oki and Pap were on...2 IP, 1 hit allowed and 5 Ks for their 6 outs...definition of lights out...
Game 3 was basically the 2008 JD Drew show...and I've decided from now on to call him "The 2008 JD Drew" for the rest of the year, and into next year, until he puts up numbers in two consecutive seasons...as well as he's playing this year (not worth his absurd contract, but still) it's hard to imagine that he can suck as much as he did last year...but look at his numbers over his career:
Ok, you can argue that the first 4 years he was getting better, up to his 2001 season...but from there on you'd expect some consistency, right? Now we all know he's the glass man...for all of his 5-tool talent the man just can't stay on the field if things aren't feeling so good, and therefore part of the performance can be judged on time played, but how the hell do you explain 2002 and 2007? Pressure? Adjustments? I dunno...all I know is I'll take the 2004, 2006 and so far 2008 JD Drew and pray that somehow he gets a daylight savings year for 2009 and misses the changeover...or something...
Back to game 3...JD's line, 4 for 5 with 4 RBI, 2 runs scored...and we needed them since the Phils put 4 up themselves...he was a triple short of the cycle and had 8 TB on the night...nice game...Masterson was good, giving up 2 in his 5 innings, and the Phils put up 2 n our favorite whipping boy, the Craig-ster...0 IP for him, 1 BB and 2 hits...ERA north of 5.7 again...and just when we thought we might be able to adjust the formula...too bad...7-4 Sox was the final and that's about all the press the Phils deserve...they're not a bad team, but the pitching is young and shallow...not sure they have the arms to make some noise in the NL playoffs nor even to hold off the Mets/Braves in the East...plus their fans should basically all be in prison (this goes for Eagles fans too, though they're probably the same mob) so I'd rather move on to a place where there aren't thugs and felons all over the stadium...wait...what...off to St. Louis...OH CRAP...
And WELCOME to lovely St. Louis for another 3-game set...yuck...the Cards weren't expected to be all that good this year but have played well despite the pessimism...timely hitting and pitching and a 43-32 record is keeping them close to the MLB-leading Cubbies in the NL Central...and as we all know, this is a rematch of the 2004 series, with basically none of the players on either side being the same and no real drama since the Cards won a WS in 2006 and we got number 2 in 2007, and we didn't play each other in either of those...so...yay...
Game 1, Shaky Wake against Kyle Lohse...one thing about the Cards since 2004, it's unreal how many formerly good pitchers have pitched for them, and with mixed results...their rotation has just been a mind-numbing mess for yeas and I have no clue how half of these guys win games...but they do...somehow Lohse keeps us to 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings while Wake gave up his obligatory longballs...with a little help from a Lugo error it was 4-2 Cards going into the bottom of the 7th, and this is where this game turned into the "almost" game. You know, the game we "almost" won but didn't thanks to unlikely scenario A or crazy play X...in this case it was just a little untimely hitting...Jacoby led off with a single and Dusty and JD both walked on 4 pitches each...so you've got a wild pitcher with the bases loaded and no outs and Manny coming up...career 2nd in Grand Slams Manny...but Larussa goes and gets Russ Springer from the pen, who gets Manny to hit into the DP...1 run in, but danger basically over...he got Lowell via the K and probably did a little mental dance as he walked off the mound...only 1 run in and one golden opportunity wasted (Flashback alert: for those old enough to remember, this was classic, pre-2004 Sox...somehow we LIVED like this ALLLLL the time in the 80s and 90s...seems like a distant memory but we used to lead the league in LOB every year and watch things like this happen to us constantly...it wasn't just the 86 year WS drought, it was crap like this that made us hate the baseball gods...anyway...)...the even more painfully, Oki gave up the insurance run with a Yadier Molina HR...if you give up a HR to a Molina it's just not your day...and of course to complete the "almost" game we get a run in the 9th off of Franklin (their post-Isringhausen implosion closer) and leave the tying run on 3rd...like I said...AL-MOST...
Game 2 was over before the Sox got up...a SUPER rusty Dice gave up 7 runs in his 1st inning back from the DL...6 hits, 3 walks...ouch...we'll summarize the good (bullpen gave up 2 over 8 and JD hit a bomb, number 14) and then let's just not talk any more about this game, agreed? Welcome back Dice, glad that's out of your system, straighten it out...agreed?
So, could it be, the reverse meaningless sweep in 2008 after we swept the 2004 WS? Cards take the first 2 and send a surprisingly effective Joel Pinero to the hill...I had the good fortune of listening to this one on the radio for a ride up to VT, and let's just say that based on the timing, the game shouldn't have lasted the full ride, but if they played 13 just for me, I appreciate it...this game had a bunch of twists and turns...too many to highlight for a June game (we'll save the super over analysis for September and hopefully the playoffs)...so we'll hit the biggies...Lester was strong again, pitched brilliantly and had one rough inning, giving up 2 in the 6th...Pinero was just as good, gave up 2 over his 7...Youk touched him with a solo HR and then the Sox put together a rally in the 8th that gave them a 3-2 lead...started with a Crisp triple that Ankiel misplayed and Lugo sac flyed him in...then the Sox patience paid off...not having drawn a walk all game the Sox drew three in a row (Manny, JD, Lowell) after a Dusty single to steal the lead...Pap was warming and you had to like our shot to snag this one late...BUT, Pap was a little sloppy this time...sounded like he had life on his pitches and he struck out the first two he faced...sounds like a typical Pap save so far, right? But like blown saves before, the walk hurh him again...he walked Chris Duncan and then gave up a long double over Coco's head (returning the misplay in center favor) from the always pesky Adam Kennedy...I swear if Kennedy would only get to hit under pressure he'd be a .400 hitter...3-3 ballgame...the next 3 innings were nuts...relievers all over the place, the Sox leading off every bottom of each inning with a double but unable to score and most insanely Craig Hansen coming in to pitch in a bases loaded 2-out situation...he promptly threw 3 straight (no pun intended) pitches by the .300 hitting Ryan Ludwick for the clutch K...finally in the 13th, Lowell led off with our 4th straight leadoff hit in extras (is that a record) and Youk sent us home happy with a large walkoff dinger to left center...the first Sox walkoff homer of the year believe it or not! And so, we salvaged a game and avoided the mini-revenge sweep...whew...sad that we dropped 2 of 3 to any NL team but given the way this one played out I'll take it, all the way to...Arizona...
Where I'll see you next blog...great pitching coming up (supposedly) which usually means letdowns and balls flying all over the place, but we shall see...
GO SAWX!!!
Game 1 was over early even if we didn't know it...Colon was clearly off and left the game with a stiff back after giving up 4 early runs over 4 innings...clearly not liking the 9.0 ERA pace and concerned for his health, we yanked him, but Mike Timlin may finally be on the down side...seems like someone said that every year but this year it really might be true...4 ER in this one over 2/3 of an inning...ouch...a lofty 7+ ERA for Mike this season...on our end we had back-to-back jacks provide ALL of the offense (Dusty and 2008 JD Drew) and other than that Cole Hamels earned his "ace" moniker...8-2 final and for the second series in a row we dropped game 1 to an NL squad...
But since the title of now 2 blogs would clearly indicate, that's all the Phils would get...
Game 2 was a flat-out dominant performance by someone we're becoming more familiar with these days, the consistently good Jon Lester. All he did was pitch 7 scoreless, striking out 5 and most importantly for him, walking 1...maybe this kid finally realized he's good enough that he should make hitters beat him and not let them beat him...6-3 on the year right now and it's not too bold to say that his performance, if it keeps up, will mean that we might not miss Schill this year (more on that later)...the offense threw up 3 tough runs, 2 from a Coco HR off of the crafty Jamie Moyer and one on the Philly pen courtesy of a Lugo 2-out RBI...Lugo's D has been awful, but we knew that all along and at least he's hitting more this year...still can't believe the Sox brass loved him THAT much, but I like having the speed in the lineup so as long as he hits .270 or so I won't cry too much about him... that was more than enough O since both Oki and Pap were on...2 IP, 1 hit allowed and 5 Ks for their 6 outs...definition of lights out...
Game 3 was basically the 2008 JD Drew show...and I've decided from now on to call him "The 2008 JD Drew" for the rest of the year, and into next year, until he puts up numbers in two consecutive seasons...as well as he's playing this year (not worth his absurd contract, but still) it's hard to imagine that he can suck as much as he did last year...but look at his numbers over his career:
Ok, you can argue that the first 4 years he was getting better, up to his 2001 season...but from there on you'd expect some consistency, right? Now we all know he's the glass man...for all of his 5-tool talent the man just can't stay on the field if things aren't feeling so good, and therefore part of the performance can be judged on time played, but how the hell do you explain 2002 and 2007? Pressure? Adjustments? I dunno...all I know is I'll take the 2004, 2006 and so far 2008 JD Drew and pray that somehow he gets a daylight savings year for 2009 and misses the changeover...or something...
Back to game 3...JD's line, 4 for 5 with 4 RBI, 2 runs scored...and we needed them since the Phils put 4 up themselves...he was a triple short of the cycle and had 8 TB on the night...nice game...Masterson was good, giving up 2 in his 5 innings, and the Phils put up 2 n our favorite whipping boy, the Craig-ster...0 IP for him, 1 BB and 2 hits...ERA north of 5.7 again...and just when we thought we might be able to adjust the formula...too bad...7-4 Sox was the final and that's about all the press the Phils deserve...they're not a bad team, but the pitching is young and shallow...not sure they have the arms to make some noise in the NL playoffs nor even to hold off the Mets/Braves in the East...plus their fans should basically all be in prison (this goes for Eagles fans too, though they're probably the same mob) so I'd rather move on to a place where there aren't thugs and felons all over the stadium...wait...what...off to St. Louis...OH CRAP...
And WELCOME to lovely St. Louis for another 3-game set...yuck...the Cards weren't expected to be all that good this year but have played well despite the pessimism...timely hitting and pitching and a 43-32 record is keeping them close to the MLB-leading Cubbies in the NL Central...and as we all know, this is a rematch of the 2004 series, with basically none of the players on either side being the same and no real drama since the Cards won a WS in 2006 and we got number 2 in 2007, and we didn't play each other in either of those...so...yay...
Game 1, Shaky Wake against Kyle Lohse...one thing about the Cards since 2004, it's unreal how many formerly good pitchers have pitched for them, and with mixed results...their rotation has just been a mind-numbing mess for yeas and I have no clue how half of these guys win games...but they do...somehow Lohse keeps us to 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings while Wake gave up his obligatory longballs...with a little help from a Lugo error it was 4-2 Cards going into the bottom of the 7th, and this is where this game turned into the "almost" game. You know, the game we "almost" won but didn't thanks to unlikely scenario A or crazy play X...in this case it was just a little untimely hitting...Jacoby led off with a single and Dusty and JD both walked on 4 pitches each...so you've got a wild pitcher with the bases loaded and no outs and Manny coming up...career 2nd in Grand Slams Manny...but Larussa goes and gets Russ Springer from the pen, who gets Manny to hit into the DP...1 run in, but danger basically over...he got Lowell via the K and probably did a little mental dance as he walked off the mound...only 1 run in and one golden opportunity wasted (Flashback alert: for those old enough to remember, this was classic, pre-2004 Sox...somehow we LIVED like this ALLLLL the time in the 80s and 90s...seems like a distant memory but we used to lead the league in LOB every year and watch things like this happen to us constantly...it wasn't just the 86 year WS drought, it was crap like this that made us hate the baseball gods...anyway...)...the even more painfully, Oki gave up the insurance run with a Yadier Molina HR...if you give up a HR to a Molina it's just not your day...and of course to complete the "almost" game we get a run in the 9th off of Franklin (their post-Isringhausen implosion closer) and leave the tying run on 3rd...like I said...AL-MOST...
Game 2 was over before the Sox got up...a SUPER rusty Dice gave up 7 runs in his 1st inning back from the DL...6 hits, 3 walks...ouch...we'll summarize the good (bullpen gave up 2 over 8 and JD hit a bomb, number 14) and then let's just not talk any more about this game, agreed? Welcome back Dice, glad that's out of your system, straighten it out...agreed?
So, could it be, the reverse meaningless sweep in 2008 after we swept the 2004 WS? Cards take the first 2 and send a surprisingly effective Joel Pinero to the hill...I had the good fortune of listening to this one on the radio for a ride up to VT, and let's just say that based on the timing, the game shouldn't have lasted the full ride, but if they played 13 just for me, I appreciate it...this game had a bunch of twists and turns...too many to highlight for a June game (we'll save the super over analysis for September and hopefully the playoffs)...so we'll hit the biggies...Lester was strong again, pitched brilliantly and had one rough inning, giving up 2 in the 6th...Pinero was just as good, gave up 2 over his 7...Youk touched him with a solo HR and then the Sox put together a rally in the 8th that gave them a 3-2 lead...started with a Crisp triple that Ankiel misplayed and Lugo sac flyed him in...then the Sox patience paid off...not having drawn a walk all game the Sox drew three in a row (Manny, JD, Lowell) after a Dusty single to steal the lead...Pap was warming and you had to like our shot to snag this one late...BUT, Pap was a little sloppy this time...sounded like he had life on his pitches and he struck out the first two he faced...sounds like a typical Pap save so far, right? But like blown saves before, the walk hurh him again...he walked Chris Duncan and then gave up a long double over Coco's head (returning the misplay in center favor) from the always pesky Adam Kennedy...I swear if Kennedy would only get to hit under pressure he'd be a .400 hitter...3-3 ballgame...the next 3 innings were nuts...relievers all over the place, the Sox leading off every bottom of each inning with a double but unable to score and most insanely Craig Hansen coming in to pitch in a bases loaded 2-out situation...he promptly threw 3 straight (no pun intended) pitches by the .300 hitting Ryan Ludwick for the clutch K...finally in the 13th, Lowell led off with our 4th straight leadoff hit in extras (is that a record) and Youk sent us home happy with a large walkoff dinger to left center...the first Sox walkoff homer of the year believe it or not! And so, we salvaged a game and avoided the mini-revenge sweep...whew...sad that we dropped 2 of 3 to any NL team but given the way this one played out I'll take it, all the way to...Arizona...
Where I'll see you next blog...great pitching coming up (supposedly) which usually means letdowns and balls flying all over the place, but we shall see...
GO SAWX!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
2 for 1 Specials, Sox vs. the NL, get your 2 for 1, right here...
Round two of Interleauge play was here, let the AL rejoice! The last several years, this happy experiment, created by Bud and the gang to spice up baseball and bring in some extra cash, has meant one thing...the AL teams all get hot at the same time...the Sox especially as they've POUNDED the Senior Circuit since this whole mess started...they're something like 3242-22 against them...ok, that's a bit high on the win side, but it's not as nuts as you might think!
First up this time around, Cincy...the formerly proud Reds (remember 1976) are stumbling to rebuild their franchise and losing a lot of games in the process...why not give them the World Champs for AL opponents this year?
Game 1 featured the Reds' ace Aaron Harang against the surprising rookie, Justin Masterson (an Ohio native like Youk and Sean Casey). Harang has had a pretty rough year so far, and sported a 2-9 record before this one got started, but the Sox found out what this guy can do when he's right...Manny drove in the lone Sox run and they could manage only 4 hits over Harang's 7 innings, versus 7 Ks and 0 BBs...Masterson pitched ok, giving up 3 ER over his 6.2 and showing us his K potential, ringing up 9 Reds...Rookie phenom Jay Bruce and homer fiend Adam Dunn each went deep and that was enough for Harang to get his 3rd win of the season...so the Reds took game 1 in a pitchers' duel and you basically had the feeling that the Sox O wasn't going to put up with that any more...
And they didn't...game 2's Cincy starter was Edison Volquez and we threw the Wake out there...remember how I mentioned the Reds rebuilding? Well aside from Bruce, Johnny Cueto and this kid Volquez are the keys...filthy stuff...we only managed 3 runs (2 earned) off of him and he was dominant in general...1 BB, 9 Ks against a Manny and Papi-less offense (but still)... nasty...this youngster has gas and a couple of out pitches, and he should be a star in the NL for a while...we held a normally roomy 4-2 lead (thanks to an 8th inning double and single from Drew and Lowell) going into the bottom of the 8th and then this turned into bizarro game...Oki and Delcarmen gave up the extra cushion on the dreaded single-walk-single combo, making it 4-3 after 8...then Pap came in to lock it down, but didn't...another iffy Pap outing...he got Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn on two groundouts but unlike the last couple of years he's just not always finishing games and pitches this year...the 3rd batter of the inning was Edwin Encarnacion, not a bad little player for sure, but not the caliber hitter that should be beating Pap...but Pap hung a splitter (first pitch called by Moss, not Tek...wonder if that has anything to do with this...going to have to watch more closely) and Encarnacion lined it out of that hitter-heaven...tie game...Pap just doesn't seem invincible this year...his 3rd blown save before the break...not catastrophic, but bothersome...luckily for him he was able to pick up the sneaky W as Youk and Coco decided we weren't losing this one...they teed off on Mike Lincoln for back to back jacks, giving the Sox a 6-4 lead, and Craig Hansen, yes THE Craig Hansen got the save...and before you ask, yes I was nervous and no it wasn't easy...got the first two outs quickly (grounder, K) and then gave up a single and a walk, but got a weak fly to end it...EXHALE...gotta say, and this is by no means an endorsement that he should EVER be in a close game, but he looks better...he seems to be learning to mix pitches and hit spots better, and that 96 with movement is better than 98 without any...let's hope...and pray...hard...
Rubber match! Josh Beckett on the hill versus Homer Bailey, and that's all you need to know about that game...Beckett is starting to settle in a little while Homer is having a disastrous year...I mean awful...and it continued this night with Coco, Jacoby and JD going deep (again it's a TINY ballpark) before Bailey's 2.1 innings were up...5 ER...ouch...and their pen wasn't much better, giving up 4 ER themselves including Dusty's 5th of the year...if Coco, Jacoby and Dusty are hitting bombs, you know you're in a hitter's park...Beckett threw 7 shutout innings for the laugher W...and just like that, a 2 for 1 special in Cincy...off to Philly for 3 against our NL counterparts, the NL East leading Phillies...
Stay tuned for that blog as it's getting late and I'm tired...2 for 1 part 2 coming soon and GO SAWX!!!
First up this time around, Cincy...the formerly proud Reds (remember 1976) are stumbling to rebuild their franchise and losing a lot of games in the process...why not give them the World Champs for AL opponents this year?
Game 1 featured the Reds' ace Aaron Harang against the surprising rookie, Justin Masterson (an Ohio native like Youk and Sean Casey). Harang has had a pretty rough year so far, and sported a 2-9 record before this one got started, but the Sox found out what this guy can do when he's right...Manny drove in the lone Sox run and they could manage only 4 hits over Harang's 7 innings, versus 7 Ks and 0 BBs...Masterson pitched ok, giving up 3 ER over his 6.2 and showing us his K potential, ringing up 9 Reds...Rookie phenom Jay Bruce and homer fiend Adam Dunn each went deep and that was enough for Harang to get his 3rd win of the season...so the Reds took game 1 in a pitchers' duel and you basically had the feeling that the Sox O wasn't going to put up with that any more...
And they didn't...game 2's Cincy starter was Edison Volquez and we threw the Wake out there...remember how I mentioned the Reds rebuilding? Well aside from Bruce, Johnny Cueto and this kid Volquez are the keys...filthy stuff...we only managed 3 runs (2 earned) off of him and he was dominant in general...1 BB, 9 Ks against a Manny and Papi-less offense (but still)... nasty...this youngster has gas and a couple of out pitches, and he should be a star in the NL for a while...we held a normally roomy 4-2 lead (thanks to an 8th inning double and single from Drew and Lowell) going into the bottom of the 8th and then this turned into bizarro game...Oki and Delcarmen gave up the extra cushion on the dreaded single-walk-single combo, making it 4-3 after 8...then Pap came in to lock it down, but didn't...another iffy Pap outing...he got Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn on two groundouts but unlike the last couple of years he's just not always finishing games and pitches this year...the 3rd batter of the inning was Edwin Encarnacion, not a bad little player for sure, but not the caliber hitter that should be beating Pap...but Pap hung a splitter (first pitch called by Moss, not Tek...wonder if that has anything to do with this...going to have to watch more closely) and Encarnacion lined it out of that hitter-heaven...tie game...Pap just doesn't seem invincible this year...his 3rd blown save before the break...not catastrophic, but bothersome...luckily for him he was able to pick up the sneaky W as Youk and Coco decided we weren't losing this one...they teed off on Mike Lincoln for back to back jacks, giving the Sox a 6-4 lead, and Craig Hansen, yes THE Craig Hansen got the save...and before you ask, yes I was nervous and no it wasn't easy...got the first two outs quickly (grounder, K) and then gave up a single and a walk, but got a weak fly to end it...EXHALE...gotta say, and this is by no means an endorsement that he should EVER be in a close game, but he looks better...he seems to be learning to mix pitches and hit spots better, and that 96 with movement is better than 98 without any...let's hope...and pray...hard...
Rubber match! Josh Beckett on the hill versus Homer Bailey, and that's all you need to know about that game...Beckett is starting to settle in a little while Homer is having a disastrous year...I mean awful...and it continued this night with Coco, Jacoby and JD going deep (again it's a TINY ballpark) before Bailey's 2.1 innings were up...5 ER...ouch...and their pen wasn't much better, giving up 4 ER themselves including Dusty's 5th of the year...if Coco, Jacoby and Dusty are hitting bombs, you know you're in a hitter's park...Beckett threw 7 shutout innings for the laugher W...and just like that, a 2 for 1 special in Cincy...off to Philly for 3 against our NL counterparts, the NL East leading Phillies...
Stay tuned for that blog as it's getting late and I'm tired...2 for 1 part 2 coming soon and GO SAWX!!!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sleep, the Celtics and a whole lot of missed blogging...
No, I didn't die...not yet anyway. I wasn't in another country (though it did feel like that a few times) and I didn't suddenly think it was 1987, a pre-blog year, just because the NBA seems to think it is...there is a pretty rational reason for this prolonged absence...well, several of them actually, but in the interest of now boring you to death I'll be concise. Last I blogged was 5/28...the Sox were up and down but more personally relevant at the time was that my daughter was up...as in awake...and ALLLLLLL the time...so excuse number 1 is that I started to sleep a lot, at home and on the road, and blogging paid the price. So, what were you doing while not sleeping, you might ask? Working and watching the Boston Celtics...I'm not going to talk about them any more now since I may end up with a full blog about it, but I will briefly mention the idiotic, revenue-driven decision to start all of these games sometime between Leno and dawn every night...are you kidding me David Stern??? Anyway, bottom line is I'm back, and we have a lot of catching up to do...in the interest of doing just that and not killing your eyes with 15000 words we'll summarize the missed time with a hybrid game-by-game, series-summary method...
We pick up with the rubber match of the May 26th - 28th Seattle series...Sox took game 1 behind Bartolo and the Mariners took game 2 after Dice got hurt, Manny hit number 499 and Timlin blew it (yes, I realize Manny has like 8 HRs since then, IT'S BEEN A WHILE)...
Game 3 was a tough loss...Wake pitched one of his rare gems, a complete game allowing 1 ER on a Betancourt HR...Bedard was strong over 7 full and we never really threatened the pen...nobody hit all night, it was gross...we dropped 2 of 3 to the lousy Mariners and that dropped us to 1-5 on the road trip (swept by Oakland the series before)...I know it's early but we can't lose series to bad teams, we just can't...it'll hurt us later if the Yanks and Rays are for real...now off to Baltimore, who is playing surprisingly well for the team they have...and for some reason these guys give us trouble even when they stink, so I was feeling awful about heading there to end the trip...
Which shows how much I know about anything as we stormed in there and took the first 3 games of the series, and pretty easily too...
Game 1 was the toughest of them, as it took 13 innings to get...Beckett pitched well but the bats couldn't put up more than 2...luckily the boys sent us home happy, putting up 3 in the top of the 13th followed by Pap nailing it shut (our 7th pitcher of the night)...gotta hope a win like that carries over (nice "foreshadowing" eh?)...
Game 2 was tied in the 7th when up stepped Manny Ramirez with a man on...Manny took a first pitch fastball from Chad Bradford and crushed it to the opposite field...the perfect Manny HR for number 500...the game was effectively over and this one will get it's own blog shortly, so just enjoy the official site video for now:
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Game 3 was in June, so, hey, we're getting current! This one was a joke all the way as Colon pitched a solid if not spectacular game but taking Manny's momentum from 500 the bats took this one away from Baltimore early...7 runs on the board through the 4th and the most relevant of those were the 2 that came from number 501...you kind of thought it might not be long before number 501 after 500 took a while, and he wasted no time...this had the feel of a patented Manny streak a soon as he hit number 500...guess we'll see if it continues...9-4 Sox was the final...
Looked like we had the sweep this time in Camden Yards, leading 3-2 and handing the ball off to Oki...but the O's had a rally in them I guess, knocking a clearly rusty Oki all over the place and putting up 4 runs on 4 hits...as long as that's not a trend it doesn't really bother me at all...off to a 1-5 start on the trip the Sox salvaged it taking 3-4 in Baltimore and finishing it 4-6...not great, but this isn't August yet, so we'll build on it...time to go back to the Friendly Confines to greet our sudden rivals in the standings, the Tampa Bay Formerly Devil Rays...
As it turned out the results were friendly, but the Rays were anything but...this one was a Sox 3-game sweep, and none of the games were close...as we all know the big story in this one was Coco vs. The Rays...I know I'm a little biased on this one, but here's how I see it...the Rays are a bunch of upstart Punks, and while you have to somewhat respect their willingness to defend their own, you can't respect their opinions on how this all started and when it should end. The whole thing ACTUALLY started when the Rays SS used a bush league knee drop to block 2nd on a Coco slide...now, is this the most bush league play in the majors, no...but it is bush league, and the Rays own manager admitted that Bartlett used to do that when he played against them, and that the way to handle it is to slide spikes first into second...that's cure it...ok, fair enough...so the next time Coco got to head towards 2nd base he slid hard, spikes first and made some contact with the Rays 2nd baseman, Aki Iwamura...was it a little excessive, maybe...but if your manager admits that there may have been a dirty play out there and then there's some retaliation, doesn't that end it right there? Iwamura didn't get hurt, there was no extra kick or punch in the hard slide...some leg contact and that was all...should have been the end of it...but I guess the upstart Rays are trying to prove that they belong in the AL East instead of AAA but going about it the wrong way, because instead of letting it go there, the Rays started jawing at Coco and making threats...apparently they didn't like how Coco retaliated...oh, I get it now, you get to employ the first dirty play AND pick the retribution...my bad, missed that one in the honor code...sorry gents, that ain't how it works...so you had the sense as this one ended that Coco might be in for it in the finale...his first at bat in that one, to no one's surprise, Coco got hit by James Shields...in the thigh, to their credit, but still, that's a bunch of garbage...they obviously felt that Coco had started something with his slide, basically not admitting that they started the whole thing even though their manager SAID IT WAS A DIRTY PLAY...f-ing Rays, stop trying to make it, you suck! Have you ever had winning season? Please, we know you're trying to get legit but trying to win arguments you've already lost is IDIOTIC...do it by winning games and championships...the Marlins have 2 WS already...it's possible...rightly feeling wronged, Coco charged the mound and dodged an ABSOLUTE HAY MAKER from Shields...he's be in a coma if that had landed, but hey, he's speedy, right? Coco got in a light right before the Rays gang-tackled him and showed just what kind of punks they are...from the dugout, Johnny Gomes, who outweighs Coco by 60 pounds, got there after Coco was being held down and tried to unload on him...Carl Crawford tried to throw some sneaky blows, and even Iwamura looked like he was pulling hair or something (aren't the Japanese supposed to be polite?)...the Sox looked mostly like peacemakers, pulling people off of the pile, and while Casey and Lester were suspended I still don't know what they did...anyway, the Sox got the best revenge, winning this one easily with Manny hitting another bomb, 502 and number 13 on the season...drove in 5 and basically told the Rays to shove it...he also was apparently jacked up from the fight because he and Youk got into it in the dugout...I was ok with this since you know it's probably no big deal and it proves that Manny cares...about anything...or something...see, I told you...and to finish this series off with a quick flash forward, today (actual today, 6/13) Pap said this is to be continued with the Rays...so...stay tuned!
Most importantly the Sox were building some mo and sitting in 1st place...love it...just in time to welcome back the Mariners and Os for 6 games on a 7-day homestand...
Since you're getting tired now, we'll summarize the two series quickly in random semi-haiku format:
Seattle:
Game 1 bad. Colon rocked, Sox can't hit King Felix...8-0 final
Game 2 good. Wake shuts them down, Manny and JD dingers...11-3 W
Game 3 awesome. Masterson masters Ms in Fenway, JD both RBIs (1 HR)...2-1 final
Love to see Manny staying hot and JD continuing his 2008 even-year play...why the hell can't he do this in odd years? What's the phobia name for odd-year phobia? He has it...whatever it is...
Baltimore:
Game 1 YUCK! Manny and JD en fuego...Oki rocked and Hansen pitched...Sox fall 10-6
Game 2 Sweet. Bartolo strong again. Tek and Lowell clutch! Sox win 6-3
Game 3 BAM! Lowell GS aftr Manny IBB. Lester looks awesome! 9-2 final...
Manny and Youk seem to be ok too, as Manny was waiting for Youk after his HR in game 3 with a playful welcome...Drew hit another too...those two guys each have 10 on the season already...they keep this up and we'll get through this stretch without Papi...how did I forget to mention that!!! Papi went down and landed on the DL...shouldn't be out too long and we've played well enough in the meantime, so I forgot to include it in one of the super mini recaps...ugh...we get Dice back soon and this team is starting to play more consistent ball...looks like we have something in Colon and Masterson and you know what they say, you can't have too much starting pitching!
Time for more interleague play and hopefully the Sox continue their NL dominance while Tamps and NY struggle...hahahahaha...ok, the AL should romp again, which is great for the league comparisons but doesn't do too much for us in the standings...first up a homecoming for Youk and Casey in Cincy...a bad team overall and let's hope they play like it...
Sorry to play crazy catch up...should be back in the swing for a while...more specialized blogs and better game watching/recaps in the near future...
GO SAWX!!! And a special...GO CELTS!!!
We pick up with the rubber match of the May 26th - 28th Seattle series...Sox took game 1 behind Bartolo and the Mariners took game 2 after Dice got hurt, Manny hit number 499 and Timlin blew it (yes, I realize Manny has like 8 HRs since then, IT'S BEEN A WHILE)...
Game 3 was a tough loss...Wake pitched one of his rare gems, a complete game allowing 1 ER on a Betancourt HR...Bedard was strong over 7 full and we never really threatened the pen...nobody hit all night, it was gross...we dropped 2 of 3 to the lousy Mariners and that dropped us to 1-5 on the road trip (swept by Oakland the series before)...I know it's early but we can't lose series to bad teams, we just can't...it'll hurt us later if the Yanks and Rays are for real...now off to Baltimore, who is playing surprisingly well for the team they have...and for some reason these guys give us trouble even when they stink, so I was feeling awful about heading there to end the trip...
Which shows how much I know about anything as we stormed in there and took the first 3 games of the series, and pretty easily too...
Game 1 was the toughest of them, as it took 13 innings to get...Beckett pitched well but the bats couldn't put up more than 2...luckily the boys sent us home happy, putting up 3 in the top of the 13th followed by Pap nailing it shut (our 7th pitcher of the night)...gotta hope a win like that carries over (nice "foreshadowing" eh?)...
Game 2 was tied in the 7th when up stepped Manny Ramirez with a man on...Manny took a first pitch fastball from Chad Bradford and crushed it to the opposite field...the perfect Manny HR for number 500...the game was effectively over and this one will get it's own blog shortly, so just enjoy the official site video for now:
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Game 3 was in June, so, hey, we're getting current! This one was a joke all the way as Colon pitched a solid if not spectacular game but taking Manny's momentum from 500 the bats took this one away from Baltimore early...7 runs on the board through the 4th and the most relevant of those were the 2 that came from number 501...you kind of thought it might not be long before number 501 after 500 took a while, and he wasted no time...this had the feel of a patented Manny streak a soon as he hit number 500...guess we'll see if it continues...9-4 Sox was the final...
Looked like we had the sweep this time in Camden Yards, leading 3-2 and handing the ball off to Oki...but the O's had a rally in them I guess, knocking a clearly rusty Oki all over the place and putting up 4 runs on 4 hits...as long as that's not a trend it doesn't really bother me at all...off to a 1-5 start on the trip the Sox salvaged it taking 3-4 in Baltimore and finishing it 4-6...not great, but this isn't August yet, so we'll build on it...time to go back to the Friendly Confines to greet our sudden rivals in the standings, the Tampa Bay Formerly Devil Rays...
As it turned out the results were friendly, but the Rays were anything but...this one was a Sox 3-game sweep, and none of the games were close...as we all know the big story in this one was Coco vs. The Rays...I know I'm a little biased on this one, but here's how I see it...the Rays are a bunch of upstart Punks, and while you have to somewhat respect their willingness to defend their own, you can't respect their opinions on how this all started and when it should end. The whole thing ACTUALLY started when the Rays SS used a bush league knee drop to block 2nd on a Coco slide...now, is this the most bush league play in the majors, no...but it is bush league, and the Rays own manager admitted that Bartlett used to do that when he played against them, and that the way to handle it is to slide spikes first into second...that's cure it...ok, fair enough...so the next time Coco got to head towards 2nd base he slid hard, spikes first and made some contact with the Rays 2nd baseman, Aki Iwamura...was it a little excessive, maybe...but if your manager admits that there may have been a dirty play out there and then there's some retaliation, doesn't that end it right there? Iwamura didn't get hurt, there was no extra kick or punch in the hard slide...some leg contact and that was all...should have been the end of it...but I guess the upstart Rays are trying to prove that they belong in the AL East instead of AAA but going about it the wrong way, because instead of letting it go there, the Rays started jawing at Coco and making threats...apparently they didn't like how Coco retaliated...oh, I get it now, you get to employ the first dirty play AND pick the retribution...my bad, missed that one in the honor code...sorry gents, that ain't how it works...so you had the sense as this one ended that Coco might be in for it in the finale...his first at bat in that one, to no one's surprise, Coco got hit by James Shields...in the thigh, to their credit, but still, that's a bunch of garbage...they obviously felt that Coco had started something with his slide, basically not admitting that they started the whole thing even though their manager SAID IT WAS A DIRTY PLAY...f-ing Rays, stop trying to make it, you suck! Have you ever had winning season? Please, we know you're trying to get legit but trying to win arguments you've already lost is IDIOTIC...do it by winning games and championships...the Marlins have 2 WS already...it's possible...rightly feeling wronged, Coco charged the mound and dodged an ABSOLUTE HAY MAKER from Shields...he's be in a coma if that had landed, but hey, he's speedy, right? Coco got in a light right before the Rays gang-tackled him and showed just what kind of punks they are...from the dugout, Johnny Gomes, who outweighs Coco by 60 pounds, got there after Coco was being held down and tried to unload on him...Carl Crawford tried to throw some sneaky blows, and even Iwamura looked like he was pulling hair or something (aren't the Japanese supposed to be polite?)...the Sox looked mostly like peacemakers, pulling people off of the pile, and while Casey and Lester were suspended I still don't know what they did...anyway, the Sox got the best revenge, winning this one easily with Manny hitting another bomb, 502 and number 13 on the season...drove in 5 and basically told the Rays to shove it...he also was apparently jacked up from the fight because he and Youk got into it in the dugout...I was ok with this since you know it's probably no big deal and it proves that Manny cares...about anything...or something...see, I told you...and to finish this series off with a quick flash forward, today (actual today, 6/13) Pap said this is to be continued with the Rays...so...stay tuned!
Most importantly the Sox were building some mo and sitting in 1st place...love it...just in time to welcome back the Mariners and Os for 6 games on a 7-day homestand...
Since you're getting tired now, we'll summarize the two series quickly in random semi-haiku format:
Seattle:
Game 1 bad. Colon rocked, Sox can't hit King Felix...8-0 final
Game 2 good. Wake shuts them down, Manny and JD dingers...11-3 W
Game 3 awesome. Masterson masters Ms in Fenway, JD both RBIs (1 HR)...2-1 final
Love to see Manny staying hot and JD continuing his 2008 even-year play...why the hell can't he do this in odd years? What's the phobia name for odd-year phobia? He has it...whatever it is...
Baltimore:
Game 1 YUCK! Manny and JD en fuego...Oki rocked and Hansen pitched...Sox fall 10-6
Game 2 Sweet. Bartolo strong again. Tek and Lowell clutch! Sox win 6-3
Game 3 BAM! Lowell GS aftr Manny IBB. Lester looks awesome! 9-2 final...
Manny and Youk seem to be ok too, as Manny was waiting for Youk after his HR in game 3 with a playful welcome...Drew hit another too...those two guys each have 10 on the season already...they keep this up and we'll get through this stretch without Papi...how did I forget to mention that!!! Papi went down and landed on the DL...shouldn't be out too long and we've played well enough in the meantime, so I forgot to include it in one of the super mini recaps...ugh...we get Dice back soon and this team is starting to play more consistent ball...looks like we have something in Colon and Masterson and you know what they say, you can't have too much starting pitching!
Time for more interleague play and hopefully the Sox continue their NL dominance while Tamps and NY struggle...hahahahaha...ok, the AL should romp again, which is great for the league comparisons but doesn't do too much for us in the standings...first up a homecoming for Youk and Casey in Cincy...a bad team overall and let's hope they play like it...
Sorry to play crazy catch up...should be back in the swing for a while...more specialized blogs and better game watching/recaps in the near future...
GO SAWX!!! And a special...GO CELTS!!!
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