Game 146: Bedraggled And Exhausted

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 2, Oakland Athletics 6

Me Too, Buddy

One gets the feeling, that Boston, despite having a red hot Yankees team breathing down its neck, pulling within 1.5 games of taking first place (damn you, Tampa Bay, not coming through when you were supposed to), doesn’t really care enough to get the win. Or maybe they’re just too beat up and tired to play hard and get these tough teams. The forecast for tomorrow night is torrential, game-postponing rain and by God, the Sox need it. They need a day off like New Orleans needs a good set of levies and like the Big Easy, bad things will happen if relief doesn’t come soon.

Beyond that little bit of joy, not much to say. Robin is “as angry as I’ve ever been” which has become his catchphrase of late, over Schilling’s lackluster effort (6.2 IP, 11 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 3 strike outs), the Sox hitting once again pretty much failed to crack a pitcher they’ve never seen before, Varitek and Manny look absolutely exhausted and Mike Myers/Chad Bradford did their best impressions of a useless pitcher, killing any offensive momentum by giving Oakland two runs in the eighth. Tomorrow’s scheduled start is The Stopper versus Joe Kennedy, who fortunately has had craptacular season and a terrible September, but, enormous baseball fan though I am, I’m really hoping that there’s a rainout instead and a doubleheader on Saturday or Sunday. Go rain, GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | curt schilling

Game 145: Today's Tom Sawyer

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3

Big Papi, Rush...We're Not Worthy

In tribute to Rush, present at tonight’s festivities, we present another edition of Ego & Superego. For Alan’s benefit: Robin’s comments are in italics.

Spent the evening at casa-de-la Eric. Sox were hot, beer was cold and the women were not surprisingly absent. Also, I think Geddy Lee is 100,000 years old. He looks like the love child of Kate Moss and Skeletor.

If the Sox lost tonight, especially if they lost by a run, I was going to talk about the bad call in the second when Graffanino tagged out Hillenbrand, only to see him called safe at second because the umpire somehow missed the tag. It would have been a discussion about the problems of the game, how there should be an instant replay or at least umpire consultation on plays like this one.

I was as mad as I’ve ever been. HOW do you miss that call? The ump was RIGHT THERE and it was obvious Graff hit him flush. Although, in the long run, instant replay would be pretty annoying. Imagine waiting all day to see if Francona wants to challenge a call. The game is slow enough already.

However, there needs to be no discussion, partially because of that same Tony Graffanino, who went 3 for 4 and a triple shy of the cycle, knocking around Josh "Faulty" Towers like he was in his mind, reading his pitches. Graff knocked in two runs and scored two runs and hit a (wicked pissah) home run to put the Sox on top temporarily in the fifth and I love him so very much. I have no idea what the free agent market is like this coming winter for second basemen, but Tony G. is definitely making a big bid to get the resign from the Sox.

I would have been a lot more pleased with the Graff homer if Kapler didn’t DESTROY himself (ruptured Achilles tendon) rounding second on it. Only the Red Sox can manage a season-ending injury on a homerun.

There is also no need for discussion about instant replays and such ilk because of David Ortiz, who just owns (seriously). I was thinking about it, after he hit his career-high 42nd home run, about how Big Papi may be his nickname, but it might as well be all we call him because good enough superlative adjectives just fail the mind.

But they still pitch to him. I am glad everyone is dumb but me.

Clutch hitting may not exist, but somehow every time we need a David Ortiz bomb, we get one. Tonight’s gem came with the score tied, 3 to 3, in the eighth, with 2 outs, with Robin and I not paying full attention to the game, only to be startled back to reality by the slight and sound of Ortiz CRUSHING an outside fastball up and out over the centerfield wall. He reached for the ball and he still destroyed it. Words fail me.

It’s almost not worth talking about anymore. He does it every night. If Ortiz is coming up and it’s the 8th inning or later in a close game, they should just credit the Sox with a run. In the end, it might be less psychologically damaging for the other teams.

Red Sox escape from Toronto with the series victory and return home to face Oakland in a four game match up starting tomorrow night, Schilling versus Blanton.

I know he is another young pitcher that the Sox haven’t faced so we are slated to do AWFUL…but come on! It’s freaking Joe Blanton! Not a lot of volts from this outlet.

GO SOX!!! GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | david ortiz | tony graffanino | gabe kapler
(These stink! Who uses these?)

Game 144: Deep Thoughts

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 3, Toronto Blue Jays 9























"Millar was right. 3 Canadian beers are really like 6 normal beers."

"My ERA was a little low. I just wanted to fit in with the other guys."

"Why does Kapler INSIST on telling Renteria that there are 'ghosts' in his glove?"

"Damn! The Jets really beat up on the Buccaneers! Oh wait..."

"The worst part about giving up 5 runs in an inning is going back to the bench to wake up Francona and tell him the bad news."

"Well at least Papi can pick me up in the late innings. What do you mean there is no such thing as a 6 run homerun?!?!"

"Olerud was right. A 2.5 game lead isn't that big even with the metric system."

Game 143: A Tale Of Two Papis

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5

When the Red Sox came up to bat in the top of the eleventh, NESN obligingly flashed the records of the three scheduled batters (Graff, Edgah and Big Papi) against Jays’ pitcher Pete Walker.  When I saw Ortiz’ record of 2 for 3, I was thinking homer.  No matter that Big Papi had hit home run number 39 earlier in the day off of Ted Lilly – the big man’s done it so many times this season (8 all told after today, 2 less than Jimmy Fox’s record of 10) that it’s almost expected, especially when a.) the Ortizzle has displayed ownage and b.) Walker has already given up a game winning home run against the Red Sox (to Manny) this year.  Ortiz worked Walker to a 3 and 2 count, fouling off pitch number 5 that was just below his meat zone, before Walker tried to came back in with the same pitch but missed his location.  The thigh-high inside fastball soon found itself screaming towards center, just clearing the wall to give the Sox the offensive edge they needed to win after squandering a 5 run lead in the seventh.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the equation, Jonathan “Little Papi” Papelbon pitched as if touched by the Almighty Hand of the Great God of Closers.  Coming on in the ninth inning with the score tied, Paps got the side in order on 13 pitches, including a nasty strike out against Gabe Gross, allowed a walk and a long fly out to Vernon Wells in the tenth and went 1-2-3 in the eleventh, getting the final out against Aaron Hill, the first batter he faced in the ninth, on a pop up to former Blue Jay great John Olerud.  Particularly impressive was Papelbon’s splitter/high fastball combo: if he couldn’t get a hitter to swing at his splitter as it bottomed out, he’d come back at them with the high heat, burning it in at 94 mph and getting them to pop up or, in the case of Gabe Gross, look on foolishly as the ball flew across the outside corner of the plate.  On a night when the bullpen looked dismal – Mike Timlin’s mistake pitch to Vernon Wells that resulted in a three-run tater being the prime example – having Papelbon go three gorgeous innings was pretty damn awesome.

Tomorrow night, Matt Clement takes another shot at win number 14, going up against converted reliever Scott Downs, who’s faced Boston once this year, giving up two runs on three hits in 3.2 innings and has a 4.76 ERA in 11.1 innings in two starts in September.  With the Sox getting by perpetual menace Ted Lilly unscathed, they’ve got a chance to rip into the soft underbelly of Toronto pitching – time to feast.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | david ortiz | jonathan papelbon

Game 142: Crying Over Clichés

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 0, New York Yankees 1

Even though it COMPLETELY describes this game… if I have to hear one more person say “Baseball is a game of inches” blood will shoot out of my ears.

The first inning homerun hit by Giambi JUST made it out.
Inches…
So many strikes that Johnson snuck in on the corners.
Inches…
Wakefield had 12 strikeouts (a record for him), 1 run and a loss.
Inches…
Damon JUST missed 2 rbis with a long foul ball.
Inches…

By the 6th inning, the resigned gripes started popping out of the mouths of those broadcaster fellows. It’s true though. “You can’t steal first base”.

Johnson had a 99mph fastball and 8 strikeouts.
Can’t steal first…
Only 7 base runners all day.
Can’t steal first…
Mirabelli: 0 for 3 with 2 K but left in because Wake was great.
Can’t steal first…
Hardest hit ball? Rents line drive RIGHT INTO the glove of Rivera.
Can’t steal first…

The 3 game lead instills a sense of hope in some. Their cries of “It isn’t October yet” echo in the streets and in the message boards. They’re right, it’s not.

I would be drunk and wandering the streets.
If it was October...
Jeter wouldn’t be able to safely open his mail for weeks.
If it was October…
Schilling would have long sobbing messages on his voice mail (left by me).
If it was October…
Giambi would just be getting a new shipment of piping hot HGH.
If it was… well any month really.

Look, this game was not a season ending loss, but it was one of the most frustrating of the season. The worst part was seeing Wakefield, the heart of this team, pitch the best game of his career and not win. Johnson however, was a house of fire. He was hot. Of the three hits the Sox got, only one of them belonged to that 6-10 monster. I just hope it wasn’t one of those galvanizing wins that puts a team on a crazy winning streak… you know the ones I mean.

In the end the Sox are still 3 games up, the pitching is back to some standard higher than “5 innings 5 earned runs” and they KNOW they can win big games. I think they win that game 9 times out of 10. Sunday just happened to be a “10”. Damn Yankees. Damn Bo Derek.

GO SOX

Game 141: Return of the Native

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 9, New York Yankees 2

I was planning to “live blog” this one, I really was. However, I'm looking at my notes for the 4th inning and it goes something like this:

Chacon up to 60+ pitches… looks totally lost… OLDER DUDE YARD… I want to hit McCarver with a brick… he just called Arroyo “Brandon” again… Hit, hit, hit… bases more juiced than Giambi… RUN!!... aserhaer…afaearh…aersGO BABYaerha…rbiseafdsh5aa54aa...

It kind of breaks down after that. Oh well.

2 errors helped the Sox get 6 of 9 in that inning with the Yankees taking a page from last nights defensive playbook. Thanks guys. Chacon remembered he was once on the Rockies and was shelled so bad he didn’t get out of the 4th, neither did his replacement Felix “the Cat” Rodriguez. The game was then turned over to the Al Leiter who (if you listen to Fox) did an “AMAZING” job in relief with a line of 5.2 innings, 3 runs, 9 hits, 1 hits and 3 strikeouts. I guess that’s what qualifies for “AMAZING” Yankee relief pitching.

Meanwhile, Curt Schilling was phenomenal through his first 3 and a third. The only base runner was on a dumb error flip from Olerud to Schilling (called it a missed catch). That is until the ALWAYS AWFUL Fox announcers decided to scream “HE’S PITCHING A NO HITTER!!” and immediately he gave up a bomb to Giambi (he looks "bigger"). The rest was clear sailing. He tired a bit in the end, but Schilling looked back to form and gave 8 strong innings. Also, apparently I am not the only one who thinks these Fox guys need to be run out of town on a rail. Go figure.

Just a great all around win. Bats came alive, Manny went deep, defense was BETTER, Schilling looked like a playoff starter, Yankees go down hard and what more can you ask for? How about a series win? THAT would be fantastic.

Randy Johnson, when sober or pissed
Could be frequently heard to insist
Letting out a great fart
“Yes, I follow Descartes-
I stink, and I therefore exist!”

GO SOPHMORIC HUMOR, GO SOX

Game 140: UGLY

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 4, New York Yankees 8

Conversation in Tito’s head, prior to pulling David Wells in the sixth:

Tito: Boomer’s looking pretty tired; he’s had a rough night (9 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks) and I’ve got Chad Bradford waiting in the pen…should I pull him now?  Even though the Yankees scored this inning, it was because Manny looked like a retarded goat in left, there’re two outs and Boomer did just get out Matt Lawton without problems…and now they’re booing him.  Hehehehe…loser.
Stat-mind of Tito: Terry, I’m not gonna lie to you – you should take out Wells now.  Jeter’s coming up, it’s a righty on righty matchup…exactly what you have Bradford in that bullpen for.  It’ll be perfect.  Do it.  Do it.
Tito: Ok, ok, fine, I’ll do it.

[Francona pulls Boomer, who has the “don’t mess with my cake” look on his face.  Bradford comes in to take his place.  After a 10 pitch at-bat, Jeter, who’s 2 for 8 with 2 walks against Chad, works a walk.  Even in this first at-bat, it’s pretty clear Bradford’s ain’t gonna fool anybody with his stuff tonight.]

Tito: Well, that didn’t work out so well.  Too bad I didn’t warm up anybody else…Bernie Williams is up now.  That might be bad…
Stat-mind of Tito: Hmm, you might be right on that one, cuz Bernie’s a lefty and Bradford’s about as good against lefties as Michael Brown is at heading up disaster relief.  Still, even if Williams gets on, A-fraud and the Juice Machine are both righties…no problems.  And yeah, Bernie may be 3 for 4 against Bradford, but that’s not a big enough sample size to prove anything.

[Williams ups his record against Bradford to 4 for 5 by hitting a single, scoring Robinson Cano, who was on third.  6 – 3 Yankees.]

Stat-mind of Tito: Riiiiiight.  Didn’t see that coming.  Still, righty on righty, Terry.  No problems.

[Alex Rodriguez singles.  Derek Jeter scores and Bernie Williams goes to second.  Bradford may actually be cowering on the mound at this point.  7 – 3 Yankees.]

Tito: Ok, screw you, stat-head…if I don’t pull this guy now, they’ll be burning me in effigy across New England tomorrow.

[Mike Myers replaces Bradford, gives up a run on a single to Matsui before getting the final out on a fly ball to right field.  8 – 3 Yankees.  Red Sox fans everywhere wonder why the manager’s brain seemed to check out once again when a timely hook was needed.]

While tonight’s game was not one I expected Boston to win – Aaron Small’s perfect record with the Yankees didn’t seem ready to die yet – I did expect them to play a lot better than they did.  4 errors by Boston (although I think a closer examination of the quality of play might make it more like 6 errors), 1 unearned run, 10 men left on base, failing to take advantage of a bases loaded situation in the seventh, another screw up by Sveum and Tito’s aforementioned gaffe all contributed towards a game that Boston handed to New York far too easily.  

The thing that really bugs me about tonight, even more than the rest of the team looking like Little Leaguers: the misusage of Bradford.  As Michael Kay noted, Francona has 10 pitchers in his bullpen.  TEN.  In a dangerous hitting situation with a batter against whom Bradford has two statistical disadvantages, why do you even think of keeping the same pitcher?  Having that many pitchers available means you can use one pitcher for one or two batters and if necessary, go to the next pitcher who has the best chance of getting the out.  

We’ll get ‘em back tomorrow, assuming the Sox calm themselves down and start playing smart: Schilling versus Chacon at 1:20.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | terry francona | chad bradford | david wells

Game 139: Pounding Sand

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 0, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3

I think the long beleaguered Kevin Millar put it best when he swung at the dirt after striking out on a nasty K-Rod pitch in the 9th inning. Sometimes they got your number and there’s nothing you can do. The Angels of California, LA, Anaheim, Santa Cruz, Pueblo New Mexico and Bolivia shut down the hot bats the Scarlet foot Condoms have been swinging and they did it with the K.

Outside corners, inside corners, bottoms dropping out, a few rising heaters and some crap out of the zone was on the menu… and Sox batters had 10 helpings. Byrd with 4 (Millar twice), Shields with 3 (Manny, Rent, Ortiz all with men in scoring position) and K-Rod with 3 (the side in the 9th). It was hard to watch. Knees frozen, swinging wild or just looking mad and marching to the dugout, the Sox had their chance to win this one… and they swung through it.

I hate games like this. You just want to scream and yell and take a shot ever time there are men left on base. That’s 9 shots! And yeah the bullpen was great, and yeah Scioscia went psyco after a bad call and was tossed (always funny), and yeah the Yankees lost to Tampa Bay again, and yeah the Patriots won… But come ON! This was for the sweep! Nope. No dice. Ok lets move on.

The long awaited series in NY is upon us and not EVERYONE is excited, but as a Brooklyn dweller I cannot be more so. I've been listening to Thin Lizzy to pump myself up for the eventual battle. When the Sox win here the whole city gets kind of depressed and that just makes it sweeter for me… is that sick? Whatever.

Guess who just got back today?
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven't changed, haven't much to say
But man, I still think them cats are crazy

The boys are back in town!

GO SOX!

Game 138: It's Not Luck...It's Confidence

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 6, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3

I’m reading Buster Olney’s The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, the Team, and the Cost of Greatness, which besides talking about the climb, peak, decline and fall of the great Yankee teams of the mid to late 90s (and takes its title from the loss of the World Series to the Diamondbacks in 2001 in Game 7), highlights, intentionally or not, something that the 2004 and 2005 Red Sox have enjoyed a good deal of: luck. Now luck isn’t some sort of mystical cosmic force – it’s an expression of team confidence, played out in bad umpire calls that go in favor of the team or mistakes by opponents that are exploited and it’s the major difference between the 2004 and 2005 Sox and those teams of yesteryear. There was no Curse; it was all about believing you had the team that could win it all, about luck…and the luck factor expressed itself twice last night.

The night didn’t start well for the Sox – Arroyo gave up two runs in the first and another in the second, both rallies coming with two outs. Kevin Millar got the Sox on the board in the bottom of the second with his fourth home run of the home stand, a solo shot into the Monster Seats, but Ervin Santana was taking no prisoners with his slider…until the third.

Arroyo started to settle, getting the Angels in order in the top of the inning, setting the stage for a Red Sox resurgence. Alex Cora, showing remarkable restraint, avoided several tasty pitches to work a 6 pitch walk, which Johnny Damon matched with a 6 pitch walk of his own. Down 0 and 2, Renteria hit a bloop fly ball to center…and that’s where luck reared its head. Although three players converged on the scene, the ball was clearly centerfielder Jeff DaVanon’s play to make and he let it drop, loading the bases for Big Papi. With the count 1 and 2, Ortiz tried to check his swing and third base umpire Larry Young called him safe, even though replays show pretty clearly he swung…another piece of luck for the Sox. Because you can never give Papi two chances, on the next pitch, Ortiz lofted a single to left, scoring two runs and tying the game. After Manny bounced into a double play, Trot Nixon hit a double off the wall to score Renteria and give Boston the permanent lead. Confidence rules the field again.

With last night’s win, the Sox are now 10 and 3 on their ultra-long home stand, have 4 games up on the Yankees with 24 games to go and most importantly, are starting to pitch like they know how to again. On most recent run through the rotation, only Curt Schilling did not go more than 7 innings and the bullpen pitched a combined total of 4 and 2/3rds innings, giving up three runs. As pitching becomes more and more important, Boston looks like it’s finally stepping up to the challenge of winning the division and going strong into the post-season.

Tonight, Clement goes for the sweep versus Paul Byrd, while the Pats duke it out with Oakland on ABC. I’m going to be in sports heaven. GO PATS, GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | yankees | kevin millar | bronson arroyo | david ortiz | trot nixon

Game 137: Big Papi Wants YOU!

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 3, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2

Well, what do you do? The game is on the line. He's done it before. The ballpark can’t contain him. He won’t let down the thousands of screaming people. You can’t stop him. What do you do?

Put him on base? Ummm ok. Just remember that there's this guy named Manny Ramirez up next and he might take offence to the IBB.

Pitch him away? Sure that might work… in the 6th inning. But when you get to the 9th (and later) he’s more discerning than the tattooed music snob at your local record store. He won’t go chasing and he WON’T go looking. He will keep fouling off your mediocre pitches until one of you wins the battle (hint: it won’t be you).

Pitch him inside? Right under the arms. You’d think a big guy like that would have a huge hole in his swing there. Unfortunately for you, this big guy has hands quicker than a rattlesnake. He’ll get a piece off it or layoff the ones too far inside and wait for you to make a mistake, because as a matter of fact… he LIKES em a little inside. Call it his WHEELHOUSE.

Blow him away with your heat? Yeah, he probably won’t be able to keep up with the real hard ones. Great idea but first you should ask Scot Shields how that worked out for him. He knew right away that his 95 mph heater was going on a 470 ft trip as soon as it left the bat. He was in the visitors’ clubhouse before the run scored.

So, what do you do with the game on the line and David Ortiz staring at you? You sit back and watch one of the greatest clutch hitters ever. Watch as he puts on a show you’ll tell your kids about. Shows so grand, so amazing, and so unbelievable, that they make you forget all about stellar defense (in the 9th Olerud and Graffanino), the amazing starting pitching (Wakefield: CG win, 8 hits, 3 walks, 2 runs, 7 K), and even your rivals (Yankees Suck). All you remember is a slow jog home, the team waiting for him at home plate, and the crowd chanting: “PA-PI PA-PI PA-PI!!”

GO PAPI, GO SOX

Game 136: Them Rookies Again

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 3, Chicago White Sox 5

Note to any team who wants to beat the 2005 Sox in the post-season: send out a rookie, preferable someone who Boston hasn’t faced before, for every game.  You’ll sweep the series no problem.  The Red Sox problems with rookies continued again yesterday, as Brandon McCarthy threw 7 3-hit innings and kept the Sox scoreless.  Tony Graffanino helped Boston avoid ignominy of their fourth shutout by hitting a three run homer in the ninth with two outs, before Gabe Kapler ended the game with a hard hit ground ball.  

According to this article, my assessment about the chances of a rookie in the off-season against Boston might be a bit overrated, as Boston is 7 and 9 against previously-unseen starters, but clearly it takes more than two or three at-bats against a pitcher to get Boston’s offense going.  Also, Brandon McCarthy is SICK – he not only shut down Boston’s offense, but took down Texas like it weren’t no thing his last time out.  Andrew is right though – a massive pitch count on a 22 year old arm, especially when you’re going to be heading into the post-season and might need him to pitch, is pretty damn stupid.  

With Johnny Damon day to day with shoulder problems and Bill Mueller on a day off, the Sox played a version of the second string squad, with Youkilis leading off and Kapler in center.  Although Youkilis is a great player and hopefully has a fine future ahead of him, he’s no replacement for Damon in the leadoff spot.  I assume the move was made to avoid changing the rest of the lineup – making the worst of a bad situation, especially with the way McCarthy was pitching.

Two good things about yesterday that make the loss a lot easier to bear:

1. Although Schilling may not be happy with his losing effort of 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks and 4 strike outs over 6 and 1/3rd innings, he’s looking better and better with each start.  The splitter is still playing tricks on him – every major hit Chicago picked up came off a splitter – but Curt seems to be on the road to being a great pitcher once again.  Whether or not he’ll be ready to really perform before the end of this year is a good question, but at least he isn’t done permanently.


2. Keith Foulke really has turned things up a notch since returning from the DL – he’s given up one hit in his two outings and had a perfect inning and 2/3rds with a strike out yesterday.  His velocity isn’t as high as it was last year, but if he can fool hitters and keep building then the Sox will have their closer back again.

I’ll still laughing about this article for hours after I read it.  I hope the crow Celizic ate after Game 5, let alone Game 7 was delicious, because it came by the mouthful.  In a way, Boston winning it all last year was not just about ending the “1918” chants – it was about making arrogant sports journalists like this guy look really, really dumb.  And it makes me very happy.

The Stopper tonight against John Lackey in the first of a three game set against Anaheim.  Lackey is has a middling 3.51 ERA and a .277 OBA on the road, but the Sox hit him well last time they faced him: 3 runs and 9 hits in 6 innings.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | keith foulke | curt schilling | tony graffanino

Game 135: The Infernal Feast

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 5, Baltimore Orioles 1

This one had all the makings of a heartbreaker. Lopez was living up to his name of “Red Sox Killer” and didn’t allow a base runner until a single by Ortiz in the 4th. Then something really strange happened. Right before he pitched the bottom of the 5th, Lopez was greeted by Lucifer himself. The Dark Lord looked pretty upset and appeared to rip up some sort of contract and throw it in the face of crafty right-hander. That little display seemed to unnerve Lopez who gave up 5 runs that inning; including a 3 run blast form Olerud who is channeling the power of the sun he is so hot right now (.571 avg 3 hr 11 rbi on the home stand) .

That’s all the support Wells needed. He went the distance and tore through the Orange Birds lineup like they were a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny’s. I think Wells was just relived he didn’t have to start the 12:05 makeup game tomorrow. The only thing higher than his ERA in morning starts is his blood alcohol content.

Taking a rare day off, Varitek (who looked banged up last night) let Doug Mirabelli catch someone BESIDES Tim Wakefield. An ecstatic Mirabelli showed his happiness with his bat by legging out a double in the corner. Just amazing. I agree with the RemDog who quipped: “This may be the fastest human being on the face of the earth.” The double by Mirabelli would have been more picturesque if a tiny Indian Jones wasn’t running in front of him.

Tomorrow is the aforementioned makeup game against those other Sox without color guard bleach. They really screwed everything up by not forfeiting that game like they were supposed to. Well, the jokes on them because they have to fly from Chicago to Boston and then BACK to Chicago in one day. Oh, and they have to play some baseball too. On Labor Day at 12:05 it’s Schilling, McCarthy and me with a bowl of Lucky Charms. GO SOX!

Game 134: UG-LEE DE-FENCE

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Baltimore Orioles 6

“They have always given us fits.”
-Terry Francona on the troubles with Baltimore.

Well tonight I threw a fit every time the ball was hit sharply into play. It’s a win, but not the best effort. To err is human, to give up 4 unearned runs (that 7 so far in this series if you’re counting) on 3 errors is certainly NOT divine. Clement threw a damn fine 8 innings but looked like he was out there by himself for most of it. The first run Baltimore scored was done without the benefit of a hit! Hit by a pitch, wild pitch (bad effort by Tek), the next pitch was a passed ball, then a sac fly. I mean, what the hell is that?? From there, it just got ugly. In the top of the 4th, following a WEIRD bloop double by Tejada (nice try Kapler) Manny just DROPS one. It hit him in the glove, he had it…it looked easy but his thoughts were elsewhere. I bet Manny was thinking:

a) “I wonder what the next song on my Ipod is.”
b) “That mango salsa really IS spicy.”
c) “Does the carpet match the curtains on Millar?”
d) “The area of a regular polygon really does equal (1/2) N sin(360°/N) S2”

Well whatever it was, it most likely wasn't “I’m gonna catch this routine fly ball.” So two men on for Javy Lopez and he ropes a single into center and Damon has it on the bounce. Or more appropriately DOES NOT have it on the bounce. Doing his impression of a croquet wicket, Damon lets the ball roll to the wall and 2 runs score. I think we all know what was on HIS mind.

Meanwhile, the offence was back in action. Ortiz went long to drive in his league leading 119th RBI and the entity that now controls the body of Kevin Millar hit a 2 run shot. In the end the Sox were sitting on a familiar 7 run collection and things looked pretty safe. RIIIGHT. Flash forward to the 9th and the “often used always abused” Timlin is trying to close it out when Rentaria shocks absolutely no one by booting the game ending double play ball. 2 more runs score to make it a squeaker.

Not pretty but it was made with love so I’ll take it. Wrap it up and send it to the ‘W’ column.
This afternoon it's “The Red Sox Killer” Rodrigo Lopez vs David Wells, who just ate his way through a 6 game suspension. Should be fun. Should be filling. GO SOX.

Game 133: You Should See The Other Guy

FInal Score:

Boston Red Sox 3, Baltimore Orioles 7

Well you can’t win them all, even at home. Lenny DiNardo (Dee Nards) had as good a start as you can ask for: 6 innings, 1 earned run, 7 hits, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. If it wasn’t for the 3 UNEARNED RUNS and the 3 runs the “New and Not Improved” bullpen gave up we might have had a shot to win this one. Or maybe not….

4 hits. That’s all they had…4!! This is a team that NEEDS its offence to win games. The Red Sox have only shut out teams 8 times this year and only ONCE since the all-star break. The way this pitching staff has been lately, if they don’t score 7 or more runs (a 7 game streak broken last night) then they probably won’t win.

A Frustrating night. So then, why am I not totally crazy? Why haven’t I thrown my IKEA chair out the window? Why haven’t I tripled in size, turned a dark shade of emerald and gone wandering through the US trying to find a place where people didn’t make me angry? Two words:

Yankees Suck!

And with that, it’s all a wash. Start it back up! Kick the tires and light the fires. 7:05 and then it’s you, me, Clement and Bedard. GO SOX!

Palmeiro Wusses Out

So not only is Sidney “Pontoon” Ponson a free agent as of yesterday – the Orioles citing his recent DUI as the recent to break his contract, but Rafael Palmeiro won’t be playing in the series this weekend.  The Cheater is in Baltimore, “nursing his ankle and knee.”  Because the boo birds were so bad in Oakland (no surprise) and Toronto (and you know things are bad when you’re booed in Toronto) that he reportedly wore earplugs for at least one game, I doubt that Palmeiro is really that hurt – he just doesn’t want to get well-deserved smoking that Boston fans are dying to give him for his crooked performance last time the Sox were in Baltimore.  Wimp.

Sidney Ponson is an attractive pickup for any team that needs an emergency starter. However, they may need a construction crane to MAKE the pick up. Also, his contract stipulates that he be paid in Wild Turkey and replacement livers.

tags: baseball | red sox | orioles | sidney ponson | rafael palmeiro

Game 132: Back In The Saddle...Again

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4

Call him Older Dude.  Call him Magic Helmet.  Call him whatever you want; last night he was the hero and author of the latest Red Sox comeback.  Once again, a Red Sox pitcher (Arroyo) struggled out of the gate; in Arroyo’s case, he gave up 2 runs in the second and 2 in the fourth before settling into a groove for his last three innings, taking inspiration from Wakefield’s efforts Wednesday evening.  With Manny on a manager-imposed break to rest his legs, Millar was in left and Olerud at first.  Millar went 2 for 4 with a double and a run, while Olerud tied up the game in the second with a two run homer into the bullpen and then put the Sox on top in the sixth with a 3 run bullpen shot.  He also added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI double.  Olerud, now batting .467 with 11 RBI since returning from the DL and .333 over the year, attributes his success to work he had been doing on his swing to fix a bad habit he picked up in Seattle.

Jonathan Papelbon came on in the eighth and struck out the side, but came out in ninth in favor of Mike Timlin after Papelbon gave up hits to the first two batters he faced.  Papelbon, distracted by the damage of Hurricane Katrina and its potential effects on his family in the Louisiana area, blamed himself for not being able to pull through and close the deal.  Based on what I’ve been reading about the hurricane (and I’ve been avoiding a lot because of how horrific the reports are), I can’t really blame him for having his mind somewhere else.  Timlin gave a rare surprise when he stranded both inherited runners and went on to pick up his fifth save and get Arroyo his eleventh win.  The Red Sox now have the third best record in the majors and have climbed back to .500 (26 and 26) against AL East teams.  If the season ended today, the Sox would win the AL East by 3.5 games and host either Oakland or Anaheim to start the ALDS.  I’m happy.

Lenny DiNardo will be starting tonight’s game, joining Matt Perisho and infielder Alejandro Machado, just named this year’s AAA Rookie of the Year as post-September 1 call-ups.  The Sox also activated Keith Foulke and Chad Harville and expect to call up Manny Delcarmen, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez and Kelly Shoppach.  The future is here, folks, especially if the Sox can maintain their lead in the AL East.  Perisho went 2 and 0 with a 2.09 ERA in 13 appearances and seems like a solid left-handed option to use along side Mike Myers, although unlike Myers, he’s much, much stronger against righties.  Craig Hansen will start long tossing again today and will probably pitch again on Tuesday.  From the looks of it, the organization is down-playing the extent of Hansen’s dead arm to avoid panic about the prospect’s future (not like that ever happens), but they’re not entirely sure if he’ll be making an appearance in a Boston uniform this year.

DiNardo versus John Maine at 7:05 for the first of a three game set against Baltimore.  Maine is a rookie facing Boston for the first time (bad for Sox) and although he’s yet to make it past 6 innings, has thrown well – 2.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP.  DiNardo’s never made a start before – but that’s what we have the extended bullpen for.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | keith foulke | tim wakefield | kevin millar | bronson arroyo | john olerud | craig hansen | matt perisho | jonathan papelbon

Game 131: Ego & Superego

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6

Introducing Robin, long time friend, long time commenter, now a writing force to be reckoned with as the second voice of this blog. We’re going to experiment with a few different posting formats, but the result will be better and more coverage overall. For this post, Robin’s words are in italics; here’s his introduction in his own words:

If Eric is the coffee, I am the lap you spill it in. If he is a bright day, I am a drunken night. He's water, I'm a flaming shot. Born and raised a Masshole, I now one of the many Sox fans living behind enemy lines on the New York front. I find sports to be the greatest source of both triumph and suffering... and nothing is funnier than those two things.

Enjoy.

---

It must be rough to be Tampa Bay, score 6 runs 3 nights in a row, take the early lead two of those nights and see your game taken apart by the monstrous offensive power the Red Sox are able to muster.

The only thing that blew more than the starting pitching of this game, was the wind out over the monster.

Although Wakefield gave up three home runs for five runs in his eight innings of work, he, like Schilling the night before was able to hold the line after an early rough start until the offense could get everything back, retiring his last 16 batters and striking out 4 in a row.

Seriously, Wakefield needs to keep that knuckle ball LOW or it ends up on the Mass Pike. His pitch selection is 1) Knuckle 2) Curve 3) Hanging Curve 4) “Fastball” 5) Meatball.

Powered by home runs by Mirabelli, Ortiz and two by Millar (yes, you read that right – I think the man’s starting to find his swing again – maybe it’s the new haircut), the Sox made it 5 – 5 and then, with Millar’s second home run, 7 – 5.

Apparently the Peroxide leeched into his brain, damaging the area that made him pop out in foul territory whenever there are men on base. I hope he and Schilling used the same bottle so he can get his ERA somewhere below his waist size. Also, rivers ran red with blood, locusts filled the air, fire fell from the sky and Mirabelli stole his second base of the year last night. Worth noting.

Mike Timlin came on in the ninth, gave up a double then ground out three outs, allowing a single run to score.

Timlin is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of this bullpen. Sometimes he’s lights out, sometimes I want to crap in my hand just so I have something to throw at the TV.

In his post-game press conference, Millar invoked the gods of 2003 (but, thankfully, with the manager of 2004) with his Cowboy Up hat and desire to “get this city rockin' and rollin' and forget about the first five months of the season.” If that’s what it takes for more home runs (hell, even more production), I’m all for it – they can even bring back the Rally Karaoke video.

Are you kidding me? Bleached blonde men singing karaoke? When did the Red Sox clubhouse turn into the Manhole?

Going off of yesterday’s theme of Keith Foulke going low-intensity (He threw like crap) during his rehab assignment, Foulke told the press that he hopes his return to the majors and the resultant pressure to perform will increase his abilities back to where they should be. I’m not sure if I’m gratified that Foulke is being so candid, or terrified that we’re pinning our post-season hopes on a guy who needs external pressure sources to get his game going. I guess some people are wired that way; at least his sliders looked like they were supposed to.

Oh I’m sure! I am SURE that seeing him pick away at the corners of the plate with a 90mph fastball will make me go insane.

The Wells aftermath: after his meeting yesterday, Wells apologized to Bud Selig for his comments earlier this week, saying that he misunderstood the steroids policy and that there isn’t a big conspiracy in the MLB offices to get him or allow steroids users to play after they’ve tested positive. Of course, none of us know what happened behind those closed doors, so it’s likely that the truth is somewhere in the middle.

What happened was probably similar to the Russian Roulette scene from Deer Hunter. A loaded pistol is the only thing I can think of to make him do a total 180 like he did. Stick to guns Boomer and find us the truth! Where are the test results? Who’s on the juice? Is Michelle Damon that hot in real life? Get us the answers!

Meanwhile, the Sox aren’t sure who they’re going to pitch tomorrow – Lenny DiNardo’s name is floating around as a possible option.

DiNardo? That’s great. Its not like these games are important or anything.

Tonight, the Sox go for the sweep, with Arroyo against Doug Waechter. August is over now, Bronson – time to take the first step in improving the worst Boston month ERA since May, 2003. GO SOX!!!

Get the brooms! Guns and Corn is due for a good outing and Doug “Weight” Waechter has the “I’m gonna get shelled” look about him. Let’s do it…GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | david wells | keith foulke | tim wakefield | kevin millar

Game 130: Hitting When It Counts

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6

The bad news, part 1: Tampa Bay hit Curt like Nelson hits Bart on the Simpsons for two innings. Schilling hung four split-fingered fastballs in the first two innings and paid the price, dropping the Sox down 5 – 0.

The good news, part 1: after resolving to pull himself together, Schilling made adjustments in the third inning, ditched the splitter and started getting men out. Four innings later, after 97 total pitches, having shut down the TBay offense with the exception of a walk and three hits and hit 94 on the radar gun, the big man was done for the night and the Sox were back in the game with score 5 – 4. In other words, Schilling was able to adjust to the problems and figure out how to pitch and to pitch well. Whether or not he’ll be able to use those adjustments again in his next start is a good question, but I’m encouraged: overall, he pitched better this time out than he did against Kansas City and there’s no reason he can’t continue to improve.

The good news, part 2: once again, the Red Sox offense rose to the occasion, crushing out seven runs to overcome a large deficit. For some reason, Tony Massarotti is bothered by how strong the hitting is on this team. Now, while I can understand being disturbed by how poor the pitching is in comparison, especially compared to last year, Tony’s angle is completely off. Yes, the Sox can hit. It’s a feature of the Theo years – obscene number of runs scored, a high OPS, etc. Yes, the runs scored may have already overtopped 2003 and 2004 by a healthy margin, but with Damon and Varitek both hitting as well as they have this year, that shouldn’t be such a surprise. In any case, the hitting is not important as a measure of potential failure – it’s the pitching. The Sox will go through slumps, like they did on their last road trip and lose games as a result, unless the pitching can pick them up…but don’t call the fact that Boston has scored 5 or more runs in all but one of its 17 victories in August “a very disturbing point” – it’s the result of an excellent offensive team playing to its strength.

The bad news, part 2: Keith Foulke had another weak outing against the Vermont Expos in Single-A Lowell yesterday, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out three in an inning of work. Foulke’s rehab assignment is now finished and according to director of player development Ben Cherington, Keith accomplished the major goals of his assignment: he faced live hitting, threw his pitches and made it through without injury; any other results were secondary. From that statement, one might infer that Foulke wasn’t really out in Lowell to test himself and thus his subpar performance isn’t indicative of any long term problems or a shattering of Sox hopes for the post-season. That may very well be the case – certainly we don’t scrutinize the rehabs of hitters (like Trot Nixon, for example) as closely as we do those of pitchers and maybe that’s a mistake. In any case, Foulke will be back with the club tonight.

Major League Baseball called David Wells and his agent down to Manhattan today to discuss his comments from yesterday and possibly meet with Bud Selig, who was the target of much of Wells’ vitriol. I see one of two results: Wells comes out of the meeting breathing fire, or becomes completely docile for the next month or two as the result of a threat behind closed doors.

Wakefield gets to enjoy a non-stopper role this evening, going up against Casey “The Blade” Fossum tonight at 7:05. GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | david wells | keith foulke | curt schilling

Game 129: We Brought The Thunder

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 10, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6

It may have rained for an hour and 43 minutes in the second inning, shortening, though not spoiling Clement’s excellent outing (5 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 strike outs) against a Tampa Bay club that’s 25 and 14 since the All-Star Break and was fresh off sweeping the Angels at home. David Wells may have had the most awesomely obnoxious press conference ever, basically threatening to beat the Commissioner of baseball if/when the Sox win the World Series this year. Don’t mess with his cake, indeed. Mark Bellhorn may be a Yankee now, much to the dismay of Oakland. Jason Giambi may have homered again to snatch another victory from the jaws of defeat in Seattle. None of this matters, though, because the Sox destroyed Tampa Bay last night, achieving a dominance belied by the score – at one point the Sox led 10 – 2, until the youngins (Papelbon and Alvarez) surrendered five runs in the seventh and eighth. David Ortiz hit home runs number 34 and 35 and Johnny D led off the Boston half of the first with a solo shot, part of a 2 run first that knocked Seth McClung out of the game after three outs. Johnny later took a pitch off the hand in the sixth and left the game with a bruise; he’s listed as day to day and will most likely sit out two days of TBay lefties. Gabe Kapler, who played center after Damon came out, ended the game with a tremendous diving catch on what would have otherwise been a double, if not a triple. After a hard, multiple week battle, Matt Clement is now in proud possession of win number 12.

Speaking of Giambi, at what point does his resurgence become suspect? Since the All-Star Break, the guy’s had the same number of runs, half as many hits, five more home runs and the same number of RBI, in 85 less at-bats. He’s got an OPS that’s up over 300 points and most of that comes from higher slugging. True, Giambi has struck out about half as many times since July, so maybe he’s figured out how to see the ball properly again, but when a guy goes off the juice, has a terrible first half and then, just two days ago sets a new career high of 7 RBI in one game, you have to wonder what’s up. Boston may have its share of home run mashers (yesterday was Big Papi’s seventh multiple home run game of the year), but at least they’ve been consistently powerful all year, or, in Manny’s case, subject to weird slumps that seem to be related more to attitude than anything else.

Not that I was entirely expecting him to be a Red Sox this year (although I had my hopes), but Craig Hansen’s meteoric rise to the top has stopped – temporarily at least and possibly for the rest of the year – as the young fireballer has developed a case of tired arm, similar to the exhaustion suffered by pitchers in Spring Training. With the ghost of Cla Meredith still floating around (and possibly coming up to the big club in two days), the news presumably made the Front Office even more eager to delay Hansen’s promotion until this key member of the bullpen’s future is ready to go. In the meantime, Theo acquired Chad Harville, a 28 year old right handed reliever with high velocity and control problems from Houston off waivers. Harville, a former Billy Beane project, has a 4.46 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP in 38.1 innings, but does sport a .254 opposing AVG. Harville has yet to be activated, but it sounds like he’s another arm to cover the pitching gap in the bullpen – a way to get more innings without exhausting arms and, as keeping with this year’s theme, hopefully minimize the damage so that the offense can win games. On the less cynical end, it may also be that El Guapo’s Ghost is correct and that one of the Sox coaches sees a flaw they can fix in Boston’s newest acquisition, turning him into a genuine relief presence.

Game 2 tonight: Schilling makes return outing number two against Scott Kazimir at 7:05. GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | david wells | mark bellhorn | manny ramirez | david ortiz | craig hansen | matt clement | jason giambi

Funny, Funny Things

Edit: Robin is much cooler than I am, because he called me about the news about Bellhorn, whilst I was munching on gnocchi at Vincent's in Little Italy. He rules, blah blah blah.

According to FOXSports.com, the Yankees have signed Mark Bellhorn as a utility player to replace Rey Sanchez and Ruben Sierra, both currently on the DL. Bellhorn will become a Yankee as soon as he clears waivers. I think I've figured out the real reason for the signing, though: Cashman's decided that the best way to beat the Red Sox is to sign the guys who beat the Yankees in key moments in the post-season last year - how else do you explain New York snatching up both Embree and Bellhorn as soon they hit the waiver wire?

A rendering of Bellhorn with his new haircut, shave and uniform

I want to state for the record now that I bear Bellhorn no more emnity for signing with the Yankees than I do Embree - the guy needs a job and he'll forever be a part of the 2004 team in my mind. I just hope that Boston doesn't have to face New York in the post-season.

Although Keith Foulke expressed some dissatisfaction with his throwing sessions in Single A today, saying that his velocity was down and his control was off, the Front Office has announced he'll be back in Boston by September 1, following another outing in Lowell tomorrow. Foulke cites weakness in his knee and the resultant inability to push off correctly as the root of his problems - time is now clearly the factor as Foulke, like Schilling, must regain his pitching strength.

David Wells tee-ed off on the MLB disciplinary office, the appeals process, the Commissioner and MLB's handling of steroids in an interview today, maintaining that he never bumped third base umpire Angel Hernandez, never sprayed him with spit and that Rafael Palmeiro should have been suspended as soon as he failed his test for steroids, not several weeks later. Major League Baseball took the time to issue a press release basically calling Wells an idiot and point out that the steroids appeal process is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The Red Sox put out their own press release disavowing Wells' comments. Although the entire thing is hillarious because it's Wells, the big man does have a point: CBA or no, there's no good reason why the steroids appeal process should be so secret and so accomidating to the player, while a suspension appeal hearing takes two months to process and doesn't seem to make much difference to the end result. When you take into account that a.) Palmeiro kept playing the week he tested positive and played a big role in Baltimore's series win over Boston and b.) Wells will miss a start while the Sox are in the middle of a pennant hunt, the circumstances, coincidence or no, get downright rediculous.

tags: baseball | red sox | keith foulke | david wells | mark bellhorn

Games 126 - 128: 40 and 19

Final Scores:

Game 126: Boston Red Sox 9, Detroit Tigers 8
Game 127: Boston Red Sox 8, Detroit Tigers 12
Game 128: Boston Red Sox 11, Detroit Tigers 3

Despite the questionable home run, the Sox pulled out a tough victory, making their home streak fourteen wins.  Curious about whether or not the game could actually be protested, I checked Wikipedia – since it was a matter of fair or foul, Boston could not have played the game under protest.  So much for my little outburst.  One amusing side effect of the call was that every time a batter hit a ball foul down the first base line, no matter where it went into the stands, the fans would start waving their arms in imitation of an umpire’s home run call.  The Stopper now leads the staff with 13 wins.

Is it me, or have there been one too many “worst game of the year” calls this year?  I missed Saturday’s collapse, but it sounds as ugly as any the Sox have had this year so far, as Arroyo’s pitch control deserted him and the Tigers quickly tied then overtook the lead with a Dmitri Young grand slam and a pair of doubles of off young Jonathan Papelbon, called in to protect Boston’s 7 – 6 lead.  Epstein and Francona were quick to leap to Pap’s defense, pointing out that Papelbon pitched three times over the past week (once as a starter, twice in relief).  

I read talk about switching Arroyo and Papelbon’s positions in the staff, by making Arroyo a reliever and Papelbon a starter, but that talk quickly followed up with mention of Pap’s 130 innings pitched this year – bordering on too many for a young arm.  The 14 game home win streak ended with a pretty miserable bang – fortunately, for those worried about the state of the bullpen, September 1 and expanded rosters are but three days away and all those young arms will soon come to flood Fenway.  After six straight scoreless outings, going over 10 and 2/3rds innings, Jeremi Gonzalez has surrendered 5 runs, including 3 on Saturday.  Keith Foulke made two appearances in Single A Lowell, giving up an earned and an unearned run on four hits and walk over 2 and 2/3rds innings in the two games.  Keith plans to return to Boston after a third game, although he does not expect to be used in save situations immediately.

On a related note, the Sox solved the Matt Perisho problem by DFA’ing Mike Remlinger, with an intention to release him after the 10 day period.  Odd that the organization waited so long (perhaps to give Perisho more time to prepare); perhaps they hoped that Remlinger’s past three scoreless appearances would either help soften the blow for the reliever or make him more likely to be picked up by another team.  Abe Alvarez took Remlinger’s spot in the interim, finishing out yesterday’s game with a spotless ninth inning of three fly balls.

On Sunday, vindication from Golden Buddha: 7 innings, 9 hits, 3 runs (two earned), 5 strike outs and no walks, picking up win number 11.  Bill Mueller played like the professional he is, going 3 for 4 with a home run and two excellent fielding plays; Johnny Damon regained the lead in the race for the batting title by a point over Michael Young, getting his first multiple hit game since August 14; Big Papi hit home run number 33, tying Manny for the RBI lead and Manny deliberately went out to disprove nay-sayers by tearing down the first base line on a close play.  The offensive slump of the road trip seems to have dissipated like the heat of the Dog Days of Summer and the infusion of the expanded roster combined with the revitalized hitting may be just what the Sox need to take real advantage of this home stand.  

Again a related note: Bob Watson continues to be a dick, denying Wells’ appeal on the stupid 6 game suspension for supposedly brushing an umpire back on July 2.  Yes, not only did Wells not touch the umpire, but more importantly, it took the disciplinary office almost two months to hear an appeal on the matter, forcing Wells to miss a start while his team is in a playoff hunt.  It must be nice to able to abuse power in such a blatant manner.

How good is Terry Francona really?  This article takes a good look at Francona’s successes and limitations and makes some very good points on why Boston’s manager is so good for Boston’s team.  My favorite observation: Francona manages to be both a player’s manager and a winning manager by giving players the opportunity to play through their slumps in the regular season, gradually shortening their leashes during the stretch drive and running a very tight ship in the post-season.  The 2005 Kevin Millar is an excellent example – Millar’s playing time has decreased a great deal recently, as Francona has less and less slack to give him and still get the Sox important wins.  Assuming Francona’s management skills at the end of last year – outthinking Scioscia, Torre and LaRussa to win it all – were not a fluke, I’m much less worried about Boston’s chances this year than I was last year.

Scott Stossel: blasphemer.  Yes, being the perennial stoic losers might have been a boltering of the strong New England character, but who wouldn’t rather be fat and happy at the end of the day?  If Stossel likes losing so much, he can move to Chicago and root for the Cubs – I’d much rather have a 2004 win and a lessening of the overall intensity of baseball fever in Boston than a loss with one of the best teams Boston ever fielded.  Wishing otherwise is frankly quite sadistic.

Clement versus Seth McClung tonight at 7:05.  Clement, looking for win number 12, has no decisions in his last three starts (including two starts in the midst of the offensive slump on the road trip), but sports a 2.25 ERA.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | mike remlinger | manny ramirez | kevin millar | keith foulke | david ortiz | jon papelbon | bronson arroyo | tim wakefield | bill mueller | david wells

Rediculous

This call will be disputed tomorrow and if it means the Sox lose the game, there should be a huge out cry about it - but the "home run" hit by Curtis Granderson was a foul ball, as anyone taking a quick perusal of the replay could tell. THIS situation is why the instant replay should be instituted in Major League Baseball. The Red Sox should be playing this game under protest right now.

Game 125: Home Sweet Home

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 4, Kansas City Royals 7

Thank GOD that road trip is over – after last night the Sox limped back home having won 4 out of 10 games, lost 1.5 games in the standings and failed to perform well against two of the weaker teams in the American League.  The offense is in a slump, hitting .251 with a .689 OPS over the past seven days.  A team with one of the weakest offenses in the majors hit Schilling hard last night, as the right-hander gave up 6 runs on 9 hits over 5 innings (86 pitches), walking 1 and striking out 5.

And yet, despite the squawkings of the media and with the exception of the slump and perhaps the failure to do well against KC, none of the things that happened on this road trip should come as much of a surprise.  The 2005 Red Sox are 34 and 35 on the road – a winning percentage not too far from the one Boston achieved on this road trip.  They hit .274 and have a .797 OPS on the road – better than they did on this road trip, but not as good as the .284 AVG and .834 OPS at home.  Like it or not, Curt Schilling is still a guy recovering from a difficult surgery.  Physically he may be fine, but he’s still got to go out there and get used to starting games – remember how poorly he did in his first outing as a closer.  He may not be the same Curt he was last year by the end of the season, but it’s foolish to write off his recovery or the Red Sox chances just yet.

Meanwhile, Boston’s reward for a season spent mostly on the road (69 away games versus 56 home games) has finally come: 25 of the last 37 games are home, including a 14 game stretch starting today against Detroit, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Chicago and Anaheim, part of a larger 30 game stretch until the Sox’ next day off.  With a league-leading 38 and 18 record at home, the idea of so many home games at such an important stretch is like sweet, sweet candy.  On the flip side, many of those games are against the AL East, against which Boston has a 22 and 26 record – not as good, but hopefully the balance is enough to keep the Sox on top.

Cool idea for a poll.  It seems that many of Boston’s fans (or those who read Boston.com, anyway) agree on how Boston’s bullpen should be run, including that Craig Hansen should be pitching for Boston as a middle reliever, possibly in Remlinger’s place (about 11,000 people think that the Sox should ditch Remlinger posthaste).  Of course, keeping the fate of Cla Meredith and his on-going slump in AAA in mind, the Front Office may feel differently.  Unfortunately, Remlinger has been very inconsistent – 3 appearances with multiple runs, 3 with no runs, 1 with 1 run and not including his first two appearances, where he failed to get an out, an average of 1.2 innings per appearance.  If he was flat out terrible all the time, it would make sense to get rid of him and bring up someone like Matt Perisho in his place, but the jury still seems to be out on whether or not Remlinger will be an effective member of this team’s relief staff.  Perisho is not currently on the 40 man roster however and the Sox will have to do some juggling to call him up.

Tim Wakefield will be taking the mound in his stopper capacity once again tonight, going up against the Tigers’ Jason Johnson at 8:05 to give the grounds crew extra time to repair the field after the Rolling Stones concert.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | curt schilling | craig hansen | manny delcarmen | mike remlinger

Games 123 - 124: We Lost To The Royals?!

Final Scores

Game 123: Boston Red Sox 5, Kansas City Royals 2
Game 124: Boston Red Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 4

“Despite his “hefty lefty” appearance, Wells is an athlete. He can supposedly dunk a basketball and throw a football 70 yards. True or not, I'd take him, Trot and Kapler in a brawl against any starting nine. Anytime, anywhere.”
- Surviving Grady

While I was out rocking out, the Sox were in KC holding the status quo – a win on Tuesday by Wells, still sick from whatever bug continues to try and bring him behind the woodshed and beat the crap out of him and a terrible loss on Wednesday by the Sox offense, who stranded 13 men and left the bases loaded two innings in a row. Boston lost the game in the 11th when Arroyo, pitching in relief, gave up a sacrifice fly to score the winning run. Talking to Robin on Tuesday, it didn’t sound like the win was particularly pretty either, but fortunately for Boston, the Yankees lost yesterday as well, staying 3.5 games back in the AL East. Kevin Millar hit his first home run in forever on Wednesday, ending the ridiculous power drought – now just rinse and repeat about 15 more times, Millar and you’ll be back where you should be at this time of the year. Renteria, perhaps buoyed by the end of his own homer drought, hit the ball very well, going 3 for 5 both nights. Manny disappointed fans by not hustling in a double play situation, but Trot Nixon returned to the lineup, going 1 for 4 on Tuesday and 1 for 5 on Wednesday.

Curt Schilling makes his first start tonight since April 23, going up against Jose Lima, where he’ll have the chance to prove that he’s ready to assume the mantle of dominant starter…or will he? One start certainly won’t be telling about Curt’s real status, no more than one good start meant that Boomer was back on track earlier this summer – like other Red Sox starters this year, the rule of three good starts in a row applies, even if Curt wasn’t coming back against Kansas City, who can be beaten like a rented mule by any team on its game. Knowing this information won’t stop a flurry of media attention tomorrow, no matter how Curt does (and this article by the Herald is remarkable because of its uncommon long view on Schilling’s return) and of course Schilling will focus on it, because that’s the sort of media-loving guy he is.

Game time tonight at 8:05; a big win is in the needing, if not the offing. GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | manny ramirez | kevin millar | curt schilling | edgar renteria

Games 121 - 122: Divide And Conquer

Final Scores:

Game 121: Boston Red Sox 2, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4
Game 122: Boston Red Sox 5, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1

“He's not scared. This kid is going to help us. Period. I like him very much. I'm not going to call him kid.”
- Jason Varitek about Jonathan Papelbon

I watched two of three games this weekend and the Sox won both of them.  ‘nough said.  With the split, the Sox come out of Los Angeles with their heads held high, especially after winning last night’s close contest.  If the Angels make the playoffs again this year, the ALDS should be a good series.

Despite my disparaging comments about Ervin Santana, but the Angel’s starter was basically unhittable on Saturday, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 and 2/3rds and striking out 5 before giving way to the tag team of Shields and K-Rod.  Guns and Corn pitched fairly well, but with his offense outmatched, an average performance (the lack of efficiency – 116 pitches in 6 innings) wasn’t going to make the difference…and two errors (one by Damon and one by Renteria) didn’t help.  When Arroyo’s relief, in the form of perennial minor-leaguer Lenny DiNardo, came out to hold down the fort until the Sox started hitting again, he gave up two runs and put the score permanently out of reach.

Sunday, on the other hand, was another matter.  Although the Angels sent out another tough starter in Paul Byrd, Red Sox starter Jonathan Papelbon proved himself to be Byrd’s equal, throwing 100 pitches over 5 and 2/3rds innings, scattering 5 hits, giving up 3 walks and striking out 2.  Papelbon was scary good and I was impressed with his outing not only because he threw so well, using his fastball, the split finger that he learned from Schilling, curve and slider to great advantage, but because he didn’t get ruffled at all.  He even threw high and inside to Vlad Guerrero – not as a mistake, mind you, but to establish the inside of the plate – which is a bit like dangling raw meat in front of a shark.  Very, very impressive and it seems like he’ll only get better.  

Meanwhile, no one could string together enough hits to get a run.  The Angels got the closest, getting Cabrera to third in the first, but it wasn’t until eighth when the Sox finally broke it open in dramatic fashion: Edgar Renteria’s first home run in 199 at-bats.  Coming with two out and runners on second and third, it signaled the beginning of the end for Byrd and a definitive turning point to the game.  The next batter, Big Papi, did the only thing that could be more surprising than an Edgah bomah – he bunted.  With the overshift on and third baseman Chone Figgins too far away to make a play, Ortiz dropped a neat little bunt down the third base side and beat out the play easily.  It was Ortiz’s first bunt since playing Winter Ball while in the rookie leagues and it turned out to be very useful as well: Manny Being Manny struck next, dropping a ball just over the centerfield wall and making it 5 to 0.  

Myers and Timlin got the job done in the sixth through eighth innings and Schilling came out to finish it out for the last time before he goes back into the starting rotation on Thursday.  Schilling gave up three hits and a run before getting three outs; not the best outing and hopefully not indicative of how he’ll pitch against Kansas City, but he got the job done.

Oh, the felinity!

Along with the great news about Schilling, Trot Nixon should be back in the lineup for the Kansas City series, pending evaluation by the team.  Nixon hit well in Pawtucket yesterday and will play there again today before rejoining the Sox.  When Nixon comes back, DiNardo should be AAA-bound until after September 1.  With Schilling out of the rotation and Foulke still preparing his return, Mike Timlin will be closing some games, although he wants to avoid a defined role, saying he’ll pitch when Tito wants him to pitch.  

Kevin Millar just proved he should be cheerleading: you can’t be this positive and accepting of your new bench role and not be the team’s cheerleader.  It is pretty weird thinking of him as Magic Helmet’s defensive replacement, but then again, Olerud continues to smack the cover off the ball, bad feet or not.  

The Sox are resisting calling up Craig Hansen, who had back-to-back shutout appearances in AA Portland, despite the hole left in the bullpen.  The official reason is that they want to give Hansen more time, but I have a feeling that they’re waiting until the last second (i.e., the August 31 deadline) to monitor Foulke’s progress.  If Hansen needs to be a part of the playoff roster, they’ll call him up before the 31st; otherwise they can wait until after September 1.  Media is making comparisons between Hansen and the auspicious beginnings of K-Rod’s career in 2002, when he helped the Angels in the post-season.  

Sox are off tonight; Golden Buddha versus Zack Greinke tomorrow night in Kansas City.  KC has won its last two after a 14 game losing streak.  GO SOX!!!

tags: baseball | red sox | manny ramirez | kevin millar | john olerud | curt schilling | keith foulke | trot nixon | david ortiz | craig hansen | jon papelbon | bronson arroyo | mike timlin