Game 15: Sometimes You Just Have To Kick A Little Ass

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 9, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1

Look, I like the close games as much as the next guy. Only one run separating victor from humiliated loser, suspense at every at bat, closers coming in to nail down the game for good. But every once in awhile you need to have a real drubbing. A one sided smackdown of the highest order. A Jean Claude Van-Damme snap kick to the figurative nuts. I mean, after all the one run wins the Sox have had this year (5 and counting) it’s nice to sit back, relax and watch the Devil Fish get squished. The pitching from Schilling was fantastic (4-0 in 4 starts, a first for Curt) and the pen (Seanez, Tavarez, Foulke) only allowed 1 hit over 3 innings. Great stuff, but who cares? We like the BIG RUNS!

Youk (3 for 4 and 2 RBI) set the pace with a HUGE leadoff homerun off Doug “Clock” Waechter’s third pitch of the night. Waechter got a Chuck Norris style beating in the 3rd inning when the Sox sent 12 men to the plate and scored 7 times. The Tampa Bay bullpen was as bad as advertised (real bad) and even after Waechter was pulled the carnage continued. The Sox got 2 more off Jason Childers before pen was able to stop the bleeding. But I can’t place all the blame on the awful pitching or give total credit to the bats. The Rays made 4 costly errors and allowed 3 unearned runs. That’s fish-faced ugly.

Lowell, Loretta, Trot and Youk all had good nights at the plate. Lowell got his 8th double and went out of his way to make sure I stop making jokes about him looking as old as Julio Franco. Trot and Loretta each had 2 hits and 1 run, but the real story is Youkilis. There was a lot of talk about the offensive production dropping at 1st base this year. Well I think the critics can tone it down a bit. He gets on base, hits the big hits and does it (so far) consistently. Youk isn’t going to hit 40 homeruns, but he has an outside shot at 25 while batting .310. Those are numbers I’ll take any day. The only issue is where to bat him once Coco comes back. 9th? 6th? Well wherever they put him, it’s just nice to see him play every day. You have to love the YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUK!

Now for what I am sure is to be a complete change of pace, Thursday is going to be Wakefield vs. Scott Kazmir. You may already know that Kazmir is a card carrying member of the “Sox Killers”. He, Rodrigo Lopez and Ted Lilly are like the Legion of Doom to the Red Sox Justice League. So far they are 1-1 against these villains this year. Hopefully they can make it 2-1. GO SOX!

Fight Song for Papelbon

What'll be playing when he strikes YOU out?

Every good closer worth his kill pitch needs entrance music; something to pump up the crowd and himself and strike fear into the hearts of the batters who are about to face him. Of course, some might argue that very best closers don’t need entrance music to get ready to cow the opposition; they’re just intimidating by themselves and having the entrance music is a bit like sounding trumpets before a hanging: it gets the crowd ready for blood and loosens the bowels of the condemned. Since baseball is entertainment and entertainment thrives on spectacle, even closers like Rivera, who could care less, get their trademark sound that (hopefully) lets everyone know that stuff is about to hit the fan. As an article on Slate.com details, some closers have made better choices in this department than others; the best selections of entrance music are the ones that show how much of a badass the pitcher is and by implication, how he’s going to win the game for the home team. The Slate.com article details some of the selections over the past 40 years and looking at it, it seems being a closer is a bit like being a gangsta rapper; you use your music to show how much tougher you are than everyone else.

For the past two years in Boston, of course, we’ve had Keith Foulke coming out of the bullpen to Glenn Danzig proclaiming precisely how he’s going to corrupt your children in “Mother,” which rates pretty highly on the awesomeness scale and helps bolster Foulke’s image of a somewhat wimpy finesse-pitching closer. But for now, with Foulke still regaining his 2004 form, Jonathan Papelbon is the go-to man…and he doesn’t have entrance music. Paps put out a call for suggestions and RSN responded in force, although nothing struck Papelbon’s fancy. Still, it begs the question: if you were closing for the Boston Red Sox, what song would you pick? Robin and I each put our top five choices below (in no particular order); let us know what you’d pick in the comments section.

Eric:

1. Ozzie Osbourne - Crazy Train
   Today’s closer is part fastballer, part psycho killer, so “Crazy Train” seems an obvious choice. Plus, with an ominous intro and a riff that slowly builds in speed, this song will get the crowd going every time.


2. Anthrax - I am the Law
   Fantastic opening riff and the song is about the ultimate representative of cold, hard justice? You can almost imagine all of Fenway headbanging along to this selection.


3. The Doors – L.A. Woman
   Start with the “Mr. Mojo Rising” section, which builds up in speed, is appropriate to someone who just got off a bench to rise to the occasion and is good song for the crowd to get into (36,000 drunken idiots screaming “Rising, rising!” should do the trick).


4. Slayer - Raining Blood
   Skip the first minute or so of this song and it’s perfect for the closer looking to present the image of a complete and utter fiend on the mound. Combine pouring rain, drums like thunderclaps, squealing guitars leading to one of the best doom riffs ever and then pure metal pandemonium, all with a theme of blood pouring from the sky and you get entrance music that will make batters think that you spend your spare time sacrificing goats to your dark pitching gods. Plus, the mental picture of Fenway turning into a massive mosh pit is pretty appealing.


5. Mötley Crüe - Shout at the Devil
   So obvious it’s easy. “Shout! Shout! Shout at the Devil!” Any closer who likes to go toe to toe with the Devil is probably going to throw some high, hard heat, too.

Robin:

1. Van Halen – Hot for Teacher
   I have been pushing for SOMEONE to use this for a long time. The opening drums and guitar make ME want to pitch 97 mph. "I DON'T FEEL TARDY!!"


2. Tool – 46 and 2
   Deep, dark and brooding with an opening riff that makes teenagers (and hitters) want to cut themselves.


3. Korn – Blind
   Can you imagine 36,000 Bostonians screaming "ARE YOU READY?" I can. And it rocks.


4. The Beastie Boys – Sabotage
   Nothing says Red Sox Closer like three Jews rapping!


5. The Toadies – Tyler
   Doesn't really work for closing music I guess. Anyway it’s a great song until you listen to the lyrics and realize, "Oh my God...he's gonna rape that girl!"

Game 14: Hero By Committee

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4

This was one of those manic depressive games. The kind with lead changes and blunders and amazing plays and timely hitting and tight pitching situations and broken beer bottles and roommates saying “keep it down” and cops banging on the door and bail that’s set at the same amount that you won betting on the game. You know the kind right? Well it was like that. Clement pitched a hell of a game (7 innings, 3 R, 6 K) but didn’t get the win because Francona had him start the 8th (walked Travis Lee on 4 pitches) and then Timlin came in to do his “Oh no! Inherited runners!” routine than makes my eyes bleed and ties games up. So it was up to late inning heroics AGAIN. Sigh… they can’t make it easy.

It started with the heralded return of Manny Ramirez. Man-Ram was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, a double (his first extra base hit of the season) and a timely hit that tied the game in the bottom of the 7th. Manny was the “Fuego Grande” that we all have come to love/put up with throughout the season. I want 20 more games like this from him in a row. Maybe some homeruns too? Is that too much to ask?

Following up their amazing performance from yesterday, we have Youlkilis and Loretta, who just may be the two secret ingredients that will make this team work as a delicious souffle. Youlkilis hit a 2 out, 2 run, go ahead double in the 8th that made me tip my chair over. Loretta immediately followed suit and did the AFLAC, All-State and Geico shuffle by brining Youlk home for the insurance run. These guys could put Papi out of a job, they’re so clutch.

So we head to the 9th with Papelbon as the Ultimate Warrior (my buddy DC claims that it was the Warrior's entrance music that Paps used as he came in from the pen). It started like all of his save situations: Paps just DOMINATING. The trouble came after two outs were recorded (both K’s) and Paps looked (gasp!) human. With Carl Crawford already on base, he walks the bases loaded and Damon Hollins comes to the plate representing the go ahead run. Nerve wracking! Hands were shaky, teeth clenched, pupils dilated, bowels loosened… I was on edge. Paps gives up a line drive to center, Adam Stern is there… has to dive… and… SNOW CONE!!! Game, set, match. Oh Canada!

This awesome win makes it 3 in a row. Tomorrow it’s Schilling and you know he’s ready to give the Devil (Rays) their due.
Go Sox!

Jim "Beam" Bowden

Another reason to be grateful that Theo came back: not only are the Nationals, GMed by Jim Bowden (interviewed over the winter to take over the Sox GM position) in last place in the NL East, but Bowden was either so depressed by the Nats’ four and nine record or so happy they won two in a row against Florida this past weekend that he decided to get loaded…then drive around the Miami area.  Things were going well at first, I’m sure – the weaving, the driving way too slow or way too fast (depending on his outlook on drunk driving), the motion sickness that could eventually lead to a pit stop and hugging a guard rail – but then the long arm of the law caught up with old Jim and hauled him off to jail.  I don’t know what the drunk driving laws are like in Florida, but since Bowden didn’t hit anyone, I have a feeling a slap on the wrist and a suspended license is probably in his future.  

Game 13: Excellent Game, Excellent Ending

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Seattle Mariners 6


Patriots’ Day. It’s an annual event celebrating a battle in the Revolutionary War in a state that loves obscure holidays (did you know St. Patrick’s Day is also Evacuation Day in Boston?), with the running of the Boston Marathon and Red Sox at 11:00 in the morning; an excuse to take the day off and watch some baseball in warm Spring sun. It isn’t always pretty for the home team (and it isn’t always sunny), but today it was certainly both; in a hard fought contest, Boston emerged victorious with last-out heroics from both Youkilis and Loretta.

As a starter, Lenny DiNardo still makes me a bit nervous, but it’s clear he’s got some ability – he scattered six hits and two runs over five innings and battled his way out of a few jams that could have turned this game into a rout very quickly. Although he never held the lead during the day, he kept things close enough to keep Boston in the game and it’s clear that while he’s certainly not an overpowering pitcher, he’s clever enough to work outs. If we traded up David Wells for these sorts of performances and DiNardo can build his strength to get above 80 pitches, I’ll be happy. Mariners starter Gil Meche deserves credit for his performance, too; he stymied the Boston offense enough to keep the Sox in a position where they could answer each Mariner run with a run of their own, but never take the lead. In other words, he kept the game close and very interesting…and that’s what we really care about, right?

The two teams kept pace until the very end, when Foulke, after a seven pitch top of the eighth that shut the door long enough for the Sox to tie the score in the bottom of the inning, ran into trouble in the top of ninth, allowing runners to get to first and third. Timlin came on and preserved his perfect ERA for another outing by getting two outs, but not before Roberto Petagine knocked in a run with a pinch-hit grounder to deep second base that Loretta just managed to grab and flip to first. With Seattle ahead at the middle of the inning and the possibility of yet another comeback seeming slim, NESN played one of their “Classic Moment” clips: a 10 second flashback to last year when Renteria bunted his way on and came home moments later when Big Papi (who hit two home runs today, keeping Boston in the game) drove a three and two fastball into center to win the game. In the karma department, this move was probably about the functional equivalent of bringing in a truckload of Red Sox greats to be on hand for ring presentation, although it took a few minutes for the baseball gods to signal their approval.

It’s now the bottom of the ninth. “Everyday” Eddie Guardado, who’s got a seven and one record in save chances against Boston, is on the mound, trying to slam the door. The sun comes out and gives the field an angelic cast as Wily Mo Peña, pinch-hitting for Alex Cora, works his way to a count of three and two. The crowd is on their feet, Peña looks expectant, Guardado rears back…and blows Peña away with strike three. Some of the air goes out of the mood, but possibility still dances in the mind’s eye as Dustan Mohr, pinch-hitting for Adam Stern, comes to the plate and tries to get something started. Four pitches later, Guardado catches Mohr looking and we’re all looking at two outs. Crap. All’s not lost, though: our man Youkilis is on the job, one for three with a walk today and ready to kick ass, take names and hopefully get on to base to make sure we all go home happy.

A ground ball to deep second base. Jose Lopez snags the ball, but he had to dive for it and his throw is just behind the hustling Youkilis, who practically stumbles into first base with an infield single. Phew. Now Loretta just needs to keep things moving and then we’ll have Papi and another huge hit. Suddenly, Guardado can’t find the plate, going to two and nothing on two pitches. A walk is as good as a single here, although a pitch to hit would be good…and there it is. It’s high, it’s deep, it’s gone into the Monster Seats and just like that, Loretta goes from the second baseman that makes some good plays and has a good bat to a game-winning hero. With the win, Boston win the series, three to one.

Tomorrow the Sox wind up the first home stand of the year with the first game in a set of three against Tampa Bay, Clement facing Casey “The Blade” Fossum (now sporting facial hair that makes him look like he’s taken to snorting speed and driving big-rigs) and hoping to bounce back after his last bad outing against the Jays. GO SOX!!!

Game 12: Bad-Ass Pitching, Bad Hitting

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 3, Seattle Mariners 2

6 – 0 Combined. Yeah… they’re that good

I think Beckett celebrates Easter Sunday by pumping his fist and screaming “Chocolate EGGS!! I am gonna eat chocolate-mother******-eggs!” He was a monster again today with 7 strong innings, 1 earned run off 6 hits, 1 walk and 5 K’s. He got into some trouble thanks to the lax defense (Loretta and Wily Mo I am looking at you) but he seemed to get out of every jam with a well placed strike out or popup. After a double play in the 4th, Beckett did his usual flurry of fist pumps and screaming and then went to the dugout to have a nice meal of rusty nails and magma. I bet the first line of his resume says “Bad-Ass” and he always gets the job.

The bullpen was just as good. Timlin had a one hit 8th but kept his ERA at zero thanks to Manny making two AMAZING catches (not a typo). Papelbon got his 6th save with a perfect 9th and in 7 innings he has only given up 2 hits. Like Beckett, he is also a RSBA (Red Sox Bad-Ass) and will be so for the foreseeable future.

Other than all of that awesomeness… this game sucked. This hitting is totally absent in a Twilight Zone/bad thriller-movie sort of way. Men on base? Forget ‘em. They’re gone for ever! They only scored in the first inning because of a bad call by the first base ump (Tek should have been out at first). The only extra base hit was a double from Loretta and he was stranded at third, surprising nobody. Manny got a (infield) hit today, causing audible gasps from the crowd and raising his average to a LOFTY .215. Yeah, I know he always starts slow… but this is really crazy.

The defense was just as painful. Loretta had the only scored error with his bobble that allowed Ichiro to reach, but Wily Mo was truly unwatchable in the field. He gave up triple when a ball bounced over his head and to the wall in the 3rd and another on a similar play in the 6th. With clean fielding, Beckett might have had a shutout.

Ok enough whining. They win again with excellent pitching, poor fielding and absent hitting, but it’s still a win. Tomorrow is the running of the Boston Marathon and the annual Patriots Day 11AM start. DiNardo is trying to win the 4 game series against Seattle.

GO SOX!

Game 11: Good News/Bad News

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 0, Seattle Mariners 3

Good News: Wake went 9 innings with only 2 earned and saved the bullpen from overuse.
Bad News: Wake gave up 9 hits and Bard allowed an unearned run off passed balls. One bad inning ruined the whole day.

Good News: Francona gave some of the starters the day off. Much needed rest for those guys.
Bad News: Cora, Stern, Bard, Snow and Gonzo do not make for a potent lineup.

Good News: Manny got a hit. Perhaps a sign he’s getting out of the slump?
Bad News: Manny had 2 strikeouts and is batting .205. He’s playing like a lost kitten.

Good News: Wily Mo had 2 hits and was the offensive star of the day.
Bad News: Wily Mo had more trouble in the outfield when he badly misjudged a ball and let it go over his head.

Good News: Ummmm…
Bad News: It wasn’t like guys didn’t have chances. The Sox left 9 runners on base.

Good News: Hey… quit it!
Bad News: In the 2nd inning, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with no outs. Gonzo (K), Stern (K) and Cora (groundout) couldn’t get the job done. No runs.

Good News: No, really. Cut it out…
Bad News: David Wells is going back on the DL after only one start.

Wait… is that even considered bad news?
I'm unsure. Go Sox?

Game 10: Win 200, Schilling Style

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 2, Seattle Mariners 1

There may have been a big hole in the middle of the lineup: one for eleven with a walk between Ortiz, Manny and V-Tek. The Sox might have hit five (yes, five) doubles off starter Jamie Moyer and his relief and only been able to turn those doubles into two runs in the fourth, leaving eleven men on base. However, even though the offense was almost non-existent with runners in scoring position, it didn’t matter: Schilling was on the mound and he was on. Giving up no hits to Seattle until Kenji Johjima hit a single in the third. Striking out the side on fourteen pitches in the second. Pitching like he had ice water instead of blood in his veins when the Mariners managed to get the tying run to third base. It was a site to behold in a season where Schilling has already made two quality starts. One run, three hits, seven strikeouts and pinpoint control over eight innings with Papelbon’s fifth save to finish off the ninth give Schilling a 3 and 0 record and Francona’s 200th win as the Red Sox manager.

Moyer, who’s normally pretty god-awful against Boston (seventeen runs over thirteen innings/three starts over the past three years), deserves some credit for his pitching performance – normally Ortiz and Ramirez own him and tonight they couldn’t touch his pitching with a ten foot pole. A ten foot pole that was also ten feet high. Moyer had a singular ability to wriggle out of tight situations tonight and if it wasn’t for Alex Gonzalez (yes, the Alex Gonzalez who boosted his average about 100 points tonight by going three for four and who will hopefully be making many appearances in the future), we’d probably still be watching that game.

Tomorrow afternoon, Wakefield and Pineiro face off as Wakefield tries to keep the ball rolling against the Mariners. Ortiz and Manny both have career numbers against Pineiro that are comparable to their success against Moyer, so maybe we’ll see some slugging from the heart of the order go down tomorrow. GO SOX!!!

Game 9: Seeking Help

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 6, Toronto Blue Jays 8“Hello… My name is Matt (Clement had 7 earned in 4 innings). I am a member from last year and I have a problem. I let too many runners score and don’t give my team a chance to catch up. I used to be good in the first half of the season, but not anymore. I have been told I suck.”

Hi Matt. Welcome.

“Hey there… My name is David (Wells was the big loser last night), and I have the same problem Matt has. Also, I can’t stop eating snacks and drinking booze. Does anyone have a Hostess cake or Jello shot?”

Nope. Sorry David, but welcome.

“Sup? I’m Manny. I like long walks on the beach, swinging at the first pitch and asking for trades during the off-season and all-star break. I usually don’t show up at these things, but since I haven’t had an extra base hit in the first 9 games, they asked me to come.”

Hi there Manny!

“My name is Alex, but people call me Gonzo. I am not sure if I’m in the right place. Is this where you go if you bat around .167?”

Yep. Welcome Gonzo!

“Hello again. My name is Keith and I think this may be my last meeting (2 innings, 1 hit, 2 K's, no runs). Last year I had a problem closing games out or keeping them close. However, with your help and the support of my coaches, I may be past that forever. Thanks for your faith and patience.”

Bye Keith. Hope we don’t see you soon!

“Yo man. People call me “Big Papi” and I do that nasty thing I always do. Is this where I go to tally my homeruns (3 in 3 games) and RBI’s?”

Nope. MVP consideration is across the street. Whose next?

“Yo! What’s up mother*****? Name is Ted Lilly and you better remember it! I am a badass with mad-skillz who likes to take apart teams like the “Pink Sox” and tip over cars and drink Everclear. Also I drive a dirtbike and I got a cousin named Road Hog. Touch me and I’ll break your face! JAYS BABY!”

Alright, I have had just about enough out of you Mr. Lilly. I wish you would use those “mad-skillz” on some other team. Awww…. Forget it.

Go SOX!!

Game 8: Meltdown at the all You can eat Buffet

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 4, Toronto Blue Jays 8

Trust me, the starting pitching was not this keyed up tonight

This was not your late 90’s Wells tonight, fastball steaming past the hitters inside, curveball dropping out of sight as hitters swing and miss and look foolish. No, tonight he got hit like a redheaded stepchild on a rented mule. There was one streak of seven batters where the old magic returned, but seven runs on ten hits over four innings does not a good outing make.

On the plus side, long relief Lenny DiNardo made a quality showing, scattering six hits over three innings, striking out two, walking one and giving up a run. He even worked himself out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth without surrendering a run, showing some quality poise that might turn him into a mid-rotation starter at some point. For some reason, though, every time I see a young pitcher escape a tight situation without damage I think of Bronson Arroyo two years ago, giving up a triple at the start of an inning and then getting three outs without allowing a run to score.

Speaking of Arroyo, it was a big night for Wily Mo. Either last night’s debacle was so embarrassing that he decided to stop swinging freely, or Manny or Ortiz sat him down and told him what’s what, or he really liked the furniture he got today, because Wily Mo started out the night with a walk (a walk, for God’s sake; he took four pitches without swinging at them!) and worked a single before hitting his first jack of the year into the photographers’ well in centerfield. It was awesome. Papi had a perfect night with two walks, a double and homerun number three and Dustin Mohr hit his first homer on his second at bat (seeing a common theme?). Although it wasn’t the best night for the offense, the good news is that the only weak point in Boston’s game was Wells’ less-than-stellar stuff. Of course, the bad news is that one of the Sox starting five is still working through his Spring Training issues.

Tomorrow, Night of the Nemesis Part 2, as Boston faces the vice-president member of the Rodrigo Lopez Club, Ted Lilly. Will the magic that worked a win against Lopez on April 9 be back again? Only time will tell. GO SOX!!!

Wily Mo Peña, Family Man

Bob's Furniture: delivering bedrooms, dining rooms, bat speed...?

So, apparently Wily Mo Peña has plans to stay in Boston for a while. Frankly, I approve of these plans highly; yesterday and Bronson Arroyo’s two home runs to Wily Mo’s none notwithstanding, the Sox have their hands on a talented slugger who will develop more discipline at the plate, learn the confines of the Fenway outfield and, most likely, take Manny’s spot behind Ortiz when Ramirez and his big contract move on. For now, with Nixon out five to seven games with his minor groin injury and Coco Crisp nursing his finger fracture, Peña, Adam “Canadian Idol” Stern and Pawtucket-call up Dustin Mohr will have the chance to split time playing center and right field and Peña will have the chance to get past his nerves, stop swinging at every pitch and avoid running into walls. But how I do know Peña plans to stay in Boston for a while? Because, my friends, I have inside sources.

Ok, one inside source. And by inside source, I mean my buddy Alan, who works for Bob’s Furniture and called me to brag that he had just met Peña by delivering three bedroom sets, a dining room set and a living room set to Peña’s new home. That’s right; Keep Your Sox on in Brooklyn, coming at you with the hot scoops. Next, we’ll be the first to announce that Manny Ramirez has decided that flailing wildly at pitches might not be the best way to hit them.

Game 7: Stand on Ceremony

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3

Playing hooky today? You are not alone! It is opening day at Fenway and the truant officers are busy all over New England (here as well because the Mets and Yanks started early). Everyone called in sick to see Josh Beckett take on Josh Towers and the Jays. I heard that the loser of this match up will be referred to as “Joshua” for the rest of the season, spreading shame and added vowels to his family and loved ones.

Before we get to the actual baseball however, we need to sit through the presentation that never ends. Introductions for every player and coach (followed by “DUH DUH” increasing in pitch to the point that when it got to the bat boys, only dogs could hear the tones), the Canadian National Anthem sung by a children’s choir and Adam Stern (must have been a hazing thing), a Jimmy Fund kid signing the American National Anthem (I will go to hell for even THINKING that was funny), and the surviving members of the 1946 Pennant winning team driving on the field in classic cars to throw out the first pitches. By the time the A-10 aircrafts did the fly-over I think the ceremony had been going on for 7 hours. I lost track of time and feeling in my legs.

Anyway, it seems that I was not the only one driven to distraction by the morning events. Beckett gave up a single and walked 3 (one with the bases loaded) to start off the game. Luckily a well timed double play ended the threat and we were treated to a flurry of fist pumps and high fives. The following 6 innings he looked like a different guy. Only 2 more hits and a walk for the rest of the game. Will someone let me know if Beckett is going to start off shaky and then be amazing till the 7th inning of all his starts? Cause if he is it would be nice to make that common knowledge. Might decrease the chance I have a mental collapse every fifth day.

The defense helped him again in the 4th with one of the more amazing double plays I have EVER seen. Molina hits a line drive to a jumping Loretta who just manages to tip the ball to Gonzo who touches second and then fires to first. Amazing, but I think they could have dropped the ball, dusted it off and walked it to first base. Molina has cat like speed, but it’s Garfield the cat.

Meanwhile, Towers got roughed up by some of the newer guys. Lowell went 4-4 with 3 doubles (not a typo), Stern had a steal and a 2 RBI double and Youlk was 2-4 with a RBI. Big Papi added a solo shot in the 7th off reliever Chulk, but most of the damage was done to Towers in the 2nd inning. The bad news is that Manny looked completely lost, Gonzo has infield power, and Wily Mo (who didn’t even start) had an all around horrible day.

Wily was replacing Nixon who hurt his groin in fielding a ball in the 2nd (they are calling it a minor sprain). He swung at every pitch he saw and looked like he was in a hurry to get some lunch after the game. Unfortunately, his hitting WASN’T the worst part of his afternoon. In the 8th Foulke came in with a 5-1 lead and after a single by Russ Adams, left fielder Frank Catalanotto hit a DEEP fly ball to right. Wily went back… over the bullpen wall… and… it bounced out of his glove for a 2 run homer. Ugh. Well if Trot is going to miss some significant time over this groin thing, Wily will get some more practice. It looks like he needs it.

Papelbon slammed the door in the 9th with another strikeout to keep his ERA at a lofty 0.00. I love this guy (check out his Weird Mitigating Factor score)! Another save for him and another win for Beckett. A nice finish to a day of gilded lilies, pomp and circumstance.

Tomorrow, lock up your snack foods. David Wells makes his 2006 debut and he is hungry for a win… and just plain hungry. GO SOX!!

Body Parts: Finger of the Team

Sidelined for now...

In the less happy news, Coco Crisp will have the opportunity to plan out his new reality show a bit more over the next week or so: the centerfielder, who’s started to win the hearts and minds of RSN with his bat, speed and a few excellent catches gave himself a non-displaced fracture in his left index finger in a botched slide into third while caught stealing against the Orioles on Saturday. He’ll be out for ten days with a splint on his finger and then reevaluated to see if he’s ready to play. Another point in Crisp’s favor: he didn’t want medical attention for the sore finger and said he could have played yesterday, pain and all. Perhaps we have another Dirt Dog in the making?

Losing Crisp for ten days or more is bad because he’s been hot with the bat and in the field, but it’s a lot better than it could be: we have the hero of Canada/US WBC game, Adam Stern, to take his place. Stern, who’s plenty speedy and went two for five with two RBI yesterday will hopefully continue to solidify his place on Sox teams of the future before heading back to Pawtucket when Crisp comes back.

Speaking of the future, if this rumor pans out in favor of Boston, we might finally be able to declare the AL East – if not the whole post-season – a lock for the first time in eleven years. A rotation sporting a healthy Schilling, Beckett and Dontrelle Willis with Wakefield and either Wells or Clement to mix it up would be disgustingly good – certainly worth the price of dealing Jon Lester to Florida (see The Hanley Ramirez Corollary) – and a great challenge to the pitching juggernaut the Other Sox have set up in Chicago. I have a feeling that the D-Train action won’t go down until closer to the trading deadline, but with the Marlins continuing to dump salary to afford a move, I think it’s only a matter of time.

Tomorrow afternoon, Beckett opens up the first home stand of the year against Josh Towers and the Blue Jays. So far, the Oracle has been right about both Beckett and Papelbon; let’s see if the magic continues. GO SOX!!!

Body Parts: Face of the Team

Numero uno, baby

Just announced: David Ortiz will stay a Red Sox through the 2010 season, with an option for 2011. That’s four years at least, kids…four years of balls crushed to all fields, of hilarious press conferences, of big grins and complicated high fives. Four years of late inning heroics and MVP, supah-clutch hitting. As no doubt most of you have noticed, David Ortiz is my favorite Red Sox, so I’m beyond ecstatic that the team got this deal done now before it could become an issue in the off-season or, more importantly, before another team could swoop down and snatch Boston’s franchise player away. As it turns out, Theo not only agreed with me by making the signing he’d be foolish to ignore, but actually said so in the post-signing press conference: Ortiz was the signing the team had to do now, because they wouldn’t be able to afford to wait for free agency. Varitek is the Captain, Wakefield is the Elder Statesman and now Ortiz is the Face of the Team.

Speaking of the heroics of the 2004 ALCS, Robin and I were watching this clip on The San Diego Serenade, where a guy took the audio feed Vin Scully’s broadcast from Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and put it with video he captured from R.B.I. Baseball to recreate those last few fateful moments where the Red Sox blew their chances to win. It’s worth checking out – if nothing else, it’s incredible how much emotional power some audio can give to a bunch of 8-bit characters playing baseball – but while we were watching Mookie Wilson foul pitch after pitch, Robin commented that the tension we were feeling about Bob Stanley being unable to close the door was probably how Yankee fans felt at the end of Games 4 and 5. Rereading the posts now, a year and a half later, I’m still not entirely sure how it all happened. I’m just really, really glad that the man at the center of it all wants to be in Boston for the rest of his career.

Game 6: According to Plan

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 4, Baltimore Orioles 1

2004 and 2005 stats for Rodrigo Lopez:
vs the Red Sox: 2.87 ERA
vs the rest of the league: 4.50 ERA

You see? You see? He’s not THAT good. Trust me he isn’t. The Sox just have a mental block when facing him. Any Red Sox that has consistently faced him does poorly. However, the front office (using wheelbarrows of cash and infinite wisdom) has found a solution:

Step 1. Use a lineup of guys he has never (or almost never) faced before.

Adam Stern (Coco just jammed his pinky on the ugly slide into third yesterday)
J.T. Snow
Alex Gonzalez
Mike Lowell
Mark Loretta (3 previous AB’s)
Josh Bard (6 previous AB’s)

Step 2. Forget slugging. Use the “small ball”.

All 9 of the Red Sox hits were singles. For a team that has lead the league in OPS for 3 consecutive years “small ball” usually means “a double that only scores 1 run”. There was a sac bunt (!?!?!), a few hit and run plays and heads up running that took advantage of sloppy defense. It was like watching one of those boring NL teams that win all those close games. It’s Bizzaro World.

Step 3. Have the pitching keep you in the game.

Wakefield was good for 6. He got into some slight jams (errors by Loretta and Gonzo didn’t help) but he got out mostly unscathed. Timlin had a shaky but scoreless 7th and Foulke looked like he was going to pitch in the 8th but then Mr. Peabody and Sherman used the Way Back Machine to unleash the 2004 version of Foulke. Either this stuff just kicked in or he was perfect with 2 K’s. Damn. He was perfect with 2 K’s. Finally, Papelbon proving that his weakness isn’t Kryptonite and red sunlight, gave up a double and hit Tejada before getting the last three outs. That’s his third save this week for those keeping score at home.

It's a SWEEP in Baltimore and a successful win vs a known Red Sox killer. The plan works! Hear that Ted Lilly? We gonna get ya!

Next up: Toronto and the home opener on Tuesday. The boys are back in town.
GO SOX!

Game 5: Cold As Ice

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 2, Baltimore Orioles 1

You know that you are…

Just like the Foreigner ballad, it WAS chilly in Camden Yards. The rain finally let up after a 1 ½ hour delay and we had a ballgame where mittens and sweaters were not an uncommon sight. It was about 44 degrees at game time (that’s Fahrenheit for all you metric using nerds) and it only got colder as the innings progressed. The fans were bundled, the players were bundled and I think I saw a memorabilia collector using his signed Rafael Palmeiro bats as kindling. To reiterate: IT WAS COLD.

And yet the Sox pitching was still red hot. Schilling (now 2-0) gave up 3 hits and one earned run (a Matos solo shot) over 7 strong innings. Again, he looked like the guy from 2004. He has the stuff to win 20+ games as long as he remains healthy. And like before, he was real fired up to strikeout Conine to end his performance. A dominating show. Timlin also had a good showing in the 8th. He allowed a single but no more and he too looked like he was at the top of his game.

Unfortunately, the Sox bats were as cold as the weather. Sure they had 7 hits and 6 walks (it seemed like they were going to hammer Bruce Chen in the 6th) but they only ended up with 2 runs and left the bases loaded twice. “Leave em on” Lowell stranded 4 all by his lonesome and Wily Mo (getting the start against the lefty Chen) looked AWFUL with 2 big strikeouts. There were also some base running blunders. In the 3rd, Crisp with his blinding speed stole second and immediately had aspirations on third base. Chen saw him and gunned him down like a clay pigeon. His late and awkward slide was as poor as the attempt itself. Nice idea… poor execution.

After all this talk about temperatures, I must say that the coldest thing in the park wasn’t the air or the hitting. It was the blood coursing through Jon Papelbon’s veins which must be at Absolute 0. Just 100% lights out. When he trotted in from the bullpen in the 9th he looked as if he were jogging in to pitch BP. Tejada: pop out, Gibbons: pop out, Millar: a WICKED K. He was throwing heat the whole time (94-97) and looked as if he could go 2 more innings. Not since Foulke was in his prime in 2004 (and maybe Tom Gordon in 1998) was I this confidant in a closer. He looks as if he could do this every day.

1:35 tomorrow is the final game in the series and the last game before the home opener on Tuesday. Tim “Bard is not ‘Bellie” Wakefield will face Rodrigo “Sox Killer” Lopez. Could someone PLEASE inform Mr. Lopez that he is a mediocre pitcher and NOT the Cy Young candidate he looks like when he faces us? Thanks…

GO SOX.

Game 4: Grind It Out

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 14, Baltimore Orioles 8


Ah, those long grinders. Although it’s always nice when the good guys score early and often, it doesn’t make for a particularly exciting game. After the initial burst of Red Sox runs, where the Boston offense lit up Cabrera like fireworks on the Esplanade on July 4th, the fun was mostly in watching Clement work – one or two hits and a walk through six innings as Ole Matty made the Baltimore hitters look foolish. By the seventh, though, Clement started to tire, pitches started to hang and the Orioles started building a comeback. Not a real comeback, mind you; just enough to make the game drag for the next three innings. Rudy Seanez came in to put out the fire or, if you prefer, waste outs and absorb runs (four runs on six hits before he got all three outs in eighth). By the time Foulke came on for a confidence building nearly perfect ninth, the end was just a matter of time. Really slow time.

Obviously, tonight was a breakout night for the offense picking on some weak pitching, but with luck, it’s the start of some momentum: Lowell went two for three, Youkilis had a perfect night with a walk, three hits and two runs, Nixon hit home run number two and Manny rocked the house with three hits, three runs, two RBI and a walk…and he ran out a single that shot down the left field line and off of Matos’ glove at third like he would go for a double if possible. In other words, he’s motivated and that’s always good for Red Sox bats.

Tomorrow afternoon at 4:35, the rotation starts over again as Schilling goes for win number two against Bruce Chen, pride of Panama. When Chen is on he throws a pretty good game, so this should be a good match up. We’ll see if fourteen runs tonight kills the offense for tomorrow, or if Boston can keep the momentum going. GO SOX!!!

The Fielding Bible: Sex Panther

"'They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time.'
'That doesn't make sense.'"

So, if I recall correctly, the part of the New Philosophy of Developing the Farm and Ditching Big Contracts that the Sox implemented this winter was acquiring a group of players who could reverse the trend of terrible infield defense from the past two years and create a playing environment where Boston would stop losing games because someone let a ball drop or slip through the infield, even if it meant losing some batting power in the process. Well, as it turns out, it could all be for nothing, or so says a new book by John Dewan, who runs the company that tracks the location of every pitch and ball put in play and sells it to twelve teams including, you guessed it, the Red Sox.

The book, called “The Fielding Bible,” purports to solve a problem that’s bugged stat-heads for years: how do you effectively measure a player’s defensive capabilities? Up until now, no one had come up with a system that separated the player’s actions from the vagaries of the field, the type of pitch the pitcher used, etc. to come up with a rating that reflected the player’s abilities alone. According to the scoring system “The Fielding Bible” touts, the team this year has a defensive rating inferior to that of the 2006 team. Yes, that’s right, the team that has the capability to field Gold Glove winners at every infield position except pitcher is markedly inferior to the team that featured Edgar “Most Errors in the Majors” Renteria. Confused? So was I.

I won’t go into the details of the points the scoring system uses, as the Globe’s article does a good job of explaining how it works, but it has some serious flaws – it doesn’t take into account ability to handle throws (one of J.T. Snow’s specialties), turn double plays (something Mark Loretta does well) or charge bunts (where Mike Lowell is the league’s best). It also doesn’t take into account outfield assists either, so Manny Ramirez gets no love. In other words, the guys Theo & Co. picked up over the off-season do actually know what they’re doing and there’s no need to panic quite yet.

That said, it still sounds like “The Fielding Bible” might be worth the read. For example, it shows that Renteria was actually a decent fielder last year…as long as the ball wasn’t hit directly at him (remember all of those slow rollers he couldn’t handle?), that Bill Mueller was an above average third baseman and that Trot Nixon was the best right fielder in the big leagues (see, I knew the human highlight reel was a good nickname). And hey, if nothing else, this new defensive system is a step in the right direction…just as long as teams (and fans) don’t use it the wrong way.

Tonight: Matt Clement, no longer sporting the chin growth of yesteryear, goes up against Daniel Cabrera, on seasonal leave as the Cigar Store Indian to pitch for the Orioles, at 7:05. GO SOX!!!

Game 3: Sweet Emotion

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 2, Texas Rangers 1

You can't catch me 'cause the rabbit gone died

Get pumped! Get crazy! I want riots in the streets people! I want cars turned over, structure fires and broken glass. I want every city and every town to look like Detroit on a Friday night. I want a mass of totally whacked-out people jumping up and down celebrating the Josh Beckett era in Boston. You want fist pumps? He brings em. You need angry words yelled at the ground? That’s gonna happen. How about some psyced up teammates? Schilling has you and Beckett covered. You want to see lots of applesauce consumed between innings? He does that too (what was that by the way?). Beckett brings it all to the table and then clears and does dishes afterwards. It’s a sight to behold.

After a rough first inning (1 run on 3 hits and a passed ball) he settled down and threw 109 pitches of gas and nails mixed with beef jerky and TNT. Beckett was great through 7, but the Rangers starter Kameron “Don’t call me Derek” Loe had all the Sox batters completely fooled with his nasty sinker. It was unbearable watching guys flail away and wasting the amazing performance by Beckett. I was pulling my hair out. I mean Kameron Loe??? He sounds like a bad guy on a daytime soap opera.

“Damn you Kameron! I don’t love you… I love your identical amnesiac twin Walter.”
“Well too bad Angela. While you were in that coma… I had Walter killed! HAHAHA!!!”

Whatever. They still couldn’t touch him. The Papi/Manny combo had no hits and one walk between them. Besides a wasted (but amazing) Coco Crisp triple, it wasn’t till the 7th when Loe started to waiver that Nixon managed to hit a 2 run shot. A small lead that would prove hard to maintain.

Beckett was followed by a still slightly rusty Mike Timlin, who quickly had a man on first and second with only one out. Then some reverse karma. Kevin Mench singled to left field and the Rangers third base coach (surprisingly NOT Dale Sveum) sends Mark Teixeira around from second. Manny throws a strike to Lowell who gets it to Tek with plenty of time. OUT! Day is saved, Timlin gets out of it and on to the 9th… here comes Foulke… deep breaths.

Wait a sec… Foulke is not taking his sweatshirt off. Jon Paplebon has been warming since the 8th and looks ready to go. What’s happening??

It seems like when it’s close, late and the Red Sox are winning, Papelbon will have the baseball. This time it worked. No hits, walks, runs or drama. Just 3 outs (2 strikeouts) and fist pumps from Paps and Beckett. What a win for Beckett and what a save for Paps.

The only damper on a win this good was the icy stare from Foulke in the bullpen. A page has been turned. As of today Paps is the #1 guy. Maybe it’s a temporary thing while Foulke slowly regains his composure. Maybe Foulke will see action in 2-3 run save situations. Maybe it will change back in the next few weeks. Maybe not. He said all the right stuff in the after interviews. Said he was a “member of the Red Sox” and thats all that mattered, but we know better. I saw his face when he was ready to go and someone else took his job. As of now he’s a set up guy. A Timlin, a DiNardo, a Seanez (shudder). How will this affect his emotions? Only time and his ERA will tell.

GO SOX.

Game 2: You Win Some...

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 4, Texas Rangers 10

The physics don't always work in your favor...

A mixed bag tonight, as the knuckleball didn’t dance well enough to fool the Texas hitters and Boston hitting only got purchase off the Rangers’ rather unreliable relief corps. Not that the Boston bullpen did much better; DiNardo and Riske combined to give up four runs over about four innings and help push the game further out of reach. The entire session was a demonstration of how bad things can be when the combinations don’t come together.

Remember how frightening it was to watch Jason Varitek catch Tim Wakefield during the 2004 ALCS, when Tito wouldn’t take Varitek out because he needed his bat, he wouldn’t take Wake out because there was no one left to pitch and it felt like the entire series would end on a pass ball? Watching Josh Bard catch Wake conjures up the exact same feelings. The good news? This was the second game of the season. The bad news? This was the second game of the season. Three pass balls to Bard’s credit tonight didn’t help Wakefield’s rhythm, I’m sure.

Manny somehow managed to see 10,000 pitches tonight and still strike out 4 times. The man is beyond mystifying. On the flip side of things, Ortiz has touched based six out of ten times already and Coco Crisp is hitting .444 with four runs and a stolen base.

I forgot about how MLB.com insists on alternating TV broadcasts on MLB.tv during a series. It’s not like these stations aren’t broadcasting anyway and somehow Gameday Audio has the option to pick your channel…how come they can redesign the MLB.tv player (which I like, by the way) and not give you the option of choosing NESN every single time if you wanted to? I mean, this Texas station is so ghetto they’re using the radio feed for the audio and has no onscreen graphics or replays whatsoever. I also just noticed the cameras focus on a reporter with a mic with the logo of TV station on it in the stands. Seems like us video subscribers are getting the short end of the stick on all counts.

Tomorrow night, Boy Wonder Josh Beckett attempts to pull off the first rubber game win of the season against Kameron Loe. Let’s see the magic, boys…GO SOX!!!

Game 1: Starting With a Smile

Final Score:

Boston Red Sox 7, Texas Rangers 3

A Big Papi is a happy Papi

Ahhh, the fist game of the season. The first hit, first run, first big strikeout, the first time Remy calls one of the new guys the wrong name, the first time you watch Manny doze off only to make an amazing catch and then go back to sleep standing up, the first time you swear at a TV/radio/newspaper box score, the first win. It’s always worth savoring that FIRST one and unlike the last 6 seasons, the Red Sox started out on a good note.

It was a beautiful day in Texas (the state not to be messed with) and the Rangers started the season with the former Indian Kevin Millwood at the mound. He faced a thinner, happier healthier Curt Schilling in what LOOKED like a pitchers duel until the Sox broke it wide open. 0-0 in the 4th, Tek steps to the plate with Ortiz at second and Nixon on first and he takes Millwood’s first pitch off the wall. A 2 run double for the captain.

In the 5th, Crisp gets waived around from first on a Loretta double and Papi takes care of the rest. I have this theory that Theo and friends are passing around this fake scouting report on Ortiz that reads: “Yeah pitch him a little inside or right over the plate, he NEVER hits those. Oh and there’s no such thing as a clutch player”. Well it looks like Millwood found a copy of that and gives Papi a slightly inside meat ball that ends up bouncing off the top of the right field foul pole. Just keep throwing him that one folks. You can tell by all the runs how fooled he is. He also doubled in a run in the 7th making him 5-3 with 2 R, 3 RBI and a triple away from the cycle. He makes it look easy.

Mike Lowell (not dead after all) added an 8th inning tater to round out the Sox 7 runs. Anyone else remember all that nonsense about this team not being able to hit? Me neither.

For the most part, the pitching was superb. Schilling (7 inn, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) had good command on his fastball. It started a little slow but topped out at 96mph. He started to tire in the 6th and gave up a Hank Blalock 2 run jack but came out for the 7th and looked good. Paplebon threw a no hit 8th and then Foulke came in and gave up a run on 2 hits in the 9th. I must say I am a little worried about him. He’s like a boogeyman hiding in the closet waiting to jump out and spoil your good dream. If he is real bad and Francona hangs his hat on him too long, he could single handedly ruin the whole season. Thoughts like that after a blowout win make you a TRUE Red Sox fan.

Oh well, one win down, 161 to go. GO SOX!

Play Ball!

So this is it, the day when the games start to count until October, when we start to answer the questions about the viability of this year’s team and their ability to overcome the numerous potential problems that lurk in the shadows like demons of disaster. The specters of Schilling’s ankle, Foulke’s knees, Beckett’s hands, Nixon’s back, Loretta’s Coco Crisp’s reaction to the pressure, Mike Lowell’s bat, Tavarez’s temper and the abilities of the entire bullpen all flit about, taunting Red Sox Nation with the uncertainties of failure. If things come together, though…

The original plan for the evening was that Robin and I were going to gather at my apartment in the evening, sport the necessary gear and scream obscenities or cheers at the TV while my girlfriend wonders why she’s dating a Red Sox fan. However, a quick check of today’s schedule to see whether or not the game started at 7:05 or 8:05 revealed that, horror of horrors, the game starts at 2:05 this afternoon. 2:05?!? A major market team playing an up-and-comer like Texas and the fans get played like we’re rooting for Kansas City? I see ESPN2 is partly behind the broadcast – I assume I have them to blame. In any case, both Robin and I have alternate means of viewing to contest and Robin will be back later with today’s recap. Baseball’s back, kids and it is with pleasure that I say for the first time this season:

GO SOX!!!

Bronson Arroyo will eat your Babies and Swallow your Soul

So it’s the 7th inning, Cincinnati is winning 1 – 0 in the final Florida game of Spring Training and Bronson Arroyo has nine strikeouts.  I think he might be channeling his rage about the trade into his performance against Boston.  Maybe.

Your 2006 Boston Red Sox

Opening Day...so close...

Although the final due date isn’t until Monday, Tito and Theo have made the decisions, exercised the options, made the cuts, operated the waiver-wire, named those who are Pawtucket-bound and created the 25 man roster for Opening Day. The last man standing for 2006? New acquisition and member of the Korean National Team Hee-Seop Choi, who has a single minor option left and will be in Pawtucket assuming he clears another set of waivers. Since a whole bunch of teams just passed him up a few days ago, it’s safe to say that Theo’s insurance pick for first base – to be activated if Lowell doesn’t work out and Youkilis needs to move to third or if J.T. Snow suddenly realizes that even though he looks like he’s 12, he’s actually 38 and decides it’s time to retire – will still be in Boston’s possession at the start of next week.

Today’s announcement also includes the likely starting lineups, broken out by type of pitcher. The choices in personnel aren’t too surprising – Peña substituted for Nixon against lefties, Snow platooned with Youkilis against righties only – but what I did find interesting is that Tito didn’t opt to go for the power core of Ortiz, Manny and Peña against lefties. Instead, Francona slotted Peña into the seventh slot, after Varitek and Lowell. I imagine the idea is to give Lowell some protection (much like Manny protects Ortiz now) by making the idea of pitching around Lowell to get to Peña less palatable. Of course, Lowell actually needs to hit to make that strategy worthwhile. It could also be that Peña is supposed to fill the role that Bill Mueller had in the lineup the past few year – the dangerous bottom of the order hitter who could make things difficult for a tired pitcher and start something up for the top of the lineup.

Meanwhile, down in FLA, Foulke looks back to form – on his first time out, at least. And even then, the victims of his thirteen pitch, three strikeout inning were minor leaguers, members of the Ottawa Lynx. Still, Foulke closed the door on each batter with a different pitch and even more encouraging, there’s a 12 MPH difference between his changeup and his fastball – and the closer promises to grow that gap even more as the season opens. With appearances today against the Jays and over the weekend before the season opener in Texas, Foulke’s got some more opportunities to prove that he’s really back to 2004 form before it starts to count. I’m going to remain cautiously optimistic on this one and try to forget that Foulke is another one of those elements of this team that needs to work out if the Sox want to have a shot at the playoffs.

WMF Redux

The season is starting soon (next week! wooo!) so we will be doing weekly updates of the WMF stat column Eric and I added to the site. Check out the Weird Mitigating Factors post to get info on how that all works.

Poor Trot. Any other year he would have a real high WMF, but with all the pickups the front office has made, I bet he sees a younger guy waiting to take his spot every time he turns around.