Catching Problems? Bring in Josh Bard, Of Course!

Imagine you're the Red Sox (fun, right?). You have, as Robin pointed out in strongly-worded commentary bordering on hysteria, no catchers on your 25 man roster: your captain is on the market awaiting a multi-year offer that may never come and your backup - who, I should note, is one of the few catchers out there with the ability to catch the knuckleball pitcher who you still have on staff - hit the bricks for the shelter of your rivals because you made the odd decision to non-tender after his best (if admittedly not superb) season yet. What do you do?

Try and sign Josh Bard, apparently. You know, the guy the Sox sent to San Diego two seasons ago to get back Mirabelli because they realized not everyone can catch Wakefield. Um, duh? To Theo's credit, he's since admited that trade was a mistake, and given how that season turned out - and the lingering questions about the team's construction - who can blame him, but I'm starting to wonder where the strategy is in all of this mess. First, the Sox fail to come to an agreement with Varitek, which wasn't much of a surprise: things are very different in the personal and professional lives of Jason Varitek, and he wasn't going to give the Sox the same satisfaction of an easy deal like he did four years ago. Then, the aforementioned non-tender for Cash, the resultant lack of catchers...and Boston's decision to try and sign Bard, who has bad ankles and a checkered past in Boston that automatically rules out his playing one every five with Wakefield, all while insisting that they're still going after Varitek. Anyone else confused?

I could see Boston's using a Bard signing as an opportunity for both catchers to compete for the starting position - trading away the loser at the earliest opportunity - but that would only make sense if Varitek had agreed to play in a Red Sox uniform next year. Even then, unless Bard has some sort of resurgence, it's not like either catcher is particularly attractive trade bait, and if Bard performs well, why would Boston want to get rid of him except to fill a hole they should have already plugged by the start of the season? I feel like the Sox are trying to buy insurance for a car they may or may not own in the next four months, but maybe I'm missing something?

Redemption in The House of Mine Enemy

Oh, sweet, sweet beat down. Oh, streak breaking beat down that takes us into first place, tied for first after months and months of playing second fiddle. It's damn good to be back, even if I felt a little bad for the Rays by the middle of the fifth, down 12 to 1 with things looking so bleak (or really, so good) that Francona was subbing out players like he had to get through some sort of quota. Kevin Cash even got to miss a pop up in third base foul territory! I tell ya: it's a good night when you get to take down a rival in their house and rest your players a bit for the playoffs.

Let's see if we can do it again tomorrow. I bet Beckett's so hungry for glory he demands to face two batters at a time.

We Can Rebuild Him...We Have the Technology

Our new catching acquisition has been battling back problems all year. Somehow, this fact does not inspire confidence.

Part of me wanted to write a Six Million Dollar Man spoof in honor of Buchholz's return to Portland, but since I've never watched the show, I kept the reference to the title. You'll thank me later. Instead, some thoughts on what I've seen 'round the Internets about Clay's downswing:

• A few days ago - before the fateful final start against Baltimore - I spotted an article (that I now can't find, of course) about Buchholz finding a hole in his mechanics during his side sessions with John Farrell. As a professional fixer of sorts, I like hearing rational reasons like "correctible mechanical problems" and since Buchholz gets a lot of good will for pitching that no-hitter, I want him to succeed. As a result, I develop an almost irrational faith in the potential of the fix: the coaches know the problem, so they'll fix it. Clearly, not so much. These fixes take time.
• The Herald quoted Kevin Cash and referenced Jason Varitek in two separate articles on Buchholz published today; both catchers spoke about the importance of pitcher confidence. The intimation of both articles is that Clay lacks the confidence in his pitches; Francona even cited an incident against Baltimore where Buchholz shook off a fastball because he felt he wouldn't succeed. As Jonah pointed out over at Soxlosophy, the pitcher is meat: the catcher should be making the calls that determine the course of the game. If the pitcher doesn't have the confidence to throw the pitches his play caller demands, it's time to step back, to the lower-pressure world of the minors if necessary.
• In the article that brings up Varitek, Tony Massarotti voices our worst fear: that Buchholz is a flame out, a reincarnation of Kevin Morton, whose stellar debut with the Sox in July, 1991 (five hit, one run complete game against the Tigers) marked the high water mark of his 16 game major league career. But I think the comparison is inaccurate. As some of the partisans at SoSH (which incidentally has a good discussion of the whole confidence issue) continue to point out, Buchholz's BABIP continues to be about 60 points higher than average, which makes him one heck of an unlucky pitcher. Morton's BABIP was three points below average, which - if nothing else - means that his numbers were a reflection of his abilities: he really wasn't that good a pitcher.
  

Patriots 19, Texans 17

I know we said we weren’t doing game blogs…but in a game that had a 10 run lead blown, a 4 run blow save and a rookie knuckle ball pitcher that gave up 8 runs and didn’t get the loss… it is hard to pin down what the most messed up part of the night was.

Papi hit two 3 run homers in the first inning. Read that again and remember that the Sox had to COME BACK and win this game. Now pick up the pieces of your brain. Thank God for Youk (also 2 HR) and his go ahead bomb. These two goliaths combined for 11 of the total RBI and should be feasting on Texas long horn continuously as the week progresses. Too bad the pitching didn’t follow suit.

Zink might have been overwhelmed by the Texas offense, the bright lights of the big leagues or the fact that he was spotted a 10 run lead… but he fell apart quick. That’s only trumped by the awful outing by Aardsma and Delcarman. These two looked like late scratches from the Western Mozambique Olympic softball team rather than major league pitchers. Not what you want to see when October rolls around.

But if you really want to highlight who I felt bad for, it was a tie between:

Kevin Cash who was the only starter without a hit.
Feldman who’s ERA absorbed the 10 run barrage.
And
Any poor sucker dumb enough to bet the under.

What a wild one. Let’s hope next time the Sox don’t play down to the level of the team they are trouncing. It’s just embarrassing.

Game 81: Grumpy Old Men

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 0

Now I’m no stat guy (that’s more of an Eric thing) but I think the combined ages of the two starting pitchers in this match up was somewhere in the range of 300 years. They have been called veterans, vintage and seasoned. But honestly Randy Johnson? HE’S OLD! Tim Wakefield? OLD! These guys are just freaking old.

Fortunately that doesn’t mean that they aren’t freaking good, too. Randy went 6 and gave up 2 earned. He looked pretty good, but the Sox had some chances they couldn’t capitalize on (read: Lugo forgot how to run bases). Wake was masterful. He had the knuckler moving and diving and made the snakes look silly. 7 innings, 2 hits 1 walk and 6K… NO RUNS! That’s a champ and a half. Sox completed the shut out with a good inning from Delcarmen, a bad partial inning from Hansen (2 walks and a single) and a big K from Papelbon (who got a save that I don’t really understand). That’s a pretty damn good outing if you scratch the Hansen meltdown. His roller coaster outings still scare the crap out of me.

As good as the pitching was, the Sox bats were pretty quiet for the majority of this game. Moss had the first two RBI’s (both made on outs) and the rest of the Boston crew seemed content on leaving men on base all night. That is, until Kevin Cash stepped up to the plate with two men on in the bottom of the 8th. KABOOM! Cash was money and blasted a shot over the monster. This homerun was not only huge on distance (in the parking lot!) but it was also huge for the man himself because it was the first he has hit since 2005! Way to go Mr. Backup catcher. Sox win the series and end the home stand on a high note. Even the geezers have to smile.

Game 69: Loving That Intensity

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 9, Baltimore Orioles 2

I was all set to call this a "new" Lester standard: Lester the escape artist no more, Johnny (I thought) pitches better when he's got a close lead to protect. However, I see the numbers disagree with me: Lester's about the same whether he's leading by one run or four. I guess you could say he let off the intensity a bit after Lowell hit his grand salami in the fifth, but can you blame him? The Orioles handed all of us four runs by choosing to give Manny an IBB to load the bases, forgetting all too readily that Mike Lowell is the Man Who Hits Doubles (and double doubles) and that the Green Monster is tailor made for his swing.

Speaking of tailor-made: J.D. Drew may have hit yet another home run (continuing to bury the "I have no intensity" statements that we've all ascribed to his character), but tonight was a breakout for Kevin Youkilis; after falling into a bit of a dry spell (before tonight, three for his last twenty with two walks), he went all twos tonight: two for two, two walks, two runs, and two RBI...and one big home run with that sweet swing into the Monster seats to tack on two more to the score.

One final observation: not to knock on the Orioles, but here's the difference between Boston and Baltimore this year, reduced to one set of plays: with two in the top of the fifth, Ramon Hernandez pops a foul along the first base line at a point midway between first and home. Youkilis and Cash both give their all trying to make the play, running full tilt and then sliding into each other (and into the wall) while trying to get a fix on the ball. It's a 1 to 0 game, and they know that every out counts and every pitch they can save their pitcher can make the difference, even if they get a little dirty. Neither player makes the play, but you can tell they're really trying, that they really care.

Contrast that with a pop foul to the backstop in the bottom of the previous inning, where Hernandez and Melvin Mora both charge in, lose sight of the ball, and end up giving up on an easy out, walking away with disgusted looks on their faces. Caring isn't quantifiable in a stat, so it's messy, but it's all too obvious which team - in June, with the season half over - cares about the game, and which one doesn't. Not surprisingly, the one that seems to care more is in first.

Game 35: Firing On All Cylinders

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 5, Detroit Tigers 0

You know what I love? A near-perfect game; a game where literally the only thing I can think to nitpick is one harmless error by Dustin Pedroia that did nothing except raise Wakefield's pitch count by a pitch or two. Let's gloat, shall we:

Tim Wakefield, showing classic knuckleball style on the mound. The floater looked devastating to try and hit, and it showed in the stat line, too: six strikeouts, two hits, no walks; all over the course of eight quick-running (a National League-worthy two hours and twenty-one minutes) innings and a paltry 98 pitches. So much of Wakefield's pitching ability for a night defines itself on the complex measures of atmospherics - it's the random element that makes him so exciting to watch - but even so, tonight was special, like the way he pitched during phenomenal start in 2007. Such works of art are to be enjoyed, but would it be greedy to ask for the creation of as many as possible? I think not.

An offense charge lead by J.D. Drew and continued source of hitting and catching delight Kevin Cash, who went three for four with the second of two RBI whacks that drove in three runs in the second inning. Then throw in the highlight of the run-scoring night: back to back long bombers by Papi and Manny, who celebrated career dinger number 497 in style by greeting the first pitch of reliever Freddy Dolsi with a blast that landed in the hedges on the center field wall. It makes for a wonderful baseball ending, doesn't it?

Game 25: I Abuse Alcohol, the Sox Abuse Me

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 4, Tampa Bay Rays 5

Let’s put it this way… I took a drink every time the Red Sox should have scored and a shot every time they allowed a run they should have prevented.

Wake… runs… no… Cash… damn… crap… allowed. DRINK.

Sox basses juiced and (hey can I have a triple shot of…) damn no runs again… what the hell is wrong here… DRINK.

Hey look! It’s my favorite punching bag Lugo taking a routine ground ball off the heel of his glove! Another run? Fill me up barkeep!

Aardsma+Lopez+Corey=NO DRINKS? Must be getting buzzed cause that doesn't make any sense.

Extra frames… big Papi you are so clutch when you… what? Why are you sliding head first into first base? I know I’m wasted but… Huh? DRINK.

I think Timlin is trying to kill me. Oh my god… here he is again. What do I have to sacrifice to make him go away forever? Forget the 2004 and 2007 games… what can I do to make him leave now? Nothing? Damnit… I would have paid good money for something… DRINK another cause the game is over… ugh.

Fantastic. It’s my first “Pass out drunk” game of the year. A few more of those and I can get a Red Sox logo tattooed on my liver. Happy days! Now excuse me while I make a head first offering to the porcelain God.

Game 21: Marathon Monday

What a beautiful morning in Boston. The whole city is a buzz about comeback wins for the Sox, game 1 excitement for the Celtics and game 7 dramatics for the Bruins. Oh, and don't forget the thousands of skinny people who have descended on this city to run 26+ miles. Yep, it's Patriots Day here and I am going to spend it blogging about the Red Sox and their annual 11 am start.

For those who are not familiar with the history of Patriots Day, this is the anniversary of the day Paul Revere sneaked 3 hookers into Boston Common (2 by land, 1 by sea) for the enjoyment of Ben Franklin and Sam Adams. Or something like that. More importantly, the Sox start early, they run the Boston Marathon and I get the day off.

Today the Red Sox are going for the 4 game sweep of the Texas Rangers with Clay Buchholz facing off against former Sox Kason Gabbard. Yeah this is the guy we gave up for Gagne last year... so we better beat him today or everyone is gonna look really stupid.

Lineup is as follows:

CF-Ellsbury (Coco has a sore hammy)
2B Pedroia
DH Ortiz
1B Youkilis
RF Drew
3B Lowrie (giving Casey the day off)
SS Lugo
C Cash (another day off for Tek cause he's got the flu)
LF Thurston (Manny gets his second day off thanks to the ejection)

Rangers:

2B Kinsley
SS Young
CF Hamilton
LF Bradley
3B Blalock
DH Botts
RF Murphy (the other guy we gave up for Gagne)
C Laird
1B Broussard

Looks like fun! I'll be back after the first inning and every following inning with updates. Fire it up.

First inning:
Apparently Tek and Manny aren't the only stars with the day off. Jerry Remy is out sick so we get to hang with Ken Macha and his monotone. After getting the first out, Buchholz gave up a double to Michael Young, but gets out of trouble with a K and a line drive to Thurston (who looks shaky out there). Buchholz has good velocity on his fastball and is locating his devastating change up.

Gabbard works quickly. Jacoby lasts the longest, but Kason makes quick work of the first three batters he sees. I hope this isn't a long morning for Sox hitters. Sox 0, Rangers 0

Second inning:
Buchholz was struggling to locate is curve ball, but is still managing to punish the strike zone. After getting 2 quick outs (and another K), Murphy waits on a fastball and bloops it into center. Laird puts a bunt down the third base line and reaches cause Lowrie is was playing so far back (come on, it was the freaking catcher). Drama as a walk loads the bases (gulp), but a pop up for Kinsler prevents any damage. Whew... he threw a ton of pitches (up to 42 now) but it could have been worse.

Gabbard dropped himself (slip!) on the mound and caused a brief commotion with the trainers but it didn't look like he was hurt. Drew drew a walk (see what I did there!), got the Sox their first base runner and advances to second on a pass ball. Lowrie advanced the runner to third and in steps Lugo. I freaking loathe this guy and cannot believe that he was able to draw a walk. I think my hate fuels him. Macha completely writes off any chance of Cash getting a hit and is as shocked as I am when he walks... but any chance of scoring is thrown out the window when Thurston strikes out on 3 pitches. Left the bases loaded. I hate this AAA lineup. Sox 0, Rangers 0

Third inning:

Up and down inning for Buchholz. Young got a 4 pitch walk, Hamilton got a 3 pitch K, fly out for Bradley (would have been gone in some parks), single for Blalock and a pop out from Botts to end it. Other than the UGLY walk, he looked much better that inning.

In a SHOCKER Gabbard was pulled right before the start of the third inning. That slip might have really hurt him. So much for his no hitter. He is replaced by Dustin Nippert and his near infinity ERA. Jacoby draws a walk right away, steals second and Dustin singles him over with the first hit of the day. In steps Papi... and out steps Papi. He still isn't his old self just yet. Bad strikeout. Now cue the WORST BASE RUNNING EVER. Youk popped up to shallow center Jacoby tagged, but CHANGED HIS MIND half way home. Pedroia tried to distract him by going to second (and that worked!) but then Jacoby tried to score AGAIN! He was tagged out easily. My words don't even do that disaster justice. I just opened my first beer. Sox 0, Rangers 0

Fourth inning:
Ken Macha is putting me to sleep. I almost missed the GREAT catch from Thurston in front of the monster. Buchholz is up to 73 pitches but gets his 4th K and his first 1,2,3 inning to end the top of the fourth. He looks like he is settling down.

Fundamental baseball this was NOT. After a Drew walk, Nippert balks, and Jed Lowrie pops a bunt up to the short stop... that nobody bothers to catch! Then Lugo singles up the middle and gets the freaking run home! Maybe I need to keep bad mouthing Lugo and he'll hit a grand slam next time up. Then Cash hits a blooper right to Kinsler and he almost picks Lugo off first, but instead throws it away. Another run scores and Lugo gets to second. Jacoby hits a ground ball to short and the Rangers almost throw this away too as Jacoby reaches safely! It's little league out there. Pedroia capitalizes on this madness with a 2 run double. I love the quick kids! But wait there's more! Papi hit a fly ball to Bradley who loses it in the sun and ANOTHER run scores. Meanwhile Nippert can't find the plate and loads the bases again. I guess that was the incentive the Sox batters needed to end the inning. Damage was already done though. Sox 5, Rangers 0

Fifth inning:
Another quick inning for Buchholz with his 5th K. I'm glad the long half inning didn't have any negative effects.

Poor Nippert is back out again. He must have run over the pitching coaches dog or something. Big double in the corner for Lugo (he must love my abuse) and Cash moves him to third with a bloop hit, Thurston pops out foul (this guy has NO bat) and Jacoby singles Lugo home. He is SO locked in right now. Finally Nippert is rescued and replaced by German. He gets Pedroia quick, but leaves one in the zone for Papi... box score shows that as his 2nd RBI double... but we have to thank Bradley for the first one. Texas gives up 3 more. Sox 8, Rangers 0

Sixth inning:
Buchholz comes back out and gives a liner up to Bradley, but then gets a money double play and his 6th K to end the inning. He looked really really good today.

Who is this and what have they done with Julio Lugo? He rockets a ball off the wall and my jaw is on the floor cause he's 3 for 3. A few more walks and the bases load for Thurston... who pops out in foul ground again (yeesh he is awful), Jacoby Ks and Pedroia pops out. Bases loaded with no outs and they can't score... and I'm not mad? We must be kicking butt. Sox 8, Rangers 0

Seventh inning:
Aardsma replaces Buchholz (who had a great line) and immediately walks Murphy and gives up an RBI double to Laird. Not too good. He bounces back with 2 Ks before Francona replaces him with Lopez who gives up another RBI double off the wall. He too comes back with a big K to end the threat. Kind of a shaky inning from the pen.

Papi leads off with a walk (that's 11 walks from Texas if you're keeping score) but the Sox can't capitalize off an newly rejuvenated German. Weird, I know. Sox 8, Rangers 2

Eighth inning:
Lopez still in there and looked much better at first. After two quick outs (and another K), Murphy doubled one off the wall in center before Lopez got the third out on a weak grounder. I like these low drama situations.

German is pulled for Benoit who we hammered on Saturday. Got to love this Texas bullpen. Lugo gets his 4th hit of the day as fire and brimstone falls from the sky. 4 for 4? I may have to reexamine my life. It's almost scripted as Cash hits into a double play and Thurston pops straight up AGAIN. Now THIS is what I expected from the scrubs. Sox 8, Rangers 2

Ninth inning:
Enter Delcarman to close this one out. He started rough looked pretty good lately but kind came apart this afternoon. MDC made quick work of the first 2 batters before Young smacked a double down the line and Hamilton doubled him home. No further damage as Bradley grounded out to the mound to end the threat, game and series.

Great game from the "B Squad" on this Patriots Day. Love to see offense from the backups and I especially love to see a 4 game sweep.

FINAL SCORE: Boston Red Sox 8, Texas Rangers 3

Game 10: Can I Get a Witness? Living on the Edge

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 12, Detroit Tigers 6

What a great night for DC to make his game blog debut! His eyewitness report is after my italics... wish I went with him.

If you didn’t watch this game then you’ll have to trust me when I tell you, this was the closest 12-6 game that I have seen in a very long time. The Old Town Team spent most of this game putting themselves into jams and then wiggling out of them with minimal damage and may have lost if the Tigers weren’t in the process of holding open tryouts for their bullpen.

Tonight was one of those nights when it was a little too windy for Timmy Knuckles to be effective. As usual, this resulted in a lot of full counts, a lot a walks (5) and a couple of hit batsmen. Possibly the most telling sign of Wake’s struggles: 100 pitches in 4 1/3 innings of work. The good news is that the offense finally realized that run support is a good thing and picked up the slack enough to get Ole Timmy Knuckles his first win of the season.

Wakefield wasn’t the only one who took his lumps tonight. Tavarez took it upon himself to make this game close by giving up 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs in just 2/3 of an inning. I don’t know if he just wanted to give Papelbon a save situation or forgot to ritualistically kill some livestock last night, but he was a great double play by Lugo away from costing Wake his victory and in the process boosted his own ERA from 0.00 to 7.36. Don’t you just love the first couple weeks of the season when stats can change more drastically than Michael Jackson’s appearance over the last 30 years?

The most exciting thing that happened tonight was the re-emergence of the well rounded offense that we have come to know and love. Most of the production tonight came from unexpected and unheralded sources. The “hated” J.D. Drew (3 for 3, 1 BB) and the “untrade-able” Coco Crisp (2 for 3, 2 BB) each plated 2 RBI’s, and continued their hot starts (hitting .404 and .304 respectively). Sean “The Mayor” Casey (in cause Lowell is now on the DL) chipped in 3 RBI’s of his own and even Kevin Cash (who has one of the coolest names ever) drove in one of his own. The remainder of the runs came from Youk (who also shined on defense) and Manny who according to the drunk BU student on the bus ride home will be the American League’s MVP this season.

A couple of other notes on this game:

1. Miguel Cabrera looked FOOLISH trying to hit the knuckleball. It was painfully clear that he’d never seen anything like it in the National League. Seriously, to all those overbearing dad’s out there… if you want junior to make it to the pros, just teach him how to throw this pitch effectively. I promise, you’ll thank me later.

2. All I can say about Big Papi… STRUGGLING!!! Pretty soon Tito is going to call up the President from 24 and see if he still has that little voodoo doll from Major League.

3. Tonight was Japanese Night at the ball park. The pregame festivities featured martial arts displays, little girls dancing in kimonos, and the Japanese national anthem. This all begs the question: How hard could it have been to schedule this on a night when Dice-K was actually starting? Perhaps the marketing department over there on Yawkey Way needs to hire some new people?

And Now: Three Games That Don’t Matter

Did you like that? Did you like that little taste of semi-legitimacy the fiasco in Japan gave us? For a brief moment we were in the regular season were every game was a life an death struggle for our beloved Sox (ok I exaggerate… but stay with me) and then it was cruelly snatched away and replaced with a sham of a croc of a sham series with the Dodgers in a damn football stadium that is older than Timlin, not to mention the fact that the team is freaking exhausted from being half way around the damn world for a week. AHHHHHHHHH!

Whew… sorry about that. The tease of REAL baseball got me worked up. Let me give you a short breakdown of the weekend festivities.

Game 1- Boston Red Sox 1, Los Angeles Dodgers 3:
Wow the Coliseum is both big (huge amount of room for the fans and 400+ in center field) and freaking tiny (like 250 ft down the left field line). Colon pitched a hell of a game and is giving a running (well maybe rolling) start into his spot as the 5th starter. Well after he finishes a stint in AAA. Offense forgot to show up to this game and the bats were shut down by a mix of Chad Billingsly and Scott Procter. Yeah not pretty. Sox lost this thing in the 8th when so guy I never heard of (Holdzkom?) gave up the go ahead double to Mark Sweeny. More spring, more losses. What else is new?

Game 2- Boston Red Sox 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 4
Looks like EVERYONE came to this game. 115K showed up to watch the Sox get some of the cheapest homers ever down that piddly little line in the Coliseum. Youk and Cash went deep (not THAT deep) to push the Red Sox to a hard earned victory. Wakefield had a great day in a park that could have killed him if he kept his knuckler up. A good season out of him would be fantastic. Oh, and Papelbon gave up some more runs. Try not to panic.

Game 3- Boston Red Sox 0, Los Angeles Dodgers 8
Say it with me: “It’s only Spring Training, it’s only Spring Training!” They got freaking ONE HIT! If Pedroia didn’t lead off the game with a walk, it would have been a perfect game through 8 innings. Lets not even think about the fact that Buchholz got massacred (again) and only lasted 3 innings. And the strikeouts?? The Red Sox had 12. I want to crawl under my bed and hide. The real deal is in Oakland on Tuesday and this is the quality of play we are going to see? Do you understand how tough the schedule is this first month? If the Sox go 5-15 in the first 20 games I won’t be shocked at all.

Is it too early in the season to start drinking?

Farewell Dougie

In a SHOCKING turn of events, the Red Sox have RELEASED Doug Mirabelli. He was put on waivers and shown the door like any other run of the mill, overweight, .190 hitting, police escort taking, back-up catching loser...

But he wasn't some loser. He was the Belli. He was Wake's battery mate. He was one of us.

A fat slob who welcomed legends of eggplant parm. A gritty backstop who could catch a knuckleball that made lesser men retire in fright. This was a man who could catch a phone book, rip it in half and then smack it high, far, and deep into the night sky (only to watch it be caught shy of the warning track).

And do not go accusing me of unwavering fandom. I know this Goliath of a man was not without his faults. He was "Molina-esque" in land speed. His lumbering around the basepaths caused much hilarity for local fans and fear for local seismologists. Also, sadly, his hitting had started to decline. In fact, it went from" awful" to "below Mendoza-line measurements" with little hope of return. Even his streaky power has dropped off... but the ravages of time will claim us all won't they?

So now we must turn our eyes to Kevin Cash? Is this anything but a lateral move? Cash isn't much faster or younger or even much of a hitter... and his talents as a knuckleball fetcher does remain to be seen. So if all he brings to the table is "change"...is the value worth the loss?

Only time (and Wakefield's ERA) will tell.

Dougie Rides Again

It seemed inevitable - who else were they going to use? Kevin Cash? - but Doug Mirabelli will be back for another year of knuckleball catching fun, being the stud who hits bombs, killing it, and killing it again, all for the bargain price of half a million dollars. I get that the Sox are going to keep trying to find replacements for a once-a-week catcher who's on the ugly side of 35 and whose glory days of an OPS+ above 100 faded along with the 2004 season, but shouldn't they just give Doug the same endless one year options they've given Wake and be done with it? They could even tie the option to Wake's continuing to pitch to make the two players completely inseparable, and then apply to the commissioner's office to have the new unit count as only one roster spot. How could that idea not have the potential it needs to get done? By the way: I'd also take Doug keeping with last year's trend, hitting above .250, and maybe - just maybe - not swinging for the fences on every pitch.

Game 137: Can I get a Witness? The Defense Of The Fens

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 3, Baltimore Orioles 2

I love being in Boston and being able to sleepwalk to the 57 bus on a lazy Sunday and wander into Fenway without any bothers or troubles whatsoever. It’s a privilege that has no equal in Brooklyn. I never knew what I was missing.

My first visit to Fenway this year came complete with an awesome victory from our super B squad. Cora, Moss, Ellsbury and Cash were in the lineup in an attempt to play down to Baltimore’s level. It almost worked. Moss, Cash and Cora (and Drew and Youk for that matter) were plain old horrible at the plate today. Nothing but 0’s and K’s for this crew. From my seat in the grandstand I could hear boos for Drew, but not for the other mooks who couldn’t manage to reach on Daniel Cabrera of all people. At least Drew got a WALK.

Anyway, it was Pedroia, Lowell, Papi and Ellsbury (first HR!) who stepped up and got the Sox the measly 5 hits and 3 runs it took to finish this puppy. The real story was the defense that protected the slim lead for starting pitcher Jon Lester. The fans at the Fen went CRAZY for Ellsbury’s diving catch, Pedroia’s diving stop, Youks sick snag at first, Moss crashing into the scoreboard (knocked down an inning plank) and Drew’s nasty outfield assist. When Coco replaced Ellsbury in center (who replaced Drew in right) to back up Papelbon in the 9th, something big just HAD to happen. Coco didn’t fail to excite with an awesome sliding catch to get one of the 3 outs to end this little match-up. Lester got the win, Oki got the hold, Paps got the save and that’s all she wrote. I filed out with a big smile on my face and gained a hop in my step when I saw the final in the Yankee/Tampa game. Love the 6 game lead.

So going back to the great defense again, who (if anyone) is inline for a Gold Glove this year? I say there should be 3 handed out to the Sox players. Coco needs some props for his outstanding acrobatic skills in center (might be tough with Ichiro out there), Youk has something like a million games without an error at first (the man is a beast) and Pedroia should get a golden mitt for his efforts at second this season. No kidding. Dispite his small size and less than swift feet, Dusty P has been a vacuum and has now has a saved no-hitter added to his repertoire. The little guy should walk out of this season with a ROY and a GG no questions asked.

Game 129: The White Sox are Bad at Baseball

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 10, Chicago White Sox 1

Maybe they should start a knitting club or something. I mean really. That’s NOT a good team. Schilling, although solid through his first few innings, didn’t seem to have his best stuff (or is that his best stuff now?) and fooled the Chicago hitters like they were a Japan little league team. He threw a ton of strikes, his location was superb and looked good enough to win… but as I said… Clement probably looked good enough to beat this White Sox team today.

The “pitching” we faced today wasn’t any crisper. The Sox ran the Dankes/Floyd combo through the slaughterhouse. Papi found his long ball, so did Youk, doubles from Lowell and Coco… even Cash got some freaking hits! Yeah, the 4th and 5th innings were just about as good as we get for scoring (oh, and the 9th inning of game one today). They did such a number on these guys that when Gagne came into the game, I didn’t even flinch! I guess the only down note would be my reaction to all this.

The Red Sox have been in such an up and down slump recently, my first assumption after rattling off two blowout wins isn’t that “Boston looks good” or “we look like we’re getting hot!” Nope. It’s that the White Sox should be run out of town for being such an embarrassment to the game. That’s not the guy I want to be. I don’t want to be the “oh… we suck and can only win if the other team is bad” kinda guy. So, I’m gonna shut up and let the Sox (Red) roll with this. Sweeping here shouldn’t be a problem for the caliber of team we put on the field. Let’s get these next two wins and then on to NY. Cause we rock. We are really awesome… yes… we uhhhh….

Awww who am I kidding? The White Sox suck hardcore! These next two games should qualify for assisted suicides if everything goes to plan.

Game 125: Chairman of the Board

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 6, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 0

Remember when Scott Kazmir owned the Sox? Yeah, that sucked. Was it already (over) a year ago that Kazmir's final 0wn4g3 of Old Towne Team took place? How time flies...just like the ball off the Boston bats tonight. High-O!

Wakefield came into tonight's game with an 8 and 0 record with a 2.33 ERA in 18 games at Tropicana Field; an 18 and 2 record with a 2.83 ERA in 33 games overall against the Devil Rays. He is, as per Robin's witty quip from a conversation this afternoon, a shareholder in the Tampa Bay front office. He comes to the town, Red Sox in tow, and demands the respect accorded to the chairman of the mutha-frickin' board. Who cares if Doug "Chicken Parm" Mirabelli, the only catcher alive who has a hope of wraslin' the bounding puppy we casually refer to as a knuckleball to the ground in good order is nursing a messed up leg and can't play? It matters not that secondary option Kevin Cash is a fall guy in place to keep the Captain from looking ridiculous chasing bounders back to the backstop; Wake's here, he's ownin' some Ray ass, get used to it.

It didn't hurt that the Sox offense sweetened the deal by winning the game before The Chairman even took the mound: single, walk, two-run double by Lowell to score Pedroia and Youkilis took the lead in hand right from the get go, setting the stage for seven innings of Wake dominance where Tampa Bay managed to a runner to third once, but no further. Kevin Cash even managed to catch the ball when it really mattered, turning a possible Achilles heel into an afterthought in the path of victory. Now's the time to pave that path with some more Rays losses and turn this first win into a steamroller streak.

Game 124: A Bad Finish

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 1, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3

Sunday afternoon game right before the road trip… why not rest everybody? Sox debut for Bobby Kielty cause our expensive left fielder can’t hit lefties, Sox debut for Kevin Cash cause our backup catcher is a hurt fat ass and the return of Tavarez cause we need more crazy in our lives.

Cash (a defensive specialist) had nothing that resembled a good at-bat, while Kielty had 2 hits and an AMAZING catch to rob Kotchman of a 2 run homer. Must be that ginger-kid luck. Those guys freak me out.

Meanwhile, Julian had trouble in the first (the kind that scored 2 runs) and then trouble in the 3rd (the kind that clears benches). In the 3rd J.T. Killer hit O-Cabs on what looked like innocent wildness. Lando didn’t think so as he and Julian exchanged pleasantries. Everyone joined the discussion but no pushes or punches were thrown. I honestly think this wasn’t intentional. Why would he hit a guy loved by every other person on the Sox? Looked like it was just frustration from O-Cabs because he’s been so hot lately.

But he couldn’t have been as frustrated as the Sox were against Joe Saunders. Tavarez actually pitched a good game, but he had no support due to Saunders (rhymes with squanders) shutting the Sox down all day. By the time they got to him, it was already the 8th and Angels bullpen limited the damage to 1 run.

Enter Gagne (oh God no), who sprinkled 2 hits around striking out the side in the 9th. Good job you Canadian jerk. Where were you Friday night?

Didn’t matter cause the Sox couldn’t get to K-Rod and the series ends in a split. Now only 4 games up on the Yankees. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Game 122: Let’s Play 2! (part 2)

A good, great and grand win in game one that saw Clay Buchholz get his first major league victory. The only down note was the injury to Doug Mirabelli who hurt his calf rounding third and is now going on the DH for an undisclosed period of time. With Tek taking over from the 2nd inning on, it leaves us with a disturbing question… who’s catching game 2?

Leave it to the Red Sox to throw cash at the problem… actually its minor league catcher Kevin Cash who is being flown in and might get the same police escort/red carpet treatment Belli got last year. I hope he gets to Fenway in time or we might be looking at emergency catcher Alex Cora… yikes!

So Beckett will have to deal with a replacement backstop as he goes for the double-header sweep. I hope he can keep his winning ways as he faces underachieving Ervin Santana. I’ll be typing live (sorta?) as the game progresses so drop me a line in the comments.

I’ll be back for the first pitch.

.....

Some breaking news! Ellsbury will be starting in center tonight and leading off, while replacement catcher Kevin Cash won’t be in the clubhouse till about an hour after the first pitch. As of right now it’s going to be Tek starting behind the plate but he may be relieved by Cash as the game progresses. This also pushes Wakefield’s start back to Monday (so he can go back to owning Tampa) and Tavarez will be going Sunday. So it’s kinda a whirlwind of activity as the Sox try to make the best of a bad situation. Hopefully the Sox only lose Belli for two of Wakefield’s starts. Any more and it could mean a slide for our favorite knuckleballer.

First Inning:

A different lineup in the nightcap. Coco, Youk and Cora are sitting for Ellsbury, Hinske and Lugo respectively. To celebrate his return to the lineup, Lugo flubs O-Cabs ground ball that was hit right to him. Welcome back. Maybe he can redeem himself like Drew did in game one. No problem though as Beckett climbed his way out of the mess.

Santana didn’t have much problem dropping the Sox in order. I hope we didn’t use all our runs in the first game.

Sox 0, Angels 0

Second Inning:

This could be a quick game if it wasn’t for all the pitches Beckett is using. He seems to be at a full count to ever batter he faces. Angels go down in order though.

Santana is just as quick and a little more economical. Sox go 1,2,3 and seem to have lost any momentum they had from game one. No hits, no base runners.

Sox 0, Angels 0

Third Inning:

Beckett breaks down. It looked like he was on the verge with all the pitches he was using, but the levee finally burst with a single by O-Cabs and the RBI double from Vlad. Only one run, but he’s already threw 51 pitches through only 3 innings. Not a good sign.

Nothing doing on the Sox end however. Tek (fly out), Hinske (K) and Lugo (K) go down like blades of grass to a weed whacker. Something needs to happen soon or Santana is going to pitch a complete game without breaking a sweat. In fact… he’s pitching a NO HITTER!!!

Sox 0, Angels 1

Forth Inning:

Gary Mathews goes down swinging as Beckett regains his composure. Only took 6 pitches to retire the Angels bats this time. NESN was in the middle of an interview with a cancer survivor and wasn’t able to show the last out of the inning cause it only took one pitch. This game is FLYING by. I won’t even be drunk by the time this is done.

It’s ugly when the most time consuming moment in this half of the inning was when Ortiz went down on one knee. He is obviously hurting and I was shocked to see him stay in the game. He struck out anyway. Did I mention that Santana is pitching a NO HITTER? Actually, it’s a PERFECT GAME at this point. Wow… a PERFECT GAME.

Sox 0, Angels 1

Fifth Inning:

Lugo flubbed another one. Not an error but well within his reach when he dove for it. Instead it went into center field. Not a problem as Beckett gets a popup and then 2 K’s to end it. O-Cabs looked VERY silly taking his last strike on the outside of the plate.

OH! A chink in the armor! After Manny grounded out, Drew floated a single into shallow right. Total bloop hit that didn’t really lead to anywhere. Santana gets Lowell to pop out and Tek struck out swinging. This… is… sad…

Sox 0, Angels 1

Sixth Inning:

AHHHHH Lugo did it again! This WAS an error as he boots a hard hit grounder from Vlad to lead off the inning. I want to set him on FIRE. Singles from Anderson and Izturis lead to another run and my fists to clench as pound my computer desk. Beckett is still dealing and K’s Mathews, Quinlan and Budde, but the damage already done… done by LUGO…

And now Lugo with some redemption! He doubles to deeeeep center back by the triangle. Now all he needs is two more hits to make up for all his mistakes today. I’m not holding my breath. But guess what? He never left second base. This squander business is really getting old.

Sox 0, Angels 2

Seventh Inning:

Beckett still in and pitching as best he can. It’s really been the defense and bats that have let him down in this one. Angels go in order and Lugo was even able to cleanly field a hard hit shot by O-Cabs to end the inning. Give him the slow clap. Beckett is now over 100 pitches so this might have been his last inning. He should have got a win today, but I don’t think it’s in the cards.

Papi with a leadoff single, Drew with a double and things are looking bright. Santana seems to be weakening… and he’s pulled by Scioscia. I’m not sure the Sox are going to get anywhere with this Angels bullpen. Lowell gets a sacrifice off reliever Speier to get Papi in… some sunlight… but Drew is stranded in scoring position. We needed to break that open and it didn’t happen. Closer, but still looking bleak.

Sox 1, Angels 2

Eighth Inning:

As the rain starts to fall Delcarman comes in and MDC wastes NO time in giving up a triple to Vlad. Jacoby could have fielded this better… but NOT a good showing for MDC. One sac fly later and Vlad is in. There goes that daylight. Mathews follows that showing with a solo shot and in JUST 5 PITCHES the lead is extended by 2. This is a disaster. Beckett final line was 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 ER and 8 K. Oh and he’s on the hook for the loss. What a mess.

Scott Shields is now in pitching to the bottom of the order. I’m not saying I don’t have faith… but I’m not too hopeful. After a Hinske K, Lugo manages a walk and so does Ellsbury as Shields begins to lose his control. Then Pedroia lines one into left to load the bases… for Big Papi… the hurting Big Papi. Hoo boy. But before that drama, Scioscia goes and gets K-Rod to try and end the threat. I’m chewing my nails here. Crazy wild pitch scores Lugo from third and all the other runners move up… AND PAPI TIES IT!!! Big double to the wall and BOOM 4-4!! Wow! THEN MANNY!!!! RIGHT IN THE GARAGE!!! SOX LEAD!!! We couldn’t get to the bad starter so we take on the better than solid bullpen? I don’t get it at all! But I LOVE IT!

Sox 5, Angels 4

Ninth Inning:

Holy crap am I nervous. The whole infield and outfield has been switched, Coco in center, Jacoby in left, Cora at second and Youk at first. Also… Gagne in pitching. BIG FREAKING GULP. Paps saved the first game so our closer mark 2 is tapped to finish off this one. Given his up and down performance lately (mostly down) I think Sox Nation should be understandably on edge. After about 10,000 pitches, pinch hitter Willits flies to center. That didn’t help my nerves much. Next up is Kotchman who KILLED in the first game and he walks on 5 pitches... it’s maddening. Figgins takes another dozen or so pitches and then lines one into left leaving runners on the corners. When O-Cabs lines a single into right… I’m not even surprised. This is only his 2nd actual blown save, but it’s the 3rd time in less than 7 games he screwed the Sox out of a win. Vlad lines a double to the wall… I can barely type right now. I have never been so mad in my life. 3 runs and still only one out. Where is Francona? Does he need someone to wake him up so the game can end? It’s LUCK that they get Anderson and then double the sleepy Vlad off second. Gagne is a joke… a total freak-show disaster. The bearded fool.

Crest fallen, the Sox look limp at the plate. Tek ground out weakly and then Youk is rung up on an AWFUL non-foul call (the ball obviously hit the bat) and Francona wakes up just in time to get tossed from the game… Youk too. They are as mad as me… but decorum says you can’t yell at your reliever so they pick on the ump. Call it displaced rage. I want Lugo to strike out and end this miserable disaster and he can’t even do THAT right. On the 8th pitch of the at-bat he lines one right to Mathews in center… ballgame.

This loss brought to you by Lugo, Delcarman and of course Eric Gagne. Call him a loser, call him washed up or call him a Yankee spy, but whatever you call him… make sure it’s not when the game is on the line. Thanks for sticking around those who read this mess… I’m gonna go kick a puppy.

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 5, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 7