Sunday, August 19, 2012
Red Sox v. Orioles
The Red Sox lost another series to the Baltimore Orioles, losing two out of three games. With two games that just simply slipped out of their hands (such as Beckett) the Red Sox are just proving everyone else that they aren't strong enough to get back into the wildcard race.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Rangers v. Red Sox - Three Game Series
Well, with the Rangers 10-9 win in today's afternoon game at Fenway Park they also take the series from the Sox, winning two out of three. The entire series highlighted, at least for me, how big of a lost-cause Josh Beckett has become. I mean, giving up THAT many runs is just sickening to me and makes me wonder why the hell we didn't sell him at the trade deadline. The Red Sox need to swallow their pride and make necessary adjustments to the starting rotation in order to preserve the opportunity for the offense to fight back.
If there's anything I've learned from this series with the Rangers is that the Red Sox can score runs. Gonzalez went three for five today, bringing his average up to .310 and bringing in three more runs to his now seventy-two total. Middlebrooks also had a great day (despite choking in the bottom of the ninth with Cody Ross at second) with another three-run homer to tie the game in the seventh. And I cannot believe the weight Cody Ross has carried recently, going three-for-four with a walk this past game, just a triple short of the cycle. And once those hits keep coming, we're going to see that batting average creep up in the .300 range for sure. He's currently batting .277 but .357 so far this month.
In terms of other significant players, I like what Carl Crawford's been doing so far this month by really stepping up his game. Jacoby Ellsbury, you know...it's tough to say for me because I truly honestly love this kid - I do...but he's not been playing to what the level I know he's capable of. Last year he was a 30-30 player, runner-up MVP and hit .321 in a time of a Sox collapse. Needless to say he left on a very good note, prior to his injury of course, but he really needs to get back in the groove, acknowledge his slump and perform at the level we all know he can perform at. And Ortiz, where the hell did he go? I mean, I know he's hurting and what not and what not but you'd think Valentine would AT LEAST give him a pinch hit appearance in place of Ryan Lavarnway - the worst hitter (in my opinion) on the team?
The Red Sox sit 55-57 going into a four-game series against the 51-60 Cleveland Indians. I just hope they can take advantage of their current slump to produce some more wins that they desperately need.
If there's anything I've learned from this series with the Rangers is that the Red Sox can score runs. Gonzalez went three for five today, bringing his average up to .310 and bringing in three more runs to his now seventy-two total. Middlebrooks also had a great day (despite choking in the bottom of the ninth with Cody Ross at second) with another three-run homer to tie the game in the seventh. And I cannot believe the weight Cody Ross has carried recently, going three-for-four with a walk this past game, just a triple short of the cycle. And once those hits keep coming, we're going to see that batting average creep up in the .300 range for sure. He's currently batting .277 but .357 so far this month.
In terms of other significant players, I like what Carl Crawford's been doing so far this month by really stepping up his game. Jacoby Ellsbury, you know...it's tough to say for me because I truly honestly love this kid - I do...but he's not been playing to what the level I know he's capable of. Last year he was a 30-30 player, runner-up MVP and hit .321 in a time of a Sox collapse. Needless to say he left on a very good note, prior to his injury of course, but he really needs to get back in the groove, acknowledge his slump and perform at the level we all know he can perform at. And Ortiz, where the hell did he go? I mean, I know he's hurting and what not and what not but you'd think Valentine would AT LEAST give him a pinch hit appearance in place of Ryan Lavarnway - the worst hitter (in my opinion) on the team?
The Red Sox sit 55-57 going into a four-game series against the 51-60 Cleveland Indians. I just hope they can take advantage of their current slump to produce some more wins that they desperately need.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Catch Up
Well, I haven't really been keeping up with my blog like I would've hoped earlier on; it's quite a bit of work and I sort of gave up on it for a while due to a lack of audience. I've decided recently to continue my work periodically - maybe, once every series or so? I don't know...we will see.
Anyway, since I've last left off, July has been a very busy month for a lot of teams such as the A's, the Angels, The Twins, etc. However, many other teams have lost their grasp on contention such as the Yankees, the Rangers and arguably the Red Sox as well. I know we were all hoping for a great July run from the Sox to bounce back and get back up where they should be - first place. But, with baseball being such a non-advantageous sport, it is virtually impossible to dominate in such a small window of time.
Boston currently ranks fourth in the AL East (for all of you people who do not know) right above the struggling Blue Jays by a game and below the struggling Rays by two games. After an up and down July for the Sox, I was happy to see them finally get in the groove as they ended the month by winning both the Yankees and Tigers Series - two of the best teams.
But, come August, they almost get swept by the TWINS??? Ugh, when Aceves let up that Go-Ahead three-run homer to Joe Mauer in game three I thought I was going to throw up. I mean, I know the Twins are finally starting to pick up their crap offensively but my God, we should have swept them like dirt under a rug. That being said, a two game winning streak isn't anything to necessarily be happy about - granted, they did crush the Rangers last night in probably the best offensive game I've seen the Fantastic Four hit in all season (Ellsbury, Pedroia, Crawford, Gonzalez) but we knew all along that they were capable of that.
However, the starting pitching for the Sox I still find inconsolable; Lester and Beckett, two of the greatest pitchers in the game, have slumped to a point that left bad tastes in a lot of Bostonian mouths. At LEAST Bucholtz has come around to become the number one pitcher - at LEAST Cook finally found his groove to shut down one of the greatest offenses in baseball to just one run - at LEAST Franklin Morales can stay calm and humble on the mound to get decent results. Lester debuts tonight against Ryan Dempster, the recent pickup of the Rangers, in an epic pitching duel. With the way the Sox have been hitting, I don't see why they would have a problem tonight unless Lester really you-know-what's the bed.
I don't think this season will end particularly fantastic for the Red Sox, but they certainly can turn their course around in two months to AT LEAST clinch a wildcard position if not take the division title; we saw Tampa Bay do that last year in what said to be the most epic regular season last-day in baseball - if not all sports - history.
Anyway, since I've last left off, July has been a very busy month for a lot of teams such as the A's, the Angels, The Twins, etc. However, many other teams have lost their grasp on contention such as the Yankees, the Rangers and arguably the Red Sox as well. I know we were all hoping for a great July run from the Sox to bounce back and get back up where they should be - first place. But, with baseball being such a non-advantageous sport, it is virtually impossible to dominate in such a small window of time.
Boston currently ranks fourth in the AL East (for all of you people who do not know) right above the struggling Blue Jays by a game and below the struggling Rays by two games. After an up and down July for the Sox, I was happy to see them finally get in the groove as they ended the month by winning both the Yankees and Tigers Series - two of the best teams.
But, come August, they almost get swept by the TWINS??? Ugh, when Aceves let up that Go-Ahead three-run homer to Joe Mauer in game three I thought I was going to throw up. I mean, I know the Twins are finally starting to pick up their crap offensively but my God, we should have swept them like dirt under a rug. That being said, a two game winning streak isn't anything to necessarily be happy about - granted, they did crush the Rangers last night in probably the best offensive game I've seen the Fantastic Four hit in all season (Ellsbury, Pedroia, Crawford, Gonzalez) but we knew all along that they were capable of that.
However, the starting pitching for the Sox I still find inconsolable; Lester and Beckett, two of the greatest pitchers in the game, have slumped to a point that left bad tastes in a lot of Bostonian mouths. At LEAST Bucholtz has come around to become the number one pitcher - at LEAST Cook finally found his groove to shut down one of the greatest offenses in baseball to just one run - at LEAST Franklin Morales can stay calm and humble on the mound to get decent results. Lester debuts tonight against Ryan Dempster, the recent pickup of the Rangers, in an epic pitching duel. With the way the Sox have been hitting, I don't see why they would have a problem tonight unless Lester really you-know-what's the bed.
I don't think this season will end particularly fantastic for the Red Sox, but they certainly can turn their course around in two months to AT LEAST clinch a wildcard position if not take the division title; we saw Tampa Bay do that last year in what said to be the most epic regular season last-day in baseball - if not all sports - history.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Red Sox v. Blue Jays - Games I, II and III
I guess there is some good and bad news for Red Sox nation as they dropped their last two out of four. The first loss in the past week was against the Detroit Tigers when Josh Beckett dropped the 3-7 loss against Matt Scherzer. After two great games over the past few days at Rogers Centre when Clay Bucholtz and Felix Doubront both picked up additional wins for the Sox, it seemed that they had everything going for them. I was personally away for the majority of this past weekend but I was fortunate to see some of the games played this weekend along with the highlights afterward.
It relieves me to see Kelly Shoppach and Nick Punto finally break out of their shells at the plate, both filling the Red Sox lineup with the stuff they needed to win. Bucholtz (5-2) even picked up another win on Friday when he held the Jays at just 2 runs, enough of a cushion to give the Red Sox as they surged ahead with 7 runs. On Saturday, Doubront (6-2), who has been the ace pitcher for the Red Sox statistically speaking, won that game as well where the Sox offense and the bat of Nick Punto came to life to win 7-4. Saturday's game was significantly sentimental because it not only brought Boston's record to 28-5 but it also ascended the Red Sox from the cellar for the first time this season.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be all temporary as Daniel Bard and the Red Sox collapsed yesterday, Sunday, to tie the standings back up again. Bard (5-6) had a terrible start in the game, lasting only 1.2 innings, Bard had given up a three-run homer in the first to home run king Jose Bautista in the first while walking in a pair in the second to bring the score to 5-0. I do not think that Bard should be in the starting lineup whatsoever and that Bobby Valentine needs to move him back where he belongs as a set up pitcher. Franklin Morales, who had not pitched more than two innings before this entire season, came in to pitch 4.1 innings - the longest a relief pitcher has pitched for Boston since 2005. He gave up only two hits but no walks, no runs and struck out four. This has been Morales' best relief performance I have seen yet from hit and he certainly continues to define the strength of the bullpen. Also, Scott Atchison pitched a scoreless seventh inning as well to bring his scoreless streak to 19.2 innings. The Red Sox could not recover offensively to counter such a tremendous jump to start the game.
It relieves me to see Kelly Shoppach and Nick Punto finally break out of their shells at the plate, both filling the Red Sox lineup with the stuff they needed to win. Bucholtz (5-2) even picked up another win on Friday when he held the Jays at just 2 runs, enough of a cushion to give the Red Sox as they surged ahead with 7 runs. On Saturday, Doubront (6-2), who has been the ace pitcher for the Red Sox statistically speaking, won that game as well where the Sox offense and the bat of Nick Punto came to life to win 7-4. Saturday's game was significantly sentimental because it not only brought Boston's record to 28-5 but it also ascended the Red Sox from the cellar for the first time this season.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be all temporary as Daniel Bard and the Red Sox collapsed yesterday, Sunday, to tie the standings back up again. Bard (5-6) had a terrible start in the game, lasting only 1.2 innings, Bard had given up a three-run homer in the first to home run king Jose Bautista in the first while walking in a pair in the second to bring the score to 5-0. I do not think that Bard should be in the starting lineup whatsoever and that Bobby Valentine needs to move him back where he belongs as a set up pitcher. Franklin Morales, who had not pitched more than two innings before this entire season, came in to pitch 4.1 innings - the longest a relief pitcher has pitched for Boston since 2005. He gave up only two hits but no walks, no runs and struck out four. This has been Morales' best relief performance I have seen yet from hit and he certainly continues to define the strength of the bullpen. Also, Scott Atchison pitched a scoreless seventh inning as well to bring his scoreless streak to 19.2 innings. The Red Sox could not recover offensively to counter such a tremendous jump to start the game.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tigers v. Red Sox - Game III
The Red Sox won their third straight game last night against the Tigers, bringing up their record to 26-24. The Starting pitchers were John Lester and Drew Smyly who both struggled on the mound. The game started off in favor of the Tigers, who drew first blood right out of the gates. In the first inning, Delmon Young grounded out to second baseman Nick Punto for the second out while David Worth scored, giving the Tigers the 1-0 lead. Later in the third inning, David Worth hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder, Marlon Byrd so Quintin Berry scored. Later that same inning, Prince Fielder grounded out to third baseman Will Middlebrooks for the second out sending Miguel Cabrera home to bring the Tigers up 3-0. The Red Sox knew what they had to do and in the bottom of the fourth, they rallied with two two-run homers by David Ortiz (12) and Middlebrooks (4) to give the Red Sox the 4-3 lead. Later, in the seventh inning, Miguel Cabrera doubled to right field to bring in Gerald Laird, tying the game a 4-4. In the bottom of the seventh, Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground rule double to right field to bring Daniel Nava, bringing the Red Sox to 5-4. Later in the eighth inning, Kevin Youklis hit a solo homer over the Green Monster himself hit a solo homer over the monster to give the Red Sox a comfortable 6-4 lead.
It was the top of the ninth and Aceves took the mound. Facing the bottom of the Tigers lineup, Aceves didn't allow any runs, hits or walks while striking out one to get the save. Although they haven't been able to break out of the cellar, the Red Sox have climbed up to just 2.5 games out of reach from first place, showing just how really competitive the AL East really is. For the past 19 games, the Red Sox are an astonishing 14-5, extremely well for a team with 12 major league players on the DL. Out of all the people the Red Sox have brought up from Triple-A, my favorite would have to be Daniel Nava, who's become the new leadoff man thanks to a .432 on-base percentage and has reached base safely in 18 of 20 games this season. Another Triple-A player I've grown to admire is Will Middlebrooks who has been not only great on the defense as well but is also swinging a hot bat for the Red Sox. With Dustin Pedroia gone due to a "torn adductor muscle in his right thumb," Nick Punto has been absolutely filthy at second...at least, from what I've seen lately. Of course, Punto's batting abilities are a well under par with a mere .140 batting average, but he's been a great addition to the team as well. Mike Aviles is an absolute beast at shortstop whom I think has a serious chance in contention for the Golden Glove award this year. It's good to see everyone on the Red Sox contributing for once and getting the runs they need in to support their starting pitchers. The Red Sox are to face their last game in the four-game series against the Tigers tonight at 7:10. The starting pitchers will be Matt Scherzer (4-3, 5.67 ERA) and Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.15 ERA). The match up should be good and I see no reason why the Red Sox can't attack Scherzer if they were able to curb both Verlander and Smyly the past two days. In other news, the Blue Jays, 27-24, need to lose just one game for the Red Sox to finally get out of the cellar, so if the Sox win tonight, they officially tie the Blue Jays for last place.
It was the top of the ninth and Aceves took the mound. Facing the bottom of the Tigers lineup, Aceves didn't allow any runs, hits or walks while striking out one to get the save. Although they haven't been able to break out of the cellar, the Red Sox have climbed up to just 2.5 games out of reach from first place, showing just how really competitive the AL East really is. For the past 19 games, the Red Sox are an astonishing 14-5, extremely well for a team with 12 major league players on the DL. Out of all the people the Red Sox have brought up from Triple-A, my favorite would have to be Daniel Nava, who's become the new leadoff man thanks to a .432 on-base percentage and has reached base safely in 18 of 20 games this season. Another Triple-A player I've grown to admire is Will Middlebrooks who has been not only great on the defense as well but is also swinging a hot bat for the Red Sox. With Dustin Pedroia gone due to a "torn adductor muscle in his right thumb," Nick Punto has been absolutely filthy at second...at least, from what I've seen lately. Of course, Punto's batting abilities are a well under par with a mere .140 batting average, but he's been a great addition to the team as well. Mike Aviles is an absolute beast at shortstop whom I think has a serious chance in contention for the Golden Glove award this year. It's good to see everyone on the Red Sox contributing for once and getting the runs they need in to support their starting pitchers. The Red Sox are to face their last game in the four-game series against the Tigers tonight at 7:10. The starting pitchers will be Matt Scherzer (4-3, 5.67 ERA) and Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.15 ERA). The match up should be good and I see no reason why the Red Sox can't attack Scherzer if they were able to curb both Verlander and Smyly the past two days. In other news, the Blue Jays, 27-24, need to lose just one game for the Red Sox to finally get out of the cellar, so if the Sox win tonight, they officially tie the Blue Jays for last place.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tigers v. Red Sox - Game II
The Red Sox have finally done it! In the second of the four-game series against the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox were able to scrape up the win that lead them to their first winning record of the 2012 season, 25-24. Not only did Justin Verlander absolutely BLOW IT on the mound, but Daniel Bard got his fifth win of the season (5-5) while Alfredo Aceves got his 12th save. I'm not sure it was so much Verlander blowing it as much as it was the Red Sox being on fire lately but nevertheless a victory against a Cy Young winner is still sweet.
The game started off in favor of the Red Sox when Mike Aviles escaped a sure out for the SECOND game in a row to get the ball rolling. This time, he beat out the 6-4-3 double play to bring in David Ortiz for the first run. Then, with two outs and Aviles on first, the Red Sox rallied to get the bases loaded. Daniel Nava stepped up to the plate, drawing the full count. He fouled pitch number five off and then crushed pitch number six opposite field into the left field corner for a bases clearing double, bringing the Red Sox to a 4-0 lead. Later in the fifth inning, Tigers shortstop Johnny Peralta homered over the bullpen in right center to put the Tigers back on track. Later that inning, David Ortiz doubled off of the Green Monster to bring in Adrian Gonzalez making the score 5-1. In the sixth, Prince Fielder homered high and deep to right field to make the score 5-2. Later in the seventh, Bobby Valentine put Andrew Miller on the mound who failed to close the door. After a big double by Miguel Cabrera, Fielder hit a single to right center to bring him in, narrowing the score to 5-3. Ortiz defended the score again, however, by hitting a solo home run over the Monster in the bottom of the seventh, making the score 6-3.
Aceves took the mound in the top of the ninth with a 6-3 Boston lead. After two uncomfortable previous starts, you could tell he was determined to close the door the right way. After getting two outs, Nick Punto saved a sure base hit in the gap between first and second by knocking the ball down with his glove. He grabbed the ball and threw as quick as he could to first from his knees and got the dramatic third out to end the ball game.
The game started off in favor of the Red Sox when Mike Aviles escaped a sure out for the SECOND game in a row to get the ball rolling. This time, he beat out the 6-4-3 double play to bring in David Ortiz for the first run. Then, with two outs and Aviles on first, the Red Sox rallied to get the bases loaded. Daniel Nava stepped up to the plate, drawing the full count. He fouled pitch number five off and then crushed pitch number six opposite field into the left field corner for a bases clearing double, bringing the Red Sox to a 4-0 lead. Later in the fifth inning, Tigers shortstop Johnny Peralta homered over the bullpen in right center to put the Tigers back on track. Later that inning, David Ortiz doubled off of the Green Monster to bring in Adrian Gonzalez making the score 5-1. In the sixth, Prince Fielder homered high and deep to right field to make the score 5-2. Later in the seventh, Bobby Valentine put Andrew Miller on the mound who failed to close the door. After a big double by Miguel Cabrera, Fielder hit a single to right center to bring him in, narrowing the score to 5-3. Ortiz defended the score again, however, by hitting a solo home run over the Monster in the bottom of the seventh, making the score 6-3.
Aceves took the mound in the top of the ninth with a 6-3 Boston lead. After two uncomfortable previous starts, you could tell he was determined to close the door the right way. After getting two outs, Nick Punto saved a sure base hit in the gap between first and second by knocking the ball down with his glove. He grabbed the ball and threw as quick as he could to first from his knees and got the dramatic third out to end the ball game.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Tigers v. Red Sox - Game I
Good news for Red Sox nation today as the Sox continue to maintain their .500 win average by beating the Detroit Tigers. Felix Duobront and Doug Fister were the starting pitchers, both struggling in the first few innings. The Sox got the 1-0 lead early on in the first inning when David Ortiz doubled in Adrian Gonzalez. The next inning, Delmon Young homered over the Green Monster to tie the score at 1-1. In the bottom of the second, the Red Sox rallied to bring in three more runs thanks to the RBI singles of Mike Avilies, Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia to make the score 4-1. Even after Jim Leyland's ejection after arguing the foul tip call earlier on Mike Aviles, the bats proved to be still hot when Jarrod Saltalamacchia went deep in the third to make the score 5-1. In the fifth, inning, Gerald Laird homered over the Green Monster to bring the score 5-2.
After some pitching changes, the Sox maintained the lead when Will Middlebrooks had an RBI infield single in the sixth and Mike Aviles had an RBI double in the eighth. Coming into the ninth, the score 7-2, Aceves took the mound and for the second straight game, gave up a two run homer (this one to Johnny Peralta) to make the score 7-4. Aceves eventually closed out the game but certainly failed to help out his struggling ERA, raising it up to 5.32.
In my opinion, the player of the game goes to Ryan Sweeney who has come back from the DL due to a concussion. Sweeney went 3 for 4 today with a double, bringing up his batting average to .325, the highest on the Red Sox. In other news, Jarrod Saltalamacchia went deep again today for his ninth home run of the season, second on the team behind Ortiz (10). Also, Dustin Pedroia had to leave the game today in the fifth inning after diving for a play. He had left with a "jammed thumb" when Nick Punto came in to replace him, who by the way has been absolutely horrendous for the Red Sox, batting a mere .128.
The win today was certainly sentimental, not only for Trot Nixon (the Red Sox veteran whom the game was dedicated to) but for the morale of the team. They are currently 24-24, still below the 25-24 Toronto Blue Jays by half a game. Hopefully the Sox can win tomorrow despite the fact that Justin Verlander (5-2) is taking the mound for the Tigers. For the Red Sox, Daniel Bard (2-4) looks to get his third win of the season and bring the Red Sox their first winning record in the 2012 season.
After some pitching changes, the Sox maintained the lead when Will Middlebrooks had an RBI infield single in the sixth and Mike Aviles had an RBI double in the eighth. Coming into the ninth, the score 7-2, Aceves took the mound and for the second straight game, gave up a two run homer (this one to Johnny Peralta) to make the score 7-4. Aceves eventually closed out the game but certainly failed to help out his struggling ERA, raising it up to 5.32.
In my opinion, the player of the game goes to Ryan Sweeney who has come back from the DL due to a concussion. Sweeney went 3 for 4 today with a double, bringing up his batting average to .325, the highest on the Red Sox. In other news, Jarrod Saltalamacchia went deep again today for his ninth home run of the season, second on the team behind Ortiz (10). Also, Dustin Pedroia had to leave the game today in the fifth inning after diving for a play. He had left with a "jammed thumb" when Nick Punto came in to replace him, who by the way has been absolutely horrendous for the Red Sox, batting a mere .128.
The win today was certainly sentimental, not only for Trot Nixon (the Red Sox veteran whom the game was dedicated to) but for the morale of the team. They are currently 24-24, still below the 25-24 Toronto Blue Jays by half a game. Hopefully the Sox can win tomorrow despite the fact that Justin Verlander (5-2) is taking the mound for the Tigers. For the Red Sox, Daniel Bard (2-4) looks to get his third win of the season and bring the Red Sox their first winning record in the 2012 season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)