Sox beat up Tigers

After scoring 14 runs for the second straight game, in which Carl Crawford garnered 4 more hits, the Boston Red Sox got home runs from Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford to win 6-2 at Detroit. Crawford now has 7 RBI in his last 3 games. Meanwhile, Tim Wakefield pitched very well over 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs, to earn his 181st win as a Red Sox member, 11 behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young. I find it amazing that Crawford, after starting the year terribly, can suddenly get 9 hits in 12 at-bats and drive in 7. However, I hope that he can keep it up tonight against the Tigers and Darren Oliver. Clay Buchholz goes for the Sox; he has been looking more consistent of late after starting badly. Also, Jacoby Ellsbury has joined Crawford on his tear: Ells stole a base and scored in the first inning last night, then crushed a homer to lead off the 4th. He also made a beautiful diving catch in center field. Ellsbury has the league lead in steals, which is really no surprise. I find it awesome that Jacoby came back and just started crushing the ball after the rib injury that kept him to 18 games last year after a 70-steal 2009.

Trivia
Last year, Buchholz had a 2.33 ERA with 17 wins.

Sox bash Tribe

After losing two of three, the Red Sox beat the Indians 4-2 behind Josh Beckett. However, today's game was a bit more lopsided- and thus more interesting. Boston piled on 20 hits, including 7 runs in the first inning, to take the finale from Cleveland 14-2. Dustin Pedroia launched a bomb in the first inning, and David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each added bombs for Boston. Jon Lester pitched 6 scoreless innings to become the first 7-game winner in the majors, as he struck out 7 men in his appearance. Crawford also grabbed four hits and was a triple shy of the cycle today, his first 4-hit game with the Sox. I think it's great that the Sox are hitting and pitching so well, getting RBI by the dozen. Oh yeah, speaking of RBI: Adrian Gonzalez got his 43rd today with a single to right, so he is by far the Major League leader in that category. The Sox remain a half game behind the Yankees in the AL East, as the Yanks also won today, though not nearly by as much of a gaudy margin. Hopefully, the Sox can keep it up tomorrow in Detroit when they take on the Tigers. Alfredo Aceves will pitch in his second start against Max Scherzer, who is another 6-game winner. I love that these guys are hitting so well and getting clutch performances.

Trivia

Gonzalez is on pace for 145 RBI if he keeps up his amazing pace.

Sox roll into second

The Boston Red Sox got 19 hits and 15 runs as they smashed the Chicago Cubs 15-5. Adrian Gonzalez collected 4 hits and knocked in 4 runs, scoring another with a double-play ball. Kevin Youkilis added another three RBI with two doubles and a home run hit well out of Fenway Park. Meanwhile, Jon Lester was not his best by any means, giving up 12 hits in 6 innings, but he earned his 6th win of the year to tie for the league lead. A-Gone is now first in the AL with 41 RBI and 4th with a .326 average. I think it is great that the Red Sox keep hitting well and winning, as they are just on a hot streak. The Rays lost to Florida in a huge upset and the Mets beat the Yanks in a Subway showdown, so the Red Sox are alone in second place, a mere half game behind the Rays. They have won seven straight, starting with a three-game sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx. I hope they keep hitting the way they have been and Adrian keeps getting hits and picking up RBI all over the place. Also, David Ortiz, who started the season in the .220 zone, has brought his average up to .297, as he has been hitting very well recently. Today, Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano takes the hill against Alfredo Aceves, the replacement for the ailing Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Trivia
Last year, Lester won 19 games, so it is no surprise that he is the Sox leader in wins currently.

Crawford does it again

Carl Crawford delivered another single to center in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Sox a 4-3 walk-off win. The Red Sox had been up 3-1 thanks to homers by J.D. Drew and David Ortiz, but Daniel Bard gave up back-to-back blasts to blow his first save of the year. Josh Beckett pitched only six innings and left with a stiff neck, but he should be better soon. Justin Verlander opposed him, and Verlander threw eight strong innings and struck out nine, allowing three runs. I think it is great that these Sox are hitting in the clutch so much, and that the starting pitching is doing so well. The Sox are also streaking right now, having won 6 in a row and 8 of their last 10. They are 1.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East, and just a half a game behind the Yankees for second. Unfortunately, the Yanks have won their last three, and continued their dominance last night with a 13-2 win over the Orioles. Oh well. The Sox should keep getting better if they keep playing the way they're playing, although Adrian Gonzalez is in a bit of a slump right now. Go Sox!

Trivia
Crawford has delivered 3 walk-off hits this month.
The Sox are on a 21-10 streak since starting the year 2-10.

Sox pull off shutout

After seven and a half scoreless innings, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove an RBI double off the Monster to give the Red Sox a 1-0 win in the eighth inning. Jonathan Papelbon got his eighth save and Daniel Bard nailed down his first win. Clay Buchholz threw seven innings while giving up just 4 hits and no runs, and Detroit starter Phil Coke matched the inning total but gave up just 3 hits. I think the Red Sox are doing very well, and I hope they can keep up this pace, They are absolutely tearing up their opponents, and their pitching has been doing much better and getting better overnight. Salty has been going on a tear, and now the Sox have just one hitter under .200: Mike Cameron, who failed to get a hit last night. The Sox got just 4 hits, but they were enough for Buchholz and the bullpen. I think it is excellent that the Sox are getting these clutch hits. I mean, in two games they have a walk-off double and a double in the eighth. I hope they can keep up this marvelous pace again tonight, when the teams' respective aces face each other: Justin Verlander for the Tigers, 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA and a no-hitter,  and Josh Beckett for the Sox, 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA. I think Beckett can outpitch Verlander, as long as the Sox give him some run support.

Trivia
Adrian Gonzalez went 0-3 and grounded into 2 double plays last night, but he is still batting .320 and tied for the league lead in RBI.

A-Gone sends Sox home happy

Adrian Gonzalez nailed a two-run double to cap a six run comeback for the Red Sox as they won 8-7. They were down 6-0 to the Baltimore Orioles before they exploded for five in the sixth and two more in the ninth on Gonzalez's double. I find it great that the Sox are hitting so well and coming back from these deficits. I love these Sox and that they are winning all the time. They are now tied with the Yankees and Blue Jays for second in the AL East, 3 games in back of the Rays, who beat the Yankees last night. The Sox just continue to hit, and Gonzalez now has 37 RBI to lead the league. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched badly again, giving up 5 runs in just 4.1 innings, and Scott Atchison gave up a run in the sixth. Alfredo Aceves pitched 3 innings and gave up just 1 run, earning the win. I think it's awesome that the Sox bullpen is finally pitching well and bearing down, and the Sox are hitting with runners in scoring position. They had six hits last night with RISP! However, the one dark spot to last night was the fact that no Boston hitter left less than two men on base, and David Ortiz left 6 by himself. Oh well. We won, and I love that these guys are hitting and pitching really well.

Trivia
A-Gone is also 6th in hitting and tied for 5th in homers.

Youk, Ortiz, Salty get Sox to .500

Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each homered to lead the Red Sox to a 7-5 win over the New York Yankees. Jon Lester gave up 4 quick runs but earned his fifth win when Youk nailed a shot to tie the game and drive in three runs. David Ortiz then nailed a bomb in the fifth to give Lester a lead, and Dustin Pedroia came in on an error by Alex Rodriguez. I find it great that the Sox are hitting and pitching well recently, and even better, they're at .500. They've dominated the Yanks, and as a result they're 1 game behind NY and 3 behind the Rays in the East. I love it! After the Yanks drew within one in the bottom of the seventh, Jarrod Saltalamacchia took advantage of that lovely short porch in right field and ripped a homer into the first row to give the Sox a two-run lead. It was Salty's first home run as a Red Sock, which I find great. Salty had two hits today and has been hitting well recently. Jon Papelbon earned his seventh save by throwing a perfect ninth. Pap has blown just one save this year, compared with 7 successes. Let's go Sox! Come on Dice-K, you can throw and beat the Orioles today, can't ya? Let's go above .500, to 21-20. Yes!

Trivia
Last year, Lester won 19 games.

Beckett and A-Gone shut down Yanks

Josh Beckett threw 6 shutout innings to bring his ERA down to 1.74, second-best in the American League, and Adrian Gonzalez smashed a three-run homer to cap a Red Sox rally as they beat the New York Yankees 6-0. Gonzalez's bomb was his fifth in the span of just four games, and he has propelled himself to the top of the AL in RBI. He keeps adding on to his total, with 34 now. He has nine homers, and eight of them have come here in the month of May. I think it is great that Beckett finally got some run support and Gonzalez is hitting so well. He has homered in 4 straight games and will try to keep that going tonight on ESPN. The Red Sox are 2 behind the Yankees in the East and 4 behind the leading Tampa Bay Rays. They are 1 win away from .500, and hopefully they can get that tonight. I hope that Gonzalez will keep producing, and the Sox have a chance tonight, with Jon Lester pitching against Freddy Garcia. Red Sox pitching struck out 13 batters last night, including 9 from Beckett.

Trivia
Despite Adrian's three-run shot, he was just 1 for 5 last night and he left 7 men on base.

Buchholz and Youk produce for win

Kevin Youkilis smashed a two-run homer off Joba Chamberlain to put that game away and Clay Buchholz went seven strong innings to win 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Adrian Gonzalez added two more RBIs with a solo dinger and a sac fly to add to his league-leading RBI total, now 31, and Jonathan Papelbon produced his 6th save despite giving up a run in the ninth. Jacoby Ellsbury took a lead in another AL category: stolen bases. He stole off Russell Martin in the ninth inning despite a pitchout. I think it is great that all these htiters are producing, and I hope they can continue to win again tonight. The Sox are two games away from .500 at 18-20. Carl Crawford also racked up an RBI with a groundout, but he was 0-4 last night. The way he's been swinging the bat, though, I'm not too worried. The Red Sox got 9 hits, and every batter except Crawford gave one, while Ellsbury contributed 2. Curtis Granderson singlehandedly rallied the Yanks in late innings, tripling off Daniel Bard in the eighth and scoring on a wild pitch, then knocking in Nick Swisher with a solid base hit to left. Luckily, Youk's two-run blast allowed for a bit of error, so Buchholz was able to grab his 4th win. Despite his 3.94 ERA, he is tied for the team lead in wins with Jon Lester.

Trivia
The only other Sox who have over one stolen base are Dustin Pedroia and Carl Crawford, each with 5.

1, 3, 5 hitters can't produce enough for win

Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, and David Ortiz each had three hits and combined for three homers and 19 total bases but the Sox fell to Toronto 7-6 in 10 innings last night. Gonzalez smashed two home runs to continue his hot streak and brought his average up to .324 while Ellsbury stole his 11th base of the season to tie for the league lead. I think it is great that these hitters are producing, but Saltalamacchia needs work throwing out runners. He allowed Rajai Davis to steal two bases in the tenth, which set him up for the sacrifice fly that ended the game. Jon Lester allowed three runs in the first inning and five overall, but he was backed by some good offense. Gonzalez made Frank Francisco blow a save in the ninth with his second homer, cranked to left field. He added a shot to right and David Ortiz's blast went straight to center. One thing I can't believe, however: The Sox still have not reached .500 this year. They fell to 17-19, though they have come within one game about 4 times already. They still have third place in the AL East. Tonight, Jon Lackey, with a 7.06 ERA, opposes Jesse Litsch. I hope the offense keeps smoking, Gonzalez keeps hitting, and Ellsbury keeps his 19-game hitting streak going.

Trivia
In 2009, Ells stole 54 bases, the most in Red Sox history.

Crawford proves first walk-off hit was not a fluke

Josh Beckett went seven scoreless innings and left up 1-0 off an Adrian Gonzalez single, but Jonathan Papelbon blew his first save of the year in the eighth and the game went to extra innings. David Ortiz had his chance in the tenth, but grounded into the shift with runners on second and third. Hideki Okajima did repay him by striking out Rene Rivera with two outs in the 11th to end the Twin's threat in the same position, but Papi was clearly not pleased with himself. Up in the bottom of the eleventh, Jed Lowrie hit a single and was replaced by Jose Iglesias, and Iglesias had a chance to score his first run in his career. He took off on a 3-2 to Carl Crawford and the man delivered, smashing a double off the Monster to deliver the Sox a win. It is great that the Sox are winning in extra innings this year, and they are getting clutch hitting help. I love this team, as they are getting great pitching performances from top stars like Beckett and Jon Lester, who goes tonight in Toronto. They are 17-18, just 1 win away from .500. I hope they keep pitching well, and getting clutch hits. One final note? The Red Sox now have two walk-off wins, and both are by Crawford, who is now batting .211. So he doesn't get many hits, but when he gets hits, he gets clutch hits.

Trivia
Despite being 4th in the AL in ERA with 1.99, Beckett is only 2-1 thanks to poor run support.

Birthday Boy hands Sox the win

Adrian Gonzalez homered and managed two other hits on his 29th birthday as the Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 9-5 on Mother's Day. Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up 4 runs in 6 innings as the Red Sox slugged their way to victory two days after the Twins beat them 9-2. I think it was their sweet revenge over Minnesota. The Sox got 14 hits by having every person in the starting lineup contribute at least 1 except Jason Varitek. It is also interesting to note that Jose Iglesias finally played in a major league game, although he did not get an at-bat. Dice-K did not look great, giving up 5 hits himself, but he persevered and grabbed the win. I think it is great that the Sox offense is warming up and the pitching is starting to clamp down, but every time I say this, the Sox go on to lose the next few games.

The Red Sox are 16-18, just 2 games away from the magic .500 and have sole possession of third place in the AL East, 4 games behind the Rays and Yankees. So this means the Sox are going to win the next one, then lose a few more and continue this pattern the rest of the year, never reaching .500, and finish 80-82. Or maybe they'll touch .500 and then fade. Or maybe, they might get to .500 and keep rising; this is what I hope, being a diehard fan. Hopefully, the Sox will continue their pounding of the Twins pitching tomorrow with Josh Beckett, third in the AL in WHIP, taking on Nick Blackburn of the Twins.

Trivia
Despite Beckett's 0.86 WHIP, he has just 2 wins against 1 loss.

After falling down cold, Sox finally get win

After the Boston Red Sox took the first two games of a four-game set at home against the Los Angeles Angels, they lost 5-3 after a rain delay and 13 innings. They must have been tired the next day; how else to explain their lackluster performance? Or should I say, Lackey-luster? Jon Lackey gave up 8 runs in 4 innings and the bullpen was not much better while former Sock Joel Pineiro stifled batters and the Sox lost 11-0. All over New England, fans were shocked, and I thought, "What the heck is happening? Every time you get close to .500, you lose three in a row. And yes, it was to be three in a row. With Tim Wakefield starting, the Minnesota Twins jumped all over Tim Wakefield, getting 8 runs in 4.1 innings, including one on a balk in which Terry Francona was ejected after a heated debate with the umpire Angel Hernandez. Despite a long home run from Adrian Gonzalez, the Sox went on to lose 9-2. Yes, that is 20-2 in 2 days. Ouch, in my opinion.

However, the Sox could only get better from there. And get better they did, despite another rain delay over 2 hours against the Twins. Clay Buchholz threw five 2-hit innings and got RBI singles from Jed Lowrie and Kevin Youkilis as well as a two-run single by Jacoby Ellsbury to win 4-0. Some of the Sox bullpen got some rest thanks to the shutout, so they should be fresh for tomorrow's game. I can only hope that they get better from here, and maybe even reach .500 this season!

Trivia
4 Sox players had 2 or more hits in the win today.

Lester's 11 lifts Sox

Adrian Gonzalez gave Dan Haren something to think about in the showers with a homer on the last pitch Haren threw before the next batter, David Ortiz, delivered another bomb on the first pitch Hisanori Takahashi threw. Later in the eighth, the same frame, Marco Scutaro delivered a 2-run blast and the Sox went on to win 7-3. Now, hitting was not the big story in this game: Jon Lester was. Lester fanned 11 in seven innings while giving up just 1 run on 6 hits, and Jon Papelbon gave up 2 in the ninth but eventually retired the Angels. The Sox and Halos go at it again today, with Josh Beckett pitching for the Sox. I think it is great that Boston is working the long ball (finally!) and even better that the starting pitching is settling down. I like the display of offensive power these Sox are showing, much better than the terrible Sox we saw at the beginning of the season. After all, five players got at least 2 hits last night, and three homers in one inning are great. What I mean by the beginning of the season slump? The Sox's back-to-back shots were the first this season. With the win, the Sox moved to 13-14, just 1 game away from .500 and third place in the AL East.

Trivia
The Sox went 2-8 with runners in scoring position, meaning they are finally getting clutch hits.

Pedroia's fouls beat Weaver

The Boston Red Sox got a 13-pitch at-bat from Dustin Pedroia before he lined a go-ahead two-run single to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning, as he fouled off nine pitches in the at-bat. He was facing Angels ace Jered Weaver, who had been stifling opponents, 6-0 with a 0.99 ERA entering the game. However, the Sox quickly upped that in the first inning with a Kevin Youkilis single, but Clay Buchholz, finally healthy, gave the lead right back. He also gave up another but was saved by Dustin Pedroia's amazing play to get an out. And of course, Dustin gave the Sox the lead back in the bottom of the inning. I think it is great that Dustin is hitting so well in the early season. But the party wasn't over. In the seventh, Adrian Gonzalez came up and smashed a three-run double to left-center, which made me think, "wow, good thing we got this guy." Next was Kevin Youkilis, who smashed another double to the same place and drove in Gonzalez. Next? David Ortiz, who finally broke out of his homer slump by crushing one to left, which made me very happy that Francona did not decide to rest him. Meanwhile, Clay Buchholz threw 6 and 2/3 solid innings to win 9-5.

Trivia
This was Clay's second win of the year, and he still surrendered 8 hits.

Sox get Wake-up call and walk-off win

Unfortunately for the Sox, or fortunately in my opinion, Clay Buchholz was too ill to start the third game of the Red Sox-Mariners series. Instead, Tim Wakefield started for the Sox. Wake gave up just 3 hits over 5 and 2/3 innings while shutting out the M's. However, Bobby Jenks blew the 2-0 lead after Tim left in the 6th by walking 2 with the bases loaded, thus charging a run to Wakefield. However, Wake pitched so well that I thought, "Boy, we need to pitch Tim more often." It's true, considering how poorly Buchholz has pitched thus far this season. The Sox got their first 2 runs on a David Ortiz double off the wall in left-center for the first hit in 15 tries with runners in scoring position. In the ninth, Jamey Wright gave up a triple to Jed Lowrie and then a walk-off single from Carl Crawford. Now I see the Red Sox of old, the ones that can get 2 or more clutch hits per game! Not last night, when they were 0-11. Today, when they're 2-10 and walk off! I think it is absolutely great that Wakefield could pitch well enough to set the stage for Crawford. I mean, if you think about it, you realize that Timmy was the real hero of tonight's game! And even more amazing, it was Crawford, batting .168, who got the walk-off hit!

Trivia
Wakefield has 179 wins with Boston; he only needs 13 more to tie Roger Clemens and Cy Young for the most in a Red Sox uniform.

Sox leave men on base in droves

The Boston Red Sox were not able to convert against the Seattle Mariners as they got lots of men on base... then went 0-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men. The Sox got seven hits and 6 walks and squandered them all as they lost 2-0. The best hitter for the Sox for the day was a surprise: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had 2 hits and a double but was stranded, like always. Their biggest squander came when they loaded the bases with no outs and Adrian Gonzalez hit a soft liner to the second baseman. He threw to second to double up Jacoby Ellsbury for 2 outs, although the replays showed clearly that Ells was safe. An interesting fact from yesterday? Every single person in the starting lineup left at least 1 man. David Ortiz left 5 thanks to 2 strikeouts. Also, Jon Lackey gave up 7 hits and 2 runs in his 6 innings of work. The final hurt? As I write this, the Sox have squandered yet again, as Jed Lowrie was called out on strikes with the bases loaded and two out in the first inning against King Felix. He faces Tim Wakefield. Geez, nice matchup. Let's hope the Sox can hit today with RISP.

Trivia
Even with the 2 hits, Salty is still batting .216.