Sox vs. Sox? Chicago wins

The Red Sox and White Sox met in Chicago for the beginning of a three-game set between the two clubs. Tim Wakefield took the mound for Boston in search of his 200th win and 186th in a Boston uniform. He faced Gavin Floyd, a righthander nearly 17 years his junior. Wake pitched beautifully with his knuckler dancing through the first 5, giving up just 1 hit and no runs while Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered for a 1-0 lead. But in the sixth, Juan Pierre bunted and raced to first base for a single, and Omar Visquel bunted him over to second. A wild pitch then allowed him to advance, and Paul Konerko drove a sacrifice fly. I think that the offense should have started to pick up the pace here to support their pitcher, but Floyd was just too good. In the seventh, after a leadoff walk, A.J. Pierzynski drilled a two-run home run to put the White Sox ahead for good. I think that Wakefield pitched well, and I think that with any kind of offense he could have easily won. I mean, he only gave up three hits! And the Red Sox only garnered three hits themselves. Ah well. I say that Wake was the best player for Boston today. And now he gets to search for his 200th win in Boston in front of the Fenway Faithful. So every cloud has a silver lining. Incidentally, the BoSox have lost 7 straight games to Chicago after last night's loss.
Trivia
Dustin Pedroia had his 25-game hitting streak snapped last night, going 0-4.

Crawford can't pull the ball enough

The Red Sox took a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals but came very close to winning or at least tying the game in the ninth. Anyway, let's start at the beginning. Josh Beckett threw just like he normally does, giving up just 1 hit in his first 3 innings. In the bottom of the third, Jacoby Ellsbury delivered for the Sox with a two-run single to put them up 2-0. But something goes wrong with Beckett in the fourth. After walking his first two batters, he gave up a three-run bomb to Billy Butler into dead center field. He later gives up an RBI double to Mike Moustakas to go down 4-2. It stayed that way until the eighth, when Dustin Pedroia came up to the plate with a 24-game hitting streak on the line. He nailed a home run into the Monster seats on a pitch that was level with his eyes. Well, at least he extended the streak. I love that Pedroia can consistently hit for the Sox and just keep getting extra-base hits and bombs.

Then in the ninth, with the score 4-3, Carl Crawford pinch-hit for Jason Varitek with a runner on first. Crawford lifted a high, deep fly ball to right field that Jeff Franceour caught just before the wall. Now, I think this could have helped the Sox in many different situations. For instance, Franceour overran the ball at first, then recovered just in time. If he had missed it, then the score is tied with Crawford at least on second. Or, if Crawford had pulled it just a bit more, it would have gone over the wall for a home run and the Sox would have won. Ah well.

Trivia
Crawford already has 3 walk-off hits this year.

Papi's slam gives Sox win

David Ortiz drove a grand slam as the top five hitters in the Red Sox lineup combined for 11 hits and 11 RBI in a 12-5 trouncing of Kansas City. Boston actually fell behind 3-0 on Eric Hosmer's three-run homer in the first for KC, but Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back blasts for the Sox. This extended Pedroia's hitting streak to 24 games, just 10 shy of the Red Sox record. Then in the second, Ells walked in a run, Pedey drove a sac fly, and Adrian Gonzalez had an RBI groundout for Boston, giving them a 5-3 lead. In the fourth, the Sox busted the game open with an RBI from Yamaico Navarro and the slam from Papi. Lackey won his fourth game in a row with the victory. A-Gone is now batting .351 and has 87 RBI after a three-hit, three-RBI night. I love that these Sox can hit a ton, and their pitching isn't too bad. I mean, Dan Wheeler, who started with his ERA above 6, has it down to 4.67 for Boston. And Lackey has bounced back from a bad start to get over .500, 9-8. And they've been winning a ton, going 19-4 over 23 games to stretch their lead over New York to 3 games in the East. Hopefully they can keep it up today with Josh Beckett pitching.

Trivia
With last night's 16-hit performance, the Sox have now garnered 10 hits or more in 11 straight games.

Pedroia and Ortiz give Sox the win

Andrew Miller was very shaky in his start, giving up 7 runs in just 3 and 2/3 innings, but Alfredo Aceves pitched 3 and 1/3 shutout innings to pick up his 6th win as the Sox blasted the Kansas City Royals 13-9. Dustin Pedroia collected 4 hits and fell a homer shy of the cycle to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 23 games for the BoSox. David Ortiz also grabbed 4 hits, three of them doubles, to knock in 5 runs and boost the Sox to the top of the game. Meanwhile, the Yankees also won, but today as I write this they have lost to the Seattle Mariners, ending Seattles franchise-worst 17-game losing skid. The Sox now stand at 63-38, and despite an 0-7 road start, they have blossomed to earn the best road record in all of baseball. I think it is great that the Red Sox are doing so well, and I have to tip my hat to Aceves. He has been getting it done all year, getting key wins and key innings for the Sox. He has been coming in and getting a crucial batter to give the Sox the win. I also like that Pedroia has been swinging a very hot bat for the Sox; he is batting almost .400 over the life of his hitting streak. Oh, and we can't forget Adrian Gonzalez. A-Gone knocked in two more runs last night to give himself 84 RBI as well as a majors-best .348 average.

Trivia
Pedroia's streak is only 11 shy of the Red Sox record, set by Dom DiMaggio.

Sox finish off ice-cold Mariners

After getting 7-4 and 3-1 wins, in which Jacoby Ellsbury drove in a total of three runs, the Red Sox tried to sweep the Seattle Mariners and hold their 3-game lead over the Yankees.The Sox couldn't do much in the top of the first, as Miguel Olivo drilled a two-run blast to left off Tim Wakefield. However, they made up for it in the bottom of the inning, as Kevin Youkilis answered with a two-run bomb of his own for Boston. The Sox added three more in the inning for a 5-2 lead. The game stayed silent until the fifth, when Brendan Ryan drove an RBI double to make it 5-3 Sox. However, the Sox came back again with five more runs, including a two-run single by Carl Crawford, to take a 10-3 lead. In the sixth, Adrian Gonzalez knocked home Dustin Pedroia after Pedey extended his hitting streak to 20 with a double, but in the seventh Wake faltered. He gave up a grand slam to Ryan and was pulled, but the bullpen was superb for the Sox. It was Wake's 199th career win. The final score was 12-8. I find it great that the Sox offense can keep nailing hits and driving in runs, and I love that Adrian Gonzalez can keep hitting. He is currently batting .346 after a three-hit day, and has now knocked in 82 runs, leading the major leagues. However, I do hope that Wake can shape up so he can pitch better.Pictured: Dustin Pedroia

Trivia
Pedroia's current hitting streak is the longest of his career.
The Mariners now have a club-record 15-game losing skid

Miller shuts out O's

Andrew Miller threw 5 and 2/3 shutout innings while giving up just 2 hits to earn his 4th win of the season for the Boston Red Sox. The Sox took a 4-0 win in Baltimore, beating Jake Arrieta in the series finale. Jacoby Ellsbury nailed two solo home runs in the win while Adrian Gonzalez finally got back on track with a 4-hit game for Boston. A-Gone relifted his average to .343 after slumping pretty badly over the previous three nights. Josh Reddick kept going with his hitting, grabbing 2 hits to give himself a .378 clip, while Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 18 games with an infield single. The bullpen for Boston was 100 % perfect and garnered 3 strikeouts. Matt Albers, Dan Bard, and Jon Papelbon all worked. I hope that the Sox can keep going with their offense and pitching tonight, and I hope that A-Gone can keep hitting and drive in some more runs. Note: This win came after a 6-2 loss in Baltimore last night. However, the Yankees also lost, so the Sox remained 1.5 games ahead heading into today's win.

Trivia
In 6 starts, Miller is 4-1.

Sox win in slugfest

Jacoby Ellsbury garnered three hits while Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Darnell McDonald each drove in three runs in a 15-10 slugfest win in Baltimore. The Orioles took a quick 2-0 lead on a two-run triple by Derrek Lee in the first inning. However, the Sox did not give up. It's kind of funny. The Red Sox must have been exhausted due to a 16 inning game the night before, but they came out of the gate pretty darn well. The Sox scored 3 in the third thanks to a Jarrod Saltalamacchia home run and Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis each grabbing RBI singles. They made it 6-2 after an error and a Josh Reddick home run, but the O's battled back. Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy each nailed homers off Sox starter Tim Wakefield to give the Orioles a 7-6 lead, but the Sox were not done. Kevin Youkilis retied the game with an RBI single before the Sox exploded with eight runs in the eighth inning to secure the win. Darnell McDonald capped off the inning with a three-run double. I think it is great that the Sox are starting to hit again. Unfortunately, A-Gone's average dropped to .340 after getting just 1 hit. I liked that they started to hit again after winning 1-0 last game, and I hope that they can keep their bats going tonight. Pictured: Kevin Youkilis

Trivia
Gonzalez did pick up his 78th RBI in the game. 

Pedroia gives Sox marathon win

After 15 innings of scoreless baseball, Dustin Pedroia's RBI single in the 16th inning gave the Boston Red Soxa 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Josh Beckett started for Boston, and he gave up just a single hit in 8 innings while striking out 6. Unfortunately, Jeff Niemann was the same for Tampa Bay, giving up 2 hits and King ten in his 8 innings. Jacoby Ellsbury went 0-8 out of the leadoff spot without reaching base, while Adrian Gonzalez's average dropped to .342 after a 1-7 night. The Red Sox got just 5 hits, but stranded 17 due to 12 walks by Tampa Bay pitching. Pedroia was the only player on either team to have more than one hit, with 3 hits on the night. Alfredo Aceves earned his 5th win of the year with 3 perfect innings of relief, while Jon Papelbon picked  up his 25th save. I think that the pitching was great, but I wish that the offense could have picked up. In particular, I hope that Ells will start producing again after a terrible night, and Gonzalez should be able to keep hitting. I can't believe that he had such a bad night, but both he and Ells have batting averages over .300, so they should be able to turn around soon, if not tonight in Baltimore.

Trivia
Beckett is leading the league with a 0.89 WHIP

Hot players around MLB

The second half kicks off at 7 tonight, so I thought I might write about some hot players from around the majors. I just have to start with the Panda. Pablo Sandoval, who earned himself an adoring nickname in San Francisco, has a 21-game hitting streak heading into the break and will look to keep it going. And while we're in the NL, how about Joel Hanrahan? 1.34 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 26-26 in saves, a big reason why the Pittsburgh Pirates are only 1 game behind in the NL Central and headed for their first season over .500 since the mid '90s. And now, in the East, the big story has been the pitching of Philadelphia. Their "big three," Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Roy Halladay, have combined for 31 wins and none of them have an ERA above 2.82, with that being Hamels'. In the AL, Adrian Gonzalez is the biggest story, with 17 homers, 77 RBI, and a .354 average, leading the AL in hits, doubles, RBI, and batting average, among other things. Let's go Sox! The other story in the East is Jose Bautista of Toronto, who has 31 home runs and has hit 85 bombs in the last season and a half. In the AL Central, Justin Verlander of Detroit has been a huge reason why Detroit passed Cleveland. Verlander is 12-4 with a 2.15 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Finally, the West is dominated by the LA Angels, namely Jered Weaver and Dan Haren. Weaver has 11 wins and a 1.86 ERA, while Haren clocks in with 10 victories and a 2.61 ERA.

Trivia
Verlander's season has been highlighted by a no-hitter in Toronto.

Despite Adrian's effort, AL falls

In the 82nd annual All-Star Game in Arizona, the AL came off a huge win at the Home Run Derby. Robinson Cano took home the crown, with Adrian Gonzalez coming in second. And despite hitting 5 consecutive homers in a swing-off, Prince Fielder could not dispel the boos against him from Chase Field. Gonzalez came out in the fourth inning and decided to swing away against Cliff Lee. A-Gone drilled a deep home run to right-center field for a 1-0 AL lead. However, there is a man named Prince Fielder, who can hit pretty well. He came up with 2 on in the bottom of the inning to face C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers. Prince smashed a three-run bomb to left-center field that hit the top of the wall in the park for a home run. Andre Ethier and Pablo Sandoval added RBI for the NL. In the ninth inning, the AL had two men on and one out, but Brian Wilson, he of the black beard, came in and got two men out for a 5-1 win. I wish the AL could have done better, but I am excited that Gonzalez was able to hold his own. He scored and knocked in the only run for the American club, while Prince was named the MVP for the game. Gonzalez was also named the first-half AL MVP according to MLB.com's survey of 30 team reporters and other national reporters. Go A-Gone, and let's hope the Sox can hold their win streak when they play Friday.

Trivia
In the 2008-2010 All-Star Games, there were a total of 2 homers, including none in '09 and '10. In '11, there were also 2.

Home-Run Derby Stage set

Tonight, the best sluggers in baseball will face off in the 2011 State Farm Home Run Derby. David Ortiz, as the 2010 winner, had the privilege of choosing 3 hitters from the AL and 4 from the NL. Ortiz's choices were mostly understandable. First off was the easy choice, Toronto's Jose Bautista. Bautista has 31 homers heading into the break, easily the most in the majors. That one is the most understandable for me. Next, Adrian Gonzalez, whose 17 bombs are just 1 behind Ortiz for the Red Sox team lead. Fine. But the next one I just cannot understand. Robinson Cano, NYY. Just 15 homers heading into the break. I mean, if you're going to choose a Yankee, you might want to choose Curtis Granderson or Mark Teixeira, each of whom have 25 bombs, 10 more than Canoe. That's a bit strange.

On the NL side, two choices were fairly easy: Prince Fielder of the Brewers and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers each have 22 homers, second in the NL. That's fine, as they both have been crushing shots all year long. Next, Rickie Weeks of the Brewers, with 17. Okay, why not take Jay Bruce, who has 21, or Chicago's Carlos Pena with 19? Well, Weeks has been a fan favorite, and I think he is a great overall hitter, so maybe. But then there's Matt Holliday. Holliday has just 14 homers for the St. Louis Cardinals. Again, if you really want a member of that team, take the leader, who also happens to be the NL leader: Lance Berkman, with 24 long balls, again ten more than Holliday. The one way we can justify this choice is because Holliday's home runs have mostly come in clutch situations and walk-off chances, so he produces well.

Shown: Jose Bautista, top, and Prince Fielder, bottom.