Christmas in August

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard some news about the huge Red Sox-Dodgers blockbuster trade. But you can now hear it from one more source. A deal was finalized yesterday sending Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Punto, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for first baseman James Loney and four top prospects. First of all, number one LA pitching minor leaguer, Allen Webster, joins the Boston minor league club, as does Ivan De Jesus. Finally, Rubby de la Rosa and Jerry Sands will join Boston as the two players to complete the nine-player deal. But more important than the players is the new mindset Ben Cherington is showing. He let go of one of the top hitters of Boston, A-Gone and a former ace in Beckett. And what does Boston get in return, aside from the prospects? Well, this part truly makes it for me. The Dodgers will pay all but about $12 million of the $260 million remaining on those four players' contracts. All of a sudden, the Red Sox organization has a ton of free money.

Getting rid of these four players, who incidentally have generally been underperforming this season, is a brilliant move, in my opinion, by Ben Cherington. I mean, Punto has a .200 average, Crawford hasn't played much, and Beckett is 6-11! I guess Gonzalez has been pretty good, with a .300 average and 80 RBI, but that's not up to what he can do. And now all of a sudden the Red Sox have more money. The only possible problem I can see with this trade is that Cherington is going to have to use his money wisely. I really hope the Sox don't blow it on deals like those they made to Crawford and A-Gone. Hopefully they will invest in some good players for non-binding deals. I mean, they expected Crawford to be healthy, and Gonzalez to perform amazingly. That didn't happen. However, Boston does currently have a host of young players-- Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Pedro Ciriaco-- who can form a backbone.

Speaking of which, today the Sox beat the Royals, 8-6, led by Ciraco's three hits. In the seventh inning, Ciriaco bounced a go-ahead infield single, just beating the throw. He is just a marvelous player for Boston and runs hard no matter what. As Dave O'Brien of WEEI Red Sox radio put it, "He just doesn't stop running." Ciriaco is batting .360 so far this year, and hopefully he can be solid in the future for Boston. Meanwhile, Pedroia homered, and hopefully this can be the starting point of the new Red Sox.

Worth Noting
Gonzalez drilled a home run in his first game with LA.

Sox Season Slipping

I must say, after the All-Star Break, when Boston swept Toronto, I thought they could keep rolling. They couldn't. Since being .500 at the midseason point, they have solidly remained around .500 during the second half. And they just barely avoided a sweep from the Baltimore Orioles this week, only being saved by the wonderful Clay Buchholz, who has undoubtedly been Boston's second-half ace, if not the ace for the whole season. In a season where the previous 1-2 punch for the BoSox, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, have each put up ERA's around 5.20, Buchholz has shined as a light in the darkness. Yes, his ERA is a relatively high 4.19. But honestly, that's because his first three starts were truly awful. Since then, he has been amazing for Boston and a much-needed stopper. Since July 19th, Buchholz is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA. I mean, that is just amazing for a team that has played under .500 ball! Actually, that reminds me of Felix Hernandez, who Wednesday fired the 23rd perfect game in major league history for the last-place Mariners.

In fact, last night Buchholz became the 47th person to perform another pitching achievement: the perfect inning. Clay threw nine pitches and struck out the side in the sixth inning for his immaculate frame. This is yet another reason that I pick Buchholz as the bright light of the pitchers to shine in this -- so far-- dark year for Boston. As Bostonherald.com puts it, "Clay Buchholz is the Red Sox' only sure thing." There have been, granted, a couple other bright spots. For instance, thank goodness for Pedro Ciriaco, who has stole seven bases and batted .327 after being called up late this season. And Adrian Gonzalez has finally been doing his job, as after a slow start he has leaped out to bat .308 and tie for fifth in the AL with 82 runs driven in. Also, Carl Crawford has been hitting .288 with four steals since coming off the DL, and I am very happy that he is producing. Scott Podsednik has batted .384 in limited duty for Boston. And finally, Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, and Junichi Tazawa have all been solid out of the bullpen, each posting ERAs under 2.30.

But for all these bright spots, there are some pretty bad players. Though Jarrod Saltalamacchia has 20 home runs, he is batting just .229 this season as the regular catcher. Alfredo Aceves, though he has saved 24 games, has blown six saves and lost seven games. That's not what I want from my closer. In contrast, Jonathan Papelbon last year saved 31 games, blew three saves, and lost a single game. It's really too bad that the Sox failed to re-sign Pap, as he could have been a good closer for Boston. And it also is not just the individual players doing badly, it is the team as a whole not playing well. Those are really the worst stats for Boston, summed up here in this article. The worst and the best. But the team just needs to start playing flat-out better baseball if they want a chance at the playoffs. That said, I sincerely hope they do. Good luck Boston!

Ross crushes Chicago

After my last post, the White Sox went on to beat Jon Lester and Boston 7-5. However, the Red Sox were ready for revenge on Wednesday. Cody Ross smashed not one, but two three-run homers while Adrian Gonzalez homered and drove in four. Felix Doubront held the White Sox to one run on four hits to earn his tenth win of the season, 10-1. I'm sure that was a nice win for Boston, as they just crushed Chicago. Then they faced off again last night.

To me, it was clear that both starters were at their best last night, with Carlos Quintana facing off against Clay Buchholz, recently returned from the DL. Buchholz struck out four in the first three innings, all looking, while Quintana held the Red Sox scoreless. Unfortunately, in the fourth the White Sox strung together two singles and a sacrifice fly to score the first run of the game. The game stayed 1-0, with Clay Buchholz finishing off his eight innings with just six hits allowed and six strikeouts. Meanwhile, Quintana finished his eight innings, scattering five hits and striking out two. 

In the ninth, Alfredo Aceves gave up two hits but shut out the White Sox in their half, and Matt Thornton started the ninth for the ChiSox. He gave up a leadoff single to Carl Crawford, who was then erased on a force out. With Dustin Pedroia now on first, Adrian Gonzalez singled through the right side. I thought, after this, that Boston had a chance at winning. That was it for Thornton, who gave way to the White Sox closer, Addison Reed. Reed faced Cody Ross, who took two fastballs. With the count 1-1, Reed threw one on the inside corner to Ross, who crushed the ball. It carried all the way into the Monster seats for Ross's third three-run blast in two days and a 3-1 BoSox win. I was so excited when Ross hit his bomb! I just knew that the Sox could come back, and Ross just destroyed the White Sox.

Tonight, the Sox look to keep their momentum going against Toronto. Josh Beckett goes, and hopefully he can pitch well for Boston. Thank goodness Buchholz is back from the DL, as he has been the most reliable Boston starter of late. Also, I am so happy that the full Boston outfield is playing, since Ells and Crawford have been hitting well and Ross has been smashing the ball.

Worth Noting

Boston has now won five of its last seven games. They are just two games back in the wild-card race.

A-Gone has big day in Youk's return

Kevin Youkilis returned to Fenway last night for the Chicago White Sox and was greeted with a standing ovation before his first at-bat. He singled up the middle in his first at-bat. He then proceeded to score when Adam Dunn grounded to second base. The ball was thrown over to first for the out, but Youk, in one of the great baserunning plays that endeared him to Boston fans, noticed that nobody was covering third and raced to the bag. Then Adrian Gonzalez threw the ball past Will Middlebrooks and down the left-field line, allowing Youk to score. However, Boston came back in the bottom of the inning, with Carl Crawford starting his season off with a base hit and A-Gone knocked him in with a single. 

The game stayed 1-1 for seven more innings, with Aaron Cook finishing his seven innings with only five hits allowed and an unearned run, while Dylan Axelrod threw 6 and 2/3 innings of 7-hit, 1-run ball. In the eighth, two consecutive walks by Leyson Septimo set the stage once more for Gonzalez, who drove a three-run bomb for a 4-1 lead. Mike Aviles added another, but I was ecstatic that A-Gone finally produced the way he should this year. The BoSox finished off the ChiSox 5-1. I was also extremely happy that Boston had another good pitching performance. And in fact, Aaron Cook is now the first Red Sox pitcher since 1925 to throw two starts in one season with 5+ innings and no walks or strikeouts. 

Hopefully the Sox can keep their momentum going tonight, when ace Jon Lester faces Philip Humber, who threw a perfect game this season but is making his first start since being injured. I think that Lester should be able to bear down and throw a solid game against Chicago. Also, good for Crawford and Ellsbury, who since coming back have been playing pretty well and given a much-needed boost of speed at the top of the order.

Red Sox Recap

I am not impressed by the way the Sox have been playing of late, although they did manage to take two of three from the Rays coming out of the All-Star break. Yesterday, Will Middlebrooks and finally healthy Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits apiece to back a quality start by Josh Beckett and win 7-3. It is nice to see that Ells can still hit, although it is another player who is turning heads so far this season. After being called up to Boston, second baseman Pedro Ciriaco is batting .417. He was first called up for the doubleheader against the Yankees, and ended up going 7-for-13 in three games versus New York. He has already stolen three bases and has been a valuable asset for Boston. The other new Boston pickup who has been helping the Sox is Will Middlebrooks, who has knocked in 41 runs in 51 games so far this season. And of course, the lone Boston All-Star, David Ortiz, is still hitting consistently for Boston, far and away their best player this year.

Tonight, the Chicago White Sox visit Fenway Park in Kevin Youkilis's return against Boston. Dylan Axelrod goes for the ChiSox against Aaron Cook, who has been 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA since coming off his elbow injury. Hopefully Boston can gain some ground on the Yankees, who are still 9.5 games ahead of them. However, Boston is only 1.5 games behind in the wild-card race, so they just need to win some games. Lets go Sox!!!

Trivia
Ciriaco had played in a handful of games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in previous seasons before coming to Boston.

Four homers back Cook's gem

Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook came out to make his third appearance of the season for Boston. He was 1-1, with a 9.36 ERA, but I was hoping he could show us a bit of what went on in 2007, when he led the Rockies staff in ERA in a year that the Sox beat the Rockies in the World Series. And he did not disappoint last night in Seattle. Cook was throwing shutout ball easily for the first four innings, biding his time until the Red Sox exploded for three runs. Will Middlebrooks smashed a solo homer. Cody Ross followed up with a back-to-back blast. After Ryan Kalish and Mike Aviles made outs in the inning, Daniel Nava blasted a bomb for a three-run lead. And the Sox weren't finished. In the very next inning, Jarrod Saltalamacchia connected for a two-run shot. Meanwhile, Cook just kept pitching amazingly. Pitching to contact, Cook struck out just two men but required only 81 pitches to finish off the complete game two-hit shutout. Excellent job, Aaron Cook.

Also, I would like to extend an apology to Franklin Morales, who pitched extremely well in the opener of this set with Toronto. I personally thought he would lose easily to King Felix, but Morales did not allow a run, as the Mariners won on a walk-off single in the ninth. Good job to Morales. Tonight, Josh Beckett returns from the disabled list for Boston, facing Erasmo Ramirez for Seattle. Hopefully, Josh can push back into his 2007 form, when he went 20-7 to pace the Boston staff.

Sox score early for series win

The Red Sox came out in the rubber match of the three-game series with Toronto ready to jump on the Jays. After the Blue Jays scored a run in the top of the first, the Sox piled on six in the bottom of the inning, helped out by Edwin Encarnacion's error on a bases-loaded ground ball. The Sox put on another in the second and two more in the fourth to answer Jose Bautista's 25th home run of the season for Toronto. Then in the fifth, David Ortiz sent the crowd to their feet with a home run over the Boston bullpen for a 10-3 lead, his 21st of the season and 399th of his career. The rest of the game was mostly uneventful, with Encarnacion atoning for his error with a bomb. Then came the ninth, where Darnell McDonald would atone for his error. McDonald made a fantastic leaping catch at the bullpen fence in right to rob a home run, prompting a cheer from his pitcher, Clayton Mortensen.

Tonight, Boston has their first game at the graveyard of Boston, the West Coast. They kick off a seven-game trip tonight in Seattle, with lefty Franklin Morales making his third start against the King, Felix Hernandez. Wow, that seems like Morales has a great chance against one of the best in baseball! Yay! Though let's be fair. Morales did win his last start, giving up just four runs in six innings for a near-quality start. So, let's see how this turns out, shall we?

Worth Noting
The Sox have now moved into a tie for third place in the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ortiz is tied for first in the AL in runs, fifth in homers, and sixth in RBI.

Sox win is overshadowed by Youk

The Red Sox came out last night in the rubber game of their three-game set with Atlanta ready to play and win. Aaron Cook made just his second career start for Boston, facing Mike Minor, a moderate pitcher with the Braves. In the fourth inning, Cody Ross started off the scoring with a three-run bomb over the Green Monster, then Adrian Gonzalez, who has certainly been underperforming this season, went back-to-back. The Braves came back to score three in the fifth, but Ross was at it again in the Boston half, drilling a three-run blast out of Fenway Park for a 7-3 lead. Matt Albers then withstood a Jason Heyward homer to watch Daniel Nava drive in a run with a double. Finally, the immortal Kevin Youkilis drilled an RBI triple and was replaced by a pinch runner. The Sox won 9-4 for their second straight, with Cody Ross driving in five runs. But that's not the whole story.

Sometime during the game, it was learned that Kevin Youkilis had been traded away, changing Sox if you will, to the Chicago White Sox, for right-hand pitcher Zach Stewart and utility outfielder Brent Lillibridge. According to mlb.com, relations had been strained between Youk and Bobby Valentine for some time. Now, I don't begrudge the Sox this trade, much as I love Youkilis. After all, rookie Will Middlebrooks has been outperforming Youk all season at third base, and will now step into that role full-time. But I just think that Youk is an essential part of the Boston team. Speaking of which, the so-called Greek God of Walks is one of just two Red Sox players to be part of both World Champion teams. The other is David Ortiz. And according to the USA Today blog, the Sox are already starting to advertise for Youk's return, when the White Sox come to Fenway in mid-July. Now Youkilis is in Chicago. Well, Youk, I hope you like deep-dish pizza.

Nava, Aviles, Papi lead Sox slugfest

The Red Sox were on a three-game win streak heading into last night's contest with the Miami Marlins, and Ricky Nolasco could not stop them. After Miami scored one run in each of the first two innings, Mike Aviles powered out a three-run homer to put Boston up 3-2. They would not relinquish the lead. Cody Ross added a three-run, bases-clearing double in the very next inning for a 6-2 lead. Now, to be fair, it shouldn't have been a three-run double. Logan Morrison, who did homer in that game, misplayed the shot off the Monster and allowed the ball to roll halfway back to the infield, allowing even David Ortiz to score from first. Anyway, the Marlins scored two in the top of the fourth, including the aforementioned Morrison blast, to draw closer, 6-4.

But that is when the game really got started. After an RBI single by Ryan Kalish, another single loaded up the bases for David Ortiz. Ortiz crushed his 396th career home run, and 18th of the year, down the right field line for a grand slam and an 11-4 advantage. But that's not all. Two batters later, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drilled a homer to dead center field for a 12-4 lead. Things quieted down after that, with just a Boston run on a wild pitch and a John Buck blast for Miami. That is, until the eighth inning, when Will Middlebrooks, a late-game sub for Kevin Youkilis, jumped on the homer bandwagon with a two-run shot of his own. Final score: Boston 15, Miami 5. Felix Doubront wasn't great, but pitched well enough to earn his eighth win of the season, tying Clay Buchholz for the club lead. And if we're talking about leads, can we please talk about Papi?

David Ortiz is now sixth in the AL with a .313 batting average, second in runs with 48, and 5th in the RBI chase with 49 runs batted in. He has been absolutely great and has been smashing the ball all season. He has homered in his last three games. Also, last night the unsung hero was Daniel Nava, who had 4 hits and two runs in the win.Tonight, the clubs face off again, with Daisuke Matsuzaka throwing his third game of the season. He is 0-2 thus far, but with the way the offense is going, it shouldn't be too hard to support him.

Three homers back Buchholz

The Red Sox came back out last night to face off against the Miami Marlins at Fenway Park, Boston. Logan Morrison started off Clay Buchholz's night with a two-run home run for the Fish, but David Ortiz got it right back in the bottom of the first with a two-run laser of his own. Then in the second Kelly Shoppach lined one over the Green Monster for a 4-2 Boston lead, and after another Morrison RBI, Cody Ross nailed a bomb to the Monster seats in his return from the DL to make it 5-3. But the Marlins weren't finished yet. In the fifth, Morrison came right back with a two-run double to tie it up at five; he had all 5 Miami RBIs. I was happy that the Boston offense had done so much in the game and were starting to heat up. In the bottom of the fifth, Adrian Gonzalez put the Sox up for good with a sacrifice fly, then Will Middlebrooks tacked on another with a long double. Buchholz exited after six innings, giving up 9 hits and five runs. However, Matt Albers, Andrew Miller, Vincente Padilla and Alfredo Aceves were all able to throw shutout ball in relief, and Buchholz earned his ninth win of the season.


It is interesting to note that Buchholz had been having an extremely strong streak before this five-run game, and still earned the win giving up this many runs. It seems like the Boston offense is making sure to give him enough runs to win, as he has won his last 4 starts and looks to build in his next start. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves defeated the New York Yankees 4-3, knocking the New Yorkers out of their 10-game winning streak and getting the Sox a bit closer to the Yanks. Tonight Ricky Nolasco goes against Felix Doubront in the second game of the Miami-Boston series, while the Yanks are down 6-2 to Atlanta in the fifth as I write this.

Dickey dominates (again)

Today I do not write in this paragraph to herald another Boston win, or a beautiful pitching performance (although the Sox did take two out of three in Chicago to bring them back up to a .500 record). I do not write, for the most part, of AL East competition. I write to recognize the best pitcher in baseball. Last night, R.A. Dickey completed his win against the Baltimore Orioles for his second consecutive one-hitter. Dickey struck out thirteen men in the triumph. This would be a remarkable feat for any pitcher to throw two consecutive one-hit victories, but Dickey has been throwing this way all season. He has won six straight games and hasn't allowed a single earned run since May 22nd. In the process of these victories, he set the New York Mets franchise record with 32 and 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He has now thrown three complete games, two shutouts, and eleven wins. Dickey leads the majors in wins and WHIP and is tied for first in ERA and strikeouts. Congratulations to R.A. Dickey, the best pitcher in baseball.

Now on to the Red Sox. They face off tonight against the Miami Marlins at Fenway Park. Clay Buchholz goes for Boston; he has been very strong of late, with a 1.97 ERA in his last four starts. In fact, his most recent start was against Miami and Mark Buehrle, who goes tonight for the Fish. Hopefully Boston can continue their winning streak and start climbing in the AL East. Now, it is fairly tough to climb in the AL East, especially considering the fact that the Yankees have now won 10 straight games to establish a firm hold on the first-place spot. So Boston really has to start getting a lot of wins. And hopefully they can do so tonight behind Buchholz. Lets go Red Sox!

Doubront and Papi shut down Marlins

Felix Doubront came out to take the mound for the Red Sox last night against Ricky Nolasco. The Sox had just bounced back from a four-game losing skid to win a 2-1 contest, and they were ready for more. This game was Boston all the way. In the third, Scott Posednik drilled an RBI groundout, then David Ortiz tacked on another run with a long home run to left. They added two more in the sixth for a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Felix Doubront did not allow a hit over his first five innings before giving up a home run to Jose Reyes in the sixth, and left after seven innings with a 4-2 lead. Doubront had his strongest outing of the season, giving up just three hits, two runs, and striking out nine men. In fact, he struck out the side twice during the contest. In the eighth, with the score still 4-2, the Boston offense erupted for six runs and the game turned into a 10-2 laugher. That was the final score, with Vincente Padilla, Andrew Miller, and Matt Albers combining to shut out the Marlins over the final two innings. The Sox are now tied with Toronto at the bottom of the AL East, and I think they have a chance at coming back over the next month or so. The top four batters in their order combined to go 9-17 with 7 RBI in the triumph, which I think is a good sign for the future.

In the rest of the major leagues, pitching was prevalent. Matt Cain threw the first perfect game in Giants history in a 10-0 romp over Houston. Gregor Blanco made a beautiful diving catch in the seventh inning to preserve the game, and Cain struck out a career-high 14 in the triumph. The New York Mets beat up on the Tampa Bay Rays 9-1, with R.A. Dickey extending his Mets-record scoreless streak to 32 and 2/3 innings before an RBI groundout in the ninth ended that. Dickey earned his tenth win of the season and went the distance in the win, giving up just one hit in the game. He has been one of the most dominant starters in baseball.

Finally, there were three 1-0 wins last night in baseball. The Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks on a clutch RBI single in the eighth for their win, although the Texans only managed three hits. Jason Marquis threw a stellar 6 and 1/3 innings for the San Diego Padres, giving them the win over the Seattle Mariners. Seattle actually had eight hits in the game, but could not score any of them. And Lance Lynn threw 7 and 1/3 innings of shutout baseball for his tenth win, tying Dickey for the MLB lead in wins.

Worth Noting
The Red Sox are still 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees, who have won six in a row and sit atop the AL East.

Buchholz stops Sox slide

Clay Buchholz came out on the mound last night to face the Miami Marlins, with the Red Sox sliding at a 4-game losing streak. In fact, the last time they won was when Buchholz threw a complete-game four-hit shutout. Last night, he escaped the first inning unscathed despite Jose Reyes's second leadoff triple in as many nights, and the game continued scoreless until the seventh, with Marlins starter Mark Buehrle matching Buchholz through six. However, Kelly Shoppach drove an RBI double for a 1-0 Sox lead, then Mike Aviles knocked him in with a single for a 2-0 advantage. I had a feeling that Boston was going to win once they scored those two, as Buchholz had been pitching so well. In the bottom of the seventh, Buchholz gave up a solo home run to Logan Morrison, but finished the inning with a 2-1 lead. Vincente Padilla struck out two in the eighth, then Alfredo Aceves notched his 15th save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning. This game was Buchholz's third straight win and his fourth consecutive strong performance.

Tonight, Boston faces Miami again, with Felix Doubront facing Ricky Nolasco in what looks to be an even matchup. Doubront is 6-3 with a 4.34 ERA, while Nolasco has a 6-4 mark with a 4.36 ERA. Doubront lost his last outing, but hopefully he will rebound and have a strong night.

Worth Noting
Buchholz is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his last four games, though his season ERA is 5.38.

Sox keep sliding

The Red Sox continued their losing skid last night in Miami, taking the loss 4-1 against the Marlins. Former Fish Josh Beckett started for Boston, but he gave up four early runs against Miami. Jose Reyes started off the night for the Marlins with a long triple to right-center field, and Miami went on to score three in the inning, as well as another in the second. Meanwhile, Josh Johnson hurled seven impressive innings, giving up just 4 hits and a run while striking out seven, and Heath Bell was able to shut out Boston. I knew that once the Sox had given up the four easy ones, they were not going to come back against JJ, one of the premier pitchers in the National League. And the only bright spot for Boston was a sacrifice fly for Adrian Gonzalez. While it is nice to see A-Gone finally producing for Boston, he needs to start hitting in the clutch, as does the rest of the team. Boston was 0-4 with runners in scoring position, and that contributed to their loss. Boston's fourth straight loss sent them to 6.5 games back of the Yankees and Rays, at 29-32.

Worth noting
This was Beckett's first start against his old club.
Boston is 2-5 in interleague play this season.

Buchholz finds groove; Dice-K returns

After the Boston Red Sox suffered two losses at the hand of the Baltimore Orioles to fall back to .500, Clay Buchholz came out onto the hill for the final game of the series. Buchholz had thrown eight innings of two-run ball in a win his last time out, and seemed strong going into the game. Adrian Gonzalez and Daniel Nava both gave two RBI to Buchholz, and the Sox had a 6-0 lead after three. But Clay wasn't finished. He kept pitching well and by the time the ninth inning was over, he had completed what he started in a four-hit shutout. I couldn't believe that Buchholz had pitched dominantly in two starts in a row after the terrible start to his season. Unfortunately for Boston, the Washington Nationals rolled into town next, and their series began with phenom Stephen Strasburg outdueling Felix Doubront 7-4.

Yesterday, Nationals ace Gio Gonzalez faced off against a pitcher making his 2012 debut for Boston: Daisuke Matsuzaka. Dice-K was finally back from his rehab stint in Pawtucket and ready for action. Unfortunately, Gonzalez was the ace of the Nationals. Matsuzaka was tagged for four runs in five innings, including a home run by Adam LaRoche, while Gonzalez went six and 1/3 innings in a 4-2 Nationals victory. So Dice-K wasn't great, but he pitched fairly well. Meanwhile, Franklin Morales threw three innings of perfect relief for Matsuzaka, but the offense just couldn't get anything going against Washington. I would just like to point out here that the Washington team has been the biggest surprise of the year. Led by Strasburg, Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmerman as their ace pitchers, Washington has been able to take control of the NL East, a notoriously tough division. They are currently a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who have made a push recently, winning their last six games, but have still not overcome Washington.

Worth Noting
The Philadelphia Phillies, the best team in the NL East in recent years, sit in dead last of the division, despite 16 saves from Jonathan Papelbon.
The San Diego Padres are already in a death spiral in the NL West, sitting at 20-40, 18 games behind the division-leading Dodgers.

Sox keep rolling in Toronto

After the Red Sox lost two games out of three to the Tampa Bay Rays in Boston, the Detroit Tigers came to town for a four-game set. The Red Sox won the first three to advance to two games over .500, then lost the final game of the set. David Ortiz continues to hit the living daylights out of the ball for Boston, and the Sox looked like a good team for the first time this season as they rolled into Toronto. Bobby Valentine put Daniel Nava in the 2-spot for last night's match against the Blue Jays, and the youngster made him look like a genius. Nava, Adrian Gonzalez, and Ortiz, the 2-3-4 punch, combined to go 9-13 with 5 RBI and 5 runs in a 7-2 thrashing. Clay Buchholz had the start for Boston, and I thought before the game that he had to have a good game here. After all, his 4-2 record heading into Toronto belied the highest ERA out of starters on the team, his 7.19 mark. But he was able to throw 8 solid innings of 6-hit, 2-run baseball while striking out seven in the contest. Today the Sox go again with the Jays, with Felix Doubront going for Boston.

 Last night was a milestone for another team as well: the New York Mets. Johan Santana, whom many consider to be past his glory days, threw the first no-hitter in the history of the club. Santana benefited from a questionable call in his game, where a liner down the left-field line was ruled foul despite leaving a mark on the chalk line. Of course, the St. Louis Cardinals protested the call, but to no avail. The pitcher was also helped by one marvelous defensive play by the left-fielder Mike Baxter. On a long drive to left field, Baxter ran straight back, making a beautiful running catch before smashing into the wall in left. When I was watching the highlights from the game, I couldn't help but think, "Man, that's gotta hurt..." And in fact, Baxter left the game after the play with a shoulder injury. The Mets won 8-0. Trivia Buchholz is now 6-2 in his career at Rogers Centre. Will Middlebrooks, Daniel Nava, and Scott Posednik all have averages over .300 in their handful of games with Boston, and are seemingly providing key RBIs and runs each day. They join David Ortiz and Ryan Sweeney as the five Sox with batting averages over .300.

Sox go on streak, then Pap beats them

The Red Sox were ready at 12-18 for the Cleveland Indians to roll into town. The Sox were crushed beneath the Indians 8-3 in the first game of the series, with Josh Beckett losing to former Sock Derek Lowe. At The Sox knew the needed a rebound versus the Indians, and Dustin Pedroia was happy to supply. He knocked in three RBI while Clay Buchholz was strong over 6 and 1/3 for his fourth win in a 7-5 victory. Felix Doubront took the hill for game 3, and Felix gave up just three hits in 6 innings while shutting down the Tribe, 4-1. This pitching performance made me think that there was a chance for Boston to rebound this season. And rebound they did in the next game as well, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocking in five RBI and Daniel Bard pitching six innings of one-run baseball for a 12-1 thrashing.

After the Indians, the Sox faced off against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway, and Jon Lester continued the Sox's roll, throwing a complete game for a 6-1 victory. This complete game made me hope even more, as I knew pitching like that was the way to win. And it continued to be, with Josh Beckett throwing seven stellar innings the next night, giving up four hits and striking out nine in a 5-0 roll. Unfortunately, that proved to be the end of the win streak, as the BoSox traveled to Tampa for a two-game set. They lost to the Rays 2-1, with Clay Buchholz taking his second loss despite giving up just two runs. Boston did rebound the next night in a 5-3 win over the Rays, as Felix won again for his fourth victory of the year. That brings us to last night's game, where Cole Hamels stifled the Sox and Daniel Bard couldn't shut down the Phillies. For me, the highlight was watching none other than Jonathan Papelbon come into the game for Philadelphia and earn the save against Boston. Jon is such an unbelievable pitcher that I just find myself rooting for him no matter what (although the Sox still come first). Tonight the two teams play again, with Jon Lester facing Joe Blanton.

Sox fall into slide; only bright spot is Middlebrooks

The last time I spoke to you, the Sox were winning and at 11-11 after defeating Oakland in the first of a three-game set. Unfortunately, they then lost the next two to Oakland due to poor pitching and a lack of clutch hitting, especially from Adrian Gonzalez. After an off day, they faced the Orioles, who beat them easily in the first two games 6-4 and 8-2. Then in the finale, Boston was down 5-1 in the fifth inning when third-base prospect Will Middlebrooks came up and nailed a long grand slam for the tie. After each team scored again in the eighth, things settled down and the score stayed that way. And stayed that way. And then in the sixteenth inning, DH Chris Davis entered the game for the Orioles as their pitcher. The Sox couldn't score off him, with Marlon Byrd being thrown out at home on a double by Mike Aviles. Then Bobby Valentine made the most stupid move of the game, without question. He brought in Darnell McDonald, usually an outfielder, to pitch. McDonald rewarded Bobby V's stupidity by giving up a three-run homer to Robert Andino. But wait! All is not lost yet. There is still the bottom of the inning, where Adrian Gonzalez is facing the DH again. And strikes out on three pitches to lose the game. Next, the Sox faced off against the Kansas City Royals in KC and took out their frustration on the poor Royals pitching staff, crushing them in an 11-6 slugfest. However, last night they did not do as well, as Matt Albers made some bad pitches. In the eighth, with Dan Bard in trouble with two on and none out, Albers came in, and promptly surrendered a three-run blast to Billy Butler. End result? 6-4 loss for Boston, making them 1-6 in their last 7 games. This year just ain't their year, I guess. But the one bright spot? Middlebrooks nailed two home runs in the 11-6 win, and David Ortiz hit his seventh of the year out. Worth noting Last night, Josh Hamilton tied a major league record with four home runs in one game and set a record with 18 total bases in the game, adding a double to his four bombs.

Sox fight back to .500

When I last posted, the Red Sox had just finished a five-game losing streak, which included a 15-9 come-from-behind loss against hated New York. On the Monday after their big loss, they proceeded on to Minnesota and the Twins. In the first game, they edged the Twins 6-5 thanks to Cody Ross nailing two home runs for the Sox. Daniel Bard actually earned his first win of the season, but it was in relief, as he sacrificed a start to pitch some relief innings. Their next game was an easy laugher, as the Sox never trailed and Josh Beckett was strong, with Boston blowing out Minnesota 11-2. I was relieved that they were able to finally blow out a team, and not just give up runs. For the finale of the three-game series, Clay Buchholz started, and while he was shaky, the Sox still pulled out of Minnesota with a 7-6 win and Alfredo Aceves pulled out with his 4th save of the season. Next up: Chicago and the White Sox.

The Sox-Sox matchup began with the BoSox at 7-10 and the ChiSox at 10-8, and both Sox were ready for game 1. This featured Felix Doubront facing Philip Humber, who was carrying a 29-straight-men retired streak, including his perfect game. Unfortunately, this streak ended fast, as he walked the first batter of the game and proceeded to give up nine runs, while Doubront was strong in a 10-3 blowout. The Sox proved that they could hold their own against above .500 teams and their bats gave the bullpen another much-needed rest. Then came the second game of the series, with Daniel Bard against John Danks. Bard threw 7, giving up two unearned runs, and Boston clobbered Danks, finishing with their second consecutive 10-3 win. However, yesterday's game proved to be more pitcher-friendly.

The third game of a four-game set in Chicago featured 0-2 Jon Lester for Boston against Jake Peavy, who had a perfect 3-0 record on the season. Both pitchers were strong starting out, but Peavy made just a couple slips in the fourth. After Ryan Sweeney doubled, Adrian Gonzalez drove him in with a base hit for a 1-0 lead. The game would stay that way, with no real scoring chances for either side. Lester pitched seven innings, scattering five hits and striking out seven, while Peavy went the distance, finishing with 4 hits allowed and 7 K's. I was quite surprised by this win, as this was the first really excellent pitching performance by Boston. Alfredo Aceves earned his 5th save of the season in the ninth inning. Today, the finale of the series is at 2:05 EST, with Josh Beckett taking on Gavin Floyd.

Worth noting
David Ortiz and Ryan Sweeney are 1-2 in the AL batting race, with .403 and .391, respectively.
Jonathan Papelbon is tied for the NL lead with 7 saves for Philadelphia.
The BoSox are now at 10-10, their first time at .500 this season.

This Week in Baseball

Things have looked better for the Red Sox. After winning three straight games against Tampa Bay, they lost the finale of the four-game series versus the Rays. The Texas Rangers came into town next, and there the Sox were really humiliated. Boston lost the first game of a two-game set 18-3, their worst loss in years. The next game they also lost, sending them spiraling downhill. The Yankees rode into Fenway for a weekend set on Friday, April 20th, which was the day the Sox celebrated the 100th anniversary of their beloved park. The Sox lost 6-2, with Clay Buchholz falling to 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA. On Saturday, the Yankees were able to erase a 9-0 Red Sox lead and beat Alfredo Aceves 15-9 in a terrible and demoralizing loss for Boston. Luckily, the game yesterday was postponed due to the pouring rain in Boston, but the Sox leave on the road for Minnesota at 4-10, the third-worst record in baseball. They play tonight at 8:10, with Jon Lester facing Jason Marquis, the Sox looking to snap their five-game losing streak.

Elsewhere in the majors, the White Sox got a lucky break from an amazing pitching performance Saturday night. Philip Humber threw just 94 pitches and in doing so threw the 21st perfect game in major league history in a 4-0 Chicago win. In the AL West, the Rangers finished off their 9-game road trip at 8-1 and are currently at 13-3, leading the West by 5.5 games over the Oakland A's. Their dominance continues to astound me, as up until several years ago the Angels were the only dominant force in the West. Meanwhile in the NL East, the Washington Nationals are the dominant team, much to the surprise of everyone. Last year's top draft pick, Stephen Strasburg, leads the NL with 25 strikeouts and is fourth in ERA with a 1.08 mark, while Ross Detweiler is second with a 0.56 ERA. In the Central, St. Louis is cruising at the top thanks to Kyle Lohse and Lance Lynn. The pitchers each have three wins, while Lohse has a 0.99 ERA and 0.66 WHIP to put him solidly near the top. Finally, the NL West is being led by the Los Angeles Dodgers thanks to the dynamic combo of Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Kemp is leading the majors in batting average, runs scored, home runs, and RBI, while his RBI total of 22 is threatened only by the 21 of Ethier. So that batting combo should be able to defeat most NL foes.

Worth noting

In Humber's perfect game, there were no exceptional defensive plays: just routine plays and a lot of popups.

The Dodgers are undefeated at home, with a 6-0 mark to go along with their 6-4 road record.

Red-Hot Ortiz tames Rays

In the third game of the Red Sox-Rays matchup at Fenway, Matt Moore got the start for the Rays against Felix Doubront for the BoSox. Both pitchers pitched a solid first inning, but then in the bottom of the second inning Kevin Youkilis hit a soft single, David Ortiz followed it with a blistering double, then Cody Ross nailed his second homer in as many nights over the Green Monster and out of Fenway for a 3-0 Boston lead. Then in the fourth, Kelly Shoppach nailed a shot to left field that bounced off the wall and sent Ortiz home again, though Cody Ross was out at home. Even with the 4-0 lead, I couldn't shake the feeling that the Rays were going to come back. Well, they did. In the top of the fifth, Carlos Pena crushed a two-run double, then Evan Longoria hit one just over Ross's head that bounced over the bullpen for a ground-rule RBI double. That made it 4-3, and in the sixth Luke Scott led off with a long home run of his own for a tie game. That was enough for Bobby V, who pulled Doubront and put in Scott Atchison. After a single, a walk, and a strikeout, Atchison was gone and Vincente Padilla was in. Padilla shut down the Rays easily in the remainder of the inning with a 4-4 score still standing.

In the bottom of the sixth, Big Papi struck again with a long RBI double, sending in Kevin Youkilis from first base. That made it 5-4 and gave the Sox the lead back. That was great, because I thought that the bullpen could hold the lead. And Padilla did set down the Rays easily in the seventh, and was given some good breathing room when Mike Aviles led off the Sox half with a homer straight out to center field. After an Adrian Gonzalez single in the inning, Moore was finally through, leaving with six runs charged to him. Franklin Morales and Alfredo Aceves each pitched a scoreless inning in relief for Boston, giving Aceves his second save and the Sox a 6-4 win at Fenway. Today the two teams square off in the fourth and final game of the series with a 11:05 A.M. start on Patriots Day.

Worth Noting:
Ortiz is 9-13 with 1 home run, four doubles, and 8 runs batted in so far in this series.

Ortiz Leads Sox to Win

Before I get started on this post, I would like to give some background information this year. As many of you are no doubt aware, Bobby Valentine was hired as the new Red Sox manager over the winter, and Ryan Sweeney and Andrew Bailey were both acquired from the Oakland A's. As well, Cody Ross joined the team, and David Ortiz agreed to one more year of salary arbitration for the Sox. As of right now, the starting pitching for Boston is as follows: Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, and Daniel Bard. Meanwhile on the batting front, Sweeney is putting up a .400 average, while Dustin Pedroia has 2 homers and Ortiz is smoking with a .406 average and 9 RBIs. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Bailey hurt his hand in spring training, leaving Boston without a closer, and so Alfredo Aceves has taken that spot for now. Also, two nights ago Jacoby Ellsbury hurt his shoulder sliding into second base, but the BoSox took that game.

Yesterday's game was a late afternoon affair, and the Tampa Bay Rays did not need much time to get down to business. The Rays scored four in the first, three coming on a Luke Scott blast, and added another in the third. However, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove a two-run homer in the second, bringing the Sox a little bit closer, then in the third Pedroia lifted his second homer of the season to make the game 5-3 Rays. After these two homers, it looked like there was a good chance the Sox could come back. Fast forward to the bottom of the fifth inning, where Big Papi drills a shot that keeps going and makes it over the wall for a two-run homer and a tie ballgame. Meanwhile, Buchholz has settled down, finishing the seventh inning with five strikeouts to go with the five runs allowed. In the bottom of the inning, Mike Aviles lead off against Burke Badenhop, and he led off with a long home run for Boston to break the tie. After that, Cody Ross came up with the bases loaded and drilled a two-run double for a three-run lead.

On to the eighth, where Franklin Morales comes in and sets down the Tampa Bay lineup in order. If only Dane De La Rosa could do that. But instead, Papi comes up with the bases loaded and lines one off the big green wall in left for a bases-clearing double and five RBI on the day for Ortiz. Next batter, Cody Ross, who goes yard for a two-run homer and a 13-5 lead. When I saw this, I knew the Sox were going to finish strong, and they did not disappoint, with Aceves shutting down the Rays in the ninth for Boston's second straight win and third overall. Ortiz and Ross combined for 9 RBI on six hits, with Ortiz having a four-hit day. I think it is great that Ortiz can still produce the way he has in the past, considering how long he has played.

Trivia
Despite Clay Buchholz's win in this game, he has a 9.82 ERA this season.