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.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
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.
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