Game 105: Red 10 White 2

Sox finally beat the White Sox this season and the offense come back alive. Lester looked great going 8 innings on only 98 pitches. Two earned runs on solo home runs in the 7th and 8th. Otherwise only two other hits and a walk while striking out 8. Tito pulled him after the Sox put up a crooked number in the top of the ninth as he's still recovering from his DL stint. Wheeler got two quick outs but then got in trouble giving up a walk and a double before getting that third out to finish the game.

The Sox offense was led by Gonzalez who had sat out yesterday's game with a stiff neck. He went 3-5 with his 19th home run in the ninth. Youkilis followed his shot with a deep ball of his own and went 2-5 on the night. Ortiz was the only starter without a hit as the Sox put up crooked numbers in the 5th and in the 9th.

The trade deadline looms and the Sox picked up utility infielder Mike Aviles from Kansas City for Navarro. I didn't think much of Navarro but I'm surprised the Sox went after Aviles. He seems to be too much of a free swinger. They must think Lowrie is done for the season as there doesn't seem to be room for him and Aviles. Sox are also rumored to be in the hunt for a number of starters (Jimenez, Bedard, Harden). I was at the M's game on Friday as Bedard made his first start off the DL. He looked terrible. I'm not sure if the Sox should go after any of these guys unless they know for sure Buchholz won't be available come October.

More to come as it comes!

Game 104: Carmine 1 Pale 3

Sox offense continued to struggle in this game mustering only 3 hits and 2 walks over the entire game. That made for a quick 2:10 game but a disappointing start to the series. Saltalamacchia hit a solo home run in the 3rd but the only other hits were a single by Sutton right after Saltalamacchia's shot and an infield hit by Scutaro in the 6th. Thus, Pedroia's streak came to an end at 25 games. Seemed like the Sox were always behind in the count against Floyd.

Wakefield actually pitched really well going 7 innings and only giving up 3 runs on 3 hits. He also allowed 2 walks but struck out 5. Aceves finished with a perfect 8th inning. Watching the games this season, I've become a fan of having computers call the balls and strikes. I don't think umpires are biased towards one team or another or that the Sox in particular have been hurt but every now and then there's an umpire whose zone alters the outcome of the game. Today's zone was so big that I think it benefited the White Sox more than the Red Sox. It's not that the umpire was giving Floyd calls he wasn't giving Wakefield; instead a control pitcher like Floyd is better able to take advantage of the huge zone than the knuckleballer. That gave the Sox offense little chance while Wakefield only benefited slightly. With a consistent zone every pitch of every game, the outcome might have been the same but it would have at least felt more fair and less arbitrary.

Anyway, the Red Sox continue to struggle against the White Sox. Lester takes the hill next so hopefully our luck will change.

Game 103: Suicide Kings 4 Sox 3

Shoot! Wasted a Beckett start and split the series with the Royals. Beckett looked good in all but one inning. He gave up a 3 run home run to Billy Butler after walking the first two batters in the 4th. A two-base error by Sutton and a double after that scored the 4th run. Beckett's final line was 7 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hs, 3 BBs, and 8 Ks. If it was Lackey we would be ecstatic; since it's Beckett we're disappointed. Morales pitched a clean 8th and Albers weaseled his way out of a scoreless, 3 base runner inning. Sox twice pitched out in that 9th inning and both times the runner was going. Unfortunately only once did they catch the runner.

Not much hitting by the Sox today. Ellsbury knocked in two in the 3rd with a single as the Sox piled up 3 hits in a row. Pedroia greeted the first Royals reliever with a home run in the 8th, extending his hit streak to 25 games. But only 8 hits on the game means the Sox aren't going to score more than 3 runs. Crawford did pitch hit in the 9th with Sutton on first and the Sox down by one. He hit a ball that looked like a sure-thing home run to right field for the win. But the wind knocked it down and seemed to even surprise the Royals outfielder as he had to come back to the front of the warning track to make the catch. Made for a exciting game.

Disappointing to only split with the Royals. Next up is three against the White Sox in Chicago. We've really struggled to get wins against the South Siders but hopefully we'll play good ball and get some wins.

Game 102: One-Eyed Jacks 5 Sox 12

Sox put up another big number against the Royals, scoring 10 runs in the first 4 innings. Ellsbury and Pedroia led off the game with back to back home runs. In fact the top three batters (Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Gonzalez) drove the engine today with 3 hits each. Gonzalez has certainly been getting his hits but he still doesn't look right to me. He's not really going the other way, dictating, the pitches he hits, or hitting with power. It seems like it's been quite awhile since he's hit a home run.

Ortiz also hit his 20th home run, a grand slam that capped the scoring in the 4th. It feels like the old Big Papi is back. He's batting in the 300's and hitting for power. If he can keep this up he's going to force the Sox FO to sign him to another contract.

Lackey started today and seemed very very lucky again getting the win. He only gave up 3 ERs in 5 2/3 but he gave up 11 hits and only struck out 3. You're not going to get away with giving up that much contact too often. Williams pitched 1 2/3 in relief and gave up another run. Wheeler finished the game going 1 2/3 with 3 hits and 2 Ks. He's seemed to pitch very well since coming off the DL but it's always been in low pressure situations. Hopefully his confidence will be up and the Sox will be able to use him in high leverage situations during the playoffs.

Beckett going next with the day game to finish the series. Sox going for the series win.

Game 101: Royales 9 Sox 13

Messy, messy game. We got the win only because our pitching wasn't quite as bad as the Royals' pitching. Miller gave up 7 runs, 5 earned, in 3 2/3 inning on 9 Hs, 2 BBs, and 1 K. Aceves came in during the 4th and cleaned it up going 3 1/3 shutout innings to get the win. He's been a real find for the Sox this year, eating up innings and keeping the Sox in games. Albers has also been a good find and he pitched a clean frame in the 8th. Morales gave up 2 runs on 3 Hs and a walk in the 9th.

Pedroia extended his hit streak to 23 games and went 4 for 5, just a home run shy of the cycle. Ortiz also went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI. Varitek hit his 6th home run in the 7th. McDonald was the only starter without a hit as the Sox had an odd lineup giving Ellsbury and Youkilis the day off.

This was a very long 9-inning game at 3 hours and 52 minutes. The Royals even ran out of pitchers and sent outfielder Mitch Meir out to pitch the 9th (Pedroia nearly hit a home run off of him). These long games and the long stretch of games are conspiring with the beautiful weather this summer to help me start to lose interest in finishing this season. We'll see how long I can keep it up.

Game 100: Royale with Cheese 3 Sox 1

Arrgh! What a frustrating game! The Royals didn't win this game; the Sox lost it. First they didn't take advantage of Kyle Davies pitching, he of the 1-9, 6.75 ERA, 1.79 WHIP variety. One run over 6 innings is poor execution by the vaunted Sox offense. Next, Carl Crawford strikes out with 2 on and 1 out in the 9th, 2 on and 2 out in the 11th, and then leading off the 14th inning. The definition of un-clutch; -0.444 WPA for any Fangraphs fans out there. Then, in the bottom of the 12th, the Sox have Reddick standing on 3rd base with 1 out, and they screw the pooch on a suicide squeeze. Reddick gets caught halfway home as Scutaro missed the sign and took ball one. Adding insult to injury, Scutaro hit a ringing single two pitches later (aargh!). Finally, the Royals got runners on the corners with nobody out in the 14th off of Williams, who is terrible if I haven't already mentioned it. The Royals put on the suicide squeeze and it's a pop up, one of the worst bunts ever. Except, it's a pop up that gets behind Gonzalez and lands literally right next to 1st base so the runner scores. That's your game.

On the bright side, Lester looked good albeit a little rough in his first game back from the DL. 5 1/3 innings, 1 run, only 2 BBs. Reddick continues to hit, going 3-6. And Pedroia extends his hit streak to 22 games.

But otherwise, a very frustrating game to watch the Sox squander. My TV is lucky there wasn't anything hard within my reach to throw at it after the 12th inning.

Game 99: M's 8 Sox 12

Wakefield earned his 199th win today in a game in which the knuckler was both dancing too much and too little. In the first he couldn't control it and gave up a 2 run homer to Olivio. Then he settled down until the 7th as the knuckler stopped dancing. Ryan ran into a grand slam after three consecutive singles and Wakefield's day was over. Fortunately for him, the Sox jumped all over Pineda in the first for 5 runs and in the 5th for five more. That would be all they would need for the win.

Gonzalez, Crawford, and Saltalamacchia all had three hits on the day and Ellsbury continued to hit the ball hard. Youkilis added a 2 run homer and Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a double in the 5th. In fact everyone got a hit except Scutaro in this one. This Sox team sure can hit the ball, even against good pitching like Pineda, and they showed it today. A fun game to watch.

Next up, the Royals. Go Sox!

Game 98: M's 1 Sox 3

Exciting game from start to finish! Mariner's sent rookie starter Blake Beavan to the mound against Beckett and he did everything he could to keep up. Beckett pitched very well per his norm this year, giving up only one run on a home run to Carp in the top of the 7th. Beavan was in line for the win but ended up fatiguing with two outs in the bottom of the inning and gave up 2 runs on 3 consecutive hits before getting pulled. The third run came on a wild pitch by reliever Laffey.

In the top of the 8th, the Mariners loaded the bases with no outs against Bard on a single, a walk, and a close play at third on the sac bunt (he was out). But he wiggles his way out of it with a short pop up to Crawford, a K, and a ground ball out to Youkilis. In the ninth, the Mariners had the tying run at the plate after Olivo led off with a bloop single but Papelbon got the save on a foul out by Ichiro, a pop out by Ryan (in a long, tough at bat), and a strikeout of Ackley who had been 3-4 on the day before ending the game.

Ellsbury continued to hit the ball well with 2 hits. It was his two run single that gave the Sox the lead and he scored the insurance run as well. Pedroia extended his streak to 20 games with 2 hits. Youkilis and Reddick were the only starters without a hit although Youkilis had some very hard hit balls.

Going for the sweep this afternoon!

Game 97: M's 4 Sox 7

Sometimes baseball is not fair. Hernandez was clearly the better pitcher than Lackey but got tagged for 6 runs and the L as the Sox won. Everything the Mariners hit seemed to be on a line right at a fielder as Lackey went 7 innings with 1 run on 8 hits. On the other side, Hernandez seemed to give up several softly hit ground balls that found holes in the infield. One ball that was not hit softly though was Ellsbury's 16th home run, a solo home run in the 3rd. He's swinging a hot bat. And Pedroia got three hits to extend the streak to 19 games. But as I said, all of the batters seemed to have lady luck on their side against Felix as every batter got at least one hit.

Lackey's sole run came on a single by Suzuki on the first pitch, stole second on the 2nd pitch, and stole third on the 3rd pitch. Ackley hit a single to knock him in. Morales came in the 8th and had two on with 2 outs before giving up a home run to Carp. He's got really good stuff sometimes but seems to run into some bats every now and then. Bard finished the inning for him and Papelbon pitched a uneventful 9th.

Apparently it was in the upper 90's at Fenway for this game. Too bad for the Mariners as it's been a beautiful 70 degrees here in Seattle. They picked the wrong time to travel rather than host.

Game 96: Sox 4 Oreos 0

Miller's line looks way better than he deserved. Five and 2/3 innings, 0 runs on 2 hits. What jumps out is the 6 BBs to 3 Ks. He just couldn't throw his fastball for a strike to save his life. He was very lucky the Orioles didn't take advantage and even had a no-hitter going into the 5th inning despite walking the bases loaded in the 2nd. Albers, Bard, and Papelbon each had perfect outings to close out the game. Papelbon was pitching with the day off the next day just to give him some work.

At the plate, this game was powered by Ellsbury. He hit two home runs and they were both no-doubters. Gonzalez collected 4 hits the day after he responded to questions about whether participating in the home run derby had impacted his swing. He responded along the lines of once I have a 3-hit game, this will all go away. So there. It is still disturbing though his lack of power recently. He's still sitting on 17 HRs, only 2 more than Ellsbury. Pedroia hit a single in the 5th to extend his streak to 18 games but that was his only contribution at the plate.

Sox have the day off and then series against cellar dwellers Seattle (3-game) and Kansas City (4-game) next. Time to put the pedal to the metal.

Game 95: Sox 2 Oreos 6

Guthrie stymied the Sox this time around. Sox managed to only push across two on a two-run shot by Saltalamacchia, his second in as many games. Sox did manage to get 8 hits and a walk in 7 innings against Guthrie but he did a good job of keeping the batters off balance and staying in the game for 7 innings. Reddick continues his torrid pace collecting three hits. And Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 17 games. But not much more offense. Gonzalez, Crawford, and Drew combined to go 1 for 11 on Drew's single. We need these three to contribute, especially with Ortiz suspended.

Weiland made another spot start with Lester on the DL. He looked more comfortable this go around and got the tough luck loss giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. Aceves was looking good getting 5 outs before giving up a walk and back to back home runs in the bottom of the 8th.

Oh well, you can't win them all. And we've really been pounding the Orioles this year. Hopefully the hatchet is buried after the fireworks last series. Glad that the HBPs haven't been rearing their ugly head so far.

Game 94: Sox 15 Oreos 10

Well, how about that. After 16 innings of 1 run ball, the Sox and Orioles explode for 25 runs. This was actually a close game until the 8th. With the game tied at 7, the Sox exploded for 8 runs in the 8th. The Orioles brought in a pitcher with the strangest delivery I've ever seen, Mark Worrell. He's right handed and takes a step towards 1st base and then almost shot puts the ball in. Didn't seem to have great stuff but with a delivery like that you're living off of deception. Too bad for him Pedroia does not get deceived while he's on fire. Pedroia plated two to take the lead against Worrell.

Wakefield started the game but still couldn't add to his career wins total. He seemed to really have the knuckler dancing in the first four innings but after striking out the first two batters in the fifth, he gave up five hits including 2 home runs and 5 runs. Wheeler relieved him and went 2 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win. Williams pitched the 8th and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk. He looked terrible and I hope he's not with the big league team for very long.

Sox offense looked good against the Orioles pitching. Saltalamacchia and Reddick both hit solo home runs. Ellsbury got back into the swing of things collecting 3 singles. And Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 16 games with 2 hits. Gonzalez continues to struggle at the plate going 1-5 and Drew was the only batter who went hitless on the day. Crawford finally came off the DL and played in left today. With Ortiz serving his suspension for fighting with Gregg during the last Orioles series, Ellsbury was DHing and Reddick moved to centerfield. Boy, he did not look good playing in the middle but the Sox really need to find playing time for him as Drew and Crawford have both been disappointing this year.

Good start. Let's win three.

Game 93: Sox 1 Rays 0

Marathon! The ESPN announcers (who by the way, are infinitely better than last game's Fox announcers) were joking in the 10th that the Yankees, who play the Rays next, were probably at the hotel hoping this game goes 15 innings. Well, they got more than they wished for as the Sox and Rays played 16.

Great starting pitching from both teams. Beckett went eight innings and only gave up an infield single off of his foot in the first. No walks and 6 Ks. Jeff Niemann matched him going 8 innings with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 10 Ks. After the starters were out of the game, the Sox relievers outshone the Rays going 8 innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 7 Ks. The Rays relief gave up only 1 hit between the 9th and 15th but walked 9 batters! The Sox loaded the bases twice (the 9th and the 11th) and scored no runs. In the 11th, the Rays walked the first three batters in the inning and managed to sneak out of trouble unscathed.

Pedroia was really the only bright spot offensively for either team. Three for seven with a walk and the game's only RBI. Reddick walked to start the inning and Varitek sacrificed him over to 2nd. Scutaro reached on an infield single that got Reddick to third but it looked like the Rays were going to escape again as Ellsbury flew out to short left field for the 2nd out in the inning. But Pedroia hit a solid single to plate the run and win the game.

Good to win that series and put a little more distance between us and the Rays.

Game 92: Sox 9 Rays 5

Sox managed to get to Big Game James in this one and sneak a win in for Lackey. Rays jumped out to a 3 run lead in the first but the Sox came back with a long 2-run home run by Reddick in the second and 3 runs on back to back doubles by Ortiz and Drew. Ellsbury and Pedroia added solo home runs of their own as well. Ellsbury and Pedroia are both really hitting the ball well right now. Gonzalez continues to struggle however joining Saltalamacchia as the only 0-fers in the lineup.

Lackey pitched just well enough to win and Francona again pulled him before he could finish an inning for the win. Five and 2/3 innings, 10 hits, 1 BB, and 3 ER. The 7 Ks were good but he got lucky to get out of a couple of innings on a pair of double plays. In a close game he gets the L but the offense bailed him out this time. Jenks apparently went back on the DL for the third time this year so his replacement, Randy Williams, pitched a clean inning in relief. Bard went 4 outs and looked dominant. Papelbon gave up a run in the non-save situation but pitched pretty well. Kotchman's fly ball found the outfield wall and got by Drew for a triple. Longoria hit a solid line drive for the RBI but no one else even hit the ball hard.

A good win to get especially after yesterday's loss. The more I see the Rays, the more I feel like we should take care of business regularly against these guys. Outside of Longoria, there's not much punch in the lineup. And with their young pitchers, we shouldn't see more than 6 innings of them. Rubber game's tomorrow. Let's do it.

Game 91: Sox 6 Rays 9

We're back from the All Star break. It was really nice having 4 days off and with me being gone this weekend, it's been a week since I posted. Unfortunately, the Sox did not get to a great start in the 2nd half. Miller didn't pull his weight and gave up 7 runs in 2 and 2/3 innings. The nail in the coffin was Zobrist's grand slam in the 3rd. That was only 4 of the 9 runs the Rays scored but the whole game, that felt like the difference maker. Aceves pitched well in long relief going 2 1/3. Wheeler gave up a 2-run home run to Kotchman which really was the difference maker. Albers and Morales each pitched a clean frame to end it.

At the plate the Sox showed off some power and were almost able to climb back into it. McDonald, Ellsbury, and Pedroia each hit solo shots off of Price. Scutaro added a 2-run shot in the 7th. Sox did a great job of getting to Price and getting him out of the game. He left after 6 with 121 pitches. But we just couldn't climb out of that hole.

Lackey v Shields is next. Sox have really struggled against Shields so it's gonna take a clean game to even up the series.

Game 90: O's 6 Sox 8

Sox had a spot start by Weiland today, which was his very first game in the bigs. He pitched well enough getting snake bitten in the 2nd inning. He gave up 6 runs that inning but didn't give up very many hard hit balls. A couple of bloops, a couple of poor defensive plays, and one two-run home run was the story of the inning. He was set to get the win though as the Sox offense kept the team ahead of the Orioles. But with Friday night's fight, the umps were overly sensitive to HBPs and ended up tossing Weiland after he hit Guerrero on a ball that was very obviously unintentional. Instead Aceves pitched very well in three innings of relief to get the win. Bard held the eighth and Papelbon got the save.

At the plate, Reddick was the only batter to not record a hit and Ortiz Drew, and Scutaro were the only batters to only get one hit. Scutaro, Pedroia, and Youkilis all got home runs in the 2nd inning. The offense has looked very efficient lately. Perfect timing as the Sox are getting 4 days off with the All Star game upcoming. It is good timing for the injuries though so hopefully everyone stays hot after the break.

Great to get the sweep but it was disappointing to see the Orioles be so petty in the series. Yes they got beat around but the Sox were clearly the superior team and they didn't seem to be showboating about it. I think O's manager Showalter has had a negative influence on the team this year, taking some shots at the Sox front office and giving the Orioles a inferiority complex. Ortiz got thrown at again today but hopefully in the remaining series against the O's there won't be so much vitrol.

Game 89: O's 0 Sox 4

Good Lackey indeed! Six and 2/3 shutout innings and I thought he could have gotten the last out in the 7th. Three hits, 1 BB, and 7 Ks. When he's good. he's good. Too bad we don't see this more consistently. He also hit two batters but none of them were even close to intentional so yesterday's fireworks did not spill over to today. Bard pitched 1 1/3 clean innings and Papelbon finished the 9th in the non-save situation.

Ellsbury continues to be en fuego going 3 for 4 just a home run shy of the cycle. Youkilis is also seeing the ball well going 3-4 as well. And of course, Reddick is forcing Tito to play him by going 3-4 too. Youkilis and Reddick pretty much provided all the offense today and not much was needed with the way Lackey pitched.

Three wins so far. Going for the sweep!

Game 88: O's 3 Sox 10

This one got messy towards the end. Sox jump out to a quick 8 run lead in the first inning chasing the Orioles' starter after only 2/3 of an inning. Beckett didn't look dominant but was pitching good enough but came out with a "slightly hyperextended knee" (according to NESN) after only 5 innings. Hopefully that's more precautionary than anything else. His trip to the All Star game might be in jeopardy now. Then, with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th, Gregg appears to take a couple of shots trying to hit Ortiz. He doesn't hit him but gets close three times and Ortiz takes exception. The benches clear but no punches were thrown. Both sides get warned and with the next pitch, an inside fastball, Ortiz pops out. While on his way to first, Gregg starts yelling at Ortiz and the scrum is on. Benches and bullpens clear, Ortiz, Saltalamacchia, Gregg, and Orioles reliever Jim Johnson are ejected. Messy ending to what had been a fun game.

With the high run total, everyone seemed to contribute except Varitek and Navaroo who both went 0-fer. Ortiz had a long 3-run homer in the first and Pedroia hit his 10th, a solo shot, in the 6th. Ellsbury only had one hit but was twice robbed by Adam Jones in the triangle in straight away deep center field. In a lot of parks he would have had 2 home runs.

Albers and Wheeler looked good pitching in relief. Atchison did a good job of finishing the game with everyone hot after the altercation. One slipped pitch and we could have gotten right back at each other's throats.

Two down, two to go. Third time's a charm. Hopefully tomorrow's game features the good Lackey.

Game 87: O's 4 Sox 10

Sox explode against a weak Orioles pitching staff, including back-to-back-to-back home runs in the 7th. Those came courtesy of Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Reddick, and Mr. Saltalamacchia. In fact the whole game seemed powered by the long ball. Pedroia started things with a three run shot in the 3rd. He continues to drive the ball with power. A-Gon hit a solo shot in the 5th and Ellsbury added a two run shot in the 6th. So six home runs representing 9 of the Red Sox 10 runs. It's not just chicks who dig the long ball...

On the bump, Miller again did just enough to win. Five innings, 3 earned runs of which 2 came in the first inning. He had no strikeouts (none) and walked 4 so the wildness continues to be a problem. This brings me to an issue I've been thinking about but have bitten my tongue as it sounds irrational. Watching the NESN broadcast, I swear, when Don Orsillo comments that someone or some team hasn't done something in the last x games/innings/years, that event that hasn't happened happens so afterwards. He'll say something like, Felix Pie hasn't hit a home run in 350 at bats and two pitches later he hits a home run. Fortunately he spreads these ominous facts around so they don't always hurt the Sox but in this game he did it again. He said something like Miller hasn't walked more than three batters in a game all year. Miller promptly walks the next batter to get to 4 for the game. Stop it Don! Stop it!

Anyway, Miller's been good enough as a 7th starter. Aceves ate up 2 innings and Atchison, called up as Lester hit the DL, gave up 1 run on 1 hit in 1 inning. Jenks pitched a clean fram to close it out.

Every sweep starts with win one. Josh F Beckett goes for win 2 next. Who cares who the Orioles send to the mound to counter.

Game 86: Blue 4 Sox 6

Ellsbury and Youkilis won this game for us. Both went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a solo home run. Youkilis was playing first as Gonzalez got his first day off of the year. Navarro, playing third, also looked good, driving in our 5th run and scoring the 6th. He only got the one hit, a double, but he hit a couple of balls hard.

Wakefield had his good knuckleball today. Sure he gave up 3 runs, but he struck out 7 and lasted 7 innings. Glad to see him get the win. He's been a lifesaver with the rash of injuries to our starting pitching. Bard was having a lights out inning before the skies opened and delayed the game for half an hour. Wheeler got the last out of the 8th. Papelbon gave up another run while getting the save. Still, he looked a lot more dominant today than he did yesterday.

Good series win. We're hosting the Orioles next. A sweep sure would be nice!

Game 85: Blue 2 Sox 3

Despite the win, this was a disappointing game. Lester was looking great after four no hit innings with 5 Ks and 1 BB but then he came out of the game with only 50 pitches. Turns out he strained his left lat and was put on the DL the next day. So Albers, Morales, and Bard hold the three run lead and Papelbon promptly coughs up a 2 run home run to Bautista, gives up a single and a walk to put the tying run in scoring position, and only gets bailed out on the subsequent single because a) Encarnacion is slow and b) the umpire blew the call and called him out. All this the day after I praise him for how good he's been this year!

At the plate, no one got more than 1 hit but Pedroia's was a solo home run and Ortiz, Varitek, and Drew all got theirs in the second inning, plating 2 runs. Cecil actually looked really good pitching for the Jays, going the complete 8 innings for the loss. Gonzalez continues to struggle as well, striking out twice. Gotta get him out of his funk and I don't know that hitting in the HR derby is gonna do it.

Rubber game is next. Wakefield goes for career win number 198!

Game 84: Blue 9 Red 7

Of course it's bad mojo for the Sox to play MLB's only Canadian team on the 4th of July. The Sox were wearing goofy red trucker hats with an American flag as the background to the B logo. The Jays thumbed there nose at Independence day by wearing matching hats with the Canadian flag behind their logo. Boo, MLB. Boo.

Lackey got knocked around a bit but I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as all the vitrol had me believe it might be. He did give up 7 runs in 2 1/3 innings but besides a solo home run by Aaron Hill, none of the balls were hit all that hard. It was just a bunch of singles in a row. At least he wasn't walking batters. With a little better luck, he gets through the game with a relatively decent line. Wheeler pitched well in relief. Tito left Aceves in too long as he gave up 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings. Morales and Albers finished the game.

At the plate the Sox nearly made a comeback out of it after being down 7-0. Ellsbury is looking good with 4 hits including some balls hit with authority. Gonzalez continues to look off at the plate. Youkilis seems like he's been struggling with a myriad of nagging injuries lately. Add to that a HBP high off the back in the 4th inning and he got the rest of the day off. Seems like he would benefit from 3-4 days off. Maybe right before the All Star break.

Tough loss but not as bad as I thought it would be (although this was a very long 3:45 game). Lester's next: Win.

Game 83: Sox 2 Stros 1

It looked like another great start from Beckett was going to get wasted until Youkilis got an RBI BB in the ninth to give the Sox the lead. The only other run scored was by Youkilis on a throwing error by the Astros. The Sox were actually on base quite a bit (12 LOB); they just couldn't push anyone across. In 4 innings the Sox got a runner all the way to 2nd and couldn't score.

Beckett looked awesome again going 8 innings, 1 ER, and 11 Ks on 5 hits and no walks. He's just been filthy this year. Papelbon pitched the ninth for the save and looked very good himself giving up only a seeing eye single while striking out the side. It's nice to have that reliable closer at the end of the pen again this year.

Good to sweep and keep the road trip at least acceptable. Sox start a 3 game series at home against the Jays next. Yankees are streaking so we've got to take care of business to stay close.

Game 82: Sox 10 Stros 4

Sox score early and often and take advantage of the Astros' bullpen for a second straight night to get the W. Pedroia, Gonzalez, and Youkilis powered the offense all going 3 for 5. Navarro hit his first major league home run in the 7th and McDonald crushed a three run homer in the 8th. Dad told me he sat next to the guy who caught Navarro's home run the next day. Said it was an interesting story as he got a dinner and some signed apparel from David Ortiz for Navarro's ball. I figured if I was in his position, I'd want Navarro's bat in exchange for the ball.

Miller looked pretty good for the second straight start. As I was telling Dad, when he's throwing strikes, Miller looks great. But every now and then, he'll have an inning where it looks like he just can't throw a strike no matter how hard he tries. Seems like that's gotta be mental so hopefully he can iron that out. Aceves looked shaky in the 7th giving up 2 hits and a walk to load the bases. Bard walked a run in but got out of the inning unharmed. Jenks and Wheeler pitched the 8th and 9th with Wheeler giving up a run in the 9th to Bourne who, along with Pence, have been impossible to get out. He went 4 for 5 today.

Sweep day next and we've got Beckett on the mound!

Game 81: Sox 7 Stros 5

It wasn't pretty but it was a run. It was looking like the Sox would drop the first game of the series to the lowly Astros as the good guys were down 5-1 going into the 7th. But the difference between the big payroll teams and the small payroll teams is middle relief. Sox jump once starter Bud Norris took a seat and scored 6 runs in the 7th for the win.

Wakefield looked very mediocre giving up 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings on 11 (eleven!) hits. Wheeler got the win by finishing the sixth for Wake. Albers and Morales shared the 7th inning, Bard dominated in the 8th, and Papelbon got the save in the 9th.

Norris looked dominant against the Sox batters getting 10 Ks and only one hit (a home run by Scutaro to lead off the game) in 6 innings. The only thing the Sox did well was get that pitch count up. In the 7th inning, Norris finally tired and the Sox got three hits to start the inning and chase Norris. The "relief" allowed all of the inherited runners to score plus three more. No big hits; just a lot of singles and doubles. Youkilis was the only non-pitcher starter to go without a hit.

I've got three more games to catch up after the long weekend. Looking forward to getting the eyewitness account from Dad. He went to all three games with my brother and it sounds like he had awesome seats over the weekend.

Game 80: Sox 5 Phanatics 2

The Sox finally find the key to beating the Phillies' starting pitching: hit a line drive right at them so they have to come out of the game. Sox were'n't getting much of anything done against Hamels until Gonzalez hit him on his non-throwing hand, getting him out of the game. Sox hitters feasted on the Phillies relief pitching getting 5 runs between the 5th and 8th inning. Those runs came courtesey of a 3 hit day from Ellsbury, two solo home runs from Varitek, and another solo shot from Pedroia. Gonzalez hasn't been looking bad if you just looked at the box scores but it seems like over the last week he hasn't been seeing the ball well at all. He went 0-4 this game and just seems lost right now.

Lester pitched like the ace we needed to stop the skid. Only 2 hits and 2 BBs over 7 innings. Bard pitched a clean 8th but Jenks ran into trouble in the ninth giving up 2 runs on a home run to Howard. It seemed to me that Jenks would have been able to finish the inning but Tito brought in Papelbon to get the two out save.

Overall, losing the series to the Phillies isn't that big of a deal. Fortunately we didn't get swept. But with the losses to the Pirates and the Padres, the Sox will need to make up some games against the Astros, the worst team in MLB. Anything less than a sweep will make this road trip a failure in my mind. And failure is not an option!