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!

Game 79: Sox 1 Phanatics 2

Ugh. Sox can't get anything going against the Phillies' number 6 starter. Worley spread out 5 hits and 2 BBs over 7 innings and only give up one run. And to add insult to injury, the one run came from a double from Lackey of all people. Reddick was really the only person who seemed comfortable out there going 2-3. Sox had Gonzalez play left and Ortiz play first to get some more offense but to no avail.

Lackey actually pitched really well giving up only 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk over 7 2/3 innings. And even then, Lackey really only struggled to get Ibanez out who was a triple shy of the cycle and knocked in both of the Phillies' runs. Morales got the last out in a game which should have been a complete game from Lackey.

Gotta avoid the sweep tomorrow in what is becoming a messy interleague series for the Sox. We'll send Lester but the Phillies will have Hamels on the bump.

Game 78: Sox 0 Phanatics 5

Yikes. Sox can't get anything going against Lee while the Phillies are the definition of efficient against Beckett. Sox only end up getting two hits (Scutaro single and McDonald double) and two walks (Pedroia and Youkilis) all game. Granted, with the left handed pitcher, the Sox didn't trot out their most explosive lineup today. McDonald and his 0.122 BA was batting 5th after all. The Sox did also seem to hit several line drive atom balls that might have resulted in something if they could have gotten a break.

The Phillies got their breaks though. They tagged Beckett for 5 ER but only on 5 hits. Two home runs helped but they only had 1 LOB until Jenks stranded 2 in the 8th. On a day when the Sox weren't going to score any runs (let alone get past 2nd base), there wasn't much room for error from Beckett.

Oh well. We've lost 5 of the last 6 but we know from the start to this year that baseball is a game of highs and lows. Let's start getting to one of those

Game 77: Sox 4 Jolly Rogers 2

What a messy game to avoid the sweep. Pirates commit 4 errors and the Sox add two more as only 2 of the 6 combined runs scored were earned. Miller pitched just well enough to win against a weak Pirates lineup but he didn't look nearly as nervous and fidgety as he did last time. Aceves, Bard, and Papelbon combined for 3 innings to hold the lead.

The offense was driven mostly by the Pirates' defensive miscues but Reddick seemed to have his name all over this one. He hit a fly ball in the 4th the ended up scoring Saltalamacchia when McCutchen overthrew the throw to third as Salty tagged up. In the 6th Reddick hit another fly ball that scored Youkilis on the sac fly. Pretty good for going 0-3. He also had a nice catch in right field that nearly doubled off the runner on first. Of course he also made up for this with an error of his own in the 3rd. He seems to be fitting in really well with his cup of coffee. And the way Cameron and McDonald have played, it might be hard to send him back down.

Day off today and a three game set against the Phillies next. This will be a big test for us as the Phillies are considered the favorite for the World Series this year. We'll send Beckett, Lackey, and Lester to the bump; the Phillies counter with Lee, Worley, and Hammels. Were lucky we don't have to face Halladay.

Game 76: Sox 4 Bucs 6

Sox just couldn't find their mojo in this game. Three home runs in the game (Gonzalez, Reddick, and Ellsbury) but they're all solo shots. It didn't help having to play NL rules as Wakefield was a waste of at bats and unfortunately, so was Scutaro batting ahead of him, going 0-4. NESN also kindly reminded us that the Sox were 0-8 on the day with RISP and 0-16 for the series so far. We've lost our mojo!

Wakefield had one of those knuckleball games, cruising for a few innings, running into trouble (especially whenever someone got on base) and got tagged for 5 runs over 6 innings. Most of the damage came from a 3-run home run by Overbay but the biggest problem for Wake today was the walks. He struggles with runners on so giving up 4 free passes is a problem. Albers gave up his first home run of the season and breaks a 77 inning homerless stretch (impressive!). Bard pitches a clean 1 1/3.

Well, it's really frustrating losing back to back series, especially to the Padres and Pirates. We gotta get a win tomorrow so we have some momentum going into the Phillies series. Miller's pitching next. Let's find our mojo!

Game 75: Sox 1 Pit Rats 3

Man oh man. Where has the offense gone? One run on 9 hits and 4 walks? Sox had golden opprtunities in the 7th and the 8th managing to score no runs with guys on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 7th and 2nd and 3rd with 1 out in the 8th. Yeesh. Both Gonzalez and Ortiz were in the middle of those inept innings.

Lester pitched okay. Eight hits over 6 innings was too many for the Pirates and walking the pitcher (the pitcher!) of all people to load the bases with no outs in the 2-run third was unbearable. Really, he seemed to be lucky to get out with what he did. Albers, Hottovy, and Wheeler pitched cleanly to finish the game but only one run against the Pirates is not going to win games.

Let's get this losing streak done with and start kicking butt again. We want wins!

Game 74: Friars 5 Sox 1

What a miserable day for baseball. Three separate rain delays before the game got called mid way through the 8th inning. And on top of that, we got bad Lackey. Three and 1/3 innings, 5 ER, 4 Hs, 4 BBs, and 4 Ks. It didn't start well with Lackey giving up a home run to lead off the game (Venerable's first of the year). In the 4th, he walked the first batter, hit the second, and gave up a bunt single on a wet infield to load the bases. He struck out the next batter but followed that with a bases loaded walk (I hate 'em!), a hit by pitch, a wild pitch, and a single resulted in 4 runs. Bad Lackey, bad.

At the dish, the Sox best opportunity came in the first. Cameron hit a single but was entirely surprised by the pick off throw, and was out standing only 2 feet away from the bag. Ellsbury and Pedroia both walked and Gonzalez gave us our only run of the game with a single. So it should have been either two runs in or 1 run and the bases loaded with no outs. Youkilis flew out and Ortiz grounded out to end the inning and the threat.

Ortiz seems to be struggling and I can't help but notice that he seems to have stopped trying to go the other way too. Seems like those two facts are correlated. Sox got the day off before starting a series in Pittsburgh today. It'll be interesting to see how Tito gets playing time for Gonzalez and Ortiz while playing without a DH. I say keep A-Gon in the lineup.

Game 73: Pods 5 Sox 4

I hate walks. Hate 'em. Giving the other team a free pass for doing nothing but standing in the box. Plus, they make the games take so much longer for me to watch.

Aceves had trouble mastering control of his pitches today. In the second inning, after two quick outs, Aceves proceeded to walk five batters in a row, plating two for the Padres. Of the 26 batters Aceves faced, only 6 saw a first pitch strike. Still, the game was tied at 4 in the 7th when Wheeler gave up two hits and an IBB to load the bases with one out. Bard nearly got us out of the jam but the ground ball hit to Gonzalez tied him up enough he couldn't go home for the force out.

The offense did well to keep us in the game but still wasn't very efficient. Thirteen hits and five walks should get us more than 4 runs. Pedroia worked three walks in the game which was impressive. David Ortiz also stole 2nd but struggled at the plate all day going 0-5 with a GIDP. Drew also continues to slump going 0-4 with 3 Ks. He seems to be to infatuated with his sense of the strike zone to adjust to the strike zone the umpire is calling. He's batting 0.230 and seems to have taken an inordinate amount of K's looking.

Rubber game is next. Hopefully we'll get the good Lackey.

Game 72: Dads 5 Sox 14

This game was actually a lot closer than the score appears. Sox got out to a 3 run lead early off the bats of Ortiz and Ellsbury. But the Padres rallied with a three run home run from Orlando Hudson in the 6th over the Monster (his first home run of the year). It looked like the Sox were going to get by with just a one run lead in the 7th. But with 2 outs, the Sox offense explodes for 9 more runs in the inning to make this one one-sided.

Andrew Miller started with Buchholz on the DL and didn't look bad against a raw Padres lineup. He looked very nervous and jumpy though. He had some great stuff with a low 90's fastball, a deceptive change, and a biting curve. But he was wild too often having difficulty throwing strikes even with the lead. He needs to be more consistent if he's going to stick.

Gonzalez gets the nod for MVP of the game going 3-5 with 3 RBI and 2 R although really everyone contributes when there's 10 run inning. Youkilis has been batting well but I'm surprised Tito keeps trotting him out there as his ankle seems to be really bothering him.

Beckett was supposed to go in the next game (today's) but has the flu so Aceves will start instead. After watching game 1, this is really a series we should sweep so hopefully Aceves can keep the wins coming.

Game 71: Brew Crew 3 Sox 12

Wakefield had the knuckler dancing tonight! Eight innings of dancing in fact to get the win. Sox offense exploded early for a 6 run 1st inning. Brewers rallied for 2 in the 2nd but the Sox came back with 2 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th, and 2 in the 6th to run away with it. The backbreaker came from Youkilis with a 3 run shot in the 1st to give the Sox the lead for good. Pedroia also added a solo shot; he's been hitting the ball well lately which is good to see. Scutaro hit a two run home run, taking advantage of Lowrie's time on the DL.

Feels good to win the series against a tough Brewers team. It was especially nice to have some short games to watch as I tried to make up the missed time being gone this weekend! Sox start a series against the Padres next with Andrew Miller starting in place of Buchholz who went on the DL with a back injury. Miller's looked good in the minors. Hopefully he can translate that to the majors. Sox face the Padres next so Miller should have success against a young team.

Game 70: Brew Crew 4 Sox 2

Well, that game just goes to show you that baseball is not fair. Lester has essentially the same line as Lackey yesterday and gets tagged with the L. He got knocked around early in the first giving up back to back solo shots and then gave up another solo home run in the 3rd. By the 4th inning, he settled down and had a final line of 8 innings 4 Rs (3 earned), 7 Hs, 3 BBs, and 8 Ks. Wheeler, Hottovy, and Bowden each get an out to finish the 9th.

The runs were short of winning the game though. There were a lot of hits against Wolf but he did a good job of spreading them out to avoid any damage. Saltalamacchia and Cameron drove the offense getting 2-out hits in the 2nd. You know it's either a high scoring day or a very low scoring day if those two names are the offensive highlights. Gonzalez seemed to struggle which was odd 1) because he's amazingly good, but also because b) he's got the most NL experience on the team.

Oh well. Rubber game will be Wakefield v Gallardo. Gallardo's been awesome of late but the Brewers probably haven't seen anything like Wakefield's knuckler before.

Game 69: Brew Crew 4 Sox 10

Lackey wins a game that it didn't look like he'd be in for very long. The offense explodes for 10 runs and Lackey settles down after giving up 4 in the first three innings. Lackey ended up pitching 8 innings giving up 8 hits and no BBs with 5 Ks. Albers pitched a clean 9th as the Sox were without Papelbon for this game and the next, serving a two game suspension.

The Sox were playing a tied game through 5 innings until they got 1 in the 5th, 2 in the 6th, and 3 in the 7th. Ellsbury started us off with a solo shot in the first and Gonzalez gave us the lead for good with his shot over the Monster in the fifth. Ortiz had a good game as well going 3-5 with a run and a RBI. Pedroia had a couple of web gems in the game two, one to start the double play from his knees and the other getting to a ball up the middle and throwing out the runner.

Couple of players left this game early. Crawford pulled him hamstring legging out an infield hit in the 1st. Hopefully that's not a lingering injury. Brewers starter Shaun Marcum also left after 1 inning, throwing 44 pitches. He might have just been bad but they said he left with a strained hip flexor. Lastly, Youkilis came out in the 5th with stomach pain, although he had been battling ankle pain after twisting it in the last game.

Good win. Glad to get it against a good team like the Brewers. Strange seeing them with interleague and all but my impression is that they've got some good pitching and a solid core of hitters in the middle (Weeks, Morgan, Braun, and Fielder). Sox will continue to have to exploit the bottom of the order from them.

Game 68: Sox 4 Devil Rays 2

What a great series! Good pitching from both sides. Sox just barely eek out the series win. This game didn't feel as close as it actually was as the Sox jumped out to an early 3 run lead in the second. But the Rays got a run off of Buchholz in the bottom of the 2nd and got a solo shot off of Aceves in the 6th. Gonzalez gave the Sox some insurance with his 14th home run, a solo shot, in the top of the ninth. It's a good thing too as Papelbon gave up a walk and an infield hit to third base to start the bottom of the ninth. He wiggled his way out of the jam though getting a pop up on the sac bunt attempt followed by 2 Ks.

Sox batters did a fantastic job of getting to Price early. He ended up leaving after 5 but I think he was up to about 70 pitches after 2 innings. The biggest news story out of this game though were the injuries. Lowrie appeared to reaggravate his ailing shoulder in the first inning on a swing and a miss. He came out of the game and it looks like a trip to the DL is in his future. Buchholz also came out early after only 81 pitches in 5 innings. Apparently his back was bothering him again. The Sox have a few days off coming up and Andrew Miller has been looking good so they may shuffle the rotation without sending Buchholz to the DL. But then again, with interleague games at NL ballparks coming up, I don't think the Sox want to see Buchholz holding a bat.

Great series and a great roadtrip! Sox are playing some of their best baseball in franchise history. Next up are the Brewers at Fenway so let's keep it up.

Game 67: Sox 3 Devil Rays 0

After getting shutout by Shields on Tuesday, the Sox counter with a one-hit masterpiece by Beckett. He was one swinging bunt, a worm burner, away from a perfect game. Fantastic to watch and a quick game too.

Hellickson pitched well for Tampa too so this game had a bit of that Pedro v. Clemens instant classic feel to it. In that game Trot Nixon hit a two-run shot in the top of the ninth with two outs to win the game 2-0 with both Clemens and Pedro throwing complete games. Hellickson didn't pitch a complete game but the only scoring against him was a triple by Pedroia followed by a IBB to Gonzalez and a three-run home run by Youkilis. Which was great for Youkilis because he really didn't seem to be squaring up the ball very well up to that swing.

Sox go for the series next but they face a VERY tough David Price next. It's not gonna be easy but as Tom Hanks said, "If it was easy, everybody would do it. It's the hard that makes it great."

Game 66: Sox 0 Devil Rays 4

Sox ran into a wall named Shields in this game. Shields pitched the complete game shutout limiting the Sox to 5 hits and 3 walks. Their best opportunity came in the first when they loaded the bases with two outs. Not a great opportunity but their best for the day. Gonzalez was the lone bright spot getting 3 of the 5 hits the Sox had on the day. Ellsbury put some good swings on the ball too but only came up with one hit and one walk. Youkilis struggled the most getting a K and 2 GIDP to go with some feeble swings. Yeesh.

Wakefield pitched pretty well going 7 innings, 2 runs (1 earned), 4 hits but 5 BBs. The first run came on a home run to LF Ruggiano who was today's "foul ball home runs turned home run down the line" candidate. The unearned run came on 2 BBs and 2 passed balls by Saltalamacchia. In the eighth, Hottovy had a messy inning hitting one batter and giving up hits to two lefthanders (which shouldn't be getting anything off of him). Aceves put out the fire but did give up an inherited run on a bloop single.

It was a good streak while it lasted but all good things come to an end. Too bad it came against the Rays but we've got Josh F. Beckett going next so the series is still very much up for grabs.

Game 65: Sox 14 Bluebirds 1

Hoo-hum. Another day, another Sox blowout. Sox again put up crooked numbers against the Jays and this time get an ace performance out of Lester. The runs came from, well... everyone. Gonzalez, Pedroia, Ortiz, and Youkilis all had home runs. Ellsbury extended his streak getting 2 hits and Saltalamacchia had 3 hits. Drew was the only starter without a hit and looked hopeless at the plate with 4 Ks. Who knows how many runs would have scored without that black hole in the lineup.

Lester was fantastic today working with efficiency. Eight innings, 2 hits, 1 BB, and 8 Ks on 102 pitches. The only run came off of a solo shot by Bautista, your MLB HR leader. The Sox did a good job of containing Bautista during the series and without him, the Jays lack very much punch.

A great series overall; you're almost disappointed to be having a day off tomorrow. But that they do. Next up are the Rays in Tampa. Should be a tough series but we're coming in hot.

Game 64: Sox 16 Bluebirds 4

Oh-wee, Sox keep hammering away! Sow win another series putting up crooked numbers in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th. Those numbers were brought to you by Pedroia, Varitek, and Ortiz. The latter two each hit a three-run home run in the 5th inning and went 2-3 on the game. Pedroia was 3-5 with 3 RBI too. Scutaro had a 4-hit night and apparently has a hitting streak going back to before he went on the DL. It hasn't seemed like he's been that consistent since coming back but that just goes to show what I know. Lowrie was the only starter to not get a hit (but no errors today either, playing 3rd base). Everyone got an RBI though.

Lackey pitched well enough to win going 6 innings with 4 ER, 6 Hs, 2 BBs, and 8 Ks. The Ks were good but the runs aren't great. Without an offensive explosion Lackey could have ended the day with an L. With the laugher on, Sox sent Wheeler, Hottovey, and Bowden out to finish the game. The Jays apparently ran out of pitchers (which was surprising to me) sending 5 relievers out after their starter was chased in the 5th. So shortstop Mike McCoy pitched a clean ninth featuring a 76 mph fastball and a 60 mph curve ball. Crawford, Scutaro, and Drew looked silly but that's probably because they're not use to waiting for the pitch so long.

Sox go for the sweep in tomorrow's day game sending Lester to the mound. Bring out your brooms.

Game 63: Sox 5 Bluebirds 1

Sox win again! Buchholz made quick work of the Jays going 7 innings giving up only 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks, and 6 Ks. No sign of back pain too which was the best news. Bard pitched the 8th and Papelbon had a perfect 9th in the non-save situation.

In the field, Lowrie had a difficult night getting 2 errors playing SS; he know has 10 on the year. He didn't make up for it at the plate today either going 0-5 including 0-2 with RISP. He's a difficult guy to play because his SS defense is atrocious but he doesn't seem to have the bat to stick at third. With Pedroia at 2nd, where do you play him?

At the plate, the Sox continue to be led by white-hot Ellsbury. Jacoby had three hits today. Pedroia also went 3-5 and Gonzalez took advantage going 2-4 with 2 RBI. Sox didn't get any big hits but just hammered away at the Jays' starter getting 8 hits and 2 walks in 6 1/3 innings. It was a very balanced attack that's conducive to 7-game win streaks.

Lackey goes for 8 tomorrow.

Game 62: Sox 8 Yanks 3

What a weird game. The start was delayed 3.5 hrs by rain, then the Sox look like they're gonna lose a heartbreaker 2-0 before exploding in the 7th for 7 runs. Local time was nearly 2am by the time the game finally finished (all of the games in the series took about 3.5 hrs to play out). By the end of the game they were showing fans literally asleep in the crowd (which is ironic for the city that never sleeps, right?). The New Yankee Stadium doesn't have much personality and the fans seem separated from the game but this game was ridiculous. They might as well as have played to an empty stadium.

Beckett looks fantastic per his usual this season giving up 2 runs over 7 innings. His only blemish was a 2-run homer to Granderson in the first. Albers and Wheeler finished them off with Wheeler running into a little trouble in the 9th, giving up a run.

At the plate, Gonzalez looked particularly lost against Sabathia but woke up once he exited. Ortiz didn't seem to have much trouble facing the lefty going 2-4 with 2 RBIs. Ellsbury was another lefty who hit Sabathia well, although he's been en fuego recently. As expected with a 7-run inning, everyone got a hit today, although Scutaro (starting at 2nd to give Pedroia's knee a rest) didn't get his until the 9th.

Sox really exposed the Yankee starters in the sweep getting 18 runs in 14 innings. Sox are now 2 games up on the Yankees for the AL East lead, have the best record in the American League, and are only 1 game back of St. Louis for the best record in MLB. Let the good times roll!

Game 61: Sox 11 Yanks 6

Slugfest! Well, not the slugfest everyone was expecting. After hitting two batters yesterday, Ortiz doing a twirl, and just pummeling the Yankees in general, many expected this game to come to blows. Instead we played a clean game with a ton of runs.

Wakefield did enough to get the win giving up 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings. The knuckleball was really dancing except for a period in the 5th inning when the Yankees gathered 3 runs. Aceves pitched the remainder of the game earning the rare 11 out save. It certainly seems like having the two of them team up on games is better for the Sox than having Matsuzaka go every fifth day.

Ortiz hit another dinger in this one, a two-run shot in the first. Ellsbury's absolutely been on fire lately and gathered another three hits today. He and Scutaro both got stolen bases as well as we may have finally found a catcher worse at throwing out runners than the Sox in Cervelli. Crawford and Drew also had home runs today in the ninth inning to keep the game out of Papelbon's hands.

Sox going for the sweep tomorrow. Beckett again finds himself squared off against an ace, this time it's Sabathia. I'd be perfectly happy going to the Bronx and getting 2 out of 3 from the Yankees but continuing our dominance this year would be awfully nice too. Sox are 7-1 against them so far this year. Let's make it 8-1.

Game 60: Sox 6 Yanks 4

This was a fun game. Sox beat up on Garcia early and maintained a relatively comfortable lead over the Yankees all game. Ellsbury lead the charge with a leadoff home run (his 7th thus far). Pedroia followed with a walk and was sent home by Gonzalez with a triple. Youk scored Gonzalez on a sac fly to get the Sox to an early 3 run lead. Sox would add a run in the 2nd and a 2-run bomb in the 5th from Big Papi (his 14th). Papi added a little twirl for showmanship but it seemed a bit uncalled for especially with Lester's lack of command early in the game.

Lester was struggling to control his cut fastball hitting Teixeira and Martin in the 1st inning. He was lucky to get out of the inning giving up only one run on 33 pitches. He ended up getting the QS, giving up 3 runs on 6 IP, 8 hits, 5 Ks, and 1 BB but he's really struggled to put together a dominant start in awhile.

Jenks only pitched to one batter in the 7th before needing to leave with back spasms. Hopefully not anything to serious. Albers pitched the 7th, Bard the 8th, and Papelbon the 9th for the save. Papelbon gave up a run but looked pretty dominant actually.

Sox are now tied with the Yanks for the AL East lead and are actually only 0.5 a game behind the Indians for the top record in the American League. Let the good times roll!

Game 59: A's 3 Sox 6

Lackey's first game back and he gets the W. This looks more like the Lackey I was expecting giving up 3 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings, doing just enough to get the win. Bullpen pitches 3 1/3 of 2 hit, 1 walk ball to preserve the win and Bard gets the save.

At the plate, the Sox had a lot more success against Anderson than they did last time. He didn't have that devastating curve in this game. Crawford hit a three run bomb into the bullpen in the 2nd to get the scoring started and Gonzalez contributed with his 12th home run in the 4th, a 2 run shot over the Monster. Ortiz was absolutely on fire getting three hits and really doing a great job going the other way with the ball.

Great to get the sweep after the last series. Sox have the day off tomorrow and start a three game set against the Yanks in the Bronx next. This series will be important as the teams are only 1 game apart for the AL East lead. Go Sox!

Game 58: A's 8 Sox 9

What a crazy ninth inning! Beckett starts the game strong and leaves in the 7th with a 5-2 lead thanks in part to a Gonzalez home run, his 11th. With 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, Papelbon is already warm so he comes in to protect a 4 run lead in the ninth. No problem right? Here's what transpired:

- Single, walk, swinging K gets two on with 1 out. Papelbon feels like he's being squeezed but the K-Zone thing NESN uses shows that the umpire is getting the calls right.

- Tailor-made double play ball is hit right at Pedroia who muffs it. 1 run scores, runners at 1st and third.

- Double by Pennigton scores a run and Varitek is thrown out as he immediately starts screaming at the umpire for the perceived injustice.

- Single scores two more runs, tie ball game.

- Papelbon throws a strike to the next batter and makes an exasperated expression trying to understand why that was a strike and the others weren't. Umpire starts yelling at him and he blows up getting tossed from the game as well.

- Jenks comes in a gives up a single before striking out two to get out of the inning.

I have no problem with Vartiek getting tossed; if you don't like the calls, pitch better and don't commit errors in the field. Papelbon getting tossed rubbed me the wrong way as I felt the homeplate umpire initiated the argument by jawing off at Papelbon instead of just letting him be frustrated. The umpire's supposed to be the grown up in that situation.

It looked like the Sox were going to lose the game in the 11th as Aceves gives up a walk, a double and a sac fly to start the inning off. But he gets the next batter to ground the ball right to a drawn in Lowrie who throws the ball home for the tag out. (by the way Saltalamacchia did a great job of applying the tag without putting himself in a position to get hurt like Buster Posey did earlier this year). Aceves gets out of the inning giving up only the one run. Lowrie and Drew strike out to start the bottom half of the inning but on the first pitch he sees, Saltalamacchia scrapes the wall for a double and Ellsbury doubles him home to tie the game.

In the bottom of the 14th, with two outs, Crawford hits a double for his 4th hit of the game. Lowrie is intentionally walked to get to Drew who rewards the Nation with a game winning single. Phew! Glad to eek by with that one in a game we should have won handily in regulation.

Game 57: A's 6 Sox 8

Not Buchholz's best day today but the Sox come back for the win. Buchholz had an ugly first inning giving up 4 runs on 5 singles and a fielder's choice. But the Sox claw back with 2 in the 1st, 1 in the 2nd, and 2 in the 3rd, chasing A's starter Outman. Buchholz gives the lead back up with 1 in the 4th and 1 in the 5th before getting the hook.

Sox load the bases in the 7th with only one out but it felt like they were going to squander the opportunity when Lowrie flied out too shallow for the sacrifice. But Crawford worked his clutch magic against Fuentes and got the two run single to give the Sox the lead back. Saltalamacchia hit a deep homer in the 8th for insurance and Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Glad they won that game as losing 5 in a row especially with Oakland just getting in town after being swept by the Yanks would have been heartbreaking. Word on the street is that Buchholz had a cranky back that's accounted for his recent struggles. Francona may try to give him a few extra days of rest to get back on track.

Game 56: Pale 7 Carmine 4

What a terrible game. Red Sox get swept by the lowly White Sox who came in to town scuffling while the Red Sox were, well... red hot. And in the process, Rich Hill injures his elbow in the 7th inning, grabbing his elbow in obvious pain and leaving the field immediately. Terrific.

The game started well enough with the hometown team getting off to a quick 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning. But the White Sox added a run in the 4th and then took advantage of some miscues in the field to tie the game in the 5th. Here's the blow by blow:

- Wakefield's unable to find the strike zone, even with his slowball, and walks Castro the catcher

- Beckham hits a bloop down the 1st base line that Pedroia gets to but drops it out of his glove (no error for some reason)

- Juan Pierre hits a ground ball at Lowrie who tries to start the double play getting Beckham at 2nd but Pedroia throws the ball wide and Pierre reaches as Gonzalez can't handle the throw

- With Ramirez at the plate, the Sox pitchout and catch Pierre trying to steal. During the rundown though Pedroia swipes at Pierre and pretty clearly got him (I thought) but the ump calls him safe at second (BS)

- Ramirez grounds out to deep short, scoring Castro when we should be out of the inning unscathed

- Quentin doubles, scoring Ramirez, tie game

- Konerko flies out to end the inning

In the 6th, the White Sox took the lead on a home run by Lillibridge. I point this out only because his previous at bats screamed that he was going to take the knuckleball yard. I remember in 2003 watching Boone hit several foul ball home runs down the left field line against Wakefield in Game 4 of the ALCS before finally straightening one out to win game 7. Some guys jsut seem to be able to pull the knuckleball really well. Lillibridge is one of those guys; he had the same at bats leading up to the 6th inning. Foul ball home run to left before striking out in the 2nd, double off the very tippy-top of the Monster in the 4th, and a monster shot to left in the 6th. Saw that coming from a mile away.

Ortiz knots the game back up at 4 in the home half of the 6th but Albers gives the lead right back up in the 7th. Bard pitches well but Papelbon gives up a huge 2-run homer to Konerko in the non-save situation in the 9th. Sox batters never really even made it interesting after the 6th inning.

Sox are now 2 games back of the Yankees and have an off day tomorrow before hosting the A's. Maybe some rest will help as it's been a long stretch of games. Also, word has it Matsuzaka is going under the knife for Tommy John surgery. The perfect ending to a crappy day and a crappy signing.

Game 55: White 10 Red 7

That was disappointing. Lady Luck finally left Aceves' side as he gives up 8 runs (6 earned) on 8 hits and 3 BBs over 5 innings. Lowrie didn't help the cause by booting a ball in the 4-run 2nd inning to extend the inning. Atchison coughed up two more runs in the 6th. Jenks was activated off the DL list and wiggled his way out of the 8th inning. Wheeler pitched the 9th and has actually looked pretty good since he's come off the DL (4 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 3 hits, 4 Ks, and 2 BBs).

Sox batters made Philip Humber look like a Cy Young award winner eeking out only 1 run over 7 innings on 6 hits and 1 walk. The replacements came in after the 6th and finally put some runs on the board. Reddick and Sutton were key to the 6 runs the Sox scored in the 8th and 9th. Also key was Big Papi's 12th home run of the year, a 3-run shot in the 8th. Gonzalez had a tough day with three Ks including one to end the game with the tying run on deck.

Can't win them all but the White Sox are a team we should be beating. Hopefully Wakefield can right the boat.

Game 54: ChiSox 7 BoSox 3

Boy, Lester looked terrible in this game. Couldn't find the strike zone all day and got beat around hard. Eight hits, 4 walks, and 2 HBPs in 5 and 2/3 innings. I blame some of that on Francona though. Lester was obviously exhausted in the 6th inning and couldn't find the strike zone to save his life. But instead of pulling him and bringing in a reliever to get us out of the jam, he left Lester in to get tagged for four more runs. Sheesh. I guess he wanted to give Lester a chance to earn the win but instead Lester ended up earning the loss.

Batters weren't looking bad against Peavy but once the White Sox took the 4 run lead they lost all their steam. A-Gon hit a beautiful solo shot to right in the first. Pedroia had a great battle of an at bat against Peavy in the 3rd that brought in two runs to knot the game at 3. But then Lester imploded and we couldn't put anything together to make it exciting.

I was watching this game live since I have today off. Most games I've watched after the fact so on the one hand it was annoying to have to sit through all of the commercial breaks and the pitching changes. On the other hand, it was definitely more exciting. It's hard for me to watch the games after the fact without MLB.tv telling me what will happen next. So live definitely upped the anticipation. I was also talking to Dad for the last three innings or so. He was watching the game on Gameday and I was surprised to find that Gameday was a pitch ahead of MLB.tv. Fun to commiserate with Dad during the loss though and share some complaints/insights.

Game 53: Sox 0 Tiggers 3

Well, Sox ran into a wall named Verlander in game 2 of the doubleheader. Verlander pitched 7 2/3 inning (and threw 132 pitches!) of shutout ball to stop the Sox in their tracks. Drew had the most success against him going 2-3 and representing exactly half of the hits the Sox got on the night. Verlander looked like the second coming of Pedro throwing heat in the high nineties, a change around 85, and a solid 12-6 curve for strikes. Just gotta tip your hat to him.

Beckett on the other hand really struggled with his control walking 5 over 6 innings to match is 5 Ks. He ran afoul in the first inning giving up 2 runs on 1 walk and three hits. He settled down somewhat after that to pitch 5 more scoreless innings. It's a testament to how good he's been that he was able to get out of such a bad game giving up only two runs. Hill pitched a clean 7th and Atchison gave up one run in the 8th.

Sox start a homestand against the White Sox next. First game will be the toughest as the Sox face Jake Peavy, Adrian Gonzalez's former teammate. Sox counter with Lester. Let's get a W!

Game 52: Sox 4 Tiggers 3

Let's play two! Sox got rained out on Saturday so Sunday was a day-night doubleheader. In game 1 we got treated to a pinch hit home run by Ortiz in the 9th to win the game. Wowee, the Sox are smoking right now! I forgot to mention yesterday that the Sox took sole possession of first place in the division with yesterday's win. Sox have won 5 in a row and 13 of the last 15 games.

Buchholz looked okay this game going 6 innings with 3 earned runs to get the Quality Start. He did give up two long balls, one to Andy Dirks and the other to Brennan Boesch. Albers looked really good pitching two innings of relief and Papelbon came in for the bottom of the ninth for the perfect inning, 2 Ks, and the save.

Pedroia took my words to heart and hit a solo home run in the 3rd. He was accompanied by Mike Cameron who doesn't hit often, but when he does, it goes a long ways. His solo shot in the 2nd was his 3rd of the year in part time duty. The Sox also took advantage of Victor Martinez catching today by stealing 4 bases in the 1st inning. Even Youkilis stole a base! And as I mentioned already, Ortiz pinch hit for Saltalamacchia in the ninth, facing Detroit closer Valverde, goes deep to right-center for the win. Apparently this was only the second time he's faced Valverde and he now has a home run in both matchups.

Beckett-Verlander in the ngiht half of the doubleheader. Should be a good game. Sox won the last time these two faced off 4-3 on a walkoff single from Crawford. We won't have home field advantage this time though so let's win early.

Game 51: Sox 6 Tiggers 3

Sox jump out to another early lead but this time they get absolutely stymied by the Tigers' long relief. Porcello was chased after 6 runs in 3 innings but Furbush went 5 innings of 2 hit ball in relief. Part of that may have been the strike zone expanding as the umps were ready to go home. On the Sox side, Wakefied pitched another solid game. Seven innings, 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 BBs, and 2 Ks. Getting closer to that career mark! Bard pitched a clean 8th and Papelbon gave up a run in the non-save situation.

At the dish the Sox were lead by home runs from Jacoby and Crawford in the third inning. Youkilis also hit a two-run double in the third when the Sox put up 5 runs. On the not so good side, Pedroia's and Lowrie's lines didn't look so bad in the box score (1-4 and 1-3 respectively) but they didn't look so good watching the game. Both of them seem to be out of rhythm and aren't hitting line drives. Everything's a fly ball or a weakly hit ground ball. Pedroia's particularly concerning as his contact ratio (82.9%) is way down from his career numbers (91.3%). Hopefully they can both turn it around soon.

Game 50: Sox 14 Tiggers 1

Sox bats are alive and well. That's two games in a row putting up 14 runs. Crawford was hot again going 4-5 with 2 triples. Jacoby hit a three-run blast in the 2nd to give the Sox all the runs they needed. Papi also looked good going 2-3 with 2 walks. Even the newcomers were getting in on the hit parade. Josh Reddick got the start after being called up today as McDonald was put on the 15-day DL. Reddick went 3-5 and Sutton, giving Lowrie a day off, went 2-5. Every Sox starter got a hit so they all looked good.

Aceves pitched well with the lead giving up only one run. I again felt like the Tiger offense doesn't have much to fear and having a big lead certainly helps. One thing I did notice is that it seems like when Aceves misses it's near the head of right handed hitters. He nearly hit someone today and the last time he pitched he hit Marlon Byrd in the face. Maybe it was a wet ball he lost control of as the game only went 7 1/2 innings before getting called.

Sox are now tied with the Yankees for first. Quite the comeback after starting 2-10. Let's get out in front tomorrow!

Game 49: Sox 14 Tribe 2

Well, that was VERY satisfying. After getting embarrassed our first trip to Cleveland, bludgeoning the Indians for 14 runs, 7 in the first, felt like two or three wins. Lester looked fantastic going 6 strong with no runs, 3 hits, 1 BB, and 7 Ks. The only runs came off Morales in the 8th inning. Wheeler and Atchison chipped in two scoreless innings.

At the dish, Sox put up 20 hits and 4 walks amassing 14 runs. Who didn't contribute? Well, Youkilis and Drew sat the game out in favor of Sutton and Cameron. Also Lowrie was a noticeable 0-5 but he did score 2 runs. Here're the offensive highlights:

- Crawford 4-4 with what should have been the cycle but was given a double and advanced on the error instead

- Saltalamacchia hits a three run homer in the 6th. Here's starting to get hot!

- Pedroia hit a two run shot in the 1st to set the pace and had 3 RBI on the night

- Ortiz hit his 10th HR of the season and has really had a resurgence this year. I attribute it to finally going the other way instead of trying to pull everything out of the park

- Cameron looked kind of foolish his first couple of at bats but turned it around and drove some balls deep towards the end of the game. It's tough coming off the bench but he can be a fantastic 4th outfielder if we can get him some playing time

Sox travel to Detroit for another day game. Strange to have back-to-back day games. Aceves goes against Scherzer. Scherzer's put up surprisingly good numbers so we could have our work cut out for us.

Game 48: Sox 4 Tribe 2

Sox finally beat the Indians. Beckett was awesome per his usual this year. 6 and 2/3 innings, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 5 hits, and 3 walks. Hill pitched 1 and 1/3 in relief (a risky proposition on Francona's part) and Papelbon gave up only a solo home run earning the save.

Varitek essentially gave the Sox the win with a 2-run HR in the 7th. Speed on the base paths gave us two runs in the 3rd (Ellsbury and Crawford both steal second in the inning to get in scoring position). Ortiz lead the charge with two doubles on a night when there wasn't much offense. Sox put together 4 runs on 5 hits and a walk as Carmona looked good again.

Good. I'm glad we finally got that win under the belt. Let's get the series win tomorrow. Lester pitching. Be an ace.

Game 47: Sox 2 Tribe 3

I'll take the blame for this loss. When I got home it was a 0-0 game in the third (due to a 1 hour rain delay). I was watching the game just in time to see Crawford hit a single and Pedroia drive him in three batters later to take the 1-0 lead. I stepped outside to do some lawn work and came back inside to find the score tied at 1 in the 5th. Fortunately Crawford was the first batter I saw and he hit a solo blast to give the Sox the 2-1 lead. I kept the game on through the 7th inning before leaving for frisbee. When I came back, the Sox had lost giving up 2 runs in the 8th. So clearly, my viewing the game had a direct correlation to the Sox's success and I let everyone down by only watching the entire game after it was over. My bad.

But really, the Sox lost this game in the top of the 8th for two reasons you won't necessarily see in the box score:

1. Ellsbury gets caught stealing with one out. As a premier base stealer, that was a situation in which Ellsbury has to get to second base. Shoot, he could have done nothing and gotten there once Pedroia walks. Because he gets caught the inning is over when Youkilis flies out. If he's safe on the play, he either scores on Gonzalez's single the play before or else scores on the sac fly by Youkilis.

2. Pedroia comes up lame rounding second on Gonzalez's single and is replaced by Drew Sutton. This impacted the outcome of the game not because Sutton was on the basepaths but because in the bottom of the 8th, Sutton misses a ball Pedroia absolutely would have had. That single ends up chasing Buchholz out of the game, extends the inning, and was the run that tied the game up.

Tough loss to take. I don't understand why we can't beat these guys. Or why Masterson is throwing 96 mph now after being mediocre when he pitched for us. Shoot, even Bard was topping out at 97. Beckett - Carmona tomorrow so it's not going to get any easier.

Game 46: Cubbies 1 Sox 5

Wakefield looked awesome making the spot start for Lackey. Only one run over 6 and 2/3 innings of 4 hit, 0BB, 3 K ball. More of that and we won't miss Lackey or Matsuzaka. The win also gets him within 12 wins of the Red Sox all time win record (held by Roger Clemens and Cy Young). Bard and Papelbon close the door.

At the plates, Gonzalez had another great night going 4 for 4. Saltalamacchia hit another HR over the Monster and Youkilis had a big two run triple to the triangle that gave the Sox some breathing room. This was another night that everyone got a hit except Cameron and Crawford so the team is really playing great ball right now.

And it's a good thing too as the Sox head to Cleveland next to face the team with the best record in baseball, the Indians. Let's not get swept again!

Game 45: Cubbies 9 Sox 3

Boy, that was a tough game. Sox felt like they had this one in the bag before the Cubs put up 8 runs (8!) in the 8th inning. Aceves did a stand up job in the spot start going 5 innings with only 1 run. He did hit Marlon Byrd in the face in the 2nd inning, a scary sight to see. Sox got the runs on a two-run shot by Ortiz in the 4th and an RBI single by Jacoby in the 6th.

That seemed like it would be all the offense needed as Wheeler and Hill held the line through the 7th. But in the 8th with Albers pitching, the Cubs turned 5 hits, 3 BBs, and 3 errors into 8 runs. Albers certainly didn't look sharp tonight especially walking in a run but the errors were the hardest to take. Lowrie dropped an easy pop up with nobody out and the bases loaded, Varitek threw the ball away in a run down between home and third (but the error was given to Youkilis who got a glove on it), and Crawford missed the cutoff man trying to get Varitek's errant throw back into the infield.

Fortunately it's only one loss and the Sox will get a chance to win the series in the rubber game.

Game 44: Cubbies 5 Sox 15

Sox made several moves before this game:

- Dan Wheeler came off the DL list and Michael Bowden was sent back down to AAA to make room.

- Iglesias was sent back down to Pawtucket and Drew Sutton was brought up in his place. Apparently Scutaro is going to be injured for longer than originally thought and it didn't make sense to have Iglesias riding the pine the entire time.

- Sox acquired Franklin Morales from the Rockies for cash considerations (aka a bucket of balls) and Okajima was DFA'd to make room for him on the 40 man roster. Seems like a pretty lateral move to me and I feel bad for Okajima getting jerked around this year.

During the game, Lester did not look very ace like giving up 5 runs, 12 hits, and 2 walks in 6 IP. The Cubs had at least two runners on every inning Lester pitched. He was bailed out by the hot batters who took care of business against weak pitching from the Cubs. Gonzalez continues to rip it with 4 hits. Youkilis hit a two run home run and Saltalamacchia added a solo shot. Both home runs were over the Monster and both of them were absolutely crushed. Ellsbury seemed to be on base all the time and Pedroia finally found his stroke as well. Cameron was the only starter to go hit-less. Nice to see the Sox finally put up some crooked numbers and win easily after so many close games.

Aceves is making a spot start with Matsuzaka on the DL. He;ll be going up against Zambrano. Sox and Cubs will be wearing 1918 throwback uniforms; both jerseys look AWFUL.

Game 43: Tiggers 3 Sox 4

Wow! I might start calling these guys the Kardiac Kids. Sox scrape 3 runs together against Verlander. Drew had a couple of bad plays in the outfield but the early offense was brought to you by the letters J and D (sac fly in the 2nd, HR in the 4th). Ortiz also had a HR against Verlander and put together some good at bats against a tough pitcher. Same goes for Varitek as well.

Beckett left early (83 pitches after 6 innings) with neck tightness (I haven't heard any updates). Albers held the 7th but Bard coughed up the 2 run lead by giving up back to back solo shots on off speed pitches. Why, when you can throw 100 mph, would you toy around with off speed pitches? In the ninth, Papelbon puts a scare in the fans by loading the bases with one out on 2 singles and a walk. He works his way out of it with 2 Ks.

In the Sox half of the ninth, they get the bases loaded with no outs on a Youkilis walk, an Ortiz single, and an intentional walk to Drew. Lowrie has a great 10 pitch at bat working back from an 0-2 count but his bloop into left field gets Iglesias (pinch running for Youkilis) stuck guessing if it would get caught or not. So he was forced out at home. Not to worry though, Mr. Clutch himself, the King of the Walkoff, Carl Crawford hits a stinging line drive to center field with the outfield drawn in to drive in the winning run.

A lot of fun to watch this team when it's clicking and taking care of business against a top notch pitcher like Verlander. Sox next host the Cubs for three at Fenway for the first time since the 1918 World Series. Should be fun.

Game 42: Tiggers 0 Sox 1

Boy, what a nail biter! It was another cold, rainy night in Boston (and a gorgeous day here in Seattle) and the game got delayed for ~20 minutes in the 8th inning. Both starting pitchers had pretty much stifled the batters. Coke through 7 innings of 3 hit, 1 BB shutout ball and never seemed in trouble. Buchholz matched that with 7 innings of 4 hit, 1 BB shutout ball but was a little more shaky. In the 6th, the Tigers got a runner to third with one out but stranded him. In the 7th, Buchholz loaded the bases with two outs on 2 HBP and a single but Buchholz worked his way out of the jam with a strikeout.

The only run of the game scored in the bottom of the 8th on a Crawford walk and a Saltalamacchia double off the Monster. We've been waiting all year to hear those two names contributing to a win so it's great to get some production out of the bottom of the order.

Sox have their work cut out for them today facing Verlander. But they'll counter with Beckett. So now that I've said that, expect a shoot out in the New England fog.

Game 41: O's 7 Sox 8

Phew, finally caught up. It's been cold and wet in Boston this week so yesterday's game was rained out (funny, it's been beautiful here in the NW; who would have thunk it?). Sox won an exciting game to keep the win streak alive.

We got Dice-BB for this game and were, as a result, in a 6-0 hole early. Matsuzaka gave up 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings on 5 hits, 7 BBs (!), and only 2 Ks. For the most part the O's didn't seem to hit the ball hard (with the exception of Vlad Guerrero) but you don't really need to with so many free passes. Atchison got knocked around a little (he was called up with Lackey headed to the DL) but Aceves did a great job of eating three inings to keep the game close.

On the hitting side, the Sox couldn't get anything going against starter Tillman but started the comeback in the 6th with a 5 run inning. In the bottom of the ninth, after an Ellsbury BB, Pedroia worked a one-out walk out of an 0-2 count in a 10 pitch AB to keep the inning alive. Adrian Gonzalez came up and you just knew the game was over. Two run double off the Monster, game over, Sox win. Wow.

Game 40: Sox 7 Yanks 5

Sweep! And .500 for the first time this year! Man, the Yankees-Sox games are long bouts to watch! 3:41 for this game, 3:26 the game before, and 3:35 for the first game.

Lester was not the ace we thought he would be but after giving up 4 runs in a shaky first two innings, he settled down for a solid outing (6 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 7 Ks). This was a game of home runs though as the Yankees scored 3 of their 5 runs on HRs. The Sox countered with a 3-run HR from Youkilis to tie the game in the 3rd, Ortiz gave the Sox the lead with a solo shot in the 5th, and Saltalamacchia hit his first home run of the year (a pop up to the right field porch) in the 8th to seal the deal. Surprising Gonzalez didn't get in on the fun!

Bullpen did a great job of holding the tenuous lead Lester gave them between Aceves, Bard, and Papelbon (who had some trouble keeping his shoes tied for some reason). Really nice to see a Sox sweep of the Yankees to put them back into contention in the AL East after such a miserable start. Still, the Sox need to take care of business against everyone. Let's start that with this two game tilt against the Orioles.

Game 39: Sox 6 Yanks 0

Thank God for "park sounds." Another Fox broadcast that I was spared from listening to as the Sox rolled the Yanks. Both Beckett and CC looked dominant for the first half of the game. Beckett did a better job of spreading 4 hits and 2 BBs over his six innings than Sabathia did spreading 7 hits and 3 walks over 6 and 2/3. It also helped that Gonzalez went yard again, this time a three run bomb to chase Sabathia in the 7th. Pedroia did well working three hits and Ellsbury started the scoring with a key two run double in the 5th.

Man, Beckett looked fantastic. The 9 Ks in 6 innings were nice although the Yankees did a good job of getting him out of the game relatively early. I was gone all weekend so I'm catching up as fast as I can (which is oddly making some of the games blend together) and it would have been really frustrating to come back to three losses to watch, especially to the Yankees. Lester's going next against Garcia and I've got a good feeling Sox fans will need their brooms in the Bronx.

Game 38: Sox 5 Yanks 4

Sox win! Sox batters get 3 runs off of Colon (who looked suspiciously good for a washed up 38 year old) and 2 off of Chamberlin and manage to hold off the Bombers for the win. Buchholz looked in control all game giving up only 2 runs but Bard looked shaky in the 8th giving up another run. Papelbon's line didn't look so good (1 IP, 2 Hs, 1 ER) but seemed to be more a victim of bad luck than anything else. Jeter and Granderson hit some pretty good pitches.

At the plate, Gonzalez hit a monster shot to right in the 4th and Youkilis hit a two-run homer off of Joba in the 7th. Every Red Sox had a hit except Crawford and as a team they worked 5 walks. So overall a great job of being patient, working the pitcher, and getting pitches to hit.

Sabathia and Beckett in a tilt next. Should be exciting!

Game 37: Sox 3 Jays 9

Lackey is so bad. Nine runs in 6 2/3 innings. Some of that is on Tito for waiting so long to go out and get him (5 runs allowed in the 7^th). But still, Lackey’s ERA is now 8.01 this season and he has a WHIP of 1.74. Rajai Davis, who was batting 0.197 for the season before today, went 4-4 with 2 R, 2 RBI, and 2 SB.

Gonzalez and Ortiz both hit home runs in the 6th, Ellsbury went 0-fer to end his hitting streak, and Crawford got two hits to extend his streak to 11 games. But a disgusting game all in all.

Day off tomorrow. Three games in the Bronx this weekend.

Game 36: Sox 6 Jays 7

This L is brought to you by the pitching. Lester gets flustered by the umpire's strike zone in the 1st inning and gives up 3 runs. He settles down after that but takes on 2 more runs on two solo shots (Bautista in the 5th, Arrencibia in the 6th) over 5 1/3 innings. He also gave up a season high 5 walks to go with 7 hits and 5 Ks. Bard gives up another solo shot in the 8th inning to backup David Cooper.

Albers gives up the winning run in the 10th an a seeing eye single to Rajai Davis, 2 SBs (including 2nd on a pitch out), and a sacrifice fly by Cooper. Those SBs are on Varitek. Stealing on a called pitchout is inexcusable and the steal of third wasn't on a breaking ball. If that's the kind of SB prevention we're going to get, other teams are pretty much always going to have someone in scoring position against us.

The batting looked good though. Gonzalez hit two home runs and had three hits total. Ellsbury and Ortiz also had three hit nights (one of which was a HR for Papi). Pedroia is finally starting to make some contact too and Crawford extended his hitting streak to 10 games now. Sixteen hits as team and 6 runs so like I said, the hitting was not the problem tonight. Let's get 'em tomorrow.

Game 35: Twinkies 1 Sox 2

If you had told me Beckett and Blackburn would be stuck in a pitcher's duel for this game I would have shook my head in disgrace. Blackburn's been mediocre at best this season and Beckett's been on an absolute tear of lately. But somehow Blackburn was able to spread 7 hits and 3 walks out over 6 1/3 innings and only give up one run while the Twins seemed like they got 6 bloop hits off of Beckett.

The Sox finally scored in the 5th when Varitek hit a double, Ellsbury moved him over to third, and Gonzalez hit a two out single. Minnesota tied the game in their half of the eighth on a weakly hit infield single, a ridiculous balk call (by the same umpire as earlier this series!), and a two out single (also a bloop) by Kubel against Papelbon.

Sox won it in the 11th. Lowrie walked and was pinch run for by Iglesias. Crawford hit a low ball to right field on a pitch Iglesias was stealing on. He had to hold up at second as the wind had been absolutely howling in from centerfield all game and killed nearly every fly ball hit. But the ball did indeed hit the wall and Iglesias scored at home with a slight margin. Oki gets the win pitching two innings (which was really surprising as he looked exhausted in the top of the 11th)

Exciting to see Crawford hit another walkoff hit. Disappointing to see Beckett not get the W in a game he pitched well. Ellsbury extends the hitting streak to 18 and the Sox take the series 3-1. Now lets go to Toronto and sweep the two game series!

Game 34: Twinkies 5 Sox 9

That was a fun game to watch. Twins kept it interesting all game but at the same time, it never seemed like the Sox weren't in control. It was an offensive game with the Twins taking an early 3-0 lead in the first inning but the Sox came back scoring 1 in the 2nd and 4 in the 3rd. After that they kind of traded scores but the Sox kept a comfortable margin between them.

Gonzalez hit another Monster shot to go with two other hits on his 29th birthday and Ellsbury extended the hitting streak to 17 games with 3 hits as well. They also got help from the Twins defense who committed 3 errors.

Matsuzaka looked good after the first inning. That first inning was frustrating to watch and looked like typical Dice-BB pitching. But after that, he settled down, didn't give in to the batters, and put in a solid Dice-K effort (6 IP, 5 Hs, and 4 Ks to 2 BBs). Albers pitched well again for another 2 innings and Bard looked great in the 9th.

Jose Iglesias got in the game as a 9th inning defensive substitute. Apparently Scutaro was put on the DL with an oblique injury so the highly touted defensive prospect got his first action in the Bigs and retired the last batter of the game. Big grin on his face after that one!

Overall a great game to watch. Let's build off of it and win the series tomorrow.

Game 33: Twinkies 0 Sox 4

Boy, that game was quick! Or at least it was quick for those of us who watched it after the fact and didn't have to sit through the 2 hour rain delay between the 2nd and 3rd. MLB.tv worked like a charm this time allowing me to zip through the 2:45 minute game (plus rain delay) in under 2 hours and listen to just park sounds instead of the stupid Fox broadcast.

Buchholz looked good today although the Twins' lineup is pretty anemic without Mauer. He only went 5 innings with the rain delay but still managed 6 Ks to 2 hits and 1 BB. Hill, Albers, Bard, and Papelbon cleaned up the rest of the game giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 4 between them. Papelbon continues to shine in his contract year.

At the plate, Ellsbury continues to swing a hot bat. I think he has a 16 game hitting streak now with two hits today (including a 2 RBI single in the 8th). Crawford also continues to look good, hitting a cool .400 over the last 6 games. He's swing is such a slap type of swing though; I have no idea how he hit nearly 20 home runs last year. I think it's time to start moving him up for the 8th spot in the lineup. Pedroia got a hit finally today but still looks like his timing is off.

Lowrie had another fielding error today but it didn't result in a run scored and he made up for it by getting an RBI in the first. C'mon Jed! Clean it up!

Game 32: Twinkies 9 Sox 2

So much for that. Twins came into this game averaging 3 runs per game for the season. So wouldn't you know it, they triple that and drop 9 on the Sox. Some of that just comes with the territory when you send Wakefield out to the mound. But of the 8 runs Wakefield gave up, many of them could have been prevented. In the 2nd inning, Lowrie misses a backhand grab which would have been a double play. Instead three runs score in the inning, including one on a balk pickoff throw to first that got Francona ejected for arguing (I think he's now 2 for 2 on getting thrown out because of arguing a balk call).

In the 5th, Hale just left Wakefield in too long as he was obviously tiring. Bringing in Aceves (who was back in Boston after Atchison got sent back down to the minors) may have ended the inning. However the Twins did score two more runs that inning on a Lowrie error. He had two errors on the game; the second was on what should have been a caught stealing that he mishandled into short left field. That runner ended up scoring on Aceves' record. I guess we're finally seeing the defensive sacrifice we have to make to get Lowrie's bat in the lineup (although it wasn't much help today).

Speaking of the lineup, Baker silenced that bats for eight innings. The book on him is that he gives up a lot of fly balls so the Sox did get two solo shots off of him (Drew in the 2nd and Gonzalez in the 4th). But that was all they got. Pedroia still looks lost at the plate, swinging at pitches out of the zone and not making contact when you would expect him to.

Two day games coming up and the bullpen should finally be rested with the Pawtucket Express taking over duties the last two nights.

Game 31: Halos 11 Sox 0

Lackey really crapped the bed on this one. After last night's marathon, the Sox needed a solid game from Lackey to rest the bullpen. Before the game, Jenks and Wheeler were both put on the 15 day DL and Scott Atchison and Rich Hill were called up from Pawtucket. I think the official injuries were bicep cramps and a pull in Wheeler's calf but this seems more like a DL trip for suck-itis. Anyway, Lackey only gave the Sox 4 innings so both Atchison and Hill saw action in their first game in the Show.

Lackey was awful. Eight runs in 4 innings + 2 batters, 10 hits and 3 walks, and only 1 K. It seemed like most of the Angels' runs scored with 2 outs; at one point Lackey gave up 5 straight singles. The Angels were also running at will. They only got 4 SB ( and 1 CS) but they would have had more if their teammates hadn't gotten so many hits while they were running. Atchison looked decent in relief and Hill looks like he'll be death to left hand hitters. He might not be very good against righties though.

On the hitting side, Ortiz was on base 4 times with 3 hits and a walk. He's going the other way a lot this year. Seems like he's decided to forgo the power numbers to beat the huge shift they put on him instead. Otherwise, the Sox looked anemic against another mediocre pitcher (Pinero). I don't understand how they can get to Hernandez, Weaver, and Haren, but can't seem to touch the likes of Pinero or Fister. Is it a lack of familiarity thing? It's good to be able to hit the good pitchers during the playoffs, but we need to take care of business against the dregs during the season.

So the Sox end up splitting this series with the Halos and finishing the season series 6-2. The floundering Twins come into town next for a 4 game set. ESPN is saying Wakefield will start with Matsuzaka having pitched an inning on Wednesday.

Game 30: Halos 5 Sox 3

Long day for the Sox today. The game started in a light rain and was held up for 2.5 hours in the 5th as they waited out the storm (Angels are traveling after tomorrow's game so they wanted to get the game in if at all possible). Then the Sox claw back from a 2 run deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth (two outs, full count, bottom of the ninth: dream scenario for Dreamboat). They play 12 before bringing in Matsuzaka to pitch the 13th.

What do you think would happen bringing Matsuzaka in for the 13th? Of course he loads the bases up on two singles and a walk. Abreu, Dice-BB's personal nightmare, hits a two run single to win the game. Anyone could have seen that thing coming from a mile away. There must not have been anyone else left in the bullpen but jeez, Matsuzaka in that situation? Really?

Sox had a couple of opportunities to win it. Lowrie hit a two out double in the 10th with pinch runner McDonald on first. McDonald gets stranded on third though. In the 12th Scutaro hit a one out single right before Youkilis hit what looked like a game winning home run into the Monster seats. But it bounces high off the wall instead and Scutaro gets tagged out at home. Youkilis gets to third on a single by McDonald but Lowrie grounded out to end the inning.

Sox go quickly in their half of the 13th seeing only 6 pitches while going 1-2-3. Wheeler deserved the loss giving up 2 runs on 2 hits (including a homer) and a walk while only getting one out in the 7th. Pedroia also had a crappy game going 0-6 with 4 Ks. Seemed like he killed a few rallies in the process.

Oh well. Tomorrow's game starts in only a few hours. Let's shake it off and win the next one.

Game 29: Halos 3 Sox 7

Watch out world! The Sox bats are coming alive! This game felt like it was going to be a 1-0 duel but the Sox batters were finally able to put some pressure on Dan Haren in the 6th inning, taking a 2-1 lead. Haren came apart after that giving up another run in the 7th and then a solo shot to A-Gon into the bullpens before getting yanked. The flood gates opened after that with Ortiz hitting a homer around the Pesky Pole and Scutaro sneaking a homer over the Monster in the 8th too.

Lester looked good; he's only blemish was a solo home run in the 2nd inning. He ended up going 7 innings giving up 6 hits, 1 BB, and 11 Ks. Both he and Haren benefited from an exceptionally wide strike zone from the home plate umpire. Again the bullpen didn't take advantage of the big lead; this time it was Papelbon giving up two runs on 3 hits (including a ground rule double) in the 9th.

Crawford's really starting to catch fire. He went 2 for 3 with a walk. It was also nice to see Gonzalez go deep for only the 2nd time this year. Sox have now won all 6 games they've played against the Angels this year with 2 more to go. Hopefully the bats are around for good from now on. Beckett faces off with Santana tomorrow.

Game 28: Halos 5 Sox 9

Exciting game! This one was close while Weaver and Buchholz were in, duking it out. Sox had a big inning in the 5th, getting two runs to take a 3-2 lead. Pedroia hit a 2-run single with two outs on a 13 pitch marathon at bat against Weaver. That was the game changer. If Pedroia strikes out there, it's a different game.

After that though the Sox offense explodes in the 7th for 6 runs to put the game away. Gonzalez hit a three run double followed by an RBI double by Youkilis and a two run homer by Ortiz. The Sox really showed off what everyone thought they were capable of. Even Crawford was hitting the ball with authority. It's nice to finally see the offense we expected 1/6th of the way into the season.

Also nice to beat Weaver who has started the season 6-0 with a 0.99 ERA. But the one dark cloud: Wheeler and Okajima give up three runs in 2 innings. With a 7 run lead, you'd really like to see them mowing guys down but instead they gave up 5 hits including a home run. The bullpen as a whole needs to be better at holding leads if we're going to turn this season around.

Game 27: M's 2 Sox 3

Baseball is a weird game. The Sox can't manage to get anything going against Fister but got two runs early off of Felix today. Wakefield makes the pinch start for Buchholz and the old man looked fantastic giving up only 3 hits and a walk in 5 2/3. Jenks blows it in the 5th coming in with two outs to give up 1 hit and 3 walks before getting the third out. But Albers and Papelbon hold the line until Lowrie reaches third base on a triple Ichiro lost in the sun and with two outs, Carl Crawford delivers a rope up the middle to win the game.

What a game. Certainly losing 2 out of three wasn't what we had hoped for but to beat Felix to avoid the sweep was nice. I thought for sure after losing the first two, we were playing so poorly we didn't have a chance at beating the King. But that just goes to show you, baseball's a weird game.

Game 26: M's 2 Sox 0

This was a game of missed opportunities. Somehow the Sox get blanked by 8 innings of Doug Fister and Aaron Laffey. Seven hits (5 of which were doubles) and 6 walks equal 0 runs. Sox had the bases loaded twice, once with no outs, and scored no runs. Four innings the Sox got a runner all the way to third base and still managed to not score. No runs. All game.

Lackey looked pretty good overall going 6 innings and getting the loss. It was really nice to see Okajima and Wheeler pitch well after struggling some previously. Milton Bradley got thrown out in the third arguing about a play he wasn't involved in. The umpire missed the call but still, that's just stupid.

I'm most upset with Youkilis. Twice I telepathically told him I just wanted a home run for my birthday and twice he didn't deliver. Some friend. Thanks for nothing.