[BostonRS14]

June 28, 2008

Drew, Lugo Power Sox Past Astrros
Boston 4, Houston 2

In the span of five at-bats, the chances of Wandy Rodriguez beating the Red Sox seemed to evaporate. In the bottom of the 2nd, Boston jumped on Rodriguez for four quick runs which proved enough for Daisuke Matsuzaka to earn his 11th win of the season.

After a leadoff single to Manny Ramirez, Rodriguez surrendered a two-run home run on the first pitch to J.D. Drew to open the scoring for Boston. The 337 ft line drive shot, a scorcher down the right field line, just clear the high wall for Drew's 7th home run of the season. Dustin Pedroia followed Drew with a long shot of his own, but the fly ball stayed in the park, thanks to the deep dimensions of Minute Maid Park in center field. Unlike Drew and Pedroia, Jason Varitek didn't get contact, taking a four pitch walk down to first. Rodriguez continued his wild streak against Julio Lugo. With Varitek on first, Rodriguez threw to balls to Lugo before missing the plate completely, allowing the slow-footed catcher to advance to second. Facing a 3-0 count with Matsuzaka on deck, Rodriguez grooved a fastball down the heart of the plate, which Lugo deposited into the short porch in left field for the four run lead. Rodriguez would settle down after the Lugo home run, retiring Matsuzaka on strikes before inducing Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out to second to end the inning.

J.D. Drew connects on his second inning home run against Wandy Rodriguez

Daisuke Matsuzaka, on the other hand, was much stronger than his counterpart. Coming off just one loss in his last twelve games, Matsuzaka held Houston off balance all night, allowing only two hits in eight innings while striking out four.

In the fourth with a 4-0 lead, Matsuzaka ran into trouble against the Astros. With one out, David Newhan was able to bunt his way onto base when he beat out the throw from Mike Lowell at third. After retiring Michael Bourn on a fielder's choice, Miguel Tejada took Matsuzaka deep to center to cut the lead in half. The home run, Tejadja's tenth of the season, was the 17th surrendered by Matsuzaka in 19 games this season.

Boston would recover though, as the Astros were unable put another runner into scoring position all night.

W: Matsuzaka (11-3) L: Rodriguez (7-9) SV: Papelbon (23)
Player of the Game: Daisuke Matsuzaka (8 IP, 2 Hs, 2 Rs, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 108 PI)

Around the League:
...Baltimore activated 2B Brian Roberts (.292/.346/.416) from the disabled list...Kansas City Royal MR Jimmy Gobble (35g, 4-1, 2 svs., 5.62 ERA) is done for the season after fracturing his elbow against the St. Louis Cardinals...

Revolution Lackluster in Loss to Salt Lake
Salt Lake 1, New England 0

New England has had quite a run their last four matches, holding their opponents scoreless for over 360 minutes. In fact, New England hadn't lost a match since May 3rd. That stretch of six matches matched the longest undefeated streak in franchise history and enable the Revolution to pull into first place in the Eastern Conference of the MLS.

Last night, though, the run ended with a lackluster performance against an opponent not on their level.

"We didn't bring our 'A' game, that's for sure," coach Steve Nicols said. "We played a good game, but the offense wasn't there. Our transition game didn't take advantage of their opportunities."

Without Khano Smith in midfield directing the attack, New England managed just five shots on goal as they lost battled of possession.

The match was even thought the half, but, midway through the second half, Salt Lake capitalized on a New England defensive lapse to score the game's only goal. In the 62nd minute, Jake Jewsbury turned over the ball on a hard tackle and Salt Lake made the most of the turnover. Josh Gardner swiveled on the ball and fed the ball forward to Fabian Espindola who found Kenny Cutler alone in front of the goal box for the easy deposit and the 1-0 lead.

The goal was the first surrendered by Matt Reis in 330 minutes of play, ending a run of four straight blank sheets for the keeper.

The two clubs meet up next in Salt Lake City on July 7th in the back end of a home-and-home series. New England is expected to be without Khano Smith for that match too, as the midfielder continues to rehab from a rib injury suffered against New York.

[BostonRS14]

June 29, 2008:

Red Sox Complete Sweep of Astros
Boston 3, Houston 1

In managing to sweep the Houston Astros this weekend, the Red Sox relied on their pitching more than their offensive, despite the fact that Houston ranks second to last in the National League with a 4.90 ERA. In three games, Boston managed to score 10 runs on 18 hits.

"We won, that's most important," winning pitcher Tim Wakefield said afterwards. "We came in here, on the road, and took three from a club that put up a fight. Getting through the tough stretches like this takes a balanced attack and we are all pitching in, even if we aren't scoring 10 runs. If it isn't with the bat, it is with the glove."

What Boston has done is win despite an offense that has sputtered this month. Bud Norris, making his second career major league start, held the Red Sox to three runs on one hit over five and one third innings. Contrast that to his last two appearances, one with Round Rock and one with Houston. In each, the right hander failed to make it into the third inning, surrendering eight runs in each. But, against Boston, Norris looked more like Roy Oswalt than he didn't.

In the second inning, Boston scored the first run of the game without a single hit. A pair of lead off walks to Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew put runners on first and second with no outs. A deep fly ball by Julio Lugo advanced Ramirez to third before a wild pitch by Norris brought home the first run of the game. After a flyout by Brandon Moss, Josh Bard took a four pitch walk to runners on the corners, but Norris got Wakefield to pop out to the short stop Miguel Tejada to end the inning.

The Astros tied the game in the 5th with a RBI single by Humberto Qunitero, but stranded the go ahead runner at third when Wakefield manager to strike out Jose Cruz Jr. and Norris to end the inning.

Norris pitched himself into trouble in the 6th when he walked the bases loaded with one out. With the game tied at 1-1, Houston manager Cecil Cooper turned to Greg Geary to shut down the Sox. A single by Julio Lugo broke the game open, scoring two to put the Sox ahead 3-1. Geary would force Moss and Bard to fly out to end the Sox threat.

Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon worked the final three innings for Boston, keeping the Astros off the bases to secure the sweep for the Red Sox.

After the game, the Red Sox announced that Jacoby Ellsbury (.194/.242/.226) was returned to Pawtucket as Coco Crisp has been cleared to return to the lineup. He will meet the team in Tampa Bay and is expected in the starting lineup against the Rays. SS Alex Cora was recalled from the Paw Sox to fill Ellsbury's spot on the roster.

W: Wakefield (10-4) L: Norris (0-2) SV: Papelbon (24)
Player of the Game: Tim Wakefield (6 IP, 4 Hs, 1 R, 0 BBs, 4 Ks, 84 PI)

Around the League:
...Pawtucket's Jed Lowrie (.217, 11 HRs, 42 RBIs) was lost for the season after fracturing his hip in a collision along the bases. He is expected to be out a minimum for 13 months...New York SS Derek Jeter (.329, 4 HRs, 46 RBIs) will miss 8 months after fracturing his arm after being hit by a pitch against the New York Mets...Omaha (PCL, KC) CF Derrick Robinson's 35-game hitting streak came to an end...Detroit SS Edgar Renteria (.249, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs) hit his 2,000 career hit against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park...

Parkhurst Ready to Move on

New England defender Michael Parkhurst has told a reporter from a national newspaper that he is starting to get itchy feet at Gillette Stadium and feels the time might have come to leave the club.

The 24 year-old defender feels he can perform on a bigger stage and would like to get the opportunity to prove it.

Upon hearing of Parkhurst's desire to leave Gillette Stadium and move to a bigger club, New England Revolution boss Christian Franklin seemed unsympathetic towards the defender's situation.

Franklin is understood to have told want-away defender Parkhurst that he will not be allowed to leave Gillette Stadium to go a bigger club. According to reports out of Foxboro, Franklin told the 24 year-old that he wanted to hang onto his better players so New England could progress and fulfill Parkhurst's ambitions.

Bruins Acquire Evgeni Nabokov from San Jose

Looking to bolster their defense, the Boston Bruins today announced the acquisition of goaltender Evgeni Nabokov from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for C Marc Savard.

"We added some much needed help in goal," General Manager Peter Chiarelli said in announcing the trade. "One of major weaknesses last season was not being able to shut down the opponent when we had a late lead and in picking up [Dan] Boyle and now Evgeni, we are addressing this need."

With the addition of Nabokov, who is signed through 2011, the Bruins are poised to build upon the development of their youngster last season with solid veteran presence in goal. The most beneficial part of the deal will be the continued development of Tuukka Rask. The goaltending prospects was pressed into early duty last year with the Bruins when the goaltending situation proved unstable. With Peter Budaj signed through the end of next season, the Bruins will be able to allow Rask time to develop with Providence with an expected apprenticeship under Nabokov before earning the job full time.

While adding top goaltending was a key priority for the Bruins this offseason, the trade did come at a cost. Losing Savard's offense will be tough to replace, but the Bruins are built with strong depth down the middle, starting with Zack Parise and Chris Drury.

"Losing Marc will be tough", Chiarelli added, "but we have depth and this is what depth allows you to do. We'll look at some options in free agency, with Sammy [Pahlsson] gone, and [Michael] Ryder looking to explore free agency, we have opportunities to look at some of our youngsters."

Of course, the big weight will now be on Chiarelli to see if his moves pay off. After two season at the bottom of the league, the once proud Bruins fans are growing restless as the Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots are building contenders and challenging for championships.

We are looking to make some depth changes and have learned how to teach players new positions. With our depth at center, we are going to be teaching Weiss and Leino to play left wing in order to balance our squad out in case we can't add anyone of value in FA

[BostonRS14]

Boston Red Sox v. Tampa Bay Rays
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

The Red Sox (57-27) finished up the inter-league play (13-5 v. NL) portion of their schedule with a pair of three game sweeps of Arizona and Houston and now head back to the American League East for a stretch of six games that begins with Boston's second trip to Tampa Bay to face the Rays (39-46). The Red Sox are 5-4 against the Rays this season, including 2-1 at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay is currently in 4th place in the American League East, trailing the Sox by 17 games. What Tampa's record doesn't show is the fact that the Rays rank 5th in the AL in runs scored (394) and 7th in runs allowed (383). Tampa Bay's pitching staff is anchored by lefty Scott Kazmir (5-3, 2.63), who has been spectcular this season when the Rays can get him on the mound. The veteran of the staff, Kazmir has missed three weeks already this season with back and should injuries. In addition to Kazmir, the Rays have also been without prized rookie David Price who is out with a sore arm. The Rays carry a young balanced line up, led from the top by Carl Crawford (.351 avg./.407/.495) and in the middle by sluggers BJ Upton (.270, 7 HRs, 35 RBIs) and Carlos Pena (.282, 15 HRs, 61 RBIs).

Boston comes into the series led by the return of Coco Crisp, who missed the entire Houston series with concussion-like symptoms. Hopefully, the Sox can regain some of their scoring touch with Crisp back atop the lineup. In his three game absence, the Sox managed just 10 runs against the Astros. Of course, this is a symptom of greater Sox problems as their offense is down over a run a game (5.38 v. 4.20) this month compared to May while their pitching (3.66 v. 4.36) is surrendering almost one more run per game.

Pitching Matchups:
6/30: Jon Lester (9-3, 3.94 ERA) v. Edwin Jackson (4-7, 3.80)
7/1: Clay Buchholz (7-3, 4.57) v. Scott Kazmir (5-3, 2.63)
7/2: Josh Beckett (6-4, 4.05) v. Matt Garza (8-5, 3.88)

[BostonRS14]

June 30, 2008

Garza, Rays Take Opener From Sox
Tampa Bay 5, Boston 1

Coco Crisp's return from the bench was welcomed, but Boston could not solve Matt Gaza as the righthander held the Red Sox to just four base runners over seven solid innings in leading the Rays to their five victory in ten games against Boston this season.

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Crisp hit a solo home run off Garza to tie the game, but Boston starter Jon Lester could not solve the Rays. In the bottom of the fourth, Tampa Bay scored three runs to take the lead as their cruised to victory.

Dioner Navarro broke the tie with a RBI double to left that scored BJ Upton easily from second without a throw. Reid Brignac followed Navarro with a long single to right center that scored Johny Gomes and Navarro.

The loss snapped Boston's sox game win streak, as they finished the month of June with a 14-13 record. The Red Sox still hold a seven game lead of the New York Yankees.

W: Garza (9-5) L: Lester (9-4)
Player of the Game: Matt Garza (7 IP, 4 Hs, R, BB, 8 K's, 94 PI)

Around the League:
...New York Yankees placed SS Derek Jeter on the 60-day disabled list...Houston C J.R. Towles (.232, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs) was suspended 6 games for arguing balls and strikes...

[BostonRS14]

July 1, 2008

Diamond Notes with Peter Gammons

What does Derek Jeter's injury mean to the New York Yankees?

The face of the franchise can't be replaced. That's for certain. Coming into this season, Jeter has averaged 151 games per year at SS for the Yankees, there is not Plan B in the New York organization, unless you count journeyman Wilson Betemit as the solution.

Currently in second place in the AL East, New York (50-34) trails Boston by 7 games but lead Anaheim (43-39) by 6 in the Wild Card race.

Joe Girardi, in his first season as manager in place of Joe Torre, must replace a bat that was cranking along with a .329 average.

"Derek is not something we can replace," Girardi said in announcing the injury. "We aren't going to find a replacement Derek. We just can't, he does too much. What we can do is have Alex [Rodriguez] do what Alex does. Have Jason [Giambi], Hideki [Matsui] and [Robinson] Cano do what they do and we'll survive."

Offensively, the Yankees have options. Alex Rodriguez (.320, 21 HRs, 71 RBIs) is putting up Triple Crown numbers once again. Alex is third in the American League in OPS (1.016), trailing Justin Morneau (1.025) of Minnesota and Josh Hamilton (1.022) of Texas. Johnny Damon (.317, 12 HRs, 56 RBIs) and Hideki Matsui (.273, 15, 53) have also put up strong numbers.

Conversely, Jason Giambi has struggled. His average is down from .271 in 2005 to .216 this season in 60 games. His power numbers dropped to 14 HRs last year as he was hurt most of the season. He's matched that number this season already, to go along with 42 RBIs. Jorge Posada (.257/.344/.399) hasn't hit like Brian Cashman expected when he gave the 36-year old catcher a four year contract last offseason.

Is there an option outside the organization. Insiders say the Yankees aren't optimistic, with little depth that they would be willing to move for a short-term fix. Omar Viquel (San Francisco), Bobby Crosby (Oakland) and Orlando Cabrera (Chicago) have been mentioned in discussions around baseball, but it is unlikely anything gets done.

And now, Joe Girardi must count on Betemit to fill the biggest void in New York.

New York has the depth to survive. Having a $212m payroll will do that. But, can they fill the void in the clubhouse, that remains to be seen.

-----

Major League Baseball handed out some hardware this morning on their monthly conference call, naming their batters and pitcher of the month for June.

The American League crowned Texas center fielder Josh Hamilton as the Player of the Month. Hamilton hit .384 for the month, with 9 home runs and 28 RBIs. For the season, the Ranger has 27 home runs, which leads the American League.

Ervin Santana was named the American League Pitcher of the Month. In June, the Anaheim starter earned a 5-0 mark in 5 starts. He threw 33 innings, struck out 33 and compiled a 1.64 ERA.

In 2008, Santana has worked 114.2 innings with 110 strikeouts en route to a 10-1 record and a 2.20 ERA.

It was a productive month for Cincinnati first baseman Drew Anderson. In his first month of major league action, the rookie clobbered opposing hurlers to the tune of a .349 average with 13 home runs and 24 RBIs to capture the National League Batter of the Month award. Anderson got on base at a .407 clip in 26 games.

Over the past month, Kyle Kendrick turned quite a few heads as well. The young, talented pitcher established himself with a strong showing to win the National League Pitcher of the Month. In 6 starts, Kendrick posted a 4-1 mark with a 1.88 ERA in 43 innings.

This season, Kendrick has compiled a 7-2 record with a 3.22 ERA in 15 starts for the Wild Card leading Philadelphia Phillies.

[BostonRS14]

July 1, 2008

Bullpen Blows Lead to Rays, Holds on for Win
Boston 6, Tampa Bay 5

Scott Kazmir didn't fare as well as his teammate Matt Garza as the Sox bats woke up with the flip of the calendar, dropping the lefthander and the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 to even the three game series at a game a piece.

"I think we needed to put our struggles behind us," manager Terry Francona said afterwards. "Something as simple as a new month can do wonders for your confidence. We came out and beat a good pitcher who has been successful against us in the past."

The Red Sox bullpen overcame a pair of errors by J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo in the 7th to secure the victory. With a 5-3, Javier Lopez replaced starter Clay Buchholz after Dioner Navarro was retired to lead off the 7th. Lopez walked Reid Brignac before retiring Carl Crawford for the second out. Akinori Iwamura hit a single to right that Drew miss played, allowing the runners to advance to scoring position. With Manny Delcarmen on in replace of Lopez, Johny Gomes reached first on an error by Lugo, allowing Brignac to score easily from third. B.J. Upton followed Gomes with a single to center to tie the game. Clif Floyd, with the go-ahead run on third, flied out to deep center to end the rally.

The Red Sox came back in the top of the eight against Al Reyes with a bases loaded walk to score the eventual winning run. The walk marked the second in two innings that Reyes forced in a run. In the sixth, the Tampa Bay reliever replaced Scott Kazmir with two outs and a runner on second and walked three straight batters to force home the inherited runner before striking out Manny Ramirez to end the inning.

The Red Sox scored first in the top of the 1st inning with a Kevin Youkilis solo home run off Kazmir. After falling behind 3-1, Jason Varitek resuced Boston in the 3rd with a two-run shot to tie the game.

Clay Buchholz didnt figure into the decision after Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen combined to blow the save in the seventh.

W: Delcarmen (4-1) L: Reyes (3-3) SV: Papelbon (25)
Player of the Game: Jason Varitek (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 Rs, RBI)

Around the League:
...Washington signed MR Ken Yamasaki (1-1, 5.91 ERA) to a 2-year contract extension worth a total of $860k...Kansas City placed SP Zack Greinke (5-7, 4.73 ERA, 91 Ks, 24 BBs) on the 60-day disabled list with a ruptured bicep tendon...Atlanta signed 1B Mark Teixeira (.276, 27 HRs, 60 RBIs) to a 5-year contract extension worth $83.65m...

Parkhurst backs down over transfer demand

Reports are surfacing that New England defender Michael Parkhurst has responded surprisingly well to his manager's recent statement that he will be forced to stay at Gillette Stadium in order to help the club progress.

According to a team source, the 24 year-old defender has backed down over his demand to leave Gillette Stadium and seek his fortunes at a bigger club.

Bruins Leave for Free Agency

Fourteen Bruins filed for free agency today, most notably RW Michael Ryder. Joining Ryder are:

Darryl Bootland, Andy Chiodo, David Collins, Nathan Robinson, Serge Schneider, Martin Samuelsson, Mike Smith, Nate Thompson, TJ Trevelyan, Ben Walter, Milan Michalek, Milan Jurcina, & Eric Burns.

The Bruins are expected to attempt to resign Jurcina, Michalek and Chiodo as all three are restricted free agents who will require compensation if they sign with another club.

NHL Free Agents:

Some notable free agents are now available after failing to come to an agreement with their former clubs:

Rob Blake (Phoenix), Patrice Brisebois (Detroit), Anson Carter (Carolina), Craig Conroy (Los Angeles), Adam Foote (Los Angeles), Matieu Garon* (Dallas), Scott Gomez (New Jersey), Dany Heatley (Ottawa), Jaromir Jagr (New York), Paul Kariya (Washington), Brooks Laich* (Washington), Daymond Langkow (Calgary), Niklas Lidstrom (Detroit), Ryan Malone (Pittsburgh), Chris Osgood (Philadelphia), Jason Smith (Philadelphia), Joe Thornton (San Jose), Bill Guerin (Washington), Paul Mara (Los Angeles), Mikhail Grabovsky* (Montreal), Dominik Hasek (Detroit), Rostislav Olesz* (Florida), Teemu Selanne (Anaheim), Oleg Saprykin (Phoenix), Marian Hossa (Atlanta), and Markus Naslund (Vancouver).

* indicates restricted free agent.

With our needs, some of the big names are going to be out of the questions. the Bruins are currently looking to add atleast one scorer and defenseman to our current roster. With about $10m in cap room, two big names isn't out of the question, but smaller depth signings might be more realistic.

[BostonRS14]

Around the Majors with Buster Olney

July 2, 2008

Saw this in the links this morning:

• The Atlanta Braves has finalized a deal with first baseman Mark Teixeira that will extend his stay in Atlanta at least 5 years and will pay out $83.65m.

Real interesting move by the Braves. They aren't a small market club, but Time Warner hasn't been doing as well recently and you have to wonder if this deal will come back to bite them someday. Giving out $16.7 million a year for the next 5 years is a lot for any club. With John Smotlz's opinion not picked up for 2008 and Mike Hampton a free agent, the Braves do have some extra cash to spend as their young kids come up right now, but could it be used to plug a few more holes than just a 1B?

And there is no doubt that Atlanta is making a good investment in Teixeira, one of the most liked players in the game. He plays 1B at a Gold Glove caliber and is only 28 years old, so the Braves know they aren't going to have to worry about finding a new position for him any time soon, as the Yankees may with Rodriguez, Jeter and Posada as they all get older and less agile.

Atlanta needed to get this done. There wasn't much a market right now for first basemen. Taking a look at the possible playoff contenders:

The playoff contenders are mostly set at first. Same with the big money clubs. Boston, both teams in Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles. All set. Maybe the Angels. Maybe the Yankees get in there with Jeter hurt now for the the offense. Giambi is gone at the end of the season. Figure Baltimore and Washington would be interested as Teixeira is a native of the mid-Atlantic. But, for the most part, the usual players aren't looking for a first baseman.

Would they have been better off trying to get a deal on the market for Teixiera? Replacing a slugging first baseman isn't the hardest thing, and with Chipper Jones, Smotlz, Hampton, Jeff Francoeur and Yunel Esobar all on the disabled list, the Braves must have checked their return before signing this deal. They may not do anything this year with the injuries piling up, but long-term, keeping a clubhouse presence like Teixeira should allow the Braves to have a leader as their championship core of Jones and Smotlz eventually leave.

Atlanta and Teixeira's agent must have known this when they sat down. Scott Boras isn't one to sign his players without going to free agency, that's why Teixeira isn't a Ranger right now. But, it seems to have worked out for both sides.

[BostonRS14]

July 2, 2004

Drew power Sox past Rays, Yanks on Deck.
Boston 9, Tampa Bay 3

J.D. Drew's first season with the Red Sox did not have the success that the Boston management team had hoped for when they signed the veteran right-fielder to a four-year contract in the offseason. His second season, has shown to be any better. In 82 games, Drew is hitting a weak .256 with 8 home runs. His 36 runs batted in tie him for eight amongst the nine regulars Boston has used for most of the season.

The one bright spot for Drew has been his play against the Tampa Bay Rays. For whatever reason, the veteran has performed well (.324 avg./.477 obp/.588 slg.) against his division foes. In fact, Drew has hit the Yankees well too, posting a .444/.522/.778 numbers in 5 games. Last night, Drew put his hitting skills on display against, giving Red Sox fans glimpses of what Theo Epstein and the rest of the organization had hoped for when they brought Drew on board as a replacement for fan favorite Trot Nixon.

Drew put the Sox on the board first in the top of the second with a RBI single off Tampa Bay lefty J.P. Howell. With Mike Lowell on third, Drew scorched a 1-2 pitch past Carlos Pena at first to score the first run of the game. The Rays would come back and tie the game in the bottom of the inning when old friend Eric Hinske led off the inning with a single to left before advancing home a few batters later on a single by Raul Casanova.

After the Casanova RBI, Boston starter Josh Beckett settled down to hold the Rays in check, allowing just one runner to reach scoring position before exiting in the midway through the eighth with a 9-1 lead. the win by Beckett marked the second consecutive strong effort by forward by the Red Sox starter, after defeating the Houston Astros his last time out.

Boston pushed the lead to 3-1 before Drew struck again in the 6th. With Howell tiring on the mound, Drew came up with runners on first and second and no outs. Howell's first offering to Drew ended up 373 feet away in the Monster Seats to the joy of many fans in attendance.

The Sox would later added another three runs off the Rays bullpen to put the game out of reach of Tampa Bay. With runners on first and second, Coco Crisp, playing with a sore hand after injuring himself in the first game of the series diving for a ball, singled through a drawn-in infield to score drew from second. Kevin Youkilis followed Crisp with a single to deep center that scored Jason Varitek and Crisp to push the Sox lead to eight runs.

Bryan Corey pitched the final inning and a third for Boston, surrendering two runs in the ninth before shutting the door on the series win for the Red Sox.

W: Beckett (7-4) L: Howell (2-2)
Player of the Game: J.D. Drew (2-4, BB, HR, 2 Rs, 4 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Seattle catcher Jeff Clement (.265, 2, 11) went 5-6 against the Toronto Blue Jays...New York 2B Robinson Cano (.333, 11 58) went 5-5 against Texas in a 12-3 victory...Florida signed manager Yugoro Yama****a (24-26 w/ Surpass, NPBNiG) to a 5-year contract...The Guangdong Leopards defeated the Sichuan Dragons to win the CBL China Series 3-1...

[BostonRS14]

Boston Red Sox v. New York Yankees
Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York

The Red Sox travel to New York for a pivotal four game series against the Yankees (51-36) in the hopes of putting away the American League East before the All Star break. So far this season, Boston is 3-2 against New York, including a split of a two-game series earlier this season. Boston currently leads New York by 8 games in the AL East.

Of course, the Yankees are going to be without star shortstop Derek Jeter for the rest of the season, after the team captain suffered a fractured arm. Jeter joins Phil Hughes, Carl Pavano, Bobby Abreau and Jonathan Albaladejo on the DL. With Jeter in the lineup, New York has led the American League in batting average (.287), slugging (.461), runs scored (496) in addition to being second in the AL in ERA (3.91). Rookie starter Joba Chamberlain has pitched extremely well for the Yankees, running up a 12-6 record along with a 3.11 ERA. With the exception of Andy Pettitte (4.83), the rest of the Yankees pitching staff has an ERA under 4.

The Sox are coming with eight wins in their last 9 games, pushing their lead in the AL East to a season high eight games over New York. A series win will push Boston to atleast 10 games ahead fo New York, a tough position for any team to overcome.

Pitching Probables:
7/3: Daisuke Matsuzaka (11-4, 3.46 ERA) v. Andy Pettitte (5-7, 4.83)
7/4: Tim Wakefield (10-4, 3.51) v. Dan Giese (6-4, 3.69)
7/5: Jon Lester (9-4, 4.08) v. Joba Chamberlain (12-6, 3.11)
7/6: Clay Buchholz (7-3, 4.55) v. Mike Mussina (9-4, 3.94)

[BostonRS14]

July 3, 2008

Pedroia Power Manny-less Sox past Yanks
Boston 7, New York 5

Manny Ramirez was a late scratch from the lineup after falling to show up for pre-game meeting, but the Sox managed to defeat the Yankees without their star slugger.

"We have rules, and no one is above team," General Manager Theo Esptein said announcing the decision. "Terry and I talked, and we were of the same mind."

Dustin Pedroia picked up the slack in Ramirez's absence, notching a three-run home run in the fourth inning off New York starter Andy Pettitte. Trailing 3-0, after a Alex Rodriguez home run in the bottom of the third, Coco Crisp led off the fourth with a single off Pettitte. Crisp stole second off Pettitte to move into scoring position, before a one-out double by David Ortiz scored the speedy centerfield from second. Mike Lowell move Ortiz up to third with a groundout to first, before J.D. Drew took a four-pitch base on balls from Pettitte. Pedroia, who entered the game 5 for 25 against the Yankees, took Pettittee deep on the first pitch of the at-bat, depositing the ball 418 feet away to put the Sox on top. Julio Lugo tripled and Brandon Moss took a walk, before Pettitte was able to retire Josh Bard to end the inning.

Pettitte would settle down after the fourth, not allowing another base runner until the seventh. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, a pair of doubles by Bard and Crisp would signal the end of Pettitte's night. With Chris Britton in relief, the Red Sox managed to load the bases on a single by Kevin Youkilis and a walk to David Ortiz. Faced with two outs, Britton went to a full count on Mike Lowell before surrendering a RBI-single to right field to score Crisp from third. Britton was able to rebound and strike out J.D. Drew to work out of the bases-loaded jam.

In the eighth, New York cut the lead in half with a Hideki Matsui two-run home run off Hideki Okajima. Lee Gronkiewicz and Jonathan Papelbon came out of the bullpen in relief and held the Yankees silent for the final inning and a third to secure the opening victory for the Red Sox.

W: Matsuzaka (12-4) L: Pettitte (5-8) SV: Papelbon (26)
Player of the Game: Dustin Pedroia (1-5, HR, R, 3 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Boston released MR David Aardsma (1-2, 5.68 ERA, 25.1 IP w/ Paw)...Detroit SP Nate Robertson (6-5, 4.04 ERA) shutout Seattle 4-0 on 5 hits...

[BostonRS14]

July 4, 2008

Giese Silents Sox Bats as Wakes Struggles
New York 8, Boston 1

31 year-old Dan Giese made his 13th career start (and 21st overall appearance) nine years after being drafted by the Red Sox in 1999 and made his former club pay.

"It's just another game," Giese said. "It's important to beat them because they are in our division, I've pitching since they traded me and now, I'm getting a chance here to prove my worth."

After lasting just three innings in his last start against the New York Mets, Giese was sharp against the Red Sox, allowing just one run over 5.1 innings on six hits and a walk. The Red Sox did not manage much against the right-hander. J.D. Drew was the only one who could claim success on the night, and he did it with one out in the top of the first when he hit his 9th home run of the season.

After Drew's home run gave Boston a 1-0 lead, the Yankees quickly responded in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Tim Wakefield ran into trouble with the heart of the New York order. Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui connected on three straight singles to tie the ball game at one run a piece.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the second on a trio of singles by Brandon Moss, Sean Casey and Dustin Pedroia, but could not capitalize when Drew grounded out weakly to second baseman Robinson Cano.

New York pulled ahead in the third on a solo home run by Jason Giambi before putting up three in the sixth. Rodriguez and Giambi, who went a combined 6-8 with five runs scored, connected on a pair of singles to begin the inning. A sacrifice fly brought home Rodriguez before Giambi scored on a wild pitch from Wakefield. Javier Lopez relieved Wakefield and allowed the inherited runner, Melky Cabrera, to score on a single by Eric Duncan before retiring Wilson Betemit.

The four run deficit proved too much for Boston's silent bats. Without Kevin Youkilis and Coco Crisp at the top, Terry Francona's juggled lineup looked off-balance all night.

"Maybe it was an error on my part to ask that of the guys," Francona said afterwards. "These guys get comfortable in their roles and expect to approach the game a certain way, and, when you put a Pedroia at the top of the lineup and ask him to be that guy, he presses and ends up out of whack."

And, the once steady bullpen, imploded, as Lopez, Lee Gronkiewicz and Hideki Okajima combined to allow three runs on five hits in just two and one-third innings of work.

W: Giese (7-4) L: Wakefield (10-5)
Player of the Game: Jason Giambi (3-4, HR, 2 Rs, RBI)

Around the League:
...Kansas City activated SP Gil Meche from the disabled list...

Milwaukee offered me a trade of C.C. Sabathia in exchange for my #4 overall prospect, 19-year old SS Oscar Tejada (.286/.458/.508 w/ Lancaster, 50/55/70/80/60 pot). I'd consider something like this with a little bit more going to the Brewers for realism sake. Tejada isn't untouchable, I'm hoping Lowrie can bounce back next season from injury and give me an option to replace Lugo, who obviously isn't worth the $$ he is being paid. I have no intention of moving Buccholz, Masterson or Ellsbury. Bowden (8-4, 65/65/65 pot.) could go, as he's third on the prospect list and we have Lester in the rotation as well. Sabathia would probably replace Buccholz anyways.

[BostonRS14]

July 5th, 2008

Chamberlain out duels Lester
New York 4, Boston 1

It's probably a match-up that Red Sox-Yankee fans should get used to. 24-year old Jon Lester and 22-year old Joba Chamberlain both look poised for big, successful careers.

Last night, it was Chamberlain getting the better of the Sox southpaw, keeping the Red sox to just one run on two hits and four walks in seven innings for New York's second straight win over the Sox.

While New York is still seven games behind the Sox, Boston's offensive slump continues. The Red Sox have dropped to seventh in the league in batting, hitting .267 for the season.

"We have to keep going," manager Terry Francona said. "These guys will figure it out, and, if not, I'll figure it out for them. We can do better, but tonight, we just ran into a kid that has been lights-out for most of the year. Tip your cap, and move on to tomorrow."

The lone Boston run came in the fourth with the Sox already trailing 2-0. With David Ortiz and J.D. Drew on base after a pair of one-out walks, Mike Lowell laced a sharp single back up the middle of the diamond past Robinson Cano to score Ortiz from second. Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to strand Drew, the tying run, at third.

Lester was equally as sharp against the Yankees, but was unable to keep New York from capitalizing on opportunities. After holding New York to two runs over the first six innings, Lester walked Wilson Betemit with one out in the 6th. Hideki Matsui came up next and sent Lester to the showers with a two-run home run to deep right-center to cap the scoring.

Rus Ohlendorf and Mariano Rivera combined to keep the Sox off the bases over the final two innings to secure Chamberlain's Major League-best 13th win of the season.

W: Chamberlain (13-6) L: Lester (9-5) SV: Rivera (24)
Player of the Game: Hideki Matsui (4-4, HR, R, 2 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Tampa Bay traded SP Edwin Jackson (4-8, 3.84 ERA, 91.1 IP) to the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league SP Eric Hurley (5-7, 3.08 ERA w/ Frisco). Vincente Padilla (3-8, 5.50 ERA) was designated for assignment....Jake Westbrook (4-7, 5.58 ERA) of the Cleveland Indians was activated from the disabled list...

Revolution Back on Track, Top Real Salt Lake[
New England 2, Salt Lake 1

It took 142 minutes, but the Revolution regain their scoring touch. After being shutout for three halves of soccer, Revolution coach Steve Nicols laid into his squad during halftime, expressing his displeasure with their lack of competitive fire.

"I think a bit of malaise had set in," Nicols said afterwards. "We grew accustomed to winning and we got lazy, expecting it just to happen on our god giving abilities and not hard work."

Trailing 1-0 at the half, the Revolution come out on fire in the second, quickly adding two scores in the first fifteen minutes to go ahead. After grabbing the lead, Nicols closed down his trademark offensive attack, making his players control the ball and commit to their defense tactics.

"We grabbed the lead and it was time to set a message. We aren't just a run-and-gun team, we can lock down our opponents and play a slower, ball-control offense when needed. They need to work both ends of the pitch, this isn't going to be fun and game all the time."

After Javier Morales put Salt Lake ahead 1-0 in the first, Edson Buddle's fifth goal of the season got the Revs on the board early in the second with a strong effort. Buddle found Francisco Mendoza at midfield, and the two executed a picture-perfect give-and-go around defender Drew Moor that left Buddle open on the right wing. As he broke down on the goal, Nick Rimando came out to defend the angle, but Buddle was able to chip the ball over the keeper and into the far left corner to tie the match up.

Less than seven minutes later, the Revolution again control the ball at midfield after Josh Gardner turned the ball over to Jake Jewsbury. With little challenge, Jewsbury advanced the ball forward, eventually pushing the ball to Wells Thompson in the corner, who found Taylor Twellman in the box on the header to put the Revolution ahead.

Nicols would make it stick, pulling his team back to a 4-4-2 defensive position to ensure Salt Lake would be unable to manage any advances. The Revolution did did get some bad news later in the match, when Khano Smith pulled up lame after a hard tackle by Fabian Espindola in the ninetieth minute. Smith, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the 82nd minute, left the pitch under his own power with an apparent foot injury. He will be examined by team doctors when the team returns to Foxboro.

Bruins make offer to Corey Perry

The Bruins, looked to add grit and skill to the wing position, have extended an offer sheet to Anaheim restricted free agent Corey Perry. Believed to be worth $3.98m, the offer would keep the 23 year old with the Bruins through the 2011 season.

If accepted, Anaheim would receive a second round draft pick from the Bruins as compensation.

"He's a big winer, with strong two-way play," a leaked Bruins scouting report said. "Perry has superb vision and unerring accuracy with his passes. First line potential."

In his third season, Perry saw his numbers drop dramatically, posting just 9 goals to go along with 10 assists in 75 games after putting up 27 goals and 34 assists in 2006-07.

Boston has also reported extended a contract to free agent winger Dany Healtey, formerly of the rival Ottawa Senators. Heatley led the NHL is goals this past season with 54.

[BostonRS14]

July 6, 2008

Sox beat up Mussina, hang on for Series Split with Yanks
Boston 5, New York 4

Clay Buccholz watched last night's game against Joba Chamberlain and the Yankees and vowed to one-up the talented New York starter. While he didn't quite steal the show last night, Buchholz did manage to lead the Sox to a victory in order to secure a series split with a 5-4 win.

In his third start against the Yankees this season, Buchholz held New York to three runs on six hits in seven plus innings of work.

New York got on the board first in the bottom of the third. Eric Duncan reached base to start the inning on a four-pitch walk and advanced to third after a wild pitch and sacrifice bunt. Buchholz managed to get a weak grounder from Johnny Damon to retire the second out of the inning, but Jorge Posada drove a single to center that scored Duncan from third with the first run of the game.

The Sox did manage to come right back to take the lead in the top of the fourth. A single by David Ortiz and a walk to Manny Ramirez put the go-ahead run on base with no outs. A pair of strikeouts followed to Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew, but Dustin Pedroia picked up the slack against Mike Mussina, driving a ball to the deep right-field corner to score both runners off of starter Mike Mussina. After a solo home run in the fifth by Coco Crisp, Pedroia managed to put the ball over the fence, with a two-run home run to almost the identical spot as his earlier double.

Kyle Farnsworth and Chris Britton managed to hold the Sox scoreless over the final three and a third innings while the Yankees tried to rally.

With Buchholz still on the mound into the eighth, New York rallied. A lead off walk to Jorge Posada was enough for manager Terry Francona, as Manny Delcarmen was summoned from the bullpen to face Alex Rodriguez with the heart of the New York order to follow. Rodriguez, who had managed to go 5 for 12 so far in the series with three RBIs laid into the first offering from Delcarmen to launched a long shot to left-center that didn't even get a response from center fielder Crisp.

"Off the bat, you just knew," Delcarmen said afterwards. "It just didn't break like I wanted and I swear I saw his eyes grow big from the mound."

Delcarmen managed to get a ground-out from Jason Giambi on his only pitch of the at-bat, but four straight balls to Robinson Cano was enough for Francona, as Javier Lopez came in to face Hideki Matsui with the Sox hang onto a one run lead. An error by Julio Lugo move the go-ahead run to second, but Lopez managed to induce an inning-ending double play from Melky Cabrera to end the threat.

Jonathan Papelbon came in for the ninth to secure the win.

W: Buchholz (8-3) L: Mussina (9-5) SV: Papelbon (27)
Player of the Game: Dustin Pedroia (2-4, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Kansas City SP Brian Bannister pitched a 1-hti shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays...Toronto put SS David Eckstein on the trading block...

Notable NHL Signings

• Mikka Kiprusff signed with the Montreal Canadiens for 3 yrs., $17m.
• Dany Heatley signed with the St. Louis Blues for 2 yrs., $12.25m.
• Markus Naslund signed with the Blues, 2 yrs., $12m
• Rob Blake signed with the Blues for 2 yrs., $7.5m
• Milan Michalek signed with the Vancouver Canucks for 3 yrs., $3.8m

We made an offer to Heatley that was worth $9.5m over 2 years, but apparently were outbid by the Blues.

[BostonRS14]

Minnesota Twins v. Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

The Red Sox return home after a 10 game (7-3) road trip to face the Minnesota Twins. So far this season, Boston has managed to win all four games against the Twins. This will be their first appearances in Boston this year.

Minnesota (45-43) currently leads the AL Central by one-half game over the Chicago White Sox (45-44) and two and one-half over the Detroit Tigers (43-46). Minnesota ranks 14th in the American League in runs scored (374), but 6th in batting average (.267). Their pitching staff, lead by Kevin Slowey (12-4, 2.73 ERA), ranks 7th in ERA (4.47) while allowing the fifth least amount of runs (406).

The Red Sox continued to lead the AL in ERA (3.60), runs allowed (358) and opponent avg (.241).

Pitching Matchups:
7/7: Josh Beckett (7-4, 3.83 ERA) v. Francisco Liriano (5-1, 2.15)
7/8: Daisuke Matsuzaka (12-4, 3.30) v. Livan Hernandez (3-8, 6.39)
7/9: Tim Wakefield (10-5, 3.75) v. Kevin Slowey (12-4, 2.73)

[BostonRS14]

July 7, 2008

Twins Bullpen Saves Beckett, Sox in Win
Boston 8, Minnesota 3

Trailing 3-1 heading into the seventh, the Red Sox were not looking good. Francisco Liriano had held the Sox in check, surrendering just four hits over five and two-third innings. But, the Red Sox did what they have done all season to opponents, they worked the count and drove up the pitch count. Liriano was gone after 108 pitches, his highest total since his season debut back on May 27th.

With Liriano out and Denys Reyes in, the Boston batters got to work. Josh Bard and Coco Crisp led off the sixth inning with a pair of four-pitch walks. With the go-ahead run at the plate, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire stuck with his lefty with David Ortiz on deck and the right-handed Kevin Youkilis at the plate. Behind 1-2 in the count, Youkilis launched a towering fly-ball over the wall in left out of the ballpark to put the Sox ahead 4-3. Matt Guerrier came out of the bullpen in relief of Reyes, and subsequently allowed a single to David Ortiz and a walk to Manny Ramirez before escaping the inning with a fly-ouy by Mike Lowell and a double play off the bat of Dustin Pedroia.

In the seventh though, Guerrier took a page right out of the Reyes handbook, when he walked J.D Drew, Coco Crisp and Kevin Youkilis to load the bases with two outs. David Ortiz, already 3-3 on the night with a walk, took the first offering from Guerrier to right field over Delmon Young's head and into the Red Sox bullpen for the Grand Slam. It round-tripper came 11 days after his last home run, and marked just the second multi-RBI game for the slugger since May.

Javier Lopez loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but was able get Justin Morneau to ground into a fielders choice to end the game.

W: Beckett (8-4) L: Reyes (1-2) SV: Lopez (2)

Twins 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  3 10 0
Sox   0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 0  8  8 1

Player of the Game: David Ortiz (4-4, 2B, HR (19), BB 4 RBIs, R)

Around the League:
...C Ivan Rodriguez (DET) was named American League Player of the Week...LF Ryan Braun (MIL) won the National Player of the Week award...Toronto put LF Shannon Stewart (.215 avg., HR, 4 RBIs) on the trade block...Ryan Kalish (.287, HR, 11 RBIs w/ Greenville) fractured his foot and will miss 8 months of action...

Milwaukee remains desperate to move C.C. Sabathia, again offering us a below-market deal. 19-year old 1B Bill Rowell (20/24) and 23-year old C Jonathan Still (20/26) for the veteran SP.

[BostonRS14]

July 8, 2008

Longball Aids Twins in Win Over Sox
Minnesota 6, Boston 5

Daisuke Matsuzaka is averaging 1.25 home runs allowed per nine innings. Coming into last night's action, he had allowed 18 home runs, which was good for 15th in the league. The Twins are ninth in the American League with just 85 home runs. With the exception of Justin Morneau's 22, the only other Twin in double-figures is Mike Lamb with 12.

Last night, though, the Twins took advantage of Matsuzaka's tendency to over-work the count and profited with their patience. Minnesota hit three round-trippers, led by Justin Morneau's 23rd and 24th of the season.

After falling behind 1-0 on a Morneau solo shot in the fourth, Boston rallied back against starter Livan Hernandez in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Manny Ramirez single and J.D. Drew double to put runners into scoring position. A base-on-balls to Dustin Pedroia loaded the bases for Jason Varitek. A weak grounder to second was just enough for Ramirez to hustle home from third to tie the game. Alex Cora followed with a two-run single to put Boston ahead before Julio Lugo popped out to the catcher to end the inning.

The Twins came back to tie the game in the sixth on a trio of singles. Delmon Young led off the inning with a single to left. After retiring Morneau, Mike Lamb and Michael Cuddyer hit back-to-back singles to bring home a run. Jason Kubel followed with a fielders choice to tie the game at three. Mike Redmon would advance Kubel to third, but Brendan Harris struck out looking on three pitches to end the threat.

Despite barely surviving a difficult sixth, manager Terry Francona sent his starter back onto the mound for the seventh with his pitch count already creepy close to the magical number of 100. (95 to be exact) While Matsuzaka has shown an ability to pitch high counts all season long (he threw 130 back on 6/1 in a GC against Baltimore), Francona did have the strongest bullpen in the American League at his disposal.

In a fashion almost validating Francona decision, Matsuzaka struck out Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Gomez to start the inning before things fell apart. Delmon Young singled to center to put the go-ahead run on first. With the left-handed Morneau due up next, Francona stuck with his starter. After falling behind 2-0 to the slugger, Matsuzaka grooved a fastball on the inside corner of the plate that Morneau deposited into the right-field bleachers for his second home run of the evening off Matsuzaka. Mike Lamb followed with his own solo home run on the first pitch of his at-bat to put the Twins ahead by three. Sensing the damage done, Francona stuck with his starter as he retired Michael Cuddyer on the groundout to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth with Hernandez still on the mound, the Sox rallied. After a Kevin Youkilis fly-out, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez hit a pair of singles to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. A base-on-balls to J.D. Drew loaded the bases. Dustin Pedroia, coming off a .187 June, struck out swinging. With two outs, Joe Nathan relieved Hernandez and allowed a single to Jason Varitek, bringing home Ortiz and Ramirez. Alex Cora, subbing in for the resting Mike Lowell struck out swinging on a full count to end the rally.

Nathan would retire the Sox in order in the ninth to close out the win.

W: Hernandez (4-8) L: Matsuzaka (12-5) SV: Nathan
Player of the Game: Justin Morneau (3-4, 2 HRs (23,24), 3 Rs, 3 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Baltimore Orioles SP Radhames Liz (9-6, 3.89 ERA) strained his achilles tendon and will mist 3 weeks of action...

New England Makes Easy Work of Minnesota in US Cup

Despite losing Taylor Twellman to an injury in just the sixth minute, the Revolution didn't let down against the Minnesota Thunder of the American Second Division to advance to the US Cup Quarter Finals.

"We didn't like to play without him, but we have depth for a reason," coach Steve Nicols said after the match. "We are a team, and we play as a team. Taylor is an exceptional talent, no doubt. But we can compete with anyone with the rest of team."

A testy Nicols didn't take any more questions, instead letting his team's performance speak for itself.

Pat Noonan, making just his eighth appearance of the season for New England, scored the first goal of the match in the 25th minute for the Revolution. A long clear by keeper Doug Warren found Noonan in the midfield, and the midfielder shot up the seam in the Minnesota defence, breaking in on the goal box. With twenty yards separating himself and the keeper, Noonan chipped a shot into the right corner to put the Revs ahead.

Late in the ninetieth minute, with four extra minutes of stoppage time added, the Revolution added an insurance goal to secure their move to the next round. Noonan, once again in on the action in place of Twellman, found himself pinned into the corner against Juarez after recovering a long rebound from Joe Warren . Noonan launched a long pass into the box that Edison Buddle headed to Gabriel Ferrari that found the back of the goal for the nail in the coffin.

New England will next face FC Dallas in the US Cup Quarter Finals on the 5th of August. It is well worth noting that FC Dallas have not lost to New England in the last 3 meetings between the two sides.

Elsewhere, the shock of the round was a win for Second Division outfit Rochester Raging Rhinos against league runners up the Los Angeles Galaxy on penalties. The Portland Timbers of the Second Division are also through to the Quarter Finals after shocking the Kansas City Wizards. Also advancing along with the Revolution were the Columbus Crew, the Colorado Rapids and CD Chivas USA.

[BostonRS14]

June 9, 2008

Twins Take Advantage of Wakefield, Escape with Series Victory
Minnesota 7, Boston 4

How much gas is left in Tim Wakefield's tank?

That has to be the question on the minds of manager Terry Francona and General Manager Theo Esptein. The longest tenured Red Sox, Wakefied announced at the start of the season that this would be his last as a professional ball player. Maybe on adrenaline, or pure ability, Wakefield began the year 4-0 in April with a 1.87 ERA. In fact, Wakefield won his first seven decisions, but, since then, he was dropped six of ten starts. His ERA has climbed in each subsequent month, from 1.87 to 3.55 in May, 5.28 in June and 9.00 in July.

"What you are seeing is the breakdown of a 41-year old pitcher who probably came back for one last chance at another World Series ring," one former team executive said. "Timmy was always a worker and he won't let you know he doesn't have it anymore. But, they need to do something to win with this group this year."

Against the Twins, Wakefield was anything but sharp, surrendering two two-run home runs to Jason Kubel. In addition, Kubel, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer each stole a base against the slow knuckleballer. In all, Wakefield lasted five and one-third innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks. Brian Corey worked the final three and two-thirds innings of the game to keep the score close, but Kevin Slowey and the Twins' bullpen were too much for the Red Sox.

Wakefield may be losing steam, but do the Red Sox have a solution? With Jon Lester (9-5, 4.16) and Clay Buchholz (8-3, 4.50) already settled into the rotation, Epstein and his staff are limited in their options. In Pawtucket, Justin Masterson (5-5, 2.47 ERA) is waiting for his chance to contribute. Masterson already has performed admireably in his big league debut this season, taking a no-decision in six innings of four-hit baseball against the Orioles back in June. Or, the Red Sox could go the more expensive route and trade for the proven veteran C.C. Sabathia (8-7, 4.41 ERA) of the Milwaukee brewers. Scouts from quite a few teams have been keeping an eye on the lefty in the hopes of stealing Sabathia from the Brewers as they fall out of contention. Also rumored to be available are Seattle's Eric Bedard (5-8, 4.30), Atlanta's Tim Hudson (8-7, 3,52) and Houston's Shawn Chacon (7-5, 4.47).

With a comfortable 7.5 game lead over the Yankees, Boston does have time to consider its options, but the July 31st trade deadline is creeping every so close.

In the meantime, expect the Red Sox to possibly give Masterson another audition in the near future, either as a solution or trade bait.

W: Slowey (13-4) L: Wakefield (10-6) SV: Nathan (22)
Player of the Game: Jason Kubel (3-3, 2 HRs, 3 Rs, 5 RBIs)

Around the League:
...The Florida Marlins traded 26-year old reliever Logan Kensing (33g, 1-0, 2.53 ERA) to the Tampa Bay Rays, getting 21-year old minor league RF Ryan Royster in return...The Tampa Bay Rays traded 26-year old SP James Shields (4-10, 5.00 ERA) to the San Diego Padres in exchange for 20-year old minor league CF Cedric Hunter...SS Cristian Guzman (.301, 5 HRs, 23 RBIs) has signed a 3-year, $40.9m contract extension with the Washington Nationals...

[BostonRS14]

Baltimore Orioles v. Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston, Ma

In their last series before the All Star break, the Red Sox are playing host to the Baltimore Orioles (49-43, .533). Baltimore is currently in 3rd place in the American League East, 12 games behind Boston (62-32, .660). They trail the Yankees by 4.5 in the Wild Card race.

So far this season, the Red Sox haven't been too successful against their rivals from the south. In nine games, Baltimore has beaten the Red Sox five times, including two of three in their previous meeting at Fenway. In fact, the Orioles are one of just four teams (out of 18) that have a winning record versus Boston this year.

Baltimore, led by quiet star Nick Markakis (.329, 14 HRs, 47 RBIs, .525 SLG), rank third in the American League in batting (.272 avg.) and sixth in runs scored (432). In addition, their pitching staff has been better than expected. The Baltimore starters have a 4.54 ERA (8th) while their bullpen has compiled a 3.73 ERA (7th). One bright spot for the Orioles has been the development of Daniel Cabrera (9-5, 3.60 ERA) at the top of their pitching staff. After years of teasing the team with his talent, Cabrera appears to have finally put the pieces together, lowering his ERA by almost 2 runs from last season (5.55 in 2007) in addition to lowering his BB/9 (3.93 v. 4.76) and H/9 (7.61 v. 9.12).

Top pitching prospect Radhames Liz (9-6, 3.89), who has defeated Boston in all three starts (3-0, 2.82 ERA) this season, will miss the series after landing on the disabled list with a strained Achilles tendon.

Pitching Matchup:
7/11: Jon Lester (9-5, 4.16 ERA) v. Jeremy Guthrie (4-4, 5.32)
7/12: Clay Buchholz (8-3, 4.50) v. Daniel Cabrera (9-5, 3.60)
7/13: Josh Beckett (8-4, 3.83) v. Adam Loewen (1-2, 9.22)

[BostonRS14]

July 11, 2008

Lester's Effort Wasted by Bullpen, Sox Hold on in 10th
Boston 5, Baltimore 4 (10)

Jon Lester's quest for victory number ten will have to wait until after the All Star break after Manny Delcarmen surrendered three runs in one-third innings before the Sox battled back in extra innings to take game one of the three game series against the Orioles.

Delcarmen's three runs allowed were the most by the young right-hander since his last outing against the Orioles, where he surrendered three, including a two-run home run to Alex Cintron. Last night, against the Orioles with a 3-1 lead, Delcarmen got into trouble again. After surrendering a lead off double to Melvin Mora in the eighth, Delcarmen struck out Luke Scott for the first out of the inning. With a 1-2 count against Brian Roberts, Delcarmen went for the strikeout after five fouls, but was unable to locate his fastball, and watch Roberts put the ball off the Wall in left for a RBI-double. Nick Markakis followed one pitch later, lofting a 1-0 curve into the visitor's bullpen to put the Orioles ahead.

The Red Sox had jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the 3rd when Baltimore starter Daniel Cabrera loaded the bases on a pair of singles to Brandon Moss and Jason Varitek and a walk to Coco Crisp. With two outs, David Ortiz launced a long flyball to center field that landed over the head of Nolan Reimold for a bases-clearing double. Reimold, in just his fourth major league game, looked to have lost the ball in the deep centerfield, thinking that Ortiz had enough to clear the ballpark.

With a three run lead, Lester worked quickly through the Orioles lineup, managing to surrender just a pair of singles in the third before running into trouble in the sixth. Luis Hernandez led off the sixth with a double to right-center. Lester followed that by striking out Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis before former Red Sox Jay Payton singled home Hernandez to cut the lead to 3-1. Lester recovered to strike out Adam Jones to end the inning, his seven and last victim of the game.

Trailing 4-3 going into the ninth against Baltimore closer George Sherril, the Sox looked to the bottom of their order to come through. In his last outing against the Sox, Sherrill surrendered two runs in the ninth, before having to be replaced by Chad Bradford to close out a 5-4 O's victory. After retiring Dustin Pedroia with a ground-out to first, Brandon Moss singled to center. Jason Varitek followed with a four-pitch walk, advancing Alex Cora, who pinch ran for Moss, to second. Sherrill faced down J.D. Drew and struck out the slumping slugger (3 for his last 19), putting the Sox down to the last out. Coco Crisp, who had fared pretty well versus Sherrill this season, slapped a single past Hernandez at short to bring Cora home without a throw to tie the game. Kevin Youkilis, hitless in four atbats on the day, grounded out to Aubrey Huff at first to end the inning.

Lee Gronkiewicz, leading the American League in WHIP and R/9 for relievers, worked a perfect tenth for the Sox.

With the left-handed hitting David Ortiz due up to lead off the tenth for Boston, Orioles manager Dave Trembley stuck with his trusted closer despited a .406 avg. by lefties against the southpaw. After fouling fof the first pitch of the at-bat, Big Papi launched a bomb to deep right field that cleared the bullpens and landed an estimated 382 feet away.

W: Gronkiewicz (4-1) L: Sherrill (2-4)
Player of the Game: David Oritz (3-5, 2B, HR (20), R, 4 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Houston Astros activated RF Hunter Pence from the disabled list...New York Yankees RF Bobby Abreu (.298, .406, .827) was activated from the disabled list...Cincinnati SP Edinson Volquez (8-7, 2.69 ERA) was placed on the 15-day disabled list with wrist inflammation...SS Clint Barnes (.216, .237, .297), released by the Colorado Rockies, signed with Aguascalientes of the Mexican League...

[BostonRS14]

July 12, 2008:

Guthrie Masters Sox Batters to Key O's Rout
Baltimore 7, Boston 1

Clay Buchholz put the Sox in a big hole early, but Jeremy Guthrie didn't need much help from his teammates.

A lead off double by Brian Roberts was followed by a pair of singles from Luis Hernandez and Nick Markakis to give the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead. Put it was Luke Scott that put the O's ahead for good. Still with no outs, Scott lifted a 3-0 fastball out to center that cleared the fences for his sixth home run of the season.

The Sox looked poised to cut into the lead real quick when Coco Crisp led off the bottom of the first with a triple to deep center field that escaped a diving Adam Jones. Kevin Youkilis brought Crisp home with a sacrifice fly to deep right that allowed the runner to score without a throw. After a David Ortiz pop out, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell walked to bring the tying to the plate against a struggling starter. Looking poised to pounce on the opportunity, J.D. Drew worked a full count before meekly popping out to Kevin Millar to end the threat.

With such an exciting first inning, the Sox must have been confident in themselves that they could pull off a rally, but it wasn't meant to be. Jeremy Guthrie kept the Sox hitters off guard all night, allowing just the one hit to Coco Crisp to lead off the bottom of the first over seven innings of strong work.

Buchholz had to be a little disappointed in his performance. After allowing five hits to the first five hitters and falling behind 4-0, Clay kept the O's quiet with just two hits and a base-on-balls. But, Guthrie proved to be better on this night.

Lee Grokiewicz and Javier Lopez combined to throw the final three innings for the Sox, allowing three runs on four hits to the Orioles.

W: Guthrie (5-4) L: Buchholz (8-4)
Player of the Game: Jeremy Guthrie (7.0 IP, H, R, 6 BBs, 5 Ks, 113 PI)

Around the League:
...Oakland signed DH Frank Thomas to a 1-year extension worth $420k...

Revs Lose Early Lead, Hand on for Tie with Toronto
New England 2, Toronto FC 2

On their home pitch for the last time before the All Star break, the Revolution came out in a dominating fashion against their rivals from the north. But, they were unable to keep the momentum for the entire match, and a costly mistake late in the match cost New England a chance at a victory.

Wells Thompson, unused in the first twelve matches of the season, has continued to impress with his play with the first team, netting his first score of the season in the 10th minute to open the scoring for New England. The 24 year old, who has been seeing time up front with Edson Buddle and Taylor Twellman in place of Kieran McKenna, took a long pass from Marshall Leonard along the sideline before bearing down on the goal. After faking a pass to Budle, Thompson chipped the ball over an off-balance Odin Patino to put the Revs ahead early.

Edson Buddle and Nate Jaqua traded goals late in the firth half to put New England ahead 2-1.

In the 87th minute, though, a defensive miscue cost the Revs. Clamping down defensively, Michael Parkhurst missed an assignment, allowing Jacob Peterson to walk in alone on Matt Reis. A quick deke and the striker had the entire goal to himself, easily depositing the ball into the net for the tying goal.

"Michael and Khano [Smith] just missed their assignments there at the end, and we paid for it," coach Steve Nicols said afterwards. "We felt there may have been an offside when the ball was played up to Peterson, but the refs weren't going to hear that."

After the game, Nicols was handed a $1.2k fine for his comments. Although replays have subsequently shown the goal to have been perfectly legitimate, Nicols was incensed that the goal was not ruled out.

Over in Europe, the favored German squad fell to Denmark in the European Football Championship on penalty kicks, 3-1. Germany, ranked 6th in the world heading into the tournament, had been the favorites, alongside Portugal. Denmark, ranked 19th at the start, took home their first major championship since 1992.

Perry gets an offer from Bruins

Corey Perry has accepted an offer sheet from the Bruins. Anaheim have seven days to exercise their right of first refusal with a matching offer.

The offer is for 3 years around $ 4mil.

If the offer isn't matched, the Ducks will receive compensation of a second round pick from Boston.