Red Sox Rally, Play Spoiler On Rays (67-81)

Cook got his fourth win of the year

This was a really great game for the Red Sox-- it displayed a number of things we haven't seen lately. First and foremost, a win, but also a pitching game-- things we haven't seen recently apart from the Blue Jays series. On that note, pitching was very prominent in this game as Alex Cobb (8-9, 4.26) and Aaron Cook (3-10, 5.18) practically matched each other pitch for pitch for the first few innings. It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth that the Rays finally got something going off Cook. The Rays started things off with a Luke Scott single, Jeff Keppinger lineout, and Carlos Pena single to put runners at the corners with one out. The Rays took the first run on a safety squeeze by Ryan Roberts, just scoring Scott fr, third. However, it didn't take the Red Sox long to catch up at all. With two outs and Jose Iglesias on third base, all Jacoby Ellsbury needed was a base hit. However, he got much more than that when he sent a line drive over the wall in right-center to make it 2-1.

Ellsbury had a tie breaking home run

Things got going faster for the Red Sox in the seventh inning. On a single, walk, and failed force attempt they were able to load the bases with no outs. Two runs came in when Mauro Gomez lined a ball over the third baseman's head and into left field for a two-run, pinch-hit single. On a sacrifice bunt and intentional walk, the Red Sox managed to load the bases again-- this time with one out. It was Ellsbury again here as the center fielder drilled a single to score another run and give the Red Sox a 5-1 lead. The Red Sox held that lead for a few innings, but the Rays cut it into it a little in the ninth inning. Mark Melancon came in to pitch and promptly allowed a leadoff single to B.J. Upton. Upton stole second and got to third on a wild pitch, eventually scoring on a Ben Zobrist groundout. However, that would be it as the Red Sox closed down a 5-2 win.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, W (4-10)
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Junichi Tazawa- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
James Loney- 2-4, 1 R
Mauro Gomez- 1-1, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K
Cody Ross- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB
Ryan Lavarnway- 0-4, 1 R, 2 K, 4 LOB
Scott Podsednik- 0-2, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Jacoby Ellsbury- Ellsbury had the key hit and then some, going 3-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs as he led the Sox to victory-- he is now .273/4/23.

Red Sox Cut It Close, But Fall To Yankees (64-79)

Cook got off to a good start

Last night's game was another good one for the second matchup of this series, however, the Red Sox lost this close one. Both Aaron Cook and David Phelps got off to good starts, pitching scoreless baseball for three innings. However, in the fourth, the Yankees got going, starting on a homer to right-center for Curtis Granderson-- hi 36th of the season. Alex Rodriguez followed him up with a bloop single to center, and he would also score when Robinson Cano went the other way for his 30th home run, over the green monster to make it 3-0. The Red Sox weren't just going to let that sit, though, as Dustin Pedroia came into the bottom of the fourth with a one out double. Pedroia would score when James Loney hit a hard ground ball through the right side of the infield to cut it to 3-1 against the Yanks.

He faltered in the fourth though

It stayed right there at 3-1 for a couple more innings, but both teams were ready to contribute again in the seventh inning. The Yankees started their rally with a single for Derek Jeter. However, just as soon as it had started, their rally ended when Curtis Granderson nailed his 37th home run of the season to right-- making it 5-1. The Red Sox weren't going to sit with that either though, as they came into the seventh with a pair of one out doubles to put two in scoring position. They scored a run when Mauro Gomez grounded out to third and another when Mike Aviles doubled to left to cut it to a 5-3 deficit. Each team's bullpen held it like that up until the ninth with Rafael Soriano on the mound. Jarrod Saltalamacchia led things off by belting his 24th home run to right field to cut it to 5-4. However, that would be all they would get in a tough loss.

Bright Spots:
Chris Carpenter- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B
James Loney- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 3-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 1 LOB
Cody Ross- 0-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
Scott Podsednik- 0-2, 1 K, 1 LOB
Jose Iglesias- 0-2, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Could Salty's slump have come to an end? He went 3-3 with a double, two runs scored, and a home run last night-- he is now .232/24/54.

Weekly News

Today, the Red Sox concluded yet another miserable week at 1-5 with a loss to the Mariners and a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays. The Player of the Week is Cody Ross, who batted .300/1/5 this week and is now .281/20/73 in his magnificent first season in Boston. For his first time this year, Aaron Cook has won the Pitcher of the Week despite losing on Wednesday against the Mariners. Cook went six innings, allowing two earned runs, and is now 3-9, 5.19 this season. The Performance of the Week belongs to Ross on his performance Tuesday night. He went 3-4 and drove in a run in that game. Finally, the Game of the Week goes to the only win of the week when they edged the M's 4-3 in a tight game. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox will face the Yankees at home and the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Red Sox Can't Cook Up The Key Rally, Lose To M's (63-75)

Cook pitched well

Last night was a disappointing one as the Red Sox got a rare good start out of Aaron Cook, but were not able to cash in. Now, the matchup of Cook (3-8, 5.35) and Kevin Millwood (4-12, 4.38) isn't necessarily what you'd call a pitching matchup. However, it certainly played like one at least for the first few innings. Although there were plenty of base-runners, neither team scored in the first three innings. However, it was in the fourth inning that the Mariners finally broke out. On a single by Eric Thames, a walk for Mike Carp, and a single from Casper Wells-- the Mariners loaded the bases with no outs to start the inning. Cook got a quick out, getting Brendan Ryan to pop out. However, he wasn't so lucky with Dustin Ackley-- who singled up the middle to score two runs and make it 2-0.

Valentine isn't happy right now

After the Mariners scored those runs, there was scoreless fifth inning. However, the Red Sox would get in the board during the sixth inning. Dustin Pedroia benefited from a leadoff walk to start off the inning, but was quickly taken off the basepaths when Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a forceout. Ellsbury was able to steal second, however, putting himself in scoring position with one out for Cody Ross. Ross laced a line drive to right field that looked like it was going foul. Somehow, though, it stayed fair, bouncing around in the corner enough to score Ellsbury and get Ross to second base with an RBI double. They didn't score again in the inning, and as it turned out, the sixth was Aaron Cook's last inning. The sinker-baller exited the game with a relatively impressive line of 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K-- a very un-Cook-like line all things told. However, the Red Sox still managed to lose to game because of a weak offense.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K, L (3-9)
Alfredo Aceves- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 R, 1 SB
Cody Ross- 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Scott Podsednik- 0-4, 1 LOB
Ryan Lavarnway- 0-4, 1 K, 6 LOB
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-2, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Ross has continued his career year by going 3-4 and driving in a run with a double, as he certainly wasn't the problem in this game-- he is now .279/20/73.

Cook, Gomez Shine But Sox Fall Blow Huge Lead (60-67)

Gomez went 4-6 with 3 RBIs

Last night was just another episode in the disappointment that is the 2012 season as they blew a huge lead to fall in extras in one of the worst teams in baseball. The Royals started off hot, beginning the game with four consecutive hits. Two runs came in on Alex Gordon's double off the wall and Gordon scored on Billy Butler soft shot to right to make it 3-0 very early on. Cook held the Royals quiet in the bottom of the second and that was when the Red Sox got to work, starting with a one out solo blast to left for Mauro Gomez-- his first major league home run to cut it to 3-1. After that, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway each singled then promptly scored when Mike Aviles put one just over the green monster for a three-run homer to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. However, the Red Sox were far from done as they loaded the bases with no outs in the third. They scored three-- two on an error by Jeremy Guthrie and one on a sacrifice fly by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to make it 7-3.

Ross had an RBI single

The Red Sox still weren't done though as they put runners at the corners and two outs in the fourth inning. They wound up scoring two runs on RBI singles by Cody Ross and Mauro Gomez to give them a commanding 9-3 lead. Aaron Cook held it there for the next few innings, but when he turned it to the bullpen for the seventh, things got ugly. The Royals loaded the bases on a hit and two walks with one out off Andrew Miller. Miller allowed two to score on an RBI single by Alex Gordon before being pulled for Mark Melancon. Melancon allowed two more runs to come in on a double by Billy Butler and a single for Salvador Perez. Finally, Craig Breslow came in and allowed the inevitable game tying two-run triple that make it 9-9. It stayed there all the way until the twelfth inning when the Royals took a run on an RBI single for Tony Abreu and that was basically it.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, K
Andrew Bailey- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Scott Podsednik- 2-6
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B
Cody Ross- 3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Mauro Gomez- 4-6, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Ryan Lavarnway- 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 2-6, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-5, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Mark Melancon- 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R

Player of the Game:
Mauro Gomez- In his first game filling in for the traded Gonzalez, Gomez was fantastic-- driving in three and hitting his first MLB home run in a 4-6 day-- he is now .318/1/6.

Red Sox Can't Come Back From Early Deficit To Angels (59-64)

Cook imploded in his last few innings

Aaron Cook (3-6, 4.58) is becoming a real disappointment as he just continues to give up hits and home runs and last night was evident of this. He and Ervin Santana (6-10, 5.59) both held the opposition scoreless in the first few innings, but Cook ran into some trouble in the third. With one out, Mike Trout singled and stole second but Torii Hunter struck out-- leaving Albert Pujols hitting. Pujols did his job and singled up the middle to score Trout easily and make it 1-0. But the Angels kept on going in the fourth, knocking back-to-back singles with one out in the inning. That was when Erick Aybar somehow singled softly past both Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia on the right side to score a run and make it 2-0. Another scored on an RBI single by Chris Iannetta. However, the Angels still weren't done as they kept going in the fifth.

The Red Sox honored Johnny Pesky,
who recently passed away

With one out and Kendrys Morales at first base, Mark Trumbo came up and promptly crushed one over the green monster to make it 5-0. That was Cook's last inning-- he left the game with an unimpressive line of 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K and is now 3-7/4.79/11. After Cook was gone, it was the Red Sox' turn to strike as they got going in the sixth inning. Cody Ross's walk with two outs constituted a rally as Jarrod Saltalamacchia came and and knocked a two-run home run just over the wall in right field to cut it to 5-2. The Red Sox kept rolling in the seventh benefiting from a one out double by Scott Podsednik. He would eventually score on a wild pitch after being advanced to third on a groundout. However, the Red Sox couldn't cut the lead any more than that and Angels' bullpen was fantastic in a 5-3 loss.


Bright Spots:
Clayton Mortensen- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K, L (3-7)
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty had a great game, reaching base three times in the loss including a two-run homer, he is now .229/21/49.

Red Sox Collapse In Sixth For Second Straight Game (57-61)

Cook took a no-hitter into the sixth

It's always such a shame when your starting pitcher takes a no-hitter into the sixth inning and still loses and it's also disappointing when every run the team allows is in one inning. In this game, both of those disappointments took place against the Orioles. In fact, both starting pitchers were quite good throughout the first innings and neither team scored in the first four. However, a pair of one out singles in the fifth got a rally started for the Red Sox. That rally continued as Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to the warning track in right center to score one and make it 1-0. The next and final run of the inning scored when Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly. The next inning was scoreless but the Orioles got a rally going in the sixth. A one out walk and a single (breaking up Aaron Cook's no hit bit) put two runners on base for the middle of the lineup. 

They scored their first run when Nate McClouth singled to right-center, also moving runners up to the corners with one out. The next play should've been a double play ball as Aaron Cook cleanly fielded a groundball back to him. However, he threw it away to allow a run to score and make it 2-2. That was when Matt Wieters hit a ground-rule double to the warning track in left to give the O's a lead. Two more would score on a Mark Reynolds single to make it 5-2 and end Cook's night. The Red Sox got a run back on an RBI groundout in the seventh but it wasn't enough and they fell 5-3. 

Bright Spots:

Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Carl Crawford- 0-2, 2 RBI

Scott Podsednik- 1-2, 1 R

Nick Punto- 1-4, 2 R

Dull Spots:

Cody Ross- 0-4, 3 K, 3 LOB

Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:

Jacoby Ellsbury- Ellsbury's RBI double in the fifth was one of few offensive bright spots for the Red Sox as he almost knocked his second home run-- he is now .270/1/11.

Red Sox Pound Darvish, Rangers To Return To .500 (55-55)

Cook made a bid to stay in
the rotation

This series did not look promising for the Red Sox, but they still managed to pull of a big win in the first game against rookie phenom Yu Darvish. The Rangers actually scored first in this game, beginning on Nelson Cruz's leadoff double in the second inning. They quickly grabbed the first run as David Murphy singled to center. In the third inning, however, the Red Sox matched and raised the Rangers rally-- beginning with a leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury scored when Carl Crawford doubled down the first base line to put himself at second, still with no outs. There would be one out by the time Crawford came in, but he did as Adrian Gonzalez doubled on just about the same hit Crawford had. The Red Sox just kept rolling in the fourth inning, putting runners at first and second with one out. One would score when Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to left, also putting runners at second and third. Both Ellsbury and Mike Aviles (who was on third) would score on a sacrifice fly for Carl Crawford and a Dustin Pedroia double, respectively, to make it 5-1.

Pedroia had 3 doubles 

There was no more scoring for the Red Sox until a Dustin Pedroia leadoff double got things started in the seventh. Adrian Gonzalez drove Pedroia in with an RBI single but that was all they got in the inning, pushing it to 6-1. However, it was in the eighth that the Red Sox did some real damage off the Rangers' bullpen corps. With a man on first and one out, Carl Crawford doubled off the green monster in left-center to score Ellsbury from first base and make it 7-1. They kept going in the inning, though, as Dustin Pedroia walked to put runners at first and second with one out. Adrian Gonzalez delivered with a single to right to score Crawford and move Dustin Pedroia to third to put runners at the corners. One more scored in the inning on a sacrifice fly for Cody Ross to make it 9-1. The Rangers got a run on an Adrian Beltre home run in the top of the ninth, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Red Sox won.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K, W (3-5)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 3-5, 1 R, 3 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 1-3, 1 R, 1 SB
Mike Aviles- 1-3, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford did it all last night, going 2-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three runs batted in-- he is now .292/3/13.

Big Fifth Sinks Sox In Attempt For Sweep (53-52)

Cook was roughed up again

The Red Sox headed into this matchup with Aaron Cook (2-4, 4.50) going against Rick Porcello (7-6, 4.56) in a matchup of two sinkerballers. Both were effective early on but a big fifth innings for the Tigers led to a loss. After a leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury and a two-out walk by Adrian Gonzalez-- the Red Sox were in business in the first inning. Cody Ross delivered with a jam shot over to right field that fell for an RBI single. After two quick outs to start the fourth, the Tigers came roaring back with a double by Prince Fielder. Brennan Boesch would drive him in with a single up the middle that tied it at 1-1. After that came the fifth inning-- the Tigers put two runners in scoring position with one out. Austin Jackson drove one in with a hard grounder to left. Another came in when Quintin Berry grounded out to second to put a man on second for Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera did what he does best, crushing one onto Lansdowne Street for a two-run homer. However, the Tigers weren't done as Prince Fielder followed him up with a homer to center to make it 6-1.

Crawford had his second homer

From that point on, all the Red Sox could really do was claw back into the game. Craig Breslow came in to make his Red Sox debut and, in the sixth, did well. In the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox actually put together a little rally of their own. They loaded the bases on three singles to start the inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia then grounded into a double play to score a run, and Will Middlebrooks singled to right to score another and make it 6-3. After Ryan Kalish walked, it was Pedro Ciriaco with a clutch single to right to cut it to 6-4. The Red Sox cut it further in the bottom of the seventh on a leadoff home run by Carl Crawford-- his second of the year. However, the Tigers got that run right back when Delmon Young looped one around the Pesky Pole to give the Tigers a 7-5 lead which would eventually be the final after a strong ninth for Jose Valverde.

Bright Spots:
Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Junichi Tazawa- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R
Carl Crawford- 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 R
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, L (2-5)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 2 K, 5 LOB

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- This wasn't much of a game for the Red Sox offense-- despite scoring five runs-- but Cody Ross's 2-4, RBI day stood out among them-- he is now .261/16/51.

Red Sox Hit Three Bombs But Still Fall (49-51)

Cook allowed six runs in four innings

Well, we didn't really expect much more in this series-- both teams hit a lot of home runs and the Yankees came out on top. The Red Sox actually started the battle first as with two outs in the first, Dustin Pedroia drove a ball to left for a solo home run. However, the Yankees came storming back and put runners on the corners with an out in the bottom of the first. Aaron Cook's sinker worked to perfection as he got Mark Teixeira to ground a ball to Dustin Pedroia-- however, Mike Aviles was slow on the turn and allowed the run to score and the inning to stay alive. That would come back to bite the Red Sox as Raul Ibanez took Cook deep one batter later to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. The Red Sox wouldn't give up, though, as in the third, Carl Crawford hit a shot to right field and into the second deck to make it 3-2.

Pedroia hit his second homer in two
games

However, the Yankees just kept scoring and put two runners in scoring position with one out in the third. Mark Teixeira lifted one to left and into the glove of Carl Crawford-- falling for a sacrifice fly. It's a good thing they got the sac fly as in the top of the fourth, Jarrod Saltalamacchia took one to the opposite field for a solo home run to make it 4-3. But from that point on, it was all Yankees. With a man on first in the bottom of the fourth, Russell Martin absolutely crushed a ball to left field for a two-run homer to make it 6-3. It stayed at 6-3 for quite a while, all the way until the eighth inning actually. That was when the Yankees loaded the bases on a double, hit by pitch, and a walk. Curtis Granderson cashed in in the ultimate way, with a grand slam over the short porch in right. The Yankees would make it 10-3 and that would be the final in a tough loss.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Carl Crawford- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L (2-4)
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia had a very good night in a calamity of a game last night, going 2-4 with his second home run in two games-- he is now .270/8/35.

Jays' Home Runs Ruin Cook's Night (48-47)

For the most part, Cook was great

Last night was another very disappointing night for the Red Sox as things went from good to bad in a hurry off Aaron Cook. Things started off great as the Sox put a rally together in the second inning. An Adrian Gonzalez single and Cody Ross double put the Red Sox in a great position to score a few runs. They would do just that as Jarrod Saltalamacchia lifted one in the air to right for a three-run homer. The Blue Jays got right back into it in the third, though, after loading the bases on a double error and single. While it looked like things could get really bad, the only run came on a sacrifice fly by Brett Lawrie to make it 3-1. It stayed there for a while until Colby Rasmus walked with two outs in the sixth inning. On a 2-2 count, Edwin Encarnacion absolutely crushed one to left to tie it at 3-3 off Aaron Cook.


From that point on, it was all Blue Jays. Bobby Valentine left Cook in to pitch the seventh inning and was rewarded by a leadoff homer on the first pitch of the inning by J.P. Arencibia. However, the Blue Jays weren't done in the inning, as they would put two men in scoring position and two outs for Brett Lawrie. The Red Sox continued their meltdown as Lawrie singled to left to drive them both in and make it 6-3. It became 7-3 in the ninth inning as Dustin Pedroia went home on a groundball and his throw was just late. The Red Sox couldn't muster up the necessary four runs in the ninth and they lost.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-3

Dull Spots:
Franklin Morales- 0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Junichi Tazawa- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB
Carl Crawford- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Ryan Sweeney- 0-3

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Although he only went 1-4, Salty's three-run homer was undoubtedly the highlight of the night for the Red Sox-- he is now .228/18/44 this season.

Red Sox, Gonzalez, Spoil Youkilis's Return (46-44)

Cook was great but did not receive a
win last night

Last night's game was an unlikely pitching duel with Aaron Cook going up against youngster Dylan Axelrod. However, it certainly didn't start out that way for either team. With one out in the top of the first inning, familiar face Kevin Youkilis came up and received a huge standing ovation from the home fans. Afterwards, he worked out a long at bat before singling up the middle. Youkilis showed his all out hustle on the next play as Adam Dunn hit a slow roller to second. Pedro Ciriaco threw it to first to record the out as usual, but as a part of the shift they had played on Dunn-- nobody was covering third. Youkilis took sight of this and took off for third, Adrian Gonzalez's throw to the nearest man was errant and Youkilis scored. In the bottom of the first with one out, another familiar face-- Carl Crawford came up and singled up the middle. After a David Ortiz single brought him to third, he would tie the game on a line to right by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 1-1.

Gonzalez had a huge home run

However, Aaron Cook (who wasn't deserving of that run anyway) and Dylan Axelrod both settled down tremendously after that point. The score was still 1-1 when Axelrod was taken out after 6.2 strong innings of work and when Cook was taken out after 7. However, the Red Sox were not so kind against the White Sox bullpen in the following innings. After a pair of walks to lead off the eighth against Leyson Septimo, Adrian Gonzalez stepped up to the plate. He displayed some of that power that we acquired him for when he crushed a pitch over the deep part of the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. However, David Ortiz was injured rounding second and is having an MRI today-- we all hope the best. Anyways, a Mike Aviles RBI single later in the inning would score the final run to close out a strong 5-1 win.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, W (3-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 3-4, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 2 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- If not for Gonzalez, the Red Sox may not have even won this game as he went 2-4 with two of the biggest hits of the night-- an RBI single and three-run homer, he is now .288/7/50.

Red Sox Cook Up Shutout Of Mariners (41-36)

I feel extremely proud of this blog, and this post today was my 1000th post and I'd like to thank all the fans that keep this blog going. On another note, let's celebrate the win!

Cook allowed two hits in a shutout

For quite a while, this game was looking like another pitcher's duel as neither team scored for a while. Aaron Cook and Hector Noesi practically matched each other pitch for pitch. Both teams were hitless until Ryan Kalish's single in the third and Ichiro Suzuki's infield single in the fourth. Aaron Cook was incredibly economical as he was throwing far fewer than 10 pitches an inning on average and was inducing grounders right and left. The game was 0-0 heading into the top of the fifth-- but the Red Sox changed that very quickly with a big inning. Will Middlebrooks was leading off and promptly hit a hanging slider to dead left field for a long home run to give the Red Sox the lead. Cody Ross followed him up with a blast to left that made it into the upper deck and traveled an estimated 432 feet. Three batters later, it was Daniel Nava crushing a ball to right to make it 3-0 on three solo home runs.

Ross hit his 12th home run 432 feet

Cook took care of the Mariners 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth before the Red Sox got right back to business in the sixth. David Ortiz doubled into right-center to start the inning and bring up Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty took advantage of a first pitch fastball down the middle and drove it to left-center for a two-run homer to make it 5-0. After an Adrian Gonzalez single, Hector Noesi was taken out of the game with an unimpressive line of 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 0 K despite being dominant for the first four innings. Shawn Kelley came into the game and shut the Red Sox down for two innings-- striking out a batter and allowing no hits or runs. Oliver Perez came in afterwards and was almost as good-- allowing two hits and walking one but allowing no runs. Meanwhile, Aaron Cook continued to dominate and finished his night with a ridiculous 81 pitch, two-hit shutout.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 9 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 K, W (2-1)
Daniel Nava- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Aaron Cook- Cook was absolutely fantastic last night, allowing just two hits and inducing 14 groundouts in a complete game shutout as he is now 2-1/4.32/2 on the year.

Ross Powers Sox To Series Win Over Braves (38-34)

Cook made a spot start and did a
decent job

The Red Sox had a shot of bad news before today's game as Clay Buchholz was scratched from his scheduled start and added to the DL with intestinal bleeding. This meant Aaron Cook would start today's game, but Cook managed a decent start to lead the Sox out of last. Neither team scored for a while, but the Red Sox finally got a rally going in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back leadoff walks by Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks. Cody Ross came up and promptly crushed a pitch over the green monster for a three run homer to make it 3-0. Adrian Gonzalez came up next and delivered by going back-to-back with Ross and hitting a home run over the monster of his own. However, the Braves mounted a rally just as quickly as the Red Sox with back-to-back singles leading off the inning. Eric Hinske knocked a ball off the wall in center and it bounced around to result in a two-run triple. Hinske was almost picked off on the next play as Aaron Cook fielded a comebacker, but a bad throw allowed Hinske to score and make it 4-3.

Ross had two home runs and
five RBIs

Somehow the Red Sox escaped the inning only allowing three runs and got right back to business in the fifth. Kelly Shoppach led off the inning with a weak ground ball to the shortstop. Luckily, Andrelton Simmons made a rookie mistake by making a horrible throw to allow Shoppach to advance to second with no outs. Shoppach got to third on a bloop single by Daniel Nava and scored on a Will Middlebrooks sac fly to make it 5-3. The Red Sox were not done though, as Cody Ross came up and for the second time in two innings homered over the monster to give the Red Sox a 7-3 lead. Jason Heyward's opposite field home run in the sixth cut it to 7-4 but that would be the last Braves' bright spot of the game. Daniel Nava drove in Shoppach with an RBI double to left-center  in the sixth and a Kevin Youkilis RBI triple in the eighth made it 9-4. With that triple, Youkilis may have ended his Red Sox' career in style as trade rumors are buzzing. Anyhow, that and many other hits led the Red Sox to a 9-4 win and moved out of last.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Daniel Nava- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Ross powered the Red Sox to a win with two homers and five RBIs in a 2-4 game as his return has certainly aided the Sox-- he is now .277/11/37 this season.

Orioles Cook Up A Rout Over Sox (11-15)

Aaron Cook made his Red
Sox debut today

A day game after a thirteen inning night game is always a difficult task, and the Red Sox showed that today. Aaron Cook was making his Red Sox debut and, the O's first got started off Cook when Chris Davis came in on a passed ball in the second. Davis's cleats spiked Cook on his slide and Cook was never the same for the rest of the game. The Orioles put runners on first and second with one out in the third and flew from there. Nick Markakis singled on a slow liner up the middle before Adam Jones crushed a two-run homer on a hanging curveball over the monster to make it 4-0. They proceeded to put another runner in scoring position on a Matt Wieters double and a Chris Davis single. Wilson Betemit singled into right to bring in Wieters and move Davis up to second. At this point, the Red Sox realized things were not going well for Cook and pulled him from the game after going 2.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB-- entering Clayton Mortensen into the ballgame. 

He was not sharp though

Mortensen didn't open up too well, allowing a three-run homer to Mark Reynolds-- a no-doubt shot well over the green monster. Mortensen stayed in, however, and was quite good in his role with 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 5 K-- as he has started off the season very well with a 1.42 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings so far. The Sox opened up the seventh by putting Adrian Gonzalez at first base with two outs before Ryan Sweeney knocked him in with a double high off the Green Monster to make it 8-1. Cody Ross proceeded to drive Sweeney in with a little bloop single into right field to make it 8-2. Scott Atchison had come in to pitch the top of the seventh, and he stayed in for the rest of the ballgame. He pitched well with 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K as he continued a strong season-- he currently stands at 1-0/1.50/14 in 18 innings this year. Just one tough inning led the Sox to dropping an 8-2 loss in Aaron Cook's debut.

Bright Spots:

Clayton Mortensen- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 5 K

Scott Atchison- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 2B

Adrian Gonzalez- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B

Ryan Sweeney- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:

Aaron Cook- 2.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Nick Punto- 0-4, 2 K

Mike Aviles- 0-4, 6 LOB

Marlon Byrd- 0-3, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:

Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez played an excellent game for the Red Sox, with a 3-4 day-- including a double and scoring a run. 

Red Sox Battle Back In Tie To Yanks (9-7)

Cook allowed 2 runs in 4 innings

I went to bed unhappy last night-- after watching the game through the top of the eighth I was tired of watching the Red Sox bats flail (even in a spring training game)-- however, they battled back and I wish I'd seen it. After a scoreless game for the first three innings, the Yankees finally got to starter Aaron Cook for two runs in the fourth inning on an RBI triple by Curtis Granderson and an RBI single for Andruw Jones. Cook was taken out after that inning, and he wound up with 4 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 2 strikeouts in a decent outing. On a two-run single by Doug Bernier in the fifth, the Yankees took two more runs and a 4-0 lead. However, Ross Ohlendorf settled down and only allowed those two runs in his three innings. Mark Melancon pitched a perfect eighth inning-- leading to the Red Sox' half of the inning. After a popup by Mike Aviles to lead off the inning, Jason Repko doubled with one out. Pedro Ciriaco proceeded to knock him in with a double to make it a 4-1 game. Nate Spears singled to right to make it 4-2, knocking in Ciriaco. Lars Anderson then flashed some power with a double to center to make it 4-3 and really cut the lead down-- however, Anderson would be stranded. Scott Atchison allowed a hit and struck out a batter in a scoreless ninth to lead into the Red Sox' half of the inning with a 4-3 deficit. Ryan Sweeney singled to lead off the inning, and after a popup for Ryan Lavarnway, Mike Aviles doubled to put two in scoring position with one out. Bobby Valentine then put on one of the most exciting plays in baseball-- the suicide squeeze. With Jason Repko at the plate, he decided not to risk the out so he put on the squeeze and it worked-- Sweeney scored and Aviles advanced to tie it at 4-4. However, with the winning run at third and a tie game, Pedro Ciriaco struck out swinging to end the game.

Bright Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Scott Atchison- 1 inning, no runs, 1 hit, 1 strikeout
Jason Repko- 1-1, 1 run, 1 double, 1 RBI, the suicide squeeze
Nate Spears- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Lars Anderson- 1-1, 1 double, 1 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 2-4, 1 run

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-3
Dustin Pedroia- 0-2, 1 strikeout, hurt his left forearm
Kevin Youkilis- 0-2
Cody Ross- 0-3, 2 strikeouts, 1 left on base
Ryan Lavanrway- 0-2, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base

Red Sox Tie, Win In Split-Squad Double Header (8-4)

Cook threw 3.1 shutout innings

Today the Red Sox did one of the interesting quirks of spring training, two simultaneous games going on at the same time; starting at 1:05 and 1:35 eastern time. In the first game, the Red Sox played the Orioles in Sarasota. Not too much scoring happened early, with Aaron Cook tossing 3.1 shutout innings, allowing just a hit. Wei-Yin Chen of the Orioles was just as good until the fifth inning, when the Sox put Pedro Ciriaco and Ryan Lavarnway on base to lead off the inning. Nate Spears promptly homered to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. However, Clayton Mortensen allowed two runs in the sixth inning to allow the Orioles to make it a one-run game-- he finished with 2.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts as he was not sharp. Will Inman allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless seventh inning. Doug Mathis was solid for the eighth, but the O's tied it in the ninth at 3-3. The Sox kept Mathis in though-- and he turned in a decent performance with 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 strikeouts. The umpires decided to call the game after the tenth and the game ended in a tie-- another quirk of spring training.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 3.1 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Doug Mathis- 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 strikeouts
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-2, 1 walk
Ryan Lavarnway- 3-3, 1 run
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-3, 1 run
Nate Spears- 1-2, 1 run, 3 RBIs, 1 home run

Dull Spots:
Clayton Mortensen- 2.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Josh Kroeger- 0-5, 3 strikeouts, 2 left on base
Kevin Youkilis- 0-3
Ryan Dent- 0-2, 1 left on base
Kolbrin Vitek- 0-2, 1 left on base
Jonathan Hee- 0-4, 3 left on base
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beckett threw five strong innings

Shortly after that game began, a second one in Ft. Myers also started, also against the Orioles. After two scoreless innings to begin the game, the Sox took advantage of Armando Gallaraga in the third. Lars Anderson led off the inning with what should have been a leadoff double but some rough fielding by Xavier Avery made it essentially a leadoff triple. Alex Hassan didn't hesitate in driving him in with a groundout. After the Orioles tied it in the fourth, the Sox quickly reclaimed the lead. After a groundout by David Ortiz, Cody Ross doubled and Kelly Shoppach singled to put runners at the corners with one away. Nick Punto proceeded to hit a gapper to left-center, scoring Ross and giving the Sox a 2-1 lead. After a Mike Aviles popout, Lars Anderson drove a ball into left. It scored Shoppach and Punto, but Anderson was caught heading to second by left fielder Ryan Flaherty. Beckett finished his day after the top of the fifth-- in all, he earned the win with 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. The Sox proceeded to pad onto their lead in the bottom of the fifth. An Alex Hassan single and Jacoby Ellsbury double led off the inning with two in scoring position. RBI groundouts by Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz gave the Red Sox a 6-1 lead. The next batter, Cody Ross, then crushed a ball over the psuedo-monster in left to give the Sox a 7-1 lead. Ross Ohlendorf came in for the Sox and pitched well over 1.2 innings, allowing no hits or runs plus 2 walks and a strikeout. However, Junichi Tazawa was shaky in the eighth inning-- allowing 3 hits and 3 runs in just an inning. Michael Bowden closed out the 7-4 win with 2 hits in a scoreless inning.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3, 1 run, 1 double
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 home run
Kelly Shoppach- 1-3, 1 run
Nick Punto- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
Lars Anderson- 2-3, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 double
Alex Hassan- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 1 inning, 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 3 left on base

Would The Red Sox Be Ok With Padilla, Cook, and Silva?

Lately, many Red Sox fans (myself included) have been pushing for the Sox to sign a big-name pitcher like Roy Oswalt or, until recently, Edwin Jackson. I would love it if they did that, but the likelihood of that happening is very low at the moment. Therefore, today I will look into how the Red Sox could do with one of Vicente Padilla, Aaron Cook, or Carlos Silva rounding out the rotation.
     First, let's look at Vicente Padilla. Padilla has not seen a whole lot of time the past few years, as he has been derailed by injuries in 2011 and 2010, pitching in just 9 and 16 games, respectively. So, let's head back to his 2009 season, which he played for the Rangers and Dodgers. In that season, he went 12-6/4.46/97. His peripherals showed that he pretty much deserved those numbers, with a 4.45 FIP and 4.36 xFIP. His K/9 at 5.93 and BB/9 at 3.30 were both slightly worse than his career averages. His BABIP of .305 was pretty normal that year. His career stats show a 4.31/4.43/4.39 pitching line plus 6.33 K/9 and 3.17 BB/9. Overall, for a #5 starter, an ERA around 4.50 and something like 6 K/9 would be very acceptable.
     Next is Aaron Cook, who was one of a group of solid, good pitchers from about 2004-2009 until injuries derailed his career. In 18 games with the Rockies in 2011, he pitched to an unimpressive 3-10/6.03/48. However, his peripherals show that he shouldn't have been nearly as bad-- his FIP was 4.54 and his xFIP was 4.37, not too far off of Padilla's. However, his strikeouts have never been impressive, at just 4.45 in 2011 paired with a walk rate of 3.43. Still, the one thing Cook has always been able to do is make batters hit it on the ground. The sinkerballer's striking 55.1% ground ball rate in 2011 was actually lower than the 57.4% in his career.

     Like Cook, Carlos Silva doesn't strike anyone out either-- however, he doesn't walk anybody either. Silva didn't pitch in the majors in 2011, but he did pitch 21 games with the Cubs in 2010, so let's look at that year. Silva went 10-6/4.22/80 in a pretty nice year for the veteran. His peripheral stats show him as even better with a 3.75 FIP and xFIP. His strikeout rate was the best of his career at 6.37, compared to his career 4.02 per nine innings. His walk rate was stellar as always, at 1.91, compared to his career 1.73 mark. However, Silva's lack of strikeouts wouldn't bode well in the AL East, in my opinion. I think Padilla would be the best option for the #5 spot, and I actually think he could be a nice pickup-- a 4.50 ERA is never bad for a #5 guy.

Red Sox Cook Up Another Potential Starter

Last night, the Red Sox agreed to a contract with free agent starting pitcher Aaron Cook. This is likely just a depth move, but Cook could potentially compete with Carlos Silva and Andrew Miller for one of the remaining spots in the rotation in spring training. Cook was not healthy in 2011, which is becoming a trend-- the last time he played a full season was 2008. This past year, he had a tough season, going 3-10/6.03/48. But remember, his home park for his entire career is Coors Field-- where the thin air lets the ball fly for home runs more frequently than any other park in the majors. His peripherals show a different tale as his FIP was 4.54 and his xFIP was 4.37. His K/9 of 4.45 is ironically higher than his career average of 3.83 while his BB/9 was also higher than his career average at 3.43 to 2.80. However, the biggest reason the Sox signed Cook is that he is an epic ground-baller. In 2011, 55.1% of at bats ended in a groundout, just lower than his career average of 57.4%. The deal is a minor league contract, but if he gets called up to majors it is worth $1.5 million. The deal is very similar to Carlos Silva, and I like how they are taken proven major league pitchers and putting them as depth.