Crawford, Beckett, Gonzalez Gone In Huge Blockbuster

After tons of trade rumors last night involving the possibility of Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford going to Los Angeles, the deal is going to be finally made official today. Also included in this major blockbuster is Nick Punto as the Red Sox have freed up nearly $250 million in payroll space over the next several years and will take about $60 million off of 2013's guaranteed contracts. In return, the Red Sox will acquire first baseman James Loney (.254/4/33), who will probably fill in for Gonzalez for the rest of 2012. Along with Loney, the Red Sox acquired four prospects in the deal; #2 Dodgers' prospect Allen Webster plus Rubby De La Rosa, Ivan DeJesus, and Jerry Sands. Webster and De La Rosa are each highly ranked Dodgers' pitching prospects who are each close to major-league ready. Webster is 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA in Double-A Chattanooga and De La Rosa is coming off Tommy John Surgery but was 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA in 13 games in MLB last year. Sands (.303/24/101) and DeJesus (.295/3/33) have each had success in Triple-A, but haven't quite figured it out yet at the major league level-- .174/0/1 and .273/0/4 respectively. However, a change of scenery could help them out and Webster and De La Rosa should be elite pitching talent very soon. This deal is huge financially for the Red Sox as much as I hate to see Gonzalez go, it may be the right move.

Kuroda Stymies Sox As Yanks Win Series (59-63)

This game didn't look great from the pitching matchup with Josh Beckett (5-10, 5.09) and Hiroki Kuroda (11-8, 3.07). As it turned out, I was right as the Yankees coasted to a relatively easy win over the Red Sox here tonight. The Yankees got off to a predictably fast start tonight against Josh Beckett (5-10, 5.09), who has allowed 22 runs in the first inning. The Yankees got going with a leadoff double by Derek Jeter, who scored later on an RBI double by Curtis Granderson to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. It took them until the third, but the Yankees would get another rally going as they put two men on with one out. Just two bad pitches later, it was 2-0 as the Yankees put on a double steal, then Derek Jeter scored on a wild pitch.

The Yankees kept on trucking in the fourth inning when Ichiro Suzuki crushed on into the second deck in right field. It would be Ichiro again, pounding a home run to right, in the sixth inning to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead. That would be Josh Beckett's last inning as he exited after a somewhat rough outing that saw him go 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K. He would eventually be tagged with the loss and sink to 5-11, 5.23 on the season. Adrian Gonzalez got one of those runs back in the seventh by hitting a bomb over the short porch in right. However, that only made a small dent in a fantastic outing by Kuroda-- who went 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K. He was relieved by Rafael Soriano, who recorded his 31st save in a 4-1 win.

Bright Spots:
Andrew Miller- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Josh Beckett- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K, L (5-11)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 LOB
Scott Podsednik- 0-3, 2 LOB
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-3, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez's 1-4 night was not huge, but his solo home run provided the Red Sox with their only run in a tough game-- he is now .307/15/85.

Lester Shuts Down Yankees In Easy Win (59-62)

Lester lowered his ERA to 5.03

It's always nice to beat the Yankees, and especially when it's a relatively easy and stress free win powered by strong starting pitching and decent offense. The Red Sox got all of that in a nice win in the middle game of this weekend's series in New York. The Red Sox bats got off to a quick start off Yankees' rookie David Phelps, putting Carl Crawford at second base with two outs in the first. Adrian Gonzalez came up and promptly powered a low and away fastball to the opposite field for a two-run homer to make it 2-0. It took them a few innings, but the Yankees finally benefitted from a home run of their own in the fourth inning. That was when Curtis Granderson took advantage of a two-out two-strike mistake fastball by Jon Lester, left up and over the plate, pounding it into the bleachers in center field.

Gonzalez had a two-run homer

Luckily, the Red Sox got that run right back in the top of the fifth-- putting Pedro Ciriaco on first base with one out. An unusual suspect in Nick Punto got the RBI here, driving a liner into the corner in right field. Right fielder Andruw Jones bobbled the ball which allowed Punto to coast into the third after making it 3-1. After that, both starting pitchers really settled down and pitched great ball games. David Phelps (3-3, 2.53) actually put up the longest start of his young career-- going 6.2 innings and allowing 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7 in the game. However, he would get the loss due to the fine work done on the other side of the ball by Jon Lester-- who allowed a run on 5 hits in 7 innings. The Red Sox got an insurance run on a wild pitch in the ninth, but they coasted Lester's fine start to a 4-1 win.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, W (7-10)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (25)
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 4-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Nick Punto- 1-3, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-5, 1 K, 4 LOB
Cody Ross- 0-4, 4 K, 3 LOB
Ryan Lavarnway- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jon Lester- The Red Sox really took advantage of a great start here today by Jon Lester, who went seven strong innings to earn the win-- he is now 7-10, 5.03.

Buchholz Keeps Sox From Being Swept By O's (58-61)

Buchholz was great

Just a year ago, it would seem pathetic to be happy about just barely avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Orioles. However, with the Red Sox in fourth place and below .500 and the Orioles leading in the Wild Card race, it now seems good. The Orioles started out very fast after the Red Sox went down scoreless in the first, starting things off with back to back singles. They would advance to second and third on a groundout and both runners would score when Adam Jones doubled down the first base line. It didn't take the Red Sox long to answer, as they put runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the second. A pitch after working Chris Tillman to 50 pitches in the first two innings, Scott Podsednik drove a single up the middle to make it 2-1. However, the Orioles got that run right back in the bottom of the second on a homer to center by Mark Reynolds.

He threw eight strong innings

  It took them until the fifth, but the Red Sox finally came roaring back-- putting two runners in scoring position with one out. One run would score when Chris Tillman threw a wild pitch that allowed Carl Crawford to score from third. Dustin Pedroia would score when Adrian Gonzalez lifted a fly ball that wound up as a sacrifice fly to center field to tie things up at 3-3.They kept on rolling in the sixth inning, putting runners at the corners with two outs. Dustin Pedroia hit a slow roller on the ground to third base. It was about to be a groundout, but it kicked off the heel of third baseman Manny Machado's glove for an infield single. That scored one run, and two more scored in the inning on RBI singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Ross to make it 6-3. It stayed at 6-3 for quite a while and the Red Sox eventually won by that score.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K, W (11-3)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K, SV (24)
Carl Crawford- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Cody Ross- 3-5, 1 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite a shaky start, Buchholz really settled down and turned in eight good innings-- he is now 11-3, 4.19 this year.

Weekly News

This wasn't a great week for the Red Sox at 3-4, but they managed to turn it all around with a big win today against the Indians. For his second time this year, the Player of the Week is Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez pulled off a fantastic week here, batting a remarkable .393/2/14 and has really turned his season around as he's now batting .309/13/80 after a very slow start for the slugger. Meanwhile, Clay Buchholz continued his push to be the team's ace by shutting down the Indians over a complete game. After his fine performance, his numbers have entered respectability at 10-3/4.20 so far. The Performance of the Week goes to Carl Crawford's performance today against the Indians as he went 3-4 with 2 runs, 3 RBIs, and 3 doubles as he's now .280/3/16. Finally, the Game of the Week goes to today's beat-down on the Indians where they won 14-1 in an all-around great game. Next week, they get an off day tomorrow before heading to Baltimore and New York.

Red Sox Coast To Rout Over Indians (57-59)

Lester struck out 12 in 6 innings

While it's nice to see your team win close games like walk-offs, every once in a while, it's awfully fun to watch them just beat up on a team and that's what we got today. They started off hot, scoring on an RBI double by Dustin Pedroia in the first. Then again in the first as Adrian Gonzalez blasted a two-run homer to make it 3-0. The Indians got their first and only run of the game in the first on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Santana. With two men on base and two outs in the second, the Red Sox kept going as they scored twice on a double by Carl Crawford to make it 5-1. Indians starter Corey Kluber (0-0, 6.10) settled down briefly in the third before going back to doing damage in the fourth as he allowed the Red Sox to put a man on second with one out. Kelly Shoppach delivered with an RBI single to make it 6-1 and knock Kluber out after just four innings.

Crawford went 3-4 with 3 RBIs

Kluber was lucky he got out of things before they got really ugly in the fifth inning, starting with the Red Sox putting two men on and no outs. RBI singles by Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia scored those two runners and made it 8-1. Danny Valencia picked up his first RBI with the Red Sox next on a sacrifice fly. After him, Kelly Shoppach struck out to jeopardize the Red Sox chances by leaving two men on with two outs. Luckily, they delivered as Jacoby Ellsbury delivered a two-run double. He was followed by an RBI double for Carl Crawford and, two batters later, a two-run double by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 14-1. Lester continued to coast for a couple more innings after that, leaving with a line of 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K and picking up the win. The Red Sox easily held the Indians and won 14-1.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K, W (6-10)
Clayton Mortensen- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-4, 2 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 3-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 SB
Kelly Shoppach- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
None!

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford really pulled off a well rounded game here, going 3-4 with 3 doubles, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs-- he is now .280/3/16.

Red Sox Melt Down Late In Loss To Indians (56-59)

Morales got the loss in 5.1 innings

Last night was a disappointing game for the Red Sox as they went up against the Indians and rookie pitcher Zach McAllister (4-4, 3.60). However, both McAllister and his opponent-- Franklin Morales (3-2, 3.13) held the opponent scoreless for the first few innings.  The Indians finally got on the board in the third though, as former Red Sox Brent Lillibridge homered to lead things off. However, the Red Sox answered in the top of the fourth-- loading the bases with no outs for Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez delivered a shot to left that just clanged off the wall near the foul pole, scoring two easily but easily getting Dustin Pedroia out as he tried scoring from first. In the fifth, it would be Lillibridge again as the Indians put a man on second with one out for him. He delivered with an RBI single to make it 2-2.

Gonzalez had a two-run double

From that point on, things all went south for the Red Sox as the Indians continued to slowly add on runs-- starting in the bottom of the sixth. That was when the Indians filled the bases with just one out for Michael Brantley. Franklin Morales would be taken out with a line of 5.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 K and Andrew Miller came in to face Brantley, who didn't fully cash into the opportunity but he did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. In the seventh inning, Lillibride doubled to lead off the inning and was moved to third on a Casey Kotchman groundout. He would score on a suicide squeeze bunt play with Lou Marson at the plate to make it 4-2. A one out double by Carlos Santana in the eighth put a runner in scoring position, but there would be two outs by the time Ezequiel Carrera drove him in with a single to make it 5-2. Chris Perez held the Red Sox in the ninth and they lost by that score.

Bright Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R
Craig Breslow- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R
Cody Ross- 0-3, 1 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3, 1 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 1 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-2, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Despite only going 1-4, his two-run double was certainly the big hit of the night for the Red Sox, he is now .307/11/76.

Doubront Allows Big Fifth Again In Loss (55-58)

Doubront only went 4.1 innings

This was another rough game for the Red Sox as their losing streak extends to three against a team just coming off an eleven game losing skid. However, that team, the Cleveland Indians, got off to a scorching start as leadoff hitter Jason Donald homered on Felix Doubront's third pitch to make it 1-0. Doubront settled down and Ubaldo Jimenez pitched very well for the next few innings, but the Red Sox got going in the fourth. Dustin Pedroia singled to lead off the inning for Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez turned on an inside fastball to drive it well over the wall in right for a two-run homer to make it 2-1. The Red Sox kept going in the fourth as a leadoff single for Jacoby Ellsbury turned to a leadoff double as he stole second. Two batters later, he would score as Dustin Pedroia singled up the middle to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead.

Gonzalez hit his 12th homer

However, the Indians answered in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. After Casey Kotchman grounded out to start the inning, Doubront was seemingly not able to get another one-- allowing a single and a walk to the next two hitters. One would score when Asdrubal Cabrera worked a great at bat before driving a line drive past Will Middlebrooks at third and down the third base line for an RBI double. Doubront pitched around Shin-Soo Choo (rightly) to load the bases and set up the double play. It almost worked out as planned as Carlos Santana hit a hard ground ball to the right of the shortstop. It was too far to the right, though, and it got into the outfield for an RBI single to tie it up at 3-3. Doubront was taken out of the game here and Andrew Miller came in only to allow a sacrifice fly and give the Indians a 4-3 lead. It stayed that way for a few innings, but in the eighth the Indians loaded the bases with one out. Jason Donald drove in a run as he reached on a fielder's choice to make it 5-3. The Indians held the lead and the Red Sox were done.

Bright Spots:
Andrew Miller- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 BB, 1 R, 3 SB
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB
Carl Crawford- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez's two-run home run in the fourth inning was one of few bright spots in a bitter night for the Red Sox-- he is now .310/12/74.

Red Sox Come All The Way Back Only To Fall To Rangers (55-57)

Beckett was rocked by the Rangers

This game was a disappointing game for the Red Sox as it started out bad, then they came back only to fall in the end. Things started off rough as the Rangers led off the game by putting runners at the corners. Both runners scored when Josh Hamilton tripled on a high fly ball that rattled around in the triangle in center field. Hamilton scored on an Adrian Beltre sacrifice fly to give the Rangers an early 3-0 cushion. However, the Red Sox came storming back in the bottom of the first-- starting with just a man on first and two outs. That man, Dustin Pedroia, scored on a double by Adrian Gonzalez-- who would score on a single by Cody Ross to cut it to 3-2 in just the first inning. After a scoreless second inning, the Red Sox tied the game up in the third on a solo shot to left for Cody Ross. It took them until the fifth, but the Rangers got some homers of their own-- a solo shot to center for Mitch Moreland and a two-run shot to right to make it 6-3.

Middlebrooks hit his 15th
home run

However, the Red Sox came right back in the bottom of the fifth-- starting on a leadoff triple by Carl Crawford. Crawford scored on a double by Adrian Gonzalez, who eventually scored on a passed ball to cut it to 6-5. That was when things got rough for the Red Sox-- starting on a leadoff single in the sixth. That would be followed up by a two-run homer for Geovany Soto, crushed to left to make it 8-5. The Rangers tacked on another run in the seventh when Nelson Cruz went deep over the monster. However, that seventh was when things turned for the Red Sox-- starting with a leadoff single for Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia scored on a double by Adrian Gonzalez, who was followed with a walk to put men at first and second. Will Middlebrooks came up and promptly tied the game with a three-run homer to make it 9-9. Unfortunately, the Rangers got the go-ahead run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Beltre and won 10-9. 

Bright Spots:

Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 2 R

Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 3 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI

Cody Ross- 3-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Will Middlebrooks- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI

Dull Spots:

Josh Beckett- 5 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-5, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:

Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez was a doubles machine today, hitting three doubles to go with three runs and three RBIs-- he is now .310/11/72. 

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.

Morales, Gonzalez Power Sox To Avoid Sweep (54-55)

Morales got his third win

If the Red Sox had been swept by the Twins today, it would be about time to punt this season and sell on the waiver wire. However, with Franklin Morales going for them, they managed to pull off a solid win in Boston. It took them a few innings, but they finally got an early rally going in the third inning. A single and a double put runners at second and third with no outs. They would score one in the inning when Carl Crawford grounded out to shortstop and another when Adrian Gonzalez drove Jacoby Ellsbury in with a bloop single to center. The Twins finally cracked the scoreboard after a leadoff walk and stolen base for Alexi Casilla. He would eventually score on a deep sacrifice fly by Ben Revere. However, the Red Sox would more than make up for that run as Adrian Gonzalez powered a two-run homer over the monster in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1.

Gonzalez drove in three runs

That fifth inning blemish was the only bad mark on a very strong start for Franklin Morales, seeing him go 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K. The Red Sox continued to add onto their lead, starting in the seventh inning. That was when they put runners at first and second with one out for Cody Ross. Ross delivered by driving a ground ball back up the middle to score a run and make it 5-1. A one out double by Ryan Kalish in the eighth set the Red Sox up to score some more. Kalish stole third and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacoby Ellsbury. Vicente Padilla came into the game in the ninth, with a five run lead. However, he did his best to cut that lead-- allowing a leadoff home run to Josh Willingham and later, a two-run homer to Ryan Doumit. Luckily, Alfredo Aceves did what he couldn't do last night-- shut the door with a 1-2-3 inning to put the Red Sox at just a game under .500.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K, W (3-2)
Mark Melancon- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (23)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-5, 2 R, 1 SB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 SB
Ryan Kalish- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SB
Mike Aviles- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez's bat powered the Red Sox in this game as he went 2-3 with a two-run homer and an RBI single and is now .304/11/66 this season.

Doubront Blows Early Lead As Sox Fall In Extras (53-54)

Doubront allowed a four run
fifth inning

Last night was a really depressing game as the Red Sox raced out to an early lead, only to be met by disappointment as the Twins came back to tie and eventually win the game. After scoreless first innings by both teams, a leadoff double by Justin Morneau got the Twins going in the second. He would score later on a soft single up the middle by Darin Mastroianni to give the Twins an early lead. However, the Red Sox caught right up in the bottom of the second on a two-out double by Carl Crawford. The rally would be complete when Crawford scored on a single by Kelly Shoppach to tie it at 1-1. That was it for that inning, but the third was when the Red Sox really did some damage against Twins starter Brian Duensing. They scored one run when they led off the third with three straight singles (Dustin Pedroia, Cody Ross, Adrian Gonzalez). The next two hitters got out, leaving men at first and second for Carl Crawford. On a 2-0 count, Crawford popped up a ball to first baseman Justin Morneau. However, Morneau overran it and dropped the routine popup. On the next pitch, Crawford hit a three-run homer to right.

Crawford hit his third home run

That 5-1 lead gave Felix Doubront a nice cushion to work with, and he did for a few innings. However, in the fifth, the Twins offense did their damage for the night-- loading the bases on two singles and a walk with one out. Doubront promptly walked a run in with Josh Willingham at the plate to cut it to 5-2. That was when Justin Morneau (who had a great game) popped a little bloop single into center field to score two runs and cut it to 5-4, still with only one out. Danny Valencia proceeded to line a ball into the right field corner which Cody Ross somehow caught-- the run scored on the play, but it could've been much worse and the Red Sox escaped the inning tied. It stayed tied for a while, until the tenth to be exact. That was when Darin Mastroianni led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, he would score when Jamey Carroll blooped a ball to center and that was that, the Twins won 6-5.

Bright Spots:
Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 1 R
Cody Ross- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 2-5, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Felix Doubront- 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Vicente Padilla- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K
Will Middlebrooks- 0-5, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford came just a triple short of the cycle in a 3-5 ballgame, doubling, scoring twice, and hitting his third home run-- he is now .254/3/8 this season.

Lester Strong But Bats Can't Keep Up In Shutout Loss (53-53)

Lester allowed 3 runs in 7 innings

Last night was a weird game for the Red Sox-- usually when they lose, it's because the pitching is awful or something along those lines. However, last night it was the offense and to add insult to injury, they got shut out by rookie Sam Deduno. The Red Sox put runners at first and second with two outs in the first on two walks but that was just about the only scoring chance they got. After two 1-2-3 innings to start the night for Lester, he ran into a bit of trouble in the third inning. Brian Dozier led off the inning with a single, but the next two hitters flew out and grounded out-- advancing him to second-- to leave him at second with two outs. Denard Span delivered with a double down the first base line to score Dozier. Span would score when Ben Revere delivered a bloop single into left field to make it 2-0.

However, he was tagged with the loss

It stayed scoreless until the sixth, when the Twins put together a two out rally. After recording two quick outs to start the frame, Lester got into some trouble when Justin Morneau doubled into the corner in left field. Morneau would score when Ryan Doumit doubled into right field to make it 3-0. Lester put together 1-2-3 seventh and eighth innings, but the eighth was his last inning as he exited with a line of 8 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 7 K. However, Alfredo Aceves ruined any chance of a close game when he entered the ninth inning. After striking out Justin Morneau to start things off, he walked Ryan Doumit. However, Doumit was promptly picked off to leave nobody on and two outs. He allowed a single to Danny Valencia, though, and Brian Dozier came up. Dozier delivered with a home run over the monster to make it 5-0 and ensure a loss for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 8 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 7 K, L (5-9)
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 1 2B, 1 BB

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4
Carl Crawford- 0-4, 1 K
Will Middlebrooks- 0-3, 2 LOB
Ryan Kalish- 0-3, 1 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-3, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Jon Lester- Despite being tagged with the loss, Lester gave his all last night and pitched very well with eight strong innings-- he is still having a rough year at 5-9/5.36/113 though.

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 Turn It On Late To Escape Last Place (52-51)

Buchholz lowered his ERA to 4.75

This was a good all around game for the Red Sox. However, it certainly didn't look like one when Austin Jackson of the Tigers led off the game with a home run on the second pitch of the ballgame. However, Clay Buchholz didn't let the first inning get out of hand and it was still 1-0 when the Red Sox came up to bat. Jacoby Ellsbury worked an excellent nine pitch walk and was promptly driven in as Carl Crawford knocked one high off the left-center portion of the monster. The ball got away from Austin Jackson a bit and Crawford coasted into third with an RBI triple. He would score on a groundout by Dustin Pedroia. However, the Tigers would tie things up in the third after Omar Infante tripled on a ball strikingly similar to Carl Crawford's. He would eventually score on a one-out single by Miguel Cabrera to tie it at 2-2.

Pedroia hit his 9th home run

It was still just 2-2 when Carl Crawford walked to lead off the sixth inning. However, it wouldn't be tied much longer as Dustin Pedroia took advantage of a high fastball and crushed it over the monster for a two-run homer to make it 4-2. With Brennan Boesch on first and one out, Alex Avila made the game a bit closer by splitting the game perfectly for an RBI double. The Red Sox got insurance in the bottom of the seventh though, starting with a leadoff triple by Kelly Shoppach. He would score when Jacoby Ellsbury lined a low pitch into right field for an RBI single to give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. They'd get the ultimate insurance in the eighth, though, after a leadoff single by Adrian Gonzalez. Will Middlebrooks saw a pitch to his liking and sent it over the Green Monster for his 13th home run to give the Red Sox a 7-3 lead. They'd win by that score to get out of last and above .500.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (9-3)
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4
Kelly Shoppach- 1-4, 1 R, 1 3B

Dull Spots:
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite a somewhat rough start for Buchholz, he really turned things around, working eight strong innings for the win-- he is now 9-3/4.75/77 this season.

Weekly News

I expected this to be a very rough week for the Red Sox as they were facing the two best teams in the American League-- Texas and New York-- on the road. However, I was pleasantly surprised as they put up a 3-3 week and are now 51-51 this year. For his third time this year, the Player of the Week is Will Middlebrooks-- who batted .435/1/3 this week and is now .300/12/45 this season, as he'd be a frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year any other season. Now tied for first with his fifth time this year, the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz's strong seven innings (one run, one strikeout) lowered his ERA below 5.00 for the first time this season, as he's now 8-3/4.93/73 this season and has been the Red Sox' best pitcher since April. The Performance of the Week belongs to Adrian Gonzalez for his 3-5 performance on Saturday. Along with going 3-5, he also had a home run and 4 RBIs. Finally, the Game of the Week was last night's 3-2 extra inning win. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox will take on Detroit for three and Minnesota for four-- both at home.

Red Sox Start And Finish Strong In Clutch Win (50-51)

Lester was good apart from the fifth

It's such a relief to finally get a win in a tough stretch like this, and the Red Sox finally got one yesterday. They started out very strong as Pedro Ciriaco and Dustin Pedroia each singled with one out in the first. Ciriaco would score when Adrian Gonzalez doubled to right, also pushing Dustin Pedroia to third. Both Pedroia and Gonzalez would score on a double by Will Middlebrooks to make it 3-0 in just the first inning. The Yankees would get on the scoreboard in the third inning on a home run by Chris Stewart to cut it to 3-1 off Jon Lester. However, the Red Sox would give Lester a little bit of insurance in the fifth inning when Pedro Ciriaco singled and Dustin Pedroia walked with two outs. Adrian Gonzalez came up and promptly hit one up and over the short porch in right field to make it 6-1.

Ciriaco's three runs and Gonzalez's
four RBIs were huge in this game

However, Lester would cough that lead back up almost immediately as he allowed a leadoff walk to Andruw Jones. That walk would quickly turn into two runs as Jayson Nix got ahold of one for a two-run shot to right. After putting two runners in scoring position with one out, the Yankees took another run on an RBI groundout by Derek Jeter to cut it to 6-4. It took until the eighth inning for the Yankees to finish what they had started, after a leadoff single by Raul Ibanez. The next two batters struck out, to bring up Mark Teixeira with a man on first and two outs. Teixeira did what he does best and crushed one to deep right to tie the game at 6-6. Luckily, the Red Sox came storming back in the ninth on a one-out walk by Jacoby Ellsbury. He would score when Pedro Ciriaco hit a fly ball to center that was misplayed by Curtis Granderson and fell for an RBI triple. Dustin Pedroia knocked Ciriaco in with a sac fly and the Red Sox would win 8-6.

Bright Spots:
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (22)
Pedro Ciriaco- 3-5, 3 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 1 BB, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Daniel Nava- 1-3

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 K
Kelly Shoppach- 0-4, 2 K, 3 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 3 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez continues to ride his hot streak, as he went 3-5 with a home run, a double, and four RBIs yesterday-- he is now .294/10/62 on the year.

Weekly News

This was a week of major ups and downs for the Red Sox-- starting off with a great 3-1 series against the White Sox and finishing with a sweep to the (formerly) last place Blue Jays-- a 3-4 week in total. For the first time this year, the Player of the Week is the sizzling Adrian Gonzalez-- who went .428/3/12 this week and is now .296/9/58 this season. For his fourth time this year (second on the team), the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz went eight strong innings, allowing one run, on Thursday night's game against the White Sox and is now 8-3/5.19/72 this season. The Performance of the Week would be obvious if you've watched the Red Sox this week, but if not, the answer is Cody Ross on Wednesday, when he went 3-5 with two three-run home runs and a double. Finally, the Game of the Week is Thursday night when Cody Ross knocked a three-run walk off home run to conclude the White Sox series. Next week, the Red Sox will have a tough week as they'll head to Texas for three, take a day off, and head to New York for three more.

Lester Hammered As Sox Return To Last (48-48)

Lester was simply crushed in every
aspect

This was a horrible game from start to finish, and I don't even want to write about it. The Blue Jays started off ridiculously strong as Brett Lawrie homered on the first pitch of the game, a sign of what was to come. After a walk and a single, Edwin Encarnacion drove in a run with a ground-rule double and J.P. Arencibia drove in another with a groundout. They took two more in the inning on an RBI double by Rajai Davis and an RBI bunt by Jeff Mathis to give them a very early 5-0 lead. However, the Red Sox bats came out strong too as they put runners at the corners with one out. Adrian Gonzalez came through with a bomb to right-center to score three and put the Red Sox right back in it at 5-3. That was before a second inning where back-to-back home runs over the monster by J.P. Arencibia and Rajai Davis netted the Jays four runs and a 9-3 lead, though.

Tazawa tossed three shutout innings

A rare sight in this game, a couple of scoreless innings followed that second. The Red Sox finally broke the snide with a sacrifice fly in the fourth that cut it to 9-4. However, a two-run shot by Travis Snider in the fifth extinguished that hope. The Red Sox would benefit from a homer of their own in the fifth, though, as Jacoby Ellsbury lifted one to center to make it 11-5. A two-out double by Ryan Sweeney in the sixth set up an RBI double for Mike Aviles, who scored on an RBI single by Nick Punto to make it 11-7 and make it reasonably close. However, it wouldn't stay that way for long as the Blue Jays erupted in the eighth for four runs to make it 15-7 and officially close the book on a miserable game and a miserable series for the Red Sox.


Bright Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Jon Lester- 4 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 5 BB, 2 K, L (5-8)
Mark Melancon- 0.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R
Daniel Nava- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Cody Ross- 0-4, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez's first inning home run was one of very few bright spots in a horrible game, he is now .296/9/58 this season.

Ross, Gonzalez Back Doubront's Fine Start (47-45)

Doubront earned his 10th win
of the season

Once in a while, it's fun to just watch the Red Sox beat down on another team, and we got just that last night. As they have in every other game this series, the White Sox actually scored first. Back-to-back leadoff singles by Alejandro De Aza plus a double play ball put a runner on third with two outs for Paul Konerko. Konerko went the other way with an outside pitch and dropped a single in front of right fielder Cody Ross. However, also like every other game in this series, the Red Sox matched the White Sox in the first inning. A leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury put a man on second with two outs for Adrian Gonzalez-- who delivered with a liner to right to score Ellsbury easily and tie the game at 1-1. However, the real damage started in the third, when the Red Sox led off the inning with singles by Ellsbury and Carl Crawford-- putting runners at the corners and no outs. Cody Ross, batting #3, came up and wrapped it around the Fisk Pole for a moonshot three-run homer to make it 4-1.

Ross had a monster game with two
three-run homers

However, the Red Sox weren't nearly done and by the fourth inning had another chance of scoring. Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury reached on singles and stood at first and second with two outs for Cody Ross again. Ross did pretty much exactly what he had done in his last at bat-- homering onto Lansdowne Street in left-center for another three-run homer to make it 7-1. The Red Sox weren't even done in that inning though, as Adrian Gonzalez put one of his own in the monster seats to give the Red Sox a commanding 8-1 lead in just the fourth inning. They had a bit left though, as a hit by pitch and a Cody Ross double put two in scoring position to lead off the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez delivered with a line drive to right-center to score both with a two-run single that would make it 10-1. The Red Sox held them to that and won by that score.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K, W (10-4)
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-4, 3 R, 1 2B
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 2 R
Cody Ross- 3-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 1 2B, 6 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI

Dull Spots:
None!

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Ross really lit up the Red Sox offense last night, with two home runs, a double, and six RBI's to add to his great .269/15/47 season.