Beckett's Fourth Inning Woes Lead To A Series Split With Royals (64-39)

Today, the Red Sox suffered a tough 4-3 loss at the hands of the Royals as the Red Sox bats were stifled by Luke Hochevar and the Royals. In the 3rd, after a single by Jason Varitek and a double off the green monster by Yamaico Navarro, the Sox were in a good spot to score with no outs and two runners in scoring position. And score is what they did as Jacoby Ellsbury laced a 2-run single down the right field line to make it 2-0. However, the Royals responded in the 4th, after walks to Alex Gordon and Mitch Maier to lead off the inning, Billy Butler deposited one into the center field seats to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. Later in the inning, back-to-back doubles by Jeff Franceour and Mike Moustakas made it 4-2 in the 4th. In the 8th inning, the Sox cut into the deficit as Dustin Pedroia homered over the green monster to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, and make it a 4-3 game, but it wasn't enough.

Outside of the 4th inning, Josh Beckett was very good, but overall he allowed 4 runs and struck out 8 in 7 innings, as he earned the loss and is now 9-4/2.09/115. He was relieved with Franklin Morales and Matt Albers with a scoreless inning each. Jacoby Ellsbury only went 1-4, but his one hit was big as it landed him 2 RBIs. Dustin Pedroia (left) went 1-3 with a solo home run, as he is now .308/15/54, as he is having a great season, even more so on this streak. Adrian Gonzalez went 2-4, raising his average to a fantastic .352 mark. Drew Sutton also had a good game offensively, going 2-4 despite a blunder in left field. Tomorrow, the Sox will head to Chicago to face the other Sox and will send Tim Wakefield (6-3/5.15/47) against Gavin Floyd (8-9/4.11/90) and the White Sox.

Bright Spots:

Josh Beckett- aside from the 4th inning, Beckett was very good, striking out 8

Franklin Morales- a scoreless inning of relief

Matt Albers- a scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4 with a 2-run single

Dustin Pedroia- 1-3 with a solo home run

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4

Drew Sutton- 2-4

Jason Varitek- 1-3 with a run scored

Yamaico Navarro- 1-4 with a run scored and a crushed double

Dull Spots:

Kevin Youkilis- 0-4 with a strikeout and 3 runners left on base

David Ortiz- 0-4 with a strikeout and 2 runners left on base

Josh Reddick- 0-4 with a strikeout

This was a tough game, and we split a series to the Royals, that's going to be a horror movie. Red Sox Split Series To Royals! Rated R for language and violence, I can see it now.

Red Sox Salvage Series, Avoid Sweep (46-34)

Today the Red Sox avoided a sweep at the hands of the Phillies in a 5-2 win. The Red Sox took their first lead of the day in the 5th inning on RBI singles by Drew Sutton and Jacoby Ellsbury to make it 2-0. In the 6th, Jason Varitek knocked a solo home run to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. In the top of the 8th the Red Sox took a 5-0 lead on back-to-back home runs by Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek, Varitek's second home run of the day. In the 9th, the Phillies scored their only runs of the day on a 2-run homer by Ryan Howard to make it 5-2, but that was it.

Jon Lester (top right) pitched very well, allowing just 2 hits in 7 shutout innings. He rightly earned the win and is now 10-4/3.43/105 as he is having a great year. Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless inning before Bobby Jenks allowed Howard's homer, recording 1 out. Jonathan Papelbon earned his 15th save of the year afterwards. Jacoby Ellsbury had a great game, going 3-5 with an RBI, as he is now .300/9/40. Dustin Pedroia only went 1-5, but his one hit was a big one as it was his 7th home run of the season. Jason Varitek (left) had a very good game, going 2-4 with 2 solo home runs, as he is now .248/5/17. Josh Reddick went 2-4 and scored a run, as he is on a tear, batting .444. Drew Sutton went 2-4 with a run and an RBI as he is .310/0/6 as he's been good when called upon. Marco Scutaro went 2-4. Tomorrow, the Sox head to Houston and will send Tim Wakefield (4-3/4.54/33) against Bud Norris (4-6/3.36/100) and the Astros.

Bright Spots:

Jon Lester- 7 shutout innings and the win

Daniel Bard- a scoreless inning

Jonathan Papelbon- his 15th save

Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5 with an RBI

Jason Varitek- 2-4 with 2 solo home runs

Josh Reddick- 2-4 with a run

Drew Sutton- 2-4 with a run and an RBI

Marco Scutaro- 2-4

Dull Spots:

Bobby Jenks- 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning

Darnell McDonald- 0-3 with 3 runners left on base

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

This was a good game for the Sox and they played really well.

Lackey Not Lacking As Red Sox Rout Brewers (42-27)

Last night the Red Sox beat the Brewers 10-4 to extend to having won 12 of the last 13 games. The Brewers scored early in the 1st, as Casey McGehee singled up the middle scoring 2. In the bottom of the 1st, the Red Sox came right back with a solo home run by Jacoby Ellsbury and an RBI double by David Ortiz to tie it at 2-2. In the bottom of the 2nd, a 2-run single by Kevin Youkilis made it 4-2 Red Sox. However, the Brewers came back in the 3rd with an RBI single by Prince Fielder and Nyjer Morgan scoring on a double play. In the 5th, the Red Sox took a permanent lead, however, on a home run by Adrian Gonzalez. In the 6th, an RBI double by Jason Varitek and an RBI single for Dustin Pedroia made it 7-4. In the 7th, Drew Sutton scored on an error by Craig Counsell and a 2-run single for J.D. Drew finally made it 10-4.

John Lackey really settled down after a bad start, winding up going 8 innings, allowing 4 runs. He earned the win, and he is now 5-5/7.02/34. Matt Albers relieved him with a scoreless inning. Jacoby Ellsbury only went 1-5, but he did have the solo home run, and is now .312/8/34. Adrian Gonzalez (left) had a great game, going 3-4, and scoring 3 runs along with a solo home run, as he is now .352/15/62. Kevin Youkilis went 1-2 with 2 RBIs before he was taken out in the 5th due to illness. Drew Sutton relieved him and went 2-3, scoring a run. David Ortiz had a very good game, going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Carl Crawford went 1-1 before he was taken out in the 1st for a hamstring strain. Darnell McDonald, his replacement, went 0-3 with an RBI and a run. J.D. Drew had a good game as well, going 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Tonight, Jon Lester (9-2/3.73/87) and Randy Wolf (4-4/3.20/65) will start against one another.

Bright Spots:

John Lackey- he really settled down after a rough first few, going 8 innings

Matt Albers- a scoreless inning of relief

Adrian Gonzalez- 3-4 with 3 runs scored and a solo home run

Kevin Youkilis/Drew Sutton- 3-5 with a run and 2 RBIs between the two of them

David Ortiz- 3-5 with a run and an RBI

J.D. Drew- 1-3 with a run and 2 RBIs

Dull Spots:

Nobody!

The Red Sox really fired on all cylinders today, as they've been doing for most of June, and it really shows.

Red Sox Unable To Come Back Against White Sox (30-25)

The White Sox got off to an early lead in the 2nd inning, as with the bases loaded, Gordon Beckham singled through the left side to make it 1-0. It quickly became 2-0 as Jed Lowrie botched a ground ball by Brent Morel to shortstop. Still with the bases loaded, Alexei Ramirez singled right up the middle, scoring two and making it 4-0. In the 3rd, the White Sox padded their lead as an A.J. Pierzynski double hopped into the crowd, scoring Paul Konerko and making it 5-0. In the bottom of the 3rd, Jason Varitek lined a ball into the bullpen for a home run, making it 5-1 White Sox. In the 4th, Brent Morel scored after Alexei Ramirez was caught in a rundown after a single to center, making it 6-1. In the 6th, the White Sox put runners on second and third with one out, both of whom came on in a single by Juan Pierre. Carlos Quentin proceeded to hit one of the green monster, scoring Pierre and making it 9-1. Paul Konerko then knocked a sacrifice fly out to right field, scoring Alexei Ramirez and making it 10-1. In the bottom of the eighth, Josh Reddick came in to score on a Drew Sutton single to make it 10-2. However, the Red Sox got a bunch back as Drew Sutton and Kevin Youkilis came around on an opposite field home run by David Ortiz over the green monster to make it 10-5. In the 9th, after the Red Sox put runners on the corners with 1 out, before a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick to make it 10-6. Then Drew Sutton doubled to right field, scoring Jason Varitek and making it 10-7, but that would be it.

Alfredo Aceves was not good at all for the Sox, allowing 8 runs, 6 earned in 5 innings, earning the loss and making him 2-1/3.51/18. Scott Atchison was not much better, allowing 2 runs in 2 innings of relief. Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler, coming off the DL, each threw scoreless innings. After Dustin Pedroia went to the bench after an 0-2 day, Drew Sutton came in and performed nicely, going 2-2 with a run and 2 RBIs. David Ortiz had a very good game, going 2-4 with that big 3-run homer, as he is now .310/12/27. Jason Varitek had a very good game, going 3-4 with 2 runs scored and a solo home run, he is now .235/2/8. Today at 1:35, Tim Wakefield (2-1/4.14/16) will try to stop a sweep against Gavin Floyd (5-5/3.69/56).

Bright Spots:

Bobby Jenks- a scoreless inning of relief

Dan Wheeler- a scoreless inning of relief

Drew Sutton- 2-2 with a run and 2 RBIs off the bench

David Ortiz- 2-4 with a three-run homer

Jason Varitek- 3-4 with 2 runs and a solo shot

Dull Spots:

Alfredo Aceves- 6 earned runs in 5 innings

Scott Atchison- 2 runs in 2 innings of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-3 with a strikeout

J.D. Drew- 0-4 with 3 runners left on base

Although the Sox scored 6 unanswered runs, this was still a tough loss.

Wow, This is Like Little League, With a Good PItcher! (28-22)

Wow, the Red Sox have scored 14 runs, twice in a row, off two different teams, as they beat the Tigers 14-1 today. The Red Sox got on top early in the 2nd inning on an RBI double by Drew Sutton. It got to be 2-0 on an RBI single by Josh Reddick, as the rookies were contributing. Later in the inning, Jacoby Ellsbury capped the rally with a 3-run homer deep to right field to make it 5-0. With 2 runners on in the 3rd inning, Carl Crawford knocked a 2-run triple off the wall in right center to make it 7-0. In the 4th, an RBI single by AlexAvila was the Tigers' only run of the game, making it 7-1. However, an error by Scott Sizemore on a hit by Adrian Gonzalez, and scoring Josh Reddick made it 8-1. Another RBI triple by Carl Crawford was hit in the 7th inning, and made it 9-1. However, in the 8th, an RBI double by Dustin Pedroia and an RBI single by Adrian Gonzalez pushed it to 11-1. Then another RBI double by Drew Sutton and a 2-run single by Josh Reddick made it 14-1, before the game was called due to rain.

Alfredo Aceves (top right) definitely pitched well today, allowing just a run on 5 hits in 6 innings, earning the win and making him 2-0/2.22/17, as he's been very good. Matt Albers followed him with a scoreless inning, and that was it for pitchers due to rain. Jacoby Ellsbury had a great day, going 1-3 with 2runs and that 3-run homer, as he is now .296/5/26. Dustin Pedroia went 1-5 with an RBI double and a run, and Adrian Gonzalez did the same, with an RBI single. David Ortiz went 2-3 and scored 3 runs, pushing the average to a great .309 mark. Carl Crawford went 4-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, along with 2 triples, as he is now .244/3/19. Drew Sutton had a great game, going 2-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs, and Josh Reddick went 3-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, as the rookies really did contribute. Tomorrow, the Sox will send Tim Wakefield (1-1/4.50/14) against Rick Porcello (4-2/3.08/30).

Bright Spots:

Alfredo Aceves- 1 run in 6 innings, in a very good start

Matt Albers- a scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3 with 2 runs and a 3-run homer

David Ortiz- 2-3 with 3 runs scored

Carl Crawford- 4-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, along with 2 triples

Drew Sutton- 2-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs

Josh Reddick- 3-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs

Dull Spots:

Nobody!

This was a great game for the Red Sox, every player in the lineup had at least one hit, wow!

Red Sox Explode On Indians, Talbot (27-22)

Today, well, the Red Sox edged the Indians in a very close game of 14-2 baseball. The scoring all started in the 1st inning, when Dustin Pedroia went deep, scoring Jacoby Ellsbury and making it 2-0. An RBI single by Carl Crawford and another by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to follow made it 4-0 Red Sox. Carl Crawford came in on a Mike Cameron sacrifice fly before RBI singles by Drew Sutton and Dustin Pedroia put it at 7-0, in the 1st inning. Drew Sutton came in on an Adrian Gonzalez single to make it 8-0 Red Sox. In the 4th inning, Carl Crawford homered, making it 9-0 Red Sox in the 4th inning. In the top of the 6th, David Ortiz hit a solo home run to make it 10-0 before a 3-run shot by Jarrod Saltalamacchia made it 13-0. A Jacoby Ellsbury double scoring Mike Cameron made it 14-0 and concluded the Red Sox' scoring. In the 8th inning, Adam Everett and Travis Buck came in to score on a single Shelley Duncan single to conclude the Red Sox outing at 14-2.

Even though he didn't really need to, Jon Lester (top right) dazzled, allowing 3 hits and no runs through 6 strong innings. Lester earned the win, pushing him to 7-1/3.36/70, as he has been great this year. Dan Wheeler and Scott Atchison sandwiched two runs in an inning by Franklin Morales with scoreless innings each. Jacoby Ellsbury had a very good day, going 3-4 with a run and an RBI. Dustin Pedroia went 2-6 with a homer and 3 RBI, as he is now .249/3/14 after a slow start. Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz each went 2-6 with a run and RBI, except Ortiz's came on a solo home run, as he is now .303/10/23. Carl Crawford (top left) went 4-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI as well as a home run, as he is now .229/3/16, after a very slow start. Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-4 with a 3-run homer, as he is now .240/4/15. Mike Cameron had a rare good day, going 2-4 with a run scored. Drew Sutton went 3-5 with 2 runs and an RBI, as he is now .333/0/1 after coming up from the minors. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will head to Detroit, and will send Alfredo Aceves (1-0/2.42/11) against Max Scherzer (6-1/2.98/60).

Bright Spots:

Jon Lester- 3 hits and no runs in 6 scoreless innings, earning the win

Dan Wheeler- a scoreless inning of relief

Scott Atchison- a scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-4 with a run and an RBI

Dustin Pedroia- 2-6 with a homer and 3 RBIs

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-6 with a run and an RBI

David Ortiz- 2-6 with a solo home run

Carl Crawford- 4-4 with 3 runs, 2 RBIs, and a home run

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4 with 2 runs and a 3-run homer

Mike Cameron- 2-4 with a run and RBI

Drew Sutton- 3-5 with 2 runs and an RBI

Dull Spots:

Franklin Morales- 2 runs in an inning could have been costly on any other occasion

Well, this was a satisfying win, I'll leave it at that for the sake of Indians fans.