Bard's, Red Sox' Struggles Continue Against Jays (10-10)

Bard allowed five runs in six innings

The Red Sox' woes continue as they have now lost six of their last eight games-- dropping from 9-4 to 10-10 this spring. The Sox got going very fast in this game; Mike Aviles led off the first with a double and Jacoby Ellsbury followed him up with a triple down the first base line. Adrian Gonzalez hit a high fly ball to center fielder Colby Rasmus which would wind up as a sacrifice fly to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. They scored again in the second when Nate Spears scored on a double off the wall by Mike Aviles. However, Daniel Bard allowed the Blue Jays to tie the game-- allowing single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings. A two-run triple by Darnell McDonald would give the Sox a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning but that would be all the Red Sox scoring for the day. Two runs in the sixth inning concluded Daniel Bard's day-- he got a no decision after allowing five runs in six innings. Red Sox pitching was pretty good for the most part after Bard's departure-- Scott Atchison, Andrew Bailey, and Justin Thomas each threw scoreless innings. However, in the bottom of the tenth, Doug Mathis was not so lucky-- loaded the bases and allowing the winning run to pass on a walk-off single by Ricardo Nanita. He would end up with 0 innings pitched and the loss.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Andrew Bailey- 1 inning, no runs, 1 hit, 1 strikeout
Justin Thomas- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 2 strikeouts
Mike Aviles- 3-4, 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 RBI
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 triple
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 sac fly
Darnell McDonald- 1-3, 1 triple, 2 RBIs
Ryan Lavarnway- 3-5, 1 double
Nate Spears- 2-4, 1 run

Dull Spots:
Daniel Bard- 6 innings, 5 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Doug Mathis- 0+ innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 walks
Jackie Bradley- 0-2, 2 strikeouts
Lars Anderson- 0-2, 2 strikeouts
Felix Sanchez- 0-2, 1 strikeout
Kelly Shoppach- 0-2
Josh Kroeger- 0-2, 1 left on base
Jonathan Hee- 0-4, 7 left on base

Red Sox Pitching Varies In Split Squad Double-Header (10-9)

Doubront threw 6 strong innings

In the 1:05 game today, the Red Sox faced the Miami Marlins and some solid pitching led them to a decisive win. They got going very quick-- scoring three runs in the first inning after Jose Iglesias and Pedro Ciriaco led off the ballgame with an error and a double to put two in scoring position. A single by Cody Ross, a groundout by David Ortiz, and a single by Ryan Lavarnway would net them a 3-0 lead. The Marlins scored one in the second on a leadoff home run by Austin Kearns to cut the lead to 3-1. However, despite that blemish, Felix Doubront was very good. He pitched for 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts in a very good outing. The Sox picked up another run in the sixth after the Sox put runners at first and second with Dan Butler and Ryan Lavarnway, Ryan Sweeney would promptly drive in Butler with a ground ball single to get a 4-1 lead. The Red Sox' bullpen was very solid and preserved Doubront's lead. Doug Mathis struck out one in a perfect inning, Clayton Mortensen struck out two in a perfect inning, and Justin Thomas tossed a perfect inning to end the game. Some very strong pitching was nice to see from the Sox in this game, but it wasn't all so nice today.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Doug Mathis- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 1 strikeout
Clayton Mortensen- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 2 strikeouts
Justin Thomas- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-3, 1 run, 1 double
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 RBI
Ryan Lavarnway- 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Ryan Sweeney- 1-3, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Derrik Gibson- 0-2, 1 strikeout
Mitch Dening- 0-2, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base
Lars Anderson- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 4 left on base
Nate Spears- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 2 left on base
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Alfredo Aceves was roughed up

While the game against the Marlins exhibited some very strong pitching, the same could not be said about the 1:35 game against the Phillies. The Phillies twice in the first and four times in the second to take a 6-0 lead early on. The Sox reclaimed some of that lead when Jacoby Ellsbury hit a fly ball into right field which Hunter Pence lost in the sun-- the ball fell for a 2-run triple to make it 6-2. The Phillies continued to score, however, and knocked Alfredo Aceves out of the game after three innings-- he allowed nine runs on ten hits. Michael Bowden allowed a run in the fourth, but he settled down and allowed just that run in his two innings of work. The Sox scored in the sixth inning when three consecutive singles by Jonathan Hee, Nick Punto, and Josh Kroeger netted Kroeger an RBI single. The Sox got a little rally going in the eighth culminating in a two-run single by Peter Hissey finished the scoring with a score of 10-5. Red Sox pitchers closed out the game well with scoreless (and hitless) innings by Franklin Morales, Andrew Bailey, Vicente Padilla, and Garrett Mock-- the only baserunners came on walks by Bailey and Mock.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Andrew Bailey- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Vicente Padilla- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Garrett Mock- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 1 walk
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 triple, 2 RBIs
Peter Hissey- 1-1, 2 RBIs
Mike Aviles- 2-3
Nick Punto- 3-4
Josh Kroeger- 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 run

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 3 innings, 10 hits, 9 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 2 strikeouts, 1 left on base
Kolbrin Vitek- 0-2, 1 strikeout

Anderson's Slam Leads Sox Over Twins (1-0)

Anderson hit a grand slam today

After such a long winter, the Red Sox are finally back to playing real major league opponents; and as today's game indicated, they were ready. The first few innings of the game were quiet for both teams. Josh Beckett put together a decent start in his first game-- he pitched 2 innings, allowing no runs and a hit while walking one. His control was a bit shaky, but he came through and didn't allow any runs. In fact, the next couple of innings were still quiet-- with Andrew Miller putting on a very impressive performance-- after walking the leadoff batter in the 3rd inning, he struck out the side; he went 2 innings, allowing no runs or hits, while striking out three and walking just one. In the bottom of the 4th was when the Red Sox came through. After a baserunning gaffe in which Dustin Pedroia was out at home, Mike Aviles bounced one up the middle for a 2-run single to put the Sox on the board. However, in the 5th inning, Mark Melancon came on for his Red Sox debut and didn't do so well-- he allowed a run on two hits in the inning. After a spotless sixth by Justin Thomas, the Twins tied it on a single through the right side by Ben Revere off Tony Pena Jr. However, in the bottom of the 7th-- the Sox put the game away for good. Jason Bulger was awful, walking the bases loaded-- in fact, he even walked in the run that put the Sox ahead with a 3-2 lead. However, it wasn't a walk that hurt him most. With the bases loaded and one out, he dropped a curve into Lars Anderson's wheelhouse and Anderson turned on it, sending a high drive into the right field seats for a grand slam that made it 7-2 Sox. In the next inning, the Sox scored another on a beautiful RBI triple by Oscar Tejeda. The Twins scored in the 9th, but it was far too little and the Sox took the game 8-3. 


Bright Spots:
Andrew Miller- 2 innings, no runs, no hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Justin Thomas- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 2 strikeouts
Dustin Pedroia- 1-2, 1 double, 1 run, 1 walk
Oscar Tejeda- 1-1, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 triple
Lars Anderson- 2-2, 1 run, 4 RBI, 1 home run
Mike Aviles- 2-2, 2 RBI
Alex Hassan- 0-0, 2 walks, 2 runs


Dull Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits
Tony Pena Jr.- 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-3, 4 left on base
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-2, 1 strikeout, 2 left on base
Kelly Shoppach- 0-1, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base

Red Sox Make Three Minor Moves

For pitching depth, the Red Sox have made moves to acquire three minor league free agents. These include former Pirates lefty Justin Thomas (right), Padres righty Will Inman, and Orioles righty Chorye Spoon. Of the three, Thomas is the only one with major league experience, as he pitched 12 games for the Pirates in 2010 and 8 games for the Mariners in 2008. He has compiled a career 0-2/6.35/7 line in 17 innings in the majors. With the Indianapolis Indians (the Pirates' AAA affiliate) in 2011, Thomas had a pretty good year, going 8-2/3.89/59 in 63 games. Inman had a tough year in 2011 to say the least, going 5-11/6.15/120 in 42 games (17 starts) with the Tucson Padres (the Padres' AAA affiliate). Chorye Spoone was average in a season split between the Bowie Baysox (AA) and Norfolk Tides (AAA). Between the two, he went 7-6/4.50/80 in 31 games (19 starts). Of the three pitchers, I see Thomas as the only one who potentially would make an impact as a reliever at the major league level. On a different note, minor leaguers Drew Sutton and Tommy Hottovy have signed elsewhere: Sutton with the Braves and Hottovy with the Royals.