Ciriaco The Hero As Sox Return To .500 (51-51)

Doubront held the Yankees to a run

Both this game and this series were must-wins for the Red Sox-- and despite quite a bit of difficulty over the series, they won. With this series win over the Yankees, the Red Sox are back somewhat to respectability at .500. Plus, with Felix Doubront (10-5, 4.54 ERA) and Hiroki Kuroda (10-7, 3.34) going against each other, it didn't look quite so promising. Luckily, the Red Sox had the first blow after an Adrian Gonzalez single and Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk would put runners at first and second with two outs. The struggling Ryan Sweeney (1-16 since the All-Star Break) stepped up to the plate and drove a ball into the gap in left-center. It was going to score Gonzalez anyways, but Andruw Jones took a bad route in left field that allowed Saltalamacchia to score from first and give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.

Ciriaco had the go-ahead RBI single

It stayed at 2-0 for quite a while as Doubront and Kuroda each pitched well for some time. The Yankees finally got on the board in the seventh inning when Russell Martin led things off with an opposite field home run to right. Two batters later, Doubront was pulled with a line of 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 8 K. The Yankees would strand two in that inning, but got right back to business in the eighth. After a two-out double by Andruw Jones, it was Martin again with a single up the middle to tie things up at 2-2. Neither team scored in the ninth, so it took them until the tenth to get going. A leadoff walk by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a single for Will Middlebrooks (after a questionable call on a hit by pitch which led to Bobby Valentine being ejected) led runners at the corners with an out. It was Pedro Ciriaco with the key hit-- a blooper to right-- to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead and eventually the win.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 8 K
Alfredo Aceves- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (2-6)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 1 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB
Ryan Sweeney- 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Pedro Ciriaco- Ciriaco continues to rack up hits against the Yankees with a very clutch RBI single last night to give the Sox a late lead-- he is now .349/0/8 since being called up.

Red Sox Rock Tigers To Open Series (24-24)

Felix Doubront pitched a
great win and won his fifth

It just keeps happening like this: the Red Sox reach .500, lose the next  game, then reach .500 again and it happened again today as the Red Sox became 24-24 on the year. Things started off fast for the Red Sox-- as they got a two out rally going in the first inning. Adrian Gonzalez singled into right with two outs before David Ortiz drove him in with a double down the third base line to make it 1-0. The Tigers would tie it up in the second, however, when Delmon Young put a charge into an off speed pitch and sent it over the monster. The Red Sox would answer in a big way in the bottom half, taking advantage of a blown call. With two outs and two strikes in the inning, Mike Aviles tipped a ball into catcher Gerald Laird's mitt-- strike three-- but the first base umpire ruled it had hit the ground and Aviles' at bat continued. Aviles delivered with a single up the middle to score Ryan Sweeney. Aviles would score on a double to the center field wall by Daniel Nava before Nava would come in on an infield single by Dustin Pedroia to make it 4-1.

Mike Aviles went 2-4 with a run
and two RBIs today

The Red Sox tacked on another run in the third inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered to left to put them up by four. The Tigers would answer for that run with a home run of their own in the fifth-- when Gerald Laird hit a ball on a line that just traveled over the monster to make it 5-2. However, the Red Sox struck right back by putting runners at the corners to start the sixth on singles by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Sweeney. Will Middlbrooks hit a grounder to third base and beat out the infield hit to score Sweeney and make things 6-2-- also chasing starter Doug Fister from the game. Luis Marte entered and got the retired six straight Red Sox batters before running into trouble in the eighth. With Ryan Sweeney on second base and two outs, Mike Aviles lifted a breaking ball to deep left-center to score the run and make it 7-2. Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but the Red Sox would win by a score of 7-4.


Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K, W (5-2)
Scott Atchison- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B
Will Middlebrooks- 1-3, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 K
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Felix Doubront- He was backed by some solid run support, and Doubront pitched a great game to earn the win and become 5-2/3.86/59 on the year.

Red Sox To Get Outfield Boost With Sweeney Returning

In last Saturday's 7-5 win over the Phillies, you may recall Ryan Sweeney's terrific diving catch on the warning track. The good news was that it was a fantastic and potentially game changing catch. The bad news was that Sweeney received a mild concussion after he hit the ground. Sweeney was placed on the newly applied 7-day DL for concussion patients in baseball. Before his injury, Sweeney had been one of the better hitters on the Red Sox with a .311/0/12 line over 34 games with Boston. Sweeney will add a bit of depth to what is currently a makeshift outfield with three of Daniel Nava, Marlon Byrd, Che-Hsuan Lin, Scott Podsednik, and Adrian Gonzalez generally populating the three positions. While Will Middlebrooks and Kevin Youkilis are still doing well, Gonzalez will probably still be in right and Daniel Nava (.286/2/11) and Scott Podsednik (.455/1/1) have been great so far. Nava is a switch-hitter so he'll probably stay in the lineup while Sweeney and Podsednik, who are both lefties, will probably alternate in some fashion. However, it'll certainly be nice to add a legitimate major league outfielder to the mix.

Indians Cut It Close But Sox Hang On (13-19)

Buchholz actually pitched
pretty well last night

Judging that this was the game before I head up to Boston to watch the Sox, it's a pretty good thing that they don't have a three game skid-- and now they don't! The Indians scored first when they got a two-out rally going in the first inning, walking and singling before Carlos Santana singled to right to make it 1-0. The Sox quickly answered though, as they loaded the bases with one out in the first. Will Middlebrooks jumped on a first pitch curve and hit a line drive down the third base line for a two-run double. After a pair of singles to lead off the second, Dustin Pedroia knocked them both in by rocketing a double into right field to make it 4-1 Sox. Clay Buchholz continued to pitch well and in the fifth, it was still 4-1 when Daniel Nava walked to lead off the inning. Cody Ross proceeded to drive him in on a double that was fair by a few inches, making it 5-1. Cody Ross reached third on a groundout, and an infield single for Nick Punto would put runners on the corners with one out for the Sox. Ryan Sweeney drove a ground ball past Jason Kipnis at second to drive one in, and Dustin Pedroia hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.

Pedroia went 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a
double last night

Now, Clay Buchholz was pitching well for the first time this year, and continued to pitch well until the seventh. However, after getting the first out of the seventh, Buchholz allowed the bases to load on two singles and a walk. He would be taken out of the game and given a standing ovation. However, the fans were less happy when Rich Hill walked a run in and let another in on some shaky defense by Will Middlebrooks. Hill would be taken out of the ballgame, and Andrew Miller came in-- allowing a single to Michael Brantley which made it 7-4 but getting the two outs necessary. Another RBI single for Brantley in the ninth would make it 7-5, but that would be it for Cleveland.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, W (4-1)
Ryan Sweeney- 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-2, 2 BB, 2 2B
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Daniel Nava- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (6)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-5, 2 K, 8 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia continued his tear of late by having a great game, going 3-4, scoring a run, knocking a double and a sacrifice fly, and driving in three runs to become .316/5/17 on the year.

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 Edge White Sox To Reach .500 (10-10)

Lester spun a gem last night

This was quite a game, as Red Sox fans and White Sox fans got to see some pretty good pitching on both sides in this one. However, it didn't always look like that. In the very first inning, Jon Lester experienced a rough patch-- throwing around 30 pitches while walking Adam Dunn and allowing a double to Paul Konerko. Alex Rios would harmlessly fly out to end the inning and get Lester out of a jam. The Red Sox finally got going in the fourth inning, when Ryan Sweeney doubled on a blooper into right to lead off the inning. Dustin Pedroia appeared to have driven him in, but Brent Morel made a nice snag at third base to keep Sweeney at second. However, his efforts were for naught as Adrian Gonzalez drove a high fastball right back up the middle for an RBI single to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. The score stayed taught right there, and was still at 1-0 when Jon Lester got into a jam in the seventh. The White Sox had put runners at first and third with two outs, but he survived.

Aceves pitched a shut
down ninth inning

Lester would be taken out after that inning, as he really pitched well last night: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K in his first win of the young season. Franklin Morales came in to pitch and recorded two outs to go with a single to Alexei Ramirez. After striking out Adam Dunn, he was lifted in favor of the righty Vicente Padilla to face Paul Konerko. Padilla would walk Konerko, getting the Sox into a little men on first and second, two out jam. However, once again, Alex Rios was the rally killer as Rios would ground out to second base to end the threat. Alfredo Aceves-- the closer-- came on to pitch the ninth, a role he has been anything but sound in, entering play with an ERA over 14.00. However, all of his pitches showed great life as he even reached 98 mph a couple of times with his fastball. He would force Dayan Viciedo and Kosuke Fukudome to harmlessly ground out before A.J. Pierzynski (.333/4/17) stepped up to the plate and promptly struck him out to pick up the save.


Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, W (1-2)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (5)
Ryan Sweeney- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 RBI
Marlon Byrd- 1-2, 1 BB

Dull Spots:
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Kevin Youkilis- 0-3, 1 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3, 2 K
Cody Ross- 0-3

Player of the Game:
Jon Lester- Lester held this game together when the offense wasn't working by tossing seven shutout innings and earning the win-- he is now 1-2/4.65/23 on the season.

Winning Streak Extends To Four In Commanding Win (8-10)

Doubront had a decent night

The Red Sox just continued to pound the baseball last night-- as they have scored six or more runs in the past five ballgames. Much as they did every game of the Twins' series, they got going early, putting runners at the corners with one out to start the game. Adrian Gonzalez doubled into left field to drive in one of them and David Ortiz quickly followed him up with an RBI single. However, the White Sox got one back in the bottom of the first when Paul Konerko drove in Adam Dunn with a double. After a scoreless second for both teams, the Red Sox went crazy in the third inning off the White Sox. They loaded the bases with only one out in the inning (off of Phillip Humber, who recently threw a perfect game, mind you) before Kevin Youkilis shot a fastball to the opposite field which carried into the bullpen for a grand slam-- the Red Sox' first of the year. Jarrod Saltalamacchia proceeded to go back-to-back with Youkilis to make it a 7-1 game in the third inning.

Youkilis hit a grand slam

The White Sox would score another pair of runs on an A.J. Pierzynski single in the bottom of the third and a Dayan Viciedo solo shot-- but Felix Doubront held them for the majority of the night. The Red Sox took a couple more runs in the fifth when Jarrod Saltalamacchia crushed a ball to left-center field for his second home run of the game and fourth of the year-- giving the Sox a 9-3 lead. Felix Doubront held the Red Sox through six innings-- going 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K-- he is now 1-0/4.09/22 on the season. Junichi Tazawa continued to firm his role in the Red Sox' bullpen by rolling along for three shutout innings with a stellar line of 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K.The Red Sox would score another run in the ninth when Ryan Sweeney drove in Mike Aviles with a single-- but for the most part, the game was quiet after the sixth inning. It's still very nice to see the Red Sox moving along at such a pace, heck, one more game and they will have completely evened out that five game losing streak.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K, W (1-0)
Junichi Tazawa- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K
Ryan Sweeney- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 3-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Dull Spots:
Lars Anderson- 0-3, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Kevin Youkilis- Youkilis put the Sox firmly ahead with his third inning grand slam-- but his day was not done as he went 3-4 and is now .241/2/9 on the year.

Red Sox Record Commanding Win Over Twins (6-10)

Beckett settled down
after a rough first inning

The Red Sox were in need of a win in the series opener against the Twins, and they just beat one out at 6-5. However, this game wasn't so close as the Sox just flat out crushed the Twins. Much like they did the night before, the Sox got going fast-- scoring a run after a leadoff double by Mike Aviles and RBI single by Ryan Sweeney up the middle. With runners at the corners, David Ortiz dropped a line drive into left to make it 2-0 before a Cody Ross RBI groundout concluded the first inning runs. However, the Twins worked Beckett in the first inning as well. He threw 37 pitches in the inning, loading the bases and walking a run in to make it 3-1. However, Beckett would settle down for the next few innings. Meanwhile, David Ortiz went yard with a bomb to right field to make it 5-1 Red Sox. In the fourth inning, Mike Aviles also would go yard-- him with a shot to left (just staying fair)-- and an RBI single by Ryan Sweeney later would push it to a brutal 7-1 Red Sox lead in just the fourth inning-- a commanding lead against any team.

Mike Aviles had a four
hit game

The Red Sox' scoring just did not stop though, as a trifecta of RBI doubles (Aviles, Pedroia, Gonzalez) would net the Sox three more runs and give them a 10-1 lead in the fifth inning. The Twins also scored in that inning as Josh Willingham drove in Jamey Carroll with an RBI double. Both the Red Sox and Twins went down 1-2-3 in the sixth inning, and that inning concluded Josh Beckett's night. Beckett had settled down after a rough first inning and pitched 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K in a solid outing. The Red Sox pushed another run across the plate in the eighth inning on an RBI groundout for Darnell McDonald which would make it a dominating 11-2 lead. Scott Atchison had thrown a perfect seventh inning, and he would do so again in the eighth. He concluded his night with a very good appearance at 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K as Atchison has been one of Bobby Valentine's most trusted relievers with a 1.54 ERA this year. Matt Albers allowed a hit in a scoreless ninth to close out the game with a dominating 11-2 final score.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
Scott Atchison- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Mike Aviles- 4-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 2-6, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-6, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-4
Marlon Byrd- 2-5, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Mike Aviles- Aviles had an excellent game by going 4-5 with both a home run and a pair of doubles, recording three runs scored and two RBIs.

Rangers Fire On All Cylinders In Rout Of Red Sox (4-7)

Lester was shellacked

Perhaps the most ironic and strange part of this rout was that the Red Sox actually took the lead. After Mike Aviles' leadoff single in the first inning, Dustin Pedroia slammed a homer over the monster and that was pretty much it for the Red Sox' glory in this game. After a one-out double by Nelson Cruz in the second inning, Mike Napoli quickly tied the game by crushing a homer to left. They'd score two more in the inning with a bases loaded single for Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton's short fly ball to left which Cody Ross botched and allowed a run to score and make it 4-2 Rangers. The Rangers continued to make productive outs and manufacture runs in the third inning with an RBI groundout, sacrifice fly, and an RBI single by Josh Hamilton to make it 7-2. Before that third inning was even through, the Rangers had gotten to Jon Lester enough to convince Bobby Valentine to take him out after a miserable day. Scott Atchison was actually fairly impressive, with two shutout innings before Michael Young got to him for a homer. His final line was a fairly impressive 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run homer

One might actually believe that the Red Sox pitching was settling down and this game might not be so bad. Matt Albers threw a scoreless seventh inning to keep the score at 8-2 and not an excessive rout. However, that was before Mark Melancon came into the game. The Rangers put two on base to begin the inning, and they were quickly taken off the basepaths when Josh Hamilton went yard and Adrian Beltre accompanied him to make it a 12-2 ballgame. Nelson Cruz would hit a two-run shot and the Rangers would score a pair more in the inning to make it 16-2. Adrian Gonzalez hit his second home run of the season on a shot to right in the bottom half but the Rangers would more than make that up in the ninth when they scored two off Vicente Padilla. This was not a good game.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 2 RBIs, 1 HR
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 HR
Ryan Sweeney- 3-4, 2 2B

Dull Spots:
Jon Lester- 2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Mark Melancon- 0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 2 BB
Justin Thomas- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 4 K, 2 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Scott Atchison- Atchison did a great job of holding this game together and giving some of us hope by allowing just a run in four strong innings of relief.

Red Sox Show There's No Place Like Home (2-5)

Josh Beckett threw eight
strong innings in the win

For essentially the first time in 2012, the Red Sox put together a truly dominant performance today, running over the Rays in their home opener. The most ironic part of this game is that the Rays scored first; in the second inning, Ben Zobrist came all the way around from first on a double into left by Jeff Keppinger. However, the Red Sox very quickly made a plea to overturn the run by the Rays by loading the bases to lead off the third. Adrian Gonzalez went opposite field with a single to left, Kevin Youkilis drove a sacrifice fly into right, and David Ortiz drove a run in on a little tapper to third-- before you knew it, the Red Sox were up on the Rays by a score of 3-1. The score stayed at that until the bottom of the fourth when Jacoby Ellsbury drove in Kelly Shoppach with a single. However, later in that inning, while running to second base-- Ellsbury hurt himself sliding and left the game with an injury to his right shoulder. Che-Hsuan Lin was scratched from Pawtucket's game so it appears Ellsbury may be headed to the DL with Lin coming up from the minors.

Kelly Shoppach went 3-4
with 3 runs and 2 RBIs

The score stayed at 4-1 as Josh Beckett continued to dominate the Rays' lineup. His day was finally done after eight innings and his final line was a very strong 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K mark-- his season statistics stand at 1-1/5.68/4 this season. The bottom of the eighth, however, was when this game turned from a close duel into a bloodbath at the hands of the Red Sox. They quickly loaded the bases with no outs before a two-run double for Kelly Shoppach and an two-run single for Ryan Sweeney-- both to left field-- would make it an 8-1 lead for Boston. Another two-run single later in the inning-- this one for Kevin Youkilis-- would make it 10-1 Red Sox. The scoring finally ended on an RBI double for David Ortiz and finally a sacrifice fly for Cody Ross to end the scoring at 12-1. The Rays picked up another run in the ninth off Mark Melancon but it was far too little in a 12-2 win for the Red Sox.


Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBIs
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 2 R, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-4, 1 R, 3 RBIs, 1 SF
David Ortiz- 2-4, 2 RBIs, 1 2B
Darnell McDonald- 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB
Kelly Shoppach- 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B

Dull Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Josh Beckett- I was very impressed by the offense coming to life but Josh Beckett's eight strong innings were too impressive to pass up as Player of the Game.

Late Rally Leads Sox To First Win (1-3)

Felix Doubront impressed
in his first start

When I went to bed last night, things looked bleak for the Red Sox. However, in my absence they put together one heck of a night, rallying late against the Blue Jays' strong bullpen. One thing I did see was Felix Doubront's outing last night, and I was impressed. His pitch count was a bit high (101 pitches in five innings) but otherwise he showed poise and his good stuff. Other than a pair of runs in the third on a bad call at the plate and an RBI single for Edwin Encarnacion, the Blue Jays were held pretty quiet by Doubront-- he allowed just those two runs while striking out six in five innings. The Red Sox finally got on the board in the sixth inning when Dustin Pedroia knocked a homer to left field off Henderson Alvarez-- who pitched very well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K). For two innings, the Sox were shut out by Darren Oliver and Francisco Cordero (one inning each). However, they finally got going in the ninth inning.

Pedroia acted as the catalyst

Dustin Pedroia led off the inning with a double and after a passed ball got him to third base, he was driven in on a deep sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez which tied the game at two. After a strikeout by Kevin Youkilis, the Sox put a couple more runners on base through walks to both David Ortiz and Cody Ross. Ryan Sweeney further endeared himself to Red Sox fans by, once again, coming through with a ground ball through the right field of the infield which barely scored Darnell McDonald (pinch running for Ortiz) to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. They would make it 4-2 when a passed ball allowed Cody Ross to score. All the while, Scott Atchison had pitched very well in relief of Doubront-- he allowed just a hit in three shutout innings of relief. And finally, the bullpen did not blow this lead as Alfredo Aceves shut the door with a good outing as the closer-- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K
Scott Atchison- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR
David Ortiz- 2-3, 1 BB
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Ryan Sweeney- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- He homered in the sixth inning which played a huge part in simply keeping the Red Sox in the game, and he also acted as the catalyst with the leadoff double in the ninth.

Lester Good, Verlander Better As Tigers Edge Sox In Opening Day Duel (0-1)

Lester threw seven strong innings

It could be seen a mile away that this game was going to be a pitcher's duel and it certainly lived up to expectations. Neither team scored until the seventh inning-- when Alex Avila knocked an RBI double just out of the reach of scrambling left fielder Cody Ross. This chased Jon Lester out of the game-- but he certainly had a good one. He threw seven strong innings, allowing six hits and for the most part had his best stuff. He did walk three but he did a very good job of working out of jams-- the Tigers grounded into three double plays and Lester always seemed to have the right pitch when he needed it most. The Red Sox bullpen corps were not so fortunate as the Tigers scored another run in the eighth inning when the Tigers got two runners on base off Vicente Padilla, then a Prince Fielder sacrifice fly off Franklin Morales netted the Tigers a 2-0 lead. After these few runs, Tigers' manager was confident enough to remove Justin Verlander from the game and open the doors for closer Jose Valverde-- who saved 49 games in 49 chances last season.

Lester also worked three double plays

However, the Red Sox didn't seem to mind last season's perfection as Dustin Pedroia led off the inning with a double and Adrian Gonzalez singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. David Ortiz flew out to center, and Pedroia tagged up to make it 2-1 Tigers. Kevin Youkilis struck out and with only a runner at first, the chances of scoring looked bleak for the Red Sox. However, Darnell McDonald entered to pinch run for Gonzalez and promptly stole second with Ryan Sweeney at the plate. Sweeney worked the at bat into a 2-1 count before lining a high fastball to right and off the wall. The ball caromed past Detroit right fielder Brennan Boesch and when the dust settled, Sweeney had an RBI triple to tie the game. However, everything came undone in the bottom of the ninth. Back-to-back one out singles for Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila put two runners on base off Mark Melancon. Melancon was pulled in favor of Alfredo Aceves, who promptly hit Ramon Santiago to load the bases with one out. With a 2-1 count, Austin Jackson pulled a hard ground ball by Nick Punto at third to win the game in dramatic fashion for the Tigers.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 run, 1 double, reached base on an error as well
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3, 1 walk
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 double, 1 sacrifice fly
Ryan Sweeney- 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 triple

Dull Spots:
Mark Melancon- 0.1 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned run, the loss (0-1)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 2 strikeouts, 2 left on base
Cody Ross- 0-4, 1 strikeout, 3 left on base
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 1 strikeout

Player of the Game:
Jon Lester- Battled against one of the best teams in baseball. He didn't earn the win but if Justin Verlander wasn't so dominant he almost certainly would have. Great start for Lester.

Aceves Settles Down But Red Sox Still Suffer Loss (12-11)

Alfredo Aceves pitched pretty well today

After a horrible outing which appeared to have knocked Alfredo Aceves from the rotation candidates, he got the ball again today. He was a bit better-- allowing two runs, one earned, and striking out four in six strong against the Blue Jays. He left the game with a 2-2 tie which was quickly broken when Justin Thomas allowed the winning run to score in the eighth inning-- he allowed only that one run in his two innings of work. Michael Bowden pitched the ninth inning and gave up a hit in a scoreless inning. Hitting-wise, the Red Sox were not quite so strong in today's game. They scored one in the second inning with the help of some nice baserunning by Darnell McDonald and a timely double by Ryan Sweeney. They got another in the sixth with a home run for David Ortiz-- his third of the spring. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a nice day, going 2-2 with a double; however, that was pretty much the only offense the Red Sox would get in a 3-2 loss.

Bright Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 6 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Michael Bowden- 1 inning, 1 hit, no runs
David Ortiz- 1-3, solo home run
Darnell McDonald- 0-2, 1 run, 2 walks, 1 steal
Ryan Sweeney- 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 double
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-2, 1 double

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 left on base
Kevin Youkilis- 0-2, 1 strikeout
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 2 left on base

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

Homers By Ross, Sweeney, Gonzalez Highlight Slugfest Vs. Northeastern

The Red Sox essentially went crazy on Northeastern University today in their annual double-header against NEU and BC. After scoring twice in the first inning on a timely double by Darnell McDonald, the Sox exploded in the 2nd with a 7-run inning highlighted by a solo home run by Cody Ross and a 3-run shot by Adrian Gonzalez. Through this time, Jon Lester was very strong for the Sox-- allowing just a hit and striking out two through the first couple of innings. After a run in the third inning, the Sox came storming back in the fourth-- scoring 7 more times-- highlighted by a grand slam by Cody Ross and a 2-run shot by light-hitting outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin. Through this, Justin Germano pitched very well for the Sox-- allowing a hit and striking out one through two innings-- also not allowing a run. Two runs in the fifth, on RBI doubles by Max St. Pierre and Will Middlebrooks, plus two more perfect inning by Michael Bowden slates the Sox with a 19-0 lead in the middle of the 6th. The Sox scored six more in the 6th inning and are now up 25-0 after a big inning highlighted by a 3-run homer by Ryan Sweeney. The game was called after the top of the 7th, the Sox still up 25-0. All in all, a very successful day for the Sox-- even against a college team. There were many reasons to hope, such as the power shown by everyone-- but particularly Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney. Everyone pitched very well, with Justin Germano's nice outing a pleasant surprise. I'll be away from home for tonight's game against Boston College, but I should be able to post about it tomorrow morning (hopefully after having watched the game in the MLB.TV archives. 

Bright Spots:

Jon Lester- 2 innings, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts-- not bad

Justin Germano- 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 strikeout-- very pleasant surprise 

Michael Bowden- 2 innings, no hits, 3 strikeouts-- excellent outing for the bullpen candidate

Jose Iglesias- 1-3, 1 run, 1 stolen base

Pedro Ciriaco- 2-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI

Che-Hsuan Lin- 2-2, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 home run, 1 walk

Adrian Gonzalez- 1-1, 1 walk, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 home run

Nate Spears- 1-2, 2 runs, 1 walk

Darnell McDonald- 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 1 double

Ryan Sweeney- 4-5, 3 runs, 5 RBIs, 1 home run, 1 double

Cody Ross- 2-3, 2 runs, 5 RBIs, 2 home runs

Will Middlebrooks- 3-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 double

Dull Spots:

Northeastern University!

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Ryan Sweeney

Today, the Red Sox agreed to terms with Ryan Sweeney on a contract which would help the sides to avoid arbitration. The deal is worth $1.75 million over 1 year, and the Red Sox potentially have to face arbitration with 8 more players this offseason. Sweeney batted .265/1/25 in 2011 and in his career has averaged .283/5/58 per 162 games. If the season started today, the Red Sox would likely have Sweeney platooning with Darnell McDonald as the starting right fielders. Sweeney, being a lefty, would face righties in this platoon, and in 2011, he batted .286 off of righties. McDonald batted .260 off of lefties. The two would form an unspectacular but effective duo for the right field spot. Sweeney is a pretty good outfielder, having to man the spacious Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland for several years. He would probably adjust well to Fenway as he has compiled a 16.0 UZR/150 in his career in right. Solid move by the Sox to lock up a potential right fielder for a low cost.

The Right Field Situation Post-Bailey Trade

Earlier this offseason, the Red Sox were rumored to be in the mix for  some right fielders with Reddick being unproven in the majors. Carlos Beltran's name was thrown around, but he signed with the Cardinals. Michael Cuddyer's name was as well, but he signed with the Rockies. Since the Red Sox traded Josh Reddick over the Oakland in return for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney, they are in serious need of a right fielder. However, since they waited so long, there is only a small market of cheap, mediocre right fielders. Let's look at some options to how the Red Sox could fill the Red Sox right field vacancy in 2012. On the team right now, they have Darnell McDonald and Ryan Sweeney (right) who could potentially fill that spot. This could work perfectly for the Red Sox as Sweeney is a lefty and McDonald is a righty. Each were bad against their pitchers of their respective hands, batting .159 and .189 off of lefties and righties, respectively. However, off of the opposite pitchers, they batted .286 and .260- something which could make an above average platooning partnership. Going out for acquisitions, some available options are Magglio Ordonez (.255/5/32), Ryan Spilborghs (.210/3/22), Andruw Jones (.247/13/33), Ryan Ludwick (.237/13/75), Cody Ross (.240/14/52), Scott Hairston (.235/7/24), and Yoennis Cespedes (.333/33/99 in 90 games in Cuba). Of these, Ordonez and Cespedes would be the most expensive. The least expensive would be Spilborghs and Hairston. In the middle of these would be Andruw Jones, Ryan Ludwick, and Cody Ross. All three are righties, which is what the Red Sox need in their lineup. Against lefties: Ross batted .234, Jones batted .286, and Ludwick batted .264. By these stats, Jones would be the best option for the Red Sox. By fielding statistics, Ludwick has managed a 3.7 UZR/150, Jones has managed a 9.3, and Ross has managed a -0.4. By all my stats together, I would say that Jones would be a great move to fill that position for the Red Sox. However, they could easily manage with platooning McDonald and Sweeney.

Red Sox Pick Up Andrew Bailey, Ryan Sweeney In Trade With A's

Today, Ben Cherington has won my favor with a magnificent trade with the Oakland A's. The Red Sox will acquire Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney for Josh Reddick (.280/7/28 in MLB), Miles Head (.254/7/29 in A+), and Raul Alcantara (0-3/6.23/14 in A-). Bailey had his worst year in the majors last year, going a pretty good 0-4/3.24/41 and saving 24/26 chances. This gets the Red Sox a proven closer in Bailey who won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2009. He also has three more seasons under team control and is eligible for arbitration for the first time-- giving the Sox three more affordable years with a proven closer. Bailey was troubled by a forearm injury in 2011 but still managed 41 games. Sweeney played 108 games for the A's last year, going .265/1/25 and plays all three outfield positions. Sweeney injured his hand in September of last year but didn't miss a whole lot of time. Well, the bullpen is now set and the Red Sox can fully focus on starting pitching; great move by Cherington!!!