Aviles, Buchholz Lead Sox In Clutch Win (49-49)

Buchholz allowed a run in seven strong

With Clay Buchholz going against rookie Martin Perez, it didn't really look like a potential pitching duel. Buchholz has been good lately, but his ERA was 5.19 entering play, and Perez had just been brought up for triple-A and was struggling down there. However, it quickly emerged as a definite pitchers duel after three shutout innings on both sides. The Red Sox had gotten to Perez a bit, loading the bases in the second inning, but he had been impressive nonetheless. Anyhow, it was in the fourth inning that the Red Sox finally got a bit going after a leadoff walk for Cody Ross. Will Middlebrooks flew out and Carl Crawford struck out, leaving Ross at first with two outs, but Kelly Shoppach came through. Shoppach lifted one to right center that just evaded David Murphy's reach as it became an RBI double.

Aviles had the go-ahead RBI single

Clay Buchholz actually held that lead for a few innings, as he was very good last night. Finally in the sixth inning, though, it was Elvis Andrus who broke out with a one-out double. Andrus got to third on a wild pitch and despite the infield being in, scored on a soft grounder by Josh Hamilton to tie it at 1-1. It stayed tied for one more inning before Clay Buchholz was taken out of the game after seven with a line of 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K. For the first time this season, Buchholz's ERA is below 5.00-- as he's really come a long way since April. Neither team scored in the eighth, but the Red Sox put together a two-out rally in the ninth. Two two-out walks off Joe Nathan put them in a position to score with Mike Aviles at bat. Aviles worked a long at bat before blooping a soft line drive just over the head of Elvis Andrus. The run scored and the Red Sox won 2-1.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (4-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, SV (21)
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4
Kelly Shoppach- 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 1 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 LOB
Carl Crawford- 0-3, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite some last minute heroics by Mike Aviles, he wouldn't even have had a chance if Buchholz wasn't quite so good in his seven innings-- he is now 8-3/4.93/73.

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

Cook was great but did not receive a
win last night

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

Gonzalez had a huge home run

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

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

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

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

Red Sox Rally Late To Outlast Jays (39-35)

Dice-K pitched very well but did
not earn the win

With a win tonight and a Rays' loss, the Red Sox would move out of last and just a game out of third place-- and they got it with an exciting win over the Blue Jays. Daisuke Matsuzaka was the beneficiary of some bad defense in the first inning as, after a leadoff double by Brett Lawrie, Colby Rasmus seemingly grounded out to short. Mike Aviles took a chance (rightfully) at getting Lawrie at third but a bad throw allowed him to score. Later in the inning, Edwin Encarnacion seemingly grounded out to third but he made a bad throw that allowed Lawrie to score and give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. The score stayed at 1-0 for a long time as Dice-K settled down nicely and Aaron Laffey really kept him in check. The score was still 1-0 when Dice-K was taken out of the game with a line of 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K. And when Laffey was taken out of the game with a line of 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Pedroia had a tie-breaking two-run
single in the seventh

It would be the inning after Laffey left that the Red Sox' bats really got going. With two outs and nobody on base, Jarrod Saltalamacchia lifted a high line drive to left-center that got out of the ballpark to tie things up at 1-1. That homer evidently lit a fire under the Red Sox' offense as the batter after him, Ryan Kalish doubled down the first base line. Daniel Nava was hit by a pitch and Mike Aviles worked a walk to load the bases with two outs off of former Red Sox' reliever David Pauley. On an 0-1 count, Pedroia lined one right back up the middle to score two runs and give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead-- Aviles was caught in between second and third to end the inning but we'll take it. After a leadoff double by David Ortiz and a single by Cody Ross to follow him up, Adrian Gonzalez doubled off the monster in left-center to score Ortiz. Later in the inning, a Will Middlebrooks sacrifice fly would make it 5-1. That would be the final score in a good game for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Daisuke Matsuzaka- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 2 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 1-2, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Brent Lillibridge- 0-2, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia's clutch two-run two-out tie-breaking single in the seventh was really a great moment as he appears to be breaking out of his slump-- he is now .272/5/30.

Red Sox Nail Three Homers On Fishing Trip (34-33)

Buchholz allowed five runs in
six innings, but earned the win

Once again, the Red Sox have surpassed the .500 mark after a win against the Marlins and are now 34-33 this season. Things didn't start off too great for the Red Sox, as Clay Buchholz was not on and surrendered a two-run homer to Logan Morrison in the first inning. Luckily, the Red Sox offense would bail him out as David Ortiz hit a two-run homer of his own on a line to right field to even the score at 2-2. The Red Sox continued to pile up the two-run homers in the second inning as Kelly Shoppach nailed one over the monster, also scoring Will Middlebrooks, to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead. However, the Marlins got a little rally going in the third after Hanley Ramirez walked and Giancarlo Stanton was hit by a pitch with two outs. Once again, it was Logan Morrison tearing up the Red Sox' offense as he doubled to left to score Ramirez and cut the Red Sox lead to one run. The Red Sox got that run back in the fourth, though, as Cody Ross (in his first game back) crushed a ball to left for a solo home run to make it 5-3.

Ortiz was 2-4 with a two-
run homer

The Marlins would get another rally going that was startlingly familiar to their last one as Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton each singled with two outs. Again, it was Logan Morrison providing all of the offense as he doubled off the deep part of the monster in left-center to score both of them and tie the game. In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox continued to scrounge for runs as Mike Aviles doubled to lead off the inning. Dustin Pedroia bunted him to third and Adrian Gonzalez drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5. Back-to-back doubles leading off the sixth by Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks netted the Red Sox another run to make it 7-5 in the sixth inning. That would be Clay Buchholz's last inning and it was not his best start as he went 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K but still left with a lead. The Red Sox' bullpen saved the lead as Vicente Padilla picked up his 16th hold (T-3rd in baseball) and Alfredo Aceves picked up his 17th save (4th in the AL) in a 7-5 win.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, SV (17)
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W (8-2)

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- Papi led the offense again as he went 2-4 with a two-run home run to help the Red Sox on their way to a win, he is now .314/17/45.

Battery Powers Sox In Win Over Cubs (32-33)

Lester pitched very well
through six innings

The Red Sox really needed a win last night to take advantage of the worst team in the league and to climb within a game of the .500 mark. A two out walk by David Ortiz in the first inning could have started a rally. Jarrod Saltalamacchia carried on with that by doubling off the wall in right-center. As Ortiz rounded third and headed for home, the Cubs nabbed him at the plate to end the inning. Ortiz would redeem himself in the fourth inning, however, as he led off the inning with a double. Saltalamacchia kept his good game going by crushing a home run to dead right field to score Ortiz and himself and make it 2-0. The Red Sox couldn't make anything else out of the inning, though, as the next three batters all struck out. A pair of one out walks in the sixth put the Red Sox in a position to score and extend the lead. Will Middlebrooks would do just that when he singled up the middle to score Ortiz from second. Future opportunities to score would be squandered, though, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia was thrown out at third.

Saltalamacchia had a home
run and a double

The Red Sox offense kept piling it on in the seventh inning, when Mike Aviles led the inning off with  a double. After a Jon Lester strikeout, Scott Podsednik drove him in with a single up the middle to make it 4-0. That strikeout may have affected Lester in some way as he became startlingly inefficient in the seventh. Jeff Baker doubled to lead off the inning and was moved to third base on a groundout by Tony Campana. Wellington Castillo walked to put two runners on and bring the tying run to the on deck circle. They would both come in to score, plus one more, when Luis Valbuena of all people hit a high fly ball to left-center to cut it to 4-3. Lester struck out David DeJesus to finish his night and he was taken out with a line of 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K. Scott Atchison would finish off that inning, Vicente Padilla came in for the eighth, then Alfredo Aceves came in for the ninth and earned his 16th save of the season.


Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K, W (4-4)
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (16)
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Dustin Pedroia- 0-5, 3 LOB
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 2 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Saltalamacchia played a great game both at and behind the plate, going 2-3 with a homer and a double and leading a great performance by Jon Lester-- he is now .254/12/32.

Red Sox Roll Over Indians Behind Doubront (14-19)

Doubront pitched very
well last night

Well, I feel great because I was actually at Fenway Park last night, and I experience a good, clean win for the Sox. After a couple of scoreless innings for both sides to start the game, Mike Aviles singled to lead off the third on a blooper into center. Two batters later, and on a 2-1 count, Aviles took off for second base. In this situation, the hit-and-run worked to perfection as Dustin Pedroia doubled high off the monster in left-center and Aviles just beat the throw to home; he wouldn't have scored without the hit-and-run. However, he would've scored on the next play anyway as David Ortiz crushed a high line drive into deep left-center and just out of the reach of center fielder Michael Brantley. Pedroia scored on the play to give the Sox a 2-0 lead after three innings of baseball. The Red Sox got right back at it in the fourth, though, as a Daniel Nava single and Jarrod Saltalamacchia ground-rule double put two runners in scoring position with one out. Mike Aviles delivered with a line drive to Shelley Duncan in left, Nava barely scored on the play-- just sliding under catcher Lou Marson's glove.

Pedroia had a key RBI double

Felix Doubront continued to put up zeros on the board-- but he had thrown about 80 pitches entering the sixth inning, which would be his last. Lou Marson doubled into short right, past a diving Ryan Sweeney, to start things off in the sixth. However, Doubront minimized the damage about as much as he could-- allowing the run on an infield hit to Jason Kipnis on some miscommunication in the Red Sox infield. Felix Doubront would be taken out after that inning with a fantastic final line of 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K, he would later earn his third win of the year and is now 3-1/4.46/37. In the bottom of the sixth, with two outs and two strikes, Cody Ross did some damage by hitting an absolute moonshot over the AAA-insurance sign on the monster. With a 4-1 lead, the Sox entered three different relievers (Andrew Miller, Vicente Padilla, and Alfredo Aceves) into the ballgame for the seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively. None of them allowed a hit and Aceves picked up his seventh save of the season.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (7)
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-3, 1 R
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 2 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Felix Doubront- Doubront pitched an excellent ballgame last night, picking up his third win of the year, going six innings and allowing just a run.

Middlebrooks Powers Sox To Snap Skid (12-16)

Doubront earned the win to
become 2-1 last night

After a five game losing skid, the Red Sox were playing entirely the right team last night in the Royals, and they showed it. With one out in the first, Dustin Pedroia walked and David Ortiz singled up the middle. After a Cody Ross strikeout, Adrian Gonzalez delivered with a bloop single up the middle which fell to make it 1-0 Red Sox. Will Middlebrooks came up and, on the first pitch, saw a high-outside fastball-- and he went with it, lining it around the pole in right for a three-run homer to make it 4-0 Red Sox in just the first inning. After a scoreless first for Felix Doubront, he ran into a bit of trouble in the second when a walk to Jeff Francoeur and a double for Mike Moustakas with no outs put the Royals in good position to score. As it turned out, Doubront minimized the damage, only allowed an RBI groundout to Brayan Pena and a sacrifice fly to Chris Getz, cutting the lead to 4-2. David Ortiz led off the third with a bomb to right field, but that would be all the Red Sox would get in that inning and the Royals began to come back.

Will Middlebrooks had
the second and third home
runs of his career last night

Jarrod Dyson started off the bottom of the third with a bunt single and would score a batter later on an errant throw by Will Middlebrooks-- the Royals would score another in the inning on an RBI groundout to make it 5-4. Kelly Shoppach tripled off the wall in left to start the fourth-- knocking Jonathan Sanchez out of the game with a line of 3+ IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K. Shoppach would later score when Dustin Pedroia put one in the bleachers to make it 7-4. The next several innings were scoreless for both sides, but the Royals loaded the bases in the seventh-- scoring on a walk to Alex Gordon and knocking Doubront from the game with a line of 6.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K-- he would win the game and become 2-1. In the eighth, however, the Sox more than answered for the seventh--putting runners on first and second with one out. Cody Ross delivered in that spot with a double off the wall in center to score two runs. Will Middlebrooks answered with his second home run off the game off the pole in left field. It's always nice to have a commanding win like this one, 11-5.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
David Ortiz- 3-4, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Will Middlebrooks- Middlebrooks had a huge game last night, starting things off in the first and putting things away in the eighth with a pair of big home runs.

Red Sox Ride Late Rallies To Third Straight Win (4-5)

Felix Doubront had a solid outing

Today's game was not quite as much of a rout as the games preceding it-- but the Red Sox still racked up a solid win to give them a 4-5 record and move them out of sole possession of last place. The Red Sox got the ball rolling in the second inning when Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz each got into scoring position with no outs. Cody Ross promptly delivered with a no doubt homer over the Green Monster to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. The Red Sox got another run in the fourth inning when Kelly Shoppach knocked an RBI double into left field. However, more scoring opportunities were squandered when Cody Ross made a bad baserunning error and got caught in a rundown between third and home. When the fifth inning came around, Felix Doubront had been rolling so far but he encountered his first trouble in the fifth. Chris Giminez and Desmond Jennings led off the inning with singles before a Carlos Pena drove them both in and Evan Longoria proceeded to drive in Pena with a double to make it 4-3 Red Sox. 

Cody Ross hit a three-run
home run in the second 

The Red Sox and Doubront would escape that jam but it turned nasty in the sixth when Luke Scott homered to lead off the inning and suddenly the Red Sox' lead had evaporated. Doubront was removed from the game after Scott's hit and his early work was all for naught as a couple of bad innings turned his line into a mediocre 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K. Scott Atchison and Vicente Padilla combined to work out of a first and second, no out scenario in the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Kevin Youkilis walked with one out and David Ortiz drove him in with a double into right-center. In the seventh, they got an extra insurance run when Mike Aviles homered to dead center to give the Sox a 6-4 lead. That would be all the Sox would need with Franklin Morales and Alfredo Aceves closing the game with a pair of scoreless innings (Aceves got his second save) and the Sox had their third consecutive win. 

Bright Spots:

Vicente Padilla- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (1-0)

Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (2)

Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 HR

Kevin Youkilis- 1-3, 1 BB, 2 R

David Ortiz- 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B

Cody Ross- 1-2, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Kelly Shoppach- 1-3, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:

Dustin Pedroia- 0-4

Darnell McDonald- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB

Jason Repko- 0-3, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:

Cody Ross- Ross' three-run homer in the second inning was the key hit in the game as it gave the Sox an early lead and they probably wouldn't have won without it. 

Bats Come Alive But Bullpen Blows Lead In Extra Inning Defeat (0-3)

Buchholz made his return after
missing much of 2011

In Red Sox style, today's game was a heartbreaker as they concluded their first series by being swept in Detroit. Things got going quickly for the Tigers as they scored four times in the first inning-- highlighted by a three-run double by Jhonny Peralta. However, the Sox came back in the second inning when Mike Aviles drove in two with a double. It could have much so much more though as they stranded the bases loaded. The Red Sox' offense would not go to waste-- however-- as the Sox scored five times in the third inning to take a 7-5 lead after three. The Tigers were able to tie the score in the fourth inning, chasing Clay Buchholz from the game-- he allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings in his first start since June 16. In the sixth, the Sox would take another lead as Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to lead off the inning. After Collin Balester pitched to Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Schlereth came in to pitch to Adrian Gonzalez. On his first pitch of the 2012 season, Gonzalez took Schlereth deep to right field to take a 9-7 lead. The Sox scored again in the top of the ninth to take a 10-7 lead and put closer Alfredo Aceves into the game to replace Vicente Padilla-- who had pitched very well.

However, he was not effective

Aceves was ineffective to say the least. He allowed singles to Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch before Miguel Cabrera promptly took him long for a game-tying three run homer. Bobby Valentine did the smart thing after that by pulling Aceves and entering Franklin Morales. Morales pitched well for two innings-- allowing just a hit and striking out three. An RBI bloop single for Nick Punto and a hard liner by Dustin Pedroia would score two runs in the top of the eleventh-- putting Franklin Morales in line for the win. Valentine pulled Morales in favor of Mark Melancon who allowed a run on a sacrifice fly by Delmon Young to put two outs and a man on first for Alex Avila. With a 2-2 count, Avila pulled a homer just over the right field wall for a walk-off home run to crush Red Sox fans' dreams in a 13-12 loss.


Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 4 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 4 strikeouts
Franklin Morales- 2 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 3 strikeouts
Nick Punto- 3-6, 1 double, 3 RBIs
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-6, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
Dustin Pedroia- 2-6, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-6, 2 runs, a two-run home run
David Ortiz- 3-6, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
Mike Aviles- 3-5, 2 runs, 1 double, 3 RBIs

Dull Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 4 innings, 8 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Alfredo Aceves- 0 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs
Mark Melancon- 0.2 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs
Kelly Shoppach- 0-3, 2 strikeouts, 2 left on base

Player of the Game:
Mike Aviles- He had some timely hits in a very good ballgame for Aviles-- he went 3-5 with a two-run double and RBI single, also scoring two runs.

Ciriaco The Hero Again In Red Sox Win (7-2)

Doubront was brilliant through 4

Last night was one hell of a pitching game on both sides with the Sox eventually coming out on top in a very tight game. Felix Doubront was spot on tonight, working four innings with his final line looking like 4 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts in a very good performance for the young lefty battling for a rotation spot. Michael Bowden then came on for the fifth inning and was brilliant allowing only a hit and striking out three in a scoreless inning. Vicente Padilla then upped his case for the fifth starter role by tossing three perfect innings while striking out four. Then, finally after eight strong innings by Red Sox (and Yankees) pitchers, the score finally broke. Leading off the ninth inning, Pedro Ciriaco hit a little bloop to right field. Normally this would be a single, however, in right field-- Zoilo Almonte of the Yankees tried to catch it on the run and it got by him. This allowed Ciriaco to easily get into third but Almonte threw the ball away and Ciriaco scored on an inside-the-park home run aided by two errors. Junichi Tazawa came on to get the save, and was very good, allowing just a hit and striking out three in the inning, closing out a rare 1-0 win over the Yankees.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 4 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Michael Bowden- 1 inning, 1 hit, no runs, 3 strikeouts
Vicente Padilla- 3 innings, no hits or runs, 4 strikeouts
Junichi Tazawa- 1 inning, 1 hit, no runs, 3 strikeouts

Dull Spots:
Mike Aviles- 0-3
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-2, 1 strikeout, 2 left on base
Will Middlebrooks- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base
Lars Anderson- 0-3, 2 strikeouts
Josh Kroeger- 0-3, 1 strikeout
Alex Hassan- 0-2, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base

Red Sox Not Feeling Fraternal Towards Twins (2-0)

David Ortiz's 3rd inning homer

Buchholz pitched 2 strong innings

Last night was a good game (if you're a Red Sox fan) as the Red Sox just came in and dominated the Twins even more than they had on Saturday. Neither team scored in the first inning, but in the top of the second-- the Sox got going. Darnell McDonald led off the inning with a double, but a defensive miscue in left for Ryan Doumit allowed him to advance to third. Josh Kroeger quickly hit him in with a single up the middle to put the Sox up 1-0. Kroeger advanced to second on a passed ball, and Kelly Shoppach drove a single into left field to put runners at the corners with no outs. A Nick Punto walk loaded the bases for Jason Repko, who hit a slow bouncer to the shortstop, who could not turn the double play while the run scored. Jason Marquis threw another wild pitch to allow Shoppach to score after Jose Iglesias walked to load 'em back up with one out. Ryan Sweeney hit a hard grounder to first base where Justin Morneau made an excellent play to get one out, but then threw the ball away allowing Jason Repko to score to make it 4-0 after two. All the while, Clay Buchholz was pitching his first two official innings since June 16. Much like Beckett, he had control problems but other than that was alright-- his final line was 2 innings, no runs or hits, two walks and two strikeouts. David Ortiz (right) led off the top of the third by taking a high fastball over the right field wall but other than that it was a quiet inning for the Sox. Through the 3rd and 4th innings, I got a look at Vicente Padilla-- he pitched 2 innings, allowing 3 hits but no runs or walks and striking out three. He showed good stuff, but got roughed around to a bases loaded situation in the 4th. After a quiet fifth for the Sox, Will Inman took over pitching for them. Inman got roughed up in the 5th, and while he settled down in the 6th-- his final line of 2 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout were not good. It stayed at 5-2 until the 7th, when the Sox went wild on Twins' farmhand Deolis Guerra. Pedro Ciriaco singled to lead off the inning, and was advanced to second on a groundout by Alex Hassan. A Will Middlebrooks single drove him in, but they were just getting started. Lars Anderson walked and Juan Carlos Linares popped out to put first and second with two outs and a 6-2 lead. Then the hits came as Nate Spears laced a ground-rule double down the first base line which scored Middlebrooks and brought Anderson to third. Then, pinch-hitter Daniel Butler crushed an inside fastball over the left field wall for a 3-run homer to make it 10-2-- which ended up as the final score. The Red Sox pitching in the last few innings was excellent as Brandon Duckworth was fantastic (he allowed no runs, hits, or walks while striking out two in two innings) and Jesse Carlson was also sharp in his Red Sox debut with a perfect inning.

Bright Spots:
Brandon Duckworth- 2 innings, no hits, runs, or walks and 2 strikeouts
Jesse Carlson- 1 inning, no hits, runs, or walks
Jose Iglesias- 1-2, 1 walk, 1 steal
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-2, 1 run, 1 steal
Will Middlebrooks- 2-2, 1 RBI, 1 run
David Ortiz- 2-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 home run, 1 double
Darnell McDonald- 1-2, 1 double, 1 run
Josh Kroeger- 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
Nate Spears- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
Kelly Shoppach- 1-2, 1 run
Daniel Butler- 1-1, 1 run, 3 RBI, 1 homer

Dull Spots:
Will Inman- 2 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Alex Hassan- 0-2, 1 left on base
Juan Carlos Linares- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 4 left on base
Oscar Tejeda- 0-2, 1 strikeout

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

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

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

Red Sox Sign Vicente Padilla

Today, the Red Sox came to terms on a contract with Vicente Padilla. A few days ago, the Red Sox were linked to Padilla, who will be one of the group of Aaron Cook, Carlos Silva, and now, Padilla-- who will be competing for the #5 spot in the rotation. Padilla had a lost year in 2011 due to injuries, going 0-0/4.15/9 in 8.2 innings out of the bullpen in 2011. For the majority of his career, however, he has been a largely average starter for the Phillies, Rangers, and Dodgers. In 2010, his last year as a starter, he lived up to his expectations, going 6-5/4.07/84 in 16 starts, plus a 4.21 FIP and 3.74 xFIP. So far, it appears at Padilla will be healthy heading into 2012, and has been playing in the Nicaraguan Winter League, where he has been clocked at 95-96 miles per hour. The Red Sox have been linked to Roy Oswalt as well in the past few days. If the Red Sox were to sign Oswalt, it would be unlikely for guys like Padilla to make an impact. However, if they do not sign Oswalt, then Padilla will have a shot at the #5 spot in spring training.