Red Sox Smell Blood

I'm still a little confused. Are the Rays named after a fish, or a beam of light? They have a fish tank in center field full of Rays, and yet they have a sunshine sort of symbol on their jerseys. If they are fish, I might quip, "the tide is going out fast on the Rays' first post-season", or I might say "the sun is setting on the Rays' brilliant season", or something like that. Either way, I cannot help but hum a Queen song in my mind as I think about their plight; "Under Pressure".

I think the Red Sox have made it clear, once and for all, that it is simply a waste of time to count out a playoff team, even when their back is to the wall. You cannot say, "it looks like it is all over for the Red Sox this year", or anything like that. Instead, you need to say things like, "the Red Sox are down 3 games to 1, and are in a perfect position to make this a truly exciting playoff series".

Yes, I was very nervous about Terry Francona's move to start Josh Beckett in yesterday's game. I knew Beckett would battle like a gladiator, but there is only so much a wounded soldier can do. In the end, Beckett was no where near his 2007 post-season brilliance, but he did pitch well, relying on spotting his fastball, and mixing in the curve ball more than usual. The result was that he lasted 5 innings, only allowing 2 solo home runs. The bullpen gave him incredible support with 4 shoutout innings from Hideki Okajima (2 innings), Justin Masterson, and Jonathan Papelbon.

The Sox matched the Rays' solo home runs with 2 of their own, thanks to Kevin Youkilis and our very own captain, Jason Varitek. Tek had made us all groan in the second inning when the Sox looked like they were about to run Rays' starter, James Shields, out of the game. But runners at first and second with two outs, Varitek ended the inning with an easy fly out. The solo home run in the 6th inning made up for that nicely.

The Rays did not completely implode last night, but they look like they are feeling the pressure. The swagger has lost a touch of its swag, the head held high is drooping just a bit. This team has never faced this kind of heat. Playoffs are one thing, but getting bowled over in game 5 by an historic come-back team while standing directly in the bright hot light of the national media seems to be getting them nervous.

The largest crowd, by my estimation, ever to attend a Rays' home game was in the stands last night. 40,947 people came out and brought a real playoff atmosphere to the dome. I tip my hat to you all for that. Hopefully even more will turn out tonight. Regardless of the outcome, tonight's game will be a piece of baseball history. Either the Red Sox will have miraculously escaped, yet again, from the jaws of defeat, or the Rays will be on their way to their very first World Series.

Now, if the contest was to see who could spit the most times per inning, I'm afraid Jon Lester would have his work cut out for him. Matt Garza can spit with the very best players in history (just watch him tonight, and count how many times he spits in an inning). But, thankfully, spitting does not count, and a rested Lester should prove to be a hell of a challenge for the Rays tonight. My real concern is for Papelbon. He did a nice job last night, but his fastball was about 5 or 6 miles per hour slower than normal. I doubt that was intentional. If he was fatigued last night, he'll be more so tonight. If this game is close, I can't imagine being with an effective Papelbon. Keep you fingers crossed on that one.

Under Pressure!

Jon Lester or Josh Beckett?

This is not a new topic here. Prior to the series, I wrote a discourse about how I would approach the Red Sox pitching rotation for the ALCS. My choice for the first four games matched Terry Francona's. For the final 3 games, I indicated that I would use the results, the series standing, and pitching performances of the first 4 games to guide the choices for the last three games.

I intended to use Josh Beckett in game 5, if he was sharp in game 2 and not in need of extra rest, otherwise I would go with Dice-K. Tito went with Dice-K.

For game 6, I wrote that I would use "Lester (if this is a Sox elimination game) / Dice-K (if this is a Sox clinching game)". Guess what? It is an elimination game. I stick by that. But, what I am missing is the inside, up close contact with the guys that Tito has. My thought is that pitching Lester today puts him on normal rest. The last game he pitched with extra rest, he was less sharp and lost (game 3). Beckett, on the other hand, is clearly not himself, and likely trying to fully heal that oblique pull (or the elbow is nagging him again). Either way, give him the extra day of rest to be ready for a game 7 showdown.

In the end, I have to say that I trust Francona. He wants to win more than you or I. If putting Beckett out there today and not tomorrow would hinder their chances, I don't believe he would do it. I have to conclude that the coaching staff feels Beckett is ready to go, and able to perform well. If they manage to win, we all will appreciate having Lester in game 7!

But, my only concern is that, IF Beckett is not truly ready, then he will have to come out early, and then we throw everybody and anybody out there. That's fine, but I'd rather do that in a final game 7, not having to worry about staffing one more game the very next day!

So, Tito, I'm trusting you here. Let's get this done.

Who Wins the Battle of the Fans, Red Sox or Rays?

Anyone who has watched (or attended) Red Sox games hosted in Tampa Bay has been shocked, awed, and even overwhelmed by the huge amount of Red Sox support in "enemy territory". It is a similar situation in Baltimore, but not to the level that it is in Tampa.

You've all read various articles about the lack of enthusiasm of the Rays fan base, and their late arrival to the show. According to Ballparks of Baseball, Tropicana Field has a seating capacity of 43,772. If that is true, get this. The publicized attendance for the first two ALDS playoff games in Tropicana Field were 35,041 and 35,257. More people attended a mid-September game against the Red Sox (September 17 - attended by 36,048). That means the first two playoff games ever for the Rays had approximately 8,000 empty seats!!!

2008 is the very first season that the Rays have made the playoffs, and did it as AL East Champions. I for one, and very impressed, and if I were in Florida, I'd be incredibly excited about playoff baseball meaning something in my own home town. Where are all the Rays fans? Perhaps there are only 35,000 fans in total, who knows?

Anyway, what I am curious to see tonight, is whether or not the influx of Red Sox fans to the game fills the park, and what the ratio of Red Sox to Rays fans is. Don't you think it would be incredibly embarrassing to get overwhelming cheering and support for the Red Sox that drowns out the local support for the Rays in their own park?

To be honest, I wish that would not happen. It's just not right. The Rays have done something incredible this year, and deserve strong home crowd support. They should not have to suffer through an enormous cheer going up when a Sox player (JD Drew tonight?) hits a home run, or when a Rays player strikes out to end an inning. Not on their own field. Until the Rays fans can muster enough support to sell out a home playoff game, they do not deserve the title.

I know there are good Rays fans out there (at least 30,000 or so). Get out there and support your team!

That all said, a brief moment of business. I'm looking forward to these first two games. Dice-K is strong, healthy and rested. No excuses. He needs to pitch well, keep them in the game, and hopefully get through at least 6 innings, if not 7. Then, the big question will be how Josh Beckett looks in game 2. If we see the Beckett of last year's playoffs, we'll be in good shape. If he pitches like he did in the ALDS, I'm worried. We need to win at least one of those two games, and then return to Boston for 3 straight. We've played the Rays well in Boston, and we would have a chance to turn up the pressure. Losing both in Florida would not be fatal, but would turn this into a slow tug of war as they even it up back at home.

Let's get it on!

No Angels in the Outfield

If you haven't noticed, there certainly are no "angels" in the outfield. The Angels beat the Red Sox last night in their 12th try in the 12th inning (hmm), and it was in spite of, not because of the outfield. In game 1, we saw a Jacoby Ellsbury drive result in an error-induced triple. Last night, a lazy, high fly ball dropped harmlessly in mid-center field with two outs. What should have been an inning-ending catch turned into a bases clearing 3 run triple. Maybe it is just Ellsbury knowing where their weak spots are.

So, I spent this weekend in the deep remote woods of Maine, well out of contact with the rest of mankind. When we finally re-emerged back into civilization, I was pleasantly shocked to learn the Sox won game two of the series thanks to a JD Drew 2 run home run in the ninth. "My God", I thought, "now the poor Angels have to face Josh Beckett in a must win playoff game". Well, we've seen it all season long, but no one in Red Sox Nation has been quite willing to fully admit it. The 2008 Josh Beckett is not the 2007 version.

Right from the first batter, it looked like Beckett was not on. He looked (to me) tentative with his fastball, and throwing more breaking pitches than usual. Some of those were terrific, but his game was not the same we saw in last year's playoffs. But, I give him credit for fighting and battling through it. But, when we saw Vladimir Guerrero actually draw a walk, you knew things were not good. But, the Angels have been unafraid of Beckett all season, and last night was no exception.

Yes, the Red Sox lost, but we all knew the streak of 11 straight playoff victories against the Angels had to come to an end eventually, right? We knew they had good pitching, and last night they out pitched the Sox. Yes, Angels starter, Joe Saunders, gave up 4 earned runs, just like Beckett, but three of those were unearned in my eyes, thanks to the outfield blunder mentioned earlier. Had they made that catch, the Sox lose 4-1, which is pretty much how the game played out.

With Dustin Pedroia, Big Papi, Jason Bay, and Mike Lowell all going hitless, the Sox were not going to do a whole lot of scoring. With the score tied in the ninth, and in extra innings, someone has to score. They came close in the 10th, loading the bases with a single and two walks, but Jed Lowrie's line drive to right center field did not find the gap, but found leather instead. Terry Francona threw every batter from the bench into the game, looking for lightning in one of those bottles, but all bottles were empty. Only Sean Casey remained on the bench. Of course, now we can all wonder what would have happened had Casey gone in, but there is not much point in that. That is simply one possible past that never took place.

So, what next? First step, sit Mike Lowell down. He's obviously a valiant warrior who wants so badly to help us win, but in his current state, he cannot. He needs rest, and we need take him out of further harm's way. Next, get JD Drew back in right. He's a talented hitter who saved game two, and we need that bat in the game. Then, watch Jon Lester pitch in his favorite location, on the Fenway Park mound. The Sox need to lock this series down tonight, with their best pitcher, at home. If not, how comfortable do you feel about facing the Angels on the west coast with Dice-K on the mound? 50/50? We need to simply lock this one up, now that we still have the Angels on the ropes, and get a small rest before moving forward. One tip to Lester...cover first base! The Sox missed out on two putout opportunities due to Beckett being slow to first, and on one play, Youk killed himself to make a play solo, just to make sure of the out. Come on guys - fundamentals.

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Beckett's Impact on the ALDS

Well, the Red Sox' 2008 season has a clear theme. Reliable starting players get injured and the Sox rely on minor league call-ups, bench players, and trade acquisitions to step up, contribute, and keep winning. The injuries did have a toll, but they just kept bouncing back (unlike our lovable rivals from the Big Apple). That theme will have to continue through the playoffs if the Sox want a shot at back to back World Championships.

While Terry Francona was carefully manipulating his game lineup to do his best to minimize the risk of a last minute injury to a key player, the injury demon attacked Tito from the rear in the safe confines of the bullpen. Josh Beckett experienced a pull in his side on about the 40th pitch of his bullpen session on Sunday. The injury appears to be a fairly mild oblique strain, and that is enough to knock a pitcher out. After all the radio debates on who should be the Sox' #1 pitcher, and who should be the #4, the situation has forced Terry's hand. Beckett will not start until Game 3 in Boston on Sunday the 5th. That is a full week after the injury happened. If it is indeed a mild strain, that may just be enough time. But, Beckett will not only need to be much improved physically, he'll also need to have solid mental confidence that he can let it loose without worry. That is the real trick. If he is tentative, he'll get eaten alive.

Which brings us to an interesting question. How devastating is the move of Beckett to the #3 spot against the Angels? In the end, it might possibly be a good move. We think of Beckett in terms of what he did last year. Based on that, we practically want him pitching in every single post season game! But, if we get rational for a minute, we have to admit that he is NOT pitching like he did last year, especially in the second half. that doesn't mean he won't have a good playoff run, it just is something we have to admit. Second, Beckett has faced the Angels twice this year, with poor results both times. Overall, he is 0-2 with a 7.43 ERA in those starts, a 4-2 loss on the road when he gave up 4 runs in the 7th inning, and a 9-2 loss in Fenway when he gave up 7 earned runs in just 5 1/3 innings.

Maybe this year's Beckett is not cut out to beat the Angels. Many fans have argued that Jon Lester is currently our best pitcher, and Dice-K is right up there with him. Oh, and the 4th starter? We should not need one, based on the current plan. Lester will open the series in Anaheim on Wednesday, and then will be ready to pitch in game 4 in Boston on Monday the 6th. Dice-K will pitch game 2 on Friday in Anaheim and will be ready to start game 5, also in Anaheim, on Wednesday the 8th. Beckett gets the hump game - right in the middle.

So, this series, unlike last year, rests not on Beckett's shoulders, but on Lester's and Matsuzaka's. The injury theme also plays out with the position players. Mike Lowell may not be able to play in game 1 of the series, and if he plays at all, he certainly won't be 100%. JD Drew appears ready to play, but a herniated disc in his back will surely keep him from being 100% either. With Manny Ramirez slugging for Joe Torre these days, and Lowell and Drew either out or not 100%, the Sox are packing much less punch than they had planned.

Especially against the Angels, the Sox may need to put a little more emphasis on small ball. If Drew can't go, having both Jacoby Ellsbury and Coco Crisp out there will not only create a solid outfield, but also put some speed on the bases. Get these guys on, run aggressively, and hopefully have men in scoring position when the big guns, like Dustin Pedroia, come up to bat.

So, we have what we have to deal with. We still have good starting pitching to throw at the Angels, a rested bullpen, and some pretty serious players who have proven all year they are ready to step up and contribute. On Wednesday, the battle begins. This year, the Angels think they can finally get past Boston, but the Red Sox are out to make them work for it.

More great stuff coming up, including a look at an interesting Fenway Park character - a Rational Sox Fan exclusive.

Can Wakefield Secure Playoff Spot?

The Red Sox, somewhat surprisingly, lost to Cleveland 4-3 last night, even with Josh Beckett on the mound and a case of champagne hanging in the balance. Certainly not the result we were looking for. While Dice-K turned in a "playoff ready" performance the night before, Beckett was unable to register his own readiness with the fans. Beckett looked sloppy at times, hit 2 batters in one inning and walked in a run with bases loaded in the second. I don't think there is a reason to panic, I think Josh just had a less than stellar night.

The loss turns out to be fortuitous for me, however, as I have tickets for tonight's game. This will be the second game I've attended when the Sox would be able to clinch a playoff spot with a win. The last time I had this opportunity was a game I went to with my Dad on October 2, 1990. The Red Sox were playing the White Sox, and a win would clinch the AL East. Both teams scored in the first inning and held the 1-1 tie until the 7th, when Chicago went up by one. In the bottom of the 8th, the Sox rallied to tie the score at 2, and the game went all the way into the eleventh inning. The crowd was getting exhausted, but we cheered and pleaded the team to score just one little run and unleash the euphoria we had bottled up inside.

Alas, the White Sox were the ones to score in the 11th inning, and the red Sox were unable to answer in the bottom of the inning. We all went home frustrated, and pondering whether there really was a curse. The next night, as you recall, we all got to see Tom Brunansky make his historic diving catch in right field to end the final game of the season and send the Red Sox to the playoffs in dramatic fashion.

I missed that play by one day in 1990. Eighteen years later, I'm back for redemption. The Sox loss last night was simply a sign that it is meant to be. Tonight, Tim Wakefield's knuckler will behave itself and dance the night away. Big Papi will continue launching bombs into the Red Sox bullpen, and it will be the new guy, Mark Kotsay, who will be called on to make the improbable head first dive into the right field corner (right in front of my seats), to save the day and unleash a downpour of champagne over Fenway Park.

Sound Good? Certainly sounds better than clinching the Wild Card thanks to a Yankee loss. As far as the Division Title goes, the Red Sox lass last night combined with the Rays' win puts it ever further out of reach. In order for the Sox to not be mathematically eliminated from the Division Title, the Rays have to lose AT LEAST 4 of their remaining 7 games. If the Rays do go 3-4 to finish the season, the Red Sox would have to sweep all their remaining games, going 6-0. Hmm, can you see how unlikely this is looking? Not impossible, no, just tantalizingly close, yet just at the end of your fingertips. Like trying to get that last pickle slice from the bottom of the jar. You fingers can touch it, but can't quite snare it.

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

The Fish that Got Away - Rays Win 2-1 in the 9th

I have to say, last night's game was more like it. The night before, a 13-5 cake walk, was embarrassing. But, last night the Rays regrouped and put up a proper playoff fight. Their players shaved their heads into Mohawks and lined up to do battle against Josh Beckett. They knew their chances were slim, but they went at it anyway.

Beckett had a brilliant night, only making one mistake on a pitch to Carlos Pena leading off the 7th inning, that turned into a solo home run. That erased the Red Sox' 1-0 lead and was the only blemish on Beckett as he went 8 complete innings only allowing 3 hits and one walk while striking out 7. For a while, it felt like Beckett might even make a run for a no hitter, until Cliff Floyd registered the Rays' first hit with one out in the 5th inning. Unfortunately for Beckett, the Red Sox offense was silent, which is pretty typical the game after scoring runs in double digits. The Red Sox only run came on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Youkilis in the 6th inning. Otherwise, Rays' starter Andy Sonnanstine, was able to match Beckett's outing.

Other than brilliant pitching in general, Rays' catcher, Dioner Navarro, was the hero last night, twice. In the 8th inning, with one out, Jacoby Ellsbury singled. This was big for the Sox. If Ellsbury steals second with one out, the sox would have a great shot at scoring a run and taking the lead. That would put Papelbon on the mound in the 9th inning. So, Ellsbury took off for second, and Navarro fired one of the more perfect throws to second I have ever seen. A laser of a throw that landed perfectly in Akinori Iwamura's waiting glove. Iwamura did not have to even move the glove, he simply had to close it around the ball as Ellbury slid in to it. if the ball had been throw just a foot off, Ellsbury probably would have touched the base before being tagged out.

So often in baseball, the guy who makes the big defensive play comes up later and gets the big hit. I don't know if it is adrenaline, or a self confidence from the big play, but you can almost always count on it. Last night was no exception. With the score still tied, Justin Masterson was sent in to get the Rays out in the bottom of the ninth inning. The first batter, Jason Bartlett, barely got the bat on the ball, but ended up on first base as the looping fly ball landed in that spot behind first base that no one can reach. Then, Masterson dug himself a deep hole. He walked Carlos Pena, struck out Evan Longoria, and then plunked Cliff Floyd on the knee to load the bases. That brought up Navarro, who smashed a 2-2 fastball deep to center field, easily bringing home the winning run from third.

So, faced with the prospect of losing possession of first place outright, the Rays stepped up and showed some life. I tip my hat to that. But, even though the Sox lost, they still moved forward in the playoff race as the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Twins all lost last night. The losses reduce the Yanks and Jays elimination number to a mere 3, while the Twins' elimination number in the Wild Card race dropped to 5. With 11 games to play, the Sox are more solidly entrenched as a playoff entrant. The question that is becoming the only remaining question, is who will be the Division Winner, and who will take the Wild Card spot between the Red Sox and the Rays?

The Sox were without Jason Bay last night, who flew quickly back to Boston to be present for the birth of his daughter, Evelyn Jane, last night. Word is Jason got there with only 45 minutes to spare. Ah, the life of a major league family. I'm Bay is already on a plane back to Florida to play in tonight's game. But, there will be plenty of time this off season to play with the baby.

I am concerned about Mike Lowell. Having been forced to retire from baseball with a bad hip myself, I cringed last night as Lowell came up limping after making a barehanded grab of a softly hit ground ball and making the throw to first. It was a nice play, but the twisting motion clearly aggravated Lowell's right hip, which has been diagnosed with a torn labrum. The right hip is also the center of a right handed batter's strength. A hobbled Lowell will still be able to contribute, but not at the levels he is fully capable of. Bad timing for that injury, but Mike has been there before, barely recovering in time from a broken bone in his left hand prior to the 2003 playoff with the Marlins. Let's hope he still has some magic healing powder left.

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Red Sox Continue Moving Up

Cue the theme music from 'The Jeffersons', because the Sox are 'Movin' On Up'! Toronto, yet again, wins a meaningful game for the Red Sox with a 6-4 win over Tampa Bay. That, combined with the Red Sox' 8-1 victory over the Rangers last night puts the home town team only 2 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East. In the Wild Card, the Twins pulled out a win to remain 5 1/2 behind Boston, while the Yankees find themselves on a slippery slope.

You heard it here first (well, probably not if you have crazy fanatic Red Sox friends). The Yankees are officially eliminated from the 2008 playoffs! Okay, I know they are not "mathematically" eliminated, but last night, in the thick of their last chance at making a run for a playoff spot, the lost (3-1) to the (get this) Seattle Mariners! Yes, the same Mariners who are in last place, already actually eliminated from the playoffs, and with nothing left to do but play out the string. The loss puts the Yanks 8 1/2 games back for the Wild Card, and in my book, they are done. That loss sealed the deal for me. The next 21 games are going to be painful for pinstripe fans, and we in Boston all feel true sympathy for you (NOT).

Now, yesterday I said I was worried about last night's game, and I truly was. Kevin Millwood is Texas' best starter, and Josh Beckett is fresh off the DL. You know the rest of the story from yesterday, but I also said the new guys returning could be the difference maker to ensure the win. That turned out to the Mike Lowell who made his presence felt the most. After three innings, Josh Beckett was pitching a no-hitter with 4 strikeouts, and Millwood was trying to keep pace. Millwood had only given up two hits through 3 innings, but one of them was Mike Lowell announcing his return with a solo home run in the 2nd inning.

In the fourth inning, an error and a double by Jason Bay put runners at second and third. Mike Lowell just barely stayed with a tricky off-speed curve ball, got the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, and lofted a looping line drive single to left field to drive in two more runs. Mike Lowell 3, Texas 0. That was enough to rattle Millwood. He proceeded to walk Jed Lowrie and gave up a single to Jason Varitek. Then, Coco Crisp sends (appropriately) a Texas Leaguer out to center field, and it goes off the glove of second baseman, Joaquin Arias (who had also made the error earlier in the inning), to allow two more runs to score.

Back to back triples in the 6th inning were fun to watch. First Coco Crisp hit one to score Varitek, then Jacoby Ellsbury hit one to score Coco. For a second there, I thought Ellsbury was going to have a shot at an inside the park homer with his speed.

Josh Beckett exceeded expectations (and pitch count). He went 5 innings, and threw 80 pitches, only giving up 4 hits to go with 7 strikeouts and no walks. Exceeding his pitch count limitations is a good sign. It means he felt strong, solid, and confident. Because of that, he was throwing like he was last season. Having Beckett get hot in time for the playoffs could spell doom for the rest of the AL.

The Sox bullpen did a nice job as Manny Delcarmen pitched two perfect innings to extend the game to the 8th inning. Justin Masterson got two quick outs in the 8th, but walked two straight batters after that. He managed to induce a ground ball out to end the threat and turn the game over to Hideki Okajima in the 9th. Mike Lowell had just doubled in the top of the inning to drive in Jason Bay from first base, and record his 4th RBI of the evening! So, Oki had a nice 8-0 lead to work with. He got the lead off batter to line out, then gave up a walk and a single to put two men on. He struck out Brandon Boggs for the second out, and had a 1-2 count on Nelson Cruz before watching him send a single to left to score the Rangers first and only run of the night. Oki struck out Gerald Laird to end the ball game.

So, the Sox go at it again tonight, and are thankfully on the road and missing the storm passing through Boston. Tim Wakefield will face off against Matt Harrison. Harrison has yet to face the Red Sox, and is not nearly the threat that Millwood is. But, if my sentiments yesterday helped at all with the win, then I'll have to repeat them today. I have a bad feeling about this one...

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Blue Jays are Doing Their Best for the Red Sox

The Yankees gave the Red Sox a nice 2 game jump in the AL East standings by beating the Rays on two straight nights, when the Red Sox were in the process of beating up the Orioles. That narrowed the Rays' lead from 5 games to 3. Last night, the Yankees dropped the ball, losing to the Rays 7-5. Well, what can you expect when they are up against a superior team with a true ace on the mound (Scott Kazmir). Of course, the Rays almost blew that one. They carried a 7-0 lead into the 9th inning, before reliever, Jason Hammel, allowed 5 runs to score. Close call there.

But, while the Yankees have been somewhat helpful, the Blue Jays are becoming our best friends. The Wild Card Race has been reasonably tight, up until the Twins traveled up to Canada for a 3 game series in Toronto. The Jays simply swept the Twins, including a win last night, and that increased the Red Sox' hold on the Wild Card to 5 1/2 games over Minnesota, and 7 1/2 games over New York.

The Jays have a chance to truly show their support for the Red Sox as they kick off a three game series against Tampa Bay starting tonight in Toronto. If the Red Sox can win their series against Texas, and the Jays do the same to the Rays, then we could find ourselves in serious striking distance when the Rays show up in Boston on Monday night!

Tonight, the Sox have, possibly their toughest game of the three against the Rangers. Josh Beckett should pitch well, but he's been out for a couple of weeks, so you never know. The good thing is that Dr. Andrews has assured him his elbow is structurally sound. That frees up his mind from holding back. He should be able to let loose, and that should produce good results. But, Terry Francona wants him on a 75 or so pitch count. That could mean leaving the game in the 4th or 5th inning, and leaving a lot of time for the bullpen to get themselves in trouble.

Meanwhile, Texas will be starting Kevin Millwood. You know how the Red Sox can truly take advantage of a pitcher without good control (just ask the Orioles)? Give up a few walks, get the pitch count up, and by the 5th inning the game is out of control! Well, that won't happen tonight. Millwood has only allowed one walk in his past 24 2/3 innings! He has also won his last 3 outings , including a win on August 31 against the Angels, and gave up a total of 4 runs in those 3 games, and two of those games were complete 9 inning outings for Millwood.

So, I just don't get good vibes for this game. Combine the above with the fact the Sox have won 3 straight, makes me feel like they are due for a loss. But, I'll tune in and hopefully get the pleasure of witnessing a different result. The one thing I think the Sox might get a boost from is the return of Mike Lowell and Sean Casey from the. That could end up being the secret to a victory tonight.

Yankees Save Face

I think Alex Rodriguez should take a page from Jason Giambi's book and grow a 1970's porn star moustache, buy himself some leopard print g-string underwear, and maybe start contributing when it counts. While A-rod went a quiet 0-4 that hardly got noticed by the friendly Yankee fans (hee hee), Jason Giambi spent the game on the bench, combing the moustache and adjusting the g-string (those things do tend to bunch up when you sit for too long). Then, with the Yankees losing 2-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning, two outs, and a runner at second base, Terry Francona made the call to the bullpen to have Hideki Okajima face the number 9 batter, Jose Molina.

In perhaps his first smart managerial move of the series, Joe Girardi sent in Jason Giambi to pinch hit. Giambi hiked up the g-string, put his game face on, and went in to show A-Rod how it is done. Two pitches later, A-Rod watched Giambi's shot clear the center field fence for a game tying two run home run, and said to himself, "why can't I do that?". Giambi was not done. In the bottom of the 9th, with the game still tied at 2 a piece, Gaimbi came up to face Jonathan Papelbon with one out and bases loaded. Giambi came through again, sending a looping line drive to center field to score the winning run from third. So, A-Rod, that's how you do it.

In a fittingly close, well fought game, the Red Sox bowed to the Yankees in the third game of this final series to be played by these two teams in the House That Ruth Built (and Steinbrenner tore down). It is amazing the roller coaster fans have put themselves on. When the Sox won the first two games, life was simply perfect, and fans began wondering which team the Sox would be facing in the World Series. Then, they lose game three, 3-2, and suddenly everything is ruined. All the joy from the prior two days now crushed, doubts flooding back in. Get a grip people, otherwise emergency room will be filling up with heart attacks and nervous breakdowns.

Yesterday's game was much more of a classic battle that we have come to expect from these two teams. Jon Lester pitched a very nice game, rebounding well from his last poor outing against the Blue Jays. But, as we are so used to seeing, the Yankees methodically drove Lester's pitch count up, so that, by the time he left with 2 outs in the 6th inning, he had thrown 119 pitches. Had he been able to keep that pitch count down, he would not have gotten lifted when he did, and we may have seen a different outcome. Hideki Okajima missed on a pitch to Giambi that changed the outcome of the game. But, wouldn't it have been nice if the Sox had scored more than two runs? Simply a tough game, and fitting that the Yankees should win the final regular season game - makes better history.

Remember when Josh Beckett got crushed by the Blue Jays, and I wrote that I was concerned this was due to an injury that we have not been told about yet? Well, it turns out I had reason to worry. Beckett has been scratched from his start tonight, and will instead, be going to visit the good Doctor Andrews. Nerve damage in the elbow can be a big problem. We don't know if Beckett's issue is big or not, but let's keep our fingers crossed on this one.

I will tell you this. If worse comes to worse, and the Sox lose Beckett for the rest of the season (God forbid), it is NOT all over. I expect they will continue to play well, certainly well enough to get into the playoffs, and then go to battle. Yes, having a healthy Beckett would be much, much better. But, when you look at last year's playoff run, when Beckett was clearly the overall MVP, you can look at it this way. Last year Beckett saved them. That is good and bad. It is good because it earned them a Championship. It is bad because they actually needed saving.

Yes, better pitching from their other starters, and better timely hitting, would have allowed Beckett to simply have a good playoff run and still win a Championship. He stepped up and became a hero, but, in a way, it is too bad we needed a hero to begin with. So, if this year, everyone picks up their game in the playoffs, and everything clicks, we may not need a single hero.

All that said, let's just hope Beckett gets back, healthy and strong.

Tonight the Sox face off against the Sox for an important three game series. The Sox are battling for first place with the Rays while the Sox are trying to hold on to first place over the Twins. if the Sox beat the Sox, then the Sox could find themselves behind the Twins and vying for the Wild Card. But, if the Sox beat the Sox, the Sox could lose control of their lead for Wild Card spot. So, either way, the Sox need to fare well against the Sox, and vice-versa. I am optimistic, since the Sox have fared well against the Sox this season, with tonight's starter, Daisuke Matsuzaka, having had his best outing of the year against the Sox earlier this month. (I hope all of this is clear).

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

That's All for Buchholz

At the end of the 2007 season, Clay Buchholz looked like the next young stud in line to become the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff. He looked sharp, confident, and dazzled the baseball world with a no-hitter. Red Sox fans were irritated that the Red Sox front office left him off of the playoff roster, but we were sure he'd be an important part of the 2008 playoff run.

That was then, this is now. Clay just has not been able to get it together this season, and I think a portion of that blame may lie with the Red Sox, but it is hard to say for sure. When Buchholz began to struggle a bit in June, they "invented" a fingernail issue that apparently required a trip to Pawtucket (coincidentally timed perfectly to open a roster spot for Bartolo Colon). While in Pawtucket, rather than just get some solid work in, they decided that Clay needed some tinkering. So, they went to work trying to alter his arm slot and perfect the mechanics of his fastball. Sometimes when you tinker with something too much, you simply make it worse. Remember when you'd get a pimple and you just couldn't help but pick at it, or when you'd get a mosquito bite and you just had to scratch it? These things feel right at first, but in the end, only make the problem worse.

Since Clay returned from his tuneup, he has been nothing more than a tremendous disappointment. Last night, the Red Sox staked Clay to a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 2nd inning. A 4 run lead would normally cause a pitcher to relax, gain confidence, and go after batters with more determination and less caution. That was not the case for Clay who preceded to give back 3 runs in the bottom of the second inning. That, apparently, was enough to get Terry Francona nervous. In the 3rd inning, he hit the first batter, Melvin Mora, with a pitch, got Aubrey Huff to fly out, and then walked Luke Scott. So, runners on first and second, one out, and Clay had thrown 60 pitches. Interestingly enough, that was all Tito wanted to see. His vision of the future did not include Clay inducing an inning ending double play, or even any Dice-K-like magic to end the threat unscathed. Tito could only see further woes ahead, so he pulled the trigger early in the game and sent Clay to an early shower, a brief stop on his way to AA Portland.

Meanwhile, when Tito called in David Aardsma, he probably did not expect what he got either, as Aardsma finished up the mess Buchholz had started by allowing the first batter he faced, Ramon Hernandez, to hit a fatal 3 run home run. The score was now 7-4 in favor of the Orioles. The Red Sox managed to only score 6 runs by the end of the game, so this hit was truly the dagger that ended the game in the 3rd inning. Javier Lopez relieved Aardsma an inning later, and fared no better. The first three batters he faced went like this; single, walk, three run home run. At 10-4, this game was truly out of reach (This was not the Texas Rangers you know. Against Texas, this game would have been far from over).

The good news is that Hideki Okajima pitched two good innings, the 7th and 8th, only allowing one base runner on a walk. The bullpen simply does not look like they are ready for the playoffs yet. But, if Okajima can regain last year's form, having the Okajima-Papelbon one two punch at the end of games may be just enough to get them by.

Meanwhile, Josh Beckett is still day to day, the result of numbness in two fingers on his pitching hand. It appears the numbness stems from his elbow, which is mildly sore, supposedly due to sleeping on it funny. Yes, this worries me for now. A pinched nerve in an elbow could clear up over night, or could become a nagging problem. Tim Wakefield is recovering from shoulder soreness quite well. He claims he is now pain free and throwing well. He could be back for the upcoming Yankee series, which would help the Sox buy some time before determining what move they will make to back fill for Buchholz. I am guessing they are hoping that Bartolo Colon is declared ready just in time.

Also on the injury front, Jed Lowrie fans can revel in the news that Julio Lugo has run into a setback in his recovery, quite literally. While doing some running, he felt a pull in his healing quad muscle, and is back to square one. Lowrie can breathe a sigh of relief and continue showing the Sox that he is the shortstop of the future.

As the playoff race continues, the Sox lost an opportunity to inch closer to the Rays, who finally lost a game last night. The Yankees and Twins, however, both won their games. While we are not too worried about the Yankees (yet), the win by the Twins pulls them to within 1/2 a game of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race.

The Sox have the night off tonight, travelling up to Toronto. Does is make you nervous having the Sox face the Blue Jays (a team they have trouble beating this year) on the road (where they have been struggling for success all season)? Paul Byrd starts things off, and he did pitch reasonably well in his Sox debut. After Byrd, the reliable Jon Lester follows, with the mystical Dice-K to end the series. I'm certainly not expecting a sweep in Toronto (for either team) but I am hoping they can steal two wins in the series. Anything less will likely force a slip in the standings at a bad time of year to be slipping.


(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Is Toronto the Red Sox' Achilles Heel?

It often seems that, no matter how good your team may be, there is a team out there that you just can't beat. That team may not even be having a very good season. For Boston a few years back, that team was the Baltimore Orioles. For the Yankees, they have had struggles with the Angels and even the Devil Rays over the past few years. This year, it seems to be the Blue Jays who own the Red Sox. That is not good news. Why? Because the Sox, who have a 2-6 record against them so far, face the Blue Jays 10 more times right in the middle of this year's playoff run, starting with 3 games in Toronto later this week.

To make things worse, the Red Sox were the only team in the AL East to lose yesterday. While the Blue Jays pounded the Sox 15-4, the Yankees were busy roughing up the Royals 15-6 and the Orioles battered the Tigers 16-8. The Rays won over the Rangers, even though they could only muster a paltry 7 runs. So, yes, the Sox dropped a game to everyone yesterday. Before you relax, I haven't gotten to the wild card race yet. Yes, BOTH the White Sox and the Twins won their games yesterday. So, every team that mattered won on a day the Sox got clobbered!

Now, how could this happen with Josh Beckett on the mound? Good question. Beckett only lasted 2 1/3 innings, giving up 8 earned runs on 8 hits. Yes, the relief pitchers who came in after Beckett also had forgettable afternoons. Of the 6 pitchers used, only the last one (Jonathan Papelbon) escaped without surrendering a run. But, that dis not really matter, the 8 runs Beckett gave up were more than enough to ensure the victory for Toronto. The rest of the runs were just stat padding.

What worries me when a true ace pitcher, like Beckett, has such a terrible day, is the possibility of injury. When Roger Clemens was a regular on the Fenway mound, I remember more than a couple of times when he'd have a seemingly inexplicably bad game, only to hear a day or two later he was hurt and skipping a start, or going on the DL. Generally, an ace like Beckett does not get quite as roughed up unless there is a problem. However, I do have my fingers crossed (fingers with no blister issues), that it was simply a bad day for Josh. Perhaps he did not get enough sleep, was fighting a cold, or just had a little stiff back. This is certainly not the time of year we want to see Beckett need to get any time off.

So, the Sox will head down to Baltimore for three games, and look to their 2008 saviour, Jon Lester, to right the ship. That won't be easy, as the Orioles will send Jeremy Guthrie to the mound to face Lester. Guthrie is in the middle of an incredible run for a pitcher. He is 10-8 with a 3.18 ERA, but he has won 7 of his last 8 decisions, and leads the AL with 18 quality starts. If everything goes as expected for these two pitchers, we should see a low scoring pitchers battle with both starters lasting deep into the ball game. Don't be surprised if this one comes down to a 9th inning score to settle things.

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)

Red Sox J's Combine To Defeat Chicago

The Red Sox J's? That's right! The Red Sox J's did it with pitching (Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon) and by driving in runs (JD Drew, Jed Lowrie, Jacoby Ellsbury). The only J who did no damage was Jason Varitek as Jason Bay did manage a single and scored a run. So, where'd Theo get this obsession with players whose name starts with a 'J'?

With Manny gone, you can see how different the lineup is turning out to be. Jason Bay is a nice player, but not a 1 for 1 replacement for Manny's bat. Thus, we are seeing Tito experiment a bit with how to generate the most power in the middle of the lineup. Who would have thought Kevin Youkilis would end up as a leading candidate to bat fourth in the Red Sox lineup? But, last night, with Big Papi giving his wrist a rest (imagine Michael Palin as Pontius Pilate reading that line), we got to see a new lineup. Not sure exactly why Coco Crisp took the leadoff spot, but this lineup will not put fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. However, it is a pretty solid lineup, top to bottom, that can get in a groove and chip away, like last night.

White Sox starter, John Danks, looked brilliant last night carrying a no hitter into the 7th inning. However, Kevin Youkilis managed to break up the no-no with a broken bat flare to center. Later that inning, the first J struck when JD drew laced a beautiful double to deep left-center, scoring Youk from second and Lowell from first. That put the Sox up 2-1, and would be all the runs they would need to win. But, just to be safe, the Sox scored some insurance runs in the 9th inning when Jed Lowrie doubled in two more runs, and Jacoby Ellsbury singled home Lowrie.

The J's did a good job pitching too. In particular, Josh Beckett did exactly what the Sox needed. He pitched sharp, conserved his pitches, and went deep into the game. Josh did not walk a single batter, and the 7 hits he allowed were spread out across the game. Danks came out sprinting, but did not have enough in the tank to finish. Beckett took a more steady pace and outlasted his opponent. Unfortunately for Papelbon, there was no save opportunity by the time his turn came around, but I'm sure he did not mind simply securing the win with a 1-2-3 ninth inning of work. Nothing like a match up of two terrific players to end the game when Ken Griffey stepped up to face Papelbon. Perhaps if this was a 25 year old Griffey, the results may have been different. But, this is Papelbon's time, and Papelbon got Griffey to easily fly out to Ellsbury in right field to earn a 2-2 split with the White Sox in the 4 game series.

Many questions remain on how this season will turn out. Can the Yankees turn things around in time to avoid missing the playoffs altogether? The Rays are proving everyone wrong by lasting on top deep into August. But, can they survive the loss of both Evan Longoria AND Carl Crawford to injuries? While it seemed the Red Sox had more starting pitching than anyone would know what to do with, suddenly they are looking a little short. With Tim Wakefield on the DL and Clay Buchholz pitching like a New York Yankee prospect these days, can Bartolo Colon return in time to save the rotation? Will Justin Masterson get flipped back to a starting role?

And what about tonight's starter, Charlie Zink? Will his knuckleball be as effective as Tim Wakefield's, or will he have to rely on a Zinkerball? (you heard it here first). Zink should be interesting. He does feature a knuckleball, but his fastball is a reasonable 88 miles an hour (as opposed to Wakefield's 80 mph offering). He has the potential to keep hitters off balance and turn in a solid outing. However, being his first major league start, can he calm those stomach butterflies enough to let his talent shine? I'll be in the crowd tonight (hopefully not hiding under a poncho in a downpour), so I'll let you know how he looked tomorrow.

It's good to be back - now the push for the finish!

Without Manny, Sox Have No Answer for Joba

Yes, I was at the game last night. Unfortunately, the results were not what I was hoping for, but for the most part, it was an interesting and well played game. This was our first look at Joba Chamberlain as a starter, and he looked good. As expected, he fed Sox batters a steady dose of fast balls, topping out at 100, but not very frequently. In addition, he mixed in a slider and a curveball to keep batters from sitting on the fastball. Joba lasted 7 innings and baffled Sox hitters all night, recording 9 strikeouts while only allowing 3 harmless singles and one walk. The only time it looked like the Sox might get to Joba was in the 2nd inning. Mike Lowell lined a soft single to left field, then JD Drew came up and ripped a shot to center that Melke Cabrera dove for and made the catch. Had he not come up with that, Lowell would have been on third, and they might have gotten something started.

Last night David Ortiz made his debut from the DL. Papi has been hitting minor league pitching well, but it is a big jump from minor league prospects to facing Joba's fastball. Papi looked like he needs a little more time to get his timing down. Meanwhile, there was little excitement while the Sox were at bat until the 7th inning when Joba, AGAIN, almost took Kevin Youkilis' head off with a pitch. Joba has twice before thrown at Youk, once at his head, and once behind him. Joba was precise in his command all night, only walked one batter, and hit no batters. So, could it be coincidence that this one pitch that gets away from Joba all night happens to be against Youk, and happens to go right at his head? Only Joba knows for sure, but I have to say, the game situation just did not make sense for it to be intentional, unless Joba is a complete idiot. At the time, the Yankees were leading 1-0, and Youk was leading off the 7th inning and had a 2-0 count. It just would not make sense for Joba to want to let the lead-off man get on base.

Counterpoint...If Joba does have it in for Youk, and wants to plunk him for some reason we don't know, but he sure makes obvious, then when would he do it? Well, he would not do it early in the game and risk getting thrown out, right? If he was going to do it, it would be late in the game when his turn to pitch was nearly over, like maybe the 7th inning? Joba's pitch count was in the 90's, he knew this would be his last inning, and his last chance to face Youkilis for the series. It was now or never. The way he was mowing the batters down, I'm not sure he was worried about getting through the inning with Youk on first, and if he made it looks accidental, he made not have been ejected for the first offense. Hmm, now that you put is that way, maybe it was not accidental at all! Now, what the hell does Joba have against Youk?

Josh Beckett pitched well, but not as dominating as Joba. Beckett also went 7 innings, striking out 6 and only walking one, but be gave up 9 hits, all of them singles. Beckett allowed the Yankees to get runners on base, but stayed enough in control to prevent anyone from crossing the plate. That is except for the 3rd inning. With 2 outs, Bobby Abreu and A-Rod hit back to back singles to put runners at 1st and 3rd. With Jason Giambi coming up, the Sox put the shift on moving Dustin Pedroia out into shallow right field and shortstop, Jed Lowrie, shifted over to stand behind 2nd base. Giambi swung at and barely connected with an 0-1 fastball that lazily rolled out to where the shortstop normally plays. With the shift on, there was no one there to get the ball in time to make a play, and Abreu scored the only run from third base. Not Beckett's fault, but what can you do?

The Red Sox big chance came in the 8th inning when Chamberlain left the game and Kyle Farnsworth came in. I had all the confidence in the world that the Sox could at least score one run off Farnsworth and most likely send the game into a late night extra inning battle. This was a Yankee game, after all, and we all expected it to last at least 5 hours, and this one looked like it was on track to end in a mind-boggling 3 hours! The inning started with Jed Lowrie getting a single, a feeble looking Jason Varitek popping out, and Coco Crisp getting a single off of a swinging bunt. The top of the order was coming up with two men on and only one out. Things looked good! But, if we knew the Yankees were in trouble, you'd expect their manager would know it too. Sure enough, Joe Girardi spoiled all the fun when he realized that if he wanted to steal a 1-0 win from the Red Sox in Fenway Park, he was going to have to nail it down right now. That meant a call to Mariano Rivera to get 5 outs. It only took Rivera 6 batters to get those 5 outs.

It looked like some trouble might be brewing in the 9th inning. Oritz lead off with a soft fly out to right, but Youk followed that with a single to left. With Mike Lowell and JD Drew due up next, things looked promising. That is until Yankee catcher, Jose Molina, slipped the umpire a little something. Mike Lowell was waging a battle for the ages against Rivera. The first two pitches were a ball and a called strike. Then Lowell fouled off three straight fastballs, watched ball two go by, and then fouled off another fastball. The eighth pitch of the battle was a fastball, but clearly (on replays) not a strike. Lowell let it go by to bring the count to 3 balls and two strikes (in his mind), and then, as the umpire remembered the Molina bribe, called out strike three instead. Lowell could not believe his ears. He leaped about 3 feet into the air, spilling out Cuban curses on the way up, and at the peak of his leap, slammed the bat down to the earth, and I swear we felt the vibration out in right field. I have never seen Lowell lose his cool like that, and he went after the home plate umpire as if he had just parked in his parking space after Lowell spent an hour shoveling the snow out of it.

We all figured Lowell ought to get this off his chest and go ahead and get thrown out. Maybe it will fire up his teammates! So, Lowell got sent to his room for a time out, and JD Drew stepped up. Drew has been swinging a hot bat, and one good swing could end this one, right? Well, with one ball and two strikes, instead of being inspired by Lowell, Drew decided to emulate him and sat there watching strike three go by without a swing. This one was not a ball, this one was a strike. Game over.

So, a 1-0 loss. Anyone think Manny Ramirez might have helped in that game?

Red Sox Offense Explodes to Sweep Twins

Now, that's entertainment! As crazy as the final 18-5 score is, this was actually a tough, close game until the bottom of the 7th inning came around. Josh Beckett had a rough start, giving up 3 runs in the first inning, but settled down to hold the Twins scoreless until the 6th inning. By the 6th, Beckett's pitch count was getting too high, and when he started off the inning by giving up a solo home run followed by a double, Terry Francona gave him the hook. The Sox had put 6 runs on the board, but Javier Lopez gave up an RBI single to score that run from second, and the Twins pulled to within 6-5.

By the bottom of the 7th, the Sox were holding on to, what felt like, a 7-5 lead, but it was a strange day and it seemed like anything could happen, and it pretty much did. The bottom of the 7th started off with Mike Lowell walking, followed by a ground rule double by Sean Casey to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Then, Jason Varitek hits a sinking line drive to center field, and Denard Span dove to make the catch. The ball ends up in his glove, and the initial ruling is that the ball was caught for an out. Both runners had taken off, and the Twins tagged both bases for what appeared to be an inning ending triple play. It should not have been a triple play as it appeared that Lowell had tagged up before running home. However, the umpires conferred on the play, and reversed the initial call, ruling that the ball had hit the ground and bounced into the glove. Replays confirmed the ruling was correct, and the Sox caught a break that the umpires were willing to confer and get the call right. Had the umpire stubbornly decided to stick with the initial ruling, we would have headed to the 8th inning of a close game.

Instead, here's what happened to the Twins. Have you ever been working out in the yard on a hot summer day and find yourself hot, sweaty, and dying of thirst? So, you go over to the water hose and point the end at your face and then spin the valve to turn on the water. At first, nothing happens, and you realize there is a kink in the hose. So, you straighten out the kink, and suddenly the water erupts from the hose, drenching you from head to toe and the surprise of the blast causes you to stumble and fall on your butt, right in the rapidly filling puddle around you! Well, that's pretty much what happened to the Twins right there. Reversing the triple play call was the same as fixing the kink in the hose.

By the time the Twins got the water turned back off, the Sox had scored 7 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning, increasing their lead to 14-5. Another 4 runs in the 8th just added insult to injury leading to a final score of 18-5. It was as if the Sox offense had been trapped but bursting to get free. Once it broke free, there was no stopping it. Every single starter in the Sox lineup had at least 2 hits (except for Brandon Moss who only had one), every single starter scored at least once, and every starter (other than Moss) drove in at least one run. Geez, what the heck was with Moss, is he in some kind of slump or something? Even Kevin Cash belted a solo home run pinch hitting for Varitek to lead off the 8th inning.

Things were so easy for the Sox, that Manny Ramirez had to take a break and call all of his friends and tell them to turn the game on and check it out (this is an actual game photo)!

With the Yankees beating the Rays again yesterday, the Sox are now a mere 2 games behind the Rays for first place. The Sox get a day off today to rest their exhausted swinging muscles, before hosting the Orioles for a three game series at Fenway. Clay Buchholz will be recalled to start that series off. It will be interesting to see if we can notice any difference in his delivery, or pitch selection, after working on improving things down in Pawtucket. If the Sox can keep their momentum going, they should be in good position heading in to the All Star break.

(Photos Courtesy of Boston.Com)

Red Sox Feeling Right at Home in Yankee Stadium

Everything seemed to be going wrong for the Red Sox on the road, but all that is turning around in New York, of all places. Surely a sign that this season's Yankee team, while full of impressive resumes and even more impressive salaries, does not have all the right pieces in place to make a serious run at an elusive 21st century championship. The talented players on the Yankee roster are aging, and not gracefully.

Jon Lester pitched a terrific complete game on Thursday, and was given ample offensive support. Facing guys like Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina (today's starter) must be like the good old days for the Sox, having faced them so many times over the years. Just what Jason Varitek needed to get his swing into gear. The Captain has been in a slump, and an automatic out lately, but is starting to regain some confidence in friendly Yankee Stadium. Tek hit an RBI single in the 8th inning Thursday, and followed that up with a 2 for 4 day on the fourth of July. Maybe the Captain America catcher's gear he wore on the 4th helped build up some confidence?

Yesterday, Josh Beckett was the beneficiary of some timely offense, in a rather entertaining game. The highlight of the game was Kevin Youkilis' deep drive to left field. Normally, Hideki Matsui would be patrolling left field, but he's hobbled with a knee injury that may end up needing surgery to correct. Had Matsui been in left field for that drive, it surely would have simply gone off the wall for a routine 2 run double. But, with Johnny Damon in left, he used his speed to turn a routine 2 run double into a memorable and timeless 2 run triple! Damon caught up to the ball, leaped to make the catch, but as the ball was settling into the web of his glove, he plowed full force into the fence, jarring the ball loose. Johnny crashed to the ground without the ball, but with a painful left shoulder injury from the collision. The ball, it turns out, landed right on top of the wall and sat there for a few seconds, and then rolled off the wall back onto the field. Had it rolled the other way, it would have been a home run, but instead turned into an entertaining triple. Johnny will likely miss today's game, further depleting an already depleted outfield (sound familiar?).

I don't expect today to go much better for the Yankees. Mike Mussina has lost a few mph off his pitches, but has been putting together a decent season, relying on being crafty and keeping hitters off balance. But, the Red Sox have faced the Moose so many times, I would be surprised if he can really surprise them after all this time. Instead, I think they'll be sitting on his breaking pitches and having a field day. The Red Sox have Justin Masterson taking the mound, and the Yankees have never faced him. Masterson is pitching with tons of confidence, and will not be intimidated by pitching in the House that Ruth built (and the one that Steinbrenner is tearing down). Especially after seeing his teammates walk over the pinstripers the past two days.

Tomorrow, we'll see a classic race between the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise will be played by Tim Wakefield, and the hare will be played by non other than Joba Chamberlain. Wakefield has been pitching brilliantly, but not getting wins lately. I expect a complete turnaround in this one. Wakefield will have a marginal day, giving up 4 or 5 runs and leaving the game early, but he'll end up getting the win!

Astros Shoot Red Sox Out Of First Place

In a surprise turn of events, the Houston Astros stole a close game from the Red Sox, winning by the score of 3-2 on a night when the Sox had their ace, Josh Beckett, on the mound. Beckett pitched a decent game, going 7 innings and only allowing 2 runs, but was unfortunate to be pitching on a night when the Sox offense was unable to get anything going.

The only runs the Sox were able to generate were on 2 solo home runs, one by Dustin Pedroia, and one by Manny Ramirez. Manny has been in a bit of a slump the past few weeks, so it was good to see him go deep. But, the National League format with no DH seemed to hinder the production last night. In particular, in the 6th inning the Sox were able to put runners on 1st and 3rd with only one out. However, the next batter was the pitcher, Josh Beckett. Terry Francona had two choices. He could pull Beckett and send a pinch hitter up to hopefully bring in the man from 3rd. But, this would force them to go to the bullpen 2 innings sooner than planned. the other choice was to allow Beckett to hit, and hope for a little luck - perhaps a walk or a fortunate hit. But, Houston starter, Brian Moehler, was pitching a nice game and was not about to let an AL pitcher ruin his night. Beckett tried to at least bunt the runner over to second base, but Moehler threw nasty tailing sliders to keep that from happening. With two strikes on him, Beckett had little choice other than to swing at the next good pitch, which he did, and struck out.

Even though the Sox could not generate a real rally, they were tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 8th. David Aardsma went in to replace Beckett. Aardsma got Carlos Lee to fly out, but then gave up a single to Miguel Tejada. For some reason, Francona opted to pull Aardsma at this point and send in Hideki Okajima. I He may have been trying to keep Aardsma's pitch count down, but other than that, I'm not sure what the logic was. The next batter, Jeff Blum, is a switch hitter, so no lefty match up there. The batter after that was the pitcher, so you could be sure there would be a pinch hitter. But, Francona went with Okajima, who continues to prove he cannot keep inherited base runners from scoring this season. I am wondering if he is somehow tipping his pitches? Just seems like a big change from last year for him.

Okajima threw a curve ball in the dirt that got past Jason Varitek sending Tejada to second base. He then got Blum to ground out for the second out of the inning, only to bring up pinch hitter, Mark Loretta. Loretta has been a thorn in the side for the Sox in this series, and continued to pester last night, sending a single to center on a very ineffective change up to score Tejada for the winning run.

Losing last night dropped the Sox out of first place, a half game behind tonight's opponent, Tampa Bay. The Rays are still looking strong, and in the fight longer than most people thought they would be already. The Red Sox have beaten Tampa Bay 6 games straight in Fenway Park, but lost three straight to the Rays on the road. This will be an exciting series. The Rays need to win to prove they are real, and solidify their hold on first place. The Sox need to step it up, and show who the true World Champs are. Having been watching the Rays over the past few seasons, I do not think they are wise enough to put the past confrontations with the Sox behind them. I don't expect them to come out fighting, but I do expect them to over-react to any little incursion, like a hit by pitch or collision on the base paths. Tune in to this series, should be exciting.

Lastly, if you have not heard, Manny has been causing more trouble in the clubhouse this week. On Saturday, he asked traveling secretary, Jack McCormick, for 16 tickets for Saturday's game. Who knew Manny had so many friends in Houston, but since Manny was asking for so many tickets on the day of the game, Jack told him he might not be able to fulfill his request. Manny did not want to hear that and shouted at Jack to "just do your job". That started an argument, Manny pushed Jack, Jack fell, nearby players jumped in to break things up.

So, what do we make of this? Hard to say. Manny is generally very laid back. Has there been bad blood between these two before? Was Manny in a bad mood for other reasons and took it out on Jack? For whatever reason, Manny snapped, which is unusual for him. He has since apologized, Jack has accepted the apology, and the team has moved on. Sounds like a good idea. But, Red Sox management need to have a chat with Manny to understand what's going on there. He may be having personal issues which have him stressed. In any respect, flare ups within the team like this do not help pull everyone together for a playoff run. Terry Francona would be well advised to understand what's going on, and try to help, if possible, to keep the close camaraderie in the clubhouse going. No need to suspend anyone over a brief spat, just get to the bottom of the real issue, ease the problem as much as possible, and play ball.

(Photos Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)

Beckett Outpitched by Haren, Sox Lose 2-1

It was a hell of a pitching match, but Diamondbacks' starter, Dan Haren, was better. Haren shut the Red Sox out through 7 innings, but Josh Beckett allowed 2 runs to score. That pretty much sums up the game.

The Sox had their big chance in the 8th inning when Haren finally left. Just the situation we were looking for. Get the ace off the mound and attack the bullpen. Tony Pena replaced Haren, and sure enough, the Sox put him in a jam, loading the bases with one out, and the number 3 and 4 hitters coming up. JD Drew did not come through with a recently typical home run to take over the game, but he did manage a sacrifice fly to get the Sox on the scoreboard 2-1. However, Manny Ramirez, who has cooled off this past week, could not get a screaming line drive past third baseman, Mark Reynolds, who made a terrific diving catch to end the inning, and the Sox' hopes.

Odd situation of the night was between innings when Kevin Youkilis caught a bounced throw from Mike Lowell off of his right eye, which swelled up like a boxer's. For precautionary reasons, and before it swelled completely shut, Youkilis can out of the game. Hopefully nothing was damaged and he is able to return tonight. The timing is not good, since Sean Casey, our backup first baseman, began serving his suspension for this part in the Tampa Bay brawl. Terry Francona went with Brandon Moss at first base, which should only be a last resort.

Justin Masterson will try and match Beckett's amazing performance. Beckett went 8 innings allowing only 5 hits, 2 runs, and 8 strikeouts. Big shoes to fill for Masterson, but more importantly, can the Red Sox offense get something going and score a few runs?

Red Sox Take 2 Out of 3 from Reds

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were missing from the lineup, but the Red Sox offense did not seem to notice, rolling to a 9-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds yesterday. With Josh Beckett on the mound, 9 runs is far more than they ever would have needed. The offense got started with speed, when Jacoby Ellsbury lead off the game with a single and promptly stole 2nd base, and then 3rd base. Exactly what the Sox need to do with less firepower in the lineup. Dustin Pedroia did his part by hitting a sacrifice fly ball to score Ellsbury for the winning run. That's right, the second batter of the game drove in the first batter of the game for the winning run!

Ellsbury's 2 steals set a new record for steals for a Red Sox rookie with 33. The previous record was set 100 years ago in 1908 by Amby McConnell, remember him? With the season not even at the half way mark, Jacoby should be a shoo-in to break the all time Red Sox stolen base record of 54, set by Tommy Harper in 1973! As long as Ellsbury stays healthy, this one is well within reach.

After getting things started with speed, the Sox fell back on their true love, power! Cincinnati is known as a home run friendly park, and the Red Sox sure would agree with four players hitting home runs yesterday. Jacoby Ellsbury hit one to prove he is not only about speed, and Coco Crisp, JD Drew, and Dustin Pedroia all joined in with home runs of their own. Crisp had a nice day, accounting for 4 RBI's, and JD Drew refused to cool off, belting his 11th home run of the year.

All of this offense just made it too easy for Beckett. Josh went 7 innings, allowing no runs on 6 hits and 6 strike outs for his 7th win of the season. His best outing in a few starts. With Dice-K Matsuzaka still on the DL, it is good to see the Red Sox Ace step up and take charge! Speaking of Dice-K, he is scheduled to make a rehab start with the Pawtucket Red Sox on Monday. If all goes well, Dice-K is penciled in to come of the DL and make a start with the Sox on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. That gives Justin Masterson time to squeeze in one more start this Wednesday in Philadelphia before swapping places with Matsuzaka. I expect Masterson will make the most of it.

The Red Sox will kick off a 3 game series against the Phillies beginning tonight, when Bartolo Colon will continue his terrific comeback. Now, before you go and start putting this one in the win column consider two things. The first is that the Phillies are having a great season. They are in first place in the NL East with a 41-30 record (compared to to the Red Sox record of 44-28). They are a slugging team this year, leading the NL in most offensive stats. If the Sox are going to win in Philly, they will have to prove their pitchers can stop a truly potent offense. Are you listening Colon, Lester, and Masterson? That goes for the bullpen too! And with Ortiz still on the DL, and Manny possibly sidelined with a strained hamstring, the Sox will not be bringing the same punch to the table. The Sox will be facing good pitching as well, including an old nemesis, Janie Moyer. I know, you thought he had retired and become a cross walk guard a long time ago. But, no, the crafty 45 year old lefty is actually still pitching, and pitching well, as his 7-3 record this year shows.

While the Red Sox often play in friendly ballparks when they are on the road (Baltimore and Tampa Bay spring to mind), Philadelphia will not be so welcoming. In fact, they've pretty much had it with our Red Sox Nation, and seem to be very tired of the Red Sox winning. They liked us when we lost as often and as painfully as they do. But, now that we have built a solid team capable of winning championships, they feel left out. In fact, Bob Ford, an Inquirer Sports Columnist, seems to feel that Red Sox Nation is a scourge on the country. Sheesh, talk about jealous whining! Especially from a team in first place. Maybe they just want more attention?

Well, if I were you, I would not miss this series - a battle of first place superpowers, the winner securing bragging rights!

Red Sox Bullpen Stumbles in Loss to Orioles

The Red Sox bullpen had recently been on a good run of solid, consistent pitching. Until last night. Josh Beckett had an okay outing, but was far from stellar. He lasted 6 innings allowing 4 earned runs, and left the game holding on to a 6-4 lead. Hideki Okajima came in and looked terrible. He simply did not have his command last night. After striking out the lead-off batter, he issued a walk, gave up a double, and another walk to load the bases. Terry Francona left him in, hoping he could work out of the jam. He could not. Instead, he gave up a well hit single to Aubrey Huff that drove in 2 runs, tying the game at 6 runs a piece. Okajima has been a mystery this year. He'll go an outing or two looking just fine, and then blow up like last night. What seems to be coming clear, is that, when he is off his game, he is off. Therefore, Francona should have him on a shorter leash, at least for a while. If he gets in a serious jam, get him out, he does not have his stuff.

Manny Delcarmen did a very nice job of getting the Sox out of the 7th inning, and pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Then, Craig Hansen followed Okajima's lead and had a sloppy ninth inning, also giving up 3 runs (only two were earned) and putting the game out of reach. So, not a proud day for the bullpen.

The offense fared well, particularly JD Drew and Manny Ramirez who hit back to back home runs in the 5th inning. JD Drew has been doing a fabulous impersonation of David Ortiz ever since Ortiz went on the DL. Drew has been so dangerous, that Orioles' manager, Dave Trembley, had to make moves to the bullpen in the 7th inning to try and contain JD, sending in the left handed pitcher, Jamie Walker, who was able to strike Drew out. Manny has also been on a tear ever since hitting his 500th home run in Baltimore. Yesterday, the Red Sox honored Manny's historic home run in a pre-game ceremony, and Manny later sent home run number 505 over the Monster.

Jacoby Ellsbury was back in the lineup, playing left field, for the first time since spraining his wrist last week. The wrist was still tender, and you could see him wince when we would swing and miss at the plate. I would not be surprised if he gets tonight off to ensure he does not suffer a setback. In the past, my only criticism of Ellsbury has been that he has not yet gotten comfortable playing fly balls right up against the wall. Based on last night, that is still the case as he jumped up in front of the Green Monster to try and snare a fly ball. The catch would have ended the inning, but, while it was catchable, Ellsbury missed it by a foot and two runs scored. It was certainly a tough play, but one he has yet to get comfortable making. Coco Crisp, on the other hand, is quite adept at snaring balls up on the outfield fence, and did so in center field last night to end the 4th inning in dramatic style. Maybe he can work with Ellsbury to help fill that last gap in the kid's development.

Tonight, the Sox will have their work cut out for them as they face the left handed Garrett Olson tonight. Olson has been the Orioles' toughest pitcher this year. He faced the Red Sox once this year on May 31 out in Baltimore. He gave up back to back solo home runs to Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, but allowed only one other hit in the 5 innings he pitched. If he is able to keep the Sox run production down, Bartolo Colon will have to pick up his game and keep pace. A native of the Dominican Republic, I imagine Colon is comfortable in hot weather. Tonight, he'll certainly have hot weather on his side. We can certainly use a solid outing from the big guy.

(Photos Courtesy of ESPN)