RED SOX REVIEW:

The last time we took a look at the Red Sox, it was late April and the team was still feeling the effects of transcontinental travel. The season is now halfway through and the early-season bloom is long off the rose. Over the course of the past two months, we have been able to slowly watch the club take shape and determine whether the team will be a pretender or a contender. Along the way, there were some pretty dismal stretches on the road, exciting moments (Lester’s no-hitter and Manny’s 500th), notable injuries and a memorable bench-clearing brawl with the Rays. Despite all of the ups and downs on the field and the injuries, the team is in pretty good shape moving forward into the heart of the season.

Late April:

After having been swept in St. Pete by the surprising Rays in late April, the Sox returned home for a six-day homestand with Toronto and the Rays, looking to exact some revenge against these AL East teams that have won five out of the last six games. Mike Lowell returned to the lineup after missing the last three weeks with a sprained thumb. Game 28 (4/29) was a real gem. Roy Halladay got the start for the Jays and went nine scoreless innings only to fall victim in the Sox’ tenth when he surrendered a two-out walk to Ortiz (back after a two-game absence with a sore knee). Manny followed with a base hit and Youkilis drove in Big Papi with a single (the Big Man chugged in from second).

The Sox were fortunate to have brought the game into extra innings. Jon Lester had an amazing night, allowing but a fifth inning base hit by Overbay heading into the eighth. With two outs, Lester had given way to Papelbon, who promptly allowed a double to Scott Rolen. Wells hit a grounder up the middle and Pedroia made a fabulous diving stop, wheeled and threw out Wells for the final out of the inning,

The following night (4/30) was another late-inning thriller where the Sox came out in top. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Dustin McGowan hooked up for a second straight night of great starting pitching. Ortiz gave the Sox a 1-0 lead in the fifth with a solo shot to right. Rios tied the game in the eighth on a sacrifice fly setting the stage for the fireworks in the bottom of the ninth. Scott Downs came on in relief and allowed a single to Ortiz and a walk to Manny. With one out, Brandon Moss lined a base hit up the middle. Lowrie (pinch running for Ortiz) tried to score from second but Wells’ throw gunned him out at the plate. Varitek followed with a base hit that drop in front of Wells in nearly the identical spot in center, but Manny decided to chance it just beating Wells’ throw and giving the Sox a thrilling 2-1 win. The Sox ended April with a record of 17-12 which wasn’t all that bad considering the travel.

May:
The Sox opened up the month with a 3-0 loss to Toronto before Tampa Bay came to town for a three-game set. As discussed last year, the Rays have finally made the move from perennial doormats to contenders, having swept Boston down there the weekend before. The Rays have simply accumulated too much splendid young talent and are well managed not to be in contention. They will be a force with which to be reckoned, if not this year, then next. However, in the series opener (5/2), the Sox’ anemic offense finally came to life after a 2 ½ hour rain delay, as they exploded for four runs in the fifth inning en route to a 7-3 win. Buchholz picked up another win and Pedroia was the big gun with a double and two singles, driving three runs. The only bad news on the night was the announcement that reserve outfielder Dustin Moss had an emergency appendectomy and will be lost to the team for about a month, which is a shame because the kid appears ready to be a major leaguer after taking numerous trips on the shuttle between Boston and Pawtucket.

The following night (5/3), Manny appeared to have broken out of the slump that has bedeviled him in the early going. He drove in two runs in the first inning and the Sox coasted to a 12-4 victory. Beckett had another strong night, going eight innings to pick up his third win of the season. The following afternoon (5/4), the Sox completed the sweep as Youkilis drove in four runs (including two doubles and a home run) and the Sox got the better of one of their most difficult pitchers to face in Scott Kazmir (who was just coming off the DL). Ortiz was scratched from the lineup with a sore knee, but the offense got by just fine without him today. Jon Lester brought his record to 2-2 after posting another strong outing. And by the time the smoke cleared, the Sox repaid Tampa Bay outscoring them 26-10 on the weekend.

The Sox then embarked on a 10 Game road trip that brought them to Detroit, Minnesota and Baltimore. What's up with the Tigers anyway? This was a team that was built to contend in the highly competitive American League Central, but over the first six weeks of the season and stumbled badly. The two key off-season acquisitions Cabrera and Willis have failed to deliver so far in the team is playing as if they're just a bunch of overpaid underachievers.

On Monday night, May 5, Daisuke Matsuzaka walked a career-worst eight batters yet the Sox still found a way to win the ballgame 6-3. It appeared that Daisuke was suffering the ill effects of a cold. Lowell, Youkilis and Ortiz each homered to propel the Sox to the fourth straight win. What is amazing is that Matsuzaka only allowed two hits and one run on the night despite his difficulties with the strike zone as he picked up his fifth win on the year. In the seventh inning, Gary Sheffield made a great catch off of Mike Lowell's long drive that appeared ticketed for his second homer of the night. Craig Hansen was recalled from Pawtucket to take Brandon Moss' spot on the roster and really struggled his first time out, giving up two runs in an inning and two thirds. Okajima and Papelbon (10th save) were able to hold down the fort as the Sox came away with the series opener.

When Tim Wakefield's knuckleball works, it is a thing of beauty. And such was the case on Tuesday night (5/6) as he went eight strong innings allowing only two hits en route to a 5-0 shutout of the Tigers. At one point he retired 17 batters in a row. Ortiz and Manny hit back-to-back homers in the seventh. Manny's homer came off of Freddy Dolsi, making his major league debut, whose first big-league pitch was a gopher ball estimated at 427 feet, just a magnificent bomb. There are far worse fates than getting tagged by a Hall of Famer to be. Crisp and Cash also contributed with their bats and Mike Timlin's appearance in the ninth inning put him in a tie for ninth all-time with 1,022 appearances.

Wednesday night's (5/7) game was an all-ugly classic where the Sox ended up losing 10-9 one in a tortuous game that lasted just under four hours. Buchholz got the start for the Sox and was really hammered allowing 10 hits and five runs. After five innings, the Sox were down 8-4, but staged an improbable comeback to take 9-8 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Youkilis hit two homers and Lowell followed up with a three-run shot of his own but it wasn't in the cards for Boston tonight. In the bottom of the ninth, Papelbon came on to close things out and ended up being unable to throw the ball over the plate. He allowed a leadoff single, then Lugo committed an error trying to turn the double play putting runners on the corners with nobody out. With one out in the score tied at nine, Polanco bounced one through the hole in short and our Dear Old Pal Renteria came in with the winning run. It was one of those sorts of games that left you feeling like putting your foot through the TV screen.

The series finale (5/8) was a much better way to wrap things up for the Red Sox. Beckett (4-2) had another big night, striking out eight (including the 1500th of his career) over seven innings as the Sox shut down the Tigers 5-1. He was opposed by Justin Verlander who is now an astounding 1-6 in the early going. Youkilis hit another home run, a two-run job in the fifth, and Varitek also drove in two with a base hit. The Sox have been on a pretty good run of late and are now nine games over .500 (23-14) as they move further west for a weekend series in The Baggie Dome.

Bad Times In The BaggieDome:
If there's one series during the course of the year that I'm inclined to pass on, it's the Minnesota trip. Baseball was never meant to be played under such horrible conditions. I've ranted and railed about the Baggie Dome for the past 25 years, such that it is no longer worth belaboring the point. Baseball is not an indoor activity, nor was it designed to be played on a rug. The Twins were an outdoor team from 1961 to 1981, and despite andthe fact that "The Met" became decrepit and unsafe, the inclement weather during the early season didn't seem to bother folks in Minnesota all that much. Baseballs are not designed to be hit off of plastic roofs or loudspeakers. The venue is dark and ugly and the Red Sox lose there about 95% of the time when an outfielder loses a fly ball in the lights or a line drive that would otherwise be a home run in any other ballpark bounces off of a plastic tarp and is ruled a double. Does this place give the Twins an unfair advantage? Damn straight it does, unlike any other venue in Major League Baseball. I can't wait for this place to be imploded, just as they had done with that dreadful Kingdome in Seattle and all of those ugly concrete multisport monstrosities that became the rage in the early 70s when who thankfully met their fate with the dynamite boys.

The Sox lost Friday nights series opener (5/8) 7-6 when Papelbon blew his second straight save opportunity when he allowed a single, and a two-out walk followed by an RBI base hit to a scrub who was hitting .213 at the time. All the blame can't be laid solely at Papelbon's feet. Lester had a pretty rough night as well, allowing eight hits and five runs. On the positive side, Lowell and Youkilis continued their torrid pace at the plate. The Sox defense wasn't all that bad either especially in the eighth when Everett doubled to the gap and Delmon Young tried to score all the way from first. He was cut down at the plate on a perfect relay from Pedroia.

The following night (5/10) Daisuke Matsuzaka ran his record to 6-0 as the Sox picked up a comfortable 5-2 win over the Twins. They were no control issues for Daisuke on this night, as he went seven strong innings allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out seven. The Sox went to the long ball tonight as Crisp and Jed Lowrie (First MLB HR) hit back-to-back homers and (surprise) Lowell and Youkilis also went deep as well. Papelbon (after two straight stumbles) got back on the horse and picked up his 11th save of the year.

Sunday night's game (5/11) was ESPN's game of the week, and was Exhibit "A" of what happens when Tim Wakefield's knuckleball fails to knuck. After three innings, the Twins were ahead 7-2. At least once a year the Sox have a national TV game in Minnesota, and pretty much without fail they get hammered. In the case of too little too late, the Sox mounted a furious rally scoring four times over the last three innings only to fall at the end 9-8. With the score 9-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Twins called on the their ace closer, Joe Nathan, to shut things down at the Sox made him earn every penny. He allowed an RBI double to Drew then Crisp hit a screaming liner that bounced off of Nathan's glove and he had the good sense to flip the ball to nail Drew at third. Crisp stole second as the tying run with Manny at the plate. But Manny (sigh) grounded out to short and that was that.

The good news was that the Red Sox only had to make one trip to the Baggie Dome this year. The bad news is that the schedule necessitated a fourth game be played before they left town. On this night (5/12), the Sox played as if their minds were already somewhere else, and who could blame them? 94-year-old Livan Hernandez got the start for Minnesota and other than allowing a two-run homer to Manny (#498) in the first inning, he and his mates once more had the better of things as they coasted to a 7-3 win. Clay Buchholz had another rough outing and really struggled throwing strikes and never made it out of the fifth inning. Over his last two starts Buchholz has allowed 18 hits and 12 runs in just over eight innings' work. Drew had three hits in the ball game and is beginning to warm up at the plate. Jed Lowrie was sent back to Pawtucket, but he shouldn't be long before this kid hits the big leagues for good. He acquitted himself quite well. Let's hope that that's the last we've seen of Minneapolis this year.

On to Baltimore

In recent years, every time the Sox travel to Camden Yards it seems as if there are more Boston fans than Orioles fans in attendance. The reason for the Orioles' slide into irrelevance can be summed up in two words: Peter Angelos. Before he gained control of the team, the Orioles had established a proud winning tradition and the farm system that was the envy of baseball. From the mid-60s through the mid-80s, Baltimore was synonymous with winning in baseball. They play in one of the most beautiful parks in all of baseball and there is no reason why the team should fail to contend every year. But the success or failure of any organization starts at the top. Intelligent owners hire intelligent managers to run the practical aspects of the operation and stay out of their way and allow them to do their jobs. As has been well documented in baseball circles, the Orioles failure to succeed is in large part due to the meddling of an incompetent owner. Maybe Angelos has finally seen the light with the hiring of Lee McPhail to run the operation. Under McPhail's guidance, the team has already made a couple of great trades picking up a boatload of young talent for two players (Miggy and Bedard) who weren't going to take the team to the next level. So there's hope for the future in Birdland.

And it was the young talent on the Orioles that was largely responsible for the victory in Tuesday night's series opener (5/13). Beckett got the start for Boston and really had an off night, allowing 11 hits. Jeremy Guthrie (remember him from last year's Mother's Day Miracle?) countered for Baltimore and once more had the Sox' hitters baffled, giving up only two earned runs before being pulled in the seventh inning. Boston had a terrible scare in the third inning when Drew dove after a ball in right field and turned his wrist awkwardly. He was removed from the game for precautionary x-rays, and his future availability is unknown. The Sox had their chances on this night, the first taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning then loading the bases in the seventh with nobody out before Manny hit into a double play and Lowell hit a harmless fly ball out to kill an absolutely golden opportunity. The Sox have now lost four of their last five, as Tampa Bay and Baltimore grow perilously close to grabbing the lead in the American League East.

…Make that five out of six. In this brief two-game series finale (5/14) Jay Payton hit a grand slam and Daniel Cabrera pitched his heart out as the O's swept the Sox 6-3. The only real highlight of the afternoon came in the fourth inning when Our Old Pal Millar hit a screaming line drive to left field with runners on first and second. Manny gave chase after the ball, made a leaping grab, high fived a fan in the front row, wheeled around and threw out the runner at second. The things this guy does sometimes are simply astounding. Any time Jay Payton does well against the Red Sox it is a time for wailing and gnashing of for fans of the local nine. This is a guy who basically shot his way out of town and was fired by the Red Sox because he made a big stink over the lack of playing time and foolishly called out his manager. Rumor has it that when he caused the scene on the bus leading to an airport, both he and his bags were forcefully removed from the bus. In the Red Sox' days of old, cretins like this guy were commonplace and it's one of the reasons why the team never won a World Series in 86 years. Generally, we don't do schaudenfraude around here, but Payton's an exception. He's profited by being a me-first asshole, and guys like that we could just as soon do without.

Back Home and the Start of Interleague Play:

After an off day on Thursday and a rainout on Friday, Milwaukee came to town for brief three-game set. It is difficult for most baseball fans to separate the Milwaukee franchise from their one time owner, the Clueless Commissioner. The Brewers played in the American League for 25 years, with mixed success. In 1996, the commissioner rigged things so that the team could play in the National League Central Division, where they have had... mixed success. A switch of leagues may have been beneficial for Selig, and allowed his franchise to take advantage of regional rivalries but why wasn't the same opportunity given to the baseball team that operated in Montréal? It would have been one thing if the team died as a result of indifference. But that was hardly the case. The Expos were killed by Major league Baseball. Selig allowed that franchise to fall into the hands of hand picked charlatans who dismantled the team and allowed the loyal fans to be sold down the river. If the Montréal franchise would have been allowed to play in the American League East where the city has traditional rivalries in hockey with Boston and New York, there's a very good likelihood the Expos would be playing in a beautiful downtown ballpark today, and the Florida franchise (where 98% of the seats are empty) would've been a proper candidate for relocation to Washington. That’s why I find Selig to be a loathsome individual.

So much for today’s sermon. The Sox played one of those infamous day-night doubleheaders on Saturday the 17th. Before the game, Buchholz was placed on the 15 day DL with what was termed a broken fingernail on his pitching hand. Sounds more like the lad needs a little more seasoning down on the farm no doubt he's going to be a terrific pitcher, but his recent struggles confirmed the fact that he still not ready for regular turn in the rotation.

The Brewers are reminiscent of Tampa Bay in many ways insofar they've built an everyday lineup consisting of home grown (cheap) talent. Their Achilles' heel appears to be a lack of adequate starting pitching. The Red Sox will not be facing the Brewers' ace, Ben Sheets, during the series and that's a plus. However, their everyday lineup is filled with primo young studs. If they had a decent starting rotation, there's no telling how far this version of the Brew Crew could go. With the Cubbies playing lights out in the National League Central, they're in the thick of things for a shot at the Wild Card.

The fans greeted Gabe Kapler with a warm ovation when he stepped to the plate in Game One. Last year, Kapler was managing one of the Red Sox' development teams in A-ball, and his comeback with the Brewers has been nothing short of remarkable. Kapler was always a fan favorite in Boston because he busted his ass day in and day out. Matsuzaka (7-0) got the call in Game One, went seven innings, and was aided by Ortiz' three-run shot as the Sox came away with a 5-3 win. The nightcap proved not to be as tidy an affair, as both teams combined for seven errors in a 7-6 Red Sox win. The Sox got off to a fast start thanks to Lowell, who had a two-run double in the first and a two run homer in the third. Ellsbury stole his 25th consecutive base, setting a Red Sox rookie record dating from 1920. Wakefield got the call for the Sox and had another pretty good outing before turning things over to the bullpen in the sixth inning with a 5-1 lead. Aardsma and Hansen basically imploded, and by the time the smoke cleared in the seventh, Milwaukee was ahead 6-5. In the bottom half of the inning, the Brewers had defensive issues of their own allowing two errors that allowed the game tying and winning runs to cross the plate. Timlin entered in the ninth inning and picked up his first save of the year, in the process becoming the second oldest player in major league history to earn a save.

In Sunday afternoon's series finale (5/18), Big Papi had a big day, hitting two homers as the Sox pounded Milwaukee to the tune of 11-7. Beckett got the start and did not have one of his better outings, as the Brewers had four homers of their own. Beckett went seven innings, giving up just six hits (four of which left the yard), six runs and struck out nine. Milwaukee had a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth, before the Sox blew things wide open scoring eight times over the next four innings. After losing four out of five, it seemed as if all the Red Sox needed was a little home cooking. The Sox are now 27-19, still holding on to a precarious lead in the AL East.

Kansas City came to town for three, as the Sox looked to continue their roll, but no one was anticipating what transpired in the series opener, as Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter and the Sox won 7-0. Lester's comeback from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last year was tremendous and has been well documented. His win in game four of the 2007 World Series was a triumph for the ages. This year, he's had some good and spotty outings. But a no-hitter? That's simply astounding, given all of his trials and tribulations over the past couple of years. The only baserunners to reach were walks in the second and ninth innings. He also struck out nine batters, including Alberto Callaspo to end the ballgame with a triumphant flourish.

He was amply aided by his defense in this effort, including a spectacular diving catch by Jacoby Ellsbury to end the fourth inning. The outcome of the game was essentially decided in the third inning when the Sox pushed across five runs, on a combination of walks and errors by the KC defense.

How can anyone top that? The following night (5/20), Justin Masterson (yet another one of the young power arms coming through the Red Sox farm system) may not have pitched a no-hitter but pitched an outstanding ballgame going seven shutout innings allowing only three hits as the Sox won 2-1. Masterson was recalled from Double-A Portland and would return to the minors after this start gave Red Sox fans an awful lot of hope for the future with his performance. The Red Sox did all their damage with one out in the second inning when Youkilis and Drew singled and Varitek walked. Lugo hit a sacrifice fly and Crisp followed with a double. The bullpen was only so-so tonight as Hideki Okajima loaded the bases before Papelbon came on to strike out Billy Butler. Gil Meche was the tough luck loser for the Royals as at one point he had set down 18 batters in a row. With the win, the Sox went 10 games over .500 for the year at 29-19.

Bartolo Colon made his Red Sox debut in the third game of the series (5/21). Colon, who had been signed to a minor league deal during spring training, was set back for a while with the muscle strain and it may 3 rehab starts at Pawtucket prior to once more being ready for the big time. Since Colon won the Cy Young Award in 2005, if he can give the Red Sox anything remotely approaching that sort of performance it would be an enormous shot in the arm. But after Colon signed a big free-agent deal with the Angels, he appears as if he ate up all of the profits and his durability is certainly going to be an issue going forward.

The offensive star of the night was Jacoby Ellsbury who had three hits including a leadoff homer, and scored three runs as the Sox won 6-3. The big inning was the fifth, when the Sox pushed across four runs, erasing a 2-1 deficit. Varitek homered to tie the score then Crisp doubled and scored on Lugo's Varitek tied the game with his sixth homer and Coco Crisp then doubled and scored on Julio Lugo's base hit up the middle. Ellsbury singled, chasing KC's starter Brett Tomko from the game. Hey-Hey Mahay entered in relief and surrendered a base hit to Pedroia. Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly that scored Lugo and Ellsbury scored on a wild pitch.

The way things have gone lately, the Red Sox probably would hope that the Royals would never leave town. However, after the series finale (5/22), the visitors must've been thrilled to leave. Daisuke Matsuzaka ran his record to 8-0 and Drew and Lowell each hit grand slams as the Sox drubbed Kansas City 11-8. Drew's grand slam came in the second inning after Royals' starter Brian Bannister gave up consecutive singles to Manny, Lowell and Youkilis. Lowell's grand slam came in the sixth inning, and it was a blast off the light tower. Matsuzaka allowed only three runs but did walked six batters. By the time he left, the score was 11-3 and it looked like the Sox would coast to another win, but the Royals kept chipping away at the bullpen and things got tight when Miguel Olivo hit a three-run homer to cut the lead to three runs. Papelbon (who probably wasn't expecting to appear in the ballgame) was called on to close things out to pick up his 14th save. Things won't always be this easy, but the Sox need to make the best of all these opportunities. They're playing .620 (31-19) at the moment and while one wishes they could maintain this pace through October, there are bound to be bumps along the way.

The Sox headed west to Oakland once more where they were swept by the A's. They were dreadful, getting outscored 17-6 and it's really not worth recapping. After the lost weekend by the Bay, the Sox hit Seattle for three. They lost the series opener 3-2 in the late innings (Daisuke was injured and came out early) and the following night, Tim Wakefield lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Erik Bedard (who was acquired by the Mariners from Baltimore for five players). Maybe these two wins will jumpstart the Mariners, as they've been an enormous disappointment this year (almost shockingly so) considering that they have a payroll in excess of $100MM. After losing the last five games in a row, that's why it was so important to make hay during the last homestand.

Prior to the series finale (5/28) Daisuke was placed on the 15 day DL with a muscle strain in his side. Bartolo Colon got his second start for the Red Sox and had the dubious fortune of facing the Mariners' ace (King) Felix Hernandez. Once more, the King pretty much had the Red Sox eating out of his hand. His only mistake came in the fourth inning and Ortiz made him pay. After seven innings of dominance, the King's reign came to an end. With Seattle leading 1-0, Pedroia hit a ground rule double that scored Lugo with two outs. Ortiz was given an intentional pass and Manny followed with a double off the wall in right field. Lowell then hit a screaming grounder to third and Ortiz scored on the play. Drew hit an infield single and Varitek followed with a bases-loaded walk. Meanwhile, Colon had another fine outing, going seven innings allowing only one run only did not factor in the decision. Papelbon (in a non-save situation) struggled in the ninth inning allowing two runs, but was able to shut things down. It's hard to believe that Seattle is 18-34 at the end of the May. One can only wonder how long it'll be before heads rolling at Safeco.

June
Back To Baltimore:
So far, the Sox have gone 1-5 on this current trip and it's becoming apparent that they are completely different club on the road than they are at home. They returned Camden Yards for a four-game set looking to avenge the recent sweep at the hands of the O's.

In Friday night’s series opener (6/1), it appeared as if Boston's offensive woes would result in another loss but thanks to Baltimore's defensive blunders, the Sox prevailed in 13 innings in a game that ran about 4 1/2 hours. The Sox picked up two runs in the top of the first inning and it seemed like about a week later and the game was still going on. This was another night when packet when had an outstanding outing, striking out 10 batters. The only time he had any real trouble came in the in the second when he allowed a run and in the sixth inning when he walked the bases before getting Adam Jones to strike out swinging. Daniel Cabrera also had a pretty good night for the Orioles over seven innings' work. Aubrey Huff tied the score with a homer in the fourth and that's how the game stayed for a long, long time. In the top of the 13th, the Sox finally broke through thanks to a series of miscues by the Orioles' defense. With one out, Manny hit a routine grounder to third and Mora threw the ball about 20 feet over the first baseman's head. Lowell drove in Manny in with the go-ahead run on a base hit up the middle. Shortstop Freddie Bynum's throwing error paved the way for two more runs to cross the plate and the Sox were sitting pretty at 5-3. Papelbon came on in the bottom of the 13th and blew away the side for his 15th save of the year.

The following night (6/2), Manny's long wait for his 500th home run came to an end. In the sixth inning, Manny drove a long fly ball into the right-field grandstand off of Chad Bradford to become the 24th player in Major League history to reach the 500 home run mark. The celebration was somewhat muted as is the case on the road but everyone took note and it certainly was a thrill for the Red Sox and their fans. The Red Sox won the game 6-3, but more importantly David Ortiz suffered a wrist injury in the ninth inning which will sideline him indefinitely. Jon Lester had a fair start, allowing three runs and seven hits over five innings' work. Ortiz and Pedroia homered and Ellsbury tripled and stole three bases. Aardsma pitched the seventh and eighth to pick up his second win of the year and Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 16th save of the year. Manny’s milestone home run is certainly worth remembering but the extent and severity of Ortiz’ injury may have a more lasting impact.

In Sunday afternoon’s series finale (6/3), Manny picked up right where he left off, hitting a home run number 501 in the fourth inning as the Sox banked out 16 hits and pasted the Orioles by a 9-4 final. With Ortiz out of the lineup, Manny will serve as the DH for awhile allowing for less wear and tear on his perennially aggravated hamstring muscles. Lowell and J.D. Drew also homered and Ellsbury had three hits and yet another stolen base (seven for the series so far). Colon won his third straight start, going six plus allowing four runs and seven hits.

Prior to Monday night series finale (6/4) the Sox placed Ortiz on the 15 day DL with a partially torn tendon in his left wrist. As Red Sox fans has seen so often when Ortiz swings the bat amount of torque that he puts on his joints is amazing. His wrist as been immobilized and hopefully he can return to the lineup within the next six to eight weeks. But it's going to be very, very hard to replace his bat (13 HR, 43 RBI) in the lineup, time will tell. Manny hit another home run, but it wasn't enough as Okajima faltered in the eighth and Baltimore ended up winning the finale 6-3. The Orioles manager, Dave Trembley, was tossed in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes and gave the fans a pretty good show on his way out the door. Wakefield had a good start, going seven innings (his only bad one was the fourth) allowing only two runs on five hits but the bullpen failed him on this night.

Back Home For Three With The Rays:
The Red Sox have had a pretty ugly history with Tampa Bay dating back to the Rays’ inception in 1998. They have been more than one Pier Six bench-clearing incidents over errant pitches and really no one ever knows what's going to happen whenever these teams hook up. There was a pretty memorable one involving Pedro and the Iceman a few years back, and also another involving Trot Nixon that was worth the price of admission. But the baseball world needs to stop thinking about the Rays as a failed expansion venture. They are now a properly run, well managed and highly talented baseball team who will be a contender for years to come. The key building blocks are already in place and they only need a few pieces to complete the puzzle.

Returning home from a 4-6 trip, the Sox needed to make a statement and in this series. In the opener (6/3), Justin Masterson (recalled from Pawtucket when Ortiz went on the DL) got the ball and had a nice outing, going six innings allowing four runs off of Rays’ starter Matt Garza. Akinori Iwamura led off the ball game with a homer, but Masterson settled down quite well thereafter. He did hit Carlos Pena who appeared to have broken his finger and was in a lot of pain. Drew and Lowell each hit two-run homers in the Sox exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth and the Sox came away with a 7-4 win. Crisp’s (coming out of a 1 for 25 slump) two-run double was the key hit in the rally. Craig Hansen came on in the eighth and got out of a jam with two runners aboard by retiring the next three hitters. Papelbon came on in the ninth to pick up his 17th save.

The following night (6/4) things got interesting. It was unseasonably cool, damp and drizzly. Beckett got the start for the Red Sox and had another great night going six innings in a 5-1 win for the Red Sox. The manager has slotted Drew in the three-hole following Ortiz’ injury and so far it has worked very well. Pedroia hit what appeared to be a home run around the pole and right-field in the first inning but the umpire ruled that foul. The replay showed that it was fair. However, the Sox picked up three runs in the third when Crisp led off with a double, Ellsbury’s single, a double by Drew and a single by Manny. Crisp knocked in another run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly and Youkilis drove in Boston's fifth run with a bases-loaded single in the seventh. If that's all there was to report, it would have been no more than a nice win by the home team. However, things took a nasty turn in the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Crisp stole second head first into the offense over the fact that the Rays’ shortstop Jason Bartlett planted his knee on the bag which is a breach of baseball etiquette. In the eighth inning, Crisp again tried to steal second, only this time he appeared to have gone out of the baseline and knocked Iwamura ass over teakettle. Moments later, when the Rays’ manager came out for pitching change, he got into a shouting match with Crisp over what he felt was an overly aggressive play. The two jawed back and forth but there were no moves by either party to escalate things further.
In the eighth, BJ Upton was tossed for arguing a third strike and had to be restrained by the third-base coach.

The series finale (6/5) was nothing short of madness. Baseball fights are stupid. Prior to the game, there was all sorts of talk about whether the Rays would retaliate for Crisp’s hard slide against Iwamura. Sure enough, when Crisp stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second, the Rays starter James Shields drilled him in the ass with the first pitch. Crisp should've let it go at that and quietly taken the base. But testosterone being what it is, Crisp had to learn the hard way. He charged the mound and a bench clearing brawl ensued. He ducked Shields’ roundhouse right before getting tackled by one of the bench warmer thugs (Gomes) and soundly pummeled. It took a few moments to extract the bodies from the pile before the game resumed. Crisp, Shields and Gomes were all excused from further participation in this evening’s drama.

But the craziness did not end there. In between the fourth and fifth innings, there was an altercation of sorts between Manny and Youkilis. Apparently, Manny took offense to Youkilis’ immature display of slamming his helmet after having been called out on a close play and said or did something that caused the scuffle between the two. It's really hard to say what happened is nobody was talking about it but it was clearly captured on video.

By the way, they're also happened to be a baseball game. Jon Lester made his first start at home since the no-hitter and pitched pretty well, allowing one run and eight hits, while striking out five over 6 1/3. Manny hit a three-run homer in the first, Pedroia hit a sacrifice fly in the second and the Sox scored three more times in the fourth to make it 7-1. There was a scary moment in the top half of the fourth when Ellsbury awkwardly turned to his wrist while making a beautiful grab of Longoria's sinking liner. He came out of the game right away for treatment. That was about three weeks worth of baseball in one night. Lost in all the insanity was the Sox going 13 games over .500 at 38-25.

Seattle For Three:

Seattle came into town for a three-game set and King Felix blew away the hometown nine 8-0 in the series opener. He has simply been unhittable whenever he starts at Fenway Park. He Just a bad night and turn the page as quickly as possible. The following night (6/7), Wakefield was on the hill for the Sox and things went much better than his last outing against the Mariners when he lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in Seattle. Manny returned to the lineup after sitting out the first game of the series, hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Sox had quite a night treating M’s starter Miguel Batista quite rudely en route to an 11-3 win. With the score tied at two in the fourth, the Sox won ahead for good when Cora doubled in Moss and scored on Crisp's base hit the middle. The Sox exploded for five runs in the fifth inning capped by two-run doubles by Lowell and Youkilis. Drew (who is most definitely on fire) homered in the sixth and drove in another run in the eighth with a base hit. It was quite a nice way to come back from the hangover the night before. The boys gave Wakefield all the run support he needed and then some.

In the series finale (6/8), Justin Masterson had another great outing, going six innings and allowing only one run on three hits as the Sox squeaked by the Mariners 2-1. In the second inning, J.D Drew made tremendous catch off of Sexson's long fly ball to right that had a home run written all over it. The Sox tied the score in the third inning when they loaded the bases and Drew was hit by a pitch. In the sixth, Drew hit a solo homer off of reliever Sean Green and the one run lead stood up.

Three More With Baltimore:

How many times have the Red Sox played Baltimore and the last two weeks? It seems as if it's been almost 100. In the series opener (6/10), Manny and Drew each hit home runs but it wasn't enough as the bullpen caved in again and Baltimore 10-6 on a hot and muggy night at Fenway Park. Delcarmen, Okajima and Hansen failed again tonight as the Orioles came back two different times to pick up the win. The following night (6/11), things went much better as Bartolo Colon won his third ballgame this year and in the 150th of his career as the Sox rode an early lead to a 6-3 win on a picture-perfect night for baseball where your intrepid reporter had great seats a few rows behind the Red Sox dugout. The Sox put up a five-spot in the bottom of the first that was capped by Varitek's three-run homer. The Orioles' starter, Garrett Olson, held the Sox' hitters in check until the sixth, when Lowell launched one out of the ballpark. Things got a little bit testy in the ninth when Timlin was called in for mop up duty with a five-run lead and proceeded to give up a couple of runs necessitating the call to the bullpen for Papelbon to nail down the final out. The series finale (6/12) thankfully provided no drama. Jon Lester took the hill for the Sox against Guthrie. Lester had an extra day's rest following his five-game suspension after hitting two batters in the brawl game against Tampa Bay. The Sox took an early 1-0 lead, and then blew things wide open in the fifth when Mike Lowell hit a grand slam. The Orioles picked up a pair in the sixth, but the Sox put the hammer down in the seventh when Youkilis hit a two-run homer and Drew followed with a solo shot of his own to cap off the scoring at 9-2.

Back to the National League:

The Sox traveled to Cincinnati for three games with the Reds. This series won’t serve as a reminder of the great 1975 World Series as Ol’ Red Legs are currently a far cry from the world-beaters of three decades ago. Cincinnati is a great American baseball town and their venue, Great American Ball Park, looks like a fantastic place to take in a ballgame. It's sad to see a town hand team with such great baseball tradition struggling to contend. It's even sadder to see one of baseball's greatest players, Ken Griffey Jr., fading into irrelevance with a second division ballclub. They do have some nice players, Adam Dunn can hit the ball a country mile and Brandon Phillips is a slick fielder and they are slowly integrating highly touted prospects into the lineup. But it's going to take a while before this team is back on top again.

As befits Friday the 13th, the series opener was somewhat of a nightmare for the Red Sox as Dunn and Jay Bruce each hit homers in the Red Sox offense was but a ghost as the Reds won the ballgame 3-1. Jay Bruce let off the bottom of the first with a home run, and Dunn hit the eventual game-winner with a bomb to right field in the bottom of the fourth. Aaron Harang (who lately has been lucky if he could hit the side of a barn) went seven strong innings and Justin Masterson lost his first big-league decision while striking out nine hitters. Manny homered in the fourth inning for the Sox only run, and in the process wanted to 24th place all-time with 1,653 RBI. The other milestone for the night when Sean Casey's 1500th career hit, and it could not have come at a better place since he played so well and so long for the Reds. The fans gave him a lengthy ovation when he came up to the plate for the first time.

Saturday afternoon's game (6/14) was the Fox national telecast. It was a big day for the hometown kid, Kevin Youkilis, as he had three hits including a home run to break open a tie in the 10th inning as the Sox prevailed 6-4. Tim Wakefield got the start for the Red Sox and pitched well, allowing only two runs (solo homers by Dunn and Phillips) over seven innings. Edinson Volquez got the start for Cincinnati and has been nothing short of astounding so far this year. Manny was given the afternoon off to rest a tight hamstring. The Sox got the scoring started in the fifth inning when Crisp hit a two-run homer. Youkilis put the Sox ahead by two with an RBI single in the sixth, but Papelbon was unable to hold a one run lead in the bottom of the ninth when Edwin Encarnacion hit a game-tying home run with two strikes and two outs. After Youkilis broke the tie with a solo home run, Crisp went back-to-back to account for the 6-4 final. Craig Hansen entered in the bottom of the 10th and picked up his first career save.

Sunday's finale (6/15) was a veritable blowout for the Red Sox. There wasn't much to report other than, oh, the Sox only hit four home runs and otherwise drubbed the lowly Redlegs 9-0. Beckett got the start against the highly-touted Homer Bailey, who will probably be headed back to the minors after this start. The Red Sox started off fast and never looked back. Ellsbury led off the game with a single, stole second and third (setting an all-time Red Sox record for rookies with 33 --dating back a hundred years) and scored on Pedroia’s sacrifice fly. Crisp hit a two-run homer in the second and Ellsbury and Drew each homered in the third and that was pretty much the afternoon for Bailey. It was 8-0 through 4 1/2 and must've been a very, very long afternoon for the hometown crowd. Crisp ended up knocking in four runs and Beckett had a very strong afternoon going seven innings allowing six hits.

On To Philly:

After taking two out of three in the Queen City, it was on to Philadelphia for a three-game set with their so-called “historical rivals”, the Phils. They have a terrific team, with the likes of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, who are just about the best at their respective positions. Rollins and Howard homered off of Colon in the first and Philly was off n’ running, 3-0. The game ended in an 8-2 blowout, but more importantly Colon wound up on the DL again after suffering strained rib muscles after he swung a bat too hard while striking out in the fourth. It was just a bad night at the ballpark.

Prior to game two, Colon was placed on the 15 day DL and Chris Smith was recalled from Pawtucket. Colon is in such poor condition that a bad sneeze would send him to the sidelines for a month. Things improved considerably for the Sox in the middle game of the series (6/17). Coco Crisp hit a two run homer off of the ageless Jamie Moyer in the second inning and John Lester (6-3) won his third straight start as he, Okajima and Papelbon kept the Phillies’ hitters in check all night en route to a 3-0 win. Lugo also chipped in with an RBI double in the sixth to account for the Sox’ third run. What was the biggest surprise of all, was the Sox stealing six bases in a ballgame. In the good old days, the Sox wouldn’t steal six bases three months.

J.D. Drew was the hero of the series finale (6/18), as he had four hits and drove in four runs as the Sox went in on to a 7-4 win. Drew has always been a villain in Philadelphia since he refused to sign with the team after they made him their first selection in the draft many years ago. Kyle Kendrick got the start for Phillies, and the Sox treated him roughly, whacking him around for six runs and six hits over the course of just three innings. Youkilis and Manny both sat this one out, nursing and nagging injuries. But their presence in the lineup really wasn't necessary thanks to Drew, who hit a three-run homer in the first. Lowell followed with a solo shot of his own in the Sox were off and running.

In the third, the Sox won up 6-1 when Brandon Moss (pinch hitting for Crisp) drove in two more on a base hit with two outs, Justin Masterson only pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits, but the offense gave him enough of a cushion to be out of the game relatively early. Things got a little uncomfortable in the seventh inning when the Phillies scored two runs off of Hansen with nobody out. Delcarmen then came on and walked Rollins to load the bases, but he escaped further damage by retiring Victorino, Utley and Howard, which is no mean feat.

On June 20th, Curt Schilling announced that he was abandoning his comeback attempt and would undergo shoulder surgery. If Red Sox fans’ last memory of Schilling is his walking off the mound at Fenway during Game 2 of the ’07 Series, then it was quite a sendoff for a great pitcher. He came, saw and conquered- twice. The club and its fans could not have asked any more. Ever since Schilling announced that his shoulder would prevent his return prior to Spring Training, there was debate whether he should’ve simply had the surgery then rather the rehab program that the club recommended. Now, it doesn’t matter. He gave it a good shot and received an $8 million kiss for his effort. It’ll be at least a year before he’d be able to try again and by then, he’ll be 43. If he chooses to give it another try, I wouldn’t bet against him. The pinheads have already started the debate over whether he’s worthy of induction in Cooperstown. I’m not certain, despite the fact that he was a ferocious competitor. He’s comparable to Orel Hershiser both in terms of record and post season success, and the Bulldog hasn’t made it yet.

Back At Home For Three With The Cards:

The mighty Cardinals of St. Louis came in to Boston for a weekend series with the Sox. Red Sox fans still have warm and fond memories of the 2004 World Series, when the team rewarded its fans with the world championship after an 86 year drought. Some of us out there still remember the 1967 World Series when the team took it to the limit, only to be crushed in the deciding game seven. The Cardinals always seem to have great players over the last four decades. In the 60s and 70s, the staff was anchored by the great Bob Gibson who was as nasty and intimidating as any picture in big league history. They only seem to have great team speed, with guys like Lou Brock and Vince Coleman who always seemed to steal about 500 bases a year. Since American League cities never got to see the Cardinals play on a regular basis, from a distance it always appeared as if the team was perennially in first place. They've been managed for quite a while now by Tony LaRussa, who needs no introduction to Red Sox fans from his days managing in Oakland, where his Athletics completely shut down the Red Sox in the playoffs of 1988 and 1990. This year, the Cardinals have had more than their share of injuries yet they remain within striking distance of the first-place Cubs in the National League Central. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be), the Fenway crowd will be denied an opportunity to see the great Albert Pujols, who's currently on the DL. Pujols is one of the great power hitters of his generation who has not (as far as anyone knows) been tainted by the steroid scandal.

LaRussa started Kyle Lohse in the series opener (6/20). Red Sox fans remember Lohse from his days in Minnesota when he was a hot-tempered, high maintenance kid who was prone to fits of wildness. It appears that he is matured as a pitcher, as he allowed only one earned run over six innings as the Cardinals prevailed 5-4 for his sixth straight victory. The Red Sox wore green jerseys, in honor of the Celtics winning the NBA title, but they didn't have the luck of the Irish going for them tonight. Wakefield got the start for the Sox, and was bedeviled by the homerun ball. Ahead 1-0 in the fifth, Jason LaRue tied it with a solo shot. In the seventh, Skip Schumaker hit a two run homer to make it 4-2 St. Louis. Yadier Molina followed with another solo homer in the eighth to put the Cards ahead, 5-3. Wakefield wasn't exactly helped by his defense, as Lugo committed a couple of errors in the sixth inning that led to a run, although he did make up for it by hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the inning. The Sox also blew a golden opportunity in the seventh inning, when they had the bases loaded and nobody out but Manny grounded into a double play (scoring only one run) and Lowell struck out. Lowell knocked in the Sox’ fourth run in the bottom of the ninth, but Youkils popped out with runners on the corners to end one particularly frustrating night of baseball in Boston.

The second game of the series (6/21) was one that may just as soon be instantly forgotten. Daisuke Matsuzaka made his return from the DL, and never even lasted an inning, as he was pummeled for seven runs in the Cardinals went on to an easy 9-3 blowout win. There's not much else to discuss about this. Moving along…

Sunday afternoon’s finale (6/22) was about as different as January is from July. Facing a sweep at home, the Sox needed 13 innings before ultimately prevailing on Youkilis' two-run walkoff homer to send the Fenway faithful home in a delirious state. Jon Lester and Joel Pineiro (whom the Red Sox traded away last year for a bag of bats and balls) were the starters, and both went deep into the ballgame. The Sox were down 2-1 in the eighth when they pushed across a pair to go ahead, but Papelbon couldn't finish things out with two outs when he walked Duncan and Kennedy doubled in the tying run. As a game moved into extra innings, both teams had ample opportunities to grab the win but just couldn't get it done. The Sox had runners in scoring position in the 10th, 11th and 12th. The Cardinals have a chance to go on top in the top of the 13th when Kennedy singled and Chris Duncan tried to score from second but was cut down on a perfect throw to the plate by JD Drew. In the bottom half of the inning, Lowell led off with a base hit and came home on Youkilis’ homer.

Arizona Comes East…

Red Sox fans were treated to a visit from another of the National League's top contenders, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who came to town for a three-game set as the Sox closed out the first half of the year. In Game One (6/23), Josh Beckett and Dan Haren hooked up in a duel that lived up to every bit of its pregame hype. Haren was outstanding, allowing only two hits over seven shutout innings. It's little wonder that the Diamondbacks traded away a boatload of their best prospects to Oakland to acquire Haren. He just might be the missing piece that puts them over the top. And it's not as if Beckett pitched a bad game, as he went eight innings allowing only two runs on five hits while striking out eight. Youkilis had to come out of the game midway through when he was hit in the eye by a warm-up throw from Lowell to bounced in the dirt. It was a scoreless tie until the top of the seventh when Chris Young doubled in a run and scored on Snyder's grounder to first. The Sox put two runners aboard in the bottom of the seventh and failed to capitalize. Tony Pena came on in relief of Haren in the eighth and the Sox squandered an another opportunity to go ahead. The Sox loaded the bases and Drew knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly, but Manny hit a wicked line drive to third that literally bowled over the third baseman but he hung onto the ball. Some nights your best is simply not good enough.

The following night (6/24) would not go down in the annals of baseball history as a pitching classic. Doug Davis did give the Diamondbacks seven quality innings, leaving with a 4-1 lead. After a brief rain delay, Pedroia gave the Sox an early lead when he a solo homer in the first, but that evaporated quickly when Chad Tracy tied things up with a base hit in the second and then hit a three-run homer in the third off Justin Masterson. They stay quiet until the bottom of the eighth when the Red Sox’ bats finally came to life against Davis and reliever Chad Qualls. Lugo and Ellsbury started the ball rolling with base hits, and knocking Davis out of the game. Qualls came on and Pedroia drove in Lugo with a base hit. Qualls retired the next two batters before Lowell banged a double off the wall and the tying run scored. Varitek (mired in one of the worst slumps of his career) rapped a base hit up the middle and Lowell came in with the go-ahead run. The beneficiary of this big inning was Chris Smith, who pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth to earn his first major-league win.

The series, the homestand and the first half of the season came to an end the following night in a battle of the ancients, 41-year-old Tim Wakefield against 45-year-old Randy Johnson. There was a time, especially during the years when he pitched in Seattle, that Randy Johnson was so dominant that most teams really should've taken the night off and not even bothered. But now he's at the end of a distinguished career and is no longer a power pitcher. Tonight belonged to the wily old knuckleballer, as he went seven shutout innings and baffled the young D-Back hitters, striking out six. The Sox picked up one run in the second after putting two runners in scoring position with no outs, then picked up another run in the sixth when Brandon Moss knocked in his second run of the game on a sacrifice fly after Johnson having loaded the bases. In the seventh, Lowell walked, Crisp hit a double and everybody came home on Kevin Cash’s home run, to make it 5-0 for the Sox. Delcarmen had a clean eighth, but Hansen ran up the difficulty in the ninth when he loaded the bases after two were out. Papelbon came on to strike out Chad Tracy to pick up his 23rd save of the season.