RED SOX REPORT
August:

Three With The A's:
A new month and a new chapter began for the Red Sox as Wakefield (6-8, 3.99) got the start against the American League’s ERA Leader, Justin Duchscherer. Oakland came to town for a weekend series as the Sox began the process of reinventing their identity without the Great Goofball. Newly-acquired Jason Bay was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd when he came to the plate in the bottom of the second with one out, and he walked. Drew followed with a double and Lowrie hit a sacrifice fly to left. Bay tagged and came in with the first run of the ballgame.

With two outs in the bottom of the second, Pedroia and Youkilis hit back-to-back singles, but Duchscherer retired the next two hitters. Bay was hit by a pitch leading off the fourth, and scooted over to third on Lowrie’s single to right. Cash grounded into a 5-4-3 twin killing…Crosby doubled high off the wall with one out in the fifth and tagged to third on a fly to right but never got any further as Bay made a nice twisting backhanded sliding catch on Ryan Sweeney’s tricky pop to left.

Wake had a great outing, only running into trouble when he put two runners aboard in the seventh with one out. Delcarmen entered in relief and recorded a flyout before getting Barton on a comebacker. Delcarmen tripped trying to make the play and threw out Barton from the seat of his pants.

Okajima entered in the eighth and recorded two quick outs before Cust hit one that just cleared the leftfield wall to tie the score. In the bottom of the eighth, Brad Ziegler entered in relief, and he has yet to allow an earned run in over 30 innings, which is a major league record for a rookie. He extended his record by retiring the side in order, and did the same as well in the ninth.

The game moved into extra innings, and eventually Bay stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the 12th against Alan Embree and hit a long fly to left center that looked as if it was going to leave the yard, but it bounced high off the wall and Bay wound up on third. After Drew received an intentional pass, Lowrie bounced a single up the middle and Bay came in with the winning run. Manny who?

Winning in such dramatic fashion does wonders for the collective confidence. At a moment when the team had been discouraged by its recent play and Manny’s off-the-field antics, to see his replacement step right in and play a key role should be a spark. Not that it matters around here anymore, but Manny had two singles in his Dodger debut but grounded into a double play to end the ballgame in defeat. While the media will most likely follow his every at bat going forward, we don’t waste any time on people who don’t honor their contracts. Unless the Red Sox and Dodgers somehow play in the World Series, that will be the end of any discussion about Manny Ramirez around here.

After Friday night’s marathon win, Jon Lester (9-3, 3.17) got the call on Saturday night (8/2) against the A’s lefty Dana Eveland (7-7, 3.80) (who was one of the bounty of players Beane hauled in from the Haren trade with Arizona). This is Lester’s fourth start against Oakland this year, and they’ve beaten him twice. A nasty thunderstorm passed through the Boston area earlier in the day but the game was able to start on time. Ryan Sweeney led off the game with a broken bat line single. With one out, Emil Brown popped one into the Monster Seats and the A’s were up by a pair. Thomas singled to right and Ellis followed with a liner down the third base line for a single. Lester wasn’t sharp, as many of his pitches high in the strike zone and the A’s hitters were teeing off. Carlos Gonzalez bailed Lester out by hitting into a 4-6-3 double play.

Pedroia lined a single to left to start things for the Sox, Youkilis followed with two-run shot to left to tie the game (that didn’t take long). Ortiz and Lowell followed with line drive singles up the middle, and Jason Bay took a letter-high fastball over the wall in left-center for a three-run shot and a 5-2 lead. The Sox and the faithful could not have asked for a more auspicious start from Bay.

Lowell led of the bottom of the third by lining a double to the gap, he was really hobbling heading toward second and needed a head first slide to make it safely. Bay followed with a walk. Drew lined a single to right to load the bases. Lowrie followed with a bases-clearing double down the line in right, and it was 8-2. (Hopefully, the manager will give Lowell the rest of the night off as it appears as if he’s hurting). Eveland was removed at that point in favor of Old Friend Lenny DiNardo. Varitek ripped DiNardo’s first pitch down the left field line to drive in Lowrie with a double. Lowell made three very good stops in the third and fourth on hot shots down the line.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Lowrie singled, Varitek walked and Crisp lined one up the middle to make it 10-2. Lowell was removed after six innings. Youkilis homered in the eighth to make it 12-2 and Lester picked up his 10th win of the year.

In the series finale (8/3), Daisuke had another very good outing, going six innings to earn his 12th win of the year in a 5-2 win to sweep the series. Bay continued his hot hand, going 2-4 and two runs scored. The Sox got to A’s starter Dallas Braden for a run in the first when Pedroia doubled and scored on Youkilis’ single. In the fourth, they picked up three more runs when Lowell doubled and Bay singled and Lowrie hit a line drive triple that went over the centerfielder’s head, scoring two. Lowrie then scored on Crisp’s sacrifice fly. Ortiz stole a base in the fifth (seriously). Daric Barton hit a two-run homer to tighten things but the Sox held on. Papelbon entered in the ninth to pick up his 31st save and the team hit the Midwest for seven games on a high note.

On to KC:
“Excuse me, do you know the way to Kansas City?”
-Van Morrison, “The Eternal Kansas City”

In his homage to Count Basie, Lester Young and Charlie Parker, Van reminds us of the time when KC was the place to be for rhythm and blues and jazz. Their contributions to the American Song still reverberate in the hearts of music lovers worldwide. And perhaps Wilbert is still “standin’ on the corner, 12th Street and Vine.” It was also the time when the Monarchs ruled baseball’s Negro Leagues with Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil.

The Sox embarked on a seven-day trip to the Midwest, starting with three in Kansas City, where the temperature for Monday night’s opener was 94°. Back in the days when the Royals were a powerhouse, this place was a house of horrors for the Sox. During George Brett’s legendary career, he was surrounded by great players and the Royals were at their peak. They had it all: power, speed, pitching and defense. The original “Royals Stadium” (located about three light years from 12th Street and Vine) was also an artificial turf park where routine grounders were rockets and Willie Wilson would steal what always seemed to be three or four bases every time he played Boston, and Brett simply annihilated Red Sox pitching. They had Frank White at second, who was about as slick a fielder as ever there was. One of his double-play partners was U.L. Washington, who had that toothpick thing going on, and Amos Otis, who was a great hitter. They had great pitchers with Saberhagen, Gura, Splittorff and Quisenberry and were well managed by Dick Howser and Whitey Herzog.

So, what happened anyhow? A cocaine scandal brought down a number of players, Brett retired, Mr. Kauffman passed away and the team was sold to an heir from the Wal-Mart fortune who believes in compensating the players at rock-bottom prices while putting all of the revenue sharing money in his back pocket. Suffice to say, the Royals haven’t fielded a competitive team for well over a decade and have played more like the star-crossed Kansas City Athletics then the organization that at one time was the class of baseball.

To be fair, they did use some of their revenue sharing dividends to bring in Gil Meche (who has performed well as a #1 starter) as well as the mercurial Jose Guillen, who is already fed up with the team’s losing ways (he begged to be traded away last week, alas, there were no takers). The rest of the team is comprised of young, low-service guys that have been brought along through the farm system. They do have some very good young players, but as they approach stardom, they’re traded away because the team can’t—or won’t—pay exorbitant salaries, as occurred in the case with Carlos Beltran a few years ago.

Lowell was given the night off to get treatment for his hip strain. Gil Meche started for the Royals and the Sox got to him right off the bat. Drew (leading off for the first time this year) opened things with a walk. Pedroia followed with a long fly to right that carried with the wind and bounced off the base of the wall for a double. Ortiz grounded out to right, scoring Drew. Youkilis then hit a liner to right that rolled all the way to the wall, scoring Pedroia. Meche got out of further trouble by striking out Bay and Casey.

Buchholz (2-6, 5.94) started for the Sox, still trying to find consistency (though he’s improved over his last two starts). With one out, Esteban German tried to bunt his way aboard and laid down a beauty right in front of the plate. Varitek was alert, picked up the ball and gunned him down. With one out in the bottom of the second, Alex Gordon launched a rocket that left the yard in a hurry, trimming the Sox’ lead by a run. Gordon had been touted by many as the heir apparent to Brett. So far, he’s been a pretty good third baseman, and may one day develop into a star, but to paraphrase the late Lloyd Bentsen, “he’s no George Brett…”

In the bottom of the third Aviles singled up the middle leading off and German hit a sharp grounder to short that handcuffed Lowrie on a high hop. Buchholz (who has the Mr. T. Starter Kit” around his neck) is scheduled for a meltdown at this point. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Aviles scored the tying run on Teahen’s line drive single to left. Guillen walked to load the bases. Butler hit a sacrifice fly to right and German came in with the go-ahead run. Gordon walked to reload the bases, then Buchholz hit Buck to plate Teahen. A flurry of activity suddenly sprang forth from the Sox bullpen. It was all downhill for Buchholz and the Sox from there. They had chances to tie the game in the ninth, as Joakim Soria gave up a run but Casey popped out to right with runners at second and third to end the game…

In Game Two (8/5), there were no difficulties with the offense executing as Beckett had a great night on the mound and Bay had four hits, two RBI and two runs scored and the Sox ran away with an easy 8-2 win.

Beckett had really struggled over his last three outings (0-3, 5.31 ERA) and it appeared as if his woes would continue as Teahen whacked an RBI double to tie the score at 1 in the bottom of the first. But he settled down quite well afterward, setting down 16 of the next 17 batters. The Sox broke the tie in the fifth Pedroia's second RBI single of the game that plated Ellsbury, driving starter Brian Bannister from the game. They then blew the game wide open in the sixth and seventh, scoring five runs that included a double by Bay (eerily similar to the July 4th game) that bounced off of the centerfielder’s (Mitch Maier) glove and rolled along the top of the wall before falling back into play.
Ellsbury homers, Wakefield dominates in Boston win

The only thing sweeter than an 8-2 win on the road is to duplicate the feat the following night. In the finale (8/6), Wake’s knuckler was dancing and Ellsbury hit a three-run homer as the Sox departed KC after having torn the Royals’ pitching staff to shreds.

The education of Royals’ phenom Luke Hochevar continued as he allowed five runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He hit Youkilis on the right hand with a pitch and Youk didn’t return for the bottom half. After Hochevar escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, Wake’s knuckleball kicked in and he retired the next ten hitters after allowing a single with two outs. Hochevar improved dramatically until there were two outs in the fifth. That’s when Cora and Drew singled and both scored on a double by Lowrie. Ortiz drove him in with a base hit to make it 3-0. The Royals grabbed a pair of runs in the bottom half on Gload’s double. Wake escaped further trouble when Ellsbury made a fantastic diving catch of Maier’s short pop to center.

The Sox made it 5-2 in the fifth when Cora walked to load the bases prompting a pitching change. “Hey-Hey” Mahay entered in relief and allowed a two-run single to Drew. In the top of the seventh the Sox tucked this one away when Ellsbury took Hey-Hey deep with a three run shot to account for the 8-2 final.

Four On The Southside:
After taking two out of three in KC, the Sox concluded their Midwest swing with a four-game “wraparound” series with the first-place White Sox, Ozzie Guillen’s crew are an intriguing lot that features a very good balance of pitching, defense and power hitting. They have fine young everyday players in Carlos Quentin and Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez, together with stars like Jermaine Dye. The only guy who’s really off this year has been Paul Konerko, who’s hitting in the .220 range. Ken Griffey, Jr. came over from the Reds at the trade deadline and may be motivated now that he’s in a race for the postseason.

In the opener (8/8), Mark Buehrle got the start against Jon Lester in what appeared to be a match of top notch starters, but it was Buehrle’s night all the way, as he shut down the Sox en route to a 5-3 win. The only Boston highlight was Pedroia’s three-run homer off Dotel in the eighth. Lester struggled, giving up four runs and six hits over seven innings, as the ChiSox scored a run in the third, two more in the fifth and one in the seventh. Chicago scored their final run of the night when Quentin took Delcarmen in the eighth.

Saturday night’s game (8/9) went much better for the Red Sox, but not so well for Jose Contreras. Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Sox and had a great outing as the Sox won, 6-2. Contreras had just returned from the DL with elbow tendonitis and then found himself back on after rupturing his left Achilles' tendon in the second inning trying to cover first base on a ground ball. As he went to cover the bag, he rolled over and grabbed the back of his leg which is usually a bad indicator.

With the score tied 1-1 in the seventh, Ozzie sent Boone Logan to the hill. Logan allowed two singles and a walk. Ozzie came out and chewed out Logan but good, but the tactic failed as Pedroia ripped a base hit down the third-base line to put the Sox up 2-1. Ortiz followed by clearing the bases with a double off the wall. Ellsbury homered in the eighth for the Sox’ sixth run of the night. But the story of the night was Daisuke’s masterful performance, as he really gave the team a big boost.

Prior to Sunday’s start (8/10), Youkilis was given the day off with a sore shoulder and Wakefield was placed on the DL with shoulder issues which isn’t a good turn of events for him or the team. Since Colon isn’t ready to return from the DL, it’s not known who the Sox will recall from Pawtucket to take Wake’s next two turns in the rotation. It was a perfect afternoon for baseball on the Southside as Clay Buchholz looked to have a consistent outing against Gavin Floyd (11-6, 3.66). Buchholz was staked to a three-run lead in the first courtesy of Lowell’s homer (that barely made it over the wall in left) but couldn’t hold on. He ran into difficulty in the second when he allowed a solo shot to Dye and then imploded in the third when he served up two-run homers to Quenton and Thome. Buchholz can pitch reasonably well until he allows a runner on base, then it seems his confidence goes in the tank. Example: in the second, he walked Konerko, who is one of the slowest base runners in the annals of recorded history. Konerko is so slow that he virtually takes no lead yet Buchholz made repeated pickoff attempts. What’s with that? He then gets into extended pitch counts with batters (through three innings, 71 pitches) meaning he’s got to hit the black or walk another runner. So far, the ChiSox’ hitters have been “hitting the black” out of the park. It’s apparent that the kid needs to return to the farm for more seasoning as he just doesn’t have it at all this year. Buchholz was pulled after three in favor of Aardsma (who loaded the bases with one out in the fourth). Aardsma took Dye to a full count before striking him out and getting Thome to foul out to third.

In the top of the fifth, Cora reached when O-Cab booted a routine grounder and Ellsbury was hit by a pitch when he squared to bunt and the ball came far too much inside. But any hopes of scoring were dashed when Pedroia hit into a double play and Ortiz weakly grounded out to first. In the bottom half of the inning, Konerko walked, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on Ramirez’ bloop single to right. Aardsma was pulled at that point in favor of Masterson. Uribe hit a grounder to third, Konerko broke for home, Lowell barehanded the ball and fired to the plate but Varitek couldn’t hold onto the ball (E5) and Chicago scored their sixth run.

Drew tripled to the right-center gap to open up the sixth. Dye almost caught up to the liner but it ticked off his glove and the ball rolled to the wall. With one out, Bay lined a base hit up the middle to make it 6-4 Chicago and Casey drove a single to left putting runners on the corners. Ozzie pulled Floyd at that point for lefty Matt Thornton. Varitek struck out but Thornton’s wild pitch passed through Pierzynski’s legs and Bay came in with the Sox’ second run of the inning. Masterson had an easy 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. With one out in the top of the seventh, Thornton issued consecutive walks to Pedroia, Ortiz and Drew (which probably sent Ozzie into an apoplectic rage). Dotel was brought in to pitch strikes. Lowell helped him considerably by grounding into a 5-4-3 double play…Red Sox fans are now the ones who are seething. The Sox would get no closer, as Dotel pitched a clean eighth and Jenks slammed the door shut in the ninth.

…in other baseball news, the Reds finally traded Adam Dunn, to Arizona for three plum prospects. It’s a good move for both teams, as Dunn was in his walk year and the Reds weren’t going to keep him, and the D-Backs get a power bat down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Rays put Evan Longoria on the 15-day DL with a fractured wrist, and Carl Crawford may also be out for an extended period. This really has to hurt the Rays, who are currently 4 ½ up on the Sox. The only good news for Tampa Bay was the return of Rhode Island’s Rocco Baldelli from a year-long absence with injuries. At one time (not so long ago), Baldelli was ticketed for stardom before a string of injuries and ailments nearly derailed his career.

In the series finale (8/11), Youkilis returned to the lineup and Ortiz (sore wrist) was given a precautionary night off with the lefty going for the ChiSox. The team also announced that knuckleballer Charlie Zink will be recalled from Pawtucket to fill Wakefield’s spot in the rotation tomorrow night when the team returns to Fenway.

Lefthander John Danks (9-4, 3.21) started for the ChiSox, and Crisp was slotted in the leadoff spot for the first time in ages, where he flied out to left to start the ballgame. Beckett (10-6, 4.08) got the call for Boston. Alexei Ramirez doubled with two outs in the bottom of the second before Beckett caught Griffey looking at a called third strike.

Danks retired the first nine Sox hitters in order. Swisher and Uribe started the bottom of the third with singles. Swisher tagged on O-Cab’s fly to center, and scored on Pierzynski’s sacrifice fly to center. Danks breezed through the fourth…and the fifth…and two thirds through the sixth, when Ellsbury was hit in the back with a pitch.

Pierzynski singled with one out in the sixth, and Dye singled with two outs, but Beckett escaped when Crisp tracked down Thome’s long drive to center, falling over after he caught the ball. Youkilis broke up the no-hitter with a line drive single with one out in the seventh, and Lowell followed with a walk. After Bay struck out, Drew doubled to the gap in left-center, scoring both runners and putting the Sox on top, 2-1. Danks walked Lowrie.

Danks was finished after seven, and pitched a terrific game. He was relieved by the well-traveled Horacio Ramirez. Ellsbury hit a bloop single in no man’s land in left with one out and moved to second on Crisp’s sacrifice fly. Adam Russell relieved Ramirez. Youkilis followed with a line drive to left that Quentin hauled in with a beautiful diving backhanded catch.

Lowell walked leading off the ninth and Bay popped a single to center. Russell was relieved by lefty Matt Thornton at that point. Drew hit a grounder to first that Swisher had difficulty handling going far to his right and the bases were loaded. Lowrie doubled to the wall in left, scoring Lowell and Bay but Drew was thrown out at the plate on a close play. With two outs, Ellsbury singled into the hole in short, driving in Lowrie to make it 5-1, Sox. At that point, thousands of Southsiders bid a hasty retreat from the ballpark. Thornton was relieved by Lance Broadway, who retired Crisp to end the inning.

Papelbon was brought in to dispose of the ChiSox. He struck out Thome swinging, then Ramirez and Griffey flied out to right, and the Sox closed out the (winning) road trip in high style.

Back Home With Texas:
The Sox returned home for six days starting with a three-game set with the Rangers. It’s the same old story with Texas: all hit, no pitch, bad fielding. Besides, NFL training camp has started and it’s nigh time for the Rangers to move from the back page to the classifieds in Dallas. Prior to the game, the Sox acquired righthander Paul Byrd from Cleveland for cash/PTBNL. Byrd is currently 7-10, but has won his last four starts. He used to be a pretty good pitcher, though his name did surface in the Mitchell Report last year as an HGH user. He may’ve done the “Pettitte Mea Culpa” bit and gotten a pass. Knuckleballer Charlie Zink made his Major League debut tonight against what is a powerful hitting lineup. Kinsler took a knuckleball to the warning track in left before Bay hauled it in. Young fouled out to first and Hamilton grounded out 4-3, so the rook had a nice inning to start his big league career.

Scott Feldman started for the Rangers, and Drew was re-inserted in the leadoff spot and walked leading off. Pedroia lined a single to left and the Big Man gonged a three-run shot way back into the rightfield corner, 3-0 Sox. With one out Lowell singled and Bay reached when Ramon Vazquez flubbed a grounder to third looking to turn two, then both runners pulled the double steal. Lowrie doubled off the wall scoring both runners. 5-0 Sox! With the way Texas can score (not to mention a kid making his debut), the Sox need to pile it on early and often. With two outs, Cash walked and Drew doubled, driving in Lowrie with the sixth run of the inning. Pedroia lined one off Feldman’s left leg and bounced toward third, Cash scored on the play. The Big Man did it again! Another three-run shot, this one went beyond the triangle in center, just to the right of the 420-foot marker. After one inning, it was 10-0, Sox.

Boom! Just like that, Texas scored a couple of runs in the second when Bradley walked, Byrd singled and both scored on Chris Davis’ two-out single to right. The Sox got both runs back in the bottom of third when Drew and Pedroia singled with one out. Youkilis walked with two outs, and Feldman was relieved by Rupe. Lowell walked to plate Drew with the 11th run and Bay singled scoring Pedroia. After four innings, the Sox were ahead 12-2, and it looked like an easy blowout night…

Kinsler doubled leading off the fifth and and moved to third on Zink's wild pitch, and scored on Hamilton’s single. Bradley then singled and Byrd doubled, scoring Hamilton. Catalanotto (who always finds a way to croak the Sox) doubled, scoring Bradley and Byrd. Now it was 12-6 and the faithful were beginning to squirm. Laird then doubled, putting two runners in scoring position. That was it for Zink, as he was relieved by Lopez. Davis singled and Catalanotto scored. With two outs, Aardsma entered in relief and Kinsler greeted him with a two-run homer to center. Eight runs scored to make it 12-10, and suddenly a blowout was once more a ball game.

The Sox got two of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning when Ortiz doubled leading off and came home on Youkilis’ homer to center. With a 14-10 lead heading into the sixth, no one felt as if the outcome was certain.

Indeed, the Sox ended up blowing the lead in the top of the sixth. Hamilton walked leading off and Bradley singled putting runners on the corners. Byrd singled up the middle and Hamilton scored to make it 14-11. Exit, Aardsma, enter Delcarmen. Catalanotto whacked a doubled to right and Bradley scored (14-12). Laird hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Byrd (14-13). Davis reached on Youkilis' error and Catalanotto scored the tying run. Vazquez then singled, sending Davis to third. Kinsler hit a sacrifice fly to center and Davis scored the go-ahead run. This was an unmitigated disaster unfolding before everyone’s eyes. The Rangers went ahead 16-14 in the seventh when Hamilton doubled leading off and scored on Byrd’s base hit with one out. Okajima came on and put out the fire. The Sox pulled to within a run in the bottom of the seventh when Pedroia singled and Ortiz walked to start things. Youkilis reached on Wright's error and Pedroia scored, and suddenly a ray of hope appeared in the night sky.

Okajima retired the Rangers in order in the eighth, setting the stage for the fireworks that followed in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Ellsbury (pinch hitting) walked and Pedroia hit an RBI double to left with two outs to tie the game. After Ortiz received an intentional walk, Youkilis ripped a three-run shot to left and the house exploded with joy, as the Sox went ahead 19-16! Still, the Rangers weren’t finished as Papelbon came on for the top of the ninth. With one out, Byrd reached on Youkilis' error and scored on Boggs’ double to center to cap the scoring at 19-17. The game lasted just under four hours and everyone was beat, the teams, staffs as well as everyone watching at the park and on television. It wasn’t a game to cherish, as exceptionally good hitting + exceptionally bad pitching does not always equal a fun night at the park. One can only imagine the outcry in the local media had the Sox ended up losing this one. The circuit boards on sports radio and the message boards would’ve overloaded and exploded. Those of us over 50 may never see the likes of this again.

This was more like a bout between two heavyweight sluggers who went the distance than it was a baseball game.

Putting the game in perspective, this from the wire service: “Rangers starter Scott Feldman became the first major league pitcher to allow 12 runs and not take the loss since Gene Packard of the St. Louis Cardinals got the win in a 16-12 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 3, 1918. The combined 36 runs tied in AL record set on June 29, 1950, when the Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics 22-14. The teams totaled 37 hits. The 19 runs were the most scored by the Red Sox this season and ruined a Rangers comeback that matched the greatest ever against Boston. The Red Sox also squandered a 10-run lead on June 4, 1989, against Toronto when they lost 13-11 in 12 innings after they led 10-0 through six... The last time a team came back from a 10-run deficit was May 8, 2004, when the Rangers rallied from a 14-4 deficit to win 16-15 in 10 innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.”

How can you top last night’s game? Not by turning in a repeat performance, one would hope. None of the highlights will be used to school youngsters in the finer arts of pitching. People may “dig the longball”, but winning baseball is a balance of pitching, defense and timely hitting. Last night was historic for the Red Sox, both positively and negatively. The pitching was awful. How exactly can a team blow a 10-run lead? Sure, it wasn’t surprising that the Rangers cuffed around Zink in his big league debut (he was returned to Pawtucket following the game), but the bullpen was simply brutal.

Prior to Wednesday’s game (8/13), Lowell was placed on the 15-day DL with an oblique strain. The injury occurred in the seventh inning when he swung too hard. He had been playing with a strained hip for a few weeks, and it is quite a blow to lose his presence for a minimum of three weeks. David Pauley was called up from Pawtucket for a one-night “in case of emergency” stand.

Lester (10-4, 3.23) got the start in the middle game, and the team needs him to go deep (lest the manager turn things over to the bullpen with anything less than a eight-run lead). Other than allowing a one-out single to Michael Young, Lester got through the first with no problem.

One-time Sox farm hand Luis Mendoza (3-5, 7.50) started for the Rangers. Brandon Boggs doubled off the wall with one out in the second, but only made it as far as third when Saltalamacchia grounded out to third.

Youkilis led off the bottom of the second with a line drive double to the gap in right-center. Bay followed with line drive single to left. Bay stole second and Saltalamacchia’s throw went wide to the right, scoring Youkilis and Bay taking third. Casey grounded out to second and Bay came in the back door to put the Sox up by a pair.

Crisp bunted his way aboard leading off the bottom of the third. It was a perfect drag that went up the third base line and the Rangers were defenseless to handle. With one out Pedroia missed taking one over the wall in left by about six inches, putting runners on second and third. Ortiz received an intentional pass and Youkilis lined a double down the third base line, scoring Crisp and Pedroia, making it 4-0 Sox. Bay followed by bouncing a double off the wall that brought in Ortiz and Youkilis.

Ortiz singled to right leading off the fifth and Youkilis followed with a line drive double that one-hopped the wall in left. Bay walked on four pitches to load ‘em. Lowrie then whacked a two-run double off the wall in left and the Sox were up 8-0. Mendoza was pulled at that point in favor of Dustin Nippert. Casey received an intentional walk and Varitek bounced into a 3-2 force. Crisp hit a short pop to center on which Lowrie tagged and tried to score, but Hamilton gunned him out at home on a beautiful throw.

In the sixth, Marlon Byrd made a splendid catch up against the wall in center off of Drew’s shot that was ticketed for extra bases. He leaped to make the catch, bounced off the wall and tumbled over while holding onto the ball with his glove, a big league play all the way.

Lester lost his shutout with one out in the eighth when Kinsler tagged a fastball that landed in the Monster Seats. Other than that pitch, he been just what the doctor ordered. It’s still pretty amazing that this young man was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma less than two years ago and has developed into a potential ace. After the next two hitters reached on singles, the manager came out looking for the ball. By that point, Lester was clearly laboring and if his tank wasn’t empty, it was darn near close. He went 7 ⅓, allowing seven hits, walking only one and striking out six. Timlin (sigh) entered the ball game and Milton Bradley immediately tagged him for a three-run shot to right, well above the bullpens, it was quite a poke. Why does the manager insist on continuing to use “UNSAFE AT ANY SCORE TIMLIN”? Some may argue that there’s no more opportune moment than to put him out there with a seven-run lead. They blew a ten-run lead last night! It’s hard to find a great deal of fault with the manager, but his reliance on certain players who have no business competing any longer in major league games sticks out like a sore thumb. In baseball terms, Timlin is ready for the glue factory, but year after year, the manager continues to rely on him because he’s a “gamer”. The only time this guy ought to be allowed to throw another pitch in anger is when the Sox are hopelessly behind by more than six runs in the late innings of a game. There are only a handful of pitchers who have pitched in more games than Timlin. He’s had a great career dating back to those powerhouse Toronto teams in the early-mid ‘90’s. Time to hang ‘em up, Mike…now.

With Masterson pitching in the ninth, Saltalamacchia doubled off the wall leading off and Metcalf followed with a walk (here we go again…). But Kinsler hit into a 1-4-3 double play, and Young fouled out to first to end it,the Sox are now 8-3 in the post-Manny Era.

There was no drama in the series finale (8/14), as the Sox put up 9 runs in the second inning as they trounced the Rangers 10-0. Rookie Tommy Hunter received an extremely rude welcome in his third major league appearance. Daisuke started for the Sox and kept the potent Texas hitters (minus Hamilton, who returned home to be with his wife and new baby), but he really didn’t have to work all that hard after the second inning.

Youkilis led off with a base hit to left. With one out Lowrie singled to right and Varitek walked to load the bases. Crisp banged a base hit into the hole in short that scored Youkilis. Cora was then hit by a pitch and Lowrie came in. Drew hit into a 4-6 force and Varitek came in with the third run. Pedroia followed with a double off the wall in left that drove in Crisp. Big Papi then hit a curling three-run homer into the right field grandstand to make it 7-0. In the second time around the order, Youkilis doubled and Bay drove him in with a single. Bay’s hit also drove Hunter from the game. Madrigal came on and allowed an RBI double to Lowrie, but the game was over for all intents and purposes.

“Curse of The Jays”:

The Blue Jays have owned the Sox over the last two-plus seasons and come into Boston at a critical time of the year, as the Sox look to narrow the deficit on first place. But, it would be a lost weekend for Boston, as Tampa Bay continued to win despite key injuries and the Sox hold on the Wild Card spot became more precarious.

After Friday’s rainout, Roy Halladay started for the Jays and pitched a complete game, utterly frustrating the Sox’ hitters in a 4-1 win. Paul Byrd made his first start for the Sox but had the misfortune of going toe to toe with a guy who has historically dominated the Red Sox. Rios’ two-run homer in the first was all the offense Halladay needed on this night.

Sunday’s series finale (8/17) was over before the Sox ever had a chance to bat, as the Jays put up six runs in the top of the first off of Beckett en route to a 15-4 embarrassment. What a shame, as it was an absolutely lovely summer afternoon for baseball. But statistics prove that if you’re on the plus side of one of these routs from time to time you’re going to be on the minus side…

Another Nine-Game Croaker…

The Sox then embarked on their last extended road trip of the year with three-game stops in Baltimore, Toronto and New York with a couple of much-needed off days mixed in.

Three In Birdland:

It was a glorious night for baseball in Baltimore as the Sox opened a three-game set with the O’s at Camden Yards. After having been swept by the Jays to wrap up the homestand, the Sox turned to Jon Lester (11-4, 3.25) to right the ship.

In the opener (8/18), Jeremy Guthrie (10-8, 3.18) started for Baltimore, and he generally pitches well against the Sox. Ortiz doubled to the gap in left center with two outs in the first but Youkilis hit a weak grounder that dribbled about five feet toward the plate and he was gunned out by Ramon Hernandez. Bay led off the top of the second with a long homer to right center and, with two outs, Varitek followed with a blast to right that bounced on the concourse area near the barbeque pits to put the Sox up by two.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Aubrey Huff hit a solo homer to center to make it a 2-1 ballgame. Moving on to the bottom of the seventh, Millar doubled with one out, but Lester was able to whiff Scott on a pitch that appeared to be 18 inches out of the strike zone, and Payton grounded out to third.

Rookie righthander Rocky Cherry (now there’s a name for ya) relieved Guthrie in the top of the eighth. Other than the two gopher balls, Guthrie pitched a whale of a ballgame. Ortiz led off with a screeching grounder that handcuffed Millar. The ball popped out of his glove and rolled up the first base line (don’t see that every day). The scorer ruled it an E-3, which seemed harsh considering the velocity with which the ball was struck. With one out, Bay gonged a two-run shot beyond the 410' marker in left center. Two homers and a stolen base in one night’s work, there are thousands of fantasy owners jumping for joy (wish he was on my team). Lowrie followed with a walk and Casey hit a pop into no-man’s land in short left. Lowrie then leveled Cherry (covering the bag) with a hard slide. Crisp walked with two outs to load the bases and Cherry was relieved by lefty sidewinder Alberto Castillo. Ellsbury grounded out to second to end the inning.

Delcarmen and his 4.24 ERA relieved Lester in the bottom of the eighth. After picking up two quick outs, he walked Markakis and Mora. It is this maddening inconsistency that gives everyone heartburn. He can strikeout hitters with a 96 MPH fastball then is unable to hit the side of a barn. The manager called for Papelbon at that point. Huff doubled off the wall in left-center and both runners scored.

Pedroia legged out a base hit leading off the ninth, and scored on Ortiz’ line drive double to the left-center gap. Ortiz scored from third with one out when he beat the throw home on Bay’s grounder to short.

The following day’s news (8/19) was troubling as it was reported that Carl Yastrzemski required triple bypass heart surgery after complaining of chest pains. The surgery was successful, and Red Sox fans wished Yaz a speedy recovery. In the middle game of the series, Daisuke struggled over five innings, but hung in long enough to win his fourth straight (15-2), as the pulled away at the end with a 7-2 victory.

The Sox got to O’s starter Daniel Cabrera for two runs in the first as Ortiz had an RBI single and Bay had a sacrifice fly. Varitek led off the second with a homer to right to make it 3-0.

The Orioles picked up a pair in the bottom of the third with two outs when Mora singled and Aubrey Huff walked and both scored on back-to-back singles by Hernandez and Luke Scott. In the fourth, the O’s loaded the bases with one out before Daisuke whiffed Mora and Huff popped out. The Sox broke the game open in the fifth when Youkilis hit a two-run homer and Varitek whacked an RBI double. Youkilis made it 7-2 in the eighth with an RBI single. The final score may have been lopsided, but it was Baltimore’s failure to execute (11 LOB) that was the reason why they lost.

The following night (8/20), Clay Buchholz got the call, and after another poor outing, found himself on the next bus to Portland right after the game. Once more he was handed a (four-run) lead and wilted at the first hint of trouble in the third and the roof caved in as the Sox lost 11-6. There really wasn’t much else to say.

The following day the Sox signed former Reds’ catcher David Ross to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Pawtucket. He’ll be called up sometime after September 1 when rosters expand.

On to F/K/A SkyDome for Three:

The Sox found themselves in Toronto for the middle portion of the trip. Prior to the game the Sox announced that JD Drew suffered a disc in his back. The initial report is that Drew will not be placed on the DL. The Jays have had the Red Sox’ number over the past few years, so winning even one game up there would be big.

Paul Byrd started for the Sox in the series opener (8/22) and struggled, but was aided by homers from Pedroia (2-4, 3 RBI) and Varitek has the Sox came away with an 8-4 win. They say that the third time is always a charm and this time Byrd was fortunate to have kept the Jays’ batters in check over six innings in his third straight start against Toronto. The bullpen guys, Masterson, Okajima and Papelbon stepped up big and gave the team three clean innings.

The Sox went ahead for good in the fourth when they put across four runs. Bay singled and Lowrie and Varitek followed walks. Cora was hit by a pitch and Crisp singled up the middle. Varitek led off the top of the sixth with a homer to put the Sox up to 6-4 and Ellsbury and Pedroia drove in single runs in the eighth to account for the 8-4 final.

Saturday afternoon's game (8/23) was a complete disaster, as Lester had nothing going and Toronto blasted the Sox 11-0.

Of greater concern to the team and its fans was the announcement that Josh Beckett complained of arm numbness and will skip at least his next start at Yankee Stadium. J.D. Drew has also been out of the lineup for almost a week with back spasms, so it looks like the injury bug is beginning to bite with a little more ferocity.

If the Red Sox do anything of note this season, people may look back to Sunday’s finale (8/24) as one of the most important games of the year. Daisuke started for the Sox against A.J. Burnett, and he wasn't particularly sharp over his six innings of work, allowing eight hits and five runs. Sluggo (Vernon Wells) with the Jays on top 2-0 with yet another bomb in the bottom of the first.

The Sox came back with four runs in the fourth. With one out, Cora and Crisp walked, and everybody came home on Pedroia’s homer to left. Ortiz then doubled and came in on Youkilis' base hit up the middle.

There was a scary moment in the bottom of the fourth. The Jays’ Adam Lind whacked a liner to right that appeared ticketed for extra bases. Ellsbury gave chase and snared the ball, but went full blast face first into the chain link fence portion of the wall. Ellsbury was momentarily dazed by the collision but remained in the game. Overbay followed Lind’s liner with a solo shot to cut the Sox’ lead to 4-3. The Jays went ahead in the sixth with a pair of runs. Rios scored on Sluggo’s line drive double to the gap in left-center. With two out, Stairs received an intentional pass and Barajas line a double down the line in third. Wells scored but Lowrie gunned down the not-too-speedy Stairs at the plate.

Crisp homered to tie the ballgame at five in the top of the seventh. Papelbon pitched a scoreless and was aided by Bay’s leaping catch at the wall off of Rios’ long drive in the 10th. Lowrie homered off of League in the top of the 11th and Delcarmen closed things out in the bottom half, as the Sox won the series in dramatic fashion. The Sox headed for the Bronx at 75-55, 4 ½ games behind Tampa Bay, and a game up on the Twins for the Wild Card.

“The Last Time”

Prior to the opener, the Sox acquired Mark Kotsay from Atlanta for an A-Ball outfield prospect. Kotsay’s a wily old pro and is expected to get a lot of at bats now that Drew has been placed on the DL.

The Sox closed out this last long road trip with three at Yankee Stadium. Whatever comes to pass in the future between the Red Sox and Yankees as they move forward in their long and storied rivalry, things will never be the same. This venue has not been historically kind to the Red Sox, as the one about 37% of their games since 1923. Some of the losses have been heartbreaking, as occurred in 1949, and in 2003 in a few hundred or so, general drubbings the Red Sox have taken over the last 85 years. But when the Red Sox came back from three games to one deficit in 2004 to capture the American League pennant, that glorious moment made up for all of those decades of heartbreak and misery. Next year, the Yankees will move into their new billion-dollar facility across the street and will have the financial wherewithal to feel the $300 million payroll if they so choose. Whether they can create the same mystique in the new ballpark is a different story altogether.

Since April, 1923 when the The House That Ruth Built opened, the Stadium has generally been a house of horrors for the Red Sox. Barring the unforeseen, there will be no October Baseball in the Bronx this year for the first time in almost a generation as the Yanks had injuries and performance issues this year, so this trip to New York is the final time the Sox and Yanks will tee it up at the Stadium. Come next year, the rivalry may be heated and intense, but it seems that it will never be the same.

In the 45 years I’ve been watching these games, there have been a lot of lamentable moments for the Red Sox. There was the ’76 brawl when Fisk and Pinella got into it at home then Nettles sucker punched Lee
…There was the Saturday afternoon game in ’93 that the Sox won…then they lost.
Then there was the night the Sox blew a 9-0 lead when the Yanks scored 11 runs in the third. ...there was also Dave Righetti’s July 4th no-hitter in ’83. Game 1 of the ’99 ALCS was a croaker, not to mention Game 7 of the ’03 ALCS. Along the way there were probably a hundred or so more less dramatic losses.

But it wasn’t always a tale of woe; there were a few great moments for Red Sox fans as well. There was Billy Rohr’s almost no-hitter on April 14, 1967 when Yaz made the incredible diving catch off of Tom Tresh’s liner.Later on that year, there was the brawl that set the tone for the rest of the “Impossible Dream” season. Much later, there was the Friday night in ’99 when Pedro struck out 17 Yankees, there was Pedro v. Clemens I in 2000 when Trot Nixon struck a mighty blow for the forces of good. Then was the special father-son day in September, 2003 when the two made their only trek to the Stadium decked out in Sox gear on a day when the visitors from Boston pummeled the Yanks 10-0. Most of all, there were Games 6 and 7 of the 2004 ALCS, when all of the horrible memories were erased for good.

In the series opener (8/26), Tim Wakefield returned from the DL and the Sox got to Andy Pettitte early and the Sox came away with a 7-3 win. Damon hit a pair of homers but the big story in Yankeeland was A-Rod choking several times in key situations, grounding into a pair of double plays and whiffing to end the game. With a 3-2 lead, the Sox chased Pettitte from the game with a three spot in the fifth. Crisp had three hits and Ortiz had a big night as well.

Paul Byrd took the ball for Boston the following night (8/27) and the Sox utterly annihilated the Yanks 11-1, capped by a seven run eighth inning. Sidney Ponson started for New York and pitched surprisingly not badly until the fifth. With the score tied at two, Pedroia singled putting runners on the corners and Ortiz and Youkilis followed with walks. Bay hit a sacrifice fly to left giving the Sox a 4-2 lead. Pedroia hit a grand slam to left in the eighth that cleared out Yankee Stadium quicker than Ex Lax.

Today (8/28) marks the 783rd and most likely the final game of the Red Sox play in Yankee Stadium. It would’ve been sweet to have come away with the sweep, but Giambi came up big with a pair of hits in the late innings to give the Yanks a 3-2 win. Both Lester and Mussina pitched well, but it was reminiscent of hundreds of Red Sox’ late inning collapses at Yankee Stadium and is not worth remembering save for the fact that the Yankees had the last laugh. Score one more for the Bambino.

“Back Home With The ChiSox”

Josh Beckett was placed on the DL with elbow issues prior to opening up the homestand for a weekend set with Chicago. If there are any lengthy recovery issues with Beckett, the team ought to just as much kiss off any chances for the postseason. Daisuke took the ball for the opener (8/29) and spun an eight inning gem, running his record to 16-2 as the Sox battered Javier Vazquez and Chicago 8-0. The Sox blew the game wide open in the fifth and sixth, scoring six times as Pedroia went 4-4, and Jason Bay had a bases clearing double.

In Saturday’s middle game (8/30), Michael Bowden made his major league debut and acquitted himself admirably, picking up the victory as the Sox’ hitters kept on pounding Chicago pitching in an 8-2 rout. Pedroia went 4-4 again, and Ellsbury and Kotsay each had three hits. The Sox closed out the month and the homestand with a 4-2 loss. As of August 31st, they were 79-57 with a good hold on the Wild Card and still looking up at the Amazin’ Rays.