Dog Days I:

The Sox closed July with a three-game series in Baltimore. With Martinez and Kotchman en route, the team needed to make a couple of roster moves for tonight’s game. Marcus McBeth was recalled from Pawtucket and Josh Reddick was called up from Portland. In the opener (7/31), John Smoltz got the call against Jeremy Guthrie and the team needed him to come up big. Now that the trade deadline has passed without any improvements to the starting pitching, the current rotation will have to do the job moving forward. After a scoreless first, Bay walked leading off the second. Lowell followed with a ground single up the middle and Varitek walked. With one out Nick Green hit a sacrifice fly to center to give the Sox an early 1-0 lead. Ellsbury followed with a grounder to short and beat out the throw, but the umpire called him out. In the bottom half of the inning, Markakis lined a single up the box that nearly took Smoltz’ legs off. Huff followed with a bloop single to center, but Smoltz was able to get Wigginton to ground into a 1-6-3 double play and Scott struck out. With one out in the third, Youkilis singled and scored on Big Papi’s bomb over the centerfield wall.

Nick Green made another bad throw that cost the Sox a run in the bottom half of the inning. With Matt Wieters on second, Roberts hit a grounder in the hole. As Wieters broke for third, Green threw wildly past Lowell’s grab and Wieters scored. Reimold then hit a two-run shot to right (verified by replay) and the score was tied. This is how Smoltz’ season has gone so far. He’ll pitch lights out for a couple of innings and then the roof will cave in…Ellsbury led off the fifth with a homer that just cleared the high wall in right to put the Sox ahead 4-3. But in the bottom of the sixth, Markakis singled off the rightfield wall and Huff hit a two-run homer over the centerfield wall to give the O’s a 5-4 lead but Smoltz escaped the danger due to a great catch by Ellsbury bouncing off the wall and holding onto the ball …however as soon as the Sox gave up the lead, they regained it. In the top of the seventh, Ellsbury singled and scored on Youkilis two-run homer to left, ending Guthrie’s night with the Sox now up 6-5. Ortiz followed with a long single off the wall, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Smoltz was finished after six and turned things over to Ramon Ramirez. Wieters singled leading off and, with one out, Roberts hit a comebacker that Ramirez bobbled and then threw the ball over Pedroia’s head. Ramirez was able to get out of the jam by inducing a couple of ground ball outs. In the eighth, Okajima entered and allowed a couple of walks but got out of it by catching a line drive that was ticketed for his noggin. Reddick made his MLB debut in the top of the ninth and stayed in the rightfield for the bottom half, in which Papelbon came on and shut the door.

Prior to Saturday’s game, a couple of roster moves were made. McBeth was returned to Pawtucket and Kottaras was placed on the DL with a (cough) sore back. It’s amazing how an injury occurs at the moment when a roster crunch arises. Kottaras is out of options and can’t be sent down, so the next best thing is to put him on the shelf for awhile. Martinez was penciled in the starting lineup along with Reddick (for the ailing Drew), but look for Reddick to be returned to the minors soon as the team needs a pitcher to fill Masterson’s spot, either by waiver trade or callup. Tonight is “Victor Martinez Bobblehead Night” in Cleveland. So much for good timing, no?

Saturday night’s game (8/1) featured a dominant outing by Josh Beckett, as he went seven shutout innings to pick up his 13th win of the year as the Sox won easily, 4-0.
Pedroia homered with one out in the first, and that was all the offense the Sox needed on this night. Youkilis homered in the fifth and Victor Martinez (single) and Baldelli (double) each knocked in a run in the sixth to cap off the scoring. The score should’ve been a lot worse for Baltimore as the Sox stranded 15 runners tonight, but they got enough timely hits to come out on top. However, the story was Beckett, as he struck out five and never allowed any of the Orioles’ six hits to materialize into a substantial threat. Okajima and Bard pitched well in relief and the Sox came away with a nice victory.

All hell broke loose in the finale (8/2), as the teams combined for 38 hits and 28 runs as the Sox battered Baltimore 18-10. Jason Berken started for Baltimore and the Sox pummeled him early, as he surrendered six runs on seven hits before being mecifully pulled with one out in the second. Josh Reddick started in left and hit his first major league homer in the third to make it 7-0, but Clay Buchholz imploded in the third, giving up six runs and it felt like the O’s were going to stage a world-class comeback. Manny Delcarmen had to come in to clean up the mess. However, there would be no repeat of the June 30th debacle as the Sox blew things wide open with a seven-run outburst in the fourth on six singles, a double and a walk. After that, it was pretty much target practice for both teams as each scored four more runs in the later innings. On the plus side, Victor Martinez went 5-6 with 4 RBI (the first time in the modern era that a Sox catcher got five hits in a game). Josh Reddick, Youkilis and Ellsbury also had big afternoons at the plate. The big minus was Buchholz, having been staked to a big lead couldn’t get the job done. But the Sox swept, the Yanks lost three out of four in Chicago and their lead has shrunk to a ½ game. The team now goes into the buzzsaw portion of the trip, two in Tampa and four in the Bronx. We’ll know a lot more after that.

Tampa Two Step:

The Sox opened a brief two-game set in St. Pete with the Rays, who are currently in third and desperately trying to fight their way back into the mix of things in the AL East. Tuesday night’s game (8/4) featured Jon Lester against Sox Killah Matt Garza. As expected, both pitchers were quite effective, with Lester striking out ten over six innings and Garza allowing only three hits over his seven innings of work. Rookie Josh Reddick had a double, but struck out several times and looked not ready for prime time tonight. The Sox got solo homers from Youkilis and Pedroia to take a 2-0 lead that held until the seventh, when the Rays manufactured a run, and then (Another Sox Killah) Longoria tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a homer to right. Longoria simply eats Red Sox pitching alive, similar to the way George Brett did in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Both teams then had numerous opportunities to score as the game went into extra innings (Tampa Bay had the bases loaded with no outs two different times but failed and the Sox had the bases loaded once and similarly failed). By then the Sox bullpen was gassed, and Longoria hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th to win the ballgame that lasted just a shade under five hours. No one could fault Lester, as his stuff was electric tonight. Losing games under such circumstances are hard enough to swallow but it’s the torching of the bullpen (six relievers used) in the process that makes things really troublesome with one game left at the Trop before heading to the Bronx for four big games.

Coming off of a tough 13 inning loss, Wednesday night's game (8/5) was one the Red Sox badly needed to win. Brad Penny (7-5, 5.07) got the start and Carl Crawford was licking his chops at the opportunity to get to first and steal another six bases. For a team that leads the league in stolen bases, and seeing the slow-footed Penny out on the mound is like the answer to a prayer. Rookie left-hander David Price (4-4, 5.10) started for the Rays and retired the side in order of the top of the first.

Jed Lowrie made a nice grab and throw off of Jason Bartlett’s grounder in the hole leading off the bottom of the first. Crawford grounded out to short, which kept him off the basepaths for the time being then Longoria flied out to center. In the top of the second, Jason Bay hit a solo bomb to left with one out to give the Sox an early lead, but it was shortlived. In the bottom half of the inning, Zobrist singled, stole second and came in on Pena’s two-run homer to right. The Rays took the lead and never looked back. In the bottom of the third, Crawford hit a two-run homer to make it 4-1. Things stayed that way until Victor Martinez hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth, but Pat Burrell homered in the bottom half to make it 5-3. The Sox squeezed out a couple of runs in the seventh and eighth, but never really threatened as the Rays won 6-4. Penny did not pitch terribly, but made three bad pitches that the Rays pounced on. The offense didn’t help all that much as they were 0-11 with RISP. That in a nutshell told the story of the game. Right now, the Rays own the Red Sox.

…having lost two straight and heading into the Slaughterhouse in the Bronx for four games is probably the lowest and most challenging point of the season. On top of this came the news that Bay re-injured his hamstring and his status for the next few games is cloudy, at best. Smoltz will face Joba The Headhunter in the opener and visions of a bloodbath are in order. It feels like August, 2006 when the Sox lost five in a row to the Yanks and the season went in the tank. In a desperation move, the Sox signed Paul Byrd to a minor league deal (whoop de f’n doooo!). Byrd has been out of baseball since having last pitched for the Sox last year. What will he bring to the table that Penny or Smoltz can’t? Wakefield’s rehab is going slowly and it looks like a lost year for Daisuke (18 wins last year), so right now the starting pitching situation (save for Beckett and Lester) is a mess and it’s crunch time.

…all remains quiet on the Big Papi front (other than going 3-18 on the trip so far). News reports indicate that MLBPA will not assist him in his attempt to ascertain the records presently under court seal to determine exactly what substance for which he tested positive. So…we have to take Ortiz at his word for now and wait until Saturday, when Ortiz has a news conference scheduled to address the allegations.

Four In The Bronx:

Why is it that Red Sox fans feel like the team is heading into Yankee Stadium like lambs to the slaughter? Give the Yanks some credit, other than that bump in the road in Chicago last week, they’ve played lights out ball since the All-Star break while the Sox have been treading water. Picking up a split of these four games would be great from Boston’s perspective, but there’s this sinking feeling that they may be swept. That’s why Smoltz (2-4, 7.12) needs to pitch well in the opener. They signed him for just this occasion, and the hour has arrived. Prior to the game, Rocco Baldelli was DL’d with an “ankle injury” and Josh Reddick was recalled after one day. Youkilis started in left field.

Pedroia doubled off the wall with one out in the first, Martinez walked (prompting a visit from the manager) but Chamberlain got out of trouble with two fly ball outs. In the second, Drew led off with a double to the left-center gap and Lowell walked. But Kotchman flied out to center and Lowrie and Ellsbury both struck out looking. In the bottom half of the inning, Posada flared a single to left and Cano walked with one out. Swisher singled to center. Ellsbury threw to Pedroia, who gunned down Posada (going in without a slide) at the plate. Pedroia led off the third with a homer that barely cleared the fence in right, so it’s the third straight night that the Sox took an early lead. Martinez and Youkilis then walked, but Ortiz hit into a 4-6-3 double play and Drew flied out to center.
In the bottom of the third, Jeter hit a long fly to center, Ellsbury gave chase and hauled in the ball, but his head struck the padded wall, he was dazed for a moment. Damon followed with a homer that just made it over the wall in right center to tie the score and Teixeira doubled off the wall in left. A-Rod flied out to deep center, so it appears that the Yanks have Smoltz’ number the second time through the order. Lowell singled leading off the fourth and Kotchman smoked a homer over the wall (his first hit for Boston) in right. And then…the roof caved in on Smoltz, highlighted by a three-run homer by Cabrera that was crushed into the upper deck in right, He then loaded the bases (all of this without having recorded an out) before the manager came out with the hook. Sorry, John, but it’s time to do the right thing and retire, now. Just hit the showers and keep going. You’re washed up and our patience has run out. He’s had a brilliant career and is going to the Hall of Fame, anyhow. Why prolong the misery? Billy Traber entered in relief and served up a three-run gopher ball to Posada and it was 9-3 Yanks. Time to change the channel…everything after that was target practice as the Yanks ran away with this one 13-6.

As expected, the Yankees’ smashing defeat of the Sox was front page news in the national print and electronic media on Friday morning.

Things look pretty bleak right now, but there’s a lot of baseball left to be played. It’s not the end of the world, for cripes’ sake. After this series, they only face Tampa Bay and New York a combined 12 games coming down the stretch.

The Sox moved quickly to turn the page following last night’s debacle. To no one’s shock, management DFA’d John Smoltz and Billy “Cannon Fodder” Traber. To fill their spots on the roster, the Sox recalled pitcher Junichi Tazawa from Pawtucket and claimed IF Chris Woodward from Seattle, Obviously, it’s sad to witness the end for Smoltz’ great career. But he had nothing left in the tank; he nibbled around the strike zone and got hammered. The team hopes that he’ll take the next 10 days off, go home and consent to returning in September after working on his control.


AJ Burnett started in Game 2 (8/7) against John Beckett (13-4, 3.27). Ellsbury led things off by blooping a single that dropped in centerfield, then stole second (#49) and Pedroia (who was drilled pretty hard last night) walked on four pitches. Specualtion then arose with respect to whether Beckett would retaliate. VMart grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, and Youkilis watched on four pitches, but Ortiz grounded into the shift and that was that. Beckett retired the side in order in the first, Cano led of the Yanks’ third with a double to right and Swisher drew a 12-pitch walk. But Cabrera hit into a double play and Jeter grounded out 3-1. The Yanks put their first two batters on in the bottom of the fifth, but Cano flied out to right, Swisher struck out looking and (after Cabrera walked) Jeter bounced out to third. Beckett was highly animated after the out was recorded. Green walked leading off the sixth and Ellsbury reached on a 1-3 grounder that was ruled catcher’s interference (E2), but Burnett retired the next three batters to get out of the inning. After Burnett walked Ellsbury with two outs, he was relieved by Hughes. Burnett was outstanding, allowing only one hit. Ellsbury stole second (#50), but was stranded after Pedroia flied out to center. Okajima entered in the bottom of the eighth and retired the side in order. Bard relieved Okajima with one out in the ninth. With two outs, A-Rod singled and ? walked. With Posada at the plate, Bard balked, moving the runners into scoring position, but Posada struck out and the game moved into extra innings, still scoreless. With two outs in the 10th Chris Woodward walked and Ellsbury singled, but Pedroia flied out to left. The game moved on to the 11th…12th…13th…14th. Along the way there were a couple of great catches, one by Drew, the other by old friend Eric Hinske. Along the way, the Sox emptied their bullpen and finally, were down to the last man left standing, Junichi Tazawa. The kid who woke up in Pawtucket now faced the iron of the Yankess’ lineup in the bottom of the 15th. With two outs and a runner aboard, A-Rod hit a long home run and the Yanks won 2-0. All of this played out in a tidy 5:33…98% of the diehards were safely tucked away for the night and were thus spared the ignominy of seeing the Yanks win in a walkoff.

Prior to Saturday’s game, David Ortiz met with the media together with MLBPA’s General Counsel to explain how his name popped up on a list of alleged positive PED results from an anonymous test that was conducted in 2003. First, he stated that he never bought or used steroids, though he may have been “careless” regarding the use of “vitamins and supplements” that he took as part of his training regimen. The MLPBA attorney again stated that these test results are under court seal, and the fact that there are a number of “names” associated with the number that allegedly tested positive is misleading. He also discussed why it is meaningless to try to ascertain what substances for which Ortiz may (or may not) have tested positive, because no one (but the Feds) actually knows the results. He also stated that it was MLBPA who advised Ortiz not to comment further until as many of the facts were ascertained. For his part, Ortiz did what he said he was going to do: apologize to the team and fans and explain his case to the public. No one was left with a general sense that Ortiz was vindicated, but listening to his statements (buttressed by having an MLBPA rep standing beside him) he did appear credible. Whether people choose to believe his story is a personal opinion (or whether you’re a Red Sox fan). Hopefully, this cloud will now begin to dissipate.

…more bodies coming and going. Jed Lowrie went to the 15-day DL with further complications to the wrist injury that sidelined him for several months. This has been a lost year for Lowrie, for whom the Sox had placed so much hope that he’d become the everyday shortstop. Most likely, they’ll shut him down for the year. To take his spot on the roster, righthander Enrique Gonzalez was called up from Pawtucket.

Saturday afternoon’s game (8/8) was a real treat—if you’re a Yankee fan. C.C. Sabathia was simply dominant, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth, as the Yanks blew past the Sox 5-0. Let the Yankees’ bloggers out there recap the scoring; we won’t waste the time here. So, it’s now 0 runs and 8 hits over the last 24 innings for the Sox. As Beckett pitched brilliantly the night before, the only silver lining in this game was the outstanding performance put forth by Clay Buchholz, who allowed only two runs on six hits. If Buchholz can put forth a similar effort next time out, Red Sox fans may have something to smile about for a change.



It’s hard to say what the team was thinking or feeling heading into Sunday night’s game (8/9). Jon Lester was on the hill, and that’s usually a positive way to start things. It really does no good to do anything other than go out there and play hard and let the chips fall wherever. They ought to forget the opponent, the venue and the standings and simply try to play fundamentally sound baseball.

Prior to Sunday’s game Fernando Cabrera was recalled from Pawtucket and Enrique Gonzalez was DFA'd…

Pettitte and Lester were locked in a scoreless pitchers’ duel through 6 ½. In the bottom of the seventh, A-Rod homered to put the Yanks on top 1-0. In the top of the eighth, Victor Martinez hit a long two run shot and the Sox were ahead 2-1. Bard replaced Lester and got two quick outs, and then he imploded. Damon and Teixiera hit back to back homers, the latter felt like a dagger in the heart of Red Sox fans. Okajima came on and allowed two more runs and it was all over. The Sox went 3-6 for the trip and for all intents and purposes, ceded the division to the Yankees.

In the aftermath of this disastrous road trip, the local columnists are having a field day figuring out where the team goes from here. Bad news always sells more than the good. There’s far too much professional pride for the players to simply pack it in. There’s a third of a season left to be played and they’re still (barely) in contention for the postseason, and people seem to forget that the team got four quality starts in the past week. Right now, they simply cannot hit their way out of a paper bag. The upcoming week will be tough, as they face Detroit at home four before traveling to Texas for a weekend series. The media and talk shows are beating the whole Ortiz story to death. Rather than focusing on what me may or may not have done six years ago people ought to be a lot more concerned about how badly he’s faring at the plate right now.

Home To The Tigers:

Tigers are three games up in the AL Central and have been on a roll as of late. Brad Penny (7-6, 5.20) is being called in the opener (8/10) to reverse the team’s spiral down the drain against All-Star Edwin Jackson (8-5). It’s awfully tough when the #5 guy in the rotation is called upon to stem the tide, but things are what they are and the team simply has to get some timely hits.

The Sox got off to a quick start as Ellsbury doubled leading off and Pedroia followed with a rocket into the Monster Seats. The Sox went up 3-0 on Green’s leadoff homer in the second. Ellsbury followed with a single and stole second (#51) and scored on Ortiz’ base hit to right. The Tigers got on the board in the fourth when Cabrera was hit by a pitch and scored on Ordoñez’ triple that rattled around the low wall in right. Inge drove in Ordoñez with a ground ball single up the middle. Granderson led off the fifth with a double off the wall and scored on Thames’ sacrifice fly to right. Bay hit a solo homer that just cleared the wall with one out in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-3.

Penny was through after six and handed things over to Delcarmen. The Tigers tied the score in the seventh with a pair of runs when Laird doubled leading off and scored on Polanco’s base hit. Marcus Thames followed with a double that knocked in the tying run. It was another pathetic outing for Delcarmen. But he was bailed out as, in the bottom half of the inning, Drew singled to right leading off, moved to third on Kotchman’s base hit and scored on Green’s sacrifice fly to center. Ordoñez doubled leading off the eighth, then Ramirez hit Inge with a pitch. Laird bunted the runners into scoring position. Everett then whiffed badly and the manager called for Papelbon, who got Granderson to foul out to Martinez and the Sox dodged a big-time bullet. Papelbon slammed the door shut in the ninth and the endless losing skein was ovahh…

In Tuesday night’s game (8/11), it was a battle of the kids as Detroit’s phenom Rick Porcello (10-7, 4.30) hooked up with Junichi Tazawa, making only his second big league appearance. Starting Tazawa wasn’t exactly the preferred option, but after Smoltz departed the option narrowed from slim to none. Tazawa, who has a record of 9-7, 2.55 between Portland and Pawtucket, got Granderson to pop out to short to start things. Polanco lined a base hit up the middle and Thomas laced a single to left. Cabrera was then hit on the left hand with a pitch to load the bases. Guillen hit a textbook double play ball to short, but Green badly threw away the ball and the first run scored. Ordoñez hit into a 6-4 force and the second run came in. Alex Avila then walked to load the bases again. Inge followed with a line drive single to left that drove in the third run. Tazawa was victimized by Green’s error, but did survive his first full inning in the bigs. It was a tough way to start, but could’ve been a lot worse.

In the bottom of the first, Porcello buzzed Victor Martinez in retaliation for Tazawa hitting Cabrera, who had to leave the game while at bat in the second. In the bottom half of the inning, Porcello then hit Youkilis in the back, who charged the mound. The benches emptied and a small rumble ensued. Leyland met with Francona on the field and it appeared that it was not a purpose pitch. Porcello and Youkilis were both ejected and suspensions will likely ensue. Given Porcello’s age and the fact that the Tigers were already ahead 3-0, what good purpose would be served by deliberately drilling a hitter? Chris Lambert entered in relief of Porcello and Ortiz ripped a base hit to right. Bay tied the ball game with one swing of the bat by hitting a bomb across Landsdowne Street. Drew followed with a walk but was caught trying to steal second. The manager argued the call and was tossed for his trouble.

Ordoñez tripled to right with one out in the third but was stranded after Avila and Inge both struck out looking. Lowell put the Sox on top with a line solo shot into the Monster Seats. The Sox put up a pair in the bottom of the fifth when Pedroia walked, stole second and scored on Lowell’s two-run homer to left. Fernando Cabrera entered in relief of Tazawa in the sixth. Tazawa had a decent start over innings 2-5. He appeared to pitch better with each successive inning and might have hung around longer had he not thrown a bunch of pitches early on. It began to rain in the sixth and the tarp came out in the top of the seventh. After a rain delay of an hour or so, Saito and Bard came on and were lights out in the seventh and eighth. Granderson hit a two-run homer off of Papelbon, but the horse had long since left the barn. This was an encouraging 7-5 win for the team.

Youkilis’ punishment was swift, but reasonable: five games which he elected to accept immediately rather than appealing and taking the hit later down the line. Baseball fights are just stupid, but sometimes happen due to the ancient “code” that requires retaliation for hit batsmen. Baseball is not boxing, where points are earned for punches thrown. The only benefit that arose from the fight was that Porcello’s ejection enabled the Sox to get to the Tigers’ bullpen much earlier than expected. Whether they choose to admit it, kids emulate what they see the pros doing on the field. It doesn’t help to encourage discipline when they see ballplayers lose their cool and attack the opponent after having been hit by a pitch. Youkilis may complain that he’s tired of being treated like a painted target, but he’s also earning millions of dollars to play a game. For a guy who doesn’t give an inch at the plate getting hit comes with the territory...Remy made an appearance at the ballpark tonight and was greeted warmly by the crowd when the scoreboard announced his arrival.

Beckett had another masterful outing in Wednesday night’s game (8/12) as the Sox easily won 8-2. Tigers’ starter Armando Galarraga was scratched and Zach Miner was inserted in his place. Lowell led off the second with a solo homer, and in the third, Pedroia doubled and scored on Bay’s two-run shot to left. Meanwhile, Beckett had a perfect game going through 3 ⅔, when Polanco walked and allowed his first hit on Guillen’s lead off homer in the fifth. The Sox put the ballgame away with an ugly crooked number in the fifth, all with two outs having been recorded. Bay doubled to left and Ortiz singled, putting runners on the corners. After Freddy Dolsi entered in relief of Miner, Lowell brought in Bay with an infield pop single and Drew walked to load the bases. Kotchman drove in Ortiz with a base hit to center and Varitek brought in Lowell with a bases-loaded walk. A passed ball brought in Drew and a throwing error on Green’s grounder brought in Kotchman. In a matter of minutes, it was 8-1 and they played out the string from there. But the story of the night was Beckett, who went seven strong, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six and running his record to 14-4.

In Thursday afternoon’s finale (8/13), the Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander started against Clay Buchholz. Pedroia and Drew were given the day off and it appeared as if the manager was content to chalk up this one as a loss based on the lineup card. Buchholz retired the side in order in the first with no problem. In the bottom of the first, the Sox stranded Reddick and Martinez on second and third when Ortiz whiffed. In the third, the Sox had Reddick on third and Martinez on first but Bay struck out. Verlander is a stud who can bring it at 99-100, but the Sox wasted two chances. That tends to come back and bite the team in the ass. And so it did…Cabrera doubled with one out, Ordoñez walked and Rayburn knocked in Cabrera with an infield hit. Rayburn homered to left leading off the seventh. Buchholz was relieved by Delcarmen to start the eighth, and it was the second straight really good outing that appeared to have been wasted. Fernando Cabrera struck out the side in the top of the ninth. Rodney entered in relief of Verlander in the bottom of the ninth and struck out Ortiz, and got the next two hitters to ground out to end the ballgame. Just as Beckett was outstanding last night, so too was Verlander today. He struck out eight, and his fastball touched over 100 several times. Verlander made Ortiz look particularly bad today, as he couldn’t get anywhere near Verlander’s fastball. But Ortiz wasn’t the only chump, the “heart of the order” went 0-19 today…

…Now, the Sox go to Texas for the weekend. Texas in August, where it’ll be three nights hotter than hell, 105° and 96% humidity. Just the spot to spend the weekend, no?