Home Before the All-Star Break

The Sox opened a seven-game homestand before the All-Star break starting with a three-game set with the Blue Jays. Off the field, Clay Buchholz was scheduled to consult with a back specialist to determine the reasons why his lower back pain has not subsided with rest. Generally, it’s not good news when a player has to consult an orthopedic specialist.

Game 84 v. Toronto (7/4/11):

John Lackey started for the Sox and had another miserable outing (2⅓IP, 9H, 7ER, 0BB, 2K). The team needs to figure out what to do with Lackey because they’re on the hook for big bucks with him for several more years and right now, he’s toast. Without getting into the gory details, Lackey was pulled after giving up seven runs with one out in the third. Brandon Morrow started for the Jays and was effective in the early going. Down 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Sox’ hitters finally broke through to make a game of things. With two outs, Drew singled up the middle and Scutaro walked. Ellsbury then ripped a triple down the line in right to make it 7-2. Pedroia walked and Ellsbury came in on a passed ball. Gonzalez then doubled high off the wall in left and Pedroia came in to make it 7-4. Things stayed that way until the 7th when Navarro (who replaced Youkilis, who was hit in the back in the 4th and couldn’t continue) booted a ball and Adam Lind scored from first. Toronto made it 9-4 in the eighth when John McDonald singled and scored on Rajai Davis’ double to deep center. Again (to their credit), the Sox came back to score three more runs in the bottom half of the eighth as Navarro singled and Ortiz hit a ground-rule double to left. Saltalamacchia then tripled to the left-center gap and it was 9-6. Drew followed with a sacrifice fly to left and Salty came in. Frank Francisco entered in the bottom of the ninth and allowed a single to Ellsbury before striking out the next three batters. There wasn’t much wrong with the offense as seven runs ought to be enough to win. Lackey was putrid and there really wasn’t much the Sox could do to overcome the early deficit.

Game 85 v. Toronto (7/5/11):

The Sox looked to rebound from Monday afternoon’s loss as they sent Jon Lester (10-4, 3.43) to the hill against Brett Cecil (1-3, 7.24). Prior to the game, the Sox traded Mike Cameron to Florida for cash or a PTBNL. Youkilis was still out of the lineup after still feeling the effects of getting hit in the back with a pitch yesterday. Lester struck out Rajai Davis to open the game. Lester struck out four batters through the first two innings. Ortiz doubled down the rightfield corner leading off the second. With one out, Varitek doubled off the wall and scored when Drew hit a hard grounder to second that was booted by Mike McCoy (later scored a base hit). Pedroia (batting cleanup tonight) homered into the Monster Seats with two outs in the third. After Lester finished the fourth with a strikeout, he mysteriously disappeared into the clubhouse and an equipment attendant was seen carrying his jacket. Matt Albers entered in the top of the fifth. The Jays’ Jose Bautista picked up their first hit with two outs in the sixth. Lester left the game with a left latissimus strain. Papelbon entered in the ninth and allowed a base hit up the middle by Patterson. Bautista followed with a high, towering blast that struck the light tower. That was Bautista’s league-leading 28th of the year. With one out, Encarnacion singled to center. Snyder followed with a long fly to left that Darnell McDonald hauled in on the warning track. JP Arencibia then walked. John McDonald then lined a base hit to left and Patterson attempted to score from second. Darnell McDonald then grabbed the ball and fired a perfect throw to the plate, Varitek blocked the plate and Patterson was out at home, ending the ballgame on a dramatic note. It was the Sox’ 50th win of the year and they still remain 1½ games behind the Yanks. Of critical concern is Lester’s lat strain and how much time he could possibly miss…

Game 86 v. Toronto (7/6/11):

Prior to the game the manager announced that Lester would miss his next start. Later in the afternoon, the Sox clarified the earlier report and Lester was indeed placed on the DL and Scott Atchison was recalled from Pawtucket. The rotation is now in some serious disrepair with Buchholz and now Lester on the shelf until after the All-Star break.

After the needlessly dramatic ending to last night’s game, Tim Wakefield (4-3, 4.82) took the mound against lefty Ricky Romero (7-7, 2.82). Navarro remained in the lineup at third as Gonzalez (stiff neck) was given the day off and Youkilis moved over to first. Escobar doubled off the wall leading off the game. With one out, Bautista singled to center and Escobar came in. Ellsbury led off the bottom of the first by popping one into the bullpen to tie the score. Wake struck out two batters in the top of the second as his knuckleball was dancing and darting about. Youkilis led off the bottom of the second by whacking a line drive into the Monster Seats to make it 2-1 Sox. Rajai Davis bunted his way aboard to open the third and Escobar followed with a base hit up the middle. Eric Thames then hit a wicked grounder to first and both runners moved into scoring position. Davis later scored on Bautista’s sacrifice fly to left. Adam Lind followed with a long single to center, scoring Escobar with the go-ahead run. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, JD Drew hit a long double off the wall in center. Darnell McDonald followed with a single off the wall and Drew came across with the tying run. After Saltalamacchia singled, Yamaico Navarro followed with a double off the wall and McDonald came in to make it 4-3, Sox. Ellsbury then hit a long double off the wall in center and both runners scored. Can Wake hold the three run lead? With one out in the fifth, Escobar singled up the middle. Thames followed with a ling fly that Ellsbury tracked down, banging into the scoreboard. Youkilis doubled into the triangle with one out in the bottom of the fifth and Drew followed with a walk. That was the night for Romero. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Ortiz walked and Youkilis lined a double to left. After a pitching change, Drew grounded out to second and Reddick struck out, thus squandering a great chance to put the game out of reach. Wake was through after seven and had a very good outing (7IP, 9H, 3ER, 1BB, 7K) before turning things over to Daniel Bard. A sudden heavy shower entered the neighborhood with two outs in the eighth and the crew chief called for the tarp. After a delay of about 40 minutes, Dan Wheeler took over for Bard and struck out Aaron Hill. Papelbon entered in the ninth and hit JP Arencibia on the hand with a pitch with one out. Mike McCoy came on as a pinch runner. Patterson then struck out swinging and McCoy stole second. Escobar then singled in McCoy to make it 6-4. Papelbon struck out Thames to end it. Nothing fancy out there tonight, just an old fashioned grind-it-out win for the Hometown Nine.

Game 87 v. Baltimore (7/7/11):

Prior to the series opener with the Orioles, word was received that Hall of Fame Manager Dick Williams passed away at the age of 82. Williams was the manager of the 1967 “Impossible Dream” Red Sox and had an illustrious career that included winning back-to-back World Series titles with the A’s in the early ‘70’s. That 1967 team revitalized baseball in Boston (thanks in large part to Yaz and his triple-crown season). In the early-mid 60’s (when some of us first started our obsession with the Red Sox) the team stunk and attendance at Fenway was sparse. Williams was brought in as a no-nonsense skipper and the team responded in a way which most fans never could have imagined. It was a very special time to be a Red Sox follower and Williams’ leadership was a big reason why the team succeeded. Ned Martin (rest his soul) said it best:

“Looped toward shortstop, Petrocelli’s back and he’s got it! And it’s pandemonium on the field. Listen…”

In Thursday night’s game, Andrew Miller (2-0, 3.06) took the hill against Jake Arrieta (9-5, 4.74). JJ Hardy singled off the wall leading off the game. Markakis followed with a base hit into the hole at short. Adam Jones then grounded one back to the box and deflected into rightfield with Hardy scoring the game’s first run. Vladdy Guerrero then bounced into a double play and Markakis came in the back door to make it 2-0. Ortiz led off the bottom of the second by ripping a double that bounced off the leftfield wall. He made it to third but no further as Arrieta retired the next three batters. In the top of the third, Jones reached on an infield hit and moved to second on Miller’s bad throw. Arrieta walked Scutaro and Ellsbury to open the bottom of the third. Pedroia made Arrieta pay for issuing those walks, as he launched a three-run shot off the Triple-A sign above the Monster Seats. Mark Reynolds singled to right leading off the fourth and Reimold followed with a base hit to left. Both runners moved along on Andino’s grounder to third and Reynolds scored the tying run on Hardy’s sacrifice fly to right. Reddick reached on a bang-bang 3-1 grounder when the ump ruled that Lee missed the bag. The O’s manager came out to protest to no avail. Saltalamacchia then singled to right with Reddick taking third. Drew grounded out to first and Reddick scored to make it 4-3, Sox. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, A-Gon hit a bomb above the camera well in center to make it 5-3. Youkilis followed with a line drive double to left and Ortiz received a free pass. On that note, Arrieta was relieved by Jason Berken. Miller was finished after five (5IP, 6H, 3ER, 4BB, 0K) and handed things over to Aceves. It wasn’t exactly a vintage outing by Miller as his vaunted fastball topped out at around 90-91 and his control was spotty. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Scutaro singled up the middle and Ellsbury followed with a long homer that curled around Pesky’s Pole to make it 7-3. With one out in the bottom of the seventh and Pedro Viola pitching, Ortiz unleashed a mighty blow to center that cleared the wall, what a poke. Reddick followed with a long home run of his own to right that cleared the bullpen by a pretty good distance and it was 9-3. Saltalamacchia then went back-to-back-to-back with a line drive shot into the Monster Seats. Viola then walked Drew and that was all for the kid, as the Sox’ batters really hit him hard. Chris Jakubauskas entered in relief and retired the next two batters. With a 10-3 lead the manager considered it safe enough to turn things over to Atchison, who promptly gave up a double to Guerrero. Lee knocked in Guerrero with a grounder to second. Bobby Jenks entered in the top of the ninth (with the odds of him retiring the side in order being exceedingly remote). Sure enough, Andino singled up the middle with one out. Jenks was able (fortunately) to retire the next two batters and the Sox came away with a satisfying 10-4 win. With the Yankees losing to Tampa Bay, the Sox vaulted past them into first place by a ½ game.

…The baseball world is in mourning over the accidental death of Shannon Stone, a 39-year old firefighter who fell over an outfield railing at Rangers Ballpark last night while trying to catch a ball tossed to him by Josh Hamilton. Particularly grievous is the fact that his 8-year old son accompanied him to the game and witnessed the death of his father. The players were understandably devastated when word was received that Shannon passed away en route to the hospital. We send out our sympathy to Shannon’s family and friends as well as to the Rangers’ organization and players. Life is precious and fragile.

Game 88 v. Baltimore (7/8/11):

“Take Me Out To The Brawl Game”

Josh Beckett (7-3, 2.12) got the start in Friday night’s game against the very tough Zach Britton (6-6, 3.47). Britton shut down the Sox hitters with a 4-1 win on April 26th. With the lefty going for the O’s, the manager shook things up a little by inserting Darnell McDonald in right and Yamaico Navarro in left. With one out in the bottom of the first, Pedroia singled to right. Gonzalez followed with a walk and then Youkilis drove in Pedroia with a base hit to left. Big Papi then launched a three-run bomb into the rightfield grandstand and it was 4-0 Sox. There was no doubt about that one as Markakis barely even gave chase, it was rocked. After Varitek walked, Scutaro bounced a single up the middle with Varitek taking third on the play. Darnell McDonald then lined a double to left, scoring both runners. With two outs, Ellsbury looped a single to left and McDonald came in to make it 7-0. That was all for Britton, who wasn’t so tough after all on this night. Brad Bergesen relieved Britton and Pedroia then reached when JJ Hardy bobbled a ball at short and his throw was off line. Gonzalez then singled to left and Ellsbury came in to score. With that hit (#125), A-Gon tied a Red Sox record for most hits prior to the All-Star break. That was one really sweet inning for the Sox. In the third inning, it began to rain (again) though not heavily enough to warrant a stoppage in play. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Bergesen was hit by Ortiz’ liner back to the box and had to leave the game. It was a shame, as he held down the fort after Britton’s meltdown. Chris Jakubauskas entered in relief. Derrick Lee hit a long home run to left leading off the fifth. Beckett slipped on the mound while delivering a pitch necessitating a visit by the grounds crew to treat the slick surface with compound. Beckett walked Pie and Andino before Markakis drove in Pie with a base hit up the middle. Adam Jones then singled to left and Andino scored to make it 8-3. Beckett then struck out Vladdy Guerrero to end the threat. Matt Albers entered in the top of the sixth as Beckett was removed as a precaution (possible hyperextended left knee) after having slipped on the mound (5IP, 7H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K). Pedroia launched a blast into the Monster Seats leading off the bottom of the sixth. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Pedroia walked and came around to score on Josh Reddick’s triple into the triangle. Gregg then threw three fastballs in tight to Ortiz and Big Papi took exception and attempted to confront Gregg. He was restrained and the benches emptied but order was quickly restored. Big Papi then hit a pop up but Gregg taunted him as Ortiz ran toward first. Halfway down the line, Big Papi took a left turn and headed toward the mound. A full-fledged brawl then ensued between Gregg and Ortiz and the benches emptied again. Gregg and Ortiz were summarily ejected. Saltalamacchia was also ejected as well as the Orioles’ Jim Johnson. Atchison entered in the top of the ninth and Wieters doubled down the line in right leading off. The only bad news of the night was Beckett’s injury. Hopefully, it’s minor and he’ll be ready for the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

...On Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter joined a select club when he recorded his 3,000th hit with a home run. Although he’s the consummate Yankee, it’s a great accomplishment which any decent baseball fan should acknowledge. Jeter’s Hall of Fame bona fides was pretty much established prior to crossing the 3,000-hit line but this seals the deal. Though voted in as a starter, Jeter will not participate in next week’s All-Star Game. Neither will A-Rod, who is recovering from a slight meniscus tear and may be out of the Yankee lineup for a month if he opts for surgery. Youkilis will take A-Rod’s spot in the lineup for the American League.

Game 89 v. Baltimore (7/9/11):

In Saturday night’s game the beleaguered John Lackey (5-8, 7.47) took the hill against Alfredo Simon (1-1, 4.64), who spent most of the offseason languishing in a Dominican jail cell as he was accused of a heinous crime that was later determined he did not commit. JJ Hardy singled off the wall to open the game and moved to third with two outs but Vladdy Guerrero grounded out 3-1, so Lackey at least survived that inning. Ellsbury beat out an infield hit to open the bottom of the first. Pedroia followed with a walk. With one out, Youkilis blooped a single to center to load the bases but Ortiz grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to kill that threat. Matt Wieters singled off the wall to open the secondbut Lackey came back to strike out Lee and Reynolds to get out of the inning. Ellsbury doubled to left leading off the bottom of the third but Simon retired the next three batters. After walking Adam Jones to open the fourth, Lackey struck out Guerrero and Wieters before Jones was thrown out trying to steal second. Ortiz led off the bottom of the fourth with a long drive to center that Jones tracked down at the wall. In the fifth, Ellsbury nearly made a great catch off of Derrick Lee’s fading line drive to center but the ball popped loose and he was safe at first. Lackey came back to retire the next three batters but his pitch count was getting into the 80’s. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Ellsbury ripped a three-bagger down the line in right. Pedroia then hit a comebacker and Ellsbury was caught in a rundown between third and home (dope) with Pedroia taking second. A-Gon received a free pass. Youkilis then doubled off the wall in left and Pedroia came in with the game’s first run. Ortiz walked to load the bases and Reddick followed by lining a double to right, scoring two more runs. Simon was relieved by lefty Mark Hendrickson, who retired Saltalamacchia on a grounder to second. With one out in the sixth, Lackey hit Markakis on the back with a pitch (after last night perhaps not the wisest move). With two outs in the seventh, Lee was hit by a pitch and Reynolds struck out but reached on a passed ball. At that point, Lackey was relieved by Bard, who retired Reimold on a pop to short. Lackey had a very good night (6⅔IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB, 7K) and received warm applause from the Fenway Faithful. Pedroia doubled to left leading off the bottom of the seventh and moved to third on A-Gon’s ground out. Youkilis followed with a double that landed in no-man’s land in right and Pedroia scored to make it 4-0. Ortiz then singled to left putting runners on the corners. But Reddick grounded into a double play and that was that. Bard stayed on to pitch the eighth (although Jenks was warming up—a four run lead is simply too narrow a margin for Jenks). Markakis singled to short with two outs in the eighth and stole second. Ortiz was then clowning around in the dugout which must’ve burned Showalter something awful. Jim Johnson (one of the combatants ejected from last night’s game) retired the side in order in the eighth. Papelbon entered in the ninth (a no-save situation) and retired the first two batters on fly outs before striking out Lee to end the ballgame. Lackey ought to be one happy camper after this outing.

Game 90 v. Baltimore (7/10/11):

In the final game before the All-Star break, Kyle Weiland made his major league debut for the Sox against rookie Mitch Atkins (0-0, 1.50) on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for baseball at Fenway. Weiland had an easy time of it in the top of the first, retiring the side in order. The Sox pushed across a pair in the bottom of the first as they loaded the bases with one out before Ortiz lined an RBI single up the middle and Josh Reddick hit a sacrifice fly to left. Weiland was not so lucky in the second inning as the Orioles exploded for six runs. With one out, Matt Wieters walked. Derrek Lee followed with a two-run shot into the Monster Seats to tie the score. Mark Reynolds then hit a ground-rule double into the triangle and one-hopped into the stands. Nolan Reimold then reached on an infield hit into the hole at short. Robert Andino then blooped a single to right and Reynolds came in to make it 3-2, O’s. With two outs, Markakis reached on an infield hit and Reimold scored. Adam Jones doubled off the wall scoring Andino. Guerrero reached when he grounded to short and Scutaro made a slow flip to second and Jones was safe, with Markakis scoring to make it 6-2. With one out in the bottom of the second, Scutaro took an inside fastball out of the yard. With two outs, Pedroia took Atkins deep and over the wall, his fourth homer of the homestand. Gonzalez followed by rapping a double down in the corner in right. Youkilis then struck a long homer to straightaway center and just like that the Sox tied the score 6-6. That chased Atkins from the ballgame and (starter) Jeremy Guthrie entered in relief. Weiland hit Reynolds on the right hand with a pitch and Reynolds was in a lot of pain as he trotted to first. In the bottom of the fourth, Pedroia doubled to left with one out and Gonzalez singled to left, putting runners on the corners. Youkilis was hit by a pitch and the home plate umpire issued warnings to both benches. That was stupid as there was no way that Guthrie would seek to intentionally hit Youkilis in this situation. Guthrie took Ortiz to a full count before issuing a walk that scored Pedroia with the go-ahead run. In the fifth, Adam Jones led off by ripping a triple high off the wall in left-center Weiland then hit Guerrero on the hand and Weiland and Francona were ejected from the game. This was absolutely ridiculous, as it was a wild pitch with no intent to injure the batter. When umpires interject themselves into the story of a game, it’s generally not a good thing. Alfredo Aceves entered in relief and struck out Wieters and Lee and the Sox avoided any runs having been scored. In the bottom of the sixth, the O’s Mike Gonzalez threw a pitch behind Ortiz and he (together with Showalter) was invited to leave the grounds forthwith. Now, that was obvious. In the bottom of the seventh, Varitek sliced a double that one-hopped the wall. Drew then reached on an infield hit. Varitek was caught by a rundown between third and home. Ellsbury followed with a line drive single to right and Drew scored to make it 8-6. Papelbon entered in the top of the ninth and picked up his 20th save with a flourish, striking out Markakis swinging. So the Sox went into the All-Star break having won 10 of their last 11 games and in first place in the AL East at 55-35.