Great Time For A Road Trip

With the sound of boos still ringing in their ears, the Sox hit the road for a Midwestern swing through the Twin Cities and Chicago. The talk shows and print media were ablaze with all of the news emanating from Camp Dysfunction. There were the predictable “blame pie” articles and themes that were discussed ad nauseam as well as the latest news regarding Daniel Bard and a possible return to the bullpen.

Bard: "I told him I was OK with it. But also told them 'don't expect me to go down there and make eight guys pitch better."

Wow, and you wonder why this team is 4-10. Everybody’s got an opinion as to “who’s to blame” for this debacle but the problem is that fans don’t see 99% of the club’s inner workings and have to rely on a notoriously unreliable and agenda-driven media

Game 15 at Minnesota (4/23/12): Jon Lester started in the opener against Jason Marquis. Lester was attempting to rebound from getting hammered by the Rangers last week. In the first, Aviles and Pedroia singled before Adrian Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Aviles. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer to right and the Sox had an early 3-0 lead. In the third, Ryan Sweeney doubled with one out but was cut down at third when Pedroia bounced into a 6-5 fielder’s choice. In the bottom of the fourth, Mauer singled to left and Willingham walked. With two outs, Ryan Doumit smoked a double just inside the line in left scoring both runners and then Danny Valencia hit a two-run homer to left center, giving the Twins a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Plouffe walked and Span singled to left setting up runners on the corners. Carroll then bounced into a 6-4-3 double play and Plouffe came in the back door to make it 5-3. In the sixth, Sweeney and Pedroia started off with back-to-back singles. After Gonzalez grounded into a 4-6 force putting runners on the corners, Ortiz grounded one up the middle that looked like it would be a base hit but Carroll made a great diving stab, made a backhanded flip to Plouffe, who stepped on the bag and barely threw out Ortiz. You can’t win for losing. In the top of the seventh, Saltalamacchia singled with one out and then Cody Ross took an inside fastball and rocked it into the second deck in left to tie the score 5-5. Marlon Byrd then picked up his first hit as a member of the Red Sox and Gardenhire came out looking for the baseball. Jared Burton relieved Marquis and retired Aviles on a long fly to left. Lester was through after seven and turned things over to Franklin Morales. The good news about Lester is that he pitched much better than his last outing. The bad news is that it was a so-so outing at best. At least he won’t get tagged with the “L”. Jamey Carroll tripled down into the right field corner leading off the bottom of the eighth. The very same Jamey Carroll who couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag. Mauer grounded out to first and Bard entered in relief of Morales. Hopefully, Bard was giving the bullpen boys pitching tips while waiting to enter the game. Willingham then hit a line drive to third and Carroll dove back into the bag. Morneau then received a free pass. Doumit popped out to short and Bard was able to get out of a big jam. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Ross homered again, this time a solo shot that just cleared the wall in right. Oh no, V put Aceves (and his 24.00 ERA) into close out the game. The last time we saw Aceves was on Saturday, when he couldn’t get anyone out. With one out, Parmalee singled to right. Plouffe then hit a long fly to left that Ross hauled in on the warning track. Span followed with a comebacker to the box and the Sox came away with a hard fought 6-5 victory.

Game 16 at Minnesota (4/24/12): In Tuesday night’s middle game of the series, Josh Beckett started against Nick Blackburn. The Sox got off to a quick start as Aviles led off with a double and scored on Sweeney’s single. After Pedroia reached on a 4-6 fielder’s choice, Gonzalez then singled to right putting runners on the corners. Ortiz drove in Pedroia with a single and then Youkilis singled to load the bases. Ross grounded out to first and Gonzalez came in the back door. Beckett really struggled in the bottom of the first as he was really getting squeezed by the home plate ump, allowing a single, three walks and threw 37 pitches. In the second, he retired the side on only 10 pitches. In the third, Gonzalez led off with a walk and the Ortiz launched a two-run bomb into the upper deck in right; that ball was really struck. With one out in the bottom of the third, Mauer singled up the middle and Willingham ripped a double into the gap in right center. Beckett then retired the next two batters but Marlon Byrd was lucky to chase down the third out as he misjudged a pop fly and had to race in to make an awkward catch. Blackburn (3IP, 8H, 5ER, 1BB, 2K) was done after three and turned things over to lefty Matt Maloney. Mike Aviles greeted him by smacking a line drive homer down the line in left to make it 6-1 Sox. Sweeney then drove a double to the gap in left center. He now leads the AL with 9 doubles. With one out, Gonzalez drove in Sweeney with a base hit up the middle. It started to rain as Youkilis lined a single to left. In the fifth, Byrd singled and scored on a double that Aviles rocked off the wall in left. Pedroia then doubled high off the wall in right, scoring Aviles to make it 9-1. Gonzalez followed with a double to center, scoring Pedroia and that was the night’s work for Maloney. The Twins scratched across a run in the fifth when Carroll singled and scored on Willingham’s double. Beckett then struck out the side in the sixth. Beckett end up his night on a high note (6IP, 5H, 2ER, 3BB, 5K) and turned things over to Atchison. It’s was Beckett’s best outing so far this season. Lars Anderson made his first appearance of the year in the eighth and lined a base hit to left. Former Twin Nick Punto stepped up to pinch hit and received a warm ovation from the few remaining patrons in attendance. Anderson later came in the back door to make it 11-2 on McDonald’s fielder’s choice. Albers came on to mop things up in the bottom of the ninth and allowed a double to Sean Burroughs. It’s great to see Burroughs having turned his life around. Albers then retired the next three batters and the Sox came away with a very convincing victory.

Game 17 at Minnesota (4/25/12): The series wrapped up on Wednesday night as Clay Buchholz started against Liam Hendriks, who threw 32 pitches in the first inning. Buchholz was looking for his first decent outing of the season, as he has allowed 17 earned runs in 17 innings’ work for a tidy ERA of 9.00. Buchholz loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on a walk to Carroll, a single by Mauer and another walk to Parmalee. Buchholz got out of the jam when Plouffe popped out to second. The Sox started quickly in the second inning as Ortiz walked and Youkilis singled up the middle. With one out, Ross singled to left and Ortiz came in with the first run of the game. With two outs, Aviles homered to left and the Sox were ahead, 4-0. With one out in the bottom of the second, Ben Revere hit a long double to center. Casilla followed with a base hit that scored Revere with the Twins’ first run. In the third, the Sox started off fast again as Pedroia singled and Gonzalez walked. With two outs, Saltalamacchia ripped one to right, scoring both baserunners but he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. Through the first three innings, Buchholz had not been economical with his pitches as his count was already up to 65. Pedroia led off the fifth by tripling down the line in right and scored on Gonzalez’ base hit to left. On that note, Anthony Swarzak relieved Hendriks. Buchholz began to tire in the sixth as Revere and Casilla singled with one out. Span doubled in Revere and then Carroll walked to load the bases. At that point, Atchison came out of the bullpen to relieve Buchholz (5.1 IP, 10H, XER, 3BB, 2K). Joe Mauer drove a base hit to left and two runs scored. Morneau then doubled to right and Carroll scored to make it 7-5 as the bullpen woes continue…Justin Thomas relieved Oh No Atchison to face Parmalee, who was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Albers relieved Thomas and Plouffe singled in Mauer, as the bullpen is once more in full meltdown mode. Mercifully, Burroughs grounded into a double play but the Twins scored five runs, proving once more that no lead is safe with this pitching staff. They’ve scored 12 runs and lost and last week scored 9 runs and were crushed. This is the worst bullpen I’ve seen in almost 50 years of watching this team. Vicente Padilla entered in the bottom of the seventh and righted the ship by retiring the side in order. Franklin Morales came on to pitch the eighth and struck out Carroll to begin the inning. With two outs, Morneau hit a long fly to center that Byrd hauled in.

Goin’ Southside

Prior to opening the series with the White Sox, there were reports in the media that Carl Crawford has an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow which will not require surgery. They’re saying that Crawford could miss up to three months, which was certainly not news that anyone wanted to hear. At least it didn’t involve surgery…

Game 18 at Chicago (4/26/12): The Sox opened a four-game set with the Southsiders at the (relatively) new Comiskey on Thursday night. Felix Doubront started against Philip Humber (who pitched a perfect game in Seattle last Saturday). Aviles walked leading off and stole second. Pedroia followed with a single, putting runners on the corners. Gonzalez then doubled in Aviles and Ortiz followed with a base hit that drove in Pedroia. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Adam Dunn walked and scored on Konerko’s double to deep center. Pierzynski then walked as Doubront started to struggle with his control. Lars Anderson got the start in leftfield and flew out to left in his first time up. Ryan Sweeney doubled leading off the third. With one out, Gonzalez and Ortiz walked to load the bases. The bases didn’t stay filled for long as Youkilis took one over the wall in left to put the Sox ahead 6-1. Saltalamacchia went back-to-back as he took a pitch from Humber and smacked it over the wall in right to make it 7-1.  In the bottom half of the third, Doubront walked Alexei Ramirez and hit Dunn with a pitch. With two outs, Pierzynski singled in Ramirez. Dayan Viciedo hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourthas Doubront’s pitch count was getting quite high. With two outs in the fifth, Youkilis singled and Saltalamacchia followed with a two-run shot to right to make it 9-3, Sox. Humber was finished after five and Will Ohman entered in relief. In the bottom of the sixth, Darnell McDonald replaced Anderson and Doubront persevered, now over 100 pitches. Doubront was through after six (6IP, 5H, 3ER, 3BB, 2K, 110P) and turned things over to Junichi Tazawa, who allowed two singles after two were out in the seventh but got Pierzynski on a fielder’s choice. In the ninth, Aviles doubled with one out and scored on Sweeney’s base hit. Tazawa pitched three strong innings to pick up the save in a laugher.

Game 19 at Chicago (4/27/12): Friday night’s tilt featured Daniel Bard against John Danks. Bard ran into trouble right away as Alejandro De Aza doubled leading off and scored on Pierzynski double to deep left. The Sox came right back to go ahead in the top of the second when Youkilis walked and Ortiz hit a two-run bomb to right. In the bottom of the third, Ramirez reached on Youkilis’ throwing error and Konerko singled with one out. Pierzynski then reached on fielder´s choice with Ramirez going to third. Ramirez later scored on a wild pitch. Bard then muffed Rios’ routine grounder with Pierzynski moving to third. Konerko put the White Sox ahead with two outs in the fifth when he hit a solo shot to left. In the sixth, Gonzalez and Youkilis started off with one out. Ortiz followed with a single to load the bases and then Ross drove in Gonzalez with the tying run on a base hit.  With two outs, Darnell McDonald delivered big time with a bases-clearing double and the Sox went up 6-3. Marlon Byrd then drove in McDonald with a base hit to left, Byrd’s first RBI with the Red Sox. Nate Jones then relieved Danks. Pedroia and Gonzalez opened the seventh with back-to-back singles. With two outs, Cody Ross brought in Pedroia with a single. Kelly Shoppach then singled and McDonald walked to load the bases. Dylan Axelrod then entered in relief and retired Byrd on a short pop fly. Bard was finished after seven and had a great night (7IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 6K) before turning things over to Matt Albers, who retired the side in order. Darnell McDonald homered with two outs in the ninth to make it 10-3, Sox. Albers retired the side in order and the Sox came away with another comfortable win.  

Game 20 at Chicago (4/28/12):           On a windy and cold Saturday night, Jake Peavy took the hill for the White Sox against Jon Lester (0-2, 6.00), who has won in his last eight starts. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Dunn walked and Konerko doubled down the line in left. Rios then lined out to right and Lester got out of an early jam. Sweeney led off the third with a broken bat double into no man’s land in right. With one out, Gonzalez singled up the middle and Sweeney came in with the game’s first run. Lester went seven innings (7IP, 5H, 0ER, 1BB, 7K) before turning things over to Franklin Morales, who got two quick outs before surrendering a hit. Vicente Padilla entered and walked Konerko. Peavy stayed out for the ninth and retired the side in order. Aceves came on to close things out and he retired the side in order, striking out Pierzynski to end it as the Sox moved back to .500.

Game 21 at Chicago (4/29/12):            The Sox went for the sweep on Sunday afternoon as Josh Beckett faced Gavin Floyd, who owns the Red Sox. The White Sox sport their red and white ‘70’s look on Sundays at home. In the bottom of the first, DeAza singled leading off and moved to second on Lillebridge’s bunt. Rios then singled in DeAza. Adam Dunn then gonged one deep to right that landed in a different time zone and the White Sox took a 3-0 lead. It was a fastball that Beckett left up in the zone and Dunn just clocked it. Things stayed at 3-0 until the seventh inning when Ortiz doubled into the rightfield corner and Pedroia moved over to third. Cody Ross then singled to left and Pedroia scored the Sox’ first run. Floyd was relieved by Addison Reed at that point. Thre ChiSox made it 4-1 in the eighth as Dayan Viciedo singled in Ramirez. That was only the second run allowed by the bullpen on this trip. Matt Thornton came on for the ninth and shut the door as the White Sox salvaged a win. But a 6-1 road trip is a nice consolation prize.

Back Home With The A’s

Game 22 v. Oakland (4/30/12): In Monday night’s series opener, Clay Buchholz took the hill against promising lefthander Tommy Milone. Youkilis was scratched from the lineup with a tight back. Buchholz struck out Weeks to open the ballgame. Buchholz was sharp in the early going before Kurt Suzuki singled to left with one out in the second. After Barton walked, Brandon Inge made his first appearance for the A’s and lined out to center. Pennington then singled to left and Suzuki ultimately scored with Barton getting tagged out in a rundown. Ortiz tied it in the bottom of the second when he whacked a low line drive into the bullpen. Papi has been on fire against lefthanders all year, now hitting .423.With one out, Darnell McDonald bounced a ground rule double into the bullpen. Byrd then singled up the middle and McDonald came around with the go-ahead run. After Punto moved Byrd into scoring position, Aviles singled to left and Byrd came across to score. Gonzalez later reached on Weeks’ throwing error and Aviles scored to make it 4-1, Sox. In the bottom of the third, Ortiz led off with a walk and then McDonald gonged one off the light tower stanchion and it was 6-1. In the fifth, Inge walked and Pennington was hit off the foot by a pitch. Aviles then made a nice play on Crisp’s grounder up the middle as he stabbed the ball just as it was ticketed for center and made a perfect back flip of the ball to Pedroia, who stepped on the bag for the force play at second. Ortiz led off the bottom of the fifth by homering into the bullpen. Former Sox outfielder Josh Reddick chased after the ball and it ticked off his glove before Reddick went ass-over-teakettle into the bullpen. With two outs, Inge bobbled McDonald’s grounder to third and that was the night for Milone. Jordan Noberto entered in relief. Byrd then bounced one off the wall and McDonald scored from first to make it 8-1. After Punto walked, Mike Aviled drove a fastball into the Monster Seats to make it 11-1. In the seventh, Buchholz walked Anthony Recker and Daric Barton to start the inning. Inge then lined out to Aviles. Pennington grounded into a 6-4 force but Barton went well out of his  way to break up the double play. Weeks then walked and Crisp followed with a single that scored two runs. Reddick then launched a three-run shot into the bullpen and it was 11-6. That was all for Buchholz. Tazawa came on to pitch in relief. Cespedes singled up the middle and Smith was hit on the back of the upper leg with a pitch. Recker then reached when Punto dropped a routine infield pop. That was it for Tazawa as the bases were loaded and Bobby V turned to Padilla to get the Sox out of another fine mess. Padilla struck out Barton looking. Oh No Atchison came on to pitch the eighth and allowed a pop single to Inge. Weeks then walked to load the bases. Crisp waved at strike three and V came out looking for the baseball. Franklin Morales came on to face Reddick, who grounded one up the middle. Pedroia grabbed the ball, stepped on second and nipped Reddick at first with a terrific throw.  Aceves came on to pitch the ninth, allowed a double but otherwise got through the inning and the Sox picked up a rollercoaster 11-6 win.

Game 23 v. Oakland (5/1/12): On a raw and misty night at the ballyard, Felix Doubront started against phenom Jarrod Parker. Youkilis remained out of the lineup with a stiff back. Tazawa was optioned back to Pawtucket and Jose Iglesias was called up. The A’s got to Doubront in the first as Weeks singled leading off, Reddick walked with one out and Cespedes singled up the middle and Weeks came across with the first run of the game. In the fourth, Suzuki reached on an infield single. Kila Ka'aihue then walked. With two outs, Pennington doubled to the gap in left center and Suzuki scored. Weeks followed with a base hit and Ka'aihue and Pennington scored. Weeks then stole third and scored on a wild pitch. The Sox clawed back with a run in the bottom of the fourth as Pedroia singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on a ground out and scored on Ortiz’ ground out to second. Doubront was finished after four and turned things over to Atchison.  Doubront struck out eight batters but his stuff was uneven. In the sixth, Nick Punto made a great diving stab and throw of Suzuki’s hard-hit grounder down the line. Rich Hill came on in relief of Atchison to open the seventh. Reddick doubled off the wall with one out. Hill struck out two in that inning. Cody Ross led off the bottom of the seventh by lining a double down the line in left. After Punto walked with two outs, Parker was lifted in favor of Brian Fuentes, who retired Aviles on a grounder to third. With Grant Balfour pitching in the bottom of the ninth, Ross doubled off the wall leading off. With one out, Byrd singled to left and Punto followed with a walk to load the bases. Aviles then looped a base hit to center and two runs scored. Pedroia grounded into a 4-6 force to end the ballgame.

…Prior to Wednesday night’s finale, the Sox made a few roster moves. As expected, Youkilis was placed on the DL and AAA sensation Will Middlebrooks was called up to The Show. Aaron Cook will be recalled on Saturday to take Beckett’s turn in the rotation as Beckett came up sore after throwing 126 pitches in Sunday’s loss in Chicago. Clayton Mortensen (acquired from Colorado in the Scutaro trade) was brought up for an insurance arm out of the bullpen while Lars Anderson was sent back down to Pawtucket.

Game 24 v. Oakland (5/2/12): It wasn’t drizzling and raw like last night, but the clouds gloomily held sway over Fenway. In honor of nothing in particular, both teams came out resplendent in their vintage 1936 uniforms. It’s always nice to see the Philadelphia A’s come to town but did anyone see Connie Mack? Daniel Bard started against Brandon McCarthy. Things stayed scoreless until the top of the fourth when Cespedes doubled to deep center and scored on Seth Smith’s base hit to right.  In the fifth, Saltalamacchia reached when Reddick half-heartedly chased after his liner to right and it dropped in. Middlebrooks then reached on an infield hit, his first in the majors. In the sixth, Reddick singled and scored on Smith’s double off the wall in left. Ross made an awkward stab at the ball, twisting backwards to no avail. Kila Ka'aihue then doubled to right and Smith came across to make it 3-0. Bard then drilled Kurt Suzuki off the right hand and Suzuki went down hard. He ended up taking his base. Bard was nearing 100 pitches and was losing touch of the strike zone. Inge then hit a low line drive double off the wall and Ka'aihue came in to make it 4-0, A’s. That was all for Bard, whose education as a starter took a couple of hard knocks tonight. Albers (who looks morbidly obese in the throwback uni) came on to face 3B Eric Sogard and struck him out looking. Coco Crisp then hit a comebacker to the box that ended that threat. Ortiz doubled off the wall with two outs in the bottom of the sixth but Ross was retired on a harmless infield pop. Clayton Mortensen made his Sox’ debut in the seventh and allowed a base hit to Pennington, who moved to second on a (very) wild pitch. Mortensen came back to retire the next three batters. Saltalamacchia singled to open the bottom of the seventh and Middlebrooks followed with a line drive double to right. Byrd hit a sacrifice fly to left and Salty came in with the Sox’ first run. After Sweeney walked, McCarthy was relieved by Cook (who has been unhittable this year). Pedroia walked to load the bases. Cook then struck out Gonzalez, who slammed down his bat in disgust. With Cook still on the mound in the eighth, Ortiz launched a long fly to right down in the corner that Reddick misplayed, bounced off the low wall and Ortiz wound up on second base. Cook blew one past Ross for strike three. Salty then hit a broken-bat flare to second. Middlebrooks was then clearly overmatched and struck out. Mortensen pitched quite well over three innings’ work, allowing only one hit while striking out six. Brian Fuentes entered in the bottom of the ninth to close things out and Aviles reached on Pennington’s throwing error with one out. McDonald flied out to center but Pedroia doubled off the wall and Aviles scored to make it a 4-2 ballgame. Gonzalez grounded out to third and the game was over. A’s take two out of three and the Red Sox continue to languish in the basement of the AL East.

…Thursday was an off day for the Sox but there was big news with the Yankees as Mariano Rivera suffered a knee injury while shagging flies on the warning track during BP in Kansas City. Rivera went back for a fly ball and appeared to have twisted his knee. He was carted off the field in obvious pain. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan, this is sad news. Rivera is one of the classiest gentlemen ever to grace the game of baseball. Red Sox fans want to beat the Yankees with Rivera on the mound, not injured.

Bring On The Birds

Game 25 v. Baltimore (5/4/12):          The second-place Birds (16-9) came to Fenway for the weekend to meet the last-place Sox (6GB). The skies were grey and hazy and it was cool and raw but there was no threat of rain.  In the opener, Jon Lester (1-2, 4.65) started against young lefthander Wei-Yin Chen (2-0, 2.22). The O’s have gotten off to their best start in 15 years, and that’s good for baseball. They’ve got a terrific bullpen but they’re last in defense in the AL. They’ve also reverted back to the cartoon Oriole that was popular during their dominant years. They’d better not call this game a sellout as there are a whole lot of fans disguised as empty seats. The Sox came out in their Friday red tops while the O’s came out in black tops.  J.J. Hardy singled off the wall with one out in the top of the first. Gonzalez reached on the first baseman’s drop on a routine grounder. Pedroia then hit a routine grounder to third but Reynolds made a bad throw. Cody Ross tripled into the triangle leading off the second. After McDonald walked, Ross scored on a passed ball after two were out. Mark Reynolds quickly tied the score with a solo shot into the Monster Seats leading off the third. Gonzalez singled to left leading off the bottom of the third and Pedroia followed with a double down in the corner in left. Ortiz grounded out to second and Gonzalez came in the back door with the go-ahead run. The O’s came back to tie in the fourth as Adam Jones walked leading off and scored  on Matt Wieters’ triple to right. Wilson Betemit then singled in Wieters with the tying run.  Will Middlebrooks doubled leading off the bottom of the fifth and scored on Pedroia’s single. The Sox nursed that one-run lead until the seventh when the O’s came back to tie the score. Lester turned things over to Padilla, who immediately ran into trouble. Reynolds doubled to left and Ronny Paulino reached on a fielder’s choice. Red Sox Killer Robert Andino then walked. Hardy then bounced into a 4-6-3 double play with Reynolds coming in the back door with the tying run. Hardy made a fantastic dive to catch Ross’ line drive to short and then threw out Ortiz at first for the double play. Ryan Sweeney (pinch hitting for Byrd) led off the bottom of the ninth with a base hit up the middle. Ayala then retired the next three batters. Aceves struck out the side in the 10^th. With one out in the bottom half, Ayala hit Pedroia in the back. With two outs, Ross walked. McDonald was then retired on a lazy fly to center. The Sox were now 1-10 with RISP. Aceves stayed on to pitch the 11^th and struck out the first two batters before Chris Davis singled to right. Aceves then struck out Reynolds swinging. On to the 12^th, where Aceves came out to pitch again. Endy Chavez reached on an infield dribbler that Aceves muffed. Andino then bunted Chavez into scoring position. Hardy grounded out to third and the runner did not advance. Aceves was then relieved by Franklin Morales, who retired Markakis on a routine fly to left. Former Red Sox farmhand Luis Exposito came on to catch in the bottom of the 12^th. Other than a single by Gonzalez, Troy Patton easily retired the side. With one out in the 13^th, Wieters singled to left. Betemit followed with a walk. Davis then singled into the hole in right and Wieters came in with the go-ahead run. Oh No Atchison then entered in relief. Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly to center and Betemit came in to make it 6-4, O’s. In the bottom of the 13^th, the Orioles’ closer, Jim Johnson, entered and retired the side in order as the Sox lost a tough one.

Game 26 v. Baltimore (5/5/12):           This was a disturbing outing for the Red Sox. Aaron Cook made his debut for the Sox, filling in for Josh Beckett, who was still sore from last week’s start in Chicago. Will Middlebrooks was a late scratch with a tight hamstring and Nick Punto started at third. Jason Hammel started for the O’s. Cook ran into trouble in the second with two outs as Chris Davis singled to left and Wilson Betemit singled up the middle putting runners on the corners. Davis scored on a passed ball. On the play at the plate, Cook was spiked and in pain. In the third, the roof caved in on Cook. With one out, Endy Chavez reached on a bunt single back to the box and moved to second on a wild pitch. J.J. Hardy then walked. Markakis drove one up the middle and Chavez scored. Adam Jones hit a two-run homer to left (4-0). Matt Wieters followed with a double and Davis singled, putting runners on the corners. Betemit singled to right and in came Wieters (5-0). That was all for Cook, who went 2 1/3 in his less than auspicious debut. Clayton Mortensen entered in garbage time and promptly served a three-run meatball to Mark Reynolds, which was deposited into the back row of the Monster Seats. Less than three innings in and the Birds were ahead, 8-0. Meanwhile,  Hammel was humming along, only tiring with one out in the sixth. Gonzalez (who has started to warm up as of late) singled and scored on Sweeney’s double to left. Darren O’Day then relieved Hammel.  Ross then drove in Sweeney with a base hit to make it 8-2. Saltalamacchia followed with a double but Byrd struck out swinging. That was about all of the offense the Sox could muster on this day. The only positives on the day were Gonzalez going 3-4 and the combination of Mortensen and Atchison going over six innings of relief, allowing only two hits, one run and striking out six. Other than that, there’s nothing more to say about this dismal effort.

Game 27 v. Baltimore (5/6/12):           The Sox wrapped up the homestand on Sunday afternoon as Clay Buchholz tried to salvage a win for the Sox against Tommy Hunter. Aaron Cook’s knee laceration was severe enough to warrant a trip to the DL. Andrew Miller was recalled from Pawtucket. J.J. Hardy homered into the Monster Seats with one out in the first to give the Birds an early lead. Hardy homered again in the third with one out. In the fourth, Wieters and Reynolds walked to open the inning. Nick Johnson then singled, moving the runners along but getting thrown out at second. Andino (Red Sox killer that he is) ripped a three-run job into the Monster Seats and the O’s were up 5-0. Here we go again. The Sox scratched back a run in the bottom of the fourth as Aviles doubled to center leading off and scored on Sweeney’s base hit. Buchholz was finished after four and had another head-scratching outing (3.2IP, 7H,5ER, 4BB, 4K, 81P). Even though he has a 3-1 record, his ERA is an obscene 9.09. Andrew Miller struck out the side in the O’s fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Ortiz and Ross each singled to start things off. Saltalamacchia walked to load the bases. Up came Will Middlebrooks in a key situation and the rook did not disappoint as he took Hunter’s first pitch and drove it over the wall and across Landsowne Street onto the parking garage to tie the score at five. What a dramatic blow for the youngster. Matt Albers pitched the sixth and seventh and was remarkably effective. With Padilla pitching in the eighth, Saltalamacchia dropped Adam Jones’ foul pop. Jones then singled up the middle. With two outs and Reynolds batting, Padilla took him to a full count before Reynolds hit a long double, high off the wall in center, scoring Jones with the go-ahead run. Ortiz doubled to center leading off the bottom of the eighth. Darnell McDonald then ran for Ortiz and moved to third on Ross’ infield grounder. Saltalamacchia then hit a sacrifice fly to left and McDonald came across to tie the score at six. The game dragged on into extra innings, just like Friday night.  Wieters led off the 13^th with a base hit up the middle. Why the manager has not pulled Morales at this point is anyone’s guess. With a 1-0 count, the manager did pull Morales in favor of Rich Hill (who was the sixth reliever used by Valentine). After Hill induced a 3-6-3 double play ball, Reynolds (after fouling off one pitch after another) walked. Reynolds then stole second but Chavez fouled out to first and that threat went by the boards. McDonald hit a bloop single to left leading off the bottom of the 13^th. With one out, Salty drove a long one to right that was tracked down by Markakis on the warning track. By this time, the only patrons left at the park were friends and close relations. Anyone holding tickets in the nose-bleed areas now had their pick of choice seating. Middlebrooks struck out swinging and it was on to the 14^th as the game passed the five-hour mark. With Betemit batting and one out, Middlebrooks made a bad throw of a routine grounder and Betemit was safe on the throwing error but Hardy grounded into a 5-4-3 twin killing and the error was harmless. The O’s brought in their closer, Jim Johnson, in the bottom of the 14^th, and he was the last reliever out of the bullpen for the O’s. Ryan Sweeney singled to center with two out. But the Little Guy got caught looking at a curveball that dropped in perfectly and it was on to the 15^th. Markakis walked leading off and Valentine made the move for Atchison. Adam Jones hit into a 4-6-3 double play, the sixth turned by the Sox today. Wieters then hit a double high off the wall that Byrd had trouble chasing down. Chris Davis then grounded out to second. Johnson retired the Sox in order and it was on to the 16^th. Davis began to warm up in the O’s bullpen as they simply ran out of pitchers. With two outs, Pedroia made a remarkable catch of Andino’s short pop in No Man’s Land in right. He raced after the ball made a lunge and caught the ball rolling over in the grass. As Davis came on to pitch for the O’s, Darnell McDonald was warming up in the Sox’ bullpen. Salty struck out swinging. With two outs, Byrd hit a hard grounder to third that Betemit couldn’t handle. Aviles then doubled to the gap and Byrd raced around the bases. He should’ve stopped at third as he was thrown out at the plate on a play that wasn’t even close. Jones relayed to Hardy, whose throw was right on the button. McDonald came in to pitch the 17^th. Betemit walked but was thrown out by Salty trying to steal second. Hardy then doubled off the wall. Markakis stepped to the plate and walked on four pitches, none of which were close. Boom like that! Adam Jones ripped a three-run shot into the Monster Seats and the O’s went on top, 9-6. You certainly can’t blame McDonald for that as he was thrust into an unfamiliar role. It was simply a question of which team’s position player would pitch the best. Sweeney ripped a single that bounced off of Davis to start the inning. Pedroia followed with a walk. Gonzalez swung at a ball down in the dirt for strike three and Darnell McDonald grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game, six hours later…