Bucholz, Lester impressive in sweep of Jays

-- As April comes to a close the Sox starting pitching rotation appears to be just getting fired up.

Clay Bucholz (2-2) pitched an impressive 1-run, 8-inning outing Tuesday, throwing 80 strikes out of a career-high 117 pitches in the 2-1 win over Toronto. The youngster's accurate and masterful performance was exactly what the doc ordered considering the Sox pen was worked heavily the night before.

Reliever Ramon Ramirez then stepped up big for a 1-2-3 9th inning when he was tapped to come in for a rare save situation.

The Sox took another game-winning lead change off a walked-in run Tuesday (the second in a week's time) as Mike Lowell pinch-hit with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 8th, collecting a crucial walk in that at-bat for a 2-1 lead.

Then Wednesday Jon Lester had a much needed jolt of adrenaline to his season with a rock-solid 11 strikeout performance over 7 innings of 1-hit, shutout baseball. His effort led the Sox to a 2-0 win and a completed sweep of the Blue Jays.

The lefty was dominant for the first time in 2010, as his first 4 starts were nearly embarassing.

Darnell McDonald has continued to play amazingly huge for Boston, as he was responsible, in-part, for both Sox runs Wednesday. D-Mac fired up the 6th with an RBI-double and then advanced to 3rd base before scoring on a Pedroia sac fly.

As expected, the Sox have begun their ascent back to form and being the contenders everyone knows they can and will be. With the Jays sweep the Sox are now back to .500 at 11-11.

Boston heads to Baltmore for a series with the O's starting Friday, looking for another potential road sweep to put them right back in the thick of things with division rivals the Yankees and Rays up 2.5 and 5.5 games on the Sox respectively.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dice-K to take mound Saturday in Baltimore

-- The Red Sox announced Monday that right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka will make his first start of the season in Baltimore this Saturday against the Orioles.

After a simulated game last week Manager Terry Francona told reporters that Dice-K threw 69 pitches with some degree of power to his cutter and good spin on his breaking ball. Pitching Coach John Farrell also noted the cutter looked strong, adding that his slider was tight which indicates an increase in arm strength.

Dice-K's return is a welcome one, as all Sox starters, other than newcomer John Lackey, have gotten off to a slow start to the season. If Matsuzaka can come in and shake things up, it could have an infectious effect on the team.

Matsuzaka was kept to only 12 starts in 2009, spending a great deal of time on the DL with a shoulder strain. Dice-K however finished strong in his final 4 starts with a 2.22 ERA.

As Dice-K moves into the rotation, Tim Wakefield has been shifted to the bullpen for the time as Clay Buchholz has been given more time to prove himself worthy of the five-spot amongst Sox starters.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox win slug-off with Jays

-- Pitching was not a factor in Monday's matchup with the Blue Jays, as the game was an absolute, old-fashioned slugfest.

Thankfully the Sox hitters ended up on the worthier side of that shootout, prevailing 13-12 on the road in Toronto. Jason Varitek had a big day at the plate, collecting 4 RBIs on 3 of the Sox's 18 hits. Former Blue Jay Marco Scutaro also was a big contributor with 3 hits, 1 RBI, and 4 scored runs against his prior team.

Josh Beckett, however, did not have a great day on the mound – not even lasting 4 innings. Beck allowed 9 hits, including a 3-run homer, and 8 runs in 3 and 1/3 innings.


Yay's:
- I'm telling you, Jason Varitek is clutch. When his back is up against the wall, and the bat is in his hands or there's a play at the plate – he make the play every time. This is a guy who was the team captain for years, and was as good as benched to begin the season. As evidence of some miscommunication between Beckett and Victor Martinez arose, it became obvious that Tek was still needed in a certain role. However in that limited role he has bloomed and slugged an amazing percentage.

Each game he plays I more and more would like Francona to entertain the idea of Tek behind the dish and Martinez as a DH.

- The bullpen stepped up this game with Delcarmen and Bard combining for 3 innings, no hits, and only 1 run. Okajima gave up three hits and a run before he had to be rescued by Bard in the 7th. Papelbon then finished it off again, to collect his 6th save of the year


Nay's:
- Beckett did mostly just have an off night where hitters just tore the seams of the ball, but he also gave up a lot of walks which turned into runs – a bad pattern to see when your are 1-0 in five starts with a 7.22 ERA so far

- Of all the Sox marathon games this season, this one was the longest at just over 4.5 hours in length
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox blow sweep of O’s in 10th

-- The three-game set against the Orioles to end Boston's homestand appeared to be all but a sweep by the Sox, that is until Wakefield was pulled in the 7th with the 4-1 lead Sunday.

From there the bullpen found a way to blow a great final start for Wakefield, who has been moved to the pen with the impending return of Dice-K to the starting rotation. After falling behind 3 runs post Wake's exiting the game, the Sox climbed back within 1 run sitting at 7-6 with 2 on, 2 out in the bottom of the 10th.

Scutaro stepped to the plate and ripped one to the wall in left, but unfortunately the Orioles' outfielder was right there to make the game-ending grab – thus ending the Sox's pursuit of a third walk-off hit in Boston this week.

The Sox were lifted to a 4-3 victory on Friday night by a solo homer by Big Papi (his first of the season) and a gut-wrenching, "walk-off walk" by Adrian Beltre.

Boston's bats kicked it up a notch Saturday night, led by 3-run homers from Youkilis and Scutaro to seal the deal. Papelbon came in and struggled at first, but eventually made good on the outing and slammed the door for the save.

Yay's:
- Ortiz going deep for the first time of the season was a relief for everybody in Boston. Whether Papi is the everyday DH or shares time with Lowell, the fact that his production is improving ever so slightly the last six games is a welcome sign

- The Sox are showing extremely tuned-in patience at the plate which has led, hopefully will lead, to a healthy wealth at the plate. Beltre does not collect a ton of walks, but to hold back on a 3-2 count, 2 outs, bases loaded in the 10th inning and get a crucial walk-off walk – that show's discipline. The Sox may be emphasizing defense this season, but by the looks of things they're gonna need all the offense they can get to remain competitive in that tough AL East division

Nay's:
- The Sox went 4-6 on a 10-day homestand at Fenway Park, not exactly the kind of performance the home crowd would like to see out of their Beantown Bombers who are now 8-11 overall in 2010

- The bullpen still doesn't appear to have a system or a go-to guy other than Papelbon. Ramon Ramirez has been horrendous. Delcarmen is good for a couple outs then chokes in a situation with any degree of pressure. Okajima and Bard have looked stable, yet given up some big runs, and Atchison and Schoenweis are still getting their feet wet. The good part about this is it presents a crucial role for Wakefield to fill as he moves to the pen
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ells diagnosed with hairline fracture on ribs

-- After his April 11 collision with teammate Adrian Beltre's knee, a CT scan taken Thursday revealed that outfielder and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury has a hairline fracture in four of his left ribs.

Ells is eligible to come off the disabled list mext Tuesday in Toronto, but team authorities say that timetable was more hopeful before the fracture diagnosis was revealed.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dice-K to return, Sox drop 1 but take Rangers series

-- The Sox may have lost the battle Thursday but they won the war, defeating the Rangers by a game count of 2-1 in the Fen.

Bucholz took a great shutout performance through six and dragged a bit through the mud in the 7th inning of game 3, giving up the 3 runs that would make the difference as the final score was 3-0 Rangers.

Part of that responsibility has got to fall on the coaching staff's judement as to how long to let the young pitcher go in a game, but some run support would've been nice.

The best news of Thursday however was that Dice-K would rejoin the Sox this week and be fit into the number 4 spot in the starting rotation with Wake moving to the bullpen, a potentially genius idea as Atchison and Schoenweis have not yet proven themselves effective.

I'm not gonna Yay or Nay Thursday's game, because Clay had a decent showing with 1 bad inning and the Sox never could get the bats going. Overall though I do feel like the Sox have started to leap "some" of the early season hurdles they were so concerned with after the Rays series (who are playing the best baseball in the majors right now).
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

2 nights, 2 walk-off hits

-- For the second consecutive evening, the Red Sox blasted a shot off Fenway's oufield wall to drive in the winning run in true walk-off fashion.

Youkilis was the hero Wednesday night as he crushed a 2-out, 2-on rocket to clammer off the wall in right-center and bring in Scutaro from second to win 8-7 in the bottom of the 12th.

However Youkilis would not have been in the winning-role if it were not for a crucial tag-up and take of second base that saw Scutaro safe by a nanosecond -- dude has speed. Then thanks to Pedie's relentless bat so far this season, the Rangers' closer didn't give him anything to hit and walked Pedroia to bring up the Youkmeister.

Other highlights in the game were when Mike Lowell homered in Papi's DH spot early on, followed by Boston's newest hero Darnell McDonald going deep in the 7th for his second time in 2 days (2HR, 2BB, 2 singles, 2 games).

Last but not least JD Drew snapped out of his slump in a big way, striking a base-clearing Grand Salami into the right field bleachers to put Boston ahead 5-4 in the 4th.

Yay's:
- Another big play, that was missed by most, went back to the 5th when a Ranger baserunner was gunned down at homeplate by D-Mac on a near sac fly by Josh Hamilton. Darnell's throw was there but just a hair late, the real hero was Tek.

As Varitek is now Beckett's designated catcher, he had a chance to come through big, saving a crucial run by blocking the plate with his legs, corraling the catch and tagging out the runner before he could scramble around to the otherside of the plate. Even though he went 0-4 with a walk, it's that kind of defensive play that puts Tek above Martinez at the C spot.

-The Sox had a lot of guys step up to get this one done. Production from Drew, McDonald, and Lowell were welcome signs of relief to a team that's been gasping for air in April. Then solid appearances from Daniel Bard, Papelbon, and Okajima really pulled this thing together from the bullpen for a tough win.

- The Sox finally put together a solid, error-less defensive front behind their ace Wednesday, not digging their own grave too early in the game with unearned runs.

- Dice-K completed his final rehab start in AAA Pawtuckett this week and plans should roll-out as to when he will be brought up to the Majors again soon. I say bring him up ASAP and we can put Bucholz in the bullpen.

Nay's:
- Well if you take away Josh Beckett's 7th inning, he had a pretty decent night, but that game-tying 3-run blast from Hamilton really hurt.

- No timeline for the return of Ells and Cam to the outfield, but the way Hermida, Drew and D-Mac are playing we can probably afford to prolong that decision and see them back sometime in May.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A hero is born in Fenway tonight!

-- Never under estimate the genius of Terry Francona, period! The ever wise manager put in a guy named Darnell McDonald, to which everyone in the Fen replied "who the hell...?"

The 31-year-old utility outfielder was brought up to the majors Tuesday after Cam and Ells were both confirmed to be placed on the 15-day DL. The situation was 6-4 Rangers in the bottom of 8 with Tek just doubling to leadoff the inning.

Pinch-hitting the virtual unknown player for Reddick seemed like a sure momentum-killer. Instead McDonald blasted the third pitch over the Monster to tie the game.

Keep in mind this guy wasn't even added to the lineup until after batting practice.

Then D-Mac was called to the plate in the 9th with 2 outs and again proved that he deserves to play in the big leagues -- slamming a towering walk-off hit off the top part of the Monster to bring in Youk for an emotional 7-6 Sox win!

The crowd roared, the dugout cleared with Papelbon leading the charge to tackle McDonald on the field and Sox fans everywhere smiled with joy and relief at the sight of an unlikely hero.

A beautiful, wonderful story about a hero that the Sox very much needed coming through after 10 years of toiling in the minors.

Never, ever, question Terry Francona.

Yay's:
- Jason Varitek continues to prove his worth every chance he's given. He added his third double of the year to his three home runs yet in 2010.

After seeing some early season errors, 9 stolen bases on Wakefield today, and some just plain flaws in Victor Martinez's catching philosophy -- I say put Tek back behind the dish and throw Victor into Papi' DH spot. That won't happen, but it should because V is a truly terrible defensive catcher.

- Jeremy Hermida also came up big in aiding the banged up Boston OF, hitting his 2nd homerun of the year.

- After returning from the birth of his son Gunnar, Papelbon was given an opportunity to come in with Boston's own Dropkick Murphys blaring over the Fenway speakers and do what he does best and he capitalized.

- Francona finally showed the courage to pull Papi out of the on deck circle and pinch-hit Lowell in a key situation. Mike went on to pickup a clutch walk.

Nay's:
- The Sox got kind of lucky here. An 8th inning 2-run homer to a nobody minor leaguer, followed by a bobbled hit to the pitcher on a Youk dribbler to start the 9th that precursed a passed ball putting the winning run in scoring position, followed by another clutch game-winning hit by that mystery man D-Mac.

- Wakefield's knuckler slow-mo release combined with V-Mart not exactly having a cannon for an arm led to 9 stolen bases for the Rangers.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox swept in ugly fashion by Rays

-- Well if you've been paying attention yet, you've noticed the Sox aren't playing the hottest in baseball. That message became clear when they handed the golden broom to the Rays Monday afternoon to complete their sweep of the 4-game Fenway set.

After a brutally close two opener games in the series, the Sox got whipped in game 3-4 Sunday and Monday by counts of 6-1 and 8-2. The key recurring theme has been starting pitchers like Lester and Lackey, and spotty defensive play in the field, giving up an early lead of 3-0 or 4-0 to the Rays, who you just can't get that far behind and expect to win games against.

I've got to start taking some positives, with the negatives, away from these early games. After it's only April, but in a division like the AL East I have due reason to be concerned. That league is tight, and it's only getting tighter every year as only a max of two teams have a shot at the postseason and three of the best teams in baseball happen to be shooting for those spots. Any game against the Rays or Yankees, is a game worth winning whether it be April or August.

In that spirit, I'm introducing a new aspect to my blog posts, the Yay's and Nay's section for all those over-optimistic "yay-sayers" as well as the Debbie-downer "nay-sayers." Here it goes:

Yay's:
-Ortiz did hit 2 doubles in this series and blasted a near longball just foul of the Peske pole in a situation that would've won the game. Hey, it's not fanning on strikes so its progress and anything will do for poor Papi.

- Although Mike Cameron has been hurt this week with the weird kidney stone stuff, he is about as tough as they come and if he can play, he will play.

- Josh Beckett returned to form in Fridays start, looking incredible compared to his first 2 starts of the season.

Nay's:
- The losing streak is now to 5 games with a tough Rangers series coming up tonight.

- The 4-9 start to the 2010 season is the worst the Sox have had since 1996 when they went 2-11 out of the gate. The worst part is that their poor homefield start is the worst at Fenway since 1932.

- The Sox's trouble is currently at the plate, in the field and equally atop the mound for starters and relievers. No matter how you slice it, these guys are some serious talent who are just plain having a rough time.

- No date has been set for outfielder and lead-off man Jacoby Ellsbury, who is dealing with some seriously bruised ribs after a collision with Adrian Beltre on a sliding catch attempt last week. Word is he's officially been placed on the DL as of Monday.

- Mike Cameron started experiencing more lower abdominal pain Monday and is under re-evaluation and several tests to determine if there are other kidney stones trying to pass in the mix or what's going on with the 37-year-old outfielder. For the time Cam looks to be placed on the 15-day DL as well.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Squandered opportunities have Sox down 2 in Rays matchup

-- The Sox put together an impressive comeback charge, but ultimately squandered opportunities and key errors have put Boston down 2 games in their first 2010 set with the deadly division rival Rays.

Saturday evening of course started with the continuation of Friday's suspended game picking up in the bottom of the 9th. As I wrote before, the Sox shouldn't have even been in a tie game at that point as the Rays run came off a fielder's error by Scutaro that lead to a stolen second base and eventually a tying run at the plate on a 2-out hit.

But even with that, the Sox still had the upper hand and let this one slip away again. In the bottom of the 11th David Ortiz busted out a double followed by the Sox loading the bases with no outs. Then the Rays got 2 groundballs played perfectly to get out of the inning.

The next inning Pat Burrell belted a 2-run homer to take a 3-1 lead which Boston could not match.

The night had, what you could call, a reocurring theme. Clay Bucholz had some control problems, walked two batters and gave up four runs in the 1st inning spurred by a base-clearing Burrell double.

However none of those runs would've scored if Mike Cameron (who gets the purple heart for rejoining the team a day after passing a kidney stone Friday) would've not lost track of a somewhat routine flyball for the supposed 3rd out before Clay started walking guys and the other runs piled on. Not sure if he got an error in the book, but it was a costly mistake deserving of an "E" in my book.

From there the Rays would add 2 more in the 5th and 6th, but the Sox never rollover that easy. Scutaro homered towards the mid-game point before Pedroia and Youkilis both ripped 2-run homers in the 7th to bring the Sox withn 1.

It would stay that way though as the final remained 6-5 Rays. Pedie continues to hit the tar outta the ball with his 5th longball in 2010. Papi also doubled in both the continuation game and the nightcap so we're all hoping those possible signs of life are the real deal.

All around, it was a hopeful but heart-breaking two opening games of the homestand with the Rays.

The Lester vs Matt Garza Sunday showdown today should be an interesting one. I think the Sox always got something to prove in a matchup with the Rays or Yankees, whether it be April or August. These games do carry a great deal of importance in a division as tight as the AL East.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox, Rays in limbo after 9th inning rain delay

-- After a stellar performance on the mound from Josh Beckett, the Sox and Rays found themselves caught in limbo after the top of the ninth as some pretty bad weather turned horrendous.

The game was rainy and in the 40's the whole night Friday, but torrential winds and a downpour took it up a notch and caused a rain delay befor Big Papi was set to lead-off the bottom of the ninth.

The game will be continued a half hour before tonight's duel with the Rays was slated to commence with the regularly scheduled game to begin thereafter.

Beck threw 7 innings before Okajima came in in the 8th followed by a solid 9th inning showing by Papelbon.

The ace thew 8 K's, 1 walk, and three hits for 1 earned run -- a return to form for the usually dependable Beckett who was shelled in his first 2 starts.

Jason Varitek was a key to the equation, now named Beckett's designated catcher. Tek has proved to be noticeably more comfortable for Beckett than the newcomer Martinez.

That relationship has proved especially fruitful for the Sox so far as Tek hit his third homerun of the season for Boston's only run Friday.

However the team continues to struggle defensively as Carl Crawford, the Rays only run, reached first base on an error by Marco Scutaro. Crawford then stole second before coming around to score on a two-out Zobrist single.

A costly error with big consequences.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A kidney stone and some sore ribs plague injury-ridden outfield

-- A lot of the Sox's defensive woes this week can be attributed to one of my greatest concerns going into this season, two starting outfielders out of comission at the same time.

The Sox dropped two of three to the Twins, with Ellsbury out longer than expected after colliding his ribcage with Beltre's knee on a sliding catch attempt Sunday, battling a great bit of soreness the whole week while missing action.

Then there's Mike Cameron. At age 37 I was worried about his heightened risk for injury, but who would've seen a kidney stone coming. What was called an abdominal strain before Thursday's Twins game turned out to be a kidney stone trying to pass, causing the veteran center fielder a great deal of pain.

According to Terry Francona, Cam underwent a medical operation Friday to pass the stone and could return as early as Saturday.

Still, the Sox are shallow in outfielders and having both Ells and Cam out through Friday hurt badly. While he has not yet been placed on the DL, Ells return is unknown.

J.D. Drew however shockingly enough has been almost 100 percent. Seems that he and Francona have learned how to best pace his strides on the diamond for the long haul.

Jeremy Hermida has proven a worthy backup, but utility man Bill Hall is no replacement for Ells or Cam -- even in the short term.

Looks like Sox prospect Reddick may see some time in the majors earlier this year than planned. I say call him up from Pawtuckett with Dice-K next week and they can take the carpool lane.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ellsbury expected to return Wednesday

-- Starting left-fielder and lead-off man Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday against the Twins.

Ells crannied into Adrian Beltre as he slid into the third baseman's knee while both pursued a pop-up in foul territory Sunday afternoon.

John Lackey (1-0) will also be taking the mound Wednesday in pursuit of his second win as a Red Sock.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Lester subpar in loss to Twins

-- Jon Lester threw some decent mid 90s heat with consistency in the Twins home opener at the brand-spankin'-new Target Field Monday, but his poor placement of pitches led to an ideal outing for the home team christening their new ballpark.

Lester started the game with an initial two innings having thrown 58 pitches, two walks, five hits and three runs. He went on to labor through three additional innings as he took the loss for the game (0-1 for '10) and the Twins prevailed 5-2.

However it wasn't all Lester's fault. Sure he didn't execute his pitches and nail down his location, but there were two hits in the game that graced off of Sox fielder's gloves for a hit (one for an RBI) and another hit up the middle that skipped awkwardly off of the second base bag to bring in another run.

Then again the Sox didn't exact provide the run support their accustomed to either, with a solid outing from Twins starter Pavano.

The Beantown Bombers dropped to 3-4 on the season, but there was one silver lining – struggling DH David Ortiz secured a towering RBI-double, his most solid contact of the season by far.

Still Papi is currently 3 for 24, hitting .136 with 3 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts, no homers and 2 ribbies. Unsettling considering Ortiz had a huge slump to start the '09 season, not going yard til May 20th, nor hitting a follow-up second homerun til June 6th.

Add to that the fact that Ortiz has already been tossed from a game for arguing strikes and went on a brief expletive-filled tirade on a Boston radio show -- aparently buckling under the pressure of his slow start.

According to baseball sources, an at-bat sample size of 24 is too premature too tell. They say the usual litmus test for a veteran hitter is 100 at bats, but the Sox slugger needs to turn things around sooner than that if he intends to keep his DH role instead of being a pinch hitter.

The talk in Boston is that the Sox may be giving Ortiz a shorter leash than usual considering they have another veteran all-star hitter like Mike Lowell riding the pine who could make a great DH for them.

Time to turn it around Papi. Boston loves ya, but the Sox are in the toughest division in baseball by aways, and must raise the bar each year for that reason. Ortiz can't be the weight that lowers or staggers that bar, otherwise he may find himself riding the pine pony or worse -- traded.

Not something I want to see happen (because I dig Papi and think his bat will come back to haunt us later) but I'd give him 20-25 games to turn his stroke around before his name winds up in some nasty trade rumors.

Because if there's anything we know about Sox GM Theo Epstein, its that unfortunately business will always come before loyalty -- even to the man who helped dethrone the Yankees in 2004.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Rockin' the fantasy baseball scene

-- So I've been waiting to brag about my ESPN fantasy baseball team until the first week of the season was over and my domination was proven, but that time has arrived. Given I am only in a four-man, head-to-head league (and the season has barely started) but I think it's safe to say I have one of the most diabolical lineups possible.

Here it is:

C: Joe Mauer, MIN
1B: Ryan Howard, PHI
2B: Dustin Pedroia, BOX
3B: Pablo Sandoval, SF
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, COL
2B/SS: Jose Lopez, SEA
1B/3b: Kevin Youkilis
OF: Jason Bay, NYM
OF: BJ Upton, TAM
OF: Adam Lind, TOR
OF: Grady Sizemore, CLE
OF: Jason Heyward, ATL
Util: Paul Konerko, CWS
Ben: Ian Stewart, COL
Ben: Shane Victorino, PHI
Ben: Kurt Suzuki, OAK
P: Zack Greinke, KAN
P: Roy Halladay, PHI
P: Mark Buehrle, CWS
P: Ubaldo Jimenez, COL
P: Matt Cain, SF
P: Daniel Bard, BOS
P: Brett Anderson, OAK
P: Ricky Nolasco, FLA
P: Tim Hudson, ATL

In my week 1 matchup against Sir Jason Elliott's fine squad, I threw down 507 points to his 373. Glen Christmann, AKA G-Christ, pulled out a narrower match with Robert, AKA the Deane, at a count of 379-325 for week 1.

All I can say is Boooooooyaaaaah!!! (I know, I'm humble when in the lead)

P.S. – Notice the decent BoSox representation without having a single Yankee (past or present) grace my lineup. Aint gonna happen, all year long. You have my word.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox take Royals series

-- The Sox pulled out an 8-6 win Sunday afternoon to take the series against the Royals, but dodged a bigger bullet when Jacoby Ellsbury walked away from a collision with Adrian Beltre attempting to track down a foul ball.

In the bottom of the ninth,Ells attempted a sliding catch and collided with Beltre's knee, limping off the field with holding his ribcage area. Luckily, X-Rays showed bruising but nothing broken. No word yet if Ellsbury will play Monday night in Minneapolis.

Sunday's game was highlighted by the Sox breaking out the bats, with 4-run innings in the first and fourth. Pedroia homered for the third time this season, and the second of the series.

Pitching, however, wasn't the marquee. Clay Buchols got the win in his first start of 2010 with a so-so effort. He went 5 innings with 7 hits and 3 runs.

Reliever Ramon Ramirez gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in an outless 8th inning effort, before setup man Daniel Bard came in and got the Sox out of any further jeopardizing jams.

The Sox improved to 3-3 and won their first road series by a count of 2 games to 1.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox TV games through July

*all times Mountain Time Zone (cuz that's how I roll!)

April
- Sox @ Twins, 2:10 p.m. on 4/12 (ESPN)
- Rays @ Sox, 11:35 a.m. on 4/18 (TBS)

May
- Angels @ Sox, 5:10 p.m. on 5/3 (ESPN)
- Yanks @ Sox, 1:10 p.m. on 5/8 (FOX)
- Yanks @ Sox, 6:05 p.m. on 5/9 (ESPN)
- Sox @ Yanks, 5:05 p.m. on 5/17 (ESPN)
- Sox @ Phillies, 5:10 p.m. on 5/22 (FOX)
- Sox @ Phillies, 11:35 a.m. on 5/23 (TBS)
- Sox @ Rays, 5:10 p.m. on 5/24 (ESPN)

June
- Sox @ Indians, 5:05 p.m. on 6/7 (ESPN)
- Phillies @ Sox, 2:10 p.m. on 6/12 (FOX)
- Dodgers @ Sox, 2:10 p.m. on 6/19 (FOX)

July
- Sox @ Rays, 5:10 p.m. on 7/5 (ESPN)
- Sox @ Mariners, 8:10 p.m. on 7/22 (Fox Sports NW)
- Sox @ Mariners, 8:10 p.m. on 7/23 (Fox Sports NW)
- Sox @ Mariners, 8:10 p.m. on 7/24 (Fox Sports NW)
- Sox @ Mariners, 2:10 p.m. on 7/25 (Fox Sports NW)
- Tigers @ Sox, 2:10 p.m. on 7/31 (FOX)

*more games will be posted at a later time – these were the only available listings at the beginning of the 2010 season
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Beckett, reserves get it done

-- Josh Beckett won the big showdown with Zack Greinke Saturday night as the Sox took the reigning AL Cy Young award winner yard twice in the 8-3 win over the Royals.

Beckett pitched to a 1 walk/4 strikeout win in seven innings, giving up 9 hits but only 3 runs. He got all the run support in the world though with backups Varitek and Hermida going long -- Tek even twice for the game. Pedroia and Youkilis also hit homers to contribute to a powerful victory.

The Sox snapped a 3-game losing streak against one of the best pitchers in the game, with 3 reserves seeing full action (Lowell played 3B in addition to Hermida in OF and Tek behind the dish).

Being that kind of deep is a luxury that should prove worth its weight in gold over the long season.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Beckett vs Greinke -- It's on tonight!

--Two titans are set to clash on the mound tonight – Beckett vs. Greinke.

After a less-than-ideal season opener start against the Yankees, Sox ace Josh Beckett moved up a day in the rotation past Clay Bucholz to face the Kansas City Royals' young standout hurler Zack Greinke.

I predict a major pitching showdown here as the Royals' bats aren't quite the Yankees and Beckett has some venting to do, and on the other side you got a real multiple Cy Young award winner to-be who throws some serious smoke. Greinke is ridiculously good to say the least.

Plus former longtime team captain Jason Varitek is back in the lineup tonight behind the dish, as Beckett and team officials are seeing the team's ace is still more comfortable with Tek catching rather than the newcomer V-Mart. I feel that if the Sox can keep Tek in the loop every five games when Beckett takes the mound and let Martinez catch everybody else, you may have a luxurious winning strategy there.

Plus FYI team reports state that Francona will probably be throwing backups Lowell, Bill Hall, and Jeremy Hermida into the mix as well this weekend against the Royals, either on Saturday or Sunday.

C'mon Beckett, time to get back on top buddy!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Royals escape on broken-bat blooper off Bard

--After a great start from the ancient one and proficient knuckler Tim Wakefield, a freak two-out, broken-bat blooper was the blow that flipped the Sox's one-run victory to a one-run loss in the bottom of the eighth Friday night against the Royals.

Daniel Bard threw some high-and-tight head to veteran Rick Ankiel at the plate with two outs, bases loaded and the splinters flew as far as the ball falling into shallow left field over Beltre and Scutaro's gloves for two runs and a 4-3 late Royals lead.

Bard has been fairly consistent as the team's setup man, and last night's loss surely isn't the sort of thing that will happen every day to the young ace – but a learning experience, nonetheless.

Other highlights of the game included a fourth-inning three-run blast to deep center from J.D. Drew, his first of the year, and Big Papi getting tossed by the homeplate umpire in the sixth inning after a called third strike on a pitch that was (upon further replay review) quite low.

Ortiz continues to struggle, making Sox fans a bit squeamish after last year's terrible start for the slugger. Worst case scenario, the Sox are lucky enough to have a great hitter like Mike Lowell waiting to share time at DH with Ortiz.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ump blasts Sox/Yanks, loses cred

--Baseball games are long. Everybody knows this. And most FANS appreciate the fact that when the Yankees and Red Sox meet up, the games are even longer and more suspenseful. It's like a good movie that you don't want to end.

One long-time MLB umpire doesn't feel the same way and vocally slandered the two teams this week after the opener series, thus damaging his credibility on the diamond.

Crew-chief Umpire Joe West told the Bergen Record newspaper in New Jersey that the way the Yankees and Red Sox "drag out games is a disgrace to baseball." His main message what "speed it up!"

West added, "All of baseball looks to these two clubs to pick up the pace – the players aren't working with us."

Personally, I know how grueling some games can be. The cup scratching, adjusting of batting gloves, Catholic chest-crossing, random pacing, and personal timeouts can and should be cut down on. But they don't account for a majority of the time the game takes to play. The Red Sox/Yankee opener series games ran: 3 hours and 46 minutes; 3 hours and 48 minutes; and 3 hours and 21 minutes, respectively.

Keep in mind they were on TV two of those games, with TV timeouts stretching the game time even further than normal. And the Sox and Yanks typically are on TV. Why? Because people want to watch them, whether you're rooting for or against them.

But a respected umpire such as West making judgmental and inflammatory comments that, really, aren't part of his job can definitely affect his reliability behind the dish. Why? Because it shows bias! Umpires must be even-handed to uphold the integrity of the game.

Personally, I feel like West compromising his and his compadre umpires' credibility is much more of a threat to baseball than the Yankees and Red Sox playing half an hour longer than other teams.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Check out MLB At Bat 2010 app

--Hey for any baseball fans with a smartphone out there, there is an awesome app available called MLB At Bat 2010.

I've got it on my Blackberry Curve 8530 and it works great. It was $15 for the whole MLB season (which is a bit steap) but it gets you unlimited access to the radio feeds of any MLB game all year long, access to up-to-date scores & stats, video highlights, and a decent gametracker graphic that shows the pitcher, batter, and pitch placement.

I can even play the radio play-by-play through the FM transmitter and speakers in my car to listen to the game on-the-go.

Check it out, I think you'll dig it. I sure have.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sox drop opener series to arch rivals

-- Curtis Granderson's homerun in the 10th may have lead the way for the Yankees 2-run go ahead inning in their 3-1 win over the Sox last night, but they shouldn't have even gotten there.

In the seventh reliever Daniel Bard took over for Lackey and should have had a scoreless outing as well. With two outs Nick Swisher came up and singled on a grounder to right and Jorge Posada rounded third headed for home.

J.D. Drew came up firing and sent a dart towards the plate and ever so slightly up the line...not by much though. Victor Martinez, not a defensive great behind the dish, bobbled the tag and the Yanks tied the game 1-1.

If V-Mart corals that makeable catch his tag would've been on time and Posada would've been cut down. Instead the game was leveled and the rest is history.

But we can't turn back time and baseball is a game of inches anyways. Still the Sox drop to 1-2 and lost their prescious home opener series to their dreaded rivals so I'm not sure I can put a positive spin on that one, but I'll try.

Series notes:
Game 1 -- 9-7 Sox
Game 2 -- 6-4 Yanks
Game 3 -- 3-1 Yanks

The Red Sox did look more improved defensively in the field and had the bats when they needed them, but I think the series came down to the Yankees getting stronger performances from their starters and one ill-advised wheelhouse, sweet-spot pitch from Papelbon.

Beckett and Lester did not look great in comparison to Lackey or Sabathia and Pettite. Burnett stumbled a bit, but nothing like the Sox's ace. Which I highly doubt the the Sox 1-2-punch combo will be anything but rearing and ready the next times these teams meet.

*All I can say is worry not Sox fans, its only been three games and we'll get another shot at our nemesises again on May 7.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Lackey impresses in first start

-- Wow! John Lackey continues to pitch wonderfully against the Yankees.

In his first start for the Red Sox, Lackey threw a masterful shutout through six innings, giving up three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

I stand corrected as I forecasted that Lackey would have a rough transition into Fenway. Maybe not a forecast, but somes of my doubts were put to ease after that kind of performance.

Hell, the guy did everything right. When Youk got beaned on the helmet by Pettite in the fifth, a retaliation was n waiting as V-Mart exited the diamond on the third out and crossed Andy's path with some stern words.

The next inning Lackey took the mound and beaned the next batter, Jeter, in the middle. Might sound unnecessary to those who don't follow this rivalry (or baseball as a whole) closely enough, but Lackey needed to get his guy's back and return the favor.

For doing so, and pitching to his hype, the new Red Sock certainly earned some stripes with the fans in Boston tonight. Well done big fella, your alright in my book.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

New outfield look a possible weakness

-- Let's take a quick tour of the semi-new-look Red Sox outfield, with two newcomers and a big hole to fill after the loss of Jason Bay's bat in the offseason acquisition by the Mets.

If you can't already tell, my only real problem with what the Sox did in the offseason was to let Bay go instead of offering up the kind of money that would have kept him put. The

1.) Jacoby Ellsbury – This speedy young 26-year-old standout has been the pride and joy success story of the Sox prospect system for the past few years, while his effectiveness has occasionally fluctuated amongst ever heightened expectations within the organization.

The former Oregon State baseball star knows what it's like to win on the collegiate and professional level already, but has some maturing to do to become the Ricky Henderson style player he's destined to be. As a slap leadoff hitter and a volatile threat on the base paths, Jacoby has grown accustom to going on streaks of striking out epidemicly.

In his first two full seasons up in the majors (2008 and 2009) Ellsbury struck out a combined 154 times. However when he gets the bat on the ball Ellsbury is a great hitter and a threat on the base paths against even the most veteran of pitcher-catcher duos. Ellsbury posted went from hitting .280 in 2008 to .301 in 2009, making progress in steals as well from 50 up to 70 steals. His walks also increased slightly from 41 to 49 last year, helping his on-base percentage up from .336 to .355. All good traits for an ideal leadoff man other than his strikeout rate.

On top of his potential at the plate, we should not forget the Ellsbury is a terror in the outfield, putting his body on the line for any flyball hit within his range – which is massive. His speed and glove are attributes hard to match in this day and age so even if you're not sold on his bat, nobody can argue about his chops on the warning track.

2.) J.D. Drew – This 34-year-old right-fielder with a majestic left-handed swing akin to the likes of Griffey Jr., is the kind of player who draws a lot of haters who say he's overrated, injury plagued and an overall underachiever. Meanwhile, Drew goes on silently doing his thing, making big hits in key at bats and posting decent numbers that would surprise most.

I personally was pumped when J.D. came to Boston from St. Louis and I'm still excited about that the guy today. Yes, he's going to miss games each season to injuries, but in his maturity over the past two seasons he and Terry Francona have grown a bond and understanding of each other – more effectively gauging when he needs a day or two off to prevent further injury. I admire the guy though, because he knows the expectations of him in Boston and he plays hurt and doesn't show it a majority of the time. That's toughness man.

His numbers for 2009? He hit for average at .279, posted a .392 OBP and an impressive .522 slugging percentage. How does he do it? He has a great eye, seamless swing, and commands extreme patience at the plate. I'd say some of the haters better rethink their argument.

3.) Mike Cameron – Less than two days after it was announced that John Lackey would be coming to Beantown, the word was that veteran multi-gold glove award winner Mike Cameron would be joining Lackey on the press conference podium with a newly fitted Sox hat.

Not only that, but defensive standout Ellsbury would be moved to left field to play the monster, thus giving up his reigning throne as the beast in center field. Needless to say, expectations are high for a 37-year-old former all-star and I kinda/sorta scratched my head at this one. Clearly the Sox looked at getting better defensively over the off-season, but Cameron aint no replacement for Mr. Bay.

His numbers for last season (.250 average, .342 OBP, and .452 slugging) with the Brewers were decent, but I'm not sure how much more Cam has in the tank. The thing that scares me most is the Sox have Drew in right and Cam in center – both could go down with injuries for stretches this year – and the rest of the outfield lineup just isn't deep enough.

His real untold value however is his veteran know-how on a team that always welcomes such gametime maturity, combined with his positive influence in the dugout as a renowned team player who mentors younger players. How can you pass up on a guy like that?

4.) Jeremy Hermida – The 26-year-old utility outfielder is the main backup this season and will be sure to see some time filling in for Drew on sore days and most likely will see a pinch hit opportunity now and then.

In 2009 Hermida hit for .259, .348 OBP and .392 slugging for the Marlins. The guys got a lot of upside and I look forward to seeing what he can do.

5.) Josh Reddick – I suspect Hermida won't be the only fill-in outfielder this season, and the Sox's next option is most definitely rising prospect Josh Reddick.

The 23-year-old snagged some great experience last season, playing 27 games with 59 at-bats in the majors. His numbers were not as impressive (.169 average, .210 OBP, and .339 slugging) as some would like, but the guy had an amazing spring training this year and has a lot ahead of him. I see Reddick getting at least 40-50 games this season and, in my opinion, the more the merrier for this young Sox hopeful.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Check us out on Facebook!

If you're one of the millions of people who kill time on Facebook every workday, and you love your Red Sox, why not give us a lookup on your favorite social networking site.
Sox Swagger has its own Facebook group site that you can now officially become a member of. Just get into your account, search "Sox Swagger" and add us (or try link above) and you will be able to access all of the blog posts on this site as well as a few extras and a bit of good old interactive trash-talkin' that only Facebook can conjure up.

As always, thanks for reading.

No room for bull in the pen

-- Continuing in the arterie of Sox pitching will be necessary to keep Boston's heart pumping deep into the 2010 postseason, we take a look at the guys who come in to clean up after an off start on the mound or seal the deal in a tight contest. The gutsy, make-or-break beasts of lore are of course the Red Sox bullpen.

Here are the key members of the pen who have made the 25-man roster to start the season as of early reports Friday:

1.) Jonathan Papelbon -- The 29-year-old explosive closer who is the real energy of the Sox pen posted a 1.85 ERA in 2009 with 38 saves and 76 strikeouts.

Paps caught a little flack after blowing the big game 7 save agaist the Angels last postseason, the first postseason run allowed and loss for his overall dominant five-year-career. His critics are ill-advised to doubt the Papster though, as one of the most successful young closers ever.

Papelbon is the breed of guy that a season ending blown save of that measure is only fuel for his next slew of outings in 2010. According to a January ESPN report the Mississippi native has a running video of the loss and himself walking off the mound in defeat while his competitors celebrate on a loop on the TV in his personal offseason weight room.

All I gotta say is 'haters beware' my friends.

2.) Daniel Bard -- The saying "good things come in pairs" couldn't be more true than with the Sox 1-2-punch in the pen. Think of Bard as a younger clone of Papelbon or an apprentice to the throne.

The 6'4'' righty has triple-digit heat and a stone-cold, mature approach (similar to that of, oh, I dunno...Mariano Rivera). Oh yeah, and he's 24.

In his first season in the majors in '09 he pitched in 49 games with a 3.65 ERA, 63 strikeouts and a 2-2 record after being called up from Pawtuckett.

The key thing for Bard will be to perfect his secondary pitch, a mid-80s slider with some real bite. Papelbon also started with heat and a slider and since has perfected his cut-fastball and added a deceptive splitter.

If things go well, Bard will be used as the primary setup man for Paps all season, and I expect great things from this young talent. A player to watch for sure.

3.) Ramon Ramirez -- The 28-year-old Dominican righty acquired in the Coco Crisp deal last year was a real diamond in the rough pickup for the Sox pen. Last season he posted a 2.84 ERA with 52 K's for the Sox, and was a more than welcome trade as Crisp (like Manny) was a problem and needed to be dealt.

4.) Hideki Okajima -- The 34-year-old Japanese lefty is coming off a 3.39 ERA, 53 strikeout 2009 season as a key in the pen.

His irregular delivery and effectiveness versus left-handed hitters has been a big lift for the Sox middle relief in the past. In fact he came through in the clutch for the Sox in their opener against the Yankees on Easter, collecting the win after a poor start from Josh Beckett.

5.) Manny Delcarmen – Talk about a guy with some serious upside who just hasn't figured it out yet. This 28-year-old righty can throw mid-90's heat and has an effective curveball when he's on top of his game, but mental walls such as focus and control have hurt this young talent's rise the last two years.

Manny-D put up a less than impressive 4.53 ERA and 44 strikeouts in '09, but hopefully with some more maturing under his belt and the help of a stellar pitching coach staff this guy can become the weapon he was intended to be.

6.) Scott Atchison -- This 34-year-old veteran reliever spent a fair amount of years with both the Mariners and Giants before pitching the last 2 seasons in Japan.

Terry Francona told MLB.com that he felt Atchison was underrated, had plenty left in the bottle and was quite a key veteran acquisition for the Sox pen.

7.) Scott Schoeneweis -- The Sox have a number of players with compelling stories and Scott is no exception. After his wife died a few years back, Schoeneweis battled depression for the better part of 2 years and missed both seasons with the Brewers for that reason.

The 36-year-old pitcher will play a huge role for the Sox as their second left-handed reliever and he's taking a second shot at his life in baseball and the Sox were happy to give Scott that chance at redemption. After some great spring traning outings, I've got a good feeling about this guy.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Prospect Taz to undergo Tommy John surgery

-- The Red Sox team's website reported today that 23-year-old Japanese right-handed pitching prospect Junichi Tazawa won't throw another pitch this season as he will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow next week.

Although a good number of pitchers have made full recoveries from Tommy John surgery there are just as many cases that hinder careers. Sox GM Theo Epstein is hopeful, telling MLB.com that he may have a spring training next year asa the average recovery time is 10-12 months.

Boston scouted Tazawa in Japan's industrial league and signed him to a three-year Major League contract in late 2008. He was promoted to the majors in August of last season,with his standout moment coming in an Aug.22 start against the Yankees were he pitched six shutout innings. Overall Tazawa went 2-3 with a 7.46 ERA in six games, four of which were starts, for the Sox.

The young prospects injury woes are a concern whenever a team invests and heavily pursues such a blossoming overseas talent, but luckly for Taz the Sox were not going to be in a pitching pinch where they needed to throw the youngster out there prematurely and that will be the case most likely for another couple seasons with the Sox's depth.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry