In 24 Hours, The Red Sox Will Be Playing (0-0)

The title says it all, in 24 hours, I will be watching the Red Sox play the Rangers on ESPN. After Jon Lester (right) being announced as the Opening Day starter a few weeks ago, the starting lineup was announced today. It goes like this: CF Jacoby Ellsbury, 2B Dustin Pedroia, LF Carl Crawford (left), 3B Kevin Youkilis, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, DH David Ortiz, RF Mike Cameron, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Marco Scutaro. The one surprise in there to me is Mike Cameron in right field instead of J.D. Drew, although it makes given that C.J. Wilson is a lefty killer. That is also probably why Gonzalez is hitting 5th instead of 4th. Tomorrow, Jon Lester and the Red Sox @ C.J. Wilson and Rangers, I can't wait. Go Sox, I'm so excited!

Red Sox Down Astros In Final Spring Matchup (14-19)

Last night, the Red Sox beat the Astros in a dominant 10-0 game where they held the lead from the word "go." Carl Crawford (right) had a great game, going 2-4 with 2 RBIs, as he finished .231/0/7 this spring. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had 2 RBIs in a 3-4 day, and he finished .405/1/10 in a very good spring for him. Daniel Butler hit a 2-run homer in the 9th inning, finishing the spring at .500/1/2. Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, and J.D. Drew had 1 RBI each in yesterday's contest. Josh Beckett pitched a good ballgame, throwing 5 shutout innings while allowing a hit, finishing his spring at 1-4/5.33/19. Dennys Reyes, Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon, and Blake Maxwell each threw a scoreless inning to follow Beckett up. I'm so glad that the Sox ended the spring on a good note.

Meh, A Tie Is Better Than A Loss (13-19)

Today, the Red Sox tied the Rays 1-1 in a game where Clay Buchholz was shining on the last Grapefruit League game of the spring. Buchholz allowed 1 run over 4 innings, striking out 3, and finished 0-2/3.43/15 this spring. Tim Wakefield followed him up with 2 shutout innings, and Dan Wheeler, Matt Albers (who will make the Opening Day roster), and Blake Maxwell threw a scoreless inning each in today's game. Adrian Gonzalez had another sweet stroke today, as he shot his second home run of the spring in the 4th inning, making him .308/2/4 this spring. J.D. Drew had a pretty good game, going 2-2, making him the only Red Sox player to have 2 hits today, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 1-2 in today's game. Tomorrow night, the Red Sox will head over to Houston for the final game of the spring with Josh Beckett pitching. Well, it's been an interesting spring, thank god it's over.

Goodbye 10-Game Skid! Don't Come Back! (13-19)

Today, the Red Sox lost again... just kidding, they won this time, 3-2 against the Blue Jays! They played a good, exciting game, in a rain-shortened day at the ballpark. Tony Pena Jr. got the start for the Sox, allowing 1 run through 3 innings, he is now 2-0/4.05/3. The win went to Seth Garrison, who threw a scoreless 7th and 8th inning to close out the ballgame, he is now 1-0/0.00/2 this spring. Mike Cameron went 1-4 with a key RBI single in the 3rd inning, he is now .295/0/4 this spring, as he's been hitting the ball well thus far. However, the key hit went to Jeremy Hazelbaker (right), who came up big in the 7th inning with a game-winning 2-run homer, he went 1-3 on the day and is now .167/1/2 this spring. Tomorrow the Red Sox will trot out to face the Rays at 1:05 and hopefully land another win. I'm so happy that we broke that losing skid, and hopefully we can start the season with some momentum!

What Happened This Time? (12-19)

Today, the Red Sox had another crushing loss, this time 3-4 to the Orioles in a game where they led 3-1 up until the 8th inning. No Red Sox pitcher was the clear starter in this game, but Brandon Duckworth threw two scoreless innings to begin the ballgame. The loss went to Santo Luis, who allowed 3 runs without getting an out in the 8th inning, as that was around the time I got depressed. J.D. Drew (right) went 1-3, and provided just about the only offense the Red Sox had with a 2-run homer, making him now .268/2/6, so typical J.D. Drew numbers so far. The other RBI came on an RBI triple by Drew Sutton, who went 1-4, and is now .339/2/9 as he's been great this spring. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will head out to face the Blue Jays at 1:05. This game was especially depressing for me since I actually was able to watch it on MASN.

Jenks Blows Big Lead In 9th Inning (12-18)

Last night the Red Sox played a game against the Twins, and lost their first "Mayor's Cup" in 5 years in an 8-9 loss. Everything was rolling along, as the Sox had a comfortable 8-3 lead heading into the 9th inning, led by 6 innings of one-run ball by Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is now 0-2/4.97/17 this spring. Unfortunately, in the top of the ninth, Bobby Jenks allowed 6 runs in one inning, snapping his previous scoreless streak in pieces. Adrian Gonzalez (right) hit his first home run of the spring last night, in a 2-3 night, he is now .286/1/3 this spring. Darnell McDonald also did very well, going 2-3 with a 3-run triple, he is now .261/2/7 this spring. Drew Sutton, Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkilis, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each had one RBI last night as well. Today, the Sox will face the Orioles, with Jon Lester heading to the hill at 1:05. I really have nothing bad to say about this game that doesn't involve the name Bobby Jenks, so I won't.

Reyes Not Going To Opt Out Of Contract, Thank God

Today was Dennys Reyes' (right) deadline to opt out of his contract if he was not going to make the Major League Roster. However, fears that Hideki Okajima would our lefty specialist can be silenced now because he's staying with the team! This winter, he signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox but they are trying to turn it into a major league contract. So far, this spring, Reyes has been pretty good, his stats standing at 1-1/3.00/8 in 9 appearances out of the bullpen, and especially after a 3-1/3.55/25 season in St. Louis last year, he appears a better option than Hideki Okajima. Okajima has gone 0-0/6.00/6 in 6 appearances this spring, following a 4-4/4.50/33 season in 2010. This will narrow the final bullpen spot down to Alfredo Aceves (0-1/4.05/4) and Matt Albers (0-0/2.38/13) who have both been good this spring. Aceves has a minor league option, so my vote would be to start the season with Matt Albers in that spot and see how things go. I am very glad that the Sox secured Reyes, and I hope they win tonight!

Offense Good, Beckett Rocked In Loss (12-17)

The Red Sox' losing streak is officially more than a week long now, as they lost again last night, by a score of 8-11. The offense was good, pounding out 17 hits, but Josh Beckett was rocked for 7 runs through 6 innings, he is now 0-4/6.64/16 as he hasn't been very good this spring. The bullpen wasn't fantastic either, as Jonathan Papelbon was the only one not to allow a run. There were several Red Sox' players who had good offensive days, in fact both Jason Varitek (right) and Adrian Gonzalez went 2-4 with an RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Marco Scutaro each went 1-3 with an RBI as well. David Ortiz went 2-3 with an RBI, Drew Sutton had an RBI in one at-bat, and Nate Spears hit a 2-run triple. Tonight, Daisuke Matsuzaka will head out to face the Twins at 7:05. This 8-game losing streak is awful, although I am glad the offense got going.

Salty's Great Day Unable To Lead Sox To Win (12-16)

Today, the Red Sox were crushed 7-15 by the Marlins in a very depressing game despite an excellent day by Jarrod Saltalamacchia (right). Salty went 3-3 with a home run, 2 doubles, and 4 RBIs, making him now .333/1/7 this spring, as he is turning out alright. Jacoby Ellsbury also had a very good day, going 2-3 with a home run, making him .383/3/7, as his power this spring has been surprising, he has 3 home runs already. Ryan Khoury also did well, going 0-2 with an RBI today, he is now .214/0/2. Things weren't so good for Clay Buchholz, however, as he was rocked for 6 earned runs, and 11 runs, in 4 innings, he is now 0-2/3.71/12 this spring, as he's been good as a general rule, except today. Tomorrow, Josh Beckett will head out to face the Blue Jays at 7:05. I am not happy with 12-16, and this spring is disappointing me.

Lackey Lacking As Sox Fall To Rays (12-15)

Last night the Red Sox played the Rays and lost 4-7 in a game that seemed like a landslide. The Red Sox offense was practically dead other than a 3-run homer by Aaron Bates (right), who is now .286/1/4 this spring. Dustin Pedroia also had 2 doubles yesterday, raising his batting average to .311 on this recent tear. John Lackey did not pitch a good game, plain and simple. He allowed 5 runs through 5.1 innings, earning the loss, and is now 2-1/3.43/10 this spring, as overall he has been good. Today, the Sox will send Clay Buchholz, who has been great this spring, out to the mound to face the Marlins, who they are 1-1 against this spring. The Red Sox had better reverse this 6-game skid because it is beginning to depress me that they are losing more when they play their starters than they did without.

Lester Good, But Sox Still Fall To Phillies (12-14)

Today, the Red Sox lost 1-4 to the Phillies in a definite pitching game led by a largely good start by Jon Lester (right). Lester didn't even allow a hit until the fifth inning, but the Phillies had scored off Lester in the 3rd and went on to score 3 more times in the 6th inning. Lester wound up allowing 3 earned runs through 5.1 innings, he is now 1-1/3.38/16 this spring. Matt Albers pitched 1.2 scoreless innings and Dan Wheeler pitched 1 scoreless inning following Lester. The Red Sox sole RBI came from Drew Sutton, who is having an excellent spring and is now .318/2/6. Tomorrow, John Lackey will head out to face the Rays at 7:05 ET. This 5-game losing streak is starting to depress me and they had better turn it around tomorrow night.

Red Sox Completely Shut Down In 6th Inning (12-13)

Today, the Red Sox lost 3-10 to the Cardinals in a game where the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the 6th inning, and then they were done. Daisuke Matsuzaka (right) pitched very well through the first 5 innings, before allowing 2 earned runs in the 6th inning, he was tagged with the loss and is now 0-2/6.05/13 this spring. Dennys Reyes and Rich Hill were the only REd Sox pitcher to not allow a run, pitching a scoreless inning each. Nate Spears went 1-1 with a 2-run single, as he is now .295/0/7 this spring. Jorge Jimenez had an RBI walk with the bases loaded as well, he is now 1.000/0/2 this spring. Tomorrow the Sox will send Jon Lester out to face the Phillies on ESPN at 1:05. This was a very depressing loss for the Red Sox and because of it they have dipped below .500 to 12-13 this spring amidst this 4-game losing streak.

Red Sox Unable To Recover From Big Fourth Inning (12-12)

Today the Red Sox lost 5-7 to the Pirates in a game where bad defense was the main factor. Josh Beckett allowed 5 runs in 4.2 innings, but only one of the runs was earned, as he is now 0-3/5.02/11. Alfredo Aceves also threw three innings out of the bullpen, allowing 2 runs, as he is now 0-1/4.05/4. Marco Scutaro (right) had a pretty good game, going 2-3 with an RBI, as he is now .258/1/4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.238/0/3), Ryan Khoury (.222/0/1), and Josh Reddick (.171/2/8) each had 1 RBI today as well. Tomorrow, at 1:05, the Red Sox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka out to face the Cardinals. This 3-game losing streak is depressing me, but as a fan you have to get used to the ups and downs of the season.

Red Sox Fall On Shaky Wakefield Start (12-11)

Tonight the Red Sox lost 3-7 to the Rays in a tough game that we never even held a lead in. Tim Wakefield had, frankly, a terrible start, earning the loss through 3 innings, with 6 runs scored. He is now 0-1/7.45/6, as he even allowed 4 home runs tonight. One bright spot was Randy Williams, who threw 2 shutout innings, striking out two and not allowing a hit, as he is now 0-0/2.08/9 this spring. Matt Albers threw a shutout inning and Matt Fox allowed a run through 2 innings. J.D. Drew (right) went 1-2 with an RBI in tonight's game, as he is now .207/1/4 as he's had a tough spring. Carl Crawford went 0-2 with an RBI as well, as he is now .206/0/4. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will send Josh Beckett out to face the Pirates at 1:05. I'm unhappy because the Red Sox lost both of their games today, at least there's always tomorrow! (And it's spring training)

Red Sox Unable To Hold Off Tigers (12-10)

Today the Red Sox lost 3-8 to the Tigers in a tough game where the Sox only had 4 hits. One of those hits came off the bat of Kevin Youkilis (right), who went 1-3 with 2 RBIs, as he is now .212/0/3 this spring, as he has not been great. Dustin Pedroia also had a good game, going 1-2 with a first inning home run, as he is now .313/1/4 this spring. Clay Buchholz had a somewhat rough start, going 4 innings, allowing 3 runs, and earning the loss, he is now 0-1/0.69/7 this spring, as these were the first runs he's allowed. Dennys Reyes was the only Red Sox reliever to escape without a run, as he pitched a scoreless 6th inning. In about 45 minutes, the Sox will send Tim Wakefield out to face the Rays (the game is 7:05). I'm unhappy that the Red Sox lost, but overall they're doing alright this spring.

Red Sox Set Pitching Rotation For 2011

After announcing yesterday that Jon Lester (right) would be the Red Sox' Opening Day starter, the Red Sox announced the rest of their rotation today. It goes like this: 1. Jon Lester, 2. John Lackey, 3. Clay Buchholz, 4. Josh Beckett, 5. Daisuke Matsuzaka. The biggest surprises to me are Josh Beckett being #4 after starting Opening Day the past two years, and John Lackey being #2 after a 14-11/4.40/156 season in 2010. There is no reason that Jon Lester (19-9/3.25/225) and Clay Buchholz (17-7/2.33/120) won't be sure things again in 2011. However, Josh Beckett (6-6/5.78/116) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-6/4.69/133) had injury-filled years in 2010 and Matsuzaka has been very inconsistent the past few years. There are questions, but with Daisuke Matsuzaka's 4.18 career ERA being the highest of the bunch, they may just be great. I'm glad that we fans know what is going on with the Sox in 2011 and it's becoming so exciting!

Red Sox Give St. Patrick A Win (12-9)

Today the Red Sox beat the Mets 8-5 in a pretty easy victory for the Red Sox. John Lackey, who has been announced as the Red Sox' #2 starter to start the year, allowed 1 run over 5.1 innings, earning the win and becoming 2-0/1.72/6 this spring. Rich Hill, Scott Atchison, and Daniel Bard each had scoreless outings while Jonathan Papelbon allowed 4 runs in 0.2 innings. The save went to Eammon Portice, who got an out in the the 9th inning, which by luck happened to be the last of the game. Three Red Sox players had two RBIs today, in Carl Crawford (.219/0/3), Drew Sutton (.286/2/5), and Jed Lowrie (.226/0/3). Jorge Jimenez had 1 RBI today, as he is now 1.000/0/1 this spring. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will split their squads, sending Clay Buchholz to face the Tigers at 1:05 and Tim Wakefield to face the Rays at 7:05. I'm very happy the Sox won, as they are doing pretty well this spring.

Lester's First Rough Start Gives Braves Edge (11-9)

Today, the Red Sox lost 3-4 to the Braves in a close game decided by a rare rough start by Jon Lester. Lester allowed 3 runs in 4.2 innings, and is now 1-0/2.53/10 this spring. The loss went to Dennys Reyes, who allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the 7th and is now 1-1/1.80/5 this spring. Marco Scutaro (right) went 1-3 today with a solo home run in the 1st inning, he is now .222/1/3. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.263/0/2) went 1-3 with an RBI, while Josh Reddick (.200/2/7) went 1-1 with an RBI. Jon Lester was named as the Red Sox' 2011 Opening Day starter today. Tomorrow, John Lackey will come out to face the Mets at 1:05. I'm unhappy that the Red Sox lost, but it wasn't a bad loss, and it was televised!

Red Sox Beat Tigers In 10 Innings (11-8)

It's about time, Daisuke Matsuzaka (right) finally turned in a good outing for the Sox in a 2-1 win over the Tigers. Matsuzaka pitched a great game, striking out 5 through 5 scoreless innings, he is now 0-1/7.24/9 as he has not been good as a general rule this spring. The win, however, went to Brandon Duckworth who threw a scoreless ninth and tenth inning, he is now 2-0/3.86/2 as he's been pretty good this spring. Jacoby Ellsbury hit his second home run of the spring, going 1-3 with 1 RBI, as he is now .414/2/5. Darnell McDonald hit the winning run home in the 10th, as he is now .269/1/3 this spring. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will send Jon Lester out to face the Braves at 1:05. I'm very happy that the Red Sox won today and even more so that Matsuzaka did well for once!

Red Sox Pitch Yankees Out Of Ft. Myers (10-8)

Last night, the Red Sox became 2-0 vs the Yankees this spring, defeating them in a 2-1 win. Starter Alfredo Aceves was the only Red Sox pitcher who allowed a run, as he went 3 innings, allowing 1 run and striking out 1, he is now 0-1/3.48/2 this spring. The win, however, went to Bobby Jenks, who threw a scoreless 6th inning, and is now 1-0/0.00/6 this spring, as he's been great. The save went to Rich Hill, who pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, and is now 0-0/0.00/5. One run was scored in the 5th inning on a wild pitch, on which Marco Scutaro scored. The other was on an RBI groundout by Jarrod Saltalamacchia (right), he is now .250/0/1 this spring. Today, at 1:05, the Red Sox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka out to face the Tigers. I'm so glad that the Sox beat the Yankees, and are now 2-0 against them this spring!

Red Sox Get Pirated Of Lead In 5th Inning (9-8)

Today, the Red Sox had a depressing 4-9 loss against the Pirates when a tough 5th inning cost them the game. Mike Cameron had a great game, going 1-3 with a 2-run double, he is now .400/0/3 this spring. Darnell McDonald (right) is now .269/1/4 and Lars Anderson is now .182/2/3 after they each hit solo home runs. Josh Beckett did very well through 4 innings, only allowing a run and striking out 5, but in the 5th it all unraveled as he and Scott Atchison wound up giving up 6 runs in the 5th inning. Tomorrow night at 7:05 (it's on ESPN2!), the Red Sox will send Alfredo Aceves out to start the game against his old club, the Yankees. I'm depressed that the Sox got creamed by a bad team with about 2 starters in it.

Bats Come To Life Against Marlins (9-7)

Today, the Red Sox played the Marlins and beat them dominantly, by a score of 9-2. Jacoby Ellsbury (right) had a great game, going 3-3 with 2 doubles, a home run, and 3 RBIs, he is now .440/1/4 this spring. Today was also Adrian Gonzalez's much-anticipated debut, in which he went 1-1 with an RBI single. Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Nava, Mike Cameron, Paul Hoover, and Michael Almanzar each had 1 RBI in today's game. John lackey allowed 1 run and struck out 3 through 4.1 innings, earning the win, as he is now 1-0/1.74/4 this spring. Randy Williams threw 1.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen, and Bobby Jenks, Matt Fox, and Blake Maxwell each threw one inning, Fox being the only one who allowed a run. Tomorrow, the Sox will send Josh Beckett out to face the Pirates at 1:05. I'm happy the Sox won, but more than anything, I'm happy Adrian Gonzalez made his debut!

Red Sox Split Split-Squad Games (8-7)

@ Houston

Today, the Sox beat the Astros 9-3 in a fairly easy win overall for them. Dustin Pedroia (right) had a great game, going 2-3 with a double and 2 RBIs, he is now .238/0/2 this spring. Marco Scutaro also did pretty well, going 1-4 with 2 RBIs, he is now .238/0/2 as well. Aaron Bates, Ryan Kalish, Daniel Nava, and Mark Wagner each had one RBI today as well. Kyle Weiland, despite earning the win, had a tough start, going 1.1 innings and allowing 3 runs, he is now 1-1/10.13/5 this spring, ouch! Dan Wheeler, Lenny DiNardo, Dennys Reyes, Matt Albers, and Rich Hill all got holds too. I'm glad the Sox won this game, but unfortunately their luck wouldn't continue.

vs. Minnesota

Today, the Sox lost 2-3 to the Twins in a tough loss surrendered by Jonathan Papelbon. Jon Lester (left) was great, striking out 5 through 4 shutout innings, he is now 1-0/0.00/6 this spring. Jonathan Papelbon, however, unraveled the game in the 5th inning when he allowed 3 runs in just .1 inning, he is now 0-1/8.10/2 this spring. David Ortiz had a pretty nice day on offense, going 2-3 with an RBI, as he is now .292/1/5 this spring. Yamaico Navarro also had a good day, going 1-3 with an RBI, he is now .333/1/5 this spring. Tomorrow, the Sox will send John Lackey out to face the Marlins at 1:05. This split-squad series didn't go too badly, luckily, as it was not a bad loss, except on Papelbon's part.

Red Sox' 4-Game Win Streak Comes To A Close (7-6)

Today, the Red Sox lost 6-8 to the Rays in a roller-coaster game with a Rays' walk-off win. Nate Spears (right) had a great game today, going 3-4 while collecting 2 RBIs in the process, he is now .381/0/5 this spring. Oscar Tejeda had a pretty good day as well, going 1-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs, he is now .391/1/8 this spring. Drew Sutton (.238/1/3) also a had a solo home run in a 1-2 day, and Tim Federowicz (.375/1/2) had an RBI in a 1-2 day. Daisuke Matsuzaka had yet another horrible start, gong 3.2 innings while allowing 5 runs, he is now 0-1/11.42/4 this spring. However, the loss went to Alfredo Aceves, who allowed 3 runs in 2.1 innings, all of which happened in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off homer by Robinson Chirinos. Tomorrow, the Sox split their squads, and we will watch Jon Lester faec the Twins and Kyle Weiland face the Astros. I'm sad the Sox lost today, but I'm happy that previously they had a 4-game win streak.

Red Sox Nab Walk-Off Hit-By-Pitch vs. Orioles (7-5)

Last night, the Red Sox beat the Orioles 2-1 on a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the 9th. The bases were loaded, when Yamaico Navarro was plunked to overload the bases, and the Sox won! Other than that, however, J.D. Drew (right) produced pretty much all the offense they had as he went 2-2 with a home run and a single, he is now .308/1/3. Clay Buchholz pitched a great game for the Sox yet again, as he tossed 4 scoreless innings to begin the game, he is now 0-0/0.00/6 as he has been stunning this spring. Bobby Jenks and Scott Atchison each picked up hold, as Jenks threw one scoreless inning, and Atchison threw two. The win, however, went to Tony Pena Jr. again, as he is now 2-0/4.91/2, after pitching a shutout ninth. Today, the Sox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka out to face the Rays at 1:05. I'm glad the Sox won a great game yesterday, even if the climax was disappointing.

Red Sox Come Back In Big 8th Inning (6-5)

Today, in my second installment of the Red Sox' split-squad games, the Red Sox once again won, this time 8-7 to the Cardinals. This was a very exciting game to follow as the Sox were ahead 3-2, but then the Cardinals had a 5-run 5th inning to make it 3-7. After that, the Sox scored in the 6th and the 8th to make an exciting ballgame. Ryan Lavarnway (right) was a key contributor, as he went 2-2 with 3 RBIs and a home run, as he is now .333/1/3 this spring. The other RBIs belonged to Jacoby Ellsbury, Yamaico Navarro, Darnell McDonald, and two for Alex Hassan. Stolmy Pimentel allowed 2 runs in 1.2 innings for his second straight rough start. The win went to Clevelan Santeliz, who tossed two shutout innings to keep the Cards at bay near the end of the game. Tomorrow, the Sox will send Clay Buchholz out to face the Orioles at 7:05. I'm really happy that the Sox swept their split-squad today, as I followed both games and they both impressed me greatly.

Red Sox' Late Rallies Help Them Edge Astros (5-5)

Today, the Red Sox split their squad and in the first game beat the Astros 3-2. The Red Sox pitchers did pretty well as Josh Beckett allowed one run through 3.2 innings, he is now 0-1/3.18/4 this spring as he's been doing alright. The win went to new acquisition Dennys Reyes, who threw a scoreless 8th inning, and the save went to Matt Fox, who did the same in the 9th inning. Ryan Kalish (right) had a great game, going 3-4 as he is now .250/0/0 this spring. However, the key hits belonged to Nate Spears, who went 1-3 with 2 RBIs today, he is now .294/0/3 this spring. I'm glad the Sox edged this game out, and I've got another blog post about the Cardinals game coming out in a few minutes!

Lackey Very Strong In Win Against Orioles (4-5)

Today, the Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-5 along a dominant start by John Lackey (right). Lackey went 4 innings, allowing only one hit, and he is now 0-0/1.50/0 this spring. Today's win, however, went to Tony Pena Jr., who rebounded from his last tough inning with a scoreless one, he is now 1-0/6.75/0. J.D. Drew had a pretty good game, going 1-3 with 2 RBIs, he is now .200/0/2. The other RBIs went to Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkilis, and Yamaico Navarro, who had a walk-off single in the 9th. Crawford also stole two bases today in a 1-3 day, he is now .200/0/1 this spring. Tomorrow, at 1:05, the Sox are set to face the Cardinals and Astros in another split-squad day for them. I'm glad the Sox won, and I hope they can pick up at least one more win tomorrow.

Late Home Runs Not Enough For Red Sox (3-5)

Turns out, I do get internet where I am, so I am able to make the post for today's game. But first off, yesterday, the Red Sox split their squad to face the Marlins and Orioles. The Marlins crushed them 2-11 while the Orioles tied them 4-4 (it's Spring Training). Today, the Red Sox lost 5-6 to the Mets in a tough game for them. Their offense was on, as the Sox hit three home runs, by Juan Carlos Linares (.333/1/3), Tim Federowicz (.333/1/1), and Josh Reddick (.286/2/6). Jon Lester came down with the flu, and therefore Michael Bowden (right) started the game for the Sox. He went 2 innings, allowing 2 runs and earning a no-decision. Lefties Hideki Okajima and Rich Hill did pretty well, combining for 3 shutout innings while Alex Wilson earned the loss, allowing the eventual winning run in the 8th inning. Tomorrow, at 1:05, the Red Sox will face the Orioles with half of their squad. I'm sad that the Sox lost, but I'm glad about the home runs.

"Pawtucket" Still Able To Beat The Yankees (3-3)

Last night the Red Sox won in a 5-3 thriller over the Yankees,a s it was just a great game. The game was scoreless until the 6th inning, when Jed Lowrie got a double, and Daniel Nava drove him in. In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees tied it back up. In the 7th, the Sox had runners on first and second, when Carlos Juan Linares singled up the middle and made it 2-1. In the next at-bat, Oscar Tejeda tripled deep into the outfield and brought in two runs. In the 9th, Tejeda got another RBI, so he wound up 2-2 with 3 RBIs last night, and .500/0/3 total this spring. Clay Buchholz (right) had a great start for the Sox, throwing 3 shutout innings and striking out 2, he is now 0-0/0.00/3 this spring. However, the win went to Brandon Duckworth, who allowed one run, and struck out one over two innings. I have two days off from school on Monday and Tuesday and am going up to Massachusetts. Unfortunately, this means that I will not be able to blog the games today and tomorrow. I'm so glad the Sox beat those Yankees with their farm team players.

Red Sox Held To One Hit By Phillies (2-3)

Today, the Red Sox lost 0-2 to the Phillies, and only were able to muster one hit. This hit was off the bat of Mike Cameron, who went 1-2 today, and is now .500/0/0 this spring. Stolmy Pimentel was tagged with the loss for the Red Sox, allowing 2 runs in 2 innings, but the bright spot of the game was the fantastic work by the bullpen. Bobby Jenks (right) made his spring debut, tossing a shutout inning; new acquisitions Dan Wheeler and Andrew Miller also threw a scoreless inning each. Jason Rice, Rich Hill, Michael Bowden, and Blake Maxwell also threw a scoreless inning each as the bullpen was excellent. I'm sad that the Sox lost, but I am incredibly impressed by their bullpen and how it has improved from last year.

Tough 7th Blows Close Game Wide Open (2-2)

Today, the Red Sox lost 1-6 to the Atlanta Braves, in a pretty tough loss for the Sox. They only had 6 hits in the ballgame, 3 of which came from the bat of David Ortiz (right). Ortiz had a great game, going 3-3 with the sole RBI of the game, he is now .625/1/4 this spring, he also had... guess what... a stolen base! Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-3 leading off today, he is now .333/0/0 this spring. John Lackey did alright starting, allowing one run in two innings, and getting a no-decision. Kyle Weiland was tagged with the loss, as he also went 2 innings allowing one run. Alex Wilson, however, was the one who blew the game open, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits in the 7th inning. It's too bad that the Sox lost, but tomorrow Stolmy Pimentel will start against the Phillies in replacement of Josh Beckett.

Red Sox Give Up Four Hits, Shut Twins Out (2-1)

Today, the Red Sox beat the Twins 5-0 as their pitching looked very sharp today. Jon Lester (right) got the win, pitching 2 scoreless innings and striking out one. Alfredo Aceves, Jonathan Papelbon, Randy Williams, Rich Hill, and Tony Pena Jr. proceeded to get holds. Today's RBIs belonged to Jed Lowrie, Carlos Juan Linares, Nate Spears, Paul Hoover, and Josh Reddick. Reddick, once again, has been having a very nice Spring Training, as he is now .750/1/4, getting at least one RBI and hit in every game he's played in. Josh Beckett is feeling better after his incident yesterday in which he was plunked in the head by a baseball in BP. Tomorrow, the Red Sox send John Lackey out to face the Braves, finally, not the Twins!

Beckett Experiencing Concussion-Like Symptoms

Yesterday, Josh Beckett was hit in the head with a baseball during batting practice, and is experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Luckily, it is not too bad as they are classified as "mild concussion-like symptoms." He had enough strength to walk off the field from left field, where he was shagging flies, but is at home resting today. I hope this doesn't affect Beckett's pitching, as last year, faced with injuries, he went 6-6/5.78/116, but on Sunday night looked sharp against the Twins. He threw two innings, allowing one run, and being tagged with the loss through no fault of his own. I hope that, come April, this injury will not have mattered in the long run.