Mariners Come Back To Beat Red Sox (11-14)

Last night, the Red Sox suffered a tough loss to the Mariners as they came back to beat the Red Sox 5-4 after the Red Sox held 3-2, 4-2, and 4-3 leads. In the top of the 1st, the Mariners got ahead early, as Justin Smoak singled in Chone Figgins and Miguel Olivo with 2 outs, 2-0 Mariners. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Sox got one run back as Mike Cameron homered around the pesky pole to make it 2-1 Mariners. In the bottom of the third, the Red Sox got their first lead of the night on RBI singles by Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz, scoring Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez to make it 3-2 Red Sox. In the bottom of the 4th, Mike Cameron hit his second big fly of the night, this time over the green monster to make it 4-2 Red Sox. In the top of the 5th, Daisuke Matsuzaka (right) left the game with right elbow tightness (maybe a post later?). Later in the 5th, after Matt Albers came in, Milton Bradley grounded into an RBI fielder's choice to make it 4-3 Red Sox. In the top of the 7th, Miguel Olivo tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI groundout, before a go-ahead double by Jack Cust, making it 5-4 Mariners.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (top right) was not too bad in his 4+ innings of work, allowing 3 runs, however, only 1 was earned, while allowing 3 hits, he is now 2-2/3.81/20 this year, as he has not been that bad. Matt Albers did very well in relief, throwing 2 shutout innings of relief. Unfortunately, when Bobby Jenks came on, the Mariners came through, Jenks has had a rough year and is now 1-2/8.64/10 after last night's loss. Hideki Okajima and Daniel Bard each threw a scoreless inning. Adrian Gonzalez had a pretty good day, going 2-4 with a run scored. Kevin Youkilis went 1-3 with an RBI and is now .213/5/15 this year. David Ortiz went 1-4 with an RBI and is now .280/2/11 as he has not been bad this year. Of course, the Red Sox star of the night was Mike Cameron, who went 2-4 with 2 home runs and is now .185/2/4 as we saw the Mike Cameron before we had signed him.... two years ago. Tonight, John Lackey (2-2/6.35/14) and Doug Fister (1-3/3.19/22) will start at 7:10.

Bright Spots:

Daisuke Matsuzaka- 1 earned run over 4 innings

Matt Albers- 2 scoreless innings of relief

Hideki Okajima- a scoreless inning of relief

Daniel Bard- a scoreless inning of relief

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4 with a run scored

Kevin Youkilis- 1-3 with an RBI

David Ortiz- 1-4 with an RBI

Mike Cameron- 2-4 with 2 home runs!

Dull Spots:

Bobby Jenks- The loss with 3 hits and 2 runs in an inning

Dustin Pedroia- 0-4 with 3 runners left on base

Jed Lowrie- 0-4 with 2 runners left on base

Darnell McDonald- 0-2

This was not a terribly bad loss for the Red Sox, but I'd still prefer a win!

Lester, Once Again, Dominates Orioles (11-13)

Last night, the Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-2 to close the series on a dominating win. Jon Lester (right) improved to 14-0 against the Orioles in 17 matches. In the 1st inning, after a double by Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez doubled him back in to make it 1-0 Red Sox. In the bottom of the 1st, the Orioles tied it on an RBI single by Derrek Lee. In the top of the 3rd, the dynamic duo of Ellsbury and Gonzalez struck again, as Gonzalez singled him in, to make it 2-1 Red Sox. In the bottom of the 6th, however, the Orioles tied it again, as Vladimir Guerrero homered to center field. After a Carl Crawford double to lead the inning, Dustin Pedroia pushed him in with an RBI single in the 7th inning. With the bases loaded in the 8th inning, an RBI single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a 2-run single by Jacoby Ellsbury made it 6-2 Red Sox, how it stayed.

Jon Lester was very good, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 strikeouts through 8 innings. He earned the win, and is now 3-1/2.52/35 in April, easily the best April of his career. Jonathan Papelbon relieved him with a lights out 9th inning, to close the game. Jacoby Ellsbury had a fantastic game, going 3-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, he is now .264/4/14 this year. Dustin Pedroia went 2-5 with an RBI to make him .278/2/8 this season. Adrian Gonzalez went 3-5 with 2 RBIs, and is now .306/1/15 to start the season. David Ortiz went 2-5 with a run scored, despite 4 runners left on base. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (left) went 1-4 with an RBI and Carl Crawford went 1-4 with a run scored. Tonight, the Red Sox will head back to Fenway to face the Mariners after a 6-3 road trip, and send Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-2/4.09/16) to face Jason Vargas (0-2/5.53/21).

Bright Spots:

Jon Lester- 2 runs in 8 innings, plus the win

Jonathan Papelbon- a scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI

Dustin Pedroia- 2-5 with an RBI

Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5 with 2 RBI

David Ortiz- 2-5 with a run scored

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4 with an RBI

Carl Crawford- 1-4 with a run scored

Dull Spots:

Marco Scutaro- 0-4 with 4 runners left on base

I am happy that the Sox will head into the Mariners series with some momentum, they need to win this series.

Red Sox Cut It Close, But Blow It (10-13)

Last night, the Red Sox lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to the Orioles. After an Orioles lead, the Red Sox came back, only to have their hopes dashed by a late Orioles rally. The game remained scoreless until a big, two-run homer by Luke Scott over the big right field wall, and a solo shot, back-to-back, by Adam Jones to make it 3-0 Orioles. In the bottom of the 5th, after two singles and a wild pitch, Brian Roberts hit another run in with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 Orioles. After another wild pitch by Beckett, Matt Weiters ran home, but in a very close play, Varitek tossed it to Beckett. In the top of the 8th, however, the Red Sox battled back. After Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury reached to start off the 8th, Adrian Gonzalez came up and slapped a single to left field to make it 4-1 Orioles. The next batter was Kevin Youkilis (bottom left) who promptly smacked a home run just over the left field wall, and Luke Scott's glove, for a game-tying home run! However, in the bottom of the 8th, the Orioles scored on a ground ball up the middle by Vladimir Guerrero to make it 5-4 Orioles.

Josh Beckett (top right) was not particularly good, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings, he is now 2-1/2.65/32 this year, as for the most part, he has been fantastic. Tim Wakefield threw a scoreless

7th inning of relief. Daniel Bard blew it again, allowing a run in the 8th inning, he is now 0-3/3.97/11. Jacoby Ellsbury had another great game, as he is really settling in, after a 3-5 day at the plate, along with a run scored. Adrian Gonzalez also had a good game, going 2-4 with an RBI, he is now .290/1/13 this year. Kevin Youkilis (left) only had one hit, but it was big, as he went 1-4 with 3 RBIs and a run scored, he is now .214/5/14 this year. David Ortiz went 2-4 in a pretty good game for him. Tonight, Jon Lester (2-1/2.59/30) will go head to head with Brad Bergesen (0-3/5.40/11) in a game that the Sox will hopefully win.

Bright Spots:

Tim Wakefield- A scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5 with a run scored

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4 with an RBI and a double

Kevin Youkilis- 1-4 with that big 3-run shot

David Ortiz- 2-4

Dull Spots:

Daniel Bard- The loss, with a run in the 8th inning

Carl Crawford- 0-4

Jason Varitek- 0-3 with a strikeout

It would be so humiliating to be swept by the Orioles, so I really hope it doesn't happen.

Red Sox Unable To Hit In Loss To Orioles (10-12)

Last night the Red Sox' win streak stopped at 5 games in a 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Everything started for the Orioles when, with one out and runners on second and third, Matt Weiters bounced a grounder off of first base for an RBI infield hit. With one out in the 3rd, an Adam Jones sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Orioles. In the top of the 4th, after a single by Dustin Pedroia, who advanced to second on a ground ball, and stole third, was hit home on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Youkilis (bottom left) to make it 2-1 Orioles. In the bottom of the 5th, another Adam Jones sacrifice fly made it 3-1 Orioles and a Mark Reynolds sacrifice fly in the 7th inning made it 4-1, where it stayed for the remainder of the game.

This was a tough game for the Red Sox, Clay Buchholz (top right) pitched pretty well, but the Orioles knocked him around. He ended up allowing 4 runs and 12 hits in just 6 2/3 innings, he earned the loss and is now 1-4/5.33/15 this season. Hideki Okajima threw 1/3 of a scoreless inning and Matt Albers threw one shutout frame. The one RBI belonged to Kevin Youkilis, who went 0-3 with that sacrifice fly, as sac flies were the story of this game. No one Red Sox batter had more than one hit, so 6 players (Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, and Jason Varitek) all had a hit. Ellsbury's and Gonzalez's hits were doubles as they now have 4 and 7 respectively, this season. Tonight, Josh Beckett (2-1/1.93/28) and Jeremy Guthrie (1-3/3.12/13) will take the hill at Camden Yards.

Bright Spots:

Matt Albers- a scoreless inning against his old team

Dustin Pedroia- 1-3 with a run scored

Dull Spots:

Jed Lowrie- 0-4 with 4 runners left on base

Carl Crawford- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

I am unhappy that the Sox lost tonight, but if they win the next two games, they can still break .500.

The Red Sox Catching Crisis, And How To Solve It

Well, the Red Sox are having a slump in the catcher position between Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.186/0/5) and Jason Varitek (.074/0/1). I have some players that I think the Red Sox should trade for, and for the sake of not being boring these are new ideas. I am not giving you the typical ravings of Miguel Montero, David Ross, Chris Iannetta, Ramon Hernandez, Rod Barajas, and Ryan Doumit. I will give players who have not been in the major leagues long, and the Red Sox should be able to get before they hit the big time. I have two main names in particular, and several others that would be good options, that I think the Red Sox should go and trade for.

My first name is Jonathan Lucroy (right), a backup catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. After going .253/4/26 in 75 games with the Brewers in his first major league season, Lucroy had shown his promise. Although he has only played in 8 games this year, he has been very good. He is batting .355/1/3, and has thrown out 2 of 7 baserunners to go along with a 1.000 fielding percentage. I think he is

a good fit for the Red Sox, and I think the Red Sox could trade Hideki Okajima and Daniel Nava for Lucroy and Craig Counsell (.182/0/0 this season).

My second name is Nick Hundley, the starting catcher for the San Diego Padres.

Hundley has not traditionally been this good of a hitter, so he will probably drop off soon, but he has been a pretty consistent catcher over his career. Hundley is having a great start to the 2011 season, hitting at a .304/3/10 clip to begin the year. He has thrown out 7 of 23 baserunners and has a .992 fielding percentage in 20 games. I think that

the Red Sox could trade Darnell McDonald and Jason Varitek for Hundley and Chris Denorfia (.324/2/3 this year).

I have a few other options for catchers, mostly young ones who just broke into the majors last or this season. These names are Ryan Hanigan (.220/2/6 with Cincinnati), Lou Marson (.304/0/4 with Cleveland), Alex Avila (.321/3/14 with Detroit), Brett Hayes (.600/1/4 with Florida), J.R. Towles (.385/2/4 with Houston), Landon Powell (.313/0/2 with Oakland), Chris Gimenez (.263/2/4 with Seattle), J.P. Arencibia (.245/3/7 with Toronto), Jose Molina (.357/1/3 with Toronto), and Wilson Ramon (.357/0/2 with Washington). I regret to say, I would be happy with any of these guys over Salty and Tek.

Weekly News

One thing's for sure, the Red Sox, and Player of the Week Jed Lowrie (right) have both been hot of late. After a 7-0 win today, the Red Sox finished their 6-1 week to put them at 10-11 this season. Jed Lowrie had 2 home runs and 7 RBIs this week, to make him .431/3/12 on the season, as he's been very good. Kevin Youkilis made a close runner-up with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs, as he is now .222/4/11 this year. The pitcher of the week was Daisuke Matsuzaka, as he had two great outings, and over the course of the week he had 2 wins, and threw 15 shutout innings! The Performance of the week went to Jed Lowrie on Monday (4/18/11) against the Blue Jays, as he went 4-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs. The game of the week goes to last night's 5-0 victory against the Angels as Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 8 shutout innings and allowed only one hit. This next week, the Red Sox, after an off day tomorrow, the Sox will face the Orioles in Baltimore and head back to Fenway to face the Mariners the next 3 days. I am glad that the Sox had such a great week, and they are back in the saddle again!

Red Sox Close Out First Sweep Of 2011 (10-11)

Today, the Red Sox closed out their 4-game sweep of the Angels with a 7-0 win where the Red Sox were completely dominant the whole game. The scoring started about the time the game did, as Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a double. With 1 out in the 1st inning, Adrian Gonzalez ripped an RBI double into right-center. Soon after, David Ortiz singled in Gonzalez with an RBI single to left, 2-0 Red Sox. Mike Cameron then grounded into an RBI groundout to make it 3-0 Red Sox early on. It stayed at 3-0 until a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice fly in the 5th inning to make it 4-0. With 2 outs in the 6th inning, and David Ortiz standing at 1st base, Carl Crawford ripped a home run into right field! In the top of the 7th, an Adrian Gonzalez single made it 7-0 Red Sox, how it stayed for the remainder of the game.

John Lackey (top right) was dominant in today's game, throwing 8 shutout innings, striking out 6. After today's game, he is 2-2/6.35/14, despite two great starts this week. Dan Wheeler came in the 9th, and threw a scoreless inning of relief. Once again, Jacoby Ellsbury did a great job leading off the game, going 2-5 with a run scored, he is now .219/4/12 this year. Adrian Gonzalez had a great game out of the #3 hole, going 3-5 with 2 RBIs, he is now .282/1/12 this year. Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz each went 1-3, plus an RBI to Ortiz. Carl Crawford (left) went 2-4 with a 2-run homer, he is now .171/1/6 this year. Marco Scutaro had a nice game, going 2-3 with 2 runs scored and a walk, as he is now .213/0/6 this year. The Red Sox have a day off tomorrow, but on Tuesday, will send Clay Buchholz (1-2/5.31/10) to face the Orioles and Zach Britton (3-1/3.16/17) in Baltimore.

Bright Spots:

John Lackey- 8 shutout innings and 6 strikeouts

Dan Wheeler- A scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5 with a runs scored

Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5 with 2 RBIs

Kevin Youkilis- 1-3 with 2 walks

David Ortiz- 1-3 with an RBI

Carl Crawford- 2-4 with a 2-run homer

Marco Scutaro- 2-3 with 2 runs scored

Dull Spots:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

I can't complain, we have a 5-game winning streak, won 8 of our last 9, and had only one dull spot!

Red Sox Back Dice-K's Gem, Take Command Of Series (9-11)

Last night, the Red Sox beat the Angels 5-0 in a game that was all Red Sox, all game long. The scoring started in the top of the 2nd inning, when with 1 out, Jed Lowrie doubled to right field. Soon after, J.D. Drew struck out, putting him out there with 2 outs, and Carl Crawford coming up to bat. Crawford promptly bounced a ground ball off of Erick Aybar's glove for an RBI single, 1-0 Red Sox. In the top of the third, the Red Sox kept scoring. After a single and stolen base by Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the inning, Dustin Pedroia flew out. However, Adrian Gonzalez then ripped an RBI single through the hole, 2-0 Red Sox. In the top of the 5th, after a Jacoby Ellsbury single and steal (again) to lead off the inning, Pedroia and Gonzalez flew out to put a runner on second with 2 outs. Kevin Youkilis then cleared the bases, crushing a home run to right field, 4-0 Red Sox. In the top of the 6th, after a 2-out double by Carl Crawford, Jason Varitek ripped a double to right field to set the score at where it finished, 5-0 Red Sox.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was great last night, tossing 8 shutout innings, allowing just 1 hit, and striking out 9 batters. He earned the win, and is now 2-2/4.09/16 this season, as after 2 rough starts, he has really come alive. Jacoby Ellsbury did just what he's supposed to do leading off the lineup, going 2-5 with 2 stolen bases (5 on the year), as he is now .206/4/12. Adrian Gonzalez only went 1-5, but he did have that RBI single, as he is now .263/1/10. Kevin Youkilis went 1-4 with a big 2-run homer that changed it from a close game, to not, he is now .217/4/10. Jed Lowrie went 2-4 with a double and a run scored, as he is now .431/3/12. Carl Crawford had a rare good game, going 2-4 with an RBI, he is now .154/0/4. Jason Varitek only went 1-4 but his hit was great! Today at 3:35 EST, John Lackey (1-2/9.82/8) will face his old team and Matt Palmer (1-0/4.22/5).

Bright Spots:

Daisuke Matsuzaka- 1 hit and no runs in 8 innings!

Daniel Bard- a scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5 with 2 steals and 2 runs

Kevin Youkilis- 1-4 with a 2-run homer

Jed Lowrie- 2-4 with a double and a run

Carl Crawford- 2-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run

Jason Varitek- 1-4 with a rip of a double\

Dull Spots:

Dustin Pedroia- 0-4

Only one dull spot! The Red Sox will go for a 4-game sweep of the Angels today.

Kalish To Miss Season With Shoulder Surgery?

A few days ago, Red Sox prospect Ryan Kalish injured his shoulder on a diving attempt at a fly ball. While the original outlook was that he would miss a couple of weeks, however, the real view is much gloomier. While Kalish will not be seeing much playing time with the Red Sox in 2011, after J.D. Drew's contracts runs out, after this year, we will see him much more often. Last year, in 53 games in the majors, Kalish went .252/4/24 after being called up in July. At AAA Pawtucket to begin the season, Kalish has hit .236/0/7 in 14 games. This will have somewhat of a negative effect on the Red Sox' depth, but they still have Josh Reddick (.286/3/10 at AAA Pawtucket this year) and Daniel Nava (.196/0/5 at AAA Pawtucket) ready to fill in. While this is not good, I say, better for it to happen this year than next year.

Red Sox Hold On To Win 3rd Straight (8-11)

Last night, the Red Sox beat the Angels 4-3 in a tightly contested ballgame, where the Red Sox just held on to beat them. The scoring started when, with 1 out in the third, Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a high fly ball into deep right field. Torii Hunter leapt up to grab it, but it hit off his glove for a double by Saltalamacchia. In the next play, on a fly ball to right by Marco Scutaro, Salty tagged up and made it to third on a questionable call, with two outs. Jacoby Ellsbury then ripped an RBI double along the right field line, 1-0 Red Sox. In the very next inning, after Jed Lowrie reached with a walk and J.D. Drew with a double, with two outs, the Sox scored again. Carl Crawford (bottom left) hit, what looked harmless, a fly ball to center fielder Peter Bourjos, who dropped it, allowing for 2 runs to score and a 3-0 Red Sox lead. In the top of the 6th, after Jed Lowrie reached third to open the inning, J.D. Drew knocked him in with an RBI single, making it 4-0 Red Sox. However, in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Angels began to score. With two outs in the inning, Jeff Mathis singled to score Erick Aybar, making it 4-1 Red Sox. In the bottom of the 8th, an RBI single by Bobby Abreu, and a passed ball scoring Bobby Abreu were enough to cut the Red Sox' lead to one run.

Jon Lester (top right) was magnificent last night, allowing 4 hits and no runs over 6 shutout innings, striking out 8. He earned the win, and is now 2-1/2.59/30. Matt Albers and Bobby Jenks, however, had rough outings in relief, allowing one earned run each. After them, Jonathan Papelbon came in for the 3rd straight game, earning the save with a shutout inning. Jacoby Ellsbury has been a power hitter this year, as after that double in a 1-4 night, he is now .190/4/12 this year. Jed Lowrie went 1-3, scoring 2 runs, and walking once. J.D. Drew also had a very good game, going 2-3 with an RBI and a double, he is now .280/1/5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had that nice double, as he went 1-3 and scored a run last night. Tonight at 9:05 EST, the Red Sox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-2/6.43/7), coming off a great outing, to face Ervin Santana (0-2/5.26/19).

Bright Spots:

Jon Lester- 8 strikeouts in 6 shutout innings

Jonathan Papelbon- His 5th save of the season with a scoreless inning

Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4 with an RBI double

Jed Lowrie- 1-3 with a walk and 2 runs

J.D. Drew- 2-3 with an RBI and a double

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-3 with a rally starting double

Dull Spots:

Bobby Jenks- 2 runs, 1 earned, in an inning

Dustin Pedroia- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and 3 runners left on base

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-5 with a strikeout and 3 runners on base

David Ortiz- 0-4

Marco Scutaro- 0-3 with 3 runners left on base

I am glad that the Sox won, and this is their 3rd straight, as they are just 3 games under .500!

Youkilis OK After Scare

Last night, Kevin Youkilis left the game in the 1st inning after fouling a ball off of his shin. The X-Rays were negative last night, but he was re-evaluated today, and they proved correct, he is fine. Youkilis missed so much time last year after getting surgery on his thumb, and I hope that he is alright for sure. Youkilis will probably miss the next few games against the Angels, and Jed Lowrie (.432/3/12), who is on a tear will probably move to third while Marco Scutaro (.195/0/6) plays shortstop. This season, Youkilis has gotten off to a slow start for the most part, as he is now .214/3/8 as he has hit home runs in the past few games. I hope Youkilis is alright, and so far results look good for the Sox.

Red Sox Keep Winning In Extra Innings (7-11)

Last night, the Red Sox beat the Angels 4-2 in 11 innings, in a very close game. The Red Sox took some chances, and they panned out based on a stellar Josh Beckett (right) outing. The game started out as a total duel, with neither team scoring through the first five innings, and Beckett no-hit the Angels through the bottom of the sixth, on a single by Erick Aybar. However, in the top of the 6th, the Red Sox had made their first noise on a two-run single by Jacoby Ellsbury, scoring David Ortiz and Jed Lowrie. However, in the bottom of the 7th, the Angels put us right back where we started as Torii Hunter smacked a two-run homer to center field, tying the game at 2-2. However, Josh Beckett shut the Angels down for the res of the inning and the next one, before Daniel Bard came in for him. The game remained scoreless until the top of the 11th, when the Red Sox put runners at first and third with no outs to begin the inning. Adrian Gonzalez promptly shot a double along the right field line to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. With no outs and the bases loaded, Jed Lowrie hit a sacrifice fly to center field, where Dustin Pedroia just came in.

Josh Beckett (top right) was simply amazing in his star, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while striking out 5, through 8 innings. He earned a no-decision, and is now 2-1/1.93/28 on the season, as he's been great. Daniel Bard, Bobby Jenks, and Jonathan Papelbon each tossed a scoreless inning, Jenks (1-1/7.11/9) earned the win, and Papelbon (0-0/2.45/10 with 4 saves) the save. Dustin Pedroia had a great game, going 3-4 with 2 walks and a run scored. Adrian Gonzalez also had the key hit, going 2-5 with that big RBI double in the 11th inning, he is now .286/2/9. David Ortiz went 1-3 with a run and 2 walks last night. Jed Lowrie, who was 1-5, had another key hit with that sacrifice fly to center. Jacoby Ellsbury (left) went 1-4 with a key hit with that 2-run single. Tonight, Jon Lester (1-1/3.20/22) will take the hill against Dan Haren (4-0/1.16/27) in a probable duel.

Bright Spots:

Josh Beckett- 2 runs and 3 hits in 8 innings

Daniel Bard- a scoreless inning of relief

Bobby Jenks- A win in a scoreless inning

Jonathan Papelbon- The save in a scoreless inning

Dustin Pedroia- 3-4 with 2 walks and a run

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-5 with the go-ahead double

David Ortiz- 1-3 with 2 walks and a run scored

Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4 with a key 2-run single

Dull Spots:

J.D. Drew- 0-4 despite 2 walks and a run

Marco Scutaro- 0-5 with a strikeout and 7 runners left on base

Carl Crawford- 0-3 with 2 strikeouts

Jason Varitek- 0-3 with 3 strikeouts

I am very glad the Sox kept their winning ways, and they are only one game from being out of the cellar.

Red Sox Live By Home Runs Against A's (6-11)

Today the Red Sox beat the A's 5-3 in the series finale in this quick, two-game series split with the A's. This was a pretty good game, and a solid win for the Sox. For the second straight game, the A's got going right from the start of the game, on a leadoff home run by Coco Crisp in the first inning to make it 1-0 A's. However, in the top of the 2nd, the Sox equalized the game on an RBI single by Carl Crawford, scoring Kevin Youkilis. In the top of the 4th, the Red Sox took the lead on a solo home run by Kevin Youkilis (bottom left). In the top of the 6th, the Red Sox padded their lead on a 2-run shot by Jed Lowrie, making it 4-1 Red Sox. In the top of the 7th, the Sox scored again by the long ball, this time a solo homer by J.D. Drew, to make it 5-1 Red Sox. In the 8th and 9th innings, RBI singles by Coco Crisp and Landon Powell were not enough to put the A's back on top in a win for the Red Sox.

Clay Buchholz (top right) was pretty sharp for the most part in today's outing, throwing one-run ball over 5 1/3 innings, earning the win and making him 1-2/5.31/10 on the young season. Daniel Bard threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while Bobby Jenks and Jonathan Papelbon each allowed a run in a third and two thirds of an inning, respectively. Jed Lowrie had another great game, going 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Kevin Youkilis did well also, going 2-4 with an RBI as he has been hot of late. Carl Crawford and J.D. Drew each went 1-4 with an RBI, except J.D. Drew's came on a home run. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will play in Los Angeles, and send Josh Beckett (2-1/1.80/23) against the Angels and rookie Tyler Chatwood (1-1/3.75/6) at 10:05 EST.

Bright Spots:

Clay Buchholz- 5 1/3 innings of one run ball

Daniel Bard- Got the Sox out of a big jam, throwing 1 2/3 shutout relief

J.D. Drew- 1-4 with his first home run of the season

Kevin Youkilis- 2-4 with a home run and an RBI

Jed Lowrie- 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs

Marco Scutaro- 2-4

Carl Crawford- 1-4 with an RBI

Dull Spots:

Jason Varitek- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and 5 runners left on base

Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4 with 3 strikeouts

I'm glad the Sox could nab their first road win of the season, and I hope the momentum carries into L.A.

Red Sox Batters Unable To Pick Up Slack Against A's (5-11)

Last night the Red Sox lost 5-0 to the Oakland Athletics in a game where the Red Sox just could not hit. The A's started the game off in a fashion all to familiar off John Lackey (right) this season, on an RBI groundout by David DeJesus to make it 1-0 A's. However, Lackey was very good, and the A's did not score again until the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Daric Barton, a 2-run double by Hideki Matsui, and an RBI single by Kurt Suzuki, those made it 5-0 A's, which it stayed, as the Sox couldn't do anything.

For the first time this year, John Lackey did not have a bad start, allowing one earned run, 4 hits, and striking out 3 batters. Although he lost the game, he pitched very well, and he is now standing at 1-2/9.82/8 through 3 starts. Dan Wheeler came in and pitched a scoreless 7th inning, but allowed one of those runs in the 8th to come in. However, the dirty work came when Hideki Okajima was pitching, as he allowed 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning and is now an ugly 0-0/40.50/1 this year. Alfredo Aceves closed the game out with a scoreless third of an inning. The Red Sox only mustered 5 hits the entire game, two of which came from Adrian Gonzalez. David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each had a hit as well. Today at 3:35, the Red Sox will send Clay Buchholz (0-2/6.60/8) against Gio Gonzalez (2-0/0.47/14) in a game they hopefully win.

Bright Spots:

John Lackey- 1 run in 6 innings is a good start

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4

David Ortiz- 1-3

Carl Crawford- 1-3

Jarrod Saltlamacchia- 1-3

Dull Spots:

Jed Lowrie- Can't be perfect all the time, 0-4

Kevin Youkilis- 0-4 with 4 runners left on base

Mike Cameron- 0-3 with a strikeout

Darnell McDonald- 0-3

Last night was a tough night for the Red Sox, but I hope they can win today with Buchholz pitching!

Dice-K's Gem, Lowrie's Hot Streak Keep Sox Winning (5-10)

Today was a very good day for the Red Sox, as they coasted to a 9-1 win on Patriot's Day against the Blue Jays. The scoring started from the word "go" for the Sox as in the bottom of the first, Jed Lowrie singled in J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia. In the top of the third, David Ortiz singled home Kevin Youkilis. In the top of the fifth, it was all Lowrie again as he smacked a homer to left field, scoring David Ortiz. In the top of the 6th, a 2-run homer by Kevin Youkilis and an RBi double by Carl Crawford put the Sox ahead by 8 runs. In the bottom of the 7th, Ellsbury maintained his team lead in home runs with another one, a solo shot to deep right. In the bottom of the 9th, Yunel Escobar homered, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Sox coasted to a 9-1 win.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (top right) was very sharp, allowing just a hit through 7 shutout innings, earning his first win, and setting him at 1-2/6.43/7 this year. Alfredo Aceves pitched a scoreless 8th after him, and Tim Wakefield allowed a home run to Yunel Escobar in the 9th. Jed Lowrie had a fantastic day at the plate, going 4-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs, he is now .516/4/9 this year. Kevin Youkilis also had a good day, going 2-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Sox. David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, and Jacoby Ellsbury also each had an RBI today, Ellsbury's coming on that home run. Tomorrow night at 10:05 EST, the Red Sox will send John Lackey (1-1/15.58/5) out to face the Athletics and Brett Anderson (0-1/2.29/13).

Bright Spots:

Daisuke Matsuzaka- A great game, with 7 shutout innings

Alfredo Aceves- Pitched a scoreless 8th

J.D. Drew- 2-4 leading off

Kevin Youkilis- 2-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs

David Ortiz- 1-3 with an RBI

Jed Lowrie- 4-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs in a great game.

Jacoby Ellsbury- Kept his power streak going with another home run

Dull Spots:

Jason Varitek- 0-3

I am so glad that the Sox had such a dominant win in today's game!

Weekly News

To all of my fans, my internet was down yesterday so I couldn't make a post about their 8-1 win over Toronto. All in all, however, they went 2-3 last week, and were 4-10 on the season before their win today. Jed Lowrie (right) is our Player of the Week after hitting a homer and 5 RBIs over the course of the week, he is now batting .516/2/9 on the season. Jacoby Ellsbury, now batting .200/4/9 is becoming somewhat of a power hitter, leading the team with 4 home runs. The pitcher of the week was Jon Lester, who in two starts allowed 4 runs over 13 innings, earning a win and a loss, and setting himself at 1-1/3.20/22 on the season. Performance of the week was Jed Lowrie on 4/16/11 against the Blue Jays, when he went 3-5 with 2 RBIs and a home run. The game of the week was yesterday against the Blue Jays, as the Sox routed with the Blue Jays by a score of 8-1. This coming week, the Sox beat the Blue Jays 9-1 today, but after that, have 3 games each against the Athletics and Angels.

A New Leadoff Hitter And An Old Ace For The Red Sox (3-10)

Today, the Red Sox played the Blue Jays, and what do you know? They won 4-1. The Red Sox got the scoring going early after Jed Lowrie, now leading off, and Dustin Pedroia reached base with a Lowrie single and a Pedroia walk. Adrian Gonzalez promptly drove in Lowrie with an RBI single to right field, making it 1-0 Red Sox. Soon afterwards, Kevin Youkilis drove in Pedroia with a double to make it2-0 Red Sox. In the top of the second inning, the Blue Jays made their only noise of the game with an RBI single from Travis Snider, scoring Aaron Hill and cutting the Red Sox' lead to one. In the bottom of the second, the Red Sox got it going again, as Jacoby Ellsbury walked to lead off the inning. Jed Lowrie then gave the Sox two more runs with a homer over the green monster, to make it 4-1. After the second inning, nobody scored for the rest of the game.

Josh Beckett (top right) was dominant for the second straight game, allowing a run and striking out 9 through 7 innings of work, earning the win and making him 2-1/1.80/23 on the season. Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon threw a scoreless inning each, as Papelbon earned his 2nd save of the year. As the new leadoff hitter, Jed Lowrie (left) had a fantastic game, going 3-5 with a 2-run homer and 2 runs scored. Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis each had RBI hits, going 1-3 and 1-4, respectively. Mike Cameron had a nice game at the dish, hitting 2-4 and pushing himself to .200/0/1 on the season. Tomorrow at 1:35, the Sox will send Jon Lester (0-1/3.72/17) up to face Jesse Litsch (1-0/2.38/11) for the 3rd game of the 4 game series.

Bright Spots:

Josh Beckett- Beckett allowed 1 run in 7 innings, earning his second win

Daniel Bard- A scoreless inning setting up Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon- The second save of the year

Jed Lowrie- 3-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs in the leadoff spot

Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3 with an RBI

Kevin Youkilis- 1-4 with an RBI double

Mike Cameron- 2-4

Dull Spots:

Jason Varitek- An 0-3 day makes him no better than Jarrod Saltalamacchia

I am very pleased with the Red Sox' performance today, only one dull spot!

Blue Jays Battle Back, Beat Red Sox (2-10)

Last night, the Red Sox lost 7-6 to the Blue Jays in a tough game where a 4-run 7th was the deciding factor for the Blue Jays. The game started off in controversy, when Adam Lind appeared to homer around the pesky pole, but the umpires, after reviewing, called it a foul ball. The the third inning the scoring got started on a Dustin Pedroia solo shot over the green monster to make it 1-0 Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis (bottom left) gave them some insurance with a 2-run shot later in the frame, making it 3-0 Red Sox. In the 5th inning, the Blue Jays got going with a 2-run triple by Corey Patterson, cutting the Red Sox' lead to one run. In the next inning, Travis Snider tied the game with an RBI double off the monster, scoring Adam Lind and tying the game at 3-3. In the top of the 7th, the untouchable Bobby Jenks entered the game, and that's when all hell broke loose. Jose Bautista and Adam Lind each singled, scoring a run each to give the Jays a 5-3 lead. Then a wild pitch, and an Aaron Hill RBI single made the game 7-3 Blue Jays. In the bottom of the 8th, however, the Red Sox battled back, putting runners at second and third with 2 outs for Jed Lowrie. Lowrie hit a hard ground ball down the third base line, Jayson NIx back-handed the ball and threw it to first, but the throw was weak, and the run scored. After that, Marco Scutaro knocked a 2-run double off the green monster, making it 7-6 Blue Jays. Jacoby Ellsbury, however, flew out to end the 8th, and Jon Rauch retired the Red Sox in order in the 9th.

Clay Buchholz (top right) was pretty good as a general rule, until

the Blue Jays started getting to him around the 4th inning. He ended

up allowing 3 earned runs in 5+ innings, making him 0-2/6.60/8 to

start the season. Bobby Jenks earned the loss, however, with 4 runs

allowed in just 1/3 of an inning. Kevin Youkilis (left) had a pretty good

game, going 1-2 with a home run, 2 RBIs two walks, and two runs

scored, making him now .200/1/4. Marco Scutaro (1-3 today) and

Dustin Pedroia (1-4) each had key hits and are now, respectively,

.188/0/6 and .348/2/6. Today, at 1:10, the Sox will send Josh Beckett

(1-1/2.08/14) up against Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1/5.23/9) for the second game

of the series.

Bright Spots:

Clay Buchholz- Buchholz was not bad, retiring 10 straight hitters at one point.

Felix Doubront- Got the Red Sox out of a jam with 2/3 shutout innings

Dan Wheeler- His first good outing of the year? Probably

Jonathan Papelbon- A scoreless 9th

Kevin Youkilis- 1-2 with a 2-run homer and 2 runs scored

Jed Lowrie- Came in in a clutch situation and delivered an RBI single

Marco Scutaro- Maybe the key hit of the game with that double

Dull Spots:

Bobby Jenks- The loss and 4 runs in a third of an inning

Carl Crawford- 0-5 in the leadoff spot

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4 in the #3 spot

J.D. Drew- 0-4 with 3 runners left on base

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Do I have to keep putting his name on here?

I am extremely disappointed that both the Red Sox gave up the lead and that they couldn't come

back, but it was a good game.

Red Sox To Hold Gonzalez For 7 More Years

Today, the Red Sox finalized the fabled 7 year/$154 million deal with Adrian Gonzalez that had really been in place since the Sox traded for Gonzalez back in December. So far this season, Gonzalez is batting .268/1/7 after a .298/31/101 season in 2010 with the Padres. Gonzalez will make $21 million per year from 2012-2016 plus a $6 million signing bonus for this year. Gonzalez is a career .284 hitter, and a Gold Glove first baseman, and this is a great move for the Sox. With both Gonzalez and Crawford set up for 7 years each, the Red Sox could have some good times both this year and in the next few years. I am incredibly glad that the Sox made this move, and I think they know that they are not going to regret this.

One Tough Inning Keeps Sox Without Win (2-9)

Last night, the Sox lost again, this time 3-2 to the Rays in a very close game that was decided by a 3-run fifth inning by the Rays. The game was deadlocked at 0 until the bottom of the third. That's when Darnell McDonald (bottom left) cracked a solo homer over the green monster to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. It remained like this until the top of the 5th, when the Rays bounced back. The Rays scored on a fielder's choice by Sam Fuld and a 2-run single by Johnny Damon making it 3-1 Rays. In the bottom of the 6th, Jed Lowrie smacked a 2-out RBI double to cut the lead to 3-2, but that's how it stayed the rest of the game. In the bottom of the ninth, with 2 outs, David Ortiz gave a ball a ride to right field, but Ben Zobrist caughtit on the warning track.

Jon Lester, as a general rule, was very good last night, he ended up allowing 3 runs through 7 innings, although all of the runs came in the 5th inning. Lester earned the loss, setting himself at 0-1/3.72/17 through his first 3 starts. Daniel Bard and Bobby Jenks followed him up with a scoreless inning each. Dustin Pedroia had a good day, going 1-3 with a walk and a run scored. Jed Lowrie also had a good day, going 2-4 with that RBI double that I mentioned earlier. Darnell McDonald (left) went 1-3 with a home run that made it 1-0 Red Sox. Tonight, John Lackey (1-1/15.58/5) will go head to head with James Shields (0-1/4.73/7).

Bright Spots:

Dustin Pedroia- 1-3 with a walk and scoring a run

Jed Lowrie- 2-4 with 2 doubles including an RBI double

Darnell McDonald- 1-3 with a home run

Jon Lester- 3 runs in 7 innings isn't bad

Daniel Bard- a scoreless inning

Bobby Jenks- ditto

Dull Spots:

Carl Crawford- 0-3 with a strikeout

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4 with 2 left on base

Mike Cameron- 0-3 with 3 left on base

Jason Varitek- 0-3

I am very sad that the Sox are doing so badly, and I really hope they turn it around sooner rather than later.

Red Sox Pounded By Rays In Opening Rout (2-8)

Well, somebody had to win in last night's game, as they dominated the Red Sox by a score of 16-5. The Rays were better in all facets of the game, especially offense. It all started off in the top of the first, when Johnny Damon led off with a homer to right field, 1-0 Rays. After a 2-run double by John Jaso, a 2-run single by Reid Brignac, and a 2-run homer by Sam Fuld, it was 7-0 Rays. In the top of the third, after allowing runners at second and third with no outs, Daisuke Matsuzaka (right) was lifted for Tim Wakefield, who got out of that jam. In the bottom of the third, after a 2-out walk by Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez slammed a triple to right field to put the Sox on the board. However, in the bottom of the half, the Rays took it right back with an RBI single by Johnny Damon, 8-1 Rays. After a leadoff triple by David Ortiz (bottom left), J.D. Drew singled him in making it 8-2 Rays. Then, after an RBI double by John Jaso, it was 9-2 Rays. A scoring passed ball by Saltalamacchia and an RBI double for Ben Zobrist made it 12-2. In the bottom of the seventh, David Ortiz put an RBI single into center field, 12-3 Rays. In the bottom of the 8th, Jacoby Ellsbury showed a flash of power, again, with a solo home run to right field. However, in the 9th, the Rays made some noise, scoring 4 more times on RBI singles for Casey Kotchman and Reid Brignac, an RBI double by Sam Fuld, and an RBI groundout by Johnny Damon leaving it at 16-4. In the bottom half, David Ortiz had a sacrifice fly to make it 16-5, but it wsa not nearly enough.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had a rough day, to say the least, he allowed 7 runs in 2+ innings, to put him at 0-2/12.8

6/4 to start the year. Alfredo Aceves did a very good job out of the 'pen, thowing 2 2/3 shutout inningsto help the cause. Carl Crawford may be getting into his groove, as he went 2-5 with his first extra-base hit of the year last night. Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz, two of the slowest guys on the team, each had triples for the Sox. Jacoby Ellsbury is now tied for the team lead in home runs with 2. Tonight, Jon Lester (0-0/3.65/9) will go up against David Price (0-2/4.85/9) in the marquee matchup of the series.

Bright Spots:

Carl Crawford- a 2-5 day in the leadoff spot with a double

Adrian Gonzalez- 1-2 with an RBI triple

David Ortiz- 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4 with a home run

Alfredo Aceves- 2 2/3 shutout innings

Dull Spots:

Daisuke Matsuzaka- 7 runs in 2 innings, need I say more?

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

Marco Scutaro- 0-4 with an error as well

Dan Wheeler- 4 runs in 1 inning

Tim Wakefield- 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings

I am sad that the Sox lost, but at least they can win the next two games.

Weekly News

After last night's win over the Yankees, the Red Sox wound up at 2-4 on the week, and 2-7 on the season after another disappointing week with a sweep by the Cleveland Indians and a series win over the Yankees. Our Player of the Week in, you guessed it, Dustin Pedroia (right), in a week where he hit .458/1/5 including having 3 hits in the past three games. This season, he is hitting at a .400 clip along with a homer and 5 RBIs. The pitcher of the week this week is Jon Lester, who threw 7 shutout innings, striking out 9 in his one start against the Cleveland Indians. Performance of the Week was Dustin Pedroia in the series opener against the Yankees (4/8/11). The game of the week was also April 8th, against the Yankees as they won their first game of the year against the Yankees in a roller coaster 9-6 win. I'm very happy that the Sox beat the Yanks, and I hope they can do the same against the Rays.

Red Sox Back In the Saddle With Series Win (2-7)

Last night, the Red Sox had their second win of the season, to win a series against the Yankees. Josh Beckett (right) completely shut the Yankees down on the path to a 4-0 win. In the bottom of the third, the scoring started after the Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs. David Ortiz grounded in a double play to third base, and Dustin Pedroia rushed in from third to score the first run of the game. But wait! Interference was called on Kevin Youkilis going from first to second with his knockout slide, so Pedroia had to return to third base. However, in the next at-bat, Mike Cameron singled softly to bring Pedroia in, making it 1-0 Red Sox. The game remained stagnant until the 7th inning, when Marco Scutaro (bottom left) brought in David Ortiz and J.D. Drew in with an RBI double to left, 3-0 Red Sox. In the 8th inning, David Ortiz brought in Kevin Youkilis with an RBI double too deep center field.

Josh Beckett was completely dominant in his second outing of the season, throwing 8 shutout innings, and striking out 10, making him 1-1/2.08/14 in two starts. Jonathan Papelbon came in after him, and although it wasn't a save situation, threw a scoreless inning. Dustin Pedroia had yet another great game, going 3-4 and scoring a run. Marco Scutaro (left) had a very good game, goin

g 2-2 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 RBIs last night. Mike Cameron and David Ortiz each had 1 RBI, and Ortiz scored a run as well. Tonight, as the Rays come to town, the Sox will send out Daisuke

Matsuzaka (0-1/5.40/2 up against Jeremy Hellickson (0-1/4.76/10).

Bright Spots:

Marco Scutaro- 2-2 with 2 RBIs and a double is pretty good

Dustin Pedroia- 3-4 again, with 1 run scored

David Ortiz- 2-4 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI

Mike Cameron- 1-4 with a critical RBI

Josh Beckett- 8 shutout innings, a win, and 10 strikeouts

Jonathan Papelbon- a shutout inning to end the game

Dull Spots:

Carl Crawford- 0-5 in the leadoff spot

I'm very glad that the Sox won this game and series and I sincerely hope that they keep on truckin' against the Rays.

Red Sox Tie Buchholz Up For Four More Years

Today the Red Sox made an important move, extending Clay Buchholz's (right) contract for 4 more years. The contract is worth 4 years and $30 million for the young star for the Red Sox. Despite the fact that Buchholz is off to a rocky 0-2/7.20/5, the Red Sox (and I) have complete confidence that he will have another great year following up his 17-7/2.33/120 season in 2010. This deal means that the Sox will not have to face arbitration or his first year of free agency in 2015. This means that the Sox have all of the pitchers in their starting rotation locked up for at least 2 years. Buchholz is earning a minuscule $555,000 contract this year, at least for the ace he is becoming. I am very glad that the Sox locked Buchholz up and this will play well for them in the future.

Red Sox Lose Second Game Of Series To Yankees (1-7)

Today, coming off their first win of the season, the Sox couldn't match up, losing 9-4 to the Yankees. The Yankees hit 4 home runs, including two by Russell Martin, in a tough loss to the Sox. After Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano reached base to start the second inning, Nick Swisher drove in a run with a groundout. Eric Chavez proceeded to hit another run in with a double off the monster to make it 2-0 Yankees. In the bottom of the third, after a Dustin Pedroia (bottom left) double and an Adrian Gonzalez groundout, Kevin Youkilis had an RBI groundout to cut the Yankees' lead to 1. The Yankees had their first big blow on a 3-run homer by Russell Martin in the top of the 4th, making it 5-1 Yankees. After J.D. Drew getting to third with 1 out in the 4th, Jacoby Ellsbury drove him in, and soon later, Dustin Pedroia drove in Ellsbury and Carl Crawford with a double, making it 5-4 Yankees. With Nick Swisher on first in the 5th inning, Curtis Granderson homered, making it 7-4 Yankees. The Yankees added insurance with homers by Russell Martin and Robinson Cano, but they were done.

Clay Buchholz (top right) had a very tough day at the ballpark, allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, in 3 2/3 innings. He earned his second loss, and is now 0-2/7.20/5 on the young season. Felix Doubront and Alfredo Aceves each allowed 2 runs, in 1.1 and 2 innings, respectively. Tim Wakefield pitched pretty well, pitching 2 shutout innings to finish the game. Dustin Pedroia (left) had a great day, going 3-4 with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs, he is now .355/1/5 to start the season. Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury each had RBI groundouts. Tomorrow, Josh Beckett (0-1/5.40/4) and C.C. Sabathia (0-0/1.38/13) will go head to head in the rubber match.

Bright Spots:

Dustin Pedroia- 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 3 doubles is quite good

Tim Wakefield- 2 shutout innings, as he is 0-0/3.00/3 to start the year

Jed Lowrie- looking like Scutaro's replacement with a 3-4 day

Dull Spots:

Clay Buchholz- 3 2/3 innings and 4 runs, as he is not off and running to start the year

Felix Doubront- 2 runs in 1 1/3 innings

Alfredo Aceves- 2 runs in 2 innings against his old team

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4

David Ortiz- 0-5 with a strikeout

Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4 with a run

I am sad that the Sox lost, but happy that I'm back to blogging.

Beckett's Good Performance Unable To Put Sox In Win Column (0-4)

Last night, the Red Sox suffered a depressing 3-1 loss to the Indians in Cleveland, starting their year off 0-4 for the first time since 1996. The game started off well for the Sox, in the second inning. With 2 outs and an 0-2 count on David Ortiz, he worked the count back full, and eventually got a walk. With a man on first, J.D. Drew belted a double to right field to put runners at second and third with 2 out. Enter Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had not gotten a hit all year, and was 0/10. However, he knocked an RBI single past the first baseman. David Ortiz scored, but Shin-Soo Choo came up throwing and nailed J.D. Drew at the plate (right). This pretty much describes the whole game for us, just a bit out of reach all the time. From that point on, it was all Indians, as with one out in the 4th inning, Travis Hafner smacked a double off the wall in right field. Orlando Cabrera hit him in with a single just out of reach of Marco Scutaro. After a walk and a strikeout, the Indians took the lead on a Jack Hannahan single up the middle. In the 5th inning, they got some insurance with an Asdrubal Cabrera double and eventually a Carlos Santana sacrifice fly, after that, the scoring, and Josh Beckett's day was over.

I was fairly impressed with Josh Beckett's (left) outing, at least before the 4th inning. In his first three innings of work, he allowed 1 hit, 2 strikeouts, and 2 walks. After that, however, he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk. Overall, he allowed 3 runs in 5 innings, striking out 4 and making him 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA this year. Jarrod Saltalamacchia broke out of his funk with an RBI single, but other than a walk, that was his only plate appearance, making him now .091/0/1. J.D. Drew had a very nice hit, his first of the year as well, on a well stroked double to right field. Dustin Pedroia did pretty well also, going 2-4 in last night's game. I will be backpacking over the next few days, and I will not be able to make another post until Saturday or Sunday, but tonight, although I won't see it, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Mitch Talbot will face each other for their season debuts.

Bright Spots:

Dustin Pedroia- 2-4 in the #3 spot in the order is an eye opener

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-1 and broke out of his funk, driving in the Sox's only run

J.D. Drew- 1-3 with a beautifully hit double to right field

Bobby Jenks- struck out the side in the 7th inning

Daniel Bard- struck out two in a scoreless 8th inning

Dull Spots:

Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4 leading off the lineup, and dropping his average to .188

Carl Crawford- hitless in the #2 hole, going 0-4

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, and leaving 2 runners on base

Marco Scutaro- 0-3 again, as he is still hitless to start the year

I'm very unhappy that the Sox are 0-4 and they really need to turn this around right now.... or at least tonight.

Should We Be Scared? Not Yet

Something about this is not quite right, while the Rangers are the defending AL Champs, a stacked team with a $168 million payroll should not be swept in the first series. The Rangers did a good job, however, in starting lefty pitchers in C.J. Wilson and Matt Harrison, against a Red Sox in which three of the first five hitters are lefty. They did pretty well offensively too, as Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz hit a homer in every game of the series, and Mike Napoli hit a homer in both games he played in. The Red Sox pitching was awful, the worst being John Lackey (right), who allowed 9 runs on 10 hits in just 3 2/3 innings. The Red Sox' offense has been pretty bad, as their team average is a depressing .200, good for 28th in MLB, their 9.75 ERA, worst in the league. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will look to even out their record against the Cleveland Indians so I hope they'll win, they really need it.

Weekly News

Well, after today's loss to the Rangers, the Red Sox are now 0-3 on the week and the season. Despite that, in our first week of the season, our Player of the Week is reigning Player of the Year David Ortiz (right), as he's gotten off to a fast start, going .333/2/3 in his first 3 games. It was a tough decision between him and Adrian Gonzalez (.385/0/3) but I decided on Papi based on his clutch hitting so far, and his RBIs have been spread out over more than one game. I'm going to add a few new features, and while these will not affect the Player of the Year, they will be fun for now. Pitcher of the Week goes to Dennys Reyes, who despite only haven pitched 1 2/3 innings, has unfortunately probably been the best pitcher, his stats are 0-0/0.00/1 in 1 2/3 innings. Performance of the Week goes to Adrian Gonzalez on Opening Day (4/1/11) as he went 2-4 with 3 RBIs to help lead his team. Finally, game of the week goes to Opening Day, where the Sox lost 9-5, but played a good game, including a game-tying homer in the 8th by David Ortiz. I'm sad the Sox are 0-3, but I hope we can turn that around against the Indians and Yankees in the upcoming week.

Red Sox Bats Stifled As Rangers Take Brooms Out (0-3)

Things went a little better for the Sox in this game, but the Rangers still took the sweep as they won 5-1. Things started out well, as Ian Kinsler did not take a Red Sox pitcher deep in his first at-bat. However, in the second inning, former Red Sox prospect David Murphy put one in the bleachers to make it 1-0 Rangers. It became 2-0 Rangers on a blast by- guess who- Ian Kinsler. Then in the 5th inning, Mike Napoli hit his 2nd homer of the season to make it 3-0 Red Sox. However, things got interesting in the top of the 7th inning when a single by Kevin Youkilis and a fielder's choice for Jed Lowrie put runners at the corners with 1 out. Carl Crawford then singled up the middle to make it 3-1 Rangers, putting runners at first and second with one out. Jarrod Saltalamacchia flew out and Darnell McDonald took a walk on a questionable call to load the bases with 2 outs for Jacoby Ellsbury. After a long at-bat, Ellsbury struck out, killing the Red Sox rally and hopes of winning. In the bottom of the 7th, the Rangers got some insurance on a home run pounded by Nelson Cruz, his third of the season.Michael Young then hit an RBI double in the 8th, and then they were done, with the score at 5-1.

Clay Buchholz (right) did not have too bad of a game, by the standards of Red Sox pitching this year, at least. He allowed 4 home runs, all solo, through 6 1/3 innings, earning the loss and setting his ERA at 5.68. Dennys Reyes then threw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning and Jonathan Papelbon allowed 1 run in the 8th inning. The offense was not good for the Red Sox, as their one run was scored by Kevin Youkilis on a single by Carl Crawford, who had his first 2 hits in a Red Sox uniform. Tomorrow, the Sox have a day off and then send

Josh Beckett out to face Josh Tomlin and the Indians at 7:05 on Tuesday.

Bright Spots:

David Ortiz- a 2-4 day will put his average at .333 to start the year

Carl Crawford- his first two hits in a Red Sox uniform and an RBI

Dennys Reyes- Reyes appears to be working out for the Sox, pitching in his 3rd straight day for the Sox

Dull Spots:

Clay Buchholz- While he was not as bad as the other Red Sox pitchers, he still allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3, setting his ERA at 5.68

Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4 with a strikeout and 3 runners left on base

Adrian Gonzalez- His first bad day with the Sox, going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

Jed Lowrie- Despite some slick fielding, he did go 0-4

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Still hitless on the season, going 0-3 with a strikeout

I hope that the Red Sox can turn their season around in Cleveland in the next games.

Lackey Lacking As Sox Are Pounded By Rangers (0-2)

Last night, the Red Sox lost their second game of the season in a 12-5 loss to the Texas Rangers. It was a painful game, topped by a 6-run 4th inning and an Adrian Beltre grand slam, as John lackey (right) was not sharp. It all started when Ian Kinsler had his second straight homer to lead off the game, making it 1-0 Rangers. That quickly changed when David Ortiz lifted another homer just over the wall to make it 2-1 Red Sox. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, an RBI triple by Elvis Andrus and an RBI single by Josh Hamilton put the Rangers back on top at 3-2. After Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis reached base to start the 4th inning, David Ortiz had his third RBI of the game with a groundout to first, tying the game once again at 3-3. Then in the 4th, all hell broke loose after Lackey recorded two outs, as an RBI triple by Julio Borbon and an RBI double by Elvis Andrus put it at 5-3 Rangers. But that just set it up for a grand slam by Adrian Beltre over the left-center wall, to put the game officially out of reach of the Red Sox at 9-3. That's about the time that John Lackey was taken out of the game after allowing 9 runs in 3 2/3 innings, he was replaced by Dan Wheeler. The Rangers were not done, however, as in the bottom of the 5th, Yorvit Torrealba smacked a two-run homer to left, to make it 11-3 Rangers. In the 6th inning, Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer to make it 12-3 Rangers, and that's about when they finished. In the top of the 7th, Jacoby Ellsbury crushed a 2-run homer to right field, making it 12-5 Rangers, and nobody scored after that.

All in all, this was a depressing game, after an awful outing by John Lackey. He allowed 9 runs in 3 2/3 inning, earning the loss and setting his ERA at 22.09, although he did strike out 3, his only plus in the night. On the offensive standpoint, the Red Sox weren't too bad, with two two-run homers on the night. David Ortiz went 1-4 for the second day in a row, but today he had 3 RBIs to go along with it. Jacoby Ellsbury showed some pop in a 1-4 day where he crushed a two-run homer. Today at 2:05, Clay Buchholz will come up to face Matt Harrison for the Rangers as the Sox will look to go in the win column. This game was more depressing than Opening Day, but hopefully we can reverse that today... to Bright and Dull Spots!

Bright Spots:

David Ortiz- 3 RBIs count for something, right?

Jacoby Ellsbury- Can't not honor someone with a 2-run homer

Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5 with 2 runs scored

Dennys Reyes- One of two Red Sox pitchers not to allow a run

Bobby Jenks- The other one not to allow a run

Dull Spots:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- despite scoring a run, going 0-3 with 2 strikeouts and 3 runners left on base levels it out

Marco Scutaro- went 0-4 for the second straight day

Carl Crawford- Despite a walk, he went hitless again and this is not what we were expecting of him

John Lackey- He can do better than 9 runs in 3 2/3 innings

Dan Wheeler- We aren't paying him to allow 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning

Well, there's always tomorrow (in this case, today), because I do not want an Opening Series sweep.

Too Little, Too Late For Red Sox On 2011 Opener (0-1)

Well, today was the day we were all waiting for, and while a 9-5 loss was not what we wanted, at least they're playing baseball. Up until the bottom of the 8th inning, this was a pretty close game. In the first inning, after Jacoby Ellsbury reached second on an error, Kevin Youkilis whacked a double to right field and Adrian Gonzalez hit a single to put the Sox up 2-0. Starter Jon Lester allowed runs in the 1st and 2nd to tie the game at 2-2 before the third inning. In the third inning, Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia had hits to put runners at 1st and 3rd before a Kevin Youkilis walk to load the bases for Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez proceeded to knock a 2-run single up the middle to make it 4-2 Red Sox. It remained like this until a 3-run homer off the bat of Mike Napoli in the 4th inning to make it 5-4 Rangers. It stayed at 5-4 until the 8th inning, when David Ortiz (right) nailed a homer over the center field wall to tie the game at 5-5. However, the bottom of the ninth did not pan out so well, as Daniel Bard allowed 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning on doubles by Daniel Murphy, Elvis Andrus, and Josh Hamilton.

Jon Lester (left) was not sharp in his first outing of the season, allowing 5 runs through 5 1/3 innings, putting his ERA at 8.44 although he did not earn the loss. That honor went to Daniel Bard, whose ERA soared to 54.00 after allowed 4 runs through 2/3 of an inning. Jacoby Ellsbury had a very good day leading off for the Sox, reaching base 4 of 5 times, and scoring twice in a 2-4 day. Adrian Gonzalez also did very well, going 2-4 with 3 RBIs in today's contest. The other two RBIs went to David Ortiz with his home run, and Dustin Pedroia, who went 1-4 today. Tomorrow, the Red Sox will send John Lackey up against Colby Lewis at 8:05 EST. Now, for the newest addition to Sox.Rox, bright spots and dull spots...

Bright Spots:

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 3 RBIs

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 2 runs and a double

Kevin Youkilis- 1-3, an RBI double and a run

David Ortiz- game-tying homer in the 8th inning

Matt Albers- Pitched a scoreless inning in Red Sox debut

Dull Spots:

Carl Crawford- 0-4 with 3 strikeouts

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

Marco Scutaro- 0-4

Jon Lester- knocked around for 3 home runs and 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings

Daniel Bard- Gave up a tie game with flying colors, allowing 4 runs in the 8th inning.

I hope the Sox can do better tomorrow!