Crawford, Beckett, Gonzalez Gone In Huge Blockbuster

After tons of trade rumors last night involving the possibility of Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford going to Los Angeles, the deal is going to be finally made official today. Also included in this major blockbuster is Nick Punto as the Red Sox have freed up nearly $250 million in payroll space over the next several years and will take about $60 million off of 2013's guaranteed contracts. In return, the Red Sox will acquire first baseman James Loney (.254/4/33), who will probably fill in for Gonzalez for the rest of 2012. Along with Loney, the Red Sox acquired four prospects in the deal; #2 Dodgers' prospect Allen Webster plus Rubby De La Rosa, Ivan DeJesus, and Jerry Sands. Webster and De La Rosa are each highly ranked Dodgers' pitching prospects who are each close to major-league ready. Webster is 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA in Double-A Chattanooga and De La Rosa is coming off Tommy John Surgery but was 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA in 13 games in MLB last year. Sands (.303/24/101) and DeJesus (.295/3/33) have each had success in Triple-A, but haven't quite figured it out yet at the major league level-- .174/0/1 and .273/0/4 respectively. However, a change of scenery could help them out and Webster and De La Rosa should be elite pitching talent very soon. This deal is huge financially for the Red Sox as much as I hate to see Gonzalez go, it may be the right move.

Carl Crawford To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

According to multiple reports, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford will be undergoing Tommy John Surgery tomorrow. Crawford has had wrist and elbow problems all year and the general consensus was that he was going to undergo TJ Surgery at some point. He's made the correct choice in cutting this season short so that he should have a chance to fully recover by Opening Day 2013. The recovery time on position players is typically 6-9 months, so assuming that he fell into the 6-7 range, which he should given his renowned work ethic, he should be ready to play a nearly full Spring Training and should be ready to play Opening Day. This is great, as in a best case scenario Crawford should be a key piece of this offense for years to come. He's taken a step in the right direction here in 2012, batting .282/.306/.479 with 3 home runs and 19 RBIs despite playing injured. Hopefully he can continue that with a big step in 2013. Good luck to Carl, come back strong!

Buchholz Keeps Sox From Being Swept By O's (58-61)

Buchholz was great

Just a year ago, it would seem pathetic to be happy about just barely avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Orioles. However, with the Red Sox in fourth place and below .500 and the Orioles leading in the Wild Card race, it now seems good. The Orioles started out very fast after the Red Sox went down scoreless in the first, starting things off with back to back singles. They would advance to second and third on a groundout and both runners would score when Adam Jones doubled down the first base line. It didn't take the Red Sox long to answer, as they put runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the second. A pitch after working Chris Tillman to 50 pitches in the first two innings, Scott Podsednik drove a single up the middle to make it 2-1. However, the Orioles got that run right back in the bottom of the second on a homer to center by Mark Reynolds.

He threw eight strong innings

  It took them until the fifth, but the Red Sox finally came roaring back-- putting two runners in scoring position with one out. One run would score when Chris Tillman threw a wild pitch that allowed Carl Crawford to score from third. Dustin Pedroia would score when Adrian Gonzalez lifted a fly ball that wound up as a sacrifice fly to center field to tie things up at 3-3.They kept on rolling in the sixth inning, putting runners at the corners with two outs. Dustin Pedroia hit a slow roller on the ground to third base. It was about to be a groundout, but it kicked off the heel of third baseman Manny Machado's glove for an infield single. That scored one run, and two more scored in the inning on RBI singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Ross to make it 6-3. It stayed at 6-3 for quite a while and the Red Sox eventually won by that score.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K, W (11-3)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K, SV (24)
Carl Crawford- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Cody Ross- 3-5, 1 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite a shaky start, Buchholz really settled down and turned in eight good innings-- he is now 11-3, 4.19 this year.

Red Sox Collapse In Sixth For Second Straight Game (57-61)

Cook took a no-hitter into the sixth

It's always such a shame when your starting pitcher takes a no-hitter into the sixth inning and still loses and it's also disappointing when every run the team allows is in one inning. In this game, both of those disappointments took place against the Orioles. In fact, both starting pitchers were quite good throughout the first innings and neither team scored in the first four. However, a pair of one out singles in the fifth got a rally started for the Red Sox. That rally continued as Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to the warning track in right center to score one and make it 1-0. The next and final run of the inning scored when Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly. The next inning was scoreless but the Orioles got a rally going in the sixth. A one out walk and a single (breaking up Aaron Cook's no hit bit) put two runners on base for the middle of the lineup. 

They scored their first run when Nate McClouth singled to right-center, also moving runners up to the corners with one out. The next play should've been a double play ball as Aaron Cook cleanly fielded a groundball back to him. However, he threw it away to allow a run to score and make it 2-2. That was when Matt Wieters hit a ground-rule double to the warning track in left to give the O's a lead. Two more would score on a Mark Reynolds single to make it 5-2 and end Cook's night. The Red Sox got a run back on an RBI groundout in the seventh but it wasn't enough and they fell 5-3. 

Bright Spots:

Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Carl Crawford- 0-2, 2 RBI

Scott Podsednik- 1-2, 1 R

Nick Punto- 1-4, 2 R

Dull Spots:

Cody Ross- 0-4, 3 K, 3 LOB

Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:

Jacoby Ellsbury- Ellsbury's RBI double in the fifth was one of few offensive bright spots for the Red Sox as he almost knocked his second home run-- he is now .270/1/11.

Beckett Unravels As Orioles Take Opener (57-60)

Beckett allowed 6 runs in 5.1 innings

If the Red Sox have any plans of even coming close to contending this year, this was a series that they probably had to sweep. Well, that plan's over as the Red Sox fell in a blowout in Baltimore tonight. After a couple of scoreless innings to start the game, the Orioles finally got on the board in the bottom of the third. On the first pitch of the inning, light-hitting Omar Quintanilla jacked one onto Eutaw Street in right field to make it 1-0. The Red Sox would answer in the top of the fourth, though, starting on a leadoff double by Cody Ross. Two batters later, Ross would score on a single up the middle by Carl Crawford. It stayed tied for a bit, but the Orioles took another lead in the fifth inning when Mark Reynolds went the other way to right field for a solo home run to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. However, things got very ugly in the sixth inning.

Pedroia went 2-4 with a triple

A single and a walk would put runners at first and second with one out in the inning. That was when things imploded for the Red Sox as Matt Wieters hit a high bouncer over the pitcher's mound for an infield single to score a runner and make it 3-1. Chris Davis followed him up with a hard single up the middle to make it 4-1 and keep runners at first and second, still with one out, for Mark Reynolds. At this point, Josh Beckett was taken out of the game with a line that still resembled respectability. However, a couple of batters later and his final line on the night looked like 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 2 K. Those additional two runs added onto Beckett's total came when Mark Reynolds hit his second homer of the game-- a shot to deep left to make it 7-1. The Red Sox were never able to approach a comeback and lost by that score.

Bright Spots:
Mark Melancon- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 3B
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Carl Crawford- 2-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Josh Beckett- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 2 K, L (5-10)
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- On a different night, Pedroia could've been a major catalyst as he reached base three times, including a double and triple-- he is now .280/9/43.

Weekly News

This wasn't a great week for the Red Sox at 3-4, but they managed to turn it all around with a big win today against the Indians. For his second time this year, the Player of the Week is Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez pulled off a fantastic week here, batting a remarkable .393/2/14 and has really turned his season around as he's now batting .309/13/80 after a very slow start for the slugger. Meanwhile, Clay Buchholz continued his push to be the team's ace by shutting down the Indians over a complete game. After his fine performance, his numbers have entered respectability at 10-3/4.20 so far. The Performance of the Week goes to Carl Crawford's performance today against the Indians as he went 3-4 with 2 runs, 3 RBIs, and 3 doubles as he's now .280/3/16. Finally, the Game of the Week goes to today's beat-down on the Indians where they won 14-1 in an all-around great game. Next week, they get an off day tomorrow before heading to Baltimore and New York.

Red Sox Coast To Rout Over Indians (57-59)

Lester struck out 12 in 6 innings

While it's nice to see your team win close games like walk-offs, every once in a while, it's awfully fun to watch them just beat up on a team and that's what we got today. They started off hot, scoring on an RBI double by Dustin Pedroia in the first. Then again in the first as Adrian Gonzalez blasted a two-run homer to make it 3-0. The Indians got their first and only run of the game in the first on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Santana. With two men on base and two outs in the second, the Red Sox kept going as they scored twice on a double by Carl Crawford to make it 5-1. Indians starter Corey Kluber (0-0, 6.10) settled down briefly in the third before going back to doing damage in the fourth as he allowed the Red Sox to put a man on second with one out. Kelly Shoppach delivered with an RBI single to make it 6-1 and knock Kluber out after just four innings.

Crawford went 3-4 with 3 RBIs

Kluber was lucky he got out of things before they got really ugly in the fifth inning, starting with the Red Sox putting two men on and no outs. RBI singles by Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia scored those two runners and made it 8-1. Danny Valencia picked up his first RBI with the Red Sox next on a sacrifice fly. After him, Kelly Shoppach struck out to jeopardize the Red Sox chances by leaving two men on with two outs. Luckily, they delivered as Jacoby Ellsbury delivered a two-run double. He was followed by an RBI double for Carl Crawford and, two batters later, a two-run double by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 14-1. Lester continued to coast for a couple more innings after that, leaving with a line of 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K and picking up the win. The Red Sox easily held the Indians and won 14-1.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K, W (6-10)
Clayton Mortensen- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-4, 2 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 3-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 SB
Kelly Shoppach- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
None!

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford really pulled off a well rounded game here, going 3-4 with 3 doubles, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs-- he is now .280/3/16.

Red Sox Pound Darvish, Rangers To Return To .500 (55-55)

Cook made a bid to stay in
the rotation

This series did not look promising for the Red Sox, but they still managed to pull of a big win in the first game against rookie phenom Yu Darvish. The Rangers actually scored first in this game, beginning on Nelson Cruz's leadoff double in the second inning. They quickly grabbed the first run as David Murphy singled to center. In the third inning, however, the Red Sox matched and raised the Rangers rally-- beginning with a leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury scored when Carl Crawford doubled down the first base line to put himself at second, still with no outs. There would be one out by the time Crawford came in, but he did as Adrian Gonzalez doubled on just about the same hit Crawford had. The Red Sox just kept rolling in the fourth inning, putting runners at first and second with one out. One would score when Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to left, also putting runners at second and third. Both Ellsbury and Mike Aviles (who was on third) would score on a sacrifice fly for Carl Crawford and a Dustin Pedroia double, respectively, to make it 5-1.

Pedroia had 3 doubles 

There was no more scoring for the Red Sox until a Dustin Pedroia leadoff double got things started in the seventh. Adrian Gonzalez drove Pedroia in with an RBI single but that was all they got in the inning, pushing it to 6-1. However, it was in the eighth that the Red Sox did some real damage off the Rangers' bullpen corps. With a man on first and one out, Carl Crawford doubled off the green monster in left-center to score Ellsbury from first base and make it 7-1. They kept going in the inning, though, as Dustin Pedroia walked to put runners at first and second with one out. Adrian Gonzalez delivered with a single to right to score Crawford and move Dustin Pedroia to third to put runners at the corners. One more scored in the inning on a sacrifice fly for Cody Ross to make it 9-1. The Rangers got a run on an Adrian Beltre home run in the top of the ninth, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Red Sox won.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K, W (3-5)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 3-5, 1 R, 3 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 1-3, 1 R, 1 SB
Mike Aviles- 1-3, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford did it all last night, going 2-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three runs batted in-- he is now .292/3/13.

Weekly News

This week went pretty much the opposite as it should have as the Red Sox won a series against the contending Detroit Tigers before dropping one to the fourth place Minnesota Twins in a 3-4 week. For the first time this season, the Player of the Week is Carl Crawford. Crawford appears to have finally righted himself at the plate, as he went .345/2/8 this week and is now .279/3/10 this season. In the pitching department, Clay Buchholz takes the lead with his sixth Pitcher of the Week after going 1-0/1.20/7 in two starts against the Tigers and Twins. Buchholz has finally overcome his rough start to take the team lead in ERA as the righty is now 9-3/4.48/80 this season. The Performance of the Week goes to Carl Crawford's Friday game against the Twins that saw him go 3-5 with two runs and three RBIs, including a home run. The Game of the Week goes to Monday's 7-3 win over the Tigers. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox will play three in Fenway against the Rangers before playing four in Cleveland.

Morales, Gonzalez Power Sox To Avoid Sweep (54-55)

Morales got his third win

If the Red Sox had been swept by the Twins today, it would be about time to punt this season and sell on the waiver wire. However, with Franklin Morales going for them, they managed to pull off a solid win in Boston. It took them a few innings, but they finally got an early rally going in the third inning. A single and a double put runners at second and third with no outs. They would score one in the inning when Carl Crawford grounded out to shortstop and another when Adrian Gonzalez drove Jacoby Ellsbury in with a bloop single to center. The Twins finally cracked the scoreboard after a leadoff walk and stolen base for Alexi Casilla. He would eventually score on a deep sacrifice fly by Ben Revere. However, the Red Sox would more than make up for that run as Adrian Gonzalez powered a two-run homer over the monster in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1.

Gonzalez drove in three runs

That fifth inning blemish was the only bad mark on a very strong start for Franklin Morales, seeing him go 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K. The Red Sox continued to add onto their lead, starting in the seventh inning. That was when they put runners at first and second with one out for Cody Ross. Ross delivered by driving a ground ball back up the middle to score a run and make it 5-1. A one out double by Ryan Kalish in the eighth set the Red Sox up to score some more. Kalish stole third and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacoby Ellsbury. Vicente Padilla came into the game in the ninth, with a five run lead. However, he did his best to cut that lead-- allowing a leadoff home run to Josh Willingham and later, a two-run homer to Ryan Doumit. Luckily, Alfredo Aceves did what he couldn't do last night-- shut the door with a 1-2-3 inning to put the Red Sox at just a game under .500.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K, W (3-2)
Mark Melancon- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (23)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-5, 2 R, 1 SB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 SB
Ryan Kalish- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SB
Mike Aviles- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez's bat powered the Red Sox in this game as he went 2-3 with a two-run homer and an RBI single and is now .304/11/66 this season.

Red Sox Tease Fans Again In Heartbreaker (53-55)

Buchholz lowered his ERA to 4.48

The Red Sox have practically entered a new league of heartbreaking as they've blown leads and lost in back-to-back games against the lowly Minnesota Twins. They started off strong, with Ryan Kalish working a leadoff walk against Cole DeVries in the first. He would score almost immediately on an RBI double by Carl Crawford to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. It quickly became 2-0 in the second inning when Mike Aviles lifted one over the green monster. After that, DeVries settled down and Clay Buchholz continued his masterful outing as nobody else scored until the fifth. That was when Jamey Carroll singled with one out, and advanced to second on a faulty pickoff throw by Buchholz. He would score on a throwing error by Kelly Shoppach to cut it to 2-1. It took them until the eighth, but after putting men on first and second, they tied the game on a Justin Morneau sacrifice fly.

Ciriaco hit his first major league homer

That was when the real excitement started to happen, as Pedro Ciriaco came in to pinch-hit for Ryan Kalish leading off the eighth. Ciriaco delivered by hitting the first home run of his major league career over the green monster to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. They continued in that inning as Dustin Pedroia stole second base with two outs, after reaching on a hit by pitch. Cody Ross delivered with a clutch RBI single to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead heading into the ninth. After Alexi Casilla doubled with one out, the Twins quickly made it a one-run game on an RBI single by Jamey Carroll. They then put two men on with two outs and two strikes to Joe Mauer. Alfredo Aceves painted the corner with a fastball, which was called a ball that ran it to a full count. The next pitch was left up and Mauer devoured it, going the other way for a three-run homer to make it 6-4. That was it, the Red Sox had broken our hearts again.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-1, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB
Alfredo Aceves- 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 K, L (2-7)
Kelly Shoppach- 0-3, 3 K, 1 LOB
Nick Punto- 0-3, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Buchholz tragically did not win this game because of a horrible bullpen, but his seven strong innings were the highlight of the night-- he is now 9-3/4.48/80.

Doubront Blows Early Lead As Sox Fall In Extras (53-54)

Doubront allowed a four run
fifth inning

Last night was a really depressing game as the Red Sox raced out to an early lead, only to be met by disappointment as the Twins came back to tie and eventually win the game. After scoreless first innings by both teams, a leadoff double by Justin Morneau got the Twins going in the second. He would score later on a soft single up the middle by Darin Mastroianni to give the Twins an early lead. However, the Red Sox caught right up in the bottom of the second on a two-out double by Carl Crawford. The rally would be complete when Crawford scored on a single by Kelly Shoppach to tie it at 1-1. That was it for that inning, but the third was when the Red Sox really did some damage against Twins starter Brian Duensing. They scored one run when they led off the third with three straight singles (Dustin Pedroia, Cody Ross, Adrian Gonzalez). The next two hitters got out, leaving men at first and second for Carl Crawford. On a 2-0 count, Crawford popped up a ball to first baseman Justin Morneau. However, Morneau overran it and dropped the routine popup. On the next pitch, Crawford hit a three-run homer to right.

Crawford hit his third home run

That 5-1 lead gave Felix Doubront a nice cushion to work with, and he did for a few innings. However, in the fifth, the Twins offense did their damage for the night-- loading the bases on two singles and a walk with one out. Doubront promptly walked a run in with Josh Willingham at the plate to cut it to 5-2. That was when Justin Morneau (who had a great game) popped a little bloop single into center field to score two runs and cut it to 5-4, still with only one out. Danny Valencia proceeded to line a ball into the right field corner which Cody Ross somehow caught-- the run scored on the play, but it could've been much worse and the Red Sox escaped the inning tied. It stayed tied for a while, until the tenth to be exact. That was when Darin Mastroianni led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, he would score when Jamey Carroll blooped a ball to center and that was that, the Twins won 6-5.

Bright Spots:
Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 1 R
Cody Ross- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 2-5, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Felix Doubront- 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Vicente Padilla- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K
Will Middlebrooks- 0-5, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford came just a triple short of the cycle in a 3-5 ballgame, doubling, scoring twice, and hitting his third home run-- he is now .254/3/8 this season.

Big Fifth Sinks Sox In Attempt For Sweep (53-52)

Cook was roughed up again

The Red Sox headed into this matchup with Aaron Cook (2-4, 4.50) going against Rick Porcello (7-6, 4.56) in a matchup of two sinkerballers. Both were effective early on but a big fifth innings for the Tigers led to a loss. After a leadoff double by Jacoby Ellsbury and a two-out walk by Adrian Gonzalez-- the Red Sox were in business in the first inning. Cody Ross delivered with a jam shot over to right field that fell for an RBI single. After two quick outs to start the fourth, the Tigers came roaring back with a double by Prince Fielder. Brennan Boesch would drive him in with a single up the middle that tied it at 1-1. After that came the fifth inning-- the Tigers put two runners in scoring position with one out. Austin Jackson drove one in with a hard grounder to left. Another came in when Quintin Berry grounded out to second to put a man on second for Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera did what he does best, crushing one onto Lansdowne Street for a two-run homer. However, the Tigers weren't done as Prince Fielder followed him up with a homer to center to make it 6-1.

Crawford had his second homer

From that point on, all the Red Sox could really do was claw back into the game. Craig Breslow came in to make his Red Sox debut and, in the sixth, did well. In the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox actually put together a little rally of their own. They loaded the bases on three singles to start the inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia then grounded into a double play to score a run, and Will Middlebrooks singled to right to score another and make it 6-3. After Ryan Kalish walked, it was Pedro Ciriaco with a clutch single to right to cut it to 6-4. The Red Sox cut it further in the bottom of the seventh on a leadoff home run by Carl Crawford-- his second of the year. However, the Tigers got that run right back when Delmon Young looped one around the Pesky Pole to give the Tigers a 7-5 lead which would eventually be the final after a strong ninth for Jose Valverde.

Bright Spots:
Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Junichi Tazawa- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R
Carl Crawford- 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 R
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, L (2-5)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 2 K, 5 LOB

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- This wasn't much of a game for the Red Sox offense-- despite scoring five runs-- but Cody Ross's 2-4, RBI day stood out among them-- he is now .261/16/51.

Red Sox Beat Verlander In Rain Shortened Game (53-51)

Beckett was taken out due to injury

Last night was a weird game in many ways for the Red Sox-- it was raining all night, and they finally decided to call the game in the sixth inning, giving the Red Sox a cheap win. Heading into the ballgame, though, it didn't look as though they'd be able to get anything cheap with reigning MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander (11-6, 2.54) set to pitch against Josh Beckett (5-9, 4.57). But the Red Sox started the game off in a big way, they did not score any runs-- they wound up stranding the bases loaded-- but were still able to make Verlander throw 35 pitches in the first inning. It would ultimately be the Tigers that scored first, as they loaded the bases on two walks and a hit for Miguel Cabrera. Beckett walked him on a 3-1 count to drive in a run, then motioned to the trainer and was taken out of the game due to some weird injury.

Ciriaco continued his fantastic start

Clayton Mortensen, who had been recalled that day, entered the game and got Prince Fielder to fly out to end the inning. It took the Red Sox until the fourth inning, but eventually they showed their support for Mortensen by loading the bases on two singles and a walk. Pedro Ciriaco promptly drove a low line drive into right field to score one and leave the bases loaded for Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury worked a walk off the Tigers ace and suddenly the Red Sox had a 2-1 lead, and no signs of stopping. Next came a very weird play as Carl Crawford hit a very slow bouncer to the right side of the pitcher's mound. Verlander went after it but couldn't rein it in and Omar Infante's view must have been blocked because the ball got by him and two runs scored to make it 4-1. It stayed there until the sixth, when the umpires finally decided to call the game and give the Red Sox their fourth straight win.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Clayton Mortensen- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-2, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-2, 1 R, 1 BB
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Dustin Pedroia- 0-3, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clayton Mortensen- When it seemed that this game would be over due to Beckett's injury and a tough situation, Mortensen came in and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings-- he is now 1-0/1.17/17 this year.

Red Sox Turn It On Late To Escape Last Place (52-51)

Buchholz lowered his ERA to 4.75

This was a good all around game for the Red Sox. However, it certainly didn't look like one when Austin Jackson of the Tigers led off the game with a home run on the second pitch of the ballgame. However, Clay Buchholz didn't let the first inning get out of hand and it was still 1-0 when the Red Sox came up to bat. Jacoby Ellsbury worked an excellent nine pitch walk and was promptly driven in as Carl Crawford knocked one high off the left-center portion of the monster. The ball got away from Austin Jackson a bit and Crawford coasted into third with an RBI triple. He would score on a groundout by Dustin Pedroia. However, the Tigers would tie things up in the third after Omar Infante tripled on a ball strikingly similar to Carl Crawford's. He would eventually score on a one-out single by Miguel Cabrera to tie it at 2-2.

Pedroia hit his 9th home run

It was still just 2-2 when Carl Crawford walked to lead off the sixth inning. However, it wouldn't be tied much longer as Dustin Pedroia took advantage of a high fastball and crushed it over the monster for a two-run homer to make it 4-2. With Brennan Boesch on first and one out, Alex Avila made the game a bit closer by splitting the game perfectly for an RBI double. The Red Sox got insurance in the bottom of the seventh though, starting with a leadoff triple by Kelly Shoppach. He would score when Jacoby Ellsbury lined a low pitch into right field for an RBI single to give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. They'd get the ultimate insurance in the eighth, though, after a leadoff single by Adrian Gonzalez. Will Middlebrooks saw a pitch to his liking and sent it over the Green Monster for his 13th home run to give the Red Sox a 7-3 lead. They'd win by that score to get out of last and above .500.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (9-3)
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4
Kelly Shoppach- 1-4, 1 R, 1 3B

Dull Spots:
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite a somewhat rough start for Buchholz, he really turned things around, working eight strong innings for the win-- he is now 9-3/4.75/77 this season.

Red Sox Hit Three Bombs But Still Fall (49-51)

Cook allowed six runs in four innings

Well, we didn't really expect much more in this series-- both teams hit a lot of home runs and the Yankees came out on top. The Red Sox actually started the battle first as with two outs in the first, Dustin Pedroia drove a ball to left for a solo home run. However, the Yankees came storming back and put runners on the corners with an out in the bottom of the first. Aaron Cook's sinker worked to perfection as he got Mark Teixeira to ground a ball to Dustin Pedroia-- however, Mike Aviles was slow on the turn and allowed the run to score and the inning to stay alive. That would come back to bite the Red Sox as Raul Ibanez took Cook deep one batter later to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. The Red Sox wouldn't give up, though, as in the third, Carl Crawford hit a shot to right field and into the second deck to make it 3-2.

Pedroia hit his second homer in two
games

However, the Yankees just kept scoring and put two runners in scoring position with one out in the third. Mark Teixeira lifted one to left and into the glove of Carl Crawford-- falling for a sacrifice fly. It's a good thing they got the sac fly as in the top of the fourth, Jarrod Saltalamacchia took one to the opposite field for a solo home run to make it 4-3. But from that point on, it was all Yankees. With a man on first in the bottom of the fourth, Russell Martin absolutely crushed a ball to left field for a two-run homer to make it 6-3. It stayed at 6-3 for quite a while, all the way until the eighth inning actually. That was when the Yankees loaded the bases on a double, hit by pitch, and a walk. Curtis Granderson cashed in in the ultimate way, with a grand slam over the short porch in right. The Yankees would make it 10-3 and that would be the final in a tough loss.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Carl Crawford- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L (2-4)
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia had a very good night in a calamity of a game last night, going 2-4 with his second home run in two games-- he is now .270/8/35.

Red Sox Cut It Close But Still Fall To White Sox (46-45)

Lester allowed six runs in four
innings of work

Last night was a bad game all together-- they started out with a huge deficit, came back a bit, and still lost. It all started when the White Sox had a huge first inning, putting runners at first and second with one out. Paul Konerko doubled to right and off the first base bag to score one and the other came in on a bloop single to center by Alex Rios. Luckily, the Red Sox matched the White Sox in the first inning as Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a single and stole second. Carl Crawford cashed in with a single of his own to score a run, then stole second in the next at bat. Daniel Nava advanced him to third with a groundout and Adrian Gonzalez sent a rocket up the middle to score Crawford and make it 2-2. With a runner on first and two outs, Alejandro De Aza delivered with a double down the left field line to score Alexei Ramirez from first and make it 3-2.

The next runs for the White Sox were bitterly painful-- as they put runners at first and second with two outs. It would be an old friend delivering for the White Sox in the fourth inning, as Kevin Youkilis drove a three run homer over the monster to make it 6-2 (why couldn't he have done that when the Sox were shopping him?). With a man on second in the sixth inning, it was De Aza again as he singled to right to make it 7-2. The Red Sox started their comeback in the eighth as Carl Crawford made it to third with two outs. Will Middlebrooks drove him in with a single to right and then came the big hit as Kelly Shoppach delivered a two-run pinch-hit home run to cut it to 7-5. However, it would be an incomplete comeback as the Sox did nothing in the ninth and fell by that score.

Bright Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 K
Franklin Morales- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 1 R, 1 SB
Carl Crawford- 3-4, 2 R, 2 SB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 1-1, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Jon Lester- 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K, L (5-7)
Daniel Nava- 0-3, 1 K, 3 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3, 1 K, 2 LOB
Ryan Sweeney- 0-3, 1 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 2 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-3, 1 K

Player of the Game:
Carl Crawford- Crawford may be providing a spark to this time as he continued his strong start by going 3-4 with two runs, two steals, and an RBI in the loss.

Red Sox, Gonzalez, Spoil Youkilis's Return (46-44)

Cook was great but did not receive a
win last night

Last night's game was an unlikely pitching duel with Aaron Cook going up against youngster Dylan Axelrod. However, it certainly didn't start out that way for either team. With one out in the top of the first inning, familiar face Kevin Youkilis came up and received a huge standing ovation from the home fans. Afterwards, he worked out a long at bat before singling up the middle. Youkilis showed his all out hustle on the next play as Adam Dunn hit a slow roller to second. Pedro Ciriaco threw it to first to record the out as usual, but as a part of the shift they had played on Dunn-- nobody was covering third. Youkilis took sight of this and took off for third, Adrian Gonzalez's throw to the nearest man was errant and Youkilis scored. In the bottom of the first with one out, another familiar face-- Carl Crawford came up and singled up the middle. After a David Ortiz single brought him to third, he would tie the game on a line to right by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 1-1.

Gonzalez had a huge home run

However, Aaron Cook (who wasn't deserving of that run anyway) and Dylan Axelrod both settled down tremendously after that point. The score was still 1-1 when Axelrod was taken out after 6.2 strong innings of work and when Cook was taken out after 7. However, the Red Sox were not so kind against the White Sox bullpen in the following innings. After a pair of walks to lead off the eighth against Leyson Septimo, Adrian Gonzalez stepped up to the plate. He displayed some of that power that we acquired him for when he crushed a pitch over the deep part of the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. However, David Ortiz was injured rounding second and is having an MRI today-- we all hope the best. Anyways, a Mike Aviles RBI single later in the inning would score the final run to close out a strong 5-1 win.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, W (3-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 3-4, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 2 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- If not for Gonzalez, the Red Sox may not have even won this game as he went 2-4 with two of the biggest hits of the night-- an RBI single and three-run homer, he is now .288/7/50.

Crawford Off The DL And Batting Second

The general hope among Red Sox nation was that last year was a freak year for Carl Crawford and from 2012-2017, he'd be back to normal. Many of these fans were very disappointed when they heard Crawford would miss the start of the season. He was only slated to be out for a few weeks but various setbacks kept him out until now. However, after long last-- he's finished his long rehab assignment from injuries to his wrist and elbow and will be joining the team tonight. Bobby Valentine has Crawford batting second against the White Sox tonight-- in the same position as Kevin Youkilis is batting for Chicago. In his 11 games in the minor leagues this year (between single-A Greenville, double-A Portland, and triple-A Pawtucket), he has batted .306/0/2 with a double and a triple. He has DH'ed a few games but has spent much of his time in left field-- where he'll be playing tonight. He'll be looking to redeem himself from a disappointing first year in Boston where he batted .255/11/56. Red Sox fans can hope that he starts redeeming himself tonight against the White Sox.

Crawford Potentially Out Until July



Many Red Sox fans thought that Carl Crawford was going to bounce back from a rough year in 2011. Unfortunately, while he may rebound, he's only going to have a couple of months to do it. Crawford has sprained his ulnar collateral ligament-- essentially, he screwed up his elbow. To add insult to injury, Crawford's absence is coming right when they need him as the Red Sox currently sit at 8-10 and last place in the AL East. Crawford had even begun his rehab assignment-- playing a bit of left field and DH'ing between the high-A Greenville Drive and AAA Pawtucket Red Sox. The Red Sox are not currently giving Crawford a timetable on his return, but it looks like the worst case scenario could be three months. Crawford is a hard worker and I'm sure he'll try his best to get back on the right track but this is still a huge blow to a scuffling team like the Red Sox.