Weekly News

At this point of the season, this was a strangely good week for the Red Sox as we saw them go 3-3-- losing a series to the Yankees before winning one in Toronto. For the first time this year, 2011 Player of the Year Jacoby Ellsbury has won the Player of the Week after batting .360/0/2 this past week. Last year's MVP runner-up is now batting .267/3/20 in this injury-riddled season. For his team leading ninth time of the year, the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. In his win yesterday, Buchholz allowed one earned run in the seven innings and is now 11-6, 4.33 this season. The Performance of the Week goes to Mauro Gomez. In Friday's win in Toronto, Gomez went 2-4 with three runs scored and a two-run, go ahead triple. Finally, the Game of the Week was Tuesday's 4-3 walk off win against the Yankees, exemplifying the perfect win basically. Next week, the Red Sox will go to Tampa Bay for four games and face the Orioles at home for three.

Red Sox Drop Seventh Straight As Pedroia Hits 1000th (62-74)

Could this be Valentine's last series?

The good news in today's game: Dustin Pedroia got the 1000th hit of his very successful career. The bad news was the same as it's been the past seven games-- the Red Sox fell without giving too much of a fight. The Red Sox scored first when they put together a two out rally in the first inning. A two out double for Dustin Pedroia set up a run when Cody Ross took an outside pitch to right field for a soft line drive single to make it 1-0. Things looked good for the next few innings, but it all took a turn for the worse in the fourth inning. The Mariners started off by putting two runners on base on a single and hit by pitch. They scored a pair of runs when John Jaso and Justin Smoak hit consecutive singles through the right side to make it 2-1. They got one more run on a fly out to center for Eric Thames. Jacoby Ellsbury's throw home got away from Ryan Lavarnway and the run scored. The next run scored on another miscue, this time by Jose Iglesias.

From that point on, neither team scored and the Red Sox just slowly died. Clay Buchholz pitched pretty well after then and exited the game after seven innings-- leaving with a line of 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. He would eventually lose the game and slip to 11-5 with a 4.47 ERA this season. In relief, Rich Hill and Chris Carpenter combined for a scoreless eighth and that was it as the Sox didn't even put up a fight.

Bright Spots:
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Cody Ros- 1-4, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 3 K, 1 LOB
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4
Mauro Gomez- 0-3, 2 LOB
Ryan Lavarnway- 0-3
Jose Iglesias- 0-2, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia continues to be a lone bright spot in the Red Sox' lineup as he went 2-3 with a walk and a run today-- he is now .290/12/55.

Weekly News

The Red Sox' season just got more depressing with a miserable 1-6 involving three game sweeps by both the Angels and A's after a win against the Royals. However, one bright spot was James Loney, who batted .316/1/2 in his first week in Boston and is now .258/5/37 this season between the Dodgers and Red Sox. The Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz, who didn't even pitch all that well-- allowing four runs in seven innings in a no-decision against the Angels on Tuesday. That's Buchholz's team-leading eighth Pitcher of the Week Award this year and he's now 11-4, 4.50 this season. The Performance of the Week goes to James Loney's 3-4 night on Friday-- he also drove in a run with his fifth home run of the year. Finally, the Game of the Week obviously goes to the only win of the week when the Red Sox beat the Royals 5-1 on Monday. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox will play three games in Seattle before three more at home against the Blue Jays.

Red Sox Fall On Walkoff Heartbreaker (62-68)

Buchholz raised his ERA to 4.50

Last night was a very heartbreaking game as the Red Sox held the lead up until the cusp of winning, as Alfredo Aceves blew another save. The Angels started off the game very early, jumping to a 1-0 lead as leadoff hitter Mike Trout homered on the second pitch Clay Buchholz (11-4, 4.47) threw. He was followed up by a walk to Torii Hunter, who advanced to third on an Albert Pujols single. Hunter would eventually score on a sacrifice fly for Mark Trumbo to make it 2-0. The Red Sox would get one of those runs back when Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove one deep to right-center for a solo home run-- his team-leading 22nd of the year. However, it would be in the fourth that the Red Sox really cut loose, loading the bases with no outs to start the inning. They would score a pair of runs on RBI singles by James Loney and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and another when Ryan Kalish grounded into a double play to make it 5-2.

Saltalamacchia hit home run #22

It took them till the sixth, but the Angels still weren't quite done with Clay Buchholz. They got back one run on a deep home run to center for Albert Pujols, cutting it to 5-3. With two outs in the inning, a Mark Trumbo walk as Howie Kendrick proceeded to double perfectly into the gap in left-center to score Trumbo from first and cut the Red Sox' lead to one run. Buchholz would last one more inning after that, exiting the game with a solid but certainly not great line of 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K-- he is now 11-4, 4.50 this season. Closer Alfredo Aceves entered the game for the eighth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning in his first game back from a three-game suspension. However, come the ninth, there were some problems as a walk and a hit by pitch with one out set up a big inning. A Mike Trout single tied things up at 5-5, and it was a Torii Hunter sacrifice fly that did the damage with a sacrifice fly as the Angels walked off.

Bright Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 2 R
Ryan Lavarnway- 1-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
James Loney- 1-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Scott Podsednik- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Jose Iglesias- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Saltalamacchia had a big game last night, going 2-4 with a solo home run and RBI single-- he is now .231/22/52.

Buchholz' Meltdown Leads To Third Straight Loss (59-65)

Buchholz allowed seven runs

Every once in a while, even your ace is allowed a rough start and Clay Buchholz certainly had one last night. Buchholz and Jered Weaver both held the opposition scoreless for the first two innings but the Angels got going in the third inning. This all started when Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar each singled to put runners at first and third. The consecutive hits continued as Chris Iannetta drove in a run and moved Aybar to third with a soft single to right field. The next play was sort of a win-win for both sides as Mike Trout grounded into a double play, but allowed a run to score and make it 2-0 in the process. The fourth also started off well for the Angels as Albert Pujols started things off with a leadoff double. They scored one when Mark Trumbo singled up the middle, but he was caught stealing later. They scored their next run after a two-out double by Howie Kendrick and RBI single by Maicer Izturis to make it 4-0.

Lavarnway had an RBI double

However, the Red Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth-- starting with a two out single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He scored when Ryan Lavarnway doubled off the wall in left-center to get the Red Sox on the board. Lavarnway scored on a double off the monster by Mike Aviles that looked like a home run off the bat, but would cut it to a 4-2 deficit. However, the Angels just kept rolling right along in the sixth inning-- starting with a one out solo home run over the deep part of the monster by Howie Kendrick. After that, Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar put together back-to-back singles again. The Angels would actually load the bases on a single by Mike Trout before a two-run single by Torii Hunter really put the Red Sox away at 7-2. The Red Sox scored once more on an RBI double by Cody Ross, but a disappointing night regardless.

Bright Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 K
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Scott Podsednik- 3-5, 1 SB
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 R, 2 SB
Ryan Lavarnway- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 5.1 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 3 K, L (11-4)
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-5, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Scott Podsednik- Podsednik did a great job as a leadoff man and catalyst in a losing effort, going 3-5 with 3 singles and a steal-- he is now .370/1/8.

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.

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.

Buchholz Plays Role Of Stopper, Tossing Complete Game Over Tribe (56-58)

Buchholz threw his 2nd complete
game

Last night was a great game for the Red Sox as they broke out of a three game losing skid with a good, solid win over the Indians. They had a favorable matchup coming in, with Clay Buchholz (9-3, 4.48) up against Chris Seddon (0-0, 7.71) and they executed according to it. Like they did in the previous game, the Indians jumped out to a lead on a first inning home run. This time they waited a batter, though, as #2 hitter Asdrubal Cabrera went deep to center field to give the Indians an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. However, Clay Buchholz settled down and didn't even allow another baserunner for the next few innings. Thus, it was still 1-0 when the Red Sox came up in the top of the fourth. It was an inconspicuous rally starter when Mike Aviles walked with one out, but when Seddon threw away a pickoff throw, allowing Aviles to get to third, it became huge. Dustin Pedroia delivered with an RBI single past the shortstop to knot the game up at 1-1.

Ross hit his 18th home run

At that point, Cabrera led off the inning with a double to the warning track in right. However, as it turned out-- Cabrera's two hits would be the only two allowed in the game by Buchholz and Cabrera didn't come around to score. Scoring is just what the Red Sox did in the top of the sixth inning. They had a man on first and two outs for Cody Ross and Ross did what he does best-- hitting long home runs as he tanked one to center to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. However, the Red Sox defense almost immediately put that in jeopardy as a horrible defensive play allowed Jason Donald to go from a groundout to a triple. He scored on an Ezequiel Carrera sacrifice fly but that would be all as the Red Sox won 3-2.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 9 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 K, W (10-3)
Mike Aviles- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Ryan Lavarnway- 1-3
Scott Podsednik- 1-3

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 4 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-3, 2 LOB
Kelly Shoppach- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- A complete game is a rare sight for the Red Sox, but they got one last night as Clay Buchholz hurled a two-hitter and is now 10-3, 4.24 this season.

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.

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.

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.

Weekly News

I expected this to be a very rough week for the Red Sox as they were facing the two best teams in the American League-- Texas and New York-- on the road. However, I was pleasantly surprised as they put up a 3-3 week and are now 51-51 this year. For his third time this year, the Player of the Week is Will Middlebrooks-- who batted .435/1/3 this week and is now .300/12/45 this season, as he'd be a frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year any other season. Now tied for first with his fifth time this year, the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz's strong seven innings (one run, one strikeout) lowered his ERA below 5.00 for the first time this season, as he's now 8-3/4.93/73 this season and has been the Red Sox' best pitcher since April. The Performance of the Week belongs to Adrian Gonzalez for his 3-5 performance on Saturday. Along with going 3-5, he also had a home run and 4 RBIs. Finally, the Game of the Week was last night's 3-2 extra inning win. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox will take on Detroit for three and Minnesota for four-- both at home.

Aviles, Buchholz Lead Sox In Clutch Win (49-49)

Buchholz allowed a run in seven strong

With Clay Buchholz going against rookie Martin Perez, it didn't really look like a potential pitching duel. Buchholz has been good lately, but his ERA was 5.19 entering play, and Perez had just been brought up for triple-A and was struggling down there. However, it quickly emerged as a definite pitchers duel after three shutout innings on both sides. The Red Sox had gotten to Perez a bit, loading the bases in the second inning, but he had been impressive nonetheless. Anyhow, it was in the fourth inning that the Red Sox finally got a bit going after a leadoff walk for Cody Ross. Will Middlebrooks flew out and Carl Crawford struck out, leaving Ross at first with two outs, but Kelly Shoppach came through. Shoppach lifted one to right center that just evaded David Murphy's reach as it became an RBI double.

Aviles had the go-ahead RBI single

Clay Buchholz actually held that lead for a few innings, as he was very good last night. Finally in the sixth inning, though, it was Elvis Andrus who broke out with a one-out double. Andrus got to third on a wild pitch and despite the infield being in, scored on a soft grounder by Josh Hamilton to tie it at 1-1. It stayed tied for one more inning before Clay Buchholz was taken out of the game after seven with a line of 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K. For the first time this season, Buchholz's ERA is below 5.00-- as he's really come a long way since April. Neither team scored in the eighth, but the Red Sox put together a two-out rally in the ninth. Two two-out walks off Joe Nathan put them in a position to score with Mike Aviles at bat. Aviles worked a long at bat before blooping a soft line drive just over the head of Elvis Andrus. The run scored and the Red Sox won 2-1.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (4-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, SV (21)
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4
Kelly Shoppach- 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 1 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 LOB
Carl Crawford- 0-3, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite some last minute heroics by Mike Aviles, he wouldn't even have had a chance if Buchholz wasn't quite so good in his seven innings-- he is now 8-3/4.93/73.

Weekly News

This was a week of major ups and downs for the Red Sox-- starting off with a great 3-1 series against the White Sox and finishing with a sweep to the (formerly) last place Blue Jays-- a 3-4 week in total. For the first time this year, the Player of the Week is the sizzling Adrian Gonzalez-- who went .428/3/12 this week and is now .296/9/58 this season. For his fourth time this year (second on the team), the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz went eight strong innings, allowing one run, on Thursday night's game against the White Sox and is now 8-3/5.19/72 this season. The Performance of the Week would be obvious if you've watched the Red Sox this week, but if not, the answer is Cody Ross on Wednesday, when he went 3-5 with two three-run home runs and a double. Finally, the Game of the Week is Thursday night when Cody Ross knocked a three-run walk off home run to conclude the White Sox series. Next week, the Red Sox will have a tough week as they'll head to Texas for three, take a day off, and head to New York for three more.

Ross The Hero Again As Sox Walk Off (48-45)

Buchholz allowed just a run in
eight innings

This was one of the most exciting games that I've ever watched, and almost certainly the most exciting this season. It was a pitcher's duel between two unlikely counterparts-- Clay Buchholz (5.53 ERA entering play) and rookie Jose Quintana. However, both of them were dominant as it was still scoreless entering the fourth inning. That was when the White Sox put a little rally together-- putting runners at the corners with no outs on an Adam Dunn walk and Paul Konerko single. That set things up for Alex Rios, who hit a fly ball to Cody Ross in right to score the game's first run. However, Clay Buchholz worked out of the jam and another run did not score in the fourth. Not only was Quintana holding the Red Sox from scoring, but Pedro Ciriaco's third inning triple was their only hit until the seventh inning of this game-- that's just how dominant Quintana was.

Ross had a three-run walk-off homer

Speaking of that seventh inning, the Red Sox put together a rally of their own in that inning. After Carl Crawford grounded out to open the inning-- three consecutive singles by Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, and Cody Ross put the Red Sox in a great position to score. Will Middlebrooks stepped up in this key situation and hit a one hopper to shortstop Alexei Ramirez-- who promptly turned two to end the inning and keep the score at 1-0. However, the Red Sox would have the last laugh in the ninth inning. Carl Crawford singled to lead off the inning, but a Dustin Pedroia fielder's choice put Pedey at first with one out. Adrian Gonzalez would single to right to put two men on with just one out for Cody Ross. Ross had hit two three-run homers the night before, and figured that his time was now as he lifted a fly ball to deep left, up and over the monster for a three-run homer to make it 3-1 Red Sox-- final.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-3
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-3, 1 3B

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

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Despite Clay Buchholz's magnificent start, the Red Sox owe this game to Cody Ross-- who hit that walk-off homer in the ninth and is now .274/16/50 this season.

Red Sox Return To .500 With Tough Loss (44-44)

Until the seventh, Buchholz was very
sharp last night

My first game back from Nature Camp looked like exactly the game I like for a while-- a good pitching duel. Neither team had scored and Mike Aviles had the only hit of the ballgame as we entered the bottom of the third inning. However, back-to-back singles leading off the inning put the Rays in a good position to break that scoreless tie. Sean Rodriguez crushed a pitch deep into the gap that made me feel that the Red Sox were very lucky that Jacoby Ellsbury was back. He kept it to a sacrifice fly, rather than a two-run double that it may have been otherwise. Empowered by that catch, the Red Sox put together a strong fourth inning-- culminating with Will Middlebrooks' two-out two-run home run to left-center to make it 2-1. The Rays wouldn't score again until the fifth after a leadoff double by Jeff Keppinger was further aided by a sacrifice bunt. With the infield in, Jose Molina hit a hard grounder to shortstop that Mike Aviles booted so the Rays tied the game.

Middlebrooks had a two-run
homer, his 11th

In the top of the sixth, the Red Sox would take advantage of some defensive miscues to take another lead. A one-out walk by Cody Ross moved to second on a passed ball, third on a groundout, and home on a botched pickoff to third base to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. However, it would be in the seventh that it all unraveled. Clay Buchholz allowed the Rays to put two runners in scoring position with just one out. He was taken out in favor of Matt Albers, who did the smart thing and walked the bases loaded to set up the double play. However, that move didn't look so smart as he walked a run in to the next batter-- Jose Lobaton. Or when the Rays took the 4-3 lead on a sacrifice fly by Elliot Johnson. The Red Sox squandered a leadoff double in the eighth and turned things over to the Rays, who quickly got insurance on a moonshot by B.J. Upton. They would hold the lead and win 5-3.


Bright Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 2B
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Matt Albers- 0.1 IP, 2 BB, BS (4)
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 2 K, 4 LOB
Daniel Nava- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Will Middlebrooks- Despite only going 1-4, he provided the main offensive outburst with a two-run homer and is now .291/11/39 this season.

Red Sox Nail Three Homers On Fishing Trip (34-33)

Buchholz allowed five runs in
six innings, but earned the win

Once again, the Red Sox have surpassed the .500 mark after a win against the Marlins and are now 34-33 this season. Things didn't start off too great for the Red Sox, as Clay Buchholz was not on and surrendered a two-run homer to Logan Morrison in the first inning. Luckily, the Red Sox offense would bail him out as David Ortiz hit a two-run homer of his own on a line to right field to even the score at 2-2. The Red Sox continued to pile up the two-run homers in the second inning as Kelly Shoppach nailed one over the monster, also scoring Will Middlebrooks, to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead. However, the Marlins got a little rally going in the third after Hanley Ramirez walked and Giancarlo Stanton was hit by a pitch with two outs. Once again, it was Logan Morrison tearing up the Red Sox' offense as he doubled to left to score Ramirez and cut the Red Sox lead to one run. The Red Sox got that run back in the fourth, though, as Cody Ross (in his first game back) crushed a ball to left for a solo home run to make it 5-3.

Ortiz was 2-4 with a two-
run homer

The Marlins would get another rally going that was startlingly familiar to their last one as Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton each singled with two outs. Again, it was Logan Morrison providing all of the offense as he doubled off the deep part of the monster in left-center to score both of them and tie the game. In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox continued to scrounge for runs as Mike Aviles doubled to lead off the inning. Dustin Pedroia bunted him to third and Adrian Gonzalez drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5. Back-to-back doubles leading off the sixth by Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks netted the Red Sox another run to make it 7-5 in the sixth inning. That would be Clay Buchholz's last inning and it was not his best start as he went 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K but still left with a lead. The Red Sox' bullpen saved the lead as Vicente Padilla picked up his 16th hold (T-3rd in baseball) and Alfredo Aceves picked up his 17th save (4th in the AL) in a 7-5 win.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, SV (17)
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W (8-2)

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- Papi led the offense again as he went 2-4 with a two-run home run to help the Red Sox on their way to a win, he is now .314/17/45.

Weekly News

The Red Sox were far from dominant this week-- but they managed to quietly pull off a very solid 4-2 week. They won series against the Marlins and Cubs, both after dropping the first game of the series. For his team-leading fifth time this year, the Player of the Week is David Ortiz-- who batted .353/2/5 while continuing his fantastic season of .311/16/43. Clay Buchholz tied the team lead with three awards when he won the Pitcher of the Week after a performance on Tuesday where he allowed a run and struck out nine in a 2-1 win over Miami. Buchholz has recovered from his brutal start and is now 7-2/5.38/55 this season. The Performance of the Week belongs to David Ortiz after last night's game when he went 2-4 with 2 runs, a solo home run, and 2 RBIs. The Game of the Week was also last night as, while it was a bit sloppy, it was exciting as they won 7-4. After an off day today, the Red Sox will head to Fenway to play three game series against Miami and Atlanta next week.

Red Sox Edge Marlins In Pitching Duel (30-32)

Buchholz was brilliant
last night

When it comes to the Boston Red Sox, we haven't seen a whole lot of true pitching duels in recent years. Last night, though, with Clay Buchholz facing Mark Buehrle-- not exactly a match up of aces-- we saw a big one. Neither team scored until the seventh inning (or after) and the Red Sox only managed a hit before the seventh. Buchholz escaped several jams-- even in the first inning, when Jose Reyes tripled to lead off the game, but Buchholz struck out the side to strand him. He got into another jam in the third inning, when a two out rally had put runners at first and second. Hanley Ramirez hit a slow grounder up the middle and beat it out for an infield single, but Jose Reyes had rounded third and was easily thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Buchholz was dominant after that, and the Red Sox finally got going in the seventh inning. With one out, Will Middlebrooks hit a slow line drive into right field that just avoided being caught by Giancarlo Stanton. Adrian Gonzalez flew out, so it was all up to Kelly Shoppach to drive him in.

He allowed a run in seven
innings for a win

Shoppach would drive a pitch directly into the gap. Middlebrooks easily came all the way around first and Shoppach had an RBI double to make it 1-0. However, the Red Sox weren't done yet as Mike Aviles stepped up to the plate and promptly delivered a bloop single to center to score Shoppach and make it 2-0. Darnell McDonald then singled on another blooper to center to put runners at the corners with two outs for Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox did not pinch-hit for Buchholz, and he almost delivered as it took a fantastic diving catch by center fielder Chris Coghlan to prevent an RBI single. The Marlins would get one of those runs back almost immediately as Logan Morrison crushed a line drive home run to deep right to cut the lead to 2-1. Clay Buchholz got out of the inning with minimal damage and left the game after with a 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K line. Vicente Padilla and Alfredo Aceves-- picking up his 15th save-- each threw a scoreless inning to help the Red Sox win for the first time in a while.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K, W (7-2)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (15)
Kelly Shoppach- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI
Darnell McDonald- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Scott Podsednik- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Kevin Youkilis- 0-3

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- For his last seven times up, Buchholz had been fantastic and he was again tonight, allowing a run in seven strong innings-- he is now 7-2/5.38/55.

Weekly News

Things appeared to be going strong for the Red Sox entering this week-- they were coming off a 5-2 week that saw them win two series. However, they fell to 1-5 this week, losing a series to the Orioles and being swept by the Nationals. For his first time of the year, the Player of the Week is Jarrod Saltalamacchia-- who batted .278/1/4 this week and is now .266/11/29 on the season. For his second time this year-- and second consecutive as well-- the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz impressed everybody with a complete game shutout against the Orioles on Thursday night, and is now 6-2/5.77/46 this season. The Performance of the Week goes to Jarrod Saltalamacchia on Monday-- who went 3-4 with a double and a clutch two-run homer as a part of the extra inning 8-6 loss. Seeing as it was the only win of the week, the Game of the Week goes to the 7-0 win on Thursday in which Buchholz threw a shutout. In the next week, the Red Sox will play a pair of series away from home-- a three game set in Miami and a three game set in Chicago.