Red Sox Pitching Varies In Split Squad Double-Header (10-9)

Doubront threw 6 strong innings

In the 1:05 game today, the Red Sox faced the Miami Marlins and some solid pitching led them to a decisive win. They got going very quick-- scoring three runs in the first inning after Jose Iglesias and Pedro Ciriaco led off the ballgame with an error and a double to put two in scoring position. A single by Cody Ross, a groundout by David Ortiz, and a single by Ryan Lavarnway would net them a 3-0 lead. The Marlins scored one in the second on a leadoff home run by Austin Kearns to cut the lead to 3-1. However, despite that blemish, Felix Doubront was very good. He pitched for 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts in a very good outing. The Sox picked up another run in the sixth after the Sox put runners at first and second with Dan Butler and Ryan Lavarnway, Ryan Sweeney would promptly drive in Butler with a ground ball single to get a 4-1 lead. The Red Sox' bullpen was very solid and preserved Doubront's lead. Doug Mathis struck out one in a perfect inning, Clayton Mortensen struck out two in a perfect inning, and Justin Thomas tossed a perfect inning to end the game. Some very strong pitching was nice to see from the Sox in this game, but it wasn't all so nice today.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Doug Mathis- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 1 strikeout
Clayton Mortensen- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 2 strikeouts
Justin Thomas- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-3, 1 run, 1 double
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 RBI
Ryan Lavarnway- 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Ryan Sweeney- 1-3, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Derrik Gibson- 0-2, 1 strikeout
Mitch Dening- 0-2, 1 strikeout, 1 left on base
Lars Anderson- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 4 left on base
Nate Spears- 0-3, 1 strikeout, 2 left on base
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Alfredo Aceves was roughed up

While the game against the Marlins exhibited some very strong pitching, the same could not be said about the 1:35 game against the Phillies. The Phillies twice in the first and four times in the second to take a 6-0 lead early on. The Sox reclaimed some of that lead when Jacoby Ellsbury hit a fly ball into right field which Hunter Pence lost in the sun-- the ball fell for a 2-run triple to make it 6-2. The Phillies continued to score, however, and knocked Alfredo Aceves out of the game after three innings-- he allowed nine runs on ten hits. Michael Bowden allowed a run in the fourth, but he settled down and allowed just that run in his two innings of work. The Sox scored in the sixth inning when three consecutive singles by Jonathan Hee, Nick Punto, and Josh Kroeger netted Kroeger an RBI single. The Sox got a little rally going in the eighth culminating in a two-run single by Peter Hissey finished the scoring with a score of 10-5. Red Sox pitchers closed out the game well with scoreless (and hitless) innings by Franklin Morales, Andrew Bailey, Vicente Padilla, and Garrett Mock-- the only baserunners came on walks by Bailey and Mock.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Andrew Bailey- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Vicente Padilla- 1 inning, no runs, no hits
Garrett Mock- 1 inning, no runs, no hits, 1 walk
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 triple, 2 RBIs
Peter Hissey- 1-1, 2 RBIs
Mike Aviles- 2-3
Nick Punto- 3-4
Josh Kroeger- 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 run

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 3 innings, 10 hits, 9 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 2 strikeouts, 1 left on base
Kolbrin Vitek- 0-2, 1 strikeout

Red Sox Tie, Win In Split-Squad Double Header (8-4)

Cook threw 3.1 shutout innings

Today the Red Sox did one of the interesting quirks of spring training, two simultaneous games going on at the same time; starting at 1:05 and 1:35 eastern time. In the first game, the Red Sox played the Orioles in Sarasota. Not too much scoring happened early, with Aaron Cook tossing 3.1 shutout innings, allowing just a hit. Wei-Yin Chen of the Orioles was just as good until the fifth inning, when the Sox put Pedro Ciriaco and Ryan Lavarnway on base to lead off the inning. Nate Spears promptly homered to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. However, Clayton Mortensen allowed two runs in the sixth inning to allow the Orioles to make it a one-run game-- he finished with 2.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts as he was not sharp. Will Inman allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless seventh inning. Doug Mathis was solid for the eighth, but the O's tied it in the ninth at 3-3. The Sox kept Mathis in though-- and he turned in a decent performance with 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 strikeouts. The umpires decided to call the game after the tenth and the game ended in a tie-- another quirk of spring training.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 3.1 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Doug Mathis- 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 strikeouts
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-2, 1 walk
Ryan Lavarnway- 3-3, 1 run
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-3, 1 run
Nate Spears- 1-2, 1 run, 3 RBIs, 1 home run

Dull Spots:
Clayton Mortensen- 2.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Josh Kroeger- 0-5, 3 strikeouts, 2 left on base
Kevin Youkilis- 0-3
Ryan Dent- 0-2, 1 left on base
Kolbrin Vitek- 0-2, 1 left on base
Jonathan Hee- 0-4, 3 left on base
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Beckett threw five strong innings

Shortly after that game began, a second one in Ft. Myers also started, also against the Orioles. After two scoreless innings to begin the game, the Sox took advantage of Armando Gallaraga in the third. Lars Anderson led off the inning with what should have been a leadoff double but some rough fielding by Xavier Avery made it essentially a leadoff triple. Alex Hassan didn't hesitate in driving him in with a groundout. After the Orioles tied it in the fourth, the Sox quickly reclaimed the lead. After a groundout by David Ortiz, Cody Ross doubled and Kelly Shoppach singled to put runners at the corners with one away. Nick Punto proceeded to hit a gapper to left-center, scoring Ross and giving the Sox a 2-1 lead. After a Mike Aviles popout, Lars Anderson drove a ball into left. It scored Shoppach and Punto, but Anderson was caught heading to second by left fielder Ryan Flaherty. Beckett finished his day after the top of the fifth-- in all, he earned the win with 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. The Sox proceeded to pad onto their lead in the bottom of the fifth. An Alex Hassan single and Jacoby Ellsbury double led off the inning with two in scoring position. RBI groundouts by Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz gave the Red Sox a 6-1 lead. The next batter, Cody Ross, then crushed a ball over the psuedo-monster in left to give the Sox a 7-1 lead. Ross Ohlendorf came in for the Sox and pitched well over 1.2 innings, allowing no hits or runs plus 2 walks and a strikeout. However, Junichi Tazawa was shaky in the eighth inning-- allowing 3 hits and 3 runs in just an inning. Michael Bowden closed out the 7-4 win with 2 hits in a scoreless inning.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3, 1 run, 1 double
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 home run
Kelly Shoppach- 1-3, 1 run
Nick Punto- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
Lars Anderson- 2-3, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 double
Alex Hassan- 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 1 inning, 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 3 left on base

Red Sox End Streak In An Unlikely Way (3-0)

Justin Germano was impressive

Today was an interesting day for the Red Sox, in a game that was broadcasted by neither television or radio. Justin Germano (right) pitched well through the first two innings for Boston-- he allowed one hit and no runs with no strikeouts or walks either. In the 3rd inning, Oscar Tejeda and Juan Carlos Linares each singled to put runners at the corners with no outs. After a Mike Aviles popup, Ryan Sweeney drove Tejeda in with a sacrifice fly. Cody Ross then singled to keep the Sox in business, but they couldn't keep up the rally. However, in the bottom of the 3rd-- Justin Thomas was a bit rocky. In his lone inning, he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on two hits and a walk to give the Jays a 3-1 lead entering the 4th. A pair of one-out singles by Lars Anderson and Kelly Shoppach gave the Sox two baserunners, but Oscar Tejeda struck out to give the Sox two outs. Francisco Cordero of the Blue Jays tossed a wild pitch to move the runners up and then a rare throwing error by defensive wizard Omar Vizquel tied up the game at 3-3. That would be all either team would get as the game would stay tied.

Bright Spots:
Justin Germano- 2 innings, no runs, 1 hit, no walks or strikeouts
Tony Pena Jr.- 1 inning, 1 hit, no runs, walks, or strikeouts
Mark Melancon- 1 inning, no runs or hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Junichi Tazawa- 1 inning, no runs, 1 hit
Chorye Spoone- 1 inning, 1 hit, no runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Doug Mathis- 2 innings, 1 hit, no runs
Lars Anderson- 1-2, 1 run
Kelly Shoppach- 1-2, 1 run
Oscar Tejeda- 1-2, 1 run

Dull Spots:
Justin Thomas- 1 inning, 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk
Zach Gentile- 0-2, 1 strikeout
Jorge Padron- 0-2

Red Sox Improve Depth By Signing Mathis

Ben Cherington was very honest when, in his press conference, he said that he wasn't going to sign many big free agents and display more of a drafting/development type approach. When your two biggest acquisitions of the offseason on December 10 are Jesse Carlson and Doug Mathis, that is very true. As you probably have picked up, the Red Sox signed Doug Mathis. Mathis is a right-handed pitcher who did not play in the majors in 2011. He played with the Rangers from 2008-2010, going 1-1/6.04/10 in 13 games and 22 1/3 innings for the Rangers in 2010. His best season came in 2009, when he went 0-1/3.16/25 in 24 games and 42 2/3 innings. Mathis played in the minor league systems of the Giants and the A's last season before going to Korea to finish the year. He provides a cheap option for more depth in the Red Sox bullpen and rotation. I'm neutral on this move, as we probably won't be seeing him in the majors.