Red Sox To Acquire Left-Hander Craig Breslow

The Diamondbacks acquired more talent than the Red Sox did in this deal, let me make that clear. But still, I'm not unhappy because the Red Sox were able to deal Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik-- each members of the bullpen and outfield surplus that the Red Sox won't be building around. In return, they'll acquire a left-handed reliever named Craig Breslow who has quietly had a lot of success over the past few years. In his first year with Arizona in 2012, he's gone 2-0/2.70/42 with peripheral numbers far superior to Matt Albers'. He's struck out 8.72 per nine innings and walk just 2.70-- good for a very respectable 3.23 ratio. Both that and his FIP and xFIP of 3.61 and 3.54, respectively, are better than Matt Albers' 5.01 and 4.19 marks. Plus, there's always the issue that in acquiring another left-handed reliever, they free up the option of moving Franklin Morales back to the rotation. Morales had put up a 3.43 ERA in 5 starts earlier this year and would certainly be an upgrade over Aaron Cook. All in all, this was a smart trade for the Red Sox and I'm happy with it.

Lester Roughed Up In Series Opener (22-23)

Lester didn't pitch well

Just when things were looking good for the Red Sox-- they blew it again and fell below .500 once more. The Red Sox would start off the bottom of the first by putting runners at first and second with two outs. Kevin Youkilis delivered for them by scoring Mike Aviles with a line drive single into center field. There would be a scoreless second for each team before the Rays really made a mark in the third. They loaded the bases with two outs, on a single and two walks, and Matt Joyce came up. Joyce took a low pitch and just drove a high fly ball to dead right-center which just evaded Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik into the bullpen for a grand slam to give the Rays a 4-1 lead early on. They kept going in the fourth-- powered by a leadoff single for Drew Sutton (former Red Sox utility man). With one out and Sutton still on first, Elliot Johnson put a charge into a fastball and drove it over the deepest part of the monster for a two-run homer and a  6-1 lead. Immediately afterwards, Carlos Pena homered down the line and just out of Marlon Byrd's reach for a homer.

Aviles had a run and RBI

That would give the Rays a 7-1 lead after just four innings and things were looking demoralizing for the Red Sox. To start the fifth inning, Jon Lester was taken out of the game with a miserable 4 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 4 K line that would raise his ERA all the way to 4.72 on the season. However, the Red Sox would begin to eat away at the Rays' lead in the fifth when they put runners on first and second with two outs. Adrian Gonzalez hit a ball off the green monster in left to score a run and put runners at second and third with two outs. However, Gonzalez's double would be all the Red Sox got as they'd leave the inning still with a 7-2 deficit. In the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox got off to an even better start by putting runners at first and second with no outs. Marlon Byrd kept it going by hitting a sharp line drive past the second baseman to make it 7-3. A sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly, while resulting in one run, would basically ruin the rally as the Red Sox lost 7-4.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Franklin Morales-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 1-4, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB
Marlon Byrd- 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Scott Podsednik- 1-3, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Jon Lester- 4 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 4 K
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Marlon Byrd- This game was pretty miserable on every facet, but Byrd had a decent day-- going 1-3 with a walk and an RBI single, he is now .206/1/9 on the year.

Papelbon, Hamels Shut Down Sox In Series Opener (18-21)

Bard settled down after a
rough first inning

Even though the Red Sox lost the series opener tonight, they played a good game and it was fun to watch. The Phillies got off to a very fast start, loading the bases on three walks with one out-- Bard showed some serious control issues again. Carlos Ruiz took a first pitch slider to right-center for a single that would score two runs and give the Phillies an early lead. A sacrifice fly for Ty Wigginton and an RBI double for John Mayberry Jr. would hand the Phillies a 4-0 lead after just one inning. The Red Sox slowly began to eat away at this lead-- starting in the third inning when Mike Aviles put a charge into a fastball down the middle and drove a home run down the third base line to cut it to 4-1. The Red Sox got into another position to score by putting runners at the corners with one out in the fourth-- a Cody Ross double and Will Middlebrooks single got them there. Daniel Nava hit a lazy fly ball into center field and right to Shane Victorino, but there was no play and a run scored to further cut the lead. But just when Daniel Bard had appeared to settle down, he got into some more issues.

Mike Aviles had a homer
and a double

With one out in the fifth, Hunter Pence absolutely crushed a ball into left field to give the Phillies a 5-2 lead on Pence's tenth homer of the year. The Red Sox quickly answered in the sixth, though, when Cody Ross crushed a homer around the pole in left field to cut it to a 5-3 Phillies lead. After the top of the sixth, Daniel Bard would be pulled from the game with a line of 5 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 3 K-- as Bard did not have his best stuff tonight. Matt Albers came into the game, and neither team scored for a couple innings with the score still at 5-3 heading into the eighth. With one out in the inning, Adrian Gonzalez took a low curve and pulled it into the seats to cut it to a 5-4 game with his third home run this season. The Phillies answered that run in the bottom of the inning when Freddy Galvis went yard off of Franklin Morales to make it 6-4. Jonathan Papelbon worked a scoreless ninth against his former team and the Phillies would take the opener 6-4.


Bright Spots:
Matt Albers- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Daniel Bard- 5 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 3 K, L (3-5)
Franklin Morales- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-2, 1 K, 2 LOB
Nick Punto- 0-2, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Cody Ross just continued his tear tonight by going 2-3 with a double, two runs scored, and a home run to make him .271/8/28 this year.

Red Sox Mash Masterson, Wheeler In Rout (15-19)

Daniel Bard earned his
third win of the year

The Red Sox were looking for the series win over Cleveland when they took the field at 1:35 today, and they performed accordingly. After a scoreless top of the first-- the Sox got to work in the bottom half with a two out rally. After Ryan Sweeney and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to lead off the inning, a David Ortiz walk and Adrian Gonzalez double put them in good position to score. They would do so when Will Middlebrooks lined a ball into left to score a run. Another run would come home when Daniel Nava drove a double off the green monster to score a run and push it to 2-0. The Sox would take two more in the inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined a ball into right field with the bases loaded to give the Sox a 4-0 lead in just the first inning. After another scoreless inning-- Daniel Bard got into a little jam in the third when he loaded the bases on two walks and a hit. He would walk Asdrubal Cabrera on four pitches to bring one run home before Travis Hafner grounded into an inning ending double play, and from that point on it was all Red Sox.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia had
five RBIs today

The Sox quickly answered for the Indians' run when Will Middlebrooks knocked a laser over the green monster. After a couple more scoreless innings, the Sox scored again in the sixth when Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a line drive just out of left fielder Johnny Damon's reach to make it 6-1. The sixth would also be Daniel Bard's last inning-- he finished at 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K. Rich Hill worked a perfect seventh before the Sox really got off in the bottom half. Dustin Pedroia led off the inning with a double but was home  on a David Ortiz single before you could say "meaningless run!" Another run would come home on a wild pitch to make it 8-1 and put runners at the corners for Daniel Nava. Nava made good of the opportunity by driving them both in with a double deep off the monster to give the Sox a 10-1 lead. Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up after a Cody Ross groundout and promptly drove a homer to almost dead center to give the Sox a 12-1 lead. Those would be the last runs of a Mother's Day rout for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Daniel Bard- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K, W (3-4)
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-2, 3 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 3-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI

Dull Spots:
Cody Ross- 0-3, 1 K, 3 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty had a fantastic game today, going 3-5 with a two-run homer to go with  two-run and one-run singles to help the Sox-- he is now .250/5/15.

Red Sox Drop Series Opener In 13 (11-14)

Lester was decent last night

Both of these teams played good baseball last night, but eventually the Red Sox' bullpen struck and the Orioles won in thirteen innings. Cody Ross led off the second inning with a triple and would come around to score late with a passed ball. However, the Orioles quickly answered when Mark Reynolds led off the third with a homer over the monster to tie it at 1-1. The Sox were again in business after an Adrian Gonzalez single and Dustin Pedroia double to start the third. They would score two in the inning on a David Ortiz groundout and a Cody Ross sac fly to make it 3-1. Once again, the O's answered in the fourth as Adam Jones walked to lead off the inning. Matt Weiters tripled down the first base line before scoring on Wilson Betemit's single up the middle.

He allowed three runs in six innings

That would tie the game at 3-3, but the Sox would take another lead when Dustin Pedroia drove in Will Middlebrooks in the fifth. Jon Lester would be taken out of the game after the sixth with a 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K line and a 4-3 lead. However, Vicente Padilla couldn't get the job done in relief-- loading the bases with no outs in the seventh. The Orioles would score in relatively harmless fashion with a double play to tie it at 4-4. Neither team would score again until the 13th inning when the Orioles took two on a single by Chris Davis and a sacrifice fly to Mark Reynolds to make it 6-4. The Sox couldn't answer and the O's won by that score.

Bright Spots:
Matt Albers- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Alfredo Aceves- 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-6, 1 R
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 SF, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, BS (1)
Franklin Morales- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, L (0-1)
Mike Aviles- 0-5, 1 BB, 2 LOB
Darnell McDonald- 0-5, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 LOB
Marlon Byrd- 0-3, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- In a weak night offensively for the Sox, Pedroia really held his own last night, going 2-5 with a run, double, and RBI single.

Red Sox Fall Sub-.500 in Loss To A's (11-12)

Doubront stuggled last night

Just after a slugfest to the A's the previous game, this game was a little more pitching-heavy, as the Sox struggled to put enough runs on the board. With Jemile Weeks on second base and two outs in the first, Yoenis Cespedes grounded a ball up the middle to drive in the speedy Weeks and give the A's a 1-0 advantage. Doubront settled down for the next two innings before encountering a bit more trouble in the fourth. Doubront allowed a single to Kurt Suzuki and walked Kila Ka'aihue with one out, and a strikeout to Anthony Recker appeared to make the A's scoring chances unlikely. However, light hitting shortstop Cliff Pennington doubled directly into the left-center gap, scoring a run to give the A's a 2-0 lead and two in scoring position. Jemile Weeks proceeded to ground one up the middle, scoring both runs and advancing to second base on the throw. He stole third and later in the at bat, reached home on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.

He only lasted four innings

The Red Sox started off their half of the fourth by manufacturing a run. Dustin Pedroia led off with a single, advanced to second on a passed ball, then came home on a pair of ground balls to second base-- getting the Sox on the board with a 5-1 deficit.  When the fifth inning began, Scott Atchison came in to relieve Doubront-- who had allowed five runs in four innings, losing his first start of the year. Atchison pitched fairly well with a line of 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 K before being relieved by Rich Hill. Hill pitched exceedingly well with 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K in a really strong outing for the lefty. He would be relieved by Matt Albers, who was also quite good with 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K-- as the bullpen pitched well enough to win, but to no avail. However, the Sox did put up a fight in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases with one out. Mike Aviles singled up the middle to score two and make things interesting with the score at 5-3. However, Lars Anderson struck out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out and 5-3 would be the final score.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 K
Rich Hill- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K
Matt Albers- 1.1, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Cody Ross- 3-4, 1 R, 2 2B
Nick Punto- 0-1, 3 BB

Dull Spots:
Felix Doubront- 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 8 K
Ryan Sweeney- 0-2, 2 LOB
Lars Anderson- 0-2, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Rich Hill- Ladies and gentlemen, Rich Hill is back as the lefty did what he's capable of last night with three strikeouts and just 1.2 innings.

Late Rallies Extend Winning Streak To Five (9-10)

Daniel Bard pitched well
in his first win as a starter

Unlike the previous five games, the Red Sox did not start off quite as strong-- but they came on late and that's when it really counts. With runners at first and second, two outs, and two strikes in the first, A.J. Pierzynski doubled off the wall in left to drive in a run. However, the Red Sox got those runs back in the second when David Ortiz crushed a two-run homer (his fourth of the year) on an inside fastball to make it 2-1. The game got all knotted up again in the third when Kelly Shoppach allowed a weird passed ball on a high fastball that he should have definitely caught. The White Sox took another lead in the fifth when Paul Konerko crushed a home run into deep left. But that's just when things got going strong for the Red Sox. The Sox loaded the bases on a pair of walks (Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis) and a single (David Ortiz) with just one out. With two strikes and a low fastball, Cody Ross turned on it and sent a line drive through the infield gap to the left. Gonzalez would score and tie the game up at 3-3, but that wasn't all for the Sox.

Darnell McDonald had 4 RBIs

Kelly Shoppach struck out swinging to make it two outs, but Darnell McDonald would deliver. On a first pitch fastball, he drove a line drive right down the third base line. Two runs scored easily and Ross just made it around on a close play as a three-run double from one of the least likely suspects had given the Red Sox a 6-3 lead. From there they didn't really look back as Marlon Byrd made it 7-3 with a little blooper into left-center. The Red Sox scored two more runs in the seventh inning on RBI singles by Cody Ross and Kelly Shoppach to make it 9-3. The seventh inning was also Daniel Bard's last-- as he really settled down to throw a great ball game with 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K and winning the game to become 2-2/3.72/19 on the year. The Red Sox would take another in the ninth inning when Darnell McDonald homered to make it a 10-3 win for Boston.

Bright Spots:
Daniel Bard- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (2-2)
Matt Albers- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB
David Ortiz- 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-5, 1 R, 2 RBI
Darnell McDonald- 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Marlon Byrd- 2-5, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody

Player of the Game:
Darnell McDonald- McDonald really turned it on in the late innings with the go ahead three-run double in the sixth and a solo homer in the ninth-- he is now .147/1/6.

Red Sox Record Commanding Win Over Twins (6-10)

Beckett settled down
after a rough first inning

The Red Sox were in need of a win in the series opener against the Twins, and they just beat one out at 6-5. However, this game wasn't so close as the Sox just flat out crushed the Twins. Much like they did the night before, the Sox got going fast-- scoring a run after a leadoff double by Mike Aviles and RBI single by Ryan Sweeney up the middle. With runners at the corners, David Ortiz dropped a line drive into left to make it 2-0 before a Cody Ross RBI groundout concluded the first inning runs. However, the Twins worked Beckett in the first inning as well. He threw 37 pitches in the inning, loading the bases and walking a run in to make it 3-1. However, Beckett would settle down for the next few innings. Meanwhile, David Ortiz went yard with a bomb to right field to make it 5-1 Red Sox. In the fourth inning, Mike Aviles also would go yard-- him with a shot to left (just staying fair)-- and an RBI single by Ryan Sweeney later would push it to a brutal 7-1 Red Sox lead in just the fourth inning-- a commanding lead against any team.

Mike Aviles had a four
hit game

The Red Sox' scoring just did not stop though, as a trifecta of RBI doubles (Aviles, Pedroia, Gonzalez) would net the Sox three more runs and give them a 10-1 lead in the fifth inning. The Twins also scored in that inning as Josh Willingham drove in Jamey Carroll with an RBI double. Both the Red Sox and Twins went down 1-2-3 in the sixth inning, and that inning concluded Josh Beckett's night. Beckett had settled down after a rough first inning and pitched 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K in a solid outing. The Red Sox pushed another run across the plate in the eighth inning on an RBI groundout for Darnell McDonald which would make it a dominating 11-2 lead. Scott Atchison had thrown a perfect seventh inning, and he would do so again in the eighth. He concluded his night with a very good appearance at 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K as Atchison has been one of Bobby Valentine's most trusted relievers with a 1.54 ERA this year. Matt Albers allowed a hit in a scoreless ninth to close out the game with a dominating 11-2 final score.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
Scott Atchison- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Mike Aviles- 4-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 2-6, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-6, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-4
Marlon Byrd- 2-5, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Mike Aviles- Aviles had an excellent game by going 4-5 with both a home run and a pair of doubles, recording three runs scored and two RBIs.

Rangers Fire On All Cylinders In Rout Of Red Sox (4-7)

Lester was shellacked

Perhaps the most ironic and strange part of this rout was that the Red Sox actually took the lead. After Mike Aviles' leadoff single in the first inning, Dustin Pedroia slammed a homer over the monster and that was pretty much it for the Red Sox' glory in this game. After a one-out double by Nelson Cruz in the second inning, Mike Napoli quickly tied the game by crushing a homer to left. They'd score two more in the inning with a bases loaded single for Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton's short fly ball to left which Cody Ross botched and allowed a run to score and make it 4-2 Rangers. The Rangers continued to make productive outs and manufacture runs in the third inning with an RBI groundout, sacrifice fly, and an RBI single by Josh Hamilton to make it 7-2. Before that third inning was even through, the Rangers had gotten to Jon Lester enough to convince Bobby Valentine to take him out after a miserable day. Scott Atchison was actually fairly impressive, with two shutout innings before Michael Young got to him for a homer. His final line was a fairly impressive 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run homer

One might actually believe that the Red Sox pitching was settling down and this game might not be so bad. Matt Albers threw a scoreless seventh inning to keep the score at 8-2 and not an excessive rout. However, that was before Mark Melancon came into the game. The Rangers put two on base to begin the inning, and they were quickly taken off the basepaths when Josh Hamilton went yard and Adrian Beltre accompanied him to make it a 12-2 ballgame. Nelson Cruz would hit a two-run shot and the Rangers would score a pair more in the inning to make it 16-2. Adrian Gonzalez hit his second home run of the season on a shot to right in the bottom half but the Rangers would more than make that up in the ninth when they scored two off Vicente Padilla. This was not a good game.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 2 RBIs, 1 HR
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 HR
Ryan Sweeney- 3-4, 2 2B

Dull Spots:
Jon Lester- 2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Mark Melancon- 0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 2 BB
Justin Thomas- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 4 K, 2 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Scott Atchison- Atchison did a great job of holding this game together and giving some of us hope by allowing just a run in four strong innings of relief.

Red Sox Non-Tender Rich Hill, Re-Sign Albers

Last night was the non-tender deadline, which means: If a player has more than 2 1/2 years of MLB experience, then they are eligible to be non-tendered (basically, cut) in which case they would become a free agent. The Red Sox had a list of players eligible last night containing nine players. The only one of those is Rich Hill, who has likely seen his Red Sox tenure over after not allowing a run and striking out 12 in 8 innings before hurting his elbow and having to go through Tommy John Surgery. The Red Sox could still could sign him as a free agent, though, so don't count him out. Another one of the players on the list was not "tendered" per say, but the Red Sox re-signed Matt Albers. The contract is for one year and is worth $1.07 million. For four months of the season, Albers was one of our better relievers; however, he was overworked and broke down. His final stats were not terribly good at 4-4/4.73/68 in 56 games and 64 2/3 innings. We look forward to seeing Matt Albers' early season form and to see Rich Hill possibly in a Red Sox uniform.

Orioles Rally Off Papelbon To Beat Sox Late (88-67)

Last night was a tough game, as the Sox surrendered a late lead and lost to the Orioles. After a ground-rule double by Dustin Pedroia in the 1st, Adrian Gonzalez hit a double high off the monster to make it 1-0. In the 3rd, the Orioles tied the game as Robert Andino scored on a double by Nick Markakis. Then, Vladimir Guerrero came and hit a hard line drive to Josh Reddick, and he dropped the ball to score a run and keep the inning alive. Later in the inning, Mark Reynolds singled to left to make it 4-1 Orioles. After a leadoff double in the 3rd by Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez homered over the green monster to make it 4-3. In the 4th, the Red Sox tied the game as Marco Scutaro came home on a single by MIke Aviles. Then, later in the inning, the Orioles nearly turned a double play to get them out of the inning, but Mark Reynolds dropped the ball and a run scored to make it 5-4 Red Sox. It stayed that way until the 8th, when Robert Andino lifted a double to right-center to make it 7-5, and the Sox couldn't come back.

      Erik Bedard was not good, but for some of it, it was Josh Reddick's fault, he went 2 2/3 innings, and allowed 4 runs, 1 earned. Scott Atchison relieved him with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Then, Matt Albers threw a scoreless inning. However, it was the steady relievers who blew the lead as Jonathan Papelbon allowed the 3-run double with 2 inherited runners from Bard. Felix Doubront and Junichi Tazawa each threw 2/3 scoreless innings. Dustin Pedroia had a good game, going 2-5 and scoring 2 runs. Adrian Gonzalez (left) had a great game, going 3-5 with 3 RBIs, including a 2-run homer, as he came just a triple shy of the cycle, and is now .340/27/116. Mike Aviles had a good game, going 2-3 with a run and an RBI. Tonight, the Sox will go for a series tie as Josh Beckett (13-5/2.50/162) will go against Tommy Hunter (4-4/4.81/39).

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 2 1/3 shutout innings
Matt Albers- 1 shutout inning
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5 with 2 runs scored
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5 with a 2-run homer and 3 RBIs
MIke Aviles- 2-3 with a run and an RBI

Dull Spots:
Erik Bedard- 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings
Daniel Bard/Jonathan Papelbon- 3 runs in the 8th
David Ortiz- 0-3 with 2 strikeouts and 3 LOB
Josh Reddick- 0-3 with 3 strikeouts and 2 LOB

This was not a bad game, except for Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard.

Red Sox "Improve" Season Record On Rangers (77-50)

Last night was a very tough loss for the Red Sox, as they went down 4-0 to the Rangers. In the 3rd inning, the umpires made a terrible call on a potential double play that would have gotten the Sox out of the inning. Instead, however, they called a ball that landed in Josh Reddick's glove a single. That put Craig Gentry at 2nd and Ian Kinsler at 1st when Elvis Andrus singled through the right side to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. In the 6th, Josh Hamilton led off another big inning with a potential great play by a Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia dove and snatched a ball up the middle, however, his throw to first was late. After a Michael Young single put runners at 1st and 2nd with just 1 out, the damage came. Mike Napoli turned a high fastball around for a 3-run homer to left center to make it 4-0.
Erik Bedard actually pitched very well other than the 3-run homer, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings. Matt Albers then allowed a hit in a scoreless inning and Franklin Morales went 3 up- 3 down. Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia each had decent days, both of them going 1-3 with a walk. Other than that, the other two hits in the ballgame belonged to Jed Lowrie and Carl Crawford, each of whom went 1-4. Tonight's game will be a matchup of the 2nd game of the 2011 season as John Lackey (11-9/6.02/86) will go up against Colby Lewis (11-8/3.83/135).

Bright Spots:
Matt Albers- 1 hit in a scoreless inning
Franklin Morales- a 1-2-3 inning
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3 with a walk
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3 with a walk

Dull Spots:
Marco Scutaro- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts
Darnell McDonald- 0-4 with a strikeout
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3 with a strikeout and 3 runners left on base
Josh Reddick- 0-3 with 1 runner left on base

This was a bad game for the Sox, and they really need to turn it around and have a good series.

Red Sox Nearly Come Back, But Fall Nonetheless (73-45)

Last night, the Red Sox played a good game, as they nearly came back from a 5-0 deficit planted in the 1st inning, but they couldn't quite do it and lost 5-4. In the bottom of the 1st, Ichiro took Josh Beckett's very first pitch of the game out of the park for a 1-0 lead. The Mariners proceeded to put runners at 2nd and 3rd in the inning, and a Mike Carp single made it 3-0. Then Casper Wells hit a home run that made it 5-0 in the 1st inning. In the 4th inning, Jacoby Ellsbury tagged up on a Dustin Pedroia fly ball that would have scored him. He rushed home, but collided with Josh Bard, and the umpires blew the call and ejected Terry Francona in a critical point in the game. In the 6th, with Marco Scutaro on 3rd, Jacoby Ellsbury hit a home run on a high fly ball to right field. Later in the inning, with a runner on 1st, Dustin Pedroia lifted a ball to right center which got out as well to make it 5-4.

Josh Beckett was not very good at all, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings. He earned the loss and is now 9-5/2.40/133. Matt Albers threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in an admirable outing, as he is now 4-3/2.37/52. Franklin Morales and Alfredo Aceves each relieved him with 2/3 of an inning. Jacoby Ellsbury (left) had a good game, going 2-3 with a 2-run homer, as he is now .315/20/74 this season. Adrian Gonzalez went 2-4 and scored a run in a good night. Dustin Pedroia went 1-4 with a 2-run homer, as he is now .310/16/62. Mike Aviles went 2-3 in a good game, as he is now batting .381 since joining the Sox. Marco Scutaro went 1-3 with a triple and a run scored. Today at 4:05, Tim Wakefield (6-4/4.92/62) will go for his 200th win again, versus Charlie Furbush (1-1/7.20/29) and the Mariners.

Bright Spots:

Matt Albers- 1 2/3 scoreless innings

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-3 with a 2-run homer

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4 with a run scored

Dustin Pedroia- 1-4 with a 2-run homer

Mike Aviles- 2-3

Marco Scutaro- 1-3 with a run and a triple

Dull Spots:

Josh Beckett- 5 runs in 5 innings for the loss

Josh Reddick- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and 2 LOB

Jason Varitek- 0-4 with 4 LOB

This was a tough game, and it narrows our lead down to 1 in the AL East.

Lester In Too Long, Red Sox Fall (68-43)

Last night was a really bad game for the Red Sox, as they were leading up until the Yankees had one good inning, and lost because of it. After Josh Reddick singled in the 3rd, Jacoby Ellsbury whacked a double off the center field part of the green monster to make it 1-0. In the 4th, the Sox extended their lead to 2-0 when David Ortiz belted a home run way into the bleachers. However, in the 6th, the Yankees put runners at 1st and 2nd to start the inning. Curtis Granderson promptly blooped a single to left field to put the Yankees on the board at 2-1. Soon after, Robinson Cano grounded into a double play, but the run still scored and made it 2-2. Nick Swisher then hit a ground-rule double to left field where Granderson scored and made it 3-2 Yankees.

Jon Lester was very good through the first 5 innings, but he broke down in the 6th, and overall allowed 3 runs in 6 innings. He is now 11-5/3.23/131, as he is having a good season. Matt Albers pitched very well in relief, throwing 2 scoreless innings. Randy Williams then threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning and Alfredo Aceves threw the other 1/3. Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-3 with an RBI double in a pretty good day. David Ortiz only went 1-4, but he had that big home run and is now .289/21/71, as he has been really good this year. Carl Crawford also had a rare good day, going 2-4 with a double. Josh Reddick also went 2-4, but both hits were singles, as he has been phenomenal. Tonight, the Red Sox and John Lackey (9-8/6.23/71) will try to reclaim first place against C.C. Sabathia (16-5/255/162).

Bright Spots:

Jon Lester- 3 runs in 6 innings, but he pitched much better than that

Matt Albers- 2 shutout innings of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3 with an RBI double

David Ortiz- 1-4 with a solo home run

Carl Crawford- 2-4 with a double

Josh Reddick- 2-4

Dull Spots:

Adrian Gonzalez- ended his 13-game hitting streak with an 0-4, 3 LOB night

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4 with a strikeout and 2 LOB

Marco Scutaro- 0-3 with 2 LOB

This was a really tough game for the Sox, and they really need to win tonight.

Beckett's Fourth Inning Woes Lead To A Series Split With Royals (64-39)

Today, the Red Sox suffered a tough 4-3 loss at the hands of the Royals as the Red Sox bats were stifled by Luke Hochevar and the Royals. In the 3rd, after a single by Jason Varitek and a double off the green monster by Yamaico Navarro, the Sox were in a good spot to score with no outs and two runners in scoring position. And score is what they did as Jacoby Ellsbury laced a 2-run single down the right field line to make it 2-0. However, the Royals responded in the 4th, after walks to Alex Gordon and Mitch Maier to lead off the inning, Billy Butler deposited one into the center field seats to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. Later in the inning, back-to-back doubles by Jeff Franceour and Mike Moustakas made it 4-2 in the 4th. In the 8th inning, the Sox cut into the deficit as Dustin Pedroia homered over the green monster to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, and make it a 4-3 game, but it wasn't enough.

Outside of the 4th inning, Josh Beckett was very good, but overall he allowed 4 runs and struck out 8 in 7 innings, as he earned the loss and is now 9-4/2.09/115. He was relieved with Franklin Morales and Matt Albers with a scoreless inning each. Jacoby Ellsbury only went 1-4, but his one hit was big as it landed him 2 RBIs. Dustin Pedroia (left) went 1-3 with a solo home run, as he is now .308/15/54, as he is having a great season, even more so on this streak. Adrian Gonzalez went 2-4, raising his average to a fantastic .352 mark. Drew Sutton also had a good game offensively, going 2-4 despite a blunder in left field. Tomorrow, the Sox will head to Chicago to face the other Sox and will send Tim Wakefield (6-3/5.15/47) against Gavin Floyd (8-9/4.11/90) and the White Sox.

Bright Spots:

Josh Beckett- aside from the 4th inning, Beckett was very good, striking out 8

Franklin Morales- a scoreless inning of relief

Matt Albers- a scoreless inning of relief

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

Dustin Pedroia- 1-3 with a solo home run

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4

Drew Sutton- 2-4

Jason Varitek- 1-3 with a run scored

Yamaico Navarro- 1-4 with a run scored and a crushed double

Dull Spots:

Kevin Youkilis- 0-4 with a strikeout and 3 runners left on base

David Ortiz- 0-4 with a strikeout and 2 runners left on base

Josh Reddick- 0-4 with a strikeout

This was a tough game, and we split a series to the Royals, that's going to be a horror movie. Red Sox Split Series To Royals! Rated R for language and violence, I can see it now.

Red Sox Lose Game, Series, To Padres (44-30)

I'm sorry I couldn't post yesterday, but the Red Sox lost 5-4, and today they allowed 5 runs for the 3rd straight game in a 5-1 loss to the Padres. The Padres got rolling immediately on a leadoff homer by Will Venable in the 1st inning. With the bases loaded in the 4th, the Padres struck again with a walk to Will Venable. After that, Lackey hit former Ray Jason Bartlett (success?) to make it 3-0. In the next at-bat, a wild pitch and a single for Chase Headley pushed it to 5-0. In the 5th inning, Jacoby Ellsbury ran home on a single by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 5-1, the final.

John Lackey was not sharp, allowing 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings, earning the loss and becoming 5-6/7.36/34. Michael Bowden threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings, Matt Albers threw 2 scoreless innings, and Dan Wheeler threw a scoreless inning. Dustin Pedroia did a good job of reaching base, going 2-3 with a walk. Adrian Gonzalez had a great game against his old team, going 4-4 with an RBI single, as he is now .359/15/69. Kevin Youkilis went 2-4. After a day off tomorrow, the Sox will head to Pittsburgh, sending Jon Lester (9-3/3.70/95) against Paul Maholm (3-8/3.29/61).

Bright Spots:

Michael Bowden- 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief

Matt Albers- 2 innings of scoreless relief

Dan Wheeler- a scoreless inning of relief

Dustin Pedroia- 2-3 with a walk

Adrian Gonzalez- 4-4 with an RBI

Kevin Youkilis- 2-4

Dull Spots:

John Lackey- 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings, ouch!

David Ortiz- 0-3 with 7 runners left on base!

I am unhappy that the Sox dropped a series to the Padres but hopefully they can turn it around.

Red Sox Ride Early Rallies To First Place (34-26)

Last night, the Red Sox moved into a tie for first place with the Yankees by beating the Yanks 6-4. It all got started on the 5th pitch of the game, that Jacoby Ellsbury hammered over the short porch in right field. After Dustin Pedroia walked, Adrian Gonzalez almost had another homer, but the ball ricocheted off the base of the wall in right center for an RBI triple to make it 2-0. Gonzalez soon came in on a fly ball to Brett Gardner for a sacrifice fly and making it 3-0. With runners on the corners for the Yankees, Robinson Cano delivered with a single to center, making it 3-1. With runners on first and second in the 2nd inning, Dustin Pedroia knocked a double down the left field line to make it 4-1. With Adrian Gonzalez on first in the 5th inning, David Ortiz hit a shot to right field to make it 6-1. However, later in the 5th, with Jorge Posada and Russell Martin on base, Nick Swisher hit a big 2-run double to make it 6-3. In the 9th, Jorge Posada singled in Brett Gardner to make it 6-4.

Jon Lester (top right) was not terribly sharp in last night's game, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits

through 6 innings. He earned the win, and is now 8-2/3.98/79 this year. Bobby Jenks came in and walked a better before scoreless innings by Matt Albers and Daniel Bard. Jonathan Papelbon then came in and earned a save by allowing 1 run in an inning. The Red Sox wen nuts on Freddy Garcia (left) as Jacoby Ellsbury was 2-5 with a solo home run, and he is now .301/7/30. Dustin Pedroia was 1-3 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Adrian Gonzalez went 1-2 with 2 runs and 1 RBI, along with 2 walks. David Ortiz went 1-4 with 2 RBIs on a huge home run, as he is now .324/14/32. Tonight, Tim Wakefield (2-1/4.40/20) and A.J. Burnett (6-3/3.86/57) will square off as the Sox will look to be alone at the top.

Bright Spots:

Matt Albers- a scoreless inning

Daniel Bard- a scoreless inning

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5 with a solo home run

Dustin Pedroia- 1-3 with a run and an RBI

Adrian Gonzalez- 1-2 with 2 runs and an RBI

David Ortiz- 1-4 with a huge 2-run shot

Dull Spots:

Carl Crawford- 0-4

Well, one more win and we can get the Yankees fans to stop telling us off.