Red Sox Add Salt At Just The Right Time (23-23)

Josh Beckett pitched a great game

This is getting ridiculous as the Red Sox continue to sway between .500 and below-- with last night's clutch win they moved above, but it's only for now probably. Well, last night's game was a fantastic one from the pitching department as Josh Beckett and David Price matched each other pitch for pitch to start the game. This ballgame was still scoreless up until the bottom of the sixth. That was when the Red Sox had runners at first and second with two outs in the inning. The scoreless tie was broken when Will Middlebrooks knocked a single up the middle to score David Ortiz and give the Sox a 1-0 lead.

Saltalamacchia had a pinch-hit
walk-off homer

However, the Rays proceeded to jump on off of Josh Beckett in the next inning. They would put runners at the corners with no outs to start the inning. A sacrifice fly by Ben Zobrist and an RBI single by Luke Scott would change the tie to give the Rays a 2-1 lead. The bottom of the seventh was scoreless and Josh Beckett would be taken out with a 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 K line-- yet he was set to lose the game. Andrew Miller and Rich Hill respectively pitched strong eighth and ninth innings to set the Red Sox up for their last chance. Daniel Nava walked to lead off the inning, and Scott Podsednik bunted him over. This put a man on second with one out for pinch-hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty made the Rays pay by crushing a pitch into the bullpens to win it 3-2 for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, W(1-0)
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 1 BB
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-1, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Marlon Byrd- 0-3, 2 K

Player of the Game:
Josh Beckett- Even when his team wasn't scoring runs, Beckett put the Sox in a great position to win by only allowing two runs in seven strong-- he is now 4-4/4.15/45.

Beckett Dominates As Sox Shut Out Mariners (17-19)

Beckett struck out nine in
seven shutout innings

The Red Sox continue to play well of late as they extended their winning streak to a season high five games. The first pair of innings were scoreless for both sides as both Josh Beckett and Blake Beavan were pitching very well. However, the Sox finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when David Ortiz took a 3-2 fastball down the middle and hammered it to right for a home run-- his eighth of the year-- to make it 1-0 Red Sox. Once the momentum was in their favor, the Red Sox just kept right on going in the fourth inning. After a Jarrod Saltalamacchia flyout to start the inning, a Cody Ross walk and Daniel Nava single put runners at the corners with one away. Mike Aviles came up and, on the first pitch, lined the ball over second baseman Dustin Ackley's head and into the gap for a double that would score Ross, and put a pair of runners in scoring position. Ryan Sweeney then grounded out to make it two outs, and score the runs-- but that would be the last the Sox would score in the inning, leaving with a 3-0 lead.

David Ortiz had his eighth home run
of the season yesterday

As things turned out, the fourth inning was also Beavan's last as the Sox chased him from the game with a 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K line. Charlie Furbush came into the game, and David Ortiz welcomed him with a leadoff single. Adrian Gonzalez advanced him to second on a ground ball to first, and a wild pitch would put Papi at third with one out for Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks took a low slider and belted it off the bottom of the monster for an RBI single to make it 4-0. The next several innings were scoreless, and it was still 4-0 when Josh Beckett was removed from the game with a 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K. The Red Sox got another run in the eighth on Mike Aviles' second RBI double of the game, but it was meaningless as the Sox won 5-0.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K, W (3-4)
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
David Ortiz- 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 1 R
Daniel Nava- 1-3, 1 R
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Ryan Sweeney- 0-5, 2 K, 4 LOB, 1 RBI

Player of the Game:
Josh Beckett- Beckett pitched a fantastic ballgame yesterday, striking out nine in seven shutout innings-- he is now 3-4/4.97/35 on the season.

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 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.

Red Sox Re-Sign Rich Hill

Today, the Red Sox added another cog to what is looking like a very formidable bullpen by re-signing lefty Rich Hill. Hill was on pace for an excellent season in Boston last year-- allowing no runs and striking out 12 in 8 innings early this year. However, as he walked off the field clutching his elbow one summer night, the Red Sox lost one of the key members of the bullpen as Hill went down with Tommy John Surgery about the same time as Dice-K. Despite the recovery time for Tommy John Surgery usually being about a year, Hill is raring to go and could be ready for spring training. The deal is a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. Hill will be 31 in 2012 and was having a promising but unsuccessful career as a starter before the Red Sox converted him to a reliever in 2010. He excelled there, striking out over a batter per inning in AAA Pawtucket before the Sox called him up late. This could potentially be a big steal for the Sox, as Hill was on pace for an excellent year in 2011.

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.

Red Sox Unable To Hit, Can't Sweep Tigers (30-23)

Last night, the Red Sox' offense was unable to get going off Justin Verlander in a 3-0 loss to the Tigers. In the first inning, the Tigers put a runner on first with one out to set up an RBI double by Brennan Boesch to make it 1-0 Tigers. Right after that, Miguel Cabrera singled to the right side, bringing in Boesch and giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead. Neither team scored again until the 8th inning, when, with a runner on second and two outs, Don Kelly singled right back up the middle to make it 3-0 Tigers.

Josh Beckett (right) was pretty sharp last night, only allowing 2 runs in 6 innings, but he earned the loss and is now a great 4-2/1.80/63. Rich Hill pitched a scoreless inning of relief, and Scott Atchison allowed a run in an inning of relief, but that was all either team would need. Jacoby Ellsbury had a good game from the leadoff position, going 1-3 with a walk. J.D. Drew had a very good game, going 2-3, and raising his average up to a measly .240 mark. Jason Varitek went 1-3 with a double as it appears maybe he is settling into his groove. Tonight, the Red Sox will travel back to Fenway to face the White Sox and will send Jon Lester (7-1/3.36/70) to challenge Jake Peavy (1-0/3.00/14).

Bright Spots:

Josh Beckett- Beckett pithed very well with just 2 runs in 6 innings, but he had no run support

Rich Hill- a scoreless inning of relief

Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-3 with a walk

J.D. Drew- 2-3

Jason Varitek- 1-3 with a double

Dull Spots:

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

Adrian Gonzalez- 0-3 with a strikeout

Kevin Youkilis- 0-4 with a strikeout

David Ortiz- 0-4

Carl Crawford- 0-3

Drew Sutton- 0-3

Well, this is what happens you face Justin Verlander.

Mom, I Think We Can Take The Battery Off The Charger (26-22)

Last night, the Red Sox played a good pitcher's duel against the Indians, beating them 4-2 largely based on the performance of Josh Beckett and Jason Varitek. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Indians took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Ezequiel Carrera. After the Red Sox put runners on first and third with one out to start the third, Jed Lowrie knocked a sacrifice fly onto the warning track, tying the game at 1-1. The Red Sox took the lead, however, on an RBI double down the right field line to make it 2-1. In the top of the 7th, Jason Varitek hit a shot around the right field foul pole, scoring David Ortiz, and making it 4-1 Red Sox. The Indians got a run back on a home run by Travis Buck, to make it 4-2, but it was not nearly enough.

Josh Beckett (top right) was fantastic, allowing just a run and 5 hits through 6 2/3 strong innings. He earned the win, and is now 4-1/1.69/58, as he is actually leading the league in ERA. Rich Hill came in and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings, before Jonathan Papelbon allowed 1 run in the 9th, but earned his 9th save of the season. Adrian Gonzalez only went 1-4, but the hit was that big 2

-run double, his 42nd RBI of the year. David Ortiz had a good game, going 2-4 with a run scored, and raising his batting average up to a .302 mark. Jason Varitek (left) had a great day, going 1-3 with a big 2-run homer, making him .203/1/7 on the season, and even threw out two stealing baserunners. In tonight's ballgame, Jon Lester (6-1/3.68/63) will go against Mitch Talbot (1-0/1.46/11).

Bright Spots:

Josh Beckett- one run in 6 2/3 innings, earning the win

Rich Hill- 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief

Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4 with a big RBI double

David Ortiz- 2-4 with a run scored

Jason Varitek- 1-3 with a 2-run homer and 2 potential baserunners thrown out

Dull Spots:

J.D. Drew- 0-4 with a strikeout

Drew Sutton- 0-4 with 2 strikeouts

I am glad that the Sox won, and that Beckett is really getting his career back on track.