Sox Bust It Open Late

After Jon Lester and Jeremy Guthrie locked horns in a pitchers' duel for the first seven innings, the Sox bats finally pounced. The six run ninth turned things from a tight 2-0 contest to a 8-0 rout. The Sox held on to win 8-2 after the scrubs gave up some garbage time runs. Guthrie must have been pissed. He pitched his ass off, and his teammates couldn't get him a single run. Then the bullpen gets bombed liked Guernica.

The O's (or should be zerO's) definitely had their chances, getting runners in scoring position several times. But they were turned away at each opportunity by a determined Jon Lester. Lester needed a bit of help from Daniel Bard when Lester left the game with one out in the eighth and the bases loaded. Lester had avoided walking anyone all game, but walked the bases loaded in the eighth. Bard was able to keep those runners right where they were by inducing two harmless pop-outs as to end the threat.

The Red Sox seemed to have found a rhythm the past few weeks. They're winning two out of three most series and have settled into the playoff hunt. (Facing the A's, Orioles, and Cleveland next sure helps.) I do have one criticism though. As good as David Ortiz has been playing, I can't see him staying in the three spot. That spot in the line up should be reserved for your best, most versatile hitter. For the Sox, that is Kevin Youkilis. He is batting .312 with a .400+ OBP. He is consistent and can hit to all fields. Ortiz has been reduced to a three result player (HR, BB, K). My ideal line up at this moment would be Scutaro, Pedroia, Youkilis, Martinez, then Ortiz.

The Bird Giveth; The Bird Taketh

As encouraging as it was for the Sox to sweep the Jays, it was just as disheartening to see the Sox give away the last two games to the Orioles. Last night was especially frustrating as Daisuke Matsuzaka's start began efficiently and ended in an unmitigated disaster. The first four innings were great, one hit, one run. In fifth however, he got blown up for seven runs and got the hook. It's gonna be "No-Dice" for him pretty soon. This signing is heading for Mike Hampton/Carl Pavano territory.

The bats of course made a mockery of the O's pitchers. You score nine runs against them (or anybody) and a win is expected. But the Sox can't seem to put all aspects of the game together. They pitch well and there's offense. They put up a crooked number, and they can't hold their opponents down. (I'm looking at you Josh Beckett.) "It's early" seems to be the mantra, but I think it's going to be a long season or sub par anyway. I place the over/under at 85 wins.

Can they at least get a win on my birthday galldangit!

Sox Have Comeback of Their Own

After giving up an 8 run lead in last night's wacky rain delayed game, the Sox came back from 5-1 down and took two of three from Baltimore this afternoon. This win should assuage some of the bitter taste from last night's debacle. Josh Beckett didn't pitch great, but he gave Boston seven innings and didn't let things get too out of hand.

Jonathan Papelbon made amends for his blown save yesterday and in the process became the Red Sox all time saves leader. Now with 133 career saves, he's only 467 behind Mariano Rivera.

Disturbing observation of the week: Jason Bay seems to be striking out a ton lately. He struck out 5 times today and his average has fallen from around .280 to .262. This is not completely unlike him. He's struck out an average of 141 times a season since 2004. It just seems like recently he's been struggling mightily and punching out at inopportune times.

Smoltz Bounces Back, Gets Support

I write this as the Sox lead the Orioles 9-1 in the bottom of the fifth. The game has been delayed by rain. Hopefully it won't take too long. Apparently the same rain made its way through New York and the Yankees game in about 40 minutes.

The good news is that John Smoltz looked great today. The bad news is that he probably won't get his first win in the American League. I doubt that the Sox will let the 42-year-old head back out after sitting around during a rain delay. Answer me this, the starter can't get a win if he doesn't go at least five, but if he leaves with a 9-1 lead, as Smoltz has, who does?

Anyway, Smoltz had all three pitches working. His slider and his curve were biting hard and he was painting with the fast ball. He worked quickly and looked very comfortable. It's a complete 180 from his first start.

Meanwhile, the Boston bats have been relentless in this game making things even more comfortable for Smoltzy (as I'm sure Tito is already calling him). It was very satisfying to see the Sox break things open in the 4th when the Orioles intentionally walked Jason Bay to get to David Ortiz. He took a pitch the opposite way to left field and made them pay. He's smacking hits the other way more and more often, and if he keeps doing that he'll be in good shape the rest of the season.

Great Weekend for the Red Sox

Sometimes teams can point to defining moments in their seasons when things turned around for better or worse. Friday night's 10-8 comeback victory over Baltimore could be one of those moments for the Red Sox. Although it was not encouraging to see Brad Penny gone after 3+ innings in which he gave up 8 runs, the Sox showed their mettle and came back to win. The bats came alive and the offense woke from it's season long slumber. Hopefully this is the type of game that galvanizes the team.

A similar situation arose on Saturday only the O's and Sox reversed roles. Josh Beckett, who had been sharp, gave up four runs in the fifth allowing the Orioles to close a 6-0 deficit to 6-4. However, instead of caving as Baltimore did the day before, Boston held on. Again the bullpen came through and saved the starter's behind by shutting out Baltimore for the rest of the game. Papelbon came up with a save for the second straight day.

After extensively using the bullpen two days in a row, the Sox needed Jon Lester to have a solid outing to save their arms. He made amends for a his previous subpar start by pitching seven shut out innings while striking out nine. What is most encouraging is the fact that the Red Sox were able to win three straight tough games under some adverse circumstances against a team whose offense was as hot as anyone's in baseball. The Sox can complete the sweep on Monday.