Jason Varitek comes through for the Sox in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win

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RED SOX DO IT AGAIN TO THE BLUE JAYS 2-1; MOVE TO 17-12
Jason Varitek comes through for the Sox in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win

(April 30, 2008) – For the fourth straight game the Red Sox got another magnificent performance from their starting pitcher. And for the second consecutive game the Sox end the game with a walk off base hit into centerfield by catcher Jason Varitek, driving in left fielder Manny Ramirez with the game-winning run in the ninth.

Is it a full moon or something? It was kind of eerie because last night David Ortiz walked to start the rally. Tonight Ortiz hits a single through the over-sized shift in the infield to bring Ramirez to the plate. Ortiz and Ramirez flip-flopped their ninth inning stats from the previous night. Last night Ortiz walked and Ramirez got the hit, tonight Ortiz got the hit and Ramirez walked. Kind of eerie? But wait it gets better.

Right fielder Brandon Moss – who was making the start in due to J.D. Drew’s quad injury – lined a one-out base hit into center field almost in the exact same position of Kevin Youkilis’s last night. Remember how Vernon Wells bobbled the ball last night and was un able to throw out Ortiz? Tonight the Jays center fielder came up cleanly with the ball and through a perfect strike to catcher Rod Barajas who tagged out pinch runner Jed Lowrie, who was coming from second with the potential game-winning run. Wells would have another chance to make a game saving play for Toronto after Varitek’s single to center but the outfielder’s throw arrive too late and the rest is history.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had the unenviable position of following Jon Lester’s outstanding performance of eight innings of one-hit ball but the man from the land of the Rising Sun was up to the challenge. In seven innings of work, Matsuzaka was solid giving up just two hits and walking no one while striking out four Jays.

But also like last night, Blue Jays starter Dustin McGowan was also on top of his game, retiring 16 consecutive Sox hitters in a row at one point. His one mistake came against David Ortiz, in the bottom of the seventh. With out in the inning, McGowan let a 2-0 pitch grab too much of the plate and Ortiz had that glimmer in his eye that he knew this pitch was going to end up in the outfield seats just second later. And it did. Ortiz connected for his fifth homerun of the season and 21^st RBI, putting him one behind Ramirez for the team lead in homeruns and one ahead in of Ramirez in RBIs.

After completing seven full innings, Matsuzaka was in line for his fifth win of the season when he turned the game over to the Sox bullpen in the top of the eighth. But the 747 Red Sox hit some turbulence after Jays left fielder Adam Lind led of the inning with a base hit into centerfield off of reliever Manny Delcarmen. Opting not to have the right-handed Delcarmen face the ambidextrous catcher, Gregg Zaun, Terry Francona made his way to the mound to bring on the left-handed Hideki Okajima.

Okajima did not fair much better. He allowed a double down the left field line to Zaun, moving Lind to third. Lead off hitter of the game, right fielder Alex Rios hit a sinking line drive out to right field. The ball was sinking so fast it looked, for sure, as if it was going to drop in but out of nowhere came Moss to make the diving catch for an ESPN Web Gem. (Well one could hope.)

After the boys were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, it is fair enough to say the next team that plays the Red Sox is not going to home happy. The Sox are angry and they will unleash their anger onto the Jays that will result in a three game sweep of the good kind. Here are some words of wisdom to the other 13 teams in the American League and the five in the Senior Circuit who will be facing the Sox this year: DON’T WAKE THE SLEEPING GIANT!

Tim Wakefield will toe the rubber for the third and final game in hopes of completing the sweep. The knuckleballer is 2-0 on the season with a 4.06 ERA with 19 strike outs. He is coming of a six inning game against the Rays where he allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits while walking five Tampa Bay batters and striking out just one.

Making his seventh start of the season, A.J. Burnett is 2-2 with a 6.07 ERA and 19 strike outs. In his last start against the Kansas City Royals, Burnett pitched 7.1 innings allowing five runs, three earned, on eight hits while walking three and striking out six. But like teammate Roy Halladay, who pitched on Tuesday night, Burnett is a ground ball pitcher. 62% of the balls that are put in play, by opposing batters for an out, are ground balls.

WIN: Jonathan Papelbon (2-0)

LOSS: Scott Downs (0-1)

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Game Notes:

J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury are both out of the line up for tonight’s game due their respective injuries. I do have a feeling Ellsbury is going to an injury prone player throughout his entire career. His built and his obsession with working out tells me that.

At the end of the month of April 16-11.

The 3 Stars of the Game:

1. Jason Varitek, BOSTON 1-4 Game-winning single and RBI

2. Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOSTON 7IP, 2H, 0ER, 2BB, 4K

2. Dustin McGowan, TORONTO 7.1IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K

Kevin Youkilis ends the Sox 5 game losing streak with a two-out single in the ninth to claim game one of the series 1-0

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RED SOX EDGE OUT BLUE JAYS 1-0; MOVE TO 16-12
Kevin Youkilis ends the Sox 5 game losing streak with a two-out single in the ninth to claim game one of the series 1-0

(April 29, 2008) – There is a saying that the better the competition you are playing against the better it makes you as an athlete. Well this is what happened to the Red Sox 24-year-old left-hander Jon Lester tonight. Toronto ace Roy Halladay is an overall better pitcher with a career record of 113-58, 1,106 strike outs and an ERA of 3.63 but tonight Lester matched Halladay pitch-for-pitch.

There was an Old Time Baseball feel at the ballpark. None of this new generation, offense is everything business. It was simply Old Time Baseball where defense and pitching was everything. (I think Steve Buckley would be proud. So be sure to read in the Boston Herald tomorrow about how Buckley remembers pitchers completing games all the time back in the day. Which, according to Dane Cook, was a Wednesday by the way.) Both starters went eight inning combining to allow just four hits total and striking out 12 opposing batters.

From the first inning with Halladay on the mound, there was the feeling the first pitcher to make a mistake would be the loser. But neither pitcher made a mistake until the bottom of the ninth inning. It looked as if the Sox and Jays would be heading to extra frames after Coco Crisp and Dustin Pedroia flew out to center and popped to third, respectively but David Ortiz, who was 0-3 before stepping to the plate in the ninth, walked to bring Manny Ramirez to the plate. Ramirez kept the inning alive with a bloop base hit in front of Jays center fielder Vernon Wells to give Kevin Youkilis the chance to be a hero and he was. The base it was not a scorching line drive but it had enough juice on it to get past John McDonald and Aaron Hill for the game winner.

Remember folks the ninth inning rally all started when Ortiz drew the walk against Halladay so conclusions can be drawn from tonight’s game. Ortiz is not just a clutch player when he hitting game winning homeruns or doubles he is clutch when he does whatever is necessary to prolong the inning to give the Red Sox the opportunity to pull it out in the end. Remember that Red Sox fans. He may be slumping now but if it was not for Ortiz tonight, Youkilis would not have been the number one star of the game. Ortiz does whatever it takes for the team to win even when he is not playing well.

Lester walked four Toronto batters but was able to “minimize the damage” thanks to the defense behind him. He was helped out by two double plays in the fifth and sixth inning after a hit and a walk, respectively. Lester completed full innings before being replaced by closer Jonathan Papelbon who would get his first win of the season when Youkilis drove in Ortiz in the bottom of the ninth.

(photo courtesy of TLC) In the fifth inning if Lester had a second baseman who was two inches taller than Zach Roloff (left) then his no-hit bid would have still been intact going into the ninth. But Lyle Overbay's base hit was just a tad too high for little second baseman to snag from the sky. (Actually on second thought I think Zach would made that catch.)

Halladay also pitched magnificent for Toronto. Tonight’s game was his fourth consecutive start where he went the distance, pitching nine innings giving up one run on five hits while walking just one Sox hitters while striking out six. The Blue Jays did not give their Ace run support tonight.

After being pushed back to Wednesday night, Daisuke Matsuzaka go for his fifth win of the season against the Jays right hander Dustin McGowan. Matsuzaka is coming of an 11-3 win against Texas where he allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking our four Rangers in 5.1 innings. McGowan, who will be looking to bring his record back to .500 against the Japanese sensation, is 1-2 on the season with a 4.18 ERA and 23 strike outs. In his last start against the Rays in St. Petersburg, the Jays righty pitched just four innings while allowing five runs – four of them earned – on four hits while walking seven Rays and striking out six.

WIN: Jonathan Papelbon (1-1)

LOSS: Roy Halladay (2-4)

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Game Notes:

22 years ago today – Roger Clemens set the record for the game high strike outs with 20 against the Seattle Mariners.

The Jays broke a six game losing streak on Sunday with a 5-2 against the Kansas City Royals behind Jesse Litsch. Coming into tonight’s game the Sox lost five of their last 10 games and are relying on the young Jon Lester to snap the five game losing streak.

Terry Francona held Jacoby Ellsbury out of the line up due to a sore groin and says it's not worth letting the injury linger.

J.D. Drew left the game in the top of the third with a left quadriceps injury that he appeared to injure running out a ground ball to the shortstop David Eckstein. Brandon Moss replaced him in the field. In the top of third.

The 3 Stars of the Game:

1. Kevin Youkilis, BOSTON 2-4 Game winning RBI

2. Jon Lester, BOSTON 8IP, 1H, 0R, 3BB, 6K

3. Roy Halladay, TORONTO 9.0, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 6K

Red Sox - Blue Jays 4/29 Preview

BOSTON RED SOX v. TORONTO BLUE JAYS

When: Tuesday April 29, 2008
Where: Fenway Park; Boston, Massachusetts
Time: 7:05pm
TV: NESN Radio: WRKO 680/SBN 1150

PITCHING MATCH-UP

v.

LHP Jon Lester (1-2, 5.40 ERA, 16K, 1.77 WHIP)

v.

RHP Roy Halladay (2-3, 3.73, 25K, 1.15 WHIP)

Jon Lester

Lester is making his sixth start of the season against the Blue Jays tomorrow night trying to record his first win since his second start of the season in Oakland on April 2. In his last three starts against the Angels, Rangers and Indians he has not factored into the decision although the Red Sox did claim victory in two of those three games putting the Sox at 3-3 when Lester starts a game. Against the Angels, in his last start, the young lefty pitched five innings allowing four earned runs on nine hits while walking two Angel batters and striking out one. During the game, Los Angeles got out to an early lead in the first inning and would keep on adding to that lead until the fifth inning when David Ortiz hit a two run homerun off of Jon Garland to tie the score at four. Since Lester exited the game with the game tied after the fifth inning, he was unable to get the win – or the loss. The disappointing Craig Hansen, who was brought up that day, relieved Lester in the sixth and gave up the ultimate game winning homerun to first baseman Casey Kotchman.

Lester against Blue Jay hitters:

OPPOSING HITTER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Alex Rios	2	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	.500	.667	1.000	1.667
Gregg Zaun	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667
Shannon Stewart	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.333	.667
Aaron Hill	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
Matt Stairs	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.333	.000	.333
Vernon Wells	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.333	.000	.333
Totals	15	3	1	0	0	1	3	4	.200	.333	.267	.60

Stats provided by STATS LLC/ESPN

Roy Halladay

The Blue Jays ace is a work horse. He already has three complete games on the season and pitched past the seventh inning in four of the five games he started as well as averaging 101.2 pitches a game. Just like the Red Sox, Halladay is coming off a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg where he went the distance pitching eight innings allowing five earned runs nine hits and one walk while striking out four Rays hitters. Although Halladay has struck out over 130 opposing batters in four out of the last six seasons, the Jays righty is also skilled in keeping the ball on the ground. On the young season, when opposing hitters have put the bat on the ball 74% of the outs, the Jays have recorded with him on the mound, have been ground ball outs. Meaning nearly three out of four balls put in play for an out are ground balls.

OPPOSING HITTER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Jacoby Ellsbury	6	4	0	1	2	3	0	0	.667	.667	2.000	2.667
J.D. Drew	16	7	0	0	1	1	3	2	.438	.526	.625	1.151
Kevin Youkilis	32	11	2	1	1	4	6	5	.344	.447	.563	1.010
David Ortiz	76	22	6	0	5	20	4	11	.289	.333	.566	.899
Coco Crisp	28	8	1	0	1	2	0	2	.286	.286	.429	.714
Manny Ramirez	75	20	5	0	3	12	6	16	.267	.317	.453	.770
Sean Casey	15	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.267	.267	.267	.533
Julio Lugo	46	12	1	0	1	2	2	8	.261	.292	.348	.639
Mike Lowell	24	6	0	0	3	9	1	5	.250	.280	.625	.905
Jason Varitek	60	14	4	0	2	10	6	18	.233	.303	.400	.703
Alex Cora	15	3	0	0	1	2	1	2	.200	.250	.400	.650
Dustin Pedroia	19	3	1	0	0	1	1	1	.158	.200	.211	.411
Totals	412	114	20	2	20	66	30	72	.277	.327	.481	.807

Stats provided by STATS LLC/ESPN

Probable Starters:

Red Sox Line Up

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
   
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
   
3. David Ortiz, DH
   
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
   
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
   
6. J.D. Drew, RF
   
7. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
   
8. Jason Varitek, C
   
9. Julio Lugo, SS

Blue Jays Line Up

1. David Eckstein, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Matt Stairs, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Shannon Stewart, LF
9. Gregg Zaun, C
   

Red Sox Notes:

With Mike Lowell expected to come out the disabled list for Tuesday’s game against the Jays it is certain that the rookie Jed Lowrie will be optioned to Pawtucket to make room on the roster for Lowell. Lowrie played exceptionally well in Lowell’s absence after Sean Casey went on the disabled list on April 26 with a strained right hip flexor.

Update: Matsuzaka has been pushed back

Daisuke Matsuzaka will not be making his sixth start of the season when the Toronto Blue Jays come into Fenway for a three game series on Tuesday. He will be flip-flopping starts with Jon Lester, who will get the start of the opening game of the Jays series; Matsuzaka will go for win number five on Wednesday. The reason for the decision to switch these two starts relates to the flu epidemic that has hit the Red Sox clubhouse the last week, according to the Red Sox and the Globe. Matsuzaka was the fourth and last Sox player who was stricken with the flu last week and did not accompany the team to Tampa last weekend to not spread the illness to the rest of the team.

James Shields gives the Rays their first three-game sweep of the Red Sox

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RED SOX SWEPT BY RAYS 3-0; MOVE TO 15-12
James Shields gives the Rays their first three-game sweep of the Red Sox

(April 27, 2008) – For the first time in the franchise’s 11 year history the Tampa Bay Rays swept the Red Sox in a three game series behind right handed starter James Shields. Shields pitched a complete game of two-hit ball recording seven strike outs while surrendering zero walks.

For the first six innings it was a one-run game coming from an errant pick-off throw by Sox starter Josh Beckett. After Rays shortstop, Jason Bartlett reached on a base hit past the reach of Sox shortstop Julio Lugo. Beckett’s attempted pick-off got by Kevin Youkilis and traveled up the first base line and into the Rays bullpen sending Bartlett to third base. The Tampa Bay shortstop would continue onward when right fielder J.D. Drew’s return throw to the infield slowly rolled down the base line and was gathered by rookie infielder Jed Lowie. But it was too late to get Bartlett at the plate.

After the rocky third inning, Beckett settled down and eventually retired nine Ray batters before surrendering a solo homerun to Tampa Bay rookie Evan Longoria for the second run of the game. The Sox bats failed Beckett in this afternoon’s game. In seven innings of work, the Red Sox Ace allowed just two runs – one of the runs was unearned – on four hits.

Along with an outstanding performance by Beckett – with the exception of one blunder – he also set a new single-game high for himself. In seven innings, he struck out 13 Tampa Bay hitters. His last single-game high in strike outs was against the Montreal Expos where he struck out 12 Expos on July 21, 2002 when he was a member of the Florida Marlins.

Manny Delcarmen came on in relief of the Beckett to pitch the eighth inning and hit the first batter he faced (Bartlett). The hit batter would come around to score on Carl Crawford’s one-out double to right field. Crawford got too greedy on the play and was thrown out by Drew trying to stretch a double into a triple. Delcarmen would strike out B.J. Upton to end the inning. Between Beckett and Delcarmen, they combined to strike out 15 Rays hits.

The Red Sox will return to Fenway Park to play the Toronto Blue Jays on April 29-May 1. The last time these two teams met was at the beginning of the season (April 4-6) at the Rogers Centre and saw the Sox being swept by Toronto. Daisuke Matsuzaka and his 4-0 record, 3.14 ERA and 28 strike outs will try to turn around this Red Sox losing streak when he steps on the mound against Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. Halladay is currently 2-3 on the season with a 3.73 ERA and 25 strike outs. In his last start Halladay went eight innings, allowing five earned runs on nine hits while striking out five. Matsuzaka is coming of an 11-3 win against Texas that saw him pitch 5.1 innings allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking our four on 101 pitches.

WIN: James Shields (3-1)

LOSS: Josh Beckett (2-2)

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Game Notes:

Evan Longoria’s homerun in the bottom of the seventh was his third homerun this season and of his career.

David Ortiz gets another day off to rest his bruised knee. With the off day tomorrow, Ortiz will get three days off before the Red Sox return on Tuesday to play the Toronto Blue Jays.

Manny Ramirez stole his first base of the season and it was his first steal since April of 2005.

Jason Bartlett was hit in the head by a Manny Delcarmen fast ball in the bottom of the eighth inning. He would be all right.

The 3 Stars of the Game:

1. James Shields, TAMPA BAY 9IP, 2H, 7K

2. Jason Bartlett, TAMPA BAY 1-2 2-runs scored

3. Josh Beckett, BOSTON 7IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 13K

Tampa Bay takes second game of the series on Akinora Iwamura’s two-run homerun in the eighth

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RED SOX FALL TO THE RAYS 2-1; MOVE TO 15-11
Tampa Bay takes second game of the series on Akinora Iwamura’s two-run homerun in the eighth

(April 26, 2008) – The Red Sox offense was silent tonight, scoring only one run in the game but it appeared as if it was all they were going to need because rookie Clay Buchholz was on his game – for the first seven innings he pitched. After pitching seven innings of one hit ball and retiring 13 consecutive Rays hitters after a B.J. Upton fourth inning double, Buchholz surrendered a two-run game winning homerun to second baseman Akinora Iwamura to give the Rays the 2-1 win.

The rookie pitcher got off to rough start in the first – walking B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena back-to-back – but was able to get fellow rookie Evan Longoria to end the inning. As the game went along, Buchholz appeared to get better as the pitch count rose. He ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Dioneer Navarro broke up Buchholz’s streak of retiring 13 consecutive Tampa Bay hitters with a base hit. As long as shortstop Jason Bartlett did his job by not grounding into an inning ending double to get Iwamura and the rest of the top of the Rays line up to the plate.

Buchholz was left in the game just a tad bit too long and received his second loss of the season. Although he got the loss, the Sox rookie pitcher pitched magnificent. Nothing bad should be said about Buchholz. As the game went along it appeared as if Buchholz got stronger. Now we all know in sports as the game continues that can not happen but it was because his confidence level was growing as the game continued. That is the reason he looked as if he was getting stronger.

Coco Crisp scored the lone Boston run in the top of the fifth inning when he led off the inning with a single into right field. The speedy center fielder would advance two bases on an Edwin Jackson wild pitch that went to the back stop, allowing Crisp to advance to third base. It appeared as if Jackson was going to get out of the inning unscathed – striking out catcher Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo – but it was not going to be. Jacoby Ellsbury, who was a last minute addition to the line up, slapped a base hit down to third and just barely beat the throw to first to drive in Crisp from third.

The Red Sox will try to ward of the sweep in tomorrow’s matinee with the Rays in the abbreviated road trip to St. Petersburg, Florida. Josh Beckett will make his fourth start of the season and look to improve his record to 3-1. After starting the season on the disabled list with back and hip problems, Beckett has only gotten better and stronger with each outing. In his first start of the season, he failed to get through the fifth inning but in his last start on against the arch-nemesis Yankees, Beckett pitched eight complete innings allowing three earned runs on six hits and five strike outs. Beckett’s 2-1 record, 5.12 ERA and 16 strike outs will be opposed by Rays righty James Shields who has been Tampa Bay’s ace while Scott Kazmir is on the disabled list. Shields is coming off a 6-4 win against the Toronto Blue Jays were he completed seven innings allowing two runs on six hits with five strikes. Overall on the young season the Rays “Ace” is 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 21 strike outs.

WIN: Scott Dohman (2-0)

LOSS: Clay Buchholz (1-2)

SAVE: Troy Percival (5)

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Game Notes:

Injury Report:

Mike Lowell made his first rehab assignment last night and due to come off the disabled list some time in the next couple of days. David Ortiz was scratched from the starting line up for tonight’s second game with the Rays because of a bruised knee. Sox put Sean Casey on the 15-day DL with a strained right hip flexor and recalled Brandon Moss from Pawtucket. (My opinion is that Moss is going to become the next Lou Merloni.)

Clay Buchholz went into the bottom of the fourth with a no-hitter until B.J. Upton broke it up with a double down the left field line.

The 3 Stars of the Game:

1. Akinori Iwamura, TAMPA BAY 1-4 HR, 2-RBIs

2. B.J. Upton, TAMPA BAY 1-2 Double and an outfield assist

3. Clay Buchholz, BOSTON 8IP 3H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K