David Eckstein’s three RBIs and Alex Rios’s two doubles lead Blue Jays to a 10-2 win over Red Sox

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RED SOX OUTSLUGGED BY THE BLUE JAYS 10-2; MOVE TO 3-3
David Eckstein’s three RBIs and Alex Rios’s two doubles lead Blue Jays to a 10-2 win over Red Sox

(April 5, 2008) – In the first five games of the regular season, the Red Sox had not made an error but in Saturday’s afternoon matinee against the Blue Jays the Sox made two. First baseman Sean Casey’s, who got the start in replace of Kevin Youkilis, first error of the season on a Greg Zaun ground ball to first would prove to break the game open for the Jays.

Toronto would go on to take game two of the series 10-2 behind the pesky David Eckstein and starter Jesse Litsch. The former Angel and Cardinal provided the spark at the top of the Toronto line up. Eckstein went 2-5 with 3 RBIs as well as scoring a run. Litsch got his first win of the season, pitching five complete innings, before turning the game over to the bullpen, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out two Red Sox batters.

Manny Ramirez gave Sox starter Clay Buchholz a 1-0 lead before he even stepped on the mound. In the top half of the first inning, Ramirez he drove in David Ortiz from first base with a double to center field. It was Ramirez’s first RBI since March 26 against the Oakland Athletics.

Buchholz would hold the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the second when he would walk lead off hitter Vernon Wells and give up a base hit to left field, sending Wells to third. With runners at the corners and no outs, Overbay lined a single up the middle to score Wells for, only, his second RBI of the season. The Sox rookie pitcher would settled down to strike out the next to batters, Aaron Hill and Marco Scutaro, and Zaun to pop out to Dustin Pedroia, at second.

The Sox would retake the lead, 2-1, in the top of the fourth inning on a Casey’s single to right to score J.D. Drew, who doubled to lead off the inning. But in the bottom of the inning, the Jays answered the lone Red Sox run with three runs of their own. After designated hitter Frank Thomas flew out to Drew in right, Overbay started the Jays rally with single to right. Hill would lay a bunt-hit down the third base line and Scutaro would walk to load the bases before Zaun hit the infamous ground ball that one-hopped Casey that led to two Blue Jay runs.

The Toronto bats broke out in the sixth inning. In relief of Buchholz, who pitch five innings allowing three earned runs on six hits and seven strike outs, Kyle Snyder gave up lead off walks to Hill and Scutaro and a sacrifice bunt to Zaun before being replaced by the right handed Bryan Corey. Corey did not fair much better, giving up a two run RBI single to Eckstein as well as an RBI double to Alex Rios and an RBI single to Wells before giving up Thomas’s second homerun of the series. At the end of the sixth, the Blue Jays crossed the plate six times on four hits.

The marquis match up of the series takes place tomorrow when Josh Beckett comes off the 15-day D.L to try to salvage a game against Blue Jays starting pitcher, Roy Halladay. Beckett is making his first start after a 20-win season last year with a 3.27 ERA and 194 strikes in 200.2 innings pitched. Halladay is coming off a 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees that saw him go seven innings allowing three earned runs while striking out just three Yankee batters.

WIN: Jesse Litsch (1-0)

LOSS: Clay Buchholz (0-1)

--

Game Notes:

Julio Lugo made Boston’s first error of the season trying to get David Eckstein after he grounded out to shortstop to begin the inning for the Jays.

Lyle Over hit a line drive up the middle to drive in Vernon Wells from third base, Thomas, who hit a bloop single in between Ramirez and Lugo, went to third.

The 3 Stars of the Game:

David Eckstein, TORONTO 2-5 3 RBI

Alex Rios, TORONTO 2-5 2 doubles, RBI

Frank Thomas, TORONTO 2-5 2-run homerun

Blue Jays defeat Red Sox behind Shaun Marcum’s eight strike outs and retiring 11 consecutive Sox hitters

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RED SOX FALL TO THE BLUE JAYS 6-3; MOVE TO 3-2
Blue Jays defeat Red Sox behind Shaun Marcum’s eight strike outs and retiring 11 consecutive Sox hitters

(April 4, 2008) – Long time designated hitter, Frank Thomas drove in the go a head runs to give the Blue Jays the 6-3 win against the Red Sox as well as starter Shaun Marcum’s first win of the season. Marcum went seven strong innings allowing just three runs on three hits while accumulating eight strike outs and walking just one.

After a J.D. Drew three run homerun to tie up the game in the top of the seventh inning. Thomas put the Jays back on top with a two run double to left field, in the bottom of the inning, off of reliever Manny Delcarmen. Shortstop David Eckstein, who took a walk from Red Sox reliever David Aardsma, and pinch-hitter, Shannon Stewart, scored on the play.

Early on in the game it looked as if it was going to be a pitcher’s duel. The elder statesman of the Red Sox, Tim Wakefield, was making his 338^th career start in a Sox uniform and matched Marcum every inning. It appeared, in the beginning, as if the first team to make a mistake was going to be the costliest.

The Blue Jays first got to Wakefield in the bottom of the sixth inning on solo homerun by left fielder Matt Stairs, to go up 1-0. Wakefield would go on to walk right fielder Alex Rios and Thomas with a strike out to center fielder, Vernon Wells in between. First baseman Lyle Overbay would hit a blooper that would fall between Manny Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury and Julio Lugo, to drive in Rios from third and score the second Jays run of the game and move Thomas to second. Thomas and Overbay would advance to third and second, respectively, on Wakefield’s wild pitch to Aaron Hill.

The wild pitch would prove to be costly when Hill hit a deep fly ball to centerfield that popped out of Ellsbury’s glove allowing Thomas to score and giving Hill a long single. Terry Francona came out to argue that his center fielder had possession of the ball before it fell to the Rogers Centre turf but too no avail. The call stood and the Jays led the Red Sox 3-0 at the end of six.

After a 28 minute wait in the dugout while the Blue Jays were on offense, the Red Sox finally were able to get to Marcum. Going into the seventh inning, Marcum was pitching at a good pace, retiring the last 10 Red Sox batters and four of them on strike outs. To start off the top of the inning he struck out Kevin Youkilis to make it 11 consecutive Sox hitters but would walk David Ortiz to end the streak. After getting Ramirez to strike out, he gave up a base hit to third baseman Mike Lowell before allowing Drew to tie up the score with a three run homerun to right field – his first of the year.

Wakefield pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out four Blue Jays and walking three. In the first inning, Wakefield got off to a rocky start by hitting Jays lead off hitter Eckstein. He went on to get Stairs to ground out into a fielder’s choice, second to first, and Rios to fly out to left before walking clean up hitter Vernon Wells on first straight pitches. Falling Thomas 3-0 was the turning point of Wakefield’s game by throwing three straight strikes for the final out of the inning.

The Red Sox battle the Blue Jays again tomorrow at 1:07pm in Toronto when they send rookie Clay Buchholz to the mound to face the young, 23-year old Toronto pitcher, Jesse Litsch. Buchholz was called up to the big club late in 2007 and in four games he had a 3-1 record, with a 1.59 ERA and 22 strike outs. Litsch started 20 games for Toronto last year and ended up with a recorded of 7-9, a 3.81 ERA and 50 strike outs.

WIN: Shaun Marcum (1-0)

LOSS: David Aardsma (0-1)

SAVE: Jeremy Accardo (2)

--

Game Notes:

Kevin Cash recorded the first Red Sox hit with a double in the top of the third inning against Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum.

Since Cash’s double in the third, Marcum retired eleven consecutive Red Sox hitters, five on strikeouts. Ortiz’s walk in the top of the seventh broke up the streak.

Coco Crisp pinch hit for Jacoby Ellsbury in the top of the eighth and popped out to Eckstein.

Jason Varitek pinch hit for Kevin Cash in the top of eighth and became Brian Tallet’s first strike out victim.

The 3 Stars of the Game:

1. Frank Thomas, TORONTO 1-3 2-run double
2. Shaun Marcum, TORONTO 7.0 IP, 3H 3ER, 8K, 1BB
3. J.D. Drew, BOSTON 1-3 HR, 3RBIs

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Five months ago I wrote that Jose Canseco had no interested in cleaning up the game of baseball and his books were revenge against the league for the demise of his career or lack there of. Well with recent events surrounding Canseco’s new book, “Vindicated,” my statements in the previous post have been supported. (I am not being cocky but I was correct. Wow how ironic is that?)

WEEI 850’s The Big Show invited him to be on the show today to answer questions about being throw into the news once again. Host, Glenn Ordway, asked Canseco to not hang up on the interview and Canseco obliged. Ordway and his co-hosts discussed Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball approaching him to help clean up the game. Canseco’s comments on the last part were that he felt shocked because baseball blackballed him and called him a liar before. (Doesn’t that sound like some one with a personal vendetta?) Later on during the interview when things were not going the way Canseco wanted it he hung up on Ordway and the Big Show. That makes three radio shows he has hung up on.

Canseco was hurt by Major League Baseball because they did not want to deal with him and now he is trying to bring them down one player at a time. Do not be fooled folks, he is not trying to save America’s Past-time he is only throwing out names for his own personal pleasure. If you do not believe me just take a look at some of the people he has mentioned.

It was leaked out early that Rodriguez was mentioned in his second book. Canseco says he introduce A-Rod to a steroid supplier but then it came out later that Canseco had a personal vendetta against the Yankee third baseman thus why he treated him differently than Clemens. Canseco believes that A-Rod allegedly hit on his wife a few years back; plus Canseco is still a bitter taste in his mouth when Rodriguez stiffed him and his twin brother, Ozzie. (Jose and Ozzie wanted to start an agency and asked Rodriguez to be their client but Rodriguez declined.) Not really objective reporting. Although Canseco told the co-hosts on the Big Show that the reason for different treatment was because he “introduced him to a well known steroid dealer.” (Not buying it.)

Magglio Ordonez is another example Canseco’s second book is a personal grudge against baseball. According to Canseco, Ordonez was not going to be in Canseco’s new book but told Detroit radio host Frank Beckman Ordonez was “very, very, very late addition.” Apparently the Tigers outfielder was a very late addition because he would not comply with Canseco’s money demands.

In his last book, he wrote about Roger Clemens’s usage of performance enhancing drugs but came to Clemens’s defense when the All-Star pitcher was named in the Mitchell Report. Upon Clemens’s name appearing in the report, Canseco told the public he did not believe Clemens used steroids, completely contradicting what he wrote in his own book. (Maybe Canseco just “misremembered” what he wrote or was “misquoted” in his own book.)

With Canseco it is as simple as this, if he likes you, you have nothing to worry about, but if he hates you, then you should fear. Fear for your reputation. He is a dictator who has absolute power and knows it and is using it for his own personal benefit – not for the greater good for the greatest amount.

Canseco holds all the cards. With one stroke of the pen, he can ruin the reputations of many players who may not have even touched a syringe but are ruined because one guy wants vengeance. Just imagine that for a second. Your worst enemy, the person you least like destroying your life, reputation, career with one accusation that is not true. Everything that you worked so hard to build comes crumbling down because one person wants revenge.

It comes back to me now. I believed this never was about what was good for baseball and I was right. This was all about Jose Canseco. This is a guy who would sell out his entire family for the right price. It never was about baseball. Canseco is an arrogant, narcissistic, power monger.

Now that he has the absolute power he desired he is using it to extort, blackmail and harm other players, such as Ordonez and Rodriguez. These guys might have used performance enhancing drugs but you do not know that and it is not right to accuse players just because you hold a personal grudge against them. It is juvenile and immature.

But there is one thing we do know. We do know that absolute power corrupts absolutely and Canseco is going to mess with the wrong person and he is going to go down in a blaze of flames. I just want to be there to watch. Although what we are seeing with Canseco “is a man in emotional turmoil.”

David Ortiz’s first homerun of the season lead Sox to a 3-1 series win over Oakland

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RED SOX SHUT OUT ATHLETICS 5-0 TO MOVE TO 3-1
David Ortiz’s first homerun of the season lead Sox to a 3-1 series win over Oakland

(April 2, 2008) – Who said the number 13 was an unlucky number? It was not for David Ortiz at least. On Ortiz’s 13^th at bat of the season, he dropped a bloop single in front of Emil Brown in the fifth for his first hit of the season. Two innings later he would break the nothing-nothing tie with a high, two-run homerun to right centerfield. The Sox went on to win 5-0 behind 6 2/3 strong innings by Sox lefty Jon Lester, who allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out three.

Early on in the game, Harden did not look like the same pitcher who struck out nine Red Sox hitters in Japan. In 14 pitches, he allowed a single to Dustin Pedroia, two walks to Kevin Youkilis and Ortiz with not a single out in the inning. The Sox were poised to do some major damage against Harden in the first.

But then the light seemed to switch on in Harden’s head becoming the pitcher he was seven days ago, striking out both Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell swinging for the first two outs of the game. Playing in his first game of the season since sitting out the previous three games with back spasms, J.D. Drew stranded Pedroia, Youkilis and Ortiz by grounding out to first base to end the first inning.

On the mound for the Red Sox, Lester had his way with Oakland hitters. Although allowing sporadic hits to Oakland hitters (Daric Barton and Jack Hannahan) they never materialized into scoring opportunities for the Athletics. Every time Oakland got a runner on base he was wiped out by either a double play or a strike out. The only time the Athletics got a runner to third base, on Lester, was in the first inning on Mike Sweeney’s fielder’s choice to shortstop sending Barton (who doubled to left in his at-bat) to third.

Lester benefited from some good defense behind him in three consecutive innings. In the bottom of the second, he walked shortstop Bobby Crosby on four pitches he was aided by a double play ball, by catcher Kurt Suzuki, to shortstop to end the inning. The next inning, third baseman Hannahan singled to lead off the inning but Lester was able to get center fielder, Chris Denorfia to ground to shortstop for another double play. The fourth inning saw another lead off walk by the Sox left hander but after a Jack Cust strike out, Lester was able to get Brown to pop out to Drew who then threw to first to get Sweeney who strayed to far off the bag.

Harden left the game after five innings and was relieved by Andrew Brown. After hitting Lowell in the ribs, Brown appeared to on the verge of getting out of the inning unscathed. He struck out Drew and catcher Kurt Suzuki caught Lowell trying to steal and only needed one more out but that out would not come without some pressure. Brown walked Varitek and gave up a hit to Coco Crisp before being relieved by former Sox pitcher, Alan Embree but did not offer any relief. Embree hit the first batter he faced (Alex Cora) in the hand to load the bases. For the first time since the first the Sox had the bases loaded and just like the first they squandered the opportunity to put points on the board when Pedroia grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop.

But good teams find a way to win. When Youkilis led off the seventh inning with a double to left center, Ortiz took a 1-2 fastball to deep right center to give the Red Sox the 2-0 lead. From their they would not look back and went on to the 5-0 victory as well as their first series win of 2008.

The Sox will send Tim Wakefield to the mound when they travel North of the Border to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to play the Blue Jays on Friday April 4 at 7:15pm. Wakefield will be making his first start of the 2008 season and will be opposed by Jays right hander Shaun Marcum. Marcum was 12-6 last year with a 4.13 ERA and 122 strike outs. The Red Sox knuckleballer is coming off a 17 win season (17-12) with a 4.76 ERA and 110 strike outs.

WIN: Jon Lester (1-1)

LOSS: Alan Embree (0-1)

---

Game Notes:

Daric Barton’s double in the bottom of the first was his first hit of the season. Coming into today’s game, Barton was 0-for-9.

David Ortiz’s First Hit Watch:

Ortiz got his first hit of the season in the top of the fifth inning with two outs and a man on first. It was a bloop single just over the head of third baseman Jack Hannahan.

Third Time’s a Charm:

For the third in the game and second time with no outs, the Sox loaded the bases in the top of the eighth but for the first time they took advantage of the opportunity. Pedroia and Youkilis singled home Varitek and Crisp, respectively, against left hander Lenny DiNardo and right hander Santiago Casilla, respectively, to give Boston the 4-0 lead.

Top Three Stars of the Game:

1. David Ortiz, BOSTON – 2-4 Game Winning 2-run HR, 2RBI
2. Jon Lester, BOSTON – 6.2IP, 2H, 0ER, 3BB, 3K – 94 pitches – 53 for strikes
3. Jason Varitek, BOSTON – 2-4 HR, RBI

Sox-A's Game 4 Line-Ups

Starting Line-Ups for April 2, 2008 against the Oakland Athletics

J.D. Drew makes his first appearance of the 2008 season, batting sixth, when the Sox take on the Athletics at 3:35pm EST at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California. Drew sat out of games one and two, in Japan, as well as last night's game three because of back spasms. Terry Francona also elects to give Jacoby Ellsbury the day off by playing Coco Crisp in center field and batting eighth. Sitting Ellsbury today is good. It not only gives him a chance to rest but it also show cases Crisp as a starting center fielder for possible trades in June and July. Alex Cora also gets the start, replacing Julio Lugo the day game after the night game.

RED SOX:

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

SP: Jon Lester
(0-1, 9.00 ERA, 4K, 3BB, 2.00 WHIP)

ATHLETICS:

1. Mark Ellis, 2B
2. Daric Barton, 1B
3. Mike Sweeney, DH
4. Jack Cust, LF
5. Emil Brown, RF
6. Bobby Crosby, SS
7. Kurt Suzuki, C
8. Jack Hannahan, 3B
9. Chris Denorfia, CF

SP: Rich Harden
(1-0, 1.50 ERA, 9K, 3BB, 1.00 WHIP)

Daisuke Matsuzaka retires 13 consecutive Athletics to acquire his first win of 2008

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RED SOX EDGE PAST ATHLETICS 2-1 TO MOVE TO 2-1
Daisuke Matsuzaka retires 13 consecutive Athletics to acquire his first win of 2008

(April 1, 2008) – The third meeting of the Red Sox and Athletics was very different than the first two. Game three of the 2008 started as a pitchers duel between Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka and Oakland starter Joe Blanton.

Through four innings, Matsuzaka and Blanton both had thrown just a mere 59 pitches and the only mistake was a Jack Cust solo homerun over the head of Manny Ramirez to give Oakland the 1-0 lead in the second inning. That is the way the game stayed until the fifth inning when first baseman Kevin Youkilis led off the inning with a single to right. When Oakland rightfielder Travis Buck made a catch for the ESPN highlight reel on catcher Jason Varitek and Blanton struck out center fielder Coco Crisp for the second time, it looked as if the fifth inning would come to a close.

Shortstop Julio Lugo kept the fifth inning alive with a hit off the foot of Blanton moving Youkilis up to second. With two outs in the fifth inning, this is where Blanton self-destructed. Rookie right fielder Jacoby Ellsbury stepped to the plate in the fifth inning for the third time and drove in Boston’s first run of the game with a line drive into right field. After Dustin Pedroia walked, it gave David Ortiz, who is still searching for his first hit of the season, a chance to drive in a couple runs. But Ortiz grounded out to the first base man Daric Barton for the final out of the inning.

In his second start of the season, Matsuzaka was on his game going 7 2/3 innings, striking out nine Oakland hitters while allowing just the one run on Cust’s homerun, before being replaced by Hideki Okajima. After striking out center fielder Ryan Sweeney in the third, Matsuzaka went on to retire the next 12 Athletics, seven of them on strike outs. On the side of the diamond, Blanton never recovered from the turbulent fifth inning and gave up a lead-off triple to Youkilis who then would score on a Varitek RBI double. Reliever Santiago Casilla replaced Blanton in the seventh and got Lugo, Ellsbury and Pedroia to go down, one, two, three.

In relief of Matsuzaka, Okajima went 1 2/3 innings allowing the first walk by a Red Sox pitcher before turning the ball over to closer Jonathan Papelbon to get the last four outs of the game. Papelbon pitched 1 1/3 and remarkably striking out the side in the ninth to close out Boston’s second win of the season and his second save of the season.

The Red Sox will send Jon Lester to the mound in the series finale against Oakland, Wednesday April 4. Last week Lester was out-performed by Rich Harden's magnificent performance of striking out nine Red Sox batters while allowing just three hits and one run. After tomorrow's game, the Sox will travel North of the Border to Canada to play division rival the Toronto Blue Jays for a three game series April 4-6.

WIN: Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-0)

LOSS: Joe Blanton (0-1)

SAVE: Jonathan Papelbon (2)

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Game Notes:

Jacoby Ellsbury’s first game of 2008 batting lead-off and grounded out to first base.

Jason Varitek threw out his first base runner of the year, Oakland catcher Suzuki attempting steal second base for the second out of the third.

David Ortiz went 0-for-4, flying out to left twice and grounding to first twice. He is now 0-for-11 on the season.

Three Stars of the Game:

1. Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOSTON - 6.2 IP, 2 Hits, 1 ER, 9 Ks
   
2. Jason Varitek, BOSTON – 2-4 Game Winning RBI double
3. Jack Cust, OAKLAND – 1-2 HR, BB

April 1, 2008 Red Sox @ Oakland Preview

v.

BOSTON RED SOX v. OAKLAND ATHLETICS

WHERE: McAfee Coliseum; Oakland, California
WHEN: April 1, 2008
TIME: 10:05pm EST
TV: NESN
Radio: WRKO 680/WROL 950

Starting Pitchers:

v.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-0, 3.60ERA, 1.40 WHIP) v. Joe Blanton (0-0, 4.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP)

Probable Starters:

BOSTON

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B R/R .250
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B R/R .143
3. David Ortiz, DH L/L .000
4. Manny Ramirez, LF R/R .333
5. Mike Lowell, 3B R/R .375
6. Jason Varitek, C S /R .000
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF L/L .250
8. Coco Crisp, CF S/R .333
9. Julio Lugo, SS R/R .500

OAKLAND

1. Travis Buck, RF L/R .000
2. Mark Ellis, 2B R/R .143
3. Daric Barton, 1B L/R .000
4. Jack Cust, DH L/R .000
5. Emil Brown, LF R/R .250
6. Bobby Crosby, SS R/R .333
7. Jack Hannahan, 3B L/R .375
8. Kurt Suzuki, C R/R .375
9. Ryan Sweeney, CF L/L .000

RED SOX: 1-1 2nd in AL East
ATHLETICS: 1-1 2nd in the AL West

RED SOX-ATHLETICS ALL-TIME RECORD: Red Sox lead the series 1,030-842
RED SOX-ATHLETICS IN 2008: 1-1

LAST TIME THEY MET:
March 25, 2008 Red Sox won 6-5
March 26, 2008 Athletics won 4-1

When the Red Sox and Athletics last met in Tokyo, Japan to kick start the 2008 season, Daisuke Matsuzaka completed five innings but early in the game it did not look as if he would get through three. In the bottom of the first, Matsuzaka struggled for control against Oakland hitters. After getting rightfielder, Travis Buck to ground out to second, he missed location on a 1-0 pitch to Mark Ellis, who took Matszuaka deep to leftfield to put the Athletics up 1-0. He would go on to walk the bases loaded on six pitches with a one out walk to leftfielder Emil Brown, after walking Daric Barton and hitting Jack Cust earlier in the inning. Fortunately Bobby Crosby to hit a weak dribbler down the third baseline for the second out of the second out of the inning – Matsuzaka to Youkilis – but not before Barton crossed the plate to score Oakland’s second run of the game. He was able to “minimize the damage” by striking out Jack Hannahan swinging but not before throwing 30 pitches in the inning.

With the exception of Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki’s base hit up the middle it appeared as if the second inning would be much better than the first. But things are not always as they appear to be. After getting Ryan Sweeney to fly out to rightfield on three pitches, Matsuzaka faced a difficult at bat against lead-off hitter Buck. Even though Buck would go on to strike out, he did make Matsuzaka throw more (eight) pitches than he wanted to. He would go on to walk Ellis and Barton to load the bases but managed to get out of the inning by striking out Cust looking for the final out.

After throwing 60 pitches in the first two innings, Matsuzaka was on pace to not complete more than three innings but he settled down in the third and pitched effectively until he was pulled after the fifth. Although, from one game it appears as if he is the same inconsistent pitcher he was at the end of last year, one has to “focus on the positive.” Matsuzaka settled down after two rocky innings – that included walking five Athletics – to complete five innings and strike out six Oakland hitters while allowing just two runs on two hits.

Joe Blanton was pitching well and looked as if he was going to get his first win of the young season but he ran into trouble in the top of the sixth inning. After Dustin Pedroia led off the inning with a double to rightfield, Blanton walked Kevin Youkilis but was able to get David Ortiz to pop out to third. Earlier in the game, the Red Sox left four men on base including leaving Pedroia stranded at second in the first inning so it appeared Blanton might get out of the inning unscathed. But with Ortiz slumping Manny Ramirez hit a scorching line drive down the left field line that rolled all the way to the wall plating both Pedroia and Youkilis. When the damage was done the Red Sox not only forced Blanton out of the game (to be replaced by Alan Embree) but found themselves with their first lead of the game.

The lead was short lived when third baseman Jack Hannahan hit a two-run homerun to right. That was all the scoring that would happen until the top of the ninth when rookie Brandon Moss hit his first major league homerun with a solo shot to right to tie the game at four against Athletic closer Huston Street. Ramirez would come up with the game winning double in extra frames to give the Sox the 6-5 victory.

The next night, Jon Lester was out-pitched by Oakland starter Rich Harden but again with Lester’s performance you have to “identify the negative and focus on the positive.” Although Lester allowed four runs on five hits in only four innings, he also was able to accumulate four strike outs. He had a Jekyll & Hyde first start of the 2008 season that did not look much different from the Lester of 2007. Even though he showed signs of inconsistency, he was able to settle down after tough second and third innings by getting his only one, two, three inning of his outing in the fourth. Something positive you can take out of his outing.

What Lester has lacked since he has been in the major leagues has been consistency. If he can gain any sort of consistency, he will become a 12-15 game winner year-in and year-out. But that is a big if. Striving for consistency is extremely difficult, in any sport, just as the New England Patriots.

But the Red Sox could not get anything going against Harden. Harden was just on top of his game when the Sox last faced him. The lone Boston run came from Manny Ramirez’s first homerun of the season. Speaking of Manny, he only needs nine more homeruns to get to the 500 homerun mark which, at this pace, will come during the Yankees series on April 11-13. (Also known as Masters weekend.)

Tonight's match up between Matsuzaka and the Athletics worries me. Oakland is a notoriously patient ball club at the plate. Last week, first baseman Daric Barton walked three times against Matsuzaka and he is Oakland's number three hitter. You do not necessarily see too many three hitters taking a lot of walks. The spot in the order is for the swingers and hitters. Matsuzaka needs to be consistant tonight and when ahead in the count go off-speed stuff to get the out because Oakland hitters are not going to get themselves out (unless they are running the bases). If Matsuzaka's not consistant it is going to be a long night for Red Sox fans and he will need to start praying the Sox offense can come through and ride them to a victory.

Things to look for tonight:

• Keep an eye out for Matsuzaka's pitch count. He can be streaky somes. If he starts to nibble to get out Oakland hitters, it is going to drive up his pitch count and send him to an early shower.
  
• David Ortiz's first hit of the season. Ortiz is 0-for-7 with two walks and one strike out.
  
• Red Sox offense. Combined Sox hitters are 16-for-69 (.232) with a .293 on-base percentage, a .377 slugging percentage and scoring just seven runs. The A's have outscored the Red Sox 10-7 in the first two games over in the Far East. It would not surprise me if the Sox offense breaks out tonight against Blanton. In the first game, Dustin Pedroia, Manny Ramirez and Brandon Moss got to Blanton with two outs in the sixth.

My opinion:
I'm not worried about the Sox offense because the top five hitters of the Sox line up (Pedroia, Youkilis, Ortiz, Ramirez and Lowell) combined to hit .375 against Blanton in their careers. (24-94 .375BA, 2 DB, 9 BB, 5 Ks, 10 RBIs) Ramirez is the the best hitter of the five (9-15) against the Oakland right hander while Pedroia is behind him (3-8). They will score more than four runs tonight. The only thing from tonight's game that worries me is Matsuzaka. Is he going to be consistant and not get to fancy on the mound against the Athletics? Hopefully he can be the same pitcher we saw from the third inning to the fifth inning last week. The Sox offense will carry Matsuzaka to his first win. So yes, Daisuke will make it through five innings maybe six but no more than six. RED SOX 8 ATHLETICS 5

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Injuries:

J.D. Drew - Day-to-Day (back)
Mike Timlin – 15-day DL, March 20 (laceration on ring finger)
Josh Beckett – 15-day DL, March 19 (back)
Curt Schilling – 60-day DL, March 13 (right biceps degeneration)

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Latest Transactions:

March 31 – Signed pitcher Teromasa Matsuo from Japan

March 28 – Mike Timlin, placed on 15-day D.L. retroactive to March 20 with a laceration on his right ring finger

March 26 – Optioned Brandon Moss back to Pawtucket

March 25 – Placed pitcher Josh Beckett on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 19 with back spasms; purchased contract of catcher Kevin Cash from Pawtucket of the International League; optioned catcher Dusty Brown to Pawtucket

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AL East Standings

	Wins	Losses	GB	Pct.
Tampa Bay Rays	1	0	--	1.000
Boston Red Sox	1	1	0.5	0.500
New York Yankees	0	0	0.5	0.000
Toronto Blue Jays	0	0	0.5	0.000
Baltimore Orioles	0	1	1.0	0.000