Chance for Big Saturday Turns Bad with Red Sox DH Finish
When Zdeno Chara's wrister from the point snaked past Ryan Miller's right shoulder, Boston fans celebrated. When Mark Recchi empty netter rattled the back of the cage, Boston fans celebrated, and if you think they were done, you were wrong.
Dwayne Wade took control of the opening game of the Celtics/Heat series, but then Tony Allen came in in the third quarter and shut down Wade, and Celtics fans celebrated. Even when Kevin Garnett got into a scuffle with Quentin Richardson and was ejected, Boston fans celebrated; after all, this was the fire and intensity that had been missing for the last several months from the 2008 NBA champions.
It was shaping up to be a great weekend for the Boston sports scene, and the Red Sox were in position to seal it, possibly taking two games on Saturday night from the Rays. But it was not to be. Red Sox could not muster a run in the suspended game and then imploded in the night-cap.
So far this season if the Red sox troubles were not coming from the plate, they were coming from the bullpen, and the starting rotation has even been dinged up a bit, but on Saturday night the defense decided to join in on the unspectacular play.
An error by Mike Cameron allowed the flood gates to open and the Rays scored four unearned runs in the first and never looked back. Even after a pair of two run jacks, one by Dustin Pedroia (five HRs) and the other by Kevin Youkilis (two HRs), the Red Sox were not able to make up the six run difference.
Sunday was not much better; Jon Lester, who has well documented troubles in the month of April, allowed six runs and the Red Sox bats were just as bad; the Red Sox through seven innings only collected two hits, one of those from hot-hitting Jason Varitek (that's a line most Boston fans would not have believed any time over the last two years).
But signs are pointing up for the Red Sox as John Lackey (1-0 1.42 ERA) is set to take the mound and today is Patriots Day in Boston and the Sox have won their last six Patriots Day games.
Game starts at 11 AM and let us hope the Red Sox do not just wake up for the game, but come ready to play because if they keep bringing this type of, ummm, intensity, they will be looking up at not just the Rays and Yankees, but the Blue Jays too.
Showing posts with label Kevin Youkilis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kevin Youkilis. Show all posts
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Same Old Wakefield, Same Bad Luck
"The ball is carrying real well today." Those ominous words were uttered by Don Orsillo in the early portions of today's game between the Red Sox and the Twins. Normally, the Red Sox are the heavy hitting team that benefits from having the ball carry an extra 10-20 feet, just not when Tim Wakefield is on the mound.
Wakefield is notorious for allowing home runs; its what makes watching his starts so pressure filled, any pitch he throws can end up in the bleachers, no matter how well the knuckleball is dancing that day. At Target Field, where the Red Sox have been so very nice to their hosts, a day in which the ball carried an extra couple of feet every at-bat was not a good day.
Wakefield was able to get the first five batters out in 16 pitches, but the knuckleballer, who seems to luck out of roughly eight wins a year (including his first start of this season) had the same old luck he has always had, in other words, bad luck.
With two down in the second inning and breezing through the Twins line-up, Wakefield faced notorious Red Sox killer Jim Thome. Thome ripped a line drive into the shift, but the ball deflected off of shortstop Marco Scutaro's (who was playing to the right of the second base bag) glove and into center for a single. Two more two-outs singles later and the Sox were down 1-0.
With the Sox still down 1-0 in the fifth, Wakefield allowed a lead-off double and the next batter Denard Span blooped a ball down the left field line that was about a half foot from going foul, but dropped in fair territory for an RBI double.
The sixth inning did not fair much better as Adrian Beltre committed his first error of the year and the wheels started to fall off for Wakefield and the Red sox. A single here, a double there, and Wakefield was pulled after six runs, five earned (four if you expect players to not throw the ball around like little-leaguers) in 5 1/3 innings.
Despite the defensive woes and bad luck for Wakefield (the knuckleball was dancing all day, but the Minnesota bats were consistently able to drop the bat heads on Mr. Rawlings), it would not have mattered. The Red Sox were defenseless against Francisco Liriano's aresenal of fastballs, changeups and sliders.
Liriano was able to get out of a jam in the top of the first inning when he had runners on second and third with one out, but got Kevin Youkilis to swing on top of a slider down and in, and got Adrian Beltre to ground out to third. Liriano went seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and only needing 96 pitches to do so; the 96 pitches is the easiest marker of the Red Sox inability to make the embattled left-hander work.
For the Red Sox and Tim Wakefield it was another missed opportunity, and another example of a team that simply did not show up to play, a troubling consistent storyline early in the 2010 season.
Wakefield is notorious for allowing home runs; its what makes watching his starts so pressure filled, any pitch he throws can end up in the bleachers, no matter how well the knuckleball is dancing that day. At Target Field, where the Red Sox have been so very nice to their hosts, a day in which the ball carried an extra couple of feet every at-bat was not a good day.
Wakefield was able to get the first five batters out in 16 pitches, but the knuckleballer, who seems to luck out of roughly eight wins a year (including his first start of this season) had the same old luck he has always had, in other words, bad luck.
With two down in the second inning and breezing through the Twins line-up, Wakefield faced notorious Red Sox killer Jim Thome. Thome ripped a line drive into the shift, but the ball deflected off of shortstop Marco Scutaro's (who was playing to the right of the second base bag) glove and into center for a single. Two more two-outs singles later and the Sox were down 1-0.
With the Sox still down 1-0 in the fifth, Wakefield allowed a lead-off double and the next batter Denard Span blooped a ball down the left field line that was about a half foot from going foul, but dropped in fair territory for an RBI double.
The sixth inning did not fair much better as Adrian Beltre committed his first error of the year and the wheels started to fall off for Wakefield and the Red sox. A single here, a double there, and Wakefield was pulled after six runs, five earned (four if you expect players to not throw the ball around like little-leaguers) in 5 1/3 innings.
Despite the defensive woes and bad luck for Wakefield (the knuckleball was dancing all day, but the Minnesota bats were consistently able to drop the bat heads on Mr. Rawlings), it would not have mattered. The Red Sox were defenseless against Francisco Liriano's aresenal of fastballs, changeups and sliders.
Liriano was able to get out of a jam in the top of the first inning when he had runners on second and third with one out, but got Kevin Youkilis to swing on top of a slider down and in, and got Adrian Beltre to ground out to third. Liriano went seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and only needing 96 pitches to do so; the 96 pitches is the easiest marker of the Red Sox inability to make the embattled left-hander work.
For the Red Sox and Tim Wakefield it was another missed opportunity, and another example of a team that simply did not show up to play, a troubling consistent storyline early in the 2010 season.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
John Lackey Notches First Win as a Red Sox
Sox Back on Winning Track, but Baard/Bullpen still Shaky.
John Lackey went 6 2/3 innings while allowing two runs, both earned to grab his first victory as a member of the Red Sox. After going six shut-out innings in his first start, but having the bats disappear, the bats made backed him up in his first away performance.
The Sox got some much needed offensive help from Dustin Pedroia who is coming to be known as "ol' reliable" for the sox (2-5 with a double and a home run). They also got some help from one of the new faces. Jeremy Hermida only roped one hit, but it was a big one; a bases clearing two-out double in the eight inning that put the Sox up 6-2.
They Sox needed the hit too as Daniel Bard's troubles in the eighth inning continued. After allowing the game winning hit two games ago against the Kansas City Royals, Bard had another shaky outing at Target Field in Minnesota.
It may be all the hype he recieved as possibly the new Jonathan Papelbon has painted a target on every single one of his 98 mph+ fastballs, but so far this season he has not looked good. Against Minnesota Michael Cuddyer welcomed Bard rudely by taking a meaty slider and hooking just over the fence in left.
He did settle down though. After allowing a double to Delmon Young, Bard was able to get pinch-hitting Jim Thome to pop out to Marco Scutaro to end the threat. The shakiness almost seemed contagious as Papelbon could not get through the ninth without having to face the game-tying run in the person of that same Michael Cuddyer.
Papelbon was noticeably low in his deliver to the plate; both in arm angle and in stature. He was getting a great push off of the rubber, but it seemed to be lowering his whole frame in his approach to the mound causing his fastball to dart low and moer importantly, giving a better view for the better.
Despite the mechanical problems, which resulted in two walks, Papelbon still battled through it and was able to finish off Cuddyer and the Twins almost exclusively on fastballs (the one split-fingered fastball was a wild pitch that travelled 58-feet before demolishing the dirt in front of the plate).
The news was not all bad: afterall, the Red Sox did get the win, Hideki Okajima came on to relieve John Lackey and got out of a bases loaded jam by forcing a pop-up out of the dangerous Justin Morneau, and Papelbon, despite having B- stuff on the mound, recorded the save without allowing a run.
It may have been ugly, but the Red Sox pulled out the win, and if its going to take ugly wins to get the ball rolling for the Red Sox, then the Sox will take all the ugly they can get. Plus, they are already well acquianted with ugly... they have Kevin Youkilis don't they?
John Lackey went 6 2/3 innings while allowing two runs, both earned to grab his first victory as a member of the Red Sox. After going six shut-out innings in his first start, but having the bats disappear, the bats made backed him up in his first away performance.
The Sox got some much needed offensive help from Dustin Pedroia who is coming to be known as "ol' reliable" for the sox (2-5 with a double and a home run). They also got some help from one of the new faces. Jeremy Hermida only roped one hit, but it was a big one; a bases clearing two-out double in the eight inning that put the Sox up 6-2.
They Sox needed the hit too as Daniel Bard's troubles in the eighth inning continued. After allowing the game winning hit two games ago against the Kansas City Royals, Bard had another shaky outing at Target Field in Minnesota.
It may be all the hype he recieved as possibly the new Jonathan Papelbon has painted a target on every single one of his 98 mph+ fastballs, but so far this season he has not looked good. Against Minnesota Michael Cuddyer welcomed Bard rudely by taking a meaty slider and hooking just over the fence in left.
He did settle down though. After allowing a double to Delmon Young, Bard was able to get pinch-hitting Jim Thome to pop out to Marco Scutaro to end the threat. The shakiness almost seemed contagious as Papelbon could not get through the ninth without having to face the game-tying run in the person of that same Michael Cuddyer.
Papelbon was noticeably low in his deliver to the plate; both in arm angle and in stature. He was getting a great push off of the rubber, but it seemed to be lowering his whole frame in his approach to the mound causing his fastball to dart low and moer importantly, giving a better view for the better.
Despite the mechanical problems, which resulted in two walks, Papelbon still battled through it and was able to finish off Cuddyer and the Twins almost exclusively on fastballs (the one split-fingered fastball was a wild pitch that travelled 58-feet before demolishing the dirt in front of the plate).
The news was not all bad: afterall, the Red Sox did get the win, Hideki Okajima came on to relieve John Lackey and got out of a bases loaded jam by forcing a pop-up out of the dangerous Justin Morneau, and Papelbon, despite having B- stuff on the mound, recorded the save without allowing a run.
It may have been ugly, but the Red Sox pulled out the win, and if its going to take ugly wins to get the ball rolling for the Red Sox, then the Sox will take all the ugly they can get. Plus, they are already well acquianted with ugly... they have Kevin Youkilis don't they?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"It's a Jump...To Conclusions Mat"
It's Early, but... They Kinda Suck
Red Sox Red Sox Red Sox.
The Red Sox and their players have one of the greatest fanbases in all of professional sports (I'm looking at you Manchester United). With that distinction comes a rabid fanbase and media scrutiny unlike anything most players have ever seen; John Lackey, after one start and six shut-out inning, might just be the greatest free-agent acquisition ever.
The fanbase knows how to overreact, and why not with the second highest pay-roll in the major leagues; the fans expect a great show when they tune into NESN for away games and an even greater show when they go to Fenway and sit in the ever-increasing pricey seats.
However, the Sox are off to unspectacular 3-4 start; losing two of three to the Yankees, at home, then taking two out of three at Kansas City (big whoop, except for the lone win came off of Zach Greinke), and just yesterday lost the Twins' home-opener (a true home opener as it was the first professional baseball game played at Target Fiend).
Like every year the starting lineup has some new faces (Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron, even Victor Martinez is technically new) and old faces (David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis), but for some reason this team has come out of the blocks in unspectacular fashion. It could be a simple case of, "they haven't meshed yet" or "it's early, no time to overreact," and while that may be the case, it's how they have lost some of the early games that is cause for concern.
The Red Sox lost a game in which John Lackey went six shut-out innings, but the bullpen blew it in the eight and eventually the tenth, only scoring one run in those ten innings. They lost a great start by Tim Wakefield when the bullpen blew it in the eight, this time only scoring four runs. Then, just yesterday, they lost to Carl Pavano and the Twins 5-2 when the bats never really did get going; one of their two runs was on a warning track drive by Big Papi which bounced off the heal of left-fielder Delmon Young's glove.
The main concern for Red Sox fans coming into the season was "how are the bats going to hold up." Now I know you cannot expect 9 runs a game, but it's more than that; the Red Sox have no energy coming into the games and it seems that there is something missing from the entire team, with the exception of Papi (who despite the atrocious start, 3-22 with 11 Ks, is still playing with passion; see, eighth career ejection), Youk, Pedey, and when he plays, Jason Varitek.
It is not that the new players do not yet understand how to mesh with the veteran Red Sox, its that they don't understand when you play for the Red Sox, you are expected to bring the intensity everyday. Red Sox fans can take losing (see, the 1900s), but what they cannot take is players that do not come prepared with energy everyday; the fans cannot take players thinking the Red Sox are like every other average, run of the mill baseball team because Red Sox fans, in the 2000s, have come to expect anything but average from their players.
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