Downright Offensive

Eleven runs, 17 hits, a solid performance from Wake, and key hits from the bottom of the order (Crisp, Mirabelli, Cora went 6 for 13, five runs scored, 4 RBI) all added up to the Sox' fifth straight victory last night. Final score: 11-3 over the hapless Nationals at Fenway.

Unfortunately, the Yankees came from behind to beat Philly last night so the lead stays at 2. Two young'uns go tonight in the finale -- Jon Lester vs. Sean Hill.

Sox-Nats, Game 2

Sox have strung a few hits together tonight and have a nice 4-0 lead over the Nationals in the bottom of the 2nd. Wake's going against the king of all rubber arms, Livan Hernandez. The guy's made 30 starts in eight straight seasons.

Last night's 6-3 win in the first game will be fondly remembered for the Gabe Kapler ovation, a Manny faux pas, and a Manny home run. Oh yeah, Kyle Snyder, too.

Kapler made his first appearance after rehabbing from an Achilles tear, and played his usual hard-nosed brand. He got multiple loud ovations, which must make John Damon cringe. Manny's goof came on a play when Mark Loretta was trying to score. Manny was in the on-deck circle and should have signaled to Loretta whether to slide or come in standing. Loretta guessed wrong and came in standing. (Tito, on the radio today, said "Manny just got caught doing a little spectating there...") Of course, Manny redeemed himself later with a patented moon shot over the Monster.

And Kyle Snyder? The guy was waived by the worst team in baseball, the Kansas City Royals. A six-foot-eight Bronson Arroyo lookalike. And he did his job to a T. Five innings, a handful of K's, and he kept his team in the game. Well done, Kyle. Now be on your way...

Live update: Sox have stretched lead to 6-0. Rubber Arm Livan has been pulled by his skipper, the great Frank Robinson. Robby's not shy in giving his opinion on all the steroid cheats the game has seen over the past few years. He was quoted in the Globe today saying, "If it's proven that they did steroids - and we can't prove that yet - but if it is proven, they should wipe out all the numbers. All of them." He's got a right to speak up: his 586 total home runs once had him pretty high up on the all-time list. Now he's been leapfrogged by a bunch of frauds.

Satisfying Sweep

Well, we saw it with our own eyes this weekend. It's true - the mighty Atlanta Braves are circling the drain. Still, a sweep on the road is a sweep on the road, and last night's 10-7 win over the Braves was a gratifying one.

Curt Schilling pitched six full innings, then gave way to Manny Delcarmen in the 7th with the Sox nursing a 3-2 lead. Delcarmen quickly got two outs, then gave up a single to Andruw Jones and Tito pulled him in favor of newly acquired lefty Javier Lopez. Lopez proceeded to walk Brian McCann, and Tito pulled him in favor of Rudy Seanez. And you know what's coming next -- a juicy meatball over the plate to free-swinging Jeff Francoeur and all of a sudden, a 5-3 Braves lead.

The Sox fought back in the 8th, exploding for six runs. Key hits came from Coco Crisp and Mike Lowell, whose pinch-hit double to the gap in right-center gave the Sox the lead for good. Final score: 10-7, good guys.

Boston now holds a one-game lead in the seesaw AL East, by virtue of the Nationals' come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Yankees yesterday. The Sox kick off a three-game series against those very same Nationals starting tonight at Fenway.

Ortiz Gives Sox Early Lead

A little live update...

Papi hit a Smoltz fastball out to left-center in the 1st inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. We're now in the home half of the 3rd and Ozzie Smith is paying a visit.

Joe Morgan just did his "Joe Morgan Swing Analyzer" on Ortiz. His first point: Big Papi has a wide base. His second point: The team that scores the most runs tonight will win this ballgame.

Bad News Braves

It's been a long time since we've seen a Braves team slump this badly, 14 years to be exact. The last time the Braves were nine games under .500 - which they are this morning thanks to the Sox and Josh Beckett last night - was 1992.

Bobby Cox's crew is 2-14 in the month of June, and his team is 13 games out of first place. Yesterday, the Sox added to their misery with a clean 5-3 victory. Beckett threw a lot of pitches (over 100 in six innings) but mixed them effectively enough to keep the Braves hitters off-balance. Offensively, Kevin Youkilis hit the first pitch of the ballgame out of the yard, Big Papi smashed his 19th home run, and Alex Gonzalez banged out three hits. Papelbon (yawn) earned his 22nd save.

One interesting sidenote to this interleague series is how many Red Sox fans are in the stands in Atlanta. Whenever the Sox do something good, you can hear the cheers coming through your TV set. "It's pretty irritating," said Braves OF Jeff Francouer in this morning's Atlanta-Journal Constitution. "When David Ortiz hit that home run and he got a standing ovation, it's unsettling to hear that at home." Now you know how the Devil Dogs and Orioles feel, Jeff. Two words: play better.

Third and final game is on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball tonight, which unfortunately means we're forced to listen to Joe Morgan. No, not the colorful ex-Sox manager - rather, the Hall of Fame 2B from the Big Red Machine who has to be the worst analyst in the history of sports broadcasting. That's a lot of analysts. In fact, calling Joe Morgan an analyst really isn't accurate. He's more like a celebrity guest who stops by the booth every now and then to schmooze - only he never leaves. I've always said - if you want to bring terrorists worldwide to their knees, lock them in a room on a Sunday night in June, with one team enjoying a blowout early in the game. Morgan's useless, inane "analysis" will get them to squeal every time. (Imagine Joe Morgan in Arabic?)

Alright, enough - let's focus on the good. We've got a superb pitching matchup tonight with old guns Curt Schilling and John Smoltz facing each other. I think I heard it's the first time in 9 years the two have gone head to head - makes sense with Smoltzy's long stint as closer. Joe Morgan be damned, it should be a good one.

Happy Dad's day to all...

Youth is Served

The Sox are going to need young Jon Lester to come through, and if last night was any indication, he could give the team (pardon the pun) a huge shot in the arm.

Lester won his first major league game last night against the Braves and Tim Hudson in Atlanta. Not too shabby. The talented southpaw (think John Tudor with more velocity and a better bender) went six full innings, struck out five, walked three and gave up one run. Just a huge performance, particularly coming off an ugly sweep in Minnesota.

The big hit came from Captain 'Tek in the third, when he slammed a double to right-center with the bases full. All three came around to score, putting the Sox ahead 4-1 for good. The rest of the game went according to plan - Seanez pitched an effective seventh, Timlin a clean eighth, and Pap, per usual, slammed the door in the ninth.

Today, we'll see if Josh Beckett has made any adjustments since his woeful outing a week ago. He goes against Lance Cormier. Game time: 1:20. And we'll be watching, because there's no Tiger on TV this weekend. :-(

Notes: The team put Matt Clement on the 15-day DL yesterday with a weak shoulder, and called up old pal Gabe Kapler from Pawtucket. Kap, you'll remember, suffered an ugly Achilles tear running from second to third in Tampa last fall. Glad to see him back. The Sox also traded for Kyle Snyder, a journeyman starter who was most recently in the Royals system. Snyder may start on Monday against the Nationals at Fenway, which would have been Clement's turn.

Sox Swept

Oh well - at least the Yankees lost.

The Sox were swept by the Twins last night for the first time in 12 years, going down 5-3. They were done in by the immortal tandem of Carlos Silva and Jason Kubel, the latter of whom hit his third straight clutch homer in this series. They were also done in by all the shit hanging down from the Metrodome roof. Big Papi hit what looked like an absolute monster shot in the sixth, only to have the ball carom off a speaker and bounce back onto the field. Probably the longest single you'll ever see. It was that kind of night, and that kind of series.

Now it's on to Atlanta for three this weekend and a reunion with old friend Edgar Renteria, who's off to a great start for the Braves. Jon Lester against Tim Hudson tonight, and we need the young man to come through.

Door Matt

I hate to pile on, but hand me a shovel. The $25 Million Matt Clement Experiment has officially hit rock bottom. Could he be in for the Russ Ortiz treatment soon?

Clement once again threw up all over himself last night against the Twins, and it certainly didn't help that the bats were ice cold. It is painfully clear that Clement is still affected by the scary line drive he took off the head last year in Tampa - he's downright jittery out there. It also doesn't help that the bullpen currently consists of two reliable guys, Papelbon and Timlin (and Timlin just came back from a DL stint). Maybe Theo can package Clement, Rudy and Julian and we can start using the kids on the farm. Something's gotta give.

Anyway, Sox go down without a fight last night in Minnesota, losing 8-1. Highlight of the game: a fan jumped on the field late and was very adept at eluding the out-of-shape Metrodome security staff. The guy slid into home plate just steps from Big Papi before the Red Sox batboy absolutely laid him out ala Jack Tatum. Note to NESN: the game was over - can't you show us some entertainment?

Pair of Aces

For once this year, what looked like a classic pitchers duel actually ended up being a classic pitchers duel.

The amazing Johan Santana struck out 13 Red Sox last night, and while our man Curt Schilling didn't quite match the diminutive Venezuelan K for K, he pitched a damn fine ballgame himself. The game was scoreless through seven when Jason Varitek hit a huge homer to give our boys a 1-0 lead. At this point, you're thinking 'okay, get the ball to Papelbon and let's steal this one.' Unfortunately, Michael Cuddyer had other plans, and knocked an 0-2 Schilling offering out of the park in the home half of the seventh. Schilling left after eight, Papelbon pitched two scoreless innings, Timlin pitched one scoreless inning, and then the Sox went ahead 2-1 in the 12th on an Alex Gonzalez fielder's choice. Francona called for Julian Tavarez to pitch the 12th, and Tavarez immediately proceeded to get himself into a major jam. With the bases juiced, someone named Jason Kubel sent Red Sox fans to bed at approximately 11:30 Eastern time with a crushing grand slam for a 5-2 Twins victory.

Should be a lot of baserunning tonight at the Metrodome - Matt Clement opposes Brad Radke and both have 6-plus ERA's.

Tito's 'B' Team Loses Nightcap

I understand why he did it - a day/night doubleheader, a day off today and a long trip to Minneapolis... but still... Willie Harris playing for Manny just makes me sick inside. In contrast, Buck Showalter played his big guns in the second game and the Rangers left town with a 13-6 win and a split of the four-game series.

David Pauley's third start looked conspicuously like his first start - in other words, not so good. He was sent down to Pawtucket immediately after the game to make room for the returning Mike Timlin. Rangers starter John Wasdin, on the other hand, looked like anyone but the John Wasdin we once knew and loved around here. He was strangely effective for six innings.

Day of rest today, and then the Sox take their act to the Metrodome to play the struggling Twins. The lead stands at 1 over the New Yorkers.

Papi!!! Papi!!!

Oh my goodness - can this guy be any more clutch? Papi just smacked a three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th with two outs to give the Sox a 5-4 walk-off win over the Rangers in the first game of two. Would we expect anything less from Papi?

Best of all, the Yankees lose again to the A's today, 6-5. A's complete the weekend sweep. Sox lead is currently 1 1/2, so a win in the nightcap would make it a nice even two (I think) as they head on to Minnesota and Atlanta. Papi's clout has taken a little pressure off Pauley heading into the second game, so I'm looking for him to be pretty effective. A six-inning, 7-hit, 2 or 3-run performance ought to do and we'll just beat up on John Wasdin. Yeah, that's the plan. Let's go execute.

Marathon Day

"It's a great day for baseball. Let's play two."
- Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks

Okay, so it's not your traditional doubleheader, but then again we don't have those anymore. Nowadays, it takes bad weather to create doubleheaders and we certainly know all about that around here.

It was another long day for Sox fans yesterday, especially those that made the trek to Fenway. Rain continued to intervene with baseball, and instead of a doubleheader yesterday we're going to get a twinbill today. Gametime was supposed to be 1:25 yesterday, but the game didn't get going until just before 6:30. That wiped out the chance to get the second game in, so they'll start at noontime today and then the second game will start at 5. This helps circumvent ESPN's restrictions so NESN can broadcast both games.

So we had to wait a little longer to see Jon Lester pitch, but it did happen. He was a mixed bag, but I think we saw enough to realize what everyone likes about him. He was most definitely amped up - which he admitted after the game - and that made him overthrow at times. He walked four in four innings. But he had some pop on his pitches, almost unexpected pop coming from a slight lefty. He also showed an impressive hard curve that he was able to get over pretty consistently.

Unfortunately, the Sox couldn't get Lester a win in his debut. He handed the baton to Julian Tavarez with the game tied at 3 in the fifth inning, and it stayed that way until the 7th when Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler knocked in two. Manny narrowed the lead to 1 with his 450th career homer in the 8th, but Foulkie gave it up to Hank Blalock in the 9th and Texas pulled away for a 7-4 win.

As a result of yesterday's chaos, the pitching matchups have been juggled a bit and we won't get to see Home Run Derby between Josh Beckett and John "Wayyyy Back" Wasdin. Instead, Beckett goes against Rangers ace Kevin Millwood today at noon, and it's David Pauley getting another shot in the second game against Wasdin. I didn't think Tito had the balls/sense to skip Clement today, but maybe Clement's a little more banged up than we've been led to believe.

Yanks lost again to the A's yesterday, so Sox lost an opportunity to separate. Barry Zito vs. Shawn Chacon today.

Everyone Loves a Debut

Today is one of those days where something little that makes baseball baseball is happening in Boston: the debut of a prized young pitcher.

Red Sox fans have heard and read much about lefty starter Jon Lester over the past few years. We've seen his name mentioned in numerous trades, and always Theo and the gang insist on keeping Lester out of it. Today, Ma Nature willing, we'll get a chance to see why.

The last time there was this much hype over a lefty's debut: Kevin Morton in July 1991. Francona had a good line about not getting too caught up in a pitcher's first game. "If he pitches a bad game, it doesn't mean he's a bad pitcher - and if he pitches seven shutout innings they're not getting his Cooperstown plaque ready."

The various media outlets all cover Lester's debut, with the Globe's Chris Snow examining how the Sox have kept Lester out of the media's glare this weekend.

The Herald's John Tomase and the ProJo's Sean McAdam also weigh in on Lester this morning.

A Big Night for Trot

Well, they didn't think they were going to get this one in. With the Rain-gers being in town and all, the forecast didn't look so good. But Christopher Trotman Nixon is awfully happy that the rain held off. Trot ended up going a perfect 4-for-4, including a three-run homer and a key single in the 8th to set up the 4-3 win in the series opener against Texas. By virtue of the win, the Sox leapfrogged over the Yankees and now have a 1/2 game lead.

This one was also newsworthy because Jonathan Papelbon's save streak came to an end. He entered the game in the 8th, surrendered the tying run, and then stuck in there and got the win. You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears after he gave up the run.

It's raining again this morning, and the teams are scheduled to play a day-night doubleheader. As we've been saying for the last month, we'll see what happens. Jon Lester makes his much-anticipated debut at 1:25. Beckett tries to right his ship tonight at 8.

Sox Avoid Bronx Broom

Last night's series finale in New York was a big game for our heroes. If they lose, they trudge back to Fenway today 2 1/2 games behind Joe Torre's band of overachievers. Win, and the lead's shaved down to a 1/2 game.

Thanks to a strong performance from Curt Schilling and some timely hitting from the offense, the Sox left NYC with a 9-3 victory. Schilling gave up three solo home runs, but at the end of the night was still the first AL hurler to get his ninth win. Offensively, it was a hit parade as seven guys got multiple hits, including Jason Varitek's three-run blast in the 7th that allowed the Sox to pull away. All in all, a very gratifying win - especially considering A-Fraud made another crucial error.

We now have four against the Rangers at Fenway, starting tonight with Wake going against Vicente Padilla. Day-night doubleheader tomorrow -- young phenom Jon Lester goes in the afternoon game, then it's Beckett vs. Wasdin in the 2006 Gopher Ball Championship at night. Millwood and Clement wrap it up on Sunday.

I'll be watching young Mr. Lester's performance via DVR. The Kampy family is heading to the Poconos this weekend to hang out with all the bluehairs. Shuffleboard, anyone?

Washed Out

It's raining again in Boston, and it was raining hard last night about 200 miles south in the Bronx. Sox and Yanks game was called off early - Schilling and Wright will go tonight in the series finale.

Pauley Want a Spot in the Rotation?

Well, it didn't quite unfold the way we thought last night at Yankee Stadium, but the result was still what we expected going in - a loss. David Pauley pitched valiantly in his second start but it wasn't enough as the Sox lost a tough one to the Yanks, 2-1. This one almost hurt more than the blowout in the opener.

Pauley lasted 6 2/3 innings, scattered eight hits (always
'scattered' when you pitch well), and gave up two runs. Not a glittering line, but he gave the team a huge lift by protecting the bullpen. Wang matched Pauley pitch for pitch and got the win.

Two plays of the game - Pauley missing a little grounder to his left in the 7th that allowed the inning to continue, and Melky Cabrera's fantastic catch in the 8th that robbed Manny of a home run that would have tied the game.

Need a victory tonight. Schilling vs. Jaret Wright in Game 3.

By the way, big night last night for the expanding Red Sox alumni club. Johnny Damon threw out Manny Ramirez in the Bronx, Derek Lowe faced off against Pedro Martinez in LA, and Nomar Garciaparra hit a home run off Pedro.

Split Personality

This one was summed up by, of all people, Jerry Trupiano on WEEI. "Lots of strange things happening here tonight, and none of them have been good for the Red Sox.... here's the pitch... 2 and 1... and now there's three birds flying around the mound... What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?... Fouled off... 2 and 2..."

What a weird, ugly, putrid, horrific, disappointing ending to a night that seemed so promising. Beckett vs. Mussina. The scrappy, depleted Yanks against the Sox for first place. Time to put some separation between these guys.

And then before you know it, they're down 8-2 after 2 and 13-2 after 3 and Tito is waving the white flag. Time to read a book or watch a movie.

Beckett gave up 7 runs in an inning and a third, and again had major trouble with the longball on the road, giving up three-run bombs to Andy Phillips and Jason Giambi. Jermaine Van Buren - who's been looking pretty good lately - then came in and walked the ballpark, eliminating any thought of a Red Sox comeback. Mussina pitched pretty well for the Yanks.

So what is wrong with our young ace Josh Beckett? Lots of theories flying around this morning -- his fastball is too straight... he throws too many fastballs... he's tipping his pitches. Whatever it is, it's downright maddening. The guy can look like Bob Gibson one night and John Wasdin the next.

And it doesn't get much better tonight. David Pauley gets another start versus Chien-Ming Wang.

Sox Take 2 of 3 From Tigers

They're g-rrrrrrrreat. Or maybe just good.

After losing 6-2 Saturday night to Jeremy Bonderman and the Tigers, the Sox closed out their visit to Detroit on a positive note yesterday with a nice 8-3 victory.

Drama queen Matt Clement came through with a well-pitched ballgame, and the offense poured it on with four homers, including one each from Manny, Papi, Youk, and Gonzo (he gets a nickname when he's going good).

Now it's onto New York for what feels like the 20th game this season between the Sox and Yankees. Great one tonight - Beckett vs. Mussina. Be nice to get the W tonight, with Pauley getting another start tomorrow. The Yanks, to their credit, are unbelievably banged up but they're hanging in there. Let's take 3 of 4 and make a statement.

Best Game of the Year

That's what last night's series opener in Detroit was. Great game between the Tigers - who own the best record in the majors - and the Sox - who were just coming off a clutch win in Toronto. Curt Schilling and Kenny Rogers went toe-to-toe, and Detroit took a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth. Todd Jones was on the verge of yet another save, but our man Youk had different ideas, hitting one out to left-center - just over the outfielder's glove. Just like that it was 3-2 Sox and you knew it was over with Papelbon coming in. These last two road wins have been huuuge. They easily could have left Toronto 0-3 on this tough trip and without Youk's heroics last night, could be 0-4. Amazingly, the depleted Yankees are only 1/2 game behind the Sox - they beat the pathetic Orioles last night.

Wakefield vs. Bonderman tonight in Game 2.