Two Out of Three Ain't Bad...

Well, it coulda shoulda woulda been an impressive sweep of the defending world champs in their house, but it wasn't meant to be. After beating the ChiSox 9-6 on Saturday in the series' second game, the Red Sox lost to their stockinged brethren yesterday (last night), 6-5 in 19 innings. That's right - 19 innings. This one just kept going and going, and when it was all over, 40 players had participated, and 569 pitches had been thrown by 16 pitchers. In the bad news department, Varitek and Nixon went a combined 0 for 17 yesterday, and our superstud closer, Jon Papelbon, gave up a rare 9th-inning run for a blown save. In the good news department, the bullpen -- particularly Delcarmen, Hansen, and Tavarez -- was outstanding late in the game.

So we head into the All-Star break with a 3-game lead over the Yankees. Sox are 20 games over .500, at 53-33. Yanks are 50-36. When play resumes on Thursday, the Sox will be taking on the Oakland A's, and the Yanks will be hosting these same White Sox.

Enjoy the break. Monday and Wednesday are the only two days during the year that the four major sports leagues in the U.S. are quiet, so use the time to get reacquainted with family and friends! I'll have a mid-year recap to share in the next couple of days.

Update: Wake Hurting

We heard yesterday that Tim Wakefield was hurting with some back issues, and today we read in the Herald that he's concerned about pain that isn't going away. He's having an MRI today in the Windy City - cross fingers that it's something minor.

Battle of the Soxes

Round 1 in this much-anticipated series against the White Sox goes to the good guys last night, 7-2. It wasn't as easy as the final score might indicate, however.

The Sox (Red, that is) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first thanks to a Papi home run off White Sox starter Mark Buehrle. Remember when Papi had trouble with lefties? A long-forgotten memory. The homer was Ortiz' 30th - the first Sox hitter to ever clout that many before the All-Star break. The ChiSox fought back and tied it at 2, but the Red Sox added single runs in the 4th, 5th, and 7th innings and then iced it with two solo bombs from Mike Lowell and Coco Crisp in the 9th.

Lowell had a terrific game with both the bat and the glove. So nice to be listening to the radio, bases loaded with White Sox, one out, score tied at 2, ground ball to Lowell - and you just know it's an automatic double play. The other offensive star - besides Papi - was Alex Gonzalez, who raised his batting average above .280 by going 4 for 4. Gonzo has been awesome at the plate the last few weeks. Jon Lester labored again - 95 pitches through six innings - but his performance was very impressive considering he was going up against the World Champs in their ballpark. The kid is cool out there, and knows how to pitch his way out of jams.

All in all, a very nice start to this series between two AL powerhouses. Yanks won last night 1-0 behind Jaret Wright's 10 K's so the lead stays at 3. Josh Beckett vs. Freddy Garcia today at 1 on Fox. Something tells me a few balls might leave the yard.

That's More Like It

What looked like a somewhat easy win over Tampa last night turned into a nailbiter before - who else? - David Ortiz iced the victory with an 8th inning grand slam. Shift this, sayeth Papi. Sox win going away, 12-5, and a much-needed win it was. You can never, ever lose four straight to Tampa Bay, and they certainly didn't want to be leaving for a tough three-game set against the White Sox on a down note. Thanks to the bats, they left with a little air under their wings and maintained their three-game edge on the Spanks.

Now we're looking at what hopefully will be a great matchup between the last two World Series champions. The Tigers may be leading the AL Central, but the White Sox know they're better. May be a little subplot story too, with Manny's apparent decision not to play for the AL All-Stars, who will be managed by White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen. Game 1 is at 8:30 tonight, and it's a matchup of southpaws. Jon Lester vs. Mark Buehrle.

Three Down, One to Go

Man, the Devil Dogs are starting to own us again. The Sox lost their third straight game to Tampa Bay tonight in a contest that featured a little bit of everything, including a catcher's interference call, a shot off one of those ridiculous catwalks that should have been a 2-run homer but instead was a rally-killing out, and a straight steal of home by Devil Ray dynamo Carl Crawford. (Looked just like the picture, which shows the great Jackie Robinson swiping home). Unfortunately, each of these rare happenings went against the Red Sox and they end up 5-2 losers.

The D-Rays jumped early on erstwhile No. 5 starter Jason Johnson, and the Sox couldn't climb back. Youkilis hit a bomb in the third inning that would have been out of any park, 'cept it hit the wrong catwalk and Carl Crawford (there he is again) caught the carom for one of the toughest-to-swallow outs you'll see. After that, the Sox seemed to lose a little steam.

This No. 5 starter thing is killing us right now. No offense to Jason Johnson, but he didn't have it again tonight - and he may be a memory after the All-Star break. This is where Theo has to be kicking himself for trading Bronson Arroyo away. The jury's still out on how much of Bronson's quick start is due to the weak-sister NL, but wouldn't it be nice to have him as your spot starter/long reliever right about now? I bet the lead over the Yanks would be more like 6 or 7 than the current 3 (Yanks beat Tribe, 11-3, tonight). In Theo's defense, though, we didn't know Matt Clement was going to completely lose it, and we thought we had gotten lucky with David Wells. They had to bring up Jon Lester, and thank goodness he's been as good as he's been or we'd be in deep doo-doo.

As it is, we've got a three-game cushion over the Yankees that should be more like double-digits. They friggin' lost Matsui, Sheffield, and Cano, and now Damon's out with an injury. But the Red Sox haven't been able to twist the knife. Should be a verrrry interesting trading season this year. Sox flaws: fifth starter, 6th and 7th inning relief, offense off the bench (Reggie Sanders?)

Another 'L' in Tampa

Another lefty. Another loss. Sox go down 9-6 in Tampa tonight. At least we know George isn't enjoying his birthday cake tonight - the Yanks are getting thumped in Cleveland right now. Indians lead 19-1 heading into the ninth. Time for A-Rod to hit one out.

Kazmired

Scott Kazmir always pitches well against the Red Sox, but last night he was at a different level, taking a one-hitter into the 8th inning and ending up with 10 K's and a complete-game shutout against a pretty potent Boston offense. Final score: D-Rays 3, Sox zip.

Imagine if the Mets hadn't traded Victor Zambrano for Kazmir? This was in the pre-Omar Minaya days - as Omar is quick to remind us - but man, what a horseshit trade. Who was at the wheel for that one? This kid's going to be a great one when it's all said and done. Wonder what his contract status is - we should just collect all the good lefties (Willis, Lilly, Kazmir) that give us trouble.

Anyway, back to the game. Beckett pitched well but was again hurt by the longball. Tampa's runs came on three solo shots, including two from the legendary Ty Wigginton. Not sure what it is about Beckett's fastball, but hitters have been on it this year, especially on the road. Francona actually made the point last night that Beckett supplies most of the power with his velocity. That's a true players manager for you.

The good news is that the Sox can wake up this 4th of July morning, lick their wounds, and know that they didn't lose any ground to the Yankees, who lost 5-2 last night to the Indians. The lead stands at 4 games, 5 over Toronto.

Schilling vs. Casey Fossum today at 4. After being passed over for the All-Star Game (in his hometown area of Pittsburgh no less), the betting here is that Schilling throws a gem.

Happy 230th birthday, America...

A Different Sense of Urgency?

As the Sox settle back into an AL schedule this week and get ready for the All-Star break, the sense of urgency to win the division has never been greater - and it's encouraging that we saw some signs in the first half of the season that show Terry Francona agrees. There's a pretty good chance that the AL wild card entry this year will come from the AL Central.

The axis of power in the dominant American League (.620+ winning pct. this year vs NL teams)still very much revolves around Boston and New York, but the AL West - particularly the Angels and the Mariners - has lost a step to the AL Central, which features the Tigers, the White Sox, and the suddenly resurgent Twins, who are riding the two best lefty starters in the game in Santana and Liriano.

All of which means the Red Sox really need to win the division this year and make it easy on themselves. While the huge winning streak was a hell of a lot of fun to watch every night, the fact of the matter is that the Yankees - with their long list of key injuries - are still lurking. They're missing Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui, and Robinson Cano and they're still hanging around. Hopefully, the Sox can spread the gap this week - they're in Tampa to face the D-Rays and the Yankees start four tonight in Cleveland. Sox then head to Chicago while the Yanks get a turn to beat up on Tampa.

If I'm Terry Francona, I'm managing this week like we're fighting for a playoff spot. No days off for anyone. Less exposure for Taverez and Seanez. Short leashes when a pitcher's getting banged around. I can remember a few occasions so far where he's pulled a starter early, which he didn't do a lot of last year. Hopefully, this sense of urgency continues. It's time to put some serious YAC (yards after catch) on the Yankees.

By the way, the Sox placed four players on the AL All-Star squad - Manny, Ortiz, Papelbon, and Loretta. Figured Varitek wouldn't make it, but Schilling should be there.

The Beat Goes On

The streak stands at 2, after the Sox again dispatched the Marlins, this time winning 4-3 on a late sacrifice fly from soon-to-be-All-Star-2B Mark Loretta. Sox are now 50-29 on the season - their best start since, ahem, 1986 - they've won 14 of their last 15, and they've got a 4 1/2 game lead on the Yankees, who are playing the Mets tonight in the Bronx.

Jon Lester started this one and struggled, but again showed that he has the poise and mettle to get out of tough jams. Papelbon came on in the 8th and got the last four outs for his 25th save - breaking the rookie record set by the original "Monster," Dick Radatz, in 1962. Youkilis, Varitek and Papi all hit solo homers.

Sox now head up the interstate to Tampa-St. Pete to tangle with those pesky Devil Rays for four big action-packed games. From there, it's on to Chicago for what should be a good series against the White Sox next weekend. Maybe exact a little revenge for last year's ALDS white-washing. And then, believe it or not, we're at the All-Star break. Sox could conceivably place six guys on the AL team: Manny, Ortiz, Papelbon, Schilling, Loretta, and Varitek. Rumor has it Loretta's going to make the team because of Robinson Cano's injury.

Home Run Derby

Nobody told us it was going to be Fireworks Night at Dolphins Stadium. The dynamic Dominican duo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez combined last night to go 5 for 8 with 4 homers (2 each), 9 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. Former Marlin Mike Lowell pitched in with three doubles as the Sox cruised past Florida, 11-5, in hot, muggy Miami. It was nice to see Wakefield get some much-deserved run support. The errorless streak (a new MLB record) was snapped when Doug Mirabelli threw wildly trying to get a runner stealing second.

It was also a night for milestones. Manny's three-run bomb in the first inning was his 2,000th career hit; the win was Wake's 150th (15 wins with Pittsburgh, 135 with the Sox).

Yankees and the Big Ugly Unit lost to the Mets yesterday 8-3, so the lead stands at 4 games. Good matchup of young'uns today. Jon Lester versus Josh Johnson.

Sox-Marlins Live Look-In

The streak is in jeopardy tonight in Miami. Entering the top of the 9th, Sox are down 5-2. Kapler just got on as Miguel Cabrera threw wild to first. One out, man on first. Gonzo up... and BIG PAPI on deck to pinch-hit... Gonzo just k'd swinging on a breaking ball in the dirt. Too eager in front of his former hometown crowd? Papi takes a ball, Kapler moves up to second on 'defensive indifference'. Kinda describes Manny sometimes. Ball 2 to Papi. Joe Borowski on the mound for Florida. Two outs. And did he just do it again?? Deep fly ball to right, caught. Streak over, though they do establish a new record for consecutive errorless games as consolation.

This one had 'L' written all over it with the Sox starting fill-in Jason Johnson and the Marlins countering with their ace, Dontrelle Willis. The Sox can't hit good lefties, let alone a guy like Willis, who looks like a human Swiss army knife when he delivers the ball at 95 mph. Things would have been really going good for the Sox if they could have pulled this one off. But Tito knew what he was up against; he sat Ortiz and Nixon tonight against the tough lefty and had Youkilis hitting third. Lowell and Youk will probably each get a game off this weekend. Wakefield vs. Brian Moehler tomorrow at 6. May a new streak begin.

The Coco Factor

This one reminded me of that crazy 13-inning game at Fenway versus the Cardinals three years ago. There was a little bit of everything - great defense, timely hitting, stolen bases, bunts, and great pitching from two guys who've been around for a while in Curt Schilling and Billerica's own Tommy Glavine.

The Sox won their 12th straight last night at Fenway, coming from behind to beat the Mets 4-2. The pivotal swing came in the Sox' home half of the seventh. Game was tied at 2, and Coco Crisp led off with a surprise bunt down the third base line. He promptly stole second off Mets reliever Aaron Heilmann, and was then sacrificed over to third by Alex Gonzalez. Kevin Youkilis followed with a sac fly to left to give the Sox the lead in textbook style. In the top of the 8th, Carlos Beltran got on with a single, and with two outs David Wright hit a smash in the left-center field gap. Coco came flying out of nowhere to make an unbelievable back-handed, fully streched out catch to preserve the lead and the win. Big Papi - who else - provided some insurance in the bottom of the 8th with his 23rd bomb. Schilling got his 10th win - and probably an All-Star appearance - and his fellow All-Star, Jonathan Papelbon, recorded his 24th save. Just a great ballgame all around, and a pleasure to watch. Seemed like a true playoff atmosphere at Fenway.

Damn, this is fun. The lead is now 4 games over the Spanks, who were idle yesterday. The Sox flew down to Miami last night to get ready for a three-game weekend series against the Marlins. Should be interesting to see Hanley Ramirez, and the reception former Marlins Beckett, Lowell, and Gonzo get (assuming there are people in the stands). Jason Johnson gets the ball for the first time for the Sox tonight; Dontrelle Willis goes for Florida.

Who's Your Daddy?

Well, that went perfectly didn't it? Pedro got his applause -- which he thought was more important than actually pitching well -- and the Sox hitters did what so many other teams did to Pedro in his last year with the Sox - make him labor, lose some velocity, and then pounce.

Pedro lasted a meager three innings, gave up 7 hits, 8 runs (6 earned) and struck out one. He even allowed a Monster blast to A-Gone. He never had good juice on the ball (low 90's was his best) and it seemed obvious watching on TV that he allowed himself to get swept off his feet by the fans. All in all, we got the result we wanted and team management looks pretty smahht this morning for not caving on the diva's contract demands.

Once again, what appeared to be a classic pitchers' duel between Beckett and Pedro ended up being a lopsided 10-2 victory for the good guys. Beckett looked good. If the Sox can pull off their fourth consecutive sweep tonight, look for more 'the gap between the AL and NL has never been wider' stories coming to a newspaper near you. Not exactly breaking news, but boy does the NL suck.

At the same time, the Red Sox are absolutely, positively torrid. Eleven straight wins is the most in MLB this year and the most for the Sox since 1995. They're on the verge of breaking the MLB record for most consecutive errorless games. And they're 13-1 in interleague play. Bring on the Marlins!

First, though, it's Schilling vs. Glavine tonight in the final game of the series. Gotta love the fact that the Mets are already down, and now they have to face our best pitcher.

The Best We'll Ever See

To mark the return of one Pedro J. Martinez to the Fenway mound tonight (hopefully - it's raining yet again), I wanted to take a few minutes to opine on the greatest pitcher my eyes have ever seen. Forget for a moment his diva-esque ways, the special rules, his inexcusable absence from Game 6 in NYC in the '04 ALCS, and my personal low Pedro moment, when he almost decapitated Karim Garcia with a fastball for no apparent reason.

Instead, focus with me on the fact that for a three-year period -- from 1998 to 2000 - this guy was just plain unhittable. The averages during those three years: 2.20 ERA, 20 wins, 282 k's, 45 bb's. Of course, the peak was 1999 when he went 23-4, struck out 313 and walked only 37. That was the year Petey pitched in the All-Star Game at Fenway Park and reared back to strike out a murderer's row of NL bashers, including Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Jeff Bagwell. My all-time goosebump Pedro moment. We've heard our father and grandfathers wax poetic about Bob Gibson or Sandy Koufax. When we're talking to our kids about great ballplayers, Pedro will be on the list. We'll talk about the 17 strikeout game in Yankee Stadium in May 1999, the six innings of relief against Cleveland in the ALDS that year to win the deciding Game 5, and the rush of seeing Pedro mow down the NL's best hitters that hot July. The fact that he accomplished what he did during the Steroid Era only adds to his legacy.

To understand the road Pedro took to get to where he is today, I highly recommend reading an article written by Alan Schwarz of Baseball America back in 1998. It's a bit lengthy, but an incredible read - and one that will make you appreciate both how far Pedro has come (from sitting under the mango trees) and his overall goofiness. If you want a copy, drop me a comment with your contact info and I'll gladly send along.

As far as the debate over whether Pedro gets an ovation or not, I think that was answered resoundingly last night - when the guy wasn't even starting. The Sox showed a video tribute featuring Pedro and when it was all done, the fans clamored for him to emerge from the dugout and he obliged. Let's just say Johnny Damon would be jealous. The moral of the story - if you're going to leave the Red Sox, and we know it happens - try to avoid wearing pinstripes. The ovation tonight will be deafening, and much deserved - and I think a lot of people are going to feel a tinge of sadness that we had to lose a guy like Pedro. In the end, I believe they made the right baseball decision, but goddamn it would be fun to have him around.

A Perfect '10'

After last night's 9-4 win over the Mets at Fenway, the Sox have now reeled off 10 straight wins, all against the National League. Long live interleague play!

The game was tight until the home half of the 4th inning, when Manny Ramirez hit a ball to left that Mets OF Lastings Milledge misplayed. That drove in two runs, giving the Sox a 5-2 lead. Sox starter Jon Lester struggled all night but got big outs when he needed them. Mets starter Alay Soler - who I called a youngster the other day, until I learned he was Cuban - also labored.

Regarding Pedro, we don't have to wait until tonight to see what type of reception he'll get. Between innings, Sox management played a tribute video to Pedro that ended with the fans chanting for him to come out of the dugout. He obliged, and the ovation was loud and sustained. It will be even louder tonight.

Finally, one last note. ESPN baseball analyst - and former Globe writer Peter Gammons - suffered a brain aneurysm yesterday and was rushed into Boston for surgery. Hope all goes well for the Commish.

7:05 game time tonight. As if you didn't know, Pedro goes against Josh Beckett.

Just Another Day in Papi's World

Another day, another walkoff hit for David Ortiz. Big Papi singled in Kevin Youkilis in the bottom of the 12th today at Fenway to beat the Phillies, 8-7. That makes it nine straight for the boys, and three straight series sweeps over the Braves, the Nationals and the Phillies. The lead is 2 1/2 over the Yankees, who beat the hapless Braves today 5-2. All is well in Red Sox Nation.

Now that we've broomed the Phillies out of town - they and their ace/wife batterer Brett Myers should get an interesting reception back home in Boo-ville - we can all focus our energy on what should be an outstanding series against the NL-leading Mets.

It's a matchup of youngsters in Game 1 tonight as someone named Alay Soler goes for the Mets against Jon Lester. Wednesday night is TiVo night at the ballpark, with Pedro going against Josh Beckett. Then the two staff warhorses, Curt Schilling and Tom Glavine, face off in the third and final game. I originally had hoped for Schilling/Pedro, but now I'm fired up that it will be Beckett against Petey. Beckett will be amped up beyond belief. Hope the 'K' card guys are ready. Here's a question - will Pedro brush Papi or Manny off the plate?

Rained Out

What a bummer. Up here in the grand state of Maine - the way life should be - it's beautiful outside. Sunny skies, boats going by, barbecue's grilling. Back there in Boston, evidently, it's another monsoon day so there will be no baseball. Sox and Phils will play the finale of their three-game set tomorrow at 1 at Fenway.

Regarding my post last night about Pedro, both the NY Times and the Globe today say he's starting the middle game of the series - Wednesday night against Beckett. Still a huge profit margin for those seedy scalpers. The ovation for Pedro is going to be deafening - as it should be.

Papi is Soooo Money

The amazingness (is that a word?) continues, and maybe we shouldn't be amazed. Maybe these guys are this good. We know Big Papi is. He hit yet another dramatic walk-off home run today, this one bouncing off the black covering in the centerfield bleachers in the bottom of the 10th to give the Red Sox a 5-3 win over the Phillies. That makes it eight straight victories, and whoever said it's more fun when you win was definitely onto something.

Schilling had an interesting but effective line going six innings, giving up eight hits, three runs and striking out 10. After Schilling left, it was in the hands of the kids as Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, and Craig Hansen provided the bridge to our own homegrown All-Star, closer Jonathan Papelbon. His numbers are stunning: 38 ip, 0.24 era, 23 saves, 39 k's. Easily the Sox' first-half MVP, and a surefire pitcher for the AL in the Mid-Summer Classic.

While the Sox and Phils avoided problems with the rain, the Yankees and Marlins weren't so lucky in the Bronx. They got rained out and will play two tomorrow. The Sox' lead at the moment is 2 1/2.

Wakefield vs. Cory Lidle tomorrow in the finale, as the Sox go for their third straight sweep. Let's hope they're not looking ahead to what should be a tremendous series against the Mets starting Tuesday. I think we're all assuming that Pedro will pitch next week at Fenway, but all the sites I've checked tonight list Lester/Soler in Game 1, Beckett/Glavine in Game 2, and undecided for the Mets vs. Schilling in Game 3. If it's Pedro vs. Schilling Thursday night, how happy will the scalpers be? New white adidas sneakers and jeans shorts for everyone!!

The Josh & Manny Show

The streaking Sox won their 7th straight tonight, soundly beating the Phillies at Fenway 10-2. Josh Beckett had a perfect game going through five, until that little runt David Bell lined a single up the middle in the sixth. Still, it was far and away the best performance we've seen by Beckett, and makes you wonder how the guy can look so awful one night and so dominant the next. On the offensive side of the stat sheet, well... let's just say Manny's getting into one of those grooves. He went 3 for 4 with two home runs and 5 RBIs.

Weather forecast for tomorrow isn't looking so good. Maybe it is time for that retractable roof.

On a Roll

The train kept a'rolling tonight at Fenway as the Sox again pasted the Nationals, 9-3. Lester looked outstanding in his third major league start, striking out 10 and pretty much having his way with the free-swinging Nats. Ortiz got things started with a grand slam to straightaway center in the second. Sox sweep their second series in a row, and have now won six straight. In the three-game set with Washington, the Sox banged out 46 hits and scored 26 runs. All is good in the Nation right now, especially if Lester can be a solid contributor the rest of the year. Yanks beat the Phillies tonight so the lead remains 2.

Of course, the naysayers in the local media (Tony Mazz) will no doubt use the consecutive ass-whippings of the Braves and Nationals as fodder for their argument that the Sox only play well against low-quality opponents. Look for that column to resurface in a Herald near you.

The Sox will be tested over the next week by the top two teams in the NL East, as the Phillies come to town this weekend and then the front-running Mets follow them into Fenway. Very much looking forward to that series. You heard it here first (okay, maybe not first): we will see a 20th anniversary rematch between the Mets and the Red Sox in the 2006 World Series. Can you even begin to imagine Schilling vs. Pedro in Game 1?