Déjà Vu by Jared Carrabis
Sox Walk Off For Second Straight Night

Don’t check the info on your television set, that wasn’t “Sox In 2” of Tuesday night’s game being aired again. For the second straight night, the Boston Red Sox entered the bottom of the ninth in a tie game. For the second straight night a member of the Red Sox sent a line drive back up the middle to center field. For the second straight night the Red Sox have themselves a walk off win.


Yet another wild night at Fenway Park has the Red Sox streaking in the right direction in dramatic fashion. The Red Sox won the game in their last at bat for the eighth time this young season to lead the Majors in that category. The offense was at a low for both sides yet again but in the end, the only thing that matters is if you walk away victorious. The Red Sox are back to playing great baseball all thanks to great pitching, excellent defense and timely hitting.


For a while the Red Sox only hit on the night was a single by Manny Ramirez to lead off the bottom of the second inning. In the...READ MORE!

Published on April 30, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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YOOOUUUK!! by Jared Carrabis
Lester Blanks Jays, Youkilis Walks Off

Pitching, pitching, pitching. The Red Sox have finally ended their five-game losing streak and it had everything to do with pitching and some late-inning clutch defense and hitting. Jon Lester got the start against the iron man of pitching (no disrespect to Mr. Ripken Jr.), Roy Halladay. When Halladay gets the ball, it is almost expected that he is to pitch a complete game or at least into the ninth inning. The Toronto ace attacks the strike zone with strikes and makes the opposition swing early and often. Jon Lester was up for the challenge and answered the call.


The first game of three to be played at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and the Blue Jays was one to remember. Fans, if you were there, save your stubs. Tuesday night saw one of the best pitching duels at Fenway Park in recent memory. Jon Lester and Roy Halladay both shut down the respective offenses through eight innings. Both starters held shut outs through eight complete innings of work.


Jon Lester flirted with...READ MORE!

Published on April 29, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Sox Frustrations Continue by Jared Carrabis
Iwamura Sinks Buchholz Cruise

Late in the eighth inning with two outs, Clay Buchholz was defining what dominance on the mound was all about. Buchholz held the Rays hitless until a fourth inning double broke up that string and he then went on to hold the Rays hitless until the eighth inning. Having let up just one hit through seven and a third innings, with Dioner Navarro standing at first, Clay Buchholz made one of very few mistakes that he would make on Saturday night.


With his pitch count up over 100 pitches, Buchholz threw a breaking ball to Akinori Iwamura that the Japanese born infielder launched deep into the right field corner. For some reason Iwamura proceeded to pose and drop his bat like he was David Ortiz or something (calm down buddy, it was your first home run of the season and you only hit seven last year).


That one home run spoiled a masterful outing by Buchholz in which he threw eight astounding innings of work that saw him strike out a career high nine batters (his last time he struck ou...READ MORE!

Published on April 26, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Masterson Impresses. Bullpen, Not So Much by Jared Carrabis
Halos Spoil Masterson's Debut

Justin Masterson got the call to start against the Halo's on Thursday and boy did he ever answer the call. In his Major League debut, Masterson pounded the strike zone with his sinker to induce 11 groundball outs while striking out four over six innings of two-hit work. The righty from double-A had just one blemish on the evening when he let up a solo shot to catcher Mike Napoli. Masterson left this one with a chance to win it with the score being 3-1 Boston but the bullpen let this one go.


The Red Sox bullpen would hand this one over to the Angels in the seventh inning when Los Angeles put up a four spot that Boston would never recover from. Francona would trot out three relievers in the inning (Lopez, Delcarmen, Okajima) just to escape any further damage but the damage had certainly been done. A combonation of four hits and three walks (one intentional) would prove to be the inning that sealed the Red Sox fate.


Okajima would record all three outs on his own in a 32 pitch ef...READ MORE!

Published on April 24, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Super Manny by Jared Carrabis
Ramirez Powers Sox To Victory

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Nah, it’s just Super Manny saving the Red Sox from losing a one-run game…again. Is there anything this guy can’t do? What’s even scarier is that he is one of the most feared postseason hitters in the history of the game. He’s no April hero/October zero like some divisional opponents we may be familiar with. This guy does it all year round and that is why he will go down as one of the most consistent hitters of all time. But before we talk about his retirement, I believe he has a few more home runs he wants to hit before he stamps his ticket to Cooperstown.


Jon Lester took the mound looking to improve on his last start at Cleveland, which saw the southpaw go just four and a third innings giving up four runs on five hits. The lefty out of Tacoma, Washington took the mound in the first and it looked as if though we would be seeing more of the same. Lester, who usually keeps the ball in the yard against left-handed hitters, delivered a 1-1- pitch to Josh Ha...READ MORE!

Published on April 19, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Pac 10 Pounding by Jared Carrabis
Ortiz Does Some Yard Work With The College Boys

An offensive explosion at the hands of the Boston Red Sox had the Texas Rangers waiving the white flag from the tops of the Alamo before this game even became an official Major League game. The power surge that began in the third inning and ended after a barrage of walks, singles, doubles, triples, home runs and grand slams later in the fourth inning. The Texas Rangers broke the scoring barrier first in this one by Ian Kinsler doubling to center and then swiping his sixth bag of the season to put him 90 feet from home plate. Josh Hamilton would collect his sixteenth RBI of the season by hitting a sacrifice fly to left.


Boston would respond in the bottom half and they would respond in a big way. With two outs in the inning, the Pac 10 part of the Red Sox line up would get things going against the Rangers. In the bottom of the third, Jed Lowrie (Standford) would break up a string of eight straight batters being retired by Texas starter Luis Mendoza by doubling to the opposite field...READ MORE!

Published on April 18, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Moose Hunting Season by Jared Carrabis
Manny Takes Mussina Deep, Twice

Sometimes the deals you don’t make are the best deals you make. I’m going to take you back to a time long before Theo Espstein wore the General Manager crown in Boston. We’re going back to the era in which Dan Duquette made the moves for the old towne team. Back in 2001, Major League Baseball had an off season that saw premier pitching and offense hit the free agent market. With both the Red Sox and the Yankees looking to contend (big surprise) they both had eyes on the ace of the Baltimore Orioles staff, Mike Mussina.


Dan Duquette’s off season target he had first on his acquisition list was none other than the right-hander, Mike Mussina. Although he had a losing record of 11-15, he did however lead the majors in innings pitched (237.2) and posted an ERA of 3.79 with over 200 strikeouts (210). The Yankees would be the higher aggressor of the two clubs and go on to sign Mussina to a 6-year, $88.5 million contract on November 30, 2000.


Oh well, I guess that means that the Red...READ MORE!

Published on April 17, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Sloppy Slugfest by Jared Carrabis
Yanks Get The Best Of Sox In the Bronx

The lights shined brightly upon two teams, two teams that just so happen to be the biggest rivals in the game for decades. The two teams squared off at the legendary Yankee Stadium for one of their final series to be played in the stadium that first opened its gates back on April 18, 1923. Their first of nine games to be played against each other in Yankee Stadium’s final season was nothing short of an old fashion Red Sox/Yankees slugfest. With Clay Buchholz not yet finding his form in 2008 and the Red Sox catching Chien-Ming Wang on an off day, this was a firework show of offensive ability from start to finish.


The Boston bats would get things rolling right away in the top of the first when Dustin Pedroia was standing at second base (thanks to a walk and a groundout by David Ortiz) and up came one of the greatest RBI machines that the game has yet to see, Manny Ramirez. Manny drove a 1-0 fastball out to deep left that looked like it had a chance off the bat. The ball carried and...READ MORE!

Published on April 16, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Another Night, Another Hero by Jared Carrabis
Lowrie, Varitek Come Up Huge

Another night, another hero. Boston’s revisit to Cleveland, Ohio was well worth the trip as they picked up their second win in as many chances. In true 1967 Cardiac Kids fashion, the Red Sox waited until the last possible second to pull out their fourth straight win. Monday night featured a clear-cut hero of the game in Manny Ramirez who teed off on Indian’s closer Joe Borowski in the top of the ninth to lead the Red Sox to a 6-4 win but the hero on Tuesday night in Cleveland certainly will be up for debate.


The long-time Red Sox veteran, Tim Wakefield took the mound against the funky windup having Paul Byrd. On paper Wakefield seemed to have the upper hand with his 1-0 record and 3.27 ERA. Those numbers looked phenomenal compared to Paul Byrd’s 0-2 start to the season to go along with his colossal 11.05 ERA. However, if you hid those numbers from baseball fans, you wouldn’t be able to guess that he got off to that miserable of a start through the first four innings. Wakefield an...READ MORE!

Published on April 15, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Game, Set, Manny by Jared Carrabis
Ramirez Powers Sox To Victory In Ninth

On the same night that our most hated Yankee rival, Alex Rodriguez, tied our most worshiped Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams, in career home runs (521) the night would not end before the modern day great Boston slugger would get one step closer to the legendary mark of 500 home runs in a big, big way. The bat would not be put in the hands of Manny Ramirez in a clutch situation without the impressive comeback that the Red Sox offense displayed in the late innings of Monday night’s ballgame.


The Red Sox entered Progressive Field (or the field formally known as Jacobs Field) for the first time since sending the 2007 American League Championship Series back to Boston where they would go on to win games six and seven en route to the team’s seventh World Championship. Needless to say, the Cleveland fans weren’t happy to see the Sox back in town. Since Manny Ramirez packed his bags and up and left Cleveland to sign with Boston back in 2001, Tribe fans haven’t had a strong liking for the rig...READ MORE!

Published on April 14, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Yankees Series Preview by Jared Carrabis
The Rivalry Resumes

Here we go again. A new season brings a fresh start, new faces and the continuation of the biggest rivalry in professional sports. Although the rivalry has seen its peak in 2004 and has shown little sparks here and there in the years to follow, don’t expect the rivalry to come full circle in the upcoming series this weekend at Fenway Park. Both of these teams coming into this series are not playing the best baseball that they are capable of playing and the injury bug has nipped both clubs in crucial positions.


With the recent injury to the face of the New York Yankees franchise for the past decade, manager Joe Girardi has resorted to starting rookie Alberto Gonzalez at short. Gonzalez, who appeared in twelve games for the bombers in 2007, hit .071 for New York and is 2 for 6 since attempting to fill the gaping whole at shortstop in 2008. Another blow to the Yankees would be their loss of their longtime veteran catcher, Jorge Posada. Posada is not on the disabled list and will be ...READ MORE!

Published on April 11, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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First Win's Always The Hardest by Jared Carrabis
Tigers Finally Win First Game Of Season

So the day after the designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers, Gary Sheffield, was forced to witness a World Series ring ceremony for the Boston Red Sox for a second time, it was the Tigers themselves who had the last laugh by putting an end to the laughing that the rest of the baseball world was taking part in. The winless start for the Tigers ended on Wednesday night as the Detroit Tigers picked up their first win of the 2008 season. Detroit knocked around lefty pitcher Jon Lester for four earned including a two-run home run into the monster seats off the bat off Marcus Thames.


This contest surely had Tigers fans back home saying “here we go again” as the Red Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Unfortunately for Boston, those would be the only runs they would collect in the second game of this three game set. The inning started off when Terry Francona sent pinch hitter Sean Casey, who took over at first moving Youkilis to third for the injured Mike ...READ MORE!

Published on April 09, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Ring Day At Fenway by Jared Carrabis
Sox Finally Arrive Home To Raise Championship Banner

Finally, after a grueling nineteen day, 1,600 mile, three country world tour for the Boston Red Sox, the day that we have all been waiting for finally arrived and boy was it well worth the wait. The road to this day didn’t begin nineteen days ago when the Sox left Fort Myers for Japan, no. The road filled with anticipation leading up to this day began the second that Jonathan Papelbon blew a fastball by the bat of Seth Smith into the mit of Jason Varitek this past October sealing the deal on Boston’s second World Series title in four years. Many of us were still in disbelief that this team had even won one World Series and before we knew it, we were celebrating another. It didn’t sink in for most until Tuesday in Boston when Fenway Park opened it’s gates for the ninety-sixth time to begin a season.


Red Sox Nation was treated with one of the most memorable days that one can experience as a fan of this team. With so many moments that surely brought tears to the eyes of Boston fans f...READ MORE!

Published on April 08, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Tic Tac Toe by Jared Carrabis
Sox Lose Three In A Row

Worried? Not so much. Frustrated? Absolutely. Exhausted? You betcha. The Boston Red Sox finally drew their world tour season opening road trip to a close on Sunday afternoon by dropping their third straight game to the Toronto Blue Jays. The return of Josh Beckett proved to be not enough as the feisty Blue Jays out-slugged the defending World Champs 7-4 (Boston would win the in-game home run derby however, 3-2) Unfortunately for the Sox, their three home runs would come all during the wrong situations, no men on. Of course you will take a home run when you can get one, but in a game where you’ve given up a two-run job and a grand slam, solo home runs won’t do the trick.


The Red Sox crawled through this entire series like a dehydrated man in a desert. The Sox have been dying to get back to Fenway and rest up. With an off day tomorrow and no scheduled team workouts or practice, the local nine will be looking to catch up on their rest to be fresh for the home opener at Fenway Park.
...READ MORE!

Published on April 06, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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Welcome To America by Jared Carrabis
Red Sox Victorious In First Game Back In The States

No nerves? No problem. For those Sox fans that were not still Japan-lagged still recovering from an irregular sleep schedule, they witnessed a pitcher that was well worth the price tag. Daisuke Matsuzaka was on in Oakland in his second start of the season. Matsuzaka may have unveiled a new strategy to record strikeouts. That being, fastball, fastball and some more fastballs. In a masterful outing under the lights in Oakland, Daisuke threw six and a third strong innings, surrendering just one run on two hits. Matsuzaka ended his night retiring the last thirteen Athletics he faced consecutively. Matsuzaka threw 96 pitches staying in the same general pitch count range as he did in his first outing but this time taking his outing a lot further. With 96 pitches he threw 63 for strikes resulting in nine strikeouts.


The scoring in this one kick-started in the second inning when Jack Cust accounted for Matsuzaka’s only blemish of the night when he hit a solo shot putting the A’s out in f...READ MORE!

Published on April 01, 2008 0 Comment(s)

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