SoxSpace News

Three Months Down, Three To Go by Mike Ghika
Statistically, team performance is solid at midway point

As the 2009 season inches closer to the 81st game of the year – the season’s true halfway point – it is fair to assess the Red Sox as we fast approach the Fourth of July and the Midsummer Classic. This past weekend marked the 76th game of the year and the end of interleague play, so we will begin there.

Offensively, the slugging days of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup are over, but there is still no shame in what this offense has done to date this year. In fact, the Sox are fourth in the AL in runs, third in runs per game, third in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging, and third in OPS. The Rays and Yankees are ahead of the Sox statistically in all five of those categories, but the hometown club still holds a lead in the standings regardless.

Nonetheless, the numbers are somewhat skewed given the struggles of Ortiz throughout the first few months of the season. Ortiz, of course, is seeing things a bit clearer at the plate, hitting .313 (.394 OBP, .67...READ MORE!

Published on June 30, 2009 See Comment(s)

Eight Is Great For Lester by Mike Ghika
He improves to 8-0 vs. O’s as offense gets back on track

Not quite sure how the schedule gods managed to keep the Sox from playing at Baltimore until the end of June. It was something the Orioles were likely happy about, considering the Sox were 30-16 at Camden Yards since 2004 heading into Monday night’s game.

Tally another into that win column after a 4-0 win.

The Sox got another what-more-can-you-say outing from Jon Lester, the offense got back on track after scoring just once in each of the last two games, and the team is now 5-0 against Baltimore as we near the midway point of the season.

Manager Terry Francona again tweaked the leadoff spot in the order, and this time it had nothing to do with Jacoby Ellsbury. Dustin Pedroia, who has hit leadoff since the Ellsbury experiment began May 31, was flipped with JD Drew who had been hitting out of the No. 2 slot. The change proved successful in its initial trial, as Drew was a double shy of the cycle and Pedroia singled home a run and walked twice.

Excitement came early on in the ...READ MORE!

Published on June 30, 2009 See Comment(s)

Beckett > Braves by Jared Carrabis
Beckett blanks the Braves...again

Ever since Roy Halladay hit the shelf and with Zach Greinke having cooled off since his red hot start, a hot topic in the MLB has been the search for the starting pitcher of the American League All Star team; search no longer.

Josh Beckett took to the hill on Friday night in search of win number nine of his 2009 campaign. Had it not been for a blown save by Boston closer, Jonathan Papelbon, back on May 23 against the Mets, the flame-throwing righty would be staring ten wins in the face. Beckett's previous outing also came against the Atlanta Braves, and it just so happened to be his best outing in a Red Sox uniform.

The Boston ace hurled a complete game shutout against Bobby Cox's team, giving up just five hits, while racking up seven strikeouts. In that outing, Beckett only needed 93 pitches to hustle through nine frames, which could only mean one thing; he was well rested for Friday night.

Beckett began his night with a clean one-two-three inning in the first and continued...READ MORE!

Published on June 27, 2009 See Comment(s)

Green Means Go by Jared Carrabis
Nick Green, Sox walk-off with the win

First we saw the Mother's Day Miracle, now the Father's Day Frenzy.

Both the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves were decorated in light blue wristbands in support of prostate cancer awareness on Father's Day. Tim Wakefield took the mound in search of his league-leading tenth win of the season, but the first inning of his outing wasn't pretty. The knuckleballer allowed back-to-back singles to open the first. Later in the inning with one away, Brian McCann ripped a double into right field that allowed both Nate McLouth and Yunel Escobar to score with ease.

Trailing by two before the Sox even had a chance to take a swing, the Boston offense began to play catch-up. Reigning MVP, Dustin Pedroia, kick-started the chipping away process with a lead-off double to left field; his 17th of the season. Later in the inning with one away, Kevin Youkilis hit a little knubber back to the mound that starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens couldn't handle. Jurrjens was charged with an error that moved Pedr...READ MORE!

Published on June 21, 2009 See Comment(s)

Bounce Back Beckett by Jared Carrabis
Beckett tosses complete game shutout after worst outing of '09

Coming off his worst start of 2009 (6 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 HR), how did Josh Beckett respond? How's a complete game, five-hit shutout sound?

In Beckett's most recent start against the Phillies in Philadelphia, the right-hander saw his streak of seven quality starts come to an end. Beckett was handed a loss after allowing seven runs, six earned, on a grand total of eleven hits. Entering that start, the right-hander had gone 35.2 innings with a 0.77 ERA and 35 strikeouts. Beckett was 4-0 over that span, and would have been 5-0 had it not been for a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon against the Mets.

After getting knocked around against the defending World Champs, some fans were wondering if Beckett's 4-0 run in five games was just a hot streak, or if his rough outing against the Phillies was just a minor blip on an otherwise dominant radar. Well, Beckett answered those questions with flying colors by responding to his worst outing of 2009 with his best outing of 2009.

Opposing...READ MORE!

Published on June 20, 2009 See Comment(s)

Daisaster by Jared Carrabis
"If I keep going like this, I have no right to be part of this rotation"

It's now June 20 and Daisuke Matsuzaka has no idea what the seventh inning looks like in 2009. As a matter of fact, he hasn't even completed six innings this season.

With each start, Red Sox Nation grows more and more impatient with right-hander, Daisuke Matsuzaka. With Theo Epstein's team equipped with more than enough talent in the starting pitching department, Matsuzaka continues to pitch his way further and further away from a secured spot in the rotation.

Let's take a look at some of Daisuke's starts in 2009:

June 19: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 K, 67 pitches
June 13: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, 91 pitches
June 7: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 8 K, 102 pitches
May 27: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 102 pitches
May 22: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 80 pitches

His ugliest start came on April 14 when Matsuzaka went just one inning, giving up five earned runs on five hits, walking three after 43 pitches, but that...READ MORE!

Published on June 20, 2009 See Comment(s)

What's It Like To Live At Fenway? by Jared Carrabis
I'll tell you. The Sox are rolling with no empty seats

You may be wondering why there wasn't a blog after Tuesday's victory against the Florida Marlins.

Well, I'd like to explain why there's a great reason why you readers went blogless after the Sox' 8-2 victory over Hanley and the fish. These aren't the "Phish" that attract clouds of smoke, these are the "fish" that attract consecutive victories. On Tuesday, Fenway Park honored Red Sox fans by hosting Red Sox Nation Day. Being that I was elected the Red Sox Nation Governor of Massachusetts, the Red Sox invited me and a guest of my choosing to America's most beloved ballpark before anyone else along with 37 of the 50 RSN Governors.

I'll try to sum the story up the best I can so that this blog doesn't turn into another chapter of my book. Basically, you've all gone SoxSpace blogless because I've spent the last 23 of the last 32 hours that I've been awake at Fenway Park. It has been one of the most memorable experiences that I have ever had as a Red Sox fan, and I'd love to share som...READ MORE!

Published on June 18, 2009 See Comment(s)

Sweep Denied by Jared Carrabis
Beckett gets knocked around, can't sweep Phils

All it takes is one big inning, and that's all it took to sink the Sox in the series finale between the Sox and Phillies.

Having taken the first of three from the Philles on the road, Josh Beckett took the hill looking to complete the sweep against the defending World Champs. In Beckett's last five starts entering Sunday's contest, the right-hander had gone 35.2 innings with a 0.77 ERA and 35 strikeouts. Beckett was 4-0 over that span, and would have been 5-0 had it not been for a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon against the Mets.

Despite has eye-popping numbers as of late, the Phillies were not nearly as impressed as Red Sox Nation. The fightin' Phils attacked Boston's ace for a four-run fifth inning, which was nothing compared to the six-run attack that they unleashed on the Sox bullpen.

In relief of Beckett in the seventh, Daniel Bard gave up two hits and walked three, allowing three earned runs to cross the plate. Takashi Saito came in to stop the bleeding, but only conti...READ MORE!

Published on June 15, 2009 See Comment(s)

One Fan's Watch Party by Jared Carrabis
JC to host Sox watch party at the Bleacher Bar on Friday, Book update!

Red Sox Nation Watch Party hosted by RSN Governor of MA:

So tonight, the Red Sox hit the road to take on the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. If you live anywhere near the Boston area, you should be at the Bleacher Bar on Lansdowne Street in Boston for the Red Sox Watch Party. I will be your host for the evening and I'm happy to say that everyone is invited, no RSVP necessary; just show up with your friends, eat, drink, be merry and watch the Sox take it to the defending champs.

In the first game of this brief three-game road trip, Jon Lester returns to the mound for the first time since flirting with perfection. In Lester's last outing, the left-hander took a perfect game into the seventh inning before allowing a one-out double to Michael Young. In fact, Young collected the only two hits that Lester would allow in his complete game, two-hit victory, complete with 11 strikeouts. The last, and only, time that Lester has faced the Phillies, he logged ...READ MORE!

Published on June 12, 2009 See Comment(s)

Yankee Sweep, Take III by Jared Carrabis
Eighth inning comeback propels Sox to eighth straight over NY; book update!

The date was June 11, 2009. It was summertime in Boston, but with the 55 degree, rain-soaked weather, it felt like October.

"This is baseball," said David Ortiz. "You never know what can happen in baseball. I know we've had years where we've played good against the Yankees, but I don't remember anything like this."

In a month known for barbecues and swimming, the players could see their breath, the Red Sox could see a two-game lead in their division, the fans saw a sweep on the horizon, while CC Sabathia had his eye on the hot dog vendor in the fourth row. In a pitching match up that was heavily (no pun intended) favored towards the Yankees' with Sabathia on the mound, Brad Penny matched the left-hander inning for inning.

In, unquestionably, Penny's greatest start in a Red Sox uniform, the former Florida Marlin who dominated the Yankees in the 2003 World Series picked up right where he left off six years ago. Whether it was intentional or not (I think it was) Penny sent a m...READ MORE!

Published on June 12, 2009 See Comment(s)

Seventh Heaven by Jared Carrabis
Sox improve to 7-0 against NY in '09, look to complete sweep

Death, taxes and the Red Sox beating the Yankees in 2009.

The word "inevitable" is often overused these days, but in this day in age, it's never been busted out of Bostonians' vocabularies than in 2009. They've beaten them in blowouts, they've beaten them in close games and they've beaten them in nail-biting, one-run games.

Now before we go stamping the Yankees as an automatic win, let's not lead ourselves in the wrong direction. New York is one of the best teams in Major League Baseball and are not to be underestimated. The Red Sox are simply playing better, harder and smarter baseball than the Bronx Bombers night in and night out. What we're seeing here is two of the top teams in baseball sizing each other up for what may lie in each team's future come October. While the Red Sox clearly have the upper hand in '09's Yankee/Red Sox match up, make no mistake about it, these two teams are on a collision course when the leaves begin to turn.

With Tim Wakefield looking to better...READ MORE!

Published on June 11, 2009 See Comment(s)

Party Like It's '99, Pitch Like It's '07 by Mike Ghika
More Beckett dominance as Sox win sixth straight over NY

The Yankees entered cold, rainy Fenway Park on Tuesday night with a one-game lead in the AL East over the Sox, despite owning an 0-5 record against Boston on the 2009 season. And for the sixth time, the Red Sox proved victorious over the Bombers with a 7-0 win as they evened things with New York atop the standings.

The romp over the rival Yanks was backed by yet another stellar if not spectacular performance from Josh Beckett, who allowed just one hit and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings to lower his ERA to 3.77. His former Marlins teammate, AJ Burnett, took the loss after the Sox offense roughed up the hard-throwing right-hander for five hits and five runs (3 ER) over just 2.2 innings.

The Sox would take control of the game by putting up a 4-spot in the second, as David Ortiz got things started with a two-run blast into the centerfield bleachers (his third of the season), perhaps another sign that Papi is slowly recovering from his miserable start.

"It was ...READ MORE!

Published on June 10, 2009 See Comment(s)

He's Baaaaaaack by Jared Carrabis
Lester flirts with perfection, tosses complete game gem

Just when you think he can't impress you even more than he already has, he widens your eyes and drops your jaws even more than before.

On Saturday night, Jon Lester took the mound after coming off a start where he set a new career high in strikeouts with twelve against the Toronto Blue Jays. His previous career high had been ten, and after an inconsistent start to the 2009 season, Lester dominated his way back into the direction of consistency.

How do you go out and prove that you're back on the right track after setting a new career high in strikeouts? Simple: pitch a complete game, two-hitter, with eleven strikeouts. Lester dazzled the Texas rangers for nine frames, while taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. The left-hander retired the first 19 batters out of the shoot before giving up a one out double to Michael Young in the seventh. In fact, Young accounted for both of the hits that Lester allowed on Saturday.

"That was just lights-out," Michael Young said of L...READ MORE!

Published on June 07, 2009 See Comment(s)

D-Train-Wreck by Jared Carrabis
Dontrelle implodes, Sox sweep first place Tigers

Less than 24 hours after Josh Beckett flirted with a no-no en route to his third victory in his last three starts, the Red Sox looked to break out the brooms against the first place Detroit Tigers.

On the hill for Detroit was Beckett's former Florida Marlin teammate, Dontrelle Willis. Willis has struggled mightily since his glory days with the Marlins and on Thursday, the left-hander couldn't find home plate even if he had a GPS in his back pocket. With knuckleballer Tim Wakefield looking for win number seven on the season, Willis, in turn, was looking for just his second.

This game may have taken nine innings to complete, but it only took one mere frame to decide the winner. In the bottom of the second inning, the Tigers struck for three runs off of Wakefield. Miguel Cabrera and Curtis Granderson kicked off the inning with back-to-back singles to set up Brandon Inge for a double that plated the first two men to reach base in the inning. Back-to-back ground outs would allow Ing...READ MORE!

Published on June 04, 2009 See Comment(s)

Mr. 500 by Jared Carrabis
Tito racks up 500th win as Sox skipper, Bay goes yahd again

Exactly 269 weeks (or 1,883 days) ago, Terry Francona picked up his very first win as manager of the Boston Red Sox after Curt Schilling held the Orioles to one run, and Keith Foulke earned his first, but not his most important, save as a member of the Red Sox.

On June 2, 2009, the Red Sox' new and improved lineup aimed to deliver their skipper his 500th career victory in a Boston uniform. With Daisuke Matsuzaka winless on the season, the right-hander had a typical Dice-K start. Nearly one hundred pitches (96) to make it through just five innings. But in those five innings, Matsuzaka held the Detroit Tigers to one earned run on six hits. He may have walked three, but for Daisuke, that's not half bad. He also struck out six before handing the ball over to the best bullpen in the American League.

Before Matsuzaka's departure after the fifth inning, he was supplied three runs by the Boston offense. Dustin Pedroia kick-started the contest in the top of the first by rocketing his si...READ MORE!

Published on June 03, 2009 See Comment(s)