Red Sox Swept by the Angels in ALDS

After 165 games it is past time for the final entry of this Boston Red Sox season of 2009. With the World Series underway and the Yankees holding a 2 games to 1 lead over the Phillies I’m finally ready to ponder how the Red Sox were unceremoniously eliminated from the playoffs in the opening round American League Division Series. As Terri Francona, Sox manager, indicated the season came to a “crashing halt”. After some reflection it’s now time to bid adieu to the 2009 Red Sox.
Their final games of the year were against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim a team they have owned in post season. Not this time as we saw the Sox offense go into hibernation much as it had done off and on in the regular season. Case in point Game 1 was a 4 hit shut-out for John Lackey and game 2 was a 4 hit 1 run game for Jared Weaver. Each starter had 7.1 IP as the much maligned Angels bull pen yielded nothing in the final 1.2 innings of each game.

Now for our perceived ‘superior pitching’. In the opening game Jon Lester gave the team 6 innings but was not sharp walking 4 and giving up his only runs on a three-run home run off the bat of Torri Hunter in the 5th inning. Game Over as the Red Sox bats could muster only 4 singles one each for Pedroia, Bay, Gonzalez and Drew. Game 2 saw ace Josh Beckett take a 1-1 tie into the bottom of the 7th where he managed to get only 2 outs before being lifted as the Angels scored 3 runs. The big blow was Erick Aybar’s two-out triple scoring 2 runs. As Beckett headed for an early shower Billy Wagner got the final out of the inning. Bobby Abreu was a key contributor as he was 5 for 9 at the plate.

The teams headed to Boston for Game 3 with Clay Buchholz and Scott Kazmir as the starting pitchers. The Red Sox broke on top with 3 runs in the 3rd inning as Dustin Pedroia had a 2 run double and Victor Martinez a 1 run single. A Kendry Morales solo homer put the Angels on the board in the 4th but the Sox tacked on two more runs in their half of the inning as J.D. Drew slammed a two run homer. When Buchholz loaded the bases to start the 6th inning he was pulled in favor of Daniel Bard. Another Angel’s run score on a double play. Going into the 8th inning things looked good as the home team led 5-2. But what many regarded as the finest bull pen in the Majors really let the team down. Billy Wagner got two outs in the 8th but was pulled with men on 2nd and 3rd as Francona looked to Jonathan Papelbon for a 4 out save. But he promptly allowed both inherited runners to score on a two run single by Juan Rivera. The Sox got a run back in their half of the 8th on an RBI single by Mike Lowell.

Boston had a two run lead entering the fateful 9th inning when after getting the first two outs easily Papelbon absolutely implodes. A single, a walk, a two run double by Abreu and the game is tied. Then Guerrero singled in Abreu and the Angels took the lead 7-6. Okajima got the final out of the inning as Papelbon was charged with his first playoff runs after a record streak of 26 scoreless innings. How it unfolded was stunning especially with two outs and the bases clear.

Despite the fact that Angels spark plug and lead off hitter Chone Figgins was 0 for 12 in the series with only a BB the Red Sox went down with three straight losses. A season in which the Sox had 95 wins ended abruptly in disappointing fashion. Theo Epstein and the front office have a lot of work to do with Jason Bay a free agent, the need for another big bat and the uncertain shortstop situation to name a few concerns.

It was rewarding to follow Jacoby Ellsbury in particular this year and to see him develop as a player and become the lead-off hitter the Red Sox envisioned. His stats below tell the story of a very successful year:

AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS
.301 153 624 94 188 27 10 8 60 70 12

BB SO OBP SLG
49 74 .355 .415

Ellsbury’s stolen base stat will surely jump out at you as he led MLB with 70.

Before we know it Spring Training will be upon us along with high hopes for the 2010 season of Boston Red Sox baseball.

**Photos: Dustin Pedroia making the final out of the 2009 season as Victor Martinez looks disconsolate in the dugout

Games 70-72 – Red Sox are Now 9-6 in Interleague Play

Tuesday June 23

The Boston Red Sox with the best record in the AL East and the Washington Nationals with the worst record in baseball squared off in DC. Brad Penny went 5.2 innings, threw 112 pitches and gave up 3R on 6H as the Sox bullpen was not scored on. John Lannon pitched well with a line of 6.1 IP 3R 9H. The Sox broke a 4-3 game wide open with 6R in the 8th. Some of the hitting stars were Ellsbury 4 for4, Bay 4 for 6 and Pedroia 3 for 6 as the Sox banged out 17 hits and scored 8R off the Nationals pen.

Final Score: Sox 11 Nats 3
Jacoby Watch: 4 for 4 with 1R, 3RBI’s and a BB

Wednesday June 24

This game saw Jon Lester vs Greg Lannon who had shut out the Yankees for 6.1 innings in his previous start. David Ortiz hit a three-run homer in the 4th inning as the Sox went up 3-1. Tek chipped in with a two-run homer which put the Sox ahead 6-1. Lester went 6 innings and yielded 3R on 6H with 6K’s.

Final Score Sox 6 Nats 4
Jacoby Watch: 0 for 4 with a K

Thursday June 25

Boston was looking for the sweep as they sent John Smoltz to the mound for his first start as a Red Sox. Smoltz had a shaky 1st inning giving up 4 runs while hitting a batter. He did settle down and gave up only 1R in the next 4 innings. Meanwhile Nats pitcher Jordan Zimmerman was very effective giving up only 1R on 5H in 7IP. Both Daniel Bard and Takashi Saito were touched up for 2R as the Nats won this one going away. Rocco Baldelli had a meaningless two-run homer in the 9th.

Final Score: Nats 9 Sox 3
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 3 with a SB, his 31st of the year – Ellsbury banged his arm making a catch against the fence and won’t start tomorrow’s game.

Games 64-66 - Sox take 2 of 3 from the Fish

Tuesday June 16

Tim Wakefield continues on a positive roll. Tonight he went 6 innings giving up only 2 R on 6 H. The Sox offense contributed with a big 4th inning. David Ortiz led off with a home run and he would later have a two run single as he drove in 3 of the 6 runs scored that inning. Jason Bay had 2 RBI as did Nick Green. The Sox won easily with the bullpen contributing 3 scoreless innings and Wake’s personal catcher, George Katteras, getting two hits.

Final Score: Red Sox 8 Marlins 2
Jacoby Watch: 2 for 4 with 2 R, 2 SB and batting 7th


Wednesday June 17

Brad Penny although a bit wild with 4 BB pitched 5 innings of 1 R 3 H ball. Some MLB scouts were on hand as there is much interest in trading for Penny with John Smoltz almost ready to start and Clay Buchholtz burning through AAA for the Red Sox. But so far the Sox have not had an offer they could entertain. Dustin Pedroia had a big night with 3 hits and 3 RBI’s. Rocco Baldelli was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury had a solo home run in the 7th inning and once again the bullpen was perfect. Masterson, Okajima, Ramirez and Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning. The Red Sox are now 3 games up on the Yankees who lost to the Nationals.

Final Score : Red Sox 6 Marins 1
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 3 with a R, an RBI,2 BB, 2 SB and hitting 2nd


Thursday June 18

This was a rain shortened game with Jon Lester facing one batter in the 6th inning before the umpires called for the tarp. After a two hour delay the game was called. Kevin Youkilis had a solo home run in the 1st to give the Sox a fast 1-0 lead. That ended up being their only hit. Uggla and Paulino had solo home runs for the Marlins in the 2nd inning to give them a 2-1 lead which held up for the Florida win. Jon Lester was not as sharp as he has been giving up 8 H to go with the 2 R.

Final Score after 5 innings: Marlins 2 Red Sox 1
Jacoby Watch: 0 for 2 with his 29th SB and batting 7th

Games 33, 34 and 35 – Angels Take Another Series from the Sox

Tuesday May 12

Red Sox with a nice come from behind win. Down two runs in the 8th Sox tied the game when with the bases loaded Ortiz was HBP and Bay grounded out. The go ahead run scored in the 9th when Drew, who also had a solo homer, came around from first on a clutch double by Tek. Masterson was a bit erratic but had a good line 6IP 2R 5H. Papelbon with the save as he fanned Torii Hunter with the tying run on second in the 9th.

Final Score: Sox 4 Angels 3

Jacoby Watch: 2 for 5 with a run scored

Wednesday May 13

Red Sox spotted Tim Wakefield a four run lead into the 3rd inning. When Angels erupted for five runs as the knuckler wasn’t dancing and Mike Napoli hit a three run homer. After a shaky start 30 year old rookie pitcher Matt Palmer shut down the Sox at one point retiring 20 consecutive batters.

Final Score: Angels 8 Sox 4

Jacoby Watch: 1 for 4 with an RBI

Thursday May 14

No question this was the most frustrating loss of the year to date. Red Sox had 17 LOB and were 3 for 22 with runners in scoring position. David Ortiz was the main culprit as he left the bases loaded twice and had a total of 12 LOB. This is the low point of the year for ‘Big Papi’ as he has yet to hit a home run in 130 at bats. The lead went back and forth until the Sox tied the game 4-4 in the 8th on three singles Pedey with the RBI. Dustin returning to the lineup was 4 for 6 with a BB, a run scored and an RBI. Julio Lugo was 5 for 6 with a run scored and an RBI. All to no avail as the Angels pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning on a single by no.9 hitter, Jeff Mathis. It was that kind of a forgettable day!

Final Score: Angels 5 Sox 4

Jacoby Watch: 2 for 6 including an RBI

Photo: From Boston Dirt Dogs: The Ghost of David Ortiz

Games 26-27 Red Sox First in the New Yankee Stadium

Monday – May 4, 2009

Red Sox and Yankees endured a two hours+ rain delay before this game started. Sox scored single runs in the first four innings off Phil Hughes. David Ortiz with two hard doubles and an RBI finally showing signs of life. Solo homer from Mike Lowell and a two run blast in the 7th inning by Jason Bay proved to be enough runs. Jon Lester had a rough 5th inning with back to back homers by Damon good for two runs and a solo blast from Teixeira. Still Lester managed to last 7 innings with 10K’s and 111 pitches thrown. Ramon Ramirez yielded his first run of the season on another Teixeira solo homer in the 8th. Papelbon with a rare five out save had a shaky 9th but did get a big K of Robinson Cano with the bases loaded to end the game. Worth noting is that the Sox had 13 LOB.

Final Score: Red Sox 6 Yankees 4
Jacoby Watch: 2 for 5 with a run scored, a BB


Tuesday – May 5, 2009

I’m not one to gloat and I don’t enjoy it when others do it. That said it was very satisfying to see the Red Sox do the little things so necessary for a winning effort. The fact that they did this in the new, rain soaked Yankee Stadium was all the more satisfying. Examples that come to mind are Tek down on the count, continues to battle and manages a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 8th for an important insurance run. Then Nick Green follows with a bloop to right and now we are three runs up. Green also made a heck of a play in the SS hole with a wet ball throwing out slow-footed Molina with Yankee runners on second and third in the bottom of the 6th. Don’t forget Drew and Pedroia throwing out Cabrera at third trying to stretch a double. Pedey was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Sox are being fundamentally sound with timely hitting, good defense, adequate starting pitching and some great work from the bullpen.

After Beckett had given up a three run homer to Damon he was tough when he needed to be. Oki with a clutch 6 up and 6 down in the 7th and 8th innings, followed by Saito retiring the side in order in the 9th. Granted Joba Chamberlain dominated after the first inning with 12K’s. But back in the 1st the Sox took advantage of his slow start with five straight hits to open the game. The big blow was Jason Bay’s three-run homer as the Sox scored four times in the inning. Amazingly these runs would hold up. Youkilis, oblique and sore side, did not play. Boston has now won the first five games against New York. Hard to say what it means, if anything, as it is a long season with lots of baseball left to play.

Final Score: Red Sox 7 Yankees 3

Jacoby Watch: 1 for 2 with a run scored and a SB, his 15th. Unfortunately Ellsbury had to leave the game with a hamstring injury and is day to day.

Games 22 to 25 - Rays Rule Sox

Thursday April 30, 2009

Although the Red Sox had a good April it ended on a sour note. Josh Beckett was shelled for 7 runs in less than 5 innings, as the Rays Matt Garza flirted with perfection and ended up with a 1 hitter in 7.2 innings. The only Sox hit was an infield single by Jacoby Ellsbury.

Final Score: Rays 13 Sox 0
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 4

Boston Red Sox Record in April: 14 Wins 8 Losses

Friday May 1, 2009

Red Sox had a 2-0 lead when in the bottom of the 5th inning Justin Masterson was touched up for back to back homers by Evan Longoria, a 3 run shot and Carlos Pena, a solo homer. Tropicana Field continues to be a ‘house of horrors’ for Boston. They have now lost 11 of their last 12 games there.

Final Score: Rays 6 Sox 2
Jacoby Watch: 0 for 5

Saturday May 2, 2009

After scoring only two runs in the first two games Boston bats erupted for 10 runs on 13 hits. Nick Green had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. J.D.Drew’s two out double drove in 2 runs and Mike Lowell hit a solo home run. Tim Wakefield was not sharp with that knuckler giving up 5 runs in 5 innings. Okajima, Ramirez and Saito contributed 4 innings of 1 run ball as the pen continues to be strong.

Final Score: Sox 10 Rays 6
Jacoby Watch: 2 for 6 with 2 runs scored

Sunday May 3, 2009

Brad Penny pitched well with 6 innings and 3 runs given but the Sox could not solve James Shields after getting a first inning run and leaving the bases loaded. Youk contributed a 2 run homer off Howell in the 8th bringing the Sox within 1 run but that’s as close as they would get. Rays now lead season series 5-2.

Final Score: Rays 5 Sox 3
Jacoby Watch: 2 for 5

Photo: Brad Penny's befuddled expression sums up this losing series.

Boston Red Sox Opening Game 2009

Opening Day
April 7, 2009

There is something both reassuring and thrilling about the start of the 2009 baseball season. It’s the comfort of a continuing tradition and the excitement of the 30 MLB teams all starting on equal footing. As much as I love the season opener it is often over-hyped and given too much importance. It is after all only one game with 161 to go. That being said those first impressions of your home team can linger.

So, it was with great joy that I watched the Boston Red Sox and their workman like victory over the Tampa Bay Rays today. From Petey’s first inning blast into the Monster Seats to Beckett’s yielding only a single run, and a mere two hits while striking out 10 batters over seven innings. Tek even hit a home run and yes, Paps recorded his first save of the year. So for now all is well in Red Sox Nation after the 5-3 win.

I intent to watch Jacoby Ellsbury in particular as I think it is key for him to have a good year at the plate. The Sox are just a different team when he gets on base and bothers the opposing pitchers with his base running prowess. Today’s stats 0 for 4 with a SO – the only member of the line-up who failed to get a hit.

Photo is of Josh Beckett delivering the first pitch of the 2009 season.

Baseball is Almost Back

Yes, I am ready for some baseball. No more WBC and mercifully today was the final spring training game. Soon my questions will start to be answered. Included among them:

Will Youk continue to hit for power?
Will Petey be as mighty as he was last year?
Will Jed really end up being the answer at shortstop?
Can Mikey bounce back from surgery?
Will Jason prove worthy of patrolling that storied Fenway left-field?
(I’m thinking fondly of the Splendid Splinter, Yaz, Jim Ed and even Manny.)
Will this be Ellsbury’s break out year?
Will J.D. stay away from the DL?
Will Tek ever hit like a major leaguer again?
Will Big Papi return to form after an injury plagued 2008?

No surprise, I expect pitching and defense to carry the day(s). Getting healthy (Penny and Smoltz) staying healthy (Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, and Wake) is crucial. Having Buchholz and Bowden at the ready is exciting. The pen looks good on paper but I realize that’s not where games are won. Still I’ll take Paps, Masterson, Okie, Delcarmen, and Lopez. Am anxious to see what Rocco and Saito are able to contribute.

I’d like to give special recognition to Tito, our esteemed manager, and his indefatigable pitching coach, John Farrell. Sending all good wishes to the Olde Town Team for a very successful 2009 season – Go Sox!!!