Games 39-41 - Red Sox Sweet Sweep of Blue Jays

Tuesday May 19, 2009

The Boston Red Sox certainly enjoy ‘home cooking’ after limping home from another losing road trip. Their record at Fenway Park so far this year is 16 wins 4 losses. After completing a sweep of the first-place Jays, the Sox are now within a half-game of the top spot. Tonight’s game belonged to Tim Wakefield as he really had it going on baffling the Jay’s hitters with the knuckler. The only run off him in eight innings came in the 5th on a home run by old friend, Kevin Millar. Sox scored twice in the 2nd inning on a big single by Jeff Bailey and a sac-fly by George Kotteras. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 11th save.

Final Score: Sox 2 Jays 1
Jacoby Watch: 2 for 4 including a double

Wednesday May 20, 2009

Brad Penny pitched just well enough to win as the Blue Jays seemed to be hitting him hard all night. To his credit he got the outs when he needed them and had a very respectable 6.2 IP with 2R and 9H. Oki and Delcarmen each recorded an out while fire-baller Daniel Bard gave up 3H and 1R in 0.2 IP. Saito finished up pitching the 9th. But the big story of the game was David Ortiz. Big Papi finally hit one out of the park (dead center in the photographers’ well) ending a drought of 149 plate appearances in 2009. The crowd went crazy and his teammates gave him the ‘silent treatment’ in the dugout before mobbing him with congratulations!!! Papi even said the monkey is off his back. Here’s hoping his season long slump is over. Tek had two solo homers. One came in the 5th inning, followed by two-run bombs from Ortiz and Jason Bay and a solo shot from Mike Lowell as the Sox scored 6 runs on four home runs. Notably Jacoby Ellsbury tied the ML record for 9 innings with 12 put outs in CF. It has been done twice before both in Boston - the Braves in 1929 and the Twins vs Boston in 1977.

Final Score: Sox 8 Jays 3
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 4 with a BB


Thursday May 21, 2009

The Sox got off to a fast start in this game with 3 runs in the 1st including a two-run homer by who else, Jason Bay. He leads the team in homers with 13. But the story of this game was the bounce-back performance from Jon Lester. He has really struggled this year with an ERA of 6+. After 6.1 IP only 1R along with 8H Lester’s ERA is now 5.91. Still a long way from last year but heading in the right direction. The Jays had 12 LOB going 1 for 7 with RISP. Jacoby Ellsbury continues to be hot and has now extended his hitting streak to 16 games. His average is .302 and he has 17 SB. Before the season started I was convinced that Elllsbury was the key to the Sox offense. If he gets on base good things happen and may it continue!

Final Score: Sox 5 Jays 1
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 4 with 2R and 1SB

Games 36-38 Series - Lost in Seattle

Friday May 15

This Red Sox loss to the Seattle Mariners was the maddening kind. Jon Lester was spotted a four run lead but after being touched for four runs in the 6th managed to cough it up. Now with a 2-4 record and an ERA of 6.51 Lester is far from the pitcher once thought of as ‘ace material’. Ichiro Suzuki got Seattle on the board with a solo homer in the 5th then put them ahead 5-4 with a two run shot in the fateful sixth. Jacoby Ellsbury was a home run short of the cycle and continues his hot hitting. The previously unheralded Mariners pen had three scoreless innings with former Sox, David Aardsma, getting the save.

Final Score: Mariners 5 Sox 4
Jacoby Watch 3 for 5 with 6TB, a run scored and an RBI

Saturday May 16

Josh Beckett was also spotted a four run lead but managed to go 7 innings with 4H, 3R including 2ER and 120 pitches thrown. Jason B and Jason V each had two run homers. Jeff Bailey chipped in with a solo shot in the 5th as Sox scored all their runs on homers. Oki, Martinez and Papelbon did what the pen does and the Sox had a win. On the plus side the Red Sox bull pen has the best ERA in the AL. On the down side the Sox starters have the worst ERA in the AL. How did that happen!?! What was supposed to be the Sox strength going into the season (starting pitching) has been anything but!

Final Score: Sox 5 Mariners 3
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 5

Sunday May 17


Justin Masterson had a fine outing – perhaps his last one before returning to the pen as Dice-K is due back off the DL. Masterson had 6.1 IP with 9H and only 2R while striking out 6. This is another of those one run losses. Sox had three on this road trip as they lost both series and return home after a 2-4 trip out West. Good thing they don’t have to return there again in the regular season. With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th a Nick Green error at SS his 8th in only 23 games led to the Mariners pushing across a run on a single by Gutierrez. Ramon Martinez absorbs his first loss and is now 4-1. J.D. Drew had a solo homer as old friend David Aardsma gets the win. Jacoby Ellsbury’s single has his hitting streak at 13 games. During this span he has gone 21 for 56 and raised his BA to an even .300.

Final Score: Mariners 3 Sox 2
Jacoby Watch: 1 for 5 with 5 LOB

Game 4 - Third Loss in a Row for the Sox

Friday April 10th at Angel Stadium of Anaheim

There was a beautiful video remembrance of 22 year old Angels rookie pitcher, Nick Adenhart, killed by a hit and run driver early Thursday. This was followed by an intense moment of silence with the Angels and Red Sox players standing along the first and third base lines. The game seemed so secondary but the Angels, who all wore number 34, honored their fallen teammate defeating the Sox 6-3. Winning pitcher, Jered Weaver, allowed just 4 hits and 1 unearned run in 6.2 IP. Wakefield was touched for 3 runs in the 2nd and Masterson allowed another 3 runs in the 7th. Sox managed a couple of meaningless runs in the 8th. Angels with the emotional win.

Final Score: Angels 6 Red Sox 3
Jacoby Watch: 2 for 4 with 2 singles and 2 stolen bases

Game 3 - Sox Lose Rubber Game

Matt Garza, annoying hyperactive actions aside, is a puzzlement to the Red Sox. This includes today’s performance - seven innings of 4 H and 1 R baseball. On the other hand Dice-K wasn’t sharp yielding three homers and giving up 4 runs on 9 hits in only 5.1 IP as the Rays took the rubber game. Failing to get the big hit Sox had 10 runners LOB. On the plus side Tek homered again.

Rays 4 Sox 3

Jacoby Watch: 1 for 4 – a bunt single, SB, W and 2K’s

Photo is of Jed Lowrie striking out in the 8th inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd.