Red Sox v Rays: It's Clobberin' Time!

I'm back from Chicago and apparrenlty just in time... I go away for a few days and the boys drop of 2 of 3 to the Houston Astros... Manny pile drives the Traveling Secratary over some tickets... and the Rays creep into first place in the East...

Unacceptable.

Tonight, Justin Masterson (4-1, 3.43) will square off with James Shields (5-5, 3.76) - you know the guy that Coco tried to kill last month... Coco will be out of the line up for the series, but Papelbon has already warned the Rays that he and the Sox have not forgotten what happened on June the 5th...

Masterson has been pretty nasty since being called up to the bigs, but he finally looked human in his last start against the D-backs, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. He did have 4 K's, but the D-backs like to swing, and when you combine it with the 92 pitch, 5.0 inning, 1 strike out outing against Philly, you have to wonder if something has changed for the cue-balled phenom - or perhaps batters are simply making adjustments now that they have some tape on the kid...

Tampa Bay is 9th in the league with 583 strikeouts, so I predict at least 5 from Masterson if he's on tonight... that said he'll need to keep his emotions in check during what could be a tension filled game... The last time Masterson faced the Rays, he gave up 4 runs on on 6 hits (2 homers - Iwamura, Pena) through 6 innings, but earned the win thanks to a 4-run 6th by the Sox.

After going 12-9 with 184 strike outs and a 2.85 ERA in 2007, James Shields has struggled in 2008. He's just 5-5 despite a solid 3.76 ERA and he's on pace to fan another 160+ batter this season, but he's been the victim of some bad luck as of late. Other than a 6-1 loss to the Angels, Shields has pitched well in his last 9 starts, but he's just 2-3 with 4 NDs thanks to a number of late rallies by the Rays - most recently the Rays scored 7 runs in the 7th after Shields blanked the Cubs for 6 innings. He took the ND, but the Rays won 8-3.

The Sox haven't seen a ton of Shields - Manny leads the team with 16 at-bats, but despite the 2 homers, he's just 3-16 (.188) with 6 Ks... Yuke is 0-14, so you may see Sean Casey tonight who is 2-4 against Shields... and the red hot Dustin Pedroia is batting .571 in 7 at-bats.

Bottom Line: This is a battle for first place in the East, mixed with some unresolved aggression... expect some early 4th of July fire works... it's good to be home.

Bottom Line Road Trip

I'll be in the Windy City until Monday... so Go Sox! until then.

Tonight's Lineups: Red Sox v Diamondbacks

Yuke's back in there and JD has the night off with Moss getting the call - probably for the best, he's 0 for his last 12...

Red Sox

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
4. Manny Ramirez, DH
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Coco Crisp, CF
7. Kevin Cash, C
8. Brandon Moss, RF
9. Julio Lugo, SS

P -- Tim Wakefield

Diamondbacks

1. Eric Byrnes, LF
2. Stephen Drew, SS
3. Orlando Hudson, 2B
4. Conor Jackson, 1B
5. Chad Tracy, DH
6. Mark Reynolds, 3B
7. Chris Young, CF
8. Miguel Montero, C
9. Justin Upton, RF

P -- Randy Johnson

Sox On Deck: Buchholz ready for return to the bigs

By Mike Scandura

When Clay Buchholz was optioned to Pawtucket, it was with explicit instructions to work on (i.e. throw) his fastball. So far, consider it mission accomplished. Buchholz not only has been using his fastball more - which obviously makes his breaking pitches more effective - but he's also been topping out at 95 on the McCoy Stadium radar gun.

Over his previous two starts, Buchholz is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. In 11 innings over those starts, he's allowed seven hits and two walks and has fanned 14. According to PawSox manager Ron Johnson, Buchholz "... is getting more consistency with his arm slot in terms of getting it where he wants it. The feel for his breaking ball is good and his fastball is downhill."

The obvious question is how long does Boston keep Buchholz in Pawtucket before promoting him again to the big club? Might a Buchholz-for-Justin Masterson swap be in the works even though the sinkerballing right-hander has performed admirably for Boston?

Stay tuned.

**

Portland's Michael Bowden should be filed under the heading of an embarrassment of riches. The 21-year-old right-hander has been dominating Eastern League batters, and in the process, forcing Boston to contemplate when he should be bumped up to Pawtucket (the betting here is by mid-July). One of the key measuring sticks for any pitcher is total hits and walks allowed versus innings pitched.

Bowden has allowed fewer hits (58) and walks (19) - which equals 77 - than innings pitched (89) for the Sea Dogs through June 24. And over his last 70 1/3 innings pitched, his ERA is a microscopic 1.66.

Bowden is utilizing four- and two-seam fastballs to go with a hard curve and is throwing more off-speed pitches. Moreover, he combines his physical tools with a bulldog mentality that's the envy of pitching coaches throughout the league.

**

All of a sudden Pawtucket's Charlie Zink has crept back onto Boston's radar screen. Through games of June 24, Zink was 8-2 with a 2.33 ERA that ranked second in the International League. Zink, who began his pro career as a "conventional" pitcher, converted to a knuckleball pitcher in 2005. Now, he's reverted - to an extent - back to being a conventional pitcher and has added a changeup (Right. How much separation is there between a knuckleball and a changeup?), slider and cut fastball to his repertoire.

Not only is Zink eating up innings for the PawSox, who lead the North Division, but his control has been off-the-charts - which is something considering the knuckleball still is his primary pitch. Through 96 2/3 innings he's walked only 29 and struck out 60.

**

One of Johnson's strengths as a manager is to shuffle playing time among guys who play the same position. A perfect example this year is the way he's splitting time behind the plate with Dusty Brown and George Kottaras. Johnson is getting respectable offensive production from each player while making sure a rivalry (i.e. complaining) doesn't exist over who gets X number of games and who gets Y number of games.

**

Portland's Bubba Bell and Jeff Corsaletti, who split time between the outfield and DH, are making a case for a promotion to Pawtucket - which is interesting considering the PawSox' Chris Carter and Jonathan Van Every are enjoying career years.

Bell has hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games at a .326 clip (29-89) with four homers and 16 RBI. Corsaletti is hitting a robust .338 (23-68) over his last 17 games, with two homers and 16 RBI - and he's reached base safely in 26 of his last 28 games.

Randy Johnson is telling fibs...

Tim Wakefield will square off against Randy Johnson tonight in a battle between two 40-year old veterans.

The Big Unit has lost all four of his starts this month and has a 7.77 ERA and a .324 opponent batting average in June.

“The last four games that I’ve pitched have been extremely frustrating,” said Johnson, winless since May 18. “I feel good. I’m just frustrated because in all those games it’s essentially been one inning.”

That isn't entirely true Randy... Here's a look at his last four starts:

@ MIN - 6 runs allowed in the 3rd - 7 ER total on 11 hits
KC - 3 runs in 3rd, 4 in 5th, 2 in 6th - 7 ER total on 10 hits
@ PIT - 1 run in 3rd, 4th and 5th and 2 runs in 6th - 4 ER (5 R) on 6 hits
@ MIL - 2 runs in the 6th, 2 more in the 7th - 3 ER (4 R) on 6 hits

Johnson has been dreadful in his last two starts, but he hasn't earned a win since May 18th... he did face the Red Sox last season, earning a 5-1 win over Daisuke while holding the Sox to 4 hits and fanning 9 through 6 innings. The Sox did make three errors that game, but they only had 6 hits all game.

Father time has been better to Wake than his veteran counter part. Since the shellacking he took in Oakland on May 18th, Wakefield has been quietly efficient, posting a 2.50 ERA in his last 5 starts, despite going just 2-1 in that span. He's been the victim of some bad luck as of late, losing a 1-0 game to Erik Bedard, then taking the ND after the Okajima implosion in Baltimore. Then he locked horns with Edinson Volquez and took the ND after the Sox rallied late. In his last outing the Cards took him deep twice, but 2 Lugo errors enabled St. Louis to stay 1 run ahead despite another late rally by the Sox.

Bottom Line: The Red Sox owe Wake a win and they've caught Johnson in a funk - time for the offense to wake up.

Guys to Watch: Manny is batting just .262 (11-42) against The Unit, but he does have 5 homers mixed in there... Kevin Youkilis should be starting tonight and is 5 for 16 (.313) with a homer vs Johnson... and Pedroia the Destroyah is 1-2 with a double and 3 walks...

This is a young D-backs team that hasn't seen the knuckleball before and like to swing... they've already wiffed 13 times this series, look for Wake to add at least 5 more tonight.

'Pedroia the Destroyah' leads comeback over D-backs

Red Sox - 5
Diamondbacks - 4

BL Hero: Dustin Pedroia - 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Pedroia is officially in the zone. He hit his 7th home run of the season last night to give the the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead. Then he lead the 8th inning rally with an RBI single and then scored the tying run on Mike Lowell's double.

With Ellsbury struggling at the top of the order, Pedroia has heated up at an opportune time, going 19-43 (.442) with 6 multi-hit games since June 14th. It should also be noted that he is now just one home run shy of his 2007 season total (8) indicating that the little guy with the big swing could crack double digit ding dongs for the first time in his career.

The Sox went down 3-1 in the 3rd when Masterson gave up a 3-run homer to Tracy, but unlike in days past, the offense woke up and fought their way back - a good sign to say the least. Masterson was not so Masterful this time, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks to a team that can pile up the K's... he had 4 on the night, but after looking filthy in his first 4 starts (3-0, 2.59 ERA)... the league may be adjusting to the young righty: 1-1, 4.71 ERA ion last four starts.

The good news? Manny went 2-4... Lugo turned a double play without throwing the ball away... and rookie RP Chris Smith earned his first ML win throwing 2 cleaning innings. After looking great (4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 Ks) while on mop up duty after Matsuzaka's "start" on the 21st - Smith is looking like a go-to guy in an otherwise shaky bullpen...

Bottom Line: The Red Sox needed that win... and they need a few more with Tampa Bay (1 game back) and the Yankees (5.5 back) on deck before the All-Star break...

VOTE: Is Jason Varitek an All-Star?

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins (1,178,630 votes) passed Jason Varitek (1,113,855 votes) in All-Star votes earlier this week... to be honest, I'm surprised it took this long.

I love Tek and I love what he does for the Red Sox, but statistically, he just ain't cutting it. I know most teams would kill to have The Captain on their squad, but in my opinion, his leadership skills and defense don't erase the .231 BA and 56 strikeouts.

Here's a look at the best catchers in the American League.

Joe Mauer - .331 BA, 81 H, 46 R, 2 HR, 29 RBI
Dioner Navarro - .323 BA, 60 H, 21 R, 4 HR, 28 RBI
AJ Pierzynski - .299 BA, 76 H, 33 R, 4 HR, 29 RBI

Jason Varitek - .231 BA, 48 H, 17 R, 7 HR, 24 RBI

Mauer is clearly a cut above offensively with a .331 BA (3rd in AL), a .417 OBP and 81 hits, almost twice as many as Varitek (48). But Mauer does more than hit - he's got a .995 fielding percentage, compared to Varitek's .996 FP and Navarro's 1.000 FP and his caught stealing numbers (.356%) put him in the top 5 right behind guys like Navarro (.368) and Suzuki (.373).

Jason leads the group with 7 ding dongs and is right their in RBI and doubles, but the 56 Ks, the 17 runs scored and the 48 hits are less than mediocre.

Bottom Line: We would not have 2 Championships in this decade if it wasn't for Tek, but the power of RSN was clearly the only reason he was in the running for this long.

Which catcher do you think should represent the AL in the Al-Star Game?

Vote on the right...

Haren wins battle of aces at Fenway

Red Sox - 1
Diamondbacks - 2

Dan Haren was just plain nasty last night. He gave up just 2 hits over 7 innings, going 1-2-3 for 5 of them, and had 5 strikeouts. As stated yesterday, Haren has been untouchable in June and is now 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA, 29 Ks and a .167 BAA this month.

He's probably the only guy in the league that could have beaten Josh Beckett last night. Beckett was also nasty, fanning 8 D-backs through 8 innings and giving up just 5 hits... but the D-backs finally got to him in the 7th, while the Red Sox was M.I.A.

Some times you just run into a good pitcher and he has a great night, but the offense didn't just take the night off... since beating the Red 9-0 last Monday, the Sox have averaged us 3.2 R/G in their last 7 games - down from their season average of 5.0 R/G.

Ellsbury is riding a 5 game hitting streak, but it's been 1 hit per game and he is now 5 for his last 23 (.217) with 2 runs scored since leaving Cincinnati.

JD Drew has fallen back to earth - he's hitless in his last 8 at-bats and is 2 for his last 15 with a solo home run.

And Manny has slipped back in to another funk, going 6-31 (.193) in the past 10 games with just 1 RBI and 2 doubles.

It hasn't been all bad though... Youk has gotten hot again, but left last night's game with an eye injury and Dustin Pedroia is 10 for his last 22 (.455), but he's scored just 4 runs and driven in zero during that span - making his hot streak all but irrelevant.

Bottom Line: The Law of Averages seems to be leaning on the Red Sox right now... Before dropping 3 of 4 at home, they were on pace to win 80% of their home games - you knew that wouldn't last. They've also done well to fight through a number of injuries, but you knew that would catch up to them eventually as well...

Josh Beckett vs Dan Haren: Who ya got?

Josh Beckett (7-4, 3.87) and the Red Sox will face Dan Haren (7-4, 3.26) and the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox need a solid outing from Beckett tonight dipping into the bullpen in the second inning on Saturday and then fighting through 13 innings in yesterday's game versus the Cards.

Beckett blanked the Reds through 7 inning in his last start, striking out 6 and giving up just 6 hits... He's gone 7+ innings seven times in thirteen starts this year and is 5-2 when doing so... Beckett is also 4-0 at Fenway this year, despite a mediocre 4.81 ERA in five starts at home... Lastly, even though the Sox lost 2 of 3 over the weekend, they're still 13-7 in June and 8-4 at home this month.

While Beckett looks to protect his bullpen, Dan Haren will be hoping to stop the bleeding for the D-backs. After a strong start to the 2008 season, the Diamondbacks are 11-21 since May 18 when they were 12 games over .500... They're also 15-22 on the road and 6-3 in interleague play so far this year... Most recently they were swept by the Twins while being outscored 18-6... The D-backs have the 3rd most strikeouts in the MLB with 592 and are tied for 16th in the league with a dismal .248 BA...

Haren leads the staff with a 3.26 ERA and is just 2 shy of Webb's team leading 86 K's with 84 - both guys don't give up walks, so the patience of the Sox batters will be tested tonight... Haren has also been down right nasty in June, striking out 24, while allowing just 4.5 hits per game - earning himself a 2.00 ERA for the month...

Guys to Watch: Manny hasn't impressed as of late, but he's 6-12 (.500) 2 doubles and a homer against Haren... Coco is also 5-12 (.417) against Haren... 1B Conor Jackson is currently riding an 8-game hitting streak and went 3-4 last night against the Twins... Mark Reynolds leads the team in HRs (16) and RBI (47) but he and Justin Upton are 2nd and 3rd in the league in strikeouts with 92 and 87 respectively - I predicting 4 Ks from them alone tonight.

Bottom Line: The Red Sox are catching a good time while they're down and they need to take advantage - starting tonight.

Papelbon & Delcarmen as Milli Vanilli

This is all over the web right now, but I had to post it. Thanks to Red Sox Monster and Sox & Dawgs...

Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen do their best Mili Vanilli impression during the rain delay on Friday... Dan at RSM asked a great question: Who proposed this idea and what were the negotiations? I can only begin to imagine...

BTW, how long do you think it will be before Paps brings that wig to a game and tries to sneak out to left fild for an inning dressed as Manny...?

Enjoy.

video courtesy of NESN

Red Sox Weekend Update: Youkilis saves Sox from sweep

The Red Sox were 7-2 versus the National League after sweeping the Brewers at home in May and taking 2 of 3 from the Reds and Phillies on the road. With a 27-8 home record, things were looking good for the Sox with a 3 game set against a Pujols-less Cardinals team... but things went terribly wrong this weekend.

On a night when they were supposed to celebrating a 17th Championship with the Celtics, the Red Sox lost to the team they had beaten in 2004 to win their first in 86 years. Then on Saturday, the return of Daisuke Matsuzaka was over before it even started and the Sox never dug out of that grave. And on Sunday, it took 13 innings to put away Joel "0-1 in my last 6 starts" Pineiro and the Cards... not what RSN was hoping for.

Here are the low lights:

Julio Lugo hit his first home run of 2008 on Friday, but made two more errors, one of them cost the Sox a run in what eventually became a 5-4 loss.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-15 as the leadoff man for the series with 2 doubles and 3 Ks... he's 4 for his last 25 since his 3-5, HR, 2 SB game in Cincinnati on the 15th.

Despite his current four game hit streak, Manny has also struggled as of late, going 5-22 (.227) versus NL teams with just 1 RBI and extra base hit. He also has two separate bases loaded opportunities on Friday night, but struckout in the 5th and grounded into a rally killing DP in the 7th...

Daisuke Matsuzaka's return from the DL was just plain awful: 1.0 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 7 ER... 48 pitches - just 24 strikes.

Francona's response: “When he came out, there were not complaints about soreness, fatigue, anything, so that’s a good sign,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “I’m hopeful we’ll just chalk it up to a bad outing.”

I'll do the same Tito, but with Lester as the current No. 2... I'm officially nervous.

Everyone else seems to have slipped into a funk, but Yuke has gotten hot. He's currently riding a 7 game hitting streak that includes 3 multi-hit games and four homers, including yesterday's walk off: 11-27 (.407) 2 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R

Jon Lester is also red hot. He's mastered the art of the no decision, taking his 8th of the season yesterday, but it should be noted that he gave up just 2 runs on 9 hits and just 1 walk over 6.1 innings. Lester has given up just 5 earned runs and 3 walks while fanning 16 in 27.2 IPs in June - earning him a 3-0 record and a staggering 1.65 ERA on the month.

Hideki Okajima on the other hand has not faired well in June. Oki-Doki's line for June is as follows: 9 appearances, 8.0 IP, 9 ERA, 16 H, 5 BB, 12 K, 10.13 ERA... With Timlin on the DL and Okajima struggling Delcarmen and Hansen need to rise to the occasion if the Sox want to stay on top.

Bottom Line: The Red Sox held onto first place despite dropping 2 of 3 over the weekend, but with Dice-K lasting just 1 inning and the 13 inning game yesterday, the bullpen will be spent for the D-Backs series, so they'll need Beckett and Masterson to go strong in Games 1 and 2.

Schilling to have surgery, and other Red Sox notes

Blogging has been pushed to the back burner for me as of late, but I wanted to chime in before the weekend...

As most of you have probably already heard, Curt Schilling met with doctors and has decided to have surgery on his shoulder - ending his season and possibly his career.

"There's a chance a lot of things could happen here. My season's over. There's a pretty decent chance that I've thrown my last pitch forever, so I don't care. It doesn't matter. I'm going in to make it not hurt anymore, which is pretty much all I care about."

I don't think anyone is surprised by this turn of events, and although there's a chance Schill will return to baseball one day... I kinda doubt it. 2004 was a storybook season and my favorite Schilling moment was not the bloody sock or his 21st win... it was his pre-season commercial in which he stated that he was headed to Boston to break an 86 year old curse... and he did.

Click here for a trip down memory lane with Schill - courtesy of the Globe.

Other News

Josh Beckett will get some extra rest and start on Monday against the D-backs. Wake, Daisuke and Lester will get the call over the weekend.

Speaking of Lester, I think it's important to note that in his past three starts he's pitched 6.1, 7.0 and 7.0 innings, giving up just 2 walks, 3 runs total while striking out 13 and grabbing the win in all three games. The master of the no decision owns a modest 3-0 record, but his 3.18 ERA is 7th best in the AL and the new found control has him looking like a future ace: 40/15 K/BB ration since May - 22/23 K/BB rate in April.

After imploding for the second time this month, Terry Francona gave Hideki Okajima a "low stress inning" to see if he could regain his nastiness... Okie-Dokie responded by punching out all three batters he faced, fanning Sane Victorino and Ryan Howard. Personally, I was not convinced he was back on the up and up, but Tito called Okie's number in the 8th the very next night with a 3-0 lead over the Phillies. "Jeemer" stepped up again, fanning pinch hitter Chris Coste and more importantly, fanning Chase Utley after giving up a double to Jimmy Rolins... giving Tito and RSN hope that he can indeed get batters out with men on base.

During the off day yesterday Manny weighed in on JD Drew's recent power surge:

"He's hitting the [stuffing] out of the ball," Ramírez said during the Red Sox' six-game swing through Cincinnati and Philadelphia. "And that guy's got so much power - wow - for his size. He hits the ball as far as David [Ortiz]. David's 6-4, 270, and J.D.'s, what, 6-2, 210. And he's hitting the ball like that, like David."

In AL East news, the Blue Jays fired coach Jay Gibbons today. The Blue Jays began the day 35-39, having lost five straight and 13 of their last 17 games to fall 10.5 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the AL East. He is the third major league manager to be fired this week, following Willie Randolph of the New York Mets and John McLaren of the Seattle Mariners.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have won 7 games in a row courtesy of a ridiculously weak interleague schedule... so far they've swept the Houston Astros (33-40) and the San Diego Padres (31-43)... and now they get to beat up on the Reds (33-41) and the Pirates (34-39) before wrapping things up with the struggling NY Mets (35-36). It will be interesting to see if they can keep the pace going with Texas, Boston, Tampa and Toronto on the schedule to close out the first half...

That's all I've got for now. Go Sox!

Drew and Masterson continue to roll

Red Sox 7
Phillies 4

BL Hero: JD Drew - 4-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI... Though the media and fans have been talking about it, Drew continues to quietly tear it up at the plate. With just 18 days in June, Drew has hit 9 homers, 7 doubles and 2 triples, while driving in 21 runs and scoring 22 himself - raising his average from .289 to .327.

Guess a little vertigo never hurt anybody!

The Red Sox put 4 runs on the board before most of us got back from lunch yesterday with back-to-back homers from Drew and Lowell. It was the 7th time this season the Sox have gone back-to-back.

Drew and Lowell were at it again in the 3rd, scoring on Brandon Moss' single to center. And Drew's 3rd hit of the day scored Pedroia in the 4th, giving the Sox and starter Justin Masterson a 7-1 lead early.

Masterson wasn't as nasty as he was against Cincy (6.2 ip, 9 Ks) but he was equally efficient, going 5.0 innings and allowing just 4 hits and 2 ERs. He's now 4-1 in 6 starts and has been huge for the Sox while the nurse some starters back to health.

They'll have to be careful with him if he stays in the big in the 2nd half... but with Dice-K and Buchholz coming back and Colon likely coming off the DL in 2 weeks, the Sox have the depth to keep him (and the whole staff) rested.

Bottom Line: The Red Sox are now 12-5 in June and trail only the Cubbies for the best record in the majors... can you say Cubs v Red Sox in the WS...?

Today's Lineups: Red Sox @ Phillies

Manny's hamy still hurts so he'll get today and the off day to rest... and Youk is still out with back spasms...

Boston

Ellsbury-LF
Pedroia-2B
Drew-RF
Lowell-3B
Casey-1B
Varitek-C
Crisp-CF
Lugo-SS
Masterson-SP

Philadelphia

Rollins-SS
Victorino-CF
Utley-2B
Howard-1B
Burrell-LF
Jenkins-RF
Dobbs-3B
Ruiz-C
Kendrick-SP

Lester wins southpaw battle, Sox beat Phils 3-0

Red Sox 3
Phillies 0

BL Hero: Jon Lester - He gave up just 6 hits and 1 walk to one of the best offenses in the game, while fanning 7 over 7.0 solid innings. The best part? Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell, the heart of the Phillies lineup, went 5-7 with 3 HRs and 2 3Bs in the 8-2 lost yesterday... last night they went 0-8 with 7 strikeouts.

“You can’t argue with what good confidence can do for any pitcher,” pitching coach John Farrell said. “The tempo gets quicker and he’s not thinking about the negative aspects that might take place. He goes into every start now not only trusting his stuff, but knowing he has pitches to attack hitters.”

Lester was brilliant last night, but the Red Sox offense blew more than a few opportunities against the struggling Jamie Moyer - hence the measly 3-0 win. If it wasn't for Coco's 2-run homer, the Phillies might have eventually climbed their way back into this one, but Okajime and Papelbon closed the door striking out 5 of 7 batters faced in the 8th and 9th.

Despite not scoring many runs, the Red Sox stole 6 bases in one game for the second time this season. Julio Lugo swiped third on the lefty Moyer and enabled Pedroia to grab an SB on the double steal. Ellsbury beat out a poor pitch out, but got caught trying to steal third two pitches later. Coco had 2 steals to compliment his 2-4, HR, 2 RBI night and Sean Casey stole his first base since Jule 15th on 2007... Casey had 4 SBs in 2003 so watch out!

Bottom Line: I was afraid that the injuries and interleague schedule would make thing difficult for the Sox, but their now 11-5 in June and 6-2 versus the NL...

They'll wrap things up tonight with a day game in Philly before heading back to Boston to host the Cards and D-backs.

Tonight's Lineups: Red Sox @ Phillies

Youkilis is out again with back spasms...

Boston

SS-Lugo
2B-Pedroia
RF-Drew
LF-Ramirez
3B-Lowell
C-Varitek
1B-Casey
CF-Crisp
SP-Lester

Philadelphia

SS-Rollins
CF-Victorino
2B-Utley
1B-Howard
LF-Burrell
RF-Werth
3B-Feliz
C-Ruiz
SP-Moyer

Matsuzaka fans five in rehab start

Following a two-hour rain delay last night, Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is expected to return to the Red Sox's rotation and start Saturday against the Cardinals, worked five innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He allowed two earned runs on three hits, walked one, struck out five and threw 65 pitches, 47 for strikes.

“There were a few things I wanted to try out while I was out there and one of them was (locating) my fastball,” Matsuzaka said through a translator. “And I feel I was able to achieve that.”

Despite some erratic pitching at times, Matsuzaka has 3 or less earned runs in all but one starts this year and was 8-0 with a 2.53 ERA before going on the DL. He appears ready to get back to winning for the Red Sox:

"The biggest thing was that I was able to pitch today without any problems," he added. "I don't know exactly what percent, but I'm ready to throw."

Sometimes an AL pitcher should just stand there...

Red Sox 2
Phillies 8

BL Hero: Ryan Howard - 3-5, 2 HR, 3B, 4 RBI

“I think I did it during my second at-bat when my helmet flew off,” Colon said through an interpreter. “I should be ready for my next start, but I won’t know until (Tuesday).”

No shit.

Dude, you wiegh 250 lbs and probably you haven't swung a bat since you wieghed 200 lbs in 6th grade playing stick ball at recess...

When the AL is forced to have their pitcher's hit during interleague play, I laugh like everyone else when some of these guy try and hit. But sometimes, it's best to just tell the guy to stand there and strike out. I'm pretty sure we did it last year, in an effort to protect Beckett's arm, so why did Tito think it would be a good idea to have the hefty, injury prone Bartolo Colon swing away TWICE in last night's 8-2 loss the the Phillies?

In the 2nd, Colon had Casey at second and Lugo at first with two outs, and the Phillies were up 3-0, so I understand that you have let Colon swing, but he looked like Babe Ruth up there... minus the contact... maybe the Sox should have spent an extra day with him in the cages.

In the 4th, but Casey and Lugo were on base again with 2 outs, so again the Sox were forced to have Colon swing away. But he predictably K'd again, and the Sox lost two golden chances to get back in the game... and potentially lost a starter in the process.

Bottom Line: Tito's hands were tied in both situations, but Colon needs to be more disciplined at the plate. Obviously you want to help yourself out and get a big hit with men on base, but at what cost?

Thankfully Matsuzaka is ready to return (19 batters, 65 pitches, 47 strikes 5 Ks, BB) and Masterson (Will start Wed.) is still with the big club.

Notes: Manny went 0-4 in his return to the lineup... Pedroia went 3-4 with a homer and is now 6 for his last 13 - slump over... JD Drew hit another home run and now has 5 in his last 8 games... Mike Timlin sucks (0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB)... Okajima was given a "stress free inning" and looked good, fanning Victorino and Howard:

"He threw the ball well..." Francona said, "That's why we did it. The hope is when you bring in a guy in a situation like that, he doesn't have a 30-pitch inning. And he did a good job. That was good for him."

Tonight's Lineups: Red Sox @ Phillies

Manny's back in there... He's never seen Hamels, but he owns a .306 BA against Philly, a .313 BA on the road this year and a .286 BA against lefties... Also, I cannot wait to see Bartolo Colon hit!

Red Sox

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. J.D. Drew, RF
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Julio Lugo, SS
9. Bartolo Colon, P

Phillies

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Shane Victorino, CF
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Pat Burrell, LF
6. Geoff Jenkins, RF
7. Pedro Feliz, 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Cole Hamels, P

Trot Nixon returns to the bigs as a Met

The New York Mets aquired OF Trot Nixon from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday to help with their injury plaqued outfield - Moises Alou (strained left calf), Ryan Church (post- concussion symptoms) and Angel Pagan (bruised left shoulder) are on the disabled list.

Trot, now 34, was playing for Triple-A Tucson of the Pacific Coast League this year and was hitting .309 with 10 homers and 31 RBI in 58 games.

Bottom Line: After hitting just .251 in 99 games with Cleveland last year, I kinda thought our Dirt Dog was finally "washed up", but he played well in Tucson and went 2-3 with a double, a run scored and... a stole base!! on Sunday in his return to the bigs.

Thanks to Fenway West for the news.

Weekend Recap: Sox take 2 of 3 from Reds

The Red Sox headed to Cincinnati for the first time since the 1975 World Series this weekend and took two of three from the Reds.

Game 1 was a pitchers duel between Reds' ace Aaron Harang and rookie phenom Justin Masterson. Masterson was "masterful" striking out a season best 9 batters, but gave up two solo homers to Bruce and Dunn in the 4th... and that proved to be the difference as Harang shut down the Red Sox offense allowing just 5 hits and 1 run over 7 innings.

Despite taking his first loss of the year, Masterson is 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 27 Ks in 31 innings for the Sox... you could say he's been even more of a godsend than Bartolo Colon (4-1, 3.41, 22K in 29 IP) this season.

The Reds appeared to have the advantage in Game 2 with the leagues best pitcher, Edinson Volquez facing Tim Wakefield, but Wake went toe-to-toe with the flame throwing youngster. Both guys went 7 innings, Volquez struck out nine Red Sox, but allowed a few early runs on errors and wild pitches... meanwhile Wakefield allowed just 4 hits, but 2 were home runs and then Okajima erased him fromthe decision with another bad outing...

The Reds and Red Sox bullpens would battle for three more innings, but homers from Youkilis and Crisp in the 10th gave the Sox the win.

It should be noted however that despite getting a clean inning to start with Okajima continued to struggle (0.1, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 ER) after his latest implosion against the Orioles and Tito quickly pulled him... and Papelbon blew his 3rd save of 2008, giving up the tying run on a solo shot from Encarnacion... Paps only had two blown chances in all of 2007, but did have 6 in 2006 and still earned a 0.92 ERA on the year.

Then on Sunday, the Red Sox beat up on Homer Bailey in Game 3, while Josh Beckett looked like an ace again, striking out 6 batters and blanking the Reds through 7 innings.

The Red Sox speedsters, Crisp (2-5, HR, 4 RBI, 1 R) and Ellsbury (3-5, 1 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB) lead the offense, but Drew and Pedroia also had homers as the Sox took the series with a 9-0 win.

Bottom Line: The Sox stayed ahead of the Rays and are currently up by 2.5 games... but they'll have a tough match-up in the Phillies to start the week.

Also, the Yankees have quietly won 4 in a row and 7 of their last 10... they own the best interleague record in the AL, 113-79 (.589), and are now just 6 games behind the Sox.

Lowell makes O's pay with Grand Slam

Red Sox 9
Orioles 2

BL Hero: Mike Lowell - 1-4, HR, 4 RBI... I know Drew went 2-4 with a double and a homer, but Lowell rose to the occasion when the Sox needed it. A GS is waaaay better than the FC's and DBs we've been hitting into lately with runners in scoring position.

Julio Lugo gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the second with what I think was his first hit that was NOT a double play ball...

That was all the offense we saw from either team for 5 innings, despite O's starter Guthrie throwing 50+ pitches through the first two innings. That finally caught up to him in the 5th, when Jacoby lead off the inning with a single and the red hot JD Drew smacked a double. The O's chose to walk Manny and try to get Mike Lowell to hit into the double play, or at least get Lowell out and sacrifice one run.

But Mike Lowell simply chuckled at the disrespect and took Guthrie deep for the Grand Slam. A walk to Youkilis and a double from Lugo would end the night for Guthrie, but the Sox weren't done with the long ball...

Youkilis hit a 2-run shot in the 7th and JD Drew hit his 4th ding dong in 5 games in the the 8th to give the Red Sox a 9-2 lead.

Bottom Line: I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop with JD Drew... but how freakin' hot is he right now!? I stole this stats line from Surviving Grady, who grabbed it from CBS Sportsline:

Drew is 18-for-36 with six homers and 15 RBI since the designated hitter has been sidelined with a wrist injury, raising his batting average from .282 to .324. He also has five doubles, a triple, 15 runs and 10 walks in that span.

Theo - I'm still mad at you for signing Lugo (another error last night), but if this Drew stuff keeps up, I'll let it go... plus that Colon signing is making you look like a genius...

Papelbon to Rays - "Payback's a bitch."

Fenway West has a video interview with Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

In standard Paps fashion he speaks his mind and states that "the way [he] feels right now, this thing isn't all settled and done."

Here's the full interview.

Bartolo Colon and Don Orsillo's suit lead Sox to victory

Red Sox 6
Orioles 3

BL Hero: Bartolo Colon - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB

Signing Bartolo Colon could turn out to be Theo Epstein's greatest move as GM of the Red Sox. After earning his fourth win last night, Colon is now, 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts for the Sox.

The stats are great, but the timing of his arrival is what really makes him special to Red Sox Nation. With Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL and Clay Buchholz working the kinks out in Pawtucket, Colon has filled the gap in the starting rotation to perfection.

The guy is a control freak, walking just 7 batters through 29 innings and last night's 7 strike outs could be an indication that the former Cy Young winner is starting to 100% healthy.

Bottom Line: I love what Masterson has done as well, but if Matsuzaka returns from the DL and continues to pitch well, the Sox will have the best staff in baseball with Beckett, Matsuzaka, Colon, Wakefield and Lester... and with Buchholz, Masterson and maybe even Schilling as the extra's, you have to feel really good about their chances for a repeat. The question remains - will the Sox trade one of these guys away or keep them all to themselves??

Notes: Manny went 1-2 last night and is now riding a 15 game hitting streak in which he is hitting .358 with 7 HRs, 18 RBI and 13 runs... meanwhile JD Drew has caught fire, batting .500 through a 10 game hitting streak with 5 HRs, 13 RBI and 13 runs, while striking out just 3 times in 32 at-bats...

And here's a clip of Don Orsillo and his Col. Mustard suit and tie... apparently it was the highlight of the evening since Tito, Jim Rice and most of the blogosphere are talking about it - My favorite part comes at 18 sec when Don stares Remy down and calmly says "Tie's money." - BOOYAH!

Go to Sox and Dawgs for more...

video courtesy of NESN

Orioles beat up on Beckett and Okajima

Red Sox 6
Orioles 10

BL Hero: Aubrey Huff wet 4-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored, though every Oriole, save for Mora, had at least 1 hit.

Here's an idea for Tito: Don't pitch Okajima against the Orioles.

Clearly, the O's know something the rest of the league doesn't, but Manager Dave Trembly says it's simple:

"You've got to wait him out."

"You can't chase pitches off the plate," Trembly continued. You've got to make him throw it over. When you get behind in the count, you've got to shorten up your swing. You've got to use the other side of the diamond. You try to pull the ball, you play right into his hands."

Tek will tell you that he simple left his pitches up today: "He had a hard time getting the ball down. Whether it was curveball, changeup, or his fastball. He was just more so off the mark. We haven't seen that much from him. It's kind of been a rarity for us."

But patience prevailed for the Orioles in the 10-6 win. They worked Josh Beckett up to 113 pitches through 6 innings and then punished Okajima for the second time in as many tries for Okie.

He now owns a 13.50 ERA (eight earned runs in 5 1/3 innings) versus the O's this season, compared with one earned run in 22 2/3 innings against other teams.

So I don't think we'll be seeing any more of Okajima this week.

The Sox did mount a nice comeback after Beckett gave up 4 runs in the 3rd, scoring 5 unanswered runs to take a 6-4 lead into the 6th, but grounding into 4 double plays (Manny, Varitek, Cora 2X) and 3 fielder's choices (Lowell, Youkilis 2X) enabled Cabrera and the O's to wiggle out of what could have been big innings for the Sox - and that resulted in a 10-6 game instead of a 12-10 game.

Bottom Line: You have to credit the Orioles. They beat our "ace" and kept pouring it on against the bullpen, but the Red Sox are still 6-3 in June and still lead the East thanks to a Rays loss last night.

Tonight: Bartolo Colon (3-1, 3.91) vs Garret Olson (5-1, 3.86)

Bottom Line: I'm back

I've been MIA for over a week due to work stuff and a much needed weekend getaway... but I'm back.

I've had an off day to catch up and now that I've watched the tapes of Coco fighting Shields... Manny fighting Yuke... Papi injuring his wrist... Manny hitting #500... JD Drew catching fire... Youkilis' errorless streak coming to an end... Brandon Moss returning to the bigs... Matsuzaka starting his rehab... Ellsbury hurting his wrist... and the Sox drafting SS/P Casey Kelly...

I'm ready to blog it up again.

Beckett vs Cabrera tomorrow. Go Sox.