Red Sox Rocked 14-2 in Season Ender

For an inning things looked good for the Red Sox. For a moment there was hope that past glories would shine for one more moment, and that would be enough in this Jack and the beanstalk tale. Instead the Yankees provided a less mythical ending by trouncing the Red Sox 14-2. It was Daisuke Matsuzaka’s last start as a Red Sox and you could tell that despite putting all his effort into this mound appearance, his stuff just wasn’t good enough against New York’s power. His first inning was clean and easy, 1-2-3, but that stopped as soon as Robinson Cano led off the 2nd with a single. After a walk and a strikeout, Dice-K gave up a 3-run blast to Curtis Granderson. When Cano came up with one on and one out in the 3rd, he hit a 2-run homer of his own. A single to Nick Swisher marked the end of Dice-K’s stint, and Bobby came out and took the ball from the tearful pitcher and gave Clayton Mortensen a shot. Mortensen worked 2 good innings, but hit a wall after that in the 5th giving out a one-out double to ARod and then another home run to Cano. After walking the next 2 batters, Pedro Beato was called on to stop the bleeding. Beato got out of the 5th, but loaded the bases with only one out in the 6th before being replaced by Scott Atchison who gave up a 2-run single to Cano. Chris Carpenter came in to start the 7th and gave up a lead off homer to Granderson, then a 2-run double to Ichiro Suzuki, and watched both runners that he left on base score while Craig Breslow tried to get out of the mess. Junichi Tazawa actually earned player of the game accolades for working a 7-pitch 8th inning to put an end to it all.

Things looked so good for such a short moment. Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single. Moved ahead a couple bases on a pair of ground outs and then scored the first run of the game on a Cody Ross single. The beginning of the end came when Ross was then caught stealing (likely a botched hit-and-run). The Red Sox put one runner on base each of the next 5 innings, highlighted by Dustin Pedroia making it to second in the 6th on a double. In the 7th, the Sox would add another run when Pedro Ciriaco doubled and then scored on an RBI single by Jose Iglesias. In the 8th, Daniel Nava would hit a lone double, but the Red Sox finished the season by striking out in order in the 9th to end all this misery. Not many players from tonight’s lineup will be in Boston for opening day next year, and it’s the promise of who could be in some of those lots in the batting order that makes the offseason so much more promising than what has just finished. The only problem with the offseason, I guess, is that that they don’t play games everyday.

Today’s Pitcher (game 162): Daisuke Matsuzaka

There aren’t any metrics to look at to make Daisuke Matsuzaka look good this season, heck, you need to go back 4 years to find such numbers. Tonight’s season-ending game marks his 11th start of the year and facing his countryman Hiroki Kuroda. It’s a study in contrasts as Kuroda is 5 years his senior, but has been a model of consistency since coming to the Dodgers back in 2008, never posting an ERA above 3.76. Somehow Yankee Stadium is the right place for Dice-K’s farewell, with no guarantees that any team will give him a shot next spring. For the Red Sox, the only fitting about ending here is that that get a chance to resurrect themselves on this same turf to start the 2013 season next April. Oh, and if they can pull out a win, there’s a chance for them to still play spoiler and give the Orioles a chance at the division crown.

Today’s game: 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium vs. the New York Yankees, NESN
Opposing pitcher: RHP Hiroki Kuroda (15-11, 3.34)
Last start: Loss at Tampa Bay, 3 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Red Sox Drop to Yanks 4-3 in 12

With a Red Sox lineup held together with sticks and twine, they reflected the hope of this season and the futility of it all in one game. While Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury both started despite rumors they were ailing and might be shut down for these last couple games, the Red Sox weren’t able to top the Yankees, falling 4-3 in 12 innings. Jon Lester started tonight and was knocked around the ballpark as much as a pitcher can be through 5 innings yet only allowing a single unearned run. Lester gave up 8 hits and a walk, with Curtis Granderson scoring in the 2nd after singling and taking second on an error, stealing third, and scoring on an infield single by Eduardo Nunez. The Sox then showed off the best part of their pitching staff – their middle relief – with Rich Hill, Junichi Tazawa, and Craig Breslow each knocking down an inning in order, holding a 2-1 lead. After some insurance in the top of the 9th, the Red Sox featured their other staff regularity – a closer implosion. Tonight, it was Andrew Bailey giving up a leadoff single in the 9th to Granderson, followed by a home run by Raul Ibanez to tie the score at 3. After an out he then allowed a double and a pair of walks to load the bases before Mark Melancon came and pulled the ripcord and got out of the inning in seven pitches. Melancon stuck around and worked the 10th and then gave way to Vincente Padilla for the 11th. Jacoby Ellsbury tracked a mammoth blast to save the game for another inning in that 11th after Padilla had given up a single to Nick Swisher off an eephus. After a quick two outs to start the bottom of the 12th, Andrew Miller then got wild walking two hitters and then giving up a walk off single to Ibanez.

The Red Sox had started things off the correct way. Ellsbury began the game with a single and then scored when Pedroia followed him with a double. Pedroia’s hustle earned him third on a ground ball and then he scored on a sac fly by Cody Ross, giving them a 2-0 lead before the Yankees even emerged to bat. The Sox then didn’t bring a 5th batter up to the plate again until James Loney led off the 9th with a solo home run and Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed that with a single that left him stranded. A walk to Daniel Nava and singles to Loney and Pedroia were sprinkled over the 3 extra innings, but the Red Sox weren’t able to score anymore on a night when they tallied only 8 hits in 12 innings of play. With one game left in the season, only the people of Baltimore are holding out hope that the Red Sox can finish on an up note, leaving the Orioles with a window so they can slip in and tie the Yankees for first place in the AL East.

Today’s Pitcher (game 161): Jon Lester

Jon Lester isn’t going to look back fondly on the 2012 season. His downs have been awful and his ups have been just as much of a mess. Last time out he was throwing a no-hitter in the 5th and three batters later he was down 3-0 having given up two monster shots. His biggest problem has been compounding his problems by getting frustrated by other teams’ successes and umpires calls and then not able to throw the way that he wants because he’s so worked up. With no chance left to knock the Yankees from the playoffs, this one is just about pride.

Today’s game: 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium vs. the New York Yankees, NESN
Opposing pitcher: RHP David Phelps (4-4, 3.34)
Last start: Loss vs Tampa Bay, 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts

Yankees Power Their Way to a 10-2 Win Over Sox

The Red Sox tailspin has been pretty fully realized since David Ortiz went down for good, with lineups full of straw men supporting pitchers with spaghetti arms. It didn’t take long for the Yankees to imprint their dominance on the Sox, beating Boston 10-2 tonight to retake first place from the faltering Orioles. Clay Buchholz started tonight and somehow found a way to his worst start of the season, giving up 8 runs and not escaping the 2nd inning. After a 1-2-3 1st inning, no one would suspect that 10 batters wouldn’t be enough to make it through the 2nd, but the Yankees looked like they were still taking batting practice picking up 2 singles, 2 walks, a double, and 3 home runs. Alfredo Aceves gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, scoring the last of the runners that Buchholz had left on base and giving the Yankees a 9-0 lead. Aceves stuck around for the 3rd and 4th and allowed just another hit and walk and was replaced by Pedro Beato. Beato stuck around until he surrendered his firsts hit with one out in the 7th, with Andrew Miller working out of the inning. Andrew Bailey came in to pitch the 8th and gave up the 10th run on the first major league hit by Melky Mesa.

Watching your opponent bring 13 batters to the plate in an inning makes any offense look a bit impotent, though even without the direct comparison, any lineup with 4 batters hitting below the Mendoza line is going to have problems generating much. Tonight the Red Sox were able to work only 4 hits off of Yankee pitching while the Bombers had 4 home runs. After Mauro Gomez had a lone double in the 2nd, the Red Sox were finally able to score in the 4th when Daniel Nava led off with a home run. The team went the opposite approach for their other run, manufacturing it out of almost nothing: in the 7th, Mauro Gomez led off with a walk, took 2nd on a wild pitch, moved to 3rd on a ground ball, and then scored on a Jarrod Saltalamacchia sac fly. While Che-Hsuan Lin added a pair of singles on the night, this was all Boston could muster in the Bronx. With two games left to play, the only question is whether the Sox will tumble into the offseason without another win or not.

Sox Shut Down By Yankees, Lose 2-0

In the deciding game of this series, it seemed inevitable given the way this season has gone. With Dustin Pedroia on a paternity leave, rumors of a Red Sox sale spreading like wildfire (though I think the truth may be that Larry Lucchino is going to be bought out and sent back to San Diego), more Bill James turmoil, it’s amazing anyone noticed a game was being played at all, but the Yankees did beat the Sox 2-0. Felix Doubront pitched well, earning his 4th quality start against the Yankees, while no one else in the league has more than 2. He started the game off really well, but then in the 4th inning, ARod led off with a single and that rattled him as Doubront walked the next two batters before giving up an Andruw Jones sac fly to right field to tie ARod with Lou Gehrig for 9th place on the all-time list for runs scored. After striking out Curtis Granderson to start the 7th, Felix gave up another walk and hit, and was replaced by Junichi Tazawa who gave up an RBI to Derek Jeter (on a bloop hit that tied him for 10th with Willie Mays), before striking out Nick Swisher and ARod. Craig Breslow and Mark Melancon worked the 8th and 9th respectively, and both allowed baserunners on a walk and a fielding error, but escaped without allowing  a run to score.

Tonight the Red Sox would have done far better off filming a sit-com than playing a ball game with Bill Cosby throwing out the first pitch and John Hamm andd Larry David sited in the stands. The Sox scattered only 6 hits over the night, not getting their first runner until the 4th. Their best scoring attempt was provided by the only extra base hit – a double by Pedro Ciriaco in the 8th. Ciriaco advanced to 3rd, but that was as close as they’d get tonight. The problem for the Red Sox about being in the role of spoiler is that they need to win to spoil anyone’s fun.

Today’s Pitcher (game 144): Felix Doubront

Felix Doubront has pitched over 130 innings this year, a career high for him, but has been claiming that fatigue is not a factor in his current failings. He wants to pitch out the string and at this point, the best thing the Red Sox can do is let him. As long as his arm doesn’t fall off, the more he stretches out, the more options are available come next season. Not that Felix is really guaranteed anything when it comes to the 2013 rotation, but making it through this season without a major implosion is the right way to make sure Sox brass keep his as an option (or an asset) going forward.

Today’s game: 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park vs. the New York Yankees, NESN
Opposing pitcher: RHP Phil Hughes (14-12, 4.13)
Last start: Loss at Toronto, 4 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts

Yankees Power Past Sox 5-4

The Yankees beat the Red Sox tonight by a 5-4 tally, but the fashion in which they did it is a bad portent for any postseaon success on their part. It was big bashing that beat Boston, and that’s just the sort of game that falters when facing playoff pitching. Aaron Cook got the call for the Sox and he lasted one batter into the 6th inning tonight. After allowing only one baserunner through the first 3 innings, the 4th saw him give up a leadoff home run to Curtis Granderson, a single to ARod and then give up a 2-run shot to Robinson Cano. Cook escaped any further trouble, giving up only those 3 runs on 7 hits while getting back to a more normal number with merely two strikeouts and no walks. Rich Hill got 2 out in the 6th and then gave way to Alfredo Aceves who finished that inning. Aceves had problems in the 7th, following a leadoff single to Derek Jeter with another Granderson home run, and then needing Chris Carpenter to get the last out of the inning. The Sox defense was sloppy allowing runners on errors in both the 8th and 9th, but Carpenter made it through the 8th and Andrew Miller got the first 2 outs in the 9th before giving way for Vincente Padilla to get the final out.

Frustrations boiled over for the Sox tonight, culminating in Cody Ross and Bobby V getting tossed from the game before the 9th inning when Cody didn’t agree with the call that ended the inning in the 8th. The Sox were always looking up throughout the game, never quite catching up. In the 4th they responded to New York’s 3-run barrage with only one of their own as Dustin Pedroia doubled and then scored on a James Loney single. They held their ground in the 7th, matching the Yankees with two runs as Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Daniel Nava, and Mike Aviles all doubled. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the 9th, but the only run they could generate came off of Salty’s leadoff home run. With Pedroia escaping mid-game finding out his wife was in labor, the Red Sox couldn’t match up with New York’s big bats, but they are doing their best to be a gnat gumming up the works as the top three teams in the division wrestle over the available playoff spots.

Today’s Pitcher (game 143): Aaron Cook

Aaron Cook struck out the side during one inning last game. For most pitchers that statement is far from revelatory, but Cook had entered the game with 11 Ks the whole season. Maybe it was this magnificent ginger mohawk he came a-sportin’. Whatever the case may be he’ll need it in extra strength tonight as the Red Sox work in conjunction with the Orioles to try to knock them from that top perch.

Today’s game: 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park vs. the New York Yankees, NESN
Opposing pitcher: RHP David Phelps (3-4, 3.55)
Last start: Loss at Seattle, 6 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts

Red Sox Walk Off With a 4-3 Win Over Yankees

For as odd as it is to look up and realize that the Red Sox are in last place, it’s nice to notice that the team is still going to have a big impact on the race because most of their games are against the three teams in a mad scramble for the division lead. Tonight meant the start of a series at Fenway against the Yankees, and Boston made the best of it in beating them 4-3. Jon Lester started tonight and while he fared pretty well , the most alarming thing is that he threw 7 walks in just 5 1/3 innings. He escaped the 1st with only one run despite walking 3 and giving up a double to Nick Swisher. After striking out the side in the 5th, Lester became unglued in the 6th. A walk, a single, a bunt, and a double brought his pitch count over 100 and Junichi Tazawa stepped in to strike out the next two batters to escape trouble. Tazawa took care of things in the 7th and Craig Breslow came on to work the 8th and he erased his one walk with a double play. Andrew Bailey was called on to pitch the 9th in a tie game, and he took 14 pitches to retire Jeter, Swisher and ARod. With the team scoring after that, it was Bailey who picked up his first win as a Red Sox.

Tonight was Jacoby Ellsbury’s birthday, and it’s one he’s not likely to forget. He went 4 for 5 on the day, and the last of those hits drove in Pedro Ciriaco in the bottom of the 9th for a game winning RBI. The Sox first put together some runs in the 3rd inning when Ciriaco led off with a double and scored on an Ellsbury single, and then Ellsbury stole second and scored on an Dustin Pedroia single. In the bottom of the 6th, Pedroia tied the game at 3 with one of those lazer shots that zapped itself right into the monster seats. It was nice to see some fight left in the team after the rough stretch they’ve been going through, but also nice to see that Ellsbury’s walk off hit was enough so that they popped the buttons on his jersey, but wisely left the shredding to the departed Nick Punto.