[MLB]Boston Red Sox Thread

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 @ Twins

Last night, Julian Tavarez pitched, and the batters fell flat on both sides.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/05/BUJvMQ4S.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- With Johan Santana worn out by Boston's big sluggers in a rare five-inning outing for Minnesota, Joe Nathan returned to form by finishing the job.

Nathan saved the victory for Santana, and the Twins hung on to beat the Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday night.

"Their bullpen won this game, not Santana," said Boston's Julian Tavarez, whose best start this year was wasted by 12 runners left on base that equaled a season high. "We had a lot of chances, and they always got the big out when they needed it."

Santana (4-2) wasn't arguing with that.

"It was all about the bullpen tonight," he said. "They did a great job. That's what this team is all about. We appreciate everything."

Jason Bartlett's infield single in a two-run second inning was enough to beat Tavarez (1-3), who outpitched the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner but was stuck with another loss.

Tavarez struck out seven while allowing four hits, two runs and three walks in six innings. It was his longest outing this year and the only time he has allowed fewer than three runs.

"He was outstanding," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

With only one victory in the previous six days, Minnesota needed a lift from Santana -- who lost his last two starts at home to end a personal streak of 17 straight victories at the Metrodome. The pick-me-up came instead from the bullpen, who held Boston hitless over the final four innings despite four walks.

With one out and one on in the ninth, Nathan retired David Ortiz on a long fly to center before striking out Manny Ramirez.

After allowing a pair of two-out RBI singles in Wednesday's game at Tampa Bay for his first blown save, Nathan had some extra adrenaline and spotted his fastball better on Saturday.

"Facing those guys with a one-run lead is never easy," said Nathan, who got the last four outs for his eighth save. "I think it definitely raises the level of your game and gets you to probably a level that you probably can't get to."

Santana hasn't been very sharp, by his standards, over the last three weeks, but he is typically a slow starter who finds his rhythm after the All-Star break.

The only score against him came on a bloop double by Dustin Pedroia that hit the white line with two outs in the fourth and drove in Wily Mo Pena.

Though Santana lasted at least five innings for the 98th consecutive start, that's all he went after throwing 98 pitches -- including 30 in the first frame. He surrendered seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

"We had some good opportunities, but didn't come through," Pedroia said. "He is a very special pitcher. He gets outs when he needs them."

Torii Hunter extended hilalalalaing streak to 20 games with a double in the sixth for the Twins, matching the longest streak in the majors this season with Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees.

Minnesota entered the game with a .277 team average, tied for the top spot in the league, but the lineup is struggling. Cleanup hitter Michael Cuddyer won't play until at least Tuesday because of a bruised back, and catcher Joe Mauer -- the reigning AL batting champion -- was scratched from the lineup because of a sore left quadriceps muscle.

With a league-low 16 homers, 12 of which have come with nobody on base, Minnesota used a small-ball rally -- emphasis on small -- to score twice in the second inning against Tavarez.

Morneau's one-out single was the only ball that escaped the infield. Jason Kubel and Jeff Cirillo followed with walks. Jason Tyner drove in the first run with a grounder, and Bartlett's sharp single glanced off Lowell's glove at third to make it 2-0.

The offensive problems have magnified the importance of Hunter's hot streak.

"We need it right now, with all the other guys beat up and banged up," manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Game notes
Curt Schilling, Boston's scheduled starter on Sunday, has the only current five-inning streak (147 straight starts) longer than Santana's. ... The Twins honored farm director Jim Rantz, who has held that position since 1986, with induction into their 17-member Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. Rantz threw the ceremonial first pitch to left-hander Francisco Liriano, who won the team's minor league pitcher of the year award -- named after Rantz -- in 2005. ... Liriano, who won't pitch this season after reconstructive elbow surgery, has been rehabilitating in Florida -- but joined the team this weekend for a scenery change. ... Red Sox CF Coco Crisp did not start because of a stiff neck. He made a pinch-running appearance.

It's a shame. But we can't win everything.

Score Summary

2nd: Tyner grounded into fielder's choice at second: Morneau scored (Sox 0-1 Twins)
2nd: Bartlett reached on infield single to shortstop: Kubel scored (Sox 0-2 Twins)
4th: Pedroia hit ground rule double to deep left: Pena scored (Sox 1-2 Twins)

Pitchers

Winning Pitcher - Johan Santana (Twins) [4-2]
Losing Pitcher - Julian Tavarez (Red Sox) [1-3]
Save - Joe Nathan (Twins) [8]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 19-10
Orioles: 14-16
Devil Rays: 14-16
Yankees: 13-15
Blue Jays: 13-17

Ah well. We're top of ESPN's MLB Power Rankings, so we can't be doing badly. In other news....

Sox Reconsidering Alcohol Policy In Clubhouse

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/05/WBKXvpnP.jpg

Originally Posted by Red Sox.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Red Sox are considering changing their policy about providing beer in both clubhouses at Fenway Park in the aftermath of former Sox pitcher Josh Hancock's death in an auto accident.
Club spokesman John Blake told the Boston Herald in Saturday's editions that "obviously, recent events have helped to precipitate" a review of whether the club should provide beer at all.

Hancock, the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander, was legally drunk when he crashed his rented SUV into the back of a tow truck early last Sunday morning, according to police.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said some players and staffers occasionally consume a small amount of beer at Fenway after games, and no one is allowed to leave the clubhouse with any. Wine and hard liquor are not available. Beer and wine are served on team charters, which Francona is OK with because buses take the team to the hotel.

"We've talked to the team about it," Francona said. "If it's abused, it will be taken away."

Oakland, Pittsburgh and the Mets do not offer alcohol in their clubhouses, while St. Louis changed its policy Friday in the wake of Hancock's death. The A's stopped providing it last year after pitcher Esteban Loaiza was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. The Yankees offer it only in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.

Head east? Francona said he hadn't heard anything about a Major League Baseball proposal to play exhibition games in China next March and have a pair of teams open the regular season in Japan. The New York Post reported that MLB has talked to the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Padres about it.

All Francona could think about was the prospect of a spring road trip starting in Fort Myers and ending in Beijing.

"Then I'll stop complaining about Vero," Francona said jokingly.

Lester arrives: As expected, Jon Lester (left forearm cramp) joined the Red Sox here and immediately went to the field to work out. He will not throw this weekend. Francona said Lester, when ready, will have two throwing sessions before pitching in a game, probably for Triple-A Pawtucket. Exactly when the side sessions happen will be determined by the trainers and how Lester feels, Francona said. The Sox will not lock him into a rigid timetable.

"His schedule may not change, but it may change by a couple of days." Francona said. "We want him to not feel this all year."

Lester remains on the 15-day disabled list. Because his 30-day rehab assignment is over, he will have to be optioned to the PawSox.

Sunday shuffle: With an off-day Monday, Francona is considering also giving one or two players Sunday off as a way to recharge. Who gets the double rest depends, he said, on what Manny Ramirez chooses to do.

"I'll check with him after the game," Francona said. "If he wants a day off, we'll go from there."

Francona said he did not start Coco Crisp (stiff neck) Saturday night in order to play him on Sunday.

Noteworthy: Boston's 6 1/2-game lead in the American League East through early Saturday is the largest in club history after 28 games. The 1946 pennant-winning club -- with Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr -- led the AL (no divisions then) by 5 1/2 games at a similar point.

Ortiz, with his home run Friday night, has at least one as a visiting player in all 14 AL parks. Ortiz's 20 previous homers at the Metrodome came in a Twins uniform.

That Eastie guy: Former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who grew up in East Boston, was a pregame field guest of Minnesota's Torii Hunter. Wiggins recently signed with Jacksonville as a free agent after three seasons with the Vikings. Ramirez had a big smile for Wiggins, a diehard Sox fan who has never lost his accent.

Down on the farm: Jacoby Ellsbury, promoted from Double-A Portland on Thursday night, went 1-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored in his PawSox debut on Friday.

Up next: Curt Schilling goes for his fourth victory of the season Sunday at 2:10 p.m. ET in the series finale. Sidney Ponson is scheduled to pitch for the Twins.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 3 @ Twins

Last night, super Curt Schilling started as pitcher.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/06/THctxAwZ.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Twins limped into Sunday's series finale with the Boston Red Sox struggling to field a healthy team and put a few runs on the board.

Curt Schilling prolonged the offensive misery, and things only went downhill for Minnesota from there.

Boston's ace tied a season high with seven strikeouts and the Red Sox hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Twins, who placed All-Star catcher Joe Mauer on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quadriceps.

"A lot of teams are banged up, too, but it seems like we've been having a guy go down every other day," Mauer said. "Hopefully, this will be the end of it."

Schilling (4-1) allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, and Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 with two doubles for the Red Sox, who took two of three from a Twins team that scored just five runs in the series.

"The first six innings, to me, that was as comfortable as he's looked in his delivery all year," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Minnesota starter Sidney Ponson (2-4) gave up four runs, three earned, and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked four.

Schilling said he was eyeing his first complete game in 58 starts before running into trouble in the seventh.

Jason Tyner chased him with a two-run single with two outs. Torii Hunter added an RBI single off Hideki Okajima to cut Boston's lead to 4-3. But AL MVP Justin Morneau grounded out to end the inning, and Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 tries.

"I let it get away at that point and that's the part I'm upset about," Schilling said. "I spent 6 2/3 focusing pitch to pitch. I fully intended to get through the end of this ballgame and I let it slip."

Hunter extended his career-high hitting streak to 21 games with an infield single in the sixth, but the Twins are sorely missing some big hitters in the middle of the lineup.

Mauer is the reigning AL batting champ, cleanup hitter Michael Cuddyer has missed five games in a row with a bruised back and Rondell White is on the disabled list with a torn calf muscle.

"Offensively, we're fighting it, but we kept playing," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We just have to find a way to score more runs."

Schilling took advantage, cruising through the first six innings to help the Red Sox maintain their 5 1/2-game cushion over the New York Yankees in an AL East race that got a lot more interesting on Sunday with Roger Clemens' announcement that he will pitch in pinstripes this season.

The Yankees made the move to bolster an injury-depleted pitching staff. With Clemens, they hope to compete with Boston's strong rotation. Schilling headlines a group that includes Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield, and the Red Sox (20-10) are off to one of the best starts in franchise history.

"This pitching staff, top to bottom, is going great," Schilling said. "It's one of the reasons why, when you look at this team, you have to feel good about our chances."

The Twins have plenty of questions in their rotation behind ace Johan Santana. Ponson, the 6-foot-1, 258-pound right-hander from Aruba, might be the biggest. They signed him in the offseason in hopes that he could provide some veteran stability at the back of the rotation.

Ponson got off to a shaky start when he gave up a leadoff single to Coco Crisp, hit Alex Cora with a pitch that nearly went behind him and walked David Ortiz. Cora scored on a double by J.D. Drew.

After Ponson struck out the side in the second, the Red Sox went up 2-0 in the third when Pedroia doubled and scored on a single by Kevin Youkilis.

They added two more in the fifth thanks to a throwing error by Ponson.

With runners on first and third and none out, Mike Lowell hit a bouncer back to Ponson. The pitcher hesitated, then tried to start a double play, but his throw to second was low and all the runners were safe.

Ponson smacked himself in the head after the play, and the Red Sox parlayed the error into a two-run inning that made it 4-0, giving Schilling just enough support.

"I tried to rulalalala toward second instead of a nice, easy throw," Ponson said. "We lost the game because I didn't do the job I was supposed to do."

Game notes
Before the game, a scoring change was announced on a play in the ninth inning of Saturday night's game. Twins 3B Nick Punto was initially charged with an error when a ball hit by Youkilis squirted under his glove in the hole between shortstop and third base. On Sunday, Youkilis was credited with a hit, and the error was wiped off Punto's record.

Great wn, and we take the series 2-1.

Score Summary

1st: Drew double to deep centre: Cora scored (Sox 1-0 Twins)
3rd: Youkilis single to right: Pedroia scored (Sox 2-0 Twins)
5th: Drew grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher: Cora scored (Sox 3-0 Twins)
5th: Varitek single to left: Youkilis scored (Sox 4-0 Twins)
7th: Tyner single to right: Redmond and Rodriguez scored (Sox 4-2 Twins)
7th: Hunter single to right: Castillo scored (Sox 4-3 Twins)

Pitchers

Win - Curt Schilling (Red Sox) [4-1]
Loss - Sidney Ponson (Twins) [2-4]
Save - Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox) [10]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 20-10
Yankees: 14-15
Orioles: 14-17
Devil Rays: 14-17
Blue Jays: 13-18

Tonight we have a night off. Tomorrow night sees us play our next game, away to the Blue Jays. Josh Beckett is scheduled to pitch, and will hope to improve his perfect 6-0 record.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 @ Blue Jays[/size]

Last night saw us open up again against the Jays. Josh Beckett opened on the mound, looking to improve his superb 6-0 record.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/08/gpPQ9TCT.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

TORONTO (AP) -- Changing speeds more often has made Josh Beckett unbeatable this season.

Beckett (7-0) gave up a home run on his first pitch, then settled down to become the first seven-game winner in the majors as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-2 Tuesday night.

"We've been saying all along he's matured," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He's a better pitcher. He feels good about himself."

Beckett was tagged for a home run by Alex Rios on the first pitch, and Adam Lind followed with a double. But Beckett got Vernon Wells on a popup, struck out Frank Thomas and retired Troy Glaus on a grounder.

"To his credit, he reeled it back in in a hurry," Francona said. "He got down in the zone and made adjustments real quick, which was really good to see."

The Blue Jays lost their seventh in a row.

"One win right now would do wonders," manager John Gibbons said.

Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia each hit three-run homers for Boston, while Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis added solo home runs. Youkilis later walalalala by a pitch above the left knee and left with a bruise.

"There's going to be some tightness," said Youkilis, who walalalala on the same leg on Sunday. "Hopefully I'll get through it and be all right."

Beckett worked seven innings, setting down 14 straight at one stretch. He allowed one run on five hits, walked one, struck out five and lowered his ERA to 2.51.

"To give up one run to that lineup, that's a feat in itself," Beckett said.

Youkilis said Beckett is succeeding by throwing more off-speed pitches.

"He's using his sinker and not trying to overpower guys as much," Youkilis said. "He's using his curveball and throwing that for strikes, using his changeup and throwing that for strikes. His off-speed stuff is the key to his success. A lot of power pitchers want to throw it by guys. He's finally understanding that off-speed is the key to being a power pitcher."

Beckett said he made an effort to mix up his pitches even with the seven-run cushion.

"When you get a bigger lead you're throwing more fastballs, trying to get ahead in the count, but you definitely don't forget about your secondary stuff," Beckett said.

Beckett is the first Red Sox pitcher to win his first seven starts of a season since Roger Moret won eight straight in 1973. Babe Ruth (1917), Dave Ferriss (1945) and Moret share the Red Sox record with wins in each of their first eight games.

Youkilis got the Red Sox started with a home run in the first inning, and Boston led 8-1 by the third.

Varitek singled with two outs in the second, Coco Crisp walked and Pedroia hit his first home run of the season.

"I've been working a lot and it's paying off now," Pedroia said. "I always had confidence in my ability, it's just a matter of showing it. It's tough starting off slow, but once you get going it's fun to come out if it like this."

In the third, Manny Ramirez singled and J.D. Drew walked before Lowell and Varitek both homered.

Toronto DH Frank Thomas said the pair of three-run blasts were "dagger killers."

"When they go in your chest, they hurt really bad," Thomas said. "We're struggling and that was not what the doctor ordered."

It was the first time Boston connected for consecutive homers since it hit four in a row against the Yankees on April 22. Varitek's homer finished Victor Zambrano (0-2).

Varitek finished 4-for-4 with a walk and scored three runs.

Julio Lugo hit an RBI double in the eighth off Toronto reliever Jason Frasor.

Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs singled home a run in the Toronto eighth off reliever Devern Hansack. The Blue Jays later loaded the bases, but the inning ended when J.C. Romero struck out Lyle Overbay.

Game notes
Youkilis was replaced by Eric Hinske. ... The win was Francona's 300th as Boston manager. He's the 10th manager in team history to reach that mark. ... Riolalalala his third leadoff homer of the season. ... Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh attended the game.

Brilliant.

Score Summary

1st: Youkilis HOME RUN to centre (Sox 1-0 Jays)
1st: Rios HOME RUN to centre (Sox 1-1 Jays)
2nd: Pedroia HOME RUN to left centre: Varitek and Crisp scored (Sox 4-1 Jays)
3rd: Lowell HOME RUN to left: Ramirez and Drew scored (Sox 7-1 Jays)
3rd: Varitek HOME RUN to centre (Sox 8-1 Jays)
8th: Lugo double to deep centre: Varitek scored (Sox 9-1 Jays)
8th: Stairs single to right centre: Clayton scored (Sox 9-2 Jays)

Pitchers

Win - Josh Beckett (Red Sox) [7-0]
Loss - Victor Zambrano (Blue Jays) [0-2]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 21-10
Yankees: 15-16
Orioles: 15-18
Devil Rays: 14-18
Blue Jays: 13-19

Great stuff, and that takes our winning streak to 2. Tonight is the second game, and Dice-K starts for us against the Blue Jays' Japanese pitcher Tomo Ohka.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 @ Blue Jays

Last night saw Dice-K start on the mound.

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

TORONTO (AP) -- From the windup, Daisuke Matsuzaka has been fine. It's when he pitched from the stretch that there were problems.

Matsuzaka worked in-between starts to fine-tune his delivery, and the results showed. He won his third straight decision and the Boston Red Sox beat Toronto 9-3 Wednesday, sending the Blue Jays to their eighth loss in a row.

Matsuzaka (4-2), who allowed a season-high seven runs in his last start, was much more effective against Toronto. He struck out eight in seven innings, allowing just one run and five hits.

"When I had struggled, the coaches and I talked about some of the difficulties with rhythm and timing and in my bullpen session and long toss this week. I definitely worked on those two elements," Matsuzaka said through a translator.

"Once I got up on the mound today, I was not over-conscious about timing, but having gone through those in practice, I was able to move things in a more positive direction."

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Matsuzaka looked more comfortable than in his last outing.

"He wasn't forcing the issue, he was trusting his ability and his command," he said. "He worked hard this week and it paid off."

"He threw everything for strikes and he located very well," he said. "He threw up, he threw down. He executed all his pitches very, very well. It was exciting to watch."

Catcher Jason Varitek said Matsuzaka kept the Blue Jays off-balance by working to both sides of the plate.

"He just had a better feel," Varitek said. "He was more in the zone with all his pitches than his last time."

The Red Sox hit four home runs for the second straight game. They've won six of seven.

Manny Ramirez hit his 476th career home run and David Ortiz homered and tied a career high with four hits. Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo also connected.

"When you get offense from all over the place, one through nine, that certainly helps," Francona said.

The matchup between Matsuzaka and Toronto's Tomo Ohka was just the fourth time in major league history that two Japanese starters have faced off. The last time it happened was June 19, 2002, when Ohka, then with Montreal, beat Kansas City's Mac Suzuki.

Ohka (2-4) got the loss in this one, allowing three runs and six hits over 4 2-3 innings. He walked five, one intentional, and struck out two.

Ramirez put the Red Sox in front with a run-scoring groundout in the first, and sloppy defense from Ohka led to two more Boston runs in the second.

With Eric Hinske at first after a leadoff walk, Dustin Pedroia bunted up the first-base line. Ohka tried to push the ball to first but it rolled past the bag and down the line, allowing both runners to move up. Lugo followed with a run-scoring groundout and Pedroia scored on Ortiz's opposite-field double.

Boston added three more in the sixth against Scott Downs, who had not given up a run in 9 1-3 innings over 15 appearances.

Pedroia led off with a single and scored on Lugo's homer, his second. Two outs later, Ramirez homered into the second deck in left, his sixth.

Ortiz hit a two-run homer off Josh Towers in the eighth, his ninth, and Lowell added his sixth homer in the ninth.

"He actually gets a lot of hits taken away with that big shift, but you can't shift someone into the stands," Lowell said about Ortiz. "There aren't any pitches he can't handle."

Lyle Overbay's solo homer in the sixth was all Toronto could manage against Matsuzaka.

Overbay added another home run in the ninth, his sixth, off Joel Pineiro. It's Toronto's first multihomer game of the season and the fifth of Overbay's career.

The Blue Jays remain mired in their worst stretch since a nine-game losing streak in 2002.

"This is about as low as it can get," Overbay said.

Game notes
Toronto's Alex Rios went 4-for-4 with a walk and became the first batter to reach base five times against Matsuzaka. ... Boston's Kevin Youkilis (sore left leg) was a late scratch. He was replaced by Hinske. ... Suzuki was the loser in all three previous matchups of Japanese pitchers, losing to New York's Hideki Irabu on May 7, 1999, and to Detroit's Hideo Nomo on July 2, 2000. ... It was Ortiz's 10th four-hit game and his first since July 29, 2006, against the Los Angeles Angels.

Great win.

Score Summary

1st: Ramirez grounded out to shortstop: Crisp scored (Sox 1-0 Jays)
2nd: Lugo grounded out to second: Hinske scored (Sox 2-0 Jays)
2nd: Ortiz double to left: Pedroia scored (Sox 3-0 Jays)
6th: Lugo HOME RUN to left: Pedroia scored (Sox 5-0 Jays)
6th: Ramirez HOME RUN to centre (Sox 6-0 Jays)
6th: Overbay HOME RUN to centre (Sox 6-1 Jays)
8th: Ortiz HOME RUN to right: Crisp scored (Sox 8-1 Jays)
9th: Lowell HOME RUN to left centre (Sox 9-1 Jays)
9th: Overbay HOME RUN to centre (Sox 9-2 Jays)
9th: Rios single to right: Hill scored (Sox 9-3 Jays)

Pitchers

Win - Dice-K Matsuzaka (Red Sox) [4-2]
Loss - Tomo Ohka (Blue Jays) [2-4]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 22-10
Yankees: 16-16
Orioles: 16-18
Devil Rays: 14-19
Blue Jays: 13-20

Say no more. Tonight is our final game of the series against Toronto. Tim Wakefield starts as pitcher.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 v Orioles

I missed our final game of our series against the Jays, which we won convincingly to sweep them. Last night, we opened another series against the Orioles.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/11/6OQ7aYuG.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Baltimore left-hander Brian Burres earned his first major-league victory, and in the process learned something about pitching out of jams.

"Yeah, that I don't like getting in them," the 26-year-old rookie said with a laugh on Friday night after lasting five innings to help the Orioles win their fourth consecutive game, a 6-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora had four hits apiece, and Markakis also made a nice grab on Jason Varitek's line drive to the warning track for the second out in the fifth. Burres then fell behind 3-0 to Wily Mo Pena before Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada walked over to calm him down.

"I told him, 'You're two pitches away from getting your first win. You worked so hard for four innings,"' Tejada said. "It's good for him and great for us to see him go five innings."

Burres (1-1) allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking five _ including David Ortiz three times. Four relievers bridged the gap to Chris Ray, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save.

"I'm glad for the kid," said reliever Jamie Walker, who went 1 1-3 innings. "His first big-league win; it'll be one he remembers, I'm sure. This is one of the Meccas of sports."

Markakis singled to start a three-run rally that broke a fifth-inning tie, and the Orioles got help when Red Sox right fielder Pena misplayed two consecutive balls: one went over his head for an RBI ground-rule double, another glanced off his glove for a run-scoring two-base error that made it 5-2.

Julian Tavarez (1-4), who is Boston's fifth starter and was outspoken in his opposition to the team's attempts to sign Roger Clemens, gave up five runs _ four earned _ on 10 hits while striking out two in five innings. It was the first time in six games that a Red Sox starter failed to go at least six innings.

Boston left the bases loaded in the first, second and seventh innings, stranding a season-high 13 in all.

"We had our chances earlier in the game and we didn't take advantage," Red Sox infielder Alex Cora said. "The kid did a good job, just surviving. He made pitches when he had to and that's why he won the game."

The loss snapped Boston's four-game winning streak and was just its fourth loss to the Orioles in 26 games going back to September 2005. Baltimore improved to .500 for the first time since losing nine of 10 to drop from second place behind Boston to 12-16 and last in the AL East.

Markakis led off the fifth with a single, Tejada followed with a single. Two outs later _ one of them Aubrey Huff's RBI groundout _ Mora hit a long line drive that had Pena circling as he went back, waving at it as it bounced off the warning track and into the bullpen.

Jay Gibbons followed with a sinking liner that Pena made a stab at while coming in; it glanced off his glove to bring in another run and gave Baltimore a 5-2 lead. The Red Sox loaded the bases against left-hander John Parrish in the seventh with two walks surrounding Kevin Youkilis' double, then Jason Varitek walked to make it 5-3.

Tejada made a leaping catch on J.D. Drew's liner but was unable to convert the double play with a falling-backward toss to Brian Roberts. Cora flied out to center to end the inning.

Game notes:
Baltimore improved to 11-5 in the AL East. ... Parrish came in to face Ortiz with two outs and Julio Lugo on first, then picked the runner off to end the inning without throwing a pitch. ... OF Jay Payton got a rest. Gibbons played left, with Corey Patterson in center and Markakis in right. ... Boston LHP Jon Lester played long-toss from 120 feet before the game, then threw some from flat ground and some offspeed pitches. He'll play catch tomorrow then will throw a bullpen session on Sunday, manager Terry Francona said. ... OF Manny Ramirez extended hilalalalaing streak to 10 games with a first-inning single. ... RHP Devern Hansack was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket and LHP Javier Lopez was called up to replace him.

We can't win everything.

Score Summary

1st: Hernandez double to left: Markakis scored (O's 1-0 Sox)
1st: Huff single to centre: Hernandez scored (O's 2-0 Sox)
2nd: Lugo double to left: Varitek scored (O's 2-1 Sox)
2nd: Ramirez walked: Lugo scored (O's 2-2 Sox)
5th: Hernandez gounded out to third: Markakis scored (O's 3-2 Sox)
5th: Mora ground rule double to deep right: Tejada scored (O's 4-2 Sox)
5th: Gibbons safe at first on error by Pena: Mora scored (O's 5-2 Sox)
7th: Varitek walked: Ramirez scored (O's 5-3 Sox)
8th: Millar hit sacrifice fly to left: Mora scored (O's 6-3 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Brian Burres (Orioles) [1-1]
Loss - Julian Tavarez (Red Sox) [1-4]
Save - Chris Ray (Orioles) [8]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 23-11
Orioles: 18-18
Yankees: 16-18
Blue Jays: 14-21
Devil Rays: 14-21

Tonight is what is being described as a matinee game, as it starts in about an hour. Curt Schilling will look to avenge last night's loss when he pitches against Steve Trachsel of the O's

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 v Orioles

When Curt Schilling pitches, you normally see very few runs scored off him. Not last night.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/12/hbiWiX8W.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Kevin Youkilis singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth, Alex Cora added a two-run single in the seventh and the Boston Red Sox resumed their domination of the Baltimore Orioles with a 13-4 win Saturday.

Youkilis' two-out single off Jon Leicester (0-1) drove in Jason Varitek, who walalalala by a pitch leading off, and put Boston ahead 5-4. Youkilis, 13 for his last 26, singled in another run as Boston pulled away with a five-run eighth.

Cora, pinch hitting for Dustin Pedroia, drove in two runs in a three-run seventh that gave Boston an 8-4 lead. He added a single in the eighth that improved his batting average to .432 (19-for-44).

Julio Lugo had four of Boston'lalalalas, including an RBI single in the eighth.

A night after a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, AL East-leading Boston improved its record against Baltimore to 18-4 since the start of last season.

Hurt by seven walks, Baltimore lost for the first time in five games despite a subpar performance by Curt Schilling, who allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings, his shortest outing since opening day.

Javier Lopez (1-0) relieved Schilling and allowed a tying groundout but retired all three batters he faced. Hideki Okajima pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings and hasn't allowed a run in his last 17 outings.

After being hit by the pitch in the sixth, Varitek moved to third on a sacrifice and Lugo's two-out single. He scored on Youkilis' single to center.

Leicester walked the first three batters in the seventh and had a 2-0 count on the next hitter before leaving with a strained shoulder. Todd Williams relieved and gave up an RBI groundout to Coco Crisp and Cora's single, which put Boston ahead 8-4.

Boston had had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Mike Lowell's sacrifice fly. Doubles by Jay Gibbons and Brian Roberts tied it in the fifth, but Boston took a 4-1 lead in the bottom half on David Ortiz's RBI double and Manny Ramirez's two-run double.

Baltimore tied it in the sixth on Gibbons' RBI single, Jay Payton's bases-loaded walk that finished Schilling and Corey Patterson's groundout.

Game notes
Ramirez and Roberts extended their hitting streaks to 11 games. ... Baltimore starter Steve Trachsel allowed four runs -- three earned -- five hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings, just the second time in eight starts he allowed more than three runs. ... Ramirez moved into a tie for 39th place in RBIs with 1,539. He broke a tie with Joe DiMaggio at 1,537 and equaled Harry Heilmann's total. ... Boston is 18-0 when it scores at least five runs. ... Gibbons, a left-handed hitter, went to the opposite field on his two doubles and a single. ... Schilling extended to 68 his major league record of consecutive starts without allowing an unearned run.

Nice to see loads of runs scored. Schilling took a no-decision after some appalling pitching as well.

Score Summary

4th: Lowell sacrifice fly to centre: Ortiz scored (O's 0-1 Sox)
5th: Roberts double to left: Gibbons scored (O's 1-1 Sox)
5th: Ortiz double to left: Pedroia scored (O's 1-2 Sox)
5th: Ramirez double to left: Youkilis and Ortiz scored (O's 1-4 Sox)
6th: Gibbons single to left: Tejada scored (O's 2-4 Sox)
6th: Payton walked: Hernandez scored (O's 3-4 Sox)
6th: Patterson grounded out to second: Huff scored (O's 4-4 Sox)
6th: Youkilis single to centre: Varitek scored (O's 4-5 Sox)
7th: Crisp grounded out to shortstop: Ramirez scored (O's 4-6 Sox)
7th: Cora single to right: Drew and Lowell scored (O's 4-8 Sox)
8th: Drew single to left: Ortiz scored (O's 4-9 Sox)
8th: Lowell single to left: Ramirez scored (O's 4-10 Sox)
8th: Varitek single to centre: Drew scored (O's 4-11 Sox)
8th: Lugo reached on infield single to shortstop: Lowell scored (O's 4-12 Sox)
8th: Youkilis reached on infield single to shortstop: Lowell scored (O's 4-13 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Javier Lopez (Red Sox) [1-0]
Loss - Jon Leicester (Orioles) [0-1]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 24-11
Orioles: 18-19
Yankees: 17-18
Blue Jays: 15-21
Devil Rays: 14-22

Nice to win big like that. Tonight, Josh Beckett looks to become the fourth Red Sox pitcher to win his first 8 starts in our last game of the series against the Orioles.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 3 v Orioles

Last night, Josh Beckett started well, but had to leave due to injury, so unfortunately for him took a no-decision, meaning that his chances of getting 8-0 in 8 starts has been scuppered. Having said that, he did strike out 7 in his 4 innings pitch.

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Josh Beckett was forced to come out of the game. Jeremy Guthrie probably should have stayed in.

Guthrie took a three-hit shutout into the ninth inning and came within two outs of his first complete game before Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo pulled him, only to watch the Boston Red Sox score six runs and beat the Orioles 6-5 on Sunday.

"At one point, it seems like we had no chance," said Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who doubled in Boston's first run. "In the ninth, 5-0, fly ball, catcher misses it, and that was the difference in the game. Everybody started going crazy."

Guthrie was cruising, having retired eight straight, when catcher Ramon Hernandez dropped Coco Crisp's popup near the third-base line for an error. Boston then got four hits against Danys Baez and Chris Ray (3-3).

J.C. Romero (1-0) struck out two in 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Guthrie, making his third start of the season and the fourth of his career, was looking for his second consecutive win since being promoted from the bullpen. For 8 1/3 innings, he was the unlikely star.

"Well, this was only his second start," Perlozzo said. "He wanted to stay in, but that was definitely my decision. My decision. We didn't make a couple of plays that we should have. Game should have been over."

Ray gave up three runs -- two earned -- on three hits and two walks while getting just one out in his third blown save of the season. He was also charged with an error for dropping the toss from first baseman Kevin Millar on the final play of the game, allowing Jason Varitek and Eric Hinske to scamper home on what could have been Julio Lugo's game-ending grounder.

"That's a game we should have won, period," Millar said. "That game was in our hands. I really feel terrible for Guthrie."

The rally saved Beckett from his first loss of the year. But he left after four innings with a torn flap of skin on his right middle finger, failing to become the first eight-game winner in the major leagues and tie the franchise record -- held by Babe Ruth and two others -- for wins to start a season.

"My skin broke and it just ripped more and more each pitch," Beckett said. "Hopefully, I can make my next start. But that is a big 'hopefully.'"

Guthrie had faced two more than the minimum when Crisp lofted a popup in front of the plate near the third-base line; with the wind playing havoc with the ball, Hernandez let it bounce off his glove.

Baez came in and Ortiz doubled off the Green Monster in deep left-center to make it 5-1. Wily Mo Pena singled to left, then Ray came in and walked J.D. Drew to load the bases before walking Kevin Youkilis to bring in another run.

Varitek hit a line-drive double to right to score two, taking second when Nick Markakis bobbled the ball. Hinske was walked intentionally to reload the bases, a plan that seemed to be working when Alex Cora hit a high chopper to second baseman Brian Roberts, who threw home for the second out.

Lugo then bounced a grounder far to the right of first baseman Millar, who tossed it to Ray as he ran to cover first. The ball went off the pitcher's glove and Hinske took off for home, scoring behind Varitek for the game-winner.

Game notes
Beckett allowed two runs and two hits -- all in the first inning -- striking out seven and walking two. ... ... Orioles SS Miguel Tejada played in his 1,118th consecutive game, passing Billy Williams and moving into fifth on the all-time list. Tejada's streak is the longest among active players; Texas 1B Mark Teixeira is second at 483. ... Ruth won his first eight starts in 1917. Dave Ferriss matched him in 1945 and Roger Moret did it in 1973. Roger Clemens had 14 wins and a no-decision in his first 15 starts in 1986. ... Most players used pink bats on Mother's Day as part of Major League Baseball's effort to raise breast cancer awareness. ... Red Sox lefty Jon Lester, who is recovering from cancer, threw 40 pitches before the game. He'll have another bullpen session on Wednesday. ... Manny Ramirez came out after eight innings with a tight hamstring.

We were lucky.

Score Summary

1st: Roberts stole third, Markarkis stole second: Roberts scored (O's 1-0 Sox)
1st: Huff single to centre: Markarkis scored (O's 2-0 Sox)
5th: Patterson grounded out to second: Payton scored (O's 3-0 Sox)
7th: Tejada single to left: Roberts scored (O's 4-0 Sox)
8th: Gibbons reached on infield single to second: Huff scored (O's 5-0 Sox)
9th: Ortiz double to deep centre: Crisp scored (O's 5-1 Sox)
9th: Youkilis walked: Ortiz scored (O's 5-2 Sox)
9th: Varitek double to right centre: Pena and Lugo scored (O's 5-4 Sox)
9th: Lugo safe at first on pitching error by Ray: Varitek and Hinske scored (O's 5-6 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - J.C Romero (Red Sox) [1-0]
Loss - Chris Ray (Orioles) [3-3]

Current AL East Standings

Boston: 25-11
Orioles: 18-20
Yankees: 17-19
Blue Jays: 15-22
Devil Rays: 15-22

Nice. Tonight we play our first game of the season against the Detroit Tigers. Dice-K starts on the mound against Tigers lefty Nate Robertson.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 v Tigers

Last night, Dice-K broke a record. He became the first Red Sox rookie to pitch a complete game since 1994. No need for Jonnie Papelbon then.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/14/aGcSsbm2.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (ESPN.com news services) -- Daisuke Matsuzaka's best game in the majors gave the Red Sox their biggest lead in the standings in 12 seasons.

Not even the team with the second-best record in the AL could stop them from taking an 8½-game lead in the AL East.

Boston's record is the best in both leagues -- 26-11 after Monday night's 7-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

"I didn't see any reason to take him out," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after Matsuzaka's first complete game since he had 13 in Japan last season. "He was better at the end than he was at the beginning."

Matsuzaka (5-2) got 16 outs on grounders and five on strikeouts. He allowed no walks for the first time in his eight starts. After three mediocre outings in which he allowed 17 runs, the right-hander with a multitude of pitches has given up just two runs in his last two games covering 16 innings.

"I was very impressed," he said. "He's the real deal."


"I thought he was better tonight than he was the last time," when he gave up one run in seven innings against Toronto, Francona said.

On Monday, Matsuzaka gave up six hits and was outstanding after Curtis Granderson's solo homer, his seventh, in the third. No other runners made it past second base.

"I wouldn't say that my stuff was the best that I've ever had" in the majors, he said through a translator, "but as for the results, I'm definitely the most happy about what happened today.

"But, at the same time, I don't want to settle and have to say that, going forward, the way I was pitching today was the best I can pitch."

Matsuzaka got the Red Sox off to a great start in the four-game series between the AL's two top teams.

"I was very impressed," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said of the rookie the Red Sox invested $103 million in. "He's the real deal."

The AL Central-leading Tigers fell to 23-14 with their second straight loss. Both teams are 11-3 in their last 14 games.

Boston's 8 1/2-game division lead is its biggest since it held the same margin after play on Sept. 26, 1995. The idle New York Yankees dropped 8 1/2 games back, their largest division deficit since they trailed by nine games after play on May 7, 2005.

"We have to continue to play good solid baseball and it has to start with our pitching," catcher Jason Varitek said. "We can't scoreboard watch."

The Red Sox, now 20-0 when scoring at least five runs, tied it on David Ortiz's RBI single in the third off Nate Robertson (3-3). Coco Crisp singled home the go-ahead run in the fourth and Manny Ramirez added a run-scoring single in the fifth.

Boston capped itlalalala attack with four runs in the eighth off Bobby Seay on a bases-loaded triple by Julio Lugo and an RBI single by Kevin Youkilis.

The Red Sox kept fouling off pitches in the fifth. Robertson left after the inning, having thrown a season-high 115 pitches even though he didn't walk anyone.

"They do grind out a lot of at-bats," he said. "Pitchers throw a lot of pitches against them. I threw three good pitches for strikes tonight. They fouled off some good pitches."

Matsuzaka became the fourth five-game winner in the AL, joining teammate Josh Beckett, with seven wins, and John Lackey of the Los Angeles Angels and C.C. Sabathia of Cleveland, with five each.

"His fastball was in the mid 90s," Granderson said. "Once he established that, he threw his cutter, curve and changeup."

Matsuzaka threw a season-high 124 pitches in Boston's first complete game of the season after taking the mound in the ninth to a loud ovation.

"He reared back in that ninth and had a little adrenaline rush from the fans," Varitek said.

Game notes
According to a report in the Boston Globe, the Red Sox will wait as long as possible to see if Josh Beckett will make his next start on Friday. He left Sunday's game with skin separation on his right index finger. "We'll use common sense," manager Terry Francona told the paper. ... Ramirez's RBI gave him 1,540 for his career and moved him into a tie with Willie Stargell for 38th place on the career list. He had been tied with Harry Heilmann. Next on the list is Fred McGriff with 1,550. ... J.D. Drew was the only Red Sox starter who did not get a hit. ... Detroit and Boston entered the game with the AL's two best batting averages in May, but Detroit's ERA for the month was 27th in the majors while Boston's was fifth. ... The Tigers lost for the second time in their last eight road games.

Superb.

Score Summary

3rd: Granderson HOME RUN to left (Tigers 1-0 Sox)
3rd: Ortiz single to centre: Youkilis scored (Tigers 1-1 Sox)
4th: Crisp single to centre: Varitek scored (Tigers 1-2 Sox)
5th: Ramirez single to left: Ortiz scored (Tigers 1-3 Sox)
8th: Lugo triple to deep centre: Varitek, Crisp and Pedroia scored (Tigers 1-6 Sox)
8th: Youkilis single to left: Lugo scored (Tigers 1-7 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Dice-K Matsuzaka (Red Sox) [5-2]
Loss - Nate Robertson (Tigers) [3-3]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 26-11
Yankees: 17-19
Orioles: 18-21
Blue Jays: 16-22
Devil Rays: 15-22

That sees us open up a huuuuge lead in the AL East, with the Yankees in second 8.5 games back. Tonight sees us play our second game against the Tigers. Tim Wakefield will pitch.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 v Tigers

In this game, Tim Wakefield pitched, and the batters fell flat for the first time in ages.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/15/Qw2lNzcQ.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers had lost two games in a row, and Justin Verlander considered it his job to keep the streak from reaching three.

"Absolutely. We lost our last two games, and I really just wanted to go out there and make a statement," he said Tuesday night after leading the Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. "Everybody on this team can play that role. I just happened to be the guy today."

Verlander (4-1) allowed two runs and six hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven before leaving the game when Kevin Youkililalalala a solo home run in the eighth. The reigning AL rookie of the year, Verlander has allowed four earned runs in four road starts this season.

"We needed something like that, and he gave it to us," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "They're one of the best teams in baseball, but hopefully they're feeling the same way about us."

Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez homered to cool off Tim Wakefield (4-4), and Ivan Rodriguez had three hits for Detroit. The Tigers have won 12 of their last 15 games despite losing their previous two, including Monday's 7-1 loss to Boston in Daisuke Matsuzaka's first major-league complete game.

Detroit faced another strong pitcher in Wakefield, who was leading the AL in opponents' batting average, second in the league in ERA and hadn't allow a run in his two previous starts. But the Red Sox failed to give him any support, again: They have scored just 10 runs in his last 15 losses while he was in the game.

Inge hit a solo homer in the third to snap Wakefield's shutout streak at 16 innings. After Curtis Granderson and Gary Sheffield singled, Ordonez homered over the Green Monster to make it 4-1.

"Ordonez had one good swing, and all of a sudden they had four runs on the board," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We all respect what [Wakefield] has done, and he has been spectacular."

Ordonez is 15-for-33 against Wakefield in his career and batting .369 (94-for-255) against the Red Sox with 13 homers and 54 RBIs in 68 games.

"My history against Ordonez is not very good," Wakefield said. "Understanding [that], I still have to pitch to him."

J.D. Drew bruised his lower back when he banged into the bullpen wall going after Inge's homer, and he left the game after seven.

"His lower back is a little sore," Francona said. "We will evaluate him again tomorrow."

Wakefield allowed a season-high five runs and nine hits with a walk. He struck out four and left after walking Sheffield to start the eighth. Rodriguez doubled two outs later to make it 5-1, then Craig Monroe and Sean Casey hit consecutive RBI singles.

Boston had won three straight and seven of its last eight.

Game notes
Wakefield's ERA went from 1.79 to 2.41. ... The Red Sox have sold out 325 consecutive home games, a streak that began four years ago, on May 15, 2003. ... Boston right-hander Josh Beckett threw off a mound before Tuesday night's game, and the Red Sox were encouraged by his progress healing from a flap of skin on his right middle finger. ... Matsuzaka's complete game was the first by a Red Sox pitcher since Sept. 22 and the first by a Red Sox pitcher at Fenway Park since April 15, 2006. ... Catcher Doug Mirabelli caught Sheffield's foul pop with his bare hand after it popped out of his glove. ... Verlander threw a season-high 120 pitches. ... The Red Sox went 49 innings without hitting a homer before Youkilis' shot.

Ah well. Can't win all the time.

Score Summary

1st: Drew single to left: Youkilis scored (Tigers 0-1 Sox)
3rd: Inge HOME RUN to right (Tigers 1-1 Sox)
3rd: Ordonez HOME RUN to left: Granderson and Sheffield scored (Tigers 4-1 Sox)
8th: Rodriguez double to left: Sheffield scored (Tigers 5-1 Sox)
8th: Monroe single to left: Rodriguez scored (Tigers 6-1 Sox)
8th: Casey single to right: Monroe scored (Tigers 7-1 Sox)
8th: Youkilis HOME RUN to centre (Tigers 7-2 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Justin Verlander (Tigers) [4-1]
Loss - Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) [4-4]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 26-12
Yankees: 17-19
Orioles: 18-22
Blue Jays: 17-22
Devil Rays: 16-22

Ah well. Tonight sees Julian Tavarez try and improve an awful season for him so far, in our third game of four against the Tigers.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 3 v Tigers

This game was originally scheduled for Wednesday night, but annoying weather meant a doubleheader, with a matinee and an evening game to finish the series against the Tigers. This is the first game: the matinee performance.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/17/5BAf8MIk.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Julian Tavarez is grateful for every chance he gets to start. The Boston Red Sox appreciated his effort, too.

Tavarez pitched his most effective game of the season and the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers and emergency starter Zach Miner 2-1 on Thursday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

"We'll take seven," Boston manager Terry Francona said of his fifth starter. "And the way he did it, a couple of times he pitched himself into a bind by getting ahead of the hitter and walking guys. It's so nice to see him be able to dial up a pitch."

Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis drove in runs for the AL East leaders, who won for the eighth time in 10 games. With his 1,541th RBI, Ramirez moved past Willie Stargell into sole possession of 38th place.

Boston needed Tavarez to pitch deep into the game to save its bullpen, which will be tested this weekend. Josh Beckett (7-0) is going to miss his start Friday with a torn piece of skin on his middle finger, and the Red Sox haven't announced a starter yet.

"For me this is my 12th full season in the major leagues and I appreciate it day after day," Tavarez said. "[Francona] gave me a good opportunity to be a starter and I just enjoy every one. I don't know if it's going to be forever, but if it's not, I'm going to enjoy it in the bullpen or doing whatever it is."

Tavarez (2-4), who lost three of his previous four starts, allowed one run, four singles and four walks in seven innings, lowering his ERA from a team-high 6.60 to 5.59. He sprinted off the mound to a loud ovation after striking out his final batter, Curtis Granderson, swinging.

And when the Red Sox finally did go to their bullpen, Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon retired the Tigers easily.

Okajima pitched a perfect eighth, extending his scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings, and Papelbon finished the four-hitter for his 11th save in 12 chances.

"It's so nice to get to the eighth and feel like regardless of what the score is you're going to win," Francona said.

The Tigers, who homered twice in a 7-2 win over Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox Tuesday, didn't have a baserunner after leaving them loaded them in the fifth.

"He kept his sinker down and threw the ball over," Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez said of Tavarez. "He got into a couple of jams and got the job done."

Detroit's scheduled starter, Mike Maroth, was scratched Thursday morning because he became ill and was replaced by Miner, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

"I woke up at 4:15 and almost missed my flight," Miner said. "They told me I was coming up to pitch out of the 'pen. When I got here, they told me I was going to start."

Placido Polanco had a fifth-inning RBI single for the defending AL champions, who lost for only the fourth time in 16 games.

Miner (0-1) gave up two runs -- one earned -- and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

In the makeup of Wednesday night's rainout, Boston benefited from good baserunning and possibly a missed call by second-base umpire Rob Drake in going ahead in the first.

Coco Crisp singled with one out and avoided shortstop Carlos Guillen's tag on David Ortiz's grounder to the right of second. Guillen, playing a shifted position with Ortiz batting, reached for Crisp, who fell to the ground and rolled onto the grass -- appearing to be out of the baseline. Crisp got up, went to second and moved on to third, which was uncovered; Ramirez singled him home.

Youkilis singled in a run in the third after Julio Lugo reached when Guillen booted his grounder for an error.

Following Polanco's single, Tavarez got Magglio Ordonez to hit an inning-ending flyout with the bases loaded after walking Gary Sheffield.

Game notes
Youkilis' first-inning single extended hilalalalaing streak to a career-best 10 games. ... The Tigers were held without an extra-base hit for the first time in 27 games. ... Chad Durbin (3-1) was to face Curt Schilling (4-1) in the second game. ... Boston manager Terry Francona said right fielder J.D. Drew, who bruised his lower back crashing into a wall attempting to catch a Brandon Inge's homer Tuesday, might play in the second game. He also said after the game that Wily Mo Pena would start the night game in left, Ramirez would be the DH and Ortiz, who came to the park not feeling well, would sit out.

Nice to see Tavarez pitching well.

Score Summary

1st: Ramirez single to centre: Crisp scored (Tigers 0-1 Sox)
3rd: Youkilis single to right: Lugo scored (Tigers 0-2 Sox)
5th: Polanco single to centre: Monroe scored (Tigers 1-2 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Julian Tavarez (Red Sox) [2-4]
Loss - Zach Miner (Tigers) [0-1]
Save - Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox) [11]

Great win, standings after the next update. And on to game 2...

Game Review - Game 4 @ Tigers

This game saw Curt Schilling start as pitcher, but he struggled and took a no-decision. This game is also known as Hinske's game.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/18/FWLoLpiY.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Eric Hinske slammed his face on the ground on a spectacular, run-saving catch then smacked the ball over the fence for a go-ahead homer.

The second hit felt better "because it didn't hurt," he said with a smile.

Hinske, making a rare start with right fielder J.D. Drew injured, led the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 win Thursday night and a sweep of their day-night doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. Boston won the opener 2-1 behind fifth starter Julian Tavarez's most effective game of the season.

The Red Sox (28-12) increased their lead in the AL East over the second-place New York Yankees to 9½ games. The last time the Yankees were that far back was after games of Sept. 6, 1997.

"When you have a team this deep, you can do some pretty special things," said Curt Schilling, who struggled as the second-game starter. "Today, with Julian in the first game and the bullpen, and tonight with Hinske taking the team by the horns."

Hinske, a former AL rookie of the year with Toronto but a seldom-used spare part with Boston, put a dramatic stamp on the sweep.

With Boston trailing 2-1 and Detroit's Marcus Thames on second with two outs in the fifth, Mike Rabelo hit a fly ball that the wind carried away from Hinske. He dived parallel to the ground and held the ball despite hitting the warning track face first. He stayed down for a short time before trotting off the field to an ovation.

Rabelo called it "the most amazing catch I've ever seen."

Boston manager Terry Francona said Hinske "willed himself to catch that ball."

The dirt, "was all in my eyes, in my mouth," Hinske said. "I was OK. In my mind, unless you've got to carry me off on a stretcher [he'll play]. I don't get the chance to play that often."

His two-run homer, his first of the year, came off Wilfredo Ledezma (3-1) and broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh. Jason Varitek was on first after a forceout that followed Mike Lowell's single. With a 2-0 count, Hinske hit the ball over the fence, pumping his right arm in the air as he rounded first base.

He reached the dugout with a big smile and was embraced by David Ortiz, who missed the game because he wasn't feeling well. Ortiz went 0-for-3 in the opener.

"It's fitting in that situation that he was able to do that," Varitek said.

The Red Sox beat the defending AL champions three games to one, holding the Tigers to three runs in the doubleheader that followed a rainout Wednesday night.

"Our pitching did a good job today," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "It wasn't all for naught, but we got beat."

In the second game, Brendan Donnelly (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Hideki Okajima got his second save, extending his streak of scoreless innings to 19 2-3. Okajima pitched one perfect inning in each game.

Drew missed both games with a bruised back that he got when he ran into the same wall that Hinske's homer cleared as he pursued Brandon Inge's homer Tuesday night in Detroit's 7-2 win.

Inge homered again in the second game Thursday to put Detroit ahead 2-1 in the fourth against Schilling.

Schilling allowed two runs in six innings, but gave up eight hits -- seven doubles and Inge's homer. He also walked three in the first two innings. But Detroit left the bases loaded in both those innings, runners in scoring position in all six and a total of 11 against Schilling.

"We had our chances," Detroit's Gary Sheffield said.

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by Kevin Youkilis that extended hilalalalaing streak to a career-high 11 games. Detroit tied it in the third on doubles by Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen.

The Red Sox made it 2-2 in the sixth on a bases-loaded infield single by Alex Cora.

In the opener, Boston needed Tavarez (2-4) to pitch deep into the game with the likelihood that the bullpen will be tested this weekend against Atlanta. Josh Beckett (7-0) will miss his start Friday with a torn piece of skin on his middle finger. Francona said he will go on the disabled list and should be ready to pitch May 29.

Tavarez allowed one run, four singles and four walks in seven innings.

"We'll take seven" innings, Francona said. "And the way he did it, a couple of times he pitched himself into a bind by getting ahead of the hitter and walking guys. It's so nice to see him be able to dial up a pitch."

Manny Ramirez and Youkilis drove in runs for the Red Sox against emergency starter Zach Miner (0-1). Ramirez moved past Willie Stargell into sole possession of 38th place on the career RBIs list with 1,541.

Placido Polanco had a fifth-inning RBI single for Detroit.

"For me, this is my 12th full season in the major leagues and I appreciate it day after day," Tavarez said. Francona "gave me a good opportunity to be a starter and I just enjoy every one."

Jonathan Papelbon finished the four-hitter for his 11th save.

Detroit's scheduled starter, Mike Maroth, was scratched because he became ill.

"I woke up at 4:15 and almost missed my flight," said Miner said, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo. "They told me I was coming up to pitch out of the pen. When I got here, they told me I was going to start."

Game notes
Schilling's four walks matched his high in his four seasons with Boston. ... The Tigers were held without an extra-base hit in the opener for the first time in 27 games. ... Ramirez filled in at DH in the second game and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Top stuff. Showing consistency is great.

Score Summary

1st: Youkilis single to left: Crisp scored (Tigers 0-1 Sox)
3rd: Guillen ground rule double to deep right: Ordonez scored (Tigers 1-1 Sox)
4th: Inge HOME RUN to right (Tigers 2-1 Sox)
6th: Cora reached on infield single to second: Hinske scored (Tigers 2-2 Sox)
7th: Hinske HOME RUN to right centre: Varitek scored (Tigers 2-4 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Brendan Donnelly (Red Sox) [2-1]
Loss - Wilfredo Ledezma (Tigers) [3-1]
Save - Hideki Okajima (Red Sox) [2]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 28-12
Yankees: 18-21
Blue Jays: 18-22
Devil Rays: 18-22
Orioles: 18-23

Superb. What more can I say? However, there is some bad news.

Beckett Heading To DL - Hansack Called Up

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2006/10/01/6IQ66wV7.jpg

Originally Posted by Red Sox.com

BOSTON -- The Red Sox mulled it over with Josh Beckett for a few days, then took definitive action. On Friday the Red Sox will place the right-hander on the disabled list -- retroactive to May 13 -- with an avulsion on his right middle finger.
The good news is that the Sox have already slotted Beckett to start on May 29 against the Indians, the first day he's eligible to come off the DL.

Devern Hansack will be recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket and take Beckett's turn in the rotation on Friday night against the Braves. The Sox are still undecided for Sunday, but Pawtucket left-hander Kason Gabbard is looking like a heavy favorite to make that start. Gabbard last pitched on Monday and isn't listed anywhere in Pawtucket's rotation in games through Tuesday.

Hansack was supposed to pitch for Pawtucket on Thursday, and once he was scratched, it was evident that he was coming to Boston and Beckett was headed for the DL. Because Hansack was just sent to Pawtucket on May 11, the only way he could rejoin the Boston roster this quickly is if another player went on the DL.

Beckett will proceed as planned and throw a side session on Friday.

"Nothing went backwards at all," said manager Terry Francona. "In fact, he's doing great."

The decision was not made unilaterally. All parties played a role.

"We included [Beckett] in this decision a lot," said Francona. "Thought he deserved it. We actually appreciated his input, because he was very thoughtful and conscientious in what he was saying to us. We talked to him for a long time about it because we wanted to do the right thing."

This is the seventh time in Beckett's career he's been placed on the disabled list with either a blister or an avulsion. The previous six times came in a four-year span (2002-06) with the Florida Marlins.

But why are the Sox undecided about Sunday, when it would be Tim Wakefield's turn in the rotation? The answer is that the Sox thought it made more sense to hold Wakefield out for Monday's opener of a three-game series in the Bronx against the Yankees. If Wakefield had pitched on Sunday, the Sox would have been searching for a starter for Monday.

And for all the conspiracy theorists out there, Jon Lester will not make a dramatic return and be Sunday's surprise starter. Francona reiterated the plan that Lester will start for Pawtucket at Ottawa on Saturday night, throwing 50 to 55 pitches.

Drew sits, Hinske stars: Right fielder J.D. Drew, who slammed his lower back into the bullpen wall on Tuesday, was out of the lineup for both games on Thursday. Francona initially inserted Drew into the lineup for Game 2 but scratched him after Game 1. Eric Hinske started in Drew's place.

In an ironic twist, Hinske wound up being the star of the 4-2 victory over the Tigers, which capped a doubleheader sweep. He made one of the best catches in baseball this season in the fifth inning, fully extending down the right-field line and making a face-plant into the warning-track dirt while hauling in a line drive off the bat of Mike Rabelo. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, he clubbed a two-run homer that snapped a 2-2 tie.

Ortiz out, Manny at DH: Slugger David Ortiz nearly called in sick on Thursday morning, but realized that would put Francona in a tough spot on a day the team was playing 18 innings. So he started the first game and was out of the lineup in Game 2.

Manny Ramirez moved to DH, and Wily Mo Pena got the start in left field.

"David probably shouldn't have played today," Francona said. "He was sick. And he said before the game, 'I was this close to calling you this morning, but I know it's a doubleheader.' We're going to let him kind of gather himself a little bit later today."

On deck: The Red Sox open Interleague Play on Friday night with a three-game set at Fenway against the Braves at 7:05 p.m. ET. Hansack will be opposed by right-hander Anthony Lerew, who is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 3 v Braves

After our first two games in one day after rain, which saw us win the first 13-3 and lose the second 0-14, it wa sleft to Kason Gabbard, recently called up from the minor leagues, to pitch a win.

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Kason Gabbard came up from Triple-A and stuck around just long enough to give the Boston Red Sox a win.

Gabbard was called up from Pawtucket on Sunday morning, waited through a storm that delayed his first pitch 2 1/2 hours, and went back down to the minors after striking out a career-high seven batters to lead Boston to a 6-3 victory over the Braves.

"It's not an easy thing for him," manager Terry Francona said. "He stayed ready. It's not an easy thing for anyone to do."

Making his 2007 debut, Gabbard (1-0) held Atlanta hitless through 3 2/3 and retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced. He walked one and allowed six hits, leaving with a 6-0 lead after giving up back-to-back hits to start the sixth inning.

He was optioned back to Triple-A after the game, and declined to comment on his start. Manny Delcarmen was called up so the Red Sox could have an extra reliever heading into this week's series with the Yankees, with Boston holding a double-digit lead over New York and Baltimore.

"If we need some help, we didn't want to get caught short," Francona said.

Brendan Donnelly relieved Gabbard and allowed both inherited runners to score. Atlanta reloaded the bases before Javier Lopez came in and retired Scott Thorman on a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.

"That ball gets through, different ballgame," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.

Hideki Okajima allowed a pair of hits in the eighth but escaped with his scoreless inning streak at 20 2/3 over 20 outings. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth in a non-save situation and allowed his first runs in five appearances since May 1.

Tim Hudson (6-2) stumbled in his worst start of the year, giving up four runs in the first inning and another in the second. He allowed six runs in all on eight hits and two walks before leaving in the fifth with two out, two on and one run already in.

"I never really had a chance to get into a rhythm. They got me pretty quick and early," Hudson said. "I just didn't have good stuff."

Hudson, who took a perfect game into the fifth in his last start, lost for the first time in three starts and saw his ERA go from 1.77 -- second in the NL -- to 2.42. It was the second time this season he failed to last at least seven innings.

Andruw Jones struck out five times, including for the final out -- when he represented the tying run against Papelbon. Jones, who had been suffering from tightness in his back, was in the lineup after missing the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Kevin Youkilis started a four-run, first-inning rally and made it 6-0 in the fifth with a line drive that curled around the Pesky Pole in right, 302 feet from the plate, and into the first row of the grandstand.

The game started after a 2 1/2-hour delay gave way to puffy white clouds and blue skies, and most of the fans stuck around to see the interleague finale between the Red Sox, their former crosstown rival.

Gabbard, who was 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in Triple-A this year, went 1-3 for Boston in 2006. But he cruised until Jeff Francoeur blooped a single in front of Drew in right field for the first Atlanta hit of the game.

Chipper Jones singled and Francoeur doubled to lead off the sixth and chase Gabbard. Matt Diaz, who went 4-for-5, singled off Donnelly to bring them both home and make it 6-2.

Francoeur had three hits, including an RBI single in the ninth.

Game notes
Diaz made a nice catch in foul territory down the left-field line to retire Alex Cora in the sixth, then Manny Ramirez made one to retire Chipper Jones in the seventh. The line is only 3 feet from the wall in the area, and it's unusual to see even one catch there. ... The Braves recalled INF Martin Prado from Triple-A Richmond and put RHP Anthony Lerew on the 15-day DL because of inflamed nerves in his right forearm. ... Boston optioned Devern Hansack, Saturday night's losing pitcher, to Pawtucket to make room for Gabbard.

Great win.

Score Summary

1st: Varitek triple to deep right: Ortiz, Ramirez and Drew scored (Braves 0-3 Sox)
1st: Hinske single to right: Varitek scored (Braves 0-4 Sox)
2nd: Ortiz grounded into fielder's chocie to third: Pedroia scored (Braves 0-5 Sox)
5th: Youkilis HOME RUN to right (Braves 0-6 Sox)
6th: Diaz single to right: Jones scored (Braves 1-6 Sox)
6th: Saltalamacchia walked: Francoeur sacored (Braves 2-6 Sox)
9th: Francoeur single to right: Renteria scored (Braves 3-6 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Kason Gabbard (Red Sox) [1-0]
Loss - Tim Hudson (Braves) [5-2]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 30-13
Orioles: 20-24
Yankees: 19-23
Blue Jays: 19-24
Devil Rays: 18-25

Nice. Tonight we play the Yanks again. Tim Wakefield opens the pitching.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 @ Yankees

Tim Wakefield has had some trouble this season. He must be looking over his shoulder at Jon Lester's recovery with a little anxiety.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/22/9EbAhYKB.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hoping to begin a long climb back into the AL East race, the New York Yankees took a crucial step in the right direction Monday night.

Alex Rodriguez homered for the third straight game and Chien-Ming Wang stymied Boston, sending the Yankees to a 6-2 victory that moved them within 9 1/2 games of the division-leading Red Sox, who still own the best record in the major leagues at 30-14.

"Everything is important from now on. We don't have the luxury to throw games away," Rodriguez said.

Jason Giambi snapped a 1-for-26 slide with an upper-deck homer and leadoff batter Johnny Damon got the Yankees started all game against his former team. New York improved to 2-5 this year against its biggest rival, with both wins coming vs. knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

"We're working our way out of this hole," Giambi said. "I hope that as this weather warms up, so does the offense."

Building on a crisp victory the night before over the Mets that allowed them to avoid a Subway Series sweep, the patient Yankees (20-23) drew eight walks and ran on Wakefield all night. New York had five two-out RBIs, and the Red Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Robinson Cano hit a two-run triple and Damon finished with three singles, a walk and two stolen bases.

"His body just looked like it was electric," manager Joe Torre said.

After struggling previously against Boston, Wang (3-3) changed his approach, throwing more soft sliders and changeups to go with his hard sinker.

He yielded two runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings to win his second consecutive start, becoming the first Yankees pitcher with three wins this season. He left to a huge ovation from the spirited crowd of 55,078 and tipped his cap as he neared the dugout.

"All he did was keep them off balance," pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "Give 'em something different."

Scott Proctor escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth on a nice play by Cano at second base, and Kyle Farnsworth finished up.

Wakefield (4-5) walked five in five innings and served up both New York homers. Once a befuddling matchup for the Yankees, the right-hander fell to 1-7 with a 6.00 ERA in his past nine starts against them beginning May 27, 2005.

He walked six in 5 1/3 innings during his other start against New York this season, a 3-1 loss on April 28 at Yankee Stadium.

"I tried my best to grind it out, but I never had it tonight," Wakefield said.

Kevin Youkilis doubled in the fifth to extend hilalalalaing streak to a career-best 14 games and scored when David Ortiz followed with a double, knocking the ball out of shortstop Derek Jeter's glove on a headfirst slide. Wang avoided further damage by retiring personal nemesis Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew.

Bobby Abreu got a two-out rally started in the bottom half with a single and a stolen base. Giambi walked and hustled home from first on his aching left foot when Cano tripled to left-center, making it 6-1.

"We're getting more comfortable -- especially the thing that deserted us, which was the offense," Torre said. "We won two in a row. We haven't done this in a while. It's not something we usually trumpet, but we haven't done this a lot."

Rodriguez hit his major league-leading 18th homer with Damon aboard in the first, a long drive to left into Boston's bullpen adjacent to Monument Park.

Before hitting three home runs in three days, Rodriguez connected only once in 22 games from April 23 until May 19.

"Alex seems to be back," Torre said.

Jeter's two-out error loaded the bases in the second and Wang went to 3-1 on Youkilis before striking him out.

Batting seventh in his first start since last Thursday, Giambi hit a solo shot in the second for his sixth homer this season and first since May 3 at Texas.

"It felt a ton better since I got the orthotics," Giambi said, referring to his foot. "It felt comfortable just to be in the box. I just felt like I couldn't push off. It was nice to be able to swing and run the bases a little."

Cano doubled and scored when Jeter extended hilalalalaing streak to 16 games with a single, making him 13-for-20 (.650) this year with two outs and runners in scoring position for a total of 15 RBIs.

Ortiz's sacrifice fly off Mike Myers cut it to 6-2 in the seventh.

"Nothing's going to be easy," Ortiz said. "We've still got 120-something games left. We've got to play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

Game notes
Wang threw a career-high 114 pitches. ... The Yankees stole a season-high four bases and were caught once, all against Wakefield and his personal catcher, Doug Mirabelli. ... The Red Sox stranded five runners in the first two innings. ... New York C Jorge Posada went 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his career-high hitting streak at 15 games. ... Mirabelli singled in the second, ending an 0-for-17 skid. ... Wakefield dropped to 9-15 lifetime against the Yankees. ... Ramirez is 11-for-19 (.579) against Wang.

Maybe Wakefield's knuckleballers just aren't good enough any more.

Score Summary

1st: A-Rod HOME RUN to left: Damon scored (Sox 0-2 Yanks)
2nd: Giambi HOME RUN to right (Sox 0-3 Yanks)
2nd: Jeter single to left: Cano scored (Sox 0-4 Yanks)
5th: Ortiz double to deep right: Youkilis scored (Sox 1-4 Yanks)
5th: Cano triple to deep centre: Abreu and Giambi scored (Sox 1-6 Yanks)
7th: Ortiz hit sacrifice fly to left: Lugo scored (Sox 2-6 Yanks)

Pitchers

Win - Chein-Ming Wang (Yankees) [3-3]
Loss - Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) [4-5]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 30-14
Yankees: 20-23
Orioles: 20-24
Blue Jays: 19-24
Devil Rays: 18-25

Ah well. Tonight we will look to avenge our loss, with Julian Tavarez starting on the mound.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 @ Rangers

I missed the last two games against the Yankees due to other commitments. We won a game and lost a game. Last night saw Dice-K pitch again against Texas.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/26/Z8IqVxpa.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Daisuke Matsuzaka had to battle more than the Texas Rangers lineup Friday night.

Matsuzaka left the game after five innings because of nausea. He earned his seventh win of the season anyway as the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 10-6 Friday night.

Boston manager Terry Francona said Matsuzaka started feeling bad in the second inning and struggled through the five innings needed for him to win his fourth straight start.

"He showed a lot staying out there and pitching," Francona said. "He gave us five. He gave up five but they got to our bullpen later because he was able to stay out there."

Matsuzaka -- who Francona says will have "the most covered case of intestinal turmoil ever" didn't come out for the sixth inning and was relieved by Kyle Snyder.

Matsuzaka (7-2) was not seen in the clubhouse after the game and he spoke only through a statement.

"I tried my best to take the team as deep into the game as possible to fulfill my responsibility as the starter," Matsuzaka said in the statement. "I regret that I ended up being a burden on my teammates [Friday]. I'll do my best to prepare for my next start."

Matsuzaka gave up home runs to Frank Catalanotto and Ramon Vazquez in a five-run fourth that put the Rangers ahead 5-4.

Boston regained the lead by scoring twice in the fifth before Matsuzaka ran into more trouble in the bottom half of the frame.

He escaped by getting Sammy Sosa to ground into a double play and striking out Frank Catalanotto to end the inning.

The Red Sox added four in the sixth to lift Matsuzaka to a win in his fourth straight start.

Matsuzaka gave up five runs and seven hits and matched his shortest outing of the season. He is tied for the league lead with seven wins along with teammate Josh Beckett, the Angels' John Lackey and the Braves' John Smoltz.

Sosa faced the Japanese sensation for the first time ever and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a strikeout in his pursuit to become the fifth player ever to hit 600 home runs. Sosa has 598.

Sosa did not answer questions from the media after the game.

After Texas' big inning, Boston seized the lead for good in the fifth against reliever Wes Littleton (0-1).

Kevin Youkilis singled with one out to extend hilalalalaing streak to 17 games. David Ortiz hit a run-scoring double to tie the game, and Manny Ramirez put the Red Sox on top 6-5 with an RBI single.

The Red Sox added four more runs in the sixth off of Texas reliever Frank Francisco.

Jason Varitek had an RBI triple, Coco Crisp hit an RBI double, and Julio Lugo and Youkilis each added RBI singles.

"One through nine our lineup was chipping away," Francona said. "It's a good formula for winning."

Texas starter Brandon McCarthy left the game after only two innings with a blister on his right middle finger. He walked four and gave up four runs on just one hit.

"It's pretty annoying," McCarthy said. "It's a tough one to swallow. But the job is to move on and get better."

McCarthy was undone by a 47-pitch second inning in which he walked the first three batters of the frame.

McCarthy opened the inning by walking Ramirez, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell. Ramirez came home on Varitek's sacrifice fly.

After Crisp walked to reload the bases, David Pedroia lined a single to center to bring home two runs and give Boston a 3-0 lead. It was the only hit Boston had in the inning.

Crisp then scored on an unusual fielder's choice. Lugo hit a fly ball that Sosa dropped in right field, but he recovered to throw Pedroia out at second.

Littleton relieved McCarthy to start the third.

After a one hour, 57-minute rain delay, Matsuzaka started sharp as he struck out four in the first three innings.

Sosa's double brought Texas within 4-1. Catalanotto followed with a two-run homer -- his fourth of the season- to bring Texas within 4-3. Ramon Vazquez then hit his third home run of the season to cap the inning.

"We handled [Matsuzaka] well," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "He's a very good pitcher and we did a good job of making him throw strikes."

Lofton scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Game notes
Matsuzaka walked three after not walking a batter in his previous 17 innings. ... Sosa and Texas 2B Ian Kinsler each misplayed foul pops in the first inning.

Nice workj by Dice-K, even if he was battling illness.

Score Summary

2nd: Varitek hit sacrifice fly to centre: Ramirez scored (Sox 1-0 Rangers)
2nd: Pedroia single to right: Drew and Lowell scored (Sox 3-0 Rangers)
2nd: Lugo hit into fielder's choice at right: Crisp scored (Sox 4-0 Rangers)
4th: Sosa double to deep centre: Teixeira scored (Sox 4-1 Rangers)
4th: Catalanotto HOME RUN to right: Sosa scored (Sox 4-3 Rangers)
4th: Vasquez HOME RUN to right: Laird scored (Sox 4-5 Rangers)
5th: Ortiz double to right: Youkilis scored (Sox 5-5 Rangers)
5th: Ramirez single to centre: Ortiz scored (Sox 6-5 Rangers)
6th: Varitek triple to right: Lowell scored (Sox 7-5 Rangers)
6th: Crisp double to right: Varitek scored (Sox 8-5 Rangers)
6th: Lugo single to right: Crisp scored (Sox 9-5 Rangers)
6th: Youkilis single to right: Lugo scored (Sox 10-5 Rangers)
7th: Lofton scored on Donnelley's wild pitch (Sox 10-6 Rangers)

Pitchers

Win - Dice-K Matsuzaka (Red Sox) [7-2]
Loss - Wes Littleton (Rangers) [0-1]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 32-15
Yankees: 21-25
Blue Jays: 21-26
Orioles: 21-27
Devil Rays: 19-28

Nice work there. Tonight sees us play the second game of the series, with Timmy Wakefield pitching.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 @ Rangers

After Dice-K's heroics, it was now up to Tim Wakefield to secure the series.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/27/s8s2VsSi.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- As if the Boston Red Sox didn't have enough going for them.

The team with the best record in baseball now has surging Manny Ramirez on their side.

Ramirez had four hits and keyed a five-run sixth inning with an RBI triple to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 7-4 Saturday night.

Ramirez is 8-for-12 in his past three games and his batting average has improved 84 points in May to .272.

"Manny really looks like he's in a groove," Boston third baseman Mike Lowell said. "When he's stinging the baseball like that, when he's going up the middle, that's when he's the most dangerous. It seems like he's done nothing so far, but he's still on pace to have a great season."

Boston has an 11-game cushion over second-place Toronto in the American League East and an 11 1/2 game lead over the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.

"It's surprising for any team to have this kind of lead at this point of the season," Lowell said. "I'm not going to lie, I look at the standings because I like baseball."

The Red Sox fell behind 4-2 in the fifth before they rallied for a big inning against the team with the worst record in the American League.

Ramirez lined a fastball into the right-field corner that scored Kevin Youkilis, who led off the sixth with a single. Ramirez belly-flopped into third for his first triple of the season and his sixth since 2001.

Youkilis capped the inning with a run-scoring walk that put Boston ahead 7-4.

Ramirez was 4-for-4 and fell a home run short of the cycle. He also singled in the second, doubled in the seventh and singled in the ninth.

Texas' Sammy Sosa was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in his pursuit of becoming the fifth player in major league history to hit 600 home runs. He has 598.

Tim Wakefield (5-5) snapped a personal two-game losing streak by allowing four runs and five hits over seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.

"When you can score a lot of runs early, it makes the starting pitcher's job a lot easier." Wakefield said. "You can do a lot of damage control. You have some wiggle room."

Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 12th save in 13 chances. Gerald Laird hit a fly ball to center with runners on first and second to end it.

Vicente Padilla (2-7) allowed six runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings for his second loss of the season to Boston.

The Rangers have lost four straight and nine of 12 overall.

Padilla's outing did not help a pitching staff that came into the game with a league-worst 6.21 ERA.

Despite their troubles, Texas manager Ron Washington said he will not make any changes to the starting rotation.

"We're going to stay the course because we believe these guys are going to improve," Washington said. "We're not going to give up on them. I believe in these guys and they believe in themselves."

Boston sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth against the Rangers. The Red Sox had four hits and drew four walks.

After Ramirez's triple brought Boston within 4-3, he came home on Padilla's wild pitch.

J.D. Drew walked and Lowell singled to knock Padilla out of the game.

Coco Crisp gave the Red Sox a 5-4 lead with an RBI single to center off reliever Joaquin Benoit. Alex Cora added a sacrifice fly and Youkilis drew an RBI walk to put the Red Sox ahead 7-4.

The Rangers finally got out of the inning when David Ortiz, who flew out to deep center earlier in the sixth, grounded out to first.

Texas scored three runs in the fifth on Laird's two-run double and Kenny Lofton's sacrifice fly.

Padilla allowed one hit through three innings before Boston scored two in the fourth.

Youkilis extended hilalalalaing streak to 18 games with a leadoff double in the fourth. Ortiz and Ramirez then walked to load the bases.

Drew grounded to first and Mark Teixeira threw to second to get the out. But Michael Young's throw back to first got past Padilla for an error.

Youkilis and Ortiz scored on the play to give Boston a 2-1 lead.

Sosa doubled to lead off the second and came home on Marlon Byrd's RBI single.

Game notes
The Rangers purchased Byrd's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday. ... Boston has won nine of its past 13 games at Texas. ... LHP John Rheinecker allowed one hit in five scoreless innings during a rehab start at Oklahoma City. He has been on the disabled list since March 31 with a back injury.

Good to see Ramirez doing well. However, I'm still not convinced about Wakefield.

Score Summary

2nd: Byrd single to left: Sosa scored (Sox 0-1 Rangers)
4th: Drew grounded into fielder's choice to first: Youkilis and Ortiz scored (Sox 2-1 Rangers)
5th: Laird double to left: Catalanotto and Kinsler scored (Sox 2-3 Rangers)
5th: Lofton hit sacrifice fly to left: Laird scored (Sox 2-4 Rangers)
6th: Ramirez triple to deep right: Youkilis scored (Sox 3-4 Rangers)
6th: Ramirez scored on Padilla's wild pitch (Sox 4-4 Rangers)
6th: Crisp single to centre: Drew scored (Sox 5-4 Rangers)
6th: Cora hit sacrifice fly to centre: Lowell scored (Sox 6-4 Rangers)
6th: Youkilis walked: Crisp scored (Sox 7-4 Rangers)

Pitchers

Win - Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) [5-5]
Loss - Vincente Padilla (Rangers) [2-7]
Save - Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox) [12]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 33-15
Blue Jays: 22-26
Orioles: 22-27
Yankees: 21-26
Devil Rays: 19-28

Great stuff. Apparently, Dice-K is feeling better after his stomach flu. All Star balloting is still continuing, with the game being held on July 10th.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 3 @ Rangers

Last night, Julian Tavarez pitched for us in our last game of the series against Texas.

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- J.D. Drew finally got the big hit the Boston Red Sox have been looking for from him all season.

Drew and Mike Lowell had RBI singles in the eighth inning as the Red Sox held on to complete a three-game sweep over the Rangers with a 6-5 win Sunday.

Drew broke an 0-for-17 slump with a single in the fourth. His run-scoring hit off Texas reliever Akinori Otsuka (1-1) tied the game at 4.

He came in hitting .227 with two home runs and 14 RBIs after signing a 5-year, $70 million contract as a free agent in the offseason.

"Getting a big hit in a key situation like that is always nice," Drew said. "I hope things are coming around. I'm trying to grind out good at-bats and see what happens."

Kevin Youkilis singled off Otsuka to lead off the eighth. After Youkilis stole second base on Manny Ramirez's strikeout, Drew lined a single to right to tie it at 4.

Lowell then drove a single to left field that scored Drew and put the Red Sox ahead 5-4. Dustin Pedroia added his second homer of the year in the ninth off of Eric Gagne.

"I know he's been struggling and I think he's been feeling it," Boston manager Terry Francona said of Drew. "But he stayed at it and had a couple of big hits."

Otsuka came into the game with a 1.02 ERA and had been Texas' most reliable reliever this season. But he couldn't hold the lead as Boston swept a series at Texas for the first time since Aug. 20-22, 1973.

"We had our pitching lined up pretty well," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "I felt confident out there with two innings left. But this is baseball, you can't predict it."

Jason Varitek also homered for Boston, which has the best record in baseball. The Red Sox hold an 11 1/2-game lead over second-place Baltimore, 12 games over Toronto and 12 1/2 over the New York Yankees.

Texas -- which has the worst record in the American League -- has lost five games in a row and 10 of its last 13.

Joel Pineiro (1-0) got out of a jam in the seventh to pick up the win. With two men on, he struck out Sammy Sosa and got some defensive help when center fielder Coco Crisp made a diving catch of Frank Catalanotto's liner.

"The key was Coco's play," Pineiro said. "He picked me up, picked us all up. It gave us the momentum. When I first looked at it, there was nobody close to that. But that was a big catch, the biggest key to the game."

Hideki Okajima allowed an RBI single to Mark Teixeira in the ninth before finishing for his third save in as many chances.

Sosa went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in his pursuit to become the fifth player to hit 600 home runs. He has 598.

Teixeira hit a 453-foot three-run homer and Ian Kinsler added an RBI single in a four-run sixth that put Texas up 4-3. Teixeira's homer was the fourth-longest hit at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington.

The Red Sox were without designated hitter David Ortiz, who was not in the starting lineup because of sore hamstrings.

Texas starter Kameron Loe, won hasn't won since April 21, gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings.

Tavarez had won his last two starts, but allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. Tavarez, who struck out six and walked one, yielded only Kenny Lofton's leadoff single in the first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth.

Drew singled to lead off the fourth. Lowell singled to left before Varitek lined a 1-1 pitch from Loe just over the fence in right for his fourth homer.

Game notes
Tavarez fielded a grounder by Catalanotto and ended up rolling the ball to Youkilis at first for the out. After the play, Youkilis was laughing behind his glove. ... Texas RHP Kevin Millwood gave up one hit in five scoreless innings on a rehab start for Double-A Frisco on Sunday. ... Gagne allowed his first run in 11 appearances this season.

Looks like Tavarez took another no-decision. I'm still not convinced about him.

Score Summary

4th: Varitek HOME RUN to centre: Drew and Lowell scored (Sox 3-0 Rangers)
6th: Teixeira HOME RUN to right@ Lofton and Young scored (Sox 3-3 Rangers)
6th: Kinsler single to centre: Catalanotto scored (Sox 3-4 Rangers)
8th: Drew single to right: Youkilis scored (Sox 4-4 Rangers)
8th: Lowell single to left: Drew scored (Sox 5-4 Rangers)
9th: Pedroia HOME RUN to left (Sox 6-4 Rangers)
9th: Teixeira single to left: Diaz scored (Sox 6-5 Rangers)

Pitchers

Win - Joel Pineiro (Red Sox) [1-0]
Loss - Akinori Otsuka (Rangers) [1-1]
Save - Hideki Okajima (Red Sox) [3]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 34-15
Orioles: 23-27
Blue Jays: 22-27
Yankees: 21-27
Devil Rays: 20-28

Nice. All we need now is to not collapse like we did last season. Tonight sees us play the Cleveland Indians. Curt Schilling is starting on the mound.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 v Indians

Last night, Trot Nixon made his return to Fenway, Curt Schilling turned in a season best 10 strikeouts and Youkililalalala an inside-the-park HR.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/28/fCr5RFRA.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Kevin Youkilis launched a towering fly ball to the deepest part of Fenway Park. A few feet farther, and it's over the 420-feet marker in straightaway center; a foot or so to the right, and it lands in the Red Sox bullpen.

Instead of coasting around the bases, though, Youkilis had to motor at full speed for an inside-the-park home run.

"It would have saved me a lot of time and effort," he said after helping the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3 on Monday night -- Boston's fourth consecutive victory.

At 35-15, the Red Sox lead the AL East by 11½ games over Baltimore and hold a 13½-game lead over the rival New York Yankees. Boston has never had a bigger lead through 50 games.

"We're good," said Curt Schilling, who struck out 10 to rebound from his worst start of the season. "There's a lot more focus on the spread between us and the Yankees than we put on it. But to be 50 games into a season and be by double-digits up on anybody is good."

Schilling (5-2) had already tipped his cap after seven strong innings when Youkilis sent center fielder Grady Sizemore running into the Fenway triangle. He couldn't get to it before it hit the side of the Red Sox bullpen and kicked toward left field, where right fielder Trot Nixon ran it down.

"I've watched Johnny [Damon] knock himself completely out. That's a tough ball to play," Nixon said.

"What makes it tough," Sizemore said, "is that it can bounce in so many different directions. You never know if it's going to come out, or kick away. You can go for it, or lay back. But you never know."

Nixon -- who happened to hit the last inside-the-park homer for the Red Sox, on July 15, 2005, against the Yankees -- made a throw to the cutoff man but Youkilis was already coasting across the plate. From there, he retired to the dugout and, smiling and huffing heavily, assumed the fetal position on the bench.

"He runs right out of the batter's box every time," manager Terry Francona said. "Sometimes you get rewarded for that, not with a triple but with a home run."

Youkilis, who also doubled in the fourth, halalalala in 20 consecutive games, raising his average from .280 to .354 -- fourth in the AL. Manny Ramirez also homered, moving into a tie for 25th on the career list with No. 478. Dustin Pedroia was 3-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 13th save, but not before Josh Barfield's RBI double off the Green Monster made it 5-3. Papelbon struck out Casey Blake and Travis Hafner to snap Cleveland's four-game winning streak.

Schilling beat Cliff Lee (2-2) in a matchup of pitchers coming off their season worsts.

Schilling gave up five earned runs and 12 hits against the Yankees on Wednesday. But he allowed the Indians just one run and six hits, fanning 10 or more for the 93rd time in his career and his first this season, before leaving after seven to a standing ovation.

The biggest ovation of the game, though, was to welcome Nixon, who left in the offseason as a free agent after 13 seasons in the Red Sox organization.

Nixon and his wife received an award from the Jimmy Fund before the game for their charitable work, and Kathryn Nixon threw out the first pitch. Nixon received another warm welcome when he came to the plate in the second and again when he singled to right, where J.D. Drew has replaced him.

Lee gave up seven runs in the first two innings last time -- and eight in 4 1/3 -- but on Monday he retired the first eight batters and didn't give up a run until allowing back-to-back RBI doubles to Drew and Mike Lowell. Ramirez added a solo drive in the fifth to make it 3-0.

Ramirez, who hit the first 236 homers of his career for Cleveland, drove his eighth of the year into the Monster Seats to move into a tie with another ex-Indian, Jim Thome, for 25th on the career list.

Game notes
Sizemore made a diving catch to save a run in the fourth. ... The Red Sox just missed a triple play in the third, when Blake hit a chopper to Lowell, who stepped on third and threw to second. Pedroia's throw to first was too late. ... Boston LHP Jon Lester will throw 80-85 pitches in a rehab start at Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday night. RHP Mike Timlin will also rehab at Pawtucket, with scheduled appearances on Tuesday and Thursday. ... Blake was called out on strikes when Papelbon's pitch hit him in the hand while he swung at a 1-2 pitch. ... RP Manny Delcarmen was optioned to Pawtucket after the game to make room for Tuesday's starter, Josh Beckett.

Great win against a decent Indians batting lineup.

Score Summary

4th: Drew double to centre: Youkilis scored (Indians 0-1 Sox)
4th: Lowell double to left: Drew scored (Indians 0-2 Sox)
5th: Ramirez HOME RUN to left (Indians 0-3 Sox)
6th: Martinez single to centre: Blake scored (Indians 1-3 Sox)
7th: Youkilis INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN to deep centre (Indians 1-4 Sox)
8th: Nixon hit sacrifice fly to centre: Sizemore scored (Indians 2-4 Sox)
8th: Lugo double to right: Pedroia scored (Indians 2-5 Sox)
9th: Barfield double to deep centre: Dellucci scored (Indians 3-5 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Curt Schilling (Red Sox) [5-2]
Loss - Cliff Lee (Indians) [2-2]
Save - Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox) [13]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 35-15
Orioles: 24-27
Blue Jays: 23-27
Devil Rays: 21-28
Yankees: 21-28

Just look at that. The Yankees are now 13.5 games back, and are even below the Devil Rays. What is the world coming to. Tonight sees us play our second game of the series, and Josh Beckett will make his comeback for us on the mound against Jeremy Sowers.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 v Indians

Last night, super-duper Josh Beckett pitched his little heart out.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/29/2Ja8fhMu.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox didn't need Josh Beckett in the rotation to open up a double-digit lead in the AL East.

It sure is nice to have him back, though.

"It's not about one player. It's not about one pitcher," first baseman Kevin Youkilis said after his homer helped Beckett return from the disabled list and win his eighth consecutive decision, a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

With Julian Tavarez and some spot starters filling in for Beckett and Jon Lester, Boston has opened an 11 1/2-game lead in the AL East while proving Curt Schilling right when he said of Roger Clemens, "We don't need him."

Nor have the Red Sox missed slugger David Ortiz for the last three games, when they extended their winning streak to five in a row. After resting a "barking" hamstring, he will return Wednesday night, manager Terry Francona said.

"We don't need Papi," Youkilis said jokingly. "Save him for the playoffs. If we need a big hit, a walkoff, we'll bring him in."

Beckett (8-0) went on the disabled with a torn flap of skin on his right middle finger. He returned Tuesday and pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, facing the minimum number of batters in the first six innings before allowing two seventh-inning runs.

"He looks like a guy who hadn't missed a game," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "We were hoping to make him work a little harder and maybe get him out of there a little earlier, but he had it all going tonight."

Beckett struck out seven and walked one to become the first Red Sox starter to win his first eight decisions since Roger Clemens opened the 1986 season 14-0. Hideki Okajima pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

Jeremy Sowers (1-5), coming off his only win, allowed four runs on six hits and an intentional walk while striking out one.

"They basically don't have a flaw in their lineup, so your margin of error is small," Sowers said. "You try to keep yourself out of jams where you're giving up consecutive hits. I thought I did a decent job of that, obviously I could have done a better job of keeping the ball in the ballpark."

Youkilis doubled and homered -- his ninth consecutive multihit game, the most by a Red Sox batter since Jim Rice in 1978. Youkilis extended hilalalalaing streak to 21 consecutive games, raising his batting average from .280 to .358 during that span.

Jason Varitek also homered for Boston.

Youkililalalala an RBI double in the first and led off the sixth with a towering homer over the Monster Seats. Two outs later, Mike Lowell doubled to chase Sowers; Fernando Cabrera walked the next three batters to make it 4-0 before striking out Julio Lugo on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Beckett won his first seven starts before getting a no-decision on May 13, when he lasted just four innings. He went on the 15-day disabled list, and spent the last few days "convincing myself that I'm fine, my finger's fine."

"It made it a lot easier knowing that we were playing as well as we were," Beckett said. "I think we were smart with this thing. Dr. [Thomas] Gill and those guys, they stopped at nothing to make sure that we nipped this thing in the bud."

He struck out Grady Sizemore to start the seventh before Jhonny Peralta singled and Travis Hafner tripled into the right-field corner. Hafner scored on Victor Martinez's groundout to make it 4-2 before Beckett fanned Trot Nixon for the third out.

Game notes
Lester, who is recovering from cancer treatment, pitched five innings in a rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six. ... Cleveland utilityman Casey Blake was the AL player of the week after batting .348 with eight extra-base hits, including four homers. ... Cleveland RHP Jake Westbrook threw a simulated two-inning game and will make a rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. ... Hafner has two triples in five games, after hitting just one in his previous 317 games.

There was me thinking he was injured.

Score Summary

1st: Youkilis double to left: Lugo scored (Indians 0-1 Sox)
5th: Varitek HOME RUN to left (Indians 0-2 Sox)
6th: Youkilis HOME RUN to left (Indians 0-3 Sox)
6th: Pedroia walked: Lowell scored (Indians 0-4 Sox)
7th: Hafner triple to deep right: Peralta scored (Indians 1-4 Sox)
7th: Martinez grounded out to first: Hafner scored (Indians 2-4 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Josh Beckett (Red Sox) [8-0]
Loss - Jeremy Sowers (Indians) [1-5]
Save - Hideki Okajima (Red Sox) [4]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 36-15
Orioles: 25-27
Blue Jays: 24-27
Devil Rays: 21-29
Yankees: 21-29

Top stuff. Tonight sees the final game of the series, and Dice-K is scheduled to pitch. It doesn't seem like that long ago that Dice-K pitched and felt ill. Doesn't time fly when your team keeps whopping the Yankees.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 3 v Indians

After the euphoria of beating the Indians in the series, we sent Dice-K to secure the sweep, but he screwed up monumentally.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/31/CvOZVwqn.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Even the most selective team in the league couldn't coax a walk out of Paul Byrd.

Putting his pitches where he wanted, Byrd extended his walkless streak to 43 innings and threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of 27 hitters as the Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 Wednesday night.

"I don't know that I take pride in a walk streak. I take a lot of pride in making them earn their way to first base," he said.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Boston (36-16), which has the best record in the majors. Cleveland (32-19), with the AL's second best record, overcame a 2-0 deficit after four innings and avoided being swept in the three-game series.

Byrd (6-1), who won his fifth straight decision, issued his last walk more than a month ago -- to Kenny Lofton of Texas on April 26 -- and has gone six games without throwing four balls on any at batter. The only Cleveland pitcher in the last 50 years with a longer streak than 43 innings is lalalala Donovan, who went 45 1/3 in 1963. In 58 innings this year, Byrd has walked just three.

Stopping the Red Sox from walking is impressive, considering they lead the league with 221. Cleveland catcher Kelly Shoppach said Byrd's ability to throw pitches close to the plate, but not down the middle, entices opponents to swing.

"They may not get the pitches they want to hit. That's why they take them," Shoppach said. "As a pitcher and catcher, we want to attack them. We want them to swing the bat."

Shoppach was the most productive swinger with a career-high four hits, including a solo homer in the eighth. The former Boston farmhand led Cleveland's season-high 18-hit attack. Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3) allowed 12 in 5 2/3 innings.

"Not only my fastball, but, overall, I think I had problems with my control," he said.

Matsuzaka didn't walk anyone but left more pitches over the plate than Byrd.

And he didn't get his usual support. In his previous 10 starts, the Red Sox scored 63 runs for him. But they hadn't faced Byrd yet.

"We knew coming in he is not going to walk anybody," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "You have to hit him to beat him."

Trailing 2-0, Byrd shut down Boston until Cleveland tied the game in the fifth and went ahead 6-2 in the sixth.

"He's aggressive," Shoppach said. "If they're not knocking him all over the place, they're not giving us a reason to change our game plan."

Matsuzaka had won his previous six decisions but was driven from the game in the sixth when he allowed four runs despite getting help from a poor call by second base umpire Rick Reed.

Former Boston right fielder Trot Nixon led off with a double and scored the tie-breaking run on David Dellucci's double. Josh Barfield singled to left, scoring Dellucci.

Shoppach then singled Barfield to second. But Barfield rounded the base and was called out trying to get back when left fielder Manny Ramirez threw behind him to Dustin Pedroia, who swiped at the runner. Barfield and manager Eric Wedge argued and replays showed Pedroia missed Barfield by a wide margin.

Two pitches later, Grady Sizemore hit his ninth homer, giving Cleveland a 6-2 lead and bringing Kyle Snyder in for Matsuzaka.

"I don't know if he struggled as much as they hit him," Boston catcher Jason Varitek said. "They were able to get one pitch each at-bat."

Kevin Youkilis extended hilalalalaing streak to a career-best 22 games, but his stretch of multihit games ended at nine. He made a costly out in the seventh when the Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs on three singles that knocked Byrd out of the game.

Youkilis struck out for the second out before David Ortiz lined the ball just foul past the right field pole then was retired on a soft liner.

Mike Lowell added a two-run homer, his 10th, in the eighth.

Boston had taken a 2-0 lead on RBI grounders by Varitek in the second and J.D. Drew in the fourth. Cleveland tied it in the fifth on a single by Shoppach, a double by Sizemore, a run-scoring groundout by Casey Blake and an RBI double by Travis Hafner.

Game notes
Ramirez turned 35 years old on Wednesday. ... Cleveland starters have walked fewer than three batters in the last 16 games ... Lowell extended his home hitting streak to 22 games. ... Blake and Pedroia extended their hitting streaks to 10 games.

Ah well, can't win them all.

Score Summary

2nd: Varitek grounded out to first: Drew scored (Indians 0-1 Sox)
4th: Drew grounded out to shortstop: Lowell scored (Indians 0-2 Sox)
5th: Blake grounded out to shortstop: Shoppach scored (Indians 1-2 Sox)
5th: Hafner double to left centre: Sizemore scored (Indians 2-2 Sox)
6th: Dellucci double to left: Nixon scored (Indians 3-2 Sox)
6th: Barfield single to left: Dellucci scored (Indians 4-2 Sox)
6th: Sizemore HOME RUN to right: Shoppach scored (Indians 6-2 Sox)
8th: Shoppach HOME RUN to left (Indians 7-2 Sox)
8th: Hafner hit a ground rule double to left: Sizemore scored (Indians 8-2 Sox)
8th: Lowell HOME RUN to left: Drew scored (Indians 8-4 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Paul Byrd (Indians) [6-1]
Loss - Dice-K Matsuzaka (Red Sox) [7-3]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 36-16
Orioles: 26-27
Blue Jays: 24-28
Devil Rays: 22-29
Yankees: 22-29

We were stuffed. Today we have a day off, but on Friday night is another crunch series. We commence another series against the Yankees at Fenway. We will of course be hoping to extend our 13.5 game lead over them in the division.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 v Yankees

Last night, Tim 'I can't pitch to save my life' Wakefield pitched for the Sox against the Yankegos.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/06/01/kdZBNTVG.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- The New York Yankees are trying to break another one of baseball's unwritten rules, the one that says a double-digit deficit on Memorial Day is insurmountable.

One game after Alex Rodriguez offended some baseball purists by distracting a fielder during a popup, the Yankees built on that victory by beating the Red Sox 9-5 on Friday and climbing out of the AL East cellar. No longer tied for last with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York still trails Boston by 12 1/2 games.

"I think we need to be a little more fiery," said New York manager Joe Torre, who was ejected for arguing a caught stealing in the fifth and was joined by reliever Scott Proctor after his errant pitch in the ninth -- the fifth hit batter of the game -- cleared the benches and bullpens.

"I think we showed fight tonight. We need to assert ourselves ... just get that determination back," Torre said. "I hope we can build on this because we're good. We're much better than we've been playing, but obviously the results haven't shown."

Jorge Posada had a pair of doubles, including a three-run shot to cap a six-run rally that broke a fourth-inning tie. Rodriguez reached base three times and scored twice despite the mockery of a Fenway crowd that -- with the division race apparently in hand -- had no place else to direct its longstanding anger.

Chien-Ming Wang (4-4) scattered 10 hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs while striking out one to win for the third time in four starts.

Tim Wakefield (5-6) lasted 3 2/3 innings -- the shortest outing for a Red Sox starter this year -- and saw his ERA balloon from 3.36 to 4.24. He gave up eight runs on five hits with six walks, a wild pitch and a hit batsman while striking out two.

"I don't think I've ever gone into any game thinking, 'Well, we're due for a clunker," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "It just kind of happens that way some times."

Torre was ejected for arguing when Bobby Abreu was caught trying to steal third in the fifth. The Yankees already led 9-3; (there's supposed to be an unwritten rule about stealing with a big lead, too).

The otherwise emotionless game boiled over with two outs to go when Proctor, who's already been suspended once this season for pitching inside, dusted Kevin Youkilis and he made a move toward the mound. The benches emptied, Proctor was ejected, and the fans who remained began their traditional anti-Yankees chant.

The Red Sox cut a 9-3 deficit by two runs before Mariano Rivera got the last two outs. Robinson Cano, who was 4-for-4 with three doubles against Toronto on Wednesday, homered for the Yankees.

"That didn't look like [a last-place team] tonight," Youkilis said. "I don't think the New York Yankees are ever a last-place team. They have too much potential."

Manny Ramirez had four hits and Dustin Pedroia three for Boston, which lost both third baseman Mike Lowell and right-fielder J.D. Drew to apparently minor injuries during the game.

The start was delayed 25 minutes to honor Boston's 1967 AL championship team, and it crawled its way to a finish more than four hours after the scheduled first pitch. Even the Boston fans' glee over A-Rod's personal and professional crises couldn't keep them in their seats that long, and few stuck around for the end.

Among them was a contingent of a few dozen in the seats near the New York dugout that pulled on masks of a woman with blonde hair, a reference to the woman photographed with Rodriguez last weekend at a Toronto hotel. In a front-page story on Friday, the New York Post reported she is a former Las Vegas stripper.

"The fans thought about what they were going to do all day instead of enjoying the beautiful weather," Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon said. "If that floats their boat, so be it."

The fans also mocked A-Rod's antics in Toronto, when he yelled -- "Mine!" or "Hah!" depending on whom you believe -- at Blue Jays third baseman Howie Clark on an easy popup that then dropped in for a hit. The Yankees earned three runs and Toronto's ire because of the play.

At Fenway, the crowd berated the Yankees at every infield fly, shouting at Rodriguez as he camped under Drew's popup short of third base in the second inning. Rodriguez caught it and threw it to a fan as he left the field, but the fan threw it back.

Rodriguez, who was not available for comment after the game, didn't let it bother him.

He walked in the second and singled in the third. He was nicked by a pitch in the fourth and scored from first on Posada's double. He also saved a run with the game tied 3-all in the third when he fielded a grounder and threw home to catch Doug Mirabelli in a rundown.

Game notes
Youkilis singled in the sixth to extend hilalalalaing streak to 23 games. ... Lowell left after being hit by a pitch on his wrist. Drew went out with a right hamstring strain and was replaced in right field by Wily Mo Pena in the top of the sixth inning. ... Yankees DH Jason Giambi went on the 15-day disabled list with torn tissue in his left foot. The Yankees also sent right-hander Matt DeSalvo to Scranton Wilkes-Barre and called up righty Chris Britton and outfielder Kevin Thompson from the Triple-A club. ... Youkilis had 45 hits in May, second in the AL to the 46 by Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki. He extended hilalalalaing streak to 23 games. ... Wakefield has 17 walks against the Yankees in three starts this season. He has allowed 23 runs in his last four starts after giving up nine runs in his first seven starts.

I can't help but feel that Wakefield's days are numbered now Lester is on the comeback trail.

Score Summary

2nd: Cano HOME RUN to right: A-Rod scored (Yanks 0-2 Sox)
2nd: Damon walked: Abreu scored (Yanks 3-0 Sox)
2nd: Lugo grounded out to second: Crisp scored (Yanks 3-1 Sox)
2nd: Ortiz single to left: Pedroia scored (Yanks 3-2 Sox)
3rd: Pedroia double to left: Crisp scored (Yanks 3-3 Sox)
4th: Cano scored on wild pitch by Wakefield (Yanks 4-3 Sox)
4th: Cabrera single to centre: Abreu scored (Yanks 5-3 Sox)
4th: Phelps scored on passed ball by Mirabelli (Yanks 6-3 Sox)
4th: Posada double to deep centre: Cabrera, Matsui and A-Rod scored (Yanks 9-3 Sox)
9th: Ramirez single to left centre: Youkilis scored (Yanks 9-4 Sox)
9th: Pena grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher: Ortiz scored (Yanks 9-5 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Chien-Ming Wang (Yankees) [4-4]
Loss - Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) [5-6]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 36-17
Orioles: 27-28
Blue Jays: 25-29
Yankees: 23-29
Devil Rays: 22-30

At least Youkilis extended hilalalalaing streak. Tonight we will look to rectify this result in the second game. Curt Schilling will pitch.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 v Yankees

After the trauma of game 1, it was up to the ageless Curt Schilling to step up to the plate and avenge that loss.

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

BOSTON (AP) -- Mike Lowell dished out the big hits -- with his body and his bat.

Lowell homered to start a Red Sox comeback and also flattened two Yankees in a pair of basepath collisions on Saturday as Boston beat New York 11-6. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz was taken from the field on a cart after banging his head on Lowell's hip while trying to one-hop a bad throw from shortstop Derek Jeter.

"That was like a football game," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "I think everybody leaves these games just mentally and physically exhausted. Just a lot of hard baseball."

The Yankees scored four in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead, but Boston tied it in the bottom half on back-to-back homers by Lowell and Jason Varitek. Jeter homered in the seventh to give New York the lead before committing errors on consecutive plays during Boston's five-run seventh.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with nobody out against Scott Proctor (0-3) before Lowell hit a grounder to second. Robinson Cano flipped to second for the force, but Jeter spun around and threw an 85-footer that Mientkiewicz tried to backhand on the outfield side of the bag.

As his momentum pulled him into the baseline, Lowell ran through the base and sent Mientkiewicz sprawling. The ball bounced off his glove and into foul territory as Manny Ramirez scampered home with the second -- and go-ahead -- run.

"It seemed like every time we scored, they scored some runs," Jeter said. "And I didn't help them."

Mientkiewicz remained on the ground for several minutes while the Yankees' medical staff attended to him, testing his vision and his reaction; Lowell stood nearby in obvious concern. Mientkiewicz, a defensive replacement who gloved the final out in Boston's 2004 World Series victory, was helped into a golf cart and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for precautionary tests.

"I feel bad for Doug. You don't want anything like that to happen," said Lowell, who played against Mientkiewicz in high school and worked out with him in the offseason. "He knows me well enough. ... I wanted to say something, but they were being so careful."

Dustin Pedroia had three hits for Boston for the second consecutive game, and Hideki Okajima (1-0) retired all four batters he faced for his first major league victory. Kevin Youkilis, who came in with a 23-game hitting streak, was the only Red Sox starter who didn't get a hit; he drew a walk in the eighth to end the streak.

Melky Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a homer, and Jorge Posada hit a three-run shot for the Yankees, who fell back to 13 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East race.

"Our ballclub is in great spirits right now. We wish we had a seventh inning we could do over again," Torre said. "We're fighting now. We haven't been through this in a while."

Help isn't coming any time soon: Pitcher-for-hire Roger Clemens was scratched from Monday's start against Chicago because of groin fatigue.

It's not clear when the 44-year-old, seven-time Cy Young winner, who signed for a prorated $28 million, will make his 2007 debut. Red Sox fans taunted the Yankees in the ninth with a chant of "Where is Roger?"

A night after Lowell took a pitch off his left wrist -- one of five hit batsman in the game -- he had three hits and four RBIs. He was also involved in a little basepath payback in the fourth when he slammed his right shoulder -- and a little bit of his elbow -- into Cano in an attempt to break up a double play.

Cano bounced the ball to first as he fell to the dirt, just getting Varitek at first.

"I never had a problem with him before," Cano said. "Today he threw his elbow."

But Torre said it was a clean play. Lowell, who spent his first four professional seasons in the Yankees organization, insisted he meant no harm.

"They taught me how to do it," he said.

Proctor allowed five runs -- two of them earned -- on three hits and three walks, two of them intentional. He also coughed up the lead in Mike Mussina's previous start.

Both Mussina and Red Sox starter Curt Schilling struggled after a 29-minute rain delay in the fourth inning. Neither made it out of the sixth.

"The rain delay didn't help," Francona said. "Didn't help Schilling; didn't help Mussina."

Game notes
Posada has 205 career homers, tying Dave Winfield for ninth on the Yankees all-time list. ... The Red Sox reached 1 million in attendance in their 28th home game, tying last season's franchise record for quickest to the mark. ... Mussina is winless in four starts. ... J.D. Drew was out of the lineup with a right hamstring strain.

Schilling takes the no-decision, after not being helped by a rain delay.

Score Summary

2nd: Cabrera HOME RUN to right (Yanks 1-0 Sox)
3rd: Lugo grounded out to shortstop: Pena scored (Yanks 1-1 Sox)
4th: Lowell single to left: Ortiz scored (Yanks 1-2 Sox)
4th: Varitek grounded into double play: Ramirez scored (Yanks 1-3 Sox)
6th: Posada HOME RUN to right: Matsui and A-Rod scored (Yanks 4-3 Sox)
6th: Mientkiewicz single to centre: Cabrera scored (Yanks 5-3 Sox)
6th; Lowell HOME RUN to left centre (Yanks 5-4 Sox)
6th: Varitek HOME RUN to centre (Yanks 5-5 Sox)
7th: Jeter HOME RUN to left (Yanks 6-5 Sox)
7th: Lowell grounded into fielder's shoice to second: Ortiz and Ramirez scored (Yanks 6-7 Sox)
7th: Crisp single to centre: Lowell scored (Yanks 6-8 Sox)
7th: Lugo hit sacrifice fly to centre: Varitek scored (Yanks 6-9 Sox)
7th: Pedroia single to right: Pena scored (Yanks 6-10 Sox)
8th: Lowell double to centre: Youkilis scored (Yanks 6-11 Sox)

Pitchers

Win - Hideki Okajima (Red Sox) [1-0]
Loss - Scott Proctor (Yankees) [0-3]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 37-17
Orioles: 27-29
Blue Jays: 26-29
Yankees: 23-30
Devil Rays: 22-31

Tonight is the final game of the series. Josh Beckett will pitch.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 @ Athletics

After losing the series against the Yankees, we were hoping for a strong comeback against Oakland. We came very close.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/06/05/aOaypSey.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox thought they were exhausted when they got into their Bay Area hotel at dawn Monday after losing two of three to the Yankees.

They had no idea their longest day of the year was just beginning -- and that it would end with a 225-minute, 11-inning, improbably dramatic loss to the Oakland Athletics.

Mark Ellis became the sixth Oakland player to hit for the cycle, and Eric Chavez ended it with a two-out homer for the A's, who recovered from Boston's ninth-inning rally for a tumultuous 5-4 victory.

Chavez left no doubt on his eighth homer of the season, this one off Kyle Snyder (1-1), ending a game with a homer for just the second time in his career. But there was plenty of doubt before that in Boston's fourth loss in five games, starting when the Red Sox erased Dan Haren's outstanding start with a two-run rally in the ninth.

"They did a good job battling," Ellis said. "We know they got in late last night, but they're got a lot of pride over there. It's a great win for us. We persevered and kept fighting. There were plenty of chances to give up."

Haren dazzled the Red Sox with nine strikeouts during 7 2/3 innings of four-hit ball, but pinch-hitter Jason Varitek and Wily Mo Pena hit run-scoring singles against Alan Embree in the ninth to tie it for Boston.

Ellis then hit for the cycle for the first time in his career, completing it with a broken-bat bloop single in the 10th inning. Ellilalalala a two-run triple in the second and a solo homer in the fourth, adding a double in the sixth.

David Ortiz hit his first homer in 19 games and added doubles in the ninth and 10th innings for the Red Sox, who staggered into Oakland after a cross-country flight and no rest thanks to a scheduling quirk that annoyed and drained them.

"We lost a heartbreaking game," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "It won't be heartbreaking [Tuesday]. We did a lot of things just to get an extra-inning game on the road. We wiggled out of a few jams. ... We did a lot. We just didn't do enough."

Santiago Casilla (1-0) earned his first major-league victory for the A's, who won three straight for the first time since mid-April -- and Chavez decided it was time to go home, pausing briefly to admire his homer.

"The way it came off the bat, and the way I've been swinging lately, I kind of knew it was going to carry a little bit," Chavez said.

After Embree blew the save, the A's loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth -- but Boston survived when J.C. Romero struck out Chavez and then induced a 5-2-3 double play on Bobby Crosby's grounder to Kevin Youkilis, sparking enthusiastic high-fives in front of the pro-Boston fans.

"I kind of felt like I threw away that [at-bat] in the 10th," Chavez said.

Ortiz, whose double started the ninth-inning rally, hit a two-out double off the top of the center-field wall in the 10th. But Mark Kotsay barehanded it, and the relay throw to Jason Kendall easily cut down Dustin Pedroia, who attempted to score from first.

"It shows the character of this team," Pedroia said. "A lot of adversity, travel ... we're not going to quit. ... [The 10th-inning play] was tough. I didn't have much of a lead at first, and the ball caromed off the wall pretty good to him. A couple of extra inches further on David's ball, and it's a home run."

Ellis then completed the 17th cycle in A's history dating to 1901 with his one-out bloop, and he reached third on Shannon Stewart's groundout. But the Red Sox escaped again when Travis Buck grounded out to first, with Snyder making a sprinting, diving play to cover the bag.

Ellis was the first player to hit for the cycle against the Red Sox since Andre Thornton did it on April 22, 1978.

Way back in the first inning, Ortiz snapped his longest homer drought since joining the Red Sox in 2003, popping Haren's full-count pitch over the short right-field fence in the first inning.

The powerful designated hitter, who has just 10 homers after hitting a Red Sox-record 54 last season, hadn't connected since May 9, a span of 19 games and 69 at-bats. He kept producing despite the homer drought, driving in 15 runs during that skid.

Although Haren gave up two homers for the first time all season, he matched his season high in strikeouts and retired 14 straight at one point. He struck out five of the last seven batters he faced before leaving to a standing ovation in what would have been his seventh straight victory.

Game notes
Embree blew his first save in five chances with Oakland -- his first blown save since exactly two years ago, when he was with Boston. ... Pedroia was the AL's Rookie of the Month, and the Woodland, Calif., native celebrated with more than 15 friends and family members in the Coliseum stands. He then extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games with a 10th-inning single.

Ah well.

Score Summary

1st: Ortiz HOME RUN to right (Sox 1-0 A's)
2nd: Ellis triple to deep right centre: Crosby and Kotsay scored (Sox 1-2 A's)
4th: Ellis HOME RUN to left (Sox 1-3 A's)
7th: Pena HOME RUN to left (Sox 2-3 A's)
8th: Kendall hit sacrifice fly to left: Chavez scored (Sox 2-4 A's)
9th: Varitek single to centre: Ortiz scored (Sox 3-4 A's)
9th: Pena single to right centre: Crisp scored (Sox 4-4 A's)
11th: Chavez HOME RUN to right (Sox 4-5 A's)

Pitchers

Win - Santiago Casilla (Athletics) [1-0]
Loss - Kyle Snyder (Red Sox) [1-1]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 37-19
Blue Jays: 27-29
Orioles: 27-231
Devil Rays: 24-31
Yankees: 24-31

Ah well. Tonight, hopefully Dice-K can pitch well. In other, better news....

Pedroia Named AL Rookie Of The Month

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/05/01/9XpiKlpW.jpg

Originally Posted by Red Sox.com

Raising your batting average 136 points in a month is a step in the right direction for anyone. But it's downright impressive when that jump comes for a 23-year-old rookie.
That's just one reason that Boston's Dustin Pedroia is the American League Rookie of the Month for May. Pedroia started the month with a .172 average, but batted .415 over the month to increase his season average to .308. He also had a .600 slugging percentage in May.

After starting off the season in a slump, Pedroia entered Monday's game on a 13-game hitting streak, topped off by his three-run double in Sunday's game against the Yankees.

"I don't think you push a button. I think it's a process of a lot of hard work," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "When he was struggling, he didn't put his head down, he's got that fighter mentality. He goes to the cage every day. He had a lot of long sessions with [hitting coach Dave Magadan]. He got it in the cage, but he was having a hard time taking it to the field. Then it started translating into the game. You could see him getting more confident, which he should. [His] stride got a little less harsh."

Pedroia entered Monday's game hitting .336 with two home runs and 16 RBIs on the season. He's started 41 games this season at second base and has only committed two errors.

"I think we're at a good point right now," said Francona. "Pedroia got himself to a point where he's a key member of our team and he's not looking over his shoulder."

Anaheim's Reggie Willits finished one vote behind Pedroia in the balloting. Also receiving votes were last month's rookie winner, Hideki Okajima of the Red Sox; Travis Buck of the A's; Jeremy Guthrie of the Orioles and Brandon Morrow of the Mariners.

Pedroia and the National League Rookie of the Month, Houston's Hunter Pence, will receive specially designed trophies to commemorate their achievements.

[Tealey7]

[color=red]Game Review - Game 2 @ Athletics

Last night, Dice-K struck out 8 batters. Somehow, we still lost.[/size]

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/06/06/eQy5vJPb.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Lenny DiNardo insisted he had no fantasies of revenge or vindication while he infuriated the Boston Red Sox for six innings.

In fact, his six walks -- and that fat fastball down the middle to former roommate Kevin Youkilis -- were more than generous to the club that dropped him nearly four months ago.

Yet the Red Sox didn't use any of DiNardo's reunion gifts in a 2-0 loss Tuesday night, wasting Daisuke Matsuzaka's strong start and falling to their ex-reliever for their fifth loss in six games.

"I got away with some stuff," DiNardo said.

Eric Chavez homered in his second straight game and Nick Swisher added a run-scoring double in the fifth for the A's, who won their fourth straight. Boston still has the majors' best record at 37-20, but has lost three in a row for the first time all season.

DiNardo (2-2) held his ex-teammates to two hits over six innings despite minimal control of his pitches. He survived with guile and grit -- and a sinker that helped the Red Sox hit into four double plays.

"I tried not to look at who they were, because I went to battle with those guys for three years," said DiNardo, who won a World Series ring while spending his first three major league seasons as an unremarkable reliever and spot starter in Boston.

"If you look at their faces, that's not going to help. I just tried to look at their blue hats and their jerseys."

DiNardo made six starts for Boston last season, but missed more than three months with a neck injury. The A's claimed him off waivers two days before spring training began -- and after a lousy 2006 campaign, even DiNardo couldn't argue with the move.

"I have no hard feelings whatsoever," he said. "I'm not trying to rub anything in anybody's face. ... They wanted a guy that would perform, and I didn't perform."

DiNardo had pitched sparingly in Oakland until manager Bob Geren put him in the rotation because of the A's numerous injuries. DiNardo pitched well while losing his debut start last week, but then matched the longest appearance of his career against the club that let him go.

He escaped bases-loaded jams in the first and sixth innings, and held Boston without a hit in the middle four frames. Youkilis had a chance to pound a pedestrian fastball with one out in the sixth -- but his bat broke on the swing, and Chavez turned the grounder into a double play.

"I think we made him work, and we got runners on base, and then he'd make a pitch," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We hit some balls hard early, and we hit some balls not hard. Just a combination of both, and we couldn't push a run across."

Boston hit into its fifth double play in the eighth inning, and Alan Embree -- who blew a two-run lead the previous night -- pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

Matsuzaka (7-4) was solid in his second straight defeat, yielding seven hits and two walks while striking out eight -- a marked improvement on the 19 hits and 11 earned runs allowed by the Japanese right-hander in his previous two starts.

But his teammates' failure to solve DiNardo sent Matsuzaka to a hard-luck loss in his first career start on the West Coast. Boston managed only three hits, matching its second-lowest total of the year.

"I had problems with my overall command," Matsuzaka said. "The Red Sox are not a team that loses a lot of games in a row, so I definitely had a sense of urgency to stop the skid. ... If the team had won, I could say I did my fair share. But with the home run, which I think was preventable, and the second run, I'm disappointed."

Chavez has struggled along with the rest of Oakland's offense this season, but his homer to end Monday night's game highlighted an encouraging homestand. With his blast off Matsuzaka, the third baseman has four homers and seven RBIs in the first eight games of the A's 10-game set at the Coliseum.

"Just the last week, I really got healthy," said Chavez, who has struggled with a triceps injury. "Going through (the injury problems) I did last year, and then a different issue this year, at times I just wanted to give up. We've finally got this figured out, and I just hope it's for the duration."

Game notes
Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia's 14-game hitting streak ended when he walalalala by a pitch in the eighth -- and he then gave Oakland a double play when he fell down while trying to get back to first base on David Ortiz's broken-bat popup. ... Matsuzaka's next scheduled start is against Arizona's Randy Johnson on Sunday. ... Francona rested struggling OF J.D. Drew in favor of Wily Mo Pena. Drew went 4-for-35 in his last 10 games despite getting a single in Monday night's game after missing the previous two contests with a nagging hamstring injury. ... Oakland is three games over .500 for the first time all season.

I get the feeling it wa sjust one of those games.

Score Summary

4th: Chavez HOME RUN to left centre (Sox 0-1 A's)
5th: Swisher double to left: Kendall scored (Sox 0-2 A's)

Pitchers

Win - Lenny DiNardo (Athletics) [2-2]
Loss - Dice-K Matsuzaka (Red Sox) [7-4]
Save - Alan Embree (Athletics) [5]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 37-20
Blue Jays: 28-29
Orioles: 27-32
Yankees: 25-31
Devil Rays: 24-32

Ah well, our 9 game leads on Toronto still looks huge. Tonight is the final game of the series, and Tim Wakefield, our one dimensional pitcher will pitch. Don't hold out for a win.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 4 @ Athletics

I missed game 3, which we lost 3-2. Last night however, things changed. Schilling came so close to doing something he's never done before. Ortiz whacked a ball far away.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/06/07/nOraWBiz.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Maybe the next time a Boston pitcher takes a no-hit bid into the ninth inning, he'll listen to catcher Jason Varitek.

Curt Schilling came within one out of his first career no-hitter Thursday, losing his bid when Shannon Stewart lined a clean single to right field after Schilling shook off his catcher. Schilling finished with a one-hitter as the Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 1-0.

"We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook Tek off," Schilling said. "And I get a big 'What if?' for the rest of my life."

It was not the first time a Boston pitcher shook off Varitek in the ninth inning only to see a no-hitter get broken up. Pedro Martinez did it Aug. 29, 2000, against Tampa Bay, giving up a single to John Flaherty on a fastball instead of the curve that Varitek called for.

Schilling said he called off Varitek between five and 10 times, saying it "was one time too many."

"Hindsight is always 20-20," Varitek said. "It wasn't the first time he shook off all game. We had like a half-dozen. It doesn't really matter. He made a quality pitch. If he didn't make a quality pitch then you can second guess."

Schilling (6-2) looked on his way to making history when he retired Mark Kotsay and Jason Kendall on grounders to shortstop for the first two outs of the ninth.

Having called fastballs to the first two batters, Varitek called for a first-pitch slider to Stewart. Schilling wanted to throw a fastball.

"I was sure he was taking, and Tek was sure he was swinging," Schilling said. "And I was wrong."

With a strong contingent of Red Sox fans cheering on at the Coliseum, Stewart lined the first pitch through the hole between first and second for Oakland's only hit.

Stewart said he was expecting the take sign when he came up, but when he was given the go-ahead to swing away, he did just that.

"You never want to get no-hit," Stewart said. "The bottom line is we lost the game. Nobody is happy about that."

Schilling's teammates in the dugout and many of the fans gave him a standing ovation after the hit, and he paced behind the mound for a short time, trying to gather his composure and not lose more than a no-hitter. Schilling retired Mark Ellis on a foul popout to end the third one-hitter of his career.

He also accomplished the feat in 1992 against the New York Mets and 10 years later against Milwaukee. He lost those bids early -- in the third inning against the Brewers, the fifth against the Mets.

The 40-year-old would have been the fourth-oldest pitcher pitch a no-hitter. Nolan Ryan did it as a 43- and 44-year old, Cy Young was 41 when he pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox in 1908; and Randy Johnson was 40 years, 8 months when he pitched a perfect game in 2004.

Schilling had twice before taken no-hit bids into the eighth inning, losing one famously when San Diego's Ben Davis bunted for a hit with one out in the eighth inning to break up a perfect game in 2001. Schilling warned his teammates to look out for a bunt in the late innings of this game.

David Ortiz hit his 11th home run in the first inning against Joe Blanton (5-4) to give Schilling all the support he would need and help Boston stop a season-high four-game losing streak.

Schilling was a model of efficiency, pounding the strike zone reaching a three-ball count only once. He got the A's to hit routine fly balls to the spacious Coliseum outfield, recording 12 of his outs in the air. He also struck out four in the 100-pitch outing -- his first shutout since May 14, 2003, for Arizona against Philadelphia, and first complete game since 2004.

"It was fun," Schilling said. "It was 1-0 the whole day, so that kind of alleviates thinking about anything else. In a 1-0 game, you're trying to stay away from a tie."

Only one of those fly balls came close to a hit before the ninth. But Coco Crisp made a nice running catch before crashing into the wall in front of the 400-foot sign in center field to rob Kotsay of an extra-base hit leading off the sixth inning.

"That's kind of when I said, 'This might actually happen,'" Schilling said.

Schilling, who had just one win in his previous five starts, retired his first 14 batters before Johnson's two-out grounder in the fifth inning handcuffed Julio Lugo for an error. Schilling got out of the inning by getting Marco Scutaro on a fly ball to right field. Other than Kotsay's drive in the sixth, the A's didn't come close to getting a baserunner until Stewart'lalalala in the ninth.

"He was on all day," Johnson said. "We was really working the zone. He had it going."

Blanton was nearly as stingy as Schilling, allowing only the homer to Ortiz. The Red Sox threatened again in the seventh, putting runners on first and third with one out. But Blanton got Alex Cora to foul out and Coco Crisp on a comebacker. Blanton allowed one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Game notes
Two Boston pitchers have thrown no-hitters against the A's: Howard Ehmke on Sept. 7, 1923, and Young on May 5, 1904. ... Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... The A's were looking for their first four-game sweep at home against the Red Sox since May 19-21, 1932, when they played in Philadelphia.

Agonisingly close there for Schilling, but he still had a very good day.

Score Summary

1st: Ortiz HOME RUN to right (Sox 1-0 A's)

Pitchers

Win - Curt Schilling (Red Sox) [6-2]
Loss - Joe Blanton (Athletics) [5-4]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 38-21
Blue Jays: 28-31
Orioles: 28-32
Yankees: 27-31
Devil Rays: 26-32

It seems a bit strange to have the draft in the regular season rather than the offseason, but that is what's going on at the moment. In the first round, the Red Sox selected left handed pitcher Nick Hagadone, and it is an ongoing process. Tonight, Josh Beckett, with his 8-0 record, faces the Arizona Diamondbacks and their starting pitcher Doug Davis.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 1 @ Diamondbacks

Last night, the main man, Josh Beckett pitched. J.D Drew started to justify why he's paid so highly.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/06/08/ejecsGq9.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

PHOENIX (AP) -- It's no coincidence that J.D. Drew hammers the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He wants to maintain bragging rights over his younger brother, Stephen, who plays shortstop for Arizona.

Extending his dominance of the Diamondbacks, Drew hit a pair of three-run homers and drove in a career-high seven runs as the Boston Red Sox routed Arizona 10-3 Friday night in the Red Sox' first regular-season visit to Chase Field.

Drew picked up where he left off last season, when he battered the Diamondbacks as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted .412 (28-for-6 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 18 games against Arizona.

"I think there's always going to be that sibling rivalry going on," Drew said. "He does well, I want to do better. That's maybe a little bit to do with it. But you've still got to get pitches and you've still got to put good swings on them, and it's worked out well."

Drew's eruption provided plenty of support for Josh Beckett, who improved to 9-0. Beckett matched his season high by going eight innings, allowing two earned runs and five hits without a walk. He struck out eight, also matching a season high.

Unlike Drew, Beckett had struggled against the Diamondbacks. He went 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA in four starts against Arizona while with the Florida Marlins.

Beckett has tied the fifth-best start in franchise history, matching Sonny Siebert, who won his first nine decisions in 1971. The best start is Roger Clemens' 14-0 in 1986.

"I'm on a great team," Beckett said. "I can't take all the credit for being 9-0. These guys have done an unbelievable job behind me."

On Friday night, Drew did the most.

It took Drew six innings to double the number of home runs he hit in his first 50 games since signing a $70-million, five-year contract with the Red Sox last winter.

With two on and two out in the third, Drew hit Doug Davis' (4-7) first pitch 416 feet into the left center field seats to give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead.

Drew hit another three-run shot in the sixth -- this one to the right field seats against reliever Edgar Gonzalez.

"He's a great hitter, and it was a big night for him," Beckett said. "The other guys pitched in too. You can't hit three-run homers if nobody's on base."

Drew also doubled home a run in the eighth off Gonzalez.

"It was fun to watch him swing the bat like that," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "The team got directly rewarded. He was a lot of our offense tonight, and we need that long term."

Meanwhile on Friday, the Red Sox activated right-hander Mike Timlin from the 15-day disabled list. Timlin, who has missed 34 games with tendinitis in his right shoulder, is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA.

To make room for Timlin, the Red Sox designated lefty J.C. Romero for assignment. Romero was 1-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 23 relief appearances for Boston this season.

Red Sox Nation turned out for Boston's first regular-season appearance in the desert. And their team gave them plenty to cheer about from the start.

Julio Lugo led off the first by driving a 3-2 pitch from Davis 408 feet into the left field bleachers, drawing a roar from the throngs of Red Sox fans who invaded Chase Field. It was Lugo's second leadoff homer of the season and the ninth of his career.

Davis allowed five runs on six hits in four innings, his shortest start as a Diamondback. He walked five, matching a season high, and struck out two.

"Doug didn't have his best stuff, his best command early," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "With Beckett on the mound, you give him a lead like that, it's not a real good recipe."

Before the game, Melvin denied that the series with the Red Sox was a measuring stick for his young club. But the Diamondbacks didn't look like they belonged on the same field Friday night.

"We didn't come out to play today, and we have to come out and play better against a team like that," first baseman Conor Jackson said. "We need to come out tomorrow and show we can play with a team like that."

Game notes
With their visit to Chase Field, the Red Sox have played in all but three current major league parks -- Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, Houston's Minute Maid Park and San Diego's Petco Park. ... Arizona 3B Alberto Callaspo fell victim to a hidden-ball trick in the third. After beating a throw to second base, Callaspo stood to dust himself off, pulling his left hand off the bag. Lugo, standing behind him with the ball in his glove, made the tag. "Lugo just kind of slipped behind him," Beckett said. "I was actually back there trying to get him to throw me the ball. I'm glad he didn't throw me the ball." The last time the Red Sox pulled the trick was May 13, 1991, when Steve Lyons caught the White Sox's Ozzie Guillen at second base. ... Eric Byrnes' RBI single in the third extended hilalalalaing streak to 15 games.

A great win.

Score Summary

1st: Lugo HOME RUN to left centre (Sox 1-0 DBacks)
3rd: Drew HOME RUN to centre: Lugo and Ramirez scored (Sox 4-0 DBacks)
3rd: Byrnes single to centre: Snyder scored (Sox 4-1 DBacks)
4th: Ramirez single to left: Pedroia scored (Sox 5-1 DBacks)
6th: Ortiz double to deep right: Pedroia scored on throwing error by Byrnes (Sox 6-1 DBacks)
6th: Drew HOME RUN to right: Ortiz and Ramirez scored (Sox 9-1 DBacks)
7th: Drew grounded into fielder's choide to pitcher: Hudson scored (Sox 9-2 DBacks)
8th: Drew double to centre: Hinske scored (Sox 10-2 DBacks)
8th: Montero HOME RUN to centre (Sox 10-3 DBacks)

Pitchers

Win - Josh Beckett (Red Sox) [9-0]
Loss - Doug Davis (Diamondbacks) [4-7]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 39-21
Orioles: 29-32
Yankees: 28-31
Blue Jays: 28-32
Devil Rays: 26-33

Top stuff. Tonight is the second game of the series, and it will pit Julian Tavarez against Micah Owings of the DBacks.

[Tealey7]

Game Review - Game 2 @ Diamondbacks

This game saw Tavrez pitch well, and Stephen Drew hit a 2 run HR over his older brother, our man J.D

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/images/2007/06/10/gA7Q9QEm.jpg

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

PHOENIX (AP) -- Mike Lowell started warming up in the fifth inning. By the time the 10th inning came around, he and the strained ligament in his left thumb were ready.

Lowell's pinch-hit sacrifice fly scored David Ortiz in the 10th inning and lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

"He didn't sit around all night," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "He stretched, hit, was in the cage. That's the type of guy he is. He honors his responsibility to the best of his ability no matter what the role."

Jason Varitek homered, doubled and drove in three runs for the Red Sox, who won their third straight to remain 10 1/2 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East.

"Today was another one-run game and that does nothing but build confidence," Varitek said.

Juan Cruz (2-1) walked Ortiz to open the 10th, and Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew both singled to load the bases. Cruz struck out Varitek before Lowell lifted a high fly to right on a two-strike pitch that Carlos Quentin caught, but his throw home was well wide of the plate.

"I think you have to change your game plan," said Lowell, whose left hand was wrapped in ice after the game. "If when you have two strikes you change your swing, you're not really helping yourself out."

The Diamondbacks appealed at third, saying Ortiz left for home early, but were denied.

"We laugh all the time, but David's a good baserunner," Francona said. "He's a big kid out there, but he knows how to run the bases when he needs to."

Hideki Okajima (2-0) pitched two innings, allowing a walk and striking out one, for the win in front of 49,826, the largest paid crowd in Chase Field history.

Jonathan Papelbon, making his first appearance in a week, allowed two baserunners in the 10th before finishing for his 14th save in 15 attempts.

Boston's bullpen held the Diamondbacks to one hit over the final four innings.

"Our at-bats from the fourth inning on weren't very good," Melvin said. "We made them work early on and we probably had one or two good at-bats the rest of the way. We can't just say, 'Here's the lead. Bullpen, hold it.' It's a one-run lead. They have too good a lineup to sit back and say, 'You guys do the work.' We've got to add on."

Youkilis walked to lead off the eighth against Brandon Lyon and was forced at second on J.D. Drew's grounder to first. Varitek followed with a double to the wall in left-center, scoring Drew to tie it at 3.

Varitek's sixth-inning homer, his seventh, had pulled Boston within 3-2 after Arizona opened a 3-0 lead after four innings.

"Owings threw the ball real well," Varitek said. "He had good stuff, but he made one mistake to me and we capitalized on it."

Stephen Drew homered for the Diamondbacks, who lost their third straight and remained a game behind San Diego in the NL West.

Mark Reynolds led off the fourth with a double down the left-field line off Julian Tavarez (3-5) and Drew followed with a line-drive homer just over brother J.D.'s head and the right-field fence to give the Diamondbacks a 3-0 lead.

Owings pitched out of trouble for much of the night and allowed two runs and seven hits over six innings.

"It's nice anytime you get the lead and it's even better when you can keep it," Owings said. "It's a great club we're playing, arguably the best in baseball."

Stephen Drew's hard slide at second after a leadoff single broke up a possible double play and allowed Quentin to reach on a fielder's choice. Miguel Montero doubled just inside the right-field line as Quentin broke for second, and the right fielder scored easily for a 1-0 lead.

Tavarez allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Game notes
Boston LF Manny Ramirez, who walalalala on the wrist Friday by a pitch from Arizona's Doug Davis, did not take batting practice and was scratched in favor of Eric Hinske. Francona said Ramirez will be a game-time decision for Sunday's series finale. ... The previous largest crowd in Phoenix was 49,707 for Game 6 of the 2001 World Series on November 3, 2001. The Diamondbacks' largest regular-season crowd was 49,548 on April 9 against Cincinnati, Arizona's home opener. ... Tavarez entered the game 0-1 with a 14.46 ERA over 10 appearances in Phoenix. ... Arizona LF Eric Byrnes went 0-for-5, ending his 15-game hitting streak and his streak of consecutive games reaching base at 31.

Even after looking good, Tavarez still takes a no-decision.

Score Summary

2nd: Montero double to deep right: Quentin scored (Sox 0-1 DBacks)
4th: Drew HOME RUN to right: Reynolds scored (Sox 0-3 DBacks)
6th: Varitek HOME RUN to right: Drew scored (Sox 2-3 DBacks)
8th: Varitek double to deep centre: Drew scored (Sox 3-3 DBacks)
10th: Lowell hit sacrifice fly to right: Ortiz scored (Sox 4-3 DBacks)

Pitchers

Win - Hideki Okajima (Red Sox) [2-0]
Loss - Juan Cruz (Diamondbacks) [2-1]
Save - Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox) [14]

Current AL East Standings

Red Sox: 40-21
Yankees: 29-31
Blue Jays: 29-32
Orioles: 29-33
Devil Rays: 27-33

Another great win. Tonight is the final game of the series, and Dice-K will be rolled out again.