Tampa Bay always plays the Red Sox and Yankees tough - I'm not that worried about it.
What I would not be happy with is not playing well during this upcoming KC series. But, as long as Wakefield is strong tonight (his back has been bothering him), this is a series we should be able to take.
The fifth starter seems to be the problem lately, maybe Wells coming back isn't such a bad idea after all. Francona seemed real impressed with him yesterday during a practice session.
Well aside from our woes lately the Yanks have not made it any easier by winning games, not to mention those Blue Jays sit only 3.5 games back, lying in the weeds.......
Josh Beckett. 27 Home Runs? You gotta be kidding me. If he calls it quits he can get a job as a rocket launcher. I bet if the Red Sox gave Rickey a chance to come out of retirement, he could pitch too!
Does anyone know what is the MLB record for the most Home Runs given up in a season?
The umpiring was suspect throughout the game, especially balls and strikes. The team needs another win or two like that (come from behind, clean play in the field) to have confidence that they can play on the same field as NY and Toronto later this year. Certainly, I prefer they win in a blowout...
I agree - confidence against Toronto and New York? I seriously doubt the Sox have any worries about those teams at this point. Our pitching really is key - and I hope Wakefield can stay off the DL.
I think the Sox welcome play against NY and Toronto, I meen please they are confident and believe in themselves. I am the first person to get steamed when they lose a game to Tampa or KC but you cannot win EVERY game, I have said earlier that they need to crush teams like KC ect..ect.. but I know the game of baseball and you will lose games to any team, all I want is some consistent play which is what we have gotten so far. Nice comeback win last night. Also how about Papi logging a stolen base....LOL
As a Jays fan, I like to think the Red Sox have something to fear, but then again my Jays have been swept by the Rockies and Marlins this year -- so the Bosox losing three out of four to Tampa is not all that bad
On a side note, is there any word of Adam Stern returning to the majors? That kid is a great defensive OF with speed. He could be useful as a late inning defensive replacement, couldn't he?
I like Stern. He's currently at AAA Pawtucket, hitting only about .250, and I am pretty sure the Red Sox will call him up in September when the rosters expand. From what I have read, he needs to step up his offense a bit to be considered for a spot on the Sox roster in 2007.
Jon Lester threw a brilliant game tonight. 8 innings - one hit - no runs and 100 pitches. Usually he is at his pitch limit in the fifth or sixth inning.
Wow, was he sharp tonight - I was a bit unsure when Francona sent him out for the 8th inning, but he was just rolling tonight. Very impressive start, and we needed it.
Crisp is what we needed to replace Damon, I like Crisp starting things off. He can make things happen at the plate and on the basepaths. Congrats to Lester on a much needed strong start.
I agree we should have plated more runs but I will take consecutive shutouts anyday even against the hapless Royals. We did what we were suposed to do and the Yanks lost a heartbreaker to the M's which helps.
I was at Skydome the last time the Sox had back to back 1-0 victories. Beckett looked great today. I wonder if it was a tough call for Francona to go to Papelbon in the ninth. That is the third straight game for Papelbon and Beckett was at 110 pitches.
I would guess that the last time the Red Sox had back to back 1-0 victories in FENWAY PARK was 1930.
On August 25, 1990 Clemens beat David Wells 1-0 at Skydome. Dwight Evans hit a homerun to win the game and the Jays left them loaded in the ninth. On August 26th 1990 Greg Harris and Jeff Gray combined on a 1-0 shutout over Todd Stottlemyre and the Blue Jays. I remember the uproar in Toronto (it was in a pennant race) and Mookie Wilson being interviewed after and saying something to the effect of "Do the fans really understand how hard it is to hit somebody like Roger Clemens?" What was interesting was that the Sox won 2-0 on Friday night behind Dana Kiecker and Jeff Gray. For the three game series the Sox outscored the Jays 4-0 and out-hit them 20 to 12. They entered the series with a 1 game lead and left with a 4 game lead.
I guess the facts are in and ESPN was wrong. The last time the Red Sox won consecutive 1-0 games at Fenway was in 1916! Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore pitched the shutouts against the Yankees and A's, respectively (Elias).
Good news, Beckett inked for 30 mill and locjked in for the next 3 years. Glad that we are not afraid to spend money and gone are the Lou Gorman days when we would look to sign a veteran who has no gas left in the tank.
He (Papelbon) saved all three games in the KC series, so Timlin got the save today. Schilling and Beckett are now tied with 12 wins each, and Lester is living up to his hype so far. There's no one out there to add (which is why the Yanks grabbed perennial loser and all around jerk Sidney Ponson) so I hope Wakefield can bounce back soon to keep the rotation solid.
Wakefield is out reportedly 3 weeks which seems like an awfully short time for a broken rib to heal.
~"Glad that we are not afraid to spend money and gone are the Lou Gorman days when we would look to sign a veteran who has no gas left in the tank. "~
Ah, the good old days of Gorman. The Matt Young fiasco was one of the worst on recorded memory. I thought Duquette was worse. He tried to come up with every rehabbing veteran pitcher for Joker K to save. The 75 pitch counts meant the bullpen was in by the 6th inning. For all the kudos that joker K got while he was the pitching coach in Boston I do not think he ever developed a Red Sox prospect.
<< <i>Ah, the good old days of Gorman. The Matt Young fiasco was one of the worst on recorded memory. I thought Duquette was worse. He tried to come up with every rehabbing veteran pitcher for Joker K to save. The 75 pitch counts meant the bullpen was in by the 6th inning. For all the kudos that joker K got while he was the pitching coach in Boston I do not think he ever developed a Red Sox prospect. >>
Duquette was the absolute worst. He threw tons of money at crappy players, like $9 million per year for Jose Offerman ("Awfulman"). He did get lucky with Pedro, but only because he botched the Clemens situation.
<< <i>There's no one out there to add (which is why the Yanks grabbed perennial loser and all around jerk Sidney Ponson) so I hope Wakefield can bounce back soon to keep the rotation solid. >>
Jerry, it is definatley your M.O. to take your pot shots at the Yankees when the Sox are looking good. Although you are absolutley correct in your assumption about "nobody" being out there you could not resist taking a pot shot at the Yanks .... which you never do when the Sox go through a stretch when they look very vulnerable...... which they are. Things are just heating up.
Dan, I really wasn't taking a shot so much at the Yanks, but Ponson specifically. He's had a history of well documented alcohol abuse issues, legal troubles, assault charges, DUI charges, etc - and if teams weren't so desperate to sign starting pitching (any starting pitching) there is no way he would be in the Yanks rotation right now. The Red Sox signed a castoff from the Indians a few weeks back, and gave him a few starts in the number 5 slot before demoting him. Just goes to show you the lack of pitching currently available for teams in need of it to choose from.
<< <i> The Red Sox signed a castoff from the Indians a few weeks back, and gave him a few starts in the number 5 slot before demoting him. Just goes to show you the lack of pitching currently available for teams in need of it to choose from. >>
you are right about that .... anyway, I'm in no mood to read bad stuff about my Yankees after tonights tough loss to the Jays. Your comments were not a pot shot at the Yankees but a pot shot at Ponson. I retract by verbal salvo directed toward ya Jerry .... although as things heat up it WILL happen again
No worries, Dan - that was a tough loss tonight indeed. Things are definitely going to heat up over the next few weeks, and it looks like we'll have a three team race this year...
Wakefield on the DL is not going to help much as things "heat up" but better now than in September I quess, the Jays are looking good against the Yanks which is great seeing as they are not gaining on us at the moment.
And, we got a decent start from one of the fill-in starters, Kyle Snyder - not bad. Moyer has been pretty consistent all season, guess the Sox got him on a bad night tonight...
Hey come on, can the Sox lose a game or two? Just kidding. I'm a Jays fan, so I have to say that.
One good thing about the past few weeks is that ChiSox have fallen back to the pack and it looks like having two team come out of the AL East is a possibility again. Of course, now the Twins are in the mix, so that complicates matters.
This was the first time the Sox faced Felix Hernandez, and he pitched one of his best games of the year IMO. I was hoping the Jays would win another one and help us out.
Seems like we should be up more than 2.5 games over the Yanks. The Jays had a good series against the Yanks and the whole division remains basically unchanged
Unfortunately the Sox will probably make it interesting and fall into second place within the next week or so and the it will be them hanging on to second place with the Jays riding their a$$. The Rays do however play the Yanks tuff though so we will see how the next week shakes out.
murcerfan - Welcome back!! I was worried about you after the Yankees became the first team in history to blow a 3-0 series lead. How do you like your new centerfielder?
You might want to check the schedule - the Yanks are playing at the Stadium against Tampa.
<< <i>Unfortunately the Sox will probably make it interesting and fall into second place within the next week or so and the it will be them hanging on to second place with the Jays riding their a$$. The Rays do however play the Yanks tuff though so we will see how the next week shakes out. >>
Yeah, but as luck would have it the Yanks will not have to face Kazmir!!
Comments
What I would not be happy with is not playing well during this upcoming KC series. But, as long as Wakefield is strong tonight (his back has been bothering him), this is a series we should be able to take.
The fifth starter seems to be the problem lately, maybe Wells coming back isn't such a bad idea after all. Francona seemed real impressed with him yesterday during a practice session.
Josh Beckett. 27 Home Runs? You gotta be kidding me. If he calls it quits he can get a job as a rocket launcher. I bet if the Red Sox gave Rickey a chance to come out of retirement, he could pitch too!
Does anyone know what is the MLB record for the most Home Runs given up in a season?
~"Does anyone know what is the MLB record for the most Home Runs given up in a season?"~
Bert Blyleven gave up 50 homers in 1986.
On a side note, is there any word of Adam Stern returning to the majors? That kid is a great defensive OF with speed. He could be useful as a late inning defensive replacement, couldn't he?
<< <i>I was at Skydome the last time the Sox had back to back 1-0 victories >>
Sportscenter said the last time the Sox had back to back 1-0 victories was in 1930.
<< <i>
<< <i>I was at Skydome the last time the Sox had back to back 1-0 victories >>
Sportscenter said the last time the Sox had back to back 1-0 victories was in 1930. >>
That can't be right - I was watching NESN, and they mentioned it was somewhere around 1990 or 91 (I can't recall which), against Toronto.
On August 25, 1990 Clemens beat David Wells 1-0 at Skydome. Dwight Evans hit a homerun to win the game and the Jays left them loaded in the ninth. On August 26th 1990 Greg Harris and Jeff Gray combined on a 1-0 shutout over Todd Stottlemyre and the Blue Jays. I remember the uproar in Toronto (it was in a pennant race) and Mookie Wilson being interviewed after and saying something to the effect of "Do the fans really understand how hard it is to hit somebody like Roger Clemens?"
What was interesting was that the Sox won 2-0 on Friday night behind Dana Kiecker and Jeff Gray. For the three game series the Sox outscored the Jays 4-0 and out-hit them 20 to 12. They entered the series with a 1 game lead and left with a 4 game lead.
~"Glad that we are not afraid to spend money and gone are the Lou Gorman days when we would look to sign a veteran who has no gas left in the tank. "~
Ah, the good old days of Gorman. The Matt Young fiasco was one of the worst on recorded memory. I thought Duquette was worse. He tried to come up with every rehabbing veteran pitcher for Joker K to save. The 75 pitch counts meant the bullpen was in by the 6th inning. For all the kudos that joker K got while he was the pitching coach in Boston I do not think he ever developed a Red Sox prospect.
<< <i>Ah, the good old days of Gorman. The Matt Young fiasco was one of the worst on recorded memory. I thought Duquette was worse. He tried to come up with every rehabbing veteran pitcher for Joker K to save. The 75 pitch counts meant the bullpen was in by the 6th inning. For all the kudos that joker K got while he was the pitching coach in Boston I do not think he ever developed a Red Sox prospect. >>
Duquette was the absolute worst. He threw tons of money at crappy players, like $9 million per year for Jose Offerman ("Awfulman"). He did get lucky with Pedro, but only because he botched the Clemens situation.
<< <i>There's no one out there to add (which is why the Yanks grabbed perennial loser and all around jerk Sidney Ponson) so I hope Wakefield can bounce back soon to keep the rotation solid. >>
Jerry, it is definatley your M.O. to take your pot shots at the Yankees when the Sox are looking good. Although you are absolutley correct in your assumption about "nobody" being out there you could not resist taking a pot shot at the Yanks .... which you never do when the Sox go through a stretch when they look very vulnerable...... which they are. Things are just heating up.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
<< <i> The Red Sox signed a castoff from the Indians a few weeks back, and gave him a few starts in the number 5 slot before demoting him. Just goes to show you the lack of pitching currently available for teams in need of it to choose from. >>
you are right about that .... anyway, I'm in no mood to read bad stuff about my Yankees after tonights tough loss to the Jays. Your comments were not a pot shot at the Yankees but a pot shot at Ponson. I retract by verbal salvo directed toward ya Jerry
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
One good thing about the past few weeks is that ChiSox have fallen back to the pack and it looks like having two team come out of the AL East is a possibility again. Of course, now the Twins are in the mix, so that complicates matters.
This was the first time the Sox faced Felix Hernandez, and he pitched one of his best games of the year IMO. I was hoping the Jays would win another one and help us out.
especially being only 1.5 games in front and facing the suddenly hot anaheim pitching staff.
....and the Yankees get to play at home in Tampa all weekend :-)
edited to add:
..and I hear Trot Nixon is on the trading block?
You might want to check the schedule - the Yanks are playing at the Stadium against Tampa.
shouldn't all you Canucks be on the Blue Jay bandwagon by now?
Even nicer to see the M's derail the Blue Jay train.
Yup!
Dave
<< <i>Unfortunately the Sox will probably make it interesting and fall into second place within the next week or so and the it will be them hanging on to second place with the Jays riding their a$$. The Rays do however play the Yanks tuff though so we will see how the next week shakes out. >>
Yeah, but as luck would have it the Yanks will not have to face Kazmir!!
<< <i>Yeah, but as luck would have it the Yanks will not have to face Kazmir!!
Yes that is a bummer
<< <i> The Rays do however play the Yanks tuff though so we will see how the next week shakes out. >>
Not this year. The Rays are 2-7 vs. the Yankees. I think you still remember last year ....
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240