Attendance At Fenway

Aren't we a negative bunch? I guess 32,000 fans who appreciate baseball & are knowledgeable about baseball just won't do for scribes looking to poo-poo the Red Sox this season because they are not finishing 5th as they predicted. There have only been 20 sellouts at Fenway Park this year of 34,000+ fans. Why? Because the days of Fenway being an amusement park or tourist trap are over - at least for now. This year real baseball fans are attending games, not the pink hats & tour buses. The park is consistently 95% full & the Sox will go over 3 million again this year or be close to it. But no, we need to harp on the fact that 5% of the seats are empty. Other than Larry Lucchino, who cares? I guess reporters do since they have had little to criticize about the effort & performance of this team on the field. A team that is performing well, grinding out wins, having fun with Abe Lincoln-looking beards will put real fans in the seats. That's good enough for me. So reporters, shut up!

More Hernandez Dirt from Rolling Stone

Aaron Hernandez smoked angel dust or PCP every day. How does the author of this article in Rolling Stone magazine know that? There are accusations that Belichick did nothing to help Hernandez overcome his suspicion that someone was trying to kill him. How do the authors know that? With Ron Borges as a co-author, you need to take every word with a grain of salt. Only Hernandez & Belichick were privy to the actual conversation. Rolling Stone fell out of favor in New England by plastering the picture of the Boston Marathon bomber on their front cover recently. This article on Hernandez does nothing but stir the pot over civil litigation that may come to the Pats management as a result of not controlling a player with problems. What ever happened to personal responsibility? As Chris Rock once said, sometimes crazy is just crazy. I say leave the blame with the individual & stop looking for a scapegoat.

Sox Win, Rays Lose

The 2nd half of August is turning out to be pretty good as the Sox win for the 5th time in 6 tries over the Chicago White Sox 4-3. The Tampa Bay Rays lost to the Oakland A's last night by the same score 4-3 moving the Red Sox lead to 3 1/2 & 2 in the loss column. Maybe we should start paying attention to the A's as AL contenders in the playoffs. Ryan Dempster was greeted to cheers by the Fenway crowd in his 1st appearance since the A-Roid HBP. Dempster was solid through 6 1/3, but then ran out of gas. Tazawa finished the 7th, but was ineffective in the 8th. Frank Morales got a big out in the 8th on Adam Dunn on just one pitch. Then Farrell took Morales out in favor of Koji to get the final 4 outs - which he did. Good move by Farrell since Morales can be wild & the game was too close. David Ortiz breaks out of his slump with a seeing eye ground ball through the shift, good for 2 RBI. Mike Napoli takes a bases loaded walk for a big RBI. And Shane Victorino kept his hot bat alive with 2 more hits. All in all, another good win to start this series.

AL East in August

All of the AL East contenders have had a pedestrian month of August. Red Sox are 14-12 with 2 left this month against the White Sox. Next are the stinkin' cheatin' Yankees & A-Roid at 14-12 with 2 left against Baltimore. Third are the Baltimore Orioles at 12-12 with 2 games left against the Yankees. Surprisingly, last in August are the Tampa Bay Rays at 11-13 with 2 left against the Oakland A's. With all 4 teams hovering right around .500 it really is anyone's race to the playoffs in September. Right now it looks as if the Red Sox, Rays & Oakland are the 3 teams in, with Boston or Tampa getting the AL East crown &/or the 1st wild card. But September can be a fickle month as we know, especially with so many head-to-head AL East games remaining. Still, you have to like the Red Sox position as they make the final run for the wire. Fingers crossed!

Chris Davis - Using Or Not?

I looked up the home run history of Chris Davis. 2008 - 17. 2009 - 21. 2010 - 1. 2011 - 5. 2012 - 33. 2013 thus far - 47. Obviously, something changed in 2012. Eck & Orsillo say that Davis no longer swings wildly for pitches out of the strike zone. OK, maybe that helps your batting average or on-base percentage. But the surge in power numbers is hard to swallow that Davis isn't juicing up on something. And Davis has stated several times when asked that he is clean. This is an odd statistical anomaly for a guy in 2010 & 2011 that may have been heading out of the bigs for no power to his recent surge in 2012 & 2013. Most times in life, & maybe not in Davis' case, if it's too good to be believed, it's not true. I'm a skeptic thanks to Ryan Braun.

Brian Roberts - Not Playing Smart

The much-injured Brian Roberts did not have his best baseball mind in this past series against the Red Sox. On Wednesday he tried to steal 3rd off John Lackey & was thrown out by Saltie in plenty of time, sliding right into Bogaerts glove & going right over him. That cost Baltimore a run as Machado homered later in the same at-bat. Last night, against a struggling Jon Lester, Roberts comes to the plate with a runner in scoring position. He swings on a 3-0 count & grounds out 6-3 to end the inning. Dumb! In close games it's these little things that can change the outcome. And I didn't think Roberts, a veteran, acted very veteran-like 2 nights in a row.

Sox Lose Finale 3-2

You can see why the Baltimore Orioles are a playoff contender. They have a good offense led by Machado, Jones & Davis. They have 2 good starters in Norris & Tillman. They are 1 or 2 starters short of being a great team in the heavyweight AL East. It would have been a disastrous series for the O's to get swept in Boston & they avoided disaster by beating the Red Sox 3-2 last night. If the Sox take 2 out of 3, like they have in each of the last 3 series, we can live into October will those results. Plus the Rays lost earlier in the day to preserve their 2 1/2 game lead. The Sox welcome the White Sox to Fenway for a weekend series. Again, 2 out of 3 would be nice, especially since lefty Chris Sale pitched the other night & will miss this series. Jake Peavy gets to pitch against his old teammates tonight. We may also see Ryan Dempster return to the mound after his A-Rod incident.

Re-Sign Saltie & Ells?

To coin a phrase from Eck, it would cost the Red Sox a few "beans" or some "iron" to re-sign upcoming free agents Jacoby Ellsbury & Jarrod Saltalamacchia. If Ben Cherington sticks to his plan, the most either would get is a 3-year deal. Complicating matters is the fact that both are having excellent years. You could probably get Saltie for $7-$8 million a year. Ells, via Boras, would be looking for a BJ Upton deal of 5 years & $85 million. (How's that working out for the Braves with Upton batting .191?) Maybe Ben could offer Ells 3 years at $15 mil per. The other consideration is the readiness of possible replacements. Is Jackie Bradley, Jr. or Cristian Vazquez ready to make the jump next year? If so, the Sox can continue their youth movement with less payroll. Interesting questions...

Believe! Sox For Real

The Red Sox score 2 runs to tie in the 7th & one more run on a pinch hit single in the 8th on their way to another come-from-behind 4-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles. This was a crushing defeat for the O's who lose more ground in the wild card. People, a/k/a Boston reporters, who have waited all year for this over-achieving Boston team to fail have only 28 games left before they eat their words. You probably know some people out there who can never say the magic words "I WAS WRONG." I know that I do. So to the Dan Shaughnessys, the Michael Felgers & the Tony Mazzerottis out there, get ready to eat crow. This team isn't going anywhere because they are so deep in their lineup. Buchholz or no Buchholz, this team is built to win. Look at Mike Carp last night coming off the bench & putting a 96 mph fastball just over the head of Machado to score Saltie with the winning run. The sun, the moon & the stars are aligning for this team in 2013.

Red Sox 13, Orioles 2

How's that signing of Shane Victorino looking now? Victorino hits 2 homers & drives in 7 to lead a massive Sox offense in a route of the O's 13-2. Nice way to start the home stand. Nice way to bury a team that has had the Red Sox number for the past few years. And a loss by the Rays lengthens the Sox lead in the AL East. Every game counts. Felix Doubront looked like he was heading for a quick exit in the 3rd, but he got 2 big outs before more damage was done & ended up pitching into the 7th. Mike Napoli looks like he is ready to explode like April as he has 3 HR's in his last 7 games, a mammoth shot last night included. You have to be impressed that the pitching & offense is coming together at the right time. With Lackey & Lester going the next 2 games you have to feel good that the Sox will win this series, maybe even sweep.

Final 30 Games Upon Us

The Boston Red Sox have shattered all expectations over the first 5 months of the 2013 season. The final 30-game push is upon us & it starts tonight at the Fens against the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox play the O's 9 times or 30% of their remaining games. They play the Yankees 7 times. So more than half of the remaining games are O's & Yankees. There are only 3 left against the Rays in St. Pete & I hope we have a 3-game lead by the time we play them. 3 left against the Blue Jays who should have packed it in by then. If my math is right, that's 22 of 30 against AL East teams. The Sox also have 3 against the White Sox this weekend, followed by 3 against the Tigers & 2 in Denver late in September against the Rockies. All but 8 games are against teams with records better than .500. This is crunch time for sure. A big unanswered question is whether or not Clay Buchholz will be able to contribute in September. His first rehab start was less than spectacular with Lowell. And for those Boston reporters who are downplaying the Sox series win over the Dodgers, just remember that Don Mattingly could have re-arranged his rotation with a 10 game lead so Kershaw & Greinke would pitch against the Sox. But, instead, he let his 2 top guys beat up on the Marlins before the last series & the Chicago Cubs now this week. Anyways, let's enjoy the final 30. Win, lose or draw this team has provided a lot to be proud of this year.

X Man Finding His Way in the Bigs

Like Wil Myers who needed to get a few games under his belt to get the nerves out, Xander Bogaerts is now doing the same after a quiet start. Not getting the ball out of the infield in his 1st full game, the X man had 2 hits yesterday & drove in his 1st RBI. Bogaerts gets to add his name to the list of contributors from the farm this year - like Jackie Bradley, Jr., Brandon Workman & Drake Britton. Throw in cups of coffee for Allen Webster, Rubby de la Rosa, Jose de la Torre & Alex Wilson. The depth of this team is why the Red Sox have not gone into a prolonged slump all year. Bogaerts is the latest guy to contribute along with a rejuvenated Will Middlebrooks. Look for several farm hands like JBJ to get the call up next week.

Sox Win Series Over Dodgers

Jake Peavy - complete game, 1 run. Boston bats score often to win 8-1 & take 2 out of 3 from the LA Dodgers. HR's by Victorino, Saltie & Napoli. Multiple hits for Pedroia & Bogaerts. Red Sox are back in 1st place by themselves as the Yankees finally beat Tampa Bay. If Peavy can continue to pitch like he is & Lackey & Lester pitch like they have been throwing, we have enough without Buchholz to go into September. Those 3 can match up against the staffs from Tampa Bay, Baltimore & New York to play low-scoring games & win. Now let's see if we can finally beat Baltimore in a home series starting on Tuesday.

"The Trade" One Year Later

A local paper today has a headline that says the jury is out on whether the trade of Gonzalez, Crawford, Beckett & Punto to the Dodgers was a good move by Ben Cherington. What kind of wackie tobacco is that guy smoking? $21 million Adrian Gonzalez is a west coast guy. He was not built personality-wise for the Boston market. Carl Crawford keeps talking like he is in therapy about his Boston experience & he has yet to play regularly for the Dodgers. Nice to have a $20 million part-time player. Josh Beckett is 0-8 in his Dodger blue uniform & out for the rest of the season while collecting his $17 million. Nick Punto is an OK utility guy. There is no question that this was a GREAT deal for the Red Sox to get out from under $60+ million in salary obligations & have the ability to bring in guys like Victorino, Gomes, Ross, Dempster & Uehara. Maybe this same writer thinks that the jury is out on the Marlins trade to Toronto of Buehrle, Johnson & Reyes? How's that one worked out for the Jays?

Fear the Beard!

Jonny Gomes may not hit for average, but he certainly has made the most of his round trippers this year. Gomes' 3-run shot in the 1st inning catapulted the Red Sox to a much needed 4-2 win over the Dodgers. Jon Lester could make a living pitching against teams on the left coast as he threw 7+ innings of shutout ball. He did get charged with a run when Craig Breslow gave up a 2-run double to Gonzo in the 8th. Uehara closed the door with a 4-out save. Jake Peavy pitches the finale tonight for the series win. A win would give the Sox a 4-2 road trip & 2 series wins. Baltimore & New York lose yesterday which gives Boston & Tampa a little breathing room in the standings.

Dodgers Take Game 1 2-0

Not much to say because the Red Sox offense didn't show up. There goes my prediction of a sweep by the Red Sox. Again, like a broken record, John Lackey pitched well enough to win. But zero runs equals no win. I only stayed up until the 5th inning. But 2 hits over 9 innings isn't getting the job done. Let's see if Lester can get the Sox back on track this afternoon.

Look At Remaining Schedule

August so far has been a pretty tough month for the Red Sox as they are playing below .500 at 9-11. They have 8 games left -- 3 at the Dodgers, 3 at home against the O's & 2 at home versus the White Sox. I could see them going 6-2 to finish the month at 15-13. In September the Sox are home for 13 & away for 12. Within the division they play at Tampa Bay for 3, home & away for 7 against the Yankees & home & away for 6 against the O's. So 16 of 25 games in September are inter-divisional tilts that will decide which teams go to the playoffs. Currently, Baltimore is still floundering around .500 or less like the Sox while the Yankees & Rays are winning again. If the Sox are to make the playoffs, they need to win within the division. These last 33 games are where you need to get hot as a team. 6 good final starts for each pitcher. Middlebrooks & Drew contributing to the offense along with the top 4. And a solid bullpen. It will be a fight to the finish.

Will Middlebrooks and Xander Bogaerts

The future of the Red Sox left side of the infield was on display earlier this week in San Francisco. Will Middlebrooks played solid in the field, even at 2B, & he did homer off of Barry Zito yesterday. He has a hit in every game since being back. I'm just OK with his bat because Middlebrooks has looked pretty bad in a few AB's as well. I think the jury is still out, but I'm glad he is finding his power stroke again & driving balls to all fields. I think Will gets nervous when Farrell moves him up in the order, but maybe more playing time will straighten that out. The X man, on the other hand, hasn't hit the ball out of the infield & stranded a ton of runners on Tuesday night. Bogaerts played well enough in the field & did make one real nice play on a high chop. You have to chalk up his early AB's to nerves &, like Middlebrooks, he should have more quality at-bats as time goes on. With Stephen Drew hitting so well Farrell will have to be creative to get the X man playing time. But given the crazy double-switches that managers pull in the NL, I'm sure he will find a spot for X. Middlebrooks & Bogaerts are learning on-the-job during a tight pennant race. They are being put into the fire & this experience will pay dividends down the road. The future is now.

Sox Sweep Series in LA?

I know. Someone is going to say that I need to cut back on my medication. However, I think that there is a good chance that the Red Sox sweep the Dodgers this weekend. First, Clayton Kershaw will not pitch. With an ERA under 2.00 Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball. Not facing him is a big plus. Second, with the Dempster suspension, the Sox will feature Lackey, Lester & Peavy in this series. All 3 guys are capable of keeping the Dodgers offense in check. Third, you know that it's about that time of year for Adrian Gonzalez to begin his swan song, a/k/a end of year fade, like he has done every year. I think that there are a lot of plus-es going for the Sox, including today's off day. So I am predicting a sweep by the Red Sox over the Dodgers. This Boston team just doesn't quit.

Sox Demolish Giants 12-1

As Eck said, it seemed as if Felix Doubront just slept through 8 innings of 1 run ball. I was not impressed with his pitch count in the first 2 innings, but Doubront somehow made it through a full 8 while his offense battered Barry Zito & the porous Giants defense. Will Middlebrooks & Stephen Drew went yard. Too bad we couldn't have pushed a few of the runs today back to last night's game, but the Sox take 2 out of 3 to stay in 1st place. Now it's on to LA LA land for a big weekend series.

Dempster Suspended 5 Games

This is not a biggie. Dempster will miss one turn in the rotation. And the way he has been pitching, the extra rest might do him well. Leave it to A-Rod to still not admit to any wrongdoing in the whole Biogenesis scandal. What about the private jets arranged by A-Rod for Tony Bosch? What about A-Rod trying to buy all his documents to impede the investigation? What about snitching on fellow players & teammates? "A-Roid" is a beauty!

Sox Lose 3-2, Tied With Rays for First Place

OK, this was my choice. I decided if the game went into extra innings that I was calling it quits around 1 AM & getting some sleep. I also figured that if the Giants won the game in the bottom of the 9th, then I would be mad & wouldn't get to sleep. So I turned off the TV with the bases loaded & 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. Glad I did now as I would have been mad over a 3-2 loss & certainly a winnable game as the Red Sox squandered many scoring opportunities. If you have ever traveled coast to coast, you do know that the 2nd day is when jet lag hits you. I think that may have been part of the problem. Peavy pitched OK. Pedroia & the infield made several good plays behind him, including a tough high hopper hit to the X man. Bogaerts left 5 men on base in his 1st 2 major league at bats. Welcome to the big time! Especially in the first inning, the Sox had a chance to blow the game wide open, but only scored one run. Nice to see David Ross catching again after coming back from his concussion. The loss puts the Sox in a tie with the Rays who beat the Orioles. And the Yankees moved closer with 2 wins over the Blue Jays. Things are tightening up.

Nice Win in San Francisco

Red Sox 7, Giants 0. Nice effort by the team that flew out to the left coast earlier in the day. The combination of Jon Lester throwing strikes & Giants batters swinging early in counts helped Lester go 8 1/3. The defending World Series champs looked punchless at the plate & Tim Lincecum looked like a shadow of his former self, from low velocity to short hair. The Giants are under .500 & 2013 is not looking like a year where they have the horses to repeat. The Giants still do have a few good pitchers that can shutdown an offense, so let's hope that Vogelsong doesn't pitch a good one tonight. Nice nights at the plate for Shane Victorino, Daniel Nava, Saltie & Stephen Drew. No errors in the field for David Ortiz at 1B, but he seemed out of rhythm at the plate. Ask Eck about how he like the NL intentional walks to the #8 hitter to pitch to the pitcher. The Sox win keeps Tampa one game back. Let's hope Baltimore can beat Tampa a few times. Jake Peavy tries to make it 2 in a row tonight.

X-Man Called Up

He may not be a superhero, but the "X" man from Pawtucket - Xander Bogaerts - has joined the Red Sox team in San Francisco. Presumably, Bogaerts will play SS against left-handed starters in place of Stephen Drew. Recently, the Sox offense has gotten a boost from Will Middlebrooks since his return to the big club. Hopefully, Bogaerts too will add more punch to the offense, especially against lefties that the Sox will face on this road trip. There is no question that the Red Sox have been sputtering lately, but take heart in the fact that they are still in 1st place. I'll settle for 3-3 on this west coast swing. Then they can make up ground or extend their lead when the Sox return home. Good news is that Tampa Bay plays the Yankees next.

A-Rod Plunked by Dempster

It may not have been the smartest thing to do. It didn't end well in the 6th. But Dempster's plunking of A-Rod was something that all of baseball can appreciate - for clean players, for fans & for the betterment of the game. A-Rod should not be playing. He is effecting the outcome of playoff teams in the AL East & elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if he is hit multiple times before the season is over. When I saw the home run in the 6th you say to yourself why the hell did this guy ever get into steroids? He didn't need to with his natural ability. But neither did Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire or Braun. And on the "Today Show" Matt Lauer surprised A-Rod's attorney with a document from MLB to sign that would waive confidentiality & allow MLB to present their evidence publically, something A-Rod & his attorney have been mouthing off about that they wanted to happen. Unfortunately, the attorney did not sign the form, but he was embarrassed & left the show with his tail between his legs. It could get real ugly for A-Rod as the season wears on & he continues to be allowed to play against playoff contenders. He might have gotten out of Boston easy.

Bullpen Gives It Up

Yes, the kiddie relief corps is learning hard lessons on the job. Drake Britton, Brandon Workman & Rubby de la Rosa are being used in situations where they need to hold teams from running up the score. Sometimes they learn the hard way, like last night against the Yankees. Coming into a 6-3 Red Sox lead in the 6th with the bases loaded, Drake Britton gave up a bases clearing triple to Brett Gardner. Later, Brandon Workman would give up a run on a few bloop hits. And Ruby de la Rosa gave up one in the 9th. The Red Sox offense got to C.C. Sabathia for 6 runs in 5+ innings, but the Yankees bullpen outpitched the Red sox bullpen the rest of the way. It's hard to start your career in the bullpen for Britton, Workman & de la Rosa, but they will learn from their failures & be better for it down the road. Too bad the learning curve happened last night against the Yankees & will continue during this year's pennant race. By the way, it was nice to see Will Middlebrooks go yard against Sabathia to right-center. Middlebrooks may be moving up in the order soon to provide some right-handed power. Off to the west coast & a week of late-night games for fans back at home.

Lackey Bests Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda is by far the best pitcher or ace of the Yankees squad this year. John Lackey stood tall in the saddle yesterday & held the recently powered-up Yankees offense to just 1 run over 6 2/3rd as the Red Sox win 6-1. The Sox offense was very patient, taking walks, fouling off balls & driving Kuroda's pitch count up. Jacoby Ellsbury & Daniel Nava had multi-hit games. David Ortiz added more cushion to the lead with a solo shot to center in the 7th. And we finally saw a rare sight - a pitcher who can field his position. Lackey had several assists to aid his own cause. Speaking of fielding, Pedroia was awesome at 2B. Following Lackey, Breslow, Tazawa & Uehara finished off the Yankees allowing no runs. Every win is a big win at this time of year. But Lackey stopped the bleeding. He was the difference. By the way, A-Rod was no factor.

Don't Push the Panic Button!

I can already imagine the Red Sox reports today. "Team is done. They stink. I knew they were fakes." Just stop & think about how every single season ends. It's a marathon of 162 games. The first 5 months are just like horses positioning themselves during a horse race. You don't want to fall too far behind the pack. September is the stretch run. It doesn't matter what you have done during the first 5 months when you get to September. Remember 2011 & the Red Sox 99.99% chance of making the playoffs! That didn't work out too well. The Red Sox will be in position to make the playoffs when the clock turns 9/1/2013. After that, it's whatever teams can get hot for the final 30 games that will actually make the playoffs. Right now you can say Houston, the Cubs, probably Toronto, the Phillies, Seattle, the Marlins & a few others are out. Every other team still has a chance to get hot. So don't listen to the naysayers. The Red Sox are as likely to make the playoffs as any other team in contention. Remember, these are the same reporters that picked the Sox to finish 4th or 5th. Wait for September, then see what happens.

Sox Lose to Yankees 10-3

Let me give you the Reader's Digest version of last night's game. Felix Doubront sucked when his team needed him to pitch well. Nuf ced!

Jared Remy - Indicted for Murder

Is there anything worse than having a troubled son or daughter? It has to suck the life right out of a parent like Jerry Remy & his wife. Jared Remy has a checkered past. At one time he was a clubhouse assistant for the Red Sox - thanks to Jerry - & he was fired after being accused of bringing steroids into the workplace. A 35-year old bodybuilder, his physique is freakish to look at. Jared Remy has had multiple incidents of abuse with women. Most recently, he was arrested on Tuesday night for injuring his girl friend, Jennifer Martel, but he was released on bail. That proved to be a wrong decision as Jared was seen on the back porch stabbing Martel on Thursday night by more than one person, all while his daughter was inside the home. What a tragedy for Jerry Remy to come home to. What a tragedy for the Martel family.

New Podcast

If you have a chance, take a listen to our latest podcast "2013 Stretch Run." We appreciate any feedback or topics of interest you would like discussed on future segments. Thanks for visiting "3 no hitters!"

Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 1

Lots of baserunners. Only 1 run. The Sox will look back on this series in Toronto as missed opportunities. Red Sox strand 11 runners last night - 33 in the 3 games - to lose 2-1. Jake Peavy pitched a great game & deserved to win - like we have said about John Lackey many times. At least Dustin Pedroia came out of his funk with a 3 hit performance. Sox return home for a weekend series against the Yankees. Andy Pettitte & Felix Doubront square off in game 1. With 39 games left every one is a big game.

What An Injustice!

Alex Rodriguez is back playing for the Yankees while his appeal is being heard - or not heard. Stalling is probably more like it. For all the clean players, even those on the Yankees, what a slap in the face! What if the Yankees end up knocking out Tampa Bay or Baltimore for a wild card spot because they win several games with A-Rod in the lineup? Even worse, what if the Yankees make the playoffs? A known cheater from the past, a known client of Biogenesis, a known recruiter of other players - there is no dispute about A-Rod's involvement here. If he has decided to use the appeal process, then make the appeal heard now. It's called expediting. But no one seems to be in any hurry. What a farce!

Almost, Not Quite, Another Comeback Win

I said to my wife that Mike Napoli up with 2 outs in the 9th isn't good, but wouldn't a homer now be a great way for him to get out of his slump. And sure enough Napoli hits a tying homer in the 9th to bring the Sox back to 3-3. However, the Sox end up losing in extras 4-3 on a sharp hit ball that Drew couldn't field cleanly. Brandon Workman gets the loss, but he continues to pitch very well every time he gets the ball. Jon Lester had a serviceable outing. The Sox had runners all over the bases in extras, but they just couldn't get one more big hit. It happens. Rays finally win, but the O's lose so the lead is back to 3 games. Every team in the AL East is struggling recently with 5-5 being the high water mark for Boston & Baltimore. The other 3 teams are below .500 in their past 10 games. A win today for Jake Peavy would be a nice end to the road trip before coming home to face the new look Yankees with A-Rod & Soriano.

Sox Win, Extend Lead

It took 11 innings, but the Boston Red Sox outlasted a crumbling Toronto Blue Jays team 4-2. All you needed to know about the Jays lack of effort was shown in the play where Shane Victorino threw out Jose Reyes at home. Reyes did not even slide to try & avoid a tag. Maybe he didn't want to get his uniform dirty or risk injury to himself for the betterment of his team. Sox win 4-2 on a 2 RBI single by Victorino in the 11th. Ryan Dempster had a very nice outing over the 1st 7 innings, giving up just the 1 run. It's always about starting pitching with the Sox & perhaps Dempster's outing signals a good turn or two coming for all of the starters. In addition to the Sox win, another loss by the Tampa Bay Rays leaves them 4 games behind the Sox in the standings & just a game or two in front of Baltimore. I guess the magic of July is over for the Rays.

Decisions Coming

As the Sox get ready to enter the stretch run of the 2013 season, there are several decisions to be made in the coming weeks. If Clay Buchholz returns in 2 weeks, who drops out of the rotation? Maybe it's Ryan Dempster or Felix Doubront. But don't count on Buck just yet as his every step forward seems to encounter a step backwards. What about Xander Bogaerts? If Stephen Drew goes down, it appears that Xander Bogaerts is the next man up. At only 20 years old Bogaerts is still learning to be a big leaguer & the Sox do not want to rush him up unless there is a need. What about David Ross' rehab? If Ross clears his head from concussion symptoms, does Ryan Lavarnway go back down? You would think so, but Lavarnway has been contributing to the offense lately & he seems more comfortable behind the plate. What about Jackie Bradley Jr.? The Sox have a crowded outfield with Ells, Victorino, Nava, Gomes & Carp. It doesn't appear that there is a place for JBJ right now. And finally, what about Mike Napoli & his strikeouts? Only Mark Bellhorn had more strikeouts in a season & Napoli is well on his way to surpassing Bellhorn's record. Nap is putting in extra work, but he better find his grove soon. 14 home runs versus 200 K's won't get him another contract in 2014. Should be an exciting 6 weeks until the end of game 162.

Sox Lose 3 of 4, Still in First Place

Bad news - Sox lose 3 times out of 4 to a red hot KC team. Good news - Rays lose 5 straight & Sox pick up a game in the standings. Yesterday was a case of seeing-eye ground balls by the Royals who beat the Sox 4-3. Once again Jon Lackey pitched well enough to win, but he didn't. Will Middlebrooks' return has been a good one with him contributing hits in each of his 1st 2 games back. Brandon Workman, who got the lone win on Saturday, & Drake Britton are young bullpen arms that are developing into steady innings of work & giving the tandem of Tazawa & Uehara some much needed rest. Either Ellsbury, Pedroia or Ortiz usually stays hot in the lineup & this series it was Ells with multi-hit games. So don't fret, fans. Things are not bad when you have the 3rd best record in all of baseball. And you have a 3 game lead over the Rays who have 5 extra games to play down the stretch. Monday's off day is a good breather to get ready to play division foes in Toronto & then home versus New York this week. With any consistency from the Sox starting pitching we should have a 4-2 week.

Sox Lose Again

Red Sox lose again in KC 9-6.  The 6th inning was the culprit as the Royals scored 6 times to take the lead for good.  As over the 1st 4 months, the Sox have shown an ability to stop the bleeding when it seems that the ship is sinking.  That job will fall to Felix Doubront in another important start.  Let's see if the young lefty is up to it.  Good news - Rays lose again.  You almost have to watch the O's now as the Sox & Rays lose ground.  O's are only 4 1/2 back.

Royals 5, Red Sox 1

Blame it on getting into KC at 3:30 AM. Blame it facing another lefty. Sox batters went down far too easy for Bruce Chen last night in a 5-1 loss. Jon Lester struggled to get out of the 1st inning, giving up 3 runs. The inning did include a rare error in left by Jonny Gomes, but Lester couldn't find the strike zone & walks came back to bit him. You can't spot a team 3 runs in the 1st & expect to comeback every single night. Thank goodness the Rays lost as well. We still have a 2 1/2 game lead going into tonight's game. I'm anxious to see if Jake Peavy can duplicate his 1st mound effort & bring the Sox back to the win column.

Sox Increase Lead, Bogaerts Watch

With Brandon Snyder slumping at the plate the watch is on for Xander Bogaerts to join the big team. For my 2 cents I would bring up Middlebrooks to replace Brock Holt as well. Alternate Bogaerts & Middlebrooks at 3B & use Bogaerts as your safety net utility guy at SS should Drew go down. You could move Drew to 2B if Pedroia goes down. The change should happen soon. With another come-from-behind win last night the Red Sox lengthen their lead over the Tampa Bay Rays to 2 1/2 games. That's a great cushion to have going into a tough series in Kansas City for 4 games this weekend. Sox can go 2-2 & still be in 1st place at the end of the week. Lackey, Doubront & Peavy seem to have it going on right now, a good groove if you will. Lester & Dempster need to pick it up. Dempster won't pitch in KC, so I'm hoping for 3 out of 4 & another series win.

Another Comeback, Another Series Win

John Farrell said it right. The Houston Astros gave the Boston Red Sox a battle each & every night of their 3-game series. It took a 3-run homer in the 9th by Stephen Drew, yes Stephen Drew, to complete a comeback win 7-5 over the 'Stros. Many heroes last night. Jonny Gomes hits a 2-run homer in the 7th to make the score 5-4 after the Astros scored 3 in the bottom of the 6th. The Japanese duo of Tazawa & Uehara shutdown the Houston offense over the final 3 innings, Tazawa going the 7th & 8th. Even Drake Britton got pressed into service as a pinch runner in the 9th for David Ortiz after the big man singled for his 4th hit of the night. Shane Victorino got tossed for arguing a check swing call with the bases loaded. That made for some position re-assignments, including moving Gomes to RF where he made a great sliding catch on a foul ball. This team just doesn't lose close games. Even after I told my wife it doesn't look good, she said the Sox have comeback from bigger deficits. She was right. Another impressive win for a team picked to finish at the bottom of the AL East. Off to KC now to play 4 against a hot team that had won 9 in a row going into last night's game.

Yankees Lose Again With A-Rod

Remember the Curse of the Bambino. I think the Yankees have a curse of their own. It's called the Curse of A-Rod. Goldman Sachs was underwriting the building of the New Yankee Stadium back around 2008. A-Rod had an opt out clause in his contract. The money folks at Goldman Sachs told the Yankees that they could not let A-Rod walk if the Yankees wanted fans to pay for overpriced tickets, so they re-signed A-Rod to his current 10 year contract. That's what happens when non-baseball people interfere with baseball operations. Sounds familiar to Boston fans. And now the Yankees are stuck with an albatross. Since A-Rod's return the Yankees are 0-2. Do you think that their clubhouse chemistry is better? I doubt it. 99% of players don't want him there, including Derek Jeter who is too classy to say otherwise on a public stage. A-Rod will single-handedly bring down a proud franchise. The Yankees would be better off to pay him to stay home.

Sox Win, Rays Lose

The Red Sox wake up today with a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL East after their slugfest win in Houston & the Rays loss in Arizona. The Sox used a "kiddie" core of pitchers in Wright, Workman, Britton & de la Rosa. Wright & Workman gave up 9 runs. Britton & de la Rosa closed the game out better than the first two. The Sox win 15-10 as they outslugged the Astros. Jacoby Ellsbury had 2 home runs, the 2nd one landing in the upper deck in right. Jonny Gomes comes off the bench & hits a 3-run homer, adding an RBI single later to drive in 4 on the night. David Ortiz reachs base 5 times, 4 singles & 1 walk. Shane Victorino added 3 hits. All in all, a good night for the top of the order. Some games are won by pitching & defense, others by offense. This was definitely an offensive win. Good news is a number of bullpen arms got rested & the starting rotation gets an extra day of rest. I stayed up to see Rubby de la Rosa close the game & he did not disappoint. If the plan is for Rubby to be a future closer, he certainly has the stuff as his fastball maxed out at 98 to go along with a nasty cutter & change. 2 strikeouts in a clean 9th inning. Dempster goes tonight for the series win.

Odds & Ends

Just a couple of random thoughts. The City of Detroit is bankrupt. How great would it be for the Detroit Tigers to go a long way in the playoffs to give Detroiters something positive to cheer about. Terry Francona's Indians are in line for the 2nd wild card in the AL. However, they just can beat their division nemesis - Detroit Tigers - as they lost again to the Tigers last night at home 4-2. Looking at the production from Wil Myers should the Red Sox have pulled the trigger on a trade deal with KC for Jon Lester like the Rays did for James Shields? Stephen Strasburg & the Washington Nationals are a figment of what they were in 2012. How does that decision to keep Strasburg out of the 2012 playoffs look now to Nats fans? And finally, how can allowing A-Rod to play through his appeal be in the best interest of baseball? Let me know if you have any comments by clicking the comment button below. Thanks!

Cheaters Announced

A-Rod & company had their day of shame. 50 game suspensions bring all players back in time for the playoffs, so the penalty is a slap on the wrist. And A-Rod can play through his appeal. It seems like MLB did the minimum to keep cheaters out of the game. I still go back to Ryan Braun's speech about his integrity, only to find that he was a cheater too. His 65 game suspension earlier this year means zero - a blip on his radar - since he has millions in salary due him over the next several years. Milwaukee is in last place & has no chance to make the playoffs, so why not take a 2 month vacation. I told my daughter that some players, like some people, just cannot say "I was wrong, I made a mistake." It's not in their DNA. Nothing is ever their fault. It's always someone else. And pampered players like Braun & A-Rod have been treated differently most of their lives because of their sports ability. No one has ever made them personally responsible for their actions. So it continues today.

Sox Shutout in Houston 2-0

Once again John Lackey deserved a better fate. A kid named Ober-something for Houston pitched one heck of a game against the Red Sox, going 7 shutout innings & duplicating his shutout performance against the O's. There were few scoring opportunities for the Sox & each one was met with untimely strikeouts by Mike Napoli & Brandon Snyder late in the game. If Napoli is going to stay in the lineup, he has to be moved out of the #5 hole. His strikeouts are piling up while his home runs are dwindling. The Sox are in need of right-handed power, so move up Gomes &/or bring up Middlebrooks & Bogaerts & send Snyder & Holt back down. The suicide squeeze play by the Astros is such a good play on offense & such a deflating play on defense. Astros scored their 2nd insurance run on the squeeze. It will be fun to watch Steven Wright & his knuckleball tonight. The Sox offense should bounce back tonight.

Sox Finish Strong At Home

Felix Doubront pitched a strong 7 innings to help the Red Sox to a series win over the D-backs. Score of yesterday's game was 4-0. Couple of points besides the fact that Doubront had another quality start. D-backs RF Gerardo Parra missed 2 balls, one from carelessness that went off his glove & one because he looked like a little leaguer who had never caught a ball in the sun. Brock Holt did get a sac bunt down yesterday, something he could not do on Friday. He also started 2 double plays. I thought that Holt contributed to the win yesterday, as opposed to the loss on Friday. Finally, you have to enjoy the play of Shane Victorino in the field & at the plate. Victorino plays RF with abandon for his body as he narrowly missed a spectacular jumping catch into the stands on a foul ball while crashing into the side wall. At the plate he batted right-handed against a righty pitcher & delivered an RBI single. As much as Michael Felger & others try to poo poo this team, the fact is that they continue to win. I would expect a 6-4 or 7-3 record on this road trip.

A-Rod & PED Suspension

On Monday it is expected that MLB will suspend Alex Rodriguez for the rest of 2013 & for all of 2014 for his role in the Biogenesis scandal that will also bring down several other prominent players. A-Rod blames the Yankees organization for wanting his suspension so that they can save money & not pay him his salary of $30+ million per year. The Yankees say it's typical of A-Rod to deflect blame from himself & project it onto someone else or, in this case, the Yankees organization. A-Rod supposedly recruited other players to Biogenesis for steroid & HGH use. The evidence has not been made public, but it has to be substantial to warrant such a long suspension. Even if A-Rod appeals, he will not be allowed to play during the appeal process. As Buford Pusser said in the movie "Walking Tall," those with the most to hide talk the most. And A-Rod has been chirping a lot lately. This whole steroid era seems to be coming to an end & clean players are happy about the policing done to get dirty players out. Even if the public doesn't care about the issue any longer, it's important to correct for the simple reason that high school & college athletes are dying from taking these drugs, often times offered by someone not as sophisticated as a Biogenesis lab. This era has been a black mark in the history of baseball for too long. Maybe Monday will be a big step forward to eradicate the problem once & for all.

Peavy Gets First Win

If Jake Peavy pitches the way he did last night in 80% of his games as Red Sox, no one will remember the name Jose Iglesias. Peavy pitched a strong 7 innings in a 5-2 win. He was aided by the home run balls of the bats of the flyin' Hawaiian & Saltie. A hallmark of this year's Red Sox team is their ability to refocus after a loss or two & get right back into the win column. That certainly was the case last night when facing a tough lefty in Patrick Corbin. Corbin especially made lefties Ellsbury, Ortiz & Drew look real bad at the plate early last night. The win keeps the Rays at bay as Tampa beat SF in 10 innings 2-1. Red Sox still lead the division by 1 game. Baltimore lost yesterday & drops 6 behind the Sox. Felix Doubront pitches for the series win this afternoon. With Lester's problem of remaining consistent Doubront has become the lefty of choice so far in the 2nd half. A win today would be a nice getaway as the Sox hit the road to Houston.

Sox Drop Opener to D-Backs 7-6

No, it's not OK. Fans may say that you can't expect the Red Sox to earn a comeback win every game. True. But it's not OK for Jon Lester to go backwards at this time of year. After giving up 2 runs in the 1st his teammates tie the game & then spot him a 4-2 lead. But Lester couldn't hold it - something a good pitcher would do. It's also not OK for Brock Holt to flub an easy bunt to advance a runner late in the game. That miscue especially hurt since Ellsbury singled after Holt & a runner at 2nd might have scored to tie the game. Old friend Cody Ross certainly took out his frustrations about not being offered a fair contract by the Boston brass this past off-season with 4 hits, including the game-winner homer. Good for Cody. I actually met him & his wife & they are very down to earth people. So questions will continue over Jon Lester. You think Lester would have figured it out by this point in the season. And if Farrell can't straighten him out, who can? Jake Peavey makes his Red Sox debut tonight. I hope it's a good one as we could use a win.

Guest Article - "The Boomer"

I started watching the Red Sox in 1961 with my grandfather. By the time 1967 came around I was a die hard. I always liked the Boomer as he played 1st base which was the position I played. He was a great fielder. Like him, I could pick it pretty good. His glove was the "Black Beauty" and mine was an early 70's Wilson's 1st baseman's mitt. It was at this point that the similarities stopped. The Boomer was a prolific hitter with over 270 home runs. I could not hit a beach ball!! I met George after his retirement at an autograph signing in Portsmouth, NH. I tried to get a conversation going with him, but I did not understand anything he was saying. His Mississippi drawl was too much for me to overcome. However, I did get an autographed picture of him. Recently, I read an article that compared the Boomer's defense at 1st base (8 gold gloves) to Ozzie Smith at shortstop (13 gold gloves) and the defense of the human vacuum at 3rd base Brooks Robinson (16 gold gloves). I would not argue with this. The man could flat out play 1st base defense and he could also hit a few "taters." In case you are wondering the players with the most gold gloves at 1st base are Keith Hernandez with 11 and Don Mattingly with 9. So I say goodbye to the Boomer, one of my all time favorite players. He could pick it! (Author Gaff)

Red Sox Magic on August 1st

How do you top a 15-inning walk-off win a little after midnight on August 1st? Answer - you score 6 in the bottom of the 9th to win 8-7 later that same night! 2 exciting wins in 1 day. We have had the Impossible Dream Year. Morgan Magic. Cardiac Kids. The 2004 Comeback in the ALCS. But this year's edition of the Boston Red Sox is writing their own legend into the history books. John Farrell came up with the word "magical." You fill-in the word that adequately describes the 24 come-from-behind wins this year. Not since the Mother's Day Miracle against the O's has a Red Sox team come from so far back to win in their last at-bat. Last night it was Daniel Nava with the winning hit. Good for this guy after making a big base-running gaff against the Rays. And let's not forget Jonny Gomes' play in the field & subsequent at-bat in the 9th. It's true - Jonny Gomes is the Kevin Millar of this year's team. If this is what Red Sox fans will be treated to all of August, it's going to be one heck of a month. Less hear less on the sport shows about Patriots practice & more about real games going on at Fenway.

Guest Article - "Morgan Magic"

I remember driving to Fenway in July of 1988 with my family all ready to enjoy the game. We were on time to see the first pitch until my car stopped working. We were on the Tobin Bridge. The state police officer called for a tow truck. We all piled into the wrecker and were dropped off at Haymarket Square. From there we got a cab to take us to Fenway Park. Our cab driver did not know where Fenway Park was nor did he know how to speak English. He started riding around in circles. I could see the park from where we were so I had the cab driver stop the cab and we got out to walk over to the park. It was a night of Morgan Magic as the Sox won. Last night I was at Fenway Park as the Red Sox celebrated 25 years since Morgan Magic. Among those players that showed up for the ceremony were: Roger Clemens, Mike Smithsen, Dewey Evans, Oil Can Boyd, Spike Owens & Lee Smith. It was a great night for the fans that shared the excitement of Morgan Magic 25 years ago. Six, Two and Even! (Author Mike G.)

Sox Back in First With 15-Inning Win

I couldn't stay up for the ending, but I was glad to learn that it ended well. Sox beat the M's 5-4 in extras on a walk-off single by Stephen Drew. A loss by the Rays puts the Sox back in 1st place in the AL East. The win last night takes the pressure off - somewhat - to beat King Felix tonight since the Sox have won this series. However, to stay in 1st is pressure every night. Matt Moore going to the DL is bound to impact the Rays going forward into August. It would be nice to get a sweep of the Mariners before welcoming the Arizona Diamondback in for the weekend.