Final Post

Well, it's finally time to say goodbye to this blog that started 10 years ago as a tribute to my brother Paul who lost his fight with cancer at the age of 50.  We have moved to Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/3nohitters/165620567609639.  We are also on Twitter at www.twitter.com/3nohitters.  Finally, we are also on YouTube at www.goo.gl/EP355J.  Please continue to follow us as we upgrade to these new platforms.  Over the last 10 years we have had more viewers than expected look into this little family & friends blog.  People from all over the US & all around the world have visited us.  The blog has been, & it continues to be, a connection to those folks that matter most to me.  A big thanks to Dave & Lisa for helping out over the last 10 years with technical issues.  And a big thanks to Hannah & Steph for pushing me into the 21st century.  We still have a learning curve, especially with the YouTube videos, but it's getting there.  Thanks also to Gaff & Steve, the Brain Trust, for making all of our podcasts so much fun.  So that's it.  See you on Facebook et al!   

Last Day of June

Well, the Red Sox have tread water this month with a record of 13-14.  A win tonight in Toronto will give them a 14-14 record, exactly .500.  If we could go back in time & replace May's results with those of April & June, we would be a few games over .500 & in the race.  As we approach game 81, the official halfway point of the season, there is no optimism that the Sox can win at a .600 clip during the 2nd half of the season & make a charge back into contention.  85 wins seems a long way off when the Sox are a several games away from 40 yet.  At 35-43 over the first 78 games & 7-1/2 games behind Baltimore the Sox would need to go 50-34 the rest of the way to even get into the conversation about the playoffs.  And if the Sox are still 10 games below .500 & around 10 games back of the leader at the all-star break, I expect Cherington to be an active seller in order to get a playoff roster started for the team in 2016.  July may be the most exciting month of 2015.   

How Long Will Buck Stay Focused?

We got the "good" Clay Buchholz again last night in Toronto.  Buck goes 8 innings, giving up just 1 run in a Red Sox win 3-1.  He has had several good starts recently.  Does that mean that Buck is due for an injury like in past years?  Does that mean that he starts losing his command & control like in the past?  It's hard to evaluate whether the Red Sox pick up 2 options of $13 million each on Buchholz or they use him as a trade chip next month.  Which Clay Buchholz do you believe in?  Personally, I'm not sold on Buck or his Mad Max haircut.  I'm ready to move on from him.     

Sox Take Series in Tampa

Red Sox 5, Rays 3.  Sox win this series against the 1st place Rays by beating up on Chris Archer, a guy who just can't beat the Red Sox.  Justin Masterson made it through 5 innings, giving up just 1 run.  Ortiz, Panda & De Aza all homered in support.  Sox are 6-4 over their last 10 games.  Can they continue to win at a .600 clip without Pedroia & Ramirez?  Doubtful.  But we'll take the series win & see how things go in Toronto this week.  By the all-star break the Sox will know if they are buyers or sellers.

Hanigan's Return May Force Trade

Ryan Hanigan was suppose to be the back-up catcher to Cristian Vazquez.  Vazquez ends up having season-ending Tommy John surgery, so Hanigan became the #1 & Sandy Leon became the back-up.  Hanigan broke a bone in his hand in May, so the Sox call-up rookie Blake Swihart who has become the everyday catcher for the past 6 weeks.  Let's review.  Vazquez-Hanigan went to Hanigan-Leon which then went to Swihart-Leon.  Ryan Hanigan is close to coming back to the big club.  Vazquez will be ready to go in spring training next year.  4 catchers for 2 spots means that it's very possible that someone will be traded.  It could be Swihart, a kid with lots of potential, if the Sox commit to Vazquez as their everyday catcher next year.  Hanigan is signed for another year & he has shown that he is a good veteran presence behind the plate with a good blue-collar work ethic.  Leon is the personal catcher for Buchholz, a guy who is pitching better of late.  Swihart would command a sizable return in the trade market, maybe a Cole Hamels.  It doesn't seem like Vazquez & Swihart can co-exist.  If the Sox want to keep both, perhaps the switch-hitting Swihart can become the everyday 1B next year in place of Mike Napoli.  Hanigan's return will prompt some sort of move.  Returning Swihart to AAA doesn't seem logical, unless they give him reps at 1B.  July will be very interesting.   

Sox Win In Extras 4-3

Mookie Betts & Brock Holt picked the right time to get their hits last night.  It was in the 10th inning when Betts doubled & Holt singled him in with the winning run.  Sox beat Tampa Bay 4-3 & allow other AL East teams to gain ground on the Rays.  Besides clutch hitting at the top of the order, Rick Porcello had a much better outing than his previous 6 tries, allowing just 3 runs in 6 innings.  The bullpen shut it down after that with 4 innings of shutout relief.  Koji registered his 15th save.  A nice win. 

Kelly to AAA, Masterson's Last Chance

Sox lose another series to Baltimore.  More importantly, Joe Kelly is sent to Pawtucket to figure things out.  That gives Justin Masterson one last chance to prove he is worthy of a starting job with this team.  If Masterson should fail, then it will be Brian Johnson's turn to give the big league rotation a try.  JBJ was called up & he responded with a 2-hit night & a putout of a runner trying to go home on a short fly to RF.  Here's my advice to John Henry - try all the kids so you know what you have for next year.  Showcasing some talent before the trade deadline may help with trades to improve the team going forward.  Try Pablo at 1B & sit Napoli against righties for awhile.  Give Travis Shaw a good look at 1B & 3B.  There are ways to improve this team over the 2nd half of the season.  So let's get to it.  It's now tryout time for the 2016 Boston Red Sox. 

Red Sox Changes

Sox lost to the O's 6-4.  No sense talking about the game because the Red Sox just can't beat the O's this year.  They fall to 3-8 thus far.  I'd rather talk about roster changes.  P Justin Masterson & C Eric Krantz were activated yesterday.  Rusney Castillo & Steven Wright were optioned to Pawtucket.  Masterson will pitch out of the bullpen while Krantz is only here until Swihart returns.  Good move to send Rusney down to play everyday & learn more about the fundamentals of baseball, something he apparently missed in Cuba.  I expect Steven Wright to be stretched out & come back as a starter for either Porcello or Kelly.  Mike Napoli is on the verge of being released with 4 more strikeouts in last night's game.  Shane Victorino & Ryan Hanigan are rehabbing, getting ready for their return soon.  That makes Swihart or Leon & De Aza expendable.  These are more guys that Ben Cherington could wrap into a trade package for veteran pitching, improved bullpen (particularly lefties) & a power-hitting 1B.  Cole Hamels, Troy Tulowitzki, Paul Goldschmidt come to mind.  Do a 5-for-1 deal & get rid of several spare parts.  I feel like lots of changes are coming in July & these will be changes that improve the 2016 team.     

Brady Hearing Today

What a joke!  You would think that Tom Brady was on the same level as NFL players that beat their girl friends or wives in public, fire guns in strip clubs or get arrested for DWI.  The lengths that Roger "Goof Ball" Goodell & the NFL are taking to persecute the Patriots & Tom Brady is mind boggling.  For me it puts a damper on the Pats stunning Super Bowl win & a damper on their entire 2015-2016 season.  You know than announcers will bring it up over & over & over again.  I'd like to see Brady fight it to the bitten end, but as Joe Montana said, it's probably best to just get it over with & take whatever punishment can be negotiated.  This mockery lets Goodell sidestep the real issues within the NFL, like concussions & the convict behavior of NFL players noted above.  It's a joke!     

A Nice Win

Red Sox demolish the Royals 13-2 to win the series in Kansas City.  This was a nice win, but we need about 59 more in the remaining 90 games to make the playoffs.  So let's forget about the playoffs this year & concentrate on what we have moving forward.  Mookie Betts is showing that he can be productive at the big league level.  Xander Bogaerts is having his most complete year as a player, both in the field & at the plate.  Cristian Vazquez will be back from Tommy John surgery next season.  Eduardo Rodriguez is not afraid to pitch at this level & to pitch successfully.  Blake Swihart got called up early due to injury, but he is another guy that could play a role as back-up catcher or 1B in the future.  Add Dustin Pedroia to show these kids the work ethic that it takes to be consistent on a day-to-day basis.  David Ortiz will play at least 1 more year to reach 500 home runs.  If I'm Ben Cherington today, I'm looking to find out if I can move Hanley Ramirez &/or Pablo Sandoval &/or Rusney Castillo.  Add Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino & Justin Masterson to that list.  He still has Jackie Bradley, Jr. waiting for a fair chance to play everyday & to show what he can do offensively for the big team.  Jackie is already a Gold Glove outfielder.  The pitching rotation needs to be adjusted.  Brian Johnson & Henry Owens are options in Pawtucket that Ben can try over the 2nd half of the season.  Let's see what we have going forward & not look back for the rest of 2015.       

Porcello Fails to Win Again

I like Rick Porcello.  At 25 or 26 years old he has pitched over 1,000 innings in the big league.  Maybe it's the scrutiny that comes from playing in Boston.  Maybe it's trying to live up to the big contract extension.  Something is not right with Porcello & it's time for him to take a DL stint to clear his mind.  Brian Johnson is a guy that the Red Sox would like to see pitch in the majors, just to see what they have in him for next year, so here's the perfect opportunity for 2 or 3 starts - just like how Eduardo Rodriguez got his chance.  I would not give up on Porcello.  However, he can't keep having these meltdown innings & he can't keep giving up home runs.  Give him a mental break & bring up Johnson.  And while you're at it, bring up a few lefty relievers & send Layne & Breslow to the DL as well.

A-Rod Gets 3,000th Hit

Does anyone care - outside of New York - that a cheat & known steroid user got his 3,000th hit last night?  No.  Nuf ced!

Red Sox 7, Royals 3

Don't get excited.  The Red Sox have won 3 of their last 5 games.  To get back into contention, the Sox would need to stay at this .600 clip or higher for the remainder of the year.  No way they do that, so just enjoy a win when it happens.  Nice start for Eduardo Rodriguez, going 6+ innings & allowing just 1 run.  Let's not call him E-Rod either as we want no facsimile or reference to A-Rod.  This kid has had 3 out of 4 good starts & he reminds me of a young Jon Lester.  Rodriguez, Bogaerts, Betts are guys you can build this team around for the future.  And the future is now as the Red Sox need to find a way to dump payroll & get some roster flexibility for 2016.  The first choice is picking Hanley or Big Papi as your DH of the future.  Good luck with that one!  Then you have money coming off the books for Napoli & Victorino which could pay some of the salary costs of moving Pablo & Hanley if that's possible.  It's all about 2016 at this point.  Brian Johnson should be the next pitcher up to see if he can repeat the success of Rodriguez.  If yes, then the inconsistent & often hurt Clay Buchholz becomes expendable.  Buck can be used to entice a team to take Pablo.  Lots of changes should be made as we near the trade deadline. 

Pablo, Instagram & Diva

Instead of talking about a Red Sox win, we have the Pablo situation in the headlines.  During Wednesday's game, a game in which the Red Sox are losing, Sandoval does into the clubhouse & "likes" a picture of a big busted girl named Diva on Instagram.  Mind in the game?  I think not!  Yesterday, instead of being totally embarrassed, Pablo calmly met with reporters & said it was a mistake & he will take his punishment of being benched.  No big deal.  If I was John Henry, I would suspend Pablo without pay indefinitely until the MLBPA came to his aid.  Let him miss a few checks & see if his concentration improves.  Just another example of no cohesiveness with this team.  There has to be consequences or the inmates run the jail.  What a joke!

Braves 5, Red Sox 2

The Red Sox had a short-lived win streak of 1 game.  The Braves are far from an imposing team that you fear.  Yet, they get the job done with the players they have by playing smart baseball.  A few well-timed singles last night was enough for the win.  By contrast, the Sox are anything but timely & when you only score 2 runs you are not going to win on most nights.  No more smoke & mirrors talk, please.  Cherington knows that the season is over.  Everyone in the Red sox organization knows that this team doesn't have the "it" factor this year.  They just don't.  So stop pushing the it's not over scenario.  The Sox are 6 games behind 4th place, never mind 1st place.  We may be 2 years into another 86 year drought. 

Finally, A Win!

Red Sox 9, Braves 4.  Yes, the Red Sox finally put together good pitching by Wade Miley & a hitting cycle by Brock Holt to defeat the Braves.  No Dustin Pedroia or Hanley Ramirez in the lineup due to minor injuries.  Alexandro De Aza delivered a big hit with 2 on, scoring both runners & increasing the Sox lead to 5-1 at the time.  Mookie had a big day with 3 hits from the #2 spot, scoring Holt with the 1st run of the game in the 1st inning.  The only negative was Rusney misjudging a line drive & letting it go over his head.  Since this season is pretty much over I'd send Rusney to Triple A to learn baseball sense, baseball savvy, situational play & let Jackie Bradley, Jr. take over RF on an everyday basis for awhile.  De Aza can continue as the 4th outfielder, spelling guys once a week.  A nice win, but we are still a last place team.   

Bad Loss - Again

No player wants to lose.  It's one thing to play a better team, give it your all & come up short.  That's not what has been happening in the 6-game losing streak.  The Boston Red Sox are playing like a Little League team -- missing pop ups because of the sun, lackluster hustle to balls in the outfield, poor base running & poor defense.  The Blue Jays averaged 10+ runs over 3 games, a combination of poor pitching & poor defense.  This last series reminded me of the Boston Massacre by the Yankees a few years back.  Pitching - both starting & relief - has been horrible.  Hitting has been better, but spotty.  When you don't catch the ball, pitch the ball, hit the ball or run the bases well on a consistent basis - you lose.  And the Red Sox are now 10 games under .500 as they approach mid-season.  At this point 75 to 80 wins would be a stretch.  The only team with a worse record in the AL is Oakland.  Changes could be made top to bottom, but what change will get this team back on a winning note?  I just don't know.        

Snake Bitten

Our Boston Red Sox can't buy a win.  Down 4-0 they tie the game at 4-4. but they just can't get that go-ahead hit.  So the Red Sox lose in extras 5-4.  That makes 5 losses in a row.  That makes 2 series losses in a row.  And forget what John Farrell said about not writing this team off.  He know that there is no way that this team goes 60-39 over the last 99 games.  It's just not happening.  We just keep sinking lower, lower & lower.

Consistently Inconsistent

How's this for describing the Red Sox?  Consistently inconsistent.  For the better part of a month the Sox offense was on vacation while the pitching was good.  Now the Sox offense is scoring runs, but the pitching has turned sour.  Sox lose 13-10 last night after leading 8-1.  Bullpen gives up 9 runs in the 7th inning.  Another demoralizing loss.  Teams that are more consistent on a nightly basis go to the top.  Teams that are mostly inconsistent go to the bottom.  We are at the bottom.

Different Day, Same Result

You can take my comments from yesterday & just change the date to today.  Our Boston Red Sox have played themselves out of the 2015 post-season.  The Orioles finished off a sweep with a 6-5 win at Camden Yards.  Wade Miley went a little cookoo, but so what.  Theatrics don't change poor performance.  Let's just move onto 2016.

Inept

That's my word for the Red Sox offense - inept.  Another loss to the O's last night means another series loss & another sub-.500 performance.  The sweep of the A's seems like a long long time ago.  Just too many players are having below average years all at once -- David Ortiz, Pablo Sandoval, Mike Napoli, Rick Porcello.  Mookie, Rusney & Swihart are all learning at the big league level &, as will happen with young guys, their performance is up & down.  It's the veterans that are costing the Red Sox this season.  With no sign of life & no sign that the Sox can play .600 ball the rest of the way, this season is now officially over.  So relax, fans, & enjoy watching the young kids like E-Rod & perhaps Brian Johnson in the near future.  Don't look for the Sox to make any moves at the trade deadline involving their prospects.  Maybe Napoli, Victorino, Masterson & Nava become short-term rentals for another team.  Pressure is off.  We are out.

Rusney A Dunce

Rusney Castillo has a lot to learn about playing baseball in the good old USA.  He was inserted into last night's game after Hanley suffered a knee injury.  With a runner at 3rd & 2 outs Rusney worked the count to 3-0.  Instead of taking the next pitch, he swings & flies out to RF for the last out.  Later in the game, Rusney comes up with runners at 1st & 2nd.  He calls time out to talk to Butterfield because he didn't know the bunt sign.  The O's know he's bunting now & they put on a play to keep Machado at 3B.  He tries bunting the next pitch, but he doesn't get the ball far enough down 3rd or away from home plate.  Wieters throws out Pedroia at 3rd.  Overall, the offense is non-existent & that is everyone's fault in the batting order.  But Rusney sure didn't help anything by squandering 2 scoring chances last night.

Tough Loss, But Not Fatal

Yes, last night's 1-0 loss to the O's was a momentum buster since the Sox were riding a 3-game sweep of the A's.  No, although I was upset like every fan, it is not a fatal blow IF the Red Sox bounce back & win the next 2 games of this series.  As I said yesterday, the Sox need to win 2 out of 3 & 3 out of 4 more often than not for the remainder of the season to reach 85 wins & a possible playoff spot.  Don't blame E-Rod as he shutout the O's through the first 6 innings.  A passed ball by Blake Swihart on a Matt Barnes pitch scored the only run of the game.  When your team scores no runs the margin for error is none.  This loss is squarely on the offense who may be without Hanley Ramirez for a few games due to a foul ball off of his knee.  The Sox can ill-afford to lose Hanley's bat since Ortiz, Napoli & Sandoval are all struggling.  Let's see what happens tonight & tomorrow.   

Let's Do Some Math

Now that the Red Sox have our interest again, let's look at some math for the remainder of this season.  Currently, the Sox have 27 wins in 58 games for a .466 winning percentage.  To reach 85 wins, the Sox need to win 58 of the remaining 104, or produce a winning percentage of .558.  85 wins should get them into a wild card position, if not a share of the AL East crown.  We are talking about producing 3 wins over .500 for each of the next 4 months.  That's a very do-able task.  In round numbers, they need to average a record of  6-4 every 10 games.  So let's see if the men from Beantown are up to the task. 

A Sweep of the A's

I picked a good weekend to be away.  I heard about the wins on Friday & Saturday, led mostly by the good starting pitching of Wade Miley & Joe Kelly.  I got back today in time to see the Sox fall behind 4-0 before the 7-run offensive explosion in the 8th inning, leading to a 7-4 come-from-behind win for the sweep.  Who is that offense?  We haven't seen that kind of outburst all year.  So now the big question - do we buy into the Red Sox after a 5-2 home stand or are we just kidding ourselves?  Will the real 2015 Red Sox please stand up?  Here we go fans!   

Time For Hanley To Go

Another embarrassing loss, this time 8-4 after leading 4-0.  Humiliating base running into outs all over the place.  Ugly defense when you most need it.  Yes, Pablo has made 4 errors at 3B in the past 5 games & he is in a slump, but I keep him a little longer to see if he will work his way out of it.  At least you can see effort out of Pablo.  Hanley, however, has to go since Big Papi will not be giving up his DH spot any time soon.  My suggestion for Ben - trade Hanley & Napoli to Colorado for Tulowitzki & Gonzalez.  Put Tulo at 1B & Cargo in LF.  A big change needs to happen for this team to turn it around.  Hanley is not the answer.  He is the problem.  

Offense Good, Offense Bad

Offense good - win 6-3.  Offense bad - lose 2-0.  That's the way the day went for the Red Sox as they split a twin bill with the Twinkies at Fenway Park.  Both games featured excellent starting pitching by Eduardo Rodriguez & Rick Porcello.  Rodriguez gave up 1 run in 7 innings & Porcello gave up 2 runs in 8 innings.  Both efforts should have resulted in 2 W's.  But the fickle Red Sox offense took the nightcap off & they were shutout.  I see a lot of swings & misses by Sox batters on balls out of the strike zone.  You can't be an effective hitter when you swing at balls & help the other pitcher out.  And Hanley, please stop swinging at every 1st pitch you see.  Every opposing pitcher knows that if I do.  Pitching & defense are keeping the Red Sox in close games.  Time for the offense to perform or time for more changes, like the recent signings of De Aza & Peguero. 

Sox Start June With A Win

It wasn't an offensive explosion after a vote of confidence by owner John Henry.  But it was a much needed win, 1-0, over the vastly improved Twins.  As X-man said after the game, we needed a win.  Clay Buchholz was the story as he pitched 8 shutout innings, giving the Sox his 5th or 6th good start in a row.  I hate to get on the Buck bandwagon because that's when he usually goes on the DL.  Remember his great 9 or 10 outing to start 2013, then going on the shelf for the rest of the year?  We'll take these good performances while he's riding a hot streak, but I'm not tying my wagon to Buck as history is not on his side.  A good win for sure last night.  Let's see if the Sox can ride momentum & string more wins together now.

Blog End

To All Our Blog Viewers - We ran into problems in May when we tried to upload a podcast.  Evidently, BlogSpot no longer allows free uploads.  As a result, I made a move over to Facebook, Twitter & YouTube.  You can go to any of those sites & type in "3nohitters" to see my comments & videos.  It's a work in progress, but I think we are getting the hang of it.  I have continued this blog as a back-up for the past month, but I will be ending this dual system on July 1st.  I hope that you will continue to follow me on these other more modern social media sites.  Links to these sites will be posted throughout the month of June.  Thanks for your support over the past 10 years.  I'm hoping for 10 more years on these updated platforms.  Thanks again!   

It's A Mess

I'm like everyone else - totally frustrated.  A 10-19 month of May leaves the Red Sox in last place in the crummy AL East, only 4 games out of 1st.  How do you fix every phase of the game - offense, defense, pitching - as you reach the 1/3 mark of the season this week?  Let's start with pitching.  I would listen to trade talks that involve Porcello, Miley & Kelly.  Let Buck, Wright & Rodriguez stay & go get a Cole Hamels.  Bring up Brian Johnson.  Next is the defense.  I agree with Lou Merloni on Hanley.  Move Hanley from LF to 1B & let him DH against lefty pitching which Ortiz isn't hitting now.  Trade Mike Napoli for whatever you can get.  Pablo made a few errors on Sunday, but he is a good 3B.  Move JBJ to left & have an outfield of 3 center-fielders who can play good D.  Finally, offense.  You can't fire the entire middle of the order, so preach going the other way instead of pulling the ball for easy ground outs.  If no one listens, start thinking about a trade for another bat, like Troy T. in Colorado.  We can't play any worse in June, right?      

Red Sox Turning Into Joke

I can't watch anymore.  8-0 loss last night to the Rangers.  No pitching, no defense, no hitting, no energy, no pride.  Hanley is killing this team in LF.  Offense is non-existent.  Pitching has returned to the more bad than good days.  Even he manager is making poor in-game decisions in tight games.  No consistency.  The Sox deserve to be in last place.   

Rangers 7, Sox 4

Here's my pet peeve & it's directed at John Farrell.  It's 3-2 in the 7th, Sox losing by a run.  Your leadoff man Blake Swihart reaches 1st.  Your #9 hitter is up in Rusney Castillo.  Why don't you bunt Swihart to 2nd & give Pedroia & Betts a chance to drive him in & tie the game?  Instead, Rusney hits into a double play.  Next, Ogando comes in to pitch the 7th.  He gives up a double, single & walk.  Why leave him in?  This Boston team is starving for victories & it was obvious that Ogando didn't have his best stuff or command last night.  Instead, Ogando gives up another hit & the Rangers scored an important 4th run.  Then Farrell takes Ogando out.  These are not smart moves for the manager of a team desperate for wins.  You can't squander your limited opportunities to score & you can't be afraid to use multiple arms out of your bullpen in close games.  I just didn't like the whole 7th inning from the managerial decision-making process.  As it turns out, Hanley hit a 2-run homer in the 8th & maybe we could have eeked out a 4-3 win.  Bad decision-making, John, bad job. 

Rodriguez to the Rescue

What a debut for the 22 year old left-hander!  Eduardo, don't call me Eddie, Rodriguez pitched 7 2/3rd innings of shutout ball to earn his 1st major league win.  It came at a most opportune time as he helped the Sox stopped their slide with a 5-1 win in Texas.  More positive signs - offense collected 10 hits between the top 5 batters of Pedroia, Betts, Ramirez, Sandoval & Napoli.  Another good sign - Hanley found his power stroke with his 1st HR in May to LF.  Going the other way, David Ortiz is sitting the 1st 2 games to work on his swing & Xander Bogaerts got hit on the wrist & left the game.  Back to Rodriguez, it's hard to imagine not leaving Eduardo in the rotation to replace Joe Kelly.  With the starters getting an extra day's rest Buchholz could start Saturday in place of Kelly or they could skip Kelly's next turn after Saturday.  Rodriguez & Wright can be 2 internal solutions to bolster this up & down rotation.    

What to Expect in June

Answer - who knows?  Sox have 28 games in June with 2 off days.  15 at home, 13 away.  They play Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5, Twins 4, Braves 4, A's 3, Royals 3 & Rays 3.  My last guess for May was a record of 16-13, but I have no chance as they are 9-16 now heading into Texas for the last 4 games of the month.  I will guestimate a record of 16-12 for June, just because they can't play as bad as they did in May again.  Right??    

Twins 6, Red Sox 4

A sweep of the Red Sox by the Twins.  Rick Porcello remains snake-bitten by 2 more pitches that got away & ended up in the stands.  Dustin Pedroia muscled up for 2 homers & 4 RBI, but not enough to produce a win.  Dark days, dark clouds following the Sox in May.  A record of 9-16, last place in the East.  And yet, only 4 games out of 1st place.  Eduardo Rodriguez gets a spot start to see if he can help this team get a win.  Rodriguez could be a replacement for Joe Kelly or he could be part of a trade deal down the road.  Media is calling for Farrell to be replaced.  With 2/3 of the season still in front of them I expect the Sox to try a few more internal possibilities before heading to the trade market in early July.  This could be a much different looking team by July 31st. 

No Traction on Offense

Sox lose series to Twins with a game 2 loss 2-1.  Broken record - where's the offense?  Good pitching performance by Buchholz goes for naught.  Farrell dropped Big Papi to 5th in the lineup & he did score the Sox lone run on a single by Mike Napoli.  Only Sandy Leon got 2 hits & he's the #9 batter.  Likewise, Minnesota could only muster 2 1st inning runs & they ended the night with little offense as well, but it was enough for the win.  Another loss due to lack of offense.  Sox are 9-15 in the month of May after starting 12-10 in April.  I guess my prediction of 16-13 for May is about as good as my pick of Powerball numbers.

Twins 7, Sox 2

We are hitting the Twins at the wrong time as they are playing red hot now.  No life in game 1 from the Red Sox.  Maybe it was the travel & jet lag.  Let's see what a good night's sleep does for them tonight.  We can still win this series.

Rusney Learning

Let's see.  We had a dropped fly ball.  We had no help at home plate from the on-deck circle.  And today we had a fall between 2nd & 3rd for a tag out.  Rusney's first weekend with the Red Sox has had some interesting moments.  Anyone can see that the raw talent is there.  Let's hope Rusney gets his head into games as he progresses.  Give him a mulligan this weekend after becoming a father on Wednesday.   

Nap, X-Man, Miley Help Sox to 6-1 Win

I could get use to consistent offense, defense & pitching.  This is 2 games in a row where the offense produces 5+ runs, the defense makes solid plays & the pitching is dominant.  Mike Napoli is on fire with another HR & a double today, accounting for 4 RBI.  That's 4 homers in 3 games.  The Angels intentionally walked him in the 6th inning.  X-man went 4-4 at the plate.  Wade Miley pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball.  (He reminds me of Mark Buehrle.)  Result was a 6-1 victory & a series win against the Angels.  Consistency needs to continue if the Sox are going to make a move on Tampa Bay.  This is more like the team we thought we had.  Now sustain this momentum into Minnesota. 

Signs of Life

Red Sox outhit the Angels 12-6 & won the middle game last night 8-3.  Mike Napoli blasted 2 homers off of his former team.  Mookie Betts & Xander Bogaerts got timely hits to drive in 2 runs a piece.  And Steven Wright gave a quality start after giving up 2 runs in the 1st.  The change of Wright for Masterson certainly seems to be working.  As one newspaper column said today, the Sox are stuck with the current roster of Pedroia, Pablo, Hanley, Ortiz & Napoli.  That's your 2 through 6 in the batting order.  They have to perform offensively if this team is to go anywhere.  Good signs that they scored 5 & 8 runs in the past 2 nights.  Keep that up & more wins are sure to follow.     

Out of Sync

The Boston Red Sox are out of sync.  Good pitching performances over the last 11 games barely get the team over .500 due to lack of offense.  Now last night the team scores 5 runs for the 1st time in weeks & the pitching implodes.  Butterfield takes the Sox out of a bigger inning by sending Napoli home on Trout's arm & Trout wins.  Ortiz strikes out & Nava hits into a double play with bases loaded & no outs.  Pablo & probably Hanley now will both be out for awhile.  Even Rusney Castillo dropped a fly ball in RF & got schooled by David Ortiz in the dugout for not helping Nap on his slide home.  Nothing clicking.  Just a team sputtering below .500 for more than a month.  It's time to start looking at outside help before this season slips further away. 

No Money Shot

Call it what you will, but the Red Sox offense is choking with RISP & it's costing them several losses in well-pitched games by their starters.  Same story last night in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.  Quality start by Joe Kelly who went 7 innings & gave up just 2 runs.  Good job by the bullpen.  Sox offense, however, leaves multiple runners throughout the game, scoring their sole run on a homer by X-man.  Hanley looked pathetic in LF, doing his best "Manny" impression when a ball slipped out of his hand allowing a runner to move to 3rd.  Next year can't come fast enough to get Hanley back into the infield either at 1B or 3B with Panda taking the other corner spot.  Time for a Rusney call-up & some hard decisions to be made about the future of Victorino, Bradley, Nava & Napoli.

Welcome Back Nap!

Sox win 4-3 in their home opener against the Rangers.  While David Ortiz had 2 RBI with a homer & Wade Miley limited Texas to 2 runs over 7 innings the story was Mike Napoli finally breaking out of his season-long slump with 2 hits that included a homer & 2 RBI.  Nap also made a nice diving play at 1B.  Napoli can be a force to reckon with at the plate (just ask Justin Verlander), so his resurgence can add much needed life to this offense.  Good win to start the home stand & a good win to give Sox fans hope that better days are ahead.

No Offense Again

Win one, lose one, win one, lose one.  That's what happened on this 5-5 road trip.  Sox finished a split in Seattle yesterday on a losing note in a 5-0 loss.  Not much fight put up by Red Sox batters.  They had a chance to get back into a 3-0 game with runners on 2nd & 3rd, but couldn't get the necessary 2 out hit.  And that was it for offensive chances.  Just no life.  I wouldn't be surprised if there are more changes to the roster on this 6-game home stand.  Mike Napoli may be the next player to get a mysterious DL injury like Justin Masterson.  Hanley to 1B & Rusney Castillo to LF sounds like a possibility. 

Red Sox Beat King Felix 4-2

A few thoughts.  Pablo Sandoval's homer in the 2nd inning set the stage to let King Felix know that he was in for a battle.  Ortiz sent a similar message in the 3rd inning, knocking the King's confidence down another notch.  Blake Swihart got the game-winning RBI in the 6th with a double to LF.  This kid hasn't hit a lot, but that one sure counted.  Overlooked is a big walk to JBJ that gave Holt a chance to drive in the 4th run, a big insurance run.  Great pitching from Porcello, Layne, Tazawa & Koji.  Last night's win puts the Sox 1 victory away from .500.  The .500 mark is important this year as the AL East stays packed tightly during the 1st 2 months of the season.  Playing around .500 gets you to 81 wins, so it just takes 1 real good month to finish with 86 to 90 wins & the playoffs.  The changes made to the roster are definitely helping.   

Scrutiny on Offense Now

Where's the offense been lately?  It hasn't shown up in the last 10 games as the Sox have scored only 24 runs, or 2.4 runs per game.  That's a far cry from the 5+ runs per game that this offense was expected to deliver on a regular basis.  Betts is slumping.  Pedroia is slumping.  Ortiz never got on track this year.  Hanley has zero homers this month.  Napoli is under .200.  Panda can't hit from the right side.  Bogaerts is a 1 for 4 kind of hitter.  Victorino has returned & he has produced in a short sample size.  Neither catcher is producing.  Part of the problem I see is the swing & miss on balls out of the strike zone.  Too much lunging for balls away that are not strikes.  Chilli Davis better get to work or he could be the next coach to get fired.   

Dumb, John Farrell, Just Dumb

A squandered chance to get back to .500.  A 2-1 loss to the Mariners last night in large part to a blunder by John Farrell.  With the winning run at second why would you ever pitch to Nelson Cruz with a base open & give him a chance to win the game?  I don't care if he was 0 for 100 against Tazawa in the past.  Cruz should have never been given anything but an intentional walk.  His run would have meant nothing & the infield would have had a force play.  I really don't care if Farrell owned up to his poor decision after the game.  It was still a ridiculously poor decision, very poor for a guy who has been managing for awhile.  Clay Buchholz & his Mad Max haircut deserved better.  But Buck got no help from his challenged offense who could score only 1 run off of J.A. Happ.  The Sox haven't strung a big offensive inning together for quite some time.  Now that the pitching is coming around, the offense needs to start scoring runs again.  A very frustrating night to stay up until 1 AM to see the Sox lose that way.  Very frustrating!   

No Arrow for Crooked-Hat Rodney

Take that - Rodney & Seattle Mariners!  Sox win 2-1 on a well-played game in the Pacific Northwest late last night.  Rodney gave up the winning run, faced 7 batters in the 9th & needed 30+ pitches in a very poor effort.  Great defense by Dustin Pedroia & Shane Victorino.  Timely hitting by Victorino & Mookie Betts.  Big bunt by Blake Swihart to move Bogaerts into scoring position in the 9th.  Swihart did so with 2 strikes.  Nice start by Joe Kelly who seemed more in control of himself last night.  Excellent relief by Matt Barnes & Koji to close the door.  Hanley had a 4-hit night, but he needs to stop going to 2nd as he got thrown out twice.  Bad news.  Mike Napoli is lost at the plate, taking fastball after fastball for strikes early in the count.  He took an 0-4.  Ortiz only hit 1 ball out of the infield for a loud out & he also went 0-4, dropping his BA to around .220.  But a win is a win.  Sox are now 4-1 in their last 5 games.  Yankees keep losing, so Sox are only 3.5 games behind.   

Time for Mr. Wright

Ben has been listening to me or reading my posts.  Justin Masterson goes to the DL with a mysterious arm fatigue issue.  Up next is Steven Wright who has pitched 2 long relief outings for the Sox this year - one in a win at Yankee Stadium & one in a loss at Oakland on Tuesday.  The knuckleballer is the first internal option to be tried between Johnson, Rodriguez & Owens.  It may be time to used 2 of these other 3 potential starters as trade bait for Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto, Stephen Strasburg or the like.  Prospects are nice, but proven starters are better.  Changes are happening.  And for the better.   

Sox Win Finale 2-0

Well, finally a series win in May.  Wade Miley stranded base runners all day &, with help from Tazawa & Uehara, combined for a shutout.  We haven't used the words "Red Sox pitchers & shutout" in a the same sentence in ages.  And the Sox needed a shutout against the A's ace Sonny Gray who pitched a heck of a game against them.  This 2-0 win shows that the Sox have signs of life if we can just get a few quality starts from the starting pitchers.  Daniel Nava had a nice day at the plate going 2-3 with a walk.  He drove in the winning run with a perfectly placed pop fly down the LF line.  Oakland looks like they are going nowhere, so perhaps there is a chance to trade for Scott Kazmir or Sonny Gray in the near future.  Either one would be a big help to the Red Sox struggling rotation.   

Masterson Has To Go

No pitching.  No offense.  No win.  Sox lose 8-2.  As much as the pitching has been an issue, so has the offense during this last 20 game stretch.  Hanley isn't looking like the same guy who blasted 10 HR's in April.  Ortiz struckout 3 times last night.  Panda can't hit from the right side.  Napoli hasn't got going.  No production from 7-8-9.  Things aren't right when Mookie Betts is your RBI leader.  But let's fix the pitching first.  Justin Masterson can't throw higher than 88 & he's missing location badly, a recipe for disaster like last night.  Nice kid, but he needs to be moved by trade or assignment.  Let's try Johnson or Rodriguez or Wright or Owens in his spot.  He has had too many bad outings in a row.  Even if 29 other teams know you need pitching, Ben, give up something to get something.  Start fixing the pitching before it's too late. 

Panda, Barnes Help Sox Win In Extras

I only made it through the 1st 9 innings before hitting the pillow.  I woke up to find the Sox won 5-4 in 11, thanks to a homer by Panda & 2 shutout innings by Matt Barnes.  It wasn't a classic by any means, but it was an entertaining back & forth, grinder kind of game all night.  I always believe that extra inning wins go to the team that is mentally tougher & that team was the Sox last night.  Porcello struggled through 5 innings & 100+ pitches, but he left the game giving up only 3 runs.  The bullpen gave back the lead after the Sox had gone ahead 4-3 in the 7th.  Both teams had plenty of chances to win the game in regulation, but it took 11 innings to get the job done.  This 1-run, extra inning win can take the life out of a struggling team like the A's.  This win can & should set the tone for the next 2.  Let's hope so as we need to string together wins.     

Brady Suspended 4 Games

This is total bull!  Did Tom Brady tell equipment men to deflate balls after they were checked by referees?  "More probable than not."  Well, what an iron-clad case!  No direct communication to that effect, but guilty by inuensdo & supposition.  The penalty does not fit the crime.  Goodell & NFL should just come out & say that we hate the Patriots for going to so many Super Bowls just like baseball fans hated the Yankees in their hayday.  The NFL has a gun violence problem, players discharging weapons on themselves & others.  The NFL has a domestic violence issue, players beating wives & girlfriends.  The NFL has concussion issues to current & former players.  These are the big issues that Goodell should be dealing with, not air pressure in balls.  I guess this Brady circus will deflect attention away from the real problems in the NFL.  Nice job, Roger.  I think you should be suspended permanently.   

Sox Win, But More Changes

It was nice to get a win in Toronto 6-3 yesterday.  But the Red Sox are by no means "fixed" now.  Gone are Juan Nieves, Edward Mujica, Allen Craig & Robbie Ross, Jr.  In are Carl Wills, Matt Barnes, Jackie Bradley, Jr. & Steven Wright.  More changes are coming.  I'd like to see the Sox move Buchholz after this 1 good game before his next 5 bad ones.  I'd do a even swap plus cash for the guy pitching against the Sox tonight, Scott Kazmir.  They need to bring up more guys from Pawtucket or try a few rentals via trade. Other than Porcello, the other 4 starters need to go.      

Finally, A Win!

A 4-run 1st inning was all the Red Sox needed in a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays today.  I was impressed with the Panda who jacked a 2-run homer later in the game & he played a strong 3B all day, starting at least 2 double plays with accurate throws for Pedroia to turn.  Nice to see Mike Napoli jack a 3-run homer in the 1st to give the Sox a cushion for Buchholz to play with.  Buchholz navigated 3 1st inning walks, then settled down for a good start.  Good win, but more roster changes coming.

Change Is Good & Change More Is Needed

Changes are being made to address the sinking ship known as the Red Sox.  Carl Willis is hired as their new pitching coach.  Allen Craig is sent down to Pawtucket to get regular at bats.  And Jackie Bradley, Jr. is promoted to the big team.  JBJ has been smoking the ball in AAA & Daniel Nava has been cold as ice.  A productive left-handed bat would be a nice addition to the lineup.  These changes are needed & the pace of change should continue for several weeks.  Underperformers like Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava, Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, Shane Victorino & Joe Kelly are all targets for trades, release or a mysterious DL injury.

Misery Continues

7-1 loss today -- which is a 1-run improvement from 7-0 last night.  Joe Kelly, like the Red Sox staff, continues to give up free bases via walks & then the long ball.  No pitching.  No hitting.  Same result -- another loss.  How long will the Red Sox go before making wholesale changes to this roster?  That's the question.     

Pathtic Offense in 7-0 Loss

Pathetic.  Ugly.  Choking.  Underperforming.  Lifeless.  These are just a few words to describe the Red Sox offense, or lack thereof, in Toronto last night during a 7-0 beating at the hands of the Jays.  If it wasn't for my grandson watching the game with me, I would have been cussin' & throwing stuff at the TV.  Bases loaded, no outs.  1st & 2nd, no outs.  And we can't score 1 stinkin' run!  What a joke!  The Red Sox average with RISP in 0.56.  No clutch hits.  After posting a record of 12-10 in April the Sox are 1-6 in May.  They are also 6-13 in their last 19 games after starting the season 7-3.  It's bad when NESN's pre & post-game show is more about A-Rod, the Yankees & the weather than the Red Sox.  NESN's ratings will be at zero by the end of May if this trend keeps up.  I may need to put a bag over my head if this team keeps turning out lackluster performances like last night.  Or I may just stop watching.        

New Blood - Matt Barnes

It's not official yet, but it looks like Matt Barnes will join the Red Sox bullpen in Toronto & take the roster spot vacated by Edward Mujica.  Alternatively, another move could be to bring up Brian Johnson or Steven Wright & move Joe Kelly to the pen.  The addition of Barnes seems move probable since he has been working out of the pen in Pawtucket.  The overworked Sox bullpen could benefit the most from the addition of a new arm with more zip on his fastball.  The Mujica move is just the first of what I think will be several moves over the next few months leading up to the trade deadline.  Between trade possibilities & internal opportunities from AAA the Sox will try all sorts of things to straighten out this rotation & bullpen.  Ben & company still have time to fix this.  Plan B is starting to take shape.   

Pitching Changes Are Starting

Something has to give when you have the 2nd worst ERA in all of baseball.  Today we find out that the Sox have dismissed Juan Nieves as their pitching coach.  Nieves had a good staff ERA in 2013 when the Sox won their 3rd World Series in 10 years.  But it's all about what have you done for me lately & in 2015 it's been ugly.  Also, Edward Mujica was designated for assignment.  Mujica never lived up to the hype about his role as a closer for the Cardinals.  He has looked less than enthusiastic on the mound lately & his results have not been good.  Take the Nieves & Mujica firings as the first of many moves by the Sox.  More pitching changes to come. 

Brady & Innuendo

I heard at least 10 different opinions on the Deflate Gate report last night.  Here's mine.  The NFL could have handled the whole situation much differently.  From the outset there was a slant or bias to find the Patriots guilty of something.  The report uses words like "probably" or "possibly."  In a court of law those words mean reasonable doubt & not guilty.  In the court of public opinion those words means 100% guilty.  There was smoke, but this 6-month investigation couldn't find the fire.  Regardless of any defense, which was stated excellently in Robert Craft's response, there is nothing that can be said to change things.  Brady is guilty.  Maybe this report will deflect attention from the real issues within the NFL - concussions, domestic violence, gun use & player arrests.  Air in a football seems minor compared to these issues.   

Poor Pitching Again

It's a broken record.  Another loss 5-3.  Another game where the starting pitcher, Masterson last night, can't go 5 innings.  Hoping things get better is not a plan.  It's time for action by Red Sox management & ownership.  After last night I would release Masterson.  It's time to try some internal options - Barnes, Owens, Johnson, Rodriguez, Wright.  It's time to utilize all of our spare parts to trade for Hamels &/or Strasburg.  Porcello stays in the rotation.  Buck & Miley should be traded.  Kelly should go to the bullpen.  Masterson, as I said, should be released.  The experiment of no dominant arms is over.  Let's fix it before we dig too deep a hole by the end of May.  This 10-game road trip may be the final straw for Ben & company. 

I Fixed the Pitching

I'm tired of complaining about the Red Sox starting pitching, so I played Ben Cherington & I fixed it.  Here's my fix.  This is your new starting rotation. #1-Cole Hamels.  #2-Rick Porcello.  #3-Stephen Strasburg.  #4-Edwardo Rodriguez.  #5-Steven Wright.  Your new bullpen is as follows.  #1-Koji Uehara.  #2-Joe Kelly.  #3-Alexi Ogando.  #4-Brian Johnson.  #5-Justin Masterson.  #6-Tommy Layne.  #7-Matt Barnes.  In order to trade for Cole Hamels & Stephen Strasburg, I would make any combination of the following players available.  Pitchers Clay Buchholz, Wade Miley, Craig Breslow, Edward Mujica, Junichi Tazawa, Henry Owens, Brandon Workman & Heath Hembree.  Position players Shane Victorino, Bryce Brentz, Quinton Berry, Sean Coyle, Garin Cecchini & Deven Marrero.  Pick any 3 or 4 players for each pitcher, but Buchholz & Miley must be part of the trade package.  There!  Pitching problem fixed.  Better starters.  More power arms in the pen.  More versatility to move guys from pen to starter if needed.  

Porcello & Betts Deliver Win

Stand & deliver!  That's exactly what Rick Porcello did for 7 shutout inning & that's exactly what Mookie Betts did when he blasted 2 home runs.  Sox win - finally - 2 to 0 over the Rays in a tight one.  Things have not been bouncing the Red Sox way lately, so it was a nice pitching effort by Porcello, his 2nd in a row, to stop the slide & stop the overuse of the Red Sox bullpen.  This was a big win for several reason, one for showing that the Sox can win without LF Hanley Ramirez.  Ramirez is day-to-day & he is tentatively scheduled to play again this weekend in Toronto.  It may also be a big win if Porcello's performance gets the rest of the Sox rotation moving in the right direction after a horrible series of starts lasting less than 5 innings in length.  Better starting pitching = more wins.

Weird Loss

Murphy's Law.  The one time that new left-fielder Hanley Ramirez makes an athletic play on a ball he gets injured.  If Hanley holds onto the ball in the 1st inning,  Buchholz escapes with no runs.  Instead, the Sox give up 2 runs in the 1st, play catch-up all night & lose 5-1.  Ramirez injured his left shoulder going hard into the 3rd base line wall & it is not known how long he may be out, Farrell saying day-to-day after the game.  This snowball of losing games is gathering a lot of momentum.  It will take a big effort by Rick Porcello tonight to stop the bleeding. 

Ells Strikes Back

Broken record.  Sox lose to Yankees again, this time 8-5.  A sweep of the Sox by the Yankees at Fenway.  Jacoby Ellsbury reached base 6 times last night as the Yankees 1 through 6 hitters collected 11 hits.  Joe Kelly didn't make it out of the 5th.  Same old story when it comes to starting pitchers & inconsistency.  Sox were down 8-0 when they scored 5 in the 6th.  No final comeback as Big Papi made the last out with the bases loaded in the 9th.  Is there anything worse than being swept at home by the Yankees?  No.  Good thing there is another game tonight.  A win may help us forget this lost weekend. 

No Key Hits

Good teams find a way to win the close ones.  Unfortunately, the Red Sox haven't cashed in on their opportunities over the last 2 days, so they lose again to the Yankees 4-2.  Miley pitched well enough to win.  Just no offense again.  2 runs per game is far less than this offense is capable of.  Good pitching, no offense.  Good offense, no pitching.  It's frustrating at this point that there is no consistency, no balance.  The Yankees haven't exactly hit the cover off the ball either, but they have been better than the Sox.  3rd series loss in last 4 for the Sox.  We need more consistency, more balance.   

Swihart Gets the Call

It's always exciting to get a call up to the big leagues.  Unfortunately, it comes after an injury to C Ryan Hanigan who had been settling in to the #1 catching job.  Blake Swihart, the switch-hitting highly touted prospect, joins the Red Sox today as the back-up catcher to Sandy Leon.  First Vazquez, now Hanigan.  The Sox are going through a catcher a month.  At least Hanigan should return in a couple of months.  In the meantime, Blake Swihart gets a taste of big league life.  Swihart will bring more offense than Leon.  He can also be used as a pinch-hitter off the bench.  Good luck, Blake!

A-Rod Ties Willie Mays With #660

A-Rod is no Willie Mays.  Both names don't belong in the same sentence.  The "Say Hey" kid was a baseball icon for his era.  The "now-I'm-clean" A-Rod is the most hated player in the game.  It's a joke to look at A-Rod in the same light & the Yankees are right to withhold his millions in bonus money for reaching 660 homers.  No scoreboard reaction in Boston was the right response to a tainted career by A-Rod which keeps on going.  Too bad the Yankees didn't cut him in spring training.   

Yankees 3, Red Sox 2

It was a typical Red Sox-Yankees close game.  CC & Masterson navigated their way out of trouble through 6 innings.  Nice to see Allen Craig hit a homer into the monster for his 1st of the year.  The 8th inning was the difference for both teams.  A-Rod got a good pitch to drive from Tazawa on 3-0 & lined #660 into the monster.  An asterisk besides #660 for sure.  In the bottom of the 8th the Red Sox had runners on 1st & 2nd with 1 out when Bettances struck out Holt & Bogaerts.  That was our chance to win the game & we didn't.  Two odd plays.  A stupid fan interfered with a ball that would have allowed the Sox to score a run.  And Ryan Hanigan broke his finger on a ball that struck Teixeira first.  Hanigan is a big, big loss & the 2nd catcher to go down this year.  So lady luck was not on our side last night.  In close games it's the little things that determine a win or loss.

One-Run Games

If we look closely at the Sox results for April, you can see how important 1-run games were in the won-lost picture.  Of their 22 games in April a total of 7 were decided by 1 run, or just about 1/3.  The Red Sox were victorious in 5 out of those 7 games.  That 5-2 record in close contests helped the Sox to a 12-10 record for the month.  Had the Sox reversed their results, their record for the month would have fallen to 9-13.  My point is that 1-run games will make or break the season this year.  They certainly played an important role in April.  I expect them to continue to be just as important over the next 5 months.  If we keep going 5-2, things will work out just fine.   

May Schedule

The Red Sox resume play tomorrow as a new month starts.  In May there are no inter-league games.  The home stand continues with 3 against the Yankees & 3 more against the Rays.  A long road trip follows to Toronto for 3, Oakland for 3 & Seattle for 4.  Then back home for 3 against the Rangers & another 3 against the Angels.  The Sox then finish the month on the road in Minnesota for 3 & in Texas for 4.  Due to the lesser competition this month I am predicting a record of 16-13.  What do you think?   

No Fans in Baltimore

A very odd afternoon game in Camden Yards with no fans.  Was it the right thing to do?  Depends on your point of view.  In this liability-conscious world the O's management felt that they could not protect their fans coming or going to the game.  For the fans it was a surrender to the idiot Baltimore rioters & looters who gave & continue to give the city a black eye.  This weekend's series against the Rays will be played in Tampa Bay instead of Baltimore.  Not only are vendors, parking lots, hotels, restaurants & bars losing income, just think of 4 home dates lost for the Orioles with no park revenue.  It's a shame that outside agitators & a few idiots take a serious social issue & escalate a problem with violent protests.      

A Series Win Via Shutdown Pitching

Yes, I called it on Twitter before the game that Rick Porcello would chew up the Jays offense last night & he did just that.  Sox win 4-1 limiting the Jays big hitters to just 3 hits.  Porcello pitched 7 strong, followed by Tazawa & Uehara to close it out.  If you can have a big win in April, this was one of them.  Hanley Ramirez backed up Porcello by hitting another bomb into the monster, his 10th homer of the month.  Whatever you're eating or drinking, Hanley, keep it up!  I predicted the Sox would go 11-11 in April & they finished 12-10, 1 game out of 1st place.  This pace would result in 88 wins which could be enough to win the East.  Starting pitching is a problem that Ben said he would look internally to fix first, but WEEI reports the Phillies are scouting the Sox farm teams which would lead you to believe that a Hamels deal is still in play.  Onto May which could be more of the same roller coaster ride.

Ineffective Pitching Again

To say the Red Sox pitching was "ineffective" is an insult to the word ineffective.  Clay Buchholz - 5 runs.  Edward Mujica - 3 runs.  Anthony Vavarro - 1 run.  Craig Breslow - 1 run.  Junichi Tazawa - 1 run.  11 runs given up in an 11-8 loss to the Blue Jays.  When your offense scores 8 runs you should win, period.  The NESN postgame show mentioned 8 or 9 starts is what Farrell uses to evaluate pitchers.  Well, 5th time through the rotation doesn't show improvement, in fact it shows deterioration.  Another week or two of these wishy-washy effort by Buchholz & Miley & it may be time for an unknown injury to place them both on the DL for awhile.  Let's try internal prospects like Wright, Johnson & Owens for 3 or 4 starts before the trade deadline.  The fact that Buck was standing around the pitcher's mound again instead of backing up home is an indication that his head is not in the game.  A good offensive effort goes by the boards again because of ineffective pitching.  It's only April & we sound like a broken record already. 

Mookie Gets A Walk-Off

Nice win.  Give Mookie some kudos for getting his 1st walk-off hit to help the Sox beat the Jays 6-5.  It was a catch-up game all night until Hanley's sac fly in the 8th tied it 5-5.  Koji pitched a scoreless 9th - shame on all you doubters.  And Betts knocked in the X-man with the winning run.  Give Kelly a little credit for settling down after giving up 3 in the 1st.  Panda was the offensive star with 3 RBI & a nice layout catch on a bunt.  He did leave with neck soreness & hopefully it is nothing more than that.  A much needed win in another 1-run game.  Mark my words - these 1-run games will determine a playoff spot or not.  Good way to start the homestand.

John Thomase - Stop With Pap"s Return

WEEI's John Thomase wrote an article saying the Sox should bring back Jonathan Papelbon to be the team's closer.  John, stop the insanity!  We don't want to go back to the future.  Pap is 34 years old & he has 2 years & $26 million left on his contract.  Way too much money, even if the Phillies pick up half.  Let's give Koji a chance to get his feet under him in decent weather.  April has been like spring training for Uehara, coming back from a hamstring injury in March.  If troubles persist with the Sox closer, I would go young.  Find a hard throwing guy like Matt Barnes or Brian Johnson & see if they can take the reins.  There is also Mujica who has closing experience.  Koji was the Sox 4th choice in 2013 before he nailed down the closer's job with unbelievable results.  I would rule out all internal options before looking outside the organization.  And Pap would then be a very last resort. 

Sox Lose Another Series to O's

Word of the day - ugly!  Ugly from the start today as Baltimore built a 12-0 lead before Pablo & Hanley combined for 3 homers & 7 RBI.  It was a total embarassment for Wade Miley who lost it in the 3rd inning.  Ben has to be rethinking this pitching staff who have the worst ERA in the AL.  Even the bullpen was ugly today, most of the damage done off of Heath Embree.  The Sox return to Fenway on Monday to start a 9-game homestand against the Jays, Yankees & Rays.  We have to pitch better & we have to pitch more consistently.  Period. 

Baltimore Protesters - Go Peaceful

Going off script.  Last night Camden Yards was surrounded by protesters who want "justice" for a black man who died in police custody.  So far the police chief has achnowledged that his employees did not follow protocol.  All 6 police officers have been suspended.  The Mayor has asked for a transparent investigation.  The investigation is on-going & no decision has been reached yet.  I guess that's not good enough for protesters & the media covering Baltimore.  My own opinion is that the media fans the flames of violent protests by waiting, almost encouraging, something non-peaceful to happen.  So last night pictures emerge of protesters breaking car windows.  Back in Missouri Michael Brown's family advocated for non-violence & community leaders helped bring calm to their situation.  The same is not happening in Baltimore.  Peaceful advocates in Baltimore, get out there please.   

O's 5, Sox 4 in 10 Innings

Wow!  Where to start in this game?  Starting backwards, Koji looked ineffective as he blew a save, given up a game-winning homer on a 3-2 pitch to a kid named Lough.  Allen Craig made a "do or die" attempt on a liner to RF.  He "died."  Xander Bogaerts put the Sox up by 1 in the 10th with a homer to left.  Manny Machado's error in the 9th pushed the game into extras.  Mike Napoli showed signs of life, going 3-4 with a 2-run homer.  Justin Masterson pitched well enough to win over the 1st 7 innings.  And protesters were outside the park, making for a tense situation for fans entering & exiting.  All in all, the O's were due to break out of their 5-game losing streak.  2 games separate the tightest division in baseball as the Sox & 2 others stay atop the AL East with a 10-8 record.  After a 7-3 start the Sox are only 3-5 in their last 8.  I think that 1-run games will be the difference between making the playoffs or not.

Red Sox Power Over O's

It's a good night when you can win in Camden Yards.  That's exactly what the Red Sox did on Friday, beating the slumping O's 7-5.  2 more errors by the left side of Baltimore's infield gave the Sox extra outs to work with.  And Brock Holt took advantage of a Machado error in the 8th to launch a 3-run homer to put the Sox ahead for good.  Ortiz & Ramirez went back-to-back earlier in the game.  Panda went 2-3 & Mookie was on base 4 times.  A good showing by the offense.  Porcello went 6+ & he was effective enough for the win, although Ogando got the actual win by getting a big strikeout in the 7th with the game tied.  It's not perfect by any means yet (a la Hanley in LF), but scraping out team wins like this are important in the early goings.    

Coverting to Facebook & YouTube

Hey fans, we are moving into the 21st century - finally!  I will continue to use this blog while we convert over, but please start following me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/?sk=welcome#!/pages/3nohitters/1656205674609639 and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPUPm3nLx4OWUnLPolL7Ddw/feed?view_as=subscriber.  Thanks for your patience as we work out the kinks. 

Yordano Ventura - Grow Up

Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura is once again showing his immaturity.  It's nice to possess a 100 mph fastball, but you need a brain to go along with that talent, something lacking by Ventura lately.  Adam Eaton hits a ball back to Ventura last night & the pitcher stares down Eaton running to 1st.  A brawl ensues with 5 players being ejected.  This comes after Ventura hitting Abreau with a pitch earlier in the game.  Like Manny Machado last year, these young players sometimes think that they are in a playground & they can do anything they like.  Not so!  I hope MLB slaps a good suspension, maybe 10 games or 2 starts, on Ventura.  He is still paying off his fine from last week's dust up with Oakland.  This kid is going to seriously hurt someone if nothing is done.

Sox Lose 1st Series of Year

Sox lose their finale in Tampa 2-1.  Close games have no margin for error.  A diving catch by Kiermeyer & a ground ball past 3rd base were the difference in the game.  Buchholz pitched well.  This series, however, changed on Wednesday night when they Sox blew their 5-1 lead in the 6th.  Now the AL East has 3 teams tied for 1st at 9-7.  With each series & each week of play the AL East positions will shift back & forth as the pack stays together.  Last week the Yankees were in last, now it's Baltimore in last at 7-9.  Sox start a tough weekend series in Baltimore.  2 out of 3 would be nice before they return to Fenway to play the Blue Jays.  Every game counts.

One Got Away

All indications are that the AL East will be a tight race all year long.  That's why losing a game when you are up 5-1 is one that you would like to have back.  Joe Kelly, like most young pitchers who throw hard, is prone to control issues.  Kelly was cruising into the 6th & then he lost his command & control.  Before you know it the score is 5-5.  The bullpen has been overworked lately &, unfortunately, Edward Mujica gave up the go-ahead runs.  Sox lose 7-5, but they remain in 1st by a game over the Orioles & Yankees.  Good to see Papi & Pedey go yard & very good to see Nap get a couple of hits.  The goal is to win series & that's what the Sox can do tonight if Buck can rebound from a couple of poor starts.     

Reversal As Pitching, Defense Help Sox Win 1-0

We haven't been talking much about pitching & defense lately, but both of those elements led to a 1-0 win last night in Tampa Bay against the Rays & Chris Archer.  Wade Miley went 5 2/3 scoreless, followed by 3 1/3 scoreless by the bullpen.  The lone run of the game was scored by Ryan Hanigan in the 3rd inning.  Hanigan came home on a sure inning-ending double-play ball hit by Pedroia that was thwarted when Mookie Betts went into 2nd hard & he produced an errant throw by the Rays from 2nd to 1st as Pedroia went down the line hard.  Brock Holt continues to impress at every position, last night being SS.  His play in the hole was a beauty.  Another small point - Daniel Nava playing 1B & scooping Pablo's low throw out of the dirt for the final out of the game.  You have to love the Sox bench of Nava, Holt, Craig & Leon.  They are giving starters a rest & contributing to wins when they play.  Sox are pretty good in 1-run games so far this year.  And it's always nice to beat Archer who whines about other players antics, but not his own jumping around on the mound.

Jim Palmer Versus David Ortiz

Pretty boy Jim Palmer is tweeting out crap about David Ortiz.  As an announcer for the Orioles, shouldn't he have to reel in his own personal thoughts without going public on games he has to broadcast?  It doesn't seem very professional, in fact more "Felger & Mazz" ish.  At this point in his career Ortiz has seen & heard it all.  Big Papi responded to Gordon Edes that he's an easy target to get bigger ratings for any announcer.  Both should just let it go.  Let's get back to baseball.     

Sox Still Talking to Phillies About Hamels

Evidently, dialogue continues about Cole Hamels & the Red Sox.  At a 6.22 ERA, highest in the majors, the Red Sox experiment of no clear cut #1 ace is a bust in the early goings of 2015.  Blake Swihart, Mookie Betts, Henry Owens - would you give up any of these guys for a pitcher like Hamels under contract until 36 years old?  Depends.  How far away are Stephen Wright, Brian Johnson, Matt Barnes & Henry Owens from the big club?  Can we weather the storm for 3 months until one of these guys is ready?  That's why Ben gets the big bucks.  Not an easy decision.  I keep Swihart because the catching position is not easy to fill, especially for a switch-hitter with power like Swihart.  Most catchers bat 9th in the order.  Mookie & Rusney have similar skill sets, so I could move one of them.  Owens is a pitcher who pitches to contact, so I could move him if necessary.  With only so many swings left in Big Papi's bat I would look to make the 2015 team as competitive as possible.  If the team can stay in contention until July, then we could get a rental like Cueto, Zimmermann or Price for lesser prospects.  No easy decision.  And the starters aren't making it any easier for Ben in the early going.  I say stay the course for now & re-evaluate in May.     

Early Thoughts

The baseball season is just 2 weeks old.  Here's some early thoughts.  Let's get Nelson Cruz tested for PED use since he is hitting a home run per game.  Same with Chris Davis.  A liitle unnatural.  Miami is a bust thus far at 3-10 & Stanton is calling out his team in post-game interviews, never a good thing to do.  The SI cover of Brantley & Kluber continues to be a hex as Cleveland starts the year 4-7 & they still can't beat Detroit.  Milwaukee has the worst start in team history at 2-10.  San Francisco only wins championships in even years, so their 4-10 start in 2015 is somewhat expected.  Like it or not, A-Rod is back & he is productive.  With so much natural talent why does a guy like A-Rod take PED's?  Ask Barry Bonds I guess.  It looks to be an interesting season.  Houston is in 1st place in the AL West at 6-6.  Lots of parity.  85 or 86 wins may get several teams to the playoffs.   

Comparison of MLB to NFL

I like Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo.  I agree with most points that he makes on the MLB Network, although some not so much.  However, I really enjoyed his analogy of a baseball season as compared to a football season.  Mad Dog said that every 10 games in baseball equates to 1 game in football.  Isn't that a great perspective?  The Red Sox were 7-3 after their 1st 10 games.  That would equate to a win in game #1 by the Patriots.  This reminds me, & should remind you, that the season is young & records don't mean to much at the outset of a new season.  Do I like that the Red Sox are 8-5 & in 1st place in the AL East while their starting pitchers have the highest ERA in the league?  Yes.  Let's see how the next 10-20-30 games go, or the next 3 games by NFL standards, before we make any kind of decisions about the future.  April & May are "feel out" months to see what your team has & what they may need going into the trade deadline.  Let's keep that football perspective as we go through April & May.   

Sox Lose Again, This Time 8-3

In their 2 straight losses neither Clay Buchholz nor Rick Porcello could shutdown the Orioles offense.  Both gave up 11 hits in short outings.  An the O's pitchers have kept the Red Sox offense in check, save for a 3-run blast by Hanley Ramirez.  As more short, uneffective outings mount up so will the theory that the Sox do need a dependable #1 starter like Cole Hamels.  But the price will be steep, so that's the quandry.  Some combination of Swihart, Owens &/or Betts are in the mix if the Sox are serious about a trade.  And, if they trade for Hamels, the Sox pick-up the large financial commitment for a pitcher in his 30's which goes against their stated philosophy.  I predicted the Sox to go 11-11 in April & at 7-5 thus far they are outpacing my prediction.  While talks with the Phillies are on-going I expect Ben to want a few more turns around the rotation before pulling the trigger on a Hamels trade.     

O's Win, Hanley Subpar

The Baltimore Orioles used a familiar formula to beat the Red Sox 4-1 this afternoon.  Good defense, good relief pitching & use of the long ball.  A 2-1 O's lead in the 8th went to 4-1 on a Chris Davis homer over the monster off of Robbie Ross.  For the Red Sox no one hit with RISP.  But Hanley Ramirez had an all-around subpar day.  He went 0-3 at the plate, swinging for terrible pitches & grounding out with men in scoring position.  In LF he is a terrible fielder when any ball is close to the wall.  He misplayed 2 more balls today & cost at least 1 run.  Where's all that defensive work he did with Butterfield?  When Hanley is hitting you can put up with his defense, but today he was not.  I wonder where this LF experiment is going.    

Ubaldo Ejected, Bogaerts Gets Walk-Off Hit

It was a typical tough game against the O's.  For going in hard to 2nd base to break up a double play, the Panda got hit high on the shoulder his next time at bat.  Jimenez was promptly ejected from the mound as the home plate umpire felt that Ubaldo intentionally threw at Sandoval & the pitch itself was very close, too close to his head.  Fast forward to the 9th in a 2-2 game (thanks to a 2-run shot by Ryan Hanigan) & Xander Bogaerts collects his 2nd hit of the game, a bloop to right that scores Mike Napoli.  Red Sox win 3-2.  Joe Kelly worked hard to get through 5 2/3, but he gave a solid outing.  Then the bullpen kept the O's off the board the rest of the way.  Small point - Daniel Nava's sacrifice bunt in the 9th got Nap to 2nd, paving the way for the walk-off win.  You have to do the little things right to win tight games.  This was an excellent game by 2 good teams.  But we won!    

Offense Producing Against Good Pitching

Average runs scored by the Red Sox per game is 6.22 through the early season, best in MLB.  Who wouldn't want to pitch for this offense?  Early on, it appears the Ben Cherington did fix the lackluster offense from 2014.  Ramirez & Sandoval bolster the middle of the order around David Ortiz.  Pedroia is healthy & hitting the ball with power again.  Bogaerts is swinging free & easy.  Nap is healthy also & he has just started to hit again.  Mookie is a force at the top of the order & on the bases.  And super subs Holt & Nava are contributing at the plate.  It's a nice order.  So far the Sox have beat good pitching -- Cole Hamels, Jordan Zimmermann & Stephen Strasburg to mention a few.  I'm sure that the Sox lineup will come back to earth during the year, but the chances of 8 or 9 guys with quality bats all going cold at the same time is not a high percentage.  This impressive offense has lived up to its billing. 

Bloopers - Jon Lester & Robinson Cano

Baseball can be a humbling & embarassing game at times.  Take Jon Lester trying to live up to the big Cubs contract.  For the first time in years Lester makes a throw to first to keep a runner close.  On his 2nd throw over to first he air mails the ball to RF, badly.  Embarassing.  Last night Robinson Cano is on 3rd with another Mariners runner on 2nd.  Batter walks.  Cano starts trotting to home like the bases were loaded & he eventually gets tagged out.  Embarassing.  Both players are superior athletes & both will end up having good years.  I think Lester needs to settle down & forget about his contract.  In Cano's case I have never liked his cool & casual attitude towards the game.  Even Mariano Rivero said that he prefers Pedroia as a 2nd baseman because Pedroia plays all 27 outs.  Both guys will make the blooper reel at the end of the year. 

Pitching???

Let's talk about the starting pitching of the Red Sox.  First time through the rotation things looked pretty good.  This 2nd time through has looked pretty bad, even ugly at times.  Buchholz, Masterson & Miley could not reach or pitch past the 5th inning.  Here's my thoughts.  It's early, only 9 games in the books out of 162.  No team is as good or as bad as they seem through 2 weeks.  Buck just didn't have it against the Yankees.  Masterson & Miley may have had opening game jitters in front of the Fenway crowd.  Or the Nats could have found their hitting shoes.  After all, they are a good team picked to go to the World Series by most prognosticators.  We need more time to judge how the pitching staff will shake out.  My definition of more time would be until the end of May or roughly 10 starts into the season.  By then Cherington, Farrell & the brass will have a more solid idea of what they need to do before the trade deadline at the end of July.  So be patient, hang tight with the current staff for now.       

Bigger Picture

For some reason the 2nd anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings is hitting me today.  Yes, the Red Sox lost 10-5.  Poor pitching which we can talk about on tomorrow's off day.  But let's not lose the bigger picture, namely victims who were killed & victims who survived who are coping with a forever altered life.  The pre-game ceremony celebrated the survivors as heroes - which they truly are, as are the caregivers & family & friends who help them adjust to life without a limb or two.  On the same day that Aaron Hernandez is found guiltry of murder & will face life in prison, we think about Martin Richard - a symbol of innocence & about a young life taken much too soon.  There will be another game on Friday.  But the families of the fallen & the many survivors go onto living another day as best they can.  They are Boston Strong.  God bless to all! 

2nd Anniversary of Boston Bombings

It's hard to believe that it was 2 years ago today that the Boston Marathon bombings took place.  I saw an ESPN E:360 show which updated the progress of a few victims.  One survivor - a husband & a father - had endured over 16 trips to the ER & over 30 surgical procedures in the past 24 months.  Their pain, their lives will never be the same.  And sometimes we forget that, so shame on me & shame on us.  Our worst day is nothing compared to theirs & their families.  The Red Sox halted their game today at 2:49 with a moment of silence to pay tribute to the 4 souls who died.  In 2013 a force large than life - call it fate, call it God - propelled the Red Sox through the regular season, through the playoffs & through to another World Series Championship to help bring the city back to life.  Sometimes the right thing happens.  We will never forget 2013.     

Pedroia Looking Healthy

Isn't it nice to see the little guy healthy & hitting balls out of the park?  Dustin Pedroia has 3 homers in 8 games.  He is hitting the ball with power for the first time in several years.  The hand injuries suffered over the past few seasons have finally healed.  And it shows as Pedroia boasts an OPS of almost 1.000.  A productive Mookie Betts & Dustin Pedroia make life easy for Ortiz, Ramirez & Sandoval.  I have said many times that there are very, very few professional athletes who value winning more than personal stats.  Tom Brady is one.  Derek Jeter was another.  And Pedroia is the next name that comes to my mind.  I believe in the quote that personal stats are for teams that lose.  Al Davis had it right - just win, baby, just win.  A winning attitude is what Pedroia brings & it's nice to see him healthy & productive.

Koji Closes Out Red Sox Win

It was nice to see the smiling, happy-go-lucky Koji Uehara back closing games for the Red Sox.  Koji got his 1st save of the year yesterday in an 8-7 Red Sox win over an error-plagued Washington Nationals team.  Ian Desmond seems to be in the middle of every big error early in the year for the Nats.  Yesterday, with the scored tied 7-7 & the infield in, Desmond gets a grounder & goes to 1st instead of home, allowing the go-ahead run to score.  It's not often a team can beat Jordan Zimmermann & Stephen Strasburg in back-to-back games.  It's another series win for the Red Sox who have won all 3 series thus far in 2015.  Wade Miley goes for the sweep against Gio Gonzalez this afternoon.  Unfortunately, the injury bug is creeping up on the Red Sox as Bogaerts & Sandoval are dinged up for the big team & Rusney hurt his shoulder at AAA on a diving catch.  Hopefully, none are long-term. 

It's All About Runs

The Red Sox offense last year was below average for sure.  However, this year is another story, at least in the early goings of the 2015 season.  The Red Sox have scored 43 runs in 7 games, or just over 6 runs per game.  Opponents have scored 33 runs for a +10 differential.  If we delete the 14-4 loss on Sunday night, the run differential is +22.  So other than 1 bad game over the 1st 7 outings, the Red Sox are scoring more &, as a result, winning more.  The game of baseball is all about runs.  Not any other stats is as germaine as runs -- those scored versus those allowed.  The pitching has been stable.  Defense has been above average.  And offense has led the way to a 5-2 start.  This formula may get the Sox to the trade deadline where decisions will have to be made about improving the team's chances for a long playoff run. 

Mookie Has A Day!

Mookie Betts had one of those days.  A double steal - first of 2nd base, then onto 3rd because of the shift on Big Papi.  Mookie slid headfirst into 3rd just before the tag by Nats P Jordan Zimmerman.  Betts bangs into the RC bullpen wall to take away a home run from Bryce Harper.  Then, for good measure, he hits a 3-run homer into the monster seats.  And this is all happening in the 1st 2 innings of a game that the Sox would eventually win 9-4.  Big Papi added a homer.  Rick Porcello pitched 8 workmanlike innings to get his 1st win as a Red Sox.  Tom Brady threw out the 1st pitch.  Weather was great.  Sellout crowd.  What more can you ask for on opening day?  Great start to this homestand. 

No Sweep in Gotham

Aren't we all a little greedy at times?  A sweep of the Yankees would have been nice, but we'll take 2 out of 3 anytime.  It wasn't to be for the Sox on Sunday night as they fell 14-4.  Clay Buchholz gave up 7 runs in the 1st inning.  Realistically, game was over from there on.  Hanley Ramirez added an HR in the 5th, his 3rd of the year in week 1.  And Mike Napoli got the monkey off his back with his 1st hit of the season.  We will take a 4-2 road trip to start the season.  Now the Sox have a 7-game homestand against the Nationals & Orioles, a couple of very good teams.  A winning record of 4-3 or better would be a good result to me.  We'll see how well this Sox revamped offense responds against quality pitchers from Washington & then we'll see how well Sox pitchers do in keeping the O's offense off the scoreboard.  A good test of where this team is early in the season. 

Lots of Questions Surround Today's SPs

Clay Buchholz versus Masahiro Tanaka.  Lots of questions surround both starting pitchers.  Can Buck duplicate his great opening day performance & prove he is back to his 2013 form?  If so, maybe he can become a legit #1 starter for this staff.  It's still early, but 2 good outings in a row would certainly quiet the critics.  On the other side, can Tanaka & his fragile right arm comeback from a poor opening day showing of only 4 innings?  On MLB Pedro Martinez said he thinks Tanaka is at 65% health & it's difficult to throw when you are injured.  If Tanaka is only a figment of his 2014 form, the Yankees are in for a long, long season.  So lots to prove for both pitchers.  Pressure is off Buck since the Sox already won this series with 2 wins on the Friday night / Saturday morning marathon & Saturday afternoon.  More pressure on the Yankees & Tanaka who are tring to save face by not getting swept at home & starting the new season 1-5.  A sweep would be great!    

Red Sox 8, Yankees 4

The Yankees looked like a Little League team in the field.  The Bronx non-bombers had more errors than hits for most of this game & the game was not as close as the score indicates.  The Red Sox rested Ramirez, Betts & Victorino.  The replacement outfield of Nava, Holt & Craig did a lot of damage at the plate & in the field.  Meanwhile, the Yankees replacements of Young, Jones, Petit & Murphy scuffled on both offense & defense.  Even Brett Gardner may a big error early in the game on a Daniel Nava fly, only to be outdone by a 3-run error in RF by Garreth Jones in the 8th.  A-Rod looked like cement hands at 1B.  But enough about them.  Joe Kelly had a great 1st start, limiting the Yankees to 1 run on 1 hit through the 1st 7 innings.  Let's say that the experiment of not having a #1 starter is working so far.  This game was about the depth of the Red Sox roster & how good several of the bench players are.  And by the way, Rusney is still hitting the ball well in AAA.  Deep, deep, deep.  This roster will serve the Red Sox well over the course of a long season.  A 4-1 start on the road is nothing to scoff at.

New York Marathon Goes to Boston 6-5

19 innings.  That's how long it took for the Red Sox to win game 1 of 19 against the Yankees.  To be honest I turned the game off after watching Mujica give up the tying HR in the bottom of the 9th.  2 hours later I get a text from my niece saying that Steven Wright is pitching.   I turn the game back on in the 18th inning & the Sox score a go-ahead run 5-4, only to have the Yankees tie it up in the bottom of the 18th with no outs.  I turned it off again.  This morning I see the 2 Boston B's - Betts & Bogaerts - helped score the game winner in the 19th.  Mercy!  Now the Sox play an afternoon game, followed by Sunday night, then the home opener on Monday.  Can't ESPN start their Sunday night game earlier than 8 PM EST?  It makes for a long Monday for any team traveling.  All 4 Red Sox pitchers have looked good, including Wade Miley last night.  Good news - Big Papi hit his 1st homer of the year.  Also a good test of wills, mental fortitude if you will, & the Red Sox players won this matchup.  A tough loss for the Yankees after dropping 2 out of 3 at home to the Blue Jays.  Could be a long year for the pinstripers.         

Time to Make DH Universal

How long are we going to continuing playing with 2 sets of rules?  If Rob Manfred wants to increase offense, you don't need to disallow shifts.  How about making the DH position universal in the NL parks as it is in the AL ones?  It is such a disadvantage for any AL team to go to an NL park & have their pitchers hit.  The lineup is in flux & a good player, like Mike Napoli or David Ortiz, sits the bench.  Is that what fans want to see?  Clay Buchholz at bat instead of David Ortiz?  No, no way.  The NL teams have no problem adding an extra bat to their order when playing in an AL park.  No disruption there, in fact it's a bonus for their team.  So let's get the National League into the 21st century, Rob, & make the DH universal in both leagues.