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.