Sox swept by Blue Jays and hit the road

Dismal, that is how I would describe last nights game against the Jays. Julian Tavarez lasts just 4 2/3 innings giving up seven hits and six runs. Kyle Snyder tried to keep it close but he allowed four unearned runs in the sixth inning and the game turned into a blow out. Offensively we just stunk getting only five hits, the only highlight was Mike Lowells 4th homer of the season. Manny, Julio Lugo and the bottom of the order posted yet another goose egg. It is going to be a long season if this does not change and soon. Defensively the Sox committed four errors on the night, with Wily Mo Pena dropping a liner in the sixth with two outs that opened the flood gates for the Jays and put the game out of reach for the Sox. All of this when Fenway hosted 37,161, the largest attendance at Fenway Park since World War II.

The Sox really need to find a fifth starter and quickly, Tavarez is just not getting the job done. He is more suited to coming out of the bullpen. Scary to think he is going to start against the Yankees this weekend. Jon Lester’s comeback is ahead of schedule but rushing him may not be the answer. We also have Devern Hansack who has been brilliant in the minors so far this year.

And we are back to earth and Sox News and Notes

From the high of sweeping the Yankees to a dismal loss to the Blue Jays at home, sigh…

Julio Lugo, David Ortiz and Manny all go hit-less and Dustin Pedroia accounts for the two Red Sox runs last night. Wakefield got roughed up over 6 innings of work giving up eight hits and four runs and our bullpen looked average last night. Both Wakefield and Timlin gave up homers to the Jays. Here is the boxscore.

Manny went 0-5 last night dropping his average back down to a paltry .209, we really need him to get going and stay going. Going 0-5 against the pitchers the likes of Tomo Ohka and the rest that they threw out there is just hard to watch. I thought Manny might have begun a hot streak after Sundays game against the Yankees but obviously not. He has feasted on Toronto pitching during his career with 52 homers, the most the Blue Jays has allowed to any opposing player in its history. He also has 129 RBIs against Toronto, just two behind Harold Baines for the most against the Jays.

Sox Notes
After a relatively good series against the Yankees CoCo Crisp sat out last nights game against the Jays with a minor oblique injury

Julian Tavarez will face Jays ace Roy Halladay in a rematch of last Thursday’s encounter in Toronto on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Tavarez took a no-decision in that one, but the Red Sox rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to win after Halladay’s left the game.

There is a lot of banter on sports radio and in the media about the Sox going after A-Rod this offeseason if he indeed opts out of his contract. We would be foolish not too. Our only significant free agent at the end of the year is Curt Schilling. Don’t you think Theo is thinking about really getting rid of Manny yet again for a player that is two years younger and produces more than Manny? Also don’t forget that Lowell is going to start declining as well. A-Rod would fill two holes for the Sox. The big question around A-Rod is can he produce in the playoffs? To this point the answer is no, but he is having an MVP season yet again and is a threat in any line up. Not only that but taking him away from the Yankees sure would be gratifying.

Matt Clement is still in Florida for extended spring training.  He had his labrum and rotator cuff operated on last September and the Sox are taking a slow gradual approach with him.

Dice – K takes a tough loss

Dice – K took a tough loss last night after walking in the winning run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays, a critical mistake.  Dice went six innings and allowed three hits and two runs while striking out 10. Three of his walks — and both Toronto runs — were in the long fourth inning, and that was enough to undo him and put him on the losing side of a close game for the second straight time.

Gustavo Chacin baffeled the Red Sox offense and improved to 6-0 lifetime in eight starts against the Red Sox. He allowed six hits and one run. CoCo Crisp and Wily Mo Pena each had two hits for the Sox, with Pena accounting for the Sox lone run with a home run in the 3rd inning. Lugo, Ortiz, Youkilis and Pedroia all went hitless for the Sox. Here is the complete box score.

Sox Notes: 
Dice – K became the first pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 to register 10 or more strikeouts in two of his first three Major League starts.

CoCo Crisp was put into the second spot in the batting order last night and as mentioned about came through with two hits. I have been tough on CoCo so far this year, hopefully this is the start of a turnaround for him.

Jon Lester continues to progress in Class A Greenville. Lester threw 75 pitches against teammates on Monday. He has one more start at Greenville and the Red Sox will re-evaluate him afterwards. Look for him to have starts at both AA Portland and AAA Pawtucket before joing the Sox.

J.D. Drew had another day off yesterday to keep Drews legs off of artificial turf for three days and allow Wily Mo Pena a chance to get some game time in.

Tim Wakefield will make the next start for the Sox against former teamate Tomo Ohka. Wakefield (1-1 .38 ERA) is looking for his third solid start of the season. Tonights game starts at 7:07.

Patriots Day 2007 Sox vs. Angels in Series finale

 

UPDATE:

The start of today’s game has been moved back to 12:05 due to weather concerns in the Boston area.

Josh Beckett (2-0) will get the Patriots Day start for the Red Sox against Angels right-hander Ervin Santana (1-1) in Monday’s contest. Beckett has been particularly good in the early going of 2007 starting 2-0 with a 1.50 era. He was masterful in his last start, against Seattle, allowing one run in seven innings and striking out eight. In that start he threw 61 of his 84 pitches for strikes and mixed an assortment of breaking pitches, a curveball and a mid-90s fastball with ease. To say Beckett looks sharp is an understatement. He allowed exactly two hits in each of his first two starts.

If you get a chance to watch the game check out Julio Lugo who is quickly fitting into the lead off role nicely for the Sox. He is hitting .316 with the three steals, 3 RBI and has scored 8 runs.

Sox Notes:

Julian Tavarez, who was slated to start Sunday, was bumped back in the rotation again and will now start Thursday’s series finale against the Blue Jays. Dice – K will start Tuesday’s game in Toronto, while Tim Wakefield is still slated to pitch Wednesday. Gates at Fenway are going to open at 8:05 am for a scheduled 10:05 am start.

Not to get to far ahead of our selves here but take a look at the schdule and guess who is coming to town this weekend, The New York Yankees. Curt Schilling is slated to start the opener Friday night at Fenway.

Boston takes first game in series 10 -1

With a six run 8th inning Boston ran away with the first game in the series with the Angels winning 10-1. Doug Mirabelli, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew each had a multi RBI game. Manny struggled at the plate with no hits and three walks. Tim Wakefield went seven innings allowing only five hits and striking out three. Papelbon had an impressive strike out of Vladimir Guerrero striking him out with a 97 mph heater. Check the entire box score.

Nice to see the bats come alive to start the series. 10 runs and 14 hits is impressive considering our recent woes at the plate. Julio Lugo had three hits while CoCo went hitless again, wonder how long Tito is going to stick with him.