Peter's Red Sox ForeverPeter's Red Sox ForeverThe Boston Red Sox. My life. And life itself. Everyday. For all of us. I write every day of the baseball season, with comments wide-ranging and precise. Articles
Boston Bats Buoy Beckett...Red Sox 11 Miwaukee 7
2008-05-19 11:43:00 Sunday was a stange start for Boston Red Sox ace Josh Beckett. He was not on his game, but the Red Sox lumber took care of that and took care of it quickly. It seems Josh has reverted a little to his 2006 form, giving up four home runs. In all, he was able to go seven full, giving up six runs (ouch) on six hits with nine (yep, nine!) strikeouts. This is what a trio of Red Sox guys had to say after Beckett's "what-could-have-been-painful" outing..."A few balls wandered over the plate," Francona said. "He missed a lot of bats but left some good pitches over the plate to good hitters." "He wasn't perfect," Varitek said. "I made some good pitches," Beckett said. "I made some poor pitches."Peter here, and perfect he was not. As Tito said, too many of his pitches were too hittable, and the Brewers, who do not hit for average but have good power to all fields, took advantage. But they tried to take advantage on the wrong afternoon, as the Sox had their hitting shoes on. They clubbed 15 h...
Play Two...WIN TWO! Red Sox 7-5 Brewers 5-3
2008-05-18 12:02:00 The first game was an afternoon delight. The second game, with a first pitch at 8:36pm EDT, was an error-filled (seven combined errors, a 2008 major league high) nailbiter. But the end result, two wins for the home team that they really needed, was just great. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six and two thirds wonderful innings, and the bullpen took it from there. Kudos go out to Manny Delcarmen, who was temporarily a resident of Terry Francona's doghouse, with good reason to be. Daisuke moves his won/lost record to 7-0 and is now third in the league with an ERA of 2.15. Quite a change from last year. Kevin Youkilis had this to say after the long day was finished..."It was one of those games (game #2) where it seemed like it took forever and you've got to scratch and claw," Youkilis said. "By the end of the game you're dragging, your bat's dragging. Your body. You have to try to will yourself through the end of it."Big Papi and Mike Lowell were the respective hitting stars, but the bu... More About: Brewers
Rain Forces A Fenway Twin Bill On Saturday
2008-05-17 11:35:00 A persistantly moderate rain wiped out any chance of Friday night baseball at beloved Fenway Park Friday night, so there will be a Saturday separate admission (of course) twin bill. The first game will start at 3:55pm EDT and the second at 8:35pm EDT. And it will be a scramble to clear the park of the first crowd and allow crowd #2 to file in. If the first game goes into extra innings, I shudder to think of the traffic situation in Boston. This is what someone who was there had to say about last night's eventual postponent...?They thought approaching gametime we might start on time, and when we obviously weren?t, they kept every 15-20 minutes giving us an update, Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. Then it was progressively getting worse and it was supposed to get worse, so that?s when they started checking on other options."Peter here, and we have to hope to win two. The bullpen is rested, heck, EVERYONE is rested and ready to go. The weather here in north central Connecticut wi... More About: Twin , Bill , Forces
Bartolo Colon ALMOST Ready For Call-Up
2008-05-16 11:36:00 Good Friday morning, a morning I don't have to write about a Boston Red Sox loss. And there's GOOD news to boot! Bartolo Colon , our soon-to-be fifth starter, pitched for Pawtucket yesterday and went six great innings, allowing only one hit and hitting 96 MPH on the gun. The only problem was that he only needed 64 pitches (45 of 'em strikes) to go those six innings, so the Sox will probably want him to go one more time Tuesday before joining the big club. If that's the case, we'll see him on or about Sunday, and boy, do we need him. If he could become a dependable starter, and there's nothing to make me think otherwise, Boston will be a much better club, injuries notwithstanding. And right now he's feeling great. If he doesn't go on Tuesday, the start will probably be awarded to Justin Masterson, who had his worst outing yesterday pitching for Double A Portland, giving up seven earned runs and nine hits in six innings. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be at all surprised to s... More About: Call , Bartolo Colon
Bullpen IMPLOSION...Baltimore 6 Boston 3
2008-05-15 11:25:00 This is getting old. FAST. For the third straight game, the Boston Red Sox staked themselves to a 3-0 lead, and for the third consecutive time, the Sox let the game slip away. To be more specific, the bullpen, in the form of Javie Lopez, Craig Hansen and Hideki Okajima, let the victory slip away. Lopez entered the game in the seventh inning and quickly recorded two outs. Freddie Bynum hit a grounder to Pedroia, but Pedey could not make the play. Runner on first with two outs...doesn't sound too bad, does it? Wait. Hansen was called in to relieve Lopez, and he allowed a single to the number 9 hitter, Quiroz, and a walk to Roberts to load the bases. Bye bye Hansen. Zero outs recorded...maybe you should consult Ah-nold again...soon! And then the Darkman was lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July, a regular starburst cluster in the night sky. Okie gave up a monster grand slam slugged by Payton, and the game was effectively over. Okie has now allowed eleven out of fourteen inherit... More About: Baltimore , Bullpen
Starting Pitchers Slumping Bigtime...Baltimore 5 Boston 4
2008-05-14 11:38:00 The starting pitching rotation, which was so hot a week and a half ago, is anything BUT that right now. In four of the last six games, the pitching has allowed at least seven runs and ten hits. That won't help to win many ball games. And Josh Beckett, the Red Sox ace, was not even spared Tuesday night in Baltimore . The Orioles, after staking Boston to a 3-0 lead, their second in two nights, won the game 5-3. Josh Beckett allowed all five earned runs and surrendered a season-high eleven hits, the most of any starter this season. It was certainly not a vintage Beckett outing. He threw 97 pitches in only 5 2/3 innings and had this to say after the game..."The loss definitely goes in the right man's hand tonight," Beckett said. "It's pretty simple. I just didn't execute pitches tonight."That's a good wrap-up, Josh...pure and simple. The bullpen was just fine, thank you, but Boston just couldn't score when they needed to. Manny Ramirez came to the plate in the top of the seventh in... More About: Pitchers
Craig Hansen...A One Inning Savior?
2008-05-13 14:33:00 This is from the Boston Herald, the quote from the man himself. Please read!...?Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength.?Peter here. We need a Craig Hansen for an inning as a part of the bridge to Paps. He would mean so much. And so far, he's been doing great. Grasping at straws? Not me. That's all! And as Bruce said..."No Retreat, No Surrender." EVER and FOREVER... More About: Savior
Manny's Number 498 In A Losing Cause...Twins 7 Red Sox 3
2008-05-13 11:35:00 Two horrible starts in a row for the Boston rotation make for a glum morning. After Tim Wakefield had what might have been his worst start in a Boston uniform, Clay Buchholz, whose hold on the number five spot in the rotation seems to be slipping from his grasp, allowed seven runs in only four and two thirds innings. Eight hits and FIVE walks were also a part of his night. I watched every pitch he threw, and I wasn't happy. His fastball was uncontrollable so he had to rely on his off speed stuff. The change-up was continually high, out of the strike zone, hence the five walks. The curveball? Here's the man himself to tell you..."I felt great in the pen, felt like the fastball was good," Buchholz said. "Then I got out there and the fastball wasn't as good as I thought it was. I tried to go to offspeed stuff like I have all year and they were all over it. It felt like they were sitting on every first-pitch changeup or curveball I threw. I know I threw too many offspeed pitches ton... More About: Twins
No Mother's Days Miracle...Minnesota 9 Boston 8
2008-05-12 11:37:00 It wasn't like last year's furious and successful ninth inning five run Mother's Day comeback win. This was probably Tim Wakefield's worst start in a Boston Red Sox uniform ever as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Sox by a score of 9-8. The Sox were in a 7-1 hole after just three innings, and Wakefield couldn't even finish that third frame. Here are the ugly pitching stats for the champs. Time to cringe. Ready? IP H R ER BB K HR Season ERA T. Wakefield 2.2 7 7 6 2 2 2 4.25 J. Tavarez 1.1 1 1 0 2 1 0 6.39 D. Aardsma 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.33 M. Timlin 1.2 1 1 1 0 0 1 10.00 J. Lopez 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.38Peter here, and I told you they were ugly, but don't worry, Wakes is NOT injured in any way. Sometimes the Minnesota Twins' Metrodome is not kind to his knuckleball OR his team. This is what he had to say after his abbreviated outing, an outing to absolutely and very quickly forget, maybe even turn the page and burn it to mere cinders, ashes to be scattered by the wind..."It was just... More About: Miracle , Days
A Mother's Day Hello, With A Smile. Just Listen & Look...
2008-05-11 13:02:00 It's Peter again...I keep popping up here, but I wanted to wish all the Moms and the future Moms the best, and that includes every one of you, Dads too. Please, if you wish (I hope!), turn the sound on and click on the title of this very post. I have tears in my eyes every time I listen to this. From me to you, with a lotta love. Peter N. Sound on, and enjoy. Happy Mom's Day... More About: Listen , Smile
Back On Track...Red Sox 5 Twins 2
2008-05-11 10:55:00 The Boston Red Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins by a score of 5-2 Saturday evening, and Friday's loss has faded into the past just like useless windblown dust on the side of an unpaved lonely road. Daisuke Matsuzaka was just what the team needed after the ninth inning defeat the day before, going seven innings and giving up six hits and two earned runs. He had seven K's and 63 of his tidy 93 pitches were strikes. This is what pitching coach John Farrell had to say about Dice K...?We had a lengthy conversation after his (Matsuzaka's) last bullpen session, not that we?re trying to change his style, but just trust his abilities a little bit more around the plate,? pitching coach John Farrell said. ?In the middle innings I think he got into a little bit of a rhythm. And what set the tone early was he used his offspeed stuff right from the get-go, didn?t try and overthrow his fastball and got into the flow of the game.?Peter here, and it worked. Farrell has always amazed me with his ... More About: Back , Track
Ninth Inning Win For The Twins...Twins 7 Red Sox 6
2008-05-10 11:07:00 Jonathon Papelbon is human. Julio Lugo has been commiting far too many errors. Jon Lester is too unpredictable to count on consistantly, if at all. All of the preceding facts combined Friday night for a ninth inning comeback win for the Minnesota Twins . Jonathon Papelbon surrendered two bottom of the ninth inning runs to take the blown save and the loss. Here is part of what he had to say, taken from the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald, with my thanks..."It's frustrating as hell right now, just because the simple fact is I'm throwing good pitches, I'm just not finishing them right now and executing them all the way through the strike zone," Papelbon said. "I'm sitting there in a comfortable position, where I want to be, with one out to get, and I don't finish a split-finger and he bloops it over the third baseman. Simple. The last outing that I had there were three bloop hits and a broken-bat hit,? he said. ?You can?t do nothing about that. Tonight I could do something about...
Comerica The Beautiful...Red Sox 5 Tigers 1
2008-05-09 11:12:00 With its smaller than ever outfield dimensions, Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan must be one of Kevin Youkilis' favorite places to play baseball. He hit his fourth home run of the four game set Thursday night to back the solid seven innings of pitching from Josh Beckett. Beckett made some sort of correction in his pitching motion, and it seemed to work - he walked no one. He had this to say...?There?s somebody back home,? said Beckett, ?who has been watching me since I was 14 years old and knows me better than anybody. They were the one who saw something. ?I?m just trying to get to where I need to be,? he said.Peter here, and he was where WE need him to be last night. He was flat out brilliant, going seven strong and giving up a lone run on six hits. He walked nobody and threw 102 pitches. Craig Hansen followed with a clean eighth inning and Manny Delcarmen surrendered one hit in an eleven pitch ninth. If Hansen can give us a clean inning often, just ONE inning, mind you, he woul... More About: Tigers , Beautiful
COMEBACK WASTED...Tigers 10 Red Sox 9
2008-05-08 11:17:00 You can't win 'em all, but last night's 10-9 loss to the Detroit Tigers really hurt. The Tigers had lost five games in a row and Boston had WON five straight. But when the Red Sox finally went ahead by a score of 9-8 going into the bottom of the ninth, an improbable Boston comeback veered into the realm of a probable victory. But it was not to be, for the Tigers, on the strength (??) of a checked-swing roller, a costly error by Julio Lugo, a sacrifice bunt that traveled no more than three yards and a shattered bat bloop single, scored two vital runs to get the victory. I could go into who hit what when, but you can click on the title of this post for all those details. The Boston comeback was thrwarted by the two unearned ninth inning runs. Oh well, turn the page. It's all we can do, so let's do it! I already have, late last night. Sleep was a tossed and turning trip of dreamlike states.It was a bad night for Clay Buchholz, who went four innings and gave up five runs on ten hit... More About: Wasted , Comeback
Detroit Knuckles Under...Red Sox 5 Tigers 0
2008-05-07 11:21:00 When Tim Wakefield pitches the way he did on Tuesday night in the Motor City, it's a thing of beauty and so much fun to watch. He kept pounding the strike zone, walking NOBODY, and threw 98 pitches in his eight full innings of work. Mike Timlin mopped up in the ninth and was just fine. Wakes made a mechanical adjustment with his feet before the game and mixed in many more fastballs. The mix change was suggested by heavy hitting personal catcher Kevin Cash, who has been a tremendous surprise at the plate. Here's what Wakefield and his catcher had to say after the game...?I switched my mechanics from the last two starts, where my knuckleball was good I was kind of all over the place,? he said. ?I got more in line with my stride toward the plate. I?m kind of open a little bit so my arm can come down toward the plate, but I think I was too open. I just felt like I was all over the place, looking at the tapes and looking at the feet marks, where they were pointing the wrong way.?With W... More About: Tigers , Detroit
Wild Walk-Filled Win For The Red Sox...Boston 6 Detroit 3
2008-05-06 11:30:00 Normally if you see the number eight in a baseball box score, you would think the pitcher had recorded eight strikeouts. But such was not the case Monday night in Michigan for Boston Red Sox starter and winner Daisuke Matsuzaka. The number eight meant that he had issued eight walks in his five full innings of work. And yet he only allowed one run to the frustrated Tiger lineup, a team who was strengthened by off season wheeling and dealing but has yet to show any results from those player transactions. Last night was more of the same for them, and more of the same for the streaking Red Sox, winners of four straight. Criag Hansen came in to pitch the sixth, which he did 1-2-3, and the seventh, where he got into trouble. But Hideki Okajima bailed him out with two gone in the seventh, and the eighth and ninth innings were capably handled by him and Jonathon Papelbon, who earned his tenth save in ten chances. We're going to need someone like Hansen to take care of the seventh inning wh... More About: Wild , Walk , Detroit
Red Sox Sweep Rays Right Out Of Boston, DESPITE Manny Delcarmen
2008-05-05 11:44:00 Good morning on this cold Monday. More about Manny Delcarmen in a bit. The Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 7-3, sweeping them right out of the city of Boston in fine fashion, just the way we like it. Jon Lester started and Jon Lester was shaky, throwing way too many pitches in the first two innings before finding his timing and settling down. He was able to give his club six innings, giving up only one run on four hits. He walked three and went to too many high counts early in the game. It was if he'd forgotten that in his past start he had worked faster, with less figiting and hemming and hawing between each delivery. It worked then and it will work in the future. He had this to say after the game..."I've been figuring some things out this year," Lester said. "Figuring out how to set guys up more. How to go to pitches other than what I think are my strengths and get guys out. So I think it's more just a confidence thing than anything."Peter here, and Jon, keep ... More About: Sweep
The Bats Are Back In Town! YES!! Boston Red Sox 12 Toronto Blue Jays 4
2008-05-04 11:26:00 Peter here on a quiet Sunday morning, early style. Last night at Fenway Park, the Boston lumber again made its presence known in a big way as the home club banged out fifteen (!!) hits and scored twelve runs in a 12-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays . Josh Beckett was the recipient of the offensive output and was able to easily win the game. He went eight strong innings, allowing eight hits and four earned runs while striking out five. And so the Red Sox strong starting pitching continues to shine brightly and unrelentlessly, and as I said earlier in the week, when the bats stir to life, this club will win many games. They are in first place in the American League East right now, with Jon Lester, coming off the best start of his young career, ready to face Scott Kazmir in HIS "opening day" appearance. We have to hope he's a little rusty, a little slow and not quite ready to face a hot-hitting team. For when he is on, HE IS ON and tough to beat. But the Sox have been putting their... More About: Boston Red Sox
Schilling Close???
2008-05-03 11:58:00 This is what I just read, borrowed from the Hartford Courant. From what I understand, and with no setbacks, we might see Curt BEFORE the All-Star break. But much has to go the right way for him, and in turn for us. Here you go..."I would argue we're close to throwing, in a week to 10 days probably," Schilling said. "I feel great. I feel strong. I feel everything I'm supposed to feel. There's no comparison to where I am physically, strength-wise, any of it. We've done a bunch of testing. We've continued to improve every single one and there's a couple of last things that trainer Mike Reinold wants to see and be happy with before we move to the next step. I've not had a day where I've had, on a scale from 1 to 10, pain in the 2 to 3 neighborhood," Schilling said. "And if I've been uncomfortable any day, it's never carried out after I left. I haven't had any issues."Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Schilling will undergo strength tests this weekend. "That may lead to him ... More About: Close
Finally, SOME CROOKED NUMBERS! Boston 7 Toronto 3
2008-05-03 11:18:00 Well, it took a while, but the Boston Red Sox finally put up some crooked numbers on their half of the Fenway Park scoreboard and they went on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 7-3 Friday night at the Fens. And it's about time! For those of you who don't know what a "crooked number" is, and I'm sure most of you do, it's any number but a zero or a one on that all important scoreboard. Hence crooked! An example? OK - the Sox scored five (crooked!) runs in their half of the fourth inning, and cruised from there. Clay Buchholz pitched well, but he was only able to go five and one third innings before being lifted and the bullpen took over. He walked four, but only gave up one run on five hits. He was effective in an erratic way, but deserved the victory. Javy Lopez finished the sixth inning but could not end the seventh. Hot-tempered Manny Delcarmen finished that frame and Okie and Paps took care of the eighth and the ninth in perfect fashion. And Boston had a much needed ... More About: Numbers , Finally
A Continuing Lack Of Offense...Jays 3 Red Sox 0
2008-05-02 11:21:00 It seems that the entire Boston Red Sox team is in a hitting slump of some sort or another. The starting pitching was great once again Thursday night at the Fens, with Wakefield going seven innings and giving up three runs on six hits while walking four batters. That's too many free passes if you ask me, but such is the nature of the knuckie. A knuckleball pitcher wants the batter to swing at pitches that zoom and waver OUT of the strike zone. The Jays showed patience in that regard, and their starter had "the goods" the entire night. The Boston offense was limited to four hits. That it! Four!! Manager Terry "Tito" Francona had this to say after the game concluded...?We saw some good pitching, we didn?t have much to show for it. We had some opportunities and we put the barrel on the ball, certainly not consistently, but we had chances. In a game when you need something to go your way, we took more good swings than the linescore will show but just saw three really good arms the las... More About: Lack
Another Walk-Off Wonder
2008-05-01 11:35:00 The Red Sox starting pitchers continued their absolute dominance Wednesday night at Fenway Park as Boston defeated visiting Toronto by a score of 2-1. It was a Jason Varitek single in the bottom of the ninth that plated Manny Ramirez with the winning run, and the crowd went nuts. The Red Sox players celebrated a little bit too early one batter before, but Lowrie was called out at the plate. But all was well when Jason Varitek singled in the hustling Manny Ramirez, making a winner of Jonathon Papelbon for the second night in a row. Manager Tito Francona had this to say about the late inning dramatics... "Late heroics are better than no heroics," manager Terry Francona said after watching David Ortiz homer to break a scoreless tie. "Our pitching has managed to keep us right there and allow one big hit or two to win a game for us."Peter here, and the Boston starting pitchers, for the fourth game in a row, were overwhelmingly great, and we have to hope that spirit will continue tonight... More About: Walk
Lester Pitches The Game Of His life Against Halladay..Red Sox 1 Blue Jays 0
2008-04-30 11:16:00 The pivotal moment came in the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday's Red Sox/Blue Jay game at Fenway Park. The score was tied at zero and Scott Rolen stood on second base after smashing a two out double off of reliever supreme Jonathon Papelbon. Vernon Wells, who wanted to hit a drive up the middle so that his team would score the go ahead run, smashed a drive that did just that. The ball was scorched and Paps deflected it with his glove. Dustin Pedroia, who had already broken towards second base, dove and came up with the ball. He got up and threw out Wells, perserving the tie. Wells put it like this, and boy, did he make me laugh! Here you go..."My goal was to try to hit it up the middle," Wells said. "I saw it (the ball) get by the mound and I saw Superman at second base."Peter here, and our mini-Superman saved the game with that play, for the Sox scored one run in the bottom of the ninth and won the game 1-0. Congrats go to Pedey for making such a stunning grab and throw, remini... More About: Life , Blue Jays , Game , The Game
Naughty Naughty Roger Rocket!
2008-04-29 16:39:00 This is from Tuesday's San Francisco Chronicle. Roger "the Rocket " might have been JUST that. Here it is..."Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country singer Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old and the pitcher was with the Boston Red Sox, the Daily News reported."I cannot refute anything in the story," McCready told the newspaper in a story posted on its Web site Monday night."I have known Roger Clemens for a long time," she said, without detailing the nature of their relationship.Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, confirmed the pitcher and singer had known each other for a long time but told the newspaper there was no sex."Mindy McCready is a longtime family friend of Roger Clemens and the Clemens family," Hardin said in a statement Monday. "At no time did Roger engage in any kind of inappropriate or improper relationship with her. It is unfortunate that the Daily News has chosen to report anonymous allegations that are completely unfounded, have no ba...
Why The Mini-Slump?
2008-04-29 11:37:00 The Boston Red Sox are finally at home, where I hope they enjoyed their day off. The have their work cut out for them, however, as they have lost five straight games. There are four teams in the AL East, including the Sox, that are within one game of first place, and as Boston gets ready to face the Toronto Blue Jays and their best pitcher, Roy Halladay, tonight, the Boston Globe today ran a featurette which I linked to this post's title that asks the question "What's Behind The Slump ." Let's go over their main points and see the results of a reader poll, and then you can click (on the title of this post) and view the entire presentation. Sound good? OK, let's do it!WHAT'S BEHIND THE RED SOX SLUMP?1) Not so booming bats. Peter here, and it's true. Over the five game slide, runs were few and far between. 2) Lowell's absence. Peter again. Yes, we've missed Mike, but with Casey manning first and wielding a hot bat and Youk capably handling the hot corner, Lowell's injury is ... More About: Mini
Bewildered Bats Baffled...Boston Beckons
2008-04-28 11:59:00 Click those ruby red slippers together. It's time to go home. After twenty games in twenty days, the Boston Red Sox, who lost yesterday to the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 3-0, have gone home to Massachusetts and will enjoy an actual day off today (Monday). A rested Josh Beckett pitched well enough to win, but the Boston bats were impatient and Ray pitcher James Shield shut them down completely. Beckett was strong over seven innings, striking out thirteen enemy batters, but his teammates could not pick him up. The Sox have wasted two straight stellar outings by their starters. A frustrated Beckett had this to say to the schedule makers. Clearly he was bothered by the fact that he was the second-best pitcher on the field..."They make schedules like this and it's not like it's just 20 in a row," Beckett said. "We play 8 o'clock getaway games. There's not enough bitching and moaning going on to get it changed. I don't know what we need to do to get it changed."That's what string... More About: Bats
The Beantown Lumber Is Where?
2008-04-27 21:35:00 Just a thought, as we go into the bottom of the 7th frame, with the score 1-0 Rays. See you in the morning..Beckett has been great, but the Sox offense? I have NO IDEA! Who does?? More About: Lumber
A Clay Buchholz Masterpiece, But The Fourth Loss In A Row For The Red Sox
2008-04-27 11:41:00 Clay Buchholz pitched the second-best game of his life but ended up with only a loss on his record to show for it. An eighth inning mistake pitch (the pitch was fine, in my eyes!) allowed the Tampa Bay Rays' Akinori Iwamura to hit the go-ahead two run home run and his team beat the Boston Red Sox in a heartbreaker, 2-1. Just look at Clay's pitching line and you'll know what I mean...IP H R ER BB K HR Season ERA C. Buchholz 8.0 3 2 2 2 9 1 4.08 L (1-2)This is what Terry Francona said about his starting rookie pitcher, who I hope is here on the big club to stay. He has progressed incredibly since the early spring training games, and nine times out of ten, he would have won a game like last night's...?His stuff was electric,? Boston manager Terry Francona said. ?He left one breaking ball over the plate.? Old friend Eric Hinske, who now plays for Tampa, was even more forthcoming in his praise of young Clay. This is what HE had to say after the game...?God, he was lights out last n... More About: Loss , Clay Buchholz , Clay , Masterpiece
Many Opportunities Lost...
2008-04-26 11:29:00 MORE than one opportunity was squandered by the Boston Red Sox Friday night in Tampa Bay. And the Rays won the 11 inning game by a score of 5-4. They made so many sparkling defensive plays while the Red Sox could not score in the ninth or tenth with two on and one out. Mike Timlin, sore back and all, pitched the last inning, and it was over quickly. Here's what Tito Francona had to say...?We had our chances. We had the guys up that we wanted, but we weren?t able to push a run across,? Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. ?Everybody gets frustrated. You want to win so bad. We got guys on, we couldn?t push the run across.?Peter here again, and BOY, did they have their chances, but alas, the Red Sox went down for the third straight time. This team needs a day off, maybe a WEEK of days off. Two more games to go in Tampa and then they'll be homeward bound and enjoy that treasured day without a game scheduled. And that will be nice. Last night, the Sox again had another double digit hit... More About: Lost , Opportunities
Don Gillis...RIP
More articles from this author:2008-04-25 14:29:00 Don Gillis passed away at the age of 85. For those of you who don't remember him, he was one of the most recognizable and loved voices of the Red Sox and all Boston media, including the magic of 1967. Here's what I'd like you to do. Please read this...from Scott Gray of WTIC AM1080, the Connecticut Red Sox home for almost 50 years...********************************* ***Friday, April 25th 2008 - Sports Commentary"I never met Don Gillis, but I felt like I knew the legendary Boston sportscaster most of my life. It was impossible to grow up in New England during the second half of the twentieth century and not know Don Gillis, not feel like he was a personal friend, so genuine and comfortable was his on air style. By all accounts from close acquaintances who did know him well he was in real life what you believed him to be watching him ply his trade, a wonderful man with a pleasant personality always willing to help a young up and comer. My own memories of Gillis stretch back to t... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |



