Warning: This article is 99% emotional and 1% factual. It contains strictly my opinions and I am not looking to debate them. I simply need to purge before I can immerse myself in the 2012 season. This is not your typical season preview, but then again I have never been one to run with the pack. In fact, this might be the easiest article I have ever written because I don’t have to be glued to my calculator figuring out stats.

Where do I begin? I sat at my computer for hours trying to figure it out. The Boston Red Sox open their season today in Detroit and I can’t help but secretly wish they skip the season. I am simply not ready. Not ready to accept. Not ready to move forward. And not ready to believe in the team that let so many of us down seven months ago. This isn’t the first time we have been let down, but this time it was in a whole new category. One would think that having our season drastically end in 2003 by one misplaced pitch, and being deprived of yet another World Series, would be more devastating. The difference between the two? 2003 was like ripping a band aid off smooth skin. Last year was like slowing prying a giant band aid superglued on a patch of hairy skin. It took forever to watch it unfold and it hurt the whole time.

On paper, my offseason was no different than any other. My general rule is when the season is over I don’t want to talk baseball, period, until next spring. I suppose it’s because I invest so much time, money and most importantly, emotion, that I just need a break. Being a professional sports fan is grueling even on the best days when your team is successful. But when your team is part of one of the biggest collapses in sports history, it’s beyond grueling. So this offseason not only did I take a mental break but I fostered feelings I have never felt before as a Red Sox fan. My entire life I have been the “believer,” the one that shouts “It’s not over ’til it’s over,” and “Keep the faith,” but I can honestly say my beliefs have shifted a great deal and my faith has been temporarily misplaced.

Was I heartbroken because my beloved Sox failed to make the postseason for the second consecutive year in row? Or was it because they have now become a mediocre team not having won a playoff game since 2008? And what about all the people that departed? Theo Epstein scurried to the Cubs weeks after Terry Francona was canned. Red Sox legends, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield were essentially forced to retire. Jonathan Papelbon left via free agency without even sticking around for an offer, while not forgetting to shit on the Boston fans on his way out. Marco Scutaro went to Colorado and Josh Reddick to Oakland.

And let’s not forget the individual most male fans will miss the most, Heidi Watney. I enjoyed her over the years but the one thing I won’t miss are my male friends saying how hot she is. I am no expert on defining the looks of a woman, but Heidi always gave me the “all-American, cute” vibe, not the “hot” vibe. The funny thing is I’ll probably get more debates and comments about Heidi’s looks and departure than whether Tito should have been canned or not. I am sure every Heidi fan immediately googled her replacement, in case you didn’t, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with NESN’s own Jenny Dell. If I liked girls I would say Jenny Dell falls into the “hot” category. OK, back to baseball. Talk about a change in scenery. We are used to players coming and going, but we have never dealt with two legends retiring, a GM leaving, a Manager being fired, our star closer jumping ship and the “hot” face of NESN vacating, ALL IN ONE SEASON!!!

Although I will always be a diehard Sox fan, the decision I was most distraught over was the firing of Terry Francona and more importantly how they handled it. If there is one lesson I learned after last September it is this; in order for people to make things right in the sports world (especially in Boston), they have to find someone to blame. I hear it all the time on sports radio. All is fine and dandy until the minute they lose and all hell breaks loose on the radio.There are two types of fans in my opinion: Finger-pointers that make themselves feel better by putting blame on others. And then fans that accept things for what they are. Unfortunately there are more finger-pointers in this world.

They started off the 2011 season pretty much a lock to win the World Series. The “best team on paper” had such high expectations and started off the way they finished, in the toilet. But the four months in between they were the team everyone expected them to be and all was right in Boston…until September, when they tanked it and immediately the fingers started pointing. Fans need to remember that athletes are human and they make mistakes and it is nearly impossible to live up to the expectations set forth by fans and especially the media. Predictions are just an educated guess but yet people treat them as if they are written law. If every team that was predicted to win, did, then there is no point in playing the game. And although I know the role that MLB managers take on, it is sad to see them get fired for something their players couldn’t execute but yet the players don’t get penalized the slightest. Wouldn’t it be great if players salaries were performance based like the rest of the common worker in America? That might change players attitudes, work ethic and performance. It might also put a new spin on Adrian Gonzalez’ deep concern for him “providing for his family so they can eat.” I am all for firing managers but I think it is time athletes start taking some responsibility for their downfalls just as much as the managers do. I know this is wishful thinking but that the power of writing a blog.

Growing up as very competitive “Dustin Pedroia” type athlete, I firmly believe at the end of the day the people 100% responsible for losing games are the athletes themselves. Any true athlete will be the first to admit that. I couldn’t fathom blaming my coach for my mishaps unless we were flat out terrible from the start. We are not talking about developing high school players where they look to their coach for guidance and instruction. These are professional players that already possess the talent and skills necessary for success, so don’t need as much critiquing in the overall picture. Combine that with Boston’s most successful manager in history, one would think he would have been given some slack. We are talking about a manager that brought 2 World Series titles to this city after an 86-year drought. And then wham! – Four weeks of poorly executed ball leaves this once “highly praised” manager with no job as if HE was the reason Daniel Bard blew all of his high-pressured appearances. The Red Sox did not collapse because of Francona. They did not collapse because of the “beer and chicken” binges. They collapsed because they didn’t execute the game of baseball, plain and simple. Did Tito lose control of the clubhouse? All evidence points to that and that is where the debate comes in. On one hand, he shouldn’t be fired considering his long standing history, and their performance in September was an unbelievable fluke. Or the majority of people say, he is the manager therefore it is his responsibility to manage his players and losing games reflects poor management skills on his part. I understand both sides but what I really struggle with is “blaming a manager for losing games.” That doesn’t fly with me. Maybe if you have consecutive losing seasons year after year but we’re talking about 4 weeks of baseball (8 if you include April). And meanwhile, the true people at fault are the athletes that didn’t get penalized in the slightest. Could he have handled them better down the stretch? Sure, but I REPEAT, athletes lose games so remember that the next time you want to point fingers. The funny part about all this is if they didn’t tank in September, I wouldn’t be talking about this. I think management panicked and hastily made their decision. I understand their need for change and structure but at least give the man the respect he deserves. I have had time to accept this decision but I just wish it didn’t end so badly and I guess this is my attempt to pay respect to the best manager in Red Sox history. You had a great run Tito and you’ll always have a supporter in me. Whenever I need my “Tito” fix, I can tune into ESPN like I did yesterday.

I was told yesterday by my mama, “Let it go, it’s a new year, new season. Put it in the past and move on.” I watched a little NESN last night and Josh Beckett said the same thing. So this is my first attempt to moving on. I am breaking my silence of the offseason and I am hoping by getting all this off my chest it helps me let go of what I have been holding on to all winter.

This team has a lot to prove to earn our faith back. The good thing for them is expectations are at their lowest. I have never seen so many questions marks with a Sox team heading into the season since the late 90′s. Stay tuned for my season preview and my thoughts on this new manager situation. If you thought last year was a wild ride, buckle your seat belt, this has the potential to get uglier before it gets better.

I’ll leave you with one prediction. Will the Red Sox win their season opener? I am going to go with NO. Not because I am salty and have no hope. The Red Sox are 54-56-1 all time on opening day. Not to mention they are going up against Justin Verlander and the stacked Tigers. But for all you believers there is hope. The Sox are 3-1 in the last 4 opening days so I hope they prove me wrong today and give Red Sox Nation a good reason to look forward to a new season and fresh start.

GO SOX!!

This week on our PSB Baseball radio show, Adrian Fedkiw hosted a Wild Card Race discussion with the Boston Red Sox writer, “Baseball Brenda” Sepanek, the Atlanta Braves writer, John Morgo and the Arizona Diamondbacks writer, Matthew Hesse. Click on the link below to listen in.

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=110071&cmd=tc

With six games left to play in the 2011 season, the Boston Red Sox are up a creek with one paddle. Their hopes and dreams are not entirely squandered, but they are certainly making it a little too dramatic here in Boston. It is a bit shocking to see them finishing the season they way they started. Back in April, all I could do was laugh it off and I didn’t think it could get any worse. But, unless they win every one of their remaining games they will finish the month of September worse than their dismal month of April. And how do you get worse than April?

April: 11-15 Record

September: 5-16 Record (with 6 games to play)

Oh how I wish we could turn back the clock. Shall we?

September 1: Red Sox had a .5 game lead in the American League East DIVISION and were 30 games over .500 with a 83-53 record. The Yankees were the Wild Card leaders. The Tampa Bay Rays were 8.5 games back and the Anaheim Angels were 9 games back.

Today (September 22): They are 88-68 and have dropped to 20 games over 500. They have the worst home record (45-36) since 2002. The hopes of winning the AL East Division are over as the New Yankees clinched the division Tuesday. Not to take anything away from them but I feel like the Sox handed that one over. They left the door wide open, put the keys to the car on the table, the combo to the safe on the fridge and left it to whoever walked in next. When we discussed the AL Standings at the beginning of August, there was no reason for me to think that the Sox wouldn’t or shouldn’t win the division, but as I always say, “that’s why they play the game.” We knew it would come down to the wire as it always does, but this meltdown was completely unexpected. It has left them with their pants down after a cold dip in a lake with a measly 2 game lead in the Wild Card standings. Talk about shrinkage!!!

The Sox won F-I-V-E games in September…FIVE! I know collapses happen, but twice in one season? To the team that was expected to win over 100 games this year and go straight to the World Series? How the hell does this happen? Who do we point our fingers at now? Because in Boston, after a baby is delivered, in order for them to leave the hospital it is written in “Title Town Law” that you need a well operating pointer finger to exist in this town.

With that said….LET THE FINGER POINTING BEGIN.

In all truthfulness, there isn’t a long laundry list to pin the blame on and thankfully it doesn’t fall all on one person. It is a collective team issue and if they don’t pull themselves together ESPN magazine will regret running an entire issue about Boston’s dominance in the sports world. Ok, all joking aside, the main problem of September, is pitching and fundamentals (22 errors in 21 games). Plain and simple!

The bottom line is the starting pitchers are not going deep enough in games and they are going to their bullpen much too early. Of the 21 games in September, there were 15 games the starting pitcher did not last more than 5.1 innings. Only 6 times they lasted until the sixth. For the month of September the starting pitching is AVERAGING 4.6 innings per outing with a 5.98 ERA.

Fenway Flop (most recent 10 game homestand)

Record: 3-7

ERA: 5.30

Batting Average: .301

Runs/Game: 6.8 (two times they score a season high, 18 runs)

Home Runs: 11 (24 in Sept)

What do you gather from this? I see we have one problem. Pitching. They are losing games but are maintaining a .300 batting average, averaging almost seven runs a game, and continue to clobber home runs (although in both July and August they hit 40). The offense continues to show up, but they are always playing from behind. In fact, Tuesday night’s game was the first time in 8 games they scored the first run and they had been notorious for being the first ones to strike all year.

Struggling Starters (last 4 games)

Starters: 19.0 Innings Pitched, 20 Earned Runs, 5 Home Runs Allowed

Bullpen: 17 Innings Pitched, 4 Earned Runs, 0 Home Runs Allowed

The starters have suddenly put a huge burden on the bullpen and there doesn’t seem to be a quick or easy fix to the situation except let the problem work itself out. People tend to want to point fingers at Terry Francona for leaving guys in too long or not long enough but it really needs to stop. During Daniel Bard’s complete September meltdown, I heard many fans questioning whether he should be out there at all. REALLY?

Daniel Bard’s September Slump

The first five months of the season, Daniel Bard was one of the most feared setup men in the league. From May 23rd to Aug 1st, his impressive scoreless streak of 25 games, spanning 26.1 innings captured Red Sox nation. For those that stopped following Bard’s progress, after the streak ended, he gave up 3 runs that night and another run Aug 6th and went on to pitch the rest of August (9.2 innings) without surrendering a run. As the calendar month changed so did our flawless Daniel Bard. In eight appearances (8.0 innings pitched) this month, he has given up 11 runs and issued 6 walks. Of his five blown saves this year, three of them went down in recent weeks.

April: 5 Earned Runs, 3 Walks
May:  5 Earned Runs, 4 Walks
June: 0 Earned Runs, 3 Walks
July: 0 Earned Runs, 3 Walks
August: 4 Earned Runs, 2 Walks
September: 11 Earned Runs, 6 Walks

It’s no secret Daniel Bard has put a kink in the bullpen’s plan heading into the playoffs. It was working so well. Alfredo Aceves in the 7th, followed by Bard in the 8th, and Jonathan Papelbon to close things out in the 9th. If Bard can’t right The Black Pearl (the given name of the bullpen

pitchers) it will continue to sink but by no means should he be walking the plank. But that’s just it, the Red Sox NEED Daniel Bard if they are going to win. Fans flooded WEEI radio, questioning whether Francona should be resting Bard or trying something new. How can you rest one of the best set up men in the game with 3 weeks to play in the season? Bottomline, the will win with him and they will lose with him. He is crucial to the success of this team and the only way he will rebound is getting back out there each and every night.

Silent Hero

Jonathan Papelbon who has impressed the hell out of me this year is probably one of only two players this season that has 100% escaped criticism from the media this season. Those two words “escaping criticism” in Boston, don’t go in the same sentence people. But he and Jacoby Ellsbury have managed to do just that. This is the closer that in my opinion has completely transformed himself back into the “get it done” guy he was a couple years ago.

2006: 68.1 IP, 35 Saves, 6 Blown Saves, 75 K, 13 BB
2007: 58.1 IP, 37 Saves, 3 Blown Saves,84 K, 15 BB
2008: 69.1 IP, 41 Saves, 5 Blown Saves, 77 K, 8, BB
2009: 68.0 IP, 38 Saves, 3 Blown Saves, 76 K, 24 BB
2010: 67.0 IP, 37 Saves, 8 Blown Saves, 76 K, 28 BB
2011: 60.1 IP, 30 Saves, 2 Blown Saves, 81 K, 10 BB

It is very interesting looking at his stats above because clearly this will go down as his most unproductive season on paper. However I completely disagree. Will he finish with less saves? Yes. But he had less opportunities. The Sox were either blowing teams out of the water this year or they were tanking it in April and September. The stat I am most impressed with is his 2 blown saves this year. In both 2009 and 2010, I wanted Paps “shipped OUTTA Boston” even if the Dropkick Murphy’s had to personally escort him. His ego had boiled over and it showed in his performance with a season high 8 blown saves and 28 walks last year. I don’t know what Papelbon did in the off season, but he certainly dialed his brain back to reality and aside from his low save total, he should finish with some of his best numbers of his career in terms of blown saves, strikeouts and walks. I know that Jacoby Ellsbury is the hands down favorite for comeback player of the year, but Jonathan Papelbon deserves a lot of credit for turning his career around. Just look at the way he handled his 2nd blown save of the season after Tuesday’s game. Francona knew he needed two innings of work from either Bard or Paps Tuesday due to Aceves being overworked the night before. Bard pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, but couldn’t get out of the eighth, so Tito turned to Papelbon to give him the two innings he was looking for. Unfortunately, he came in with one out and 2 men on base and couldn’t get the job done ending his very silent scoreless inning streak of 22.0 dating back from July 17. It was the longest streak in MLB and the third longest in Red Sox history.

What was Papelbon’s reaction to all this? ”This game’s on me. We were put in a situation where the team needed me. I didn’t come through. So I don’t want to hear anything tomorrow about Tito bringing in guys early, the lineup not coming through, or anything else. This game is on me. My job when I am called on is to go out there and finish the game. I didn’t do that, so this game’s on me. And I take full responsibility for that,” said Papelbon.

Wow!!! I could not have summed it up any better myself. You can’t ask for more accountability than he gave and that is exactly what the team and fans need to hear going into these final six games. All season long whenever fans come down on Francona, I get so frustrated because in the end, it is the players that are not performing and Papelbon said exactly what I have been trying to say for years.

Alright folks, buckle your seat belt. It should be an interesting next six days with three games in the Bronx starting tonight, and another three in Baltimore to finish the season. The leadership of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Josh Beckett need to pull this team together and sprint to the finish. It’s either that or get Kevin Millar in that clubhouse with some Jack Daniels, stat!

Things to look out for:

Jacoby Ellsbury who just got his 200th hit of the season Tuesday night is honing in on 100 RBIs which is an astonishing feat for a lead off hitter. He has 98. Adrian Gonzalez also hit the 200 mark and now has the all-time single season record by a Red Sox first baseman with 208 and counting. The last time two Red Sox players had over 200 hits in one season was back in 1986 when Wade Boggs hit 207 and Jim “Mr. Snuggie” Rice hit 200. These guys have delivered all season and let’s hope they keep delivering for the next six days and then some.

Speaking of 100 Wins…

On opening day I was stopped by a local news channel and asked how many wins the Sox would finish with. It seems as if I was the only realistic one around these parts predicting 96. (1:54 and 2:08 mark). And even I didn’t come close.  I got backlash from friends that saw my prediction thinking I was crazy. Who is the fool now suckas??? Maybe the Red Sox need to come to me next time instead of going to some MIT professor, clearly they have nothing on Keene State Alumni

GO SOX!

For those of you living in a cave, Tim Wakefield became the oldest and only active player in baseball, to record 200 career wins on Tuesday night in front of a very dedicated and patient crowd at Fenway Park. The key word in that run-on sentence is patient. Red Sox Nation waited for this monumental win since the end of July (47 days to be exact). It certainly gives meaning to the phrase, “long time coming.” Wakefield is the 2nd oldest pitcher (turned 45 August 2nd) in history to accomplish this feat and it was quite a roller coaster ride waiting for it to happen.

Chasing 200

July 24, Tim Wakefield won his 199th game. Since then, it took him nine attempts (I can’t for the life of me figure out why everyone is saying it took him eight) to get that coveted 200th win. Let me tell you, as a fan, it was exhausting showing up at Fenway (three times) thinking “this is going to be the night it happens.”

If it was exhausting for me, I can only imagine the toll it took on Wake, the team and the shaky bullpen. Speaking of shaky, out of the 8 blown attempts, Wakefield left the game four times with at least a 1-run lead and each time he came up empty handed.

Tuesday night, the knuckleballer finally reached the milestone in an 18-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the most runs scored since Aug. 2, 2009 against Baltimore. As the game was coming to an end in the top of the ninth, I was one of the 38,020 fans in attendance standing just rows behind the Sox dugout chanting, “Wakefield, Wakefield, Wakefield.”

A few minutes after the game ended Wakefield returned to the field to acknowledge the fans with all of his teammates in the dugout looking on.

“I’m very grateful that it’s over with and it was able to happen here at Fenway Park in front of our home crowd,” Wakefield said. “I’m kind of speechless but I’m very grateful I’ve been able to wear this uniform for as long as I have and reach a milestone I thought I’d never reach. I’m very grateful.”

Long Distinguished Career:

Over 19 seasons, he has played 625 games and has a record of 200-178.

It is interesting to compare his home and road records. It just goes to show he is Mr. Consistent.

Home: 107-80 Record, 4.32 ERA, 231 Starts, 210 Home Runs, 1,077 Strikeouts

Road: 93-98 Record, 4.51 ERA, 230 Starts, 207 Home Runs, 1,070 Strikeouts

Wakefield became the 108th pitcher to win 200 games, the 89th since 1900. He is the 5th in Red Sox history and joins Lefty Grove, Ferguson Jenkins, Luis Tiant and Curt Schilling in the Red Sox record books. His career dates back to 1992 when he began his 19 seasons in the big leagues. He played two years for the Pittsburgh Pirates and notched his first major league win on July 31, 1992, with a complete game shutout against the Cardinals.

When Peter Gammons asked Wakefield how many messages he received from friends and family Tuesday night, he said he got over 100 texts and 25 voice mails but the phone call that meant the most to him came from Jim Leyland. Leyland was Wakefield’s manager while with the Pirates and he said he was quite emotional on the phone.

Let’s put things into perspective. Jose Iglesias, who was called up from the minors Tuesday night, was 16 months old when Wakefield won his first game for the Pirates. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just finishing first grade. Terry Francona was just beginning as a minor league manager in South Bend, Indiana. Oh and that guy that determines Wakefield’s pay checks, Theo Epstein was just finishing his freshman year at Yale. Speaking of general managers, Wakefield is very thankful that back in 1995, Dan Duquette took a chance on a guy who was released by the Pirates after a 5-15 season in the minors.

This began his 17 year career as a Boston Red Sox and he hasn’t looked back since. Only three players have played for the Red Sox longer than Wakefield: Carl Yastrzemski (23), Ted Williams (19) and Dwight Evans (19). During this era, ball players don’t last as long as they used to so it is quite astonishing he is still going strong. If you disagree, let me put it this way. John Valentin, who began the same year Wakefield did, retired NINE years ago!

Wakefield has played for five different managers as a Red Sox:

• Kevin Kennedy 1995-1996
• Jimmy Williams 1997-2001
• Joe Kerrigan 2001
• Grady Litle 2002-2003
• Terry Francona 2004-present

Managers vs. Wake

Wakefield also has quite the list of players (13) who have faced him that have gone on to become major league managers:

• Bud Black
• Don Mattingly
• Mike Scioscia
• Willie Randolph
• Kirk Gibson (I can’t type his name without imagining the famous “arm pump”)
• Alan Trammell
• Tony Pena
• A.J. Hinch
• Joe Girardi
• Ozzie Guillen
• Juan Samuel
• Dale Sveum
• Gary Varsho

But He is not finished

Wake now has 186 wins as a Red Sox. He is just 6 wins shy of tying the All time Red Sox wins record (192) held by Roger Clemens and Cy Young. He is 7-6 this season so if we can get him signed another year we will all be pulling for him to erase Clemens from that title.

Beyond the Stats

Is it amazing a 45-year old knuckleballer has succeeded for 19 years? YES. 200 wins is an amazing accomplishment but what makes Tim Wakefield an accomplished man is his character and loyalty to his team. Of course he wants these records but he will put the team before his personal accolades any time. 

Back in 1999, Tim STARTED 17 games that season (3 of them on 2 days rest), and he SAVED 15 games but was not on the playoff roster. That was hard for him to swallow. How could he be good enough to get them to the playoffs but not good enough on the playoff roster? But he sucked it up and accepted whatever was best for the team. He could have thrown in the towel and expected his career to tank, but he did what was asked of him, as he continues to do. As a result of his dedication and loyalty, for 16 years the Red Sox front office has reciprocated that loyalty.

Terry Francona spoke of his favorite Wakefield moment. A moment most fans don’t even realize happened. Game  3 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, Francona needed a body to save the bullpen. Wakefield, a starter in those days, raised his hand and volunteered to pitch in relief in a game the Red Sox lost to the Yankees 19-8. A game Sox fans will NEVER forget.

“I sacrificed my start and got a chance to save the bullpen,’’ remembered Wakefield. “That night maybe helped us get some momentum for the greatest comeback in the history of sports. That’s why that ring is so special to me.’’

He set up Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling for the final four games, all wins. Nobody knew at the time that Wakefield’s pitching saved the staff and he played the role of the silent hero setting the stage for the historic comeback that was to follow.

Francona never fails to recognize Tim’s sacrifice that night. “You look back at that — that’s as special to me as anything,” Francona said. “You’ve got to have a ton of talent to get 200 wins, but it’s those other things that stick with us.”

Tim is always ready to bail out the team. He has taken any assignment given to him over the years whether it was as a starter, a closer, bullpen duty or being left off the playoff roster. He even left money on the table in 2009 when they renegotiated his contract essentially giving him a lifetime contract with the Sox. It is very important to him to retire as a Red Sox and if it means taking less money that’s what he’ll do.

Compared to Bill Buckner?

Remember that dreadful home run Wakefield gave up to Aaron Boone in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Yankees? (another game Sox fans will NEVER forget). Tom Caron reminisced about getting off the plane after that game and Wakefield asked, “Am I going to be the new Bill Buckner?” For months after, he feared he would be doomed to a lifetime in Buckner’s hell. Luckily that sentence belonged to someone else: Grady Little

Wakefield spoke with Gammons about what it takes to be a good knuckleballer. There is one quote that has stuck with him over the years. “You need the mind of a Zen Buddhist - and the finger tips of a safe-cracker.”

What Happened to the Sox?

I think the Zen Buddhist is glad to have the monkey off his back along with the rest of the team. I don’t know if it is a coincedence but the bullpen has been terrible and since that July 24th game, the Red Sox have gone 24-24. In the month of September, they are 3-11!!!!! Their playoff hopes took a serious hit thanks to their most recent 1-6 road trip. Things were getting so bad, that Jim Rice had to break the snuggie back out!

The pennant race is clearly heating up. Five weeks ago they had a 2.5 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East and a 11-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card standings. Tonight, the Red Sox began a very important 4-game series against the Rays and suffered a tough loss dropping them 4.5 games behind the Yankees and narrowed their Wild Card lead to just 3 games. This weekend series is crucial to their playoff hopes. They have 14 remaining games and all of them are against the AL East, 3 of them against Tampa and 3 against New York.

Tune in…it should be a wild ride. Here’s hoping these guys right the ship and don’t finish the season the way they started.

Other Notes:

Congrats to Marco Scutaro who had two hits Tuesday, reaching the 1,000 hit mark on his career.

Dustin Pedroia’s two-homer game Tuesday night gave him 20 HR in a season for the first time in his career. He and Jacoby Ellsbury both have 20 HR and 25 steals, marking the first time in club history two players have done that in the same season.

Bard’s Scoreless Inning Streak Comes To An End

Before Monday’s game against the Cleveland Indians, Terry Francona spoke about Daniel Bard’s impressive scoreless streak of 25 games, spanning 26 1/3 innings. He acknowledged the inevitable saying, “he’s going to give up a run at some point.” Little did he know it would happen hours later.

Yes, his amazing streak finally came to an end in the top of the eighth, when Bard surrendered a game-winning, two-run homer to Asdrubal Cabrera in Cleveland’s 9-6 victory. He also took the loss in the game and was charged with a blown save. How’s that for grounding you back to earth QUICKLY?

You know what’s strange? The last time Bard gave up a run it was May 23rd, in the eighth inning in Cleveland and it was a game-winning RBI double to none other than, Asdrubal Cabrera! AND he took the loss and was charged with a blown save! What have we learned here folks? Bard should not face Asdrubal Cabrera again in the near future…in the eighth inning…when the game is on the line… AND when he has a killer streak going.

His 25 consecutive outings without allowing a run is a new Red Sox record and he tallied the longest scoreless inning streak (a career high) in the American League this season, behind only Cliff Lee’s 34-inning scoreless stretch this year. It was also was the longest in club history for a Sox reliever since Bob Stanley’s 27 1/3 innings without giving up a run from July 29 – Sept. 1, 1980. “It had to end sometime,” Bard said. “I had a little bit of luck to get to this point. It went longer than I thought it would, I guess, but I’m trying to help the team win. Tonight I didn’t do that. But as far as the streak goes, let’s start a new one tomorrow.”

His control, command, and confidence, have made him of one of the most talented set up men in the league with an impressive 2.28 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.

Francona Hits Another Milestone with his 1,000th Win

Terry Francona has spent 12 years as a manager in the big leagues and July 23rd he became the 57th manager to win at least 1,000 games, joining seven active managers in the league:

1. Tony La Russa (2,691)
2. Jim Leyland (1,546)
3. Dusty Baker (1,454)
4. Bruce Bochy (1,332)
5. Davey Johnson (1,157)
6. Mike Scioscia (1,034)
7. Jack McKeon (1,027)
8. Terry Francona (1,006)

His first managerial win was with the Philadelphia Phillies on April 1, 1997 and since then he has compiled a managerial record of 1,006-884. He has 285 wins with the Phillies (1997-2000) and two World Series titles with the Sox in 2004 and 2007. I have always been a huge fan of Tito. He relates to the players, he treats them with respect, he creates relationships with them , which are all qualities that don’t require baseball knowledge. In order to have successful organization, you need everyone to get along or at least make everyone think you are getting along. That’s what Terry does, he is the gel and base that holds the clubhouse together.

While he make think he is lucky to have wound up with such a talented team, he certainly had his work cut out for him being thrown into the caldron of Boston. It is no easy task dealing with the passionate fans and media of Boston and of course problems that may arise within the clubhouse. You rarely ever hear of problems amongst players (except Manny Ramirez) and we owe that to Tito because he handles it and keeps it in clubhouse, something that is hard to do. People don’t realize the decisions he makes behind closed doors are just as important as the decisions he makes on the field. I can’t say enough great things about Francona. His relaxed approach makes his players enjoy playing for him. Francona humbly commented on being lucky he wound up in Boston. Yes, maybe so. I think the city of Boston, the players, and fans, are the lucky ones. Here’s to 1,000 more to someone that should go down as Boston’s greatest skipper in history.

Red Sox Managers Win List

1. Joe Cronin, 1935-1947 (1,071)
2. Terry Francona, 2004-20011 (720)
3. Mike “Pinky” Higgins, 1955-1962 (560)
4. Bill Carrigan, 1913-1929 (489)
5. Jimmy Collins, 1901-1906 (455)

Dustin Pedroia’s July Hitting Streak Runs Dry

Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-4 in the 3-1 loss to Chicago last Friday, ending his 25 game (career best) hitting streak. The month of July was good to Dustin, or should I say “Muddy Chicken” his new nickname. He batted .407 during his hitting streak with the 3rd best July batting average in Sox history. Only Ted Williams and Wade Boggs have batted higher. He drove in 22 RBIs, scored 27 runs, hit 9 doubles, 1 triple and 8 home runs to bring his season batting average up to .310. That doesn’t sounds as impressive until you realize that he was hitting just .239 June 4th! Do you know what you have to do to raise your batting average that high, that quickly? Just replay the past month and you will see. This guy is on a tear and has completely turned his season around and perhaps he is back on pace to reclaiming that MVP title he earned in 2008. If there is one person you don’t need to worry about staying in a slump, it’s Pedroia.He has made it clear numerous times that even though he is the smallest guy in in the club, he undeniably has the largest mouth and he is the biggest leader on the team. He is so tough to pitch to given his size, and it is close to impossible to blow a fastball by him. When I think of the most confident player I have ever seen, hands down it is Pedroia. If the game is on the line, I have 100% faith in him getting the job done and if he doesn’t, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. He is leading the league batting .429 against lefties. He is 2nd in MLB in pitches seen (2080) behind Curtis Granderson (2092), which explains why he is 5th in the MLB in walks (69). He is top 10 in runs (73), hits (132), and on-base % (.406). If we have learned anything over the years, once the Laser Show begins, count on it being a marathon. There is no slowing this guy down, once he gets that momentum going, it’s hard to slow him down. It’s kind of like the mysterious fruit fly. One appears in your kitchen and before you know it they have multiplied and you can’t seem to contain them and they are all over the place, just like Dustin Pedroia. Oh, and good luck getting rid of them.

Tim Wakefield Records 2,000th Strikeout with Red Sox

July 25th, Tim Wakefield who turned 45 yesterday (the oldest man playing in baseball), recorded his 2,000th strikeout with the Red Sox. He joins Roger Clemens (2,590) as the only other pitcher in club history to record 2,000 strikeouts.

“It was a pretty cool ovation and a pretty cool day for me,’’ said Wakefield. “Any milestone that you achieve is ranked up there pretty high for me, and 2,000 is a high number,’’ Wakefield said. “It says a lot about being at one place for a long time, like I have, and going through ups and downs in my career and being able to persevere for the last 17 years.’’

Today he looks to win his 200th career game. I will at Fenway Park tonight in hopes to witness his superior accomplishment. He is also inching closer to another milestone: the Red Sox Franchise Wins leader. Entering the season he needed 13 wins to tie Clemens (192) and Cy Young (192) on the all-time wins list and nobody thought that was possible since he wasn’t even in the rotation. I don’t know why, because he always finds a way back into the rotation due to injuries throughout the season. So far he has 6 wins this season, which means he needs 8 more wins to surpass them. What do you think Red Sox Nation? Do you think he will do it this season? If not, do you think they will bring him back just to get that record? I think it’s possible if he stays in the rotation. With Clay Buchholz out indefinitely I don’t think that will be an issue. Here’s to some run support tonight and his next seven outings!

Red Sox Wins List

1. Roger Clemens (192)
1. Cy Young (192)
2. Tim Wakefield (185)
3. Mel Parnell (123)
4. Luis Tiant (122)

I apologize for disappearing the last TWO months. The Bruins fully redirected my focus this spring. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to be sitting at an ice rink deep into June. I was fortunate to attend Game 7 vs. Montreal, Game 4 vs. Philly, Game 2 vs. Tampa Bay and Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. I got into Game 6 FREE, by being my outgoing self and talking to a stranger next to me at a bar who had an extra ticket! Add a couple team “send-offs”, a “welcome back” to our bearded men, and one of the largest attended parades in Title Town’s history, I am FINALLY over my Bruins hangover.

With that said, Boston is back to focusing on our beloved Red Sox. It’s hard to believe they were a “back burner” team in this town but it really happened. In fact, I would say 85% of Red Sox fans don’t even know that Josh Beckett threw a complete game 1-hitter against Tampa Bay June 15th, improving his stellar ERA to 1.86. Why? Because the Bruins were captivating all of New England with their Game 7 win in the Stanley Cup Finals that night. Tough night for Beckett to go unnoticed!

From Worst to First

One thing that didn’t go unnoticed was the ugly 2-10 start the Red Sox got off to in the early spring. They went from the worst record in baseball (April 15th), to currently the 2nd best record (55-35) in MLB and best in the American League. Ever since the Bruins began their playoff run, the Sox began to turn things around. April 14th they were 2-9 and by the time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, the Sox turned that losing record into the best in the AL (40-27). They proved undoubtedly, they have the best offense in the league going 38-18 in that time span, batting .281 with an ERA of 3.51. Thank you Bruins for getting them on track! They have become the team we all expected them to be and it has been fun to watch. In the month of June there were 6 games in which they scored 10+ runs. Currently they are riding a 6 game winning streak, winning their last 10 out of 11, with only one loss in the month of July. Their longest streak this season (since April 2009), was 9 games and during that stretch, they won 14 of 16 and outscored opponents 83-36! They are 28-17 at home and 21-8 during day games. Maybe they don’t need lights at Fenway?

       First 12 Games of Season                                 Last 78 Games

    2-10                           Record                         53-25

   .224                           Average                        .285

      9                            Home Runs                    98

    3.8                          Runs/Game                     5.6

   6.79                              ERA                           3.47

This is No “I” in Team But There is One in Adrian

If you have read my blogs in the past, you know I like TEAM stats because it is a true reflection of how they stack up against the other 30 teams in the league. As you read through these categories, the team leaders are obvious. You will quickly see two glaring themes forming.

Hits (872) 1st in MLB

Adrian Gonzalez leads the majors with 128 hits and set a new Red Sox record for number of hits before the All-Star break. Gonzalez is everything Boston hoped he would be. He is an absolute beast at the plate, making each at bat look effortless. Rumor is he might be the reason David Ortiz has been so consistent this season, exchanging tips and strategies.

Jacoby Ellsbury is right behind Gonzo with 114 (5th MLB/3rd AL). July 5th, Ellsbury got his 500th career hit in 432 games. Only two Red Sox outfielders reached 500 hits quicker. Ted Williams needed 385 games and Dom DiMaggio 428. Ellsbury has been very impressive this year with 12, 3-hit games.

The Sox have gone on some big offensive tears as a team. An astounding 44 times this season, they have notched 10 hits or more in a game. Twelve times they have recorded more than 14 hits and on May 20th vs Cleveland, they had a whooping 20 hits in the books. When it comes to the 2011 Red Sox, hitting is contagious.

Doubles (195) 1st in MLB

Move over Dustin Pedroia, there’s a new “double king” in town. Gonzo leads the majors (29). We knew he was going to have fun playing at Fenway, but didn’t think it would be so easy for him. NO…BIG…DEAL! Youkilis and Ellsbury both have 26 (tied-4th MLB/tied-3rd AL).

Triples (21) 3rd in MLB. Slackers

Home Runs (107) 3rd in MLB

They have catching up to do to the Yankees (125), but between Gonzalez (17), Ortiz (19) and Youkilis (13), they have hit more than the entire San Diego Padres (48). Yowza!

Total Bases (1430) 1st in MLB

Gonzo leads the majors with 214, which means two things: He is doing his job and so are the men behind him. The Red Sox are 41-10 when scoring first this season and I attribute most of their success to first time, well deserving, 2011 All-Star (and AL Player of the Week of June 6th), Ellsbury. He set out this season to prove doubters wrong. People unfairly questioned his toughness last year when he went down with brutal rib injuries. While I defended his injury and the recovery process from my own personal experience, I too, was guilty of questioning him post-recovery, when things became a bit too dramatic within the clubhouse. Maybe it is exactly what he needed in the tough media market of Boston. As a result, he has developed a thick skin and has taken the high road dealing with his troubles last year. He has never been more focused about his job. His job is to get on base, and that is exactly what he has done, becoming one of the most dangerous lead off hitters in the league with 175 total bases (5th MLB). He is playing centerfield better than before, getting after more balls. Since being nominated for the All-Star game he has hit .467 (14-30), 2 home runs, 8 RBIs, 7 extra base hits, and 2 stolen bases. How’s that for reassuring fans they made the right decision? Sounds to me like he should have been a starter.

Runs (482) 1st in MLB

The Texas Rangers are a distant 2nd with 457. The top three run scorers on the Sox: Gonzalez (64, 3rd AL), Ellsbury (62), Pedroia (59) have scored almost 200 runs. Followed by Ortiz (52) and Youk (52). I attribute the run scoring to Ellsbury setting the table for everyone else, batting .316 and leads the AL in stolen bases (28, 3rd MLB). When you are ranked 5th in MLB in hits (114) like he is, and you have Dustin, Gonzo, Youk and Big Papi following in the lineup, you are going to score runs. Especially when Gonzo and Ortiz are each approaching 20 home runs. Hits = On Base = Runs, which they have produced an abundance of, outscoring opponents 482-371 and averaging 5.36 runs per game. At one point in the year, the Red Sox scored 209 runs in 29 games. It was the most since 1950.

RBIs (465) 1st in MLB

Someone needs to drive in all those runs and they can thank Gonzalez (league leading 77) and Youk (63) for that.

Batting Average (.278) 1st in MLB

Guess who! You got! Gonzalez is tied for best batting average in the big leagues at .354. Highest batting average, most RBI’s…Looks like we have a Triple Crown candidate amongst us. Ellsbury .316 (5th MLB), Ortiz .304 (10th MLB/5th AL), Youkilis .285 (26th), and Pedroia .284 (27th), also play a huge role in this league leading average. Pedroia headed into the break with a 12-game hitting streak, batting .354, with 5HRs (4 in his last 6 games), 10 RBIs, and 14 Runs. That is pretty remarkable considering he was hitting .235 back in May. It appears the Laser Show is back in business. Between Gonzo, Youk and Ellsbury they are collectively hitting an impressive .325.

OBP – On Base Percentage (.354) 1st in MLB

Gonzo’s OBP is .414 (5th MLB/3rd AL), Youk .399 (9th MLB/4th AL), Dustin .395 (5th AL), and Papi .391 (7th AL). We know Youk has alway been an “on base” machine, him being “The Greek God of Walks” an all, but considering the struggles Dustin had early on, it’s nice to see him as one of the leaders. He must have took a page out of Youk’s book because he is 4th in the league in walks.

SLG – Slugging Percentage (.456) 1st in MLB

Gonzalez is slugging .591 (3rd MLB/2nd AL). Papi is slugging .574 (7th MLB/4th AL).

OPS = On Base% + Slugging % (.810) 1st in MLB

Gonzalez’ OPS is 1.006 (3rd MLB/2nd AL). Papi’s is .956 (7th MLB/4th AL).

Extra Base Hits (323) 1st in MLB

Gonzalez leads the majors (49) and his partner in crime, Big Papi, has 43 (5th MLB/3rd AL).

Walks (345) 1st in MLB

Dustin is 4th in the big leagues with 63 and 3rd in the AL.

Fielding

The Red Sox are tied for 1st with the least amount of errors (44) and highest fielding percentage of .987.

I suppose it would have been a lot easier to write that the Red Sox lead in almost every offensive category except two. That would have been too easy.

Needs Some Improvement

GIDP – Grounded into Double Plays (87) 4th in MLB

Would you believe that slacker, Adrian Gonzalez is leading the team in this category too? He has grounded into 20 double plays. Either he is striving to lead in every category or he actually is human after all. He is on record pace to pass to Jim Rice’s major league record of 36 in 1984. He better watch out. That’s one record he doesn’t want in the books.

LOB – Runners Left on Base (683) 3rd in MLB

Besides the Sox beat up pitching staff, in my opinion, this is one of the biggest problems the Sox have faced. They are averaging 7.6 runners left on base a game. They have stranded 10 or more runners 22 times this season. In fact, the game in which they left 16 men on base (a season high), Josh Beckett threw 8 innings of shutout ball and only surrendered 2 hits. You know your team is in trouble when your pitcher is pitching the best of his career, and you can’t do anything to help.

Things have improved since the ugliness in April/May but the common theme during those months was stranding runners and getting both the pitching staff and the offense to be successful AT THE SAME TIME. One day, the pitching was lights out and there would be no run support. Then the next day the bats came alive but the pitching staff never showed up. Now that they have righted the ship, if they continue to get production from both sides, not strand those runners, and most importantly stay healthy, I will be sitting at Fenway late October and hopefully seeing my 2nd parade in the calendar year. Bottom line, they say pitching wins world series, but if you can’t drive in runs where does that leave you?

The Down Low on  the DL

Speaking of staying healthy, sixty percent of the Red Sox rotation is on the DL. Yikes! Dice K is out for the year with season ending Tommy John surgery. Clay Buchholz has been out with a back injury and the latest addition to the club is Jon Lester. He suddenly pulled himself from the game after 4.0 innings of no-hit ball. He strained a muscle in his side/back July 5th, but it wasn’t before he moved to 10th on the All-time Red Sox strikeout list (822). Here is a random stat about Lester. He has already matched his season high from last year of hit batsmen (10).

Josh Beckett gave us a scare last week when he twisted his knee slipping on a wet mound. He was schedule to pitch in the All-Star game Wednesday but was a late scratch which I think was a smart move. He is expected to make his next start this Sunday in Tampa. Carl Crawford is expected to return to the Red Sox in the 2nd series after the break. They want to avoid the turf in Tampa Bay as that can be hard on the body.

21 Holds Bard and the Bullpen

Daniel Bard is in the midst of the longest active scoreless inning streak in the majors. Hideki Okajima was the last Red Sox pitcher to pitch 20.2 scoreless innings in 2007. Since May 27th he has pitched 19.1 innings of scoreless ball, has given up 6 hits, 4 walks, 20 strikeouts, and has 12 holds. He has 21 holds (2nd MLB, 1st AL) in 42 appearances, a 2.05 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, with 11 walks and 44 strikeouts. His slider has been super effective, he keeps his pitch count down which had turned him into one of the best setup men in baseball.

He sets up, Jonathan Papelbon who recorded his 200th save in his 359th career appearance. The previous record was held by Mariano Rivera, who did it in 382 appearances. There are only five in history to achieve such a feat in less than 400 games. I have to tip my hat to Paps this season. He has truly transformed himself back to the secure closer he once was. I attribute most of his success to him checking that ridiculous ego he monstered up, once he found out they brought in Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks. While he is “middle of the road” when it comes to save totals (20) he is getting the job done and simply hasn’t had as many opportunities. He isn’t getting consistent work, in fact he has gone up to 10 days without seeing an appearance. The fact is, the Sox are either winning by 10 or losing by one. The most glaring thing that stands out to me this year is his blown save count. It is an astonishing (1)! This is the same guy that blew 8 saves last year (5 of them coming the second half of the season). Bottomline: If Papelbon continues down this path, the second half of the season should be an improvement from the first half.

Speaking of Dan Wheeler (the Rhode Island born pitcher), since coming off the DL May 20, he has made 17 appearances, pitched 18.0 innings, has a 1.50 ERA, has given up 11 hits and struck out 14. During that time, he brought his 11.32 ERA down to 5.08. Kudos to him!

I want to send a special congratulations to Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester for making the 2011 All-Star team. A special shout out to Derek Jeter on his achievement of 3,000 hits. I have always had tremendous respect for him, although it saddened me when he didn’t show up for the All-Star game. Just like Dustin Pedroia, he did not put up all-star numbers this year, but the fans voted him in, therefore he should have respected the fans enough to show up. Given the timing of his special accomplishment, baseball fans all over, including myself, would have enjoyed celebrating his moment in front of America. If a Red Sox fan feels this way, I suspect the rest of America does as well. 

Aside from the Sox awful start and their Interleague “road hiccup”, I am very pleased with the performance of everyone and the only real question mark the Sox face going forward is that of their pitching staff. Will they be healthy again? And will John Lackey put an end to this yo-yo of a season and get back to his days when he dominated as an Anaheim Angel? The sooner we get answers to those looming questions, the easier it will be to look down the road ahead.

Fun Fenway Moments

On June 21st Fenway Park recorded it’s largest attendance in Post World War II history with 38,422. Nothing against The Pad Squad (Padres), who happen to be their opponent that night, but I am not sure what sparked the abundance of fans considering it was a Tuesday night. Any thoughts?

Active Manager Win List With Single Club

1. Tony LaRussa (1996) 1,367
2. Mike Sciosia (2000) 1,030
3. Ron Gardenhire (2002) 844
4. Terry Francona (2004) notched his 700th win with the Red Sox June 30th (709). 

Some not so fun news…Dick Williams passed away last week at the age of 82. He was the Red Sox Manager from 1967-1969. In his three seasons with the Sox his record was 260-217 He managed 6 teams during the 21 years he was in the league. He was known by many to be one of the toughest managers to play for.

Come guys…You really didn’t think I would be talking baseball at a time like this? This is Bruins time! I know I have slacked but I’ll be back after all this Bruins madness is over.

But I will leave you with this…This is Our Time!!! Go Bruins!!!! Bring the Cup home!!!

And a special shout out to the Bruins from our beloved Red Sox…They want another parade just as much as we do! Go Bruins!!!

If you told me the Red Sox would have a losing record for the first 39 games of the season, I would have rather put my money on Charlie Sheen getting his job back. If anything, most of us would have picked them to have the best record in baseball. After all, most fans and media had them pegged for a 100+ win season. I, on the other hand, was spotted stating my prediction on the local news on Opening Day seen here at the 1:59 & 2:10 mark. For those not interested in seeing my TV debut, I opted for a conservative 96 wins, but with the way things have been going, the Red Sox will have to make up a lot of ground to come close to any of those numbers.

Jump in the Standings

A week ago today, the Red Sox were tied for last place (a familiar spot) in the standings heading into a big series at Yankee Stadium. With the way the season has been playing out, taking three games from the Yankees was about as likely as me finding a full time job tomorrow. However, the Red Sox took two out of three from the Yankees in the first battle of the season leaving Red Sox nation hopeful.

Last Friday the Sox sent a huge statement and they haven’t looked back since. It marked the beginning of a six game winning streak. Yes, the Red Sox swept the Yankees and finally reached that coveted .500 mark on the season with a record of 20-20. They came back to Boston and have played in the pouring rain ever since. Monday’s exciting come from behind walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles, finally gave the Red Sox their first winning record of the season. It was their largest comeback win since April 25, 2009  (vs. NY) overcoming a 6-0 deficit in the 6th inning to win 8-7. And last night, they swept the Detroit Tigers in a two game mini series with their fourth walk-off win of the season. If this past week doesn’t give them the confidence they need and momentum, I don’t know what will.

Last Friday they went from last place in the standings to tied for second by Sunday. This just goes to show how tight the division is this year. Although the Red Sox got off to a rocky start they are the 5th fastest team to reach .500 after a 2-10 start. And since April 16th, the Sox are 21-10 with the best record in MLB. They are also batting .275 at home (2nd in the American League and 6th in MLB), and their OBP is .355 (2nd in the AL and 3rd in MLB). So all you Red Sox fans that are depressed because of their unimpressive start, wake up, things are starting to heat up!

Beating the Yankees was So Good, So Good, So Good….

So far this year the Red Sox have the Yankees number. A very reassuring bit of info is the Red Sox outscored the Yankees 18-9. These are the same Yankees that were leading the American League in runs scored on Sunday. Why is this reassuring? Two reasons: The pitching staff managed to shut down the leagues top scorers and the Sox managed to drive in runs (one of our biggest ongoing problems in my opinion). If they continue to struggle with leaving men on base, it might be my next blog topic.

After the sweep on Sunday, the Red Sox were 20-20 on the season which meant 25% of their wins had come against the Yankees. They are 5-1 this season, batting .292 against them, averaging 5.83 runs per game with 7 home runs. The Red Sox pitching staff has an ERA of 3.67 and have an opposing average of .216 (that’s like having Jarrod Saltalamacchia up at the plate every time).

Decent Catchers are Hard to Find

Speaking of Saltalamacchia, it’s nice to see him starting to come around. He has hit safely in 12 of his last 18 games. He came up big last Sunday night with an 8th inning home run to put the Sox ahead 7-5 and he drove in the only run in Boston’s 1-0 win over Detroit on Wednesday. Even Jason Varitek stepped up in Monday’s come from behind win going 2-5, with 2 RBIs and a run scored. He is has hit safely 9 of his last 12 games. They are finally starting to get production out of both of these guys even though they are hitting a combined .205 with an OPS of .549. My point is, if you think we can find better, THINK AGAIN…We are not alone. Five other teams in the league are batting under .200 in the catching postion (as of last Sunday) and the Phillies and Rays are two of those teams.

Take a look at the rest of the league: (stats were taken as of April 15)

American League Catchers: .221 AVG, 4 HR, .669 OPS

National League Catchers: .255 AVG, 4 HR, .737

So if you think the Sox are struggling at the catcher position, so is every other team in the league. Do we all wish we could click our heels three times and have Victor Martinez back? Hell yeah, but that isn’t happening. So let’s accept the fact that the Sox organization have accepted the catcher position for what it is. They are more concerned with their defense and handling the pitching staff. If they come around with the bats, it will be a plus and as of right now they seem to be building momentum and confidence as the season unfolds.

What a Difference a Month Can Make

April: 11-15 record (one of the worst records in April)

May: 12-5 record (best record in the month of May)

May Team Stats:

.279 AVG (1st in AL, 3rd in MLB)
20 HRs (tied for 2nd AL & MLB)
169 Hits (1st in MLB)
76 RBIs (2nd in AL & 5th in MLB)
75 Runs (tied for 2nd AL, 5th in MLB)
.783 OPS (1st in MLB)
.441 SLG% (1st in MLB)

Just When Things Were Heating Up…

The Red Sox lost 40 percent of their pitching rotation this week. I swear, every time they start to turn the corner something happens to set them back. Both Diasuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey went on the 15-DL this week. One seems a bit more serious than the other. Dice K has a sprained ulner collateral ligament and he will be shut down for two weeks until he is re-examined. This is the type of injury that MAY lead to Tommy John surgery so it is certainly worse than what they thought. He could be out months. Lackey’s injury should be a quicker recovery. It is certainly a blow to the rotation but don’t forget, Toronto and New York are going through the same lack of depth with their rotation. Let’s just hope their bats stay awake and Wakefield comes in ready to fill the role he has filled so many times before. I am secretly rooting for him simply because he needs 13 wins to tie Roger Clemens and Cy Young for the most career wins as a Red Sox. He would have already had one win under his belt this season if Tito didn’t yank him and replace him with Bobby Blank…I mean Jenks.

One good thing to note is how well the top three starters have done compared to Lackey and Dice K.

Top 3 Starters: 14-11 record, 25 starts, 2.98 ERA, 59 walks, 137 Ks

Lackey & Dice K: 5-8 record, 14 starts, 6.65 ERA, 41 walks, 45 Ks

Let’s just hope the top 3 can pick up the slack while they are absent.

Speaking of absent, let’s Welcome Back Jerry Remy. He was out a few weeks with pneumonia and had many fans worried his lung cancer may have come back. We are all happy to hear he is healthy and back with Don where he belongs.

I will be heading to Fenway tonight for my 10th game of the season as the Chicago Cubs come to town on this historic occasion. The last time they were in town was back in 1918. The Sox did play at Wrigley for the first time back in 2005. Hopefully tomorrow is the last of the monsoon games (there have been 30 rainouts so far, compared to last season’s total of 21) and here’s to win number 7 in a row!

Monday the Red Sox looked to extend their first winning streak of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays. Could they make three in row? Patriots Day in Boston is one of the most exciting days of the year with the Boston Marathon and Red Sox game happening simultaneously. Boston is filled with optimism that day, whether it’s for the thousands of runners trying to finish the marathon or for the Red Sox to win on such a special day. Red Sox Nation looked to have a picture perfect day until we noticed Daisuke Matsuzaka set to the take the mound. Unfortunately most people had the same thought, “there goes our winning streak.”

Which Dice-K Will Show Up?

To remind people of what happened in his last start, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. In just two innings Dice-K gave up 7 earned runs essentially eliminating any chance they had to win the game right from the start, losing 16-5. It was one of the his worst outings of his MLB career and set Red Sox Nation in uproar causing many fans and media to question whether he deserves to have a roster spot.

Dice-K Last Start: 2.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks, 47 pitches.

Dice-K this Season Prior to Monday: 12.86 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 BB, 4 Ks, 14 hits, opposing average .412.

Monday he took the mound and Boston fans booed him before he even threw a pitch. That’s typical Boston for you. He knew he needed step it up or else his job was on the line. “If I pitched badly, I thought there might not be another chance,” said Dice-K regarding his stellar performance. We all know that Dice-K is known as “Mr. Inconsistent” but it was reaffirmed Monday when he threw one of his best games of his MLB career. What’s up with this guy? In seven days, he went from pitching his worst to pitching his best.

Would history repeat itself Monday?

Dice-K Career vs Toronto: 6-1 Record, 3.80 ERA, 71.0 IP, 20 BB, 70 Ks, 11 Starts.

Dice-K notched his first win of the season and the Red Sox continued their winning streak winning 9-1. The story of the day clearly was that of Daisuke Matsuzaka. He was absolutely stunning and showed why they signed him in the first place. He pitched seven scoreless innings and only gave up one hit. He walked one and struck out three, throwing a total of 89 pitches. The only hit he gave up came out of the first inning with a single up the middle by Jose Bautista. In the second he walked Travis Synder with two outs and then proceeded to retire the last 16 batter he faced. The two runners he allowed, tied his career best in 101 starts.

It is amazing what a week can do. He went from giving up 10 earned runs in 7.0 innings (in two starts) and averaging three base runners per inning, to not allowing a run in 7.0 innings and allowing only 2 base runners in his ENTIRE outing. And he cut his ERA in half dropping it from 12.86 to 6.43.

He pitched as if his rotation spot depended on it. Maybe he was also trying to impress old pitching coach John Farrell who is now the manger of the Blue Jays. Some of the things he worked on with Farrell was trying to attack hitters, getting ahead of the count and keeping his pitch count low. And that is exactly what he did, throwing only 89 pitches, 58 of them for strikes. In the 3rd, he threw 11; the 4th he threw 11; the 5th he threw 10; the 6th, he threw 5; and the 7th, he threw 11.

Remember that interesting stat I threw out in my last blog? Before Monday, Dice-K had pitched a total of 143 pitches this season and only four pitches were swung at and missed. I still can’t get over that! But Monday in one only outing alone, he made batters swing and miss nine times.

Dice-K said he tried to keep his pitches down and used a different mental approach coming into the game by trying not to listen to people or think about his past outings. He clearly worked the corners and stayed away from the middle. According to Jason Varitek, he hit all of his locations so he couldn’t have asked for anything more from his pitcher.

Speaking of Varitek, the topic of him “calling a great game” never seems to disappear. It’s no secret that Josh Beckett and Dice-K feel much more at ease when Tek is behind the plate. Since the 2010 season, Dice-K’s ERA is 3.50 when Varitek is catching. But in his 19 other starts with other catchers, his ERA is 5.60. We all know the Red Sox want Jarrod Saltalamacchia to become the everyday catcher but they can’t seem to ween Varitek off of some of the pitchers and it is creating a difficult situation with chemistry between the battery unit on the field.

Comparing Catchers:

Salty: ERA 7.29, 11 games played, 19 home runs in 84 innings given up, record of 2-8.

Tek: ERA 2.40, 7 games played, 3 home runs in 45 innings given up, record of 3-2.

This is going to be an ongoing topic until Salty not only starts proving himself with his bat, but until the pitching staff starts improving their numbers and their comfort level with him behind the plate. And until he does, there are going to be plenty of people voting to see a lot more of Varitek.

Hot and Cold: Since 2007, Dice-K has 14 outings in which he has thrown at least six shutout innings which is 2nd in the Red Sox club house behind Jon Lester. That is the crazy thing about Dice-K, he is either super hot or super not. On the flip side, in three years, he hasn’t lasted past the 5th inning seven times. He also hasn’t lasted past the 7th inning seven times. What are we going to do with this 2007 rookie of the year? The Sox are stuck with him until 2012 but still owe him $20 million over the next two seasons. Prior to Monday, pretty much all of Red Sox Nation was plotting for him to be gone by the All-Star break but now I wonder if people have changed their minds.

“Let’s Stay Positive” says Youk

There are so many positives that came out of yesterday but things didn’t start off in a positive way for Dice-K. Kevin Youkilis had this to say after the game. “The one thing that was shocking is before the game he (Dice-K) got booed. It’s funny how he came off the field and everyone was cheering. It’s kind of foot-in-mouth right there. But it’s good how he (Dice-K) responded to that. We know it’s frustrating for all the fans out there and we’re just as frustrated, but be positive and good things will happen.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. I personally am not a fan of booing, but especially when the booers decide to cheer for the person they were booing for minutes earlier. Either take a stance and stick with it or don’t flip-flop. The last time I checked, fans “support” their team.

Happy Birthday Jed Lowrie!

Over the weekend, Jed Lowrie celebrated his 27th birthday in style, by becoming the hottest hitter in all of baseball. Up until tonight’s game against Oakland, he was in the middle of a 7-game hitting streak. His was hitting .625 (15-24), with an on base percentage of .640, slugging .958, and an OPS of 1.598. He had 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs, 8 runs and 4 multi-hit games over this past 7-game home stand. He was leading the majors among players with 25+ plate appearances with an average of .516, .545 OBP, slugging .774, with a OPS of 1.320. Although he has only played 15 games he has clearly been leading the Red Sox offensive brigade. Terry Francona has no choice but to continue to play him and ride his magical streak. In Monday’s game he went 4-5, with a home run and drove in 4 RBIs. Unfortunately the streak came to an end tonight in Oakland as the game just went final as the Sox lost 5-0, which dropped his .516 average down to .457. It will be interesting to see if Tito gives Jed the night off tomorrow or keeps him in the lineup. In my opinion he should be in the lineup at all costs for the indefinite future.

Things are Looking Up

The Sox finished their home stand  5-4, and are now 5-10 on the season. During the four game series against Toronto they outscored the Jays 21-3. In the prior week, the pitching was not supplementing the offense and vice-versa. Now it seems the pitching and offense are finally meshing as one and clearly the pitching staff finally go that run support they needed. They still need to work out this lineup mystery as Tito has set 13 different lineups in 15 games thus far. The reason for that is partly because of Carl Crawford’s painful slow start to the season. Tito keeps moving him around in hopes to find a comfortable spot for him. During the Sox home stand he went 3-32 and finally broke out of his 0-15 slump in Monday’s game doubling off the Monster. Fenway erupted giving him a standing ovation. Everyone is rooting for him and it is painful to see him going through this struggle.

Patriots Day Flag Ceremony

I am reporting in about my amazing experience Monday.  For those that didn’t read my previous blog, I was fortunate to be part of the Patriots Day flag drop ceremony on the field. It was certainly an opportunity of a lifetime. Being able to walk out on the field during the pre-game ceremony and stand at the base of the Green Monster is something I will never forget. The flag was dropped from atop the monster and we had to catch the flag as it dropped and hold it taught during the National Anthem. It was super windy and challenging to hold down but it was such a fun experience.

Trivia Answer:

Dustin Pedroia homered in his third consecutive home opener.

Trivia Question: Who is the only other Red Sox to do the same?

Answer: Fred Lynn, 1978-80.

Congrats to Jill Putala for answering correctly!

Wow, a lot has happened in the past week in Boston. One of the biggest developments of the Red Sox season thus far, has been the search for their first win. The Red Sox started off their season shocking Red Sox nation by going 0-6, getting swept by both the Texas Rangers and the very hot Cleveland Indians.

Opening Day Weekend:

They came back to Boston hoping for their first win on Opening Day against the New York Yankees. Not only did they win, but they took the series winning two out of three giving Red Sox fans a sign of hope. I guess they were saving their first big win for the home opener. Friday was the first sign of their bats coming alive. They went 12-36 and had three extra base hits. Jonathan Papelbon got a late start to the 2011 season making his first appearance 7 games into the season and launching his first save. Friday’s game enabled them to use their 1-2-3 punch of Bobby Jenks, Daniel Bard and Papelbon, something they hadn’t been able to do.

Dustin Pedroia homered in his third consecutive home opener. Trivia Question: Who is the only other Red Sox to do the same? Answer: Find out in my next blog. Dustin put on a clinic against the Yankees going 9-13, with an average of .692, with 3 doubles, 1 home run, 5 RBIs and 4 runs. It appears as if his foot has healed up nicely as he continues to dazzle us with his outstanding defense.

They finished out the series with Josh Beckett throwing shutout ball getting his first win of the season beating the Yankees 4-0. He is the first Red Sox pitcher to go 8 scoreless innings and record 10+ strikeouts since 2002. His 10 Ks was a career high against the Yankees. That night he looked like the old Beckett we all desperately want back.

Big Improvement:

In the first 6 game of the season: .181 Avg, 5.8 Hits/game, 2.7 Runs/game, 8 Strikeouts/game, .159 Avg w/ RISP (runners in scoring position).

Friday against the Yankees: .333 Avg, 12 Hits, 9 Runs, 5 Strikeouts, .600 Avg w/ RISP

Problems Continue:

Just as things were starting to look up, Dice-K took the mound Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays in what I called, The Battle of the Losers. Tampa Bay entered the series 1-8 and came out winners. Dice-K gave up 7 runs in two innings and the Sox never stood a chance losing 16-5. This was the 7th time he hasn’t lasted until the 5th inning. It was Dice-K’s 100th career start and the way things are going he’ll be lucky if he sees start # 115 in a Red Sox uniform come the trade deadline. Check this incredible stat out: Out of the 143 pitches he has thrown thus far, only 4 have been swung at and missed!!! I think the topic of Dice-K deserves his own blog, so stay tuned for that one.

Tampa Bay won both games and the Red Sox have mother nature to thank for dodging another bullet when the final game of the series was postponed due to rain. At this point the Sox were 2-9 on the season (worst record in baseball, 30th), was batting .230 (24th in MLB) and their 6.77 ERA was the highest in the league (30th). It could only go up from there right?

Power of the Snuggie:

Hoping some extra rest would do the trick against the Toronto Blue Jays the Sox lost their first game of the series making their UGLY record 2-10. But on Saturday a VERY cold front moved in and Jim Rice broke out his Red Sox Snuggie. Then everything seemed to change. Josh Beckett took the mound and threw another gem giving them their third win of the season. Beckett improved his record to 2-1,  went 7.0 innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, and struck out 9. In his last two games he has 19 strikeouts showing us he is locked in and maybe dropping him in the pitching rotation gave him the gut check he needed. There seems to be life back in his fastball, he was getting ahead of the hitters, velocity was mid 90s. He is tired of answering questions about last year. I think his last two performances are proving that he still can be the Josh Beckett he once was.

Beckett 1st game: 5.o innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts.

Beckett Last 2: 15.0 innings pitched, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 19 strikeouts, 0.60 ERA. This was the first time in his career he held both opponents to 3 hits or less while recording at least 9 Ks.

Jon Lester finally got his first win of the season but most of Red Sox Nation feel they owe it to Jim Rice who brought out the Snuggie before today’s game. The Sox are on a monster winning streak (2) with that Snuggie. If Rice has to break that thing out in August I hope he is willing to do so.

Lester pitched another great game today but the big difference was the run support. Last year Lester was #1 on the team averaging 5.7 runs a game. Over his first three starts the Sox were only able to muster up 2 runs. Today, 6 runs. Today, Lester moved to 4th (734) in all time strikeouts by a left hander passing Mel Parnell (732). Next on the list is Lefty Grove (743) and by the end of the season he should be 2nd only to Bruce Hurst.

The bats started to come alive over the weekend. One of the key players has been Jed Lowrie. It is amazing what a difference a year can make. Last year he was recovering from mono and now he is dialed in and on a 6 game hitting streak. He is batting .500 leading all of the majors for batters with 10+ at bats. Over his past 6 games he is hitting .579, with 1 home run, 6 runs scored, 4 RBIs and 1 walk. Tito needs to find a way to keep him in the lineup as long as he stays hot. Right now, the bottom of the order has really stepped up big over the past few games. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has also stepped up as of late and seems to be finding his groove.

Pleasant Surprise:

In my opinion there were two members of the team this year that received a serious gut check.

1. Josh Beckett got dropped in the rotation based off of his terrible 2010 performance. He could either bitch about it or bare down and step it up. He certainly has stepped up big time.

2. Jonathan Papelbon is the other obvious choice. In my opinion over the past two years his ego got the best of him. He thought he was better than he really was and that he could over power batters with only his weakening fastball. His pride got the best of him and was no longer effective. But this year the Red Sox silently upgraded their bullpen and with the addition of Bobby Jenks it was an automatic threat to Papelbon. Signing a veteran closer sent an instant message to Paps that the Sox organization aren’t messing around and he better get his act together. So far, it clearly shows that he worked hard in the off season to bring back the old Papelbon. He says he feels stronger now than he has in a while. He seems to be using all his pitches and his splitter and fastball and coming out of the same slot which makes it hard for the batter to identify pitches before it is released. He has also been working on developing his slider. Having those two additional pitches to supplement his increased velocity of his fastball is going to give him back that fiery side of Papelbon we all know and love.

He has appeared in 5 games, with an ERA of 1.80, has pitched 5.0 innings, given up only 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 earned run and has struck out 8. The opposing average against him is a mere .154. He has 2 saves on 2 chances and has pitched 4 straight scoreless outings. I like what I see so far.

Let’s Bring Them Home Boys:

So far one of the biggest disappointments in my eyes has been the amount of men they have left on base. They have left a total of 108 runners on base. Although the pitching staff hasn’t exactly performed their best, you can’t win games if you don’t drive in runs. In three different games they left double digit runners on base!! And would you believe the gem Josh Beckett threw against the Yankees the Red Sox left 16 runners on base? How do you win a game stranding 16 runners?

Here’s to keeping the winning streak alive. I really saw a different Red Sox team the past two days. Everything seems to be clicking. Tomorrow they will finish up their four game series against Toronto in the famous Marathon Monday Patriots Day game. The game starts at 11:05 so set your alarms, it’s going to be a fun filled day in Boston. I am very excited to be part of the Flag drop tomorrow thanks to my friend “The Don”. I get to be on the field at the base of the monster and help assist with holding the flag during the National Anthem. Opportunity of a lifetime.

Go Sox!!! Go B’s and Go C’s!!!