Yankees vs Red Sox (4/27-4/29)

Game 1: Daisuke Matsuzaka was pretty good on Friday night with exception of one rough inning as he picked up his 2nd consecutive win against the New York Yankees. Dice-K finished with 6 IP, 4 ER, and 7 K. He threw 117 pitches. The Yankees countered with Andy Pettitte who was touched up for 5 runs in 4.2 IP.

The Red Sox offense received big contributions from Julio Lugo, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, and Coco Crisp. The game was close early on, but the Red Sox broke it open in the later stages of the game. Timlin, Okajima, and Pineiro pitched scoreless innings in relief. They are now 6.5 games ahead of the Yankees and remain in 1st place in the AL East.

Game 2: Saturday's game started with a hard-hit comebacker by Julio Lugo that struck Yankees starter Jeff Karstens just below the knee. After walking around for awhile, Karstens was allowed to stay in the game and pitch to Youkilis. Youkilis smacked a single into the outfield and Torre removed Karstens. It was discovered later on that Karstens had suffered a broken fibula. Kei Igawa releived Karstens and was very good for the Yankees over 6 innings. Meanwhile, for the Red Sox, Tim Wakefield was average and his control was erratic.

Jorge Posada hit a 2-run homer in the 4th inning off of Wakefield and it put the Yankees up for good. The Red Sox threatened in the 8th inning against Kyle Farnsworth. Coco Crisp came up as the go ahead run and displayed great patience in the at bat. Unfortunately, Bruce Froemming's strike zone expanded and Coco was the victim of some poor calls. Crisp struck out looking to end the inning on a ball that appeared to be a foot out of the strike zone. Crisp was understandably frustrated, as there were two other very questionable strike calls in that at bat. Crisp threw his bat and helmet after striking out and was ejected from the game.

Rivera came in to pitch the 9th and allowed a leadoff single but was able to maintain his composure to close out the game. With the loss, the Red Sox lead on the Yankees diminishes to 5.5 games.

Game 3: Julian Tavarez kept the Red Sox in the game while opposing Chien-Ming Wang. Tavarez went 5+ innings and allowed 3 runs, but left the game with a 4-3 lead. He was relieved by Hideki Okajima who threw 2 scoreless frames and struck out four in the process. Timlin pitched the 8th and allowed a homerun to Jeter, followed by a basehit to Bobby Abreu, but was able to finish the inning thanks to a double play ball off the bat of Alex Rodriguez. Jonathan Papelbon came in to pitch the 9th and allowed a leadoff double to Giambi. Papelbon then struck out Matsui and got Posada to ground out.

The Red Sox benefitted from an early homerun by David Ortiz and went ahead in the 5th when Alex Cora hit a 2-run homerun (his 2nd of the season). The Red Sox added another run on a sac fly hit by Julio Lugo in the 7th and a 2-run homer from Manny Ramirez in the 8th.

The win moves the Red Sox 6.5 games ahead of New York and gives them the best record in the Majors. The Yankees have now lost 8 of 9 games.

On Deck: The Red Sox will have their first off day in awhile on Monday and it will be followed by a 2-game series against Oakland from Fenway Park. Curt Schilling will take on Joe Blanton in the opener. On Thursday, the Red Sox will make up a game against the Seattle Mariners that was rained out on April 12th.

Orioles vs Red Sox (4/25-4/26)

Game 1: Curt Schilling allowed 1 run over 7 innings on Wednesday night as he picked up his 3rd victory in 5 starts. He is now 3-1 on the season.

The game was tight in the first 6 innings, but in the 7th the Red Sox began to pull away. David Ortiz knocked in what turned out to be the winning run on a bloop single and the Red Sox were able to tack on 2 more runs after that. Okajima came in to pitch the bottom of the 7th and looked great once again. The Red Sox offense added two more runs in the top of the 9th and Donnelly closed it out in the bottom of the 9th. My thoughts on Francona's use of Donnelly to come later.

Alex Cora hit his first homerun of the season in the win. The Red Sox are now 13-7 (4.5 games ahead of NYY).

Notes: It has been reported that Terry Francona plans on using Joel Pineiro in some high-leverage situations (in the 8th inning), which doesn't seem to make any sense. The Red Sox have Hideki Okajima and Brendan Donnelly who are suited to fill that role. To date, Francona has hesitated to use Donnelly in high-leverage situations for some unknown reason. If you recall back to last season, he did the same thing with David Riske (a quality reliever), before Riske was shipped to Chicago for LHP Javier Lopez (now in AAA). Donnelly needs to be given the chance to pitch in big situations, he is simply a better pitcher than Joel Pineiro and at this time he's the 3rd best reliever the Red Sox have. Pineiro and Timlin should be 4th in line for opportunities, followed by Kyle Snyder. JC Romero should be the last option.

Game 2: Josh Beckett's magical season continued on Thursday evening. Beckett gave up 2 early runs, but settled down nicely. Beckett finished with 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, and 3 strikeouts.

The Red Sox trailed for most of the game, but finally broke through in the 8th inning with a 2-1 deficit and Orioles' closer Chris Ray on the hill. Ray allowed a double to Mike Lowell after John Parrish walked Manny Ramirez. Ray then elected to intentionally walk Jason Varitek to face Wily Mo Pena. Pena took advantage of the opportunity and crushed one of Ray's offerings for a grand slam. The slam put the Red Sox ahead 5-2. Jonathan Papelbon came in to pitch the 9th inning and closed the door on the Orioles.

Josh Beckett's record is now a major league leading 5-0. The Red Sox sweep the 2-game series vs. Baltimore and are now 14-7 on the season (currently the best record in the majors). The Yankees also lost on Thursday night and remain in last place in the AL East. They are currently 5.5 games behind the Red Sox.

On Deck: The Red Sox will travel to New York to begin a three-game series with the Yankees on Friday night. Daisuke Matsuzaka will take on Andy Pettitte in the opener.

Blue Jays vs Red Sox (4/23-4/24)

Game 1: Tim Wakefield's run of brilliant starts had to come to an end. Wakefield allowed 4 earned runs to the Blue Jays on Monday night and the Red Sox offense went dead as the Blue Jays took the game by the score of 7-3.

The Red Sox took a 2-1 lead when Dustin Pedroia recorded his first 2 RBI of the season with a double off of the monster but the Red Sox were unable to hold the lead. With the loss, the Red Sox fall to 12-6 but remain in 1st place in the AL East.

Game 2: Julian Tavarez had a rough outing on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays. The Red Sox defense wasn't too great either. The team made 4 errors in its sloppiest performance of the season. Tavarez was unable to keep the Red Sox in the game, which is always the goal when facing a great pitcher like Roy Halladay.

The poor performance of Tavarez might prompt the Red Sox to make a change with their #5 starter. Devern Hansack, possibly one of the best options at this point, turned in a subpar performance in AAA his last time out. Jon Lester will pitch for Pawtucket in Rochester on Wednesday night, but the Red Sox do not want to rush him back to the majors. Lester, as everybody will remember, is recovering from chemotherapy treatments.

Despite the loss, the Red Sox remain in 1st place in the AL East and remain 4 games ahead of the Yankees (who lost again on Tuesday night to Tampa Bay). The Yankees have lost 5 straight games and are currently in last place in the AL East. Don't expect that to last.

Notes: Coco Crisp sat again on Tuesday night to rest his strained left oblique. Francona believes that Crisp is fully capable of playing but stated that the Red Sox do not want to take any chances with Crisp's health. Pena got the start in center and looked sloppy at the plate and in the field.

On Deck: The Red Sox will begin a 2-game series with the Orioles on Wednesday night. Curt Schilling will take on Daniel Cabrera in the opener. The Orioles are currently in 2nd place in the AL East.

Yankees vs Red Sox (4/19-4/22)

Game 1: The torrid pace of Alex Rodriguez continued on Friday night as he hit two homeruns against Curt Schilling. Luckily, Schilling kept the game from getting out of hand and so did the Red Sox bullpen. The Yankees took a 6-2 lead into the 8th inning when everything suddenly began to go Boston's way. David Ortiz started the rally with a double against Mike Myers, Manny Ramirez then worked a walk. JD Drew followed Ramirez and grounded out, moving Ramirez and Ortiz over to 2nd and 3rd. Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek followed with RBI singles, which brought Coco Crisp to the dish with 1 out and a 2-run deficit. Crisp knocked a Mariano Rivera offering down the first base line past 1st baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Two runs scored and Crisp ended up at 3rd base with a tie game. Alex Cora capped off the rally when he blooped a single over the head of Derek Jeter who was playing shallow and the Red Sox took the lead.

The Red Sox took their 1-run lead into the 9th inning with Papelbon unavailable after he pitched in the previous two games. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Hideki Okajima did his best Papelbon impression and retired the Yankees (including the red-hot Alex Rodriguez), which sent the fans into a frenzy.

By completing the comeback, the Red Sox avoided a 1st place tie with New York and moved ahead by 2 games. Thursday's game against Toronto was great, but the Red Sox one upped themselves tonight. What a great game.

Game 2: Josh Beckett took the hill for the Red Sox on Saturday and wasn't quite as sharp as he had been in his previous three starts. He allowed the Yankees to get two-run leads on two seperate occasions, but the Red Sox offense answered each time. The Red Sox pulled ahead 5-4 in the 4th inning, but the lead was extended further when David Ortiz hit a 2-run homer just inside the Pesky Pole for what turned out to be the game winning runs. Coco Crisp (2/4, 2 R, SB) and Jason Varitek (2/4) also deserve mentioning as they both continued their recent resurgence. Ortiz (4 RBI), Youkilis (1 RBI), and Lugo (2 RBI) had multi-hit games as well.

Beckett came out after 6.2 innings. He allowed 4 runs and struck out 7. Hideki Okajima relieved Beckett and recorded some more big outs. Mike Timlin finished the 8th inning before giving way to Jonathan Papelbon who continued his dominance in the closer role. The final out came on a well-hit ball by Bobby Abreu, but Coco Crisp was there to make the play and the Red Sox won again.

The Red Sox move ahead of the Yankees by 3 games with the win and are 9-2 in their last 11 games.

Game 3: Daisuke Matsuzaka had a rough outing on Sunday night as he allowed 6 runs to the Yankee offense. Matsuzaka still recorded the win, thanks to 4 consecutive solo shots (first time in time history) by the Red Sox and a 2-run shot from Mike Lowell later in the game. Jon Papelbon held onto a 1-run lead in the 9th inning and retired Alex Rodriguez for the final out.

With the win, the Red Sox sweep the series and move 4 games ahead of the Yankees.

On Deck: The Red Sox begin a 2-game series with the Blue Jays on Monday night. Tim Wakefield will take the mound for the Red Sox.

Blue Jays vs Red Sox (4/17-4/19)

Game 1: The Red Sox lost a close one on Tuesday night by the score of 2-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. With the exception of one inning, Daisuke Matsuzaka looked great as he struck out 10 batters. Matsuzaka allowed 2 runs over 6 innings, however, 2 of those runs may have come as a result of some unfortunate calls that did not go the way of the Red Sox.

Gustavo Chacin tossed 7 solid innings for the Blue Jays. His only blemise was a solo blast to Wily Mo Pena which appeared that it could be one of the longest homeruns ever hit in the building. The ball landed on top of the restaurant in centerfield almost directly above the 400 foot sign. The Blue Jays moved into 1st place with the victory.

Game 2: Tim Wakefield's start of the 2007 season is becoming quite the story for the Red Sox. Wakefield turned in his 3rd consecutive gem, pitching 7 innings and only allowed 1 earned run. Brendan Donnelly picked up where Wakefield left off and pitched a scoreless inning. Jon Papelbon closed it out, but not before allowing the tying run to come to the plate with 2 outs. Papelbon struck out the side, including Adam Lind to end the Blue Jays late threat.

Mike Lowell, Doug Mirabelli, and David Ortiz all connected on solo homeruns and Doug Mirabelli added an additional RBI in the late stages of the ballgame. With the win, the Red Sox take back 1st place in the AL East but now face Roy Halladay in tomorrow's matinee.

Game 3: Julian Tavarez did what he had to do. He kept the Red Sox close. Tavarez allowed three runs over 5.1 innings and left the ballgame with a 3-1 deficit. From there, the bullpen took over and shut down the Blue Jays. Joel Pineiro, JC Romero, Mike Timlin, and Jonathan Papelbon contributed to the brilliant effort.

The Red Sox appeared to be in some trouble in the 8th inning down by 2 runs, but Manny Ramirez picked the perfect time to hit his first long ball of the season. Ramirez hit a 2-run shot to dead center to tie the ballgame. That would be the only scoring the Red Sox would do in the 8th inning.

Mike Timlin came in to pitch the bottom of the 8th for the Red Sox and got himself into a jam after Vernon Wells lead off the inning with a double to deep center. Fortunately, Timlin was able to get an out before intentionally walking Lyle Overbay (a correct decision made my manager Terry Francona). The intentional pass that was issued to Overbay set up an inning ending double play. The play at first base was extremely close thanks to a poor throw to 2nd base by Mike Timlin. The Blue Jays runner appeared safe, but was called out. A fact that likely wouldn't have mattered because Overbay (who was running from 1st to 2nd) performed a take out slide that would likely have been deemed illegal if the runner at 1st base was safe. Alex Cora, who played shortstop for the Red Sox, was a victim of Overbay's takeout slide and Cora felt that it was a dirty play on Overbay's behalf.

In the top of the 9th, Alex Cora smacked an RBI triple for the go-ahead run. Coco Crisp scored Cora on a sacrifice fly to deep center field to make it a 5-3 ballgame. Jonathan Papelbon came in to finish the game. Papelbon struck out the first two batters he faced before engaging in a long duel with Alex Rios which resulted in an out and a Red Sox win. With the win, the Red Sox remain 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees who won on another Alex Rodriguez walkoff homerun.

In my estimation, this game was the best game of the year for the Red Sox so far. The Red Sox rallied and were able to overcome the odds of having to face one of the AL's best pitchers in Roy Halladay with Julian Tavarez opposing him. Coco Crisp did some good things, as did Tavarez, Cora, and Ramirez. All in all it was a very encouraging victory for the Red Sox (now 9-5 and 7-2 in their last 9 games).

On Deck: The Red Sox will begin a three game series with the New York Yankees on Friday night at Fenway Park. Curt Schilling will take the mound for the Red Sox and will be opposed by Andy Pettitte.

Angels vs Red Sox (4/13-4/16)

Game 1: In a game that figured to be tough, the Red Sox won in grand fashion on Friday night against John Lackey and the Angels. Lackey, a potential Cy Young canidate, had been on fire in his first 2 starts of the young season. Fortunately, the Red Sox were able to cool him off as they scored 3 runs on him and continued to tack on to the lead once the Angels bullpen took over.

Tim Wakefield turned in his 2nd consecutive solid start for the Red Sox, and this time the Red Sox offense was able to give him some run support. Wakefield pitched 7+ innings and allowed 1 run. David Ortiz and Mike Lowell each had 3 RBIs on the night. The Sox won by the score of 10-1 and the win moves them to 5-4 on the season.

Game 2: Curt Schilling pitched a gem for the second straight time and this time, Terry Francona didn't even get a chance to blow it. Schililng pitched 8 scoreles frames and struck out 4 while the Red Sox offense put together 8 runs. David Ortiz had his 3rd homerun of the season (a 3-run shot to put the game way out of reach). Eric Hinske also did a good job filling in for Kevin Youkilis and has reached base 8 times in 9 plate appearances. The win moves the Red Sox into 1st place in the AL East with a 6-4 record.

Note: The Red Sox have allowed a total of 25 runs in their first 10 games (2.5 runs per game). The team has only given up more than three runs on two seperate occasions so far, yet they have lost 4 games.

Also, remember this name: Devern Hansack. Hansack has struck out 20 batters in just over 10 innings in AAA. Hansack's ERA at this point in time is 0.84. If Julian Tavarez continues to struggle, Hansack could take his spot in the rotation. It is also possible that Hansack may be called up very soon to pitch in the bullpen. No matter what role the Red Sox need him to fill, Hansack should be called up. He deserves the opportunity and he could really help the team.

Game 3: Josh Beckett was supposed to take the mound and be opposed by Ervin Santana, however the game was rained out and will have to be made up at a later date.

Game 4: It's starting to look like Josh Beckett may have overcome his woes from last year. Beckett turned in his third straight gem and the Red Sox offense gave him the run support he needed once again. Beckett moved to 3-0 in his first three starts. He went 6 innings and allowed 1 run (homerun to Orlando Cabrera in the 1st inning) while striking out 5.

The Red Sox offense broke out in the bottom of the 1st inning with 6 runs. David Ortiz would add on a 7th run in the 4th inning with a solo blast to center field. Hideki Okajima (2 strikeouts) and JC Romero pitched scoreless innings of relief. Kyle Snyder allowed a run in the final frame to make it 7-2 in favor of the Red Sox. The Red Sox move to 7-4 with the win and remain in 1st place in the AL East.

On Deck: The Red Sox now travel to Toronto for a 3-game set. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Gustavo Chacin will take the mound in the opener. Toronto has recently been bit by the injury bug losing BJ Ryan (up to 6 weeks), Reed Johnson (likely out until July), and Troy Glaus (heel).

Mariners vs Red Sox (4/10-4/12)

Game 1: The Red Sox offense finally woke up with a little help from Jeff Weaver who had a surprising run in the 2006 playoffs. The team tagged Weaver, chased him from the game early, and continued to add runs against the Seattle bullpen. JD Drew continued to impress Red Sox fans as he hit a homer in his Fenway debut and Jason Varitek gave the Fenway Faithful some hope that he might actually produce this season (but I wouldn't hold your breath). The team, as a unit, scored 14 runs on the afternoon.

Although it was not needed, Josh Beckett pitched one of his best games as a member of the Red Sox. Beckett went 7 innings (using only 84 pitches) allowing 2 hits, 1 earned run, and striking out 8. Okajima pitched well in relief and Mike Timlin made his not-so-glorious return. Timlin allowed 2 runs in the final frame and the Red Sox won by the score of 14-3.

Game Notes: Brendan Donnelly was ejected from the game. Donnelly struck out Jose Guillen and the two exchanged words as Guillen headed back to the dugout. Donnelly beaned the following Mariner and was tossed from the game. It appeared that Donnelly was not intending to hit the batter, but the umpire apparently deemed it necessary to keep the two teams from getting out of hand.

Game 2: Daisuke Matsuzaka made his Fenway debut and pitched very well. He held Ichiro hitless and only allowed 3 runs over 7 innings. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Felix Hernandez showed the world what kind of pitcher he can be. Hernandez took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, but JD Drew broke it up. Drew's hit would be the only one for the Red Sox on the night.

The loss drops the Red Sox to 4-4.

Game 3: Tim Wakefield was slated to take on Jarrod Washburn but the game was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up on May 3rd.

On Deck: The Red Sox will start a series with the Anaheim Angels on Friday night. John Lackey will face Tim Wakefield in the series opener.

Rangers vs Red Sox (4/6-4/8)

Game 1: Tim Wakefield pitched a pretty good ballgame on Friday afternoon. He allowed 1 ER over 6 innings and really settled down after the first few innings. The other run that Wakefield allowed came courtesy of a Dustin Pedroia error followed by a base hit.

Despite Wakefield's performance, the Red Sox were unable to come up with the victory. They were only able to put together 3 hits as a team. There was some hope in the 9th inning when Manny Ramirez got a leadoff single, but the Red Sox were retired in order after that. The loss drops the Red Sox to 2-2.

Game 2: Julian Tavarez started for the Red Sox and gave up 4 runs as he struggled throughout the night. He left after just three innings due to a high pitch count and ineffectiveness. The bullpen, for the first time this season, did not provide the needed relief and allowed the game to get out of hand. It was another frustrating night for the Red Sox as they cranked out some hits, but were unable to put enough runs on the board. The Red Sox still only have 1 home run on the season (hit by Kevin Youkilis) and drop to 2-3 with the loss.

Game 3: Curt Schilling put an end to his Opening Day struggles and put together a 7-inning gem (4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts). Unfortunately, it was almost blown by Terry Francona, but I'll get to that later. Vicente Padilla, who started for Texas, pitched a pretty good game himself. He went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs.

David Ortiz was all that the Red Sox needed offensively as he finally got himself going. Ortiz had 2 homeruns and 3 RBIs on the night. JD Drew also added 2 hits for the Red Sox.

Jonathan Papelbon saved the day for the Red Sox as Francona put him into an incredibly tough spot, but Papelbon just proceeded to embarrass everyone he faced. He is an unbelievable pitcher.

Now, onto Terry Francona. Schilling told Francona after he finished the 7th inning that he could pitch another inning. Francona seemed to acknowledge Schilling's request, but decided to bring in Joel Pineiro to start the 8th inning with a 2-run lead. Schilling had only thrown 102 pitches to that point and should have been allowed to face at least another batter or two. Pineiro struggled to throw strikes to the first two batters he faced. Despite this, he was left in to face Kenny Lofton who reached on a bunt single after 1st base was not covered. Now, instead of bringing Papelbon (who was ready to go), he brings in Javier Lopez with the bases loaded and no outs in a 2-run ballgame. Lopez got hit hard, but fortunately the ball was right to Youkilis. Youkilis dropped the ball but was able to get a force out at 2nd, which left runners at 1st and 3rd with 1 out and a 3-2 score. Finally, in came Papelbon to save face for Terry Francona who completely botched the inning.

While Francona does a solid job of managing the players, his in-game management is horrendous and I'd like to see him fired. He will cost the Red Sox at least 5 games this season with poor game management if he gets the chance to do so.

Anyways, I'll stop ranting. The Red Sox move to 3-3 with the victory and head home for their home opener on Tuesday.

On Deck: The Red Sox have their home opener on Tuesday against the Mariners. Josh Beckett will get the ball in front of the Fenway Faithful for the first time of the young season.

The Season Begins: Sox vs Royals

Game 1: Curt Schilling had trouble controlling his fastball and relinquished an early lead. The Royals never looked back and ended up tagging Schilling for 5 runs. Hideki Okajima made his major league debut and on his very first pitch, he was taken deep by John Buck. Okajima settled down after that and pitched 1.2 solid innings. The rest of the bullpen looked pretty good but the Red Sox bats struggled against Gil Meche and Joel Peralta and the Royals took Game 1 by the score of 7-1.

Schilling's struggles shouldn't be cause for concern as he was solid all spring and has supposedly added a changeup to his already dominant arsenal.

Game 2: Josh Beckett struggled with the command but gave the Red Sox bats a chance to capitalize on Royals pitching. Beckett went 5 innings and threw 94 pitches (48 for balls, 46 for strikes). He allowed 1 run on 2 hits and allowed 4 walks. Kevin Youkilis had his first home run of the season and JD Drew had 2 hits and an RBI. Drew also made a couple of nice plays in the outfield and has me impressed after two games. The bullpen pitched well for the second straight night and I was particularly impressed by Joel Pineiro. Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder, and JC Romero also kept the Royals off the board.

Game 3: Daisuke Matsuzaka made an impressive Major League debut striking out 10 batters in 7 innings. Matsuzaka allowed 6 hits, and 1 earned run (David Dejesus hit a homer to lead off the 6th). Zack Greinke (my early pick for Comeback Player of the Year) also impressed in his 2007 debut. He lasted 7 innings, allowed 8 hits, and 2 earned runs while striking out 7.

The Red Sox made a habit out of getting the leadoff man on base, but it led to little in the early going. Luckily they were able to pick up a few runs in the 8th on some base hits and an Alex Gordon error. Multiple Red Sox hitters turned in 2-hit days including Lugo, Ramirez, Lowell, and Pedroia. Coco Crisp collected his first hit of the season and added an RBI.

JC Romero pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the 8th. Romero has now pitched 2.2 scoreless innings on the season. Papelbon pitched the 9th inning and struck out two batters to pick up his first save of the season as the Red Sox took the game by the score of 4-1.

On Deck: The Red Sox will begin a series with the Texas Rangers tomorrow at 2:05 PM. Tim Wakefield will oppose youngster Robinson Tejeda. Tavarez will get the ball in the 2nd game and Schilling will pitch the finale.