A few short weeks ago, the Red Sox were rockin’ the best bullpen in the major leagues. The crew had the lowest ERA of any bully in MLB, featured a slew of talented young arms, and contained at least 3 or 4 pitchers who could be closers on many other staffs. Now, after a string of [...]
Beckett restores order, offense produces just enough to win
The term ‘ace’ is bandied about a bit too freely in the world of major league baseball these days. Twenty game winners earn the distinction, even if they’re one-year-wonders like (fell off a) Cliff Lee. Number one starters are saddled with the moniker, even if they happen to be schlubs like John Lannan or Jeremy Guthrie. But [...]
Bewildered in B’More: Sox blow 10-1 lead, lose 11-10
As the Red Sox were running out to a 9-1 lead in the fifth inning Tuesday night, Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne made this ridiculous comment: “now this one is starting to get ugly.” “Starting to get ugly?”, I said to my son. “With this (Boston) bullpen, this game is over!” Oh how wrong we both [...]
Beckett dominates Braves again
With each passing start, Josh Beckett continues to regain his Cy Young caliber form; if he got to face the Atlanta Braves a few more times this season, he might finally win that elusive piece of pitching hardware. Beckett notched his second consecutive impressive outing against the reeling Braves, tossing seven shutout innings at Turner Field, which [...]
Longballs propel Sox in a close win over Nats
Ignore the fact that Boston has outscored Washington in the first two games of this series 17-7, and has outhit the Nats 24-16, including a 9-5 edge in extra base hits; the fact of the matter is, both of the first two contests have been tight ballgames in the later innings. Tuesday night the Sox [...]
Sox squeak by Nats, 11-3
Don’t let the end result fool ya – this game can be filed under the proverbial “much closer than the final score indicated” category. The Red Sox scratched and clawed its way to a tougher-than-expected victory over the worst team in the major leagues Tuesday night, and if it weren’t for an inexcusable error by Washington’s All [...]
Lucky 7: Sox hang on for seventh straight win over Stanks
When Jonathan Papelbon came out for the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Red Sox leading 6-5 and the two toughest hitters in the Yankee lineup due up, you could almost feel palpable tension in the air instead of the superiority complex fans normally enjoy when one of the best closers in baseball enters a tight, [...]
Dice-K drilled, Sox fall from first
The more I watch Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch, the more I wonder how the hell that man ever won 18 games in the major leagues last year. The mystery that is Dice-K continues to confound Sox fans every five days, as the former phenom looks more like a washed up, junkballing journeyman than the staff ace and potential Cy Young [...]
