Things The Red Sox Don't Like This Season: Sweeping Other Teams & Being At .500 or Better

Listen, coming into the weekend I thought there was no chance that the Red Sox would sweep the A's-the AL's best team-at Fenway Park. However, after Boston (15-17 overall, 8-11 home) won on Friday and Saturday, I was hoping that they could beat Oakland (19-12 overall, 13-6 away) on Sunday for two simple reasons: 1) It would be the first sweep of the season in Boston's favor and 2) they would finally reach the elusive .500 mark (they were 0-7 coming into Sunday afternoon in games where they could get to .500). Naturally, the A's won 3-2 in 10 innings to salvage something from the three games.

Sonny Gray (6 innings, 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks) and John Lackey (6 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) were both good while each offense conversely couldn't get much going. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the first on former Red Sox great Brandon Moss' (2 for 4, double) RBI single. Grady Sizemore (2 for 2) tied it with an RBI double in the fifth.

Once again, the A's pulled ahead with an RBI double by Yoenis Cespedes in the sixth. A.J. Pierzynski answered with a solo homer, his third of the season and first at Fenway, in the seventh. Andrew Miller, Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara all pitched scoreless innings before Chris Capuano (1-1) ran into a little trouble in the 10th. Oakland's winning run was pushed across on an infield single by Cespedes. Boston was shut down by former Orioles closer Jim Johnson (3-2) who got the last five outs of the game.

It is a weird schedule for the Red Sox this week since they are off tomorrow then host Cincinnati (15-16 overall, 3rd in NL Central) for two games before another off-day on Thursday. Felix Doubront (1-3) faces Homer Bailey (2-2) on Tuesday (7:10, NESN) and Jake Peavy (1-1) meets Mike Leake (2-3) on Wednesday (7:10, NESN).

For their sake, the not ready for primetime Red Sox better hope that the Bruins keep advancing in the playoffs, the Celtics win the first pick in the NBA Draft and something interesting happens with the Patriots. Otherwise, people will turn their attention to the Red Sox and as they've proven so far, they are not worth keeping close tabs on so far in 2014.

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Red Sox Suffer Worst Loss In 12 Years, A's Win 7th Straight

I don't even know how to set it up the neverending joke anymore but the Red Sox lost 20-2 to the A's tonight at O.co Coliseum in the series opener.

It's Boston's (62-71, 30-33 away) worst loss in 12 years as they fittingly fell a season-high nine games under .500. Oakland (74-57, 40-27 home) won its seventh straight game.

The Red Sox are on a pace to lose 86 games which hasn't happened since 1992. They must finish 19-10 to avoid first losing season since 1997. They must go 11-18 to avoid their first 90-loss season since 1966. They have a 7.04 ERA in 11 games since they fired pitching coach Bob McClure and replaced him with Randy Niemann. Finally, bookended by a 7-20 September 2011 and 9-20 August 2012, the Red Sox are 69-91 since last September 1.

Adding salt to the wound (if that's possible), three of the four former Red Sox on the A's (sorry Coco Crisp) had incredible nights. Brandon Moss was 4 for 5 with two doubles, four RBIs and four runs. George Kottaras was 3 for 5 with five RBIs, three runs and pair of homers while Josh Reddick was 2 for 5 with two runs and a grand slam.

Haha Oakland was 8 for 11 with runners in scoring position while Boston was 0 for 10. Yup, that about sums it up. After Aaron Cook (3-8) got shelled, six Red Sox relievers appeared and only Junichi Tazawa (1.1 innings) didn't allow a run.

Brandon McCarthy (8-5) recorded what had to be the easiest win of his MLB career and maybe life. The good news is that it is September now so there is only 29 games left for this clown show team that has currently lost four in a row.

Felix Doubront (10-6) faces rookie A.J. Griffin (3-0), who is coming off the DL, tomorrow night (9:05 p.m., NESN). With the way things are going for this franchise that can get out of its own way, I'd expect him to throw either a no-hitter or perfect game.

UPDATE 9/1: Since the PawSox clinched a playoff spot tonight and most of their best players were already with the Red Sox, reliever Rich Hill was the only guy added to Boston's roster as the MLB rosters expanded today.

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In The Latest Chapter Of Rock Bottom, Red Sox Get Swept By A's To Complete 2-5 Road Trip

Is it possible to pretend that the Red Sox' West Coast trip to Seattle and Oakland simply didn't happen? I wish that was the case although at least we can take heart in the fact that it is mercifully over at long last.

Boston (42-40, 21-19 away) might as well have walked home as they lost 3-2 this afternoon to the A's (41-42, 22-19 home) at O.co Coliseum. Happy 4th of July, Oakland swept all three games against Boston (for the first time since May 2008) which meant the Red Sox went 2-5 against the Mariners and A's-two of the worst teams in the American League.

Want more depressing stats? Sure why not. Boston was held to two runs or less for the fifth straight game and sixth time in its last seven contests. As a team, the Red Sox hit .200 in this lost week. Finally, Oakland improved to 5-1 against Boston this season.

Dustin Pedroia (thumb) and Will Middlebrooks (hamstring) sat on the bench today, since the Red Sox are too smart to put injured players on the DL. That would make sense, it's better to have them eat a roster space and not be able to use them at all or better yet to stick scrubs in their spots.

Former average or worse Red Sox Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick and Brandon Moss collectively had the best series of their careers going 12-for-29 with six runs, four homers, nine RBIs, triple and two walks. Moss was the star today as he went 3-for-4 with two runs, a double and solo homer. Crisp was 2-for-4 with a triple and run while Reddick was held to a single and walk.

Aaron Cook went 6+ innings and did his job, only allowing three earned runs on nine hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Of his 18 outs, Cook had 13 ground outs so his sinker was working for the most part.

One of the most shocking aspects of Boston's lack of offense on the West Coast was that they faced mostly average starters and rookies. Felix Hernandez was the only certified ace or even No. 2. Step right up Oakland rookie A.J. Griffin who had a nice outing in only his third MLB start. He went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

It was a shame that David Ortiz's 400th home run came in such a forgettable loss on a holiday when probably most fans weren't even paying attention. His 22nd of the season was a solo shot that was a no-doubter to right field. It tied the game at one in the fourth.

He became the 49th player in MLB history to hit 400, the eighth active guy to reach that mark (Paul Konerko did it earlier this season). Ortiz is the sixth player to reach it while he was a Red Sox (Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Andre Dawson and Manny Ramirez) and the first to do it since Manny in 2005.

Moss had given the A's a 1-0 lead in the second with his 10th homer of the season to center.

Adrian Gonzalez kept his 15-game hit streak intact with an RBI single in the sixth which made it 2-1 Red Sox. Unfortunately, Boston's only other hit was a double by Mauro Gomez (the 1st hit of his MLB career).

Brandon Inge (2 hits) tied it at two with an RBI double in the sixth and Jemile Weeks had the game-winning hit, an RBI single in the seventh which scored Crisp who had led off with a triple.

You think Boston wanted to get on the plane for the long flight home? It took 33 combined pitches to retire them in the 7th-9th innings since they didn't walk or get a hit against any A's relievers. Grant Balfour got five outs, Jerry Blevins struck out the one player he faced (Ortiz to end the eighth) then All-Star Ryan Cook only needed seven pitches to record his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The best news for the Red Sox is that they have tomorrow off before beginning their last series of the first half. They host the New York Yankees (49-32, 1st in AL East) with four games this weekend including a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. The rivals have only played twice so far in 2012 with New York winning both (April 20-21) which culminated in the original rock bottom reference by Bobby Valentine. The third game was rained out, hence the makeup date now.

Since they trail the Yanks by 7.5 games and are tied with the Blue Jays for last-place in the AL East, it's not hyperbole to say that this could be a make or break series in terms of even dreaming of giving New York a scare in the second half. If the Yankees win the series, it's time to focus solely on the two Wild Cards. Ditto if the Red Sox win the series but at least they'll head into the All-Star break on a high note as opposed to this current down in the dumps feeling.

Josh Beckett (4-7) faces Hiroki Kuroda (8-7) on Friday night (7:10 p.m., NESN), Franklin Morales (1-1) pitched 1.1 innings of relief for shits and giggles today but he faces Phil Hughes (9-6) on Saturday afternoon before Felix Doubront (8-4) gets Freddy Garcia (2-2) on Saturday night (7:15 p.m., Fox). MLB's first half closes on Sunday night with Jon Lester (5-5) opposing Ivan Nova (9-3) on Sunday Night Baseball (8:05 p.m., ESPN).

Red Sox-Yankees games always take forever, let's hope that with four games packed into three days, maybe they can speed the pace up just a bit. Haha I'm sure the reverse will actually happen.

UPDATE 7/6: Looks like I got my wish (a month late) as ESPNBoston.com reported this evening that Pedroia will be placed on the DL with his new injury. If you want to believe the Red Sox, it is to the same right thumb as before which caused him to miss seven total games in June. Ugh, it never ends.

Pedro Ciriaco has been called up with Pedroia going on the DL and Rich Hill being moved to the 60-day DL since Ciriaco wasn't on the 40-man roster. Nick Punto will start at second base tonight in the series opener with the Yankees. Shoot me now please.

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Red Sox Fall To A Mighty Depressing 2-4 On West Coast Trip Thanks To 3rd Walk-Off Loss

It's a good thing that A) nobody is watching or B) that nobody really cares about the Red Sox this season because this current West Coast road trip would give you nightmares all summer, trust the sucker that has watched or listened to most of it.

Tonight, Boston (42-39, 21-18 away) suffered another mind-numbing loss, 3-2 to Oakland (40-42, 21-19 home) at O.co Coliseum.

This was the 81st game of the season for the Red Sox-the exact halfway point-meaning that they are on pace for 84 wins. How mediocre.

Making matters much worse, it came on a walk-off sacrifice fly by old punching bag Coco Crisp in the bottom of the ninth that scored Cliff Pennington. Alfredo Aceves (0-6) blew his fourth save of the season but he wasn't helped out by Ryan Kalish's error on the RBI single by Brandon Moss that tied it at two. Compounding that, Bobby Valentine decided to pitch to Crisp with runners on the corners and one out. Ugh.

It was a Tour De Force of shitty baseball from the Red Sox who have scored two or less runs in four straight games and five of six overall on this swing (2-4) through the dredge of the AL West. Boston had runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the ninth but somehow didn't score a run as Nick Punto bunted into a double play (really) then Kalish was caught stealing third base. How that's possible outside of Little League, we'll never know.

Jon Lester's best outing in a month and a half went all for naught. He allowed a lead-off homer to Crisp (his 3rd of the season) in the first but he was locked in after that, going 6.2 innings and allowing one earned run on four hits with a season-high nine strikeouts and one walk.

Former Red Sox doughboy Bartolo Colon was similarly on point, he went six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Not bad for a guy making his first start off the DL.

Then again, anybody could shutdown Boston's limp lineup right now. They had seven hits and all but one was a single. Even worse, they were 0-for-8 tonight with runners in scoring position.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (16th of the season) tied it with a solo homer in the second then David Ortiz scored on an error in the fourth, giving Boston the temporary 2-1 advantage.

Mr. Single himself Adrian Gonzalez was 2-for-4 (both singles of course) to extend his fraudulent hit streak to an MLB-best 14 games. Woo, feel the excitement.

After striking out pinch-hitter Seth Smith to end the seventh, Vicente Padilla managed to not allow a run in the eighth despite facing runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs after an error by Mike Aviles and a single. Oakland had a sacrifice and intentional walk but he struck out the last two batters to record his 18th hold of the season. If Aceves ever gets demoted, Padilla should be the next closer. Just saying.

Lefty Jerry Blevins (2-0) got the last five outs for the A's to receive the unexpected win.

The Red Sox will try to restore a shred of dignity while they close out this miserable road trip (their last before the All-Star break) tomorrow afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN). Aaron Cook (2-1) faces rookie AJ Griffin (0-0) on the Fourth of July and I doubt that you have better plans than to watch what should be one of the better pitching matchups of the season. Haha! Plus, does it get more patriotic than Oakland?

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Well At Least The Red Sox Didn't Grossly Overpay Daisuke Matsuzaka, Oh Wait

There is nothing left to say about Daisuke Matsuzaka other than I sincerely wish he was out of our (Red Sox fans) viewing lives and we were never again subjected to his awful pitching for another game.

Like usual, Dice-K (0-3) never really gave his team a chance as he spotted Oakland a 5-1 lead in the second inning on their way to a comfortable 6-1 win over Boston (42-38, 21-17 away) in the series opener tonight at O.co Coliseum (that's really what it is called).

The A's (39-42, 20-19 home) decided to score some runs for a change and it was a memorable contest for Josh Reddick (2-run homer, sacrifice fly) and Brandon Moss (3-run homer, single) who are both former Red Sox.

For the second time this season, Oakland rookie Jarrod Parker (5-3) held the Red Sox to one earned run in 6.2 innings. He did the same thing on May 1 at Fenway, a 5-3 triumph by the A's. Parker doesn't have great stuff but he works quickly and gets outs. What more can you ask for? He allowed six hits, struck out three and walked three.

Matsuzaka was lifted after 1+ innings of "work." The ball-washing Red Sox beat reporters have already quoted him as saying he had some issue with his neck but I'm about three years past making any more excuses for this complete bust. After five earned runs on four hits with two walks and no strikeouts, Bobby Valentine had seen enough in 28 lousy pitches. It was the best move he'll make all season.

Clayton Mortensen saved Boston's bullpen by going five innings in relief. He only allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks on a season-high 71 pitches.

There is talk of Will Middlebrooks (out with a strained hamstring) going on the DL along with Matsuzaka. Mortensen might be sent down to Pawtucket to make room for another infielder but it would likely be a short stay with Saturday's day-night doubleheader against the Yankees looming on the horizon.

Daniel Nava doubled to lead off the game and Dustin Pedroia (2 hits) drove him in with an RBI single in the first.

Reddick (19th of the season) tied it with a solo homer in the first, followed by Moss's (9th of the season) three-run blast in the second and Reddick's sacrifice fly later in the frame. Not to sound like a honk but I don't understand why A's rookie reliever Ryan Cook was named an All-Star over Reddick. Cook is having a nice season but come on, Reddick is playing out of his mind in a lineup with no protection or help not to mention at a cavernous park.

Oakland's other run came on a Brandon Inge sacrifice fly in the sixth.

A's reliever Sean Doolittle threw 2.1 clean innings, including three strikeouts to end this misery in only two hours and 39 minutes.

Boston is 2-3 through five games on this West Coast road trip that looked so winnable (Seattle, Oakland) when they left. However, when you score 10 runs in your first five games, you clearly have major issues.

Jon Lester (5-5) faces former Red Sox Bartolo Colon (6-7) tomorrow night (10:05 p.m., NESN) in the middle game of the series.

UPDATE 7/3: Dice-K was put on the DL with neck stiffness and Clayton Mortensen was optioned to Pawtucket while infielder Mauro Gomez and pitcher Justin Germano were called up to the Red Sox.

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Thanks for the Memories Manny, Welcome Jason Bay

With the 4pm trade deadline rapidly approaching yesterday, after watching coverage on NESN during lunch with nothing happening (sorry, Ken Griffey Jr. is no longer big news), I took a shower figuring that the Red Sox were going to keep Manny Ramirez for the rest of the season.

When I got out, my phone started to beep with text messages, the unlikely had happened: the Sox worked a three-way trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. Manny was going to the Dodgers while Pirates outfielder Jason Bay comes to Boston.

Even after preparing for a moment like this for the last few weeks, the actual event is still surprising. Like in 2004 when Nomar Garciaparra was traded, the Red Sox rolled the dice and made a controversial splash.

Without question, Boston gave up a lot to get rid of their Manny-induced headache. They're paying him for the rest of the year and also traded Brandon Moss (who could be the next David Murphy but didn't have a place in the Sox outfield) and Craig Hansen (who is a bust) to the Pirates. Bay is the only player the Sox get in return.

A Yankees killer, one of the most clutch players and all-around best hitters I'll ever see in my lifetime (especially on my favorite team), Manny has created endless positive memories for Red Sox fans the past eight seasons. This was necessary though; both sides needed a fresh start.

It was too much of a risk to hope that Manny would be motivated for the rest of the season (even though he was theoretically playing for a contract).

Playing in obscurity, Bay at 29-years-old is still an unknown commodity. He's a two-time all-star for the Pirates and rookie of the year. He'll play left field and bat somewhere from 3-6. Will he handle the pressure of Boston? That and many other similar questions are impossible to answer at this point. Let's give the guy some time to get his feet wet before we start making the final decision.

Manny's presence on the Dodgers makes them instant contenders, especially in the weak NL West. He's reunited with Nomar and Derek Lowe, the 2003 Red Sox reloaded. It'll be strange to see him in a different uniform, hitting ropes but such is life. Time to move on and move forward.

Some late-night action at Fenway

After a two and a half hour rain delay, the Red Sox defeated the Rays, 7-3, somewhat salvaging the night after the Celts' pathetic loss.

Dustin Pedroia found his stroke, with three hits, three RBIs and a run. Brandon Moss played right field for J.D. Drew (sand in his vagina) and had two hits and two runs, including a solo homer. Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo also contributed two hits as the Sox (18-13) bats finally woke up after five quiet games. Jacoby Ellsbury also got on base three times, with a hit, RBI, run, stolen base and two walks.

Clay Buchhholz even his record at 2-2 after going 5.1 innings, giving up five hits, one run, four walks and six strikeouts.

Tampa Bay (16-13) starter Edwin Jackson (2-3) was knocked around for six runs on nine hits in four innings.

Boston led 1-0 after three and broke it open with five in the fourth inning.

It was a nice win for the Sox after getting swept in Tampa Bay last weekend. James Shields and Josh Beckett face each other again, six days after staging a great pitcher's duel.

A Manny For All Lands

It figures that Manny Ramirez seemed to be least effected by the change in scenery for the Red Sox season-opener in Japan. We've known for a long time that Manny is not from this planet.

Down 2-0 to the A's in the first then 4-3 going into the ninth, the Sox were bailed out by rookie Brandon Moss, who hit a tying home-run off closer Huston Street. Moss was a last minute addition to the lineup after J.D. Drew hurt his back in warmups (too easy).

That laid the groundwork for a crazy 10th. First, Manny added his second two-run double of the game (but thinking it was gone, he stood and admired it at home plate). Papelbon came on for the save but was shaky as the A's kept getting on. He lucked out when Emil Brown doubled but tried to advance to third. He was promptly gunned down.

Oakland's next batter got a hit (meaning Brown would have tied the game) but Papelbon eventually got Kaz Suzuki to ground out to end it.

Not surprisingly after the game, Manny was named MVP-which in Japan is accompanied by a check for a million yen (10,000 dollars). A man could get used to that.

Dice-K was brutal through two innings, needing 60 pitches to get the weak A's lineup out. He somewhat settled down, going five innings, giving up two runs, two hits, five walks and six strikeouts. He gave up a solo homer to Mark Ellis.

We'll give him a pass since it was opening day and the pressure he faced coming back to Japan was insane.

Dustin Pedroia-hitting leadoff-had two hits and Moss had two hits and two RBIs. The home run was the first of his major league career. Jacoby Ellsbury made a sweet catch in center in the eighth.

Oakland third baseman Jack Hannahan hit a two-run bomb off Kyle Snyder in the sixth, giving the lead back to the A's.

Hideki Okajima got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth before his old home fans.

The win was a nice, albeit strange way to start the 2008 season.