On The Eve Of The MLB Trade Deadline, The Red Sox Flipped Christian Vazquez To The Astros

 

    With the Red Sox (52-52 overall, 26-25 road) firmly going nowhere this season, they finally started to make some notable moves with the MLB Trade Deadline now less than 24 hours away (Tuesday night at 6 pm EST). Ironically, they opened a three-game series tonight in Houston (67-37 overall, 33-16 home) and actually beat the Astros 3-2 but the move that the Red Sox made right before the game was particularly memorable since it involved catcher Christian Vazquez going to Houston. The homegrown catcher who is having a career-year offensively, was dealt for a pair of minor leaguers: infielder Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Wilyer Abreu. I will not pretend to know anything about either of those guys but apparently, they are both supposed to be pretty good (at the Triple A and Double A levels respectively). 

    He nearly made his first All-Star team this season as the 31-year-old Vazquez is batting .282/.327/.432 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs. Heading into free agency this winter, he was an obvious asset to use since catcher is one of Houston's only weaknesses as they seek another World Series title. It's a good move personally for him since he will get to go for his second championship and cash in after he helped Boston win the 2018 World Series. The scary part for the Red Sox is that they have absolutely no other decent catcher at the Major League level (haha Kevin Plawecki is the definition of a terrible backup catcher at best in MLB) or in chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's beloved farm system. The role of catcher has become pretty irrelevant at least offensively as evidenced by the fact that Vazquez is one of the better hitting catchers in the game these days. He was known much more for his defensive prowess when he made his Red Sox debut in 2014 but as the years have gone on, his bat has gotten way better (in 2019 he topped out with 23 HRs and 72 RBIs). 

    In the other two much less important moves of the day, Boston acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Also, they traded their crappy lefty reliever Jake Diekman to the White Sox for a backup catcher who stinks named Reece McGuire. Rumors have swirled for weeks with Boston's season going down the drain that starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (who pitched really well tonight) and designated hitter J.D. Martinez are the other biggest names that could be moved before the deadline now that (thankfully) third baseman Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are both said to be off the table. The addition of a third Wild Card team in the playoffs makes some people want to believe that the Red Sox are still in it since they are only three games out of that last spot but if you've watched this team at all in 2022, there is a reason (or rather many) that they are in last place in the AL East.

    Nobody needs a better deadline than Bloom since the shine has quickly come off of him in what has all the makings of a lost season. From what we can tell (since we rarely see that robot or hear from him), he still thinks that he works for the Tampa Bay Rays and operates on a shoestring budget with a media and fan base that is non-existent and therefore does not care. Baseball in general and the Red Sox certainly are not what they used to be in terms of relevance both nationally and locally but this is one of the few markets where it does still matter. With their basically unlimited payroll, Boston should never be this average (if you're being nice) or fatally flawed. It is wonderful that he has built their minor league clubs up (apparently) but so far, many of his top prospects have performed like far from gamechangers when they have finally reached the Red Sox. The Dodgers have also proven lately that you can be a World Series contender every year while still fielding a great farm system as well. Losing Vazquez stings and he is another guy (much like Kyle Schwarber with the Phillies and Hunter Renfroe with the Brewers this season) who will immediately do well on another better team than Boston. The clock is ticking on Bloom, he has to turn things around soon or else they will need to go in another direction ASAP before things get damaged any further.

Still No Boston Marathon On Patriots' Day But At Least The Red Sox Crushed The White Sox 11-4

 

    Our world is still nothing like it was in pre-pandemic times but at least in terms of sports, we are slowly getting back to a sense of some normalcy. Patriots' Day is typically a sacred holiday in Massachusetts: the Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton that morning and ends in downtown Boston that afternoon while the Red Sox always play a game at Fenway Park with an early start time of 11:10 a.m. In 2020, the Boston Marathon was virtual and MLB's regular season didn't start until July (mostly with empty stadiums) so you had to smile today when it was a sunny April day in the Bay State and the Red Sox (11-6 overall, 5-5 home) hosted the White Sox (8-9 overall, 5-6 away) in their four-game series finale. After getting swept 3-2 and 5-1 yesterday in a doubleheader, Boston bounced back with a resounding 11-4 win to gain a split of the series. The end result was never in doubt since the home team scored six runs in the first and led 10-2 by the fourth inning to cruise to the easy victory. 

White Sox starter Lucas Giolito (1-1) is a good pitcher, not that you would get that impression today if you watched the Red Sox run him over. In one plus innings, he allowed eight runs (7 earned) on eight hits with two walks and zero strikeouts. Is that bad? Things got so hopeless for Chicago that manager/your drunk grandpa Tony LaRussa used not one but two position players (Yermin Mercedes and UMass Lowell's Danny Mendick) to close out the last two innings. In situations like that, MLB should adopt some type of pseudo-Little League mercy rule. On the other side, Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (3-1) had a better outing: 6.1 innings, four earned runs, nine hits, 10 strikeouts and zero walks. He threw exactly 100 pitches before being lifted for ace reliever Garrett Whitlock who was able to get the last eight outs (including 2 strikeouts) without allowing a hit or walk. How impressive has he been so far this season? 

    The Red Sox had 17 hits and six guys put together multi-hit performances, in fact first baseman Bobby Dalbec was the only Boston hitter to finish without a hit. DH J.D. Martinez (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), center fielder Alex Verdugo (3-for-4, 2 RBIs, BB) & second baseman Kike Hernandez (2-for-6, 2B, 2 runs) all hit solo homers. Catcher Christian Vazquez was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, third baseman Rafael Devers was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored while left fielder Franchy Cordero was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one walk. The only White Sox hitters to show up after their early morning wake-up calls were shortstop Tim Anderson (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2B) and right fielder Adam Eaton (2 2Bs, 3 RBIs).

    Chicago actually led for a very brief moment in time when center fielder Luis Robert doubled in Anderson in the first inning. Hernandez tied it with a lead-off home run (his 3rd HR of the season) that sneaked just over the line above the Green Monster. Devers and shortstop Marwin Gonzalez each added an RBI single before another run scored on a groundout then two more runs scored following a single by Cordero and a fielding error by left fielder Leury Garcia. Martinez crushed a homer to left in the second (his 6th HR of the season) and right fielder Hunter Renfroe drove in Devers with a sacrifice fly. 

    Eaton's RBI double in the third scored second baseman Nick Madrigal and cut it to 8-2 Red Sox but Verdugo answered in the bottom of the frame with a blast to right (his 3rd HR of the season). The Red Sox increased their lead to eight runs when Vazquez scored on Cordero's infield single in the fourth inning to make it 10-2 in favor of the home team. Eaton wasn't giving any at bats away as he notched another RBI double in the fifth that scored Anderson and the final White Sox run came in to score on a groundout in the seventh. Martinez provided the last run with an RBI single in the seventh that scored Hernandez. 

    Toronto (7-9 overall, 4-6 away) visits Fenway the next two nights for the first meetings of the season between the AL East rivals. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0) faces Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) in a battle of quality lefties. On Wednesday night (7:10, NESN), it'll be the immortal Garrett Richards (0-1) vs. TBA. Toronto is tied with Baltimore (7-9) for third-place in the AL East, 3.5 games behind the first-place Red Sox but at least they are still 1.5 games ahead of the awful Yankees (5-10). The Red Sox lead MLB in runs scored (96) and they have the best run-differential in the American League (+28) so it would be nice if Rodriguez could give them a little more than the five inning outings that he's posted in his first two starts of 2021.  

The Red Sox Opened The White Sox Series At Fenway With Another Comeback Victory, 7-4

 

    After Friday night's series opener vs. Chicago (6-8 overall, 3-5 away) was postponed due to rain (haha and snow!), the teams got things started at Fenway Park yesterday afternoon with the Red Sox (10-4 overall, 4-3 home) picking up a solid 7-4 win. The White Sox scored twice in the first inning and later tied it at three in the seventh inning but both times, the home team had a timely response. First baseman Marwin Gonzalez hit his first home run for the Red Sox to ignite the four-run eighth inning which ended with a two-run double by shortstop Xander Bogaerts (4-for-5, 18th career 4-hit game). 

    Boston survived a poor start by Nick Pivetta (3.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 3 Ks, 4 BBs) who wasn't able to get out of the fourth inning. That forced Red Sox manager Alex Cora to dip into his bullpen early but it worked out as Josh Taylor struck out the one guy he faced in the fourth then Matt Andriese went three valuable innings. Northeastern's Adam Ottavino (2-1) had an impressive eighth inning, striking out the side on 12 pitches to earn the win. The only downside from a pitching perspective (besides Pivetta's dud) was that Cora burned closer Matt Barnes (28 pitches) in a non-save situation since he warmed up in the eighth for a long time and was ready to go before Boston rallied to break the game open. 

    Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on first baseman Jose Abreu's (2 hits) RBI double that scored Adam Eaton. The other White Sox run came on a groundout. Boston tied it with a pair of sacrifice flies-by right fielder Alex Verdugo and third baseman Rafael Devers-in the third inning. Center fielder Kike Hernandez (4-for-5, 2B, RBI) had his best game in a Red Sox uniform and he put them ahead 3-2 in the sixth with an RBI single that scored catcher Kevin Plawecki. 

    A sacrifice fly by Chicago in the seventh tied it at three before Gonzalez hit his bomb to right center in the eighth. J.D. Martinez added a bases loaded walk for an insurance run before Xander's clutch extra-base hit. Get ready for plenty of baseball today as there will be a doubleheader: rookie Tanner Houck (0-1) faces Dallas Kuechel (0-0) in Game 1 (1:10, NESN) followed by Martin Perez (0-0) vs. TBA in Game 2 (5:10, NESN). Boston is 9-1 in their last 10 games and they own the best record in the American League so they just want to keep it rolling on this beautiful Sunday.

Are You Not Entertained? Another Day, Another Walk-Off Win for the Red Sox

At this rate, we can only conclude that A.J. Pierzynski is the anti-Christ while Dan Shaughnessy puts together his newest classic: "The Curse of A.J." The Red Sox improved to 2-0 in the post-Pierzynski era (that has a nice ring to it) and both came in walk-off fashion vs. the White Sox' dogshit bullpen. This afternoon on a perfect summer day at Fenway Park, Boston (41-51 overall, 23-26 home) came away with a 4-3 win in 10 innings thanks to Mike Carp's RBI single that scored Daniel Nava.

In the home finale before the All-Star break, the Red Sox earned a split of the four-game series with the White Sox and built some momentum (what a concept!) heading into the last series of the unofficial first half: three games in Houston.

I'm not Jon Lester's agent, though I wish I was with the dump trucks of money soon coming his way, but this game served as a perfect example of why Boston would be crazy to let him go either in free agency or via trade. He's pitching as well as he ever has in the regular season. It went down as a no-decision but he was brilliant, going seven innings and allowing one earned run on seven hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks. His ERA is down to 2.65.

Boston had more runs than total hits (3), so how did they come out on top? Well Chicago was 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base, sound familiar? White Sox starter Jose Quintana (7 innings, 3 earned runs, 2 hits, 7 strikeouts, 2 walks) pitched well too but for the second game in a row, Chicago's pathetic relievers blew it.

Jose Abreu (2 for 4, walk, stolen base)-who is a lock to be AL Rookie of the Year now that Masahiro Tanaka is on the DL-made it 1-0 with an RBI double in the first that scored Adam Eaton (3 for 5). Quintana was working on a perfect game until the sixth when Boston tied it on Jackie Bradley Jr.'s RBI single and went ahead 3-1 on David Ortiz's two-run double off the Green Monster.

That looked to be enough for the Red Sox as Junichi Tazawa worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning with two strikeouts. Koji Uehara couldn't nail down the save though as pinch-hitter Conor Gillaspie took him deep for a two-run bomb wrapped around Pesky's Pole. Alexei Ramirez was 3 for 5 with a double, run and stolen base in the loss for Chicago.

No worries, Nava led off the bottom of the tenth with a walk then Mookie Betts sacrificed him over with a bunt. After Stephen Drew was intentionally walked, Carp (pinch hitting for David Ross) delivered with an opposite field single to left that scored Nava. Andrew Miller (3-5) had worked around a single and intentional walk to Abreu to survive the top of the frame.

I'm still not used to having the Astros (39-54 overall, 4th in AL West) in the AL (change is hard!) because I wanted to call this an interleague series. By looking at their record, you'd think Houston is awful and I suppose that yes they still are really bad. The difference is that now they have young stars like Dallas Kuechel and UConn's George Springer doing their thing in H-Town.

The two Texas starters on the Red Sox get outings in their home state-shoutout to Brandon Workman toiling away in Pawtucket!-as John Lackey (9-6) faces Scott Feldman (4-5) tomorrow night (8:10, NESN) in the series opener. Clay Buchholz (3-5) takes on Collin McHugh (4-8) on Saturday afternoon (4:10, NESN) then the jets will be lined up on the runway Sunday afternoon (2:10, NESN) when TBA opposes Houston's Jarred Cosart (9-6). After that, John Farrell, his coaching staff, Lester and Uehara will head to Minnesota for the Midsummer Classic while everyone else scatters around the country with four glorious days off in a row.

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The Curse of A.J. Pierzynski is Broken, Red Sox Start a Fresh New Chapter

A funny thing happened to the Red Sox tonight on the way to another heartless loss: they actually pulled out an improbable comeback capped off by a walk-off single by Brock Holt to beat the White Sox 5-4 at Fenway Park. Chicago (44-48 overall, 20-27 away) had been up 4-0 in the eighth inning before Boston (40-51 overall, 22-26 home) scored three in the eighth then two in the ninth for their seventh walk-off win of the season.

With their ace Chris Sale (7.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts) on the mound, this was a game that the White Sox had no business losing. He left after throwing 107 pitches; relievers Jake Patricka and Javy Guerra (0-1) each gave up two earned runs to blow it after Chicago had won the first two games of the series. It sounds cheesy but wins have been so hard to come by lately that I almost forgot how sweet they can feel in situations like that.

Rubby De La Rosa (5 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts) made his first start for Boston since June 21 after he was called up to take Brandon Workman's place (while he went back to Pawtucket). Rookie catcher Christian Vazquez made his MLB debut and with Boston designating A.J. Pierzynski for assignment earlier in the day, this means that the highly touted youngster will be getting plenty of playing time to see what he can do.

Jose Abreu (2 for 4) hit a solo homer to center field, his 28th of the season (!), in the first inning. Conor Gillaspie (2 for 4 with double, 2 runs) followed with a solo shot of his own in the second for a 2-0 White Sox advantage. Chicago scored a run in the fourth on Mike Napoli's error and it was 4-0 in the seventh following an RBI double by Adam Eaton.

The Red Sox' rally started with something I've never seen before: an infield double by Mookie Betts (2 for 3 with 2 runs, double). Dustin Pedroia drove him in with a single then David Ortiz (2 for 4 with run) crushed an opposite field double off the wall in left center to cut it to 4-2. Jonny Gomes (2 for 3) made it 4-3 with an RBI double.

He batted ninth as part of Boston's five rookies in the lineup (their most since 1987) but Betts came through again in the ninth. He was hit by a pitch then scored the tying run on Daniel Nava's pinch hit double. That set the stage for Holt's first career walk-off hit and who better to provide it with how incredible he's been since he was called up (again).

It didn't seem like much at the time but this victory wouldn't have been possible without Craig Breslow (1-2-3 6th), Junichi Tazawa (scoreless 8th) and the newest All-Star Koji Uehara (5-2) who struck out the side in the ninth to set the tone.

In their last home game before the All-Star break, Jon Lester (9-7) faces Jose Quintana (5-7) tomorrow afternoon (4:05, NESN) as Boston tries to split the four-game series with Chicago.

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Now That's What I Call A Baseball Game! (Ducks Eggs and Tomatoes Being Thrown)

If you were enough of a loser (like me) to sit through five hours and 17 minutes (spoiler: I didn't really pay attention until hockey was over), at least the Red Sox rewarded us with a 6-4 win in 14 innings over the White Sox are U.S. Cellular Field. We could get wrapped up in the details like Chicago's (8-7 overall, 6-3 home) losing pitcher-Luery Garcia-is actually a utility infielder. Nope, Boston (6-9 overall, 4-5 away) snapped its three-game losing streak despite going 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position and leaving 16 on base.

The Red Sox only had six total hits so this victory was all about Chicago's wretched bullpen which allowed 15 walks. Each team had a golden opportunity to end it much earlier but both obviously choked. The White Sox were up 3-1 in the eighth before they allowed a sacrifice fly to A.J. Pierzynski in the eighth and Grady Sizemore in the ninth.

Jonny Gomes put Boston up 4-3 in the 11th thanks to a-you guessed it-sacrifice fly. Temporary closer Edward Mujica failed as he allowed an RBI single by Tyler Flowers in the home half of the frame. Things finally came together in the 14th as Chicago had run out of pitchers so they were forced to use Garcia who allowed a two-run double to Jackie Bradley Jr. Chris Capuano (1-0) had two scoreless innings of relief and he recorded the first two outs of the 14th before Burke Badenhop got the last out with a runner on first for the vultured save.

Boston led 1-0 in the first on Xander Bogaerts' (2 walks, stolen base) RBI single. Chicago tied it in their first at bats thanks to a throwing error by Ryan Roberts. Alexei Ramirez smoked a two-run homer in the sixth for a 3-1 White Sox advantage.

Dustin Pedroia returned to go 2 for 6 with three runs, two walks and a stolen base. The unsung heroes that made this all possible was Boston's bullpen: 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Craig Breslow got four outs, Junichi Tazawa had two outs and Andrew Miller worked two scoreless innings.

It felt like it happened a week ago but Clay Buchholz (6 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 walks & 6 strikeouts) and John Danks (6 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts) were both pretty good on another chilly night in Chitown.

Both teams will be going for the series clincher tomorrow night (8:10) as young ace Chris Sale (3-0) faces Jon Lester (1-2). Runs have been at a premium for Boston all season but they'll really need to dig deep to get anything vs. Sale. Lester has only allowed two earned runs in each of his three starts. For your sake, I hope you haven't seen much if anything of the last two night's games. I know more playoff hockey is on but you should at least click over to what should be a wonderful pitchers' duel.

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It Can't Get Much Uglier Than This for the Red Sox

If you tried to draw up about the worst possible game in April for the Red Sox, Tuesday night's frozen contest at U.S. Cellular Park would do the trick. Chicago (8-6 overall, 6-2 home) beat Boston (5-9 overall, 3-5 away) 2-1 on a walk-off throwing error by Xander Bogaerts. Oh and it was in the 30s with a million empty seats at that big generic dump of a stadium. The Red Sox have now dropped eight of their last 11 games which is completely unacceptable particularly this early in the season.

More than his underachieving teammates (who combined for three total hits, three), Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy was really solid with his third straight quality start (6 innings, 1 earned, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts, 4 walks). The catch is that he's yet to record a decision as Boston continually struggles to put any runs on the scoreboard for any of their starting pitchers but especially him and Lester thus far.

White Sox rookie Erik Johnson (not the Avalanche defensemen) was even a little better than Peavy. He went 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Chicago's bullpen combined for 2.1 innings broken up between Scott Downs (1 inning), Jake Petricka (2 outs), Donnie Veal (1 out) and Daniel Webb (last out which earned him the win).

Before the error, the only runs in the game came via home runs. Adam Dunn went deep against his former teammate and good pal Peavy in the second inning. Daniel Nava answered with a long blast, his second of the season, in the fourth inning. The problem with Boston's lineup is that they aren't doing anything right now. Dustin Pedroia is still out (although he did pinch run) and Mike Napoli-who's been their best hitter-gruesomely dislocated his finger trying to slide headfirst into second base (Little League coaches everywhere weep) in the ninth.

The Red Sox received a scoreless seventh from Junichi Tazawa but it was a certainty that they'd give up a run with the likes of Andrew Miller, Burke Badenhop and Chris Capuano called on to keep it tied. In a way, it's kind of good that the game didn't go extra innings so the Red Sox didn't have to burn more of their bullpen than they had to.

Napoli was called day-to-day with his finger while Pedroia is reportedly coming back to full-time action tomorrow (8:10, NESN). Clay Buchholz (0-1) faces John Danks (1-0). It's hard to see Buchholz succeeding in crappy weather so get ready to watch him struggle. On second thought, the NHL playoffs start on Wednesday which is great news for the Red Sox: less people (myself included) will be focusing on them.

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The White Sox are So Bad That Even Ryan Dempster Can Beat Them

Tonight was one of those blah games that the Red Sox just have to grind through to ultimately get where they want to go: October. Boston (80-56 overall, 43-24 home) beat the White Sox (56-77 overall, 24-43 away) 4-3 in the series opener at Fenway Park and it turned out to be pretty important after the fact since the Rays fell 4-3 at the A's. That gives Boston a 3.5 game lead over Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East.

Ryan Dempster (7-9) returned from his suspension and extended break between outings. He benefitted from a 4-0 lead built up by the fourth inning as the Red Sox hung on for the win thanks to a four-out save (his 15th overall) for Koji Uehara. Before the roof started to somewhat cave in on him, Dempster went 6.1 innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless inning, Franklin Morales retired the lone batter he faced then manager John Farrell went to Uehara earlier than normal but it paid off.

Mike Napoli earned a bases loaded walk in the third inning to get Boston on the board then Shane Victorino (2 hits, 2 runs, walk, stolen base) had an RBI single and David Ortiz added a two-run base hit in the fourth. Ortiz's was extra important since it snapped his 0-for-23 drought (tied for the longest in his Red Sox career).

Dayan Viciedo drove in Chicago's first run with an RBI single in the fifth then Avisail Garcia hit a solo homer in the seventh and Alejandro De Aza cut it to 4-3 with an RBI triple in the same frame.

It's hard to get much juice out of a Red Sox-White Sox game this season but Jake Peavy (10-5) should make it a little more interesting tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) as he faces his former team and teammate John Danks (4-10). Keep in mind ex-White Sox reliever Matt Thornton was just activated for Boston and I'm sure he'll face them too at some point this weekend.

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Red Sox Trade Away Future (Iglesias) For Present (Peavy) In 3-Way Deal With Tigers & White Sox

We are still roughly 13 hours away from the 2013 MLB non-waiver trade deadline (that was a mouthful) but the Red Sox have likely already left their mark on this important day on the baseball calendar. Tonight after they trounced the Mariners, they traded for starting pitcher Jake Peavy from the White Sox and they also received Triple-A reliever Brayan Villarreal from the Tigers. To complete the three-team deal, Boston sent shortstop Jose Iglesias to Detroit and three Single-A prospects to Chicago.

I'm not a huge Peavy fan, I think that he's injury prone and overrated but the guy did win the 2007 NL Cy Young with the Padres (19-6, 2.54 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 254 strikeouts). It seems like he's been around forever and he made his MLB debut in 2002 with San Diego but Peavy is only 32. After not going over 200+ innings since 2007, he performed well in a contract year (surprise surprise) last season: 219 innings, 11-12 with 3.37 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 194 strikeouts. The best part of this is that he's not a rental and the three-time All-Star will be under contract through next season with an option for 2015.

This season he was on the DL for almost two months with a broken rib. In 13 starts, he is 8-4 with 4.28 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 76 strikeouts but keep in mind that the White Sox are one of the worst teams in MLB. This is a depth move for the Red Sox who realize that they need a sharp rotation to reach the playoffs for the first time in four long years and then do damage against loaded teams like the Rays and Tigers. Brandon Workman has looked real good in three starts but he'll go to the bullpen with Peavy aboard. Another factor in this move had to be the health of Clay Buchholz. I assume the Red Sox are worried that he might not return this season so this gives them more veteran experience and skill.

Seeing Boston dump Iglesias appears cold but when you think about it, probably a wise decision. In the few months where he was getting on base and piling up hits, we fooled ourselves into thinking that he'd really improved at the plate. The huge slump of the last few weeks shows that he's still the same guy for the most part and that hot streak was completely out of character. We would all rather have him than Stephen Drew but the Red Sox screwed themselves by overpaying that sack of crap. Furthermore, Iglesias has been playing third base but his natural position is shortstop (where I predict one day he'll win a Gold Glove).

Boston was about to have a logjam on the left side of the infield anyways with Will Middlebrooks hopefully returning to the club later this season if he continues to work out his issues on the field with the PawSox. Plus, the franchise's top prospect-Xander Bogaerts-is already knocking at the door and likely to make his MLB debut any day now. It should be some consolation to Iglesias that he's likely to fall into a great situation since the Tigers are a World Series contender (again) and their starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta is expected to be suspended (as soon as later this week) 50 games for his shady ties to Biogenesis.

Veteran third baseman Michael Young is still on the Phillies and the Red Sox have been mentioned in plenty of rumors involving him earlier this week. I don't know if they'll pull the trigger on that but I'm thinking Peavy will be their biggest new player. I hope they trade for another reliever though since their bullpen could certainly use some help.

UPDATE 7/31: Brock Holt was called up by the Red Sox to presumably play third base, not Middlebrooks.

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Red Sox Wrap Up 6-3 Road Trip With Another Win For Clay Buchholz

You have to be happy with the nine-game road trip (6-3) just completed by the Red Sox: they won two of three in Tampa Bay, swept Minnesota and while they struggled in Chicago, at least their ace Clay Buchholz (7-0) does what a stopper has to-end a losing streak for his team. Boston (28-19 overall, 15-9 away) beat the White Sox (21-24 overall, 10-10 home) 6-2 tonight at US Cellular Field.

It's hard to tell by his final line: seven innings, one earned run, five hits, four strikeouts and three walks but Buchholz had to battle himself in the first few innings before settling down and dominating the overmatched White Sox.

Boston never trailed as David Ortiz (2 hits, run, stolen base-seriously) hit a two-run single in the first inning. Chicago scored a run in the third on Alex Rios' groundout but that was all they'd get until a ninth inning homer in garbage time by Paul Konerko (2 hits).

It took a while but the Red Sox added some insurance runs in the eighth on Will Middlebrooks' sacrifice fly and Mike Napoli (hit, run, 3 walks) scored a run on a passed ball. Daniel Nava added a two-run single in the ninth for the final margin.

It has been a rough start to 2013 for free agent to be Jacoby Ellsbury but this might have been his best game so far: he was on base four times via two singles and two walks plus he scored a run.

With Boston nursing a 4-1 lead, Koji Uehara had a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts for his 10th hold of the season. Andrew Bailey returned to action for the first time since April 28 and his homer allowed to Konerko luckily didn't mean anything. Better to get that out of the way before he's thrust into a save situation.

The weather is supposed to be terrible for what I like to call the unofficial start to summer-Memorial Day weekend-but the Red Sox will be entertaining an old friend and decent opponent. Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona and the Cleveland Indians (26-19, 1st in AL Central) come to Fenway Park for four games beginning tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN). Ryan Dempster (2-4) faces Zach McAllister (3-3) then it's John Lackey (2-4) vs. Justin Masterson (7-2) on Friday (7:10 p.m., NESN), Jon Lester (6-1) vs. Scott Kazmir on Saturday afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) and Felix Doubront (3-2) vs. Corey Kluber (3-3) on Sunday afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN).

I'm already sick of the Tito returning to Boston angle that I'm sure every shitty Red Sox beat reporter will be trotting out. Ugh, try and be original for once gentlemen. After the Indians leave, the Red Sox have a bizarre stretch with two games against the Phillies at Fenway then two games at Citizens Bank Park against the Phils. Weird scheduling bro.

UPDATE 5/24: Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks went on the DL, David Ross was activated, Jose Iglesias and Alfredo Aceves were called up and Ryan Lavarnway went down to Pawtucket. Got it?

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All Good Things Must Come To An End: Red Sox & Jon Lester Edition

The Red Sox came into Chicago tonight having won an MLB-best five games in a row. They had Jon Lester on the mound against something called Dylan Axelrod. Of course the reverse lock was in effect as Boston (27-18 overall, 14-8 away) fell 6-4 to the White Sox (20-23 overall, 9-9 home) at US Cellular Field.

It was never really close or particularly interesting since Chicago jumped all over Lester (6-1) from the start. Adam Dunn hit a three-run bomb to right in the first inning, Alejandro De Aza had an RBI double and Alexei Ramirez added another RBI double (3 in a row for Chicago) for a 5-0 lead in the second.

Boston got on the board in the third via Jarrod Saltalamacchia's (2 hits) two-run homer (his fifth of the season) to left center but Dayan Viciedo tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single in the fifth. Middlebrooks atoned for his earlier error in a sense, although by then it was too late, with a two-run double in the seventh.

Lester's final line was ugly: six innings, six runs (five earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks. I guess that he was due for a loss. Axelrod (2-3) threw junk but it worked tonight: six innings, two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk. White Sox manager Robin Ventura for some reason decided to take him out after only 83 pitches and he immediately paid for that curious decision since Matt Thornton served up Salty's homer.

The back end of Chicago's bullpen was solid though as Jesse Crain pitched a scoreless eighth for his 13th hold of the season and closer Addison Reed had a scoreless ninth with a strikeout to earn his 15th save of the season.

In the nightly injury to Shane Victorino segment, our favorite crippled Hawaiian left in the sixth inning with hamstring tightness. Listen, we all love the hard-nosed style he plays but it's clear that his body is completely breaking down on him. Oh well, at least the Red Sox signed him to a three-year deal. Ugh!

I'm not ready to fully devote my attention to baseball so I'm thrilled that the Bruins are still alive and playing well. Tomorrow night's Bruins-Rangers Game 3 will certainly distract me from the big Felix Doubront (3-1) vs. Jose Quintana (2-1) matchup (8:10 p.m., NESN) on the Southside of Chicago.

UPDATE 5/21: I forgot to mention yesterday that closer Andrew Bailey was activated and reliever Jose De La Torre was sent down to Pawtucket.

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Cody Ross' 3-Run Walkoff Blast Gives Red Sox Their Best Win Of The Season

Cody Ross hit his third 3-run homer in the last 24 hours as the Red Sox walked off with a truly awesome 3-1 win against the White Sox at Fenway Park this evening.

Boston (48-45, 25-25 home) is finally trending upwards as they took three out of four against the AL Central leaders from Chicago (50-42, 26-20 away).

Kevin Youkilis was a healthy scratch tonight and the White Sox certainly missed his potent bat in their otherwise weak lineup. Still, things looked good for them as they led 1-0 headed into the bottom of the ninth.

Carl Crawford singled against Matt Thornton (2-6) before Dustin Pedroia grounded into a fielder's choice. Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits) singled against Thornton which prompted Chicago rookie manager Robin Ventura to turn it over to his closer Addison Reed. Three pitches later Ross ended it with a shot down the left field line and over the Monster (his 16th of the season). It was the fifth walkoff hit of his career and third homer in that instance.

The Red Sox' celebration was pretty great too as Nick Punto ripped off Ross's jersey (apparently that's why he's nicknamed Shredder) and Alfredo Aceves (1-6) dumped an entire jug of blue Gatorade that sprayed all of his teammates. More of that please.

Chicago rookie lefty Jose Quintana was lights out as he pitched eight scoreless innings. Boston could only get five hits against him but he struck out two and didn't walk anybody.

Clay Buchholz was almost as excellent. In eight innings, he allowed one earned run on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk. If he wants to be the ace that the Red Sox currently lack, that would be fantastic. Normally, he has the second-best run support in MLB (ironically behind teammate Felix Doubront) but that was nowhere to be seen tonight.

The White Sox pushed across their lone run in the fourth on Alex Rios's sacrifice fly which scored Adam Dunn.

Boston actually had two nice chances to score: Pedro Ciriaco tripled with two outs in the third but Jacoby Ellsbury struck out. Then Will Middlebrooks had a quality at bat but grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to end the seventh.

Normally (or at least earlier this season), this was a prototypical game that the Red Sox most definitely do not win. It is a proven fact that they have really struggled in low-scoring close games the last few years. So if they go anywhere in 2012, you can bet this result will be one that every writer, player and fan points to. Not Bobby V though, he always has to be a contrarian no matter what the question.

The nose-diving Blue Jays (45-47, 5th in AL East) arrive in Fenway tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) for three games. Josh Beckett (5-7) faces Aaron Laffey (1-1) then it's Aaron Cook (2-2) vs. Carlos Villanueva (4-0) on Saturday night (7:10 p.m., NESN) and Jon Lester (5-7) against Henderson Alvarez (5-7) on Sunday afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN).

With no Jose Bautista (on the DL) and possibly no Brett Lawrie, Toronto looks ripe to be swept as the Red Sox go for their third straight series win after the All-Star break. After that, Boston goes to Texas (three games) and New York (three games) in what can only be described as the road trip from hell, at least in terms of difficulty to say nothing about those miserable places.

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Cody Ross & Adrian Gonzalez Combine For 10 RBIs In Red Sox' Rout Of White Sox

Pedro Hernandez's Major League debut was nothing to write home about as far as he or his team was concerned. More importantly, Red Sox fans went home happy as Boston pummeled Chicago 10-1 tonight at Fenway Park.

White Sox (50-41, 26-19 away) manager Robin Ventura left his rookie in to receive a serious beating. In four plus innings, Hernandez (0-1) allowed eight earned runs on 12 hits (three home runs) with two strikeouts and a walk.

Cody Ross (3 for 6, 2 HRs, double, 3 runs, 6 RBIs) and Adrian Gonzalez (3 for 4, 4 RBIs, run, HR) formed a lethal 3-4 combination for the Red Sox' (47-45, 24-25 home) reconfigured batting order.

Felix Doubront (10-4) became the first Red Sox pitcher to reach double-digit wins this season. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have combined for the same amount as Doubront, just like Boston mapped it out. In six innings, Doubront allowed one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks. He was helped out by two double plays turned by his defense.

Having Jacoby Ellsbury (3 hits, 3 runs, double) and Carl Crawford (2 runs, single) makes a difference at the top of the order, huh?

Paul Konerko's RBI single in the first inning marked the 10th straight game that the visiting team has scored at least one run in the first at Fenway.

Things picked up immensely for the Red Sox as Gonzalez tied it with an RBI single in the first then Ross hit a pair of three-run bombs (his 14th and 15th of the season) in the third and fourth inning.

Gonzalez went back-to-back with Ross in the fourth then capped off this laugher with a two-run single in the sixth.

With the big lead, Matt Albers, Mark Melancon and Andrew Miller pitched three perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia is expected to be activated off the DL tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN), hopefully he's discovered a bionic thumb or something so he doesn't hurt it for the 12th time this season. Clay Buchholz (8-3) faces Jose Quintana (4-1) in the finale as Boston goes for the series win.

UPDATE 7/19: In their first minor move shortly before the trade deadline, the Red Sox dealt PawSox pitcher Justin Germano to the Cubs for cash considerations.

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Adrian Gonzalez Picks Up His Biggest Hit In A Red Sox Uniform-3-Run HR-As Red Sox Beat White Sox 5-1

Only the Red Sox in 2012 would pick up one of their best wins of the season but have it completely overshadowed by a freak injury to their most valuable player.

Adrian Gonzalez came through in the clutch and late in the game for once with a three-run homer in the eighth (his 7th of the season) as Boston (46-44, 23-24 home) began a seven-game homestand with a 5-1 win against the White Sox (49-40, 25-18 away) this evening at Fenway Park.

During Gonzalez's homer, over the Monster and off lefty reliever Leyson Septimo, David Ortiz (run, hit, walk) stumbled around second base and limped home. He walked gingerly to the dugout and was replaced. Mike Aviles (stolen base) followed up with an RBI single later in the inning but the Fenway crowd was stunned at another potentially serious injury to a Red Sox player. Ortiz will get an MRI tomorrow on his Achilles.

Aaron Cook dazzled for seven innings: one unearned run on five hits with no strikeouts or walks. Vicente Padilla (3-2) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth with a strikeout for the win and closer Alfredo Aceves had a scoreless ninth despite the fact that he warmed up thinking they would need a save.

Cook was ultra efficient: 97 pitches (66 strikes), 15 out of his 21 outs were on ground balls and the game was over in two hours and 40 minutes. Can he pitch every game please?

Carl Crawford had a single, two runs and a walk in his first game of 2012 for the Red Sox. Batting ninth, Pedro Ciriaco heated up after a quiet weekend with three more hits including a double.

Kevin Youkilis (3 for 4, 2 doubles, run) did his best to star in his first return back to Fenway as a visitor. Unfortunately for Youk, his teammates couldn't do much (combining for two hits) other than starting pitcher Dylan Axelrod who went 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits with eight strikeouts.

After a classy and deserved standing ovation before his first at bat, Youk singled and eventually scored on an error by Gonzalez. It turned out to be Chicago's only run. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.

Gonzalez tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Boston went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, they left seven on base.

One positive for the Red Sox is that the Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays-the three teams they can realistically finish higher than in the AL East this season-all lost tonight.

Tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Mr. Perfect Game turned bum Philip Humber (3-4) takes on Jon Lester (5-6). Even though Lester has been garbage this season, you have to think this is a good matchup for him since Humber has been repeatedly hammered since his fluke perfect game in April.

UPDATE 7/17: The MRI showed no tear in Ortiz's Achilles which is good news. He's wearing a boot and thinks he'll be out a week but the Red Sox are expected to make a decision tomorrow whether to put him on the DL or not (something they hate doing for some reason).

In other Red Sox news, Franklin Morales is being moved back to the bullpen so Boston will return to a 5-man pitching rotation.

UPDATE 7/18: Ortiz is on the DL and expected out for at least two weeks. Mauro Gomez was recalled from Pawtucket.

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One Last Kick In The Balls For Youk: Middlebrooks Named AL Player Of The Week

In what can only be called a stroke of perfectly ironic timing, Boston Red Sox rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks was named the American League player of the week today.

It's so fitting because former third baseman Kevin Youkilis was shipped to the Chicago White Sox yesterday afternoon, ending one era while another one just begins. For what it's worth, Youk is in the lineup tonight batting second and playing third base for Chicago as they face Cleveland.

To earn the award, sure to be the first of many for Middlebrooks, in six games last week against Miami and Atlanta, he went 10-for-16 for a batting average of .625, three home runs, 10 RBIs, three doubles and an insane 2.007 OPS.

His highlights for the week included a two-run bomb on Thursday against the Marlins that helped the Red Sox rally and he was a triple shy of a cycle in Saturday's win against the Braves.

In 2012, Middlebrooks is now hitting .326 with nine homers and a .949 OPS in 41 games. Prior to getting called up to the majors in early May, he was hitting .333 with nine homers in only 24 games for Triple-A Pawtucket.

Getting rid of Youk, letting Middlebrooks play third base everyday and shifting Adrian Gonzalez back to first base full-time and out of the outfield was one of the easiest decisions in recent Red Sox history. Let's see how the team responds to a more stable lineup and less negativity coming from Youk sitting on the bench, pouting and being a prick to the media.

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Kevin Youkilis's Time In Boston Mercifully Comes To An End Before It Gets Any Worse

Our long national nightmare is finally over: third baseman Kevin Youkilis has been traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox for utilityman Brent Lillibridge (he's played every position but catcher) and pitcher Zach Stewart. Personally, I'm psyched that I don't have to waste one more second of my life reading the endless rumors on Twitter about where Youk would end up. The Red Sox have to pay $5.5 million of what he's owed for the rest of the season, the White Sox are only on the hook for $2 million.

Today was his last game in Boston as he reached on an infield single in the second inning then hit an RBI triple in the seventh that scored Adrian Gonzalez. There were two particularly poignant moments involving Youk: he got a standing ovation before his first at bat then Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine had Nick Punto pinch run for him in the seventh ensuring that he'd get one more proper send-off from the crowd and plenty of bro hugs from his teammates before departing for Chicago.

It's not very often that a professional athlete gets a last moment like that (not that he's retiring yet) but you have to admit it was pretty awesome. It was a great run for Youk in Boston after he was an eighth-round draft pick out of the University of Cincinnati in 2001. He progressed through the minor leagues and made it to the big leagues in 2004. He was a member of two World Series champions (2004, 2007), a three-time All-Star (2008, 2009, 2011) and a Gold Glover in 2007.

The reason that this move was inevitable was because at 33-years-old, his body has really broken down. He has never played more than 147 games in a season and he hasn't played more than 136 since 2008. Due to a variety of injuries, he appeared in 102 games in 2010 and 120 in 2011. More importantly, he's already been replaced by rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks who is just starting out on what looks like it could be a very promising career. Youk is going to be a free agent this winter so it made the most sense to get some value in return for him since there was no way the Red Sox would sign his $13 million team option for 2013.

Listen, we all loved Kevin Youkilis at some point in time since he played the game the right way, hustled and was very versatile (playing first base and third base which was almost unheard of at that type of defensive level). However, in recent years his constant injuries and surly attitude made it harder to appreciate him. Once he started complaining about playing time this season, that more than sealed his fate. They had no choice but to get him out of here.

He ended his Red Sox career with impressive numbers: 594 runs, 959 hits, 239 doubles, 16 triples, 133 home runs, 563 RBIs and splits of .286 batting average/.388 OBP/.487 SLG. His two best seasons were 2008 (29 homers, 115 RBIs, 43 doubles; .312 batting average, .390 OBP, .569 SLG) and 2009 (27 homers, 94 RBIs, 36 doubles; .305 batting average, .413 OBP, .548 SLG) when he was an AL All-Star and finished third and sixth respectively for the AL MVP.

We'll always remember how much he sweats (more than any person in the world not named Shaq), his goofy batting stance and unathletic way he did things but above all, we have to be happy that we got to see almost the full spectrum of his career: rookie, veteran, All-Star to a guy nearing the end in MLB.

Red Sox fans actually won't have to wait long to see him return as the White Sox come to Fenway from July 16-18, the first home series after the 2012 All-Star Game. Expect all the frauds and pink hats to appear in full force for those games.

Don't expect much of anything for Lillibridge (a career .215 hitter that has never played in more than 97 games in a season) or Stewart who is 3-8 in his career with an ERA of 5.92 in 31 games (12 starts). Granted, he's only 25 and a former third-round pick of the Reds so I suppose he has some hope left. Lillibridge will join the Red Sox while Stewart jumps into the rotation at Pawtucket.

David Ortiz is now the only player left in Boston from the 2004 and 2007 World Series winners. I'm not saying that the Red Sox should have traded Youk last winter since who knew Middlebrooks would burst onto the scene like this but I'm totally in favor of a move to shake up the chemistry and get rid of some high-maintenance, underperforming and overpaid players. I only wish that Josh Beckett was long gone as well and then they could really get a whole new vibe for a team that has won nine of 11 and is playing its best baseball of the season.

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Red Sox Hang On For A 4-3 Win Over The Cubs

After a pathetic shutout loss yesterday to MLB's worst team, the Boston Red Sox (32-33, 18-14 away) picked their pride up off the floor with a 4-3 win tonight against the Chicago Cubs (22-43, 14-18 home) at steamy Wrigley Field.

The difference in the game was that Boston was 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position while Chicago was 1-for-4.

Former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija (5-5) struggled with his control a bit and didn't completely fool Boston's weak-hitting lineup. He went 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia batted cleanup for the first time in his career and he made Bobby Valentine look like a genius (for a few hours) as he delivered with a double and two-run homer (his 12th of the season) in the fourth inning.

Will Middlebrooks had an RBI single in the sixth and Scott Podsednik (2 hits) added an RBI single in the seventh. Mike Aviles was 2-for-4 with a double and a run in the victory.

Turns out that the Red Sox needed all those runs since Jon Lester started to crumble in the seventh after cruising through six scoreless innings. He allowed a three-run bomb to Luis Valbuena (1st of the season) in the seventh. Next up, Lester struck out pinch-hitter David DeJesus but that was the end of his outing. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Scott Atchison got the last out of the seventh, Vicente Padilla had a 1-2-3 eighth for his 15th hold of the season and Alfredo Aceves worked around a single in the ninth for his 16th save of the season.

Get ready for another primetime game tomorrow night (8 p.m., ESPN) to close out this series but it goes without saying that Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN is light years ahead of Fox's painful Saturday games with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Franklin Morales (0-1) faces former Pirate Paul Maholm (4-5) as both teams go for the series win in Boston's last game this season in a National League park. That is unless they make the World Series in October (dies laughing).

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Red Sox Fall in Series/Road Trip Finale To White Sox, 4-1

The Red Sox weren't able to complete a 7-0 road trip (or go over .500 for the first time this season) as they lost 4-1 to the White Sox this afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field. Boston's six-game win streak was snapped while Chicago ended its five-game losing streak.

Still, 6-1 is perfectly acceptable for Boston (10-11, 7-6 away) who scored one run for the second game in a row. The Red Sox combined for seven hits between Saturday and Sunday so clearly it's time to get back to Fenway Park. Josh Beckett (2-3) pitched fine but he was no match for Gavin Floyd (2-3) who no-hit the Red Sox for 6.1 innings before Dustin Pedroia broke it up with a single.

The White Sox got all the runs they would need in the first as Alex Rios knocked in Alejando De Aza with an RBI single and Adam Dunn (5th of the season) hooked a two-run shot to right.

To his credit, Beckett didn't allow another run and lasted 6.2 innings. He threw an insane 128 pitches (tying a career high), allowing three earned runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Floyd is a decent pitcher but for some reason, he steps it up to another level when he faces the Red Sox. In 6.2 innings, he allowed one earned run on three hits with nine strikeouts and a walk.

Cody Ross drove in Dustin Pedroia for the only Boston run, in the seventh but Chicago reliever Addison Reed was able to get Nick Punto to ground out with runners on first and third with two outs.

The Red Sox never threatened after that; Dayan Viciedo added an RBI single in the eighth off Junichi Tazawa but charged to Rich Hill (making his 2012 debut) and Matt Thornton retired the last four batters for his first save of the season.

After winning its first three games at Fenway this season, Boston lost its last five before they headed out of town following the Sunday rainout against the Yankees. Here's hoping that this homestand goes a little smoother and I don't see why it shouldn't since they play three against Oakland, an off-day then three against Baltimore. Both of those teams have overachieved so far, there's no way they'll keep this up (the Orioles particularly).

The A's (11-12) series begins tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) with Clay Buchholz (2-1) facing Tommy Milone (3-1). On Tuesday night aka May 1 (7:10 p.m., NESN), Felix Doubront (1-0) meets Jarrod Parker (0-0; making his third MLB start) and Daniel Bard (2-2) gets Brandon McCarthy (1-3) in the finale on Wednesday (7:10 p.m., NESN). Old friends Josh Reddick and Coco Crisp will return to face their former team and teammates.

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Lester Outduels Peavy In An Instant Classic

Games like this are the reason that you flip to MLB on a cold April night, when there are so many other better sporting options (NHL playoffs and NBA playoffs) on television. Moreover, maybe it is MLB's way of rewarding its fans.

The Boston Red Sox (10-10, 7-5 away) climbed to .500 for the first time this season with a scintillating 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox (10-11, 3-7 home) at U.S. Cellular Field, their sixth consecutive victory overall.

It was a pitcher's duel as both teams combined for just 10 hits (6 for Chicago, 4 for Boston). Jon Lester (1-2) picked up his first win of the season despite the fact that Jake Peavy (3-1) was even slightly better than him. In seven innings (122 pitches, 78 strikes), Lester allowed five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. Peavy went the distance-all nine innings-but he allowed one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

The Red Sox' run came in the fourth thanks to Adrian Gonzalez's RBI single that scored Ryan Sweeney (2 hits).

Franklin Morales got the first two outs of the eighth before Vicente Padilla walked Paul Konerko (2 doubles) but forced Alex Rios to ground out with runners on first and second. Alfredo Aceves picked up his fifth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth that included a strikeout.

Boston will look to complete a remarkable road trip at 7-0 tomorrow afternoon (2:10 p.m., NESN) as Josh Beckett (2-2) faces Gavin Floyd (1-3). Chicago should be desperate to get a win while the Red Sox look for the series sweep and perfect trip.

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Red Sox Continue To Feast On The AL Central

In this soft as puppy poo portion of their schedule, the Boston Red Sox are taking advantage of bad pitchers and mediocre teams.

The Red Sox (9-10, 6-5 away) won their fifth straight game, 10-3 tonight against the White Sox (10-10, 3-6 home) at U.S. Cellular Field.

Darnell McDonald (2 hits, 2 runs) knocked in a career-high four RBIs, Daniel Bard (2-2) picked up his first career win as a starting pitcher and David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 runs) shows no signs of slowing down as he slugged a two-run bomb.

On a frigid night (39 degrees) in the Windy City, Bard lasted seven innings: throwing 96 pitches, 63 for strikes. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk. This was a fine start and quells talk of moving him back to the bullpen until his next outing and/or the next bullpen implosion.

John Danks (2-3) tried to be a hero in short sleeves and he was no match for Boston's deep lineup. In 5.2 innings, the lefty allowed seven earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

Many of the Red Sox wore ski masks aka head condoms but it didn't seem to affect them at the plate since they still managed to pile up 13 hits.

The White Sox showed a brief pulse in the beginning of the game as A.J. Pierzynski had an RBI double in the first. Ortiz (4th of the season) crushed his two-run homer to right in the second but Chicago added a run in the third on a passed ball and ageless Paul Konerko (5th of the season) had a solo home run to left in the fifth to make it 3-2.

The roof caved in on Danks quickly in the sixth as he coughed up five runs in the blink of an eye. Cody Ross (2 hits, 2 RBIs) began the rally with an RBI single then McDonald cleared the bases with a three-run double. Marlon Byrd (2 hits) added an RBI single.

Ross and Kelly Shoppach produced RBI singles in the seventh and finally, McDonald (1st of the season) hit a solo home run to center in the ninth.

Jon Lester (0-2) looks for his first win of the season tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) against Jake Peavy (3-0), who's off to a surprisingly great start. Lester has not been himself in his last few starts so maybe he can put it all together, that would be nice. Boston desperately needs an ace or something resembling a No. 1 or 2 starter. Peavy has been impressive but this is the same guy who looked washed up the last few seasons. Let's see if he can hold down this red-hot lineup.

Boston will also try to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season. Haha high stakes!

Earlier in the day, the Red Sox sent lefty reliever Justin Thomas down to Pawtucket while they recalled lefty Rich Hill. Hopefully the local guy (Milton, MA) can regain the form he showed last season before he got injured. Boston desperately needs another left-handed reliever not named Franklin Morales to match up with all the good lefties in the AL (Cano, Hamilton, Teixeira, Pena). Thomas was clearly in over his head, at least for now he can't hang that this level.

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