I'll Never Badmouth Stephen Drew Again, Haha Yeah Right

When Stephen Drew gets elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, we'll all remember this night. Haha I'll try again. When the Red Sox win the World Series this October, May 6 will be a game we should point to as a turning point. Ok that's unlikely but at least somewhat in the realm of possibilities.

Boston (21-11 overall, 12-5 home) desperately needed a win after getting humbled and swept by the Rangers this past weekend in Texas. They made it harder on themselves than it had to be since Joel Hanrahan blew a save in the ninth but ultimately the Red Sox got a 6-5 win over Minnesota (13-15 overall, 6-9 away) in 11 innings tonight at Fenway Park. Drew (4 for 5 w/HR, 3 RBIs) was the hero with a walk-off double that scored Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Another reason that the Red Sox couldn't afford a loss is because their ace-Clay Buchholz-was going against a bad team, at home. The reverse lock struck again as Buchholz struggled (relative term) for the first time this season: 6 innings, 4 earned runs, 7 hits, 9 strikeouts, 2 walks.

The Twins actually had a 3-0 lead thanks to an RBI double by Josh Willingham and RBI single by Justin Morneau in the first inning followed by an RBI double by Aaron Hicks in the fourth. Former Phillies great Vance Worley (5 innings, 3 earned runs, 9 hits, 3 strikeouts) couldn't protect the lead. His former teammate Shane Victorino hit his first home run as a Red Sox (to right field) to cut it to 3-1 in the fourth.

Morneau made it 4-1 with a sacrifice fly in the fifth but Drew's RBI single in the fifth, Mike Napoli's RBI single in the sixth and Drew's solo homer to right in the seventh (2nd of the season) tied it at four. Dustin Pedroia also hit his first homer of the season, over the Monster in the eighth to give Boston a 5-4 lead.

With Andrew Bailey placed on the 15-day DL (right biceps strain) earlier today, Craig Breslow was called up from Pawtucket (where he was rehabbing) and he had a 1-2-3 eighth with one strikeout. The road predictably got much bumpier in the ninth where tub of goo Joel Hanrahan couldn't nail down the save against the Twins (great sign). Brian Dozier tied it with a solo shot to center. Later in the inning, Hanrahan left with another injury (he recently recovered from a hamstring issue), what they termed "right forearm tightness." Maybe the Red Sox should stop trading for injury prone closers from terrible teams? Just a thought.

No worries, we all knew that Drew would wind up leading Boston to victory for one fleeting game. His double off the scoreboard on the Monster was a nice moment for a guy that has been a disaster so far in his brief Red Sox career. Clayton Mortensen (1-2) picked up the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
If Boston is in a save situation tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN), I have no idea who will take the hill. All I know is that Ryan Dempster (2-2) gets the start against young lefty Scott Diamond (2-2).

UPDATE 5/7: Step right up Junichi Tazawa, you're the next Red Sox closer (for a few days at least before you inevitably get hurt or aren't effective)!

UPDATE 5/7: Hanrahan went on the DL again, Allen Webster was called up to start tomorrow night's game and Felix Doubront was sent to the bullpen. Doubront will reportedly be available in relief beginning tonight.

UPDATE 5/9: That tub of goo Hanrahan went on the 60-day DL and he's going to see Dr. James Andrews on Friday so I doubt we'll see him again this season. Webster was sent back to the PawSox and Jose De La Torre was called up. For now, Junichi Tazawa is Boston's closer.

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The Only Guys On The Red Sox That Should Show Their Faces In Boston Before April

So after last season's meltdown, I felt the need to review every player that was on the Red Sox' roster when it all ended. After this season's long and slow death, I don't have the patience or desire to recreate that tedious exercise. Instead, I want to identify the small group of players that deserve positive recognition for various reasons. Above all, they mostly overachieved based on whatever small expectations we had for them.

Scott Podsednik-19 runs, 60 hits, 7 doubles, 12 RBIs, 8 stolen bases, .302 batting average, .322 OBP and .352 SLG in 63 games.
When they signed Podsednik off the scrap heap, naturally I laughed thinking that he had nothing left in his washed up body. He proved me wrong and at 36, he can still play in MLB.

Pedro Ciriaco-33 runs, 76 hits, 15 doubles, 19 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, 293 batting average, .315 OBP and .390 SLG, in 76 games.
He was the buzz in Spring Training and amazingly enough, a guy that was released by the Pirates turned out to be a diamond in the rough. It seemed like he always made something happen when he was in the lineup and he'll be a great utility guy off the bench.

Dustin Pedroia-81 runs, 163 runs, 39 doubles, 15 homers, 65 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, .290 batting average, .347 OBP and .449 SLG in 141 games.
Numbers wise, it was about an average season for Pedroia but I mention him since he played the last two games with a broken finger. If there was any doubt, he's still the heart and soul of this team and somebody we can all root for/be proud of.

Will Middlebrooks-34 runs, 77 hits, 14 doubles, 15 homers, 54 RBIs, .288 batting average, .325 OBP and .509 SLG in 75 games.
After tearing it up in Pawtucket, Middlebrooks was called up to Boston in May and promptly took Kevin Youkilis' job. One of the worst moments of this season was when he broke his wrist in Cleveland after getting hit by a pitch. His future seems limitless.

Cody Ross-70 runs, 127 hits, 34 doubles, 22 homers, 81 RBIs, .267 batting average, .326 OBP and .481 SLG in 130 games.
A blueprint of a player that can handle things in Boston. He had a great first season individually with the Red Sox. The rare baseball player that seems to be a good guy while also consistently productive. Any day now, he should get an extension.

Junichi Tazawa-37 appearances, 1 win, 1 loss, 1 save, 5 holds in 44 IP; 0.95 WHIP and 1.43 ERA.
It is hilarious that the player that was a complete afterthought has turned into a better pitcher than the supremely hyped Daisuke Matsuzaka, at this point in their respective careers. He should be a big part of the bullpen moving forward.

Scott Atchison-42 appearances, 2 wins, 1 loss, 5 holds in 51.1 IP; 0.99 WHIP and 1.58 ERA.
Who knows how much longer old man Atchison's bionic arm will stay attached to his body? He was great before his forearm injury but he shocked everyone by returning late in the season. Ride the wave.

Clayton Mortensen-26 appearances, 1 win, 1 loss, 1 hold in 42 IP; 1.21 WHIP and 3.21 ERA.
A mystery man, he was what the Red Sox received from the Rockies for Marco Scutaro. He was the mop-up guy but he proved that he is deserving of a better role than that.

Andrew Miller-53 appearances, 3 wins, 2 losses, 13 holds in 40.1 IP; 1.19 WHIP and 3.35 ERA.
We've all accepted long ago that Miller will never live up to his crazy potential. Still, this season was a step forward for him. He proved to be a capable lefty set-up guy.

Craig Breslow was good after coming over from the Diamondbacks but he only made 23 appearances and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit 25 homers but he batted .222 with a .288 OBP plus 139 strikeouts in 121 games (yikes!).

Hopefully all these guys find themselves back with the Red Sox next spring, they all earned another chance and proved they were winners amid all the drama and losing.

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The Umpires Gift A 4-1 6-Inning Win To The Red Sox Against The Tigers In A Rainstorm

There is no other way to describe tonight's rain-shortened game at Fenway Park than bizarre. The Red Sox (53-51, 27-28 home) earned a very cheap 4-1 win (their fourth straight) vs. the Tigers (54-50, 26-29 away) in six innings.

Justin Verlander's (11-7) 63-game streak of going 6+ innings ended thanks to Mother Nature and a high pitch count (107). Truth be told, he didn't have it either (5 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 6 strikeout, 4 walks).

Detroit said they would file a complaint with the commissioner's office (Bud Selig should get that memo in about four months) since the game was called when they had the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth. I can't say I've ever seen a contest end prematurely with the go-ahead run at the plate, it was very shady.

After not being traded, lazy slug Josh Beckett responded by pitching 2.2 innings then leaving with "back spasms." Shocking that such an incredible, well-conditioned athlete that never breaks down could fall victim to that. I can't hate on a guy for being injured but with his checkered history, who knows what the real story might have been.

Luckily, Clayton Mortensen (1-0) wanted to pitch and he threw 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Franklin Morales recorded one out and appeared to be in trouble after an infield hit and walk loaded the bases. However, he ended up getting credit for his first save of the season which should go down as one of the cheapest in MLB history.

Miguel Cabrera walked with the bases loaded in the third to make it 1-0 Tigers but Mortensen put out Beckett's fire by getting Prince Fielder to fly out to end the inning.

The Red Sox scored all of their runs in the fourth on Pedro Ciriaco's RBI single, a bases loaded walk by Jacoby Ellsbury and two runs scored on Carl Crawford's infield hit/Omar Infante's error.

In their last regular season meeting of 2012, Aaron Cook (2-4) faces Rick Porcello (7-6) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) as the Red Sox go for a three-game sweep and their fifth win in a row.

UPDATE 8/1: Daniel Nava was placed on the DL with a left wrist sprain. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway was called up from Pawtucket to take his place in Boston. Also, Craig Breslow arrived and is active which means that Mortensen was optioned back to the PawSox.

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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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Red Sox Suffer First Series Loss In Kansas City Since 2006

I think I speak for most Boston Red Sox fans when I say that we've become numb to all the poor results and terrible baseball that we have been forced to witness since last September. It's hard to keep track of new lows or rock bottom with this team since they seem to set those standards every series or every week.

Tonight, the Red Sox (12-18, 8-8 away) lost 4-3 to the Royals (11-19, 4-13) in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium. With the win, Kansas City took two out of three in the series, a big accomplishment for a squad that had two wins at home before Boston arrived.

For the Red Sox, a miserable 2012 season continues to get more bleak: they have lost seven of their last eight, they're 2-8 in their last 10 and they finished up a very winnable nine-game stretch against Oakland, Baltimore and Kansas City with a record of 2-7.

Save for a few guys (Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz & Alfredo Aceves), this is a team that still is severely lacking in heart or pride. It feels like they're already mailing it in and the month of May only began last week! Pair that with an aging roster, an overrated and underachieving pitching staff, over-the-hill manager, leaky bullpen, key injuries and here we are: last place in the AL East.

The whole game was basically summed up by the first inning: Kansas City had two outs when Marlon Byrd dropped a routine fly ball that would have been an out. That scored a run then two runs came home on Brayan Pena's double that went into Cody Ross's glove but popped out before he could secure it.

Other than that rocky first, Jon Lester (1-3) was fine but his pitch count (108) killed him. He could only last five innings, allowing the four runs (one earned) on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Clayton Mortensen was great once again, throwing three scoreless frames in relief of Lester. He helped Boston stay in it.

The most unforgivable aspect of this whole rotten series is that Bruce Chen (1-4) picked up a win against Boston. He went 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks. This is the same guy that they scored 10 runs against last July.

All of the Red Sox runs came courtesy of Adrian Gonzalez's three-run double in the third. Other than that, they were blanked by Chen, Aaron Crow (hold, 1.1 innings, 1 strikeout) and Jonathan Broxton (seventh save of the season).

Alcides Escobar's RBI double in the fourth was the difference for the Royals.

The Red Sox put runners on first and second with no outs in the ninth but no surprise, they couldn't push across the tying run let alone the go-ahead run. Byrd appeared to get hit on the elbow on a bunt attempt but the umpire didn't call it; with another chance, Bobby V chose to give away an out with a sacrifice, moving the runners to second and third. From there, Ryan Sweeney had a nice at bat but lined out to Alex Gordon in left who made a great diving catch. Former Royal Mike Aviles (2 hits) couldn't be the hero as he grounded out to the shortstop to wrap it up.

The AL Central leading Cleveland Indians (17-13) come to Boston starting tomorrow night for a four-game series. After skipping a start and getting spotted golfing last week (I wish I was lying), expect Josh Beckett (2-3) to receive plenty of well-deserved boos when he faces former Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe (4-1) tomorrow (7:10 p.m. NESN). Clay Buchholz (3-1) opposes Ubaldo Jimenez (3-2) on Friday (7:10 p.m., NESN), Felix Doubront (2-1) gets Josh Tomlin (1-2) on Saturday night (7:10 p.m., NESN) and Daniel Bard (2-4) faces another ex-Boston pitcher Justin Masterson (1-2) on Sunday afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN).

Starting a six-game homestand (Cleveland, Seattle (2)) would normally be a good thing but considering the Red Sox are 1-10 in their last 11 games at Fenway, I guess it doesn't really matter where Boston plays right now: they will lose anywhere against anyone.

On a serious note, Red Sox PA announcer Carl Beane tragically passed away this afternoon in a car accident so the team is planning to honor him before tomorrow's game. In addition, former outfielder Tom Brunansky is also scheduled to appear (celebrating his AL East clinching catch in 1990).

UPDATE 5/10: Outfielder Daniel Nava was called up from Pawtucket today, he'll bat sixth and play left field. Reliever Justin Thomas was designated for assignment while reliever Clayton Mortensen was optioned to Pawtucket. The Red Sox also released pitcher John Maine who was toiling in the minors, trying to make a comeback to MLB.

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Oakland Spoils Will Middlebrooks's Debut, Take The Series (2-1) At Fenway

For the second straight night, the Red Sox were able to threaten in the ninth against the A's but once again, Oakland was able to shut the door as Brian Fuentes (1st save of the season; somehow the 200th of his career) induced Adrian Gonzalez (0 for his last 17, including striking out with the bases loaded to end the 7th) to ground out with Dustin Pedroia on third base. A's won 4-2 at misty Fenway Park.

Oakland (13-13, 7-6 away) also took the series (2-1) as Boston (11-13, 4-7 home) has struggled to find consistency at home. What's more, after reaching .500 twice in the past week, they have still yet to get over it.

After scoring 11 runs in its lone win on Monday, the Red Sox were held to five over the last two nights as Oakland starting pitchers held them in check. This evening it was Brandon McCarthy's turn. Most notable for being one of MLB's only interesting tweeters, McCarthy (2-3) also proved that he has some game to match his Twitter wizardry. In 6.2 innings, he allowed one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Ryan Cook was the unsung hero for the A's since he was able to bridge the game from McCarthy to Fuentes. Cook allowed a hit and walk but no runs and he struck out three.

For the Red Sox, this loss is only notable since super prospect Will Middlebrooks made his MLB debut, batting eighth and playing third base. I would say it was a success since he went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and stolen base. If he can play well while Kevin Youkilis is on the DL, it will make Boston's decision much tougher about what to do with him.

Boston has lost seven of its last eight games at "Friendly" Fenway and last night, their fate was sealed by a pitiful 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 on base.

Daniel Bard (2-3) was not able to take advantage of the American League's worst offensive team. He lasted 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with a strikeout and two walks. The only reason Boston hung in this and at least made it interesting in the ninth is because of the superb work of Clayton Mortensen. Who? After Matt Albers got the last two outs of the sixth, Mortensen (traded for Marco Scutaro) made quite the Red Sox debut as he tossed three scoreless innings. What makes it even crazier is that he struck out six with only one walk and one hit. Who knows if he can ever do something like that again but at least he showed promise.

Oakland took a 4-0 lead with a run in the fourth and three in the sixth. Seth Smith (2 hits, 2 RBIs) had an RBI single in the fourth then an RBI double in the sixth. Kila Ka'aihue and Brandon Inge, the AL West's version of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, followed with RBI doubles of their own as Bobby V left his starter in for too long as usual.

Marlon Byrd finally put a run on the board for Boston with a sacrifice fly in the seventh that plated Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Dustin Pedroia's double in the ninth against Fuentes scored Mike Aviles. David Ortiz added two doubles in the loss.

The Orioles (16-9, 2nd in the AL East) are off to an awesome start this season, especially for them. We'll get a chance to see if there's anything to it with Baltimore coming to Fenway for three games this weekend. Both teams are off tomorrow and then Wei-Yin Chen (2-0) faces Jon Lester (1-2) on Friday night (7:10 p.m., NESN). After playing way too many night games in April, the Red Sox get a pair of afternoon games: Saturday (1:10 p.m., NESN) Aaron Cook makes his Red Sox debut against Tommy Hunter (2-1) before Clay Buchholz (3-1) gets Jason Hammel (3-1) on Sunday (1:35 p.m., NESN).

After a couple crappy nights, both weather and results-wise, the Red Sox and its fans deserve some rest. Let's all enjoy the off-day.

UPDATE 5/3: Jose Iglesias was sent down to Pawtucket, making room for Aaron Cook on the roster ahead of his start on Saturday afternoon. Also, Carl Crawford was moved to the 60-day DL.

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Scutaro Shipped To Rockies; Bard Avoids Arbitration

What is it with the Boston Red Sox and shortstops? Since they traded franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra in 2004 (which turned out well), the formerly coveted position has turned into a revolving door of mostly middling players.

Tonight, the Red Sox traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for pitcher Clayton Mortensen. The righty is 26 and a former first-round sandwich pick in 2007 by the Cardinals. He was traded to Oakland in the Matt Holliday deal and then traded to Colorado last winter for a minor leaguer.

This will be Mortensen's fourth MLB franchise. He put up decent numbers last season: 2-4 with 3.86 ERA in 16 games (6 starts) but from the looks of this move, it was all about dumping salary.

Boston picked up Scutaro's $6 million option earlier this winter so needless to say, it was odd to see him get traded soon after that. Even worse, all that the Red Sox have left at shortstop for 2012 are the dynamic scrub duo of Mike Aviles and Nick Punto. Don't tell me that Jose Iglesias will be the starter since he can't hit enough to play full-time in MLB.

The one positive aspect of this move is that it frees up money to pursue Roy Oswalt, who they desperately need. ESPNBoston also mentioned Cody Ross, a rumor that I hadn't heard before reading that tidbit. He's OK and he would help if Carl Crawford misses time (after wrist surgery) but I'm much more interested in Oswalt just because he has way more potential to help.

No matter how you spin it, the Red Sox seem destined for another third-place finish in the AL East again (for the third year in a row) behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. While those teams have improved themselves (NY) or kept its core intact (TB), the Red Sox have plugged holes (closer, set-up) but not improved their biggest issues (chemistry, starting pitching). Plus, they added the most self-absorbed and arrogant manager in MLB.

I'm not jumping off the bandwagon, I'll always root for the Red Sox but over the past few seasons, they've made it very hard to like them. Ownership is driven just by making money and not winning games, what should really matter. Likewise, many of their players over the last few years have been obsessed with personal statistics. how much they're getting paid and other inconsequential things. In other words, the Red Sox are now No. 4 in my top four (Bruins, Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox) rankings of local professional teams. It will take so much to change that any time soon.

In other Red Sox news today, the team reached a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for 2012 with Daniel Bard. They avoided arbitration with the reliever who will try to become a starter in spring training. Now only Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey and David Ortiz are left to sign before February 1, the deadline for when the Red Sox are forced to go to a hearing with any of those guys if they haven't reached an agreement yet.

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