Goodnight To The Worst Red Sox Team Of My Lifetime

Well the time that we've all been dreaming of since about mid-May is finally upon us: the 2012 Red Sox' tour of pain is over. We won't see them again until April in a meaningful game and not a moment too soon at that.

Fittingly, for Daisuke Matsuzaka's (1-7) last outing as a Red Sox (69-93, 35-46) and Bobby Valentine's final night as an MLB manager, both were thoroughly embarrassed as New York (95-67, 51-30 home) trampled Boston 14-2 at Yankee Stadium. It clinched the third AL East title in four years for the Yankees and 18th overall after the Rays beat the Orioles 4-1.

Now is when the real fun starts, we can only hope that the Red Sox owners and GM Ben Cherington come up with a better choice than Valentine. Then again, who could possibly be a worse pick? It is horrifying that last winter, after months of deliberation, that clown was their hire.

Dice-K didn't stick around long, he probably had a flight back to Japan to catch. In 2.1 innings, he allowed five earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts, a walk and two homers.

Hiroki Kuroda (16-11) went seven innings (2 earned runs, 7 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) for the Yankees, who will host the winner of Orioles-Rangers starting on Sunday in the ALDS.

It was a monster night for Robinson Cano (4 for 4, 3 runs, 6 RBIs, 2 homers) and Curtis Granderson (2 homers, 4 RBIs). Nick Swisher was 2 for 3 with a run, RBI and two walks while Alex Rodriguez (2 for 3, double, 2 runs, 2 walks) and Ichiro Suzuki (2-run double, 2 runs) contributed to the laugher for the Yanks.

Cody Ross was 2 for 3 with an RBI single, Pedro Ciriaco was 2 for 3 with a double and run while Dustin Pedroia had a double, walk and stolen base. In the near future (possibly tomorrow) after I have some time to breath and wash the stink away from this incomprehensibly bad season, I plan to write a post highlighting the few Red Sox that had good seasons (hint: those three play prominent roles). Jose Iglesias also had an RBI single, hopefully that gives him some confidence heading into the winter.

Until then, let's hope that a Men In Black type mind eraser device exists and that we can all use it to get rid of all our memories having to do with the 2012 Red Sox. They were truly the most hateable Boston sports team that I've ever seen and it would be tough to top them in that particular way.

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Feast Your Eyes On The Worst Team In The AL East

Believe me, for my own sanity I have stopped paying attention to the Red Sox for the rest of the season. Still, when stuff happens like tonight, I can't help but note its absurdity.

After two rain delays and chants of "Fire Bobby!" in the ninth inning, Toronto (63-75, 29-41 away) beat Boston (63-77, 32-40 home) 9-2 this evening at Fenway Park. Its significance lies in the fact that the Red Sox are now in the basement of the AL East and with 22 games left in 2012, I don't think they will come out of it.

The only thing that slightly warms my heart is that the Yankees are crumbling fast, going 6-12 in their last 18 games. They are now tied with Baltimore for first-place in the division.

Boston has lost three straight, 10 of 11 and 15 of 19. They have been outscored by 51 runs in their last 11 games. So yeah, once again we're subjected to a team that has lay down in September. At least this time, we're in on the joke unlike last year.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-5) was his usual lights out self, allowing five earned runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. The Blue Jays scored five runs in the second: Yunel Escobar solo homer (9th of the season), RBI double by Adeiny Hechavarria, two-run single by Anthony Gose and a sacrifice fly by Rajai Davis.

Scott Podsednik and Pedro Ciriaco both had RBI singles in the firth inning for Boston's only runs. Adam Lind had an RBI single in the eighth and Gose cranked his first MLB homer, a three-run shot, in the ninth.

Brad Lincoln (1-0) was the first Toronto reliever following the initial rain delay and he earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings including three strikeouts.

The Blue Jays go for the three-game sweep tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m.) as Carlos Villanueva (7-5) faces Clay Buchholz (11-5) in a game that cannot possibly be a sellout considering its the first Sunday of the 2012 NFL season. Undoubtedly, the clueless Red Sox will deem it a sellout since that is the only thing they care about anymore. Once they admit that's over, what do they have left?

UPDATE 9/9: Outfielder Daniel Nava was activated off the DL today and is on the bench.

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The Curse Of J.D. Drew Is Alive And Well, A's Sweep The Red Sox Thanks To His Little Brother

In Major League Baseball, you'll be hard-pressed to find two teams that are headed in more opposite directions than the A's and Red Sox. Oakland (76-57, 42-27 home) polished off a three-game sweep this afternoon as they beat Boston (62-73, 30-35 away) 6-2 at O.co Coliseum.

When you delve a little deeper into the numbers, it is staggering the difference between those clubs. In Oakland's last 81 games, they are 54-27. The A's have won nine straight games. Conversely, Boston has lost six in a row to begin their West Coast trip in California a healthy 0-6. For this series, the A's outscored the Red Sox 33-5, but wait it gets better. Boston has been outscored 54-15 during those six losses in California.

Brett Anderson (3-0) was superb and Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4) was his usual bum self. Dice-K threw 97 pitches in 3.2 innings (so efficient) and allowed six earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks. He allowed two home runs. Anderson recently returned Tommy John surgery, he looks like he has fully recovered and then some. His presence makes the A's formidable rotation that much better. In six innings, he allowed one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Stephen Drew of all people was 3 for 4 with a double, solo home run and two RBIs while Seth Smith was 2 for 3 with a two-run homer, walk and two runs. Coco Crisp added two walks, two runs and a stolen base.

Smith's bomb (13th of the season) was in the first and Drew's (1st of the season) was in the second. The A's were up 5-0 in the third after Josh Reddick's sacrifice fly and Drew's RBI single. Yoenis Cespedes' groundout in the fourth plated the final Oakland run at 6-0.

Cody Ross (RBI single in the sixth) and Mauro Gomez (sacrifice fly in the ninth) were the only reasons that the Red Sox weren't shut out. Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with a double and run in the loss.

The fun continues in the Pacific Northwest as Boston meets Seattle (65-70, 3rd AL West) for three games. Sadly, the only reason anyone would watch these meaningless contests is to see Felix Hernandez and he's not scheduled to pitch. Instead, it is Clay Buchholz (11-4) vs. Jason Vargas (13-9) tomorrow afternoon (4:10 p.m., NESN) on Labor Day; Jon Lester (8-11) vs. Blake Beavan (9-8) Tuesday night (10:10 p.m., NESN) then a battle of washed up mediocre pitchers on Wednesday night (10:10 p.m.) with Aaron Cook (3-8) taking on former Paw Sox Kevin Millwood (4-12).

UPDATE 9/3: The Red Sox have called up reliever Chris Carpenter (compensation for Theo Epstein) and infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr (who was part of the trade with the Dodgers) from Pawtucket.

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MLB Really Needs Relegation: The Royals Would Be First On The List To Go

It only makes sense that in a series complete with a monster salary dump/trade and brand new outlook for the Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka closes it out with a gem in what has to be one of his last starts for Boston.

Boston (62-67, 32-38 home) beat Kansas City (56-71, 30-38 away) 5-1 this afternoon at Fenway Park to complete a 3-4 homestand. The Red Sox actually took three of four from the Royals, it would have been a sweep if they could have held a six-run lead in the seventh but I digress.

Dice-K (1-3) looked like a decent pitcher for a fleeting moment as he went seven innings, allowing one run (0 earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. It marked his first victory since May 8, 2011 (vs. Minnesota) and believe it or not, it was over in 2 hours and 34 minutes. I love how MLB games go by so much faster when teams are facing long road trips afterwards, I wish they always played with that pace and urgency.

Alex Gordon (2 hits, double) provided Kansas City's only run with a sacrifice fly in the first that scored Jarrod Dyson. Johnny Giavotella also had two hits including a double but the Royals only managed seven hits against Matsuzaka, Clayton Mortensen, Vicente Padilla and Andrew Bailey.

Haha Boston went 3 for 4 with runners in scoring position while Kansas City was 0 for 7. Remind me again when the Royals are supposed to be good? I feel like I've read the same story for the last five years, oh this is the team that's going to be a winner. They have so much young talent! Yeah ok.

Hitting out of the third spot in the lineup, Jacoby Ellsbury cranked a solo homer (2nd of the season) in the first against Luke Hochevar (7-12). Cody Ross, who has done more than enough to earn an extension, had a two-run single in the third and a wall ball RBI double in the sixth. James Loney notched his second RBI single in as many days, also in the sixth to make it 5-1.

Boston hopped on a plane to visit the West Coast. They play three in Anaheim, three in Oakland and three in Seattle. The Angels and A's are in contention for a playoff spot while the Mariners have the exact same record as the Red Sox. Boston won't play at Fenway again until Friday, September 7 vs. Toronto (ie. 2 days before the Patriots-Titans season-opener).

There are going to be some late nights coming up for insomniac Red Sox fans like myself. Six of the nine games begin at 10:05 p.m. ET, one 9:05 p.m., one 4:05 p.m. and one 4:10 p.m.

The Angels (66-62, AL West) swept a three-game series in Boston last week. Let's see if the Red Sox can return the favor (haha doubtful). Tomorrow night in the series opener (10:05 p.m., NESN), Clay Buchholz (11-4) has a rematch with Jered Weaver (16-3), who soundly outperformed him the first time. Jon Lester (8-10) faces C.J. Wilson (9-9) on Wednesday night (10:05 p.m., NESN) in a battle of underachieving quality lefties. Then Aaron Cook (3-7) meets Zach Greinke (11-5) on Thursday night (10:05 p.m., NESN) in the finale.

UPDATE 8/28: Alfredo Aceves was activated tonight after his suspension, he took Franklin Morales' place on the roster. Morales went on the DL with a tired shoulder. Who knew that would happen to a guy when they've changed his role multiple times in the same season?

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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 Rally For A 5-1 Win Vs. Blue Jays

For six innings tonight, Aaron Laffey completely shut down the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Luckily, Boston (39-35, 20-21 home) was able to hang around and pounce once the Blue Jays (38-36, 19-21 away) went to their bullpen and ended up with a 5-1 win for their troubles.

Shockingly, Daisuke Matsuzaka was the Red Sox starting pitcher that nearly matched Laffey 0 for 0 on the ancient scoreboard in left. Dice-K went 5.2 innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Laffey went six scoreless innings, allowing three hits with two strikeouts and two walks. He left after 82 pitches since this was his first start of the season and first since 2010 when he was on the Indians.

Brent Lillibridge started in center field and batted ninth, he was 0-for-2 in his first at-bats as a Red Sox; he was lifted for pinch-hitter Daniel Nava in the seventh. Truly an unforgettable debut for a scrub that might not make it past the trade deadline.

Edwin Encarnacion provided Toronto's only run with an infield single in the first which scored Brett Lawrie. The Blue Jays had runners on second and third with one out but Matsuzaka wiggled out of it as Kelly Johnson flew out and Yunel Escobar lined to Dice-K.

Scott Atchison had a scoreless inning before Andrew Miller (2-0) ended up with the win even though he only got one out: he struck out red-hot Colby Rasmus to end the seventh with Adam Lind (2 hits) on third base.

Jarrod Saltlamacchia (14th of the season) tied it at one in the seventh with a solo homer over the Monster against reliever Jason Fraser. Dustin Pedroia added a two-run single later in the inning, all three runs coming with two outs.

Boston was 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position while Toronto was 1-for-8.

Pedroia's heroics made up for the fact that he got gunned out at home to end the sixth. David Ortiz had hit his second double but left fielder Rajai Davis (2 hits) threw a perfect strike to catcher Jeff Mathis who tagged Pedroia on the way by.

Vicente Padilla had a 1-2-3 eighth for his 17th hold of the season. Amazingly enough, he struck out two but only required 12 pitches. He's been quite a pleasant surprise.

Boston tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth-their last at bat-as Adrian Gonzalez (2 doubles) doubled home Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks drove in Cody Ross with a sacrifice fly.

Alfredo Aceves got a clean ninth despite the fact that it wasn't a save situation. He only threw 12 pitches as well so he should be available tomorrow too (then again you can always say that about Mr. Rubber Arm himself).

The Red Sox have gone 6-2 on a highly successful homestand and they'll try to end it on a high note tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) as Jon Lester (4-5) faces Ricky Romero (8-1). A win would make finally make them .500 at home this season something which they haven't been since the opening series vs. Tampa Bay in early April. Haha really.

After that, Boston heads out on its first West Coast road trip of the 2012 season. Four games in Seattle followed by three in Oakland, the last games away from Fenway before the All-Star break.

UPDATE 6/27: Josh Beckett is expected to come off the DL on Saturday and make a start in Seattle against the Mariners.

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The Kids Are Alright: Red Sox Edition Starring Will Middlebrooks

The Red Sox might be onto something: the youthful energy and enthusiasm of Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish and Will Middlebrooks not to mention Felix Doubront and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is starting to carry them. Boston (36-33, 17-19 home) rallied twice to ultimately defeat Miami (33-36, 16-18 away) 6-5 tonight at sticky Fenway Park for a three-game sweep.

Don't look now but the Red Sox have won five straight and seven of their last eight games as they've tied a season-high at three games over the .500 mark.

Middlebrooks carried Boston's offense, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Down 3-0, his RBI single started the Red Sox' first rally, tied it at three with another RBI single then punctuated it with a two-run homer (his 8th of the season) to knot it at five. At this point, Kevin Youkilis might as well start looking into another career outside of baseball (only half kidding). It doesn't even matter what Boston gets in return for him, it's time to send Youk on his way out of town before the trade deadline (July 31).

The Daisuke Matsuzaka experience was in full effect as he has now started three games in 2012 without recording a win. As is his custom, he handed the Marlins three runs in the first inning then proceeded to retire 14 batters in a row. Like Youk and Josh Beckett, I wish the Red Sox could trade Dice-K but I've heard the key to trades is that other teams have to want the player in return. After 5.1 innings and 101 pitches, Matsuzaka was done. He allowed four earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Carlos Zambrano also didn't factor into the decision which is fitting because he was neither good nor bad. In five innings, he allowed three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and four walks.

Greg Dobbs (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, stolen base) had a two-run single and Omar Infante (2 hits, 2 RBIs, stolen base) produced an RBI single in the long top of the first inning.

Middlebrooks' first RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Mike Aviles cut it to 3-2 in the fourth inning. Even though he got jammed, Middlebrooks managed to dump another RBI single to right field in the fifth to tie it at three.

Dice-K's last pitch was a spicy wasabi ball (Japan's equivalent to a meatball) to Giancarlo Stanton (2 hits, 2 runs) that made it over the Monster in about 1.5 seconds. Infante added an RBI double later in the sixth against Andrew Miller.

Middlebrooks' two-run bomb (449 feet to center) against Edward Mujica tied it at five in the eighth and Daniel Nava (2 hits) had what turned out to be the deciding run on an RBI single in the same frame.

Scott Atchison continued his incredible season with a scoreless seventh and eighth. After 22 pitches, his ERA is 1.17 with a WHIP of 0.89 and 29 strikeouts. He honestly deserves to be an All-Star if he keeps this up. Too bad he'll probably get three total votes (from his extended family).

Alfredo Aceves had a 1-2-3 ninth (haha on seven pitches!) to collect his 18th save of the season. You think Ozzie Guillen and Co. were eager to get out of here?

Interleague play ends this weekend with the Atlanta Braves (37-32, 3rd in NL East) at Fenway for three games. Jon Lester (4-4) faces Jair Jurrjens (0-2) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN), Franklin Morales (0-1) takes on Randall Delgado (4-7) Saturday night (7:15 p.m., Fox) and Clay Buchholz (8-3) opposes Mike Minor (3-5) on Sunday afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN).

In 2012, the Red Sox are 9-3 during interleague and they've won all four series thus far. Taking at least two out of three against the Braves would be a nice cap to their dominance of the National League.

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Cubs Blank Red Sox 3-0 In Series Opener At Wrigley Field

The Red Sox-Cubs interleague series started with a whimper, at least as far as Boston is concerned, this afternoon with Chicago (22-42, 14-17 home) survived three errors to blank Boston (31-33, 17-14 away) 3-0 at Wrigley Field.

It's the first time the teams have met in the Windy City since 2005.

Ryan Dempster (3-3) won his third straight start for the Cubs and stretched his scoreless streak to 22 innings with seven shutout innings. He gave up only four hits with three strikeouts and two walks. He even helped himself with a triple (1st since 2002), single and run scored. There's no doubt he'll be a valued commodity at the trade deadline (July 31).

Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2) had a classic Dice-K start. He allowed two runs in the first inning (after walking the bases loaded) and one in the second (over 50 pitches by then) before settling down and retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. His three runs were all earned, on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

Both teams were extremely limited at the plate: Boston had five hits and Chicago only had four. Scott Podsednik (2 hits, 2 stolen bases) and Dempster were the only batters with multiple hits. The difference was that the Red Sox were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and Chicago was 2-for-6.

Steve Clevenger had a two-run double in the first and David DeJesus (who I'm pretty sure has been rumored to be traded to the Red Sox every season for the past decade) had an RBI single in the second inning.

After James Russell pitched a scoreless eighth for his fifth hold of the season, ultra-shaky Cubs closer Carlos Marmol tried to cough up the three-run lead in the ninth. Between a single, error and walk, Boston had the bases loaded with two outs. Dustin Pedroia hit a grounder to third and Luis Valbuena stepped on the bag ahead of Mike Aviles for the final out. It was Marmol's third save of the season, he had to throw 29 pitches so I doubt he'd be available tomorrow night.

Bobby Valentine announced after the loss that Josh Beckett won't start on Sunday night, apparently he is having issues with his right shoulder. Reliever Franklin Morales will be pressed into duty, making his first career start for the Red Sox (1st since 2009 with Colorado) on Sunday Night Baseball.

Tomorrow night (7:15 p.m., FOX), Jon Lester (3-4) will try to get Boston back in the win column against former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija (5-4).

UPDATE 6/16: Beckett went on the 15-day DL today with shoulder inflammation. Clayton Mortensen was recalled from Pawtucket to take his spot on the roster.

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Dice-K Returns, Red Sox Fall Back Under .500

While you were enjoying a beautiful early summer day, the Boston Red Sox were busy falling back under the .500 mark.

Daisuke Matsuzaka made his 2012 debut after last appearing in May 2011 but he wasn't able to help the Red Sox (29-30, 14-18 home) enough as they fell 4-2 to the Washington Nationals (34-23, 16-13 away) this afternoon at Fenway Park.

Dice-K was limited to five innings (80 pitches) as he was eased back into action. He allowed four earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez (8-2) looks like an All-Star and he continued his excellent season with 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Former Red Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche (10th of the season) hit a solo homer to right center in the second inning for a 1-0 Washington lead. The Nationals scored their other three runs in the fourth thanks to Michael Morse's RBI ground rule double and Ian Desmond's two-run single.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided Boston's only runs with a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh.

The Red Sox only had five hits, they were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Sean Burnett got a 1-2-3 eighth for his 10th hold of the season and Tyler Clippard recorded his seventh save of the season (second in two games) with a scoreless ninth.

Jordan Zimmermann (3-5) faces Jon Lester (3-4) tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) as the Nationals go for the sweep of the Red Sox in this three-game series.

UPDATE 6/10: Rich Hill was put on the DL with elbow soreness and Mark Melancon's exile in Pawtucket is over, he's back with the Red Sox.

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Jacoby Ellsbury & Adrian Gonzalez are on fire

Despite what the Bill James' and stat geeks of the world will tell you (through 1000 page books and boring websites), baseball is and will always remain a simple game.

To that point, when you have a leadoff hitter that is consistently getting on base and a middle of the lineup bat that is driving guys in, you are going to have a potent offense.

Such is the case right now with the Boston Red Sox, leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez (their No. 3 hitter).

Ellsbury had three hits, a run and a stolen base yesterday afternoon and Gonzalez had a grand 29th birthday with three hits (including a solo homer), two runs and two RBIs as the Red Sox (16-18) beat the Minnesota Twins (12-20) 9-5 at Fenway Park.

After losing the series opener on Friday night (its third loss in a row), Boston has bounced back with back-to-back wins against Minnesota, who is a complete mess at the moment. Much of the Red Sox' spotty success lately has been due to Ellsbury and Gonzalez who are both currently on fire.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-3) was at his frustrating best yesterday as he gave up three runs in the top of the first but settled down to go six innings, allowing only one more run. He gave up five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Connecticut native Carl Pavano (2-4) has had a terrible start to the 2011 season-trust me, I had him on two fantasy teams-and that continued yesterday. In five innings, he allowed ten hits and seven earned runs with a walk. With that, I dumped him from both teams (and yes, I know you care).

The Red Sox banged out a season-high 14 hits with Kevin Youkilis (4 runs, 2 hits) and David Ortiz (2 hits) also recording multiple hits.

Jason Kubel (3 hits, 2 RBIs) had an RBI single to start Minnesota's big first inning. Danny Valenica (3 RBIs, 2 hits) topped that with a two-run single of his own.

J.D. Drew began the Red Sox comeback with an RBI ground out in the second. In the third, Jason Varitek cut it to 3-2 with another RBI ground and Gonzalez delivered an RBI single in the third to tie it at three. Youk's fielder's choice put Boston up 4-3 in the third before Drew came through with an RBI single to cap off the five-run third for Boston.

Valencia's solo homer in the fourth made it 5-4 Red Sox but Gonzalez answered with a solo shot (his fourth of the season) in the fifth over the Monster. A fielder's choice by Drew increased the lead to 7-4 in the same frame.

Jed Lowrie put this one in the win column with a two-run single in the seventh.

The Twins got one more run on Kubel's RBI single in the eighth.

Matt Albers went two innings (giving up three hits and one earned run but striking out three) and Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth.

Josh Beckett faces Nick Blackburn tonight in the series finale. A win here by the Red Sox would cap off a nice 3-1 series. Beckett last started during the rain delayed game against the Angels last Wednesday, so he should be raring to go since he only went 4.1 innings then.

Angels beat Red Sox in 13 innings, ending at 2:45 a.m. EST

It's only fitting that the Los Angeles Angels finally beat the Boston Red Sox in a game that most either didn't see or gave up on watching and went to bed (even on the West Coast).

The Angels (17-14) won 5-3 in 13 innings last night at Fenway Park against the Red Sox (14-16), in a game that didn't end until 2:45 a.m. EST thanks to a lengthy rain delay (two hours and thirty five minutes).

For someone that never goes to bed at a reasonable hour, it was hilarious to watch the game that would never end. I'd like to give props to the die-hard fans that stayed but you had to be insane to stay for the entire game, a meaningless May game against the Angels.

It was bad luck for both starting pitchers since they were both dealing, particularly Los Angeles' Ervin Santana (4 innings, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts). He had a no-hitter going when the game was put on hold in the top of the fifth. That no-hitter continued until Jed Lowrie got a hit in the bottom of the seventh.

Josh Beckett (4.1 innings, 1 hit, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts) was nearly as dominant but he was also lifted since you never bring back a starting pitcher after a rain delay.

It became a contest decided by random bullpens and wouldn't you know that somehow Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-3) would find a way to screw it up as he took the loss in his first MLB relief appearance (1 inning, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk).

Vernon Wells broke the scoreless tie with a two-run bomb off Dan Wheeler in the top of the seventh.

Adrian Gonzalez reached on an infield single in the bottom of the eighth and Jason Varitek scored on the play as Angels reliever Fernando Rodney decided for some reason to flip the ball to his catcher Hank Conger. Too bad it wasn't even close.

Erick Aybar's sacrifice fly scored Wells in the top of the ninth and gave Los Angeles a 3-1 lead.

Boston showed some resiliency as they scored twice in their last at bats against LA's new closer Jordan Walden. Lowrie scored on a throwing error by Conger and then Jacoby Ellsbury delivered with an RBI single that plated Carl Crawford.

Bobby Abreu was the hero for the Angels as he hit a two-run single in the top of the 13th against Matsuzaka, scoring Howie Kendrick and Peter Bourjos.

The fourth and final game of this series has already begun with John Lackey opposing former Red Sox Joel Pineiro. With a 15-2 record the last two seasons against the Angels and 6-1 this year, Boston will try to close out this series on a high note even though they have to be dead tired.

Dice-K wishes you a Happy Easter

I didn't get to see much of the Boston Red Sox game last night against the Los Angeles Angels but I had a good excuse since the Bruins beat the Canadiens in double overtime.

From what I gathered, Daisuke Matsuzaka tossed his second gem in a row as the Red Sox (9-11) won 5-0. It was Boston's fourth win in a row and their seventh in their last eight games.

Anaheim (12-9) was limited to two hits, both infield singles, as they meekly went down to the Red Sox for the third straight night.

Matsuzaka (2-2) went eight innings, allowing one hit, three walks and nine strikeouts in 115 pitches. The long outing was especially important since both Bobby Jenks and Jonathan Papelbon were unavailable due to a ton of work lately.

Daniel Bard threw a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Once upon a time Ervin Santana (0-3) was compared to a young Pedro Martinez. Haha, must have been one of his relatives or baby mamas that came up with that ludicrous comparison. He's a good MLB pitcher but nothing close to special, ever. He went seven innings last night, allowing nine hits, five earned runs, one walk and nine strikeouts.

Boston got on the board in the second inning as Carl Crawford's (2 hits) infield single scored Jed Lowrie (2 hits).

Adrian Gonzalez had an RBI single in the third which drove in Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases), who looked good in the leadoff spot.

Kevin Youkilis returned after missing most of the last two games (he fouled a ball off his shin) and hit a two-run opposite field bomb for a 4-0 lead in the fifth.

Jason Varitek notched an RBI double in the sixth which scored Crawford for the final Red Sox run.

John Lackey gets the start tonight against his former team as Boston goes for the sweep against Matt Palmer and the Angels.

Dice-K on Marathon Monday, the reverse lock of all-time comes through

When we last saw Daisuke Matsuzaka, he was reduced to a lonely puddle on the mound at Fenway Park after get shellacked by the Tampa Bay Rays.

So of course, when his start was pushed back and he closed out Boston's long homestand with a Marathon Monday outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was outstanding.

Dice-K (1-1) allowed one hit in seven innings, walked one and struck out three in one of his most dominating and mystifying starts of his Jekyll and Hyde MLB career.

As I said last season, I'm done expecting anything of Dice-K or trying to predict what he'll do since he's the ultimate trick or treat pitcher.

Yesterday's 9-1 Red Sox (5-10) win on Patriot's Day, allowed them to win three of four from the Blue Jays (7-9), and hit the road (9-game, 10 day trip) on a good note.

For whatever reason, Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero (1-2) is a very good pitcher against everyone but Boston. Like always, the young lefty struggled. He gave up eight hits, five earned runs, five walks and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.

The Red Sox pounded out a season-high 13 hits led by Jed Lowrie (4 hits, 4 RBIs, 2 runs), Kevin Youkilis (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) and Jacoby Ellsbury, who all hit home runs.

The red hot Lowrie continued to crush the ball, get started early with a two-run single in the first that scored J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia for a 2-0 lead.

David Ortiz's RBI single in the third made it 3-0 and scored Youk.

Lowrie hit a two-run homer in the fifth (scoring Ortiz) over the Monster.

Earlier Youk had a double off the top of the bullpen wall in right so it was only fair that he hit a two-run homer in the sixth (that scored Adrian Gonzalez). Carl Crawford broke his horrendous slump with an RBI double that scored Lowrie and made it 8-0 later in the sixth.

Ellsbury's solo shot in the seventh opened it up to 9-0.

Yunel Escobar broke the shutout with a garbage time solo home run off Tim Wakefield in the ninth.

Boston has two games in Oakland, four in Anaheim and then three in Baltimore. It's a long trip but against three teams that they should beat.

John Lackey gets the ball tonight against A's young stud Brett Anderson. Lackey last pitched on Opening Day at Fenway so hopefully seeing an old AL West foe will allow him to be half decent. It's asking a lot, I know.

Go home Dice-K, we don't need you

Just when you think the Boston Red Sox have built some momentum after taking two of three from the New York Yankees over the weekend, Daisuke Matsuzaka submits the worst outing of his MLB career.

Matsuzaka allowed seven runs in the first two innings and was yanked without recording an out in the third as the Tampa Bay Rays (2-8) rolled to a joke of a 16-5 win last night at Fenway Park.

I honestly don't know what the Red Sox (2-8) can do right now with Matsuzaka (2 innings, 8 hits, 7 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 2 homers allowed). Tim Wakefield is the most obvious replacement and he actually was the first guy summoned from the bullpen last night to clean up Dice-K's mess.

Wakefield (3.1 innings, 7 hits, 5 earned runs) isn't the answer either, the guy is 45 and even though he's so likable, he's painfully washed up.

Tampa Bay had 20 hits and almost scored as many runs as they had in the first nine games (20).

Philips Exeter alum and New Hampshire native Sam Fuld led the Rays with four hits, three RBIs and three runs. He had a two-run homer off Matsuzaka. Johnny Damon had a solo homer in his first at bat against Dice-K and finished with three hits, three RBIs and two runs. Ben Zobrist (3 hits, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), B.J. Upton (3 hits, 3 runs), Reid Brignac (2 hits, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) and John Jaso (2 hits, 3 RBIs) all feasted on poor Boston pitching.

Jeremy Hellickson (5.1 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 5 walks, 1 strikeout) didn't have to do much for his first win of the season (1-1).

Carl Crawford had two hits, David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez had triples (really) and Jacoby Ellsbury had a solo homer for Boston after the game was long over.

Jon Lester takes on David Price tonight in a game that should be much more competitive and interesting.

Will the Boston Red Sox ever win in 2011?

At this point, the Boston Red Sox in 2011 are the car crash of Major League Baseball. You can't help yourself but look at the carnage as this superstar-laden team is still winless going into the second week of the regular season.

If all goes right, in the dog days of summer, we'll all sit back over our Fenway Franks and Sam Adams beers and laugh about this nightmare start. However, at the moment, there's nothing funny about a team that's now 0-5 (only three winless teams left in MLB-Tampa Bay and Houston) after an 8-4 loss last night at Progressive Field.

Like Josh Beckett the night before him, Red Sox fans were forced to abandon all rational thought (not a tough concept for us) and pretend that Daisuke Matsuzaka would spin a gem against a bad Cleveland (3-2) team.

Instead, Dice-K was exactly as maddening as you remember. He lasted only five innings (like Beckett) and departed after giving up six hits, three earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts. Congratulations to him since he only needed 96 pitches and about four hours to get that far.

Indians starter Mitch Talbot wasn't any better (4.1 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts) since he left after 102 pitches.

It turned into a battle of bullpen's and Boston's JV trio of Dennys Reyes (3 earned runs), Dan Wheeler (earned run) and Tim Wakefield (earned run) predictably couldn't get the job done.

Another loss overshadowed nice games from Carl Crawford (2 hits, 2 steals) and Adrian Gonzalez (double, two-run homer).

Shin-Soo Choo gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run bomb.

Boston tied it up with a pair of runs in the second: Marco Scutaro's chopper scored David Ortiz and Jacoby's Ellsbury groundout drove in J.D. Drew.

Asdrubal Cabrera put the Indians back on top with an RBI single in the second.

Michael Brantley's fielder's choice in the sixth scored Travis Buck but it was all Jason Varitek's fault as he made a Little League type brain cramp. Kevin Youkilis got the force at third base and tossed it to Varitek covering home. He forgot he had to tag Buck so he just harmlessly stepped on the plate.

That run looked big at the time but it didn't matter as Wheeler allowed a three-run homer to Cabrera in the next at bat.

Gonzalez cut it to 7-4 with his first homer for Boston. A two-run shot to right that scored Crawford. Should be the first of 35+ this season for Adrian.

Matt LaPorta tacked on an insurance run with a solo homer off Wakefield in the eighth.

The Red Sox are off to their worst start in 15 years. They'll look to avoid a disastrous 0-6 start this afternoon as Jon Lester gets the ball for his second start of the season. Fausto Carmona opposes him and ironically both got shelled on Opening Day.

Needless to say, Boston needs a win to salvage some pride. Otherwise, Opening Day tomorrow afternoon at Fenway against the New York Yankees could be rough.

The Texas Rangers are a legitimate World Series contender, fact

When you watch the AL East (baseball's best division) day in and day out, it's easy to overlook other AL divisions and especially the National League.

However, seeing quality teams like the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox allows you to know talent when you see it and this season, the Texas Rangers appear to have the right combination of pitching, great lineup and a closer to go deep into October.

The Rangers (67-49) took two out of three from the Sox (67-52) over the weekend, sealing it with yesterday afternoon's 7-3 win.

The temperature hovered around 100 degrees for each game and it was an easy metaphor to say that Boston's playoffs hopes continue to wilt as the summer quickly vanishes.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (8-4; 6.2 innings, 4 earned runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts), who has quietly become Boston's third best starting pitcher, deserved a better fate on this scorcher of a day.

Dice-K left down 2-0 (sacrifice fly in the second and bunt single in the seventh) with two outs in the seventh but Manny Delcarmen allowed a three-run homer to Michael Young (2 hits) on his first pitch of his outing.

Down 5-0, the Red Sox decided to make it somewhat interesting. Marco Scutaro had an RBI double and Darnell McDonald hit a two-run homer which cut it to 5-3.

It wasn't enough though as Texas added two more in the eighth to close it out.

C.J. Wilson (11-5) beat Boston for the third time this season. He went 7.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.

The big 10-game road trip fittingly ended 5-5 for the Red Sox. They're six games behind New York in the AL East and five games behind the Rays for the wild card. Neither of those teams are playing particularly well at the moment either but Boston has been unable to gain any ground.

Dustin Pedroia is returning to the lineup tomorrow (out since June 25) as the Sox kick off a nine-game homestand vs. a favorable trio of teams (Angels, Blue Jays, Mariners). Boston will not go anywhere unless they catch fire in the next week or so, time is running out.

I'm starting to love this team

They've been counted out for basically the whole season, the ratings are way down as the Pink Hats have jumped aboard the latest trend and the injuries have mounted at a ridiculous pace but through it all, the 2010 Boston Red Sox have survived. Kind of like Arnold in the Terminator 2.

The Sox (65-49) won 7-5 last night at the Rogers Centre over the previously hot Blue Jays (59-53).

Neither Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.2 innings, 4 earned runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts) nor Ricky Romero (6 innings, 5 earned runs, 8 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts) were on their game so this one was decided by the bullpens.

Felix Doubront (2-2) gave up a solo homer to Jose Bautista, his 35th (major league leader) in the seventh but he survived to get four outs and serve as the bridge to Manny Delcarmen (eighth) and Jonathan Papelbon, who pitched a scoreless ninth for his 29th save.

Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning which qualifies as an explosion for them these days. Adrian Beltre had an RBI double, Jed Lowrie (2 hits, 2 RBIs) had a ground-rule RBI double and Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits) kept the line moving with a run-scoring single.

Toronto leads MLB in homers so it was no surprise when Adam Lind (2 hits) crushed a solo shot in the bottom of the second.

Mike Lowell put the Red Sox up 4-1 in the third with a sacrifice fly but Travis Snider tied it up in the bottom of the third with a three-run bomb.

J.D. Drew hit a solo homer in the fifth but Bautista tied it in the seventh.

Lowell and Lowrie teamed up for the winning runs in the eighth. Lowell hit a solo homer and Lowrie had another RBI double.

Clay Buchholz faces Shawn Marcum tonight.

The Rays rolled last night but the Yankees lost so Boston is five games behind New York and 4.5 behind Tampa Bay.

Beltre and Dice-K help Red Sox split with Indians

The bad news seems to come daily for the Boston Red Sox and yesterday was no different as Kevin Youkilis will miss the rest of the season with his random thumb injury.

Every time you want to bury this team you can't though as they emerge from their shallow grave with a nice win. Last night, the Sox (62-47) earned a split with the Indians (46-63) thanks to a 6-2 win at Fenway Park.

There were basically two reasons why Boston won this game: Daisuke Matsuzaka and Adrian Beltre. Dice-K (8-3) had probably his second best start of the season (behind the near no-hitter at the Phillies) as he went eight impressive innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

For much of the game, Cleveland rookie Josh Tomlin matched Dice-K, starting out the first three innings with a perfect game. However, with one swing, Beltre gave Boston all the runs they would need as he crushed a fourth inning grand slam over the Monster.

Shin-Soo Choo had given the Indians an early 1-0 lead in the first with a solo homer to center.

J.D. Drew added two important insurance runs in the eighth with a clutch two-run single.

Even a 6-1 lead at home isn't safe for Hideki Okajima (2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk). Luis Valbuena hit an RBI single in the ninth and when two runners were on base, Terry Francona had to go to Jonathan Papelbon since they needed this game bad.

Papelbon made it interesting as usual, walking the bases loaded (putting the tying run at the plate in the form of nobody Trevor Crowe) but striking out two batters to end it. It was his 26th save of the season.

For the first time since before Memorial Day (it's an absolute joke that it's been that long), the Red Sox will play the Yankees. The two teams have four in the Bronx this weekend, starting tonight and ending Monday afternoon.

Clay Buchholz faces Javier Vazquez tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Bombers come in six games ahead of Boston and half a game ahead of Tampa Bay (the wild card leaders). Needless to say, the Red Sox have to win at least a couple games in the series to stay alive. They simply can't afford to be swept.

Okajima lets his stinkbomb speak for itself

Just when it appeared the Red Sox were gaining a sliver of momentum, winning the first two games in Seattle, it all came crashing down as they couldn't pull out a win in Lester's gem on Saturday night and yesterday afternoon the bullpen imploded for the millionth time this season.

Seattle (39-60) won 4-2, to earn a split in a series that Boston (55-44) simply had to have. Now, the Sox are eight games behind New York (goodnight) and five behind Tampa Bay for the wild card (keep dreaming). Ugh.

Yesterday's goat was Hideki Okajima (3-3), who had another terrible outing in a terrible season for him that's been chock full of them.

Dice-K had given his team the standard six inning outing: four hits, one run (earned), five walks, four strikeouts. Typical with Matsuzaka, he pitched out of trouble well (including a bases loaded, one out jam) but his high pitch count (110) cost his team since someone other than Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon had to enter the game.

Okajima entered with no outs and a runner on first in the eighth and promptly gave up five hits for two runs (both earned). You have to believe me that none of the balls were hard hit, two were bunt hits, but that doesn't matter at all. He compounded things by screwing up one of the bunts, he fielded Casey Kotchman's (3 hits) bunt, turned to third, hesitated then threw to first. Everybody was safe.

Jose Lopez (2 hits) gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI single.

Kevin Youkilis (2 hits) tied it up for Boston with an RBI double in the fourth and ex-Mariner Adrian Beltre put the Red Sox ahead with an RBI single.

In the fateful eighth, Michael Saunders drove in two with a bloop single and Kotchman scored on Milton Bradley's bunt.

David Aardsma, another ex-Red Sox player, got a 1-2-3 ninth for his 18th save.

After a 3-4 stretch in Oakland and Seattle, the Sox wrap up their west coast trip with three in Anaheim against the Angels. Clay Buchholz takes on Joel Pineiro, former Sox bum.

Teach me how to dougie Dice-K

What do I always say about Dice-K? He is the single most unpredictable player in MLB and probably professional sports. Therefore after I bashed him and Ben Sheets going into last night's series opener in Oakland, they responded by turning in a classic pitcher's duel.

It figures that one of the most exciting games of the season was a 10:05 p.m. EST start so who knows how much of Red Sox nation actually saw it, especially considering how low their television ratings are this season.

The Red Sox (53-40) started off the pivotal 10-game West Coast trip with a 2-1 win at the Oakland Coliseum. Dice-K (7-3) went 6.2 innings and allowed one earned run on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Most surprisingly, Dice-K worked quickly and efficiently and was only on 89 pitches when he got yanked in the seventh.

Ben Sheets (4-9) nearly matched him going 6.2 innings and giving up two earned runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Daniel Bard went 1.1 scoreless innings and Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth for his 21st save of the season. Dice-K's fine work allowed Terry Francona to skip over all the bum relievers that have been omnipresent this season.

Rajai Davis gave Oakland (46-47) a 1-0 lead in the third with a solo home run.

David Ortiz tied it up in the fourth when his sacrifice fly knocked in former A's outfielder Eric Patterson, who had tripled. Adrian Beltre (3 hits) produced the winning run with a solo shot two batters later.

In his last start before Josh Beckett returns to the rotation, Tim Wakefield goes tonight against Dallas Braden, he of the perfect game on May 9. Braden has been on the DL and also has struggled since then, he hasn't won a game since then.