When You Think About It, Jacoby Ellsbury & the Yankees are a Perfect Match

I'm not to spend much time on it because the fact is that we all knew that Jacoby Ellsbury was gone as soon as last season ended with his second World Series title. However, the reason that he is worth one last blog post is because he decided to sign a seven-year deal worth $153 million (with an option for an 8th year that pushes it to $169 million) with the Yankees.

That's right, the quiet guy that shied away from most attention in medium-market Boston will now go to a far tougher place with the additional pressure of the third richest contract in MLB history ever given to an outfielder hanging over him. Since he's from Oregon and went to Oregon State, I figured he would go to the Mariners or another team on the West Coast. In many ways, this totally fits the Yankees' recent losing philosophy: overspend on the sexy free agent (C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez come to mind) both in terms of money and years then be stuck with him in the latter stages of a bloated contract.

Ellsbury was drafted by Boston in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2005 draft. He sped through the minor leagues and was already in MLB by the time the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007. He was a big part of that postseason and when healthy (huge question mark), there is no doubt that he is a game-changer. Besides pink hats, most Red Sox fans will understand why Boston didn't want to invest so much into a player that is simply not dependable. Due to various injuries, he only played 18 games in 2010 and 74 in 2012. Even this past season, which was a good one (92 runs, 172 hits, 31 doubles, 8 triples, 9 homers, 53 RBIs, 52 stolen bases, .297 average, .355 OBP and .426 SLG) for him, he played in 134 regular season games in a free agency year.

Who knows if Jackie Bradley Jr. can come anywhere close to replace Ellsbury's Gold Glove defense in center field or consistent leadoff at bats? Maybe Boston shifts Shane Victorino to center field in 2014 to give Bradley Jr. another season to improve. Lazy sports writers and fans will compare this move to Johnny Damon signing with the Yankees. The problem is that Damon was much more of a leader when he was on the Red Sox. As talented as he is, Ellsbury always felt like a robot. We wish him well in New York (seriously) but it's time for all of us to move on.

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Getting worse by the day

You can't win a pennant in April but you can lose one if you dig yourselves too deep of a hole.

The Boston Red Sox in 2011 are currently a case study to see how poorly they can start and still compete for the AL East title.

For the second time in a row, Jon Lester (0-1) pitched well enough to win but didn't since his teammates couldn't score him enough runs in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park last night.

Lester went seven innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Tampa Bay (3-8) ace David Price (1-2) was just a notch better going 7.1 innings and giving up five hits and two earned runs with two walks and three strikeouts.

Boston (2-9) has the worst record in MLB and they're living up to that billing by finding a million different ways to lose every game.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless eighth and Bobby Jenks threw a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout but the Red Sox couldn't get to Joel Paralta (1 out) or Kyle Farnsworth, who struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the season.

Terry Francona loaded his lineup with righthanded bats to face Price and it paid off when Darnell McDonald hit a solo homer in the third for a 1-0 Boston lead.

Granite State folk hero Sam Fuld tied it up in the fifth with a ground out and Johnny Damon (2 hits) had the game-winning hit, a two-run double following Fuld in the fifth.

Jed Lowrie (2 hits) cut it to 3-2 with an RBI double in the sixth but that's all Boston could muster.

The series finale is scheduled for tonight with John Lackey facing James Shields but I doubt it happens since it's been pouring all day.

Don't know which is better for the Red Sox right now: to sit around for a day and here how bad they are or try to get a game in with Lackey pitching. Either way, not good options.

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.

The definition of a .500 team

It's bad enough that the 2010 Boston Red Sox are no good (currently in fourth place in the AL East, baseball's best division), but they are supremely boring with no true superstars in either ability or personality.

After losing in 12 innings on Saturday night on a bases loaded walk, the Tigers (22-16) won their second straight over Boston (19-19), 6-1 yesterday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Not to get all curly-headed boyfriend on you but this next 10 games (13 if you counted Detroit) should tell us all we need to know about the Red Sox this season. They're all against good, playoff caliber opposition (Yankees, Twins, Phillies, Rays) and eight of the remaining 10 games are on the road. Oh and they don't have an off-day until Memorial Day. So yeah, this could get real ugly, real soon.

Armando Galarraga (1-0) had just been called up from Triple A before yesterday's game but he pitched well enough to get the win. He went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

John Lackey (4-2) didn't have it for the Sox. He pitched seven innings, but that was because the depleted bullpen needed a break after the late-night work the day before. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

Detroit scored twice in the second on an infield single by Danny Worth (making his MLB debut) and a bases loaded walk by Johnny Damon (2 hits, 2 walks, run, RBI), who will still be effective for another ten years.

Boston's only run was courtesy of Jeremy Hermida's RBI double in the third which scored Jonathan Van Every. Sadly, that was not a misprint and this is May, not a Grapefruit League game in March in front of a bunch of blue-hairs.

The Tigers got another run in the third and two more in the fourth on Ramon Santiago's two-run homer.

The Sox have two games in the Bronx beginning tonight with Dice-K vs. Phil Hughes. Both have pitched well lately but I'm not feeling good about Dice's chances in that launching pad.

Time to pull the plug on old man Smoltz

A wise man once said, "you can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit." Don't the Red Sox know that right now as John Smoltz at this point in his hallowed, Hall of Fame career is basically chicken shit every fifth day.

In game one of a pivotal four game set in the new Yankee Stadium, Smoltz got rocked and the Yankees (66-42) rolled 13-6.

Staked to a 3-1 lead, Smoltz couldn't hold it as he and PawSox call-up Billy Traber (who I had never heard of before yesterday) gave up an eight-spot to the Bombers.

Smoltz's final line: 3.1 innings, eight earned runs, nine hits, four walks, three strikeouts. The question now: will that be his last start for the Red Sox (and his career)? Maybe he could be used for an inning or two out of the bullpen but at the moment, the Sox (62-45) desperately need starting pitching, like Kate Hudson (A-Rod's main squeeze) needs a boob job.

With the loss, Boston fell 3.5 games behind New York while also ensuring that even if they win the remaining three games this weekend, they'll still occupy second place.

The ironic thing was that last night Joba Chamberlain (8-2) was not on his game but he looked like Tim Lincecum next to Smoltz's batting practice stuff. Joba lasted only five innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits with a career-high seven walks and five strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia (3 hits, 2 RBIs, walk) hit a solo shot to right in the third as the Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead.

Johnny Damon (3 hits, 3 runs) answered with a solo shot to the same cheap spot in right, to tie it in the bottom of the third.

Casey Kotchman made the most of his first start for Boston as he cranked a two-run bomb to the exact same place in the fourth, giving Boston a 3-1 lead.

In the huge fourth, Melky Cabrera (2 hits) and Jorge Posada (3 hits, 2 runs) both crushed three-run homers.

Mike Lowell (2 hits) made it 9-4 with an RBI single in the fifth but New York added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh including another bomb, a solo job by Mark Teixeira (3 hits, 2 runs) in the seventh.

The Red Sox scored two in the ninth for yucks.

Clearly, Josh Beckett needs to play his usual role of stopper tonight as he opposes former Marlins teammate A.J. Burnett. The Red Sox' season is spinning out of control and it needs something positive.

The Yankees can't buy a win against the Red Sox

It's a special time to be a Red Sox fan. With last night's exciting 6-5 win over the Yankees in the books, Boston improved to 7-0 against New York this season. After each win, all you can wonder is how much longer will this dominance last?

Red Sox (35-24) starter Tim Wakefield is 8-3 after six innings of work. He gave up three runs on eight hits, with three walks and two strikeouts.

For the second straight night, the Yankees (34-25) starter couldn't get out of the third inning. Chien-Ming Wang (0-4) is completely useless these days. He allowed four runs on six hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

Jason Bay got the Sox on the board first with an RBI single in the first inning.

Jorge Posada (2 hits) tied it in the second with a solo homer.

Boston jumped ahead 3-1 in the home half of the second after George Kottaras' (2 hits) RBI double and Dustin Pedroia's RBI ground-rule double that was misplayed by Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher.

Mike Lowell hit a solo shot just over the Monster in the third.

Melly Cabrera cut it to 4-2 with an RBI single in the fourth before Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run shot.

New York chipped away at the lead as Robinson Cano brought home a run in the fifth with a ground out while Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira (4 hits) hit back-to-back solo homers in the seventh off Sox reliever Ramon Ramirez.

No worries though as Hideki Okajima got a hold, with four important outs (including three strikeouts) and Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 15th save.

Boston looks for the sweep tonight as Brad Penny (who will likely be dealt soon with John Smoltz and Clay Buchholz knocking at the door) takes on C.C. Sabathia.

Red Sox win fifth straight over hapless Yankees

The Sox continue to play good baseball while the Yankees and their new train-wreck of a stadium continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Boston (17-10) swept the mini two-game series with a 7-3 win last night in the Bronx.

Josh Beckett (3-2) got the win after two consecutive lackluster starts. He wasn't great last night but he did enough to earn the W: six innings, three runs on ten hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

Joba Chamberlain (1-1) had a strange start for New York (13-13) as he went 5.2 innings, gave up four runs on six hits, walked two and struck out 12.

I'm no G.M. but with the Yankees current disaster of a bullpen, wouldn't Joba be best utilized as the setup guy for Mariano Rivera? Just a thought. I never understand why teams think a No. 3 or 4 starter is more important than a key bullpen guy. You use bullpen guys far more.

Boston got all the runs it needed in the first as David Ortiz knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI single. Up next, Jason Bay hit a three-run homer to left which plated Dustin Pedroia (3 hits, 2 runs) and Ortiz.

Johnny Damon cut it to 4-3 Sox with a three-run shot of his own in the third.

However, the Sox got two in the eighth on a Jason Varitek sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Nick Green (can somebody kidnap Julio Lugo?).

The final run was scored in the ninth when Jeff Bailey walked with the bases loaded.

Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth for Boston while Takashi Saito recorded a 1-2-3 ninth including a strikeout.

After a three city roadtrip, Boston comes home to face the Indians in a two-game series beginning tonight.

I'm sure the calming influence of A-Rod will turn the Yankees season around

Remember when the New York Yankees were relevant? No really. They missed the playoffs last season, built a joke of a new stadium and continue to fade from prominence, all the while clinging onto their past glory.

After a lengthy rain delay last night, the Boston Red Sox (16-10) won their first game at the new Yankee Stadium, 6-4.

Jon Lester (2-2) got the win after seven solid innings: three runs on six hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts.

Mike Lowell (2 hits, 2 RBIs, walk) hit a solo homer and Jason Bay (3 hits) blasted a two-run bomb. Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits, a run, walk and steal, David Ortiz was on base four times with two doubles and two walks while J.D. Drew reached base three times on a hit and two walks.

Mark Teixeira busted out of his season-long slump for New York (13-12) with two solo homers and Johnny Damon added a two-run homer.

Jonathan Papelbon got five outs (including three strikeouts) for his seventh save of the season.

Weather-permitting, the second and final game of the series is tonight with Joba Chamberlain vs. Josh Beckett.

A-Rod, still choking in the clutch like noneother

For only one game, last night provided immense pleasure for a Red Sox fan. The Sox beat the Yankees, 7-3, in game one of the last Sox-Yankees series at Yankee Stadium.

Secondly, A-Rod shat the bed in epic proportions. He was 0-for-5, grounded into two double plays (one with the bases loaded), made an error and struck out twice (once to end the game). At least he has that hag Madonna to console him as the Yankees' (70-61) season continues to fall apart.

Fresh off the DL, Tim Wakefield (8-8) pitched five innings to get the win. Wake gave up three runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Andy Pettitte, who had such a great start to the season, can't seem to get untracked lately. Boston (76-55) made the lefty throw 101 pitches in 4.2 innings. Pettitte allowed six runs (all earned) on 10 hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

In total, the Sox banged out 14 hits and worked seven walks from the Yankees subpar bunch of relievers. Coco Crisp led the way with three hits, a run, an RBI and a steal. David Ortiz had two doubles, two walks and a run. Jason Bay and Jeff Bailey each added two hits and two RBIs while Kevin Cash added two hits.

Johnny Damon was the lone brightspot for the Yanks. He hit a solo homer in the first and another solo shot in the fifth.

Jacoby Ellsbury tied it at 1 in the second with an RBI single. Jose Molina gave New York its last lead in the second with an RBI single.

Boston scored twice in the third on Kevin Youkilis's RBI double and a Bay RBI single. The Sox opened it up with three more in the fifth. Coco knocked in Bay with a single and Jeff Bailey brought home two with an infield single that Jason Giambi forgot to throw home (he was too busy growing his moustache, damn it).

Jason Bay's sacrifice fly in the sixth was the last run for the good guys.

Hideki Okajima got the first two outs in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon came on to recorded his 34th save after retiring four Yankees hitters.

Paul Byrd goes for the Sox tonight against Sidney Ponson, something you probably didn't expect to say at the beginning of the season.