"Who Needs an Ace When You Can Get a Bunch of No. 3s & 4s?"- Red Sox So Far This Offseason

I refuse to be the reactionary type that calls into sports talk radio or bitches on Twitter and Facebook in the immediate aftermath of the Red Sox making a curious move in December. Nope, the Winter Meetings just concluded in San Diego and Boston has not one, not two but three new starting pitchers in its rotation (at least for the moment). Still, especially with the whirlwind of activity the last few days with the Red Sox, I want to hold off from completely bashing them since this can't be it, right?

It started earlier this week when Jon Lester finally made up his mind and chose the Cubs over the Red Sox (has anyone else ever done that in baseball history?). That set off dominoes all over MLB and locally, Boston traded pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Alan Webster to Arizona for Wade Miley. Then they dealt outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, reliever Alex Wilson and prospect (RHP) Gabe Speier to Detroit. Finally, they signed former Red Sox great Justin Masterson to a one-year deal worth $9.5 million with incentives built in that could add up to $2.5 million.

At best, these seem like reasonable moves. Webster stinks and De La Rossa has outstanding stuff but apparently Boston wasn't too enamored with him. Miley was not good in 2014 (8-12, 4.34 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 183 Ks, 75 BBs). Still, he was on a terrible team and he's a 28-year-old lefty that should be entering the prime of his career. Most importantly for the Red Sox, he should deliver innings. He went over 200 IP the last two seasons and nearly three in a row (194.2) in 2012.

Porcello undoubtedly has the most potential of this group. He's still only 25 (he turns 26 on December 27) but the former first-round pick already has six years of big league experience under his belt. He quietly improved with the Tigers (his only MLB home before now) but last season could be fairly termed his breakthrough campaign: 15-13, 3.43 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 3 shutouts, 129 Ks/41 BBs in 204.2 IP. The thing you wonder about with him is how he does with more pressure since he's been able to hide in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer's (among others) shadows all those years.

Masterson is a Patriots-esque move: bringing back a guy that had moderate success with them then blossomed somewhere else but later lost it amidst injuries and general struggles (hey LeGarrette Blount). It's safe to say that last season was a disaster for Masterson as he was traded from the Indians to the Cardinals but never could find it, eventually excluded from St. Louis' postseason roster (keep in mind that he was an All-Star in 2013 with Cleveland). He came up with the Red Sox in 2008 and was part of the Victor Martinez trade with Cleveland the following year so he knows manager John Farrell and should have a good feel for what it's like to be a Red Sox.

I am disappointed that the Red Sox seemingly gave up Cespedes for less than I thought he was worth but apparently there wasn't a great market for him or something. Still, I realize that to get anything of value in a trade, you are going to have to give up a good player and not the last guy on your bench or some Single-A scrub that nobody knows. It would have been fun to see him get a full season in Boston in a real lineup with Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez after he was solid in his short stint here last season but what can you do?

Despite all this, the fundamental truth remains the same: Boston has no ace (you could also argue no No. 2 either) since who can trust Clay Buchholz or Joe Kelly to do that? The scary part is that the Red Sox always try to act like they are smarter than every other team yet here they are once again completely changing their focus. Their philosophy goes from one extreme to another each season: pay out their ears for overrated free agents, save money and sign veteran guys and most recently I guess they watched the ALCS this fall between the Orioles and Royals and thought "hey, aces are overrated." Wrong, the Giants captured their third World Series in five years thanks to Madison Bumgarner's singular brilliance. You can win plenty of regular season games with smoke and mirrors but eventually in the playoffs, their true colors will show.

Scherzer is a free agent that could command upwards of $200 million while Phillies ace Cole Hamels is thought to be available via a trade since Philadelphia is still rebuilding. Unless they get one of those guys (clearly I'd prefer Scherzer) or somehow luck into another top of the rotation guy, it's hard to get too enthused about the Red Sox in 2015. This team has finished in last place two of the last three years so it'd be nice if they acted with a little more urgency here. Fenway Park has the most expensive tickets in MLB and Boston had the fourth highest payroll in the league. In other words, there is no excuse not to field a contender almost every year with no salary cap.

Tweet

Red Sox Win Third Straight Game Vs. Indians To Take The Series

Well it is a bit early to start printing Red Sox 2012 World Series Champions merchandise but the last three days have been a positive development for a team that hasn't done anything right since last September.

Boston (15-19, 7-11 home) won its third straight game over Cleveland (18-16, 10-6 away), concluding the four-game series this afternoon with a 12-1 blowout on Mother's Day at Fenway Park.

A pair of unlikely stars along with a budding star propelled the Red Sox as Jarrod Saltalamacchia (5 RBIs, 3 hits, run), Daniel Nava (3 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 hits) and Will Middlebrooks (3 runs, 2 hits, 2 RBIs) helped beat up former Boston pitcher Justin Masterson (1-3). After he allowed six earned runs in six innings, another former Red Sox-Dan Wheeler-was also tagged for six earned runs (in only one inning).

Daniel Bard (3-4) picked up the win after six routine innings. He allowed one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks.

Boston made sure it would be a comfortable Sunday as they scored four runs in the first inning. They added one in the third and sixth before icing it with six in the seventh.

Fittingly, it was Middlebrooks (RBI single), Nava (RBI double) and Saltalamacchia (two-run single) that got it done in the first.

The Indians scored their only run in the third on a bases loaded walk by Asdrubal Cabrera. Michael Brantley (3 hits, 2 doubles) was the only Indians hitter to have a good game in this forgettable contest for the AL Central leaders.

Middlebrooks (4th of the season) hit a solo homer to left in the third and Salty had an RBI single in the sixth. David Ortiz (2 runs) started the hit parade in the seventh with an RBI single, Nava had a two-run double and Salty (5th of the season) crushed a three-run bomb to center.

In a weird twist, Boston doesn't get an off day (this is the middle of the 20 games in 20 days stretch) and Seattle (16-20) comes to Fenway for two games. The good news is that the Red Sox avoid Felix Hernandez but Mr. 18 off days himself-Josh Beckett-starts on Tuesday. Jon Lester (1-3) faces Jason Vargas (4-2) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) and Beckett (2-4) opposes Blake Beavan (1-3) on Tuesday afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN). The only explanation I have for the strange 4:05 start is that it's a getaway day with the Red Sox leaving after the game for an eight-game road trip.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

In 2011 Justin Masterson Is Better Than Erik Bedard, Fact

If you took a time machine back to 2006 or 2007 and said that a low-level prospect named Justin Masterson would someday be better than Erik Bedard, you would not believe it.

Welcome to real life folks where the former Red Sox middle reliever (Masterson) is better than Bedard (Boston's newest acquisition). To be fair, it is the breakout season of Masterson's career (9-7, 2.63 ERA, 121 strikeouts, 1.17 WHIP) as he's transformed himself into a front-end starter in the average AL Central.

Conversely, Bedard (4-7, 3.55 ERA, 92 strikeouts, 1.18 WHIP) does not look like a guy that the Red Sox (68-42) should trust in a pennant race but here they are.

The Indians (55-54) earned a split at Fenway Park with a 7-3 win tonight that was all about Masterson's dominance of his former teammates coupled with Bedard's uneven debut.

Masterson went six innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts (including four in the third inning). Bedard was limited to 70 pitches in his second start back from the DL. He went five innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

To make matters worse, the Yankees swept the White Sox with a 7-2 win tonight as well meaning Boston and New York are tied atop the AL East heading into this weekend's series at Fenway.

Things started well for Boston as they got two runs in the first on an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez (14-game hit streak) and an RBI single by David Ortiz.

From there, Cleveland took over offensively as they almost tripled the Red Sox' hit total (14-5). Carlos Santana led the Tribe with three hits and three RBIs while Travis Hafner and Kosuke Fukudome had three hits and Asdrubal Cabrera scored three runs.

Jacoby Ellsbury capped a memorable series for him (two walkoff hits) with two hits, a run and a walk.

The Indians tied it with two runs in the second on Matt LaPorta's (2 hits) infield single and a groundout by Austin Kearns.

Santana's RBI single in the third put Cleveland up 3-2 before Josh Reddick pushed across Boston's last run in the fourth with a solo home run (his fifth of the season) into the Red Sox bullpen.

Santana hit a two-run bomb off Franklin Morales (0-2) in the sixth before Hafner and Fukudome added RBI doubles in the seventh and ninth respectively.

Andrew Miller made his first appearance for the Red Sox out of the bullpen and the change of scenery didn't seem to change anything in his uneven performances. He's becoming a left-handed Dice-K which is about the worst thing I could say about the guy. In 2 2/3 innings, he threw 71 pitches and gave up two earned runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. I'll cut him some slack since it was his first relief outing but he's going to have to step it up if he wants to keep his job.

With the Yankees in town, all the usual trappings are in place: Friday night game on NESN, Saturday afternoon game on Fox and Sunday night game on ESPN. It has been almost two months (June 9) since the teams last played but hopefully Boston can keep its death grip (8-1) on the season series.

The pitching matchups are Jon Lester vs. Bartolo Colon tomorrow night, John Lackey vs. CC Sabathia on Saturday and Josh Beckett vs. Freddy Garcia on Sunday. Slight edge to the Red Sox on Friday and Sunday although Colon and Garcia have been surprisingly very solid. Saturday is a layup for the Yanks since Sabathia is on fire (3 of his 5 losses this season have been to Boston). I'm excited, it's been too long since we last saw baseball's best rivalry.

Follow @RichSlate


Tweet

Cleveland rocks (or so I've been told)

Sooner or later in 2011, the Cleveland Indians will come back to Earth. Right? Maybe not for MLB's surprise top team.

For the fourth time this season in four games at Cleveland's Progressive Field, the Indians (30-15) beat the Red Sox (25-22). Last night, the Tribe rallied for a 3-2 win as Daniel Bard (1-4) once again failed to get the job done.

Bard deserves blame since he you know, threw the pitches. However, Red Sox manager Terry Francona should get some heat too since he had Bard face Asdrubal Cabrera (who was 5 for 5 on Sunday and had hit a solo homer earlier last night) with first base open and a struggling Shin-Soo Choo up next.

Cabrera hit an RBI double off Bard which scored Michael Brantley (who had tied it with an RBI single) with the winning run in the eighth.

Indians closer Chris Perez worked around two hits in the ninth to get his 13th save of the season. Carl Crawford ended the game by grounding into a double play.

Clay Buchholz started for Boston and yet again, he shut down the opposition enough to earn a win. He went 7.1 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and two walks with four strikeouts. He was pulled after 94 pitches since he threw an obscene 127 in his last start.

Former Red Sox pitcher Justin Masteron (who went to Cleveland in the Victor Martinez trade on July 31, 2009) continued to baffle his old team. He also got a no decision but he pitched well. He went 7.2 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs with two walks and three strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI single that scored Crawford.

Cabrera tied it up with his 10th homer of the season in the fourth inning.

Crawford answered with just his second homer of the season-solo of course-in the fifth.

Tonight figures to be another pitcher's duel as Josh Beckett opposes Fausto Carmona.

Red Sox lose to the Indians, again

If he pitched against only the Boston Red Sox, former Sox pitcher Justin Masterson would have a hell of a career.

Following his shutout against Boston in June, he came to Fenway Park last night and beat the Red Sox again, 9-1 in one of the worst losses in a season that's teetering on the brink of being completely over.

With the win, Cleveland (46-62) has already earned at worst a split of the four-game series as Boston (61-47) fell 6.5 games behind the Yankees and Rays for the AL East/wild card.

Masterson (4-10) only lasted five innings: four hits, one earned run, four walks, three strikeouts but that was a much better effort than Jon Lester (11-7), who lost his fourth start in a row. Lester has been the brunt of plain bad luck (the Sox have scored three runs when he's been in the last three games) but last night he went five innings, allowing seven hits, four runs (two earned) with two walks and four strikeouts.

It was an ugly game as Boston committed three fatal errors, beginning when Lester botched a throw to third on a bunt in the third inning. That allowed the Indians to score a run for a 1-0 lead and they added two in the fifth on Asdrubal Cabrera's sacrifice fly and Shelley Duncan's RBI double.

After Jayson Nix's solo homer in the sixth off Fisk's foul pole, Lester was pulled.

David Ortiz hit his 23rd homer of the season in the sixth, solo of course, but that was the only highlight for the home team as Cleveland pushed across five more runs in the seventh thanks to two errors by Marco Scutaro and Victor Martinez. Andy Marte capped it with a three-run homer.

Jacoby Ellsbury returned and batted leadoff while playing center field. Unfortunately, his performance (0 for 5) was completely forgettable.

Daisuke Matsuzaka takes on rookie Josh Tomlin tonight as the Red Sox try to salvage a split before they head to the Bronx for a pivotal four-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Old friend completely shuts down Sox

If the Sox are going to lose, and in such one-sided fashion, it might as well be to a former teammate.

Justin Masterson was the main part of the trade to get Victor Martinez last summer and nobody can second-guess that lopsided deal. Still, Masterson was a likable young guy that was just started to find his way in the major leagues (see: 2007 playoffs).

Going to the wasteland that is the Cleveland Indians, he has not surprisingly fallen by the wayside and seen his career go off the tracks.

For one night, all that was forgotten as he pitched the best game of his career: a two-hit shutout, his first in MLB.

Cleveland (22-36) won 11-0 last night at Progressive Field as Masterson outdueled Clay Buchholz and the Indians tacked on eight runs in the eighth off Boof Bonser and Joe Nelson who would never be confused with Ramiro Mendoz and Mariano Rivera in their prime.

Buchholz (8-4) pitched decently: seven innings, three earned runs, three hits, four walks, one strikeout.

Boston (35-26) didn't have an answer for Masterson (2-5): two walks and six strikeouts.

The Indians got the three off Buchholz with a sacrifice fly by Jhonny Peralta in the first, a run that scored on a double play ball in the third and Peralta scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.

The shit truly hit the fan in the eighth as Bonser (4 earned runs, 2 hits, 2 walks) was miserable in his return to the big leagues. Nelson wasn't any better (1 inning, 4 earned runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, 1 strikeout) and he gave up a grand slam to Travis Hafner.

Order should be restored to the universe tonight as Jon Lester opposes Mitch Talbot, another talented lefty.

Victory

As predicted by yours truly, the Red Sox made the biggest move of the trade deadline as they acquired Victor Martinez from the Indians for Justin Masterson and two minor league pitchers (not named Michael Bowden).

In a lower profile move, they also swapped Adam LaRoche for Casey Kotchman of the Braves. Roy Halladay stayed in Toronto and neither the Yankees nor Rays made a significant move.

Getting Martinez is a huge pickup for Boston. He's a switch-hitting catcher/first baseman/DH in the prime of his career and they have him at least through next season. Having Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, Martinez and Kotchman makes Terry Francona's life a little harder in terms of juggling the lineup but with a veteran club, it shouldn't create too many issues.

The fact that Theo Epstein got Martinez without giving up Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Bowden, etc. is the most surprising part of the whole deal. Masterson was a versatile, nice kid that should have a good career but this move was a no-brainer.

As for Kotchman, he's a slight upgrade defensively over LaRoche and a little better hitter. He's not going to play much but he'll be useful as a late-inning replacement and pinch hitter.

It was hard to top that excitement but the Sox had one of their more thrilling games of the season last night as they held off Baltimore 6-5 at Camden Yards.

John Smoltz (2-4) picked up the win but he was more lucky than good. He lasted six innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and no walks. He entered the sixth with a 4-3 lead but promptly gave it back as Aubrey Huff (2 hits) took him deep for a two-run shot.

Kevin Youkilis (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) bailed out Smoltz and the Red Sox (60-42) with a two-run bomb of his own in the seventh.

Ramon Ramirez pitched a scoreless seventh, Hideki Okajima walked two but didn't give up a run in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth (with two strikeouts) for his 27th save.

Nick Green gave Boston a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the second. David Ortiz (2 hits) made it 3-0 Red Sox with a two-run shot in the third.

Brian Roberts got the Orioles (44-58) back in it with an RBI single in the third and rookie Nolan Reimold tied it up later in the inning with a two-run homer.

Jacoby Ellsbury had a huge night as he went 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs and a stolen base. He also robbed Luke Scott of a homer in the sixth with a leaping grab.

Our teams do not lose

Just like on Sunday, three of our teams played and all three won. It is ridiculous.

The Boston Red Sox (21-12) looked pretty lifeless last night, down 3-1 going into the eighth at Angel Stadium.

No problem, they tied it up in the inning then pushed across one more run in the ninth for a 4-3 win vs. the Angels (16-15).

Jered Weaver was great for Anaheim. He went seven innings, giving up one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Justin Masterson kept the Sox in the game with six solid innings. He allowed two runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Kendry Morales gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the first with a sacrifice fly.

J.D. Drew (2 hits, 2 runs) answered with a solo home run in the second.

Playing Angels baseball, Maicer Izturis hit a RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth and Torii Hunter added an RBI single in the seventh to make it 3-1.

In the eighth, David Ortiz was hit by Darren Oliver (yes he's still alive) with the bases loaded. Jason Bay grounded with the bases loaded but it worked as Jacoby Ellsbury scored.

In the ninth, Jason Varitek (2 hits) knocked in Drew with an RBI double.

Ramon Ramirez (4-0) had another scoreless outing with a 1-2-3 eighth. How much of a steal has he been? He's one of the best setup guys in baseball and all we had to give the Royals was Coco Crisp.

Jonathan Papelbon earned his ninth save.

Jacoby Ellsbury will steal your heart

What better way to heal the fresh wounds provided by yesterday's Celtics loss than a weekend sweep of the Yankees?

The Red Sox (12-6) won their tenth in a row, 4-1 last night at Fenway and in the process won the third and final game of the three game set vs. New York (9-9).

Friday night featured Jason Bay's two-run tying homer off Mariano Rivera then Kevin Youkilis' walk-off shot in the 11th. Saturday was an 16-11 marathon victory. Last night was pretty dull for the most part except for one play in particular.

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 runs, hit, 2 stolen bases) deftly stole home plate in the fifth inning as Andy Pettitte (2-1) and Jorge Posada didn't notice/took too long to throw home and tag Ellsbury. That gave Boston a 3-1 lead that was given one last boost on the next pitch as J.D. Drew doubled home David Ortiz.

Brett Gardner gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead in the third with a sacrifice fly. Ortiz tied it with a sac. fly of his own in the third before giving Boston the lead with an RBI double in the three-run fifth.

Justin Masterson improved to 2-0 with one earned run in 5.1 innings. He gave up four hits, one walk and struck out four.

Last night served as a reminder why the Red Sox have become baseball's model franchise while the Yankees continue to falter in the new millennium, no matter how much money they spend.

Boston obviously spends a ton of dough too but they've developed a top-notch farm system. Home-grown talent like Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Masterson, Jon Lester, et. al have proven to be great Major League players.

New York gets the big names but they fail to produce at the same level that they used to or they disappear in October (see: A-Rod).

Since the bullpen was so taxed from the weekend, rookie Michael Bowden was called up. All he did was pitch a scoreless seventh and eighth after another rookie, Hunter Jones, got the last two outs in the sixth. Takashi Saito got the save since Papelbon had the night off.

The Yankees will get better whenever A-Rod returns but they still have the worst middle relievers in baseball. It's like they don't realize anything from past mistakes.

Boston hits the road for nine games, starting with three in Cleveland beginning tonight.

Sorry McNulty, the Orioles are still hopeless

The Patriots Day, morning/early afternoon Red Sox game at Fenway is a special tradition. Other than college, weddings and bachelor parties, when else do you have a legitimate excuse to drink in public before noon?

The Baltimore Orioles (6-7) played the role of punching bag to a T as the Birds lost 12-1 yesterday. The Sox (7-6) swept the four-game series and also won their fifth game in a row.

Starting for the injured Dice-K, Justin Masterson continued to prove why he's a much-less crazy but much-more talented Julian Tavarez. Starter, reliever, it doesn't matter. The guy can pitch.

Masterson got his first win of the season after lasting 5.1 innings. He gave up a run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. His plus sinker was supplemented with a 96 MPH fastball (that moved all over the plate).

Boston's offense teed off on O's starter Mark Hendrickson (3 runs) and stiff relievers Dennis Sarfate (3 runs) and Radhames Liz (6 runs), who was sent down after that woeful performance.

The Sox pounded out 15 hits and a season-high 12 runs. Dustin Pedroia led the way with four hits, three runs and three RBIs. Jacoby Ellsbury added three hits, three runs, an RBI and a stolen base. David Ortiz (double, triple, 2 RBIs), Mike Lowell (2 hits, 2 RBIs) and Jason Varitek (2 hits including a homer and 2 runs) were the other leaders on Marathon Monday.

The Minnesota Twins come to Fenway for two games beginning tonight, weather permitting.

Sox stave off elimination in ALCS with comeback win for the ages

Where to begin? The Tampa Bay Rays were crusing along in game 5 at Fenway, nursing a 7-0 lead with nine outs to go from the World Series. Somehow, someway, the Boston Red Sox recovered to get a walk-off 8-7 win thanks to J.D. Drew's RBI double in the ninth. The seven-run deficit and comeback was the second biggest in MLB playoff history.

Following the exact same script from the first two games at Fenway, the Rays jumped on the Sox' starting pitcher immediately. B.J. Upton (who at the moment looks like the greatest player in MLB history) had a two-run bomb off Dice-K that just got over the Monster.

Carlos Pena (2 hits, walk) followed suit with another two-run homer in the third off Dice-K and Evan Longoria added a solo shot. Like Lester and Beckett before him, Matsuzaka had nothing in Boston's most important game of the year. He lasted only four innings, giving up five runs (all earned) on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

When Tampa Bay scored twice more in the top of the seventh, Upton (2 runs, 3 hits, 4 RBI, walk) knocked in two more with a double, I can't even blame the frauds that filled the seats at Fenway for leaving. Down 7-0, the Sox bats had been completely lifeless in the last 2+ games, who really thought they'd have such an epic ending?

Lost in all the chaos after such a dramatic win was the great performance by Rays starter Scott Kazmir. Countless lazy Boston writers had criticized Joe Maddon for going with Kazmir in game 5 yet all he did was throw six scoreless innings (something that the Red Sox would kill for at this point). Kazmir allowed two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Red Sox finally woke up from their cryogenic slumber. Dustin Pedroia singled in Jed Lowrie to make it 7-1 Tampa Bay. David Oritz came up with two men on and for the first time in the 2008 playoffs, Big Papi delivered. He blasted a three-run homer off Dingo-herder Grant Balfour.

The season was hanging in the balance so Terry Francona smartly went to his best arm in the seventh-Jonathan Papelbon. He let two inherited runners score in the seventh but settled down to pitch a scoreless eighth.

In the home half of the eighth the Sox tied it up on J.D. Drew's two-run homer off Dan Wheeler and Coco Crisp's clutch 10 pitch at-bat and RBI single. When it was happening live, I thought in my head that it was Crisp's best at-bat of his Red Sox career.

Justin Masterson worked around a hit and walk in the ninth to retire Longoria on a double play ball to end the inning. At that point, you had a feeling that there was no way Tampa was winning this game.

Drew did the honors as he drove in Kevin Youkilis with an RBI single off J.P. Howell. Youkilis had a great 10 pitch at bat as well before he singled. Howell walked Jason Bay before Drew delivered with another chapter cementing his place as a Boston sports legend (grand slam in game 6 of the 2007 ALCS says hello as well).

Hideki Okajima was another unsung hero in the win as he pitched two scoreless innings after Dice-K's meltdown. It had to be the earliest Okajima has ever entered a game for Boston.

So the series shifts back to Tampa Bay tomorrow night with the Phillies waiting at home for the winner, in the World Series. The Rays had all the momentum in the series and looked like a sure bet to wrap it up last night. However, I can't think of many other soul-crushing losses like last night in any sport. The fact that the Rays are such a young, inexperienced team means that this loss might linger even longer than it would with a more veteran team. Who knows? It all comes down to if Josh Beckett can give Boston anything tomorrow night against James Shields. It's been three straight dogshit starts from Red Sox pitchers. If Boston wins game 6, you can bank on them winning the series. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, the Rays have shown themselves to be a ridiculously talented team all year, particularly in the first two plus games at Fenway.

The Rays ride the Dice-K roller coaster, puke Problem Child 2 style

When Red Sox manager Terry Francona announced that Daisuke Matsuzaka would be the ALCS game 1 starter, many Red Sox fans questioned the move. Why not start Jon Lester or Josh Beckett? I'll admit, that I didn't have much confidence in the Dice-Man going into tonight but he proved me and many of my fellow Masshole brethren wrong by spinning a gem.

Boston shutout Tampa Bay, 2-0 as Dice-K threw seven scoreless innings. In true Dice-K fashion, he never made it look easy yet he was spectacular. He walked the bases loaded in the first but got out of the jam. He had a no-hitter through six innings before Carl Crawford singled to lead off the seventh. In 7+ innings, Matsuzaka gave up four hits, walked four and struck out nine.

He ended up throwing 115 pitches and Francona made the curious decision to leave him in to start the eighth (instead of a reliever?) but was bailed out by Justin Masterson who got slumping rookie Evan Longoria to ground into an inning ending double play.

The Red Sox scored a run in the fifth as Jed Lowrie's sacrifice fly brought home Jason Bay. Kevin Youkilis (3 hits) added the key insurance RBI in the eighth as his shot to left was dropped by Crawford. Dustin Pedroia (run, hit, walk, stolen base) scored on Youkilis' double.

Tampa Bay starter James Shields was good. He lasted 7.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts for the save. He's now set a major league record by going 20-2/3 scoreless postseason innings to start his career.

Back to Francona's gutsy call on Dice-K that paid off. By starting Dice-K in game 1, Francona was stacking the deck (on normal rest) by pitching Josh Beckett in game 2 and Jon Lester back at Fenway in game 3. In essence, this was a game the Rays had to have since you'd have to bet that Beckett will only improve on his start vs. the Angels and Lester has been the most dominant starter in the playoffs this season.

I wouldn't call Saturday night a must-win for the Rays since they've defied so many expectations this season but it's mighty close. If they lose and/or if Beckett shakes off some of the rest, they're done. Lester in game 3 is almost a given. Scott Kazmir (who's struggled for most of the second half and in his start against the White Sox last week) gets the ball for Tampa at the Trop.

Will the Angels ever beat Boston in the playoffs (10 games and counting)?

In the offseason, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim picked up perennial gold-glover Torii Hunter and trumping that, they made the biggest trade deadline move in baseball by picking up switch-hitter Mark Teixeira. The Angels had an unbelievable regular season and rolled to the AL West title.

Yet last night in game 1 of the ALDS versus Boston, the Angels continued to fall apart against the Red Sox in October. Boston won 4-1 and has now won 10 games in a row against Anaheim in the playoffs, spread over four postseasons.

As expected, Jon Lester delivered an awesome start for Boston. He went seven innings, gave up one run (unearned) on six hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Anaheim starter John Lackey was good too. He lasted 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the third after Jed Lowrie's error begat Torii Hunter's (2 hits, RBI, walk) RBI single which knocked in Garett Anderson.

Boston came back in the sixth when Jason Bay (2 hits, 2 RBIs, run) blasted a two-run bomb off of Lackey, which scored Kevin Youkilis. Nursing the slim 2-1 lead going into the ninth, Boston gained some breathing room with two more runs. Jacoby Ellsbury (3 hits, run, RBI, two steals) knocked in Lowrie with an RBI single and David Ortiz beat the shift by lining a single up the middle which plated Ellsbury.

Justin Masterson-one of Boston's postseason keys-gave up two hits (both bloops) in the eighth but was able to wiggle out of the inning without allowing a run. He got two great plays: Youk gunned down Vlad Guerrero, who tried to take third on a single. Ellsbury also made a web gem worthy diving catch in center.

All that was left for the Red Sox was a save by Jonathan Papelbon and he obliged by striking out the side while giving up a hit.

Winning game 1 was huge for both teams as it gives Boston the split it needed on the road while also placing even more pressure on the favored Angels. Game 2 tomorrow night finds Dice-K opposing All-Star Ervin Santana. If the Angels win, it's a whole new series. If they lose, I'm saying it ends Sunday at Fenway.

which hurts more: a ninth-inning comeback or an extra innings marathon loss?

If the Tampa Bay Rays defy the odds and somehow win the 2008 World Series, the last two nights at Fenway Park will no doubt figure prominently in the official championship DVD narrated by Dick Vitale.

After stunning Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox in the ninth on Tuesday night, Tampa Bay (87-57) hung around last night and eventually won 4-2 thanks to Carlos Pena's three-run homer off Mike Timlin in the top of the 14th.

With the win, the Rays move back to 2.5 games ahead of Boston (85-60). The teams only have three more games left in the regular season, beginning Monday at the Trop (where the Red Sox are 0-6 this season).

Josh Beckett looked good once again on a low pitch count (84 pitches in 6 innings, are you taking notes Dice-K?). He allowed one run on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

One of the worst aspects of the loss was 7.1 innings of scoreless relief by four Boston relievers was thrown out the window after Timlin's work. Hideki Okajima (1 inning), Justin Masterson (2 innings), Manny Delcarmen (2 innings) and even Javier Lopez (2.1 innings-which has to be a career-high) allowed only three hits and three walks over their combined seven innings.

Timlin's had two outs in the 14th before giving up a 3-0 hit to Akinori Iwamura and another single to Rocco Baldelli before Pena hit his 28th homer of the season. Timlin's (4-4) ERA is now 6.09. He shouldn't be on the postseason roster, there I said it. If you're only let in the game in the 14th (despite not working in days) that should let you know how much confidence Terry Francona and the rest of his staff have in you.

Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine pitched seven innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits with seven strikeouts.

Willy Aybar (2 hits, 1 RBI, walk) tripled home Cliff Floyd in the second to put Tampa up 1-0. Boston responded in the third when Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, RBI, walk) hit an RBI double which scored Jed Lowrie.

It looked like the Red Sox might pull off a ridiculous comeback of its own in the 14th when Troy Percival couldn't get anyone out (I'm sure he's hurt again) and left with the bases loaded. Jason Hammell came in and got Kevin Youkilis to fly out to right which scored Jacoby Ellsbury. Jason Bay (0 for 7, 3 strikeouts) struck out and Alex Cora popped out to end the game.

Toronto-the hottest team in the American League-comes to Boston tomorrow with four games in three days (doubleheader on Saturday). The Sox have had plenty of trouble with the Blue Jays this season so they'll have their hands full.

The Orioles will be soon starring in Will Ferrell's latest garbage comedy

Down 4-0 going into the seventh inning yesterday afternoon at Fenway, the Red Sox were not in good shape. No worries though since they were facing the Baltimore Orioles, a team notorious for giving away games (particularly the ones that really matter in August, September, etc).

The fact that the suddenly charmed Sox (82-57) pulled it out, 5-4, was not surprising. The player that jump started Boston was also utterly predictable if you've been paying attention: Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia hit a solo homer into the Monster in the seventh-his 17th of the season. Later in the inning, Coco Crisp (2 hits, RBI walk), walked with the bases loaded to cut the Orioles lead in half.

Alex Cora (3 hits, 1 run) had an awesome defensive play in the eighth which saved a run as he gathered a groundball to short, turned and quickly fired to third where Jed Lowrie tagged out Aubrey Huff. It was a rough day for Huff (2 hits, run, steal) who earlier had a sure homer robbed by a leaping Jacoby Ellsbury in right field.

Mark Kotsay tied it up with a two-run triple to center in the eighth.

Dice-K had a rather pedestrian outing: four runs, four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts in six innings. Javier Lopez pitched a scoreless seventh and Justin Masterson (5-4) threw two clean innings with two strikeouts. It's easy to see that should the Sox make the playoffs (which is looking more likely by the day), Masterson will be a very valuable piece. A reliable reliever outside of Papelbon, what a concept.

Cora had a single to lead off the ninth. Coco tried to bunt him over but luck was on the Red Sox' side as the ball rolled fair after looking like it would go foul. Cora and Crisp were on first and second. Ellsbury also looked to sacrifice the runners over but Orioles rookie reliever Jim Miller tossed the ball well wide of third, into left field. Cora walked home with the winning run.

The Rays have lost two in a row and the Sox have won their last three games so Boston sliced Tampa's AL East lead to three games. Boston is in control of the Wild Card, five games ahead of Minnesota and seven in front of the Yankees.

Today is an offday then the Sox begin three games in Texas against the playing-for-pride Rangers. Their offense is deadly as usual so the Sox will need to get some pitching in Texas. Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett (who's supposed to start tomorrow), Sean Casey and Kevin Youkilis are all scheduled to be back for the series which is great news. Everything seems to be coming together at the perfect time for the Red Sox.

The Worst 15-2 Pitcher in MLB History

In 2008, Daisuke Matsuzaka defies all logic and reason of baseball. He leads the AL in walks and consistently has trouble getting out of the fifth or sixth inning, yet last night he won another game he probably didn't deserve, improving his record to 15-2 with a 2.77 E.R.A.

Boston (73-53) won 7-2 at Camden Yards as the Orioles (60-65) hot offense was once again shut down by a slew of Boston pitchers.

So how come Dice-K's Cy Young campaign as taken about as seriously as John McCain's presidential campaign? If you've seen more than one or two of his outings, you notice that there's absolutely no flow. He seems to pitch much better when there's runners on base. With the bases loaded this season, hitters are 0-for-14 against him. How is that possible?

Dice-K went five innings but still threw 105 pitches (60 strikes). He gave up two runs (both earned) on six hits with five walks and six strikeouts.

Big ups to the Sox bullpen which pieced together four scoreless innings between three guys. Javier Lopez had a clean sixth, Justin Masterson struck out two in his two innings and Manny Delcarmen (Dice-K junior in terms of putting guys on for fun) gave up two hits but no runs in the ninth.

Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera still can't beat the Red Sox as he dropped to 2-11 lifetime against Boston. Cabrera seems to have slightly harnessed his wildness from years past but he still is nothing special. Going in, a seasoned fan knew this would be a marathon and the teams didn't disappoint, clocking in at three hours and twenty one minutes.

Cabrera (8-8) gave up six runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings. He walked three and struck out two.

The Sox lineup continues to get the job done post-Manny, with Mike Lowell on the DL and J.D. Drew out with a typical fake injury. Most "experts" say that the Red Sox don't have a chance to win the World Series this year without Manny. That's false as even more important than the offense is the health of our pitchers which right now is shaky at best. They're pushing Josh Beckett's next start back because of soreness in his right arm. Yikes.

Leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits, two runs and two steals (his 39th and 40th of the season, the first Red Sox player since Otis Nixon in '94 to get 40). David Ortiz had two hits, two walks and an RBI. The Kevin Youkilis for MVP talk slowly increases each night as Youk went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Jason Varitek had a double and homer (second night in a row with a home run), proving that he's not quite dead yet at the plate. Must have been the divorce that was holding him down. Uh yeah.

Ortiz singled home Ellsbury in the first and Jason Bay drove in Dustin Pedroia with a sacrifice fly to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Varitek homered to right in the second and then the Orioles responded with two in the third. Ramon Hernandez drove in Melvin Mora with a single and Luke Scott followed with an RBI single of his own.

Three runs in the fifth by the Sox put it away. Youkilis' two run jack made it 5-2 before Varitek drove in Bay with the RBI double.

Youkilis closed it out with an RBI single in the eighth which scored Ellsbury.

Tonight's series finale is a toss up as Clay Buchholz goes against Orioles rookie Chris Waters, making his fourth major league start. Should be another game determined by the bullpens as I can't see either of these guys lasting long.

Evenflow

It took 12 innings but the Red Sox left Seattle with a three-game sweep after outlasting the Mariners, 6-3, yesterday afternoon at Safeco Field.

Manny Ramirez sat out with a "sore knee" so the Sox (60-43) had to juggle the lineup while facing Seattle (38-63) ace Felix Hernandez.

King Felix was good, not great as the patient Sox waited him out and forced him to throw 108 pitches in six innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with five walks and six strikeouts.

Clay Buchholz pleasantly surprised Red Sox fans, nearly matching Hernandez's outing. Buchholz lasted 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Another even more important revelation for Boston's postseason hopes was the debut of Justin Masterson in the role of reliever.

Coming in with two men on and one out in the sixth, Masterson struck out Kenji Johjima (who's having a brutal season) and Bryan LaHair (the pride of Worcester) to end the threat. Masterson then proceeded to have 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth. Yes sir.

Hideki Okajima got the first two outs in the ninth and then Manny Delcarmen bailed him out by getting out of the inning and also pitching a clean 10th.

For the third game in a row, Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless frame (this time the 11th) but he received the win after Craig Hansen recorded his second career save in the 12th.

Up three runs and starting the inning, Hansen couldn't asked for a much easier situation then facing the light-hitting Mariners yet two hits and a walk loaded the bases before Jose Vidro (the potential winning run) grounded out to second.

The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third when Kevin Youkilis (2 hits, 2 runs) knocked in two with a single.

Raul Ibanez came back with a solo homer in the fourth, cutting it to 2-1 Boston.

In the sixth, Coco Crisp walked with the bases loaded, 3-1 Red Sox. Vidro (3 hits, 2 RBIs, walk) tied it up with a two-run bomb which ended the day for Buchholz.

Seattle had a great chance to end it in the 11th when they had runners at first and third with one out but Johjima was the goat, grounding into a double play against Papelbon.

Mike Lowell (2 hits, 2 runs, RBI) knocked in two Sox in the 12th with a single and Sean Casey followed with an RBI single of his own to give Boston the three-run cushion that it turns out was critical to Hansen.

Dustin Pedroia had two hits, a run and walk while J.D. Drew walked three times and scored a run.

The West Coast trip to start the second half wasn't the disaster that it looked like it could be after facing the Angels; the Red Sox did exactly what they had to do in Seattle and now have a day off today before facing the Yankees tomorrow night in a three-game set at Fenway.

True to their recent second half form, the Yankees are red-hot, winning six straight and 10 overall at Yankee Stadium. Josh Beckett faces Joba Chamberlain tomorrow night in what should be an outstanding pitching duel. Adding fuel to the usual Sox-Yankees hype, David Ortiz will make his return after missing nearly two months of action.

New York State of Mind

Down 2-1, bases loaded with no outs in the top of the ninth. Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera on the mound. That's a dream scenario for somebody (anybody) to step up for the Boston Red Sox but with the last three positional players you'd want up in that spot, the Yankees escaped 2-1 with a win yesterday afternoon that you'd have to see to believe.

Coco Crisp meekly struck out for the first out in the ninth, Jason Varitek popped out and Julio Lugo fittingly ended it with another strikeout.

After taking the first two games of the series, a win yesterday would have been beautiful as the Yankees are quickly fading into oblivion in the AL East.

New York (46-42) got a fine start from Mike Mussina (11-6). The Moose went six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, one walk and striking out five before leaving with "dizziness." The Yankees' bat boys Cheech and Chong were seen outside Hank Steinbrenner's office after the game.

Melky Cabrera had an RBI single in the second with the bases loaded and then rookie Brett Gardner hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth, scoring Wilson Betemit.

After J.D. Drew (2 hits) singled to open the ninth and Manny Ramirez was hit for the third time in the game, Mike Lowell knocked in Drew with an RBI single.

Sox (52-38) rookie Justin Masterson pitched well but once again he didn't have luck or much help from Boston's offense.

Masterson (4-3) also lasted six innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Javier Lopez-who has been Boston's best reliever in the last month-had a clean seventh and Mike Timlin had a 1-2-3 eighth.

The Yanks got scoreless innings from the unlikely combination of Jose Veras and Kyle Farnsworth.

If nothing else, the immortal Rivera (23 saves) had to throw 25 pitches, making him less than 100% going into tonight's series finale.

Tim Wakefield goes up against Joba Chamberlain. I look forward to watching Joba, the next big thing, be worked over by a patient Sox offense that will make him throw say 100 pitches in 4.2 innings.

Red Sox just keep truckin' on

Despite numerous injuries, the Boston Red Sox just keep winning ballgames. Boston ended its first National League road trip this season with a 7-4 win in the City of Brotherly Love yesterday afternoon.

As has been the case all June-particularly since David Ortiz went down with the wrist injury-J.D. Drew stepped up and carried the team offensively. Playing against the team that he refused to sign with after being drafted (the first time), Drew was 4 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs. He was a triple short of a cycle as he had a double, two singles and a three-run bomb.

Red Sox (46-29) rookie Justin Masterson (4-1) didn't have his best stuff by any means but he gave his team five decent innings which was good enough for the win. He's also ensured of another start before being sent down since Bartolo Colon landed on the DL with a back injury.

The Phillies (42-32) were never really in it as starter Kyle Kendrick (6-3) gave up four runs in the top of the first and Philly trailed 7-1 after four.

Oh sure, Philadelphia made it interesting with a run in the fifth and two in the seventh but Manny Delcarmen was outstanding with two scoreless innings (and two strikeouts).

Phillies star second baseman Chase Utley was 0 for 13 in the series while counterpart Dustin Pedroia seems to have found his stroke again, going 3 for 5 with two runs in the finale.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 21st save.

The city of Boston gets to celebrate the Celtics' championship today while the Sox get a welcome day off. Boston takes on the St. Louis Cardinals tomorrow at Fenway in the start of a three-game series.

The Red Sox and their embarassment of riches

You can have Ian Kennedy (who can't get anyone out), you can wait for Phil Hughes to get healthy and enjoy 4.2 innings of work from Joba every fifth day, I'll take the Red Sox' young arms any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Rookie Justin Masterson moved to 3-0 yesterday in his fourth major league start as the Sox edged the Mariners, 2-1, at Fenway.

It's not as if everything has gone off without a hitch for Boston's (40-26) young pitchers. Clay Buchholz (currently rehabbing) and Jon Lester (he of the no-hitter) have dealt with control issues while Craig Hansen was almost ruined as the Sox called him up way too soon to the majors (in 2006, his first professional season). The unstoppable force has been Jonathan Papelbon and Masterson is quickly making a name for himself as well. Overall, everything seems to be coming together for this talented group of players that Boston has drafted and developed in their farm system, what a concept.

J.D. Drew continued to be the man of the hour as he knocked in both runs yesterday. He was hit by Erik Bedard's pitch with the bases loaded in the third, which tied the game at one. Then he cranked a solo homer off Seattle reliever Sean Green in the sixth. Drew also starred in the field as he saved at least one run, possibly two with a running, leaping catch of Richie Sexson's line drive in the second with two men on base.

Seattle (22-41) took a 1-0 lead in the second on a ground out but Masterson escaped further trouble, thanks to Drew. The big right-hander went six innings, giving up three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. He kept his pitch count down, he left having thrown only 88 pitches. Being born in Jamaica probably helped him too as the game-time temperature was a scalding 98 degrees. No word on whether his old Little League coach Ziggy Marley was in attendance.

Craig Hansen-who's firmly entrenching himself in the seventh inning role-pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts. Hideki Okajima struck out one in a scoreless eighth and Jonathan Papelbon retired the side in the ninth on five pitches for his 18th save of the season.

The Red Sox get a welcome day off after taking the series with the Mariners and playing in some extreme heat the last two days. Baltimore comes to Fenway tomorrow for three games.