Finally, A Reason To Watch the Red Sox This Season (Well At Least Every 5th Game)

Hey gang, remember the Red Sox? They had a nice run for a while, huh? What ever happened to them? Oh that's right, they are headed on a course straight for their third last-place finish in the last four seasons. That is until tonight when rookie lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez proved to be something of a revelation in his MLB debut. The former Oriole (obtained in the Andrew Miller trade last season) and highly touted prospect went 7.2 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks as Boston (22-26 overall, 12-14 away) won the series opener 5-1 over Texas (23-25 overall, 6-14 home) at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Obviously one starting pitcher in baseball can't make that much of a difference on a bad team but at least this gives us a reason to watch again (when he's on the hill). The reason I hadn't written about the Red Sox in weeks is that just like last year, not only are they terrible but they are also boring which is a deadly combination for an MLB team. I don't know about you but I'd like to have something to watch this summer when there is literally nothing else going on in the sports universe. That's where you come in, Red Sox.

Maybe this will be the high point of Rodriguez's career; at least we saw that he has this type of ability against a quality lineup. The same can't be said for the rest of Boston's sorry rotation. The plan before his gem was to send him back to Pawtucket but there is no chance that will happen. The immortal Nick Martinez (4-1) held the Red Sox in check until the fifth when Mookie Betts (3 for 5, triple) drove in Blake Swihart (2 for 4, run) with an RBI single.

Hanley Ramirez hit his first home run of May (his first in 85 at bats), a solo shot to left center in the sixth for a 2-0 Red Sox advantage. Martinez (7 innings, 2 earned runs, 9 hits, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks) would fit in well on the Red Sox since he pitched really well but his offense let him down to say the least. Boston got three more insurance runs in the eighth on a gift two-run single for Swihart that was misplayed by Texas second baseman Adam Rosales. Boston's final run came from an infield single by Rusney Castillo that scored the newest member of the team-outfielder Carlos Peguero.

The Rangers' lone run came in the ninth on an RBI single by Josh Hamilton (2 for 4, double) who was playing his first game back in Texas after being reacquired from the Angels. It'll be interesting to see how Rodriguez fares in his second start and so on. Now MLB teams will have more tape on him so he won't be such a mystery. Dustin Pedroia has been batting leadoff lately for Boston and it seems to be working, he was 3 for 5 this evening. Xander Bogaerts got hit on the left forearm with a pitch in the fourth inning and had to leave but his injury was termed a "forearm contusion" which doesn't sound too serious.

Steven Wright (2-1) faces Yovani Gallardo (4-6) tomorrow night (8:05, NESN) in the second game of a four-game set.

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He's Still the Same David Ortiz

It's hard to call any MLB game before say late August a must-win but it was clear that the Red Sox needed a jolt of life after scuffling through the first week plus of the 2014 regular season. Obviously David Ortiz (double) would be the one to deliver them out of their funk as he crushed a go-ahead three-run homer (his second roundtripper of the season) around Pesky's Pole in the eighth to spark a 4-2 win Boston this afternoon at Fenway Park vs. Texas.

The Red Sox (4-5 overall, 2-4 home) were able to take two of three from the Rangers (4-5 overall, 2-4 away) who are understandably a shell of themselves with the litany of injuries that they have already suffered in spring training and early on this season. Ortiz's usual heroics saved what had been a really solid outing by Jake Peavy (6.2 innings, 1 earned run, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts, 4 walks) that looked like it would be wasted.

Boston held a 1-0 lead on Dustin Pedroia's infield single and throwing error by the Rangers starting pitcher Robbie Ross in the third inning. Mitch Moreland tied it for Texas with a solo homer into a bullpen in the seventh then Alex Rios put them up 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. The teams combined for nine hits as reliever turned spot starter Ross was effectively wild (5.1 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts, 6 walks).

Andrew Miller (1-0) allowed the run to Texas in the eighth but he still "earned" the win. Koji Uehara pitched a 1-2-3 ninth on 11 pitches including a strikeout for his second save of the young campaign.

Are you ready for Red Sox-Yankees? Me neither! However, we'll just have to deal with it as they meet four times this weekend in the Bronx. Sickly Clay Buchholz (0-0) opposes Michael Pineda (0-1) tomorrow night (7:05, NESN), Jon Lester (0-2) takes on anorexic C.C. Sabathia (1-1) on Friday night (7:05, NESN), John Lackey (2-0) gets Hiroki Kuroda (1-1) on Saturday afternoon (1:05, NESN) then Felix Doubront (1-1) wraps up what promises to be a very long series on Sunday night (8:05, ESPN) vs. Ivan Nova (1-1).

It is the first of 19 games against the Yankees over six series. This will be Boston's first look at Jacoby Ellsbury (assuming he can make it through the next few days healthy) in a New York uniform.

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Red Sox Beat Rangers 5-1 for Their 1st Win at Fenway Park In 2014

The Red Sox had a lost weekend vs. the Brewers (getting swept in 3 miserable games at Fenway) and the bad feelings started to build up as Will Middlebrooks (calf strain) joined Shane Victorino (hamstring) on the 15-Day DL. With people calmly wondering what was going on with Boston (3-4), they bounced back to defeat Texas (3-4) 5-1 tonight at rainy Fenway Park in the series opener.

It still feels kind of weird to say it but John Lackey (2-0) has morphed into one of the best pitchers in the AL East. He improved to 2-0 thanks to one unearned run on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He was done after 95 pitches and he handed the ball over to Chris Capuano who pitched a scoreless eighth for his second hold and Koji Uehara who worked around two hits for a scoreless frame in a non-save situation (did they have to use him there?).

The Red Sox had 14 hits as a team, led by Mike Napoli (3 for 5), A.J. Pierzynski (3 for 5 w/2 runs) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (3 for 4 w/run & 2 RBIs). They still left 11 on base but at least they were 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position which was a dramatic improvement so there's that.

Bradley Jr. gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI single that scored Xander Bogaerts. The Rangers tied it in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Moreland that scored old friend Adrian Beltre. That's all that Texas would get though as Bradley Jr. added another RBI single in the fourth then the Red Sox notched three important insurance runs in the eighth.

A run scored on a Rangers error, Daniel Nava had an RBI single and Dustin Pedroia's ground out still scored the final run. Boston will be looking to start their first win streak of the season tomorrow night (6:10) as Felix Doubront (1-0) faces Martin Perez (0-0) in the middle game of the series.

Utility infielder Ryan Roberts aka the tatman (since he's covered in tattoos) was signed earlier today for depth and Boston manager John Farrell already said that he'd play tomorrow and possibly Wednesday as Texas uses a pair of lefty starters. Don't expect much from him since he got released by the Cubs, which is never a good omen for your career.

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Walk-Off Home Runs By David Ortiz Will Never Get Old

It had been almost four years (August 26, 2009 to be exact) but tonight at Fenway Park, David Ortiz proved that he can still hit a walk-off homer with the best of them. Ortiz's three-run shot off Michael Kirkman (0-2) gave Boston (37-24 overall, 19-13 home) a 6-3 win over Texas (36-23 overall, 18-15 away) coupled with a series victory against the American League's top team.

It was the 11th homer of the season for Ortiz and ironically enough his 11th walk-off homer (10th as a Red Sox) and 19th walk-off hit (regular season and playoffs) for Boston. He only needs one more walk-off homer to tie Babe Ruth, pretty elite company huh?

The funny part is that Rangers manager Ron Washington decided to intentionally walk Dustin Pedroia after Jonny Gomes (4 hits, run) had doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth. I'm not sure if Washington was doing lines in the tunnel but I couldn't tell you a logical explanation for pitching to Ortiz with two guys on and no outs. Oh well.

Lefties Derek Holland (6 innings, 2 earned runs, 9 hits, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) and Jon Lester (6 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 hits, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) pitched to a standstill, at least according to ESPN's game scores which gave them both a 47.

The Red Sox bullpen was flawless: Junichi Tazawa pitched around a double and single for a scoreless seventh, Koji Uehara had a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts before closer Andrew Bailey (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth.

Texas actually blew a three-run lead as Jeff Baker hit a two-run bomb in the second and former Red Sox Adrian Beltre (3 hits)-who always seems to kill Boston-added a solo homer in the third.

Dustin Pedroia's (walk, run) two-run double in the third brought Boston within a run (3-2) then Jacoby Ellsbury (4 hits, 2 runs, 2 doubles) tied it by scoring on Mike Napoli's fielder's choice in the seventh.

Weather permitting, the Red Sox get their first look at the underachieving Angels (26-34 overall, 3rd in AL West) this weekend with three games at Fenway. Felix Doubront (4-2) faces Tommy Hanson (2-2) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN), Clay Buchholz (8-0) looks to stay undefeated on Saturday night (7:15, NESN) vs. C.J. Wilson (4-4) and Ryan Dempster (3-6) closes it out Sunday afternoon (1:35, NESN) vs. Joe Blanton (1-9).

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Red Sox Finally Add To Their Pitching Rotation: Sign Ryan Dempster To 2-Year Deal

At long last, the Red Sox have finally at least started to address their biggest need: their pitching rotation. After he supposedly turned down a two-year, $25 million deal last week with Boston, Ryan Dempster has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $26.5 million deal this afternoon with them.

He was apparently looking for a three-year deal so after turning down the Red Sox and Royals, the Canadian righthander circled back to Boston. You have to think that maybe winning had something to do with his final decision since the Royals offered him a two-year deal for $26 million and while they have improved thanks to the James Shields trade, Boston has more potential moving forward.

So what are the Red Sox getting in him? Basically, he is the perfect guy to slot into the number three spot in the rotation behind Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. In his 15 years of MLB service, he has thrown over 200 innings seven times (including four years in a row). More than anything, that's what Boston needs: a pitcher that they know will take the ball every fifth day and not spend half the season on the disabled list (like Buchholz or Josh Beckett).

Dempster is getting up there in age, he'll turn 36 on May 3 so that is why they were probably hesitant to offer a third year. Plus he had two different trips to the DL last season with a strained quad and strained lat that cost him another 200-inning campaign. He got off to a real good start (5-5 with 2.25 ERA and 1.038 WHIP) last season for an awful Cubs team before getting traded to Texas at the trade deadline.

Predictably for a player that had spent his whole career in the inferior National League (no DH, facing pitchers), he struggled with the Rangers. He got shelled in his first two starts but then won five games in a row before regressing at the end when the games mattered the most and Texas ended up missing the playoffs. For 2012 between the Cubs and Rangers, he was 12-8 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.179 WHIP in 173 innings. He struck out 153 and only walked 52.

A two-time NL All-Star (2000 with Florida and 2008 with Chicago) that is 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, his numbers certainly won't blow you away and he's more control pitcher (he loves the slider and sinker) than a power pitcher. In his career, he's 124-124 with 4.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 11 complete games, three shutouts, 87 saves (he was Chicago's closer for three years), 1918 strikeouts and 998 walks.

The Red Sox will be his fifth and possibly final MLB home after time in Florida, Cincinnati, Chicago and Texas. He's known as a clubhouse leader and a mature guy that is along the same lines as Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes, David Ross and Mike Napoli in that regard. You can see where Boston is going this offseason: they are trying to distance themselves from the overpaid, underachieving, injury-prone jackasses of the last few seasons. In their place, they want dependable guys that have been around a while and had success in MLB. Dempster hasn't been on many winning teams but that's not his fault. As he showed last season, it might take some time here but I wouldn't hesitate to count on him for a very respectable 2013 season.

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Red Sox Bid Farewell To The 2012 MLB Winter Meetings With One Last Move

After signing catcher David Ross, outfielders Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino along with first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli in the last few weeks, we are still waiting for the Red Sox to improve their god-awful pitching rotation. At least they are starting to address their bullpen heading into next season: today they reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million with reliever Koji Uehara.

The 37-year-old (he turns 38 on April 3) right-handed native of Japan spent the last year and a half with the Rangers after he debuted in MLB with the Orioles (2009-2011). The name probably doesn't mean much to you but believe me when I say that he was statistically one of the top relievers in the American League last season albeit in not very intense situations for the most part. In 37 appearances (36 innings), he had a 1.75 ERA with a ridiculous WHIP of 0.639.

He doesn't throw particularly hard, his strengths are location and a variety of pitches. In 2012, he struck out 43 and only walked three batters in 36 innings which is incredible. For his career, he has a 5-9 record, 2.89 ERA and 0.921 WHIP with 231 strikeouts and 29 walks. Baltimore used him as a starter in 2009 but in the last three seasons, he's been strictly a short-inning reliever.

The only thing to worry about with him is injuries. He missed a month in Texas last season with a lat injury. Obviously, a player of his age and mileage (he had a long career in Japan as well) is bound to break down at some point. For Boston's sake, hopefully that doesn't happen in 2013. If he can stay healthy, he should be a very nice addition.

UPDATE 12/10: For the second time in three months, the Red Sox claimed righthanded pitcher Sandy Rosario off waivers, this time from Oakland.

UPDATE 12/12: Apparently Rosario has become MLB's version of Ross Ventrone (former Patriots legend). Today, he was claimed by the Cubs off waivers. Make it stop!

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All I Know Is That The Red Sox Are Assembling The Best Beer League Softball Team In MLB

Twitter certainly takes away much of the intrigue and mystery of free agency in professional sports (RIP Hot Stove), perhaps none more so than in Major League Baseball. It seems like teams court guys for months or at least weeks before mercifully pulling the trigger on often minor deals. Today, the Red Sox and Mike Napoli have reportedly agreed to a three-year deal worth $39 million.

He will have a physical on Wednesday which is the delay before the club fully announces the move with the first baseman/catcher/designated hitter. Since he is so terrible on defense, no matter where he gets placed on the field, this move is all about what Napoli brings to the plate. He has never played more than 70 games at first base in a season (2010 with Angels) or 96 games at catcher (2009 with Angels). You know that David Ortiz won't make it through an entire season healthy so Napoli is certainly a capable replacement for Big Papi at DH.

Last season, he hit .227 with a .343 OBP and .469 SLG but the goobers in Texas voted him an American League All-Star for the first time in his career. He is known primarily as a power hitter and with Texas in 2012, he had 24 homers and 56 RBIs but he struck out 125 times with only 56 walks. It was a big drop-off from his career year with the Rangers in 2011: .320/.414 OBP/.631 SLG with 30 homers and 75 RBIs.

The most obvious question with this move is what will the Red Sox do with their three catchers: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, David Ross and Ryan Lavarnway? I suppose that Lavarnway can get more seasoning in Pawtucket (which he needs) and live with a Salty/Ross platoon. Maybe even an occasional Napoli game behind the plate. Not that I think Boston is close to making the playoffs as currently constituted but in Napoli, they get a guy that has been a clutch performer in October: in 32 games, he's hit five homers and 19 RBIs with .272/.373 OBP/.457 SLG.

I hate to sound like Carmine the computer and spout off useless numbers but in a very small sample size, Napoli has experienced success at Fenway Park: he is 19-for-62 with seven homers and four doubles in 74 plate appearances. I don't like projecting things too much since that's how Boston got so enamored with Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, John Lackey, etc but it looks like Napoli could succeed with the Red Sox. After five years in Anaheim and two years in Texas, he's hit 146 homers and 380 RBIS with .259/.356 OBP/.507 SLG.

He is 31 and will enter next spring in the eighth year of his MLB career, meaning that he's probably on the downslope of his career. Still, if he hits like he's capable of, he can provide some middle of the lineup pop. Like Johnny Gomes and Ross-Boston's only other moves so far this offseason, I will approve of this more if it leads to re-signing Cody Ross, getting Nick Swisher or Adam LaRoche. Oh and Boston still hasn't addressed its biggest hole at all: starting pitchers.

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Red Sox Hitting Coach Dave Magadan Leaves For A Better Team: The Texas Rangers

The Red Sox still don't have a manager and now, they will also be on the market for a hitting coach. After seven seasons including one World Series title in Boston, Dave Magadan left for the same position with the Rangers. He had an option on his contract but he was allowed to speak to other clubs. Who could blame him from getting out of this quagmire? Texas will probably lose Josh Hamilton in free agency but their lineup is still stacked.

Look, I've always said that the role of manager is vastly overrated in MLB (hi Mike Matheny one win away from the World Series) so that means by extension that hitting coaches and pitching coaches are even more irrelevant. I mean, what can you say to a major leaguer that's struggling in those areas? Swing at better pitches and throw strikes?

Truth be told, the Red Sox' offense was much less of an issue this past season than their god awful starting rotation. Hence why hiring a new pitching coach would seem to have a higher priority.

Speaking of managers, Boston is reportedly in negotiations with Toronto regarding their manager John Farrell. You'll remember he was the pitching coach for the Red Sox from 2006-10 before being the manager of the Blue Jays the last two seasons. They have also interviewed Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach, Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus and Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale but from the start, everyone has felt like Farrell is their man. It would be surprising if they went with someone else.

Whomever the Red Sox select, they better learn from their mistakes of last season and let that guy pick his assistants. Sticking Bobby Valentine with a hodge podge of holdover coaches from Terry Francona's regime that he didn't bring with him or select was only one of the million reasons why 2012 was doomed to fail from the start.

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Thank God The Patriots Preseason Games Start Tomorrow Night

Don't you wish the Red Sox could just end their 2012 season tomorrow? What good can come out of the next 50 games? Oh well, while they are playing out the string on a truly miserable season, we can at least take solace that the Patriots' first preseason game is tomorrow night (7:30 p.m. vs. New Orleans). There is nothing better than the NFL and we all need it more than ever right now.

Josh Beckett (5 innings, 8 earned runs, 8 hits, 3 home runs) provided another Fenway Turd this afternoon as Texas (65-45, 31-24 away) took the series with a 10-9 win against Boston (55-57, 29-34 home).

The sad part is that the Red Sox kept rallying, tying it at 3-3 in the third and 9-9 in the seventh but it didn't matter since Beckett could care less about competing as a professional athlete. You should never lose a game when you score nine runs.

The Texas toughguy and Jon Lester have combined for one win at Fenway Park since June 27. Since June 1, the Red Sox are 2-12 at home when Beckett or Lester start. Look on the bright side, Boston is only six games back in loss column for the second American League Wild Card going into tonight's action, oh wait.

Beckett was in a giving mood as he coughed up three runs in the first inning, three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth before Bobby Valentine finally took him out. Even the non-sellout (by my calculations) pink hat crowd booed Beckett, I guess the Red Sox front office are the only people in the world left that can't identify what a waste of a roster spot he has become. They had their chance to move him at the Trade Deadline and they didn't so here we are, watching a baseball team rot away from the inside out. What's the worst that could happen by either dumping him on waivers, releasing him or putting him on the 60-day DL for the rest of the season with a fake injury (after all, he loves those)?

Josh Hamilton was 3-for-4 with a triple, homer, 4 RBIs and two runs while Elvis Andrus was 3-for-4 with three runs and a walk in the win. Adrian Gonalez had three RBI doubles and scored three runs, Cody Ross was 3-for-4 with a homer, double, two runs, two RBIs and a walk while Dustin Pedroia had two singles and scored two runs in the loss.

The happiest guy to see Beckett do his thing was Matt Harrison (4.2 innings, 5 runs, 8 hits, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks, 1 home run) since on most days, his outing would be considered a disaster. Compared to Beckett, he looked poise to make a run at the AL Cy Young award.

Hamilton had a two-run triple in the first against what had to be a hungover and bloated Toughguy. Former Red Sox Adrian Beltre added a sacrifice fly before Beckett stumbled out of trouble. Boston answered with two runs on Gonzalez's first RBI double and an RBI single by Ross. Cody tied it in the third with a solo shot-his 17th homer of the season.

Beckett must have been drinking Lonestar in the dugout between innings, it caught up to him in the fifth as he grooved meatballs to Mitch Moreland (solo homer; 12th of the season) and Hamilton (two-run blast; 30th of the season). Gonzalez's second RBI double cut it to 6-4 in the home half of the frame then he scored on Geovany Soto's passed ball.

No worries for the Rangers as Soto blasted a two-run shot off Beckett in the sixth, his first for Texas since being traded by the Cubs. Clayton Mortensen (1-1) ran into trouble in the seventh as Nelson Cruz (18th of the season) hit the final homer of the game for the Rangers.

Roy Oswalt allowed four runs in 1.1 innings as Gonzalez's third RBI double set the stage for a three-run blast by Will Middlebrooks (15th of the season) which knotted things at nine. However, Alexi Ogando (2-0) settled things down to pitch a clean seventh and eighth inning with two strikeouts.

Alfredo Aceves is not a natural closer so he struggles with inherited runners but don't tell that to Bobby V who put him in with runners on first and third with no outs in the ninth. Oh and he let him face Hamilton rather than let Andrew Miller (a lefty) give it a shot. Beltre's second sacrifice fly turned out to be the game-winning play.

Ross hit a one-out double in the ninth but Joe Nathan struck out two for his 23rd save of the season.

Boston went 4-6 on its longest homestand of the season, now the Dead Man Walking squad hits the road for 10 games (4 in Cleveland, 3 in Baltimore, 3 in New York) in 11 days. Since there are two off-days between now and their next game at home, the Red Sox won't play at Fenway again until August 21. I shudder to think how many more games under .500 they will be by then. However, I will probably be paying much less attention to baseball with football even closer at that point. I'll be pouring over depth charts for Fantasy Football and reading Sports Illustrated's College Football preview issue.

The Indians (51-60, 3rd AL Central) snapped an 11-game losing streak today with a 6-2 win vs. Minnesota, but that doesn't mean anything when the Red Sox are coming to play you. I'm sure Boston will make them look like the powerhouse Cleveland teams of the late 90s. Felix Doubront (10-5) faces Ubaldo Jimenez (8-11) tomorrow night (7:05 p.m., NESN), Clay Buchholz (9-3) gets Chris Seddon (0-0) on Friday night (7:05 p.m., NESN), Franklin Morales (3-2) opposes Zach McAllister (4-4) on Saturday night (6:05 p.m., NESN) and Jon Lester (5-10) takes the ball against rookie Corey Kluber (0-0) on Sunday afternoon (1:05 p.m., NESN).

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Jon Lester Is A Lost Cause In 2012, Might As Well Put Him On Ice Until Next Season

2012 has been a nightmare for Jon Lester (5-10) not to mention his employers. Even when he pitches decent like his last two starts, he can't get the run support from his teammates. The bottom line remains that he is 0-5 in his last five starts at Fenway Park after a 6-3 loss to the Rangers tonight in the middle game of a three-game series.

Texas (64-45, 30-24) received a great outing from Ryan Dempster (1-0) who picked up his first win a Rangers uniform (2nd start). He went 6.2 innings and allowed three runs (0 earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Dempster likely wouldn't have given up any runs except that Ian Kinsler kept the seventh inning alive for the Red Sox (55-56, 29-33 home) with a gift error. Pinch hitter Will Middlebrooks delivered a clutch pinch-hit home run (his 14th of the season) which cut the Rangers lead to 4-3.

Lester matched zeroes with Dempster through five innings but as it usually does for him, he became unraveled by allowing two runs in the sixth and being charged with two more in the seventh. In 6.2 innings, he gave up four earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Kinsler and Josh Hamilton (2 hits, walk, run) broke the deadlock with RBI singles in the sixth. David Murphy had a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Kinsler added another run-scoring single in the frame. Nelson Cruz's RBI single in the eighth made it 5-3 and Elvis Andrus rounded out the scoreline with an RBI single in the ninth.

Texas was 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position while Boston went 1-for-6. Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (run) each had two hits in the loss.

Mike Adams struck out the side in the eighth for his 20th hold which was bullshit because Dustin Pedroia was called out on one of the worst calls (checked swing) that I've ever seen in MLB. Joe Nathan picked up his 22nd save in 23 chances for Texas; I thought his career was over a few years ago but it's funny what a change of scenery to an outstanding team can do to a player's career.

The Red Sox are 4-5 on their longest homestand of the season which ends tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) with the Texas Toughguy (5-9) facing Matt Harrison (13-6). I could pretend that Boston a chance but unless Beckett gets hurt in pregame warmups (always a possibility), this has loss written all over it.

UPDATE 8/8: Vicente Padilla was put on the 15-day DL with a bicep strain, Clayton Mortensen was recalled from Pawtucket.

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I Don't Think Even Aaron Cook Expected To Pitch That Well Against The Rangers

There was plenty to like about Monday night's game at Fenway Park. Boston blew out a very good team, they racked up 14 hits, Aaron Cook pitched a gem and it was all over in two hours and 47 minutes which gave us plenty of time to watch tape delayed London Olympics events in which we already knew the final outcome.

The Red Sox (55-55, 29-32 home) rolled 9-2 over the Rangers (63-45, 29-24 away) in the series opener.

Cook (3-5) went seven innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Yu Darvish (11-8) looked like Dice-K if he struck out more batters. He stayed out there for 6.2 innings (don't ask me why) and 123 pitches but was rocked for six earned runs on 11 hits with nine strikeouts and four walks.

The top of the Red Sox lineup had their most productive game of the season. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez combined for seven runs, 11 hits (8 doubles) and eight RBIs. As a team, Boston went an impressive 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Ex-Red Sox David Murphy gave Texas a short-lived 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI single. Boston responded with two runs in the third and three in the fourth. Crawford and Gonzalez had RBI doubles then Ellsbury had an RBI double, Crawford had a sacrifice fly and Pedroia had an RBI double.

Gonzalez's RBI single in the seventh made it 6-1 and the Red Sox scored three more times in the eighth. Crawford had an RBI double, Gonzalez added another run-scoring single and Cody Ross notched a sacrifice fly.

Another ex-Red Sox, Adrian Beltre, blasted a solo homer (19th of the season) in the ninth but Boston was able to limit the Rangers to that last run.

Boston looks for its third straight victory tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) as Jon Lester (5-9) takes on Ryan Dempster (0-0). I've got a feeling it's going to be a high-scoring affair, a pitcher's duel would totally shock me.

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Well At Least We Know The Red Sox Aren't Going To Go Winless The Rest Of The Way

Conveniently, with the Red Sox' season fully going down in flames, I've been off the grid for a few days. Yes, I kept up with the pathetic sweep by the Blue Jays last weekend but not enough to write anything of substance.

Tonight, I caught much of the game on the radio as Boston (49-49, 24-21 away) edged Texas (57-39, 30-17 home) 2-1 at sauna-like Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It snapped a four-game losing streak for the Red Sox and also handed them their first win of the season against the Rangers (1-3).

Mike Aviles broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the ninth with a bloop RBI single that scored Daniel Nava, who came on as a defensive replacement for Carl Crawford in the seventh. The Red Sox bullpen was fantastic as Vicente Padilla (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth despite giving up a hit and beaning Adrian Beltre. Closer Alfredo Aceves retired the Rangers on eight pitches for his 21st save of the season.

It was a weird night as Ian Kinsler was ejected in the first inning for arguing a strike call and Beltre had to leave after getting hit in the head by Padilla's pitch.

Clay Buchholz didn't get credit for the win but once again, he performed like Boston's much-needed ace/stopper. In seven innings, the Lonestar State native allowed one earned run on four hits with three walks and a strikeout.

Rangers rookie Martin Perez pitched very well in a spot start. In six innings, the young lefty allowed one earned run on five hits with two walks and a strikeout.

Boston went ahead 1-0 in the fourth on Kelly Shoppach's RBI double that scored Cody Ross. Texas tied it in the sixth as Josh Hamilton's ground out plated Elvis Andrus.

Don't get your hopes up for tomorrow night (8:05 p.m., NESN) as Josh Beckett (5-8) takes on Derek Holland (6-5) in the series finale. There is no way the Texas Toughguy will be able to shut down that lineup and/or concentrate in his natural habitat.

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The Rangers Are Unbeatable, At Least To The Red Sox

Thank God the Texas Rangers were only in town for two games because this could have gotten pretty ugly.

Texas (10-2, 5-0 away) rang up its sixth straight win, 6-3 tonight at Fenway Park against the going nowhere Boston Red Sox (4-8. 3-3 home). The Rangers swept the two-game series, outscoring the Red Sox 24-6 in just 18 innings.

Boston has now lost three in a row. At least they got some good news earlier in the day when it was revealed that Jacoby Ellsbury won't need surgery on his shoulder.

Two things best sum up my feelings about the hometown team and also how poorly they're playing: 1) my favorite time is off-days (like tomorrow) for this miserable squad. I'm serious too, that's not a line. 2) They made some noise in the ninth against Rangers closer Joe Nathan-in a non-save situation-but Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined into a double play for the final two outs as he pulled it right to first basemen Brandon Snyder, who was able to touch the bag. Salty represented the tying run after Boston had scored once.

It was the Josh Hamilton (3 hits, run, RBI, walk) and Mike Napoli (4 RBIs, 3 hits, run) show as the Red Sox pitchers did their best to enshrine that powerful tandem in Cooperstown, NY before the series was even over.

Josh Beckett (1-2) actually gave Boston a good start considering the loaded lineup he had to face: seven innings, three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. The problem was that the Red Sox scored the first runs of the night for the second game in a row, but then the Rangers proceeded to pummel them with a monster surge of their own.

Mr. Hustle aka Kevin Youkilis hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot off Derek Holland (2-0) in the second inning. Holland (2-0) predictably settled down after that and ended up lasting seven innings himself. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Hamilton drove in Texas' first run on an infield single in the third. They added five more before Boston scored one meaningless run in the ninth. Napoli hit a two-run homer in the fourth (his fourth of the season) then Franklin Morales unraveled with the bases loaded in the eighth. He hit Craig Gentry then allowed a two-run double by Napoli.

Ryan Sweeney had a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth that scored Cody Ross.

In case you forgot, and how could you, the 100th anniversary of Fenway will be celebrated on Friday. What great timing huh? The New York Yankees will also be in the house and the teams will wear throwback jerseys on Friday afternoon (3:05 p.m., NESN). It's Red Sox vs. Yankees so you know the drill: Saturday afternoon game on Fox then Sunday Night game on ESPN.

The Yanks (6-6) aren't exactly lighting the world on fire either but they look much better than the Red Sox (who doesn't?). Clay Buchholz (1-0) faces Ivan Nova (2-0) on Friday. Felix Doubront (0-0) goes against Freddy Garcia (0-1) on Saturday and Daniel Bard (0-2) meets C.C. Sabathia (1-0) Sunday in a game which might take five hours.

With no Red Sox tomorrow, only Bruins-Capitals in Game 4, let's be thankful that the NHL playoffs exist and the B's are great which takes away much of the focus from the trainwreck on Yawkey Way.

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2nd Entry Into Biggest Shitshow Game Of The Season Category For The Red Sox

So who else is ready for the Bobby Valentine Show to make its debut on NESN? (Crickets)

It's easy to blame Valentine but what is he supposed to do with this group of unlikable losers? He's tries to make them accountable and they immediately bristle at the thought of doing anything differently despite the fact that they've finished in third place two years in a row and ran their last manager out of town.

All this needless drama just makes nights like tonight even more painful or laughable depending on your sense of humor. The AL's best team, the Texas Rangers came into Fenway Park and pounded the crap out of Jon Lester and the Red Sox, to the tune of 18-3.

I'm sure by the end of the season it will be a long list but for now, this has to be the most embarrassing loss. Yes, even worse than the two meltdowns in the same game against the Tigers two Sundays ago. At least in that one, they tried. Texas (9-2, 4-0) looked like the powerhouse they are while Boston (4-7, 3-2 home) lost its second in a row, already erasing any good feeling left over from taking three of four against the Rays over the weekend.

In their fifth straight win, the Rangers set a season-high for hits (21) and hit their most homers (6) in a game since August 2008.

Lester (0-2) was done in the third inning, after only recording six outs. He gave up seven runs (all earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts and four walks. The Rangers hit five total home runs: one against Lester, one against Scott Atchison and three against poor Mark Melancon, who has to be a basketcase after allowing five home runs already this season in limited work. There's a real possibility that he could be sent down to Pawtucket. Talk about a hard fall.

Colby Lewis (2-0) allowed a two-run homer to Dustin Pedroia (his 3rd of the season) in the first but settled down after that to go seven innings. He allowed two earned runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Josh Hamilton (3 hits, tying his career-high with 5 RBIs), Mike Napoli (3 runs, 3 hits, 4 RBIs) and Nelson Cruz (3 runs, 3 hits, 2 RBIs) treated Red Sox pitchers like it was the Home Run Derby. Even Craig Gentry was 3 for 6 with three runs. Fantasy Baseball tip: pick up any Rangers.

Napoli got it started with a two-run shot in the second inning to tie it, from there the Rangers scored 16 straight runs. After scoring four in the second, they tacked on three in the third, one in the sixth, eight in the eighth and two in the ninth. Napoli ended the incredible barrage with a two-run blast in the ninth. In between, Michael Young, Hamilton, former Red Sox 3B Adrian Beltre and Cruz all went deep as well.

Adrian Gonzalez (2nd of the season) had a solo homer in the eighth for the other Boston run. Ryan Sweeney was 3 for 4 with two doubles.

Tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Josh Beckett (1-1) gets to prove if his win against the Rays on Opening Day at Fenway last Friday was a fluke or not. Derek Holland (1-0) starts for the Rangers in the finale of this two-game set.

UPDATE 4/18: Melancon was sent down to Pawtucket and Junichi Tazawa was called up to take his spot in the bullpen. Wow.

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Goodbye Rangers, Hope To Never See The Best Team In The American League Again This Season

I've seen all I need to see from the Texas Rangers this season. I don't care that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have better records. For my money in October (hope the bookies aren't reading), I'd put my house (assuming I owned one) on the defending AL champions.

They concluded their 2011 season series with the Red Sox (84-55) this afternoon, leaving Fenway Park with an 11-4 win. Texas (80-61) beat Boston six out of the ten times they met this year and if the playoffs started today, they'd meet in Arlington in the ALDS (Rangers AL West champs; Red Sox AL Wild Card).

After their offense woke up yesterday, Boston's bats were mostly silent today as Matt Harrison (11-9) stifled them for seven innings. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

I don't like the Red Sox chances in a five-game series when they would likely face C.J. Wilson twice, Harrison and Derek Holland (who helped blank Boston on Friday night).

To make things even more depressing, the Yankees beat the Blue Jays earlier today so they now lead by 1.5 games. Boston will go Toronto with four games North of the border set to begin tomorrow afternoon.

No lopsided loss for the home team would be complete without another embarrassing performance by the one and only John Lackey (12-11). Usually the beneficiary of outrageous run support, Lackey fell flat on his face today when he actually had to outduel a fellow Major Leaguer. In five innings, he gave up six earned runs on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout.

Almost a mirror image of Boston's totals from the middle game yesterday, the Rangers had 15 hits, 11 RBIs and seven walks this afternoon.

Ian Kinsler led Texas with three hits, three RBIs and a run while Mike Napoli (2 runs, 2 hits, 2 RBIs, 2 walks), David Murphy (2 runs, 2 hits), Mitch Moreland (2 hits, run, RBI) and Endy Chavez (2 hits, run) all had multiple hits.

David Ortiz (2 hits, RBI, walk) and Kevin Youkilis (2 hits, run) were the only Boston players with multiple hits. The Red Sox were held under 10 hits as a team (nine).

Napoli had an RBI single in the second and Kinsler had an RBI triple in the third before Texas put up seven more runs in the sixth. Murphy and Moreland had RBI singles, Esteban German walked with the bases loaded, Kinsler had a sacrifice fly and Josh Hamilton emptied the bases with a three-run triple.

Felix Doubront was a disaster as the first reliever out of the bullpen for Boston. He only got one out and allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks. Desperately searching for a lefty out of the bullpen for the playoffs, the youngster does not look anywhere near capable of shouldering that type of workload or pressure. Franklin Morales it is (ducks).

The Red Sox had enough pride not to get shut out for the second time in three days. Marco Scutaro had a two-run single in the seventh while Ortiz had an RBI single in the eighth and Darnell McDonald drove in the last run with a sacrifice fly.

Napoli and Kinsler hit bombs off Michael Bowden in the ninth, one last donkey punch before the weekend was over.

Josh Beckett faces rookie Henderson Alvarez tomorrow at 1:07 p.m. in a game that the Red Sox really need to win.

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Erik Bedard Picks Up First Win For Red Sox; Carl Crawford Blasts First Grand Slam In Boston

After a pair of disheartening losses in a row (losing the series finale to the Yankees and sleepwalking through a shutout against the Rangers), the Boston Red Sox were due for a breakout game yesterday afternoon at Fenway Park.

Fittingly, it was two guys that haven't really pulled their weight much who helped pick up the team when it needed it most.

Erik Bedard (5-9) earned his first win in a Red Sox (84-54) uniform while Carl Crawford hit his first grand slam for Boston (fourth career) in a long but satisfying 12-7 win over Texas (79-61).

The Red Sox pounded out 16 hits with 12 RBIs and six walks as they dispatched the Rangers.

Bedard started off slow as Texas jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but he stayed composed as his teammates exploded for eight runs in the fourth. They were up as much as 12-3 before they lazily put it away. The lefty went six innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

Former Red Sox David Murphy opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second. Michael Young (2 hits) added an RBI single in the third and another former Red Sox Adrian Beltre (2 RBIs) drove in a run with a groundout.

Jed Lowrie started the comeback with an RBI single in the third. He departed in the fourth with tightness in his left shoulder. What else is new? Other than J.D. Drew, Lowrie might be the most delicate human being on the planet. He can't stay healthy if his life depended on it.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia tied it up with a two-run homer off Rangers starter Colby Lewis (11-10), his 14th of the season. Pinch-hitting for Lowrie, Mike Aviles (2 hits) had an RBI single which set the table for Crawford's 11th homer of the season-the biggest one so far in his Red Sox infancy. Jacoby Ellsbury reached on an infield single, scoring another run.

Lewis was pulled after 3.1 innings. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, 3 RBIs) had the final blow, a three-run double in the sixth which put Boston up 12-3.

Texas added three garbage runs in the eighth and one in the ninth but it didn't matter.

Josh Reddick had his first career four-hit game with the Red Sox but he got plunked on the hand by a Darren Oliver pitch in the eighth. Not sure if it's because of that or simply that Matt Harrison (a lefty) is starting this afternoon for Texas but Reddick is out of the lineup with new Red Sox Conor Jackson starting in right field.

John Lackey takes the ball for Boston as they try to win their second straight series against the Rangers. The Yankees are still half a game up on the Red Sox in the AL East heading into today's action.

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Maybe We Shouldn't Fear The Big Bad Rangers After All

Odds are that the Boston Red Sox have had a better week than you, no matter who you are. Polishing off a 3-1 series in Kansas City is one thing but also winning three of four in Texas (after getting shut out in the first game) is really impressive.

Andrew Miller (6-1) and the Red Sox (80-50) put a bow on an awesome road trip (6-2) with a 6-0 win tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington vs. the Rangers (74-58).

I still want no part of Texas in the playoffs, especially the ALDS, but this series has to give Boston and its fans confidence that they can beat the reigning AL champs in their own ballpark.

Watching the Red Sox pile up 11, 13 and six runs in the last three wins respectively, you couldn't help but notice that the Rangers are sorely lacking a No. 2 starter behind C.J. Wilson. Cliff Lee is in Philadelphia which changes everything; with him, Texas would probably be the AL team to beat. Without him, I think they're slightly behind Boston along with New York.

Oddly enough for the second straight time after not starting for a while, Miller was great. He went 6.1 innings, allowing only three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Like Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison before him, Alexi Ogando (12-6) simply didn't show up for Texas. In four innings, he allowed six earned runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Boston hit four homers against him in Williamsport South.

Red-hot Adrian Gonzalez added two more home runs (his 22nd and 23rd of the year), giving him five in the last three contests. What power outage?

David Ortiz had a solo shot (his 25th of the season) while former Ranger Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run blast (his 13th).

Before the world ends thanks to Hurricane Irene this weekend, can Tim Wakefield please get his 200th win? I think it's all of our last dying wish. Really though, he faces Gio Gonzalez tomorrow night back at Fenway Park (the start of a nine-game homestand) as the Oakland A's come to Boston for what promises to be a wet, miserable weekend. Sunday's game has already been moved to Saturday at 5 p.m. making for the strange doubleheader at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The Red Sox still lead the Yankees by one game in the AL East. New York trailed Oakland 7-1 this afternoon but used three grand slams (first team ever to do that, speaking of Williamsport and joke parks) to win 22-7.

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Might as well end the season now

A good test of someone's sanity and how much of a prisoner of the moment they are is to gauge their viewpoint after a baseball team has been swept in April.

If you freak out and start talking like the season is over, like the Boston Globe's over-the-hill Dan Saughnessy, you have completely lost touch with reality and it's best for everyone if you retire this second.

The Boston Red Sox started their 2011 season in about the worst possible fashion: getting swept in Texas by the Rangers.

Last season's AL champs, the Rangers (3-0) wrapped up the laughable beating with a 5-1 win yesterday afternoon at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Red Sox (0-3) starter Clay Buchholz (6.1 innings, 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts) was no match for a Texas lineup that churned out 11 home runs in the three lopsided victories.

Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz became the first teammates to start a season with homers in three consecutive games.

The reason I'm not panicking one iota is that the baseball season is so ridiculously long. Sorry Dan, a three-game sample in April tells us nothing about how this team will play in the summer or fall. You also have to give Texas credit, this wasn't the Kansas City Royals that were looking like world-beaters.

Rangers starter Matt Harrison pitched what I would venture to guess was probably his best game in the majors: 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks and eight strikeouts.

Carl Crawford was about the only bright spot for Boston. He was temporarily dropped from third to seventh in the lineup (ahhhh!) but responded with the first two hits of his Red Sox career, including an RBI single in the seventh.

Texas got solo homers in the second, third, fifth and seventh inning from David Murphy, Kinsler, Mike Napoli and Cruz respectively.

Michael Young added an RBI double in the eighth off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Pap hadn't gotten a chance to pitch all weekend so he was thrown into a 4-1 deficit and promptly gave up two hits and a walk before striking out the side with the bases loaded. Makes sense. Get used to a lot of white-knuckle work by Papelbon, who no longer has great stuff.

Boston mercifully gets today off before beginning a three-game series in Cleveland tomorrow. Josh Beckett takes the mound tomorrow night and will try to get the Red Sox in the win column for 2011. If the terrible Indians roll over the Red Sox, then we'll really have something to talk about.

John Lackey is hopeless

Oh John Lackey, you make it too easy.

While the rest of the United States was captivated by the NCAA basketball men's Final Four (count me among them), the Boston Red Sox were getting smoked by the Texas Rangers last night.

Every Ranger had a hit (15 total) as Texas (2-0) rolled to a 12-5 win over Boston (0-2) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

As I predicted, this one wasn't a pitcher's duel. Well at least Colby Lewis showed up (6 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts). Lackey (3.2 innings, 10 hits, 9 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts) couldn't make it out of the fourth inning. Yikes.

It's only a matter of time before Lackey is moved to third or even fourth in the rotation, assuming that Josh Beckett is a shell of his former self. Nobody not named Lackey can honestly believe he's a No. 2 starter on an AL East team and a World Series contender.

Ian Kinsler had a leadoff homer for the second straight game but David Ortiz answered with a two-run bomb, his second of the season, in the second inning for a 2-1 Boston lead.

That's when the wheels started to fall off for Lackey and the Red Sox. Elvis Andrus (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) had an RBI triple in the third and Josh Hamilton (2 hits, stolen base) added an RBI single.

Ortiz tied it at 3 with an RBI groundout in the fourth but Texas exploded with six runs in the fourth. Julio Borbon (2 hits) had an RBI triple and Andrus had an RBI double. Former Red Sox Adrian Beltre took any intrigue out of this one with a grand slam off Lackey.

All that was left was to pad the stats for the Rangers as Yorvit Torrealba took Dan Wheeler deep (two-run homer in the fifth) and Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer off Tim Wakefield in the sixth.

The only other highlight for Boston was Jacoby Ellsbury's two-run homer in the seventh.

The Red Sox will try to avoid the sweep and an unsightly 0-3 start this afternoon as Clay Buchholz faces Matt Harrison. That matchup clearly favors Boston so Buchholz needs to settle down his team and quiet the Rangers' potent lineup.

Red Sox bullpen blows Opening Day and it wasn't even Papelbon's fault

Opening Day is one of baseball's special moments. The season begins anew and even the hopeless franchises have something to celebrate for a day.

Seeing your newest players in action is always a highlight and yesterday, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford couldn't have scripted much different debuts for the Boston Red Sox.

Gonzalez had two hits and three RBIs while Crawford was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as the Sox lost 9-5 to the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Neither starting pitcher did much as Jon Lester (5.1 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 3 home runs) and C.J. Wilson (5.2 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, 6 strikeouts) looked better suited for some extended Spring Training.

The most surprising aspect was that Boston's bullpen imploded and yet Jonathan Papelbon didn't even get a shot to screw it up.

David Ortiz tied it up at five with a solo shot off Darren Oliver in the eighth inning but Texas scored four times in the home half of the inning.

Josh Bard was charged with four earned runs as David Murphy started it off with a two-run double down the left field line that hit the chalk. Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton followed with RBI doubles of their own and it was game over.

Boston was not going to score one run let alone four off All-Star closer Neftali Feliz.

The Red Sox got off to a nice start with two unearned runs in their first at bats of the season. Rangers center fielder Julio Borbon dropped a routine fly ball and Kevin Youkilis took advantage by knocking in Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 runs, walk, steal) with an RBI double. Gonzalez kept the line moving with an RBI single in his first plate appearance for the Red Sox.

The defending AL champions got to work immediately and Ian Kinsler hit a lead-off homer against Lester in the bottom of the first, cutting it to 2-1.

Nelson Cruz (2 hits, 2 runs) tied it in the second with another solo homer.

Gonzalez came through once again with a timely hit, a two-run single in the fourth gave Boston a 4-2 lead.

Mike Napoli (2 hits, 2 runs) wrestled the lead back for the Rangers with a three-run bomb in the fourth inning (5-4 Rangers). Lester only allowed 14 home runs last season but he gave up three yesterday.

Boston's 1-6 in the lineup is lethal but it's clear that 7-9 is likely to be a black hole. Yesterday against the lefty Wilson, Mike Cameron, Jarrod Saltlamacchia and Marco Scutaro combined to go 0-for-11 with three strikeouts.

John Lackey goes for the Red Sox tonight and he'll be opposed by Colby Lewis. Needless to say, expect a high-scoring game.