Yankees Weekend at Fenway

07/20:  Red Sox 4 (59-39) Yankees 2
Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonny Gomes homered and Felix Doubront continued his mastery over the Yankees.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

FELIX DOUBRONT:  6.1 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts.

07/21:  Yankees 5 Red Sox 2 (59-40)
Boston had trouble with Hiroki Kuroda in this one and could not get their offense going.  John Lackey pitched reasonably well for awhile, striking out seven with no walks, but took the loss.  Drake Britton made his Major League debut.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

NO CARD YET

MIKE CARP:  3 for 4, run, double.

07/22:  Red Sox 8 (60-40) Yankees 7

What a game.  Boston trailed 3-0 early on as Ryan Dempster was roughed up.  Then after pulling to 3-1, Mike Napoli hit a three-run home run and Jonny Gomes later homered.  The Red Sox soon lead 7-3 but the Yankees pulled back into a tie.  It went into extra innings and Mike Napoli hit a walk-off solo home run to win it.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI:  2 for 6, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs.

Red Sox Take 3 of 4 from Mariners

The West Coast road trip continued this week in the Pacific Northwest.  It was a hard-fought series featuring several rallies.

07/08:  Mariners 11 Red Sox 4 (54-37)
Felix Hernandez shut down the Red Sox offense and Jon Lester struggled yet again.  The rest of the bullpen did not really help anything out with Alex Wilson and Jose De La Torre each giving up three runs.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI:  1 for 4, Double, Run, RBI.

07/09:  Red Sox 11 (55-37) Mariners 8
Boston hit five home runs and Craig Breslow picked up the win in this game that saw the Red Sox come back from a deficit of 5-1 at one point.  David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Shane Victorino each homered.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DAVID ORTIZ:  4 for 5, 2 doubles, home run, RBI, 3 runs.

07/10:  Red Sox 11 (56-37) Mariners 4
Felix Doubront continued his hot streak and Boston rolled in this one.  Brandon Workman made his Major League debut, pitching two innings with three runs and four strikeouts.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DAVID ORTIZ:  2 for 3, home run, double, 2 runs, 3 RBIs.

07/11:  Red Sox 8 (57-37) Mariners 7
Boston won in the tenth on an RBI single from Daniel Nava.  Knuckleballer Steven Wright got his first Major League win and Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Iglesias, and Brock Holt each drove in two runs.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

NO CARD YET

STEVEN WRIGHT:  5.2 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, Win.

Red Sox Beat Yankees 2 Games to 1

It was a three-game weekend series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.  Boston lined up their pitching pretty well with Jon Lester, Felix Doubront, and Clay Buchholz.

05/31:  Yankees 4 Red Sox 1 (33-23)
Jon Lester did not have much control and got hit hard once again.  C.C. Sabathia pitched well for the first time in a couple of games and Boston could not come through in the ninth inning against Mariano Rivera.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DUSTIN PEDROIA:  3 for 4, run, 2 doubles.

06/01:  Red Sox 11 (34-23) Yankees 1
Felix Doubront just owns the Yankees.  Coupled with a massive offensive performance featuring a grand slam from Mike Napoli, a three run home run from Daniel Nava, and a solo shot from Stephen Drew, the Red Sox rolled to an easy victory.  Jackie Bradley Jr. came through with three hits including two doubles as well.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI:  3 for 5, grand slam, 5 RBIs.

06/02:  Red Sox 3 (35-23) Yankees 0
In a rain-shortened five-and-a-half inning game, Clay Buchholz got credit for a complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits.  Jose Iglesias and David Ortiz both homered for the Red Sox in a game that featured three rain delays before finally being called.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

CLAY BUCHHOLZ:  5 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, Win

Splitting With the Phillies

The Red Sox played their first interleague series of the year against their MLB-designated NL rival Philadelphia Phillies.  I guess I sort of understand this one.  Boston and Philadelphia are both very important cities from the Revolutionary War.  They did once meet in the World Series, back in 1915.  And neither team has a natural rival.  So I guess I can see it.  It is better than Colorado-Houston at least.

Both teams won two games and both teams went 1-1 at each city.

05/27:  Red Sox 9 (32-20) Phillies 3
Alfredo Aceves returned to Boston to make a spot start and pitched very well, giving up only one run in seven innings.  Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli each homered for Boston.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI:  2 for 4, home run, double, 2 RBIs, 2 runs

05/28:  Phillies 3 Red Sox 1 (32-21)
Boston only had four hits all night , none of which were for extra bases.  Boston could not solve Cliff Lee all night.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

RYAN DEMPSTER:  7 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, Loss

05/29:  Phillies 4 Red Sox 3 (32-22)
John Lackey did not pitch badly, but he did give up three home runs and Boston could not catch back up despite having the potential winning runs in scoring position in the ninth inning.  Daniel Nava homered for the Red Sox continuing his great season.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JACOBY ELLSBURY:  2 for 5, double, triple, RBI

05/30:  Red Sox 9 (33-22) Phillies 2
Franklin Morales made his season debut for the Red Sox and got the spot start so that Boston's pitching could be lined up for the Yankees series starting on Friday.  He pitched okay for it being his first action all year.  Craig Breslow and the rest of the pen was far more impressive.  David Ortiz and Jonny Gomes each homered and Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in three runs on a pair of doubles.  But Jacoby Ellsbury was the big story as he stole five bases, a team record.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JACOBY ELLSBURY:  3 for 4, hit by pitch, 5 stolen bases

Red Sox Drop 2 of 3 from the Blue Jays

Boston continued to struggle this weekend losing two of three from the Blue Jays.  I was away all weekend so I was not able to do this for each game.  I am not going to get too in-depth into the summaries, I might just list Players of the Game.

MAY 10, 2013: Red Sox 5 (22-14) Blue Jays 0

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

JON LESTER: Complete game, 2 hits, shutout, 5 strikeouts

May 11, 2013: Blue Jays 3 Red Sox 2 (22-15)

Clay Buchholz pitched well but stand-in closer Junichi Tazawa gave up the game-winning home run in the ninth inning.  Boston needs Bailey back soon.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

CLAY BUCHHOLZ: 8 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts

May 12, 2013: Blue Jays 12 Red Sox 4 (22-16)

Ryan Dempster did not have it in this game at all.  Boston was crushed by five home runs, two by Jose Bautista.  The injury bug came back and took David Ross (concussion) and Shane Victorino (ribs).

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: 3 for 4, home run, double, 2 runs

05/01: Red Sox 10 (19-8) Blue Jays 1

Clay Buchholz continued his dominating season allowing just two hits and three walks over seven innings of shut-out ball while striking out eight.  He has been very impressive all year so far.  The bats also had some fun in this one with home runs from Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew, Daniel Nava, and Mike Carp, six home runs in all.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

MIKE NAPOLI 3 for 4, 2 long home runs, double, 3 runs, 4 RBIs

 

Andrew Bailey and Mike Napoli Named Co-Players of the Week

Link.

Mike Napoli has been on fire lately.  Andrew Bailey had a pretty good week as the fill-in closer.  Joel Hanrahan may have some trouble getting his job back when he gets back from the disabled list.

Grand Old Game 04/22: Red Sox (13-6) 9 Athletics 6

The two teams with the best records in the American League clashed in Boston tonight.  Felix Doubront took the hill for Boston and was wild once again but managed to pitch nearly six innings.  He struck out eight and walked five and took the victory.  Boston was behind until Will Middlebrooks drilled a three run home run to take the lead.  They never relinquished and Andrew Bailey got the save against his old team.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: (2 for 4, 2 runs, 5 RBI, double, grand slam)

Doubleheader Blues 04/21: Royals 4 Red Sox (12-5) 2; Royals 5 Red Sox (12-6) 4

Well this was embarrassing.  There really should be no excuse to lose both ends of a doubleheader, but that is what happened.

In the opening game, Ryan Dempster took the loss with one bad inning where he allowed three runs.  Unfortunately the offense could never really get going and that was enough to lose.  David Ortiz had three hits and Daniel Nava had two, but that was pretty much it for the offense.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DAVID ORTIZ (3 for 4, double, RBI)

In the second game Allen Webster, the big prize in last year's Dodger deal, made his Major League debut.  He pitched well, pitching six innings, striking out five, walking one, and allowing three runs.  He left the game with the lead, but Koji Uehara gave up a tying home run and Andrew Miller walked in the lead run in the 10th.  Boston had several opportunities but could not come up with a big hit.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: (3 for 5, home run, double, two RBIs)

04/18: Red Sox (11-4) 6 Indians 3

Boston has now won six in a row.  Jon Lester had another strong start and is 3-0 on the season thus far.  Andrew Bailey picked up the save as they swept the Indians.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: (2 for 5, triple, 2 runs, RBI)

04/16 Red Sox (9-4) 7 Indians 2

The big story of the day was the meeting between the Red Sox and their old manager Terry Francona who now manages the Indians.  Felix Doubront took the win even though he continues to throw way too many pitches.  He needs to harness that a little bit in order to be a more productive pitcher.  He does strike out a lot of batters but I think he is probably a little too focused on trying to blow hitters away and his control suffers.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI (2 for 5, run, 3 RBIs, 2 doubles) 

04/11 Orioles 3 Red Sox (5-4) 2

Boston lost for the second game in a row to the Orioles.  It was the second game in a row that the bullpen took the loss, this time it was Clayton Mortensen who took the loss despite not allowing the go-ahead hit.  That was the normally reliable Koji Uehara.  Not much happened offensively.  Boston did not have an extra base hit.  Alex Wilson made his Major League debut after being called up when John Lackey went on the disabled list and pitched a scoreless inning, allowing a walk with a strikeout.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

NO CARD YET

MIKE NAPOLI (2 for 4, RBI)

04/05 Red Sox (3-1) 6 Blue Jays 4

John Farrell made his return to Toronto where he managed the previous two seasons.  Felix Doubront made his season debut and struck out six in just over five innings, walking none, but giving up three runs on nine hits.  Jose Iglesias went out with an injury after being hit with a pitch.  Boston hit two home runs by Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks.  Junichi Tazawa got the win and Joel Hanrahan notched his second save.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

NO CARD YET

Mike Napoli (1 for 5, 2-run home run, RBI groundout)

The New Acquisitions

For the first post back, let's take a look at the new members of the Red Sox:

C - DAVID ROSS
Ross was signed for two years and $6.2 million.  This is probably the best signing of the offseason for the team.  Ross provides veteran leadership behind the plate in a platoon role.  The big question will be whether he platoons with Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Ryan Lavarnway.

1B/C/DH - MIKE NAPOLI
Napoli was signed for one year and $5 million.  He has a bat seemingly tailor-made for Fenway Park and should knock more than a few balls out of the park.  It will be interesting to see if there are any lingering ill will effects from having to renegotiate his original three year $39 million contract.

IF - BROCK HOLT
Holt was acquired in a trade with the Pirates along with Joel Hanrahan.  Holt has had limited Major League experience but has shown a decent eye at the plate.  He could stick in a bench role.

SS - STEPHEN DREW
Drew signed as a free agent for one year and $9.5 million.  This one does not make much sense to me.  Drew blocks Jose Iglesias at shortstop and is being paid too much when his numbers have been on the decline for a couple of years.  Yes he has had injury concerns, but this still does not make a lot of sense.

RF - SHANE VICTORINO
Victorino was signed as a free agent for three years and $39 million.  He is coming off his worst season as a regular which saw the popular outfielder traded from the Phillies to the Dodgers.  He did steal 39 bases, but his other numbers across the board were down.  It will be difficult for Victorino to live up to his contract.

LF/DH - JONNY GOMES
Gomes was signed as a free agent for two years and $10 million.  Gomes has been a journeyman bat, usually off the bench.  He was once a major antagonist in fights with the Rays so it was a little surprising that he signed with the Red Sox.  This is a little bit of a reach in terms of money, but Gomes should provide some power.  He is very capable of hitting 20 home runs.

SP - RYAN DEMPSTER
Dempster signed for two years and $26.5 million as a free agent.  Boston attempted to acquire Dempster a couple of times throughout the 2012 season.  He was traded from the Cubs to the Rangers at the trading deadline.  Dempster's numbers promptly declined coming to the American League.  Boston is hoping he will learn from those mistakes.  He will not be expected to be a top of the rotation starter which takes some pressure off.

RP - KOJI UEHARA
Uehara signed for one year and $4.25 million.  He is a control pitcher from the bullpen, further strengthening what has already become a powerful weapon for the team.

RP - JOEL HANRAHAN
Hanrahan was acquired in a trade with the Pirates along with Brock Holt.  Hanrahan is expected to take over as the team's closer.  He had decent numbers with the Pirates when the team was contending last year, but those took a slide with the team's fortunes.  He should be fun to watch.

The big concern that I have is that a lot of the signings block players that were seemingly ready for the Major Leagues in 2013.  Ross and Napoli block Ryan Lavarnway.  Drew blocks Jose Iglesias.  Gomes and Victorino block Ryan Kalish.  Lavarnway, Iglesias, and Kalish are not expected to be superstars, but they deserve a shot to see if they could stick at the Major League level.