Another Beautiful Day in Red Sox Nation

ALCS Game 3

2008-10-13T21:07:31Z

Lester v Garza

2nd inning

Red Sox 0 - 1 Rays

Series tied 1-1

ALCS Game 2 Analysis

2008-10-12T06:07:06Z

This one hurt. It's hard to tell who's really the goat of this one. It's easy to peg Josh Beckett, who obviously is NOT the Josh Beckett of years past. His line tonight - 4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 3 HR. For an ERA of over 16. If we're going to win this series, Beckett HAS to be better than that. But I think that some of the blame can be placed on Tito, who had a little bit of Grady Little disease, leaving Beckett in for way too long after Josh proved that he wasn't going to be effective tonight. If we get someone in for Beckett before the 5th inning, from the way the bullpen pitched after the 5th inning, this one might not have gone into extras.

I also have to question Tito going to Timlin in the top of the 11th, rather than keeping Papelbon in there. Yes, he'd gone an inning and a third, but he had only thrown 18 pitches, and with an off-day tomorrow, as well as Lester going on Monday, Francona could have stretched him for at least one more inning, maybe even two if he really had to. Timlin should never have been on the postseason roster in the first place, and he proved it again tonight, even if the home plate umpire was squeezing him a bit.

The offense on the other hand played great, and it was good to see Pedroia finally break into his postseason stride. It'll be hard to follow up a 2HR, 4 runs-scored game, but if he continues to be the hitter we all know he can be, it's yet another cog in the Sox lineup that's finally starting to turn with everyone else. And how can you possibly say enough about what Jason Bay has been to this team? Yet another clutch HR when it was needed, and another solid day at the plate overall, and good defense.

I am concerned about David Ortiz, however. He looks absolutely lost at the plate so far this postseason, and if he's not hitting even half of what he normally does in the playoffs, it could be a major weakness for this team going into the rest of this series, and the World Series if they make it that far.

This off-day couldn't have come for a better time for both teams, who had to stretch their bullpens to the max tonight. The Sox need to regroup, and a solid Lester outing on Monday (and really, can you expect anything less at this point?) will give the bullpen enough rest to handle Daisuke take 2, or even a potential Wakefield or Byrd start.

I still say Sox in 6, but the road is going to be a lot harder now.

I'm a damn OGP what the hell do I look like

2008-10-11T23:58:09Z

Saturday, October 11, 2008 (8:07pm ET)
Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays

vs
Josh Beckett (0-0, -.-- ERA, 0 SO) v. Scott Kazmir (0-0, -.-- ERA 0 SO)
TV: TBS | Radio: WRKO (Eng.) WROL (Esp.) | AIM: redsox

Red Sox
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Mark Kotsay, 1B
9. Coco Crisp, CF

Rays
1. Akinori Iwamura, 2B
2. B.J. Upton, CF
3. Carlos Pena, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Carl Crawford, LF
6. Cliff Floyd, DH
7. Dioner Navarro, C
8. Gabe Gross, RF
9. Jason Bartlett, SS

Drew is out of the line-up tonight because he is 1-7 against Kazmir, whereas Coco is 9-30 with three doubles.

ALCS Game 1

2008-10-11T07:12:27Z

The star of the game tonight was obviously Daisuke Matsuzaka. Though he had his usual walks, he really bore down and gave the Red Sox 7+ quality innings tonight, and made sure the bullpen stayed rested for Game 2, which could be a good thing if Josh Beckett is still off his form.

Also, props to the Sox defense, for making the big plays when it counted and keeping the Rays from scoring even when Matsuzaka was in a jam. That DP on Evan Longoria in the 8th inning was the final nail in the coffin, and killed their last shot at a rally.

Papelbon Breaks Career Scoreless Postseason Innings Mark

2008-10-11T04:07:48Z

At 20.2 scoreless postseason innings, Papelbon has now pitched more career innings than any other pitcher in the history of baseball without giving up a postseason run. He beat Joe Niekro's record of 20 career postseason innings without giving up a run. I was especially happy to see him end the game on a splitter. The Red Sox appear to be in good shape with their two best pitchers going in Game 2 and Game 3.

EDIT: FOR CLARIFICATION PURPOSES Papelbon broke the record for most consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason, for a pitcher that's never given up a run in the postseason. He did not break Mariano Rivera's record of 34.1 consecutive scoreless postseason innings, but it took Rivera four years to compile those innings.

OGP

2008-10-11T00:29:01Z

Games online?

2008-10-10T22:37:05Z

Do any of you know if there is a way to watch the ALCS games online anywhere?

redsox @ 2008-10-10T14:12:00

2008-10-10T21:12:09Z

The Papi Pound

Saw this on www.bostonist.com.
Seemed like a great idea if it catches on.

What Happened to Papelbon's Splitter?

2008-10-10T19:30:57Z

He began throwing a "slutter" (really just a flat slider) this year as his secondary pitch and I don't like the results. It has been the worst official season of his career. And opponents are hitting .148 against Papelbon when they have an 0-2 count, compared to last year when they hit only 0.97 against Papelbon once he got 0-2 on the hitter. His strikeout rate also went down by 3 strikeouts per 9 innings. That's a pretty big drop.

Against Papelbon's fastball, hitters hit .148 this year. Against Papelbon's splitter hitters hit .149 this year. Against Papelbon's "slutter" hitters hit .375 this year. So why does he insist on sticking with the "slutter". I understand that he wants to vary the speeds on his pitches, but then why not go back to the curve that he used to throw? The scouting report on Papelbon, going back to the minors was that his slider was horrible, minor leaguers used to hit .333 of his slider.

Virtual Waiting Room Hell

2008-10-10T17:46:33Z

Anyone else stuck in virtual waiting room hell? Anyone get through and actually order tickets?

Mike Timlin to appear again

2008-10-09T21:56:41Z

They're adding Timlin to the roster. Thoughts?

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081009&content_id=3605444&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos

Postseason tickets

2008-10-08T21:13:41Z

I got one of those e-mails saying I can buy WS tickets from that drawing. I was wondering if anyone has ever done this before? What happens if you buy tickets for a series that doesn't end up happening? Do they give you a full refund?

Thanks for any info!

Yawkey Way Store sale

2008-10-08T19:27:56Z

Just got this from a friend. Not sure if you need an AAA membership to be able to get in the store (and unfortunately I don't know what the link is to RSVP), but you can get the discount on-line just by using the promotion code.

Note: A lot of the clearance items seem to be out of stock, but select your size to check if your size is in stock or not. Have fun!

ALCS Rotation Discussion

2008-10-08T15:16:58Z

Well, Francona at this moment is trying to make up his mind about how to set the rotation for the ALCS, so I figured it'd be a good discussion topic. How would you set the rotation?

A few things to keep in mind:

The Game 1 (at the Trop) starter would get the ball in Game 5 (at Fenway).
The Game 2 (Trop) starter would most likely start Game 6 (Trop again).
The Game 3 (Fenway) starter would get the ball in Game 7 (Trop).
The Game 4 (Fenway) starter should only have one start.

The easiest pick should be the Game 4 starter - the guy you don't want to the Sox to start more than once in this series. But there's two candidates - Wakefield or Byrd. Looking at home/road splits (using specifically Fenway numbers for Byrd, since "home" for him was Cleveland for most of the year), it's pretty easy to pick Wakefield - who owns a 3.10 ERA at Fenway vs. Byrd's 6.29 ERA. But Wakefield has been shelled by the Rays this year - he's 0-2 against them with a 5.87 ERA. Meanwhile, the Rays haven't yet faced Byrd this year. Who do you pick?

Now, the juggling act of Lester/Beckett/Matsuzaka begins. Consider that Lester pitched Monday night, it's hard to see him starting game 1 on three days rest. It's possible that he could pitch Game 2 on what would be normal rest, but Lester has been better at home than on the road (2.49 ERA at home, 4.09 ERA on the road). Meanwhile, both Beckett and Dice-K have been better on the road (Beckett: 2.85/5.65 road/home ERA; Matsuzaka: 2.37/3.34 road/home ERA). However, Matsuzaka's split is less drastic, this leads me to think that we'll see a rotation like this:

Game 1 (@TB): Matsuzaka
Game 2 (@TB): Beckett
Game 3 (BOS): Lester
Game 4 (BOS): Wakefield (Byrd in the pen)
Game 5 (BOS): Matsuzaka
Game 6 (@TB): Beckett
Game 7 (@TB): Lester

This rotation keeps Beckett away from Fenway, where he's struggled. I chose Wakefield over Byrd as it's much easier for Byrd to come out of the pen (no change of catchers needed). Lester gets a pivotal start in game 3 at home where he has excelled, and would be the guy on the hill in a do-or-die match at Tropicana. I'm not really comfy with Dice-K pitching a potential "stay alive" game 5, but I think keeping Beckett away from Fenway is more important.

What say you?

ALDS Game 4 Pictures.

2008-10-07T14:28:43Z

I'm not saying that these are super awesome pictures or anything, but I did want to share my pictures from the game last night. It was my very first playoff game live & in person! I apologize for some of the shaky ones, it was pretty cold!! (:

Yawn

2008-10-07T10:23:26Z

Good morning Red Sox Nation. Just a quick question: how many of you are about to head off to work (or school) with less than 5 hours of sleep?

My eyes sorta burn. Dunkin Donuts should give out free coffee today or something.

OGP

2008-10-07T00:49:36Z

redsox @ 2008-10-06T17:23:00

2008-10-06T22:24:21Z

Am I missing it? Where is NESN's pre and post? I didn't see it last night either.

Is...is that Jim Thome's way of saying, "OGP"?

2008-10-05T23:24:45Z

Sunday, October 5, 2008 (7:24pm ET)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Boston Red Sox

vs
Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.41) v. Josh Beckett (12-10, 4.03 ERA)
TV: TBS | Radio: WRKO (Eng.) WROL (Esp.) | AIM: redsox

Red Sox
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Coco Crisp, CF

Angels
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Garret Anderson, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Torii Hunter, CF
6. Juan Rivera, RF
7. Mike Napoli, C
8. Howie Kendrick, 2B
9. Erick Aybar, SS

Game is on TNT until there is a final from the Rays-Sox game.
In other news, Dodgers will face the Phillies in the NLCS and the White Sox lead the Rays by two in the 8th.

I PLAYED ALL! NINE POSITIONS IN MY PREVIOUS TASKING AS "OGP."

2008-10-04T01:23:46Z

Friday, October 3, 2008 (9:37pm ET)
Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

vs
Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90 ERA) v. Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49 ERA)
TV: TBS | Radio: WRKO (Eng.) WROL (Esp.) | AIM: redsox

Red Sox
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mark Kotsay, 1B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Alex Cora, SS

Angels
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Garret Anderson, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, IB
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Torii Hunter, CF
6. Juan Rivera, RF
7. Howie Kendrick, 2B
8. Jeff Mathis, C
9. Erick Aybar, SS

Dodgers-BoSox series

2008-10-03T04:03:56Z

I'm not horribly superstitious, and I hope no one is all pissy about someone suggesting the Sox might make it back to defend their title. I've been thinking for weeks it would be interesting to see a Dodgers-BoSox series. Right now I thinking that LA is looking like the team to beat in the NL. The Angels struggle with the BoSox in the playoffs. Assuming we get past them, I'd honestly say a Tampa/Boston ALCS would be a toss-up, so Dodgers-BoSox isn't really a stretch.

I think the fans would react fairly well to Lowe, and maybe even Nomar. The Manny reaction would likely be pretty bad.

I think the Yanks would go nuts seeing Torre take his new team to the series.

What do you guys think? What are the chances it will happen? Would you want to see it? How do you think people would react?

Bill Simmons On Manny's Departure

2008-10-02T18:55:00Z

Just in case y'all missed it: Bill Simmons wrote a great piece on Manny and the real reason why he left Boston.

My favorite bit, though, doesn't even have to do with Manny, but it is just *so* right on:

"The relationship between a fan and his baseball team is unlike anything else. If you love a team -- if you truly love it -- then that team infiltrates your daily life for six straight months (seven if you're lucky). You wake up, you shower, you eat, you work, you eat, you watch your baseball team, you sleep. When the Mets collapsed for the third straight season last week, my devastated friends who follow them all said the same thing: it wasn't losing again as much as reflecting on those 162 games and the hundreds of hours wasted along the way. They felt betrayed. Only baseball does that to you. It's a game of routine, of watching one at-bat after another, hoping something different happens, of relishing the little things that happen along the way."

Amen, brother.

random Pedroia fact

2008-10-02T14:26:32Z

In 1967 Carl Yastrzemski led the league in AVG, HR, and RBI making him the last guy in baseball to win the triple crown. It's not quite as glamorous, but this year Dustin Pedroia won another sort of triple crown. While the cleanup hitters get all the press when they lead the league in their categories, the number 2 hitters don't get much attention. The number 2 guy is supposed to move the leadoff hitter along, get himself into scoring position, and ultimately, score some runs himself. Pedroia did just that this year when he led the AL in hits, doubles, and runs. That has been done twice before in the history of the game making it even more rare than the more famous triple crown. Pete Rose did it in 1976 and Ty Cobb did it in 1911. Does that make him an MVP? I dunno. But I thought it was pretty cool.

Another cool thing about Pedroia that I just found out using baseball-reference, is that he has been on base twice or more in 161 of his first 327 career games. Yaz accomplished that 162 times in his first 327 career games. Since 1956 they're tied for 38th and tied for 41st in that category amongst players in their first 327 career games (the number of games Pedroia has played so far). Frank Thomas is tops on that list, far ahead of the competition with 215. Youk is actually on the list too with 166 multi-onbase games in his first 327 and Jason Bay did it 171 times. Pedroia is tied for 4th amongst second basemen in their first 327 games.

NOPE, NO TIME, GOTTA GO TO BED IMMEDIATELY, I'M PITCHING FIVE TIMES IN THE OGP

2008-10-02T02:07:17Z

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 (10:05pm ET)
Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

vs
Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21 ERA) v. John Lackey (12-5, 3.75 ERA)
TV: TBS | Radio: WRKO (Eng.) WROL (Esp.) | AIM: redsox

Red Sox
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. Jed Lowrie, SS
9. Jason Varitek, C

Angels
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Garret Anderson, LF
3. Mark Texeira, 1B
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Torii Hunter, CF
6. Howie Kendrick, 2B
7. Mike Napoli, C
8. Gary Matthews Jr., RF
9. Erick Aybar, SS

Phillies beat the Brewers, Dodgers beat the Cubs and I have nothing other to say than it's time for some October baseball!

The Red Sox' ALDS Roster

2008-10-01T17:23:57Z

Here's the full lowdown on the roster, per Extra Bases:

PITCHERS

Starters
Jon Lester (L)
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Josh Beckett

Relievers
Tim Wakefield
Paul Byrd
Javier Lopez (L) (Disclaimer: Lefties are actually hitting below the Mendoza line on Lopez this season. WUT?!)
Manny Delcarmen
Hideki Okajima (L)
Justin Masterson
Jonathan Papelbon

POSITIONAL PLAYERS

Projected starting lineup
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Lowell, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Jed Lowrie, SS

Bench
Mark Kotsay, IF-OF (L)
Coco Crisp, OF (S)
Sean Casey, 1B (L)
Alex Cora, IF (L)
Kevin Cash, C (R)
David Ross, C (R)

I have to say, I really like it. No Timlin and a third catcher for the sake of pinch hitting for both Tek OR Cash should the situation call for it.