SOX GET BACK ON TRACK

The Detroit Tigers were a fashionable pick to win it all before the season has started, but they were 0-6 coming into this afternoon's game against the Red Sox. Kenny Rogers got the ball for the Tigers, and despite losing his first start against Kansas City, had pitched well enough to win. That wouldn't be the case against the Sox.

The Sox got 8 hits off Rogers, as well as 3 walks. But they only got 3 runs off the ancient lefty, leaving a total of 11 men on base throughout the afternoon.

But Daisuke didn't need much offense. Apart from his struggles in Tokyo, he's looked phenomenal. He went 6.2 innings, striking out 7, walking 4 and giving up 4 hits. He probably could have finished the 7th inning, as a pitch-count of 108 isn't high for him. Delcarmen went 1.1 scoreless, which was nice to see him get back on track. And Okajima pitched a perfect, 2 strikeout 9th.

It was a nice 5-0 win, but it could have been a great deal nicer. Ortiz continues to struggle, going 0 for 3 today. But he did manage to work 2 walks, and one of his outs was a 370 foot bomb to right-field that probably would have carried out of the park on a warmer day. Pedroia and Youkilis went a combined 5 for 8, and got on base 6 times in 9 plate appearances, but only scored once.

The Man of the Game was Daisuke, who is now 2-0, and leads all of baseball with 21 strikeouts.

One very nice touch to the somewhat bland ring presentation was Bill Buckner throwing out the first pitch. The ovation he got from the crowd was very nice to hear. That's one of the best parts of the 2004 and 2007 Championships, that players like Buckner can be forgiven, and won't have to have their least favorite memories replayed ad nauseum on Fox when the Red Sox play the Yankees.



It was also funny when the Fenway Hawk got a round of applause in the middle of the game. Only in Boston could a bird get cheered after attacking a teenage girl.



Jon Lester faces Jeremy Bonderman tomorrow night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
Photo by Steven Senne-Pool/Getty Images
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images

BRUINS-CANADIENS PREVIEW

The Bruins will be playing the Montreal Canadiens starting Thursday night. Montreal beat us eight times this year, and eleven straight overall. The Canadiens have faster skaters, better scorers, and as always, the officiating “ghosts” that they travel with. But they don’t have the amount of heart or physicality that the Bruins do. The Canadiens are a dazzling ice show with neat tricks and pretty uniforms. The Bruins are the guys waiting outside the ice show to take their lunch money away.

The experts are predicting a route in this series, with the only question being “Will Montreal win in 4 games or 5 games?” But these are the same people who forecasted a 15th place finish for the Bruins.

The Bruins have a few things going for them in this series, and will give Montreal one hell of a fight. The physical but ungoonlike play of guys like Chara, Thornton, Lucic, Reich will bruise the Canadiens. And if the referees are half-decent, when Twatreal’s players start diving around like soccer players, they won’t get many penalty calls.

Patrice Bergeron has been cleared to play in the post-season. He probably won’t make an appearance until later in the series, but his return will be an emotional lift and an added advantage for the Bruins.

Tim Thomas has been steady this season, and lately has stood on his head to win games for the B’s. If he piles up a few 1 goal outings, then the Habs will be in big trouble.

Montreal has all the pressure on them as the top seed and as the historic Canadiens. The Bruins are like the George Mason of the playoffs. They’re not expected to go far so there’s no pressure on them to do much. Montreal has some young, inexperienced players, and they might succumb more to the Canadien’s ghosts than the Bruins do.

I’m making a bold prediction here. The Bruins will beat Montreal in 6 games. Place your bets.

COLON HURTING

After a solid rehab start for AAA Pawtucket, Bartolo Colon has been placed on the minor league DL due to a strain on his right side. Colon pitched five scoreless innings last Thursday, allowing only one hit, one walk, striking out, and throwing 74 pitches. Minor League DL is different, as it is only a minimum of 7 days he will miss. He will be eligible to return on Friday.

There's no doubt that Colon can still pitch, as demonstrated by his start in Pawtucket. But with his recent history of injuries, as well as his considerable girth, whether or not he can recover from a start is still a major question. Pitching, in and of itself, is a form of injury. Starters recover from these injuries every 4 days to pitch again. Thursday showed us that Colon can still start, but the aftermath has made me seriously doubt that he can be a starter.

Source:
SI.com