NOT WORTH STAYING UP FOR

Well John Lackey registered his first good start of the season. Not so surprising considering his record in Oakland and against AL West teams. Oakland also has a poor offense. It's just a shame that the Sox' batters and bullpen had to let such a fine start go to waste.

Is it me, or are 90% of starting pitchers lefthanded these days? It seems like every day the Sox are facing a southpaw. And therefore half the lineup is either on the bench or ineffective.

The Sox managed a mere 5 hits, all of them singles. They were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position. We've seen them hit against Toronto's stable of forgettable pitchers, but against good arms, they're really struggling. When Lowrie and Pedroia aren't getting 3 hits a game, there's little chance for any scoring.

I don't understand why Lackey was lifted after only 93 pitches through 6 innings. Was it to save his confidence? Take him out of a game while he's doing well, instead of risking a confidence crushing collapse? I hope not. He was cruising. And the Sox' bullpen sucks. Wheeler did well, but then Okajima put the game out of reach.

The bullpen is still my biggest concern. All five starters have given at least one impressive performance. Except Buchholz, and he'll likely cut through Oakland's lineup this afternoon. And hitters like Youkilis and Crawford will assuredly raise their averages well over .200. But this bullpen... who knows? They might be this terrible for the duration of the season.

Buchholz faces Gio Gonzalez at 3:30 Eastern. Gio is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA. And yes, he's a lefty.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

LESTER MATCHES SANTANA IN DUEL

The Red Sox travelled to the Atlantic coast once again, this time to take on the Mets. Luckily for the Sox who made the trip (only 3 starting position players did), the team is willing to charter flights for the 150+ mile trip, as opposed to taking the bus.

Jon Lester got the start against Johan Santana. But both pitchers had surprisingly similar pitching lines. Lester went 4 innings, allowed 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and struck out 5. Santana also went 4, also allowed 2 hits, also allowed 0 runs, didn't walk any, and struck out 4.




Ellsbury, one of the few regulars to make the trip, went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles. Jed Lowrie continued to struggle, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout and 4 men left on base. He was also picked off of 1st base. Julio Lugo can relax a bit as his potential replacement is currently hitting .107 in grapefruit League play.

Jason Varitek went 0 for 3, but backup George Kotteras went 1 for 1 with a double. Kotteras is hitting .625 this spring, and is making a good case for himself to be the #3 catcher on the depth chart.

Hideki Okajima pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 hit and striking 1 man out.

Brandon Moss had the only RBI for the Sox with a sac-fly in the 9th. Craig Hansen continued to struggle, allowing the only Met run to score in the 8th. The game ended a 1-1 tie after 10 innings.

The teams also set an attendance record for Tradition Stadium at 7,353. But according to Hank Steinbrenner, nobody cares about the Red Sox.



Source:
BostonRedSox.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/James A. Finley

RED SOX FALL 8-2 TO TWINS

With a win, the Red Sox would have clinched their 6th Mayor's Cup, but the Twins had other plans. Tim Wakefield got the start for the Sox and looked pretty good. He allowed just one hit in his two innings of work.

Mike Lowell gave the Sox a 1-0 lead with a solo homerun to leadoff the 2nd. But then Clay Bucholz came in. Bucholz allowed 4 runs in the 3rd off 5 hits and a walk. But he didn't look as bad as his line suggests. There were several hits that blooped into gaps, and a few that could've been caught by Red Sox fielders (Manny).



Bucholz's second inning of work was a quick 1-2-3. Hideki Okajima worked into and out of a jam in his inning. Javier Lopez, and Manny Delcarmen had scoreless innings. Then Craig Hansen came in and looked awful. He gave up 4 off 2 hits and 3 walks.

The Red Sox offense didn't look that good. Lowell's homer, and an RBI single by Pedroia produced the only 2 runs of the day. Crisp, Manny, Drew, and Youkilis were all held hitless. Although Drew did have a nice outfield assist at home plate.



The next televised Red Sox spring training game will be Thursday afternoon on ESPN. The Red Sox will host the Dodgers.

Source:
BostonRedSox.com

Photo Credits:
Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images
AP Photo/Brita Meng Outzen