RIP MARQUISE HILL

The body of Patriots defensive lineman Marquise Hill was found yesterday in Lake Pontchartrain, north of Louisiana. The 24 year old LSU alumnus was jet skiing with a female acquaintance in choppy waters a few days ago. After an accident, his acquaintance was able to grab hold of a pylon and wait for rescuers to come, but Marquise was unable to do so. As he drifted away, he tried to keep her calm. He was missing for a day until his body was found.

Marquise played in 13 games for the Patriots over 3 seasons, backing up Vince Wilfork in the interior of the D-Line. He received a Super Bowl ring in 2004, his rookie season.

"We have suffered a stunning and tragic loss. Marquise will be remembered as a thoughtful and caring young man who established himself as one of the year-round daily fixtures of our team. I send my deepest condolences to the Hill family."
-Bill Belichick

SCHILLING LEADS SOX TO CLOSE VICTORY

This game had the feel of a playoff game. It was close between two very good teams, and there was A LOT of drama.

After struggling in his recent starts, Schilling has done some tinkering with pitching coach John Farrell and it looks like the tinkering worked. He racked up a season high in strikeouts with 10, walked no one, and allowed only one run.

The bullpen was less than sharp. Romero couldn't get an out and was charged with an earned run. Donnelly threw a perfect 8th, but Papelbon was way off. It seems like Jonathan's been struggling just a bit in his recent outings. He gave up a few hits to Atlanta, allowed a run to New York, and very nearly blew the save last night. I know that with Papelbon, if he doesn't strike out the side in 12 pitches, he looks off. Nevertheless, I'm a bit concerned.

Kevin Youkilis is a man on fire. Twenty straight games with a hit, eight straight games with multiple hits. He went 2 for 5 with a double and an inside the park homerun. The last Sox player to hit an inside the parker was Trot Nixon in 2005.

Speaking of Christopher T. Nixon, good to see him greeted very warmly by the Fenway Faithful. I'm glad that with him, unlike some players (Shane Hildabrand), there wasn't much drama when he left town.



His helmet looks far too clean, though.

Crisp and Lugo each stole a base. They've combined for 25 steals. The rest of the team has 6. Lugo has yet to be caught stealing this season.

Dustin "By the way" Pedroia raised his average to .298 with a 3 for 3 performance, including a pair of doubles.

Five different hitters had RBI: Manny, Youkilis, Drew, Lugo, and Lowell.

David Ortiz missed the game due to tightness in his hamstring. Ortiz blames his recent bout with the flu for the tightness. Francona asserts that he's just being careful with Ortiz for "the long haul." It's unclear whether or not Ortiz will play in tonight's game.

The Man of the Game is Curt Schilling who went 7 innings, allowing 6 hits (only one for extra bases), no walks, one earned run, and struck out 10 men.

Honorable Mentions:
Dustin Pedroia: 3/3, 2 2Bs, BB, Run
Kevin Youkilis: 2/5, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 Runs
Brendan Donnelly: IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB

The win gave the Sox a 35-15 record through 50 games, which is tied for the second best start in team history. In 1986, the Sox started 35-16. In 1946, they went 41-9 (.820!)in their first 50 games.

Baltimore beat the Royals, Toronto beat the Yankees.

Beckett comes off the DL to face the Indians tonight. Beckett actually has had some struggles against Cleveland with an 0-2 lifetime record. He'll be up against Jeremy Sowers, who struggled to start the season but has recently pitched well.

SOX HOLD EM IN TEXAS

The reason I think this team is good, is because of game's like this one. Up 3-0, then down 4-3 with your bullpen in the game, up against Otsuka and Gagne, with Papelbon unavailable, and you still manage to win. These are the really tough ones to get, and come the end of September, these are the wins that make a difference in the standings.

Kevin Youkilis had his 7th straight multiple hit game. He has 23 such games this season to lead the world.

Tavarez was nearly perfect after 5 innings but disintegrated in the 6th. This has been Julian's MO the entire season. He is great the first time through the opposing lineup, then decent the second time through, then horrible the third time through. I think he will be very good for us in the bullpen. Lester had a strong outing in AAA Pawtucket the other day, and although there is no hurry, I'm very much looking forward to Tavarez only going through opponents lineups one time.

I know Okajima's save wasn't perfect, but isn't it nice having a guy like him on the team? He can pitch a large number of games, he can come in to get a tough lefty, he can go 2 innings, he can go the 8th inning, and he can get tough saves. It's nice that we don't have to force Papelbon into working three days in a row.

Dustin Pedroia has very quietly gotten his average up to .279. He's hitting .375 in May with a .426 OBP. He's become a threat at the bottom of the lineup, extending innings, putting runners on for Lugo and Youkilis, and making the lineup even more difficult for opposing pitchers to navigate. The at-bat he had against Gagne was great. Twelve pitches, then he finally got one he could crushed and he slammed it out of the yard for what turned out to be a vital insurance run. He's got a .980 OPS this month.

And did you see that catch Coco made?

And how about Pineiro with 1.2 perfect innings of relief, leaving 2 inherited runners on. It just seems like we get contributions from anyone and everyone some days.

The Man of the Game is Mark Teixiera. He went 2 for 4 with a 3 run homer and an RBI single.

Honorable Mentions:
Dustin Pedroia: 2/4, HR
Coco Crisp: 2/5, game saving catch
Joel Pineiro: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Big series with a very good Cleveland team coming up.

MANNY FINALLY BEING MANNY

"Wait til Manny starts hitting." This has been the refrain of Sox fans for nearly two months. The best team in baseball could only get better once their highest paid and most productive player got going. And it seems like maybe he has. Manny followed up Friday's 2 hit performance with a 4 hit exhibition, falling a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle.

The Sox actually gave Wakefield some run support. After falling behind 4-2, they were able to muster up some offense. The Sox actually left a good deal of runners in scoring position, and failed to get the really big hit, but the 5 run 6th was enough to deliver a victory.

Inning summary of the 6th:
Kevin Youkilis singles
David Ortiz flies out, 1 out
Manny Ramirez triples, Youkilis scores
Wild Pitch, Ramirez scores
JD Drew walks
Mike Lowell singles, Drew to 2nd
Coco Crisp singles, Drew scores, Lowell to 3rd, Crisp to 3rd on throw
Doug Mirabelli walks
Alex Cora Sac-Fly, Lowell scores, Crisp to 3rd, 2 outs
Julio Lugo walks, Mirabelli to 2nd
Kevin Youkilis walks (after falling behind 0-2), Crisp scores, Mirabelli to 3rd, Lugo to 2nd
David Ortiz grounds out, 3 outs

FIVE RUNS, FOUR HITS, NO ERRORS, THREE LEFT ON BASE

So only one hit with runners in scoring position in that inning, but 5 runs. One on a triple, one on a wild pitch, one on a single, one on a sac-fly, one on a walk.

The Man of the Game is Manny Ramirez, who went 4 for 4 with a double, triple, run, RBI, and a walk. Is he going to heat up? Let's hope so.

Honorable Mentions:
Kevin Youkilis: 2/4, 2B, 2 runs, RBI, BB (18 game hit-streak)
Tim Wakefield: 7 IP, 4 ER

Tavarez vs. Kameron Loe tomorrow for the sweep.

New York lost, Toronto and Baltimore won, so the Sox have an 11 game lead on the Jays. New York is tied for 3rd with Baltimore.

With the win, the Sox are assured to win the series. They have played 17 series this season (plus one lone makeup game with Seattle), and have won 12 of them. They've only lost 3 series so far.

TEXAS TEN STEP

The Red Sox put up 10 runs in support of Matsuzaka. Daisuke pitched well until the 4th, when he allowed 5 runs to score, giving up the lead. But the Sox came back in the 5th to retake it, they then added 4 more in the 6th on their way to a 10-6 victory in Texas last night.

Daisuke was experiencing nausea before and during the game, apparently a symptom of some sort of stomach flu. After his 5 innings, he received IV treatment in the clubhouse for fluid replenishment.

Terry Francona said:

"When he was throwing up, that was a pretty good indication he wasn't feeling too well. But he kind of gathered himself and went after it."

Apparently Daisuke had to puke a few times in between innings. There was no bloody sock, but this was a semi-heroic performance. Hell, I can't even play wiffle ball with a stuffy nose.

The offense picked up Daisuke. Eight of the nine starters had hits, and the only one who didn't was Mike Lowell. Lowell, however, worked three walks. Everyone but JD Drew knocked in a run. Everyone except Pedroia scored a run. The Sox had 17 baserunner, but only left 5 on base. And only 2 of those 5 were left in scoring position.

Meanwhile, the bullpen performed adequately, only allowing 1 run in 4 innings of relief. In the 9th we had to use Papelbon for the 3rd straight time in a non-Save situation. Innings like that, with a 4 run lead, are when you miss a healthy and effective Mike Timlin who can go in and get the last 3 outs.

The Man of the Game is David Ortiz who went 2 for 4 with a double, a run, an RBI, and a walk.

Honorable Mentions go to:
Julio Lugo: 1/5, 2 RBI, run, 2 SBs (Lugo leads the league in RBI for a leadoff hitter)
Manny Ramirez: 2/4, 2B, RBI, run, BB

The win assures that the Red Sox will not be swept. The only time the Sox have been swept this year was a 2 game series in Fenway against Toronto.

The Yankees lost 10-6 to the Angels, the Orioles fell 3-2 against Oakland, and Toronto lost 4-3 to the Twins. The Sox are 10.5 games up in the East

Wakefield against Padilla tonight.

This was my 500th post on this blog. Yay!

SWEEP

The Sox absolutely dominated Toronto this week. We outscored the Jays 26-5. We outhit Toronto 38 to 19. We hit 9 homeruns, and 17 extra base hits.

The Man of the Game for Tuesday's 9-2 win was Josh Beckett, who earned his 7th straight victory with a 7 inning, 1 earned run performance. Beckett easily could have gone longer. He only threw 89 pitches, but we were up 8-1 so he was taken out after 7. If Schilling was at 89 pitches after 7, Francona would let him go the full 9.

Honorable Mentions:
Dustin Pedroia: 2/4, 3 run homer, 3 RBI, run
Jason Varitek: 4/4, homer, 3 runs
Kevin Youkilis: 3/3, solo homer

The Man of the Game for Wednesday's 9-3 victory is Daisuke Matsuzaka. Ortiz had a monster day, but his RBI were late when the game was already decided. Matsuzaka went 7 and struck out 8 while allowing only allowing one run. Good to see him getting back on track.

Honorable Mentions:
David Ortiz: 4/5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI
Lyle Overbay: 2/2, 2 HR
Mike Lowell: 3/4, HR, BB

The Man of the Game for Thursday's 8-0 triumph is Tim Wakefield. Wake continued to dazzle, as he went 7 scoreless innings, combining with Okajima and Romero for a shutout. Tim allowed 3 hits and a walk. All of the hits were singles. He only threw 93 pitches, and very well could have gone another inning. But we were up 8-0 so there was little reason to do so.

This was the purest victory of the season for the Sox. We were up 8-0 by the 4th, 7-0 by the 3rd, and Toronto never had a chance. Domination.

Honorable Mentions:
Kevin Youkilis: 3/5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 runs
Mike Lowell: 1/4, 3 run HR
David Ortiz: 1/4, 2B, 2 RBI, run

Three Flawless Victories in a row.

SOX SQUEEZE ONE OUT

I love 4-3 wins. They're indicative of a good team. 4-3 wins mean good pitching, timely hitting, solid defense, and good relief.

The Man of the Game for Boston's 4-3 win over Minnesota is Dustin Pedroia who went 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Honorable Mentions:
Jonathan Papelbon - IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K
Alex Cora - 2/4, 2 runs
Curt Schilling - 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 K

MERCENARY

Of all the players in baseball, is there anyone you can hate more than Roger Clemens? Barry Bonds, perhaps, but that's about it.

The Scumbag from Texas signed a pro-rated "minor-league" deal with the Yankees, worth approximately $4.5 million a month. If he were pitching an entire season, the deal would be worth $28 million. He'll be allowed to skip road trips when he's not scheduled to pitch (imagine the uproar if Pedro Martinez asked for that in his contract) and should be ready to go by late May or early June.

With Clemens spending the past few seasons in the NL, it's difficult for some fans to remember why he should be hated and despised. Here's a few reasons off the top of my head:

He asked out of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. We all remember Buckner, and Schiraldi, and Stanley, but people rarely talk about Clemens letting us down in the game.

He said he could never pitch against the Red Sox.

Before he left Boston, he seemed done. Everyone gets on Duquette for not re-signing him, pointing to his stats in Toronto, New York, and Houston as proof that it was a bad deal. However, it's strange that it was not until after he got snubbed by Duquette that he once again became an amazing pitcher.

He threw at Mike Piazza's forehead. I'm all for pitching inside, and I'm all for beaning hitters, especially if they've had success against you, but not in the head. You just don't do shit like that.

He threw a broken bat at Piazza.

He pussied out of a start at Shea Stadium where he'd have to bat against the Mets.

He claimed he was retiring, and accepted a Hummer from the City of New York as a retirement gift. He then came out of retirement with Houston and refused to give the Hummer back. I guess scraping by on MLB salary for 20 years has left him strapped for cash.

In the mid 1990s, he constantly came to Red Sox camp out of shape. It wasn't until he got snubbed that he got back to being a professional.

He spent his head-hunting days in the AL.

He was in negotiations with New York, Houston, and Boston about pitching this season, claiming a decision would be made by the 15th of May. Both the Red Sox and Astros were "surprised" by the speed of his decision.

This is a good pickup for the desperate Yankees. They need pitching. This is a good place for Clemens to go, he needs to have attention and be the hero. But this move doesn't put them over the top. They still need Pettitte and Wang to pitch well, and they need some contribution from their arsenal of mediocrity.

I wanted the Sox to get Clemens, but we didn't really need him, not as badly as the Yankees did. I don't feel like we've lost the bidding war to get Clemens, I simply feel like the Yankees wanted to win it more, understandably so.

He is supposed to return around late May or early June. The Sox and Yankees have a series in Fenway in the first week of June. I only hope that the Fenway Faithful remember how much of a scummer Clemens is and mercilessly boo The Mercenary.