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

SOX LOSE AN UGLY ONE IN CANADA

The Red Sox 7-4 loss to Toronto Sunday afternoon was in a single word: disgraceful. Beckett failed to go 5 innings, Manny Delcarmen was owned by Frank Thomas once more, Julio Lugo made three errors, and the three homeruns the Sox hit all came with nobody on base.

For some reason, Toronto beats the Red Sox with regularity. In 2007, the Jays were 9-9 against Boston. In 2006, they were 12-7 against the Sox. In '05, they were 11-7. Over the past three seasons, their record against the Red Sox is better than any other team in baseball.



Why?

I have no idea. They just match-up well against the Sox, I suppose. Obviously Roy Halladay helps. For some reason, Red Sox hitters struggle mightily against Toronto pitching. Here's a look at how the regulars in the lineup have fared in their careers against pitchers currently on Toronto's staff:

Coco Crisp - 81 ABs, .210 Avg, .235 OBP, .296 SLG
JD Drew - 71 ABs, .268 Avg, .346 OBP, .394 SLG
Jacoby Ellsbury - 25 ABs, .400 Avg, .407 OBP, .640 SLG
Mike Lowell - 94 ABs, .298 Avg, .330 OBP, .500 SLG
Julio Lugo - 126 ABs, .310 Avg, .356 OBP, .468 SLG
David Ortiz - 167 ABs, .257 Avg, .335 OBP, .527 SLG
Dustin Pedroia - 65 ABs, .235 Avg, .275 OBP, .308 SLG
Manny Ramirez - 137 ABs, .270 Avg, .338 OBP, .504 SLG
Jason Varitek - 130 ABs, .215 Avg, .292 OBP, .354 SLG
Kevin Youkilis - 86 ABs, .186 Avg, .278 OBP, .279 SLG

That's just bad. But this weekend, the problem wasn't hitting. At least, it wasn't JUST hitting. The starting pitching failed in its first and foremost responsibility:

GO DEEP INTO THE GAME

Wakefield went 6 innings Friday night, Buchholz could only manage 5 Saturday afternoon, and Beckett only worked 4.2 on Sunday. This left all three games in the unsure hands of the middle relievers.

Friday, Aardsma, Lopez, and Delcarmen combined for 3 earned runs, which gave Toronto the lead, and insurance.

Saturday, Kyle Snyder and Bryan Corey allowed 6 runs in the 6th to turn a manageable 4-2 game into a 10-2 blowout.



Sunday, Delcarmen only allowed one earned run, but all four of Toronto's runs in the 5th were thanks to a flat fastball from his hand. Then to make matters worse, Aardsma allowed yet another run in the 7th.

After Papelbon and Okajima, the Red Sox bullpen is a quagmire. Delcarmen showed signs of brilliance last year but has been dull since the '07 post-season. Corey, Aardsma, Lopez, are all painfully mediocre.

The lack of faith in the middle relief was demonstrated Sunday when Francona stuck with Beckett for as long as he could. His Ace pitcher hadn't made a start longer than 65 pitches yet this year, but he was still on the mound. He was struggling to get outs, his location was off, his fastball was drifting, his pitch count topped 80, then 85, then 90, before finally being pulled with 2 outs in the 4th, the bases loaded, and 92 pitches thrown.

But it isn't the end of the world. As the season progresses, the starters will be stretched out and should be able to go deeper into games. Timlin will return to the bullpen. Colon and/or Schilling may come back and allow a guy like Wakefield to move into the pen. But until then, the 6th, and 7th innings will be very stressful for Sox fans.

Just in case you were curious, here's what the "scantily clad" woman who ran onto the field during Friday's game looks like:




I bet she looked hot from the upper deck.

The Red Sox begin a very rough stretch after on off-day on Monday. The revamped Tigers come into town for three games, then it's three games with the Yankees. That's followed by a two game series in Cleveland, and another two game series against the scum.

DO NOT LOOK AT THE AL EAST STANDINGS

The world has turned upside down. The Orioles are 4-1 and lead the division, followed by Tampa Bay, Toronto, New York, and Boston. I still think those standings will be flipped by September.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, J.P. Moczulski
Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld

BRUINS EARN A PLAYOFF BERTH!!!

The Bruins were also in Ontario Friday night, on the verge of clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. All they needed to do was win, and have either Carolina or New Jersey lose. Captain Zdeno Chara put the Bruins ahead in the 2nd period with his career high 17th goal of the season. By this point, Carolina was losing 3-1 to Florida.

Phil Kessel scored his 19th of the year to put the Bruins ahead 2-0. Carolina had closed the gap on Florida but was still trailing. Antoine Vermitte scored late in the 3rd for Ottawa, and the game got intense, with over 20,000 screaming Senators fans urging their team on. As the game was nearing its finish, the Carolina score went final. This clinched a playoff spot for Ottawa, and all the Bruins had to do was hang keep Ottawa from scoring 2 goals in regulation. Ottawa didn't score at all, thanks to some gritty play by the 4th liners and the Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2004.

It's still extremely unclear who the Bruins will play in the 1st round. Right now they're 6th, which matches them up against the red hot Capitals. But if Washington fails to get a point in their last game, Carolina would take their place. Montreal and Pittsburgh are currently tied for the 1st seed in the East, each with a game left to play. If the Bruins win against Buffalo Saturday night, and the Rangers lose in regulation on Sunday, the Bruins could move up to 5th. The Bruins will be anything from the 5th seed to the 8th seed when the playoffs start.

Here are the possible teams the Bruins could face:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Montreal Canadiens
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils

Whoever it is, it's simply awesome to be in the playoffs. None of the experts picked the B's to finish higher than 10th in the pre-season, then we lost Bergeron 10 games in, and here we are, thinking about who we'll face in the STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS!!!

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand

SOX FALL TO JAYS 6-3

What started off as a pitching duel for 5 innings turned into a complete mess as the Sox allowed 6 runs in 3 innings to lose by a score of 6-3.

Wakefield looked brilliant to start the game. The first two times through the lineup, the Jays managed to get a mere 4 baserunners of the knuckleballer. But as was the case last year, the third time through the lineup was Wakefield's undoing.



Matt Stairs led off the 6th inning with a homerun. Alex Rios and Frank Thomas walked. Then Lyle Overbay hit a blooper into no-man's land in left-center to knock in Rios. Aaron Hill blasted one to deep center. Ellsbury had it in his glove, but ran into the scoreboard, jarring the ball loose, giving Hill a 390 foot single and the Blue Jays another run. Marco Scutaro singled to load the bases, but a double play ended the inning and prevented any further damage. But Wakefield's night was over, and it was time for the mediocre Red Sox middle-relief to come in.

JD Drew tied the game up with a two out, three run blast in the top of the 7th. But any momentum the Sox had was given back to Toronto when David Aarsdma entered the game and walked David Eckstein. Then Javier Lopez came in and allowed Shannon Stewart to hit a single. Delcarmen came in, got two foul outs, but left a juicy pitch over the plate, which Frank Thomas drilled for a 2 run double.

The Toronto bullpen shut down the Sox, allowing only a soft bouncing basehit up the middle by Manny in the 9th. And that was it.

The game may have been lost when Thomas hit that two run double, but what set that inning into motion was Wakefield's inability to go through a lineup more than twice. He only threw 88 pitches, but had to be pulled after 6 innings. So instead of a nice, 7 inning start, giving the ball to Okajima and Papelbon; the Sox were forced to go to their soft middle-relief, and it failed miserably.

Do you feel comfortable with David Aardsma or Javier Lopez on the mound in a tied game? Because I don't. But Wakefield left Francona with little choice.

I didn't agree with the pinch-hitting decisions in the top of the 8th. Crisp pinch-hit for Ellsbury because the Toronto pitcher was a lefty. Then Varitek pinch-hit for cash for the same reason. Frankly, Varitek's lack of success at the plate, and the fact that almost everybody is a worse hitter when they're pinch-hitting, made me cringe when Tek's name was announced. I think keeping Ellsbury in, then pinch-hitting Crisp for Cash and replacing him with Varitek in the field would have been the better option. Even though Ellsbury is a lefty, his speed allows him to make weak contact and still get infield singles. I'd take the combination of Ellsbury and Crisp over the combination of Crisp and Varitek any day, against ANY reliever, no matter which arm they throw with.

The Man of the Game is Shaun Marcum, who gave his team 7 good innings (really 6.2 good innings, then a homerun to Drew, then another 0.1 inning). He only allowed 3 hits and a walk, and he struck out 8.



Clay Buchholz makes his first start of the year tomorrow afternoon, facing Jesse Litsch.

I wish the Red Sox had light blue throwback uniforms.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld
Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images

BRUINS CAN CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT TONIGHT IF...

Last night, Buffalo lost to Montreal, eliminating the Sabres from the playoff picture. Washington beat Tampa Bay, and Ottawa destroyed Toronto. This leaves the Bruins in 7th place. But it isn't really 7th place. The Capitals and Bruins have the same amount of points, but Washington has more wins (the first tie-breaker), so Boston is essentially in 8th place.

The Bruins can clinch a playoff spot with a win against Ottawa AND either Philadelphia losing to New Jersey OR Carolina losing to Florida. If Philadelphia loses and Boston wins, then the Flyers cannot pass the Bruins because the Bruins hold the head-to-head tie-breaker (the 2nd tie-breaker) with Philly.

The Carolina condition is more complicated because of their divisional race. Carolina plays their last game tomorrow night, so if they lose (in regulation or OT), they'll have either 92 or 93 points. That coupled with a Bruins win would mean that Boston would have more points. Therefore, if Washington were to reach 94 points with a win on Saturday, the Capitals would win the Southeast Division, catapulting them up to 3rd place. The Hurricanes would also fall to a position BELOW the Bruins. And with only 9 teams left in the playoff picture, all it will take for the Bruins to get in is an assurance that one of those teams will finish behind them.

If the Bruins win, Philadelphia wins, and Carolina wins; they can still clinch a spot on Saturday. If they beat Buffalo on Saturday, they'd be in. If Washington loses on Saturday, they'd be in. If Philadelphia loses on Sunday, they'd be in.

If the Bruins lose in overtime in Ottawa on Friday, they can till clinch. A Bruins OT loss coupled with a Carolina regulation loss would clinch a playoff spot.

If the Bruins lose in regulation, things get a bit murkier. They would no longer control their own destiny, and would need help from Carolina, Washington, or Philadelphia in order to get in.

Source:
ESPN.com

BRUINS PLAYOFF PICTURE

With last night's shootout loss to the devils, the Bruins' playoff picture has become more confusing and twisted than a Picasso painting on PCP. The Bruins are one of six teams vying for three playoff spots.

If the Bruins win their remaining two games, they're in, no matter what. That's the important thing. They control their own destiny.

Here are the games to scoreboard watch tonight:

Tampa Bay @ Washington
Ottawa @ Toronto
Buffalo @ Montreal

If Buffalo loses, they're mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture. They're essentially out of it anyway, needing a great deal of assistance from every other team in the League in order to make the post-season.

If Washington loses in regulation, then the Bruins only need to get a point in their next two games to clinch a playoff spot. If Washington loses in overtime, then the Bruins need two points in their next two games. If Washington wins, they'll pass the Bruins by virtue of having more wins. But the Bruins would still have a game in hand, and would still be in 8th place.

If Ottawa loses in regulation, then the Bruins only need to beat them (in regulation or OT) Friday night in order to clinch a playoff spot. If Ottawa loses in overtime, the Bruins clinch a spot with a regulation win on Friday OR an overtime win and at least one point against Buffalo on Saturday.

On Friday night, there are two games that matter to the Bruins

Boston @ Ottawa (obviously)
New Jersey @ Philadelphia
Florida @ Carolina

If the Bruins win in Ottawa, no matter what has happened, or will happen, they'll only need a point against Buffalo on Saturday to make the playoffs.

If Philadelphia loses in regulation to the Devils, then the Bruins can clinch with a win in Ottawa OR a win against Buffalo OR a pair of overtime losses against Ottawa and Buffalo. In other words, they'd only need two points in order to clinch a spot. If Philadelphia loses in overtime, the Bruins would still clinch with a win in Ottawa because they hold all the tie-breakers against Philly.

Carolina only has one game left, and if they lose it in regulation, the Bruins get a big boost. The Bruins would only need one point in their remaining two games to "pass" the Hurricanes. Of course, the Bruins won't be ahead of Carolina unless Washington also passes them. It's complicated. Because Carolina leads its division, they're the 3rd seed, even though they have the same number of points as the Bruins and Senators. So consider this an insurance policy in case Washington wins its last two games. Instead of taking a spot from the Bruins, Washington may take it from Carolina.

Saturday has two games of interest to the Bruins

Buffalo @ Boston
Florida @ Washington

If the Bruins haven't clinched a playoff berth by Saturday, they may be in trouble. Then again, they may only need one point against Buffalo to clinch. If the Bruins haven't clinched once they're done with their 82 game schedule, they can still get some help on Sunday.

Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia

If the Bruins still need some help, this game is their last resort.

Tonight's games will clear a lot of things up. And the clinch scenarios will begin again on Friday in Ottawa. The Bruins cannot clinch a playoff berth tonight.

BUT, if Buffalo loses tonight, and so does Washington, and so does Ottawa; then the Bruins are very VERY close to getting in. All they would need to do is get one point in their last two games OR have Washington lose again OR Philadelphia only get one more point.

Source:
ESPN.com