MORE ON GAME 4

Since 2004, the Red Sox are 7-1 in series clinching games. The Sox are now 4-0 against the Angels in postseason series, with a total record of 13-4.

Jon Lester pitched 14 innings in the series, allowing 0 earned runs, 1 unearned run, 10 hits, 3 walks, and 11 strikeouts. In his last 23 innings of postseason pitching, he has not allowed an earned run. There are no series MVP awards for the Divisional Series, but if there were, Lester would have won this one.

Jason Bay was 7 for 17 in the series (.412) with 2 homers, 2 doubles, and 5 RBI. Jed Lowrie was 4 for 11 (.364). JD Drew was 4 for 14 (.286) with a double, a homer, and 3 RBI. Ellsbury was 6 for 18 (.333), with 3 doubles, 3 steals, and 6 RBI. These contributions were vital because...

The 2-3-4 combination of Pedroia-Ortiz-Youkilis was a combined 9 for 52 (.173), with 3 doubles, no homers (.231 slugging), and 3 RBI. Winning a series without these guys hitting is an impressive accomplishment. Especially since Beckett and Matsuzaka were both a little dull.

Looking ahead to the ALCS and the upstart Rays, the question of a #4 pitcher will be a hot topic the next few days. Wakefield struggled against Tampa this season (0-2, 5.87 ERA), but Byrd didn't face them at all. I'd rather see Byrd out there because of Wakefield's bad experiences earlier in the year.

Mike Lowell is most likely going to miss the ALCS due to his hip. Even if he were healthy enough to take the field, he's become a gap in the lineup and a question mark in the field because of his injury.

It should be a good series. But I think Pedroia, Youkilis, and Ortiz will get rolling, and the Sox will win in 6.

Sources:
Baseball-Reference.com
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

MOVIN ON UP... TO THE ALCS

"Who was the last Red Sox manager to win two World Series?" I asked a foursome of middle-aged miserable dung beetles of men, right after they criticized and ripped apart Terry Francona for leaving Masterson in the game. Two of these scared shitless negative nancies actually wanted to fight me because I defended Tito as a manager, even though I disagreed with the decision to keep Masterson in.

"He cost us the game." These clowns argued.

"The game's nowhere near over" I drunkenly replied. And it wasn't, not until Jed Lowrie stepped to the plate in the 9th and slid a groundball into right field for the game winning hit. In celebration, I went up to my Francona hating rivals and offered my hand in a high five, a few of them begrudgingly reciprocated, but by and large, they seemed upset that the Sox won.

These losers who yearn for the Curse of the Bambino, and Grady Little leaving Pedro in, and Mike Torez on the mound; these crumb-bums drifted out of the bar before the party had really started. Their negativity made my celebration that much sweeter. The fewer people that have faith in the Sox, the greater share of glory for the rest of us.



Jed Lowrie knocking in Jason Bay... how perfect is that? The minor leaguer knocking in the man who replaced Manny Ramirez. Once again, eat it Bill Simmons, and tell us all how it tastes.

The Boston Red Sox are going to the ALCS for the 4th time in 6 years. And of course, they're facing the Tampa Bay Rays. More on all of this when I calm down, and sober up.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
AP Photo/Steven Senne

MIKE LOWELL SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING

I hate saying it, because he's been such a warrior for this team, but Mike Lowell isn't contributing in the way we need him to. He's 0 for 8 in the series, and has no range at third base. It's only by the grace of questionable managing that Mike Scioscia hasn't had Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins bunt up the 3rd base line every at-bat.

Sean Casey and Mark Kotsay don't have great histories with John Lackey. Casey is 0 for 6 in his career off him, Kotsay is 9 for 34 (.265), but Lowell is only 3 for 19 (.158) off Lackey.

The reason the Sox lost last night was not Mike Lowell. But he didn't do much to help the team win. And it's not his fault. He's doing all that he can do. In the field especially, the Sox need to make a change. Another 0 for 4 night, and a slow third baseman having trouble throwing accurately may cost them Game 4.

THE BAD NEWS ISN'T THAT THE SOX LOST, IT'S THAT WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE TBS ANNOUNCERS FOR ONE MORE NIGHT

I've said it before, I'll say it again: the word luck should almost never be used in sports. Teams don't win thanks to luck, nor do they lose because of bad luck. But sometimes, especially in baseball, there is good fortune and bad fortune. To me, the Angels were blessed with a portion of fortune, while the Sox were slightly snake-bitten. But Los Angeles/Anaheim/Orange Country/California/Earth still did what they needed to do in order to win. And the Red Sox still did what they needed to do in order to lose.



Torii Hunter's 2 out single in the 1st was an example of Angelic good fortune. The ball was not hit hard, but it found a tricky place in the Sox' infield defense. Hunter reached to load the bases, Beckett walks Juan Rivera, and it's 1-0 Anaheim.

Mark Teixeira is 5 for 12 in this series. Dustin Pedroia is 0 for 8. But Pedroia's hit the ball much harder than Teixeira. He's just not finding the holes, and he's hitting it right at someone.

But good fortune/bad fortune aside, there are no real angels in the outfield helping Anaheim out. The Sox did more to help the Angels win than Lady Luck did.

Beckett looked rusty, and sluggish on defense. 5 innings, 4 earned is not typical Josh Beckett postseason stuff. Was it rust? Was it a lingering injury? Both, perhaps?



Jacoby Ellsbury deserves nothing but criticism for the way he played in the late innings. Oversliding 2nd base in the 7th, and standing up BEFORE CALLING TIMEOUT?!? That's stupid baseball! And it may have cost the Sox a scoring inning.

In the 11th, Ellsbury struck out looking. The third pitch was clearly outside, but home plate ump Kerwin Danley was itching to ring Jacoby up after he had a mini-tantrum on a close 2nd strike call at the knees. A little bit of immaturity may have cost Ellsbury a strike.

The good news the Red Sox have Jon Lester on the mound later tonight. The bad news is that it's still on TBS, and WEEI/WRKO are 4 seconds ahead of my TV. The game's also at 8:37, an hour later than Sunday's contest. Hopefully the teachers in Red Sox Nation are kind enough not to schedule tests and quizzes Tuesday.

Man of the Game:
Mike Napoli. 3 for 5, 2 homers, 3 RBI, scored game winning run in the 12th



Horrible Announcing Moments:
About Lowell being at the plate in the 10th "This is sweet symmetry." What?
"Everyone here has dry-mouth."

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

BAY AREA BEATDOWN

It started ugly for Matt Cassell, who was intercepted on his second throw of the game. Then he did something everyone in New England has been waiting for him to do... launch a bomb for Randy Moss. Perfect pass, perfect catch, and it was a touchdown. He tried it later, with the opposite result (an INT). But he eventually settled into the game management kind of groove we saw in the Jets game.



The defense also took some time to click. 95 of San Francisco's 199 offensive yards came in the 1st quarter, and 14 of their 21 points. But in the last three frames, the Pats defense allowed a mere 104 yards, and only 7 points.

J.T. O'Sullivan (one of the Irishest names ever) was picked three times, and was consistently pressured. He was only sacked once, but frequently had to get rid of the ball early, or scramble for yardage. O'Sullivan's 23 rushing yards accounted for about a third of San Fran's total offense on the ground. Gore only ran for 54.

The Pats relied heavily on all four tailbacks. Sammy Morris was the powerback, and got 63 yards on 16 carries. Kevin Faulk had his first ever 2 TD game, and was outstanding as always. LaMont Jordan was solid, but sat out most of the game due to injury.



Laurence Maroney was disappointing. 10 carries, 26 yards. I don't know if his shoulder is bothering him, but he's bothering me. There was a 2nd and 3 play in the 3rd in which Maroney hopped out of bounds, 6 inches shy of the first down marker. Had he lowered his shoulder, he would have gotten the first. Maybe he's hurting, maybe he's not. But he's not as effective as he should be.

Cassell progressed nicely as the afternoon progressed. He started off looking scared, worried, and extremely vulnerable when pressured. He ended the day cool, confident, and comfortable when surrounded by pass-rushers. There were a few hiccups, but by and large it was a solid performance.

The Pats go down the coast to San Diego to face the 2-3 Chargers.

Horrible Announcing Moments:
Calling 2nd year DB Brandon Meriweather a rookie
The nickname "Slot Machine" for Wes Welker
"Tackle Sandwich"
"I want some bacon and eggs with all these pancakes"

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Ben Margot
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

SOX RISE ABOVE FALLEN ANGELS

Top of the 9th, 5-5 game, the MLB record holder for saves in a season on the mount, and as a Red Sox fan, you expect to win, and win right then and there. This is the hold the Boston Red Sox have on the Anaheim Angels. Personally, I thought Ortiz was gonna hit the homerun, and he nearly did. But it was JD Drew, the much maligned, much complained about JD Drew.



The Man of the Game is JD Drew. Obviously he had the game winning blast, but he also knocked in a run in the 1st with a big 2 out double, and made a good catch to rob Garret Anderson of a homerun in the 6th.



We were all worried about how Jason Bay would react to postseason play. It's only been two games, but 5 for 9 with two homers and 5 RBI is a pretty good start. Eat that, Bill Simmons (more on that topic at a later date).



Going back to Fenway with a 2-0 lead is phenomenal. Lots of Sox fans would've been satisfied with a split. But let's not go crazy and start planning our ALCS drinking routines. There's one part of Game 2 that has me concerned...

Daisuke Matsuzaka.

5 innings, 3 runs, 108 pitches, 8 hits, 3 walks. That might do for the regular season, against Baltimore. But in the playoffs, there's no such thing as an "average" start. There's great, good, and not good enough. This start was not good enough. The Sox were put in a position of relying on that questionable bullpen for 4 innings. Papelbon had to get 6 outs.



The Angels figured Matsuzaka out. They swung at bad pitches in the first few innings, but they adjusted in the 5th. Daisuke averaged less than 6 innings per start this year, and in the postseason that weakness has been even more exposed. I'm not trying to be negative, but this is a potential problem in either a Game 5 in this series, or in any ALCS.

Francona's decisions to play Kotsay and Cora paid off. Cora was 1 for 3 with a double and a run scored. Kotsay was 2 for 5.

The Sox left a lot of men on base, but they weren't catching any breaks out there. Hard hit balls were being caught. Pedroia, Youkilis, and Ortiz all missed homeruns by inches. All those balls seemed to be gone when they came off the bat. It reminded me of last year's ALCS, the way balls found the opposing team's gloves so easily, no matter how well they were hit. And Mark Teixeira had one of the softest 3 for 3 performances I've seen in awhile.

Kevin Youkilis' defensive display in the 9th inning, to me, exemplified why he is this team's MVP. He already made a few good plays at first in Game 1. Last night, Torii Hunter bunts up the 3rd base line, Youk barehands it, and fires a bullet to 1st. Then, he grabs the foul ball that was headed for the photographer's nest. His defensive versatility and offensive production are second to none on this team, and possibly in the AL.

Nice New England sports doubleheader on Sunday. The Pats in San Francisco at 4, and the Angles at the Sox at 7:00. Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.41 ERA, no postseason experience) vs. Josh Beckett (we all know his October resumé).

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
AP Photo/Mark Avery
AP Photo/Mark Terrill

SOX LINEUP TONIGHT

No Mike Lowell. Kotsay at first. No Jed Lowrie. Cora at short.

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

SP Daisuke Matsuzaka

Cora has a decent history against Ervin Santana, 2 for 3 with a double and triple. As opposed to Lowrie, who has never faced him. Also, the 9-1-2 combination of Cora-Ellsbury-Pedroia allows for some potential small ball in a close game, if necessary.

Why Mark Kotsay instead of Sean Casey? Casey is 0 for 3 against Santana. Kotsay is 7 for 18 (.389) with two doubles.

GOOD OLD FASHIONED OCTOBER BASEBALL... RED SOX STYLE

If you play for the Red Sox, and your name begins with a "J" then you probably had a pretty good game last night. Jason Bay was 2 for 4 with a 2 run homer. Jed Lowrie was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Jason Varitek had his first SAC bunt since 2005. Justin Masterson navigated around trouble in the 8th (thanks to some nifty defense). Jonathan Papelbon closed it out.



But the best two J's were Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury. Lester had one of his best starts of the season, going 7, striking out 7, and getting 10 groundball outs. He allowed an unearned run in the 3rd, and that was it. He walked 1 batter.



Jacoby was everywhere last night. He was 3 for 5 at the plate (he also reached on a 3 base error), with a run and an RBI. He stole 2 bases. He robbed Teixeira of a leadoff single in the 8th with a diving snare.

With Ellsbury's multi-tasking, he wins the Man of the Game Award for Game 1 of the ALDS.



The Sox could have had a few more runs in this one. They left 9 men on. And until the 8th, they struggled with runners on base. Ortiz came up short in a few potentially big situations, until the 9th when he knocked in Ellsbury. The fact that he has a 12 game ALDS hitting streak is simply absurd.

How about Jason Bay? Everyone was worried about how he'd react to the postseason. The pathetic Manny lovers still out there predicted an October collapse of Alex Rodriguez proportions. Those Manny lovers must have been hard after watching him hit a solo homer for the Dodgers today. But Bay one-upped him with a two run shot. Mannywood? Nope, all of California can now be called the Jason Bay Area.



Off day today, then Game 2 Friday night at 9:30. Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Ervin Santana.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Mark Terrill
AP Photo/Mark Avery
AP Photo/Chris Carlson