WANG COMES UP HUGE

The pitching match-up of Chien-Ming Wang vs. Clay Buchholz didn't favor the Sox, but the two actually dueled evenly for 6 innings before Mike Timlin allowed 2 runs in the 7th. Wang was nearly unhittable, as the 2 hits allowed demonstrates. But he wasn't his usually Wangy self. He lives by the sinker, which typically means lots of groundouts. But he had 14 fly-outs compared to 10 groundouts, and only 3 strikeouts. I'm not saying he got lucky, but it was one of those freak days when the balls were hit right at the fielder.

Pedroia reached base on what was originally scored a single, but later changed to an error, which could have caused controversy had Wang not allowed a hit after that. But Pedroia was eliminated on a double play. JD Drew got the second first hit of the game for the Sox with his 3rd homer of the year. Bobby Abreau could have caught it if he didn't take a chubby Little Leaguer's jump. Crisp got the Sox' 2nd hit of the night with a bunt single in the 9th.

The good news is that Buchholz looked good against an imposing Yankee lineup. The bad news is that Timlin didn't look good, which perhaps means the Red Sox still have middle relief problems.

I'll set the record straight here: Wang and the Yankees didn't dominate us. Wang allowed A LOT of contact, the balls just fell wrong for the Sox. The Yankees, on the other hand, got a few more bounces (and a few more walks), and went on to win. It was a much closer game than the boxscore would suggest.

Beckett against Mussina tomorrow afternoon.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images

LOWELL HITS THE DISABLED LIST, COREY RELEASED

Mike Lowell woke up with swelling in his injured thumb on Thursday and was subsequently placed on the 15 day disabled list. The injury may keep Lowell sidelined for 2 to 4 weeks. He'll be replaced on the 25 man roster by Jed Lowrie. In the lineup, he'll be replaced by Sean Casey, with Youkilis shifting over to third. We've also seen that Francona likes batting Youkilis 5th in the lineup with Lowell out. I'd prefer keeping Youkilis at #2, and moving Drew up to 5th, but that's me.

Mike Timlin will be activated today, and will replace Bryan Corey. Corey, who has a 14.54 ERA in 6 outings, is out of minor league options and will be designated for assignment, meaning he'll be released in 10 days.

Buchholz faces Chieng Meng Wang tonight.

Source:
Hartford Courant

LIFE AIN'T EASY FOR A TEAM NAMED SIOUX

The BC hockey team scorched North Dakota (the #3 ranked team in the country) 6-1 last night. North Dakota came into the game with the best defense in the country, the fewest goals allowed per game (about 1.76), and a goalie with the lowest GAA in the nation. But Nathan Gerbe and the Eagles had other plans.

Gerbe led the scoring with a hat trick and an assist. It was his third hat trick of the season, and the fifth time he's had 4 or more points in a game. He's simply faster than everyone else on the ice, and he knows how best to use that speed.



BC got ahead 4-0 in the first thanks to breakaway goals off North Dakota turnovers. Then it was an academic matter of keeping pressure on the Fighting Sioux, which BC did by adding two more scores. Freshman goalie Ryan Muse's shut-out bid was broken up with less than a minute and a half to go, as North Dakota salvaged some dignity from their third consecutive semi-final loss to BC.

It's an all Catholic final as Notre Dame upset Michigan 5-4 in overtime. Notre Dame has never been to the NCAA finals, this is BC's third consecutive trip to the title game. But unlike the previous two tries, BC is an overwhelming favorite. That's what has me nervous. BC always seems to lose that big game they should have easily won. See: last year's football loss to FSU, 2006 football loss to Miami, 2005 loss to Syracuse.

Source:
Associated Press

Phto Credit:
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
AP Photo/Evan Semon

FAST START SINKS BRUINS

With 21,000 screaming, high-pitched Quebecois in attendance for Game 1 of the Bruins/Canadiens series, the adrenaline was flowing pretty fast. And in the opening moments of the contest, the Bruins were shaky while the Habs were juiced.

Sergei Kostitsyn scored 34 seconds into the first period. His brother Andrei followed that up with a goal at 2:02.



But unlike previous defeats to Montreal, where early goals lead to the Bruins quitting and being blown out, the B's actually seemed to calm down after the goals and play decent hockey. Shane Hnidy cut the lead in half with a goal at 8:34 in the first and the game was still close going into the second.



Bryan Smolinski got the only goal of the second to make it 3-1 Canadiens, but the Bruins were hanging in there. They weren't getting too many more penalties, and were generating offensive opportunities.



But the B's fell apart in the third. Tom Kostopoulos got Montreal's fourth goal, and a series of Bruins penalties kept them short-handed and on their back heels for most of the third.

Despite the lopsided 4-1 score, the Bruins can take some good things out of Game 1. Apart from the fast start, the game was very close. Take away those first two goals early on, and it's a 2-1 game. The Bruins also killed every Montreal power play, including a 5 on 3 advantage. Against the best power play in the league, and a team notorious for getting lots of calls, that's a major key to winning this series. There were also quite a few holes in Montreal's defense, and if the Bruins capitalize on those holes, they'll score goals.

Game 2 is in Montreal Saturday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!

When you see a final score of 12-6, you know that the win wasn't pretty. But it was pretty enough. Only 5 innings from Wakefield, who wiggled out of jams and allowed 2 runs (1 earned). A decent relief outing by Delcarmen despite allowing a solo homer to Magglio Ordonez. A wretched display of pitching by Julian Tavarez. Then a 4 out save by Papelbon.

The Sox offense finally put together some big hits with runners on. JD Drew raised his average to .440 with a 3 for 3 night with 2 RBI, 2 walks, and a run. Sean Casey went 2 for 5, also with 3 RBI. Youkilis is still red hot, hitting a 2 run double in the 8th to give the Sox some breathing room.

Kevin Cash had another solid game behind the plate, and unlike Doug Mirabelli, hasn't been a complete black hole in the bottom of the lineup. He went 1 for 4 with an RBI single, and is hitting .286 so far. Any offense we get out of him is a bonus.

Also, there were ninjas...




Sources:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

TIMLIN MAKES FINAL REHAB OUTING

Timlin pitched a perfect 6th inning in last night's AAA Pawtucket win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (formerly the Ottawa Lynx). He faced three batters, and got each one of them to ground out. He threw 10 pitches, 7 of which were strikes. He also hit 92 on the radar gun (but who knows if the gun was juiced or not).

Timlin should re-join the Sox on Friday when they begin a 3 game set with the Yankees. With the struggles of the Sox middle-relief, it will be a welcome sight to see #50 warming up in the pen.

Some more good news out of Rhode Island is that Craig Hansen has been nearly unhittable. He threw 2 perfect innings in the win over Lehigh Valley, and has allowed only 1 hit in 6 innings this season.

Source:
The Providence Journal

HIDEOUS LOSS

Poor starting pitching, poor relief pitching, and a lack of timely hitting combined for a wretched 7-2 loss to Detroit last night.

The Red Sox failed to capitalize on their offensive opportunities in the season opener Tuesday night, but were bailed out by Matsuzaka's brilliant work on the mound. But Wednesday night was a very different story.

With 2 outs in the 3rd, Sean Casey pulled a double down the right-field line into the corner. Youkilis had been on 1st, but instead of sending Youk home, 3rd base coach DeMarlo Hale held him up. The throw might have gunned down Youkilis, it certainly wasn't a no-brainer. But with 2 outs, and up 2-0, I think you have to send the runner. Force the defense to make a perfect throw, relay, catch, and tag. With Drew on deck, you've got maybe a 30% shot at scoring a run in the inning. The play at the plate probably would've been about 50/50. And of course, Drew grounded out, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.

Right away, Detroit pounced on the Sox. Lester had navigated the first 3 innings with ease, but stumbled in the 4th. Back-to-back 1 out walks led to a 2 run Edgar Renteria double that tied the game. Then Marcus Thames hit a two run shot that gave Detroit a 4-2 lead.



Aardsma came in for Lester with 1 out in the 6th. In the 8th, Brayn "designated for assignment" Corey came in and ended any chance the Sox might have at a late inning rally. This is what the Tigers did against Corey:

Walk
Single
Sac-Bunt
Single

The Sox threatened in the 9th, loading the bases with 2 outs. That's the thing about Todd Jones: he allows a good number of baserunners. Had it been a 4-2 game in the 9th, the Sox could have easily gotten the tying or go ahead runs to the plate. Instead, even a 2 out Grand Slam would have left the Sox a run shy of tying.

Lester gets the loss in this one, but he didn't pitch horribly. Don't get me wrong, his performance contributed to defeat as he walked far too many batters and failed to go deep into the game. However, Bryan Corey didn't do his job, which was to keep it a close game. And the Red Sox offense failed to take full advantage of their abundant opportunities to score runs.

The Sox also lost Mike Lowell due to a sprained left thumb. Lowell injured the thumb on his glove hand when diving for a ball at third base, and appearing to roll his wrist while doing so. He was replaced in the lineup by Sean Casey, who took over at first while Youkilis shifted to third. Lowell is listed as day-to-day.

This injury makes the Sean Casey signing look pretty intelligent.

Source:
ESPN.com
The Providence Journal

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

PATS ADD DEPTH TO LINEBACKER CORPS

The Patriots signed former Jet Victor Hobson to a one year deal. Hobson is 28, and plays inside linebacker. He started 14 games with New York last year, and played in all 16, amassing 62 tackles and a pair of sacks. In 2006, he recorded 100 tackles, 6 sacks, and an interception.

With Junior Seau being a complete flake this off-season, and leaving the Patriots in the dark about his intentions, a signing like this one is necessary. Hobson is solid, dependable, and a worker. If Seau comes back, then the Pats have a nice three man rotation at ILB. If Seau doesn't come back, then the Patriots still have some veteran stability at the position.

Source:
Boston.com