Daisuke Matsuzaka proved all his critics wrong last night. He's been called a "5 inning starter" and his playoff record has come under some heat. He also justified Francona's decision to start him in Game 1.
Daisuke went 7+ innings, allowing 4 hits. All 4 hits came in the 7th and 8th. He matched his season high in strikeouts with 9. He had to be pulled after allowing a few hits in the 8th, but he went deep enough to give the Sox bullpen a legit chance of holding a lead. Matsuzaka wins the Man of the Game for ALCS Game 1.
The Sox offense wasn't overly impressive, but was able to capitalize on some of the opportunities they were presented, unlike Tampa Bay. Kotsay had a fortunate double that set up a Lowrie sac-fly in the 5th. Youkilis hit a double off Carl Crawford's glove in the 8th and knocked in an insurance run.
Ortiz (0 for 3) needs to start hitting, and Ellsbury needs to be more consistent (0 for 5), for this lineup to function properly.
Jonathan Papelbon's perfect 9th added to his scoreless postseason inning streak. He's pitched 20.2 playoff innings without allowing a run. That is a new record, breaking Phil Neikro's streak of 20.
Winning Game 1 on the road is huge. To win this series, the Sox had to win at least one road game, and now they've already done that. They have Beckett on Saturday then Lester on Monday. The series is nowhere near over, but this is a tremendous start.
Beckett takes the mound tonight against Scott Kazmir. Both Aces had "down" seasons, each only winning 12 games. Dustin Pedroia is 14 for 25 (.560) off Kazmir with two doubles, a triple, and a homer. But the rest of the Sox haven't hit him very well in the past.
Kazmir was 0-2 against the Sox in 4 starts this season, with a 9.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched. So the Sox can hit this guy.
Beckett was 2-1 against Tampa this year, going 35 innings in 5 starts with a 2.06 ERA.
Win a season opening game on the road. The last time was 1993 against the Rangers. And the last time the Bruins won any opening game was 2001 against the Ducks. This is only the 35th time in franchise history (which spans back to 1924), that the Bruins have won their opening game.
And in a complete surprise, they won it thanks to an explosive offense. They only got 20 shots on Colorado's net, but 5 went in. Defensively, they were porous, allowing 39 shots to reach Tim Thomas, who had a good night despite the 4 goals allowed.
Newcomers Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder each scored in their Bruins debut. Wheeler's score was a product of some nifty passing as the puck was brought up ice. Kobasew, Krejci, and Wheeler knocked it around as they took the zone, then Wheeler drove it in for his first career goal.
I don't know much about Michael Ryder's personal life, but his new best friend is Marc Savard. Savard hit him in front with a behind the back pass just as he passed the net. Ryder hit the top shelf for his first Bruins goal, and the 100th of his career.
Patrice Bergeron had two assists in his first NHL game since last October. He would have had a goal or two if not for some outstanding saves by Peter Budaj, robbing Bergeron of several one-on-one opportunities.
A win on the road against a solid team like Colorado is a good way to start a season. But there were some problems that need immediate fixing. The Bruins took a few boneheaded and soft penalties. Chara inadvertently boarded a guy, Bergeron tripping a guy with less than 2 minutes left in the game in neutral ice, Aaron Ward flipping the puck over the glass when the Bruins were already shorthanded. The Bruins also gave up 3 leads in this game, let Colorado get deep into their zone and rattle off too many shots at Thomas.
The Bruins go to Minneapolis next and face the Wild on Saturday night... the same time as the Sox game. I wonder who will win that ratings battle?
There's a slight bit of controversy with the way Francona has set up the Sox rotation for their 4th ALCS in 6 years. Matsuzaka in Game 1, Beckett in 2, Lester in 3, Wakefield in 4. This means that for Jon Lester - the hottest pitcher on the planet - to have two starts, the series would have to go 7 games. My ideal rotation would have been Beckett-Lester-Matsuzaka-Byrd. But maybe Tito wanted to give Beckett an extra day of rest, didn't want to sit Matsuzaka for 9 days, and the reasoning that Byrd would be better out of the bullpen makes some sense.
Daisuke was a liability in the ALDS, going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs. In the regular season against Kansas City or Oakland, that kind of start was good enough to win. Not in October, and not against the Rays.
Daisuke has a good track record against Tampa Bay hitters. However, two have hit him very well.
Daisuke made 3 starts against Tampa Bay. He went 1-0, pitched 15 innings, allowed 13 hits, 5 earned runs, walked 11, and struck out 17. The number that really bugs me is that 15 innings pitched, or 5 innings a start. All three of his starts lasted 5 innings. In two of those starts, he threw 101 pitches. In the other one, it was 102 pitches.
Matsuzaka's allowable pitch count will be high for Friday's start. Think 120 and possibly more, if he's effective. The Red Sox need him to go at least 6, and preferably 7. The Rays took advantage of the Sox bullpen throughout the season, and those opportunities need to be limited.
Against James Shields, the Red Sox have been either feast or famine.
David Ortiz is more important in this series than he was against Anaheim. The Sox need some power from him. Maybe facing Shields will help get him back on track.
Shields was 9-2 in Tropicana Field, with a 2.59 ERA. But he was 2-2 against the Sox with a 5.85 ERA. He threw a 2 hit shutout against the Sox in April. HOWEVER, since that complete game, he's pitched 11 innings in 3 starts against the Sox, allowing 18 hits, 4 walks (2.00 WHIP), and 13 earned runs (10.64 ERA).
The Sox have a very good chance to win this game. Shields can be touched for a few runs, and forced to leave early. I think Daisuke will go 6 innings, scattering some hits and walks, but not giving in. The bullpen will rattle some nerves, and let Tampa get close. But Papelbon will close the door. 5-3 Red Sox.
It's been a little over two months since Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers. Most fans in Boston, LA, and fans of the game in general, would agree that both teams seemed to benefit. The Dodgers went on to win the NL West, the Red Sox took the AL Wild Card. Both teams advanced to their League Championship Series.
However, some refuse to accept the fact that Manny Ramirez had to go. Most of these people are stupid, heavy drinking, know-nothing know-it-alls that simply can't admit that they're wrong about anything. If you listen to WEEI, Bill from New Hampshire is a perfect example of this miserable lower class of fan.
Maybe we should start calling ESPN's Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons, Bill from Connecticut. His recent 10,000 word rant about Manny being an innocent pawn in a game of chess between Theo Epstein and Scott Boras came out right as the postseason got underway.
I can imagine Bill Simmons gritting his teeth every time the Red Sox failed to deliver with runners on in the ALDS. I can imagine him proclaiming "That's where we miss Manny." And I can imagine a small part of him wanting the Red Sox to lose so that the departure of his flaky idol would be blamed for the failure.
Just to put a few facts out there: Manny Ramirez is a grown man. He's a goofy bastard, but he's no child. He hired Scott Boras, not the other way around. And as much influence as Boras may have wielded, it was still Manny who gave the green light in the end. It was still Manny who took three strikes in Yankee Stadium. It was still Manny who shoved a Red Sox employee to the ground, slapped Kevin Youkilis in public, demanded a trade, and faked injury in the middle of a pennant race.
Simmons repeatedly argues that the Sox could have suspended Manny if they wanted to get him in line. In other words, punish the player who doesn't want to play by not letting him play. That makes tons of sense, Bill.
The Red Sox front office has a history of tarnishing the reputation of departing superstars. They use leaks in the media all too wisely. Simmons thinks these leaks are a form of propaganda, and that the club has a stranglehold on the Boston sports media. But maybe, just maybe, the front office spins exiting stars negatively because of overly attached fans like Simmons.
Then again, how much bad stuff came out about Johnny Damon? Or Derek Lowe?
The most irritating part of Simmons' rant is that he tries to come off as the voice of all Sox fans. He thinks himself Tribunus Plebis (tribune of the people) of Red Sox Nation. But it's difficult to have the pulse of a New England fanbase from Los Angeles.
Simmons and a few other Sox fans suffer from the pie-in-the-sky desire to have a productive Manny Ramirez still here. This is understandable, but also silly. Perhaps the Ramirez fiasco could have been avoided had the Sox agreed not to exercise their options at the end of the season. Then again, why should the team do that just to appease one player? A contract's a contract.
Either way, Manny Ramirez forced the issue to a point of no return, not Theo Epstein, not Scott Boras. It wasn't Epstein or Boras who lost the respect of the Red Sox clubhouse, it was Manny. The Red Sox didn't vote 23 to 1 to oust Boras, or fire Theo; they voted to trade Manny.
Simmons can belittle the success the Sox enjoyed with Manny by pointing out their weak schedule. But the Sox just took 3 of 4 from the Angels... the only 100 win team in baseball... and 2 of those wins were in Anaheim... and Jason "No Playoff Experience" Bay was one of the heroes.
I can envision a few weeks from now, if the Sox win it all, a Bill Simmons blurb about how much more fun the Red Sox rolling rally would have been if Manny Ramirez had been there.
Just because you're not hearing anything about it doesn't mean it won't happen. The Bruins start regular season play Thursday night in Denver against the Avalanche.
The B's are coming off a somewhat successful 07-08 campaign, which saw a first round playoff exit, but only after giving Montreal a run for their fake looking play money. Considering most of the season was played without star center Patrice Bergeron, it was a good year for us dozen or so Bruins fans.
The biggest off-season acquisition was signing winger Michael Ryder, formerly of the Canadiens. Not exactly like the Celtics getting KG a year ago, or the Patriots getting Moss, or the Sox getting Schilling.
HOWEVER, the Bruins will have a healthy Patrice Bergeron this season.
The Bruins lacked explosive scoring potential last year. They scored by grinding out possessions, playing good defense, forcing turnovers in the neutral zone, and cleaning up the garbage in front of the net. But Bergeron is a playmaker. He can create space and generate offensive pressure with the best of them.
I think the B's will build on their moderate success of last year's season, get a decent playoff seeding (4th or 5th), and make a deep run in the postseason. They might even make the Stanley Cup Finals. But whoever wins the East will be demolished by the monstrous Red Wings.
Here's a position-by-position preview:
GOALIES: Tim Thomas stepped up and became the clear #1 last season when Manny Fernandez went down with an injury. Neither Thomas nor Fernandez are the kind of goalies that will stand on their heads and steal games on their own. But they don't screw up, and if the defense in front of them is solid, they'll keep the Bruins in position to win almost every game.
DEFENSE:
Captain Zdeno Chara leads a defense full of familiar faces. The Bruins didn't make any changes to their blue-liners. Chara had career highs in goals, assists, and points. He'll be paired with Dennis Wideman. The 25 year old excelled on the powerplay and was a force on the ice with Chara.
24 year old Mark Stuart will probably pair with 13 year veteran Aaron Ward. The 3rd defensive pairing of Andrew Alberts and Andrew Ference is significantly weaker than the top two, and could be a liability. But the top two groups spend enough time on the ice against the better forwards that it shouldn't be a major problem.
FORWARDS: The Bruins will roll two very talented lines, a 3rd line with the potential to score, and a hard grinding 4th line. Marc Savard was 3rd in the NHL in assists last year. He'll team up with Michael Ryder and PJ Axelsson. Axellsson is best known for his defense. Ryder was once a legitimate scorer, but his last season with Montreal was a failure. Being with Savard should help him return to quality. But if he doesn't, Savard's passing and playmaking will be wasted.
Bergeron, Marco Sturm, and Phil Kessel will be one of the most exciting lines in the NHL. Bergeron has 90 point potential, Sturm has solidly gotten over 25 goals consistently in his career and has the potential for 30+, and 21 year old Kessel has the speed and skill sets to be a top forward in the NHL.
The Bruins power play was a disappointment last season, but it doesn't look like it will be in 08-09. Bergeron, Sturm, Savard, Ryder, and Chara can be put on the ice with a man advantage. That's a lot of firepower there.
The Bruins have a number of young forwards that showed sparks last year. Milan Lucic became a star in the postseason. He's PJ Stock only bigger, much better defensively, and a better scorer.
David Krejci came out of nowhere and amassed 27 points in 56 games.
Chuck Kobasew was 2nd on the team with 22 goals last year.
The enforcer Shawn Thornton averaged a penalty minute about every 6 minutes of ice time he got.
The important thing about this team is that it has character. We saw that in the Montreal series last year, in the overtime win, and the classic 5-4 Game 6 victory. It's not going to be pretty European style hockey like the Canadiens play. It won't be star-studded offensive onslaughts like the Red Wings. It won't be cheap shot goonery like the Flyers. It will be a healthy mix of scrappy, determined physical play with offensive firepower, and stingy defense.
I - for one - am more excited for this season than any Bruins season in recent memory.
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.
"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.
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.
