Fenway Fables

Josh Beckett allowed just six singles, claimed his fourth win of the season, left town with his lowest ERA of the season (3.70), and, to top things off, recorded his 1,000th career strikeout.  Beckett benefited from another round of offensive firepower from the Red Sox lineup, which has scored five or more runs in seven straight games.  The recollection of leaving 10 men on base, including two bases-loaded situations, was a distant memory thanks to the work done against Detroit starter Justin Verlander. The 2006 American League Rookie of the Year allowed a three-run second inning, keyed by Jason Varitek’s two-run single and finished off with a sacrifice fly from Jacoby Ellsbury.  But the member of the Sox lineup who continued to make the biggest impression at Comerica was Kevin Youkilis. Kevin took a Verlander fastball over the left field wall with Ellsbury on and two outs in the fifth inning, making it 5-1.  Youkilis’ fourth home run of the series was the eighth of his career at Comerica, six more than any other road park. Over the last six games he is batting .435 with four doubles, five homers and 12 RBI.  The Red Sox finished the four-game set with nine homers.

Sox Notes:  With the first quarter of the season nearly over, the Red Sox have started Coco Crisp and rookie Jacoby Ellsbury almost the same number of games in center field. Last night, Crisp made his 19th start in center field; Ellsbury has started 18 times. That might not have been the case if Crisp had not strained his right hamstring and missed eight games in mid-April; he’d started six of the previous seven games in center until he was hurt in Cleveland.  The Red Sox had the same record (11-7) for each player when he started in center entering play last night.  But there is a startling difference in production when Ellsbury has started in center. The Sox have scored 114 runs in Ellsbury’s starts, an average of 6.4 runs. They’ve scored 68 runs in Crisp’s starts, an average of 3.8 runs.

Jonathan Papelbon executed virtually every one of the 18 pitches he threw in the ninth inning against the Tigers, yet still had to walk off the mound carrying his first blown save of the season.  There was a check-swing, infield hit from Matt Joyce, Sox shortstop Julio Lugo’s 10th error of the season on Edgar Renteria’s slow roller, a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson’s run-scoring grounder to second, and finally, a broken-bat blooper from Placido Polanco, marking the first time in 20 chances Detroit had won this season when trailing going into the ninth.  Kevin Youkilis hit 2 home runs and Mike Lowell added three hits including a home run and a double, but because Julio Lugo wasn’t able to execute on defense, the comeback wasn’t to be.

Sox Notes:  With two steals from Jacoby Ellsbury and one from J.D. Drew (his first of the year), the Red Sox have now stolen 20 straight bases. The team’s previous high was 18 in 1973.  Kevin Youkilis became only the second Red Sox to hit two home runs and strike out three times in one game since 1956. Brian Daubach did the same on July 7, 2002.  Bartolo Colon (oblique) is scheduled to make his next rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Pawtucket against Norfolk. The right-hander is slated to throw approximately three innings.  A day after making 35-40 tosses to kick off his throwing program, Curt Schilling (biceps/shoulder) reported no soreness. He will repeat the regimen today. 

May 7, 1918 at Griffith Stadium
Senators 7, Red Sox 2  (12-7)

The Red Sox slide continued as they dropped their fourth straight game in their opener against the Senators.  Dutch Leonard was hit hard and he gave up seven runs on fourteen hits en route to the loss.

The Red Sox managed just four hits off of Walter Johnson.  One of those was a homerun by Babe Ruth, who got the start at first base again.

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw only 60 of his 109 pitches for strikes, but he somehow found a way to give up just one run on two hits in five innings.  The end result was palatable for the Red Sox, who came away with a 6-3 victory against a Detroit club still trying to find its way.  While the same can be said for the Sox’ second-year hurler, at least a glimpse of optimism could still be siphoned from the outing. 

If one thing was reaffirmed by Matsuzaka in his first start at Comerica Park since allowing the Tigers six runs on 10 hits last July 8, it is that he remains anything but predictable. This time around, there was a whole lot of resiliency to go with the roller coaster that the righty has taken the Red Sox on so many times in his 39 career regular-season appearances.

After the game, it was revealed that Matsuzaka (5-0) has continued to battle the remnants of the sickness which sidelined him two weeks ago. It was such a concern that manager Terry Francona never expected his starter to go more than the five innings he supplied, no matter what the route taken. 

Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz were all taking advantage of the balmy Michigan air, each clearing the fences with home runs, Youkilis hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Ortiz added a solo shot in the ninth. Ortiz also had an RBI single in the seventh inning.

Craig Hansen relieved Matsuzaka in the sixth inning and threw better than his numbers reflect: (1 2/3 innings, two runs, two hits, two walks).  Hansen was followed by Hideki Okajama (1 scoreless) and Jonathan Paplebon (save No. 10).

May 6, 1918 at the Polo Grounds
Yankees 10, Red Sox 3  (12-6)

The Red Sox dropped their third straight game and lost their first series of the season in a lopsided contest.  Carl Mays and Sad Sam Jones took it on the chin and they combined to give up ten runs on thirteen hits.

Babe Ruth got the start at first base and he belted a two run homer in the fourth inning.  It was one of his two hits in the contest. Wally Schang doubled, singled and scored a run in the loss.

The Red Sox’ 7-3 victory yesterday swapped sweep for sweep and established a little more realistic gap between the teams. While the 2008 Rays are a viable, talented and balanced team, the 2008 Red Sox played to their own level this weekend. After managing just five runs and 17 hits last weekend, the Red Sox offense sliced and diced its way to 26 runs and 39 hits in these three games, lifting their team batting average eight points to .286.

Beginning tonight, the Red Sox will be on a 10-day, 10-game road trip that begins with four in Detroit against the Tigers, whose own offense finally has risen out of its April slumber. Detroit’s pitching, especially its bullpen, is suspect, so what the Red Sox did against Tampa Bay was encouraging for their chances against Detroit. And the Sox will need pitching like they got this weekend against Tampa Bay and for much of the Blue Jays series before that.

Each of the last three starters, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester yesterday, recorded a victory and during the last eight games they have posted a combined 1.92 ERA. If the team continues to get starts like these, combined with mashing efforts from the offense, the current three-game AL East lead won’t disappear in the near future.

Sox Notes:  With the Red Sox about to play the most loaded lineup in the league in Detroit over the next four games, the club decided that having an extra pitcher was more valuable than another bat.  That was the main factor in the club’s decision last night that right-handed reliever Craig Hansen will be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to take the roster spot of outfielder Brandon Moss, who will be placed on the disabled list (appendectomy).

May 4, 1918 at the Polo Grounds
Yankees 5, Red Sox 4  (12-5)

Babe Ruth did about all he could at the plate in this game but the Red Sox still walked away with the loss.  It was the first time this season the Red Sox had lost consecutive games.

Ruth finished the game with a double and a homer but it was pitching that cost him.  He gave up five runs on eight hits, including a run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.  To his credit, Ruth was busy the entire game as the Yankees came after him with a series of bunts.

Harry Hooper had another solid game.  He went three for five with a double, a triple and a run.

The Red Sox offense appears to be waking up; slamming 15 hits, 12 runs, and a season’s-best seven doubles, with each of the nine starters producing at least one hit.  The three main contributors to forcing Shields into surrendering runs in each of the first four innings were the top three hitters in the lineup: Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz. The trio combined to go 8-for-14 with six runs.  Ellsbury has either scored a run or collected an RBI in 11 of his last 13 games. The Red Sox improved to 6-1 when the rookie gets on base to lead off the first inning and 13-2 when he scores at least one run.  The night also marked Pedroia’s second straight three-hit outing. Ortiz’ three hits represented the DH’s season high.

Josh Beckett did his job, using 100 pitches to get through eight innings. While he did surrender a two-run homer to Gabe Gross and a solo shot in the eighth to Akinori Iwamura, the four-run, seven-hit, five-strikeout outing was another step in the right direction for the ace.

May 3, 1918 at the Polo Grounds
Yankees 3, Red Sox 2  (12-4)

Wally Pipp singled home the winning run in the bottom of the twelth inning as the Red Sox took their second loss in three games.  Bullet Joe Bush threw a nice game but the Red Sox just couldn’t get their bats going.  He gave up three runs on nine hits and four walks with five strikeouts and he pitched all twelve innings.

Dave Shean had a pair of singles and he scored one of the two Red Sox runs.  Everett Scott had the only extra base hit for the Red Sox with a triple and he scored the other run.

Nothing, not a last-second balk call or a walk-off hit - could come to the rescue of the Red Sox last night.  On a night when Toronto starter A.J. Burnett had an answer for everything, the Red Sox batters had little response and Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield was left wondering what he did so wrong, the home team was unable to complete a sweep as the Blue Jays left town with a 3-0 victory.  Wakefield did not record a single strikeout in his seven innings, only the third time in his career he pitched that long without a strikeout. It was a fitting feat on a night when the six hits, four walks, two hit batsmen and three runs he did allow were all the Blue Jays needed on their side of the equation, since the Red Sox batters offered zip for themselves.

The Sox were shut out for the second time in four games and they have scored just four runs in their last five games, a stretch in which they have gone 2-3. The positive is that despite being limited to three runs in three games by the nastiness of Toronto starters Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and Burnett, the Sox still won two out of three. But with the Rays bringing in Edwin Jackson, James Shields and Scott Kazmir for a three-game visit beginning tonight, all the praise for the opposing pitcher is not going to make anyone feel much better about the Red Sox offense lately. 

Sox Notes:  With Jacoby Ellsbury (groin) and J.D. Drew (quadriceps) still unavailable, Brandon Moss got another start in right field. Ellsbury took batting practice and Drew shagged flies; the expectation is that one or both will be available this weekend