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Should be All Star, Curt Schilling( 10-2, 3.54 ERA) vs Old buddy, Cassy Fossum (3-3, 5.03 ERA)
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This kid is for real.
Scott Kazmir has been good in the past, but he has been great this season. And to really stake his claim as one of the game's best, he two-hit the best team in the American League East in dominating fashion.
Did he have no-hitter type stuff? Definitely. Kazmir may be the best lefty in the league right now. We know that honor doesn't go to Randy Johnson anymore, so Kazmir would be my number one choice to replace the Yankee southpaw.
Kazmir is everything I want Jon Lester to be. It's a possible dream, but it is what I said: a dream. Lester reminds me of Kazmir, but I think Kazmir has the upper edge pitch-wise. Maybe if Lester can develop some more plus-pitches, we'll have our own Kazmir.
A Kazmir clone. That would be fantastic!
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Josh Beckett 10-3, 4.64 ERA vs Scott Kazmir 9-5, 3.59 ERA
Early thead, won't be home, going out tonight. GO SOX!!!!!!!!! Entry Link :: 19 Comments
From the idiotic catwalks not-so high above the field to the idiotic catcalls from the oh-so fat guy behind home plate, the whole experience is just--wrong. I mean, say what you will about the Marlins and their more-than-half-empty stadium, at least they play their games on grass and not that rubberized ... whatever-the-hell-it-is nonsense.
Red Sox nation will be out in full-force tonight as usual, pissing off the locals by making them chant "Let's go Rays" just to drown our the cheers for the Sox. That has to be infuriating. And it seems to happen everywhere these days.
My fellow Rhode Islander Rocco Baldelli is back in the lineup for the Rays. He's also back in the groove, hitting 375 last week with two homers and 8 RBI.
With Baldelli back, you've got to figure the Rays will deal one of their surplus outfielders before the deadline. Carl Crawford's name has come up in trade talks with the Angels but so far nothing has transpired, probably because the Angels suck this year too.
Josh Beckett gets the start tonight vs. first time All-Star Scott Kazmir.
I think Kazmir is one hell of a pitcher. He usually gives the Sox fits for the first six innings or so. Here's hoping we can get into that vaunted Rays bullpen early and set the tone for the rest of the series. I don't know about you, but what I'm looking for is some momentum before the "War of the Colored Sox."
Entry Link :: 6 Comments
Jon Lester
3-0, 2.95Josh Johnson
7-4, 2.20
Youkilis, 3b Loretta, 2b Ortiz, 1b Ramirez, lf Nixon, rf Varitek, c Crisp, cf Cora, ss Lester, sp
Ramirez, ss Uggla, 2b Cabrera, 3b Willingham, lf Helms, 1b Olivo, c Borchard, rf Ambercrombie, cf Johnson, sp
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Hey guys and gals, I'm just checking in from my two-week, paid SportsBlogs Nation vacation (juuuust kidding, of course). I've seen the majority of each Red Sox game and wanted to share my thoughts on a few things.
The Offense:
Is this a fluke? I hope not, because we're hot! From top to bottom, one to nine, 3-4-5-6, we're hitting. Maybe we're just taking advantage of weaker national league teams, but we did sweep the New York Mets, the team running away with the National League crown.
The Pitching:
It's been solid the past 14 games. We had a weak start by newly-acquired Jason Johnson, but I think a little more time would do him good. He must have been a little rusty after not pitching for quite awhile. The young-guns are also coming around: Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen combined for 2.1 innings last night. Delcarmen gave up a hit and struck out three, while Hansen allowed nothing and struck out one.
Alex Gonzalez:
Ok, where's the nearest Olympia Sports? I need to buy myself an Alex Gonzalez shirt. His defense has been amazing (yes, he committed his second error of the season last night) and he's been one of our hottest hitters. If he can just keep it up, he'll be extremely valuable hitting in the 9 hole.
I can see a difference in Gonzalez when he's at the plate. No longer is he trying to pull every ball and hit it into left field. He's swinging at good pitches and going the other way with them. And he's making better contact; if he doesn't hit it, he fouls it off and keeps the at-bat alive. Maybe Papa Jack is what he's needed to succeed. And maybe now everything has finally come together for him.
Coco Crisp:
"Did you see that catch Coco made?"
Yes, and it was freakin' great! Top ten play of the first half right there.
Winning:
Ain't it fun to win? 13-1 in our last 14 games. We're making a great run into the All-Star Break, and a great run into the ASB may make the perfect formula for a great second half.
All-Star Game:
Find out who's in tonight! Let's go Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez who are basically a lock to start. But I really would like to see Mike Lowell or Trot Nixon or Mark Loretta get a backup spot on the team.
Entry Link :: 2 Comments
6:00 Game Tonight
Tim Wakefield
5-8, 3.86Brian Moehler
5-6, 6.55
Crisp, cf Cora, 2b Ortiz, 1b Ramirez, lf Nixon, rf Lowell, 3b Mirabelli, c Gonzalez, ss Wakefield, sp
Ramirez, ss Uggla, 2b Jacobs, 1b Cabrera, 3b Willingham, lf Hermida, rf Amezaga, cf Olivo, c Moehler, sp
Entry Link :: 35 Comments
Jason Johnson
3-8, 5.96Dontrelle Willis
4-7, 4.05
Crisp, cf Loretta, 2b Youkilis, 1b Ramirez, lf Lowell, 3b Varitek, c Kapler, rf Gonzalez, ss Johnson, sp
Ramirez, ss Uggla, 2b Jacobs, 1b Cabrera, 3b Willingham, lf Hermida, rf Ross, cf Treanor, c Willis, sp
Entry Link :: 48 Comments
How about that incredible catch in the 8th inning last night? Un-be-frickin-lievable! Not to sound like my daughter, but that was like totally awesome!
Coco seems to be rounding into form at the plate, too. Last week, he hit .368--primarily out of the 8-hole.
I think we're really going to start to see the impact Coco can have on a ballgame. Like in the 7th inning last night. He gets on with a bunt single, steals second, Gonzo moves him over to third and he scores on a Youkilis sac fly.
Textbook.
Alex Gonzalez has been out of his mind offensively lately as well. Last week, he hit .381 with a couple dingers and 5 RBI. Plus, there's no better defensive shortstop in the game. The guy's like one of those Dyson® vacuums that never loses its suction!
Here are their offensive totals from last month, excluding last night's game:
Coco Crisp
.279, 2HRs, 18 runs, 11 RBI, 3 SB
Alex Gonzalez
.356, 3HRs, 14 runs, 10 RBI
You've really got to give these two guys credit for setting the table in the middle innings, and for helping make this 12-game winning streak possible. It's great to be getting some production from the bottom of the order, something sorely lacking earlier in the season.
When we got to six in a row I said it would be nice to get it 12. It certainly has been nice, hasn't it?
I'm a little nervous about tonight though, to be honest. The Sox don't seem to hit lefties very well, and Willis is a one of the very best lefties in the game--a top-fiver for sure. But, if we can eek this one out, I don't see why we couldn't stretch this thing to 18. I'm just saying.
We'll see what Jason Johnson has to offer us tonight.
Anyway, have a great long weekend everybody. Stay safe. Lots of drunken crazies out there--Yankee fans mostly.
Entry Link :: 1 Comment
Curt Schilling
9-2, 3.61Tom Glavine
11-2, 3.33
Youkilis, 1b Loretta, 2b Ortiz, dh Ramirez, lf Lowell, 3b Varitek, c Crisp, cf Kapler, rf Gonzalez, ss
Reyes, ss Lo Duca, c Beltran, cf Wright, dh Valentin, 2b Franco, 1b Chavez, lf Woodward, 3b Milledge, rf
Entry Link :: 10 Comments
Josh Beckett
9-3, 4.84Pedro Martinez
7-3, 3.01
Youkilis, 1b Loretta, 2b Ortiz, dh Ramirez, lf Nixon, rf Varitek, c Lowell, 3b Crisp, cf Gonzalez, ss
Reyes, ss Lo Duca, dh Beltran, cf Delgado, 1b Wright, 3b Valentin, 2b Chavez, rf Castro, c Milledge, lf
Entry Link :: 3 Comments
Is there any question as to the identity of the American League MVP so far this season?
It's the same guy who should have won it last year and (gasp!) he's a designated hitter.
DH is a role David Ortiz fills most valuably: 21 game-winning RBI last year ... 8 career walk-off homers ... the guy is clutch beyond belief! When he doesn't come through you're surprised. And that says it all. Votes for MVP aren't being cast today, I know, but if they were, how could you not vote for this guy?
I heard Buster Olney on ESPN Radio the other day saying what I've long believed: you shouldn't look at and compare numbers at the end of they year. You should watch the games. A-Rod may finish with better numbers than Big Papi, the Yankees may win more games, but this year--just like last year--games won or lost based on how the MVP candidate performs show you who the true MVP is.
No player is more valuable than to his team than David Ortiz is to the Red Sox. And that's why in the 8th inning last night, not even three months into the season, Papi took his place in the batter's box wearing his #34 superhero costume and the MVP chant broke out at Fenway Park.
Barry Bonds has a fancy vibrating recliner next to his locker. David Ortiz has a phone booth.
Entry Link :: 7 Comments
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 Updated: June 6th, 2006 1) J. Lester - LHP 2) C. Hansen - RHP 3) D. Pedroia - 2B 4) M. Delcarmen - RHP 5) J. Ellsbury - OF 6) D. Murphy - OF 7) B. Moss - OF 8) D. Pauley - RHP 9) J. Lowrie - 2B 10)C. Buchholz - RHP 11)E. Martinez - RHP 12)A. Alvarez - LHP 13)L. Soto - OF 14)J. Van Buren - RHP 15)J. Corsaletti - OF 16)M. Bowden - RHP 17)M. Rozer - LHP 18)C. Durbin - OF 19)A. Pinckney - 3B 20)J. Natale* *Added to list.Note: Jonathan Papelbon was eliminated from the list, as he is no longer a 'prospect.' |