The numbers don't lie

Fenway West 06.29.10

Injuries? So what?

Lackey turned in 7 strong innings allowing 1 run, 8 hits, only 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Big Papi is smacking taters with authority these days. On Sunday, I saw him deposit one over the wall and into McCovey Cove. He knew it as soon as he hit it then, and he knew it tonight when he hit a first pitch fastball into the right field stands in the 5th inning. That three run homer broke open the game. The Sox went on to an 8-1 lead by the time the 7th inning was over.

Oki not so doki anymoki, (hoky, yes I knowki.) Okajima came into the game in the 8th inning with the Sox holding a seven run lead. He went 0.2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 1 walk and 2 hits, one of which was a homer. Atchison didn't have much left in his tank after his good performance on Saturday after Clay left the game early that day. He also went .2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 runs. That gave the Rays 5 runs, but that was it. Richardson came in to relieve Atchison and continued to shave his previously heinously high ERA of 9.0 down to a nice tidy 3.86 ERA. Papelbon earned his 18th save of the season.

With all the work I was doing on the Rock & Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, I hadn't been paying much attention to him. Does this guy throw a knuckleball? Check out this photo from RedSox.com:

I'll have to look into this. I always did like knuckleballers.

Adrian Beltre almost put 'Tek on the DL with a set of broken ribs almost taking him out chasing down a pop foul. 'Tek made a nice slide to avoid the collision while Beltre made the catch. At least 'Tek had a chest protector on. It's a damn good thing Beltre is smacking the snot out of the balls these days. He scored 2 runs as he went 4/4 today, raising his line to BA .349, OBP .387, SLG .561, OPS .948 Beltre says don't touch my head, the rest of the team must be saying don't touch my ribs.

The Yankees lost today and just like that, the Sox are only 1 game out of first place in the AL East. I don't hear much from the 'pink hat' section these days, y'know, the ones who had written the Sox off back in May.

As for the Rock & Sox Benefit, I'll be posting about the night as soon as I get some photos and audio links. The long story short- it was a success.

The Sox left San Francisco making room for the Dodgers. Manny left the game in the first inning complaining about his hammy. Yeah, right. I hope he remembers which one. You would think Torre would know that con game.

Sox 8 Rays 5 BOX SCORE

Fenway West 06.29.10

Prize Menu at Rock & Sox

Prizes to be given away or auctioned- 4 balls signed by members of the Red Sox, dinner for 2 at The Connecticut Yankee, pair of tickets to Sunday's SOX @ SFG game, 1 hour massage, 1 bottle of SauvignYoouuk Blanc wine, limited edition Jimmy Fund Red Sox cap, books, t-shirts, and probably a few more items that escape me at the moment.

Click here for:

Venue

On Line Donations

Directions from AT&T Park to venue

After the game is over, come over to The Connecticut Yankee for dinner and stay for the show.

Suggested donatation is $20. Proceeds go to The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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Come see the hippy get his hair cut!

This Saturday night Fenway West will be hosting the 1st Rock & Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute featuring ‘The Cancer Sucks Band.’ The band is comprised of some of the finest musicians in the SF Bay Area and will be taking patrons on a musical journey from Fenway Park to San Francisco. If you’re coming to San Francisco and will be looking for something to do after the games, come by The Connecticut Yankee, a Red Sox and Boston sports bar less than 2 miles from the Giants’ AT&T Park after the Saturday game. The game starts about 4, which leaves plenty of time to get there afterwards. We are expecting this one to sell out, so get there early or make a donation at the Rock and Sox page at Rally Against Cancer to insure getting in.

As part of the festivities, I will be getting my hair cut to be donated to Locks of Love, an organization that make wigs for cancer patients. And if you want to know how a Red Sox bar got an odd name like The Connecticut Yankee. click here.

So come see the hippy get his hair cut! Who would ever believe that a long-haired hippy drummer could pull an event like this off?!

Dodgers Swept!

Clay Buchholz throttled the Dodgers after a shaky 1st inning in which he needed 30 pitches to get out of a bases loaded jam, and then calmly threw only 76 pitches over the next 5.2 innings, allowing only 3 Dodger hits. His won-loss record improved to 10-4 and his ERA has dropped to 2.47. The Red Sox only managed 2 runs off of Kuroda who struck out 9 Sox and only walked 1, but did throw 2 wild pitches. As it was, that was all the Sox needed.

Red Sox 2 Dodgers 0 BOX SCORE

42- the answer to everything

42 pitches combined total for the 3 LA Dodger pitchers is the answer to "How many pitches did the LA Dodger pitchers (Monasterios, Trancoso, Schlichting) throw in the bottom of the 5th inning in today's game?"

This is how the Red Sox bottom of the 5th went:
Pedroia- Single
Ortiz- Walk
Youkilis- Double
McDonald- Single, stolen base
Beltre- Home Run
WP
Nava- Hit by Pitch
Scutaro- Force Out
Pedroia- Sacrifice Fly
Ortiz- Intentional Walk
Youkilis- Strike Out

All that on 42 pitches plated 7 of the hometown boys in one inning.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning on home runs by Ortiz and Drew. The Dodgers tied it up in the 3rd inning. When the bottom of the 5th came around, three Dodger pitchers got thrown into the barrel by the Red Sox offensive display. (I had to resist the urge to call it a laser show. Doh! I said it!) The Sox got deep into the Dodger bullpen in the first game of this series forcing them to use 4 relievers who tossed a total of 69 pitches.

Felix Doubront made his MLB debut today. He made it through 5 innings allowing only 1 earned run, 3 runs total. Not bad for your debut in the bigs, especially against a divisional leader. Unfortunately he allowed 2 more earned runs in the top of the 6th when the nuts on his wheels started to loosen. Tito called for Atchison before any more damage could be done in that inning. He went 3 full, striking out 5, no walks, no hits. Dustin Richardson came in to pitch the top of the 9th with a Sox 10-5 lead, and promptly served up a home run ball to Garrett Anderson. He managed to get 1 out before leaving the game with 2 more base runners poised for a comeback with Ethier and Martinez not far off. Daniel Bard would have none of that. He promptly disposed of Russel Martin on a force out ground ball by Ethier, and then caught Manny looking on an 87 mph slider after 4 pitches 99 mph or better.

OK, so was Manny booed or cheered? Both says RedSox.com. Manny had 1 hit in the game, a single, and struck out twice, the last one looking. Payback for 2008? Does Manny even give a sh.. I mean, does Manny even care? You decide.

Red Sox 10 Dodgers 6 BOX SCORE

Fenway West 06.18.10

Snakes on the Menu at the Roadkill Cafe

The Red Sox ran over the Snakes Tuesday, backed up ran over them again yesterday, and then once more for good measure in today's game, beating the desert reptiles 8-5. Lackey went 6 innings today allowing only 3 earned runs, 4 total, while striking out 5 D-Backs. Today's bullpen entries of Richardson, Delcarmen, Okajima, and Papelbon combined for a total of 3 IP, 4 Hs, 1 R, and 5 Ks.

The offense was impressive:
Scutaro- 2/4, 3 RBIs
Ortiz- 2/3, 2 RBIs, 1 R
Beltre- 1/2, 1 RBI, 2 Rs

AND

Daniel Nava continues to impress RSN: 3/4, 1 RBI, 2 Rs which brings his BA up to .444!

Red Sox 8 Dead Snakes 5 BOX SCORE

Fenway West 06.17.10

Hair Stylist Needed for Cancer Benefit

Fenway West presents 'Rock & Sox~ A Benefit for the Jimmy Fund' on the night of Saturday, June 26th at The Connecticut Yankee, a Red Sox and Boston sports restaurant, bar and music venue less than 2 miles from the Giant's ATnT Park. 'The Cancer Sucks Band' features some of the Bay Area's finest musicians and will bring patrons on a musical journey from Fenway Park in Boston to San Francisco. All proceeds will go to The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund.

As part of the night's entertainment, I will be having my hair cut on stage at the set break to donate to Locks of Love. Send an e-mail to RockAndSox@gmail.com with a brief summary of your hair styling background. Since it is a benefit, there is no pay, but it will get you a $20 ticket to the show, which has some very special guests who have been invited to appear and to perform. Red Sox merchandise will be given away in drawings over the course of the evening. And you don't have to be a Red Sox fan to apply!

Rattlesnake for Dinner

Well I've never had it, but I do recall acquaintances up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains who did. Personally, I'll take a Red Sox win over the D-Backs any day.

Clay Buchholz went 5.2 innings and struck out 8 snakes. Today's bullpen crew- Okajima, Delcarmen, Bard, and Papelbon- did their jobs: 3.1 innings, 1 hit, that's it. Buchholz is tied for 2nd place in the AL with 9 wins. His 2.67 ERA is good for 4th place among all AL pitchers.

Almost everyone had a good offensive game today as 7 of 9 starters had at least 1 hit. Pedroia went 2/3 with 3 runs scored. Papi continues his recent hot streak. He had fallen into a shallow funk a short while ago, but entered this game going 6 hits in 14 at bats. He mashed his 13th HR of the season in the 1st inning with Pedey on board.

In the Drew v. Drew department, the elder Drew of the Red Sox went 2/4 as compared to 1/4 of his younger sibling.

Sox 6 Snakes 3 BOX SCORE

Fenway West 06.15.10

First 'pitch' grand slam by a rookie

Much has been written about Daniel Nava hitting a grand slam in his first at bat in the big leagues. Not only did he hit that home run in his first at bat, but he hit it on the first pitch he ever saw. According to Baseball-Almanac, 106 rookies have hit a home run in their first at bat in the big leagues. Jeremy Hermida is on that auspicious list. That's all well and good, but I wanted to know how many rookies have hit a home run on their first pitch. (Someone told him, swing on that first pitch, as you'll never have a chance like that again.) It took a little bit of digging, but I finally found this on MLB.com:

Just like that, Nava became the second player in Red Sox history to hit a grand slam in his first plate appearance with the team and first since Rip Repulski on May 10, 1960, against the White Sox. Nava is only the fourth player to hit a grand slam in his first Major League at-bat, and first since Kevin Kouzmanoff did it for the Indians on Sept. 2, 2006.

In fact, Nava joined Kouzmanoff as the only two players in history to rip a grand slam on the first pitch of their careers.

I am reminded of Bobby Kielty hitting a first pitch for a home run in the 2007 World Series, which turned out to be the winning run in the Series clinching win over the Colorado Rockies. We also got to see Darnell McDonald hit a home run in his first at bat with Red Sox this year.

Fenway West 06.13.10

Boof goes Poof

Clay Buchholz turned in another good outing tonight, going 7 innings and allowing 3 hits, and 3 runs. Well, it wasn't a great performance, there's a little issue of 4 walks and 2 wild pitches, but anytime you can get through the 7th inning and allow only 3 runs, you did your job by keeping your team in it, especially the way the Sox offense has been going this year, despite pre-season pundits writing off the Sox bats for 2010.

It didn't help matters much that former Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson turned in a great performance. He had lost 11 games in a row and had gone 17 games total without a win going back to last year after the Sox trade with the Indians that brought Victor Martinez to Boston. Masterson was almost at the end of his leash with the Indian's FO, but has had 2 quality starts in a row now for the Tribe. He got a no decision in his previous good start. Tonight he was almost unhittable going the full 9, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. That's it. Maybe the Sox thought he was all done and decided to e-mail in their plate appearances?

Boof Bonser made his first appearance for the Sox after coming off the DL. Boof made us barf: 4 batters, 2 walks, 2 hits, 4 runs. Some guy named Joe followed him and coughed up a baseball hairball: 1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 R, 1 HR. By the time Nelson came in, Tito decided to leave him in the barrel and let the rest of the bullpen get some rest.

Starter: C
Bats: Fail
Bullpen: FAIL

Tribe 11 Sox 0 BOX SCORE

Not a good day for this baseball fan: Sox lost, Yanks won, Rays won, Giants lost (but Florida State graduate Buster Posey got his 1st MLB HR), and the Pirates lost.

Fenway West 06.09.09

Will the real Daisuke Matsuzaka (aka Dice-K) please stand up?

Daisuke Matsuzaka's rollercoaster season continued today. His last outing before today was downright... well, bleah. Today however, we saw the Daisuke Matsuzaka that the Sox shelled out that umpteen gazillion dollars back before the 2007 season started. He went 8 deep, allowing only 4 hits, 2 walks and no runs. On a night when Jonathan Papelbon was unavailable, Dice-K provided some good rest for the bullpen, as the Red Sox beat the Indians 4-1. Marco Scutaro provided almost all the offense the Sox needed as he went 3/4 and scored twice.

Dice-K has started 8 games for the Sox this year. His line for his three good starts totals up to an amazing 23 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 19 K, which gives him a ridiculously low 0.39 ERA. Now, if he could only pitch half that well every start for the rest of the season.

There were no reports of anyone, including Victor Martinez, who touched Adrian Beltre's head. (Maybe V-Mart thought he would make it onto ESPN's 'Touch 'Em All'?)

Red Sox 4 Indians 1 BOX SCORE

Fenway West 06.07.10