The pitching duel I expected never materialized. In fact, Contracostatimes.com writes Only one ace showed up at Fenway. How true. Oakland's Tim Hudson gave up 9 hits, walked four and allowed 5 runs -- all this in only four innings. Curt Schilling was his usual self. When it comes to Schilling usual means superb.

The Red Sox embarrassed their West Coast foe led by an unlikely power source - Mark Bellhorn. Bellhorn had three hits, knocked in five runners and hit a home run. The Red Sox scored 12 runs and could have scored more; they left 13 players on-base. I still think he reminds me of last year's Todd Walker. The Red Sox are certainly getting their money's worth, except for batting average, Bellhorn is doing better in every offensive category. Bellhorn is making $490,000; Walker $1.75 million.

This Oakland team is not the same team as last year's divisional rival. The offense has struggled all year. The team is eleventh in the AL in runs scored. Losing Miguel Tejeda to free agency has left a huge hole in the lineup. The A's "Moneyball" approach isn't working out as originally hoped, especially with teams in the AL West improving. Another big reason's the A's struggle -- closer Keith Foulke is now on the Boston Red Sox.

Continue reading "In baseball test, B's score higher than A's"

What a weekend. By now you have all heard that David Ortiz has decided to make Boston his home through 2007. He and the Sox have agreed to a contract extension.

This is wonderful news, I couldn't be happier. I am not surprised that he wanted to stay, but I'm a little surprised who helped him make up his mind. According to an interview with Ortiz in Saturday's Boston Herald, Pedro Martinez told Ortiz, that he should re-sign with Boston. Could this advice be a hint of Pedro's own intentions, despite all that he has said about the organization over the last month? According to the Boston Globe, Larry Lucchino hopes it has some influence on Pedro. We'll see.

Much of the Red Sox success can be attributed to Ortiz. He has 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. At only 28 years old, Oritz still has some time to put up some nice numbers for this club. I look forward to watching him over the next few years. I hope to see him start in this year's All-Star game. Don't forget to add him to the ballot at MLB.com.

Continue reading "It's nice to be home"

The road trip is over. Welcome back. Perhaps we can get away from these hockey towns for a while. It's gotten so bad that Tampa Bay Online is referring to baseball as "that other sport." The Devil Rays seem pretty happy with their win.

I'm not. Thursday's game was interesting at least. Had Derek Lowe not pitched so horribly, the Red Sox might have been able to control the outcome. But seven runs in one inning is a difficult deficit to rally from. The Sox did their best however scoring six runs in two innings.

We do not have to worry about re-signing Lowe. He's already gone. It doesn't appear that his head is in the game. The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy writes Lowe needs a better contract pitch. He needs something. A sports psychologist may help because is confidence is probably shot now.

Continue reading "Please come to Boston for the springtime"

Curt Schilling got his fifth win and only allowed one run on Wednesday. The Hartford Courant writes Schilling enjoyed his seven innings. It's nice to see some home runs, especially from the injured Manny, but I found Wednesday's game to be a bit boring. With the bats heating up, the Red Sox should sweep up the mess tonight.

We are a little thin in our bullpen with Byung Hyun Kim in the minors and Scott Williamson injured. Boston.com says Williamson headed to Boston early for an MRI. Will the injuries ever cease? Boston has not fielded a healthy team all season, not including Nomar and Trot. According to Projo.com, the recent injuries and struggles may have pulled Kim off the trading block.

I hope with the warmer weather Derek Lowe can turn it around. Boston.com reports the sinkerballer thinks he can. NESN asks if we are concerned about Lowe's slow start? In a word, yes. We'll see tonight. If he can't beat the Devil Rays, the Red Sox may have bigger problems than injuries.

Continue reading "Another game in Tampa, another, ho-hum, win"

What in the H-E-double hockey sticks? It's like the Red Sox never left Canada. Every major Web site in Florida is writing about hockey. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and all the Web sites are scrambling to post the latest hockey news.

I don't get it - baseball in the frozen north, hockey in the humid south. I enjoy a good hockey game in February - not in May or June. I also do not like hockey in any place that doesn't regularly receive snow.

It's hard to find news about baseball.

I can understand why people on the Gulf Coast are jumping on the Canadian bandwagon - the Devil Rays really have been struggling. They have only one win in the last 11 games. Tampa Bay Online is asking if it can get any worse? Yes, I believe it can. Apparently so do the Devil Rays. TBO.com also writes that starting pitcher Victor Zambrano is trying hard to end slump. Are they already planning on losing the first two games of the series? My records show that Zambrano isn't scheduled to pitch until Thursday.

Continue reading "Lightning strikes"

The French may say, "Comme ci, comme ca." This past weekend was so-so. The Red Sox ended the series against Toronto with two wins and two losses.

What's up Doc? It may have been asking too much for the Red Sox to beat Toronto's Roy Halladay, (a.k.a. "Doc") three times in a row. The Toronto Star reports that Halladay won the pitching battle . MLB.com says it may be because "Doc Changes Speed" However, it was close. The pitching lines look similar. Pedro Martinez: 7 innings, 8 hits and one walk and 6 strike-outs. Roy Halladay: 7 innings, 8 hits, two walks and 6 strike-outs. What more could you ask for? MLB.com writes Halladay is on top of his game The difference between the two: Halladay, the 2003 Cy Young Award winner, only allowed Boston to score one run; Pedro allowed three. Continue reading "Settling on a split"

Finally. The Boston Herald reported Tuesday Kim is out and Arroyo is in. It's about time. I've been asking for this since last year's middle finger incident.

Associated Press photo

Perhaps Byung-Hyun Kim would have better success if he opened his eyes while pitching.

Bronson Arroyo (see official profile) has already proven he's the better pitcher. He's faced the Yankees twice and fared well both times. That's the toughest test of all.

According to Projo.com, Byung Hyun Kim got sent to Pawtucket to work some things out. The Red Sox added pitcher Jamie Brown (see official profile) to the roster in his stead. If I were Boston, I'd move Kim to the bullpen. He would make a fine middle reliever. His unorthodox delivery makes him very valuable in short stints. Hitters will have a hard time adjusting their eyes to pick up the ball.

Continue reading "BK gets special order"

The Sox have returned to the Skydome. In my view, it is the worst ballpark in the majors (at least on TV). Attendance is improving, however. During their last visit only 16,000-plus came out to see the game, while Thursday night 20,876 were in attendance.

It's time to kill two birds with one stone, or baseball. Having lost the first game of the Toronto series, Boston has to win at least two to earn a split. It will be a task.

The Boston Red Sox have become the Bad News Bears. I realize the team doesn't enjoy playing on fake grass, but give me a break. Boston is second in the American League in errors with 33. That is almost one error a game. Horrible. Projo.com reports Mistake-prone Sox stumble. You know things are bad when centerfielder Johnny Damon has an error. Damon has had only one error in each of the last two years. This season, he already has two, including last night's blunder. Maybe it's the hair.

Continue reading "It's raining cats and dogs"

I didn't know what to expect against the Kansas City Royals.

The Kansas City Star reported that The Royals pitcher Darrell May was pretty sick and it may have helped him earn his first win of the season. Boston.com reports the "Red Sox lose their grip and can't finish off a sweep of Kansas City."

Perhaps it has something to do with playing on the "day of rest." On Sundays, the Red Sox have only won two of the six games so far. During those games they have averaged under 3 runs. If I were a betting man, I'd take Toronto to win on May 16.

Continue reading "A sweep it's not, but I'll take 2 and 1"

After losing five straight, the Red Sox seem to be back on track - winning the last two games in Cleveland. Pedro looked especially good as he tries to justify his statements of the last week. Boston.com's Gordon Edes writes that Pedro's outing spoke volumes

He's correct - 7 innings, 8Ks, 2 earned runs - is pretty darn good. Pedro's still the best. He was throwing 92 mph repeatedly. While that may seem a little low, his velocity should increase with warmer weather.

Manager Terry Francona continues to shuffle the lineup. Thursday night he moved Bellhorn to the lead-off spot where, if only for one night he excelled - going 2 for 5 with a RBI and scoring a run. I can not see Bellhorn keeping this position, but when Damon's got the day off, why not? The strange thing about Bellhorn's line, no walks, althoughhe still leads the American League.

The Red Sox return to Fenway tonight to face the Kansas City Royals. The Royals seem to be floundering. The Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton is wondering where the Royals' magic is. The Star's Joe Posnanski thinks the team needs GPS, since they are lost on the road.

Continue reading "Back on track..."

These last five games have been extremely difficult to watch. I can see maybe losing two games to the Rangers, but two games to the Cleveland Indians is ridiculous. The Indians are simply not that good. Their bullpen is horrible.

Everyone is asking "What is wrong?" Boston.com wants you to tell them what manager Terry Francona should do to right the ship.

I've already offered some advice. In fact, I saw that Francona changed the lineup, switching Mark Bellhorn and Bill Mueller. (See the Red Sox site about the "reshuffle") Hmm, I wonder where he got that idea. Projo.com states Mueller doesn't mind hitting eighth. The move will take some time to produce results. I hope Francona sticks with it. Each of them got on base twice in Tuesday's game. However neither of them scored.

The Red Sox finally showed a little pop, both Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon hit home runs. Damon's home-run, his first of the year, scored three as the Red Sox tried to rally in the ninth. Ramirez had another shot earlier in the game, but ended the game with a strike out. The Plain Dealer writes about the Betancourt/Ramirez face-off. Bummer. I can't fault Manny. His first shot was huge - 459 feet. By the way, Manny was not grandstanding. The Plain Dealer has an interesting take in its game summary.

Continue reading "I've lost my Sox; they could be in the hamper"

Wow, what a disappointment. The events that transpired in Texas have me guessing if I know anything about baseball.

I guess there are other words that "R.A." could represent. Bostondirtdogs.com says the letters in Dickey's name stand for "Really Awesome." He was pretty good. Losing one game I could live with, but what happened Saturday?

Was it too much to have two double-headers in one week? Maybe, the team was tired, working so much within a short span of time.

Was it the Rangers stellar pitching staff? Come on they aren't that good. They gave up 9 hits the first game and 11 in the second.

Was it the law of averages? Maybe, Boston has not played that well in Arlington, and the Rangers were hitting .363 at home going into Sunday's game.

Continue reading "Pedro has me worried"