Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Recap: Cliff Lee 1, Red Sox 0.

Damn.

That's all you can say after Cliff Lee went up against the best lineup in baseball and made them look like a triple-A club. Lee didn't give up a hit until the sixth to Marco Scutaro. He didn't allow another hit until Darnell McDonald got a leadoff double.  The Red Sox never had a chance tonight with the way he was throwing, and fell to Philly 5-0.

Oh by the way, that's only his third straight complete game shutout. He ends the month of June, going 5-0 while allowing only a single earned run in 42 innings (0.21 ERA).

To make matters worse, Lee got an RBI off of a sac fly in the fifth so he literally beat the Sox by himself.

Josh Beckett had himself a bad night, allowing a season high five runs in six innings. Besides giving up the sac fly to Lee, he allowed a pair of two run bombs to Dominic Brown (in the 2nd) & Shane Victorino (in the 6th).

If you're looking for anything positive, Bobby Jenks made his return in the eighth and didn't hurt himself! He gave up a single, a walk and struck out a couple in 25 pitches. Can't get too upset about this one, Lee is just in a zone. He's on a tear that's reminiscent of Pedro in 1999. It's scary how good he is.

 Box Score

Beat Farming: Lavarnway makes a name for himself in Pawtucket

Who has the time to keep up with all of the Sox minor league teams? We'll do all the work to keep you updated with the beat on the farm.

(40-36, 3rd in IL North)

Since being called up from Portland, catcher/DH Ryan Lavarnway has proved he is ready to play AAA ball. Lavarnway is batting .327, with 3 homers,10 RBI, and an OPS of 1.001 over 12 games. He is one hell of a hitter, but only an average catcher.

Hideki Okajima is proving to be a great 4-A pitcher, stinking it up in Boston and pitching lights out in Pawtucket. Oki is 2-0, with a 1.59 ERA, and 20 K's over 22.2 IP. I say keep him there.

(25-48, last in EAS Eastern)

Left fielder and Milton native, Alex Hassan has been hitting the ball well in Portland. Hassan leads the Sea Dogs with a .314 batting average and has shown some power with his 6 homers and 37 RBI.

Fellow outfielder, Chih-Hsien Chiang, has contributed all the power to the Portland offense. Chiang leads the Sea Dogs with 13 home runs, 47 RBI, and an OPS of .967. He may be the next to make the trip south to Pawtucket.

 [31-38 (1st half), 1-5 (current), last in CAR Southern]

Catcher, Daniel Butler leads the Salem Red Sox in homers with 9, and RBI with 54. His .245 places him in the middle of the pack, and it may be holding him back fro Portland.

Righty reliever, Jeremiah Bayer, has pitched very well from the pen. Bayer has a 4-1 record, with a 2.58 ERA, and 40 K's, over 52.1 IP.

[38-32 (1st half), 3-3 (current), 3rd in SAL Southern]

Outfielder, Brandon Jacobs, has stepped up since fellow sluggers Bryce Brentz and Miles head were called up to Salem. Jacobs is batting .325, with 10 homers, and 44 RBI. Jacobs also has a ton of speed, stealing 14 of 20 bases this season.

The Lowell Spinners just kick off their 2011 season and are at the bottom of the Stedler division at 4-6.

How we see it goin' down: Sox - Phillies series

First Pitch: Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05

Arms: Tuesday: Josh Beckett, RHP (6-2, 1.86 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee, LHP (8-5, 2.87 ERA)

Wednesday: John Lackey, RHP (5-6, 7.36 ERA) vs. Vance Worley, RHP (2-1, 2.83 ERA)

Thursday: Jon Lester, LHP (9-4, 3.66)  vs. Cole Hamels, LHP (9-4, 2.49 ERA)

Yard: Citizens Bank Park   Watch it:  NESN (ESPN 2 - Wed.) Hear it:  WEEI

Get your tickets here

The Matchup

Record: 45-32 (2nd AL East)	Record: 49-30 (1st NL East)
On road: 23-16	At home: 30-13
Streak: Won 1	Streak: Won 1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Gonzalez (.361)	Average: Gload (.320)
Homers: Ortiz (17)	Homers: Howard (16)
RBI: Gonzalez (71)	RBI: Howard (62)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Lester (9)	Wins: Halladay (10)
ERA: Beckett (1.86) | Bard (2.39)	ERA: Halladay (2.40) | Bastardo (0.96)
K's: Lester (100)	K's: Halladay (123)

Last time

The Red Sox and Phillies squared off 6 times last season and the Sox won 4, taking 2 games of each series. Boston outscored Philly, 39-17 in the series and one of the biggest upsets was Wakefield beating Halladay in the third game of the first series. 

This time

Laser Show: Adrian Gonzalez & Dustin Pedroia

Adrian Gonzalez will be going up against 2 lefties, but that doesn't matter because he is batting .314 off of southpaws this season. The power isn't exactly there against lefties, but it is Adrian Gonzalez, and he will find a way to get it done. Maybe another Ichiro impression...

Dustin Pedroia will be the key to this series. In a series that the Sox will face tough starting pitching,  they will need to wear them out, and the Laser Show will be rakin'!

Pitch Around: Ryan Howard

His average is a little low at .253, but the power is there. Howard has hit 6 home runs against the Red Sox in his career, most against any AL opponent. His 14 career RBI against the Sox are also the most against any AL opponent, oh and lets add his 18 hits against the Sox to that list. If you think some of those numbers can be attributed to the short right field at Fenway or the Green Monster, think again. Only 4 of his 18 hits against the Red Sox were at Fenway, and all 6 home runs and 14 RBI were at Citizens Bank Park. Damn! Walk the hell out of this guy.

Don't Fall Behind: All 3 starters

Philly has the best rotation in all of baseball and they are pretty damn good.

Cliff Lee especially. Don't let his 8-5 record fool you, Clifton's last 4 starts have been ridiculous...2 complete games, 2 shut outs, no less than 7 IP, 1 ER, 24 K's, and 6 walksThat all comes out to a 4-0 record, 0.27 ERA, and an opponent batting average of .170.

Vance Worley has never faced Boston and this will be just his 9th start in the majors. He has gotten off to a pretty damn good start this season with his 2-1 record and 2.83 ERA.

Cole Hamels is a Red Sox killer. In his only 3 starts against Boston, Hamels is 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 21 K's. This has the potential to be a very depressing series. I guess there is a positive...the Red Sox miss Halladay this series.

How we see it goin' down

After watching the absolute crap during the Padres and Pirates series, how can we have much faith in the Red Sox going against the best team in the majors. The Phillies also have the best home record in the majors. Of course I want the Red Sox to power back and sweep the Phillies, but this might not be the time for them. Boston will have a chance to win one, but that may be it. This series will go the way of the previous two then we could finally get back to taking back the AL East.

Philly fans are 'knuckle dragging Neanderthals'

CSNNE

Felger has made some sense for the first time, and in response to the Philly media, he has called Philadelphia fans "knuckle dragging Neanderthals". It rolls off the tongue nicely.

What the hell is Ben Davis talking about? Philly fans are more real? They are the most real tools and douche-bags around.

I would like to see a clip of this alleged tangerine incident. It brought back memories of the old Fenway...Oh how I miss that tangerine stand. I think they have a battery stand in Philly in preparation to throw batteries at J.D. Drew.

I've been to Philly...many times unfortunatley, and couldn't walk a block without getting heckled about my Boston gear. They are sore losers and they are already upset because they were voted one of the ugliest cities in the country. Yup, just a bunch of ugly drunk douche-bags.

We have a loyal Red's/Ted's Army reader, that is a transplanted Boston fan in Philly and cannot wear his gear to sporting events because it is so damn bad. He is going to the game 2 of the series and will give us a report on how bad it really is and we will make our determination on which fans are worse. I already know it is them, but we'll get some proof for the hell of it.

Your Morning Dump...where no one wants to call this a World Series preview

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“In the back of your mind, you kind of wonder if we’ll play them again,’’ Boston slugger David Ortiz said.

But there’s a better chance you can get a baseball player to discuss the intricacies of French cinema in the 1930s than to concede that one series is more significant than another, especially in June.

“I don’t lose any sleep thinking about the Phillies,’’ Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I didn’t even know who we’re facing or anything like that. When we go out on the field and we take batting practice and prep for the game, then we’ll be ready.

“I’m not really interested in this series other than going out there and just playing baseball. I don’t look at it as foreshadowing. Both teams still have to play a lot more baseball to even get in the playoffs, let alone the World Series. If it’s October and we’re both in the playoffs and we’re both playing well, then we can talk about it. But until then it’s just a series where we have to go out and play some good baseball and hopefully take two out of three.’’

Globe | It's just another in a series of challenges

Before the season, everyone and their mom was picking a Sox-Phillies World Series. Remember this?

Baseball players are superstitious (and nuts), so their resistance to talking about it is expected. But I'm surprised to see some of the Sox writers (like Gordon Edes in the related link below) listing off reasons why this series isn't that important.

Well, it is.

We're still a favorite (if not the favorite) to win the AL, and the Phillies are still the favorite to win the NL. We don't have our full team healthy -- but who's to say we ever will? 

This series gives us a chance to see the starting pitching the Phils have to offer. We get to test out their bullpen (assuming we can get past aforementioned starting pitching). And we get to see if our starters, who've had mixed results with AL opponents, can match up with the best lineup in the senior circuit.

It all starts tonight with Beckett-Lee. It should be a pitcher's duel, so naturally it'll end up being 14-12. But it'll be fun to watch, and it should give us some notes for October.

Related: ESPNBoston | Red Sox can't get ahead of themselves | Herald | Clash could be Classic | See you in World Series? Not quite yet | CSNNE | Red Sox: Philly series not a World Series preview

On page 2, our other other Japanese pitcher gets rocked in his return from injury.

Pedey is raking the yard

 

NESN

Dustin Pedroia is tough, gritty and outspoken. But above all, he's a baseball player. So when he was asked about being brushed back with chin music on three separate occasions by Pirates pitcher James McDonald, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the second baseman replied, "It's baseball."

"When you rake, that happens sometimes," he added.

Pedey is so damn cool. He just says it like it is and shrugs off the dumb question. Add it to the growing list of classic Pedroia quotes. Never a dull moment.

Philly.com thinks Boston fans are obnoxious

Are you fired up for another inter-league series?  Excited to watch the Sox take on the Phillies?  Didn't think so.  Me neither.

But maybe, just maybe, I've stumbled upon an article to stoke the little embers of passion you've managed to muster for these early-summer snooze fests.  A turd so fresh and so warm, that it can't help but raise some form of reaction from you.  Let it be known that on June 27, 2011 Philly.com's John Gonzalez fired the first shot!

Granted, it's the same shot you've been hearing since 2004, and one that's picked up considerable steam over the past 4 years.  And one that has reached nauseating heights over the past couple weeks.  But, dammit, John Gonzalez has an opinion on the subject and the Phillies series is the perfect opportunity to unleash his fury.

The stars have aligned in the soon-to-be award winning post titled, "Boston fans have become obnoxious" (Shock! Horror! Noooooooo!):

If there's a reason to end interleague play, this is it. The next few days figure to test our collective patience and sanity. Brace yourself: Boston fans are coming.

The Phillies will begin a three-game series with the Red Sox on Tuesday. Over the course of the season, the Fightin's do all sorts of promotional giveaways, everything from hats to bobbleheads. This would be a good time for a different kind of freebie: maybe noise-canceling headphones or, if those aren't enough and more drastic measures are needed, surplus World War II-era cyanide pills. One bite and the suffering will be over.

They've gotten out of control, these Boston fans. They've mutated. There was a time when they took a perverse pride in their suffering, when they romanticized their lack of sports luck. Then the Pats won and the Sox won and the Celtics won and, more recently, the Bruins won. Whatever humility Bostonians had was long ago traded for some of those giant "We're No. 1" foam fingers and a slew of omnipresent smug smiles.

And that's just scratching the surface, folks.  You really should read it in its entirety.  There's just something so familiar with his writing.  It's as if I've read this article at least 75 times over the past 6 months. He even writes a sentence in, and you'll never believe this, a mock-Boston accent!  Genius, right?  Revolutionary, even.  Where does he come up with this stuff? 

Apparently John Gonzalez of Philly.com doesn't realize that he's in Philadelphia, writing about Philly sports.  If some guy at St. Louis.com wants to take some shots at the Sox fans for their behavior?  I could live with that.

But a Philly guy?  You've got to be joking.  The entire time I spent reading it, I kept waiting for the *wink, wink* 'I'm just being ironic' joke.  But don't hold your breath, friends.  It never comes.

Some Boston fans may have become obnoxious, but I'm pretty sure that John Gonzalez has always been that way.

Taking Stock: Sox - Pirates series

After each series, we'll be taking stock in each player's...and maybe manager's...performance. If we like what we see, we're buyin'. If we don't, we're sellin'. Or maybe we'll just hold onto our stock until we see more next series.

Adrian Gonzalez: Let the MVP chants begin, because there is no one hotter than Gonzo right now. When everyone else was sucking in the series, Gonzo stayed hot at the plate, with a .417 average (5/12), a homer and 2 RBI. Gonzo still leads the league in batting average (.361), RBI (71), and hits (114).

Dustin Pedroia: A couple more walks and a .307 average is a step in the right direction for Pedey. I would love to see more power, but I am sure it will come.

The rest of the offense: This past series sucked so damn bad, even with the win yesterday. Errors, an army of men left on base, so many missed opportunities, resulting in the effin' Yankees moving back into first. They are reverting to the Red Sox of early April.  Sickening.

Andrew Miller: He looked much better in his second start and gave the Sox more confidence in him. Only 1 run charged to him, 5 hits, and 4 K's over 6 innings was huge in avoiding the sweep. Miller may be working towards a spot in the rotation for next season.

Your Morning Dump... where it's so far, so good with Miller

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump. (Photo: Gene J. Puskar)

“Any time you have a good outing or the team wins a game, it’s something good to build on,” Miller said. “It more felt like I was just trying to carry over what I’ve been working on in the past, and it’s been pretty good.”

That includes the pregame bullpen activity. Miller and Pawtucket pitching coach Rich Sauveur came up with the plan as a way to curb the 6-foot-7 lefty’s struggles in the first inning.

“I think it’s just helped me to get the game started, go out and be aggressive, just feel settled in from the beginning,” Miller said. “It came up because I had some struggles in the first inning or two, and the discussion was, how do we avoid that? We just adjusted it so that I have more time and throw more out there, and that way, I feel more prepared when the game starts.”

Miller, a former can’t-miss prospect who missed last season with the Florida Marlins, appears prepared to be back in the majors, which would make him quite a find for the Red Sox. In two starts, he has allowed four earned runs in 112⁄3 innings.

“The more he pitches, the more comfortable he’s going to be,” Saltalamacchia said. “He hasn’t been here long. I think he’s going to start to get more comfortable, start to realize what he could do.”

Herald:Miller plan helps Sox stop skid

It was a well composed win for Miller, who dodged trouble a couple times in the start against Pittsburgh. He pitched six strong innings and let the bullpen do the work and for a fifth starter he's an ideal guy. The question is what happens when Clay Buchholz returns from the DL?

It's a tough decision to make but it's either Miller or Tim Wakefield. While John Lackey would seem like a likely candidate as well, the Sox won't do that to Lackey and the media will have a field day if that were to happen. Miller has been effective thus far but it's tempting to put him the bullpen so we can have a hard throwing lefty for late inning situations. The bullpen has needed a lefty presence ever since Rich Hill got hurt. Wakefield has also pitched well: he's 4-2 since being interjected in the rotation. But Wakefield is the perfect pitcher for spot starts & long relief appearances because of the wonderful knuckleball.

As much as I love watching Timmy start, I think it's best if he returns to the bullpen. Miller is still a work in progress and he gives a majority of the credit to his pre-game routine that he started in AAA. Putting him in the bullpen now would just remove all the good that's happened thus far. Miller isn't as versatile as Buchholz or Justin Masterson were when they were called up. He needs to keep his routine & keep gaining confidence which will lead to more quality starts down the road.

Rest of the Links: Globe:Sox snap four game skid|Poor sight leads JD Drew to sit|Miller staking his claim to stay put|Herald:Sox beat Pirates 4-2|Tough games for Big Papi|Pedroia dodges heat|In defense of JD Drew|CSNNE:Sox get one in Pittsburgh|Poised Miller earns his first win|McDonald gets last laugh versus cousin|WEEI:Ortiz "I went with everything I got"|Eye doesn't figure to sideline Drew|Salty: Miller protected Pedroia|It's Miller Time: Sox win over Bucs

Recap: Sox avoid sweep, win 4-2

Our long national nightmare is over, as the Red Sox ended their losing streak with a 4-2 win in Pittsburgh.

Adrian Gonzalez went 2-for-3 and had two walks, all while walking an old lady across the street and saving a baby from a burning building. Papi Ortiz had a successful pinch-hitting experience (a walk), so all's well there too.

Adrian Gonzalez reaching base four times isn't a surprise, but even less surprising: JD Drew left the game with an injury -- an eye injury sustained in batting practice.

All this and I haven't mentioned the winning pitcher -- starter Andrew Miller. A-Milli gave up 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 Pirates in 6 IP. Most importantly, though, I just discovered what an awesome nickname A-Milli is for him.

I like Miller; I think he could be something long term for this team. Maybe some of these injuries will be blessings in disguise. He's got talent, and if Tek, Tito, and Curt Young are helping bring that along, that's a great thing for him (and us).

The Yankees won today as well, so the Sox remain a half game back. They're off Monday, and head to Philly on Tuesday.

Box score