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Recap: Clay & bullpen bend but do not break as Sox beat A's 11-6

The offense scored early & often and the bullpen was able to bend but not break and the Sox hold off the Oakland A's 11-6.

With Oakland scoring in the top of the second thanks to a Cliff Pennington RBI single, Boston's offense unleashed 11 unanswered runs in the second, third & fifth innings. In that span, David Ortiz hit two solo homers, Darnell McDonald hit a two run shot, and Mike Aviles hit a three run bomb to give the Sox an 11-1 lead.

And it appeared that it would be more than enough for Clay Buchholz  as he was in cruise control for the six innings: allowing just one run on three hits while throwing only 72 pitches. Then he complete unraveled in the seventh. He loaded the bases before he could even record an out when he got Pennington to ground into a fielder's choice for one out. 

Then two former Sox outfielders put in two damaging hits to end Buchholz's night. Coco Crisp with a shallow single to drive in two runs and Josh Reddick hitting a three run shot to make it an 11-6 game. Buchholz finished with his fifth straight start allowing at least five runs & eight hits and was clearly frustrated as Bobby Valentine came to take him out of the game.

Junichi Tazawa was brought in relief and he failed to get an out as he hit gave up a bloop hit to Yoenis Cespedes, then plunking Seth Smith, and finally after getting Anthony Recker to pop one up in the infield, Nick Punto dropped it to load the bases. It was starting to give horrible flashbacks to the debacle against the Yankees when the bullpen was destroyed for 13 runs. Thankfully Vicente Padilla struck out Daric Barton to get out of the jam and give Sox fans a sigh of relief.

But the relief was only temporarily, as the A's managed to get the bases loaded with no outs on Scott Atchison. Atchison managed to punch out Crisp and leaving the rest up to Franklin Morales. Morales was able to get Josh Reddick to ground one up the middle and Dustin Pedroia made a great effort to get the inning ending double play.

Alfredo Aceves came up in the ninth and had a relatively easy outing as he only gave up a two out double . He now has four straight scoreless appearances but he still couldn't get that ERA down to single digits. (Currently at 10.29.)

The Sox end the month .500. Not bad.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Box Score

 

How we see it goin' down: A's - Sox series

First Pitch: Monday 7:10, Tuesday 7:10, Wednesday 7:10

Arms: Monday: Tommy Milone, LHP (3-1, 2.00 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (2-1, 8.87 ERA)

Tuesday: Jarrod Parker, RHP (0-0, 1.42 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (1-0, 4.09 ERA)

Wednesday: Brandon McCarthy, RHP (1-3, 3.23 ERA) vs. Daniel Bard, RHP (2-2, 3.72 ERA)

                                     Yard: Fenway Park   Watch it:  NESN  Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 11-12 (2nd AL West)	Record: 10-11 (Last AL East)
On road: 5-5	At home: 3-5
Streak: Lost 2	Streak: Lost 1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Ka'aihue (.289)	Average: Ortiz (.395)
Homers: Cespedes (5)	Homers: Ross (5)
RBI: Cespedes (19)	RBI: Ortiz/Ross (18)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Colon, Milone (3)	Wins: 3 Tied (2)
ERA: Milone (2.00) | Cook (0.00)	ERA: Bard (3.72) | Tazawa (0.00)
K's: Colon (26)	K's: Beckett (24)

Last time

The Red Sox won a 3-game series at Fenway for one last hurrah at the end of August. Tim Wakefield was smoked in another 200 win attempt which turned out to be a 15-5 loss in game one. The Sox took games 2 and 3 to close out the last winning series of the season.

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz

His .395 batting average, his ability to dominate lefties and righties, his use of the entire field, and many other factors make Ortiz an easy choice.

Pitch Around: Yoenis Cespedes

This is not a threatening lineup, but Cespedes poses the biggest power threat. His .253 average is good for 3rd on the team, so Sox pitching should be able to over-power this lineup.

Don't Fall Behind: Tommy Milone

The young lefty is having a great start to the season. Oakland continues to come up with great young pitchers, and this one will probably end up elsewhere soon. Tommy Milone can keep the A's in the game, but the Sox could rattle him easily.

How we see it goin' down

The Sox are feeling good and have been able to dominate teams of equal or lesser records. Pitching has built up some confidence and aside from the final game of the White Sox series, the bats have been hot. The Red Sox will knock the A's around and come away with a sweep.

Taking Stock: Red Sox - White Sox series

After every series, we'll take stock of how each individual and group performance affects their overall value.

Offense

Mike Aviles: It is safe to say his overall value went down after getting stumped by White Sox pitching. It was bound to happen, and let's hope it is short term

Ryan Sweeney: Sweeney looked continued to looked great in games 1 and 3, then put up a goose egg in the final game that didn't hurt his value too badly. Still lovin' what he is bringing to the table.

Dustin Pedroia: As quickly as he gets back over .300, he is right back below that mark. We are all waiting for Pedey to start rakin' again.

Adrian Gonzalez: It kills me to put the red arrow next to his name, but this is not the Adrian we were expecting. His .284 batting average with 2 homers is nowhere near impressive.

David Ortiz: Papi continues to swing a good bat. The 2-run homer in game 2 of the series was a spark for the offense. The excitement is back when Ortiz is at the plate.

Kevin Youkilis: He is really hurting his trade value. He exploded in game 1, but the struggles continue and the patience is growing thin around Boston. We all thought that could have been the slump breaking game.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Like Youk, Salty had a monster game 1, but went downhill from there. I still think he is progressing and will raise his average in the coming month.

Cody Ross: Not much of a change this series from last. Still producing, so that is all that matters. I am starting to like the #7 again.

Marlon Byrd: I might be getting a little ahead of myself, but I like the addition of Marlon Byrd. Especially compared to Darnell McDonald. Byrd contributed with 4 hits and an RBI against the other Sox and is batting .308 with Boston. Not bad for a guy that is 10 years past his prime.

The Bench: Aside from McDonald's homer in game 2, there was very little production. That's why they are on the bench most of the time.

Starting Pitching

Your Morning Dump...where the Sox could dominate in May.

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.

“I don’t think we can establish ourselves more than we’ve established ourselves,’’ catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. “After what happened before we left, to turn it around like we did shows a lot of what this team is all about. I think we’ve gotten some things in order. We all feel so good about our bullpen - two earned runs allowed in 17 2/3 innings - on the trip.’’

They come home a far more confident bunch than the one that left last Sunday.

They open a six-game stand Monday night against the A’s, who are 11-12 but are a team the Sox should beat. The Orioles come in Friday night, and they certainly have overachieved. They also kicked the Sox out of the playoffs last September, so Boston will have some redemption in mind.

“The Baltimore series will be one this team will look forward to because they’re a division rival and nobody who was here last year liked what happened at the end of last year,’’ said Saltalamacchia. “We need to establish ourselves as a good team, period, not just on the road or at home, but everywhere. Winning series, no matter who we’re against, is what we’re trying to do the rest of the way.’’

The Sox head to Kansas City for a three-game set vs. the Royals May 7-9 before returning to Fenway for four vs. Cleveland and two vs. Seattle.

The road ahead is not as bad as the first 14 games against the Tigers, Blue Jays, Rays, Rangers, and Yankees.

Globe: Don't get tripped up at home

Look at that schedule again. Fifteen games against Oakland, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Seattle. They can very well continue on the roll they're on and get up to 11 or 12 wins, which would jump the Sox right back in the AL East hunt.

If you look further down the schedule, the Sox have five games against Tampa, head to Baltimore for three more against the O's, and face struggling favorites Detroit & Philly. This month could be the breakout month for the team, much like last June where the Sox went 16-8, including a stretch where they won 12 out of 14 games in the first half of the month. I'll take that deja vu.

Rest of the Links: Globe: Sox not disheartened | Plenty of work for Lester, Beckett | Herald:  Pitching comes around even after losing |Ellsbury builds toward return |  Youk chills out w/ stiff back | Sox start to feel good after successful trip to Midwest | CSNNE: Sox get it done on road trip |  Beckett's rough first dooms Sox  | WEEI: Appreciating the uniqueness of Ortiz | Valentine praises Pedroia

 

 

Recap: Gavin Floyd snaps Red Sox' six-game winning streak

Chicago ended the Red Sox' six-game winning streak in a pitcher's duel this afternoon, winning 3-1.

Gavin Floyd took a no-hitter into the 7th, surrendering his first hit on a seeing-eye single to Dustin Pedroia with one out.

The only other Sox offense of the day came directly afterward, as David Ortiz doubled and Cody Ross singled in Pedroia. The rest of the innings featured zeroes across the board.

Josh Beckett was solid for Boston, letting in three runs (two on an Adam Dunn bomb) in the 1st before settling down. Beckett threw 126 pitches -- the most in his Red Sox career, and most overall since 2004 -- in 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight. You could argue that from the 2nd to the 6th inning, Beckett was every bit as good as Floyd.

Of course, the first inning still counted, and the Red Sox couldn't do any damage to Chicago's relievers once they chased Floyd from the game. The White Sox didn't use their embattled closer Hector Santiago, instead opting for Addison Reed and Matt Thornton, who had no trouble retiring batters. Santiago is certainly in danger of lose his role at the back of the bullpen.

The Sox drop to 10-11 on the year, still bringing up the rear in the AL East. They come home next, taking on Oakland.

Box score

Your Morning Dump... Where ther's a logjam in the rotation

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.

Aaron Cook pitched well again last night for Triple-A Pawtucket, allowing three runs in 61⁄3 innings.

Now, the intrigue begins.

If the Red Sox [team stats] don’t call up Cook by Tuesday, the veteran sinkerballer can trigger an opt-out clause in his minor league contract, a deal that calls for his salary to rise to $1.5 million if he’s on the major league roster. If he informs the Sox that he plans to opt out, the team would have 48 hours to placate him or allow him to become a free agent.

Problem is, at present, the Red Sox don’t have a place for him in the starting rotation. Cook has made only one relief appearance since 2003, and it’s unclear how his arm would react to that role, especially after he dealt with a shoulder problem late last season.

But pitching coach Bob McClure is increasingly confident Cook can be an effective reliever.

Herald - Decision looming on Cook

Know who I feel bad for in all this Aaron Cook drama?  Scott Atchison.  Because there's no way the Red Sox let Cook wak, and whether they plug him in as a starter or reliever, someone is going to have to get sent down or sent packing.  And if there's one guy on this Sox squad that they have no problem jerking around, it's Scot Atchison. 

Like usual, Atchison is pitching well this season.  He has a 2.31 ERA with 11 K's over 11+ innings pitched.  But no matter what he does on the field, he never seems to be able to hold onto a major league roster spot.  So, while I have no inside knowledge of what the Sox will do, I'd be willing to bet my life savings that Atchison isn't hanging around Fenway much longer.

But back to Cook.  The man just wants to pitch in the majors.  If that means coming out of the pen, he says he's "open to it".  You have to respect a guy that's willing to do whatever he's asked.  I'll stop repeating myself, so I'll say this one last time: I still think he's most valuable as a starter.  But if he can step in and give the Sox 2-3-4 solid innings out of the pen, well, we desperately need that too.  If he can be that guy, bring him up!

But the Sox have a bigger problem looming: the return of Dice-K.  You won't find him pitching out of the pen.  Not a chance of that, and he's going to be up within the next month.  I can see the Sox not bumping Bard or Doubront for Cook, but someone's going to get shuffled for Dice.   Both Doubront and Bard are pitching very well, but only one of those guys can be a lights-out reliever.  As Scott has discussed ad nauseum, Bard isn't going to last in the rotation all season long anyway, due to the Sox monitoring his innings.   Do you just cut your losses with him now and move him down (and deal with the whining and moping that's sure to follow)?  I don't know how you untangle that situation.

Unless Clay Buchholz continues to be a disaster.  If he can't put together a quality start or two, don't be shocked to see him be the guy sent down when Dice comes up. 

Having so many good pitchers that you don't have a spot for them all is a great problem to have.  Only, the Sox don't have "good" pitchers, but mediocre pitchers with question marks and potential.  Yay?

Rest of the links:

Herald - Sox ‘pen makes it right | Red Sox reach .500 behind Jon Lester’s gem | Globe - Everything is cool in Matsuzaka’s second rehab start | Lester helps Red Sox keep up the beat | WEEI - Cook allows three runs in latest outing | Sox alter course, consider Cook as reliever | CSNNE - Satisfied Lester records first win | Sox bullpen rounding into form

Recap: Lester outduels Peavy

This picture would be infinitely better if that ball landed safely.  (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Jon Lester and Jake Peavy went toe-to-toe tonight and when the dust settled, the Red Sox held on for the 1-0 victory for their 6th straight win.

If you enjoy pitching duels, this game was tailor-made for you.  The White Sox' Jake Peavy, who's having a tremendous season thus far, cooled the Red Sox hot bats.  He pitched a complete game, allowing only 4 hits and 1 run while striking out 7.  Against Red Sox pitching, that should net you an easy victory.  But Jon Lester was sick of losing.  He threw 7 innings of shutout ball, allowing 5 hits and striking out 7 batters of his own.  He earned his first win of 2012.

Things got a little dicey for Lester in the 7th.   Vicideo singled on a ball down the 3rd base line that Youk let roll, hoping it would end up foul.  The next batter, Flowers, hit a rocket up the middle that Aviles lunged for and nabbed.  But he tried to flip the ball to Pedroia at second while he was mid-dive and the ball sailed over Pedroia's head, putting two men on.  Lester, well over 100 pitches at this point, got Morel to ground into a fielder's choice.  Then, with the tying run on 3rd, he got Beckham to ground out to end the inning. 

Morales and Padilla tag-teamed the 8th, and Aceves used about 300 pitches (at least it seemed like it) to get the save in the 9th.  2 innings of relief work with only 2 runners on base in a one-run game is cause for a parade these days. 

Nothing to get excited about from the offensive side of the ball, thanks to Peavy.  The Sox only run of the night came in the 4th on a Gonzalez single that drove in Sweeney (who started the inning with a double).  Sweeney was the only Red Sox with multiple hits.  The 4th hit came from Marlon Byrd.  And Papi, who went 0-4, saw his average drop down to .403.  On the bright side, IT'S ALMOST MAY AND DAVID ORTIZ IS BATTING OVER .400!!

BOX SCORE

Your Morning Dump... Where Bard isn't letting go of his spot in the rotation

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.

Daniel Bard is not only a good starter, but he is showing signs of becoming a very good starter — maybe real good.

For a guy who was skipped over his last start, was used in the bullpen on an emergency basis and then came out and shut down the White Sox for seven innings last night, it is safe to say that Bard has passed all the required entrance exams to starting school.

It’s time to lose, permanently, his hall pass to the bullpen and just leave him where he is — then sit back and watch him take off.

Bard now has an ERA of 3.72, which is the best of any of the five starters. Felix Doubront is at 4.09, Josh Beckett [stats] at 4.56, Jon Lester [stats] 6.00 and Clay Buchholz at 8.87.

The sample size surely is still small, and Bard does have one fewer start, but we are seeing steady growth and improvement with Bard.

Herald - Bard has rotation locked up

Bard's only had three starts. So, unlike Michael Silverman here, I'm not ready to hail Bard as the second coming of Cy Young. But he has gotten better each time out.

His first start, in Toronto, wasn't very good at all.  He got tagged for 8 hits and 5 runs over 5 innings in a loss.  He took a loss in his next start, against Tampa, in a 1-0 game.  He only gave up 4 hits over 6.2 innings, but he walked 7 Rays (which, if you're not familiar with baseball, is awful).  But his third start, last night in Chicago, was pretty darn good.  There's not much to complain about with his performance. 

And when you take a peek at his overall statistics over those 3 starts (with his 2 outs of relief work thrown in), he has a 3.72 ERA over 19.1 innings, struck out 19 batters, given up 18 hits with 10 walks for a 1.45 WHIP.  If Bard can put up similar numbers over the course of the season, his transition to starter will be a roaring success. 

But, it's only 3 games.  And, the bigger 'but', even if he does stay that consistent, is he more valuable to the Sox in the rotation or in the bullpen?   Aaron Cook is making his final start for Pawtucket today before he needs to decide on his May 1st opt-out.  If he's lights out again (as he has been in every single outing this year) do we roll the dice that he can at least put up Bard-like numbers in the Sox rotation?  If he can, that's addition by addition. 

And let's not let a couple wins force us to forget the fact that the bullpen is still a train-wreck.  As he's stated several times (because he really really really doesn't want to go back to the bullpen) Bard isn't going to plug all the leaky holes in that pen.  But he does help.  And while the Sox are turning over every stone, hoping to find someone to add to the bullpen, there just aren't a lot of options out there.

If I was running the Sox, I would call Cook up and move Bard back to the pen.  But with the way he's been pitching, I wouldn't fault the Sox for leaving Bard right where he is.  I'm happy I'm not in Cherington's seat right now because no matter how he plays this hand, he's going to get blasted. 

On Page 2, Wakefield is getting his day

Recap: Bard handles the other Sox

Youk and Papi congratulate Cody Ross on another successful train robbery (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Daniel Bard really doesn't want to become a relief pitcher again.  In his first start since the Bullpen Implosion Heard Round the World, Bard took care of the White Sox in a lopsided 10-3 victory for the Red Sox.

Bard was good tonight.  He got through 7 innings on 97 pitches, with 6 strike outs allowing 3 runs (only 2 earned) and a single walk.  The only real blemish on his night was a 5th inning Paul Konerko home run that put Chicago up by one.  Beyond that, he was on cruise control for most of the night.  Matt Albers threw the final two innings of the evening and didn't give up a single hit.  His ERA on the year is now at a very respectable 2.25. 

The Sox offense was cruising, too, despite the temperature hanging around in the 30's.  David Ortiz, who isn't getting nearly enough attention for the obscene year he's having, blasted a 2 run shot in the 2nd (and finished the night 2-4 to raise his average to .425 on the year).  But the 6th inning is when the bat party broke out.  Gonzo and Youk walked.  Papi singled to load the bases.  Ross singled, driving Gonzo home.  McDonald then cleared the bases with a double.  Then, for a little extra kick to the groin, Marlon Byrd drove McDonald home. 

And, because no lead is safe with this Sox bullpen, Ross and Shoppach each drove a run home in the 7th and McDonald hit a solo shot in the 9th.  Darnell McDonald ended the night 2-4 with 4 RBIs.  Yes, THAT Darnell McDonald.  I'm as shocked as you are.

We even got to see Lars Anderson make a cameo appearance in the 9th as a defensive replacement for Adrian Gonzalez.  Good night of baseball.  The Sox dominated and I got to watch it from the comfort and warmth of my couch. And wasn't on television wearing one of those ridiculous head warmers that make me look like I was dressed as Jesse James for Halloween.

BOX SCORE

Beat Farming: Jackie Bradley continues hot streak

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.

The Pawsox and Sea Dogs each had the night off, giving the single-A clubs a moment in the spotlight.

Notable Performances:

Jackie Bradley (CF): 4-for-4, RBI

Travis Shaw (1B): 2-for-4, double, RBI

Xander Bogaerts (SS): 1-for-4, Solo HR (2)
 

Box Score

 

Notable Performance:

David Renfroe (DH): 1-for-4, double

Box Score