Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Nava's home run is all the offense Buchholz needed in 3-1 win.

Daniel Nava hit a three run homer in the bottom of the seventh was all that Clay Buchholz needed as the Red Sox have won their third straight, beating the Orioles, 3-1. 

It was a pitcher's duel between Buchholz and Wei-Yin Chen, as both of them only allowed a couple of singles and walks until the seventh when Dustin Pedroia started the rally with a single and Mike Napoli getting the first extra base hit of the game, a double to deep center that was almost in the bleachers.

After Will Middlebrooks struck out, it appeared that Chen would be leaving for Tommy Hunter, who had been warming up for a little bit to face Nava. Three pitches later Nava would take Chen's offering to Landsdowne Street and Chen would get taken out right after. 

Nava has been playing really well in the utility role so far this season. Getting the start in left field over Jackie Bradley Jr, he went 2-for-2 with a walk. He's now homered in two straight games and has reached base 10 times in 17 plate appearances.  

But back to Buchholz for a second because he was filthy today. He went seven innings giving up three base hits & four walks while striking out eight. The Orioles couldn't get a baserunner past second base with him on the mound. The only run that Buchholz has given up this season is that home run to Travis Hafner against the Yankees. (0.64 ERA) It's the total opposite of 2012 Clay. THIS is the Clay Buchholz we've been hoping for. All it took was for John Farrell to return.

After Buchholz left in the seventh, Andrew Bailey got the hold in a 1-2-3 eighth, striking out two and getting another to fly out to center. Joel Hanrahan made his Fenway Park debut and after making Adam Jones look foolish with a fastball, Jones returns the favor by taking a slider left over the plate into the Monster seats to make it a 3-1 game.

Hanrahan would then get the white hot Chris Davis to ground out to Napoli, who made a great play, and then gets Matt Weiters to strike out for the second out. JJ Hardy would make it more interesting by hitting a wall ball double but Ryan Flaherty would pop up in foul ground at third to end the game.

The Sox have now won three in a row for the first time since July 29th-31st. They'll look for their fourth win Wednesday evening. 

How we see it goin' down: Orioles vs Red Sox

First Pitch: Monday 2:05, Wednesday 7:10, Thursday 7:10

Arms: Monday: Clay Buchholz, RHP  (1-0, 1.29 ERA)  vs. Wei-Yin Chen, LHP (0-0, 3.18 ERA)

 Wednesday: Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Miguel Gonzalez, RHP (1-0, 2.84 ERA) 

Thursday: Felix Doubront, LHP (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Jake Arrieta RHP (0-0, 9.00 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 3-3	Record: 4-2
On road: 2-1 2012:46-35	At home: 2012: 34-47
Streak: Lost 2	Streak: Won 2

Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Jones (.538)	Average: Iglesias (.529)
Homers: Davis (4)	Homers: Middlebrooks (4)
RBI: Davis (17)	RBI: Napoli (7)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Ayala/Hammel/Gonzalez (1)	Wins: Lester (2)
ERA:  Gonzalez (2.84) | O'Day (0.00)	ERA: Buchholz (1.29) | Hanrahan (0.00)
K's: Hammel (5)	K's: Lester (13)

Last Time

The Orioles swept the Sox in Baltimore, which was part of the eight game losing streak that ended the season. The Orioles won the season series 13-5. 

This Time

Laser Show: Will Middlebrooks & Jacoby Ellsbury

Middlebrooks is coming off a career game, going 4-for-5 with three home runs. He's been hitting the ball hard all season and it was only a matter of time before they turned into hits. After being shelved with a wrist injury last summer, he's got to be excited for his return to Fenway.

Meanwhile Ellsbury is showing how dangerous he can be as a leadoff hitter, reaching base to start the game in the past three and also racked up four steals as well. 

Pitch Around: Chris Davis

Davis is the hottest hitter in the Majors right now, homering in his first four games of the year and has already driven in 17 runs this season. Despite his lack of success at Fenway in his career, (.227 AVG, .278 SLG in 24 games), I would hope that the Sox pitching staff errs on the side of caution with Davis at the plate.

Don't Fall Behind: Wei-Yin Chen

The Taiwanese lefty had a good year against the Sox last season: 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three starts. The Sox did manage to get 21 hits off of him but Chen was able to work out of a lot of jams. Chen does have a habit of giving up the long ball as he allowed 29 home runs last season so the Sox can make him pay for putting runners on base. 

How we see it goin' down

The offense bounced back pretty well from Saturday's two hit performance by destroying RA Dickey and the Jays bullpen, so I'm not too worried about the offense. It's Ryan Dempster & Felix Doubront that has me concerned. Both of them had shaky first starts of the year and if the Sox want to win the series, they need one of them to step up. Doubront has solid career numbers against the O's (3.13 ERA, 1.087 WHIP in six games) but has yet to beat them. He'll get it on Thursday as the Sox take two out of three.

Orioles trade Robert Andino out of AL East

Red Sox fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Robert Andino, the Orioles' version of Aaron Boone, has been dealt to Seattle for Trayvon Robinson.

If you can't remember Andino's significance:

 

Worth mentioning: Andino isn't actually a Red Sox killer -- he has a .620 OPS against the team and shouldn't have even had that single land, considering Carl Crawford is allegedly an excellent athlete and defender.

In hindsight, watching this is much less painful. If Crawford makes the catch, the Red Sox get to the playoffs, and maybe the organization sticks with that group. Maybe they try to make Theo/Tito work, when it appears both were burned out on Boston. Maybe there isn't as much urgency to trade Adrian Gonzalez, Crawford, and Josh Beckett. Maybe we're still rolling out a bloated payroll of unlikeable players.

There's been speculation that the Sox could make a similarly minor move today, given that their 40-man roster must be set and they have a few players they still need to get on the roster.

Taking Stock: Red Sox Orioles series

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

Lineup

Grouping everyone together continues to be the most efficient way to do this. I don't care about the homers from Ross, Salty, and Nava, because that was the extent of production from those guys. They were completely embarrassed in game 1, by getting held to just 1 hit. A better fight was put up in game 2, yet they struggled to get runners in scoring position and fell short as we expected. Game 3 was lost in the 1st inning and they marked themselves as the worst Sox team since '66.

Starting Pitching

Are you kidding me? I know the team is horrible, but 6 1st inning runs surrendered by Aaron Cook and 3 by Stewart is shameful. They combined for 3.2 innings, 12 hits, 11 runs (11 ER), 3 walks, and 1, just 1 strikeout. As we thought, Felix Doubront gave the Sox their best shot at a victory, but the offense sucks and can't produce more than 3 runs in a game.  I can't wait for Thursday.

Bullpen

I am completely ignoring what Aceves does and with that said, the bullpen was much better than the starters, but not great.

Managing

It's been out of Bobby's hands for a while now.

 

Overall

Another one of those "no explanation needed" moments.

Recap: Sox get swept, lose 90th game

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

It's official, this is the worst Red Sox team since 1966. The Sox lost their final meeting against the Orioles, by a score of 6-3 to complete the sweep. The Sox finished the season with a 5-13 record against the O's, the first losing record to Baltimore since 2004. Unfortunately, that was a better end to the season for the Sox.

Zach Stewart completely sucked, again. This time, Stewart only went 2.2 innings, giving up 5 runs (all earned), on 7 hits, and struck out only 1 Orioles batter. The bullpen did a good job in relief, giving up only 1 more run (Mortensen), but the offense was held back by Orioles pitching. What else is new?

The Sox got their 3 runs on homers from Ross and Nava. Ross hit a solo shot in the 4th and Nava hit a 2-run homer in the 7th. That was it for any notable offense. Jose Iglesias flashed some pretty leather to make the 100 Red Sox fans that watched this game feel good. 

If history repeats itself, and the Sox do follow up this season with one like 1967(with a different World Series outcome), I will be pretty damn happy.

Box Score

Recap: We're not even trying anymore

October can't come fast enough (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Maybe it's because Cherington just confirmed that Valentine is a lame-duck (despite the poor backtracking attempt).  Maybe it's because they're as desperate for the season to end as we are.  Maybe they want to see the Yankees lose the division. 

Maybe they're just not that good at baseball.

Whatever the reason, the Red Sox were steamrolled by the Orioles tonight, 9-1.

How bad was Boston tonight?  In addition to the single run, they only had one hit - a Scott Podsednik bunt to lead off the game.  That's right - their only hit was on a bunt, during the first at-bat.  Pedroia drive him home on a sacrifice.  Woop-de-doo!

On the mound, Aaron Cook lasted an entire inning, giving up 6 runs and 3 walks in the frame.  Aceves followed him and gave up 3 runs and 6 hits over 3 2/3.  Pedro Beato came in and not only got Orioles out, he surrendered just one hit over 2+ innings with 2 K's.  So he's your Sox MVP for the night.

Daniel Bard also pitched and didn't give up a run for the first time since April 23rd.  I only wish I was making that up. 

BOX SCORE

How we see it goin' down: Red Sox - Orioles series

First Pitch: Friday 7:05, Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Friday: Aaron Cook, RHP (4-10, 5.13 ERA)  vs. Chriss Tillman, RHP (8-2, 3.08 ERA)

Saturday: Felix Doubront, LHP (11-9, 4.91 ERA) vs. Steve Johnson, RHP (4-0, 1.62 ERA) 

Sunday: Zach Stewart, RHP (0-1, 27.00 ERA) vs. Joe Saunders, LHP (8-13, 4.09 ERA) 

                       Yard: Oriole Park at Camden Yards   Watch it: NESN   Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 69-87 (T-Last AL East)	Record: 89-60 (2nd AL East)
On road: 35-40	At home: 44-34
Streak: Lost 2	Streak: Won 1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Podsednik (.307)	Average: Jones (.292)
Homers: Saltalamacchia (24)	Homers: Jones (32)
RBI: Ross (77)	RBI: Wieters (82)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Buchholz/Doubront  (11)	Wins: Chen (12)
ERA: Buchholz (4.22) | Tazawa (1.54)	ERA: Johnson (1.62) |Strop (2.33)
K's: Lester (165)	K's: Chen (150)

Last time

The Orioles took 2 out of 3 against the Sox last weekend at Fenway to improve their season record against Boston to 10-5. Matt Wieters and Adam Jones were tough on Sox pitching in the first two losses, but the Sox were able to salvage the final game behind a very good Doubront start.

This time

Laser Show: Dustin Pedroia

The top performer of a group of non-performers, if that makes sense. It doesn't matter anyway.

Pitch Around: Mark Reynolds, Adam Jones & Matt Wieters

The Sox normally make Mark Reynolds look like Babe Ruth, and they continue to.  Even though Reynolds was the only one of the trio to record a hit in all 3 games, Adam Jones and Mark Wieters brought the bigger bats last weekend. They combined for 9 hits, 5 RBI,  and 5 runs scored.

Don't Fall Behind: Steve Johnson

I don't care if the Sox get swept, but they have to lose with some dignity. They can't get shut down or no-hit, and it could be a possibility with the way Steve Johnson is pitching. As a starter, Johnson is 3-0 in 3 starts,  with a 2.12 ERA, and 22 K's.  That is over 7 strikeouts per game. It could get ugly. 

How we see it goin' down

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see the Red Sox win, it is just not likely. It would be great to see them play spoiler, but the Orioles have a lot ot play for and the Sox have nothing. As I said, as long as they don't get embarrassed, I can tolerate the losses. I believe the Sox have at least one more win against the O's in them, and that may be a stretch. I have some faith left in Doubront and none in Cook or Stewart, so write those two games off.

Taking Stock: Orioles - Red Sox series

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

Lineup

Pedro Ciriaco: Pedro did well at the plate in 2 out of 3 games, which is an improvement of his 1 out of 4 against the Rays.

Scott Podsednik: Now that's the Scott Podsednik we are used to seeing. He hit well from the top and bottom of the lineup.

Dustin Pedroia: Anything is an upgrade to the Tampa series. A pair of doubles, 3 singles, and an RBI was a great way to bounce back from 0-for-16.

Cody Ross: The late-inning heroics in game 3 couldn't make up for the 0-for-10 in the first two games. One good thing to point out regarding the 0-for-10, was Cody only struck out once in that span.

Ryan Lavarnway: He is just not getting it at the plate. it looked as if he was getting it as of late, but he just sunk back into the slump against the Orioles.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: His one hit in the series brought his average up to .228. Slow down there Salty, give other people a shot at the batting crown.

Danny Valencia: His 2-run homer in game 2 was plenty to boost his value. Going 1-for-10 in a series normally warrants the arrow to go the other way, but that 1 hit was farm more than he was contributing during his first stint with the Sox.

James Loney: Just more of the same, mediocre play. His production has dipped since joining the Red Sox.

Daniel Nava: Nava brought some great production to the bottom of the lineup. Too bad it didn't make much of a difference to the outcome.

Jose Iglesias: Jose had the series of his career against the Rays and his value skyrocketed. Anything less than homers and multi-hit games is going to be a hit to the value.

Mauro Gomez: Limited time and limited production. We haven't seen much of Mauro as of late and his numbers have reflected the lack of playing time.

Starting Pitching

Recap: Aceves continues to be awful; Sox lose in 12

The Alfredo Aceves Train of Terror -- All Aboaaaaard!

Boston lost the Orioles.  Again.  Except this time it took 12 innings.  Final score: 9-6.

Things were going fairly well for Boston (after Cook gave up his 9 hits and 5 runs in 5.1 innings)... until the Alfredo Aceves train of terror rolled onto the mound.  Aceves gave up two doubles and a single in the 12th, and all 3 runs scored in the final frame for the O's were his.  This was also the 10th loss on Aceve's record this season.

Sandwiched between Cooks and Aceve's bookends of bad pitching, the Sox used 6 pitchers who allowed just 2 hits and 1 run between them while striking out 9.  No complaints there.  Carpenter cleaned up Alfredo's mess, so in all the Sox threw 9 pitchers on the mound.  Thank God for September call-ups.

The offense held their own tonight, as well, as each batter got at least one hit.  Ciriaco, Pedroia, Aviles, Nava and Podsednk each had 2.  Danny Valencia hit the lone home run for Boston (a 2-run shot), with Ross, Lavarnway and Podsednik driving the rest of the runs home. 

At least the Sox are making the Yankees sweat as the season winds down.  Hooray!

BOX SCORE

Your Morning Dump... Where Lester's loss is about the only thing going on

 

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.

Jon Lester [stats]’s dominance of the Baltimore Orioles was bound to end at some point. That time finally came last night, as Lester was outdueled by Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez in a 4-2 Red Sox [team stats] loss at Fenway Park [map].

The defeat was the first in Lester’s 21 career starts against the Orioles. The left-hander entered last night with a 14-0 career record vs. Baltimore, the longest winning streak ever against the franchise to begin a career.

“It was bound to happen sometime,” Lester said. “They’re playing good this year. They’ve always had a good offense. They’re just putting everything else together.”

“Balls aren’t going to be hit at people more in the future, I think,” Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. “If he stays healthy, he’s a very good pitcher. I die with him every time he’s out there. We don’t get the runs in double digits to give him a cushion and he has to make every pitch a crucial pitch and every once in a while it just doesn’t work for him.”

Herald - O my, Lester loses

Looks like the media doesn't have much to say about this Sox team anymore, either.  Lester's loss is the big story today.  But since we have to talk about something, on a hopeless, late September morning I guess this is as good as anything else.

The Sox have lost a lot of games to the Orioles over the past few seasons -- that Lester was never handed an 'L' over 21 contests was kinda nifty.  But to quote Peter Griffin above, "Who the hell cares?"  Certainly not I.  But let's try to find something to discuss in this anyway.

I do like Valentine's quote about Lester.  Especially the "I die with him every time he's out there" line.  I think that sentence sums up how all Sox fans have felt watching Lester this season.  It's been heartbreaking.  He hasn't been himself, or very good.

And, like most things that come out of Bobby's mouth, I'm not entirely sure how to take the line about Lester not getting double digit run support.  First off, it's true.  The run support hasn't been there, and Lester has surely suffered because of it.  It's clearly affected the way he's approached the game.  From my amateur perspective, it just looks like he's putting immense pressure on himself to execute every. single. pitch. which leaves him uncomfortable on the mound. 

But I think Lester, as much as anybody on this roster, could use a good long winter away from the game.  Turning the page on this season is going to be easier said than done, but the Sox need to find a way to do it.

Rest of the links:

Herald -Middlebrooks trying to stay busy | Dan Duquette’s Birds rise as Sox hit bottom | Globe -PawSox’ Arnie Beyeler has faith in Jose Iglesias | CSNNE - Valentine: No intention of sitting starters | Lester suffers first career loss to Orioles | ESPN - Trying to avoid some dubious history | WEEI - Saturday’s Red Sox-Orioles matchups: Aaron Cook vs. Randy Wolf