Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

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

First Pitch: Friday 7:10, Saturday 1:10, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Friday: Wei-Yen Chen, LHP (2-0, 2.22 ERA) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (1-2, 4.65 ERA)

Saturday: Jason Hammel, RHP (3-1, 1.97 ERA) vs. Aaron Cook, RHP (0-0, -.-- ERA)

Sunday: Tommy Hunter, RHP (2-1, 4.26 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (3-1, 8.69 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 16-9 (2nd AL East)	Record: 11-13 (Last AL East)
On road: 8-5	At home: 4-7
Streak: Won 2	Streak: Lost 2
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Andino (.342)	Average: Ortiz (.391)
Homers: Wieters (7)	Homers: Ortiz (6)
RBI: Wieters (17)	RBI: Ortiz (21)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Hammel/Strop (3)	Wins: Buchholz (3)
ERA: Hammel (1.97) | Ayala (0.00)	ERA: Bard (4.38) | Albers (1.80)
K's: Arrieta (33)	K's: Doubront (30)

Last time

You know what happened.

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz

Ortiz is the obvious choice. Papi is one of the hottest hitters in the league and the Sox are going to count on him to carry this team on his back. Now would also be a good time for Gonzo to break out of his slump.

Pitch Around: Matt Wieters

 Wieters is swinging a hot bat right now and is the team leader as far as the power numbers. A good average with big power numbers could be disaster for Cook and Buchholz. Lester could have the advantage due to Weiters' lack of power against southpaws. All of his 7 homers and 17 RBI have come against righties.

Don't Fall Behind: All 3 starters

There was once a time where Orioles pitching was a non-factor, but they are not messin' around in 2012. Chen and Hammel are had an outstanding April and Hunter has done far more than any Sox starter. These guys are going to be tough and they will definitely have the upper hand in this series.

How we see it goin' down

It has been a very long time since I said this, I don't think the Red Sox have a good chance against the Orioles. I had a tough time typing that. This is not the Orioles team we are used to seeing and I know it is very early in the season, but they are a different team. Maybe it's the magic of Dan Duquette, or maybe it is a hoax. What ever it may be, they are playing good baseball right now and the odds are in their favor for a weekend sweep. It kills me to predict that, but the Sox are not showing us anything that should make me think otherwise.

Orioles pick up former Sox prospect Luis Exposito off waivers

One of the downsides of the Jacoby Ellsbury (other than the obvious losing-an-MVP-caliber-center-fielder piece of it) was that the Sox had to designate two young players for assignment. One was Michael Bowden, a once promising pitcher who flamed out as a below-average reliever in Boston. The other was Luis Exposito, a catcher some of us hoped would take the reigns from Jason Varitek. Exposito was jumped in the org chart by Ryan Lavarnway, and today officially left the club when he was claimed by Baltimore.

It's not likely Expo will come back to haunt the Red Sox -- he can't seem to keep his OPS over 700 in Pawtucket. His destination is a little surprising given the O's youthful catching tandem at the big-league level (Matt Wieters and Taylor Teagarden), but they had their own prospect bust to get rid of in Josh Bell, so perhaps they just needed some catching depth in the minors.

Bowden could be a different story, once he latches on elsewhere (the chances he slides through the ten-day waiver process like Scott Atchison are, in my mind, basically zero). Bowden was a first-round pick and has shown talent in the minors. High-caliber prospects like that tend to get a lot of second chances regardless of how pedestrian they look in the bigs (hi, Andrew Miller!). I wouldn't be surprised if Theo came calling on Bowden.

Luke Scott hates Red Sox fans, says beating Sox in Sept. was like "winning World Series"

This story just won't die!

Bill Chastain of MLB.com interviewed former Baltimore Oriole and current Tampa Bay Ray, Luke Scott about the final night of the season. You know the night that plunged a knife deep into the heart of Sox fans. He had a few choice words to say about Red Sox fans in particular:

Just their arrogance," Scott said. "The fans come in and they take over the city. They're ruthless. They're vulgar. They cause trouble. They talk about your family. Swear at you. Who likes that? When people do that, it just gives you more incentive to beat them. Then when things like [the last game of last season] happen, you celebrate even more. You go to St. Louis -- classiest fans in the game. You do well, there's no vulgarity. You know what? You don't wish them bad."

Boston fans? Vulgarity? NO EFFIN WAY. God forbid people swear! Scott makes it seem like every other team doesn't have a group of fans that heckle the crap out of players. But this is also the same man who believes Obama isn't an American so don't rely on his thoughts too much.

 It's not OUR fault that the Orioles have been cellar dwellers in the basement and allow Sox fans to have a weekend trip to Baltimore, watch an entire series and STILL come out spending less then a couple games at Fenway. If your teammates played with the same intensity and vigor that you did in that final series, maybe some people in the town would recognize. You know the same fan base that idolized Cal Ripken and then split once the Nationals came to town because they at least gave them some hope for the future. Don't blame Sox fans for wanting to follow their team.

Of course Scott continues and explains his ride home from the ballpark:

Duquette shows interest in Manny, again

We can't compare this to the year 2000, but Dan Duquette is showing interest in Manny Ramirez. The man who signed Manny to a monster deal 12 years ago could be Manny's ticket back to the majors with the Orioles. That is if Dan Duquette decides to take it beyond the "exploring the options" stage.

MLB.com

Duquette -- fresh off a morning trade with the Rockies that netted pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom in exchange for veteran starter Jeremy Guthrie -- confirmed the Orioles' long-rumored interest in Ramirez and said that the team had watched him work out.

"We are still considering the composition of this club, and some of the challenges of integrating a player like Manny into our ballclub and market," said Duquette, who as general manager of the Red Sox signed Ramirez to an eight-year, $160 million contract in December 2000.

How nice would that be, Ramirez and Duquette reunited again. Too bad Manny will miss the first 50 games if he does return to the majors as a result of the violation of the league's drug policy. Duquette may be down-playing his interest in Manny, but more likely just doing as he said, and exploring.

If Manny does return to the majors he will be 40 when his suspension is completed. Not very appealing, but team looking to sell a few extra tickets may entertain the idea. That might be a stretch, there is not much appeal in Ramirez anymore.

Varitek (probably) not going to Baltimore

The Baltimore Orioles have had some interest in bringing Jason Varitek aboard, but switched gears and traded for Rangers catcher Tyler Teagarden instead.  According to Buck Showalter, and common sense, this all but closes the door on the O's also bringing Varitek into the fold.

Via WEEI:

“I have a lot of respect for Varitek … [but] I don’t see that being a fit for us right now,” said Showalter. “We like Teagarden.”

Varitek, who will turn 40 in April, was considered a possibility to partner with Orioles All-Star catcher Matt Wieters, both given their similarities (both are switch-hitting catchers who are highly regarded for their defensive work from Georgia Tech) and the fact that Varitek has a history with new O’s GM Dan Duquette, who acquired Varitek and Derek Lowe from the Mariners in 1997 for Heathcliff Slocumb.

Before acquiring Teagarden, I actually thought Varitek would be a great fit in Baltimore.  Wieters has been in the league for 3 seasons now, so he's at the perfect stage where he's comfortable behind the plate and just needs to fine-tune his game.  Especially handling a staff.  Insert Varitek.

Although, it doesn't make a ton of sense for Tek to join a non-contender simply to help them grow.  Unless he just wants to collect a paycheck at this stage; which is very possible.  That young lady didn't marry Varitek for his stern demeanor.

Your Morning Dump... where Dan Duquette has a second chance to run a team.

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

According to the Associated Press, the Baltimore Orioles have signed Dan Duquette to a three-year deal to become the GM.

Duquette, 53, has been out of baseball since being fired by the Red Sox in 2002. The Massachusetts native, whose Red Sox tenure was marked with both success and rancor, is expected to be introduced today.

Duquette faces a major challenge. Baltimore has not had a winning season since 1997 and has not won more than 70 games since 2006. Owner Peter Angelos is viewed as a meddler while most believe that manager Buck Showalter holds all the power in terms of baseball operations.

The Orioles are clearly behind the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays in terms of major league talent and prospects. But Duquette finally gets another chance to make his mark on a major league franchise.

It's amazing that Duquette gets a GM job just a few weeks after one of his protégés, Ben Cherington, is named GM of he Red Sox. It was Duquette who hired Cherington in 1999 as an amateur scout.

Globe:Duquette agrees to be O's GM

This is a tough one to see. Duquette made some great moves during his tenure in Boston. He drafted Nomar, traded for Pedro, and signed Manny. He turned Heathcliff Slocumb into Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe. He left Theo and the new ownership with a good amount of prospects to acquire Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Coco Crisp. He was a local kid who got his dream job and may have been here a bit too long as fans and the media turned on him. (Sounds familiar.)

I don't know how he can turn around the Orioles. Unless he can find another Pedro Martinez, it's going to be impossible to get ahead of the Yankees, Rays, Sox, and Blue Jays. But he's been more than qualified for this job and he can put together a solid core of players. It's crazy to see that it's taking nine years for a team to give Duquette another crack at being a general manager considering he has a knack for finding talent...like our new GM.

(Photo:firebrandal.com)

Rest of the links: Globe:Streets use a sweet for Red Sox|Crawford next batting champ?|Herald:Duquette finally gets another shot|CSNNE:Page Sox weren't prepared|Duquette named O's GM|WEEI:Wondering what these managerial interview are like|Sox accountability unbelievably lacking|Duquette be named GM of Orioles

Dan Duquette is back in the scene

Dan Duquette has been out of baseball since being fired by John Henry when he bought the team in 2002. Tomorrow he will make his effort to get back into the majors when he will interview with the Orioles for their GM position.

Dan Duquette will need a lot of help to turn that organization around, such as money, that would be a good start. The Orioles have not had a winning season since 1997 and seven winning seasons since their World Series title in '83. I could go on, but I don't want to keep you up all night.

If Duquette does get the job, we can count on the Orioles to do nothing next season, as usual.

Your Morning Dump...where hindsight is always 20/20.

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.

Good riddance. A season that started with the potential to be one of the greatest in Red Sox history instead ended in unbearably ignominious fashion last night.

Best Team Ever? Try Worst Chokers Ever. Or Most Unlikable Team Ever. Or Team That Once and for All Makes the Patriots No. 1 in Boston . . . Forever.

The Red Sox were euthanized by the Orioles last night when $142 million man Carl Crawford failed to catch a sinking liner in the ninth, allowing the O’s to walk off with a 4-3 victory.

Meanwhile, the indefatigable Rays — who are everything the Red Sox are not — pulled out a miraculous 8-7 victory over the Yankees after trailing 7-0 in the eighth, when Evan Longoria blasted a walkoff homer in the 12th.

The Red Sox had a chance to force a one-game playoff in Tampa today regardless of the Rays’ fireworks, but they managed to screw that up in appropriately pitiful fashion, blowing a 3-2 lead in the ninth, in part because shortstop Marco Scutaro inexplicably stopped running a la Luis Aparicio in 1972, and then with finality when closer Jonathan Papelbon couldn’t protect a 3-2 lead in the ninth.

As far as we know the Sox boarded a plane home for Boston, but slinking would have been a more acceptable method of transportation.

This one rivals 1978. It rivals 1986. It rivals anything they’ve done in their history, which we thought we’d rewritten, but we’re now reliving..

Herald:Sox relive history history by imploding

OK so last night... pretty bad. Haven't heard a bar in pure silence until last night. Pure shock over what occured. Pretty glad I didn't have to write the recap to last night's game which would've led to another expletive laden rant about what occured. But after chewing on it, I've come to the conclusion that it wasn't a choke or a collapse... it was the Baseball Gods.

You can't buy a championship... you build a team. It's what we poked fun at with the Yankees over the past decade...only the Sox try and do the same and got the same result. This team became what we've hated as a fan. We've become the Yankees. I'm sure it didn't help that the Sox we're trying to buy Bruce Chen to start a possible 163rd game. The Baseball Gods respond by making sure that they wouldn't even have the chance to have a play-in game. As everyone was saying after last night: "that's baseball".

But now that the worst case scenario has happened, everyone wants to make the claim that this collapse was the worst ever. It's not even the worst in the past decade. Sorry but David Ortiz is wrong by saying that this is worse than 2003. Not a chance. That still haunts me and many others. 1978 is still haunting the older generation because that team at least fought a little more.  Tomase couldn't be any more wrong. It's easy to say that this season is the worst because the wound is still fresh.

It's been a hell of a ride this season and it got cut way too short from what we imagined but it could be worse... we could just have sucked all year like the Cubs. At least we witnessed what this team can do when it's going...and it was pretty damn scary. Next year suddenly became a HELL of a lot more interesting.

Rest of the links: Globe:Dead Sox|Plenty of question marks for Epstein|Sox make unwanted history with historic collapse|Longoria finish a wild card comeback|Herald: Players back Tito|Wrong right off the bat| Crawford's fitting end|Devastating blow for Sox|Sox complete collapse|CSNNE:Epstein: No sugarcoating this|Sox problems deeper than the final|Papelbon rare blown save comes at worst time|WEEI: Why Francona was one who deserved (and deserves) better|Ortiz: Worse than 2003 season|Papelbon: One moment won't define my career|Taking stock of biggest collapse in September

Recap: Goodbye 2011 season

Well, that's all folks. The Sox had a 3-2 lead going into the ninth and Tito left it up to Papelbon. Long story short, Pap blew it. What a way to go out. Robert F'in Andino hit the game winning single to left that fell just short of Crawford's glove, to beat the Sox 4-3. Just minutes after that douche won an absolutely meaning-less game for the Orioles, Evan Longoria hit a game-winning 200ft. homer in the 12th to clinch the wild card. If you weren't aware of the score in that game, the Yankees were leading 7-0 through 7 innings.

A lot of questions surround this game and the team moving forward. What if David Ortiz didn't try to stretch that single into a double in the 7th and get thrown out? What if Scutaro wasn't send home in the 8th? Let me add, Scutaro was out by 10 steps. What if there was no rain delay? So many F'in questions and we'll get to the others later.

Dustin Pedroia tried to do it on his own, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, including a solo homer in the fifth. Jon Lester was as good as you could ask him to be on 3 days rest (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K). Aceves was a bit shaky, but pitched got out the 7th after hitting 2 batters. Daniel Bard pitched a perfect 8th and we know the rest.

The stats don't matter anymore because it's all over and this team may undergo a major front office face-lift. Now we can approach the other questions. Will Tito be the manager of this team next season? Will Theo still have a job? Will Curt Young still have a job? Will Papelbon get a contract to pitch here next season and beyond? Will Ortiz be our DH? There will be many more questions than that beginning tomorrow, after everyone wakes up from this hangover of the biggest collapse in history. Right now, no one is safe.

Check out the box score for the rest of the stats, if you give a damn.

Box Score

Recap: Savior, thy name is... Ryan Lavarnway?!

 

Injuries to Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia forced Terry Francona to give rookie Ryan Lavarnway his first start behind the plate in the majors. Lavarnway responds by hitting his first two major league home runs and led the Sox to a much needed win, beating the Orioles 8-7.

The game started exactly how virtually every other one has in September: trailing early in the game as Vlad Guerrero hit an RBI double to give the Orioles an early 1-0 lead. The Sox responded in the third when Jacoby Ellsbury hit his 32nd (!!!) home run of the year.

Then in the fifth, Lavarnway hit a stress relieving three run shot to left off of starter Zach Britton in the fourth to give the Sox a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Weiters retaliates with a two run shot of his own which was the beginning of the end for Erik Bedard's night. He followed that up with a strikeout, a walk, and a single and that was that for him. His line: 3 1/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K's.

Thankfully Alfredo Aceves came in and closed the before any more damage was done. He had another great night out of the pen actually lasting longer then Bedard (3 2/3 innings) while only throwing 36 pitches (Bedard threw 84 of em).

The Sox and Orioles then continued the home run derby: Marco Scutaro with a two run shot in the top of the sixth, Adam Jones with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, and then Lavarnway with his second shot in the eighth to make it an 8-4 game.

Daniel Bard came in and had some issues...again. He gives up two runs with two out but thankfully he managed to get Robert F****n Andino out as he was the tying run at the plate. Papelbon came in the ninth and makes things even more stressful. It could've been a disaster but Lavarnway made a hell of a play to run and throw out Weiters. Adam Jones continued to fight in a hell of an at bat but he grounds out to Jed Lowrie (who went 0-4 in his debut in the cleanup spot).

The Rays pulled a comeback win thanks to a Matt Joyce three run home run and a Russell Martin triple play so the Wild Card is still up for grabs. All the Sox have to do tomorrow is win to push for the tie. 

Box Score