Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Recap: DREWWWWWWWWWW leads Sox past Twins

That wasn't boos in Fenway. That was DREWWWWWWWWW. 

Stephen Drew has his best night in a Red Sox uniform and it was capped off with a wall ball double in the 11th to bring in the winning run and end the three-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Drew went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI's. 

All of this could have been avoided had Joel Hanrahan closed out the game. Instead, he gave up a home run to Brian Dozier and screwed it all up. To make matters worse, he couldn't even finish the inning as he appeared to have tweaked his elbow in the following at-bat and had to come out of the game. The bullpen was already depleted thanks to the Texas sweep and this made things a little more difficult.

Thankfully Clayton Mortensen came through huge, picking up where Hanrahan left off and went 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Tomorrow's starter Ryan Dempster was actually warming up in the bullpen for a bit just in case Mortensen got in any trouble but thankfully it was not needed. 

In the beginning of the game, all the talk was about Clay Buchholz. He was being watched rather closely by MLB after Toronto's announcers were crying foul over his shiny arm and came out of the gate stumbling. After getting the leadoff hitter to line out to center, Buchholz gave up three straight hits to the heart of the Twins order, which gave the Twins a 2-0 lead. It could have been worse as he also gave up back-to-back walks in the inning, but was able to get a couple strikeouts to get out before any more damage could happen.

Clay continued that groove through the next couple of innings, racking up the strikeouts until the fourth, where back-to-back doubles from Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks would make it a three run Twin lead. They would also tack on another run in the fifth by way of a sac fly to give Buchholz his worst outing this season: four runs over six innings. He did get nine strikeouts though and his ERA is still a ridiculous 1.60 on the year. 

The Sox offense would slowly pick away at the lead, which started with Shane Victorino's first home of the season in the fourth. The Sox would then take on a run in the next three innings to tie it up, with RBI singles from Drew & Mike Napoli and a home run by, you guessed it, Stephen Drew. 

Then in the eighth Pedroia, who hasn't homered since last September 11th, had fouled off six of Anthony Swrzak's pitches before hitting one off of the light tower in the Monster. Pedroia had gone 183 at-bats without a home run before that shot. He finished the night 3-for-4. David Ortiz would follow that up with a double to extend his hitting streak to 26 games. 

After the Sox first big struggle in Texas, seeing this team grind out a win after getting in an early hole is nice to see. It was also great to see them not implode after Hanrahan crapped all over himself. Speaking of Hanrahan, Gordon Edes tweeted that he has right forearm soreness. Let's see if he goes on the disabled list tomorrow. 

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

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

Arms: Monday: Vance Worley, RHP (0-4, 7.22 ERA)  vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (6-0, 1.01 ERA)

Tuesday: Scott Diamond, LHP (2-2, 3.97 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (2-2, 3.00 ERA)  

Wednesday: Pedro Hernandez, LHP (1-0, 3.92 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (3-1, 5.67 ERA)

Thursday: Kevin Correia, RHP (3-2, 2.83 ERA) vs. John Lackey, RHP (1-2, 3.52 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 13-14 (4th AL Central)	Record: 20-11 (1st AL East)
On road: 6-8	At home: 11-5
Streak: W1	Streak: L3
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Ramirez (.364)	Average: Ortiz (.440)
Homers: Willingham (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks/Napoli (6)
RBI: Morneau (15)	RBI: Napoli (31)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Correia/Pelfrey (3)	Wins: Buchholz (6)
ERA: Correia (2.83) | Roenicke (1.29)	ERA: Buchholz (1.01) | Bailey (1.46)
K's: Correia (19)	K's: Buchholz/Dempster (47)

Last time

After sweeping the Twins in a 3-game set in April 2012, the Twins got their revenge in early August, taking 3-of-4 in Boston. At least the Sox won the season series...

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz

Big Papi loves playing his former team. Ortiz has 13 homers, 36 RBI, a .335 batting average, and a 1.092 OPS against the Twins in his career. Nothing like kicking Twins fans in the nuts with those numbers.

Pitch Around: Justin Morneau

Justin isn't putting up any great numbers this season, but his career numbers against the Sox are pretty impressive. Morneau has a career .342 average, with 6 homers and 27 RBI against the Sox. Those numbers get even better when the games are in Boston. 4 of those 6 homers were hit in Fenway, and the average jumps to .375 with an OPS of 1.029. Those numbers should raise some concern with Sox' pitching/

Don't Fall Behind: Kevin Correia

Probably the best pitcher going in the series. He leads the Twins with a remarkable 19 K's and 3 wins. If Sox' batters fall behind, there is a good chance they will not go down by way of the K. The Sox will have plenty of opportunities to put the bat on the ball, which is exactly what they need...especially after going up against Yu Darvish.

How we see it goin' down

The Sox need a couple of wins to avoid a slump that could doom this team. They will go up against decent pitching staff, but no one that will shut the offense down, so the runs will be produced. A 4-game sweep will not come as easy as it did against Houston, but a 3 win series is not out of the question. That sounds good...the Sox will take 3 from the Twins.  

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

First Pitch: Friday 8:05, Saturday 8:05, Sunday 3:05

Arms: Friday: Felix Doubront, LHP (3-0, 4.24 ERA)  vs. Derek Holland, LHP (1-2, 3.38 ERA)

Saturday: John Lackey, RHP (1-1, 2.61 ERA) vs. Alexi Ogando, RHP (2-2, 3.38 ERA)  

Sunday: Jon Lester, LHP (4-0, 3.11 ERA) vs. Yu Darvish, RHP (5-1, 2.33 ERA)

                           Yard: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington   Watch it: NESN   Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 20-8 (1st AL East)	Record: 17-11 (1st AL West)
On road: 9-3	At home: 8-4
Streak: W2	Streak: L2
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Ortiz (.487)	Average: Kinsler (.330)
Homers: Middlebrooks/Napoli (6)	Homers: Beltre/Cruz (6)
RBI: Napoli (31)	RBI: Cruz (20)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Buchholz (6)	Wins: Darvish (5)
ERA: Buchholz (1.01) | Wilson (1.35)	ERA: Grimm (2.28) | Scheppers (0.61)
K's: Buchholz/Dempster (47)	K's: Darvish (58)

Last time

Much like other series from 2012, the Sox dropped 2-of-3 to Texas at home in early August. Unlike other series, the Sox actually outscored the Rangers 21-18, thanks to a 9-2 game 1 win, and keeping it close in games 2 and 3. All insignificant.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

No stats, just going on feeling. If you haven't figured it out by now, my gut feeling is always wrong. Scratch that...mostly wrong. I feel good about Mike Napoli's return to Texas. A couple of homers, a bunch of RBI, maybe a couple walks...yeah, that sounds good.

Pitch Around: Ian Kinsler

Kinsler is having himself a nice little start to the season. A .330 average, 5 homers, 17 RBI, 7 doubles, and 3 steals are not too shabby. If he is considerate, he will knock all of that off for a few games. I am not even going to mention his 13 career homers and 32 RBI, against the Sox. What good would that be?

Don't Fall Behind: Yu Darvish

I don't think it is necessary to explain why. Want something? MLB leader in K's with 58, has only given up 23 hits in 38 2/3 innings, and will dominate the shit out of any batter that falls behind in the count.

How we see it goin' down

The Sox will have a big test ahead of them in this series. Texas is a very good team with some very good pitching. If John Lackey can pitch as well as he did in his last outing, the Sox will have a chance. Since I don't have much confidence in him, I am going to have to give the series to Texas with the Sox squeaking out one...probably the first game. 

Your Morning Dump...where Salty's error wasn't really an error.

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. 

“It looked like he got tied up with [home plate umpire] Clint [Fagan] behind the plate,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell. “He goes to cock his arm, had his hand hits the mask. After conferring with the umpire, he felt like it was after the ball was released. Physically, I don’t know how that could have happened after he released the ball. But in that case, that should have been a dead ball in the situation that it was, but they kept it as it was.”

It was an entanglement Saltalamacchia confirmed after the Red Sox’ 9-7 loss at Rogers Centre.

“I got it, went to go through it, elbow hit the umpire’s mask,” the catcher explained. “Which I’ve done in the past but no one’s ever said anything. But I didn’t really make a stink about it because I didn’t know the ruling on it. But now I know once it hits his mask it’s got to be a dead ball. It definitely, definitely hit. Part of the game.”

As for any subsequent conversations, Saltalamacchia said, “I did talk to him because he had told John that I hit him on the follow thru, which is kind of impossible. But I did tell him that, and he said, ‘Well, I thought you did.’ I told him that ‘when my arm is going back is when I felt it hit you.’ At that point I was already getting ready to go forward so I couldn’t hold up.”

WEEI: Umpire's mask thwarts Salty's attempt at ruining a rally

That was a kick in the pants eh? I don't know what's more surprising: that Salty has never heard of umpire interference before or that home-plate umpire Chuck Fagan didn't acknowledge that the ball smacked his mask. 

But even though the team took a loss, despite the rally led by David Ortiz, the Sox took it in stride and didn't even think about using the umpire interference as an excuse. John Farrell said they lost due to lack of execution and Jon Lester admitted he was struggling from the first pitch on. If this were May 1st, 2012, the Morning Dump would be  about Bobby Valentine getting tossed and then blaming a Sox blowout loss on this call. 

So if anything, this is just a reminder that this year's team is already superior to last year's and it's more than just the record. (Even though having a 18-8 April record is pretty damn good.)

Globe: Sox lose slugfest | Less chirping on Farrell | Hanrahan activated, Bailey still closer | Some odd moments in a loss for the Sox | Herald: Lester loses way against Blue Jays | Bailey, Hanrahan show it's a new year | Salty claims up got in throw's way | Ortiz swinging a hot bat | CSNNE: Bats can't overcome bullpen | This start a different story for Lester | Victorino still out, but hopeful of avoiding DL | Salty's error looms large  WEEI:  Ortiz the difference maker in the AL East? | Victorino's health still up in the air

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

First Pitch: Tuesday 7:07, Wednesday 7:07, Thursday 7:07

Arms: Tuesday: Jon Lester, LHP (4-0, 2.27 ERA)  vs. Brandon Morrow, RHP (0-2, 5.27 ERA)

Wednesday: Clay Buchholz, RHP (5-0, 1.19 ERA) vs. Mark Buehrle, LHP (1-1, 6.35 ERA)  

Thursday: Ryan Dempster, RHP (1-2, 3.30 ERA) vs. Josh Johnson, RHP (0-1, 6.86 ERA)

                                  Yard: Rogers Centre   Watch it: NESN   Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 18-7 (1st AL East)	Record: 9-17 (Last AL East)
On road: 7-2	At home: 5-8
Streak: W5	Streak: L4
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Ortiz (.516)	Average: Davis (.267)
Homers: Middlebrooks (6)	Homers: Arencibia (8)
RBI: Napoli (27)	RBI: Encarnacion (16)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Buchholz (5)	Wins: Dickey/Happ (2)
ERA: Buchholz (1.19) | Wilson (0.00)	ERA: Happ (3.86) | Janssen (1.13)
K's: Dempster (43)	K's: Dickey (28)

Last time

The Sox took games 1 and 3 of the second series of this season. Game 2 consisted of the John Lackey arm injury, which led to a Sox shutout loss. The Sox rebounded nicely in game 3 with the huge 13-0 pounding of the Blue Jays to close out the first meeting of the season between our Canadian rival.

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz

David Ortiz has some great career numbers in Toronto. Outside of Fenway, the Rogers Centre has seen the most David Ortiz homers of any opponent (30). Big Papi has also driven in 82 runs and hit 28 double in Toronto, more than any other park other than Fenway and the Metrodome. It is safe to say that Ortiz likes to play in Toronto, and when you throw in his performance to start his season, it is looking like Ortiz will continue his tear.

Pitch Around: J.P. Arencibia

Mediocre average with great power. Arencibia swings at a lot and, in turn, strikes out a lot. J.P. has struck out 37 times this season, good for 3rd in the majors. As long as Sox' pitching can stay ahead in the count, they will have no problem containing Arencibia.

Don't Fall Behind: No One

I would normally say Mark Buehrle, but he sucks along with the rest of the staff this season. The Sox have lucked out for the second straight series, getting sub-par opponent pitching. The Sox have a huge advantage on the mound and should have little issues at the plate.

How we see it goin' down

I doubt the Sox will have any issues with the Jays in the series. Game 2 will be overshadowed by game 1 of the Bruins -  Maple Leafs series, and that will likely be the best pitching matchup. The Red Sox will come out of this series with another sweep and set a new team record for wins in April with a win tonight. This should be a fun series for Red Sox fans.

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

First Pitch: Thursday 6:35, Friday 7:10, Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Thursday: Philip Humber, RHP (0-4, 6.63 ERA)  vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (4-0, 0.90 ERA)

Friday: Erik Bedard, LHP (0-1, 6.17 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-2, 3.38 ERA)  

Saturday: Brad Peacock, RHP (1-2, 7.50 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (2-0, 4.32 ERA)

Sunday: Bud Norris, RHP (3-2, 4.13 ERA) vs. John Lackey, RHP (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 7-14 (Last AL West)	Record: 14-7 (1st AL East)
On road: 3-6	At home: 7-5
Streak: W2	Streak: W1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Barnes (.367)	Average: Ortiz (.500)
Homers: Ankiel/Carter (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks (5)
RBI: Ankiel/Carter (11)	RBI: Napoli (26)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Norris (3)	Wins: Buchholz/Lester (4)
ERA: Harrell (4.08) | Cisnero/Fields (0.00)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Harrell (20)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The last time these two teams met was July 1-3 of 2011 in Houston. The Sox swept the Astros to close out inter-league play in 2011. The Sox got wins from Dan Wheeler, Andrew Miller, and that Beckett guy. Many of the players on the roster at the time are no longer members of the team, so there is no point going through the in-depth analysis.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Why not? He is hot at the plate and leading the league in RBI, while making everyone wish he had signed that initial 3-year deal. He is lovin' Fenway Park and expect the production to continue against the worst team in the AL.

Pitch Around: Jose Altuve

Altuve is in no way a power threat, although he is the only guy in Houston that can consistently put the bat on the ball. Expect a lot of singles from Jose in the series. There won't be many batters that will be able to knock him in, so there should be no worry if Altuve reaches base.

Don't Fall Behind: No One

The Houston Astros' starting pitching is horrendous. We will see our old friend that we hardly knew, Erik Bedard, who is stinking something fierce. The Sox should be able to jump all over this pitching staff and put up some big numbers.

How we see it goin' down

The Red Sox didn't look that great against the A's, though I don't see them having any struggles against Houston. The Astros are pretty bad leading to a 4-game sweep prediction in favor of the Red Sox. A 4-game sweep is very hard to do, but this series has that result written all over it. 

First Pitch: Thursday 6:35, Friday 7:10, Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Thursday: Philip Humber, RHP (0-4, 6.63 ERA)  vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (4-0, 0.90 ERA)

Friday: Erik Bedard, LHP (0-1, 6.17 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-2, 3.38 ERA)  

Saturday: Brad Peacock, RHP (1-2, 7.50 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (2-0, 4.32 ERA)

Sunday: Bud Norris, RHP (3-2, 4.13 ERA) vs. John Lackey, RHP (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 7-14 (Last AL West)	Record: 14-7 (1st AL East)
On road: 3-6	At home: 7-5
Streak: W2	Streak: W1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Barnes (.367)	Average: Ortiz (.500)
Homers: Ankiel/Carter (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks (5)
RBI: Ankiel/Carter (11)	RBI: Napoli (26)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Norris (3)	Wins: Buchholz/Lester (4)
ERA: Harrell (4.08) | Cisnero/Fields (0.00)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Harrell (20)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The last time these two teams met was July 1-3 of 2011 in Houston. The Sox swept the Astros to close out inter-league play in 2011. The Sox got wins from Dan Wheeler, Andrew Miller, and that Beckett guy. Many of the players on the roster at the time are no longer members of the team, so there is no point going through the in-depth analysis.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Why not? He is hot at the plate and leading the league in RBI, while making everyone wish he had signed that initial 3-year deal. He is lovin' Fenway Park and expect the production to continue against the worst team in the AL.

Pitch Around: Jose Altuve

Altuve is in no way a power threat, although he is the only guy in Houston that can consistently put the bat on the ball. Expect a lot of singles from Jose in the series. There won't be many batters that will be able to knock him in, so there should be no worry if Altuve reaches base.

Don't Fall Behind: No One

The Houston Astros' starting pitching is horrendous. We will see our old friend that we hardly knew, Erik Bedard, who is stinking something fierce. The Sox should be able to jump all over this pitching staff and put up some big numbers.

How we see it goin' down

The Red Sox didn't look that great against the A's, though I don't see them having any struggles against Houston. The Astros are pretty bad leading to a 4-game sweep prediction in favor of the Red Sox. A 4-game sweep is very hard to do, but this series has that result written all over it. 

First Pitch: Thursday 6:35, Friday 7:10, Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Thursday: Philip Humber, RHP (0-4, 6.63 ERA)  vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (4-0, 0.90 ERA)

Friday: Erik Bedard, LHP (0-1, 6.17 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-2, 3.38 ERA)  

Saturday: Brad Peacock, RHP (1-2, 7.50 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (2-0, 4.32 ERA)

Sunday: Bud Norris, RHP (3-2, 4.13 ERA) vs. John Lackey, RHP (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 7-14 (Last AL West)	Record: 14-7 (1st AL East)
On road: 3-6	At home: 7-5
Streak: W2	Streak: W1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Barnes (.367)	Average: Ortiz (.500)
Homers: Ankiel/Carter (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks (5)
RBI: Ankiel/Carter (11)	RBI: Napoli (26)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Norris (3)	Wins: Buchholz/Lester (4)
ERA: Harrell (4.08) | Cisnero/Fields (0.00)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Harrell (20)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The last time these two teams met was July 1-3 of 2011 in Houston. The Sox swept the Astros to close out inter-league play in 2011. The Sox got wins from Dan Wheeler, Andrew Miller, and that Beckett guy. Many of the players on the roster at the time are no longer members of the team, so there is no point going through the in-depth analysis.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Why not? He is hot at the plate and leading the league in RBI, while making everyone wish he had signed that initial 3-year deal. He is lovin' Fenway Park and expect the production to continue against the worst team in the AL.

Pitch Around: Jose Altuve

Altuve is in no way a power threat, although he is the only guy in Houston that can consistently put the bat on the ball. Expect a lot of singles from Jose in the series. There won't be many batters that will be able to knock him in, so there should be no worry if Altuve reaches base.

Don't Fall Behind: No One

The Houston Astros' starting pitching is horrendous. We will see our old friend that we hardly knew, Erik Bedard, who is stinking something fierce. The Sox should be able to jump all over this pitching staff and put up some big numbers.

How we see it goin' down

The Red Sox didn't look that great against the A's, though I don't see them having any struggles against Houston. The Astros are pretty bad leading to a 4-game sweep prediction in favor of the Red Sox. A 4-game sweep is very hard to do, but this series has that result written all over it. 

First Pitch: Thursday 6:35, Friday 7:10, Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:35

Arms: Thursday: Philip Humber, RHP (0-4, 6.63 ERA)  vs. Clay Buchholz, RHP (4-0, 0.90 ERA)

Friday: Erik Bedard, LHP (0-1, 6.17 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-2, 3.38 ERA)  

Saturday: Brad Peacock, RHP (1-2, 7.50 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (2-0, 4.32 ERA)

Sunday: Bud Norris, RHP (3-2, 4.13 ERA) vs. John Lackey, RHP (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 7-14 (Last AL West)	Record: 14-7 (1st AL East)
On road: 3-6	At home: 7-5
Streak: W2	Streak: W1
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Barnes (.367)	Average: Ortiz (.500)
Homers: Ankiel/Carter (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks (5)
RBI: Ankiel/Carter (11)	RBI: Napoli (26)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Norris (3)	Wins: Buchholz/Lester (4)
ERA: Harrell (4.08) | Cisnero/Fields (0.00)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Harrell (20)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The last time these two teams met was July 1-3 of 2011 in Houston. The Sox swept the Astros to close out inter-league play in 2011. The Sox got wins from Dan Wheeler, Andrew Miller, and that Beckett guy. Many of the players on the roster at the time are no longer members of the team, so there is no point going through the in-depth analysis.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Why not? He is hot at the plate and leading the league in RBI, while making everyone wish he had signed that initial 3-year deal. He is lovin' Fenway Park and expect the production to continue against the worst team in the AL.

Pitch Around: Jose Altuve

Altuve is in no way a power threat, although he is the only guy in Houston that can consistently put the bat on the ball. Expect a lot of singles from Jose in the series. There won't be many batters that will be able to knock him in, so there should be no worry if Altuve reaches base.

Don't Fall Behind: No One

The Houston Astros' starting pitching is horrendous. We will see our old friend that we hardly knew, Erik Bedard, who is stinking something fierce. The Sox should be able to jump all over this pitching staff and put up some big numbers.

How we see it goin' down

The Red Sox didn't look that great against the A's, though I don't see them having any struggles against Houston. The Astros are pretty bad leading to a 4-game sweep prediction in favor of the Red Sox. A 4-game sweep is very hard to do, but this series has that result written all over it. 

Your Morning Dump...where we may have seen the last of Alfredo Aceves

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.

The Red Sox announced following Wednesday’s 6-5 victory over the A’s that they have optioned right-hander Alfredo Aceves to Triple-A Pawtucket. It is not yet known whom the Sox will call up to take his place on the roster. The decision comes one day after Aceves had an abysmal start in which he yielded eight runs in 3 1/3 innings, with his ERA for the year ballooning to 8.66.

“The bottom line is just that: The bottom line. You’ve got to perform to continue to get opportunities,” manager John Farrell said prior to Wednesday’s game, before the Sox announced the roster move. “We’re undecided as far as Sunday goes as far as the starter. That will become more clear tomorrow after Lackey’s bullpen. I’ve had a chance to meet with Alfredo [on Wednesday] just to discuss [Tuesday] night — not so much the role going forward. But it still comes down to continuing to earn those opportunities. There’s been mixed results over the time period [since last August].”

WEEI: Aceves gets demoted

After seeing Aceves get lit up by the Athletics only to have him blame everything except his inability to throw decent pitches, you had to figure something was coming down the line. I thought they would have maybe outright release him but he still had some options to go down to the minors, which makes his outbursts even crazier. Then again we're talking about Mr. Eyes of Satan here.

The plan to put him in the rotation in AAA is fine. Get him to look decent and then dangle him out to anyone in need of starting pitching. There's a slim chance that he'll return to the Majors as a member of the Red Sox. If the team needs a spot start, Allen Webster & Steven Wright could be the go to guys for that until Franklin Morales is done with his rehab stints. 

It's a damn shame since Aceves started his Red Sox career with a bang and we wondered why the Yankees let someone go who was a solid part of their bullpen. 

Now we know. 

Rest of the Links: Sox save best for last | In the danger zone, but Lester hangs in | Aceves sent to AAA | Herald: Hanrahan may be out of luck | Lester's frustration mounts on mound | Aceves gets demoted | CSNNE: Sox continue clean up | Despite frustration, Lester doesn't unravel | Sox rebound, take series with 6-5 win | Bailey 'outstanding' in closing role | Ortiz continues to make progress against Oakland | WEEI: Revisiting closer by committee | Sox option Aceves to Pawtucket | Sox call up Lavarnway

Recap: Napoli powers Red Sox to a 9-6 victory

I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's so damn good to see Mike Napoli in a Red Sox uniform.

Napoli crushed a grand slam into the Monster seats in the fifth that helped push the Sox past the A's with a 9-6 victory.

After the A's got to Felix Doubront in the top of the second for a couple of runs, Napoli helped get the Sox back into the game. He followed up David Ortiz's double with a double of his own to cut the Athletics lead to 2-1. 

Then in the fourth, Will Middlebrooks took A.J. Griffin's offering to the Monster seats for a three run home run to help give the Sox a 4-2 lead. It was Middlebrook's only hit of the night but it was his first home run since he went off in Toronto so at least he's getting his power swing back in the middle of his funk. 

The Sox would get a little lucky in the fifth. After a Shane Victorino single to start the inning, Dustin Pedroia grounded to third base but Andy Parrino couldn't handle Josh Donaldson's throw at second and  couldn't even get the force out at second. Napoli would make the A's pay later in the inning as he gets his 4th homer of the year to make it a 8-4 Red Sox lead. Salty would make it a 9-4 game when he got an RBI double later in the inning but let's get back to Napoli He's driven in 17 RBIs in the last nine games and has a Major League leading 25 RBIs. Good thing the hip issue didn't scare the Sox off entirely.

It looked like it was all said and done but the bullpen looked a little shaky. After Felix Doubront, went 6 2/3 decent innings (3 ER, 8 SO, 5BB) Clayton Mortensen had himself an off night as he couldn't locate his pitches and the A's took full advantage. After Mortensen gave up a walk & hit a guy, Donaldson & old pal Josh Reddick would hit back to back doubles to make it a 9-6 game. Eventually Junichi Tazawa would come in to end the inning before any more damage would happen. Andrew Bailey came out for his third straight game and closed the door for the W.

The only bad news that came out tonight is that Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-5 and it was the first game that he didn't get on base. All in all it was a very solid win for the Sox and it was good to see the bats working again after a little struggle in the day-night doubleheader.

Box Score

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

First Pitch: Monday 6:35, Tuesday 6:35, Wednesday 4:05

Arms: Monday: A.J. Griffin, RHP  (2-00, 2.25 ERA)  vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Tuesday: Bartolo Colon, RHP (2-0, 3.32 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves, RHP (1-0, 6.28 ERA)  

Wednesday: Brett Anderson, LHP (1-3, 5.95 ERA) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (3-0, 1.73 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 12-7 (2nd AL West)	Record: 12-6 (1st AL East)
On road: 6-3	At home: 5-4
Streak: L3	Streak: L2
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Smith (.388)	Average: Ortiz (.625)
Homers: Crisp (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks/Nava (4)
RBI: Lowrie/Moss (14)	RBI: Napoli (20)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Milone (3)	Wins: Buchholz (4)
ERA: Griffin (2.25) | Cook (0.87)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Milone (21)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The Red Sox got their asses handed to them in Oakland to kick off the month of September of 2012. The Sox were outscored 33-5 in the series with a 20-2 loss to kick off the series. Much like the recent recaps of series from 2012, we don't want to be reminded of any more details.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Mike is an RBI machine. He is 3rd in the majors with 20 RBI, and even with the low .267 average, Napoli is going to up that average number while driving in some more runs. Want some stats to back that up? How about a .400 and .375 batting average against Anderson and Colon, respectively. Throw in a .900 SLG% coming out to a 1.471 OPS against Brett Anderson, and we a bit more backup for a potential big series for Mike Napoli.

Pitch Around: All the former Sox players

Here is why:

Coco Crisp: Leading the team in homers with 5, batting .328, and leads the team with 6 steals.

Jed Lowrie: Second on the team with a .382 BA, and tied for the team lead in RBI with 14.

Brandon Moss: Tied with Lowrie in RBI with 14.

Josh Reddick: Only batting .113 with a homer and 8 RBI, but the potential for damage is there.

Don't Fall Behind: A.J. Griffin

Clearly the best of the 3 Oakland starters going in the series. Though, Bartolo Colon is pitching pretty well for a senior citizen. So, watch out for Colon as well.

How we see it goin' down

Coming off of a disappointing Sunday, the Sox are looking to come up with another winning streak as we all try to normal around the city. The Sox have the pitching advantage in game 3, though the A's have the upper hand in the first two matchups. David Ortiz has started his season hot, but it may not be enough if Colon and Griffin continue their hot starts. I am going to have to give the series to Oakland with the Sox salvaging the final game.

First Pitch: Monday 6:35, Tuesday 6:35, Wednesday 4:05

Arms: Monday: A.J. Griffin, RHP  (2-00, 2.25 ERA)  vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Tuesday: Bartolo Colon, RHP (2-0, 3.32 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves, RHP (1-0, 6.28 ERA)  

Wednesday: Brett Anderson, LHP (1-3, 5.95 ERA) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (3-0, 1.73 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 12-7 (2nd AL West)	Record: 12-6 (1st AL East)
On road: 6-3	At home: 5-4
Streak: L3	Streak: L2
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Smith (.388)	Average: Ortiz (.625)
Homers: Crisp (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks/Nava (4)
RBI: Lowrie/Moss (14)	RBI: Napoli (20)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Milone (3)	Wins: Buchholz (4)
ERA: Griffin (2.25) | Cook (0.87)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Milone (21)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The Red Sox got their asses handed to them in Oakland to kick off the month of September of 2012. The Sox were outscored 33-5 in the series with a 20-2 loss to kick off the series. Much like the recent recaps of series from 2012, we don't want to be reminded of any more details.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Mike is an RBI machine. He is 3rd in the majors with 20 RBI, and even with the low .267 average, Napoli is going to up that average number while driving in some more runs. Want some stats to back that up? How about a .400 and .375 batting average against Anderson and Colon, respectively. Throw in a .900 SLG% coming out to a 1.471 OPS against Brett Anderson, and we a bit more backup for a potential big series for Mike Napoli.

Pitch Around: All the former Sox players

Here is why:

Coco Crisp: Leading the team in homers with 5, batting .328, and leads the team with 6 steals.

Jed Lowrie: Second on the team with a .382 BA, and tied for the team lead in RBI with 14.

Brandon Moss: Tied with Lowrie in RBI with 14.

Josh Reddick: Only batting .113 with a homer and 8 RBI, but the potential for damage is there.

Don't Fall Behind: A.J. Griffin

Clearly the best of the 3 Oakland starters going in the series. Though, Bartolo Colon is pitching pretty well for a senior citizen. So, watch out for Colon as well.

How we see it goin' down

Coming off of a disappointing Sunday, the Sox are looking to come up with another winning streak as we all try to normal around the city. The Sox have the pitching advantage in game 3, though the A's have the upper hand in the first two matchups. David Ortiz has started his season hot, but it may not be enough if Colon and Griffin continue their hot starts. I am going to have to give the series to Oakland with the Sox salvaging the final game.

First Pitch: Monday 6:35, Tuesday 6:35, Wednesday 4:05

Arms: Monday: A.J. Griffin, RHP  (2-00, 2.25 ERA)  vs. Felix Doubront, LHP (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Tuesday: Bartolo Colon, RHP (2-0, 3.32 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves, RHP (1-0, 6.28 ERA)  

Wednesday: Brett Anderson, LHP (1-3, 5.95 ERA) vs. Jon Lester, LHP (3-0, 1.73 ERA)

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

The Matchup

Record: 12-7 (2nd AL West)	Record: 12-6 (1st AL East)
On road: 6-3	At home: 5-4
Streak: L3	Streak: L2
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Smith (.388)	Average: Ortiz (.625)
Homers: Crisp (5)	Homers: Middlebrooks/Nava (4)
RBI: Lowrie/Moss (14)	RBI: Napoli (20)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Milone (3)	Wins: Buchholz (4)
ERA: Griffin (2.25) | Cook (0.87)	ERA: Buchholz (0.90) | Wilson (0.00)
K's: Milone (21)	K's: Dempster (33)

Last time

The Red Sox got their asses handed to them in Oakland to kick off the month of September of 2012. The Sox were outscored 33-5 in the series with a 20-2 loss to kick off the series. Much like the recent recaps of series from 2012, we don't want to be reminded of any more details.

This time

Laser Show: Mike Napoli

Mike is an RBI machine. He is 3rd in the majors with 20 RBI, and even with the low .267 average, Napoli is going to up that average number while driving in some more runs. Want some stats to back that up? How about a .400 and .375 batting average against Anderson and Colon, respectively. Throw in a .900 SLG% coming out to a 1.471 OPS against Brett Anderson, and we a bit more backup for a potential big series for Mike Napoli.

Pitch Around: All the former Sox players

Here is why:

Coco Crisp: Leading the team in homers with 5, batting .328, and leads the team with 6 steals.

Jed Lowrie: Second on the team with a .382 BA, and tied for the team lead in RBI with 14.

Brandon Moss: Tied with Lowrie in RBI with 14.

Josh Reddick: Only batting .113 with a homer and 8 RBI, but the potential for damage is there.

Don't Fall Behind: A.J. Griffin

Clearly the best of the 3 Oakland starters going in the series. Though, Bartolo Colon is pitching pretty well for a senior citizen. So, watch out for Colon as well.

How we see it goin' down

Coming off of a disappointing Sunday, the Sox are looking to come up with another winning streak as we all try to normal around the city. The Sox have the pitching advantage in game 3, though the A's have the upper hand in the first two matchups. David Ortiz has started his season hot, but it may not be enough if Colon and Griffin continue their hot starts. I am going to have to give the series to Oakland with the Sox salvaging the final game.

Your Morning Dump...Where Sox players express some feelings after the win

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 didn't know what to expect," said Jonny Gomes. "What I did feel today I've never felt before."

An emotional pregame ceremony left few dry eyes.

"A moment of silence for the people who aren't here, to a couple seconds later applauding the heroes, and then a baseball game breaks out," said Gomes as he recalled each aspect of the pregame events.

For Clay Buchholz, it was difficult to keep himself composed for the game at hand.

"Pretty emotional," said Buchholz of the atmosphere. "It's at times tough to restrain yourself. It was awesome that that game could've been finished that way. I don't think you could've written it any better."

CSNNE: Red Sox react to emotional day at Fenway

It was a very emotional day and it was done well by the organization and everyone who was involved. The book isn't closed on this situation and there is still a lot to be done with the investigation. For now, it is a victory for the city of Boston and the mood at Fenway park expressed just that.

We can attempt to return to normal life and get caught up in this awesome 7-game win streak that the Sox have put together. I'm not sure if many people have paid much attention to the standings as of late, but the Sox and Yankees are 1-2 in the standings, respectively. The two teams that most "experts" expected to be 4-5 in the standings. I know it's early, but it is hard not to get excited about this.

On Page 2, the FCC Chairman stands with Big Papi's pregame F-bomb.