Building Dynasties in Boston, Part II

[BostonRS14]

June 15, 2008:

Volquez Holds Sox's to Two Hits as Reds Save off Sweep
Cincinnati 5, Boston 1

After displaying their offensive muscle in the first two games of the series, the Red Sox were shut down by Cincinnati budding ace Edison Volquez in the series finale. Volquez held Boston to two hits over seven innings, allowing one run while striking out 5 and walking two.

Boston fell behind early when Drew Anderson, who went 3-8 in the series, hit a two-out triple off of Clay Buchholz in the first before scoring on a Ken Griffey Jr. double. Boston tied the game in the fourth, when David Ortiz broke up Volquez's no-hitter with a solo homerun.

The score remained tied until the sixth, when Buchholz ran out of gas. Adam Dunn's two-run home run broke the tie and Griffey followed with a solo shot to put the game out of reach. Brian Corey replaced Buchholz and retired three Reds to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Corey, Manny Delcarmen and Cincinnati's Joe Burton combined to throw five innings of relief without allowing a base runner.

W: Volquez (6-5) L: Buccholz (5-3)
Player of the Game: Edison Volquez (7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 Ks, 88 PI)

Around the League:
... Garret Anderson of the Anaheim Angels hit for the cycle against the Atlanta Braves...Seattle designated CF Jeremy Reed for assignment and placed him on waivers...Boston activated SP Josh Beckett from waivers and demoted Kason Gabbard to Pawtucket...

Bruins rejected by Little

Bryan Little has rejected the Bruins' contract offer in favor of signing with the New York Rangers. As many as 14 teams had been rumored to have offered the 20 year old center a contract.

Little, a former Atlanta draft pick, become a free agent after being unable to come to terms with the Trashers.

Selected 12th overall in the 2006 Entry Draft, Little spent the past season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 38 goals to go along with 24 assists in 66 games.

[BostonRS14]

2008 MLB Draft Recap

We went in looking for some pitching and got that with a number of picks.

Round 1, Pick 30: SP Alvaro Valdes
-We wanted a SP with our first pick and went against our Scouting Dept. to get one. Nonetheless, our scouts are very high on him, calling him "as close to a can't-miss prospect as you'll find on a pitching mound." The 22-year old right hander spent the past year pitching for the Univ. of Alabama, where he went a disappointing 4-9 with a 7.84 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. We are hoping those are just a consequence of playing on a terrible team (20-30, 11th SEC), and he can live up to his potentials (65/75/75).

Round 2, Pick 30: 1B Angelo Garza
-We debated not going with Garza (22 yr., 65/70/70/60/45), since our 1B depth is decent with Lars Anderson (20/77), Kevin Youkilis (68/74), Alonso Gonzalez (Lowell, 20/73) and Bill Rowell (20/23), but none of the other prospects left combined his talent across the board. We might move him to another position if he hits well enough to figure into our long-term plans, since there will be a logjam eventually.

Round 3, Pick 30: RF Jermaine Collins
-Another college bat, Collins looks like a good bet to eventually make the majors. Switch hitter with decent fielding ratings, Collins should "be a very good contact hitter, and a player most teams would love to have near the top of the lineup."

Round 4, Pick 30: MR Rory Frost
-A 20 year-old closer out of Australia, seems like a decent shot to take another pitcher here. The draft is pretty weak at this point, or my scout just hasn't done a good enough job. Hoping to be able to stretch his arm out a bit, already with a 40 endurance, so, at worst, he's a long reliever out of the bullpen.

Round 5, Pick 30: SP Doug Osbourne
-Adding another SP was nice here, gives us three pitchers in five picks, something I was hoping for heading into the draft. Osbourne will be a longshot to make the club some day, but until then it'll be nice to have some depth in the system. Best case, fifth starter, at worse, trade bait at some point unless a talent bump comes along.

Having set my Scouting Dept. budget to 25% amateur probably hurt me a little this year, but having the last pick in the first round, I wasn't going to get to tier talent anyways.

Overall, Tampa Bay took Orlando Duran first overall, followed by SP Jerry Perkins (Pit), SP Norm Brown (KC), Shawn Simmons (Bal) and C Doug Osborn (SF).

[BostonRS14]

Boston Red Sox v. Philadelphia Phillies
Citizen Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

The Red Sox seem to like playing their counterparts in the National League, having compiled a 5-1 record so far this season in inter-league play. Of course, Cincinnati and Milwaukee are not being confused for World Series contenders, like Boston's next opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies are. The Phils (41-30) are currently in second place in the National League East, 2.5 games behind the New York Mets.

The Red Sox (49-23) come into the series with a 5 game lead over the New York Yankees (44-28, 1st AL WC) in the AL East.

Philadelphia ranks 5th in the National League in runs scored (339) but 13th in batting average (.254), thanks in part to the subpar season of Jimmy Rollins (.202 avg., .257 obp) and Ryan Howard (.264 avg., 14 HRs, 47 RBIs, .884 ops). Kyle Kendirck (5-2, 2.41 ERA) has established himself as a solid second option behind Cole Hamels (10-3, 3.66) on a pitching staff that boasts the 6th best ERA (4.21) in the NL. The Phillies will be without slugger Pat Burrell who is recovering from a herniated disk in his back and is not expected to be back until around the All Star break.

Pitching Matchups:

6/16: Josh Beckett (5-2, 3.17 ERA) v. Kyle Kendrick (5-2, 3.41 ERA)
6/17: Daisuke Matsuzaka (8-4, 3.57) v. Shawn Baker (5-7, 3.55)
6/18: Tim Wakefield (9-3, 3.41) v. Brett Myers (3-4, 5.15)

[BostonRS14]

June 16, 2008:

Beckett Shaky off of DL as Phils take Opener
Philadelphia 8, Boston 4

Fenway Park may be a hitter's park, but experiencing Citizens Bank Park was a rollercoaster for Josh Beckett and the Red Sox last night. With the wind blowing strongly out to left, the Phillies knocked Beckett around behind four home runs, including the first of Kyle Kendrick's career.

In his first start since coming off the disabled list, Beckett twice coughed up leads handed to him by his offense. Leading 1-0 in the third thanks to a Kevin Youkilis RBI double, Beckett gave up a pair of two-run home-runs to Greg Dobbs and Ryan Howard before recording a single out in the bottom of the inning.

"I wasn't spotting my fastball as well as I can and they took advantage," Beckett said afterwards. "It wasn't rust, it was just poor performance on my behalf and I let the guys down."

Trailing 4-1, the Red Sox did manage to tie the game up in the 5th against Philadelphia starer Kyle Kendrick. With one out, David Ortiz hit his home-run of the season, a solo shot down the right field line. Following a Manny Ramirez long fly that was tracked down against the wall by Shane Victorino, J.D. Drew took a walk and scored on Dustin Pedroia's double to cut the lead down to one. Julio Lugo followed with a sure inning-ending ground out, but third baseman Greg Dobbs couldn't handle the liner, allowing Pedroia to come home from second with the tying run.

In the bottom half of the inning, tough, the Phillies came right back, highlighted by Chase Utley's two-run home run that put Philadelphia back in the lead for good. Ryan Howard would eventually advance to third, but was stranded when Beckett managed to strike out by Greg Jenkins and Jason Werth to end the inning.

Philadelphia added two more insurances runs in the seventh to pull away and take the opener from the Red Sox.

W: Kendrick (6-2) L: Beckett (5-3)
Player of the Game: Chase Utley (3-4, HR, 2 Rs, 2 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Boston claimed CF Willie Bloomquist (91 ABs, .319 avg., .794 ops) off waivers from Seattle and designated CF Rob Mackowiak (26 ABs, .154 avg., .361 ops) for assignment...New York signed SP Mike Mussina (7-3, 4.27 ERA) to a two-year contract extension worth $2.98m per year...Cincinnati 1B Drew Anderson (.476 avg., 6 HRs, 11 RBIs) won the NL Player of the Week award....CF John Hamilton (.550 avg., 3 HRs, 5 RBIs) of the Texas Rangers won the AL Player of the Week award...

[BostonRS14]

June 17, 2008

Sox Bounce Back Behind Matsuzaka, Beat Phils 7-3
Boston 7, Philadelphia 3

Daisuke Matsuzaka seems to be showing signs of coming to terms with his talent as he continues to develop into the front line starter the Red Sox thought they were acquiring back in the winter of 2007.

Matsuzaka has lasted at least 6 innings in nine of his last ten starts, including three complete games and one shutout. Against the Phillies, Daisuke pitched seven innings, striking out four while allowing three runs on four hits.

The Sox jumped out in front early, scoring four runs in the top half of the first inning against Philadelphia starter Scott Baker (4.1 IP, 7 Hs, 5 Rs, 4 ER, 5 Ks). Coco Crisp led off the game with a single to center that skipped under the glove of a diving Chase Utley at second. After Dustin Pedroia reached base on a throwing error by Baker, David Ortiz followed with a RBI-single to left to score Crisp from second without a throw. With runners on the corners and no outs, Baker worked tentatively to Manny Ramirez, throwing his first three pitches away from the slugger. Unfortunately, when Baker did decide to come inside, Ramirez wasn't taking and deposited the fastball over the wall in right field for a three-run home run, his 15th of the season.

The Phillies did rally back to within one run in the 4th when Jimmy Rollins scored on a triple by Jayson Werth after taking a one-out walk from Matsuzaka. Werth would score on a single by Carlos Ruiz one batter later to pull the Phils to within one run, but Daisuke manage to strike out Scott Baker to end the inning. Boston did lose Manny Ramirez to an apparent injury on the Ruiz single, as he pulled up lame after attempting to throw Werth out at home.

The Red Sox manage to get one run back in the top of the 5th on a RBI-single by Mike Lowell. Dustin Pedroia, who got the inning started with a single to left and stole second on a failed hit-and-run by David Ortiz, scored from second on the Lowell single after Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel tried to set up the double play by intentionally walking Brandon Moss, who was batting in place of
Ramirez in the lineup after replacing the injured left fielder in the second inning.

Boston would later add two more insurances against reliever Adam Eaton when Julio Lugo led off the 8th with a solo home run and Dustin Pedroia hit a two-out RBI double. Hideki Okajima and Bryan Corey pitched the final two scoreless innings for the Sox to secure the win.

W: Matsuzaka (9-4) L: Baker (5-8)
Player of the Game: Manny Ramirez (1-1, HR, 3 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Seattle activated SP Felix Hernandez (6-5, 2.89 ERA, 99.2 IP, 96 K's) from the disable list...San Diego signed MR Trevor Hoffman (3-5, 0 SVs., 6.75 ERA) to a 1-year contract extension worth $3.62m...1B Albert Pujols (.354 avg., 18 HRs, 56 RBIs, 1.102 OPS) of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 300th career home run...

Mariner delivers Parkhurst warning

Assistant manager Paul Mariner issued a warning today concerning the play of Michael Parkhurst in recent training sessions. Mariner noted that Parkshurt was looking his usual self. More worringly, Mariner has heard rumors that the defender may be looking to move on to a bigger club.

Mariner suggested attempting to negotiate a new deal with Parkshurt in an attempt to persuade the player not to leave the club. The 24-year defender has appeared in all 12 matches for the Revolution this season as the New England defense has conceded a league-low 10 goals this season.

[BostonRS14]

June 18, 2008

Dobbs' 3 RBIs Pace Phils Past Sox in Series Finale
Philadelphia 9, Boston 2

Missing Manny Ramirez's bat, the Red Sox offense did little against Brett Myers in the rubber match of the three game series against the Phillies. With the Yankees already winning earlier in the day, the loss trimmed the Red Sox lead in the American League East down to 3.5 games over New York, down from 7.5 on June 1st.

A Kevin Youkilis RBI-double and a solo home run by Brandon Moss put the Sox ahead by two early, but Tim Wakefield lacked his baffling knuckleball as the Phillies battled back. In the fourth inning, Geoff Jenkins hit a two-run home run off Wakefield to tie the game.

In the sixth, Wakefield got into trouble when the knuckleball started to flutter a bit too much. A seven-pitch lead off walk to Jimmy Rollins was followed by a nine pitch at-bat to Jenkins that ended with the slugger reaching first after taking a knuckle to the back. So Taguchi drove home Rollins to break the tie before 2B Mike Cervenak got his only hit of the game, a two-run double to left-center that broke open the game for Philadelphia.

A Ryan Howard solo home run in the seventh was followed by a three-run shot in the eight by Greg Dobbs off of Lee Gronkiewicz that sealed the victory for the Phillies.

W: Myers (4-4) L: Wakefield (9-4)
Player of the Game: Greg Dobbs (4-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Pittsburgh traded CF Nyjer Morgan (.307 avg., 3 HRs, 13 RBIs, .831 ops.) and LF Brad Corley (Lynchburg) to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for reliever Jon Huber (3-2, 1 sv., 43.1 IP, 30 Ks) and RF Jamie McOwen (Altoona)...Seattle placed CF Tony Gwynn, Jr. (18g, .279 avg., .380 obp.) on waivers...New York placed 3B David Wright (.298 avg., 11 HRs, 41 RBIs, .929 ops.) on the 15-day disable list...

[BostonRS14]

St. Louis Cardinals v. Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston, MA

The Red Sox are back home in the friendly confines of Fenway Park to face the St. Louis Cardinals for a three game set. St. Louis comes into the series with a 39-35 record, good for second place in the NL Central, 10.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs (49-24). The Cardinals offense ranks 1st in the NL with 417 runs scored. On the other other side of the diamond, the St. Louis pitching staff has complied a 4.56 ERA, 12th best.

The Red Sox (50-25) are coming off losing two of three to the Philadelphia Phillies in the midst of dropping six of their last ten. Boston remains 4 games ahead of the Yankees (46-29) in the AL East.

St. Louis's offense, led by the duo of Albert Pujols (.349, 18 HRs, 56 RBIs) and Rick Ankiel (.295, 19, 67), ranks in the top 5 in the NL in all major batting categories.

Projected Matchup:
6/20: Jon Lester (8-2, 3.99 ERA) v. Joel Pineiro (2-2, 7.14)
6/21: Clay Buchholz (5-3, 5.28) v. Kyle Lohse (7-3, 4.24)
6/22: Josh Beckett (5-3, 3.64) v. Braden Looper (6-4, 3.70)

[BostonRS14]

June 20, 2008

Pujols Powers Cards Past Sox in 2004 World Series Rematch
St. Louis 7, Boston 2

Jon Lester paced himself for most of the game, keeping the Cardinals off balance while he engaged in a pitcher's duel with St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse. But, it was Lohse whose veteran experience proved to be enough to keep the Red Sox quiet long enough for the Cardinals to get to Lester and take the opening game of the three game rematch of the 2004 World Series, 7-2.

The Red Sox didn't have the explosiveness we had seen in the Philadelphia series, settling for the first run of the game via a walk, a passed ball, a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Leading off the bottom of the 3rd, Brandon Moss, playing in place of Manny Ramirez once again, drew a four pitch walk from Lohse and advanced to second when Yadier "My favorite" Molina couldn't handle a fastball in the dirt for Lohse. After Jason Varitek sacrificed Moss to third, Julio Lugo hit a hard chopper back up the middle that Jeff Hoffpauir snared on the outfield grass and beat Lugo to first with a stellar plant and throw.

Nursing the one run lead, Lester was solid for the first five innings, retiring 15 of 16 batters without allowing a runner to reach second base. In the sixth though, things unraveled quickly for the young left-hander. With two quick outs, Lester issued a pair of walks to Brendan Ryan and Hoffpauir to put the tying run into scoring position. Molina, make amends for his previous misplay, doubled home the pair with a drive off the wall in left-center. Albert Pujols followed Molina with a two-run home run and before the Sox coaching staff could adjust, their one run lead had exaporate and the team trailed 4-1.

"We didn't see it coming, that's for sure," manager Terry Francona said afterwards. "Jon was cruising along and then he lost his control and they took advantage. They are a solid patient club and they wait for their chances like this and pounce."

Ryan Ludwick added a solo home-run in the seventh to push the lead to four runs. Boston would add a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by David Ortiz, but the Cardinals came back with a pair of runs off Manny Delcarmen in the top of ninth to put the game out of reach.

W: Lohse (8-3) L: Lester (8-3)
Player of the Game: Kyle Lohse (7.1 IP, 5 Hs, 2 Rs, 3 BBs, 3 Ks, 105 PI)

Around the League:
...Minnesota traded SP Nick Blackburn (2-8, 5.72 ERA) to Oakland in exchange for minor league SP Dana Eveland (4-6, 3.91 ERA w/ Sac)...Oakland resigned SP/MR Shigeki Noguchi (7-2, 4.50 ERA) to a 4-year contract extension worth $1.72m total...Texas DH Hank Blalock (.267 avg., 6 hRs, 30 RBIs, .817 ops) fractured his ankle running the bases and will miss about 8 months of action...Atlanta RF Jeff Francoeur (.279 avg., 16 HRs, 53 RBIs, .850 ops) injured his back while throwing and is expected to miss two months..

With J.D. Drew in the midst of a bad slump (.172 avg., 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 19 Ks in 58 ABs in 18 games this month), I decided to recall Jacoby Ellsbury from Pawtucket and give him and Moss more ABs going forward. We had Ellsbury with us earlier in the season and he wasn't used much (17 ABs in 11 games) so we sent him down for more playing time, but with the Yankees creeping back up, we feel it is time to put our best possible lineup on the field to break out of our slump. Brandon Moss has been hitting better lately (.267 in June v. .192 in May) so we'll probably see more of him in RF with Ellsbury as the primary back OF since he is not rated in RF yet.

We did shop Drew around and got no one-for-one trade options. Probably have to wait until the offseason and see if anyone is interested then.

[BostonRS14]

June 21, 2008:

Buchholz Quiets Cards; Leads Sox to Win
Boston 3, St. Louis 2

Clay Buchholz added another notch to his young belt this afternoon, holding the duo of Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel to 2 hits in 7 at bats. Neither slugger was comfortable all day, as they combined to leave four runners in scoring position on the night.

"These are the types of games we want from Clay," pitching coach John Farrell said afterwards. "We are not looking to for the 15 strikeout, one hitters. We'd rather he work the hitters, scatter the hits and let his teammates behind him do their jobs and not worry about overpowering everyone."

Buccholz threw 100 pitches over seven and two-thirds innings, scattering eight hits while striking out seven and walking one. The youngster also induced three double plays to get out of trouble. Javier Lopez and Jonathan Papelbon combined to retire the final four batters in order to secure the win.

Boston jumped ahead early against former teammate Joel Pineiro, scoring twice in the second on a Jason Varitek single. Kevin Youkilis led off the inning with a walk, and J.D. Drew followed with a double to put runners into scoring position with no outs. Pineiro managed to retire Mike Lowell and Brandon Moss on short pop ups to the outfield before Varitek smoked a single back up the middle through the infield. The runners, moving on contact, easily scored without a throw. Julio Lugo grounded out to end the inning.

Boston loaded the bases in the 4th after a pair of walks to Kevin Youkilis and Brandom Moss was followed by Piniero drilling Varitek with the first pitch of the catchers at bat. Neither dugout empty, although the former battery-mates had some choice words to share. After order was restored, Lugo once again ended the threat, bouncing out to Pujols at first for the unassisted putout.

Brain Barton cut the lead in half in the 5th, when a line-drive single dropped in front of Coco Crisp in center, allowing Yadier Molina to beat the throw home by inches for the run. Barton, who advanced to second on the throw home, would move over ot third on a Adam Kennedy groundout, but was stranded when Pujols grounded out to Pedroia at second.

Crisp did redeem himself in the bottom of the fifth, when, leading off against Pineiro, the light-hitting center fielder, hit his eight home run. St. Louis cut the lead down to one run in the eighth before Buchholz exited on a Troy Glaus RBI single, but Javier Lopez was able to strand Pujols and Ankiel on base with ryan Ludwick at the plate to end the rally.

W: Buchholz (8-3) L: Pineiro (2-3) SV: Papelbon (20)
Player of the Game: Buchholz (7.2 IP, 8 Hs, 2 Rs, BB, 7 Ks, 100 PI)

Around the League:
...Tampa Bay SP Edwin Jackson pitched a 2-hit shutout against the Houston Astros...Minnesota signed MR Juan Rincon (2-1, 2 SVs, 3.61 ERA) to a three-year contract extension worth $6.36m...Texas placed 3B Hank Blalock (.267 avg., 6 HRs, 30 RBIs, .817 ops) on the 60-day disabled list...

NHL Entry Draft
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, Ontario.

Selecting 2nd overall for the second year in a row, the Bruins looked to make a move back in the draft to acquire some defensive help, and didn't have to look too far to find a trade parnter.

The Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers were more than happy to oblige Boston's need for a young mobile defenseman, agreeing to send D Marc Stall and two draft picks (2008 2nd round and 2010 5th round) to Boston in exchange for the Bruins 1st round (#2 overall) and New York's 3rd round, which the Bruins had previously acquired.

Boston continued to swing some moves as the draft progressed. Flush with two second and two third round picks, the Bruins found another trade partner in Tampa Bay, sending the 31st overall pick (D Jordon Southorn), D Mark Stuart and LW Alexander Kalyanin to the Lightning in exchange for D Dan Boyle.

Continuing their hyper-active day, the Bruins shipped the right to Brett MacLean and their two third round picks to San Jose in exchange for the #32 overall pick and the right to select C Steven Stamkos.

In the end, Boston ended up acquiring Marc Staal and Dan Boyle via trade to bolster their defense and C Steve Stamkos and D Kyle Bolduc via the draft for the future.

Staal, Boyle, Stamkos, Bolduc

Boston Depth Chart:

With the long list of centers that appear capable to performing at a NHL level, a trade or two to increase the depth at wing, especially left is in order. Drury and Savard, the two more expensive veteran centers appear the most likely to be move, allowing youngsters Leino, Boyes and Kesler to get more playing time, especially with their last two drafts yielding two high-potential center-men (Stamkos and Angelo Esposito).

New England 2, Chicago 0

Francisco Mendoza impressed during the Revolutions' 2-0 victory over Chicago this evening. Relishing the space afforded him with the extra attention given to Taylor Twellman and Eddie Buddle up front, the 23-year old Mexican left winger took advantage of the space afforded him. With two goals, Mendoza paced the Revs, who played without starting keeper Matt Reis for the first time this season.

Doug Warren, Reis's backup for the past five seasons, made his first appearance of the season worthwhile, stopping all 8 shots he faced to pick up his second career clean sheet in 14 MLS matches.

Warren, currently listed for transfer, has expressed a desire in the past to move on from New England in order to get more playing time, a move that the Revs have so far resisted.

"We like the system we have in place," coach Scott Nicol remarked concerning the team's goaltending situation. "We respect Doug's position, but right now, he is a Revolution and we are battling for a MLS Cup and that should be his and everyone else's priority. We'll deal with contracts and money when the time is right."

Controversy did erupt in the 78th minute, when Chicago had a goal disallowed. Paulo Wanchope was ruled offsides on a goal by Celso Borges, that would have tied the game 1-1. Borges was subsequently give a red card and ejected following a spirited argument with the referees. Chicago boss Juan Carlos Osorio refused to openly criticize the referee after the match, claiming that he was not prepared to risk being reprimanded by the MLS.

[BostonRS14]

June 22, 2008

Beckett Shelled in Cards Rout
St. Louis 12, Boston 1

"I think we were lucky to get one."

Those were the words of manager Terry Francona when he tried to summarize the game he just watch transpire at Fenway Park tonight.

The Red Sox sent out their ace, Josh Beckett, hoping to take the rubber match in the three game series against the Cardinals, but they Sox continued their slump this month, dropping to 8-12 in June.

St. Louis opened the scoring in the top of the first with two runs courtesy of a two-run home run by Albert Pujols. A Dustin Pedroia one-out double in the bottom of the second cut the lead in half for Boston, but the Cardinals didn't wait long to pull away.

In the third, the Cardinals put up six runs, all earned, off of starter Josh Beckett. In fact, Beckett retired two of the nine batters he faced in the inning before being replaced by emergency reliever Tim Wakefield. Brendan Ryan led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on a double off the wall in left by Brian Barton. A ground out by Adam Kennedy followed to score the first run of the inning. Singles by Albert Pujols, Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus each plated a run to increase the St. Louis lead to 6-1. After striking out Chris Duncan, Colby Rasmus lined a long single to right-center that allowed both Ankiel and Glaus to score easily. After a Yadier Molina single moved Rasmus up to second, manager Terry Francona decided enough was enough and pulled his ace from the game.

Wakefield, pushed into emergency relief duty, came out of the bullpen for the first time since the 2004 season, when he made two relief appearances along with 30 starts.

"Timmy came up to me and said he was ready," Francona said. "He's going to do whatever we need, and, although it'll cost us some trouble juggling the rotation, we didn't have to run the entire bullpen out there on a short night from the starters."

Wakefield filed in for four and a third innings, holding the Cardinals to just one run on a Troy Glaus RBI single in the 4th inning. Bryan Corey surrendered three runs in mop-up duty.

'I think his days are numbered," an rival advanced scout commented about Corey's performance. "He wasn't sharp, he looked lost out there. Yeah, they have Masteron (5-3, 2.33) and Bard (0-2, 4.85; 6-5 3.32 w/ Portland) starting in Pawtuckett (AAA), but either of them could come up tomorrow and fill his spot and gain experience. He isn't anything special and, when you can't hold the fort in mop-up duty, that doesn't look good."

Braden Looper earned the win for the Cardinals, scattering five hits over six innings, while striking out two. Ron Flores threw three shutout innings of relief against the Sox backups to earn his second career save in 92 appearances.

W: Looper (7-4) L: Beckett (5-4) SV: Flores (1)
Player of the Game: Albert Pujols (2-4, HR, 3 Rs, 3 RBIs)

Around the League:
...Nyjer Morgan (12 ABs, .250 avg., .558 ops w/ SEA) of the Seattle Mainers will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn rotator cuff in a collision...

[elfdog428]

Awesome idea here, just wondering, why no Patriots. I was only able to browse through quickly as i am at work, but thought I would ask.

Awesome idea though. This smacks of an idea I once had a long time ago about the ultimate sports management game. But this is a great idea.

Will reread and keep up with this.

KUTGW

[BostonRS14]

Originally Posted by elfdog428

Awesome idea here, just wondering, why no Patriots. I was only able to browse through quickly as i am at work, but thought I would ask.

Awesome idea though. This smacks of an idea I once had a long time ago about the ultimate sports management game. But this is a great idea.

Will reread and keep up with this.

KUTGW

Thanks for reading. Appreciate the support. I haven't found a football sim that was worth getting involved in as deeply as I have with OOTP or even EHM and FM. I'd love to add the Pats (and Celtics again).

I was hoping that Wolverine Studios would come out with something, but their developers just went part-time on their games so I'm not holding out hope there. As soon as something with potential comes out, I'm going to jump at it.

[elfdog428]

Yeah, the only thing I can think that would be close would be Madden but that is so unlike the rest.

I always, when I first found OOTP and FM, wanted to create the greatest management game ever, allowing you to own a franchise in any sport and play it out, but life and lack of continued education took me down other paths and now I just talk on the phone all day, lol.

Some day, I can see an all encompassing management style game being there. American Football always seems to take a back seat but with Madden owning the rights for the rest of eternity(well, for the forseeable future anyway) I doubt that anyone will make the effort.

Love the format and will definitely keep up on this one. Hate the teams, being a Steeler/Indian/Pirates/Crew/ManU fan, but hey, I can over look the teams for the great story, lol.

[BostonRS14]

Originally Posted by elfdog428

Love the format and will definitely keep up on this one. Hate the teams, being a Steeler/Indian/Pirates/Crew/ManU fan, but hey, I can over look the teams for the great story, lol.

appreciated...

[BostonRS14]

Arizona Diamondbacks v. Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

The National League West leading Arizona Diamondbacks (41-35) are coming to town to face the Red Sox at Fenway Park for a three game mid-week series.

The Diamondbacks, currently have a 2.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres (39-38) in the NL West, have been led this season by a resurgent Randy Johnson (8-2, 1.92 ERA). In his second tour with the Diamondbacks, Johnson is 8 wins shy of joining the exclusive 300 win club. Johnson is currently third on the active wn list behind Greg Maddux (354) and Tom Glavine (309). The Arizona pitching staff has compiled a 4.12 ERA, which is good for 5th best in the NL.

Offensively, the Diamondbacks are 11th in the NL with a .258 average. Stephen Drew (.292) leads the team in batting. While Arizona ranks 4th in runs scored (373), they are 11th in home runs (76) and 1st (274) in extra-base hits.

The Red Sox, despite a 8-12 record this month, continue to lead the American League East over the New York Yankees by 4 games.

Pitching Matchup:
6/23: Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-4, 3.59 ERA) v. Brandon Webb (4-9, 4.46)
6/24: Tim Wakefield (9-4, 3.64) v. Randy Johnson (8-2, 1.92)
6/25: Jon Lester (8-3, 4.05) v. Micha Owings (7-1, 5.00)

[BostonRS14]

June 23, 2008

Sox Snap Skid, Take Opener from Dbacks
Boston 5, Arizona 2

Behind a strong performance by Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston bounced back from dropping two against St. Louis to take the opener of the three game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-2.

After falling behind 2-1 on a pair of solo home runs by Chris Young and Stephen Drew, Boston scored twice in the fourth to pull ahead. With two outs, a Mike Lowell double off Brandon Webb got the Sox started. J.D. Drew tied the game with a single to right field. After surrendering a walk to Dustin Pedroia, Webb gave up a single to Jason Varitek to put Boston ahead 3-2.

Coco Crisp and David Ortiz added a pair of RBI-singles in the 7th to put the finishing touches on the Sox victory.

Matsuzaka, after running off six wins in eight appearances, won for the second time straight game following a Josh Beckett loss.

W: Matsuzaka (10-4) L: Webb (4-10) SV: Papelbon (21)
Player of the Game: Coco Crisp (3-4, 2B, 2 Rs, RBI)

Around the League:
...Chicago placed SP Carlos Zambrano (8-4, 2.49 ERA) on the 60-day disabled list...Florida fired manager Freddy Gonzalez (26-50)...

New England draw Minnesota in US Cup

The New England Revolution will play the Minnesota Thunder in the US Cup Third Round. The match will be played at James Griffin Stadium, St. Paul, MN. on 8 July 2008.

Unlike their opponents, New England do have history in this competition, having lifted the famous trophy once in 2007.

[BostonRS14]

June 24, 2008

Lester Out Duels Big Unit as Ortiz leads Sox in rout of Dbacks
Boston 8, Arizona 2

After a strong performance in May, David Oritz has struggled like much of the Red Sox offense this month. Ortiz, the winner of the AL Batter of the Month award last month after hitting .364 with 10 HRs and 27 RBIs, has slipped down to .222 in June. Last night, facing Arizona veteran Randy Johnson, Ortiz responded with a two-for-four showing with 3 RBIs. It was his first multi-RBI game since collecting 5 against Kanas City back on May 22nd.

Leading 1-0 in the 5th, Ortiz increased the Boston lead with a two-run home run off Johnson. It was a good thing as Sox starer Jon Lester ran into trouble in the bottom half of the inning. Arizona scored twice in the sixth on a pair of bases-loaded walks to Chris Young and Mark Reynolds that forced in runners from third. Lester had gotten into trouble by allowing Chris Snyder, Eric Bynres and Justin Upton all to bases with one-out singles. Fortunately, Lester was able to settle himself after a visit at the mound by Jason Varitek and retired the final two batters, Stephen Drew and Alex Ojeda, on full-count strike-outs.

Arizona managed one more base runner against Lester before the left-hander exited the game with a 4-2 lead in the middle of the eight.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox managed to pack on some insurance runs against Tony Pena. With one out, Dustin Pedria reached base on an error by Drew before advancing to third on a throwing error by Reynolds at third. With runners at the corners, Pena and Snyder crossed signals, allowing Pedroia to come home on a passed ball. Willie Bloomquist added a bloop single to right to score Lugo before Varitek put the game to rest with a two-run home run, his fifth of the season.

Manny Delcarmen pitched the final inning and one-third to earn his sixth save of the season.

W: Lester (9-3) L: Johnson (8-3) SV: Delcarmen (6)
Player of the Game: David Ortiz (2-4, HR, R, 3 RBIs)

Around the League:
...CF Derrick Robinson (Omaha, PCL) extended his hitting streak to 32 games...

[BostonRS14]

June 25, 2008

Buchholz masters Arizona, Sox Complete Sweep
Boston 2, Arizona 0

We've made this point here before, and we'll do it again, Clay Buchholz is proving himself capable to holding down a Major League roster spot. Last night at Fenway, in a classic 'looking towards the next game' atmosphere, Buchholz picked up the Sox bats and kept the Arizona offense off the board as the Red Sox secured the three-game sweep with a 2-0 victory.

With the upcoming road trip on their minds, the Sox batters were quiet for most of the night. Boston managed two runs off Arizona starter Micah Owings on seven hits.

"We didn't have our greatest night, but the kid kept them guessing." David Ortiz said after driving in his 55th run on the season, tying him with Manny Ramirez for the team lead.

In the first, with one out, Ortiz hit a RBI-double to right-center that scored Kevin Youkilis from first for the first run of the night. Youkilis, two for four on the night, would score the second Boston run in the 5th as well. After a leadoff double off Owings, Youkilis remained at second after a pair of strikeouts by Oritz and Ramirez. With the outfield deep, J.D. Drew slapped a bloop single to right that managed to find a spot between Augie Ojeda and former Red Sox Trot Nixon, allowing Youkilis to score easily on the play.

Arizona did challenge in the top of the 5th. Still trailing 1-0, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases on a base on balls, hit batsman and single before Stephen "Don't call me little J.D." Drew grounded out to Youkilis at third to strand the tying run 90 feet from home plate.

Not all the news from the game was good for Boston though, as Coco Crisp was taken off the field after a lengthy stay on the field as he was treated by the team's medical personnel. Walking off under his own power, Crisp looked dazed after colliding with Stephen Drew at second base while attempting to break up a double play. Jacoby Ellsbury entered the game in the fourth in Crisp's place.

The Red Sox were not releasing details of the injury after the game, pending tests being conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital. But, none the less, Crisp is not expected to make the trip to Houston for the next three games.

W: Buchholz (7-3) L: Owings (7-2) SV: Papelbon (22)

Around the League:
...Kansas City traded 26-year old MR Ramon Ramirez (37g, 2-2, 47 IP, 3.45 ERA) to the San Diego Padres in exchange for 24-year old minor league center fielder Josh Alley (.289 avg., .735 ops w/ Portland)...Portland SP Michael Bowden (8-4, 2.76 ERA) pitched a 3 hit shutout against the Connecticut Defenders, striking out 7 and walking 3...Texas 1B Frank Catalanotto (.298, 21 RBIs) and Houston SP Shawn Chacon (6-5, 4.61 ERA) were each suspended three game for their actions in a benches clearing brawl...

Reis Backstops Revs to Shutout of Red Bull NY
New England 2, New York 0

Back in net after a well-earned break, Matt Reis extended his shutout streak to 290 minutes, stretching back to the 70th minute against Chivas USA on May, 17th.

The remarkable run has propelled the Revolution into first place in the MLS Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Kansas City. In fact, the Revolution, at 8-2-2, have the best record in the league with the highest goal difference (18 for, 10 ag in 12 played).

"Everything we are doing this year, we wanted to it to start with Matt first," coach Steve Nicols commented. "We think he is the top keeper in the league and he's getting the recognition he deserves. I'd be shocked if he wasn't going to Beijing in August."

The Revolution front line controlled the action for most of the match, claiming possession for 62% of the match. Taylor Twellman and Edson Buddle led the attack once again for New England, accounting for both goals and six of the squad's twenty shots on net.

Twellman got the Revs on the board first, catching the Red Bull keeper out of position on a rebound in front of the crease. A long kick from Wells Thompson at midfield landed in the goal box, but a missed clear out from New York put the ball in the possession of Marshall Leonard, whose initial attempt was blocked by Ronald Waterreus. Twellman picked up the rebound, depositing the ball into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Despite controlling the play for the majority of the match, New England didn't add the insurance goal until the 84th minute. After intercepting a poor pass from Red Bull defender Marshall, Twellman fed Edson Buddle at the goal box for a one-on-one with the keeper. Avoiding the charge of Waterreus, Buddle chipped the ball over the keeper, collecting it alone in front of the net for the easy finish.

In what could only be seen as retaliation, Hunter Freeman was sent off in the 85th minute after dropping Buddle with a hard tackle after the ball was clearly moved on. While words were exchanged, the referees quickly reestablished order and sent Freeman off with a red card. Despite the extra attacker, New England slid back into their typical defensive scheme to keep New York from advancing into the offensive zone, more content with preserving the win than adding to their goal count.

New York and New England, while not at the level of Red Sox-Yankees or Patriots-Jets, are clearly developing a natural rivalry in Major League Soccer. The Revolution, who have are undefeated (3-0-1) against Red Bull New York the past two seasons, next meet up in August at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

[BostonRS14]

Boston Red Sox v. Houston Astros
Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas

The Red Sox hit the road for an 11 game road that begins with a three game series against the Houston Astros.

A perennial contender since the late 1990's, the Astros have fallen on hard times the past few season. Houston (35-44) is currently in last place in the National Central, 18 games behind the Chicago Cubs (53-26). Since qualifying for the playoffs in 2005 and advancing to the World Series, Houston has regressed as their core has gotten older or left.

The Astros enter the series against Boston with three starters on the disabled list. Carlos Lee is expected to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured hamstring. He is joined by Lance Berkman (fratured ribs) and Hunter Pence (damanged meniscus), both who are unlikely to make appearance against the Red Sox.

The big problem for Houston, though, appears to be their lack of major league quality pitching. Led by Roy Oswalt (6-7, 4.09 ERA) and Jose Valverde (2-2, 17 svs., 4.62 ERA), the Houston pitching staff ranks 15th in the National League in ERA (4.97). With the exception of Oswalt, no Houston starter has an ERA under 4.30. The bullpen doesn't fare much better. Collectively, their ERA is 5.15, second to last in the entire league (Toronto is next best at 4.81 while San Francisco is last at 5.48). The Red Sox, on the other hand, have the second best bullpen (2.71 ERA) in baseball, trailing only the Chicago Cubs (2.48)

Offensively, without their big three, the Astros have struggled. Miguel Tejada, counted on to pickup the slack in Berkman's absence, is batting .267 against right-handers this season with 9 home runs in 75 games.

The bright spot has been the play of youngster Michael Bourn and veteran Ty Wiggington. Pressed into service with the injury to Berkman, Wiggington leads the team with a .322 average to go along with 16 HRs and 43 RBIs. Bourn has shown himself capable of holding down the everyday centerfield spot in his first season with the club. In 70 games, Bourn is batting .308 (.327 v. rhp., .209 v. lhp). But, with players like Jose Cruz Jr. (.202/.247/.371) and David Newhan (.246/.286/.421) figuring prominently into the equation, Houston does not look like a playoff contender this season.

The Red Sox will play the series without Coco Crisp, who is recovering from concussion like symptoms have a collision in the game against Arizona. The Red Sox are unlikely to make a roster move, as Jacoby Ellsbury will step into the starting lineup in centerfield.

Pitching Matchup:
6/27: Josh Beckett (5-4, 4.38 ERA) v. Roy Oswalt (6-7, 4.09)
6/28: Daisuke Matsuzaka (10-4, 3.53) v. Bud Norrs (0-1, 36.00)
6/29: Tim Wakefield (9-4, 3.64) v. Wandy Rodriguez (7-8, 4.31)

[BostonRS14]

June, 27, 2008

Beckett at Ease Against Astros, Leads Sox to Win
Boston 3, Houston 1

Something about a Texas boy coming home that energized Josh Beckett. Raised in Spring, Texas just outside of Houston, Beckett seemed to feed off the crowds energy, holding his hometown Astros to one run on four hits over nine innings.

In his last two starts since coming off the disabled list, Beckett has managed only 7.2 innings total, while allowing 14 runs with just three strikeouts. Against the Astros, Beckett allowed one run in the bottom of the ninth while holding Houston to four hits, no walks while striking out 10 batters.

"It was something he needed," pitching coach john Farrell said afterwards. "Josh needed the intensity of a big game. Coming home so to speak. We watch him in warmups, and that fastball was zipping. I think Jason ['Tek] called a hell of game, using that fastball against the slower bats kept them off balance all night."

Boston jumped ahead in the second when Manny Ramirez took advantage of the short porch in left field for an easy home run, his 16th of the season. Astros starter Roy Oswalt was sharp, but leaving a hanging curve over to plate to Ramirez will always come back to haunt a pitcher.

In the third, after reaching base on a error by Kaz Matsui, Beckett helped his own cause by coming all the way around from first base on a long single by Kevin Youkilis. Waived on by the third base coach, Beckett looked a little out of wind as he crossed home plate ahead of a relay throw from first baseman Ty Wiggington.

In the 7th, Beckett would once again figure into the scoring. With Varitek on second and Julio Lugo on first, the Sox starter successfully placed down a sacrifice bunt, moving the runners ahead 90 feet. Jacoby Ellsbury, filling in for Coco Crisp in centerfield, brought Varitek home with a sharp single to left. After stealing second, Ellsbury and Lugo were stranded in scoring position when Oswalt struck out Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz on a pair of full count fastballs.

Beckett managed to hold the struggling Astros to just 2 hits over the first eight innings before show signs of tiring in the ninth. With two outs and the Boston bullpen quiet, Beckett allowed a single to Michael Bourn before a Miguel Tejada line drive found room between Ellsbury and J.D. Drew for a RBI double. With the tying run at the plate, though, Beckett was able to induce an inning-ending ground out from Wigginton to secure the complete game victory.

In all, Beckett surrendered four hits while walking none and striking out 10 Astros on the night.

W: Beckett (6-4) L: Oswalt (6-8)
Player of the Game: Josh Beckett (9 IP, 4 Hs, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 Ks, 103 PI)

Around the League:
...Pittsburgh activated Freddy Sanchez (.315 avg., 7 HRs, 35 RBIs) from the disabled list and designated Chris Gomez (.333 avg., .742 ops) for assignment...Cleveland SP Fausto Carmona (6-6, 4.32 ERA) pitched a complete game shutout over Cincinnati, leading the Indians to a 6-0 win...