WIN AT ALL COSTS! The 2004 Boston Red Sox

[cknox0723]

Thought I'd let you know how much I've enjoyed this one - I wouldn't hesitate to say that it's the best one on the boards right now. I find the creative style used in your reports an excellent contrast from the typical columns of stats.

Your faux-serious comments by your scouting director vis-a-vis the amateur draft were very amusing, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next update.

Even if it means I'm rooting for the Red Sox.

Craig

[AZTarHeel]

I N T E R L E A G U E P L A Y ! !

Baseballs fly all over Fenway in BoSox-Padres series

June 8-10, 2004

Game 1: Boston 5, San Diego 3. Curt Schilling isn't dazzling but effective enough to get his seventh win out of nine decisions. He doesn't give up a HR this time but is pegged for three earned runs.

Both teams combine for 20 hits. Game MVP Manny Ramirez leads the way for Boston, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Losing pitcher: J Peavy (5-2).

Game 2: San Diego 14, Boston 9. Red Sox fans had to be feeling good about this one with Pedro Martinez (9-0) going up against Padres #5 starter Ben Howard (0-6). But the Pads absolutely ROCKED Martinez, hitting three home runs in the first three innings alone and pinning six earned runs on him.

Boston went back-to-back in the home run department TWICE (Millar and Mueller in the third and then Ortiz and Nixon in the fourth). But it wasn't enough. In all, each team hits FIVE HRs. Pedro is pulled in the third. Uggg. All told -- 33 hits between the teams.

MVP: Terrence Long, who is 4-for-5 with three RBIs. I would have given the honor to S. Burroughs, who went deep twice from the lead-off spot and had four RBIs.

Was the wind blowing out?

Game 3: Boston 14, San Diego 2. Boston keeps up the hot hitting, while Derek Lowe and Co. hold the Padres offense in check.

Mike Bordick, pulled up from AAA due to Pokey Reese's back injury, makes his case to stay on the Big Club. He hits a towering 469-foot HR and finishes 2-for-3 with three RBIs. His average is around .320... Bill Mueller, Manny Ramirez and Ellis Burks also go deep.

MVP: Manny (3-for-5)
WP: Derek Lowe (7-2)
LP: Adam Eaton (1-7)

AL East Standings
Boston 42-18
Tampa Bay 31-28 (wow!)
New York 29-30 (poor pin-stripers)
Toronto 26-34
Baltimore 25-34

Next up:
A three-game series with the LA Dodgers (27-30). The Dodgers are coming off a sweep of Toronto.

[AZTarHeel]

I N T E R L E A G U E P L A Y ! ! !



Dodgers win finale but that's it against Red Sox

June 11-13, 2004

Game 1: Boston 7, Los Angeles 4. BK Kim throws a three-hitter over seven innings to get his second win in a row. Maybe the trade heat is off the Korean sidewinder now? He posts a game score of 71 and is the MVP!!

Johnny Damon clears the bases with a double...
WP and MVP: Kim (3-5)
LP: W Alvarez (3-6)


Game 2: Boston 8, Los Angeles 3. Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Kevin Millar each hit a home run in the opening three innings as the Sox stake Curt Schilling out to an early lead.

The bullpen is solid, giving up just one hit in the last 2 2/3 innings.

MVP: Manny, 2 hits and 4 RBIs...
WP: Schilling (8-2)
LP: E. Jackson (4-4)


Game 3: Los Angeles 9, Boston 5. If Red Sox fans are tempted to get cocky (record is now 44-19), then these types of games will bring them down to earth. The Dodgers stroke 14 hits and pretty much pound any pitcher Boston trots out there. LA gets at least one run off five different pitchers... yikes!! This is similar to the middle game against San Diego in the last series (a 14-9 defeat)... arrgg...

The bright spots: Boston C Doug Mirabelli hits two home-runs in the number eight spot. SS Pokey Reese, in his first game back from the DL, wraps two hits... Welcome back Mr. Reese...

MVP: Norihiro Nakamaru (2 hits, 4 RBIs)
WP: J. Hanrahan (1-0)
LP: Tim Wakefield (5-2, ERA goes up to 6.36 -- ouch!)

AL East Standings
Boston 44-19
Tampa Bay 32-30
New York 31-31 (coming back to .500!)
Baltimore 27-35
Toronto 26-37

Awards
Manny Ramirez earns the AL Player of the Week award, his second of the season. He hits .478 with three HRs and eight RBIs... Barry Bonds has a monstrous week (5 HRs with a 9-for-17 average) and earns NL honors... Barry blasts one out of Camden Yards earlier in the week -- a 535 FOOT HOME RUN!! Wow... Boston will see Barry in the week ahead...

Transactions
With Pokey Reese back from the DL, Boston must send someone down to AAA. That person is Tony Womack (1 star). Mike Bordick, hitting about .300, stays up. He doesn't have the speed of Womack but has B defensive ratings at 2B, 3B and SS -- and a decent bat.

Next up: Road trip to the West
After a day off Monday, Boston will be in Colorado and San Francisco for another two rounds of Interleague Play... Will the Sox pitch to Barry? Fans want to know... Manny, Ortiz, Burks and Millar can't wait for Coors field!!

[AZTarHeel]

Full standings and leaders as of June 14, 2004...

(is this hard to read?)

[TexasLonghorns]

not to me and Radke having 5 less wins than the Detriot Tigers. lol

[AZTarHeel]

Originally posted by TexasLonghorns
not to me and Radke having 5 less wins than the Detriot Tigers. lol

Ha! I just noticed that... The biggest surprises to me: Tampa in second place in the AL East... Arizona leading the NL West with such a great record (Bob Brenly is safe in one reality) and the Cubs falling 13 behind already in the NL Central...

[AZTarHeel]

Some things about the Arizona Diamondbacks in my dynasty that are totally different from reality:

* P Casey Fossum is 6-3 (yeah, right)
* Sexson isn't hurt and has 11 HRs
* Robbie Alomar isn't hurt, is hitting .320 and has 11 HRs (we wish)
* Matt Mantei is 3-2 with a save... (no comment on Mr. Blown Save)
* Casey Daigle is in Single A
* The team is among the league's best at avoiding walks... (just like Brenly's real bunch )

sigh...

[AZTarHeel]

Welcome to goredsox.com!!

Please post your thoughts on the team, players, the season -- anything!!

Remember to keep it clean -- unless you're bashing the Yankees

Posted by SoxFan3
... What's this I hear about Josh Beckett maybe coming to Boston? Anyone know anything about that. Man, that would rock!!


Posted by FJohnson616
... No way Beckett will play in Boston. He's just ticked because Florida got rid of Pudge and the Marlins are struggling. Actually, Florida's playing a lot better of late -- they've won like 8 of the last 10 or something. It would be cool, however, if he did come here. We would kick the Yankees in the *&^%$.


Posted by YankeesStink
I'd just like to say that I HATE A-Rod, Steinbrenner, Jeter and anything and everything with pinstripes. Thanks, that's all...


Posted by Mr406Club
Last night's game against the Dodgers and the earlier game against the Padres are what really scares me about this team. Sometimes the bullpen goes to sleep. If we make any trades, we should seriously upgrade the pen... Frankly, let's ditch Wakefield. His knuckler isn't there this year... Schilling is doing OK but he scares me at times as well... He just doesn't look like he can hold up all year...


Posted by MannyIsMyHero
Why on earth would Boston want to do ANYTHING to mess with this lineup?!? You guys are nuts. We have the best record in baseball right now. LEAVE IT ALONE...


Posted by YankeesStink
... Of course, Grady Little left things alone last year in Game 7 of the ALCS and look where that got us... Get more pitching!! get rid of the whole farm system if possible -- we need to win the Series this year because a lot of these guys won't be back in '05...


Posted by Mr406Club
... Look at how bad Pedro is pitching now that he has his contract. He's 0-1 with a 9.00 in his last three starts. He doesn't care about winning the World Series... We never should have let Clemens go...


Posted by TedWilliamsWannabe
... Oh no!! I just went to my mailbox and got my Sports Illustrated. Guess who's on the cover this week -- AGGHHH!!! The Red Sox!!! We're doomed... doomed, I tell ya.... DOOMED... We probably won't even make the playoffs now...

[AZTarHeel]

(My copy editor has just been sacked for misspelling Boston above)

June 15-17

Coors Field good to Red Sox hitters (but not Pedro Martinez)

Game 1: Boston 11, Colorado 8. Pedro has his worst outing of the season, falling behind 6-0 (Larry Walker and Jeremy Burnitz both homer early). Fortunately, the Sox have enough in their bats to come back.

Boston ties it 6-6 in the fifth. Jason Varitek's three-run homer proves the catalyst for the Boston win, putting the Sox up 9-6. Pedro gives up a run for a 9-7 score then is yanked after loading the bases. Trot Nixon seals it with a pinch-hit HR.

WP: Scott Williamson (5-1)
LP: Tsao (5-7)
S: Keith Foulke (14)
MVP: Jason Varitek (4-for-5 with 5 RBIs). He's playing really well right now... He's average is up to about .330...

Pedro's game score: 20... In his last three starts, 11+ ERA... Yikes!


Game 2: Boston 7, Colorado 3. Manny starts the game with a two-run HR in the first. Colorado wild pitches score two Boston runs later on.

Derek Lowe (8-2) is perfect through four innings and finishes with a solid game overall for the win and MVP honors. LP: J. Jennings (7-2). MVP:


Game 3: Boston 11, Colorado 3. BK Kim may have put the trade talk to rest for good, winning his third straight game. His game score is 74, and his record improves to 4-5. He's the MVP!

Kim's final line: 8 IP, 4 hits, 1 HR, 1 earned run... Nice...

Manny homers in the fourth -- he's red hot right now. The Sox score six in the top of the ninth to pull out to an 11-1 lead. Boston has 14 hits total...

LP: Kennedy (2-8)

In other news: Arizona Diamondbacks sweep the Yankees at Bank One Ballpark, dropping the Bronx Bombers three games under .500.

[soc624]

wooo DBACKS VS SOX WORLD SERIES

[AZTarHeel]

Originally posted by soc624
wooo DBACKS VS SOX WORLD SERIES

In this reality it could happen, though San Fran is also pretty tough in the NL West (40-27 so far, with Bonds leading the league in homers and walks)... Stay tuned...

[AZTarHeel]

It's Manny vs. Barry as BoSox visit San Francisco

The Boston Globe • June 18

This weekend's interleague series between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants could be a World Series preview.

OK, it's only June, but there's no doubting that the Sox and Giants are playing some of the best baseball of anyone right now. Boston, coming off a sweep of Colorado at Coors Field is 47-19 — the best record in the Majors. San Fran is 40-27.

If both teams play up to expectations, there could be plenty of offensive fireworks at Pac Bell Park. The headliners, of course, will be Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez, who both hit third in the order.

Bonds leads the Majors with 25 homers, three more than Chicago's Sammy Sosa. He has 49 RBIs and a .345 batting average to go with his league-leading 90 walks (35 more than anyone else). He has struck out just 34 times.

Ramirez has been on a tear since about week three of the season. His average is .338 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs (second in the AL behind teammate Ellis Burks' 62). Ramirez went long twice at Coors Field.

"I'm looking forward to being in the same park as Barry," he said after the Colorado series. "He's a legend, and we're all just trying to keep up."

Boston manager Terry Francona has said he plans to pitch to Bonds "unless a game situation warrants a different strategy." Of course, the Sox are way ahead of the rest of the AL East and can afford to be a little more aggressive in their approach to the home run king.

Curt Schilling is expected to get the ball for Boston in the Series opener. He's plenty familiar with Bonds and the Giants thanks to his seasons with the NL West rival Arizona Diamondbacks. He'll go up against Kirk Rueter in Friday night's opener. A sellout crowd is expected.

[AZTarHeel]

Manny, BoSox win first duel with Giants
No hits, two walks for Bonds

June 19, 2004

Manny Ramirez hit a towering two-run homer over Barry Bonds in the first inning, and the Boston Red Sox went on to beat the San Francisco Giants 8-0 in interleague action last night.

It was Ramirez's only hit of the night — he hit into two double plays — but his teammates did more than enough damage for the easy victory. All told, Boston boppers pounded out 18 hits.

Ellis Burks, Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciparra and Kevin Millar all had three hits apiece in the slugfest.

As for Giants superstar Barry Bonds? He went 0-for-2 with two walks. Neither of the walks was intentional, however.

"He just has such a good eye at the plate," said Boston pitcher Curt Schilling, who did strike Bonds out to lead off the bottom of the sixth. His other out was a fly out off Schilling in the eighth.

Schilling was masterful in picking up his ninth win of the season. He left with one out in the eighth, having surrendered just five hits and no runs. He's now 9-2 on the season.

The series continues later today when pitchers Tim Wakefield (5-2) of Boston and Noah Lowry (2-3) of San Francisco lock up. Game one last night was a sellout. A capacity crowd is expected again tonight. Most are asking: "How many home runs will the two teams hit?"

Ramirez has now homered in his last three games.

[AZTarHeel]

Man O' Manny: Boston's Ramirez tearin' up the NL West
Sox slugger goes 4-for-6, parks ball in McCovey Cove in 8-3 win over Giants

June 20, 2004

Manny Ramirez continues to wrack up the big hits during the Boston Red Sox's tour of the National League West.

The Boston slugger went 4-for-6 last night as the Sox drilled the San Francisco Giants 8-3 in the second game of the Interleague Series. He was the obvious choice for game MVP honors after driving home three runs.

For the second night in a row, Ramirez picked on left-fielder Barry Bonds in his initial at-bat. On the first night, he homered over Bonds. Last night, he drilled a double over the head of the superstar slugger, driving home the first score of the game.

After flying out to center in the third, Ramirez parked a ball in McCovey Cove in the fifth. Bonds just smiled as the ball sailed off the bat and into the land of fervent kayakers seeking baseball treasures.

Ramirez got his third hit in the sixth inning — a soft RBI single to right center. His bid for the cycle came up short, but Ramirez did have another single in the top of the seventh.

"You know I don't have the wheels to motor around the bases for many triples," Ramirez said after the game. "I'm just glad to be seeing the ball so well right now."

Bonds, on the other hand, came up empty for the second night in a row. He finished 0-for-2 with three walks.

His best chance for fireworks came in the bottom of the fifth.

Wakefield worked for two outs, but a pair of Boston errors and a walk loaded the bases with the single season home run king due up. Wakefield threw three straight balls to Bonds and then worked the count full. Bonds struck out on what Wakefield called a "wicked floater." The bat didn't come close to touching the ball.

The tale of the tape on the two sluggers going into tonight's series finale:

Barry Bonds: 0-for-4 with five walks (none intentional)
Manny Ramirez: 5-for-11 with two home runs.

Ramirez has now homered in four straight games... Alan Embry actually got the win in relief, improving to 3-2... Kevin Millar had a three-run double late in the game for the decisive runs...

[AZTarHeel]

ESPN: Baseball Tonight for June 20

Hello and welcome back to Baseball Tonight. Some dandy interleague contests finishing up right now on the West Coast. New York is playing at LA, and Boston is dueling in San Francisco.

There's the organ music, and let's first get an update on the Yankees-Dodgers brawl at Chavez Ravine.

Yanks fans thought they had this wild game in the bag after New York scores four runs in the top of the 11th inning. But Dodgers' third baseman Norihiro Nakamaru gets two back with this home run here... Then Robin Ventura hits an RBI single to get back another run, putting two men on with Alex Cora at the plate. Mariano Rivera is usually money in these situations but not here -- BOOM! -- as Cora strokes one just over the right field fence. Three runs score and the Dodgers finish the series with six runs in the bottom of the 11th for a 15-13 triumph.

Wow, 10 runs in one inning between the teams. What a game!

That finish kind of reminds me of a certain ALCS game from last season that went to 11 innings...

We'll be back to Baseball Tonight looking for a final score to that Boston-San Francisco game right after these messages from your favorite athlete's foot medication...

[AZTarHeel]

More Baseball Tonight on ESPN

Well, there's the familiar organ music again, and everyone knows the one score we're waiting on. Let's get a final update on the Boston-San Francisco clash by the bay.

The perfect situation for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth. One on with two outs, and San Fran trailing by a run. And guess who's up to bat? Mr. Barry Bonds.

A quick poll, gentleman, you're Terry Francona here. Do you pitch to him?

Well, Bonds has been cold this series, getting just one hit with no homers. But heck no. I wouldn't throw anything near the plate.

I agree. Let someone else beat you. Bonds is ripe in this situation to break out of his mini-slump...

Well, we're all three in agreement with Francona here in the Baseball Tonight studios. Francona tells Keith Foulke to pitch around the big slugger, and after four straight balls, San Fran shortstop Cody Ransom has a chance to play hero... But, he grounds out harmlessly to Bill Mueller at third, and the Red Sox celebrate a 6-5 win and a sweep of the series. You can see Bonds there throwing his helmet into the dugout...

A great interleague trip for Boston to the West Coast for sure -- six straight victories -- but this team has other problems right now.

Pedro Martinez left this game in the seventh inning with a reported elbow injury. It's unclear at this point how long he'll be out, but this could put a serious damper on the season if he's on the shelf for awhile... More on that for sure in the coming days...

[AZTarHeel]

Report: Pedro out for 7 weeks
Boston ace pitcher has bone chips in his elbow

MLB.com

Monday, June 21, 2004

Last season, Boston manager Grady Little left Pedro Martinez in too long, and it cost the Red Sox a chance at the World Series.

This season, new Boston manager Terry Francona left Pedro in for too long, and it will cost the Red Sox their ace for up to seven weeks.

Martinez injured his elbow during the sixth inning of Sunday’s 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants while facing Edgardo Alfonso.

He appeared tired a couple batters before facing Alfonso. Right after throwing a fastball to the Giants third baseman – which Alfonso stroked to centerfield for a two-run double – Martinez winced in pain, holding his elbow.

The overnight verdict from doctors – bone chips in his elbow. He likely won’t return until mid-August. “We’re thinking he should be out about seven weeks,” said trainer Gary Nadler. “It’ll be a few weeks before he can even play catch or go through basic training routines.”

This is a huge blow to a Red Sox team steamrolling through the AL East. Boston just finished its Interleague road trip West with a sweep of both Colorado and San Francisco. The team is now 50-19 – a whopping 16.5 games ahead of its nearest division challengers New York and Tampa Bay. The next best team in the majors is Arizona, which is riding a 10-game win streak and now has a 45-24 record. (Arizona also lost one of its stars, Luis Gonzales, for five to six weeks on Sunday to a base-running injury).

Today (Monday) is an off day for Boston, and management will likely put Martinez on the DL and make its roster moves in preparation for this week’s series against Minnesota and Philadelphia. A series with the Yankees looms next week.

“We’re not quite sure what we’re going to do to fill Pedro’s spot in the rotation,” Francona said. “We may call someone up from the minors, we may let one of our relievers take the job for awhile or we may go fishing in the free agent market to get us through this stretch.”

Francona would not respond to rumors that Boston would go after Florida Marlins ace Josh Beckett, something that has been on Internet message boards for several weeks. A possible trade for Beckett would have involved BK Kim, sources have said. But there's no way Boston would deal Kim now with Martinez out of commission.

Martinez exits until August with a 9-1 record and an ERA of 3.31. He had struggled in recent games, however, posting an 0-1 record and a 11.32 ERA in his three starts prior to Sunday’s.

[AZTarHeel]

Welcome to goredsox.com

We here at GoRedSox.com are in mourning today over the recent injury to Pedro Martinez. Things were going so well for Boston, we had to wonder when the other shoe would fall. So, here's the poll question for the week.

What should Boston do now until Martinez comes back in August? Remember we have a 16.5 game lead in the AL East. But it's hard to fill a hole left by a pitcher with a 9-1 record and likely on pace to win the Cy Young.

1) Move up AAA pitcher Abe Alvarez, a lefty, to fill the hole in the rotation. He's a 4-star guy who had a great run in AA early in the season. He's got standout written all over him in the future, but he's only 21 now. He's been so-so at AAA. There really isn't any other pitcher ready for the majors in the Boston organization (which is sad)...

2) Move a long reliever, like Ramiro Mendoza or Bronson Arroyo (who both have A duration as relievers) into a temporary starters position. Not sure if the game will allow me to put a reliever into a starter's role. Nothing shows up under their duration as a starter.

3) Trade for some more pitching The Josh Beckett trade probably won't happen now because Boston is warming back up to BK Kim. It would probably take mortgaging the future to get a decent starter in Boston. Is it worth it for seven weeks?

4) Check the free agent market. There are numerous 1- and 2-star FA's out there but would this just be a waste of money to bring in an old wash-up to fill a void for two months?

5) Just use a four-man rotation for awhile and add an extra reliever to the mix, giving starters a quick hook whenever possible to keep them fresh. Would this cause more injuries to starters?

Chime in and remember our motto: keep it clean, unless you're bashing the Yankees! Go Sox!!

[joncon16]

Go after Beckett! Live up to your "WIN AT ALL COSTS" title -- plus having another stud starter can only help come playoff time.

[AZTarHeel]

Sox take conservative approach -- for now
LHP Abe Alvarez promoted from Pawtucket to fill Pedro's spot

The Boston Globe * Tuesday, June 22, 2004

The Boston Red Sox will take a conservative approach -- for now -- in filling the void left by Pedro Martinez's elbow injury.

The Sox called up left-handed starter Abe Alvarez from AAA Pawtucket yesterday. The 6-2, 190-pounder will join the team in Fenway when it begins a three-game series with the Twins tonight.

Alvarez, age 21, will fill the number five hole in the rotation. This will be his first appearance in the majors. His first scheduled start will come Friday against the Phillies at home.

"I'm excited to get my first shot at the bigs," Alvarez said in a phone interview from Pawtucket last night. "It's an honor to join this team. Boston is red hot right now, and I want to make my contribution."

Alvarez was 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA for AA Portland but has struggled more since joining the Pawtucket roster. He is 2-4 with a 5.89 ERA at the AAA level. He missed the first part of the season (3-4 weeks) with a fractured jaw.

Boston scouts consider Alvarez a 4-star prospect. His speciality is his fastball, though he also has a decent change.

"This is the right thing to do right now," said Boston GM Theo Epstein. "We believe Abe can handle the competition here."

Rumors continue to fly that Boston is courting Florida Marlins ace Josh Beckett. The Marlins are 9.5 games out in the NL East a year after winning the World Series, and Beckett (9-4) has lost some favor with Florida management for his outspoken comments.

Epstein wouldn't comment directly on the Beckett rumors but left the door open that the Sox could be doing some wheeling and dealing in the weeks ahead.

"We've got some ideas up our sleeve that we think can further upgrade this club," he said. "Our goal is nothing short of a World Series title."